The Road to Forgiveness for an NHL Native American Hero 

Henry Boucher passed away at his home in Warroad MN yesterday 9/18/23. RIP to a Minnesota legend.

Thanks for creating and sharing Henry's story. So many older NHL players are now dying and I feel it is important to honour and remember some of the accomplishments and contributions from these past players.

May you Rest In Peace Henry Boucha. Minnesota Hockey will forever remember your name for both MN Hockey & Native Americans in sports

I was with my dad at that game, I was 13 years old. We were straight behind the net about 25 rows up. Forbes attacked him from behind like a coward. After none of the North stars had enough guts to go after Forbes for what he had done to Boucha I lost all my respect for his teammates. For the next several years I wouldn't even watch them on T.V. or go to the Met Center to watch a game. How he wasn't convicted for it I'll never know.

Had the opportunity to meet Mr. Boucha up in Warroad a few years ago. A gracious and upstanding gentleman is how I describe him to people who ask. He’s a very genuine, high character person, very much devoted to being of service to others. I hope my kids have the chance to meet him too, so I can show them what a role model looks like.

What a story! Mr. Boucha certainly had a rough ride in a sport that could be brutal. Am obvious case of discrimination, the NHLPA, who did nothing to help him, should be ashamed of themselves. That Mr. Boucha could bring himself to forgive the player that almost killed him, shows how getting in touch with your spirituality can save your life.

What a life. Such talent. Such tragic sadness. But what a comeback.

In this story it mentioned that Alan Eagleson head of the NHL Players Association failed to return HB phone calls. Eagleson is the agent that screwed Bobby Orr leaving him broke when he was forced to retire at age 28 because his knee injuries. He was a complete POS. Eventually Eagleson was indicted, tried and sent to prison. Prison was too good for him. Glad to see HB found some peace later in life. One helluva hockey player he was.

I remember that game in high school watching on TV. One of the best to come out of Minnesota hockey for sure

Thank you so much for providing these excellent videos, I have watched them all. Please keep them coming. It's really sad what happened to Henry Boucha, he was the one that was assaulted on the ice twice and yet he was the one that treated as a criminal.

Tremendous story! Great courage and perseverance! Most people would have given up. Thanks for another great report from Pro Hockey Alumni! Blessings to ALL!

It is 2022 as I write this, and Boucha is STILL a legend here in Minnesota. A couple of years ago, a kid tied his State Tournament scoring record, and Henry was there to congratulate the kid. If you love hockey and don't live in MN, plan a trip to the MN State High School Hockey Tournament. The finals are always a full house and it is amateur hockey at its finest.

Wow I never heard of Hank and i am a NATIVE American from Vancouver BC, why is that I never heard of him I love hockey its my favorite sport but i didn't have the money to play I wished that I could have played a and this story would have really motivated me to portray my dream. Thanks for sharing this story I will be sure to share it to my native community.

That viciousness that went on back then was insane and the league would just look the other way.

Take piece in your heart!!!! Stay safe, stay healthy and God bless Brother!!!!

Really enjoying all your stories of old players before my time mostly and often overlooked in hockey history.

What a great, strong man. Side note. I love those see through boards. Gives the game such a free and open look. Spectators would have been able to see much more of the game, instead of reading the ads on the boards.

Hi, Mark, happy new year, nice video, I never knew this story very well. I thought your treatment was even handed given your affiliation with the Bruins alumni. Keep up the good work!

I went to a Redwing game back at the old Olympia. All I wanted was a head band.

Another very interesting watch. I`m loving your channel. Thanks for uploading your programmes. All the best from the other side of the Atlantic 👍

I was 13 while growing up in suburban Detroit and saw the US Olympic team play the Detroit Jr Wings at Olympia before the Olympics,, then watched the 72 US team win Silver on TV in Sapporo Japan and then was at the Red Wings game vs Toronto at Olympia when Henry scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. What the video doesn't say was that Toronto was leading 4-0 at the time and after Henry scored, the Wings rallied to win 5-4. Then, in 1979, I met Henry at a restaurant in Dearborn near Detroit and he loved it when I told I was at his first NHL game, saw his goal and said the Wings comeback that night was one of the best games the Wings ever played (well, not the falling behind 4-0 part) while growing up there

it was disgraceful the way the nhl handled that incident , forbes should have been banned for life.

As a season ticket holder I saw almost all North Stars games. I will never forget that night. The butt-ending was the most brutal thing I've ever seen in sports. As soon as Henry hit the ice, there was a shocking silence in the crowd. You could actually hear Henry's head as Forbes was pounding it onto the ice. Forbes deserved prison time for his actions.

Warroad, Mn. class act, genuinely nice guys.

Good luck henry, in your future endeavours 👍

🥅 🏒 Henry Boucha , hockey Hero, inspiration !! 👏 🦅

I remember watching Henry play he was my favorite right behind Mickey Redmond. I walked around with a headband a lot when I was a kid. I’m glad he’s doing well after all he’s been through.

My alma mater, Norwich University, played in the ECAC Division II when Forbes was playing at AIC. I was on the radio broadcast team and the PA announcer at the home games. Forbes was one of the dirtiest players we ever faced in my four years there. It was a bitter pill for us when we lost the ECAC D-II finals 7-6 to AIC on their home ice in my senior year of 1969.

That’s a great video! Wild I never heard his story or about that incident.

another great story ,never heard of this story thank you. but you make me cry every time i watch a video so i mad at you too! lol

Great story - thanks!

And coach Cherry has never criticized or bad mouthed Forbes for his cowardly attack on Boucha, which proves Cherry condoned it.

I met Henry one day at a bar. Talked to him for 3 hours or so . He was such a frustrated passionate man . I feel bad for men like him being screwed outta his potential. Henry you might of been wrong of hating Americans as a whole. I'm a American and the biggest thing is good people is what matters bud. May you fly away from matter to spirit and become one with the earth once again ! Should of got his signature. I did get his business card though. What a treat it really was to get a real conversation with a legend. We talked about so much stuff.

Mr Boucha once scored all of six seconds after the opening face off in one game.

There's Minnesota Fighting Saint and New England-Hartford Whaler Mike Antonovich right next to him at 1:37. His hair went through a big transformation if you ever saw his WHA card.

Wow I know a lot about hockey but didn't know this happened to Henri, so sad.

MN Most Legendary Player

He should have served 10 years in prison that's how crazy our society is

I respect modern day NHLs because an 82 games schedule is a physical grind, but there's no comparison to these warriors in 1970s and backwards. Every-day guys making peanuts in comparison but playing in an exponentially more brutal era.

Rest in Peace Mr.Boucha😢

Orr use to be my fav player of all time, not no more after he defended Forbes for that horrible attack...Imgine if that was done to him ( ORR ) it would be huge and he defended that scumbag, disgusting. Also u know Cherry told him to attack Henry maybe he deserved to lose his job cause of his poppy rant, Karma !!!

I remember the Forbes incident, but at the time we didn't see video of it and never got a clear description of exactly what happened. In this video, it is emphasized that that this was an assault on a Native American, but we forget that at that time that being Native American had less to do with it than just being American. The league was almost entirely Canadian with just a handful of American in the NHL, and American players, most of whom came through the college ranks (though Boucha did not) were looked upon as "soft" and "sissy" and were often targeted for rough treatment. Same as happened with the early Swedish players. There were some Canadian Natives in the league at the time (Jim Neilsen, Reggie Leach, Stan Jonathan) who weren't subject to the abuse that Boucha was. Jonathan, of course, was a tough guy, but while Leach & Neilsen were excellent players, they were not considered to be brawlers. What changed it all was, first, the advent of the WHA. With the WHA, players were needed, because there weren't enough Canadians to fill rosters of all the teams in both leagues. So they needed Americans and they needed Europeans, in those days mostly Swedes. Some of the players from the US and Sweden became stars in the WHA (Robbie Ftorek, Tim Sheehy, Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, etc.) which proved that non-Canadians actually COULD play hockey. Then a few Americans proved to be unquestionably tough. Nick Fotiu came into the NHL from the WHA and thoroughly kicked the ass of anyone who tried to fight him. Paul Holmgren, who was a college boy, was also no "sissy", and you had the Carlson brothers and a few others. One last thing. I think there was another incident with Forbes, in the NHL, after the Boucha fight. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I remember something. It seems that Forbes was kind of a psycho. Not ordinarily a dirty player, he'd get set off by something and go crazy. Boucha was one of the first of the great American hopes in the NHL, and it made us all pretty sore what happened to him. Also note that one other player at the time wore a headband: Rick Dudley of the Buffalo Sabres. He's been a big shot hockey executive for years, now with Florida, I believe. I'm sure Boucha was first to wear one, but Rick Dudley adopted it too.

He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995.

Clarence Campbell, Don Cherry and Alan Eagleson. Boucha didn't have a chance against these 3 nitwits. Don't be too hard on his teammates, the Bruins were a really dirty team in those days, encouraged by their halfwit coach Cherry and most of the NHL were afraid of them due to their tactics (Cherry was a big fan of sending his team out to hack a player down, Guy Lafleur was another of his targets).. I have lost a ton of respect for Bobby Orr on this one over his all-star actions. Great story, well told and all the respect in the world to Mr.Boucha.

this was great....

I knew a bit about Henry Boucha, but not much. Did he ever get screwed over by hockey.

Yeah he almost got murder and it was his fault and the hockey world shunned him and blacklisted and on top of that forbe was seen as the victim in all that while bouca was never the same because of the atrack ..........who ever was around during that time and saw forbes as the victim and seen bobby boucha not as human being but is the reason why forbes got suspended and almost charged which wasnt going too happen anyway .........and for those players who threatened too boycott those guys should be ashamed of themselves.....

Don Cherry....why am I not surprised?

What a sad story Forbes using his stick as a weapon? There's no place in hockey for that sort of madness or sports in general.... you wanna throw fists that's fine but using a stick to injure another player is complete madness...

Henry was probably suffering from server concussions.

Very nice video

Boy if they had tried all that crap today, Forbes, Smautz, yes even Esposito, Orr, Vadnais, ..(10 games too much, you four ought to be pilloried) Eagleson, Colorado he'd be a wealthy man, but glad to see if he made it back on his own. Forbes would be suspended for life for his antics in NCAA.

17-58 - I know the text is from a different source, but calling Boucha an NHL veteran with only 247 games is wrong as far as I'm concerned. They did play fewer games in the 70s though, but not by much.

Is there alot of American born native Americans playing hockey. Don’t hear alot of them playing in Canada. Lots of my people in Canada play hockey. Hockey in Canada even on reserves is king. All year round.

forbes got not even 10 games and boucha got a life sentence. typical.

Fort Knox is in Kentucky.

This one was hard to watch. The vicious attack on Boucha in Minnesota was horrific and sickening. But what transpired after that infamous night was worse. The behavior of the league (and specifically Clarence Campbell), The Minnesota North Stars ownership and management as well as Alan Eagleson's players association was nothing short of cowardly. It couldn't be any clearer that they simply wanted to protect the image of the league and for Henry Boucha to go away. And the behavior of the entire Boston Bruins organization was truly shameful. Don Cherry has been waxing nostalgic about his beloved lunch pail gang in Boston for years. But I've never heard him talk about this incident. And while I don't want to paint the entire team with the same brush, it has to be said that they had more than their share of dirty players. In 1975, it was Dave Forbes and Bobby Schmautz who most notably filled that role. Forbes was, at best a marginal talent. Schmautz was better but was also an absolute psycho. And the fact that the Bruin stars rallied to Forbes' defense is a stain on each of their legacies. The NHL in the 1970's was completely unwilling and unprepared to deal with this kind of violence. And in some ways, they are still trying to sweep those unpleasant memories under the rug. I'm in my mid fifties and I've been obsessed with hockey for most of my life. That obsession began in the 1970's. Players like Darryl Sittler, Reg Leach and Brad Park were almost mythically heroic figures to me. And on some level, they still are! And believe it or not, I was a Boston Bruins fan. But there was a dark side to the good old days. January 4,1975 was probably the most grim example of that darkness. Thank you for shining a light on this painful episode. And thank you for illuminating the larger arc of Henry Boucha's life and career. It's an amazing and uplifting story. Sometimes it takes years to recognize true heroism.

Native American Gary Sargent played for the Los Angeles Kings in the 70’s and was very good to my boyhood best friend who was dying of cancer. Gary if you somehow read this, thank you from both a 10 year old me and a 50 year old me. I will always be your fan.

Amazing story, my uncle is Eddie Boucha, who is Henry’s brother, I went to Henry’s wedding and a few other places with him in Milwaukee, he’s an awesome guy!!

I attended a Hank Boucha hockey clinic in Detroit in 1972/73 - He was a stickler for perfection, I remember him correcting me several times to get some basic fundamentals right. He is a hero in Motown.

Thank you for these videos! Boucha’s story is so important. I’m glad he turned his life around in the end, but it shouldn’t have had to come to that - he deserved better treatment.

I've lost a lot of respect for that Boston team please tell someone got back at Forbes for this

Forbes was an idiot....and to think Esposito and Orr thought that was ok for him to beat the guy with his stick and pound him into the ice is crazy....I don't have much respect for Orr any more and the NHL owes Boucha millions for the lack of respect he received.

What Forbes did was assault. A 10 game suspension what a joke. Should have been suspended for life. And shame on Orr and Esposito for threatening to not go to the all star game.

Thanks for the interesting story! Never found out about the end of this story, just remembered seeing it happen on tv. Never realized what a major POS and low life player and person Dave Forbes was and always will be!

Was at that game at the Met. I can't tell you how angry I was. Decades later I got to meet Mr Boucha. Simply amazing man. Had the good fortune of seeing him a few more times. What a gentleman. I miss you, Hank!

I remember the game well January 4 1975 I'm in the Twin Cities Dave Forbes should have been banned for life from hockey for this but he wasn't it could have been another tragedy at the Met Center just like Bill Masterson in January 1968

Paused on the article at 11:14. Here's the opening two lines: *Three witnesses testified Friday that they saw Boston hockey player Dave Forbes congratulated by the Bruins bench after he attacked Minnesota North Stars player Henry Boucha. "I saw the coach (Boston's Don Cherry) put his arm around Forbes and pat him on the back," said Robert Utecht, the public address announcer for the North Stars.* All the years Cherry spent on the CBC criticizing players for taking cheap shots. What a goddamn hypocrite. Surely it couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that Boucha was Native American...(sarcasm)

I’m always astounded by the quality of your videos. I was blown away by this one. I had Boucha’s cards and just assumed he was a grinding/checking type player. It’s obvious to me now that he could’ve been a superstar had he not endured these targeted attacks. It’s sad to see someone’s life and career destroyed for being considered an outsider in the sport. Thank you for bringing awareness to these great stories.

I'm not very familiar with hockey but I definitely love the history and your channel is serving to educate. Being a Native American myself, I really enjoy those athletes we rarely hear about who represented our culture. Thanks for sharing his story.

This is my uncle. My dad is David Boucha. I have his photo at my late dad's.

I have soooo much i want to say after watching this. I'll sum it up to this: Henry is a class act and Forbes isn't.

Thank You! I knew very little about Henry's story before he joined the Red Wings. Henry scored the fastest goal on a Sunday afternoon nationally televised NBC game against the Canadiens at the forum. I was elated because my Sabres were battling the Red Wings for the final playoff spot. With his headband Boucha became a favorite of mine. Rick Dudley joined him with the headband the following season. I believed the coach of the Bruins singled out Boucha for "special Treatment" because he was a native American born the the USA, wearing a headband. Hardly the traditional NHLer in Cherry's mind. Forbes was Cherry's tool. A few years later he would replace him with John Wensink.

During this video, I'm thinking- "wait, didn't he play for the KC Scouts ?"..... I think I have his hockey card from that era. Btw- you do a true service to these NHLers. It's always well done & respectful. You should be proud to put a spotlight on these heroes of the game !! Btw- I just attended a Hershey Bears game vs. the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Penguins, Hershey won 6-2 w 6 unanswered goals. They have something truly special happening there in Hershey & I suggest going to a game if you're able. And ticket prices are completely reasonable. AND ! the level of play is perfectly fine, not that far off from NHL skills. Totally worthwhile, my hockey friends !! 🚬😎

How strange that a 70’s Bruin attacked another player from behind, with his stick. And Terry O’Reilly jumped Boucha earlier. Cowards.

Chicago here. The Minnesota North Stars uniforms were among the best looking in hockey. That Minnesota Wild uniform looks stupid.

I remember the head band and the fastest goal. Nothing of the other, I always thought he was French Canadian too. This is your BEST to date. All the video clips and the current status. WOW! And in the end the good guy won - so satisfying. I was dreading the end, death, bad health etc... Hopefully Dave Forbes is watching this. I expect this is a burden he is going to take to the grave unless he reaches out. I did see wiki mentions the $1 mil settlement from the Bruins. Of course another Eagleson victim. Come on people this is a channel worthy of 100K+ subs.

Just got the word that Henry Boucha passed away today (1951-2023.) RIP Chief.

Great story. Never knew. I remembered the name and now I know his great legacy . What a hero!

I saw & met Henry at the xcel energy center over 10 years ago. I heard of him growing up too. It's really cool to learn about his history. He'll always be in a special place in the heart of Minnesotans.

Even the Players union at the time should be ashamed of themselves forever never to be forgiven be any real fan!!!!!!!

I grew up as a Bruins fan and remember that incident, I ended up in SW Ohio in 1973 and remember when the Cincinnati Stingers signed Dave Forbes, could not believe that they would have that dirt bag on the team. Cincinnati was too backwards for hockey so they were not familiar with his past, they had Mike Gartner, Mark Messier and Barry Melrose on the team and had an average attendance of 4000

Being cowards seem to in the DNA of the Bruins.

I’m glad he has found happiness after a such a tragic experience in the nhl.

Henry Boucha is a legend. He was always one of my favorite North Stars players. I even had one of his headbands the North Stars used to sell at their games. It sounds like he's also a great guy as well.

Henry was extremely popular as a Red Wing. The first and only player to wear a headband in honor of his Native American Heritage. White for home games, red on the road. It was a miracle that hard ass ( and hated) Wings General Manager allowed him to wear it.

Great video. This channel is the most underrated thing in sports.

Meanwhile the guy who sued Todd Bertuzi received millions from his lawsuit.

Forbs didn't want to use his hands because he knew he was going to get his ass handed to him..coward.

I knew Henry personally in Warroad, you’ll never meet a nicer guy than Henry, I use to make Christian Brothers Hockey Sticks and Henry would always stop in to talk with Roger and Billy Christian (two more great Olympic athletes). Those were the days, great memories!! Warroad Minnesota known as HOCKEY TOWN USA!! RIP my friend 😢

Boy, does Boucha with the headband look like Harold Snepts!

I went to Boucha's first game Toronto vs Detroit at the old Olympia--maybe the greatest game I ever saw live! The Leafs jumped to a 4-0 lead,to which the Wings stormed back to win 5-4. I remember Henry Boucha scoring his first career goal and retrieving it from the net,we were sitting above that end and the crowd was going wild. I never learned till now that he went so many games before scoring his next goal!

Why didn't that punk Forbes go to prison? Makes me think less of some of these Bruins stars for wanting to boycott an allstar game over this, SMH.

Exceptionally well done as always Mark. Your honest, straight forward, to the point delivery is admirable. I'm of the vintage to remember many of the players and stories you cover and enjoy revisiting the history of the game as you tell it. Henry is a hero to many, especially in the aboriginal area I grew up in northern Ontario. Thank you!

Flagrant offside on that goal by about 2 feet....

WOW very nice story ,,, had his Hockey Card .

BOUCHA was a victim of a criminal assault! Why does it matter that it occurred while he was working? If FORD would have stamped on Boucha's head repeatedly with the blade of his skate, should THAT crime also be ignored by a jury? Should the league and the other pro hockey team members say "That's part of our job, so toughen up!"? It's one thing when two hockey players have a short fist fight, a couple of punches land, AND NEITHER MAN WANTS TO PRESS CRIMINAL CHARGES. It's an entirely different matter, when a player is intentionally viciously injured as BOUCHA was, by Ford.

New to the channel. I grew up in Minnesota and this is the first I am hearing about him. Thanks!

Talk about a bum deal.He deserved better.