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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 6) |
| Author | Comment |
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Martin C. Harrris
Sep 8, 04 - 4:11 PM |
Death of Jimmy SPENCE
The death was announced to to-day of one of the all-time great British home-grown players. Jimmy SPENCE, born in Edinburgh in 1935, joined Perth Panthers of the pro Scottish National League for season 1950/51. In the next five campaigns, before the team folded in the spring of 1955, Jimmy notched up 161 goals and added 149 assists in his 245 appearances, with a measly 66 minutes in penalties.Tenth higest points scorer in the SNL for 1953/54 he ended the next season as Panhers top scorer. And this in an era when the 12 man rosters consisted of nine or ten Canadian imports. He then joined another Panthers, that of Nottingham in the British National League. With three trips to the World Championships,two in Pool B, in 1961, 1965 and 1973 he contributed 12 goals and 3 assists to Great Britain's cause from 18 appearances. The funeral is next Monday. BIHWA offer their condolences to Jimmy's family. |
Tony Allen
Sep 8th, 2004 - 11:57 PM |
Re: Death of Jimmy SPENCE
Sad news indeed. Aside from being an outstanding centre (one of the three best-ever Scots in that position, IMHO), Jimmy was a perfect gentleman on and off the ice. In particular, his high-scoring partnership with the late Ian Forbes lingers in the memory. Condolences to Jimmy's family. |
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David Gordon
Sep 9th, 2004 - 12:28 AM |
Re: Re: Death of Jimmy SPENCE
Sad news indeed. Although born in Edinburgh in 1935, where his father worked at the old Haymarket rink, Jimmy - together with elder brother Laurie (also a former GB internationalist) - were brought up in Perth. (The Spence family moved to the "Fair City" in October 1936, their father having been appointed Icemaster of the newly opened Perth Rink.) As well as the Panthers of Perth and Nottingham, Jimmy also played with Paisley, Altrincham, Fife and Dundee. (While with Rockets, he scored the last ever goal at the old Ayr Ice Rink on Beresford Terrace in April 1972.) Jimmy, I believe, was the senior electrician with Dewar's in Perth, before his retiral. To beat my particular drum once again, why is he not in the Hall of Fame? Sympathies to his family. |
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Stewart Roberts
Sep 9th, 2004 - 11:59 AM |
Re: Re: Re: Death of Jimmy SPENCE
David, Thanks for the extra info on Jimmy. I've checked the records and he was nominated a couple of times in the early 90s but not inducted. As a BIHWA member, you are entitled to nominate him again next year if you feel he's worthy of the Hall. Stewart |
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Tony Allen
Sep 10th, 2004 - 6:21 PM |
Re: Jimmy Spence and the Hall of Fame
I agree with David that Jimmy would indeed be a suitable candidate for the Hall of Fame, both for his achievements on the ice and for his exemplary conduct on and off it. Unfortunately, when the demise of Ice Hockey World caused the H of F to lapse into a state of suspended animation, some of Jimmy's best years were still ahead of him and, by the time we (I) revived it in 1985, he was all but forgotten. The same is true for a good many other outstanding players, notably IMHO Marshall Key, another outstanding Scottish centre and a near contemporary of Jimmy Spence. As one of the more senior members of BIHWA, I reckon I have nominated my share of old-timers, but we have to be aware that most of our members and certainly the vast majority of fans had never heard of Jimmy Spence until this week. That is not intended in any way as an excuse for our negligence in not so far electing him, but may be at least a partial reason for the oversight. |
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David Gordon
Sep 14th, 2004 - 10:30 PM |
Re: Re: Jimmy Spence and the Hall of Fame
I agree with your comments regarding Marshall Key, Tony, probably the finest local-developed player to emerge from Dundee. Like him, and the late jimmy Spence, I feel that there are a number of others from that era who have been sadly overlooked when HoF consideration was resurrected in the mid 1980s. IMHO, the following are all worthy of induction: BILLY FULLERTON: regarded as one of the finest British-developed players. Born on his family’s Renfrewshire farm in 1913, he was a fast-skating winger (and also a British speed skating Champion) and was described by Phil Drackett in “Flashing Blades” as: “also a good backchecker, as good as any Canadian.” A Glasgow stockbroker, he represented GB in the 1939 World Championships when a member of the original Fife Flyers, at a time when only a handful of British developed players got in. As an RAF pilot, he was killed in action in January 1941, aged only 27, and his omission from the HoF is a travesty. THOMAS “TUCK” SYME: A stand-out British developed player of the 40s/50s with Dunfermline and Paisley. A Fife coalminer, born 1928, he was only 19 when he represented GB at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St Moritz, and was the first local player to get an All Star selection in this Canadian dominated era. Indeed, he wasgood enough for a season of junior hockey with Guelph in Ontario during 48/49. Now living in retirement in California aged 76. LAWSON NEIL: Arguably the finest Scottish developed defenceman of the Canadian dominated era. Starred for the pro Ayr Raiders from 1947, when breaking through as a 17 year-old apprentice motor mechanic, moving south in 1955 for spells with Wembley, Nottingham and Altrincham. A GB internationalist in 1950 and 1953.Stan Christie, a GB teammate, describes him thus: “Lawson was a terrific defenceman, I’ve never seen any Canadian who could body check like Lawson.” Sadly, he passed away in 1990, aged 60. KEITH KEWLEY: Captained/Coached 3 different teams to Championships in the 40s/50s - Dunfermline, Ayr and Paisley- also instrumental in helping the development of some of the best British players of the era e.g. Syme brothers, Lawson Neil, Dave McCrae, Billy Brennan, Joe Brown et al. Now a healthy 80 year old, spending his summers back home in Ontario and his winters in Florida, he golfs on a weekly basis with team-mates from his hockey days in Scotland like Art Sullivan. Apart from these four, and Jimmy Spence and Marshall Key, other veteran British players from that era who I would suggest deserve to be in the Hall include Ian Forbes, Bert Smith and Bill Sneddon. What about former Glasgow goalie Charlie Huddlestone, who did so much to keep the sport alive in the dark days of the late 50s/early60s? And then there’s the omission of probably the finest winger ever to skate on Scottish ice – Ernie Domenico, 12 seasons in British hockey from 1947 to 1959, with Streatham, Ayr and and Paisley. |
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