By the time Eddie "The Entertainer" Shack had turned 30 years old, he had
already won four Stanley Cups and participated in three NHL All-Star Games. The
 Cups came in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967 - all with the Toronto Maple Leafs -
and the All-Star Game nominations mostly coincided with those years, as
selections to the games of 1962, 1963 and 1964 occurred. Shack, who
interestingly enough began his NHL career during the 1958-59 season with the
New York Rangers, eclipsed the 20-goal mark only once during his first nine
season in the league. For the 1965-66 season he finished third in Maple Leafs
goal scoring with 26 tallies in 63 games."The Entertainer" Eddie Shack began
his NHL career with the New York Rangers, but would win four Stanley Cups with
the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)

After the glory days of Toronto Stanley Cups had ceased, Shack himself aged
like a fine wine. The talented forward who brought a lighter side to hockey was
 more productive past the age of 30 than he had been during the years he helped
 win championships. As NHL expansion came about starting in 1967 and then
blossomed, Shack played better and better. After turning 30, Shack scored at
least 20 goals on four other occasions and each with a different team.

He is forever recognized as one of the most colorful players in hockey history.
 Leaping through the air, pouncing upon the shoulders of opposing players,
pulling off figure-skating maneuvers during games, stick-swinging fights
against rivals, showering coaches in snow, stealing hats off of policemen,
Shack seemingly did it all as a player on the ice. Sometimes those non-hockey
antics detract overall from what his talents were as a hockey player. It is
important to recognize Shack';s abilities as a scorer for multiple teams,
especially as his career progressed into its later stages.

We take a look back now at the golden years of "The Entertainer';s" career and
the numbers he was able to produce, presumably after his prime had already been
 reached.From Toronto to Boston

The Maple Leafs would win their final Stanley Cup in 1967. As was typical for
coach Punch Imlach';s Leafs teams, they were a blend of aged veterans with a
sprinkling of younger players thrown within. If anything, the Leafs of 1967
were too old. Even though that particular Cup-winning team was comprised of
players like Ron Ellis, Pete Stemkowski, and Mike Walton, who were all under
25, the main core was still extremely veteran. The Leafs'; Hall of Fame
goaltenders Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk were 40 and 36 years old
respectively. Allan Stanley was 40. Red Kelly was 39. George Armstrong, Tim
Horton, and Marcel Pronovost were all 36.

Shack was more middle of the road, as were a number of other players. At 30
years of age, he was one of the veteran faces who ended up being moved out of
Toronto so that some (slightly) younger players could take over. For the Leafs,
 the process didn';t work - they missed the playoffs for the 1967-68 NHL season
 and would not have the opportunity to defend their title.

#Bruins edged the #Flyers 2-1 at Toronto in a game that featured a vicious
stick-swinging duel between old enemies Eddie Shack and Larry Zeidel. Both
Shack and Zeidel were cut in the ugly confrontation, and it's likely each will
face suspensions. pic.twitter.com/3GA99kj5U9

- 1968 Hockey Tweets (@1968NHLtweets) March 8, 2018

For Shack though, being moved out of Toronto did work. On May 15, 1967 the
Leafs traded Shack to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Murray Oliver and cash.
 Oliver was only younger than Shack by nine months, but had been a productive
centerman offensively throughout his career. The change in scenery ignited
Shack and he responded with 23 goals and 19 assists in 70 games during his
first season in Beantown. This gave Boston seven skaters with at least 20 goals
 on the year, and would be the second time in Shack';s career that he hit the
mark.Shack and the Warm California Sun

When the NHL expanded from the "Original Six" teams to an even dozen in 1967,
Shack was one of the veterans who truly benefited from there being more teams
and more opportunity. This in and of itself is unique. Most of the other
players who benefited from expansion were either periphery players who
otherwise would not have been on an NHL roster, or they were far past their
prime but managed to play on for another two to four years on rosters that were
 more beleaguered than the "Original Six" teams.

