Down on the Boardwalk: Atlantic City Hockey, Al Capone and the Great Boardwalk Hall

Al Capone (4th from left)
on the Boardwalk-1929
Photo-Boardwalk Journal
Oct. 2010

This year hockeyhistory.org had the opportunity to walk the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. and learn about the City and Boardwalk's rich and colourful community and hockey history; the prohibition years were glory years on the boardwalk as prohibition was unenforced in Atlantic City and it became the world’s playground; it was home to the first organized crime convention in 1929 that featured Al Capone; it is the inspiration for the properties on the board game Monopoly including famous boardwalk; Miss America competition originated here on September 7, 1921; the Beatles performed here on their first American tour; and a civil rights speech by Martin Luther King was held there.

Early morning on the
boardwalk in front of
"Boardwalk Hall"

At the centre of this history is Boardwalk Hall built in 1926 and in its day was home to the world’s largest pipe organ. It is also here where Atlantic City’s rich hockey history takes place.

The Case of the Missing Trophy: 
True story - The Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy, a prize handed from champion to champion of the old Eastern League, was found in a storage shed. Chuck Miller

Thanks to Chuck Miller for solving the case of the missing "Boardwalk Trophy".  The Atlantic City Sea Gulls were a top amateur team playing out of the "Hall".  Their hockey success led to the creation of the trophy  in 1932 by Altlantic City businesses to be awarded to the 1932 AAU hockey tournament winner.  For a full overview of the trophy, Gulls and the Eastern Hockey League, click on Miller's excellent article:  From Atlantic City to Toronto:  The Boardwalk Trophy and the Eastern Hockey League

And the Boardwalk Trophy, the chalice that disappeared in
1973, finally coming to light in the storage shed of a former
player's bar? It finally joined the Calder Cup - the Turner Cup -
even the Stanley Cup - in the Hall of Fame on July 26, 1994.
Home at last!  Chuck Miller

In 2010 hockey fans in Atlantic City were thrilled to read the following news release: New Jersey Devils Bring Pro Hockey Back to the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Area hockey fans were thrilled to hear these six words: Hockey is back at the Hall. To read the full article including discussions of the Boardwalk Bullies team click on:

Hockey is Back at the Hall

References

FROM ATLANTIC CITY TO TORONTO: The Boardwalk Trophy and the Eastern Hockey League
Part 1: The Sea Gulls, the Rovers, the Olympics and the Cutters
Part 2: The Jets, the Comets, Southern Expansion and Well-Worn Knuckles
By Chuck Miller(Hockey Ink! Vol. III, Iss. 2-3)

Saturday, August 21, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 1:35 pm, Sun Aug 22, 2010.

New Jersey Devils bringing pro hockey back to Atlantic City Boardwalk By SUSAN LULGJURAJ Staff Writer press of AtlanticCity.com             

To view the article from the Boardwalk Journal, October, 2010 click on:
Once Upon a Time in Atlantic City

Soviet Union National Hockey Team, the 1950 Airplane Disaster, the Great Bobrov and Stalin's Secret: Aviation and Hockey-Part 4

The Airplane Crash:  Strong winds and heavy snow created a blinding snowstorm at the Koltsovo airport at Sverdlovsk, Russia on January 5^th, 1950.  The Soviet Air Force National Hockey team was on board a twin-engine airplane flying in for a game against the  Moscow Dynamo hockey club. On the approach to the runway the plane crashed killing all on board, including 11 players from the team.  Three players from the team were not on the flight. 

Vasiliy Stalin's National Secret:  The elite hockey team was directed by Vasiliy Stalin who was Joseph Stalin`s son. Vasiliy was Commander of the Air Force in the Moscow Military District in 1948.  It is reported that  the crash occurred just two and a half weeks after Joseph Stalin`s 70th birthday and that Vasiliy feared both his fathers reaction to the loss of their elite hockey team and a crash investigation. Presumably as the club director he had authorized the flight and feared the investigation of the plane flying in inclement weather. In an interesting footnote it is reported that Vasiliy was later dismissed  as Commander just two years after the 1950 aviation accident for allowing planes to fly in bad weather during a military parade he organized.  As a result, two Tupolev-4 bombers crashed. 

