Absurd Goalie Monday: Yves Belanger

There's times that goalies in these AGMs have a great minor league career and have a renaissance in their career during their minor league tenures and parlay it to some success in the NHL. This isn't one of them, as the time in the NHL for this week's AGM wouldn't be the best and wouldn't have the steam he had in the minor leagues. This week's profile is of the career of Yves Belanger.

Belanger started with the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Castors starting in the 1969-70 season, playing 50 games and recording a 20-25-2 record. During the 1970-71 season, Belanger went 22-17-0 in 49 appearances, while going 2-5 in nine playoff games. Belanger spent one more season with Sherbrooke in the 1971-72 campaign, sporting a 19-19-0 record in 43 games.

After his final junior year, Belanger was signed by the WHA's Cleveland Crusaders, but went to their affiliate, the Syracuse Blazers of the Eastern League, where he would play 38 games. He would winning five by shutout, and would help the Blazers in the final Walker Cup of the fledgling league. During awards time, Belanger won the George L. Davis, Jr. Trophy for fewest goals against and got First Team All-Star honors. In the 1973-74 season, Belanger moved to the AHL's Jacksonville Barons and would put up a 17-27-4 record in 54 games.

In a twist of events, the Crusaders traded Belanger to the NHL's St. Louis Blues for cash before the 1974-75 season. Belanger played only 11 games for the Blues that season, going 6-3-2; but would spend most of the season with the Central League's Denver Spurs for 36 games, compiling a 19-13-3 record in 36 games. The 1975-76 season placed Belanger with the Blues, finishing with 11-17-1 record in 31 games, as well as spending 10 games with the AHL's Providence Reds for 10 games, going 3-4-3 and then losing both his playoff appearances. Belanger honed his craft in the Central League for the 1976-77 season with the Kansas City Blues, playing in 31 games and posting a 21-4-4 record-- allowing Belanger to get the Terry Sawchuk Trophy for fewest goals against and First Team All-Star honors. That season, Belanger also played in St. Louis, going 2-0-0 in three games. The 1977-78 season, Belanger started off with St. Louis, losing all three of the games he played before being moved.

Belanger, with Bob MacMillian, Dick Redmond, and a draft pick, were sent to the Atlanta Flames for Phil Myre, Curt Bennett, and Barry Gibbs. With the Flames, Belanger only played 17 games and finished with a 7-8-0 record. That season, he would also spend time with the Central League's Salt Lake Golden Eagles for nine games and finish with a 5-3-0 record. The 1978-79 season saw Belanger in the AHL with the Philadelphia Firebirds, where he would play 22 games and finish with a 4-14-1 record, while playing five games in Atlanta with a 1-2-0 record to show for it.

Before the 1979-80 season, Belanger signed with the Boston Bruins, where he would play only eight games and have a 2-0-3 record. Most of that season would be spent with the Binghamton Dusters of the AHL, where Belanger would sport a 7-13-1 record in his 22 appearances.

From the 1980-81 season, Belanger would go to the Maritimes of Canada, playing in amateur leagues through out Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The teams would include the Charlottetown Islanders, Cap Pele Caps, and Charlottetown GJs before retiring after the 1983-84 season. However, Belanger would make his return with the Charlottetown Islanders in the 1986-87 season prior to retiring for good.

While he had small time success in smaller markets, Belanger didn't seem to crack the NHL with much gusto. Though the minor leagues did help Belanger, it didn't seem to carry over into his call-ups to the big time. However, he did know when to say when and settled down in the amateur leagues to stay somewhat competitive, even if it's not high stakes.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Phil Myre

The ultimate goal in life for a player is to get their name on the Stanley Cup. While this week's AGM did get a ring and was in the team picture, he didn't get on the Cup. Then two seasons later, he was off on a journeyman's career. This week, the profile of Phil Myre.

