Happy Birthday Mike "Shakey" Walton

Happy 70th Birthday to Mike "Shakey" Walton, a key member of the Bruins 1971-72 championship team.

Mike was also an interesting cat. Here a four "Shakey" anecdotes from his days with the Bruins and the WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints.

From Greatest Hockey Legends:

" in his first full season with Boston he scored 28 goals and 56 pts. During the 1972-73 season Mike started very well, scoring 21 goals in his first 33 games, but then a bizarre accident happened in a St. Louis hotel. His team was to play against St. Louis and while the Bruins players were waiting for their bags to come up to their rooms some of them started fooling around on a balcony outside the room shared by Mike and Bobby Orr. One of the guys picked up a bucket of water that was on the balcony and tried to douse his teammates. Mike tried to get out of the way, tripped, and went through the plate glass doors that were there. He was cut from his chin to his knees and received over 200 stitches. He was stitched up by four doctors, lost five pints of blood needing a complete transfusion. One of the doctors even said that they almost lost him. Mike fully recovered and eventually finished the season with 25 goals and 47 pts in 56 games."

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From Brian McFarlane:

"Mike Walton became a big WHA scoring star. Harry Neale coached him in Minnesota. Harry told me once he looked down the bench to tell Walton to jump on the ice and Walton was busily engaged in a fistfight at the time—with one of his teammates! Right on the bench! Harry said he’d never seen anything like it. When the referee rushed over, Harry said, 'You can’t give them a penalty. They’re both on the same team.'

Another time, Harry’s team was practicing in Winnipeg and next to the practice rink was a swimming pool separated from the rink by huge windows. When the Fighting Saints left the ice, they looked up to see Walton, up on the high board in his full hockey uniform skates and all! He leaped off the board and did a big belly flop into the pool. But he nearly drowned when the weight of his equipment and skates dragged him right to the bottom.

Another time in Minnesota, Walton was so upset over a losing effort that he skated right off the ice, and, instead of going to the dressing room, had someone grab his car keys for him. He dashed through the back door and into the parking lot where he hopped into his car and disappeared into the night. One of his teammates said later he found Walton at a nearby bar tossing them back still dressed in his hockey uniform."