Lindsay's lawsuit against the league set the stage for the formation of the NHLPAGETTY IMAGES
Hockey HOFer TED LINDSAY, one of the most "memorable and controversial players in NHL history," died this morning at 93, according to Bill McGraw of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Lindsay "shocked NHL owners when he filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the league during his attempt to form a players’ association" in the late '50s. The suit was a "daring move, and while the union effort fell short, it set the stage for the founding" of the NHLPA in '67. Today, the association "bestows the Ted Lindsay Award annually to the NHL’s most outstanding player, as voted by association members" (FREEP.com, 3/4). In Toronto, Lance Hornby notes when Lindsay was "sitting in with meetings on other major sports unions, he realized hockey players badly lagged behind." NHL stars of the '50s "only earned about $25,000 a year." Lindsay called the NHL a "dictatorship," but players "loved the game and were blinded by that" (TORONTOSUN.com, 3/4). Lindsay normally helped "hand out" the MVP trophy on NHL awards night, but he was absent last summer in Las Vegas when it went to CONNOR MCDAVID. McDavid "paid tribute to 'Mr. Lindsay' after receiving the award." He said, "What he’s meant for the players, what he’s done for the (NHL) PA, we wouldn’t be here without him. So thank you to him" (CP, 3/4).