Myre started his career in the 1964 playoffs with the QMJHL's Victoriaville Bruins, going 1-1 in two of those games, then 0-1 in one Memorial Cup appearance. In his first full season in Victoriaville in the 1964-65 season, Myre played 21 games and finished up 14-7-0, then going 7-2 in nine playoff appearances, while going 0-3 in the Memorial Cup play-down games. Victoriaville moved to Shawinigan for the 1965-66 season, where Myre would go 38-6-0 in 44 games, then 8-4 in 12 playoff games and 11-4 in 15 Memorial Cup play-down games.

Myre was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1966 Draft, which was also a year that Myre went to the OHA's Niagara Falls Flyers starting in the 1966-67 season, leading them to a Memorial Cup championship following the 1967-68 season.

Turning pro in 1968-69, Myre played in the Central League for the Houston Apollos, going 24-19-10 in 53 games, then going 0-2 in the playoffs.

The 1969-70 season allowed Myre to play in 15 games for the AHL's Montreal Voyageurs before getting the call-up to the Canadiens, where he would play in 10 games with a 4-3-2 record. Myre stayed in Montreal for the 1970-71 season, playing in 30 games with a 13-11-4 record, but would be relegated to back-up when Ken Dryden made his mark in the league. While the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup that year and even though he qualified to be engraved on the Cup, the team left him off, even though he did receive a ring for his efforts. Myre only played nine games for the Canadiens in the 1971-72 season, going 4-5-0 in his efforts.

The Canadiens left Myre unprotected in the 1972 Expansion Draft, allowing the Atlanta Flames to pick him up. In that 1972-73 season, Myre tallied a 16-25-3 record in 46 games, while he went 11-16-6 in 36 games in the 1973-74 season-- in which he played in the team's first playoff series, going 0-3 in three games. Myre played 40 games in the 1974-75 season, finishing in with a 14-16-10 record; while in the 1975-76 and 1976-77 season, Myre went .500 in both seasons, with a 16-16-4 and 17-17-7 record respectively. Myre would only play nine games for the Flames in the 1977-78 season, going 2-7-0 before being put on the move.

Myre was traded to the St. Louis Blues in December of 1977 and would play 44 games for the Blues, going 11-25-8 in those last games. Myre return with the Blues in the 1978-79 season, going a dismal 9-22-8 in his 39 appearances.

Myre was traded to Philadelphia in June of 1979 and join a tandem with Pete Peeters for the 1979-80 season, with Myre going 18-7-15 that season, a season where he and Peeters had a 35-game unbeaten streak-- a NHL record. It wasn't a great for Myre in the 1980-81 season, as he would go 6-5-4 in 16 games before being on the move again.

The Flyers traded Myre to the Colorado Rockies for cash, in which Myre would play 10 games to end out the year and compile a 3-6-1 record. After the '80-'81 season, Myre played for Team Canada in the World Championships, but would go 2-5-0 in seven games. Myre returned to the Rockies for the 1981-82 season, playing in 24 games, finishing with a 2-17-2 record. Myre would also spend time that year with the Central League's Fort Worth Texans, playing in 10 games with a 4-5-1 record.

Myre signed with the Buffalo Sabres before the 1982-83 season, spending a majority of the season with the AHL's Rochester Americans, going 28-8-5 in 43 games, while playing in five games with Buffalo, going 3-2-0. Myre returned to Rochester for the 1983-84 season, going 19-9-1 in 33 games before hanging up his pads for good.

Post-playing career, Myre went into coaching, being an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings and then as a goalie coach for the Red Wings and also later as goalie coach with the Florida Panthers. Myre also got into some blogging (before it got hacked) and public speaking. Currently, Myre is working with the Montreal Canadiens in a scouting capacity.

While he had his hand in two big team trophies, he was only recognized for one, then started to bounce around from menial team to menial team-- which could have hurt his mentality in the long-run. He kept to it though and made himself a good life after his playing career was finished.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Curt Ridley

If nothing else, this week's AGM showed that there was such thing as a Reverse Draft, which is something that happened from 1966 to 1975, in which players could get picked off from teams rosters if they were left unprotected. Almost a primitive Expansion Draft. Even so, this goalie goes with the formula of having a couple good seasons in the minors, then having a nice lead-in when he came into the league, but fizzled out before he could do anything substantial. This week, we look at Curt Ridley.

