The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

March 24, 1956

The Hockey News March 24, 1956

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0388/1615186-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01165/1615200-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="109" height="129"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02105/1615193-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="115" height="134"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Close Call For Terry</b></h2><h2><b>Blues&rsquo; Gump On The Jump</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0474/1615179-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="1300" height="775"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME</b> Terry Sawchuk grabs a hard shot off the stick of Maurice (The Rocket) Richard of the Montreal Canadiens in the photo of top. Sawchuk snared the puck just as it was about to cross the goal-line. In the action below, Lome (Gumpl Worsley slides to the ice as he makes a save off of Tod Sloan of the Toronto Maple Leafs (A on sweater). Harry Howell of the Rangers (3) rushes in to clear the rebound while Dickie Duff (right) skates away in awe at the nimbleness of the diminutive Gumper. <span class="photo-credit">((Top Photo by Gravel&mdash;Bottom Photo by Turofsky))</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-03

IN THIS ISSUE

The Hockey News VOLUME 9 MONTREAL. MARCH 24, 1956 NUMBER 26

<div class="byline">By STAN HOUSTON</div><p>TORONTO, Ont&mdash;</p><p>That giant rebuilding program which Toronto Maple Leafs undertook this season, is right on schedule. Or perhaps even slightly ahead.</p><p>President Conn Smythe appraised the half-way report recently and asserted that Hap Day had laid the solid foundation for future Leaf greatness in his first full season as General Manager.</p><p>&ldquo;The&rsquo; team made a lot of moves this season and six or seven of them paid off handsomely,&rdquo; Smythe said when he interrupted his Florida vacation to look in on Leafs&rsquo; stretch drive.</p><p>&ldquo;It will still be a two-year program to build us into a power again, but the team has taken great strides in the first year. Three more players should finish the job; two on defense and one up front. And we have the scoring forward we need coming right up.&rdquo;</p><p>Smythe refers here to Barry Cullen, one of the leading scorers in the Western League this season with Winnipeg Warriors Barry&rsquo;s brother, Brian, has already arrived with Leafs and Smythe points to his arrival as one of the most important key moves Leafs made this campaign.</p><p>&ldquo;Brian was brought from Win nipeg to help out on our power play and to relieve Rudj^Migay of a lot of his extra work so that Rudy would be better rested for both penalty killing and re gualr turns. Just look at what happened since.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Scoring Ace</b></h2><p>What happened is considerable. In fact, through the final three weeks of Leafs&rsquo; stretch drive, Migay developed into one of the team&rsquo;s scoring aces, gathering half of his 12 goals when they counted most. His linemates caught fire simultaneously and the Migay-Ron Stewart-Gord Hannigan unit relieved the Tod Sloan line of the full offensive load.</p><p>In addition, the penalty killing and power play phases of Leafs&rsquo; campaign both improved.</p><p>Migay himself noted that he felt fresher and stronger and his record supported the thought as he took a greater share of the penalty killing load, yet showed a better record. Opposition power plays, which had awaraged a goal a game against shorthanded Leafs&rsquo;through the first 35 games of the schedule, managed less than half a goal a game after that.</p><p>Here another of the moves that Smythe considered vitally important played a part. That was the landing of footballer Gerry James and experimentation with him as a penalty killer.</p><h2><b>Janies Clicked</b></h2><p>After several other combinations had been tried without success in an effort to relieve Migay and Ron Stewart of the full penalty-killing burden, James clicked and the team began to rotate the three with considerable success.</p><p>&ldquo;The penalty killing of James not only helped the team, but it helped James too,&rdquo; Day says &ldquo;The extra work brought hockey legs back and every game he&rsquo;s looking more and more like a regular big leaguer.&rdquo;</p><p>Janies was successful enough lo dislodge Rou Hurst from the</p><p>right wing spot on Billy Harris&rsquo; line and when Sid Smith returned to play at the same time, that unit too shared the offensive load through the stretch.</p><h2><b>Plaudits From Smythe</b></h2><p>The evolution of the power play into a force that could compare favorably with that of Leafs&rsquo; 1950-51 dynamite ganging attack, used more moves than anything else, but it too has brought plaudits from Smythe.</p><p>First of these moves was the switching of positions by George Armstrong and Tod Sloan early in the season.</p><p>&ldquo;People kept saying that Sloan was a better right winger than a centre,&rdquo; Smythe recalls. &ldquo;But I think the case should be settled now. With two good wings, he lias proved beyond any doubt that he is a natural centre. And Armstrong goes better on the wing &ldquo;</p><p>In his drive to a Leaf scoring record, Sloan became the centre of the new power play and the first set part of it. Shortly afterward. team captain Sid Smith was lifted from the left wing spot and replaced by Sloan&rsquo;s regular wing. Dick Duff. George Armstrong, the third member of Sloan&rsquo;s Life Line, started at right wing, then moved back to end one of the point problems and</p><p>Marc Resume, summoned front Pittsburgh in Larry Cahan&rsquo;s stead, became the other.</p><h2><b>Alternate</b></h2><p>The clincher was the arrival of Hannigan and Cullen&mdash;particularly Gordie. They now alternate on right wing, depending on the type of game, style of the opposition and tbeir own calibre of play on a given night.</p><p>Hannigan was an immediate success on the play, which ended a prolonged period of famine by scoritfg nine goals in the first three games after he joined it three of them by Gordie himself.</p><p>Since then the power play has managed at least to offset the liability of Leafs&rsquo; record number of personal penalties, matching the production of enemy ganging attacks against Toronto, and it has gathered momentum as the season progressed.</p><p>Day figures the final instalment of this sequence will be written in the tall, with Barry Cullen arrives.</p><p>&rdquo;He has had experience on power plays and could take over the right wing job and fill out the play perfectly,&rdquo; Hap says.</p><p>&ldquo;Get on the bandwagon,&rdquo; Smythe warns. &ldquo;This is going to be a great hockey team.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Penalty Killer</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02265/1613877-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="640" height="875"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GERRY JAMES&hellip; &hellip;Checking Wings&rsquo; Bucyk</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0005-02

Conn Smythe Forecasts Return To Greatness By Rebuilt Leafs

<div class="byline">By CHARLEY BARTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02227/1613729-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RUDY PILOUS,</b> right, is one of the most successful coaches in hockey today. His St. Catharines Teepees just recently clinched their third straight first place finish in the tough OHA Junior A league. Above, Rudy shows some of his players a few of the intricacies of the game. Left to right, they are Ab McDonald, Elmer Vasko, and Pat Kelly.</figcaption></div><p>ST. EATHARINE8, Ont.&mdash;</p><p>When the St. Catharines Teepees nailed down their third straight OHA Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; championship recently, it merely provided further evidence for Garden City fans that the club&rsquo;s coach, Rudy Pilous, is one of the sport&rsquo;s few jack-of-all trades, and master of them all, as well.</p><p>While the Teepees are sponsored by the Chicago Black Hawks, and in the past have had tie-ups with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Bisons, it has been Pilous who has scouted, signed and brought the players to this city.</p><p>The only member of this season&rsquo;s club who played on the other three pennant - winning teams is Elmer Yasko, a home-town product. This year the Hawks were instrumental in obtaining the services of such players as Roy Edwards, Bob Smith, Matt Ravlich. Wayne Hillman, Bob Hull, Don Ramsay, Gary Eatough, Dick Lafontaine and Don Carter for the Teeps.</p><p>But in the previous five, years Pilous has handled the club, including the 1954-55 team which won the Memorial Cup. Pilous did everything from signing the players to darning torn stockings.</p><p>However, the former Winni pegger who came here in 1938 to play With the St. Catharines Saints in the OHA Senior series, is the first to credit the players with the club&rsquo;s success.</p><h2><b>One Canadian Title</b></h2><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been lucky here,&rdquo; Rudy was saying the other day</p><p>&ldquo;This club has made the playoffs in all of the six seasons I&rsquo;ve had it since I returned here. We were able to win one Canadian title and three OHA championships. But you know. I haven&rsquo;t scored a goal for this team, or stopped any of our opponents from scoring. You&rsquo;ve simply got to give all of the credit to the great bunch of kids we&rsquo;ve had to work with.&rdquo;</p><p>Pilous, who triples in brass as vice-president and general manager of the Teepees, as well as coach, took what he terms &ldquo;a post - graduate hockey course&rdquo; when he joined the Buffalo organization in 1947.</p><p>Eddie Shore and Art Chapman persuaded Pilous to leave his position with a St. Catharines firm to accept a coaching berth in the Buffalo farm system. Rudy was ticketed to take over the Washington club in the Eastern League. However, a switch in franchises forced a change and Pilous wound up as a handy-man with the Bisons.</p><p>He was officially tabbed as the club&rsquo;s chief scout, but in addition handled the promotion and publicity of ice and roller skating shows; arranged plant and out-of-town groups to attend hockey games; supervised training camp arrangements and found time for a couple of coast-to-coast scouting traps as well.</p><p>&ldquo;I guess I did everything there was to do with the Buffalo club,&rdquo; Rudy muses.</p><p>&ldquo;I even filled in as a trainer on a couple of road trips when the regular man was ill. But it was great experience, and all of it certainly has helped with the problems of operating our junior team here.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Late Season Surge</b></h2><p>Pilous led two Buffalo-owned farm teams to championships in the 1947-48 and 1948-49 seasons. In &lsquo;48 his Houston club won the United States League title and the next season he took over a last-place San Diego team in the Pacific Coast loop on Feb. 1 and led it to the playoff championship with a remarkable late-season surge.</p><p>As a player, Pilous saw service with senior teams in Winnipeg and Nelson. B.C., before moving on to the Richmond Hawks of the English League and the old New York Rovers.</p><p>He and a group of St. Catharines businessmen were instrumental in forming this city&rsquo;s first junior club, the Falcons, in 1943.</p><p>&ldquo;I remember going to Winnipeg on my first scouting trip for the club. I had the magnificent sum of $250, but believe it or not, I was able to sign some pretty fair players. We had fellows like Doug McMurdy, Harvey Jessiman, Bing Juckes, Laurie Peterson and Stan Warecki and we missed two other good ones, Frank Mathers and Ray Manson, because their parents thought they were too young to leave home.</p><p>&ldquo;Yes sir, that team took the Oshawa Generals to the seventh and deciding game of &lsquo;the playoffs. Oshawa had players like Bill Ezinicki, Kenny Smith, Bob Dawes, Floyd Curry and Harvey Bennett. We lost, but to a great club.&rdquo;</p><p>It was after the 1949-50 season, which Pilous spent with Louisville in the United States League, that he was offered the opportunity of returning to St. Catharines.</p><p>George Stauffer, president and general manager of Thompson Products, which sponsors the Teepees, invited Rudy to take over the club.</p><h2><b>Back To St. Kitts</b></h2><p>&ldquo;When Mr. Stauffer told me the firm&rsquo;s sole interest in hockey was to create a healthy winter pastime for the community, I knew then and there it was back to the Garden City for me. My wife is a St. Catharines girl, and we were getting just a wee bit tired of barnstorming all over the North American continent.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Mr. Stauffer and the entire Thompson Products organization have given us all the cooperation and help that anyone could ask. It has been a wonderful association, and Im certain that ours must be one of the finest hockey organizations in the country. We are sponsored, for hockey purposes, by the Black Hawks, but we operate entirely independently.</p><p>&ldquo;Our own minor league setup here includes a juvenile team which we sponsor, and bantam and midget teams with which we are affiliated. We also have 12 Pee Wee teams in (the city, so the future looks pretty good.&rdquo;</p><p>The list of former Pilous-coached juniors now in professional hockey includes Hauk Ciesla, Brian and Barry Cullen, Pierre Pilote, Frank Martin. Don Simmons. Ian Cushenan, Hugh Barlow, Bud dy Boone. Jerry Foley, Wayne Brown. Doug McMurdy and Stan Warecki.</p><p>Pilous and Jay MacDonald, former secretary of the Stamford Park Race Track, handle the entire Teepee front office chore. MacDonald is the club secretary and takes care of such Blatters as program sales, publicity, travel arrangements, and so forth.</p><h2><b>Aide To Coleman</b></h2><p>In addition to his duties with the Teepees. Pilous is a full-time aide to Jina Coleman, publicity director of the Ontario Jockey Club.</p><p>&ldquo;When I was a kid I galloped horses at Polo Park in Winnipeg. Now I find it tough to gallop to the mutuel windows at Ft. Erie and Woodbine, but it is a pleasant duty for me to help Jim with OJC publicity matters.&rdquo;</p><p>Around Sr. Catharines. Pilous is in constant demand as a guest at various functions, where he invariably Steals the show with a variety of dialect. lories.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m available for weddings, parties, stags, bar-mitzvahs or what-have-you.&rdquo; says Rudy.</p><p>&ldquo;Providing, of course. I can get in a few plugs&rsquo; for the Teepees and the Ontario Jockey Club,&rdquo; he adds.</p><p>Rudy&rsquo;s fine wit and never-ending stories make trim a prime favorite wherever he goes, but there is nothing comical attached to his views on hockey.</p><h2><b>&ldquo;A Tough Game&rdquo;</b></h2><p>&ldquo;Hockey is a tough game, the toughest and the best in the world, and you have to be serious about it every minute. You can&rsquo;t let up, or the other fellow will beat you.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team game, and every member of the squad has to give all the time. The sheer desire to win will go a long way toward making up for lack of ability. If one or two of your players don&rsquo;t have that desire, you&rsquo;re apt to find yourself in trouble.</p><p>&ldquo;Of course, sometimes that puck just seems to work against you and there&rsquo;s seemingly nothing you can do about it.</p><p>&ldquo;Dick Irvin has listed condition, discipline, desire and work as the things required tor a winning hockey team. There&rsquo;s no way I or anyone else can phrase it any better. Those are the things you need, and those are the things a coach must seek and bring out in his players.&rdquo;</p><p>When a writer recently compared Pilous with Joe McCarthy, the Jamed former manager of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, he couldn&rsquo;t hate paid the Teepee coach a higher compliment.</p><p>McCarthy became one of the greatest managers of all t&rsquo;&gt;me in spite of the &ldquo;fact that he never played in the big leagues.</p><p>Pilous never, played in any of the recognized pro leagues but he certainly has proven himself one of the most astute coaches in the game, and has a. fine knowledge of the other aspects of the sport, as well.</p><h2><b>The Professor and His Pupils</b></h2><h2><b>Triple - Threat</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01272/1613722-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="654" height="881"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RUDY PILOUS</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0003-02