The Great Bobrov: Immediately after the tragedy, a new team was quickly assembled around star Vsevolod Bobrov and this replacement club simply carried on and was introduced as the Soviet Union Hockey team in the very next scheduled game.

Photo: IIHF Archives

Rather than publicize the disaster and honor the deceased pioneers of Soviet hockey, however, Kremlin officials merely assembled a replacement team built around survivor Vsevolod Bobrov, the legendary Soviet soccer and hockey player who had overslept and missed the ill-fated flight. *

The air disaster was not mentioned in the state-controlled media, the soviet government did not officially acknowledge the event and Joseph Stalin never knew it had happened. Bobrov went on to be one of the greatest Soviet hockey stars and pioneers of the game.


The photo shows Captain Vsevolod Bobrov (left) and Penticton Vee`s  George McAvoy  shaking hands after Canada won the championship 5-0 five years laer  in 1950. Centre: IIHF President Bunny Ahearne.

In memory of the crash victims a memorial was erected by family and friends near the common grave in Koltsovo, Russia.  Those who died in the accident truly were the pioneers of Soviet Ice Hockey and included: Ivan Novikov, Zdenek Zigmund, Yuri Tarasov, Garry Melups — goalkeeper, Robert Shulmanis, Yuri Zhiburtovich, Victor Isaev — second goalkeeper, Alexander Moiseev — forward, Galperin - team doctor, Galkin - team's masseur and Boris Bocharnikov - team's coach

We would like to add a picture of the team and the memorial.  If you know where we can get these pictures please contact us  at   justcdgroup@gmail.com  thanks!

Thanks to Franco at International Hockey Forums for these references:

*Soares, John (2007) Cold War, Hot Ice: International Ice Hockey, 1947-1980 in
Journal of Sport History, Vol 34, No. 2 Summer 2007 p. 210
To read click here:   Cold War, Hot Ice: International Ice Hockey, 1947-1980

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_Sv...k_air_disaster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harijs_Mellups
http://russkiyhockey.wordpress.com/2...history-part1/

Rick Rypien: Another Tragic Death in the Hockey Community

We were saddened by the news that Rick Rypien passed away this week.We would like to send our deepest condolences to family, friends and those in the hockey community.

I had the opportunity to shake Rick Rypien’s hand shortly after he addressed a junior  high school students awards ceremony in June of this year (photo). He had talked to the students about not giving up on their dreams. He shared his story of making it to the NHL even though he was never drafted.  He inspired the young students and told them to, “ never be afraid to ask for help”.

Lethbridge Herald sports editor Dylan Purcell was present and interviewed him that day in June.   In the Tuesday, August 16, edition of the Lethbridge Herald Purcell reflects on that interview.  In discussing Rick’s role of enforcer/fighter on NHL teams he quotes Rick as saying, “It’s a violent job and it’s not always the way you planned it. Nobody dreams of being a fighter when they’re playing minor hockey”.  The Herald also quotes Rick as saying, “you are fighting guys every night, usually they are a lot bigger than you and that can put a lot of pressure on you”. 

Earlier this year, another NHL enforcer, Derek Boogaard, passed away after a battle with addictions.

Winnipeg Jet's Assistant GM Craig Heisinger said of Rick,  "Just a simple guy with some issues to deal with. There was no drug and alcohol issues. His issues were depression."

While it hasn’t publicly been stated, it appears Rick's death may have been  result of non-accidental self-injury. This has not been confirmed.  In the past we at hockeyhistory.org have posted on the profound historical impact of suicide in the professional hockey community and the suicide prevention efforts by many in this community.  This has always been one of the posts our readers have gone to most.  To read it go to:  Hockey, Suicide and Suicide Prevention   and

Wade Belak's Tragic Death: Enough Already NHL- IT IS TIME!