Shoebox Memories: Dave Manson

I suppose it is only fitting that, unlike most hockey blogs, the Hockey History Blog's archives are the main attraction here.

While I have a strong daily readership, I have significant traffic from first time readers who discover my site via Google while looking up information on a player of the past. With over 1000 retired player profiles, and dozens of special features, this site really is a vault of hockey history, offering so much more than the front page.

Over the past few months I have barely added any new biographies. There are a number of reasons for that, namely my day job, my girlfriend and her kids, and something called sleep only leaves so much free time. And in the months before Christmas much of that time is eaten up reading and reviewing books for HockeyBookReviews.com. I spent much of my time here at GreatestHockeyLegends.com focussing on special features for the front page.

Now that the book season is slowing down, I can concentrate on again growing the GreatestHockeyLegends.com archives. And I plan on using a shoebox to help me out.

While tidying up a storage closet I found an old shoebox full of hockey cards. Just random cards, from the 1980s and 1990s mostly. As I pulled out each unsuspecting card memories started flowing. With many of the players I had a special memory or two spring right to mind. Others I had completely forgotten about.

To get back into the business of writing biographies and memories of players of the past, I am introducing Shoebox Memories on weekends here at GreatestHockeyLegends.com. I am going to pull out a card and, assuming the he is not already profiled, I will write the biography of that player, and give you the opportunity to share your memories of him as well.

So let's get started. . . . The very first card I pulled out is of the raspy warrior Dave Manson. Charlie they called him, the obvious nickname for one of the roughest and toughest players of his time. The pride of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was intimidating, but he was also a good offensive defenseman, possessing a combination of talent and terror that made him a very coveted player.

Read my full Dave Manson biography here (includes card images and YouTube fight footage), and share your memories in the comments section.