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Boucha Tabbed Best in
State.
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Warroad's "Gold Machine"
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Skates with the silvery stride of an antelope.
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"He can make it [the puck] talk."
Gopher coach Herb Brooks
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"I have never seen a high school player to
compare with Henry."
Coach Dick Roberts
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The most electrifying player in Minnesota
hockey history.
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The Man Who Ignites the
Warriors
Minneapolis Tribune, Feb 19, 1969
On the ice, the lean,
powerful defenseman [Boucha] is like a fourth forward to all
three lines. He skates with great speed, cuts at
incredibly sharp angles, sets up his forwards, carries the puck
perfectly, and has a rifle shot either with a flick of his
wrists or a slap. |
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Warroad Ace Boucha Tabbed Best in
State
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
20, 1969
By Patrick Reusse
Henry Boucha has been playing regularly --
and spectacularly -- for the Warroad hockey team since 1965, when he
was an eighth grader. But most of Minnesota high school
hockey fans will be getting their first look at the sensational
defenseman this afternoon.
You will notice that Henry's right eye is heavily
bandaged. He has a 12-stitch gash sustained when he was
struck by a stick in the Region 3 championship Saturday night
against Eveleth.
The injury forced Henry to the sidelines -- for three
and one half minutes. It was the only time the Warroad
defenseman left the ice in the double overtime clash.
And it was Boucha who finally broke up the marathon.
He scored on a 25-foot shot with one second remaining in the second
eight-minute session to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory.
What does Coach Dick Roberts think about this amazing
17-year-old? "I have never seen a high school player to
compare with Henry," said the personable Roberts.
Herb Brooks, freshman coach at the University of
Minnesota, overheard a TV man ask Roberts, "What can Boucha do with the
puck?" Brooks said, "The coach should have said, 'He can
make it talk.' " |
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Wren Blair Likes Boucha
Minneapolis Tribune, Feb 21, 1969
Wren Blair, coach of the Minnesota
North Stars hockey team,ranks Warroad's Henry Boucha with the outstanding young prospects in Canada his age.
"I'm sure that the only reason they are playing Boucha at
defense is so he doesn't tire easy and so they can have him on the ice more," said Blair.
"He is quick, has good reaction and is a strong skater.
He's a natural forward.
"Boucha is good enough to be playing Junior B now and next
season he could play with the good Junior A players in Canada.
"He has a fine backhand shot, better than anybody on the North
Stars.
"The boy is very dangerous when he has the puck." |
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Boucha
"Talk of the Town"
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
21, 1969
By Frank Tienan
Henry Boucha and the Warroad Warriors were
the talk of many towns at dinnertime Thursday night after bouncing
Minneapolis Southwest in the first round of the state hockey tournament
play.
The 6-1, 180-pound Boucha, who skates with the same
silvery stride [as that] of an antelope [graceful, smooth, flowing],
sparked the thrilling 4-3 first round victory.
Southwest's Dave
Peterson conceded, "Warroad is very quick and gave our defense a
lot of trouble." Peterson added, "Boucha is an
outstanding player but I think we tended to key on him too much
subconsciously. He plays so much it's amazing he can
go as he does. If he rested more, he would probably
really tear things apart." |
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"There's No One Like Henry"
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
22, 1969
By Frank Tienan
Warroad's "Gold Machine",
Henry Boucha.
Carl Marvin, onetime U.S. Nationals coach from Warroad,
explains, "We call Henry the "gold machine" because he can bring people
into a hockey arena who have never thought of crossing the threshold
before. We have seen a lot of good ones up there, but none
like Henry.
[After 4 games in 6 days, 1300
miles of winter road travel, and not very much sleep] Boucha
admitted he was getting a bit weary. "I'm not so tired from
playing hockey. It's that traveling." |
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In Bantam Hockey . . .
Minneapolis Tribune, Feb 22, 1969
Several years ago, when Boucha played bantam
hockey, Warroad won the state title. The next year,
he did not play, and Edina beat Warroad en route to the
champioinship. |
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Boucha: An Amazing
Hockey Player
Minneapolis Tribune,
Feb 24, 1969
Murray Williams, who coached the U.S. Olympic team
last year [1968], watched Boucha loosen up before the
championship game.
"I just came back from the East Coast," Williams said,
"and I watched Boston College play. Right now, I'd
have to say Boucha is better than Tim Sheehy."
Sheehy, the former International Falls center now at Boston
College, is often called the best Minnesota high school player
in recent history.
Williams added, "He's [Boucha is] an amazing hockey
player. I think he could easily play for the
National team right now." |
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Region Tournaments |
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Reported |
Reg |
Score |
Comments
on Boucha |
Warroad Pioneer
Feb 12, 1969 |
8 |
Warroad 10
East Grand Forks 2 |
Boucha had one goal and one assist. |
|
8 |
Warroad 5
Thief River Falls 1 |
Boucha had two assists. |
Warroad Pioneer
Feb 19, 1969 |
8 |
Roseau 2
Warroad 1 |
Boucha did not score. |
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Warroad Goes In Back Door
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb 16, 1969
High school hockey fans will finally get an
opportunity to view the legendary Henry Boucha in the state tournament.
Boucha's goal with one second remaining in the second
overtime period lifted Warroad to a 3-2 victory over Eveleth and give
them entry to the state tournament through Region 3's back door.
