Height: 6-0
Weight: 185
Shoot: L
Born: 5 Dec 1944, Kenogami PQ (d. 2021)
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Regular Season & Playoff Scoring Record (key)
| year | team | |||||||||||
| 1972-73 | Cleveland | |||||||||||
| 1973-74 | Chicago | |||||||||||
| 1974-75 | Chicago | |||||||||||
| Indianapolis | ||||||||||||
| San Diego | ||||||||||||
| Totals (3 teams) | ||||||||||||
| Totals: |
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Joe Hardy Starts Over at 27 • by Rich Passan • The Hockey Spectator • March 23, 1973
This hasn't been a particularly distinguished season for Joe Hardy of the Cleveland Crusaders. But the big, likable French-Canadian is the kind of a hockey player who doesn't let it bother him and strives to do better all the time. "My performance is not too good," he says matter-of-factly. "Sure I've had some good games, but I could play better than I have." One of the reasons Hardy is struggling to attain the 20-goal plateau is a late season switch of positions, but he isn't using that as an excuse. The rangy native of Kenogami, Quebec, started off the season at center ice, a position he's played throughout his professional career. Several weeks ago, the brass decided Joe was better suited for the left wing to take advantage of his big shot. "It took a while to learn," Hardy admitted, "but now I like it better than center ice. I get more chances to score." He's also a willing learner, gleaning tips from fellow left winger Gary Jarrett, who leads the Crusaders in goals and someone who's been around long enough to know the score. "It's like starting my career all over again," he said. "I still have trouble with things like positioning myself for face offs and staying on the wing, but I'm learning all the time," he smiled as he fiddled with the earring in his left ear. That little piece of metal is quite a conversation piece around the World Hockey Association. The guys on the other teams really kid me about it, he reported. They tell me they're going to bite my ear off." Joe — his real name is Jocelyn Joseph — started wearing the earpiece, which is hidden most of the time by his long hair, a year ago when he was helping the Nova Scotia Voyageurs to the Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League. Joe is happy playing in Cleveland, which is unusual in that he's the guy the fans pick on most of the time. It never fails that the hometown fans always find someone at whom to direct their barbs. In addition to his problem in putting the puck in the net this season, Joe is the type of skater who does not give the appearance of pushing hard all the time. "I've always skated like that," he said of his free and easy style. "I don't look like I work hard, but I know I'm trying. Sometimes though I'm kind of lazy." When that happens, he appreciates a swift kick in the pants. "I'm the kind of guy who needs pushing from the coach," he said. That's a pleasant diversion in this day and age where most athletes need coddling. "I know if I score more goals, the fans won't pick on me," he said. "This is the first time I've been picked on, but it doesn't bother me that much." The 6-1, 180 pounder never received that treatment when he skated with the Victoriaville Seniors several years ago while attending Laval University in Quebec City. He performed in the senior ranks after spending a season with New Haven in the Eastern Hockey League, where he was voted Rookie-of-the-Year after failing to make the Quebec Aces of the AHL. It was with Victoriaville that Joe got his big break. "An Oakland scout saw me in a game against the Canadian National team and they received a call from Frank Selke a week later," the 27-year-old Hardy recalled. Selke was general manager of the then-Oakland Seals of the National Hockey League and signed Hardy to a professional contract. "I made the team in my first year," Hardy proudly pronounced. "I was really happy. I couldn't believe it. It was my second time in a pro camp and I made the NHL." He divided the 1969-70 campaign between Oakland and Providence of the AHL and spent the entire 1970-71 season with the Seals before toiling for Nova Scotia last season, by far his happiest as a pro. "Winning that cup was super," he said. "Everybody looks up to you. It's a great feeling." The kind of feeling he no doubt would like to experience again as a member of The Crusaders, one of the favorites for the first World Hockey Cup. "That would be quite a way to wind up the season, wouldn't it?" Hardy asked rhetorically. |
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