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Edward Steven Phillip Shack (February 11, 1937July 25, 2020), also known by his nicknames " the Entertainer" and " the Nose", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Ukraine descent who played for six National Hockey League (NHL) teams from 1959 to 1975. He spent eight and a half seasons of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967.
Shack met his wife, Norma Givens, when she worked at the Eaton’s across from the Empress Hotel in Peterborough, Ont., where the team held its training camps. The couple married in 1962 and had two children.
The New York Rangers signed Shack and assigned him to their AHL Providence Reds farm team for half a season. He made the NHL in the 1958–59 season and played two years for the Blueshirts. In 1960, he was to be traded with Bill Gadsby to the Detroit Red Wings for Red Kelly and Billy McNeill, but the transaction was cancelled when Kelly decided to retire rather than accept the trade.
In November of the 1960–61 season, Shack was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played seven seasons on the left wing as a colourful, third-line agitator who was popular with the fans despite a lack of scoring prowess. Canadian sports writer Stephen Cole likened Shack's playing to that of "a big puppy let loose in a wide field".
During the 1965–66 season Shack broke out, scoring 26 goals on a line with Ron Ellis and Bob Pulford. His popularity was such that a novelty song called "Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack", written in his honour and performed by Douglas Rankine with The Secrets, reached No. 1 on the Canadian pop charts and charted for 9 weeks.
Shack was a member of the Maple Leafs' last Stanley Cup-winning team in 1967, although his production fell significantly and he was traded in May 1967 to the Boston Bruins for Murray Oliver and cash. Playing on the right wing on a line with Derek Sanderson and Ed Westfall, Shack's performance rebounded and he scored 23 goals.
Afflicted by injuries, he spent the next four seasons moving among the Los Angeles Kings, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although he was never a big scorer or playmaker, he was able to score 20 goals three more times during these years, including a career high of 27 in 1970–71 in 11 games with Los Angeles and 56 games with Buffalo. Pittsburgh sold him back to Toronto for the 1973–74 season. He retired after the 1974–75 season.
Post-playing career
After his retirement, Shack was a popular advertising spokesman in Canada, most notably for The Pop Shoppe soft drinks and Schick razors, shaving off his moustache for one of their promotions. He also promoted a small chain of doughnut stores bearing his name. He appeared for a number of years at alumni all-star games. He also revealed he had been illiterate most of his life and subsequently became an advocate for literacy programs in his native Ontario.
Death
Shack died from throat cancer at a hospital in Toronto on the night of July 25, 2020. He was 83 years old. Shack was survived by his wife of 58 years, Norma Givens and their two children.
Achievements
Career statistics
Source:
1952–53 Guelph Biltmores OHA-Jr. 21 2 6 8 43 — — — — — 1953–54 Guelph Biltmores OHA-Jr. 54 13 9 22 46 1 1 0 1 4 1954–55 Guelph Biltmores OHA-Jr. 19 6 7 13 35 2 0 0 0 4 1955–56 Guelph Biltmores OHA-Jr. 48 23 49 72 93 3 1 0 1 10 1956–57 Guelph Biltmores OHA-Jr. 52 47 57 104 129 10 4 10 14 53 1956–57 Guelph Biltmores Memorial Cup — — — — — 6 2 2 4 26 1957–58 Providence Reds AHL 35 16 18 34 98 — — — — — 1958–59 New York Rangers NHL 67 7 14 21 109 — — — — — 1959–60 New York Rangers NHL 62 8 10 18 110 — — — — — 1959–60 Springfield Indians AHL 9 3 4 7 10 — — — — — 1960–61 New York Rangers NHL 12 1 2 3 17 — — — — — 1960–61 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 14 14 28 90 4 0 0 0 2 1961–62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 44 7 14 21 62 9 0 0 0 18 1962–63 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 16 9 25 97 10 2 1 3 11 1963–64 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 64 11 10 21 128 13 0 1 1 25 1964–65 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 67 5 9 14 68 5 1 0 1 8 1965–66 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 26 17 43 88 4 2 1 3 33 1965–66 Rochester Americans AHL 8 3 4 7 12 — — — — — 1966–67 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 63 11 14 25 58 8 0 0 0 8 1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 70 23 19 42 107 4 0 1 1 6 1968–69 Boston Bruins NHL 50 11 11 22 74 9 0 2 2 23 1969–70 Los Angeles Kings NHL 73 22 12 34 113 — — — — — 1970–71 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 2 2 4 8 — — — — — 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 25 17 42 93 — — — — — 1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 50 11 14 25 34 — — — — — 1971–72 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 18 5 9 14 12 4 0 1 1 15 1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 74 25 20 45 84 — — — — — 1973–74 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 59 7 8 15 74 4 1 0 1 2 1974–75 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 26 2 1 3 11 — — — — — 1974–75 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 8 3 4 7 10 — — — — — 1976–77 Whitby Warriors OHA-Sr. 9 5 4 9 8 — — — — —
See also
External links
Categories: 1937 Births, 2020 Deaths, Boston Bruins Players, Buffalo Sabres Players, Canadian Expatriate Ice Hockey Players In The United States, Canadian Ice Hockey Left Wingers, Canadian Ice Hockey Right Wingers, Canadian People Of Ukrainian Descent, Deaths From Throat Cancer In Canada, Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters Players, Los Angeles Kings Players, New York Rangers Players, Pittsburgh Penguins Players, Ice Hockey People From Greater Sudbury, Stanley Cup Champions, Toronto Maple Leafs Players, Deaths From Cancer In Ontario, 20th-century Canadian Sportsmen
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