Ivan “Ching” Johnson was an outstanding defenseman with the New York Rangers during the 1920’s. He was a rugged hockey player, totally unafraid, and would bang into any opponent without blinking. To be sure, he was injured quite often. There were few bones in his body that were not broken at one time or another.
There was one oddity about Johnson–he didn’t drink alcohol. Nearly every other hockey player of that era was known to take a nip now and then, but not Johnson.
Once he got into a slam-bang brawl and was shaken up. He went to the dressing room, where the doctor looked him over.
“You’re alright, Ching,” said the doctor. “What you need is a glass of whiskey to make you relax.”
“Whatever you say,” mumbled the weary Johnson.
Ching gulped the bourbon and went back on the ice. He became rubber-legged and zigzagged around the rink while the fans watched with amusement and amazement. Then Johnson got possession of the puck. He wobbled in on the goalie, shot–and scored!
From The Giant Book of More Strange But True Sports Stories by Howard Liss. Illustrations by Joe Mathieu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Johnson
The illustrations always crack me up!