Not Shack however - he would have had a job whether expansion happened or
not. At the very least though, his play was accentuated by having more ice
time.  While he may have been a third-line player with Toronto or Boston,
playing for an expansion team like the Los Angeles Kings easily vaulted him to
the top forward line.Eddie Shack was such a colorful player that he not only
had a song written about him - "Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack" - but he
also had a lunchbox with a his caricature on it (Thomas Crenshaw/Flickr).

Shack';s 1968-69 season with the Bruins saw him drop in both games played and
production. Contending with injuries, he played in only 50 games that year and
scored just 11 goals and 11 assists. The Bruins themselves lost in the second
round of the playoffs in six games to the eventual champions, the Montreal
Canadiens. Subsequently, Shack was traded in May of 1969 along with Ross
Lonsberry to the Kings in exchange for minor league winger Ken Turlik and
first-round draft picks in 1971 and 1973.

In Los Angeles, Shack';s stock instantly rose and he was a sensation for the
team. He would led the entire team in goals during the 1969-70 season with 22
in 73 games. Shack';s 34 points that year were fourth best on the team, while
his 115 minutes in penalties were second most to Lonsberry';s 118.Shack
Shuffles off to Buffalo

When the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks joined the NHL for the
1970-71 season, even more jobs became available and more opportunities for
different players to step to the forefront. The inaugural head coach and
general manager of the Sabres was the great George "Punch" Imlach - Shack';s
Cup-winning coach during all of his years with the Leafs. Imlach was a genius
of an architect when it came to assembling a hockey club, and he knew that for
his fledgling Sabres to be competitive that he needed to acquire proven players
 that were accustomed to winning. Perhaps even more importantly, Imlach needed
to provide the proper supporting cast for his newly drafted superstar, Gilbert
Perreault. Shack would be able to do both.

When the 1970-71 season began Shack was still with the Kings. In 11 games for
Los Angeles he scored a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Shortly
thereafter, Imlach pulled off a beautiful trade in which he not only acquired
Shack but acquired another former player of his in Hockey Hall of Famer, Dick
Duff. Imlach would trade defenseman Mike McMahon (along with future
considerations) to the Kings and received both Shack and Duff in return.

44 yrs ago, @BuffaloSabres acquired two former Leafs Cup winners - Eddie Shack
& Dick Duff - in deal a with @LAKings. pic.twitter.com/oUCyPRe3W3

- O-Pee-Chee Stars (@opeecheestars) November 25, 2014

This was quite the steal, especially when it came to Shack. Not only would "The
 Entertainer" become an immediate fan favorite of the Buffalo faithful, but he
became the Sabres most productive scorer aside from Perreault. Even though he
started the season in Los Angeles, Shack still finished second in Buffalo for
goals scored (25) and fifth in points (42) in only 56 games - and that does not
 include his two goals and two assists prior to being acquired. At no other
time in Shack';s career did he assemble such numbers in as short of a span.
Kudos to Imlach for bringing him to Buffalo, but a bigger pat on the backside
for Shack by generating as many goals and points as he did, and at the age of
34.Shack';s Role in Assembling "The French Connection"Though Eddie Shack may
have won four Stanley Cups while he was in his 20s, statistics prove that he
became a better scored after he had passed the age of 30.

In addition to being a beloved player in the early years of the Sabres
franchise, Shack was paramount in assembling one of the greatest forward lines
in hockey history, although not of his own accord. As the Sabres second season
began, Shack continued to put up decent numbers for Buffalo. Playing 50 games
for the Sabres during the 1971-72 season saw him score 11 goals and 14 assists
for 25 points.

Imlach had a bit of a predicament however. The sophomore Perreault was well on
his way to becoming the greatest player in Sabres history. Imlach had also
added Perreault';s junior teammate, Richard Martin, who would rewrite the
rookie goal scoring record that Perreault had just set the season prior. As was
 expected, the two Quebec-born forwards were an immediate dynamic duo, yet
Imlach could not find an appropriate right-winger to place on the line with
them. Steve Atkinson, Danny Lawson, Ron Anderson - none of them quite clicked
with the French youngsters. Even Shack did not mix, as he was a style all of
his own.

