Imperial Valley press., 1932-12-10
COMMENT ON
SPORT WORLD
BY HENRY McLEMORE
United Press Staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, Dec. 10.-Legend
has it that the sun-baked babies
of the Foreign Legion are the last
word in toughness; that compared
with the men who stand watch for
France in the outposts of the world
the rest of us are mollycoddles.
Maybe so, but if we were asked
to cast vote in a contest to de-
termine the worlds toughest hon.
bres, we'd mark our tally in ia
vor of those hard-hitting dare
devils who ride the ice in big time
professional hockey.
We've known for a long time
that the men of hockey were
race apart, but not until we picked
up a program at Madison Square
arden the other night, did we full
ly appreciate just how the play
erS can take it and like it. The
hockey editor, needing a filler. de-
voted a page or SO to describing
a few of the injuries, suffered by
few of the players, and the modest
little write-up was a saga of cour-
age, an epic of fortitude.
Ching johnson, we guess is ex-
hibit A among the toughers. Off
the ice Ching is the most modest
and unaSSuming of fellows, but
once the whistle blows he be-
comes the wild man of the frozen
field. Chings been patched up so
many times he resembles crazy
quilt, and in these patching oper-
ationS enough thread to keep a
knitting mill busy for week has
been used.
One season Dit Clapper of Bos-
ton, checked Johnson into the
boards and Ching suffered a COM
pound fracture of the jaw. Wires
were used to hold his shattered
bones together and a special har-
ness created for his neck and face,
when Ching insisted on continuing
play.
And Helgie Bostrum of the Chi
cago Blackhawks. In a mixup with
the Rangers last year Helgie drop
ped to the ice, with a tremendous
slash just above his right ankle.
For seven weeks he lay in the
hospital waiting for the wound,
which required nearly a hundred
stitches, to heal. His comrades
cheered him in his trouble by mail
ing him coffin advertisements.
Doctors said Bostrum would ne
yer play hockey again.
Lionel Conacher, Canadas most
famous all-around athlete, is a.
respected member of the tough
guys association. Near the end of
the 1881 season Lionel drew a nasty
cash in the first period of a game
with the Americans. He finished
out the period with blood oozing
through his heavy pads.
Wanted No Dope
When he returned to the dress
in room the doctor offered him an
anaesthetic.
Give us drink, Doc, and never
mind the DOPE" Lionel said.
Then he put on clean uniform
and went out and finished the
game.
Dave Trottier of the Montreal
Maroons came within an ace OF
death few seasons back when
skate blade gashed his neck, miss
ing the jugular vein by a whisper
Dawes still riding high, wide and
handsome.
Eddie Shore, Boston's bad Boy"
once had all his front teeth knock
ed out in game but refused SUBJ
stitution, and Chuck Gardiner
Chicago goalie, caught a puck
square in the face and required
l6 stitches. Chuck used chewing
gum as an anaesthetic while the
doctor did his sewing.
Early last season Pete Lepine,
Canadian forward, crashed into
another player and fell to the ice
near the players box He started
to crawl to the sideboards, but
couldn't quite make it.
Come on Doc, give me a hand"
Lepine yelled. I've busted a leg
or two
Near the end of the season he
was back in uniform and sweeping
up the ice with all his original
speed and power.
These are just few examples of
how the men of hocky can take it.
We'd tell you more but we've got
a cold in the head and feel like
we're going to die.