Amiable Mentor Has Enviable Victory Record

<div class="byline">By STAN FISCHLER</div><p>NEW YORK, N.Y.&mdash;</p><p>The Rangers are in the playoffs for the first time in six years and Gotham puck pundits are busily playing the angles, wondering what will be the Blueshirts&rsquo; destiny in games to come.</p><p>Will they choke up as some inexperienced playoff teams have?</p><p>Can their youthful exuberance carry them over the ability-filled Canadiens ox experienced Red Wings?</p><p>What about rookie coach Phil Watson who has to match wits with wily, playoff-seasoned mentors?</p><p>And how about the home ice disadvantage. Can the Blues overcome the loss of the Garden pond if they reach the finals <i>1</i></p><p>These are the problem facing the Broadway brain-trust of Watson and Muzz Patrick as hockey&rsquo;s world series gets underway.</p><p>Calm your fears Rangei rooters, there&rsquo;s no playoff fear on this club. Nor is there any overconfidence.</p><h2><b>&ldquo;Like Any Other Game&rdquo;</b></h2><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like any other game,&rdquo; says Andy Bathgate, leading New York scorer and the man Watson hopes will rally the Gotham crew. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll go out there and dp our job. I&rsquo;m confident we ll do well.&rdquo;</p><p>Only three Rangers&mdash;Dave Creighton, Danny Lewicki and Bill Gadsby&mdash;have felt the pressure of Cup play. Lewicki is the only Blue to have played on a Stanley Cup winner Having been a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs the last time they captured the mug in 1950-51.</p><p>The man with the most playoff experience, Creighton, has the most &ldquo;nerves&rdquo;. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in five of &lsquo;em with the Bruins,&rdquo; he.said &ldquo;but no matter how many there are I still get a little excited. Guess it&rsquo;s only natural.&rdquo;</p><p>Muzz Patrick played down the role of pre-game strategy. He figures that tnexe are too many variables involved before the series starts.</p><p>But he&rsquo;s certain that the Rangers woA&rsquo;t utilize the &ldquo;kitty-bar-the-door&rdquo; hockey which some-times characterizes Stanley Cup play.</p><p>&ldquo;We have a goal-getting club this year,&rdquo; Muzz opined. &ldquo;We win our games by outscoring the other guys not by sitting back waiting for the breaks.</p><p>&ldquo;That style got us into the playoffs and if we&rsquo;re to get anywhere that&rsquo;s the kind of strategy we&rsquo;re going to have to use.&rdquo;</p><p>The Ranger GM was asked a hypothtical question:</p><p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you think,&rdquo; the reporter suggested, &ldquo;that your club should be cautious and look for openings instead of trying the fire-wagon game?&rdquo;</p><h2><b>&ldquo;There Goes Strategy&rsquo;</b></h2><p>&ldquo;No sir,&rdquo; Patrick replied &ldquo;Suppose we did try that close-to-the-vest business and Watson told the players not to skate past the opponent&rsquo;s blue line unless there was a good chance. Suppose he told &lsquo;em to backcheck like fiends and wait fox the breaks.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe it would work for a while but what if we got a penalty and the other team scored one or two goals on us. Well, there goes the strategy right out the window.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;How about Watson?&rdquo; Muzz was asked, &ldquo;have you been sitting on him the last six weeks to calm him down for the playoffs?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;The last six weeks,&rdquo; Muzz yelped, &ldquo;the last 20 yearsi&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Crossed Fingers</b></h2><p>Of course, the board of strategy&mdash;with crossed fingers&mdash;is hoping that the slumping Dean Prentice, Larry Popein follow teammate Andy Bathgate and find the scoring range.</p><p>For cup success the Blues will need a tightened defense and more backcheeking than they&rsquo;ve been getting in the past two months.</p><p>It is felt in this corner that Gump Worsley will rise to great heights in this, his first Stanley Cup series.</p><p>Rangers hive the offensive strength to break any game open but the backliners, when they&rsquo;re not getting help from the forwards, can be porous, awfully porous.</p><p>Overall, this is a younger, higher scoring and, man-for-man, a more competent New York sextet than the one which extended Detroit to double overtime in 1950.</p><p>Which means&mdash;breaks going their way&mdash;the Rangers could march on io the Stanley Cup.</p><h2><b>Natural Excitement</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01348/1614077-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="630" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVE CREIGHTON</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-01

No Playoff Jitters Apparent In Camp Of New York Rangers

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01192/1615231-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TERRY SAWCHUK,</b> the starry netminder of the Boston Bruins, strikes a stylish pose as he prepares to handle a shot against the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruin backstop had just stopped a drive off the stick of Jean Beliveau, left, the NHL&rsquo;s top scoring man, and was preparing to ward off the rebound shot by Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion (not shown). That&rsquo;s Bob Armstrong of the Bruins checking Beliveau at left. <span class="photo-credit">(—Photo by Mike Gravel)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Bruin Backstop Beats Beliveau</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

Cover-01

HABS-WINGS FAVORED FOR FINAL

<div class="byline">By HARRY STAPLER</div><p>(Detroit News)</p><p><b>DETROIT, Mich.&mdash;</b></p><p><b>After fidgeting and waiting for llll&frac12; hours, hockey fan Victor Vescoso turned down four of the best Stanley Cup seats in Olympia. Vescoso took only a lone seat for himself&mdash;way up in the balcony.</b></p><p><b>Vic, a 37-year-old press operator at an auto plant, lives at 5720 Lonyo. He was first in line when the Bed Wings started selling playoff tickets last week.</b></p><p><b>He and his portable radio had waited in loneliness since 12:30 a.m. so he could become the first in line for the seventh straight year.</b></p><p><b>Vescoso was entitled to take as many as four tickets (he always had done this after the previous six long waits). He could have had his pick of the 3,500 seats which had not been claimed by season ticket holders.</b></p><p><b>Instead, he passed up the choice $4.50 locations and handed over $2.25 for a single ticket for the third row of the balcony, midway between the goals.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Ordinary my brothers would go, but this year they didn&rsquo;t want to,&rdquo; explained Victor. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the sense of buying tickets for just anybody?&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>This was the latest that Vescoso had ever arrived at Olympia for his No. 1 chore. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think the demand would be so great this time,&rdquo; he said.</b></p><h2><b>SHE&rsquo;S SUBSTITUTE</b></h2><p><b>The No. 2 person in line showed up seven hours later He was Arthur Savage, 6138, 14th. A few minutes later came Miss Dorlis Larsen, 8112 Vaughan. She was wearing her nurse&rsquo;s uniform, having just come off duty at the Maybury Sanitorium.</b></p><p><b>Farther back in the line were a mother and baby, Mrs. Jeannette Wies and 11-weeks-old Dorene, of 10012 Belleterre.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;My husband is a hockey fan but he&rsquo;s a truck driver and his job took him out of town,&rdquo; explained Mrs. Wies. &ldquo;So I took his place in line.&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>Within two hours after the sale began, ticket director Lew Cromwell announced a sellout of reserved seats for the first two games.</b></p><p><b>Season ticket holders have until 48 hours before each game to pick up Stanley Cup tickets for their protected seats. In addition, Cromwell will place 600 balcony seats on sale at 7:15 p.m. the night of each game. Olympia also is selling standing room tickets now for both games.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Detroit Fan Waits 11½ Hours For Ticket

<p>MONTREAL, Que.&mdash;</p><p>Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings are favored to meet in the Stanley Cup final round for the third straight year.</p><p>The Canadiens, who this season ended the Red Wings&rsquo; monopoly on the National Hockey League championship, meet the New York Rangers in one semifinal round while the Detroiters take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the other.</p><p>The Habs will be heavy favorites to brush past the surprising Rangers, even if only on the strength of the fact that four games of the best-of-seven set are slated for the Montreal Forum where the Broadway Blues have been held winless in five seasons.</p><p>Add to this the fact that the Habs finished out the season 21 point ahead of the next closest team, set a new record for the number of wins by a club in a single season (45) and boast such prolific marksmen as lean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, Bernie Geffrion and Henri Richard and it becomes Increasingly apparent that the Rangers have their work cut out for them if they hope to advance any further along the trail leading to hockey&rsquo;s most prized trophy.</p><h2><b>No Easy Opponent</b></h2><p>The Red Wings, who finished the campaign in the runner-up slot, two points up on the Rangers, will also have their work cut out for them and face no easy opponent in the hustling young Leafs, who edged the Boston Bruins for the final playoff berth.</p><p>In the final game of the schedule, the Leafs, whose major injection of youth this season paid off in a playoff berth, bounced the defending cup-holders 2-0, and right on Olympia ice!</p><p>Still, it&rsquo;s expected that the Wings&rsquo; experience and all around savvy, as well as their hard core of outstanding players (Red Kelly, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Dutch Reibel, Alex Delvecchio, Bob Goldham, to name a few) will be enough to help them get past the hard-working Torontonians, although anything is liable to happen (and usually does) in the Stanley Cup playoffs.</p><p>So, if all goes according to form, it&rsquo;ll be the Habs and Wings in the final round again. Of course, the playoffs don&rsquo;t always go according to form, as the mighty Red Wings found out three seasons back when they were knocked out in the opening round by a hard-fighting, free-wheeling band of Boston Bruins.</p><p>The Habs, on the other hand, went on to win the cup that yer. They haven&rsquo;t won it since.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Have Met Four Times In Last Five Seasons

<div class="byline">By BUD BOOTH</div><p>CHICAGO, Ill.&mdash;</p><p>Harry Watson was as congenial as ever despite the serious nature of the question. &ldquo;How about next season?&rdquo; he repeated without expression. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t imagine I&rsquo;ll know anything until I see what the summer turns up,&rdquo; he answered as he jostled into his topcat.</p><p>Nothing more was said until he half turned in the Black Hawk dressing room doorway as if realizing that something more should he added. &ldquo;Of course you don&rsquo;t like to think about it, but we all have to quit sometime. Well, take it easy and good luck it I don&rsquo;t see you again.&rdquo;</p><p>He turned away to head down the long hallway that has had to carry the mental and physical loads of many Black Hawks through the years. Harry&rsquo;s mind might have been heavily burdened too, but there was no way of telling. He turned the corner at the end of the corridor and was out of sight.</p><p>Had Chicago hockey fans seen the last of Harry Watson as a player in this final regular home game of the 1955-56 campaign? Many players have misused the general conception of retirement by quitting, but then changing their minds one time ofter another.</p><h2><b>Definite and Final</b></h2><p>The steady Watson, however, would seem to be of sturdier makings in both mind and matter and most folks feel that the decision be will eventually make known will be definite and final. His home life will undoubtedly figure strongly in the verdict.</p><p>No matter what the text of the announcement that may come next week or next, fall from either Harry or the Hawks, the husky left winger has experienced 15 years in the National League on a straight shift, that saw note single trip to the minors. His overall career has easily been above average to date.</p><h2><b>Passed Bentley</b></h2><p>The 10 goals listed to his credit with three games left to play for Chicago recently upped his lifetime total to 224. He went by a couple; of other great names this season. in this department&hellip; Doug Bentley of the Hawks (219) and Elmer Lach of the Canadiens (215).</p><p>Only Maurice Richard of Montreal and Detroit&rsquo;s Ted Lindsay: ud Cordie Howe have piled up more goals and total points among skaters still active in the NHL. Watson&rsquo;s average of 15 goals per season is a record not. isilv equalled or bettered by a I aver in any era of the ice sport.</p><p>If such things arouse incentive in Watson he may well bounce back for another year or two, with the Hawks merely to better himself in respect to the all me scoring ratings. His 224 place him right behind both Charley Conacher and Ted Kennedy who have 225 as retired performers.</p><h2>Top Assistant</h2><p>Another 25 goals would move him to eighth among the game&rsquo;s greatest in history behind&mdash;in order up to the top&mdash;Bill Mosienko. Aurel Joliat, Howie Morenz, Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe, Nels Stewart and Rocket Richard. With 186 near the end of the current season, Watson also ranks among the top assist-getters.</p><p>That Harry only sniped 10 goals through most of the 1955-56 schedule was somewhat of a tragedy for his playing was well up among the best with the Black Hawks. Responding to the urgings of Coach Dick Irvin, he was more aggressive than he has appeared in years.</p><p>He was hampered by a leg injury which kept him from 15 Chicago games through the middle of the season, but showed no ill effects once he was back on the ice and seemed to be skating as well as he ever has by February. Retiment will have to be a careful decision in his case&mdash;very careful.</p><h2><b>15-Year Veteran</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01273/1613660-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="664" height="763"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HARRY WATSON</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0002-01

