- Frank Mahovlich
Infobox CanadianSenator
name = Francis William Mahovlich
term_start =June 11 ,1998
term_end =
birth_date = birth date and age|1938|01|11
birth_place =Timmins, Ontario
death_date =
death_place =
party = Liberal
party colour = Liberal
residence =
office = Senator fromOntario
portfolio =
footnotes =
profession = Hockey player
spouse = Marie Devaney|Infobox Ice Hockey Player
image_size = 250px
position = Left Wing
played_for =Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens Toronto Toros
Birmingham Bulls
shot = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 205
nationality = Canada
birth_date = birth date and age|1938|01|11
birth_place = Timmins, ON, CAN
draft =
draft_year =
draft_team =Toronto Maple Leafs
career_start = 1957
career_end = 1979
halloffame = 1981Francis William "Frank" Mahovlich ( _hr. Franjo Mahovlić), CM, (born
January 10 ,1938 in Timmins,Ontario ) is aCanadian Senator, and a retired NHLice hockey player, nicknamed the "Big M." He played on sixStanley Cup -winning teams and is an inductee of theHockey Hall of Fame .Playing career
The son of immigrants from
Croatia , Mahovlich was scouted by severalNational Hockey League teams while playing for the Schumacher Lions of theNorthern Ontario Hockey Association . He signed with theToronto Maple Leafs , who sent him to one of theirOntario Hockey Association affiliates, theToronto St. Michael's Majors . Mahovlich played there while attendingSt. Michael's College School from 1954–57. While at St. Michael's, he received instruction fromJoe Primeau , who Mahovlich would later call the best coach he ever had. Mahovlich received theRed Tilson Trophy as the top player in the OHA for the 1956–57 season, in which he scored 52 goals in 49 games.He joined the Leafs in 1957 and was a 20-goal scorer in his first season, winning the
Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in what was otherwise a rough season with the last-place Leafs. During the off-season, he took courses at Assumption University inWindsor, Ontario . At the same time,Punch Imlach was hired to run the Leafs and soon became head coach and general manager.In the 1960–61 season, Imlach put Mahovlich on a line with
Red Kelly andBob Nevin . The three immediately clicked and were the team's top three scorers that year, led by Mahovlich's 48 goals—a Leaf record that would stand for 21 years. The following season, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and repeated as champions in 1963 and 1964. Mahovlich led the team in goals scored in all three seasons.Initially, Mahovlich and Imlach got along well, but their relationship deteriorated after a few seasons, particularly when Mahovlich's contract was up for renewal in 1962. He felt the Leafs gave him a low-ball offer and walked out on the team during training camp in September. Red Burnett at the "
Toronto Star " described the situation as a "cold war" between Imlach and Mahovlich.At that time, the
National Hockey League All-Star Game was played at the beginning of the season, and during a reception in Toronto attended by team executives in the days before the game, Chicago Black Hawks ownerJames D. Norris offered the Leafs $1 million for Mahovlich. He believed he had an agreement with Leafs co-ownerHarold Ballard and paid $1,000 as a deposit with the balance to be delivered by cheque the next morning. The next day, the Leafs gave Mahovlich the money he had been asking for, and told the Black Hawks that their apparent agreement the night before had been a misunderstanding. The Leafs returned the $1,000 deposit. The Black Hawks accused the Leafs of reneging on a deal.Conn Smythe , at this point a minority shareholder in the Leafs, was adamant that the deal should be rejected.Mahovlich also had a rocky relationship with fans at
Maple Leaf Gardens and was often booed at home games. Imlach—who mispronounced Mahovlich's name for years—became a constant critic and, under pressure from fans and management, Mahovlich was admitted toToronto General Hospital in November 1964, suffering from what was publicly described as "constant fatigue" but diagnosed as acute depression. Mahovlich was flooded with well-wishes from fans during his time off. He returned to the lineup a month later and was still able to lead the Leafs in scoring in the 1964–65 season, despite missing 11 games. Mahovlich led the Leafs in scoring again in the 1965–66 season.The Leafs won one final Stanley Cup in the 1966–67 season, with Mahovlich having his lowest-scoring year in seven seasons. Early into the next season, Mahovlich was again admitted to hospital, although this time it was acknowledged publicly as depression and tension. "Mahovlich is a sensitive, easily-bruised individual," wrote
Milt Dunnell in a page-one story in the "Toronto Star". OnMarch 3 1968 in a blockbuster trade, Mahovlich was sent to theDetroit Red Wings withPete Stemkowski ,Garry Unger , and the rights toCarl Brewer forNorm Ullman ,Paul Henderson ,Floyd Smith and Doug Barrie.Mahovlich had a strong finish to the season with the Red Wings, and the following year put up his best point totals in eight seasons, playing on a line with
Gordie Howe andAlex Delvecchio and setting his personal record for goals in a season with 49. Initially, one of his teammates on the Red Wings was his younger brother,Peter Mahovlich , who split his time between the Wings and their minor league affiliate.In 1970–71, Red Wings general manager
Sid Abel wanted to get rid of coachNed Harkness and was overruled by team ownerBruce Norris . Once Harkness took over as general manager, he got rid of players he deemed a threat to him. OnJanuary 13 1971 , Mahovlich was traded to theMontreal Canadiens forMickey Redmond ,Guy Charron and Bill Collins. He was reunited with his brother, who had become a star player himself with the Canadiens. Mahovlich spent three-and-a-half seasons in Montreal, playing on the Stanley Cup-winning teams of 1971 and 1973. During the 1971–72 season, Mahovlich scored a career-high 96 points, which he nearly matched the following season with 93 points.He also was a member of
Team Canada for the 1972Summit Series against theSoviet Union . In 1974, he left the NHL for theWorld Hockey Association , and represented Canada again at the1974 Summit Series . In the WHA, he played for theToronto Toros and theBirmingham Bulls until his retirement in 1978 at the age of 40. While with the Bulls, Mahovlich was placed on an unproductive line with Frank Beaton and Dave Hanson, one of theHanson Brothers who had been in the movie "Slap Shot". According to John Brophy, when a reporter asked Mahovlich what was wrong, he replied, “I don’t know, but I seem to play a lot better with Howe and Delvecchio.” [Bill Boyd, "All Roads Lead to Hockey: Reports from Northern Canada to the Mexican Border", Key Porter Books, 2004, p.105.]He attempted an NHL comeback with the Detroit Red Wings in 1979, but it was unsuccessful, and he formally retired on
October 7 1979 .Career statistics
Post-playing career
Mahovlich was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981 andCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1994, he was made a Member of theOrder of Canada .In 1998, Mahovlich was appointed to the
Senate of Canada by Prime MinisterJean Chrétien , and in the same year, he was ranked number 26 on "The Hockey News "' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking player who had spent at least a majority of his career with the Maple Leafs.ee also
*
List of Canadian Senators
*List of Ontario senators
*List of retired NHL players
*List of NHL statistical leaders
*List of NHL seasons
*List of NHL players with 1000 points
*Notable families in the NHL
*List of NHL players with 500 goals References
External links
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/senate/isenator_det.asp?senator_id=137&sortord=N&Language=E&M=M Biography on the Canadian Senate website]
*Legendsmember|Player|P198102|Frank Mahovlich
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