Gavin Kirk: Frank Mahovlich's Worst Centerman

In a recent interview with the Vancouver Province newspaper, Frank Mahovlich has this gem of a quote about life in the WHA:

"I remember I was playing with the Birmingham Bulls, with a guy named Gavin Kirk. They had him playing centre with me and he passed the puck to me. It was a terrible pass. I had to turn my back and I almost got killed when some guy hit me. When I went off the ice, I said, “Gavin, you’ve got to be the worse centreman I’ve ever played with.” I was sorry I said it, right away, because I knew it made him feel bad. A day later at practice, I said, Geez, Gavin, I’m sorry about that. He says to me: “Who are the centres you’ve played with?” So I says: Red Kelly, Alex Delvecchio and Jean Beliveau.” He says, “fourth among that group, that’s pretty good.”

Here's the full interview.

The London, England born Kirk couldn't have been all that bad. He never played in the NHL but he did last 422 games in the WHA.