Hawks’ Watson Will Take Summer To Decide On Future Puck Plans

<div class="byline">By MARSHALL DANN</div><p>DETROIT, Mich.&mdash;</p><p>Cummy Burton was wearing jersey No. 21, not No. 6, when he made his pro debut with the Detroit Red Wings the other night and there is a story behind those numbers.</p><p>Oldtime Detroit fans will recall that No. 6 last was worn by the late Larry Aurie, whose playing ability earned himself a place in Detroit&rsquo;s hockey Hall of Fame as well as a highly respected place in the memory of Motor City followers.</p><p>When Aurie retired. Jack Adams ordered No. 6 also retired.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll save that number for Cummy Burton.&rdquo; Adams decided a few years later. Aurie promptly agreed with Adams.</p><p>Why Burton?</p><h2><b>Burton&rsquo;s Cousin</b></h2><p>Aurie was Burton&rsquo;s cousin although the relationship was even closer. While coaching Oshawa&rsquo;s Junior A team, Aurie brought young Cummy in to practice with the Generals. When Burton progressed to De-troit&rsquo;s Junior A farm club at Windsor, Aurie crossed the Detroit River from his home many nights to watch the youngster play.</p><p>Larry coached Cummy privately and followed his progress closely. He became a personal protege.</p><p>&ldquo;Larry was like a brother to me,&rdquo; Cummy says. &ldquo;When I first heard about the plan for me someday to wear No. 6, I wondered if I&rsquo;d ever be good enough to deserve it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Practiced With Wings</b></h2><p>Burton spent the last three years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cubs. Twice he scored 30 goals although every campaign was hampered with injuries. This year it was a broken hand suffered in a fight in a preseason exhibition game. Hamilton&rsquo; season ended a, few weeks ago and Burton was called up by the Wings to practice with them.</p><p>When Murray Costello broke his nose and was forced from the lineup, Burton got his chance. He was called up under the amateur tryout agreement, although a pro contract wasn&rsquo;t too long in following.</p><p>Then came the question of what uniform to wear. Adams and Burton both decided upon No. 21 as an alternative to No. 6.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to wear No. 6 until the day I join the Red Wines as a regular. I&rsquo;ll save it until I&rsquo;m big enough for it,&rdquo; Burton said.</p><p>Adam nodded approval and added that he hoped that would be next season.</p><h2><b>Injury Jinx</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, for a club which had been lucky with injuries all season, the Red Wings found their luck running out on the eve of the playoffs.</p><p>Murray Costello. Dutch Reibel and Warren Godfrey were forced out in rapid succession over a four-game span.</p><p>Godfrey&rsquo;s injury was the most severe. A stray puck caught him flush on the face in a game at Chicago, breaking his jaw and sending him to a hospital for four days. Doctors said that the rangy defenseman was through for the season.</p><h2><b>Special Harness</b></h2><p>Reibel already was on the sidelines that night, spending the second of his two-game enforced rest with a dislocated shoulder. A special harness was built that allowed Reibel to return.</p><p>Costello missed the game in which Reibel was injured. His broken nose failed to respond as readily as hoped. After the injuries which folowed, Costello returned anyway wearing Marcel Pronovost&rsquo;s discarded plastic nose guard.</p><p>Pronovost and Lindsay were the only other Detroit regulars forced out by injuries in the first 64 games of the year, both missing a few starts.</p><h2><b>Hall-of-Famer</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02257/1613691-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="298" height="278"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HARRY AURIE</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0002-02

Burton May Become First Red Wing Player To Wear Number Six Since Aurie

<div class="byline">BY Ken McKenzie</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01340/1613767-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="253" height="231"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02305/1613760-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="310" height="76"></div><h2><b>THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY</b></h2><p><b>Founded October 1st 1947</b></p><p><b>Published Weekly, except monthly May through September by Ken-Will Publishing Co. Ltd. 1434 Ste. Catherine Street West Montreal 25, Que.</b></p><p><b>Yearly Subscription Rates: $3.00 in Canada and the British Empire: 4.00 in the U.S.A, and Foreign Countries.</b></p><p>Entered as second-class matter. October 3, 1953 at the Post Office at Rouses Point. N.Y. Minier the Act of March 3rd, 1879 Authorized as second-class mail. Post Office Department, Ottawa Printed in Canada.</p><p><b>VOL. 9 MONTREAL, MARCH 24. 1456 No. 26</b></p><h2><b>PLAYOFF NOTES</b></h2><p><b>LORD STANLEY</b> of Preston, son of the Earl of Derby, donated the Stanley Cup in 1893. Original cost of the trophy was $50 &hellip; It was contested for by amateur clubs up until 1908 &hellip; it came into the exclusive possession of the National Hockey League upon the disbandment of the Western Canada Hockey League in 1926&hellip; Three teams have won the Stanley Cup seven times. They are Montreal Canadiens. Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs&hellip;Canadiens won it first in 1916, prior io the formal ion of tlw National Hockey League and again in 1924, 1930,1921, 1944, 1946 and 1953&hellip;Toronto Maple Leafs won it first in 1932&rsquo; and repeated in 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951&hellip;The Leafs are the only club in history to win the Cup three successive years which thev did in 1947. &lsquo;48 and 49&hellip; Detroit Red VS inns have won the Stalllev Cup more tijnes than any other team tn recent years&hellip; The Red Wings have captured the trophy in four of Hie last six rears &hellip; The Motor City aggregation won it first in 1936. Diev won again in 1937 and again in 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955&hellip;In 1952 the Wings swept to the Cup in eight straight games. They defeated Toronto and Montreal to achieve this feat, which has not&rsquo;been accomplished by any other NHL team.</p><p><b>CONN SMYTHE</b> of Toronto and Jack Adams of Detroit have each managed seven Stanley Cup champions &hellip;Toe Blake, coach of Canadiens, will be trying to duplicate the performance of Detroit&rsquo;sTimmy Skinner last Spring it hen Skinner coached the Red Wings to the NHL championship and the Stanley Cup in his first season as a coach in the National Hockey League&hellip; Skinner is the only coach to do this, although Joe Primeau coached Toronto to the Stanley Cup in 1951, his first year as a National League mentor&hellip;Two players have performed on Five Stanley Oup teams in the modern era&hellip;Ted Kennedy was on five Stanley Cup teams in the modern era&hellip;Ted Kennedy was 1948, 1949 and 1951 Stanley Cup winners&hellip;Bob Goldham, veteran Detroit defenseman, played with the 1942 and 1947 loronto tup champion and three times with Detroit Cup winners. In 1952, 1954 and 1955 he was with the Wings.</p><p><b>THIS IS THE FIRST</b> Stanley Cup playoffs for two of I the four coaches&hellip; Toe Blake and New York Rangers 1 hil Watson were playoff veterans as players but this is the first time that they&rsquo;ve handled a club&hellip; Gordie Howe scored the fastest goal in Cup history. He scored after nine seconds of play in the first period ou April 1, 1954, against loromo&hellip; Longest overtime game lasted 176 minutes and 30 seconds. 1 his included 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime play. Mud Bruneteau scored for Detroit to give the Red Wings a 1-0 win over the Montreal Maroons. The game was played at Montreal on March 24, 19,.6&hellip; Shortest overtime game lasted 25 seconds. Syd Howe tallied loi Detroit to give the Wings a 2-1 win over the New York Americans Gaine was placed at Detroit on March 19, 1940 &hellip; Montreal and Detroit have met in I lie Stanley Cup finals three times in the last four tears. Last all-United States final was played in 1950 between Detroit and New York Rangers&hellip; Last all-Canadian final took place in 1951 between Toronto and Montreal &hellip; United Stales teams have won the Cup 15 times since NHI. was formed on November 22, 1917&hellip;. Teams from Canada have captured it 22 times duting tlia period.</p><p><b>BUTCH BOUCHARD,</b> Montreal captain, has taken part in 112 playoff games up to the current series &hellip; Maurice Richard holds four playoff scoring records&hellip; He has scored most goals in a single game (5 against loronto on March 23 1944); most goals in a playoff series (12 goals in nine games in 1943-44 playoffs against Toronto and Chicago); most goals in playoff competition (57 goals in 10 playoff series) and most points in playoff competition (82 points in 10 playoff series) &hellip; ElmerLach holds record for most assists in playoff competition (45 in IT playoff series) &hellip; Dickie Moore of Canadiens amassed the most points in a single playoff game. He scored two goals and assisted on four others for six points against Boston on March 25, 1954 at Montreal &hellip; Toe Blake had most assists in a playoff game. (5 against Toronto on March 23. 1944) &hellip; Detroit&rsquo;s line of Dutch Keibel Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay set a record for most points by one line in 1954-55. In 11 games they accumulated 51 points&hellip; Most assists in a playoff series is 12. It was set by Elmer each tn.&rsquo; games&rsquo;in 1945-46 and by Ted Lindsay in 11 games in 1954-55&hellip; Gordie Howe holds record for most points in a playoff series. He set this in 1954-55 when he scored 9 goals and had 11 assists for 20 points in 11 games &hellip; Most one-sided victory took place on Maren 30. 1944 al Montreal as Canadiens blanked Toronto 11-0&hellip;The 1955 playoffs want a total of 16 games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

<div class="byline">By STAN FISCHLER</div><p>NEW YORK, N. Y&mdash;</p><p>The Rangers bad clinched a playoff berth and Louie Fontinato was waxing philosophical in the Blues&rsquo; dressing room.</p><p>&ldquo;Y&rsquo;know,&rdquo; he said, stealing a line from &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll Make The Playoffs &lsquo;Til 2008. by Phil Watson, &ldquo;once our club gets used to that Stanley Cup feeling we&rsquo;re going to lie in it for a long, long time to come.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;How do von figure that?&rdquo; someone ask Louie.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to figure.&rdquo; he blithely teplied. assuming everybody knew what he was talking about. &ldquo;Getting that extra loot is going to make our gang so happy tlxat we re going to want to do it again next year and again and again and again because making the playoffs is such a wonderful experience!&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Do the other players feel the same?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I duniio. Why don&rsquo;t you ask &lsquo;em.&rdquo;</p><p>We did and found that for the. most part. Louie was right.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a dandy feeling.&rdquo; quipper Bill Gadsby who was showing off a snazzy new sport jacket. &lsquo;Maybe I jumped the gun but it&rsquo;s for sure I&rsquo;d never have bought this outfit if 1 knew we weren&rsquo;t going to be in the money this time.&rdquo;</p><p>The extra moolah is going to come in handy for the Bines.</p><p>Jack Evans is going to use it for an addition to his house while Ron Murphy will spend it on a honeymoon to Florida with his wife-to-be, Carole Gorrie of Hamilton.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Leapin’ Louie Predicts Blues Will Make Playoffs For Years