Boucha had one goal and one assist. |
Warroad Scoring
First Period:
Ellerbusch (Huerd).
Second Period: Marvin (Boucha, Hanson)
Third Period: None
First OT: None
Second OT: Boucha (Krahn). |
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State Tournament |
Warroad 4 -- Minneapolis SW 3
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb 21, 1969
Warroad successfully launched its drive to
become the second straight team to enter through Region 3 -- the "back
door" -- and win the championship. Greenway did it last
year.
The Warriors were not impressive at the start, and
Southwest jumped to a two-goal lead.
During the first period, Warroad's fabled defenseman,
Henry Boucha, took his only respite from the action. He
rested for 24 seconds, said that was enough, and played the rest of the
game.
In the process, despite the fact Southwest kept him
shadowed closely, he showed the throng just why he is being labeled one
of the state's all-time great high school players. His
stickhandling had the crowd in awe.
With the score tied at two, Warroad came out flying at
the start of the third period. They took the lead when
Boucha assisted Kvarnlov's score.
Boucha gave the Warriors a 4-2 bulge at 4:32.
After whiffing on a slap shot from 20 feet out, he backhanded the puck
along the ice and it hit just inside the right pipe.
Boucha had one goal with one assist.
Warroad out-shot Southwest 32-20.
Warroad Scoring
First Period:
Huerd (Estling).
Second Period: Kvarnlov (Khahn).
Third Period: Kvarnlov (Boucha);
Boucha (Marshall). |
Saves
W - Hallett - - - - - 4 6
7 17
SW - B Shelstad - - 8 6
14 28 |
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Warroad 3 -- Roseau 2
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
22, 1969
Boucha,
the incomparable senior, and Hangsleben, a sophomore, played the entire
game without relief. And not only did they play, but they
played spectacularly. Each had a goal -- Hangsleben the
first [Henry assisted] and Boucha [unassisted] the
decisive one in the third period.
The second period was a hard hitting session with one
player from each team being shaken up after collisions on the boards.
Warroad turned to a more cautious style of play at the
outset of the final period. The Warriors made sure that a
Roseau "floater" did not get behind their defense. [Having
been stung by that tactic before against Roseau.]
Boucha gave the Warriors some breathing room when he
floated in for his 37th goal of the season at 7:01. Henry
brought the puck up the ice, stopped on the far side of the left
face-off circle, and cut loose a wrist shot. Kvarnlov made
the stop, but Boucha scooped up the rebound and knocked it in.
Henry had one goal and one assist.
Warroad Scoring
First Period: Hangsleben (Boucha).
Second Period: Taylor (Hodgson).
Third Period: Boucha (unassisted). |
Saves
W -- HGallett - - - - - 2 4 8
14
R -- Kvarnlov - - - - - 3 10
6 19 |
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Edina 5 -- Warroad 4, In
Overtime
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
23, 1969
Edina survived a
courageous performance by Warroad and the catcalls of many [the vast
majority, probably around 14,000] of the 15,063 fans to win the 25th
Minnesota State Hockey Tournament.
Warroad had played from early in the second period
without super-star Henry Boucha. Henry, perhaps the greatest
individual player ever to perform in this classic, was helped from the
ice after Edina's Jim Knutson flattened him with a crushing check behind
the Hornet's net at 4:55 of the second period.
Boucha had carried the puck into Edina's zone and fired
a shot from the right point. He chased the rebound behind
the net and was felled by Knutson, who was given an elbowing penalty.
The crowd, which had come to cheer Warroad, turned
anti-Edina after the Boucha incident. The booing kept up
throughout the post-game ceremonies.
It was a bitter end to an otherwise tremendous hockey
game.
Boucha had one assist [before
his untimely departure from the game]. |
Boucha Condition Said Satisfactory
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb
23, 1969
Henry Boucha, the outstanding
Warroad hockey player who was injured in he second period of the
championship game of the State Hockey Tournament against Edina
Saturday night, was reported in "satisfactory condition" at St.
Paul Ramsey Hospital.
Trainers at the Met Sports Center had attempted to
revive Boucha at the bench, but then removed him to the dressing
room. He was taken to the hospital at the end of the
second period.
The original diagnosis said he had a possible
concussion. X-rays were taken at St. Paul Ramsey
Hospital Saturday night and he was held for observation. |
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Final Thoughts
Henry Boucha
was labeled the most
electrifying player in Minnesota hockey history.
He skated with the silvery stride of an
antelope.
He was so skillful at stick-handling the
puck, he could - - "make the puck talk".
He had a rifle shot either with a flick of
his wrists or a slap.
He's was called the "Gold Machine". People will come just
to watch him play.
He was called
"legendary", "sensational", "incomparable".
Henry's
opponents couldn't skate like him.
They couldn't stick-handle the puck, like him.
They tried to negate his contribution. [That's
sports.]
But sometimes negating was done by inflicting injury.
In the Region 3 title game against Eveleth, Henry received a
gash above his eye that required 12 stitches.
In the State Championship game against Edina, Henry was checked
into the boards with an elbow to his head. Checked with such force that it
caused a concussion, sending Boucha to the hospital.
Henry Boucha
possessed incomparable hockey skills.
To negate this kind of player by inflicting injury is outside
the realm of sportsmanship.
It is detrimental to the game of hockey.
It is criminal behavior and should not be tolerated.
John
of MNPuck
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