Ex-Hawks great, trendsetter decries it as 'goon game'

By David Haugh

Back in the day, the pressure a goaltender such as Nikolai Khabibulin has faced to save a playoff series against a superior team like the Red Wings probably would have made Glenn Hall, arguably the Blackhawks' best goalie ever, vomit.

But then Hall made vomiting a vital part of his pregame ritual during a 19-year NHL career that began with the Red Wings and included a decade in Chicago: Lace up, throw up, and go stand on your head for 60 minutes.

"I did it before almost every game because I played better when I did and I was hyper," Hall said Wednesday on the phone from his farm in Stony Plain, Alberta. "It was pretty natural. I worked myself into it. I reminded myself I was representing my family and it would be unforgivable to not play at a certain standard."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...0,214186.story