A Hand For The Hodges

This is Ken Hodge, a great member of the Boston Bruins who could never seem to win over the Boston Gardens faithful, or his Boston coaches.

The British born superstar played in 881 games, scoring 328 goals, 472 assists and 800 points. He formed a special connection with the great Phil Esposito, serving as his RW during the team's great seasons in the 1970s. Hodge is often overlooked in comparison to Espo, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson and Wayne Cashman on that team, but the two time all star was a key component of that offensive juggernaut to be sure.

The problem with the fans was that they always expected more out of Hodge. When he arrived in Boston via Chicago he was one of the biggest men in hockey at 6'2" and 215lbs. They wanted him to use every ounce of muscle to bang away the opposition, but that was never really in Hodge's make up. He tried to fill that role, but he was much more successful as an offensive forward on Boston's top line.

You can read the full Ken Hodge biography here. Oh, and because I love to tie in more obscure bios with the legends, here's at look at Ken Hodge Jr., who also played with the Bruins, and a look at Tony Hand, the top British player of all time.