20 Things NHL Players Did on the Bench in the 1970s That Would NEVER Happen Today

Before glass closed in the benches and video coaches ran the clicker, NHL benches in the 1970s held pyramids, cigarettes, CB radios, and once, a backup goalie in full pads running the show for sixteen minutes. This countdown walks through twenty real nights from the Flyers, Bruins, Leafs, Canadiens, Black Hawks and more, each one measured against how a bench runs today. You'll see Don Cherry's ejection, Roger Neilson's towel, Bobby Orr coaching with a notepad, and the shoe that changed the glass around every NHL rink for good. Every story is sourced to the games, the players and the dates as they actually happened, then set side by side with the modern game. If you remember benches that looked like this, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:38 20. Pyramids Under the Bench 1:53 19. The Tracksuit 3:13 18. Benches Across the Ice 4:25 17. Back in Thirty Minutes 5:38 16. The CB Radio 6:52 15. Forty Minutes a Night 8:07 14. Spat On in the Box 9:26 13. From Blue Line to Bench 10:41 12. Captain or Coach 12:02 11. Benched in the Final 13:24 10. The Paper Bag 14:40 9. The Towel on a Stick 15:54 8. Three Howes, One Shift 17:07 7. Orr's Notepad 18:25 6. The Coach in a T-Shirt 19:42 5. The Coach in the Stands 20:57 4. A Cigarette for the Stitches 22:10 3. The Backup Behind the Bench 23:28 2. Too Many Men 24:41 1. The Shoe TAGS nhl history, 1970s hockey, vintage nhl, old time hockey, don cherry, roger neilson, bobby orr, philadelphia flyers history, boston bruins history, toronto maple leafs history, nhl rules then and now, hockey nostalgia, classic nhl, nhl bench rules, stanley cup playoffs history, nhl coaches history, hockey documentary, retro nhl