The Sabres GM sought to find a younger player who could jive with Perreault and
 Martin, both in terms of age and style. Imlach found a dance partner in the
Pittsburgh Penguins who were willing to part with another Quebecois, Rene
Robert. Not only was Robert of similar background, but he was only two years
older than Perreault (three years older than Martin) and could keep the proper
pace with both of Buffalo';s young stars. Separately, Robert was 11 years
younger than Shack.

Once again pulling of a tremendous trade for the betterment of Buffalo, Imlach
shipped Shack to Pittsburgh in order to get Robert. The Sabres'; "The French
Connection" was officially born on Mar. 4, 1972. Finishing the season with the
Penguins, Shack would score five goals and nine assists for 14 points in only
18 games - still good numbers for the aged winger.The Penguins, a Return to the
 Leafs, and Retirement

Though he was 35 years old at the time (and would turn 36 during the year),
Shack would assemble one of his finest seasons during the 1972-73 NHL campaign.
 Scoring 25 goals and 20 assists for 45 points in 74 games for the Penguins
that year, Shack scored 20-plus goals for the fifth different team of his
career. Only one other player (Bill Guerin) would ever accomplished the same
feat. This would also be Shack';s one and only full season with the Penguins.

Perhaps feeling that age had finally caught up with him, the Penguins traded
Shack back to his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs during the summer of 1973. It
would be true that "The Entertainer" had fallen down to earth, and could not
keep up the scoring pace he had been riding since he had turned 30. Playing
with the Leafs for the 1973-74 season he scored all of seven goals and 15 total
 points in 59 games. The Leafs would play to a 35-27-16 record that year and
advanced to the postseason. Unfortunately, they would be swept in four straight
 games by the Boston Bruins. Shack played in all four playoff games and scored
a goal. These would be the final NHL playoff games of his career.

Shack returned for one final season with Toronto in 1974-75. Playing in 26
games, he scored a pair of goals and an assist. Shack would officially retire
at the end of the season at the age of 38.A Look at the Numbers

The numbers for the later half of Eddie Shack';s career are very telling. When
he retired his final regular season totals were 239 goals, 226 assists and 465
points in 1,047 games. Looking at those numbers, you then need to split
Shack';s 17 NHL seasons nearly in half and then go from there.

Let us take his first nine seasons in the league. From the 1958-59 season with
the Rangers up through the 1966-67 season with the Maple Leafs, Shack played
560 games. His age through those seasons spanned from 21 years old to 30 years
old. In those 560 games Shack scored 106 goals and 113 assists for 219 points.
That is an average of just under 0.39 points per game.

Clear the track to wish a happy 81st birthday to Eddie Shack: 4 Stanley Cups
and 1,047 often chaotic games for 6 NHL teams spanning 3 decades
pic.twitter.com/8fVTcu0PoT

- Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) February 11, 2018

Then we look at his final eight seasons where he played for the Bruins, Kings,
Sabres, Penguins and his second stint with the Maple Leafs. Shack';s age ranged
 from 30 years to 38 years, and spanned the seasons of 1967-68 up through
1974-75. Within this time frame he played in 487 games. While with those five
teams Shack scored 133 goals. Already that is 27 more goals than he scored in
his first nine years, but in 73 less games. Shack also picked up 113 assists -
exactly the same total in eight years that he previously achieved in nine, and
after he had turned 30 years old. That is a total of 246 points in 487 games,
or an average of just over a half a point per game (0.51).

The numbers do not lie. While most athletes see their point totals and skills
deplete as they get older, Eddie Shack - the colorful character that he was as
a player - defied the odds and became a better scorer as he got older. You can
almost envision him thumbing his nose at statisticians from the bench. Knowing
Shack, he is probably giving a guttural belly-laugh and thumbing his nose right
 now, if he is reading this all these years later.

The post Eddie Shack';s Productive Goal-den Years appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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