Ridley started off with the Portage Terriers in the Manitoba Junior League, playing 78 games in two years, putting up five shutouts in that time frame and 3.59 GAA in those two years. Apparently, Ridley got a reputation for hacking at the ankles and legs of opposing players, riling up the opposing fans so much, they would start to throw stuff at him during the game. In his second year, Ridley got a call up to the Brandon Wheat Kings for five games with a 2.81 GAA. His performance was good enough for the Boston Bruins to draft him in the second round of the 1971 Draft.

The Bruins placed Ridley in the Central League for the 1971-72 season with the Oklahoma City Blazers. It was a rough first year for Ridley, going 12-18-4 in the 41 games he played in, losing the only playoff game he played in. The 1972-73 season saw Ridley head to the IHL with the Dayton Gems, playing 56 games with a 2.70 GAA, despite a knee injury he suffered during the season. He also went 3-3 in the playoffs with the Gems and would get a call-up to the AHL Boston Braves for the playoffs, but would go 0-3. With many goalies in their system, the Bruins thought they would take a chance with leaving Ridley unprotected, not thinking anyone would need a goalie.

However, for the 1973 Reverse Draft, the New York Rangers plucked Ridley off the Bruins roster and would send him to the AHL's Providence Reds. With the Reds in 1973-74, Ridley came into his own going 19-11-6 in 39 games for the Reds. Ridley would get the starting role in the 1974-75 with the Reds, playing in 57 games with a spectacular 32-14-9 with a 3.27 GAA, but only went 2-4 in six playoff games. Ridley would get a call-up to the Rangers, playing in two games, going 1-1-0 in his games with the big club.

His time in New York didn't last long as the Rangers traded Ridley to the Atlanta Flames for Jerry Byers in September 1975. Ridley would be assigned to the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL and would play there for 30 games going 15-10-5 with two shutouts. Ridley's play got noticed, as he would be traded by the Flames to the Vancouver Canucks in January of 1976 for the Canucks first round choice in the 1976 Draft. As an aside, though he left Tulsa early, he won the Terry Sawchuk Award for fewest goals-against.

Ridley got the call-up to the big club immediately and did an amazing job in his nine games with Vancouver, going 6-0-2 with a 2.28 GAA, which was promising to the Canucks brass. It was a promising sign, but the 1976-77 season didn't being much fortune with that quick start. Ridley was battling Cesare Maniago, but didn't fare well with a 8-21-4 record. The 1977-78 record was more of the same, as Ridley would improve slightly with a 9-17-8 record in 40 games. The Canucks sent Ridley down to the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central League for the 1978-79 season, where it seemed that Ridley was able to gain his confidence back. Ridley would post a record of 22-10-0 in 32 games, going 8-1 in the playoff to help the Hawks win the Adams Cup championship. Ridley would also take home the Max McNab Trophy for Playoff MVP. Ridley would start the 1979-80 season with the Hawks, going 0-4-0 in his four games; but would still get a call-up to the Canucks for 10 games, in which he would go 2-6-2.

Even so, Ridley had some interest as the Canucks traded Ridley to the Toronto Maple Leafs for cash in February of 1980. He would only play three games with the Leafs and go 0-1-1, as he broke his hand in his third game in. The 1980-81 season saw Ridley go to the AHL and play with the New Brunswick Hawks for two games with a 1-1-0 record, with a three game call-up to the Leafs with the same 1-1-0 record.

After not being re-signed by the Leafs, Ridley would sign back in the Central League with the Cincinnati Tigers as one last kick-of-the-can. He would regain some kind of stellar play, going 10-6-1 in 22 games, while losing his own game in the playoffs. Ridley would hang up the pads after that 1981-82 season.

Ridley now resides in the Dallas area, and while he was antagonist in the net; he could never string together much in the NHL when he had his time; whether it was to being pushed out, the team in front of him, or just not being able to get up to the speed of the NHL-- it never gelled for Ridley. If nothing else, he did have a memorable mask (as seen in the picture) which coincided with the "stick-in-rink" logo that the Canucks had. So, at least he'll always have that.