Son of a Wing 1,644 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 So I was going through a bunch of my Dad's old things and stumbled upon one of his NHL contracts from the Red Wings lying in between the pages of an old program. I've never seen an NHL contract before (let alone from the 70s) and thought it was interesting and that I would share for others interested as well. The salary and bonuses give an interesting perspective in comparison to today. The average salary (according to the HHOF) in 1970 was $18,000. 24 Hockeymom1960, Ram, haroldsnepsts and 21 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BottleOfSmoke 5,965 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Super cool man. Thanks for sharing! 1 Internet.Unknown reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Secret 304 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) Wow, Thanks for sharing. Those are some very cool keepsakes! Edited October 7, 2014 by The Secret Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred_Bear 8 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Thanks for sharing this! That is awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyemeryhunter 2,747 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 That's awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ram 240 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Thank you for sharing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrasco 1,312 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) So you really are a son of a Wing. That's effin cool, man... Are these all him? http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8447672 Edited October 7, 2014 by rrasco 2 13dangledangle and Son of a Wing reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rick zombo 3,739 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 So friggin cool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyemeryhunter 2,747 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) Your dads mustache game is amazing. Thanks for sharing BTW. That's really damn cool. I looked him up and was reading a bit on him, "a slick playmaking center" http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13594 Edited October 7, 2014 by jimmyemeryhunter 2 Son of a Wing and rick zombo reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeftWinger 4,908 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 cool! Thanks for this! Now I get it! Son of a Wing! Awesome, had to be a great experience! Were you born when he played? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrasco 1,312 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Oh, now I get it, London Lions. 1 Son of a Wing reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hooon 1,089 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Nice!!!! A part of me wishes that NHL contracts still look like that. Looks like there's some other cool old stuff in the bag in the first picture too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frankgrimes 1,836 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Really cool thanks for posting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Wing 1,644 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 Ha yes those are him rrasco and yes he had a pretty rockin mustache for most of his career . lol I was born after his hockey career was over but have a ton of Red Wings memorabilia including old programs and tons of pictures and a bunch of international keepsakes while he played for Canada and the London Lions in Europe. Many are the items international teams exchange with each other before/after games. Also if you don't know about the London Lions, I'd recommend checking them out. It's a cool part of Red Wings history. 1 wings1110 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,788 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 That's pretty awesome. Doesn't look like your Dad signed the contract, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrasco 1,312 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 (edited) Also if you don't know about the London Lions, I'd recommend checking them out. It's a cool part of Red Wings history. That's cool. So they only played for one "season" though? Would I be jumping the gun to assume your father was the captain? I always assumed that the London Lions were in London, Ontario; based on your profile info. Edited October 7, 2014 by rrasco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Wing 1,644 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 That's cool. So they only played for one "season" though? Would I be jumping the gun to assume your father was the captain? I always assumed that the London Lions were in London, Ontario; based on your profile info. Yeah they only lasted one season. As far as I know, it was the first real attempt at European expansion. And yes he was the captain. The fact that I'm from and live in a different London (Ontario) is just a complete coincidence but I would assume most probably assume that. In 1971, Detroit Red Wings-owner Bruce Norris presented plans for a European professional league with the best teams being able to participate in the Stanley Cup play-offs. Norris envisaged European club teams with working agreements with an NHL club and spent $300.000 on his European team, the London Lions. The league was planned to start in the autumn of 1973 but Russians and Czechs protested as professional athletes would stop all participation in the Olympic Games. The main stumbling block concerned the availability of players for the World Championships, which were played in March and April when the European League would be approaching the playoffs. Even if the idea of a league was off for the 1973-74 season, Norris decided to go ahead with the London Lions, which toured Europe like an icehockey equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
13dangledangle 947 Report post Posted October 7, 2014 I love your user name even more, so awesome! And another Ontario native none the less ~13dangledangle~ 1 Son of a Wing reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites