Pelle and Bob Froese Explain 1985 Gear

[MTH]

Stumbled across this gem.

It's from 1985 on the then local Philly cable movie/sports channel, Prism. They explain their gear and game play. Some notable items:

Pelle's English was really good. Sadly, he was killed not long after this.

Bob Froese is dressed like any dude on the street. Humble and modest man that he is.

Froese explains the Curtis Curve stick. Note too it was the Victoriaville model - AKA the 'Super Vic'. Appears to be a silver version. When I was a kid I squired a Super Vic that Chico Resch had broken while at a Flyers practice. The stick was red and taped with friction tape. Had to weigh as much as my 8 year old son.

Filmed at the former practice facility of the Flyers - where sadly Pelle was drinking too much in the rink bar that fateful night in November 85. Note the luxurious amenities of their single rink - chain link fence above the boards, old style nets with the pointed bottom that impaled Mark Howe years before while with the Whalers and the snazzy stripes on the walls with the stylized 'Colosseum' logo. The building remains and is no longer a hockey rink. The Flyers built their own building nearby and have been there since then.

Pelle's glove has some added padding on the heel and cuff.

Flyers' coaching staff wearing some white satin jackets. So wanted them when I was a kid. No hockey company warm up suits then, kids.

Enjoy...

[HP29]

14 minutes ago, MTH said:

Stumbled across this gem.

It's from 1985 on the then local Philly cable movie/sports channel, Prism. They explain their gear and game play. Some notable items:

Pelle's English was really good. Sadly, he was killed not long after this.

Bob Froese is dressed like any dude on the street. Humble and modest man that he is.

Froese explains the Curtis Curve stick. Note too it was the Victoriaville model - AKA the 'Super Vic'. Appears to be a silver version. When I was a kid I squired a Super Vic that Chico Resch had broken while at a Flyers practice. The stick was red and taped with friction tape. Had to weigh as much as my 8 year old son.

Filmed at the former practice facility of the Flyers - where sadly Pelle was drinking too much in the rink bar that fateful night in November 85. Note the luxurious amenities of their single rink - chain link fence above the boards, old style nets with the pointed bottom that impaled Mark Howe years before while with the Whalers and the snazzy stripes on the walls with the stylized 'Colosseum' logo. The building remains and is no longer a hockey rink. The Flyers built their own building nearby and have been there since then.

Pelle's glove has some added padding on the heel and cuff.

Flyers' coaching staff wearing some white satin jackets. So wanted them when I was a kid. No hockey company warm up suits then, kids.

Enjoy...

Mannnn... this is a cool find. My dad (Quebecor and Habs faithful) always talks about the brilliant, albeit short career LIndbergh was getting on to. And how he would have dominated as the best tender of his generation, had he survived past 26.

I've got the English translation of Behind The White Mask to read through here, but this is too cool.

[MTH]

Living in Philly - we hear "Flyers haven't had a goalie since Pelle died", all the time.

Looking at his stats and most importantly, his physical stature, I don't think he would have done as well in the NHL game it became at the end of the 80s and into the 90s. Not to mention that Pelle played under Keenan who was a destroyer of goalie minds.

[bunnyman666]

Very cool stuff

[WillyGrips13]

I have seen this before. Bob Froese is well spoken and thoughtful in his answers. Sad about Pelle. 

Flyers have often used mediocre goalies, but I think it’s a little harsh to say no good goalies since Pelle. 

[MTH]

Philly is a little harsh. It's the sports "experts" who really don't watch hockey who easily blame the Flyers goalie every year. It's a sad and depressing annual event.

Most talk radio hosts are dweebs too who want to sound edgy.

Guys like Roman Cechmanek who had a paltry 1.96 GAA and a save percentage of .923 during his three seasons with the Flyers gets bad mouthed to this day.

Same people who rode the Flyers so hard about this that Ed Snyder - thinking it was the only way to win - rushed out and paid Bryz waaaaaay more than he was supposed to and dropped him into this loser town mentality saying he'd now carry the Flyers to the cup.

