Episode 5
A National Obsession
Biographies
Ted Lindsay
Never one to back down from a fight on the ice, Ted Lindsay waged his most important battle in hockey's corridors of power. A feared and respected leader from the time he joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1944 at the age of 19, the temperamental left wing from Renfrew, Ont., earned the nicknames "Terrible Ted" and "Scarface" for a rugged playing style that belied his smallish stature.Behind the grinder mentality, though, lived a tremendously talented player. Lindsay scored 379 goals in his 17 NHL seasons, earning first-team all-star honours eight times, and his 78 points in 1949-50 won him the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer. Along with Gordie Howe and Sid Abel, Lindsay formed the famed Production Line, which led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups from 1950 to 1955.
Despite his remarkable exploits on the ice, Lindsay's most lasting legacy remains his pivotal role in establishing a players union. With the help of several high-profile stars, Lindsay led a fight for such modest benefits as a pension fund and a minimum salary for rookies. His efforts drew the wrath of the NHL's anti-union bosses, and in 1957 hard-boiled Detroit owner Jack Adams shipped Lindsay to the lowly Chicago Blackhawks.
Shortly after the trade, the nascent players association folded, and Lindsay lasted just a few more years before hanging up his skates. In 1966, a year after retiring for a second time following a brief comeback with the Red Wings, Lindsay was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Though he came up short in his quest to unite his contemporaries, Lindsay planted a seed of solidarity that blossomed into the modern NHL Players Association, whose members today harvest riches not dreamed of in the time of Terrible Ted.
Ted Lindsay, Hockey Hall Of Fame
