The 1950s

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The 1951-52 season was an "almost year" for the Reds. Buried in the cellar at Christmas time, owner Lou Pieri once again pulled off a deal equal to that of his late 40s steal against St. Louis.

Just before New Years Eve 1952, Pieri traded right-winger Jack Stoddard to the New York Rangers for veteran defenseman Pat Egan and forward Jean Paul Denis, plus a youngster named Zellio Toppazzini.

The deal paid off. The Reds finished a fast second in the Eastern Division, upset Cleveland in the first round, continued to roll past Cincinnati, and in the finals, only because of two sudden-death, overtime defeats in Providence, lost to the mighty Pittsburgh Hornets, four games to two. But the 21-year-old Toppazzini turned out to be the Reds' prize catch and all-time leading scorer over the next 13 years.

That season also produced another great line: Ray Powell, Barry Sullivan and Paul Gladu. Powell, a center, led the AHL in all three scoring departments, 35-62-97. He was also voted the AHL's MVP and first team all-star. To his day, many consider Powell the best stick-handler in Reds history.

In 1955-56, with Terry Reardon as general manager, Jack Crawford as coach and Gagnon working as liaison man with the parent New York Rangers, the Reds assembled another powerhouse team.

Johnny Bower and Harvey Bennett were the goaltenders, with Andy Branigan, Bob Robertson, Bill Folk, George McAvoy and Aldo Guidolin on defense. Up front were Red Johanson, Ron Attwell and Dusty Blair as centers and wingers Jimmy Bartlett, Bruce Cline, Ray Ross and Buck Davies.

But the big offensive punch for the Reds came from the line of Toppazini, Paul Larivee and Camille "The Eel" Henry. Topper had emerged as a power player and won the AHL's scoring title that season with 113 points. As the line's crafty playmaking center, Larivee regularly set up both Topper and Henry, his left-winger, who led the league with 50 goals.

In the 21 seasons that remained for the Reds, the team was never able to win another Calder Cup. 

Next: The 1960s >>

The 1955-56 team, fourth and final Calder Cup.

Zellio Toppazzini, the Reds' "Player of the Century," came to the team in 1951.