Minnesota North Stars

Doug Mohns grew up in Capreol, Ontario where railway culture and hockey were the kings of time well spent. It is no surprise that, in such a setting, he would earn the nickname "Diesel" out of respect for the manner in which his piston-like legs could dig into the ice a...nd propel him forward like a locomotive. During his junior career with the Barrie Flyers of the OHA, Mohns played left wing rather than defense. It was there that, under the strict discipline of coach Hap Emms, the youngster learned the finer parts of the game. At the time, he liked Emms' strictness like a spoon of bad cough syrup but appreciated the lessons learned as he entered higher levels of the sport. And in the short term, he enjoyed two Memorial Cup victories in 1951 and 1953. As he turned pro, Mohns managed to forego the customary developmental stint in the minors when the Bruins' Jack McIntyre went down with an injury at the start of the 1953-54 campaign. The junior standout was brought in and placed on defense as a two-week fill-in. Unfortunately for McIntyre, Mohns impressed the team so much that he won a permanent post with the club and McIntyre was sold to the Blackhawks. Over the eleven seasons that followed, Mohns became an anchor on the Bruins' defense with his blueline partner, Fernie Flaman. Mohns' mobility and puckhandling skills made him a fan favourite with the Boston crowd. In 1959-60, he became only the second rearguard in NHL history to score 20 goals in a single season. In 1964-65, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. There, his versatility began to show as his superior speed earned him a spot on left wing with "Scooter Line" members Stan Mikita and Ken Wharram. Naturally, Mohns' point totals increased dramatically over his blueline days. But by the end of the 1960s, his customary speed had begun to recede to a more average level. In order to survive into his third decade of pro hockey, he had to rely more on savvy to compensate for fewer physical attributes. The earliest indication of his age came with the loss of his hair. Mohns became one of the first NHLers to sport a toupee. Being such a novelty, his Blackhawk teammates couldn't resist pinning a note on the back of his coat, unbeknownst to him, that read "It's a wig!" By 1970-71, the veteran skater was back at his original NHL trade as a defenseman. From then on, until his retirement in 1975, he worked as a stay-at-home defender who added stability and leadership to the young lineups he supported in Minnesota, Atlanta, and, finally, Washington where he hung up his blades after 22 big-league campaigns. (Bio by legendsofhockey.net)

Nick Beverley was a solid positional defenceman who played over 500 NHL games in parts of eleven seasons. He was adept and getting the puck out of his zone and effective defensively without drawing many penalties. The Toronto native played junior on the Boston Bruins' ...sponsored Oshawa Generals of the OHA. Since the Bruins were deep on the blueline, Beverley spent most of his first five pro seasons in the minors. Injuries and defections to the WHA left the Boston roster thinner than normal in 1972-73. Beverley played solidly in 76 games but the team was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. Early in the 1973-74 season, Beverley was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he was given a great deal of ice time. The Pens sent him to the New York Rangers in the off-season in return for veteran Vic Hadfield. Beverley spent a little over two years on Manhattan before he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Bill Goldsworthy. He played his usual steady game in the Gopher State and was the team captain in 1977-78. Beverley also added stability to the defensive troops in Los Angeles and Colorado before retiring in 1980. After hanging up his skates, Beverley became involved in hockey administration in a number of capacities. He coached the CHL's Houston Apollos the year after he retired then joined the New Haven Nighthawks as an assistant the next year. In 1982-83, he took over the head reigns at New Haven before moving up to the L.A. Kings as a scout. Beverley served as the club's director of player personnel, assistant general manager, and then GM in 1992-93 and 1993-94. He was on hand when the franchise reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 1993. Beverley then joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as the Director of Player Personnel where he remained until 1998-99. In 1995-96, he took over behind the Toronto bench after Pat Burns was fired and guided the club to a 9-6-2 finish before it was eliminated in the first round by the St. Louis Blues. (bio by legendsofhockey.net)

Forward Dirk Graham spent parts of a dozen NHL seasons with the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Black Hawks in the 80s and 90s. He was a diligent checker, team leader and under-rated goal scoring threat. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Graham was chosen 89th overall by... the Vancouver Canucks in 1979 after starring with the hometown Pats of the WCJHL. He spent four years in the minors and was a dominant scorer with the IHL's Toledo Goaldiggers. In 1981 he scored 40 goals and was named to the league's second all-star team then notched 70 goals in 1983 and was placed on the first team. The North Stars gradually worked him into the line up and oversaw his development in the CHL and AHL for two years before he won a job in 1985-86. Along the way he was named to the CHL first all-star team after scoring 94 points for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1983-84. Graham recorded consecutive 20-goal seasons in Minny then represented Canada when it finished fourth at the 1987 World Championships. Early in the 1987-88 season the hard working forward was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for hard-nosed forward Curt Fraser. Graham played the finest hockey of his career in Chicago. He scored at least 20 goals four times, helped the team reach the Stanley Cup final in 1992 and served as the team's captain from 1989 to 1995. He was an inspirational leader on and off the ice and was an exemplary worker on both specialty teams. In 1991 Graham's stellar work without the puck earned him the Frank J. Selke trophy. A few months later represented his country at the Canada Cup and scored a key shorthanded goal when the team vanquished the United States in the two-game final. Graham retired after the Lockout-shortened season in 1995. He served as an assistant to Hawks' coach Craig Hartsburg in 1995-96, took a year off, then returned as a scout with the organization. Graham served briefly as head coach of Chicago in 1998-99 but was replaced by Lorne Molleken. (Bio by legendsofhockey.net)