<div class="byline">By ROGER BARRY</div><p>BOSTON. Mass.</p><p>One of the timeliest reversals of form in recent National league history was that made during the second half of this season by the Boston Bruins.</p><p>The Bruins stopped losing regularly and started winning regularly when they beat the Chicago Black Hawks in Chicago ou January 20 in a game to which little significance was attached at the time.</p><p>But that Friday night in Chicago has since gained import, for it led to the following developments:</p><p>1&mdash;The building up of a three team competition for fourth place with Toronto and Chicago, with a corresponding increase in public interest in three cities.</p><p>2&mdash;A long-range influence on the two-way fight for second place between Detroit and New York.</p><p>3&mdash;The regaining of stature by the Bruins with their own sizeable following.</p><p>4&mdash;Financial gain for the league in general and the Bruins in pjirticula r.</p><p>On January 20 the Bruins were in last place, 10 full points behind Toronto with Chicago, in between. Last place seemed their ultimate destination.</p><h2><b>Epidemic of Injuries</b></h2><p>Their defensive play had been uncertain, their offense negligible, and their prospects for advancement had been dimmed repeatedly by an epidemic of injuries which in tire course of the season affected 15 different players, some of whom were missing from their lineup for more than a month at a time.</p><p>Then overnight&mdash;no. in less time, one evening&mdash;the Bruins changed direction.</p><p>They caught and passed Chicago. caught and passed Toronto, then dropped behind the Maple, Leafs. Bur they refused to accept temporary rebuffs, and Uieir determination kept the final occupancy of fourth place. in doubt until the last weekend of the season.</p><p>Involved in their own wrangle with Chicago and Toronto, the Bruins also asserted themselves in the Detroit-New York dispute. They beat the Rangers four times and tied them once in their last six meetings, and to show their impartiality they dumped the Red Wings twice in succession and fought them to a finish in other games.</p><h2><b>Customers Responded</b></h2><p>Here the cash customers responded with enthusiasm to the Bruins&rsquo; pickup. On the heels of a one-game winning streak compiler! that night in Chicago, they opened their stretch run at home to more than 12,000 people. In the games remaining they played to home attendances averaging more than 10,000 per game. Their attendance for the season was their best here since the winter of 1949-59, their best in six years.</p><p>Until the Bruins&rsquo; renaissance, what had the league to offer in a competitive sense? Montreal was waltzing along in first place, Toronto holding firmly to fourth. Just the &lsquo;Detroit-New York controversy over second place, that&rsquo;s all. &lsquo;</p><p>The spurt of the Bruins changed that situation, and when Montreal put a mathematical end to Detroit&rsquo;s aspirations for finishing first with a month of playing time left, the feat of the Canadians caused little stir among supporters of other teams.</p><h2><b>Team of Half-Year</b></h2><p>The Bruins cannot be termed the team of the year, since they won only eight of their first 35 games, but they have a clear claim to the distinction of being the team of the half-year.</p><p>For the sustained interest in the winning of three playoff positions the credit belongs to the ream of erstwhile invalids which picked itself off the league basement in windy Chicago that night in January.</p><p>Meanwhile, Goaler Terry Saw chuk has been awarded the Elizabeth C. Dufresne trophy as the outstanding Boston Bruin in ho-me games this season by vote of hockey writers and sportscasters.</p><p>The 26-year old Sawchuk is the fourth goal-tender in 21 years to win the trophy. Others were Tiny Thompson and Frank Brimsek and Sugar Jim Henry, each of whom won it twice.</p><p>Sawchuk received the award before the start of the Bruins&rsquo; last game here with the Chicago Black Hawks from Sportscaster Fred Cusick, representing the press and radio. Last year&rsquo;s winner was Forward Leo LaBine.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01293/1613822-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="311" height="303"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Wins Trophy</b></p><p><b>TERRY SAWCHUK</b></p></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0005-01

Bruins’ Reversal Of Form In Last Half Of Campaign One Of Year’s Top Stories

<p>TORONTO, Ont.&mdash;</p><p>Tod Sloan&rsquo;s linemates put! aside their personal ambitions to help the prolific centreman. to tie Gaye Stewart&rsquo;s all-time Toronto Maple Leaf scoring record of 37 goals.</p><p>Both George Armstrong and Dick Duff had been gunning for 29-goal seasons, but as time began to run out, they turned their attention from their own objectives to that of Slinker.</p><p>&ldquo;For everything Slinker collects, I gain too,&rdquo; said Army, referring to the $1,000 bonus Sloan stood to collect for breaking Stewart&rsquo;s 10-year-old mark. &ldquo;I might not get it in cash right now, but I&rsquo;ll get it in contracts in the long run because Slinker has done so much to make me play better hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;He has not only made plays for me, but he has set a pace for me and made me work hard because I don&rsquo;t want to risk being taken ofy his line.&rdquo;</p><p>Army himself stood to collect a bonus for scoring 20 goals, bis contract being built along similar lines to that which paid Sloan $1,000 bonuses for 20 goals, ehen 25, 30 and 35. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;d rather see Slinker get the record,&rdquo; George says.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted 20 goals in my rookie season,&rdquo; Duff said, &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t care if I don&rsquo;t get another goal, just so I help Slinker get his record. After all, he&rsquo;s the one that helped me break in, and took a lot of the rough edges off my first year. I owe him a lot more than that.&rdquo;</p><p>Sloan scored his 37th goal the night after his linemates revealed their feelings.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Wingers Help Slinker Earn Goal Bonuses

<div class="byline">By BUD BOOTH</div><p>CHICAGO, 111.&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he three prize Black Hawk rookies of the National Hockey League season just closing all announced plans to work during the coming off season as they packed their togs for the club&rsquo;s final road trip after closing out the home season at the Chicago Stadium March 11.</p><p>Coach Dick Irvin and General Manager Tommy Ivan both agree that the promising trio should figure prominently in team plans for next season no matter what personnel additions may be made from farm clubs or with the $100,000 or mote owner Jim Slor. ris has promised to spend tor acquisition of new talent.</p><p>Center Hank Ciesla and aggressive winger Hec Lalande. graduates from St. Catharines and Galt in Ontario Junior play respective-ly, were Hawks for the entire season after starring in camp drills at Welland.&rsquo;Ont., last September. Late arriver from Buffalo less than two months ago was rearguard Pierre Pilote.</p><p>Despite the lesser extent of his first tour in the big time, Pilote displayed speed, a hard shot and generally fine defensive play. Before the call to Chicago came he was in hiS fifth year with the Bisons of the AHL after graduating from St. Catharines in 1951.</p><p>He&rsquo;ll have only a very little time before reporting for his job as manager for a nationally known concessions firm and its operations which begin at two Toronto area race tracks April 15. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be working at Woodbine in Toronto and then the Fort Erie track later,&rdquo; he advised.</p><h2><b>Fire and Zest</b></h2><p>Lalande, the surprise of pre-season drills who was quickly tabbed &ldquo;Newsy&rdquo; by Coach Irvin in connection with the similarity of his last name and that of a great star of former years, skated ail season with a fire and zest missing too many times from Chicago forwards in past seasons.</p><p>Hector likes to keep in playing condition the year around and this gave him the jump on many players at training drills last Sep-tember. He&rsquo;s done this by hoisting</p><p>barrels around nt the brewery where he works every summer in his lifetime hometown of North Bay, Ont. Heil be back there soon again.</p><h2><b>Rack To St. Kitts</b></h2><p>&ldquo;Yes, I guess I ll try to get my old job back in St. Catharines,&rdquo; smiles the husky Ciesla who improved steadily toward greatness all the past season after getting off to a rather clumsy start. He was born and raised in St. Catharines and continues to live there.</p><p>Of secondary interest (or is it) to Ciesla will be the coming baseball season in which he plays an important part as first baseman of the St. Catharines squad in a senior loop. Another St. Cathari nes native, Hawk rearguard Frank Martin, is pitching ace on the team.</p><h2><b>Ball Player</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03163/1613960-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="305" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HANK CIESLA</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-03

Black Hawk Rookies Will Seek Employment During Off-Season

<div class="byline">By MARSHALL DANN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02248/1613922-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="287" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body">MAURICE RICHARD</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01364/1613929-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="149" height="239"></div><p>DETROIT. Mich.&mdash;</p><p>Do hockey&rsquo;s hot-shots keep it up at playoff time?</p><p>The records give an emphatic yes.</p><p>The leading scorers of the National Hockey League, those players who pile up goals and points and records during the regular seasons, also have been the top scorers in Stanley Cup action.</p><p>Thus it is easy to predict who will be tHe pacesetters in the 1956 playoils now underway. If you name Rocket Richard or Ted Lindsay or Gordie Howe or Jean Beliveau, the odds are that you have hit this spring&rsquo;s top scorer.</p><p>Baseball and hockey are opposites in this subject. In the World Series it has become&rsquo; traditional lor some unsung player to turn hero. The leading hitters and star pitchers in Series action come out of the lesser ranks more often than not.</p><p>Hockey&rsquo;s stars, however, follow their form all the way.</p><p>As every hockey fan knows. Racket Richard is the greatest scorer, goals or points, in National League history. He also is the playoff scoring champion.</p><p>To keep the discussion timely, only those players who still are active in the NHL are included in this compilation.</p><p>Richard leads in goals with 57, which is 2 4 more than his nearest rival, Capt. Ted Lindsay of the Red Wings. Lindsay also is second to Richard in total playoff points, 82 to 7 0.</p><p>Gordie Howe, who rivals the Rocket in many regular-season scoring records, is third in both goals (30) and points (63) in the playoffs.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Bernie Geoffrion is fourth in both departments with 24 goals and 40 points.</p><p>True, these players have had more chances io fatten their playoff records because Montreal and Detroit have enjoyed more playoff games in recent years. In the last six seasons, for instance, the Can adiens have been finalists six times and the Red Wings five times.</p><p>Yet. if you translate scoring to a pet-game basis, the seasonal leaders still dominate.</p><p>&rsquo; Tops in scoring average is Jean Beliveau, the terrific Montreal center who well may rewrite all records&mdash;season and playoffs before he is finished. Beliveau was in the playoffs only twice prior io this year but in his 22 games he made 23 points.</p><p>Beliveau&rsquo;s average of 1.045 points-per-game ranks him ahead of Richard and Howe. Richard has a.901 average, Howe.900.</p><p>Some Oliver comparative newcomers sparkle in this department. Two Detroit centers are next, Alex Delvecchio wifh a.892 record and Dutch Reibel with.800. Next is Geoffrion at.784 ami Metro 1&rsquo;rysl.ai at.724.</p><p>There are of course, certain players who have been the exception ami scored much stronger of a stretch of playoff games than during the regular season. Montreal&rsquo;s Floyd Curry is an example of those who rise to new heights when the pressure is the greatest.</p><p>While rated more of a defensive specialist than an offensive threat, Curry has joined the big guns in playoff scoring. Among ail active players he is fifth in goals with 19 and seventh in points with 29.</p><p>There are others wlvo have come up with one big spree at playoff time, hut the top reedrds still belong to the headliners. Richard holds the one-year goal record at 12 established in 1943-44 while Howe set the point record of 20 last spring.</p><p>Only two years ago Dickie Moore came out of the pack to be the leading-scorer with 13 points in the playoffs. The year before that Ed Sandford, then with. Boston, led in both goals with eight and points with 11.</p><p>Possibly the biggest surprise of all was the performance of Pentti Lund for New York in the 1 950 spring festival. Lund, who never was recognized as a scoring giant, led all point-makers with 11 and tied in ogals at six.</p><p>In the special division for defensemen, Red Kelly and Doug Harvey probably unanitpous choices as the two finest defensemen of the day place 1-2 in scoring.</p><p>Kelly is seventh among the point-getters with 29, including 13 goals. Harvey has 26 points hut still is looking for his first Stanley Cup goal.</p><p>When it comes to memorable single goals&mdash;like those that win the seventh game of a series and maybe in overtime&mdash;some ol the lesser scorers then have moved into the spotlight.</p><p>Twice I he Stanley Cup has been decided in overtime in the seventh game of the finals. Pete Babando caged Detroit&rsquo;s winner in 1950. Tony Leswick duplicated the feat for the Red Wings in 1 954.</p><p>The Wings also went into overtime in the seventh game of fixe semi-final series in 1950. That time Leo Reise caged the winner.</p><p>The Stanley Cup finals went seven games Iasi season but overtime wasn&rsquo;t required. Detroit beat Montreal, 3 to 1, with Delvecchio scoring twice.</p><p>Several dramatic goals have been contributed by Richard in recent seasons. He ran off carbon copies in 1951 while Montreal was eliminating Detroit in the semi-finals, winning successive games in Detroit in overtime, one in the fourth extra session and then in the third overtime period the next night.</p><p>Probably the most spectacular of Richard&rsquo;s many playoff goals, and certainly the.one best remembered by his home fans at the Montreal Forum, was the one which won the 1952 semi-finals from Boston. The score was tied late in the third period of the seventh and deciding game when the Rocket whipped down the boards, broke around the defense and cut across the goal mouth to make a perfect picture finish.</p><p>New chapters in playoff drama will be writien in the next few weeks. Maybe some unsung player will have his moment of glory and become the scoring star. But the record book says that when it comes to overall production, one of the established stars will head the summary.</p><p>Leading playoff scorers (Active players only)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03243/1613915-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="324" height="406"></div><h2><b>Points-per-game average leaders</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04188/1613908-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="322" height="118"></div><p><b>Year by Year Leaders (Last 12 Years)</b></p><p>1954-55 Howe (9) Howe (20) &lowast;</p><p>1953-54 Geoffrion (6) Moore (13)</p><p>1952-53 Sandford (8) Sandford (11)</p><p>1951-52 Lindsay (5) Lindsay-Howe-Curry-Prystai (7)</p><p>1950-51 Richard (9) Richaid-M. Bentley (13)</p><p>1949-50 Abel-P. Lund (6) (11)</p><p>1948-49 Howe (8) Howe (11)</p><p>1947-48 Kennedy (8) Kennedy (14)</p><p>1946-47 Richard-Reay (6) Richard (11.)</p><p>1945-46 Richard-Blake (7) Lach (17)</p><p>1944-45 Kennedy (7) Carveth (11)</p><p>1943-44 Richard (12) &lowast; Blake (18)</p><p>&lowast; All-time records.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-02

