ICYMI: NHL legend and NHLPA pioneer Ted Lindsay dead at 93 years old

In case you missed it, Hall of Fame Ted Lindsay has passed away at age 93.

The man they called “Terrible Ted” had an enormous impact on the game that extends well beyond his four Stanley Cup championships and individual awards. Lindsay was instrumental in helping create the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) in the late 1950s, a move that was so controversial it ended up with him being traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Chicago Blackhawks, as a result. Because of this, the NHL has honoured Lindsay’s contribution to the sport by creating the Ted Lindsay Award (Formerly the Lester B. Pearson Award) for the NHL’s most valuable player as voted on BY the players. 

That wasn’t the last time Lindsay stood behind his principles, however. When Lindsay was unanimously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966 he refused to attend his own induction ceremony because of the Hall’s “no women and no children” policy at the event. The rules were changed in 1967 thanks to Lindsay’s sacrifice.

On the ice, Lindsay was a tough and feared individual.

"I hated everybody. I had no friends. I wasn't there to make friends. I was there to win. It wasn't necessary that I score, but I figured I could be an integral part without scoring," Lindsay told NHL.com in 2016. "I had ability, I had talent and I didn't have an ego that I thought I was great. I realized I had to earn it. That was my purpose -- to be the best that there was at the left wing position.”

RIP, Ted Lindsay. The word legend gets used a lot in sports… but Mr. Lindsay was a TRUE legend. Thank you sir, for your contributions to the best sport in the world.