In 1970 Imperial Oil Ltd. introduced their Esso Power Player promotion at gas stations across Canada. With every fill-up, drivers were given a packet of stamp-sized hockey “cards” for collection in a booklet (see above), also provided by Esso.
These cards were hugely popular when I was an
eight-year-old, and the hardest card to find was Juha Widing, a centre for what
was then the lowly Los Angeles Kings.
Although I never managed to find Juha for my booklet, Brian
Smith did, and sometimes while walking near his house I would ask if I could
look at him, rushing down the boards, his golden hair matching the piping of
his mostly purple "road" uniform.
The Kings had unusual uniforms, the same colours as the
National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers, with whom they shared the
Fabulous Forum in Inglewood. The Lakers were a winning team; the Kings were
not.
The closest the Kings came to a Stanley Cup was in 1993, when Wayne Grezky led them to the final, only to lose to Montreal. By then the Kings had exchanged their purple and gold for silver, black and white, to match the National Football League’s Los Angeles Raiders.
The closest the Kings came to a Stanley Cup was in 1993, when Wayne Grezky led them to the final, only to lose to Montreal. By then the Kings had exchanged their purple and gold for silver, black and white, to match the National Football League’s Los Angeles Raiders.
I have remained a Los Angeles Kings fan since Imperial Oil’s
promotion. And now, after forty-five years in the National Hockey League, the
Kings have won the Stanley Cup.
While watching the team celebrate their Game Six victory
last night, I saw lots of former Kings players, but not Juha. Players from his
era were not included. But even if they were, he would not be among them. Juha
Widing passed away in 1984, at the age of 37.
No comments:
Post a Comment