ON THIN ICE

<div class="byline">By VINCE LUNNY</div><p><b><i>Bert Olmstead Breaks Record</i></b></p><p>MONTREAL, Que.</p><p>Jean Beliveau, who came into the National Hockey League on a wave of printer&rsquo;s ink and has been wallowing in it ever since, and Jacques Plaute, whose debut was unheralded, won major awards for the Montreal Canadians as the 1955-56 season closed on Sunday, March 18.</p><p>Beliteau. hailed almost universally as perhaps the greatest centre of all-time, won the Art Ross Trophy as the league&rsquo;s leading scorer. He finished with 88 points in 70 games on 47 goals and 41 assists, topping Detroit&rsquo;s Gordie Howe by nine points.</p><p>Last year ihe scoring championship was won by Bernie C.eof frion. Beliveau&rsquo;s right bower, who missed 11 games this Season with shoulder injuries.</p><p>Plante, holder of the lowest lifetime average.among active net minders. copped ihe Vezina Trophy by a comfortable margin. Second was Glenn Hall. Detroit&rsquo;s rookie netminder. who was charged with 148 goals against compared with 131 lor the Montrealer.</p><h2><b>Picket Breaks Record</b></h2><p>In the final game of the Season, Bert Olmstead, clever playmaking left winger on Beliveau&rsquo;s power-packed line, drew an assist to hoist his season&rsquo;s total to 56, breaking the record of 55 set by Ted Lindsay of Detroit in the 1949-50 season.</p><p>Canadians, leading the league from start to finish, ended up with 100 points, just one short of Detroit&rsquo;s all-time recdrd. The Red Wings gained 101 points in 1950-51. They had 44 wins, 13 losses and 13 draws.</p><p>The Habs, under methodical, mild-mannered Coach Toe Blake, bad a record breaking 45 wins in the 70 games but they lost 15 and tied 10. Their chances of surpassing rhe Detroit mark evaporated abruptly over the weekend of March 10-11 when they bowed twice in a home-and-home series against the Boston Bruins.</p><h2><b>Double Victories</b></h2><p>Montreal concluded its schedule by downing the New York Rangers, the team they will meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, 7-2 in Montreal and 3-1 in New York.</p><p>With home ice advantage, the Habs should be substantial favorites to oust the scrappy New York team. Rangers are jinxed at the Forum, where they have won only one game in the last five years. That was on Jan. 30, 1954.</p><p>Even the luck of the Irish couldn&rsquo;t help the Rangers in their last game in Montreal on March 17. Coach Phil Watson registered his players at the Mount Royal Hotel as O&rsquo;Worsley, O&rsquo;Fontinato, O&rsquo;Hergersheimer&mdash;all the way town the list with the exception if Ron Murphy.</p><h2><b>Murphy English</b></h2><p>He was talked out of putting an &ldquo;O&rdquo; in front of Murphy&rsquo;s name although the scrappy little winger is English, not Irish.</p><p>When the team skated out for the fray, they all wore green laces in their sweaters. For nine minutes the strategy worked. Rangers scored two quick goals. Then the Canadiens, who rely on speed and power, not good luck charms, rallied for an overhelming 7-2 triumph.</p><p>&ldquo;This is the first lime I&rsquo;ve ever lost a game as a player or a coach on St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo; muttered the disillusioned Watson.</p><p>By winning again in New York on Sunday. Canadiens took an active part in deciding their semifinal opposition. They consigned the Rangers to third place after a bitter, down-to-the-wire tussle with the Red Wings.</p><h2><b>Fulfilled Promise</b></h2><p>Beliveau fulfilled his early promise in taking the Art Ross Trophy and the $1,000 award that goes with it. Hailed as a hockey great, even before he donned his first uniform as a professional, he missed by two points a year ago.</p><p>This year he dominated all marksmen by a wide margin. In addition to winning the scoring title, he set a new record for goals and points amassed by a centre. The previous goal-getting mark was 4 4 set by Joe Malone, a dashing pivot of another era with the Canadiens. While some experts claim (hat Malone played left wing, the man himself said he was a centre that season.</p><p>The previous points mark of 80 established by Elmer Lach, former Montreal Punch Linei in 50 games in 1944-45.</p><h2><b>Wanderlust</b></h2><p>The acrobatic Plante, who yields frequently to wanderlust. on daring dashes from his corded citadel, became the first Montreal netminder to take the Vexina Trophy, which also carries a $1,000 award, since Bill Dur nan emerged as the peer among goalies in 1949-50.</p><p>Since then it has gone three times to Terry Sawchuk representing Detroit&mdash;he enjoyed much Jess success this season with the Boston Bruins&mdash;and twice to Toronto net minders. Al Rollins and Harry Lumley. Rollins,.like Sawchuk less conspicuous since changing his colors, is now with Chicago.</p><h2><b>Bill Won Six Times</b></h2><p>Durnan, of course, won the cup six times in a seven-year span. He missed in 1947-18 when Turk Broda of the Maple Leafs compiled a better goals against record.</p><p>The only record to elude the Montreal this season was in. penalty minutes. Toronto Maple Leafs finished as the highest penalized team with 1,060 minutes. The doubtful honor for individuals went to Lou Fonrinato of the Rangers. He spent 202 minutes in the box, eclipsing the mark of 167 minutes set by Red Horner with the Leafs in 1935-36.</p><h2><b>Hab Great</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01315/1613998-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="307" height="701"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEAN BELIVEAU</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Vezina Trophy Kid</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02282/1613991-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="620" height="725"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JACQUES PLANTE</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0007-01

Jean Beliveau Captures First NHL Scoring Title

<p>MONTREAL, Que.&mdash;</p><p>Goalie Charlie Hodge flew from Seattle to join the Montreal Cana diens for the Stanley Cup playoffs. He will be the Habs&rsquo; spare goalie in case Jacques Plame should be injured or a replacement deemed necessary.</p><p>A year ago under a goofy scheme devised by Dick Irvin. then coach of the Montreal team. Hodge alternated in the nets with Plante. He appeared in four playoff games, allowing only six goals.</p><p>Gerry McNeil of Montreal Royals of the Quebec Hockey League ordinarily would probably have gotten the call but his team is in the QHL playoffs. He can be called up in an emergency only if Plante is injured and, in that event, could not lake over in the middle of a game but would have to wait until the following game.</p><p>If Royals are knocked out of the playoffs in their own league, McNeil would be available immediately.</p><p>Hodge has been playing with Seattle of the Western Hockey League and his team is out of the running.</p><p><b>LUNNY</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Charlie Hodge Spare Goaler For Habitants

<div class="byline">by Dink CarrolI</div><p>(As seen in the Montreal Gazette)</p><h2><b>Jack Adams Lauds Toe Blake</b></h2><p>Jack Adams, general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, is the latest to applaud the fine job Toe Blake has done in his freshman year as coach of the Canadiens. It is a little unusua when you consider that Jack hates to lose, and it wae the Canadiens who halted the Red Wings&rsquo; string or consecutive NHL championships at seven.</p><p>&ldquo;Toe Blake has done a remarkable job,&rdquo; Jack said in Detroit recently. &ldquo;He obviously has developed a new spirit among the players, kept them in hand, and stayed out of any controversies himself. And he has gambled on youth. I think he&rsquo;s done a wonderful job.</p><p>&ldquo;I have no kicks coming. I told my wife last year that if the Wings ever were to overcome all the obstacles they faced in winning a seventh title, I could have no complaint. They won it, so I can&rsquo;t blame them for not making it eight in a row.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe I&rsquo;m getting a little mellow and I&rsquo;m not as hard on the players as I have been in the past. Maybe I followed the dictates of my heart instead of my head in making some of the changes I did. Maybe I should have asked waivers on some other players.</p><p>&ldquo;Hockey is a business as well as a sport. You have to win and keep on winning to stay in business. Detroit is such a great town it deserves a winner. I like to win. I want to keep the club on top.&rdquo;</p><p>It is Jack&rsquo;s notion that the Canadiens will be tough to beat in years to come.</p><p>&ldquo;The competition in the National Hockey League is stronger than ever because of the farm clubs developed in the last half-dozen years,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Montreal has the biggest system of all, sponsoring 14 clubs. Detroit is sponsoring eight clubs and has approximately 130 players coming up. That means Montreal has nearly twice that number to draw from.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Farm System Cost Plenty</b></h2><p>It&rsquo;s obvious that the Red Wings have cast more than a casual eye on the Canadiens&rsquo; farm system. Coach Jimmy Skinner remarked about it here recently, saying that the Red Wings simply couldn&rsquo;t afford to operate so extensively.</p><p>How much does it cost to operate Canadiens and all their affiliated clubs? Kenny Reardon said some time ago that the approximate cost was $600,000. If you are going to shell out that kind of money, you must first take it in or you won&rsquo;t be in business very long.</p><p>John Walter, one of the Detroit hockey writers, explains how the Canadiens can afford to maintain such an extensive farm system in the following paragraph:</p><p>&ldquo;According to Frank Selke, Montreal has sold out for every home game sinse he took over as manager there in 194 6. With its seating capacity of 13,531, it has had the biggest income of any NHL club. Its 504,653 attendance in 1952 (an average of 14,413) is the record for the league.&rdquo;</p><p>Listening to Jack Adams, you get the impression that he expects the competition in the league, fierce as it now is, to become ever fiercer in the future.</p><p>&ldquo;Jean Beliveau has carried Montreal this season,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Rocket Richard has also done wonders, considering that he is 35. But a Beliveau, Richard, Gordie Howe or Red Kelly only conies along once in 25 years. You have to be lucky, as well as on your toes.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Toe Has The Right Touch</b></h2><p>Toe Blake has broken in four players&mdash;Henri Richard, Claude Provost, Jean-Guy Talbot and Bob Turner&mdash;with the Canadiens this season. All of them made the grade with something to spare, which is away out of the ordinary.</p><p>They weren&rsquo;t shunted up and down between the big club and one of its minor league affiliates, as is so often the case. They came up and stayed. How Toe managed to give them the necessary confidence and the feeling that they belonged is his secret. But he has the right touch with young players. That&rsquo;s what Jack Adams was alluding to when he said that Toe had &ldquo;gambled on youth.&rdquo;</p><p>Doug Harvey, Henri Richard, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Dollard St, Laurent and Jacques Plante, were lost to the team at one time or another through injuries, but Toe managed to keep the Habitants from going into anything resembling a real slump.</p><p>Dickie Moore has given credit to Toe for the improvement in his play this season. Then there is Rocket Richard, who has kept out of jams almost for the first time in his turbulent career. Jack Adams mentioned that Toe has stayed out of any controversies himself. The closest he came to getting into one was after Dick Irvin had prophesied that the Canadiens would win the league race by 10 games.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he was serious when he said that,&rdquo; Toe remarked. &ldquo;I think he was just kidding and trying to embarrass the Canadiens. However, it&rsquo;s possible that we&rsquo;ll win by 20 points. That should teach Dick not to make irresponsible statements.&rdquo;</p><p>Toe was criticized by some of the fans for demoting Jackie LeClair, but it must have been the right tactic. Leclair has been a stick out in his last few starts with the Habitants.</p><p>At least two other coaches in the league, King Clancy and Jimmy Skinner, have lauded Toe for the way he has handled his team this season.</p><p>&ldquo;Nobody could have done a better job,&rdquo; Clancy told us, &ldquo;and he&rsquo;s a great guy besides.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;He was in the same spot (his season that I was in a year ago,&rdquo; said Jimmy Skinner. &ldquo;Everybody called his team to finish on top. There&rsquo;s more pressure on you in that position than when you&rsquo;re coach Hig a team that looks hopeless.&rdquo;</p><p>If it were left to the Canadiens to name the coach of the year, Toe would be a shoo-in. They play hockey as if they enjoyed it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

playing the field

<p><b>NEW YORK, N.Y.&mdash;</b></p><p><b>It probably would never happen but one can&rsquo;t tell in this mixed up world of ours.</b></p><p><b>That&rsquo;s why Ranger general manager Muzz Patrick sent his chief scout, Jack Humphries, on the trail of Abigail (Ab) Hoffman, the nine-year-old girl who played for a Toronto boys&rsquo; hockey team without anyone knowing that her gender was female not male.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Who knows,&rdquo; said Muzz, &ldquo;she could turn out to be another Beliveau&rsquo;&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Come now,&rdquo; we scoffed, &ldquo;and even if she did, isn&rsquo;t there a law against girls playing in the NHL?&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Not to my knowledge,&rdquo; Patrick replied.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Well would you sign her if she was really good?&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Why not. Eh Herbie,&rdquo; said Muzz, turning to Ranger publicist Herb Goren who already had a dozen releases outlined on his sketch pad.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;I can see it now,&rdquo; mused Goren. &ldquo;Abigail (Hard Rock) Hoffman teamed up with Louie (The Reaper) Fontinato. What a combo, what a natural!&rdquo;</b></p><p><b>He can dream can&rsquo;t he.</b></p><p><b>Stan FISCHLER</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Ab and Louie What A Team! Too Bad It’s Only A Dream

