Alex Levinsky

Born in Syracuse, New York, Levinsky had a most interesting nickname - "Mine Boy." No, he never worked in any mines. Nor did his father, but it was he who inadvertantly gave his son the life long moniker. The proud poppa used to yell from the stands "That's mine boy!"

I have not been able to confirm it just yet, but Alex Levinsky may have been the first Jewish hockey player in NHL history.

Levinsky was a two time Stanley Cup champion who split his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks, and played ever so briefly with the New York Rangers. He won a Cup title both as a Leaf and as a Hawk: in Toronto in 1932 and in Chicago in 1938.

Levinsky, who grew up in Toronto, was a solid, stay-at-home defenseman, who rarely scored. He was a strong skater blessed with speed, as he had played a lot of forward as a youth. Smythe had signed him and his junior partner Bob Gracie right out of the Toronto Marlies junior team, though Levinsky would find himself soon partnered with Hap Day.

The Leafs moved Levinsky to the Rangers for the 1934-35 campaign, but after just 20 games with the Blueshirts Levinsky moved on to Chicago. He would play the next five years with the Hawks before being suspended by the team. The Hawks had traded Levinsky, the oldest player on their blue line, down to the minor leagues for Joe Cooper of the Philadelphia Ramblers. Levinsky balked at the move to Philly, and was suspended indefinitely. He eventually reported Philadelphia, but only after assurances from New York Rangers boss Lester Patrick that he would soon return to the NHL as the Rangers wanted him back. That never did happen though. Levinsky would play two years with the Ramblers, serving as team captain.

In 367 NHL games Levinsky scored 19 goals and 49 assists for 68 career points. He added another 2 goals and 1 assist in 37 playoff games.

After hockey he returned hom to Toronto and owned his own car dealership and ran a bowling alley. He died on September 1st, 1990.

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Arthur Brooks

Arthur Brooks was an agile goalie who had a solid career in the OHA Sr. league. He played for Owen Sound and his hometown Guelph Maple Leafs team. He was signed as a spare goalie by the Toronto Arenas in the NHA (National Hockey Association) in 1916 and played four games for the Arenas.

During the inaugural NHL season of 1917-18 Arthur was signed by Toronto once again, this time on December 15th, 1917. His first NHL action came in a wild game against the Montreal Wanderers on December 19th, 1917. Toronto Arenas regular goalie Sammy Hebert was decked by an errant shot in the face and had to leave the game early in the second period. Arthur stepped in and saw five pucks get past him in the Wanderers 10-9 win.

In his next game (December 22nd) Arthur stopped Ottawa as his Toronto won 11-4. Four days later Arthur was standing on his head, saving shots from all angles as Toronto beat the Montreal Canadiens 7-5.

His fourth and last NHL game came on December 29th on the road against the Canadiens. This time the Montreal team wasn't going to be denied and bombarded poor Arthur who had to surrender nine goals in a 9-2 defeat. The gung-ho style that Toronto displayed during these games didn't sit well with Charlie Querrie who was Toronto's manager at that time. When it became apparent that Hebert wasn't coming back, Querrie started to look after a reliable and experienced goalie. Querrie managed to secure the services of dependable Harry "Hap" Holmes from the Seattle Metropolitans (PCHL) on January 4th, 1918.

With "Hap" aboard there was not any need for Arthur and he was released on January 6th, 1918, only two days after "Hap" had signed with Toronto. In his brief NHL career Arthur didn't have much opportunity to shine. The Arenas eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup that year and although Arthur never got his name engraved on the Cup, he was a member of the team.

It's believed that Arthur never played hockey again after that 1917-18 season. Having earned a reported $20 per game, Brooks must have decided he needed a better career off of the ice.

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