Frank Mahovlich is a former Canadian senator and NHL player who was part of the six Stanley Cup teams . In 1981, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Whistled Star
Perhaps Makhovlich was the most talented person who ever wore a Maple Leafs blue and white sweater. But every time he jumped over the side, he was booed. Whenever he touched the puck, a roar of disapproval rose. Even when he scored goals, he was not accepted.
On November 1, 1967, fans filled the Maple Leaf Gardens to support all but one player. The third period ended, the team won, and Frank Makhovlich (photo below), the star of the match, was left alone on the ice, physically and emotionally exhausted. In the game with the Montreal Canadiens, he brought his team three points out of a total score of 5: 0, but the ruthless crowd once again threw him swearing and ridicule.
Carried by fans and his coach, Makhovlich was a gentle superstar in the city who wanted him to be more than a great player. It doesn’t matter if he led the team ahead, taking the puck from Gordy Howe, stripping Jacques Plante or applying for Henry Richard's records - Makhovlich was the most underrated “Leafs” hockey player whom fans loved to hate. And so they did what they thought was necessary. They booed him until he broke.
Nervous collapse
The next day, the Leafs took the train to Detroit. Makhovlich was among his teammates awaiting their turn to take off. But then he suddenly disappeared.
Friday newspapers reported the problem, but only part of the story was told. “Frank Makhovlich, the lead player in the Toronto Maple Leafs attack, was crippled by a mysterious illness,” the Canadian press wrote. - He felt ill Wednesday night after a three-pointer speech. Toronto’s 29-year-old left striker has been in top shape for his 11-year NHL career, scoring four goals and seven assists in nine games. ”
One of the greatest hockey players who ever played for the Maple Leafs suffered a nervous breakdown and turned to the Toronto General Hospital for psychiatric help. The cause of his ailments was many years of ridicule from disappointed fans and a tense relationship with the coach of “Leafs” Punch Imlach. Never before had the future of Big M looked so bleak.
Dizzying career
The son of Croatian immigrants Frank Makhovlich (NHL photo) joined the team thirteen years earlier as a teenage prodigy. Leaving his native Timmins and moving to Toronto, he quickly gained recognition from St. fans. Mike's Majors and received the nickname, which remained with him throughout his career. The big virtuoso attack player won his place on the sports pages before he even went to the NHL rink.
When he joined Leafs at age 19, the sports press began to advertise him as one of the greatest players the city had never seen. A rookie of the same year as Bobby Hull, he overtook him in the fight for Calder's trophy. The first three seasons, Frank scored an average of 20 goals a year, securing a place among the most powerful scorers of the team. Then, in the 1960–61 season, he managed to do what everyone had expected from him. In 56 matches, he hit the opponent’s goal 48 times. Frank Makhovlich, whose game statistics exceeded all expectations, in the remaining 14 meetings could become the second person in NHL history to have scored 50 goals in a season.
Fans rejoiced when he paced on the left wing with his long stride, throwing past an unlucky goalkeeper and overtaking celebrities such as Howe, Beliveau and Richard in the top scorers. But when February was replaced by March, the big M seemed to run dry. In the remaining 14 matches, the Leafs scored 43 times, but Makhovlich failed to score a goal against the opponent. Suddenly, the player began to look lazy.
Cruel game
Not knowing how to motivate his star, Imlach began to make a laughingstock of him, purposely distorting his name, calling him “Makholovich” and recalling to journalists all missed goals and spoiled games.
Despite the ridicule, the hockey player remained an integral part of the four teams that won the Stanley Cup. But all this did not matter for the fans, who seemed to appreciate him less and less every year. Then, on one November day, when Big M should play 10 matches of their best season, the fans found out that the man they were booing was in the hospital.
The club was bombarded with letters in support of the victims of the inexorable trainer and unreasonable expectations of the city. By the time the player returned to the team, bullying had stopped. But sympathy was short-lived, and five months later, Makhovlich was sent to the Red Wings during one of the largest deals in hockey history .
Fans attacked the organizers of the transition, fearing that this would play a negative role in the fate of the team. But the hockey player was happy to leave. Success came to him right away. Frank Makhovlich, a Detroit hockey player, scored 49 goals in his career. And after moving to Montreal, he won two more Stanley Cups. The next time he wore a maple leaf uniform as part of Canada during the USSR Super Series - Canada.
Makhovlich was one of the most sophisticated men who have ever been successful in the game. Even Imlach later admitted that in brutal sport, this outstanding hockey player always remained a gentleman.
Frank Makhovlich: interesting facts
Big M, blowing up the left flank, instilled fear in the souls of goalkeepers from the moment he made his debut in the National Hockey League at the Toronto Maple Leafs club in 1956, and until the day he parted with skates at Birmingham Bulls after season 1977-78.
