Since the very earliest days of organized sports, brothers have grown up competing against one another. In many cases, the youngest brother became a goaltender because that was where his older brother told him to do if he wanted to hang out with the older kids. In many other cases, however, both brothers got to skate freely and score a few goals. Sometimes, their paths would cross in junior hockey, and sometimes those paths would cross in the big leagues. In very rare cases, some brothers got to play together, such as the Seals’ Bill and Ernie Hicke, but in most cases, brothers competed for different teams and made it difficult for Mom and Dad to side with one kid or the other.

Mickey Redmond was the first to crack the NHL back in October 1967, and his brother Dick debuted in the early weeks of the 1969-70 season. Mickey moved from the Canadiens to the Red Wings in 1971, and Dick moved from Minnesota to California not long after. The moves did wonders for their careers. Mickey became a two-time 50-goal scorer with the Wings, and Dick became a quality offensive defenseman for the Seals. In February 1972, the brothers faced off in a game that meant a great deal to both teams, who were fighting for playoff spots in their respective divisions. The Seals were coming off an impressive 2-2 draw with Montreal, so a positive result was expected against the less talented Wings, but Mickey had other plans. The elder Redmond scored three times, and almost netted a fourth, so the younger Redmond had no choice but to eat a little crow, especially after the Wings triumphed 8-2. You can read all about the game here.

Well, that’s it for this week. I will be off next week as I will be travelling with the family this Easter weekend, but I will be back soon after. Enjoy the lead-up to the playoffs, and until next time, stay gold!