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>arry Lumley, the apple-cheeked netminder of the Toronto Maple Leafs, may not have enjoyed his best season in the NHL during the 1955-56 campaign, but when the chips were down, it was starry Harry who came through in the clutch.</b></p><p><b>With the Boston Bruins breathing down their necks and threatening to walk off with the fourth and last berth th the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Maple Leafs approached their final two games of the regular schedule with a determination born of desperation. Apparently Lumley was the most determined of the lot.</b></p><p><b>Lum held the Chicago Black Hawks to one goal in Toronto on March 17 but still Leafs only managed a tie, thus re-maining in step with the Bruins, who had moved one point up earlier in the week. Things looked black for Toronto. Their last game of the schedule was against the powerful Detroit Red Wings.</b></p><p><b>That fact didn&rsquo;t faze Lumley, who skated out onto the Olympia freeze and completely throttled the high-scoring Wings as the Leafs won 2-0 and thus earned their way into the semi-final round.</b></p><p><b>The shutout was only Lumley&rsquo;s third of the season, but most Toronto fans will agree, it couldn&rsquo;t have come at a more opportune time!</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-1189/1614233-1-eng-US/f0009-112.jpg" title="f0009-11" width="151" height="238"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Harry Lumley</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-11

Player-of-the-Week

<h2><b>Top Triggerman</b></h2><p><b>Jean Beliveau led all NHL goal scorers with 47 to his credit this season.</b></p><h2><b>Big Margin</b></h2><p><b>Montreal Canadiens finished 24 points ahead of the runner-up Detroit Red Winqs.</b></p><h2><b>HOW THE RACE GOES</b></h2><h3><b>FINAL STANDINGS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01333/1614202-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="325" height="96"></div><h3><b>RESULTS OF GAMKS PLAYED WEEK KNOING MARCH JMth. 1956</b></h3><p>Tues. Mar 13th&mdash;Detroit 0 at Boston 4</p><p>Thurs. Mar. 15th&mdash;Chicago 2 at Cods 5</p><p>Thurs. Mar. 15th&mdash;Detroit 2 at Rang. 2</p><p>Sat. Mar. 17th&mdash;Rangers 2 at Cnds 7</p><p>Sat. Mar, 17th&mdash;Chicago 1 at Toronto 1</p><p>Sun. Mar. 18th&mdash;Canadiens 3 st Rang. 1</p><p>Suu. Mar. 18th&mdash;Toronto 2 at Detroit 0</p><p>Sun. Mar. 18th&mdash;Chicago 3 at Boston 2</p><h2><b>Playoff Dates</b></h2><h3><b>CANADIENS vs NEW YORK</b></h3><p>At Montreal, Tuesday, March 20.</p><p>At Montreal, Thursday, March 22.</p><p>At New York,&rsquo; Saturday. March 24.</p><p>At New York, Sunday, March 25.</p><p>At Montreal, Tuesday, March 27, if necessary.</p><p>At New York, Thursday. Marh 29. if necessary.</p><p>At Montreal, Saturday. March 31, if necessary.</p><h3><b>DETROIT vs TORONTO</b></h3><p>At Detroit. Tuesday. March 20.</p><p>At Detroit. Thursday. March 22.</p><p>At Toronto, Saturday, March 24.</p><p>At Toronto. Tuesday. March 27.</p><p>At Detroit. Thursday, March 29, If necessary.</p><p>At Toronto, Saturday. March 31, If necessary.</p><p>At Detroit, Tuesday. April 3, if necessary.</p><h3><b>TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13</b></h3><p><b>Detroit 9 at Boston 4</b></p><p><b>Detroit</b>&mdash;Goal: Hall: defense: Gold ham. Pronovost. Kelly. Hillman. Hoiling worth; forwards: Delvecchio. Prystai, Ferguson, Reibel, Howe. Lindsay. Ullman, Bucyk, Costello. PaveHHi. Dineen, Burton.</p><p><b>Boston</b>&mdash;Goal: Sawrhuk; defense: Fluman, Quackenbush. Boivin, Armstrong, Heinrich; forwards: Gatdner, Pearson. Stasiuk, McKenney. I.a Bine, Chevhefils. Toppazaini. Molens. Bonin, Maekeli, Laycoe.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03264/1614195-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="322" height="232"></div><h3><b>THURSDAY MARCH 15</b></h3><p><b>Chicago 2 at Montreal 5</b></p><p><b>Chicago</b>&mdash;Goal: Rollins; defense. SiBley. Martin. Morison, Piiote: forwards: Sullivan. I jtzenberger, Watson, Leswirk. Mickoskl, Sandford. Skov, Wilson. l.alande, Corcoran, Ciesla.</p><p><b>Canadiens</b>&mdash;Goal: Plante: defense: Harvey. Turner, Johnson, Talbot, St. Laurent. Bout hard; forward: Beliveau. Geoffrlon, Olmstead. H. Richard. M. Richard, Moore, Leclair, Curry, Marshall, Mosdell.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04223/1614188-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="320" height="327"></div><p><b>Detroit 2 at New york 2</b></p><p><b>Detroit</b>&mdash;Goal: Hull; defense; Gold ham. Pronovost, Kelly. Hillman. Hollingsworth: forwards: Reibel. Lindsay. Howe, Delvecchio. Pavelieh. prysiai, Ferguson. Ullman, Dineen, Costello, Bucyk, Burton.</p><p><b>New York</b>&mdash;Goal: Worsley; defense: H. Howell. Fontinato, Irwin, Gadsby. Evans; forwards; Gendron, Prentice, ropein, Conacher, Bathgate, Horvath. Hebenton, Murphy, Creighton, Herges heimer, K. Howell. Lowicki.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05173/1614181-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="319" height="183"></div><h3><b>SATURDAY MARCH 17 1956</b></h3><p><b>New York 2 at Canadiens 7</b></p><p><b>New York</b>&mdash;Goal: Worsby; defense: Gadsby, Evans. Irwin. H. Howell. Fontinato; forwards: Murphy, Hebenlon, Prentice, Oniiclier, Bathgate. Gndrnn, Horvath, Creighton. H&rsquo;ergesheimer, Popein. Leswirk, R. Howell.</p><p><b>Canadiens</b>&mdash;Goal: Plante: defense: Harvey. Turner. TalbU. Bouchard. Tohnson. St. liurent; forward: Beliveau, Geoffrion. Olmstead. H. Richard. M. Richard. Moore. &ldquo;Leclair, Curry, I&rsquo;provest, Mosdell. Marshall.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06148/1614174-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="318" height="391"></div><p><b>Chncago 1 at Toronto 1</b></p><p><b>Chicago</b>&mdash;Goal; Rollins: defense; Martin, Mortson, Pilote: forwards: Skov, Leswick, Mickoski, Sullivan. Litzenborger, Watsons Ciesla, Lalande, Wifson, Corcoran, Sandford.</p><p><b>Toronto</b>&mdash;Goal; Lumley; defense: Thomson, Morrison, Bolton. Horton. Tieaunie; forwards: Sloan. Armstrong. Duti, Smith. Stewart, Migay, Harris, James, Hurst, Hannigan. Balfour, Cullen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-07138/1614167-1-eng-US/f0009-072.jpg" title="f0009-07" width="320" height="198"></div><h3><b>SUNDAY MARCH 18 1956</b></h3><p><b>Canadiens 3 at New York 1</b></p><p><b>Canadiens</b>&mdash;Goal; Plante; defense: Harvey. Bouchard, Johnson, Talbot, St. Laurent, Turner; forwards:&rsquo; Beliveau. Geoffrion, Curry, Leclair, M. Richard, Moore. Olmstead, H. Richard. Mosdell, Marshall. Provost.</p><p><b>New york</b>&mdash;Goal: Woraley; defense: Irwin, G.idsby. Howell. Evans, Fontinato; forwards: (&ldquo;utiaher. Bathgate, Ccndron, Horvath, Helenton, Murphy, Creightoh. Prentice, Hergisheimer, Lewicki, Popein.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-08129/1614160-1-eng-US/f0009-082.jpg" title="f0009-08" width="324" height="241"></div><p><b>Boston 2 at Chicago 3</b></p><p><b>Chicago</b>&mdash;Goal: Hollins; defense: Martin. Morison. I&rsquo;ilot; forwards: Skov, J.egwick, Mikoski. Sullivan. Lilzenber ger, Watson, Cicala, l.ulande, Wilson, Corcoran, Sandford.</p><p><b>Boston</b>&mdash;Goal: SajAhuk: defense Human. Quackenbush. Armstrong, Bolvin, Heinrich: forwards: Gardner, Peirson, Stasiuk, Mr Kenney, Labine. Chevrefils. Toppazzini, Mohns. Bonin, Mackel, Laycoe.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-09125/1614153-1-eng-US/f0009-092.jpg" title="f0009-09" width="319" height="279"></div><p><b>Toronto</b>&mdash;Goal: Lumley: defense; Thomson, Morrison, Bolton. Horton, Reaume; forwards: Sloan. Armstrong, Duff. Smith. Stewart, Migay, Harris, James, Hurst, Hannigan. Balfour, Cullen.</p><p><b>Detroit</b>&mdash;Goal: Hall: defense: Goldham. Pronovost, Kelly, Hillman. Hollingworth; forwards: Bethel, Howe, Lindsay, Delvecchio. Pavelich. Prystai, Perguson, Ullman. Dineen, Costello, Bucyk, Burton.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-10111/1614146-1-eng-US/f0009-102.jpg" title="f0009-10" width="320" height="182"></div><h2><b>THE POINT PARADE</b></h2><h3><b>FINAL</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02311/1614139-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="329" height="1900"></div><h3><b>RECORD OF GOALKEEPERS FOR SEASON 1955-56</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06104/1614132-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="324" height="369"></div><h3><b>PENALTIES IN MINUTES BY CLUB</b></h3><p>DETROIT&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;791</p><p>CHICAGO&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;826</p><p>RANGERS&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;911</p><p>BOSTON&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;929</p><p>CANADEENS&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;977</p><p>TORONTO&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;1051<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

NATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By JIM ELLERY</div><p><b>PLAYOFF NOTES</b></p><p>Although it has been determined which four teams will participate in the American Hockey League&rsquo;s post season Calder Cup Playoffs, their final positions probably will not be settled until the final games. It is certain that Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Providence will take part, with Hershey and Springfield mathematically eliminated. Further than that, either Pittsburgh&rsquo; or Providence will be first or second, with Buffalo and Cleveland Battling it out for third and fourth, in the regular season standings.</p><p>Should a deadlock in points prevail at the end of the season, for any position, the most victories and least ties will first determine the standings. Further ties are settled by first the total number of goals scored and then by goals allowed, if the standings are still tied. This was the case last season, when three of the teams were tied for second, third and fourth places in point standing. Two of them also had a deadlock in victories, defeats and ties, so goals scored was used to determine the positions.</p><p>The playoffs, scheduled to start on Tuesday, March 27, two days after the completion of the regular season on March 25, will have the first place team playing the third place team, and the second place finisher engaging the fourth place club. Both of these two series are conducted on a best three out of five Oasis.&rsquo;The two winners will then meet in a best four out of seven series for the Calder Cup Championship. The schedule for the two semi-final series will be announced as soon as the final positions have been mathematically assured.</p><p>The financial arrangements for the playoffs, concerning the players&rsquo; pool, have the participating players sharing in the minimum number of games which are necessary to settle each of the three series. Fifty percent of the net gate receipts from the first three games in each of the two semi-final series, and the first four games of the finals are placed in the player pool. Thus the players share in a total of fifty percent of the net receipts for ten games.</p><p>Thirty percent of the total playoff pool is divided among the players based on the regular season finish, with the remaining seventy percent for playoff performance itself. The first place team during the regular season receives 11%, the second place finisher, 8G; third, 6% and fourth, 5%.</p><p>The seventy percent left for the playoffs is distributed as follows:</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01347/1614264-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="659" height="125"></div><p>Thus a team finishing in first place, which goes on to annex the playoff title receives a total of 41% of the pool. A second place team can gather in 38%; a third place team, 36%, providing it wins the championship.</p><p>An added benefit arranged strictly for the advantage of the players financially is the extra charge of 25^ on each playoff ticket purchased. This entire amount is placed in the Players&rsquo; Emergency Fund which is used to care for injured players or any who might have their playing careers terminated because of a mishap in a game.</p><p>Many thousands of dollars were given to the player fund last season as a result of the fine playoff attendance, and based on the great increase in crowds during the regular season this year, the player benefits should be of larger proportions this Spring, if the attendance prevails during the playoffs. Knowing that all of the increase of 2 5^ per ticket goes entirely to the players has resulted in very little objection by the fans, as this is the only additional charge for the playoffs over the cost of regular season admission prices for the spectators.</p><p>Although the American Hockey League employs the very beneficial use of overtime all season to settle tied games, there is a slight change in the playoff arrangements for the extra sessions. In case of ties, a full ten minute overtime period, played to a finish is used in playoffs, and then if the contest is still tied, twenty minute &ldquo;sudden death&rdquo; periods are played until a winner results. During the regular season the &ldquo;sudden death&rdquo; overtime periods start immediately at the conclusion of the regular&rsquo; sixty minutes in case of ties.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