By the season 1972-73 Frank played in five Stanley Cup championships, was part of the NHL star team eight times and played 15 seasons in professional hockey - 1 with Toronto, 3 with Detroit and a half with Canadiens. In addition, he took part in a winning series of games with the USSR national team. Although Makhovlich played in six games, scoring a goal and making an assist, he was ill even before his trip to the Soviet Union. “I started to have a severe allergy, which forced me to seek medical help,” Frank admitted. - I stayed in Canada a couple of days before the team returned. This allergy was so severe that swollen eyes could not be opened. Only two or three years later I learned that ragweed was the cause. ”
At the peak of a career
Frank Makholvich returned from the USSR and went straight to the Montreal Canadiens training camp. It was a very good season for the hockey player and even better for his club. Frank scored 38 goals and made 55 assists, which earned him 93 points and ninth place in the NHL scorers race. The Canadiens team lost only 10 times and finished the 1972-73 season in first place with a stunning 120 points, 13 points ahead of their closest rival Boston.
In the quarterfinals, Montreal knocked out Buffalo relatively easily, securing three wins in four matches. Frank Makhovlich scored 2 goals and made 2 assists. In the semifinals, the team pulled the Philadelphia Flyers out of the fight, gaining four wins in five games. Big M had 2 goals and 4 assists.
Stanley Cup Final
In the final match, Montreal fought the Chicago Black Hawks. The Canadiens pounced on them in the first game, securing a victory with a score of 8-3. Makhovlich made an assist. In the next match, he scored an empty net and helped to win with a score of 4: 1. “Chicago” responded with a victory in the third meeting with a score of 7: 4, although Frank chalked up a goal and an assist. In the fourth final game, “Montreal” dealt with his opponent, scoring 4 goals dry.
Two future members of the Hall of Fame during the fifth match felt like targets in the shooting range. The Chicago 8: 7 victory did not seem particularly successful for either Tony Esposito of the Hawks or Ken Dryden of Montreal. Big M added an abandoned puck and 2 assists to the efforts of his team.
In the 6th game, Makhovlich chalked up a goal and an assist, and his club won the Stanley Cup with six goals against four. For the Montreal Canadiens, it was the 17th victory in this competition. For Makhovlich, the trophy became the sixth. His contribution was great - 23 points in 17 playoff matches. Returning to his homeland, the hockey player drove through the whole city in a yellow Mustang with a cup in his hands.
In 1998, Frank became a senator in Ottawa. He no longer returned to hockey to ride with Yashin and Alfredsson, but worked in the Senate of Canada from 1998 to 2013.
Celebrations in Timmins
Frank was the last champion to be given one day to enjoy a victory with the Stanley Cup, and he decided to do something special. Returning to his hometown of Timmins, Ontario, Senator Makhovlich was accompanied by another well-known former local resident - the world-famous architect Frank Gehry. The namesakes arrived on Saturday September 16th. Each brought with him his most famous hockey trophy - the World Cup and the Stanley Cup.
The plane arrived in Timmins only in the afternoon, and Mayor Vick Power, a delightful man and an excellent defender of his city, arrived at the airport to personally meet the guests. Frank and his wife Marie brought the Stanley Cup to the nearby Golden Manor boarding house, whose residents were thrilled.
Celebrities escorted the parade through the city and arrived at the legendary MacIntyre Arena. Makhovlich rode with a Cup in a yellow Mustang, and Geri rode in a Lincoln with a hockey World Cup.
The arena, built in the image of the Maple Leaf Gardens, was one of three sites in Ontario that could boast of artificial ice since its construction. The facility became the source of NHL players, including Pete Babando, Bill Barilco, Real Chevrefils, Les and Murray Costello, Bep Gvidolin, three brothers Hannigan, Bob Nevin, Allan Stanley and brothers Peter and Frank Makhovlichi.
Visit the Stanley Cup
Private reception is held on the second floor in the banquet hall above the hockey field. Both Cups were on public display and Frank Gehry and Frank Mahovlich honored the city of Timmins. At two o'clock a long line of agitated fans got the opportunity to take a picture with the Stanley Cup and meet NHL stars Gus Mortes, who was with Toronto, Chicago and Detroit in 1940–50. joined the all-star team, and Jim Mair, who played for the Flyers, Islanders and Canucks in the 1970s.
That evening, a gala reception was held at the MacIntyre banquet hall. More than 200 guests - captains of the industry, the hockey elite and politicians - joined the celebration of Senator Makhovlich and Frank Gehry. The Timmins reception was the elegant conclusion to the 2005 Stanley Cup summer tour when he visited some of the oldest champions.
Frank Makhovlich: personal life
Makhovlich is married to Marie Devaney, the couple has two sons - Michael and Edward, and daughter Nancy. Frank's older brother was also a successful NHL professional.
Makhovlich was awarded the Order of Canada for his achievements in hockey both as a player and as a sports figure.
He represented Toronto in the Senate of Canada and served on two committees: agriculture and forestry, as well as foreign affairs and international trade.
Frank Makhovlich, interesting facts from the life of a hockey player are depicted in the book of his son Ted “Big M: the story of Frank Makholvich”, which was released in 1999. The author talked with outstanding athletes of the era, such as Gordy Howe, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafler and Henry Richard, to recreate one of the best careers in the NHL of all time.