Bryz did nothing wrong. He was a great goalie for a run there.

Same sports experts here who couldn't name any of the top 5 goalies in the NHL now too..

Pelle had his moments for sure. But he was up and down leading up to the 84-85 season. He died while he was in a great run so everyone thinks that's all he was. Like Nirvana, if they stayed together till now, would they be as legendary as they are now? What if they put out 5 more albums that didn't do well? We'd be calling them one hit wonders for 'Smells Like'.

[MTH]

Not to make this into a bash Pelle thread - but the 1985 Finals (the year that Pelle won the Veznia), The Flyers split time played between him and Froese. 

The Flyers lost the series 4-1.

Not that it was Pelle's fault - but if that same situation happened today, the Flyers would be killed for 'not having a goalie'. Meanwhile it was the goalie that everyone around here says they would have won several cups with - only appearance in the Finals.

[bunnyman666]

17 minutes ago, MTH said:

Philly is a little harsh. It's the sports "experts" who really don't watch hockey who easily blame the Flyers goalie every year. It's a sad and depressing annual event.

Most talk radio hosts are dweebs too who want to sound edgy.

Guys like Roman Cechmanek who had a paltry 1.96 GAA and a save percentage of .923 during his three seasons with the Flyers gets bad mouthed to this day.

Same people who rode the Flyers so hard about this that Ed Snyder - thinking it was the only way to win - rushed out and paid Bryz waaaaaay more than he was supposed to and dropped him into this loser town mentality saying he'd now carry the Flyers to the cup.

Bryz did nothing wrong. He was a great goalie for a run there.

Same sports experts here who couldn't name any of the top 5 goalies in the NHL now too..

Pelle had his moments for sure. But he was up and down leading up to the 84-85 season. He died while he was in a great run so everyone thinks that's all he was. Like Nirvana, if they stayed together till now, would they be as legendary as they are now? What if they put out 5 more albums that didn't do well? We'd be calling them one hit wonders for 'Smells Like'.

I have a friend who is a goalie that blames the goalies in Philly. I shake my head...

[Mike24]

Pure gold!!! Thanks MTH.  

I miss the days of prism. 

[bunnyman666]

I am certain that if someone tried using a new Curtis Curve prototype now, Kay Whitless and Boris Bettman would condemn the stick and order death to next person who tried to use it. 

[southpawtendy48]

Good find.

RIP Pelle. I only watched a few clips of him but he’s still my favorite Swedish player/goalie of all time. 

Luckily for the first time I saw his mask at the HHOF. 

[Lucky Pucker]

15 hours ago, MTH said:

Froese explains the Curtis Curve stick. Note too it was the Victoriaville model - AKA the 'Super Vic'. Appears to be a silver version. When I was a kid I squired a Super Vic that Chico Resch had broken while at a Flyers practice. The stick was red and taped with friction tape. Had to weigh as much as my 8 year old son.

I remember seeing the Curtis curve (strongly associated with Moog in Boston) and always thought it was cool - but assumed it was only for better paddle down coverage; never knew it was (also) to assist with stick handling.

Somebody posted about this a few years back (like, when "circa 1985" was only going back ~20 years). Do you know this dude, @MTH...?

http://goaliestore.com/board/forum/equipment/equipment-forum/29369-the-legend-of-the-curtis-curve

[Lucky Pucker]

15 hours ago, MTH said:

Living in Philly - we hear "Flyers haven't had a goalie since Pelle died", all the time.

Looking at his stats and most importantly, his physical stature, I don't think he would have done as well in the NHL game it became at the end of the 80s and into the 90s. Not to mention that Pelle played under Keenan who was a destroyer of goalie minds.

