backchecking

Former NHLer Bill Muckalt was forced to retire at 29, but has found a new passion for the game as a well-travelled coach and GM.

Getting a call from a GM typically meant it was time for Brent Ashton to pack his bags. After all, he was traded eight times.

Dave Manson still talks in hushed tones due to throat injury, but the rugged rearguard’s message about the future of fighting is telling.

Ryan Reaves and players like him always claim to be finishing their checks, but the truth is that sometimes they shouldn't even start them. That was the case Monday night and now Reaves is sitting for three games.

Rick Vaive was a shooting star on some foundering teams in Toronto. He was just 22 when the Maple Leafs made him captain.

A generation before Andrew Hammond burst on the scene in Ottawa, Parick Lalime was an unbeatable freshman goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Thanks to Wayne Gretzky, Hawerchuk was overshadowed during his career. But he was the first to cash in as a Group III free agent 20 years ago this summer.

Danny Lewicki was still just a kid when he completed a hat trick of championship titles, a record that will likely never be broken. Then his career hit some bumps in the road before his retirement at 31.

Sergei Makarov played only six seasons in the NHL, but he was an incredible offensive force from the moment he stepped into the league. In his rookie season, at age 31, he scored 24 goals and 86 points en route to the Calder Trophy and is the oldest player to ever capture the award. His win forever changed the rules about Calder eligibility.

Tommy Soderstrom came to North America with unrealistic expectations and retired with his love for the game all but extinguished.

The diminutive Hergesheimer, who passed away in September at age 87, darted around among the big defenders and caused havoc for goalies during his 351 games in the NHL

McLennan made a career out of backing up top stoppers, and he was so well likely that Roberto Luongo tried to have him written into his contract. Nowadays ‘Noodles’ is rubbing shoulders with the elite of the media business.

In the NHL, Willie Plett made a living with his hands and physicality prior to fat paychecks. Today, he still earns wages with hard-working ways

Allan Bester saw 40-plus shots a game on a regular basis as a 19-year-old Leafs freshman, who lived the NHL dream on a nightmare Maple Leafs team in 1980s. Thirty years later, he lives to tell the tale.

The day Dawkins lit up a Detroit Red Wings legend is a lasting memory for one of college football’s finest and America’s bravest.

An injury ended Blake Geoffrion's playing career far too soon, but he hasn't left the game behind and is travelling down multiple paths – both in management and in business – in order to some day find his way back.

It's been an interesting 20 years since Mike Richter hoisted the Cup as the New York Rangers' goalie. He's now a Yale grad and a cutting-edge environmental businessman.

Nathan Perrott could always be counted on to protect his teammates during his four NHL seasons. His enforcer instincts from his NHL days play perfectly in his new job protecting one of the world’s biggest nuclear power plants.

Anson Carter has maintained a busy retirement from hockey, dabbling in multiple areas such as fashion, film, music and television. He owns a record label, clothing line and has produced two feature films since retiring.

Hall of Fame goaltender Grant Fuhr has no regrets as he prepares to tell the world about the highs and lows of his life in an upcoming book.

Business is booming for former NHLer Byron Dafoe, whose custom home wiring business caters to well-heeled lovers of luxury.

As his brother enjoys the Hall of Fame, Valeri Bure makes a significant splash of his own in the wine industry and on television

Mike Moller scored the gold-medal winning goal at the 1982 World Junior Championship and the Canadians put the tournament on new path, one that ended with a song from the heart

After a career-threatening injury, Marshall was told to ice his NHL dream. He didn’t
 listen and proved all but one doctor wrong