AHL Rinkside Revealings

<div class="byline">DICK McCRONE</div><p>HERSHEY, Pa.&mdash;</p><p>Kenny Smith probably won&rsquo;t win any positions on the American Hockey League&rsquo;s All-Star teams, but he rates high in the eyes of Hershey Bear fans and Central Pennsylvania sportswriters and sportscasters this season.</p><p>The 31-year-old left winger, who was tossed out on hockey&rsquo;s scrap heap by the Providence Reds two years back, has been one of Hershey&rsquo;s most consistent performers all season. Only Smit ty and Ed. Kryzanowski have played in every Bear fracas.</p><p>He won&rsquo;t equal his previous high scoring year, when he lit the red lamp 20 times and assisted in setting up 36 other scores yor Providence in 1951-52, but he will post the second best offensive mark of his 11-year pro career.</p><p>In 59 games, Kenny had 15 goals and 3 2 assists for 4 7 points. And, in addition to being an important member of the Gordie Wilson-Dunc Fisher line, which accounted for 77 goals, he has been used to good advantage on occasion as a penalty killer.</p><h2><b>Second Tour of Duty</b></h2><p>This is Kenny&rsquo;s second tour of duty with the Bears. He previously played with the Chocolatetown skaters on loan from Boston Bruins in 1945-46. Then followed services with Boston, Pittsburgh, Providence and Sydney before he was handed his unconditional release.</p><p>Two years ago, as a free agent, he was given a try out with the Bears and won himself a job. Last year, although used largely as an extra man, he picked up 12 goals and 16 assists.</p><h2><b>Second Best Year</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02288/1614295-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="615" height="645"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KENNY SMITH</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-02

Consistency The Trademark Of Hershey’s Kenny Smith

<h2><b>&ldquo;Hat Trick&rdquo;</b></h2><p><b>Doug McMurdy scored a &ldquo;Hat Trick&rdquo; for Springfield against Cleveland on March 18.</b></p><h2><b>Lead Slashed</b></h2><p><b>Providence Reds&rsquo; margin atop the AHL heap has been cut to a single point by Pittsburgh Hornets.</b></p><h2><b>HOW THE RACE GOES</b></h2><h3><b>STANDING ON TUES. A.M., MARCH 20</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01346/1614410-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="324" height="99"></div><h3><b>WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14</b></h3><p><b>Springfield 2 at Buffalo 5</b></p><p>BUFFALO, N.Y.&mdash;Buffalo Bisons, paced by Jack McIntyre and Ken Wharram, scored two goals within 15 seconds of the final period to defeat Springfield Indians 5-2 in an American Hockey League game here.</p><p>Wsharram had two goals and three assists while McIntyre had two of each. The victory ended a three-game losing streak foi Buffalo and left them within two points of Cleveland Barons in the battle for third place.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02305/1614403-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="321" height="309"></div><p><b>Cleveland 6 at Hershey 4</b></p><p>HERSHEY, Pa.&mdash;Fred Glover, veteran Cleveland Barons right wjnger, scored three goals to pace the Barons to a 6-4 American Hockey League victory over Hershey Bears.</p><p>His final goal came seconds before the game ended and after goalie John Henderson was pulled from the Hershey nets In favor of a six-man attack.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03244/1614396-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="324" height="377"></div><h3><b>WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14</b></h3><p><b>Springfield 2 at Buffalo 5</b></p><p>BUFFALO, N.Y.&mdash;Buffalo Bisons, paced by Jack McIntyre and Ken Wharram, scored two goals within 15 seconds of the final period to defeat Springfield Indians 5-2 in an American Hockey League game here.</p><p>Wharram had two goals and three assists while Mcntyre had two of each. The victory ended a three-game losing streak for Buffalo and left them within two points of Cleveland Barons in the battle for third place.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04196/1614389-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="318" height="299"></div><h3><b>SUNDAY, MARCH 18</b></h3><p><b>Cleveland 2 at Providence 6</b></p><p>PROVIDENCE, R.I.&mdash;Camille Henry lucored three goals in the first period It? Providence Reds. Downed Cleveland Barons 6-2 to hold their onepoint lead top the AHL.</p><p>Henry, who tied a league record March 3 by storing six goals against Springfield Indians, boosted his season&rsquo;s total to 48, seven off the league record.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05163/1614382-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="323" height="380"></div><p>SPRINGFIELD, Mass.&mdash;Ken Sehin kcl&rsquo;s goal at 2.4 4 In the overtime period gave Springfield Indians a 7-6 victory over Hershey Bears in an AHL game here.</p><p>The last-place Indians spotted the Bears a 4-0 lead in the first period and trailed &lsquo;again by two goals in the third before pulFlng the game out of the fire.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06147/1614375-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="323" height="558"></div><p><b>Pittsburgh 4 at Buffalo 0</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-07131/1614368-1-eng-US/f0011-072.jpg" title="f0011-07" width="321" height="260"></div><h3><b>FRIDAY, MARCH 16</b></h3><p><b>Springfield 2 at Pittsburgh 10</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-08126/1614361-1-eng-US/f0011-082.jpg" title="f0011-08" width="321" height="445"></div><h3><b>SATURDAY, MARCH 17</b></h3><p><b>Providence 5 at Hershey 2</b></p><p>HERSHEY, Pa.&mdash;Bruce Cline scored two goals, including the game-winner in the second period, to pace Providence Reds to a 5-2 American Hockey League victory over Hershey Bears.</p><p>Cline&rsquo;s first goal came early fn the second period after a dull first period in which there was iiq scoring and no penalties werecalled. Ed Panagabko evenned the score minutes later and then Jim Bartlett again put the Reds in front. Dune Fisher&rsquo;s goal at 12.46 tied the score until Cline scored the winner at 18.04.</p><p>Providence&rsquo;s two final-period goals were by George McAvoy and Camille Henry.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-09118/1614354-1-eng-US/f0011-092.jpg" title="f0011-09" width="322" height="347"></div><p><b>Springfield 4 at Cleveland 2</b></p><p>CLEVELAND, Ohio&mdash;Doug McMurdy scored three goals and assisted on another as Springfield Indians defeated Cleveland Baron 4-2 in an American Hockey League League game here.</p><p>McMurdy scored the only goal of the first period and Fred Glover, who got both Cleveland goals, scored the single goal of the second period.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-10101/1614347-1-eng-US/f0011-102.jpg" title="f0011-10" width="321" height="307"></div><p><b>Buffalo 3 at Pittsburgh 5</b></p><p>PITTSBURGH, Pa.&mdash;Three third period goals, including two by Parker MacDonald, gave Pittsburgh Hornets a 5-3 American Hockey League victory over Buffalo Bisons here.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-1181/1614340-1-eng-US/f0011-112.jpg" title="f0011-11" width="310" height="341"></div><h2><b>THE POINT PARADE</b></h2><p><b>(Including games of Sunday, March 18)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-1350/1614333-1-eng-US/f0011-132.jpg" title="f0011-13" width="321" height="277"></div><h3><b>LEADERS</b></h3><p>Most Goals&mdash;Camille Henry, Providence, 48.</p><p>Most Assists&mdash;Zelllo Toppazzinin, Providence, 67.</p><p>Best Goalie&mdash;Gil Mayer, Pittsburgh, 52, 138, 5, 2.65.</p><p>Most Shutouts&mdash;Gil Mayer, Pittsburgh, 5.</p><p>Most Penalized Player&mdash;Jack Bion da, Pittsburgh, 188 mts.</p><p>Most Penalized Team&mdash;Pittsburgh, 1322 mts.</p><h2><b>Caught In The Act</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-1271/1614326-1-eng-US/f0011-122.jpg" title="f0011-12" width="626" height="804"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CAUGHT BY THE CAMERA</b> in the act of hooking is Jim Farelli, the youthful forward with the Cleveland Barons. Player on the other end of Farelli&rsquo;s stick is Doug McMurdy of the Springfield Indians.</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By HARVEY DRYDEN</div><p><b>Crowds Please Owner Piggott</b></p><p>REGINA, Sask.&mdash;&lsquo;</p><p>Well, it&rsquo;s official now. The Regals pro hockey club will stay in Brandon. Club owner Jim Piggott made the an&rsquo; nouncement before one of the Regals&rsquo; final Western Hoekey League games In the Wheat City &lsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I am well satisfied with the support Brandon fans have accorded us&rdquo;, said Mr. Piggott. &ldquo;As a matter of fact, we are very pleased with the way they have turned out. And I feel that given a strong contending team, that support will be even greater another season&rdquo;.</p><p>Piggott said he would take immediate steps to have the Western Hockey League executive give approval to Brandon as a permanent league franchise. That approval should not be difficult to obtain because all Western League moguls were well pleased with tlie attendance in Brandon when the Regals&rsquo; team was shifted there early in January.</p><h2><b>Boucher Retained</b></h2><p>At the same&rsquo; time, owner Piggott announced that former New York Ranger manager Frank Boucher would continue next year as manager and coach of the Regals&rsquo; team. Piggott said that steps would be taken to strengthen the club and at the moment he had strings on five new players for the Regals.</p><p>This has been an eventful season for the Regals in their first season in professional hockey. One of three new entries in tlie Western Pro circuit (the others are Winnipeg and Seattle), they started off with high hopes in the Saskatchewan capital of Regina. Regina has always been a good hockey city down through the years. However, the last senior club in Regina wound up deep in the red in the season of 1950-51 and the Regals fared lit jtle better in their games in Regina.</p><h2><b>Crowds Got Lower</b></h2><p>Opening night crowd in Regina was up around the &lsquo;2,000 mark but they seldom approached that figure again. Crowds kept getting lower instead of higher and the worst at tendance came early in December in a game with the Saskatoon Quakers. There were less than 400 paid on hand for that game.</p><p>After that poor attendance. Piggott looked around for an other home for the club and de cided to give Brandon a try. Crowds there were only fair at first because of the Christmas Shopping rush, but they picked up considerably after the turn of the year.</p><p>The Regals drew several gates up near the 4,0 00 mark. It was really a smart decision by Piggott to move to Brandon because it seemed very unlikely, that Regina people would ever turn out to support the club.</p><h2><b>Slight Disappointment</b></h2><p>Piggott expressed slight disappointment at the Regals&rsquo; failure to catch a playoff berth. Earlier in the winter, they seemed dead certain to grab the fourth and last playoff berth. Two things changed that.</p><p>(1) Regals&rsquo; play tailed off a&rsquo; bit: and (2) the Saskatoon Quakers got red hot.</p><p>Bolstered by the addition of Don Raleigh and Bill McCreary, who were sent to Saskatoon in tlie N.Y. Ranger farm system, the Quakers suddenly became the hottest club in. the Western wheel. They swept everything before them and soon overtook die Regals despite the fact they were 10 points behind at one time</p><p>Raleigh, a brilliant playmaker with the Rangers, was tlie key man in this drive. He centered a line with McCreary on one wing and Jackie McLeod on the other. This was the Quakers&rsquo; big line.</p><p>Raleigh set up both McCreary and McLeod beautifully.</p><h2><b>Needs More Speed</b></h2><p>McCreary has all the makings of a big leaguer if he could show a bit more speed. The Guelph junior graduate has a powerful shot, knows how to put the puck in the net and is as strong as a bull.</p><p>On defence, the Quakers got good service from Bob Chrystal. a one-time Ranger, and Mid Houghton. Former NHL&rsquo;er Vic Lynn was slowing up as a forward and so was moved back to defence where he played well.</p><p>Where crowds were poor in Saskatoon as the Quakers slumped in the cellar, they picked up with the arrival of Raleigh on the scene. Early in the year they were averaging about 1200 paid, but iu their climb to a playoff spot they drew a capacity throng of over 5,000 to watch them hand the Regals a 7-2 drubbing. Several former Quaker players on the Regals&rsquo; roster, such as former coach Doug Bentley, George Senick, Ray Manson and others,.helped to pack in the Saskatoon fans.</p><h2><b>Raleigh Key Man</b></h2><p>If the Quakers can start off next season as they finished this one, they should restore pro hockey to its former place as the main item on the Saskatoon sports menu. Much of this could depend on where the Rangers assign Don Raleigh next campaign. If lie&rsquo;s in&rsquo;Saskatoon, the Quakers will be happy.</p><p>The Quakers can be expected to give the leading Winnipeg Warriors a hot battle in the first round of the playoffs. Raleigh is a former Winnipeg boy and he seems to go well in the big new Winnipeg arena. Since he joined the Quakers, they hold a win and a tie with Winnipeg on Winnipeg ice, as well as beating them twice in Saskatoon.</p><p>OOne of the excellent points about Brandon&rsquo;s presence in the league is its convenient travelling distance from Winnipeg. Travelling, teams can pjay on successive nights in Winnipeg and Brandon when they move into the eastern end of the league. The rivaltry between Winnipeg and Brandon has always been hot, and they&rsquo;ll always pack them in when they play.</p><h2><b>Powerful Shot</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01342/1614441-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="306" height="810"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bill McCreary</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

