Mike Walton
Mike Robert " Shakey " Walton ( born January 3, 1945 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who during his career, including for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks the National Hockey League played. His father Bobby was also a professional hockey player.
Career
Mike Walton began his career in 1961 with the St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey Association, where for a year he played hockey. After engagements at the Neil McNeil Maroons and Toronto Marlboros he gave during the 1963/64 season his debut in the American Hockey League, when he was deployed in two games for the Rochester Americans. In the same season he won with the Toronto Marlboros of the J. Ross Robertson Cup, the championship of the OHA, and subsequently also the Memorial Cup. The season 1964/65 he played with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League, where he was one of the top scorer of the team. One year later he came to only a few uses for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Walton played mostly for the Rochester Americans in the AHL, where he was in 1966 awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the best rookie of the season. In the season 1966/67, he continued to play for the Rochester Americans, but during the playoffs Walton was for the Maple Leafs in action and won with the team 's first Stanley Cup. The following season he won under head coach Punch Imlach a regular place in the team and came up with 73 games and 59 points.
Already in his first full season in the NHL, the season 1967/68, he was considered one of the best young strikers in the NHL. He had a reputation for being a moody player who was considered difficult to train. Walton had excellent skating skills, a precise shot and was particularly true in breakaway situations as excellent shot. Striking were his strong power fluctuations generally. Was the Canadian motivated, he was one of the best players in the NHL. During his period of lack of will to Walton on the ice, however, saw a losing battle.
He was nominated for the NHL All-Star Game, where he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the NHL All-Stars in 1968. On 1 February 1971 he was transferred at his own request in a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers, but on the same day he was traded again, this time to the Boston Bruins. In Boston, he fought his way to immediately secured a place in the team and won his second Stanley Cup in 1972. In February 1972, he was selected in the WHA General Player Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. It finished the season in Boston before the Kings his rights in June 1973 charges in exchange for a certain sum of money to the Minnesota Fighting Saints, for the striker ran aground off the 1973/74 season in the World Hockey Association, where he immediately one of the best scorer of the league in 1974 and was awarded the Bill Hunter Trophy as the best scorer of the season. Two years later he returned again back in the NHL, playing for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, again for the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. His career ended after the 1979/80 season, during which he had played at the Cologne EC in the hockey league.
At the 1974 Summit Series Mike Walton played under head coach Billy Harris for the team Canada against the Soviet Union. In training camp, he appeared uninterested. After a good first game, in which Walton recorded an assist, he built from continuously and was canceled after the fifth game from the squad.
After the end of his playing career he was working as a real estate agent in Toronto. Well-known customers from the NHL were, among others, Ed Belfour, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Nieuwendyk.