Enforcer Advent Calendar – December 1st – John Ferguson Sr.

For an array of reasons, December 2020 will be a month none of us will ever forget. The toll this pandemic has taken on society has been different for every individual in every part of the world. Regardless, we can all relate to experiencing some anxiety, stress and fear about the uncertainty of things. That’s why it felt fitting to put out the ‘Enforcer Advent Calendar.’ These warriors dealt with the aforementioned emotions night-in and night-out to a degree that only they can truly comprehend. I get it – it’s been tough not being able to go out with the boys, see a good game and cheer-on a good scrap, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the past. It sucks because enforcers are sometimes forgotten by fair-weather fans but, luckily, the diehards will always chant their name in the arenas and on the streets. Whichever side you land on, here’s a reminder of a few legends.

December 1st – John Ferguson Sr.

There weren’t many in the hockey world that would challenge ‘Fergy’ on the ice and even fewer who could challenge his hockey accolades. For nearly a decade, the Vancouver native dominated with the Montreal Canadiens, where he amassed 1,214 penalty minutes all while averaging nearly 20 goals a season and scoring the Cup-winning goal in 1969. Ferguson was one of the most feared enforcers in NHL history. So, even though he won 5 Stanley Cups in Montreal, he won a hell of a lot more fights. Think about it: it only took twelve seconds into his first NHL game to get his first win against Ted Green of the Boston Bruins. The NHL quickly found out that Ferguson was a different kinda breed.

John Ferguson vs Eric Nesterenko – April 27, 1965 – 1st period – 4:25

Whether it’s watching Ferguson fights, Casablanca or Psycho there’s something about a black- and-white video that adds to the experience. No helmets, no masks, no mouth guards – just the good ol’ hockey game. In Game 5 of the 1964-65 Stanley Cup finals, Eric Nesterenko probably wished he could have had a full-cage on. But the sad reality is that there wasn’t anything that could have saved him from Ferguson’s rage that night, because when Fergy saw red, the other person usually saw the ice. After the two tangled up on the boards, Nesterenko two-handed his Sherwood stick on Ferguson’s head. Believe it or not, Ferguson took exception to this and responded the only way he knew how – two huge right hands that buckled Nesterenko. An unwritten rule in hockey is that you don’t punch a man who’s down on the ice. Having said that, you also don’t use your stick as a weapon… so, for this fight, politeness was out the door. With Nesterenko down, Ferguson landed 3 punches that left the Flin Flon, Manitoba product bleeding on the ice of the Montreal Forum. There was one point where it looked as if Ferguson punched the ice, didn’t even bat-an-eye, and just kept raining down punches. This was a turning point in the game, but also the series. The series was tied 2-2 before Ferguson and the rest of the Canadiens pounded the Hawks with a dominant 6-0 win. Chicago extended the series to seven but fell short, losing 4-0 in game 7, thus crowning the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup champions. Ferguson’s punching power was so legendary that he was once dared to fight Canadian heavyweight boxing champion George Chuvalo. Ferguson was willing, but the Canadiens had other plans for their enforcer.

John Ferguson vs Bob Baun – March 02, 1966 – 2nd period – 3:00

The fans sitting in the famed Maple Leaf Garden probably thought the scrap between Ferguson and Bob Baun wasn’t that exciting, but the linesmen would beg to differ. After the two started getting into it near the Canadiens’ bench the linesmen were able to quickly jump in, but that didn’t mean the heavyweights didn’t try to trade blows. Both players threw huge punches overtop of the linesman’s head and, at one point, Ferguson pushed a linesman aside so that he could get to Baun. The two were unable to land any significant blows, which was fitting for that Wednesday night battle – draw in the fight, tie in the game. Ferguson boasted a 3-inch reach advantage and had Baun in a compromising position before the linesmen intervened. There is no way of knowing who would have won if these two had been able to get loose, but judging by Ferguson’s grin at the end, he wasn’t too worried. Both enforcers knew that, with only 6 teams in the league, they were going to meet again sooner than later.

John Ferguson vs Kent Douglas – March 16, 1966 – 3rd period – 19:42

In hockey, nobody touches your goalie. If they do, you have to step up. Unfortunately for Kent Douglas in 1966, Ferguson ran his goalie, Johnny Bower so he had no choice but to drop the gloves. The two chatted briefly before simultaneously throwing down the gloves and trading punches. The problem for Douglas? None of his landed and all of Ferguson’s did. A flurry of right hands landed on Douglas. So many, in fact, that it looked as if even Ferguson’s own teammates jumped in to get him off the former Kitchener Canuck. Maybe it was fate but on the same night the Gemini 8 space flight and docking system was launched, Douglas’ teammates made sure Ferguson didn’t punch him into space along with it. While the brawl would result in several other scraps, none were as damaging as Ferguson against Douglas. Leafs fans not only had to watch their team lose the fights, they also had to sit through an agonizing 7-2 loss against their hated rival.

After hanging up his skates, the charming heavyweight was hired as the Assistant coach for Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. The black eye of the tournament occurred when Bobby Clarke (allegedly at the instruction of Ferguson) slashed Russian speedster, Valeri Kharlamov, which simultaneously broke the Russian’s ankle and their team spirit. After the thrilling series win, Ferguson went behind the bench to work as coach and general manager for the New York Rangers for a few seasons. He was integral in bringing the ‘Swedish Express’, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson from the WHA to The Big Apple. Ferguson’s most significant impact as General Manager was overseeing the Winnipeg Jets’ move from the WHA to the NHL. Ferguson served as General Manager for a decade in the Manitoba capital, a period that included 7 playoff appearances. While the first few seasons were rough in the ‘Peg, they eventually became the ‘High Flying Jets’ who likely would have won several Stanley Cups if it hadn’t been for Gretzky and the Oilers dynasty. After a battle with prostate cancer, John Ferguson Sr. passed away on July 14, 2007 at the age of 68. Afterwards, Dave Ellett shared a story of a time his teammate, Randy Carlyle had tested positive for steroids at the 1989 World Champions. In true Ferguson form, Ellet expressed that “we were all in shock and then John Ferguson said, ‘if that’s the body you get from taking steroids a lot of people are going to want their money back.'” Apparently, this caused the whole room to erupt with laughter because Carlyle wasn’t exactly known as an Adonis with his shirt off. General Manager skills mustn’t fall far from the tree as John’s son, John Ferguson Jr. served as Vice President and GM for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2003-2008 and is currently the GM for the Providence Bruins in the AHL. The fact of the matter is that John Ferguson Sr. was a legend. There is not nearly enough video footage to show the younger generation just how good he was on the ice. Luckily, many of our parents and grandparents remember watching Fergy and would gladly share their stories…You just gotta ask.

Twitter:@Jonesinthezone