The only defenceman in NHL history to win four Hart Trophies as the NHL's best player, Eddie Shore was as tough as he was skilled, as hated as he was loved. He was not an easy man, but let the records show he was a great man. After playing out west for two years, Shore signed with Boston in 1926 and was an instant success. He scored 12 goals as a rookie, an amazing total for any rookie, let alone a defenceman. Teamed with Lionel Hitchman, Shore was a brilliant puckhandler and a vicious hitter with his body and, when necessary, his stick. He led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 1929, controlling play at both ends of the ice when he was playing. The nadir of his career came the night of December 12, 1933, in Boston against Toronto. Checked hard in the Leafs' end, Shore hustled back and attacked the player he mistakenly thought was the perpetrator, Ace Bailey. Shore tossed Bailey high in the air, and the Leafs' great hit his head on the ice and lost consciousness immediately. Toronto bad man Red Horner came over and decked Shore. The Boston Garden remained silent as Bailey was carried off the ice, and in the coming weeks he came close to death. He needed three brain operations and a steel plate in his head to survive, but his career was unequivocally over. Shore was suspended 16 games, but out of the bad came good. The league organized a tribute game for Bailey, and during the pre-game ceremonies of the first all-star game, Bailey shook hands with Shore to a deafening ovation at Maple Leaf Gardens. All was forgiven. Shore was wildly popular in Boston. He used to wear a back cape during warmup, and when he was in the lineup sellouts were a sure thing in Boston. He won the Hart Trophy four times,1932-33, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1937-38,and brought a second Cup to Boston in 1939. It was his last full year with the Bruins. The next year, Shore bought the Springfield Indians and played in both the NHL and AHL at the same time! To facilitate this, he was traded to the New York Americans for the final ten games of his NHL career, traveling non-stop between New York and Springfield. He played two more years full-time with the Indians before retiring as a player and focusing on coaching. In all, he played 15 years in the NHL, all but ten of those 550 games with Boston. As a coach, he was as tough as he had been as a player. Some hated his methods; others learned from him. Either way, he remained a winner, taking Buffalo to two Calder Cups during the war. He was inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945, and the Bruins retired his number 2 sweater for his long and successful contribution to the team. Hero and villain, great man and reviled, Shore was a champion and one of the toughest players the game has known.