A true Blackhawk passes

IT IS A SHAME THAT PEOPLE WHO devote much of their lives to helping others don't receive praise until it's too late.

Such is the case with Keith Magnuson, who played all of his 11 seasons in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks. He graced our cover only once--February 1973, touted as the "Hawks" Good Bad Guy."

Magnuson was only 56 when was killed in a car crash December 15, 2003. He and longtime player Rob Ramage were in suburban Toronto attending the funeral of another former player, Keith McCreary. Ramage, who was driving, sustained non-life threatening injuries.

In the following days, many around the NHL and in Chicago, where he still lived after retiring in 1980, were stunned by the news.

And then the stories came out. It seems as if Magnuson was quietly involved in every charity around the Windy City. In fact, he helped raise money for a suburban rink just before leaving for the funeral.

In a statement from the team, Hall-of-Famer Stan Mikita said: This is just devastating. Even the opposition liked Maggie. They showed just how much they liked him when they elected him president of the NHL Alumni Association. When Maggie did something, he did it full-bore. He was a true Blackhawk."

Although Magnuson was gentle off the ice, when he was on it he was as fiery as his hair was red. He told George Vass in that 1973 issue that, "My father taught me to respect authority and love God." Of course, he let the defenseman in him slip later when he added, "I love to hit. To tell the truth, I love to hit better than to score goals. I like to take a guy into the boards, to take him out of a play."

He also told Vass, "I still believe very much in God, that Christ died for our sins and that I'll go to heaven When I die."

Rest in peace, Keith.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Century Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning