Hi this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” brought to you by Auto Logic, the Logical Choice
Did I like the Eagles and ” New Kid in Town ” because of former NHL’er Gene Carr ?
Or was I fascinated by hockey player Gene Carr only after I read the link between him and Glenn Frey of the Eagles and the reported insinuation that Carr was the inspiration for ” New Kid in Town ” ?
I can’t really come up with an answer.
For the longest time, Gene Carr was simply one my childhood hockey cards, albeit a flashy, good looking player who was destined to become a star based on projections from his junior days at Flin Flon.
While Carr had a good NHL career, he never attained star status with St Louis, the Rangers, LA, Pittsburgh or Atlanta.
However in Los Angeles, as the story goes, he became friends with Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey and the rumble has persisted for decades that Gene Carr was in fact, ” The New Kid In Town “.
Fact or fiction, it remains a fascinating connection between NHL Hockey and a huge band in the music world from the 70’s.
Glenn Frey died this week, age 67.
Gene Carr was last seen in my hockey card collection, long since lost.
But I’ll never forget them no matter who comes along.
I’m Fred Wallace