I find this so bizarre. I mean, FFS - Hextall was the winner of the Conn Smythe against the Oilers, just a few years after - only the 4th losing-team player to do so. Since then, there have been lots of goalies on the Flyers' rosters putting up good numbers for their eras, too. I guess some people/cities just hate on goalies any year there isn't a cup. Kinda the opposite in Montreal; they get 2 cups out of a hall of fame goalie that they really had no business winning, and then kick the guy out because of some shithead coach who wanted to make a point (funny that the Wings logo is right there next to Hextall's shoulder - must have set me off - LOL!). But I digress...

[bunnyman666]

It’s funny that equipment for tenders has been blamed for the lack of scoring for a very long time, yet when a team is bad all around, many seemingly educated people will blame goal tending in a whole sale manner! It still slays me that a friend of mine who is a die hard Flyers fan AND a goalie gets in the queue to bash the goalies for the Flyers’ woes, yet he has the nerve to get indignant when he gets blamed for his team losing games! I bite my tongue when he starts bashing, especially when he was on his Elliot bashfest. Of course I am an Elliot fan...

Watching that video again renewed my fascination with the Curtis Curve and again,  I am toying with building a new, composite version of the Curtis Curve with a twist or two. It would be a difficult endeavour as it requires entirely different moulds for both the paddle/blade and the shaft, especially since the shaft could not be built traditionally with a steel tool, or mandrel.  The shaft would be composite wrapped foam. I don’t know that I want to go into building the tooling to make a wooden shaft, as I don’t have the capability of pressing the veneers together. My adaptation would be a bit different, particularly with the shaft. 

If anyone has a Curtis Curve that I could examine or if anyone would take many detailed pix of it from many angles, it would be GREATLY appreciated. 

[BadAngle41]

That video is solid gold!! Thanks for posting @MTH

[Mike24]

@bunnyman666 I am toying with building a new, composite version of the Curtis Curve with a twist or two.

a Twist or two eh????

[bunnyman666]

11 minutes ago, Mike24 said:

@bunnyman666 I am toying with building a new, composite version of the Curtis Curve with a twist or two.

a Twist or two eh????

Yessir!

[MTH]

One thing about the Curtis Curve Vics - they were HEAVY! As all goalie sticks were then compared to now. 

I had one. Played street/road hockey with it back then. It was a black with white Super Vic. The buttend that jutted out was what I disliked the most about it. The paddle down thing was cool (especially since it was pretty hefty). Froese adding how it contours to the glove was new to me too. But makes sense.

I think I left it at my friend's house in the day. Sad.

[MTH]

On 9/5/2018 at 7:17 AM, Lucky Pucker said:

I remember seeing the Curtis curve (strongly associated with Moog in Boston) and always thought it was cool - but assumed it was only for better paddle down coverage; never knew it was (also) to assist with stick handling.

Somebody posted about this a few years back (like, when "circa 1985" was only going back ~20 years). Do you know this dude, @MTH...?

http://goaliestore.com/board/forum/equipment/equipment-forum/29369-the-legend-of-the-curtis-curve

The legend of the Curtis Curve... great piece.

Still, even with Roddy Rod and others gem knowledge... nobody know who Curtis is/was?

[MTH]

Looks like someone had some custom BOA Curtis Curves made at one time.

[MTH]

What's interesting is that the 'Curtis Curve' logo is the same on every brand.

[MTH]

Here's a shot you can see the butt end curve:

[dualshowman]

I used multiple Christian Curtis Curves for a period about 20 years ago. The butt end curve was a hindrance to puck handling, but the curve above the paddle was helpful. I was a huge fan of Christian Pro 100 goal sticks, and I had many Belfour models, including those pictured above when he was in Dallas. They all seemed to have the same issue, however - when the Slap Sock began to chip and crack along the heel and/or toe, it would absorb water and quickly begin to delaminate. Other than that, they could take a massive amount of abuse.

[bunnyman666]

@MTH Thanks for the Curtis Curve pix!

[MTH]

Enough about the Curtis Curves... What were 'Wally' sticks?