WHL Regals Will Remain In Brandon Next Season

<div class="byline">By AL LEADER</div><p>SEATTLE, Wash.&mdash;</p><p>Western Hockey League teams entered the final week of the schedule still in the dark as to which teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.</p><p>All playoff positions should, however, have been decided by Saturday March 17, the final day of the regular schedule.</p><p>In the event that any two or more clubs within their division were tied in points, the higher position was to be awarded to tho be awarded to the club having scored the greater number oy goals, team that had won the greater number of games. Had the teams won the same number of games, then the higher position was to Had the teams won the same number of games and scored the same number of goals, then the higher position was to be awarded to the team with the fewest goals, scored against them.</p><h2><b>Top Four Clubs</b></h2><p>In the Prairie Division the first four clubs qualified for the play-offs. The first and fourth place clubs play one another and the second and third place clubs play one another in a best-of-five game series. The winners to meet in a best-of-seven game series for the Prairie Di vision ch ampionship and the right to meet the Coast winners. The first two games were to be played in the home cities of the first and second place clubs. The third and fourth, if necessary, in the home cities of the third and fourth place clubs. If a fifth game is necessary it will be played in the home city of the first and second place club.</p><p>The two top clubs in this round robbin series will paly a bestof seven game series for the right to&rsquo; meet the Prairie winners.</p><p>All games will be played to a finish. It the game is tied at the end of the regulation time the teams will take a 10 minute rest and then play &lsquo;twenty minute &ldquo;Sudden-death&rdquo; periods until the first goal is scored</p><p>The Western Hockey League play-off champions will host the winner of the Quebec League playoffs for the Duke of Edinburgh Trophy.</p><h2><b>A MAN&rsquo;S ale</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02269/1614486-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="304" height="284"><figcaption class="caption-body">&ldquo;A job like mine takes it out of you&rdquo;</figcaption></div><h2><b>with BODY in it</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03210/1614479-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="300" height="286"><figcaption class="caption-body">&ldquo;But Labatt&rsquo;s IPA puts it right back in,&rdquo; <i>says Joseph Porelle, Toronto.</i></figcaption></div><p><b>Your first bottle</b> will prove it&hellip;IPA&rsquo;s a man&rsquo;s ale! Here&rsquo;s the BIG body and flavour you&rsquo;ve been looking for in ale. Joseph Porelle has a man-size job, and man-size tastes. His ale is Labatt&rsquo;s IPA. Make it yours, too.</p><p>Find out about IPA&hellip;<i>the ale that satisfies the man in you!</i> Make the great discovery as soon as possible&ndash;try IPA next time vou&rsquo;re at jour favourite hotel or tavern, or next time you order ale for the home. Start enjoying the ale with body&hellip;flavour&hellip;ZEST! The man&rsquo;s ale&mdash;IPA!</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04155/1614472-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="298" height="300"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-02

WHL Playoff Notes

<h2><b>Game Winners</b></h2><p><b>Sid Finney of Calgary Stam peders has scored 10 gome winning goals this season.</b></p><h2><b>Penalty Leader</b></h2><p><b>Pot Egan of Vancouver Canucks has spent 151 minutes the penalty box this season.</b></p><h2><b>HOW THE RACE GOES</b></h2><h3><b>COAST DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01347/1614650-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="325" height="68"></div><h3><b>PRAIRIE DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02305/1614643-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="324" height="79"></div><p>&bull;Following the game in Saskatoon March 14th. Calgary and Saskatoon will complete the replay of the last 9 minutes and 56 seconds of their game played October 17th. The score at the start of the replay at the 10.04 mark of the third period will be 3 to 1 in favour of Saskatoon.</p><p>&bull; Note: Tn the above standins the results of the game played in Saskatoon October 17th, won by Saskatoon 4-3 and protested by Calgary are not included. Results of tills game, won, lost or tied and the goals for and against and the points earned are to be added &ldquo;to the above standing.</p><h3><b>RESULTS</b></h3><p><b>Monday March 5th</b></p><p>Edmonton 2 at Saskatoon 6</p><p><b>Tuesday March 6th</b></p><p>Vancouver 3 at Victoria 0</p><p>Edmonton 2 at Winnipeg 4</p><p><b>Wednesday March 7th</b></p><p>Seattle 2 at New West. 6</p><p>Saskatoon 3 at Calgary 12</p><p>Edmonton 1 at Brandon 5</p><p><b>Friday March 9th</b></p><p>Seattle 2 at Victoria 3 OT</p><p>New West. 1 at Vancouver 4</p><p>Brandon 2 at Edmonton 3 OT</p><p>Saskatoon 2 at Winnipeg 2</p><p><b>Saturday March 10th</b></p><p>Vancouver 1 at Seattle</p><p>Victoria 3 at New West. 4</p><p>Brandon 2 at Calgary 4</p><p>Winnipeg 0 at Saskatoon 3</p><h3><b>MONDAY, MARCH 5</b></h3><p><b>Edmonton 2 at Saskatoon 6</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05213/1614636-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="324" height="406"></div><h3><b>TUESDAY, MARCH 6</b></h3><p><b>Vancouver 3 at Victoria 0</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06183/1614629-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="323" height="204"></div><p><b>Edmonton 2 at Winnipeg 4</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07170/1614622-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="323" height="201"></div><h3><b>WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7</b></h3><p><b>Seattle 2 at New Westminster 6</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08160/1614615-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="324" height="444"></div><p><b>Saskatoon 3 at Calgary 12</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09154/1614608-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="319" height="336"></div><p><b>Edmonton 1 at Brandon 5</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10148/1614601-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="321" height="202"></div><h3><b>FRIDAY, MARCH 9</b></h3><p><b>Seattle 2 at Victoria 3</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11131/1614594-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="325" height="288"></div><p><b>New Westminster 1 at Vancoiner 4</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12117/1614587-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="319" height="230"></div><p><b>Brandon 2 at Edmonton 3</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1396/1614580-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="319" height="264"></div><p><b>Saskatoon 2 at Winnipeg 2</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1487/1614573-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="319" height="243"></div><h3><b>SATURDAY, MARCH 10</b></h3><p><b>Vancouver 1 at Seattle 4</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1572/1614566-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="320" height="163"></div><p><b>Victoria 3 at New Westminster 4</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1648/1614559-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg" title="f0013-16" width="322" height="286"></div><p><b>Brandon 2 at Calgary 4</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1739/1614552-1-eng-US/f0013-172.jpg" title="f0013-17" width="322" height="216"></div><p><b>Winnipeg 0 at Saskatoon 3</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05123/1614545-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="315" height="190"></div><h2><b>THE POINT PARADE</b></h2><p>(Includes games Saturday March 10)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03274/1614538-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="326" height="752"></div><h3><b>GOALKEEPERS RECORDS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04245/1614531-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="321" height="202"></div><h3><b>LEADERS</b></h3><p><b>Most Goals</b></p><p>Gordie Fashoway, NW. 4 5</p><p><b>Most Assists</b></p><p>Bobby Love, NW. 61</p><p>Guyle Fielder, Sea. 61</p><p><b>Most Game Winning Goals</b></p><p>Sid Finney, Cal. 10</p><p><b>Most First Goal of Gaine</b></p><p>Colin Kilburn, Vic. 10</p><p>Most Hat Tricks</p><p>Jackie McLeod, Sask.</p><p>Gordie Fashoway, Vic. 3</p><p><b>Most Shutouts</b></p><p>Marcel Pelletier, Vic.</p><p><b>Mot Goals Scored when</b></p><p><b>Opponents Shorthanded</b></p><p>Barry Cullen, Wpg. 10</p><p>Gordie Fashoway, NW. 10</p><p><b>Most Goals Scored Against When Serving Penalties</b></p><p>Bill Burega, Wpg. 10</p><p><b>Most Minutes in Penalties</b></p><p>Pat Egan, Van. 151</p><p>Bill Burega, Wpg. 147</p><p>Jim Hay, Brandon 148</p><p>Bud Syverson, Cal. 146</p><p><b>Fewest Minutes in Penalties</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1834/1614524-1-eng-US/f0013-182.jpg" title="f0013-18" width="291" height="98"></div><h2><b>Badman</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1930/1614517-1-eng-US/f0013-192.jpg" title="f0013-19" width="277" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PAT EGAN</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-01

WESTERN LEAGUE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01346/1614681-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="162" height="175"></div><p>(as seen in The Montreal Herald).</p><p>JOE LEPINE, a fugitive from a Fredericton, N.B. process server, was at the game when Chicoutimi Sagueneens met Royals at the Forum. Lepine is one of the players threatened with a suit for $3,500 damages for refusal to play in a game at Saint John, N.B. March 7.</p><p>To his old friend Gerry Pla mondon. Lepine explained his flight from the man with the stack of subpoenas. He was getting into a car with three other players when he saw a sinister looking party approaching with papers in hand.</p><p>&lsquo;Goodbye, boys&rdquo; said Lepine &ldquo;I forgot my rubbers&rdquo;.</p><p>He made off down the street, despite the cries of the legal beagle! &ldquo;Hey. Joe, Wait a minute!&rdquo;</p><p>Later Lepine met other friends and motored to Montreal.</p><p><b>Playing-coach Hugbie Campbell, Lawrence Blackburn, William McDonagli and Bernie McDonald were served.</b></p><p><b>According io Lepine version, the I&rsquo;redericion hockey players were pulling a big bluff to try to have the ninth game of a deadlocked playoff series played in their own rink. The club executive botched the rase, which is the reason the entire Tredericton hoekey team of the Atlantic Senior Hockey League is now in a jam that could jeopardize the hockey future of all players involved.</b></p><p>The players would have backed down and played the game in Saint John, had the club executive explained they faced sus-pension for their revolt, Lepine claims.</p><p>As a standout defenseman when he came up to senior Royals from junior ranks some years ago, Lepine was touted as a surefire big league prospect. He preferred to be one of the game&rsquo;s merry-andrews, too fond of pranks, extracurricular activity, almost anything for a gag&rsquo; or laugh. Still he was such a colorful performer he had a host of admirers who were continually bringing gifts, and good luck tokens.</p><p><b>Royals had a large dressing room on the east sille of the Foi&rsquo;uni those days. (&lsquo;lose friends were welcome and generally after a winning game the place would be jammed.</b></p><p><b>One day in particular it wasnt&rsquo; crowded. Royals had played shoddily, been roundly beaten by Ottawa Senators. A toinblike silence pervaded while coai&rsquo;Ii Frank Carlin scowled at his men.</b></p><p><b>As usual Lepine, first dressed. stuck a big cigar in his face, stood up in the center of the room, pencil poised addressing an absent audience.</b></p><p><b>&ldquo;Now don&rsquo;t crowd boys and girls, just get in line,&rdquo; lie said, bis hand upraised. &ldquo;Come along quietly and everyone can have my autograph.&rdquo;</b></p><p>As playing coach in Matane of the Lower St. Lawrence Senior League Plamondon had Lepine on his team briefly last, season. After turning in a pretty good effort his first outing, Lepine was soon dressed, cigar puffing, ready for the street.</p><p>&ldquo;Hurry, up Gerry!&rdquo; he said &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go!&rdquo;.</p><p>&ldquo;Go where?&rdquo; said Plamondon.&rsquo;Where do you think we re going after eleven o&rsquo;clock in Matane. It&rsquo;s not that kind of a town&rdquo;</p><p>Two-days later Lepine came to Plamondon and said; &ldquo;Sorry Gerry, I&rsquo;m leaving.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

AL parsley

<h2>First Team</h2><p>G&mdash;McNeil. Royals</p><p>D&mdash;Deslauriers, Royals</p><p>D&mdash;Claude. Chicoutimi</p><p>C&mdash;Dube, Shawinigan</p><p>RW&mdash;Corriveau. Royals</p><p>LW&mdash;Grosse. Shawinigan</p><p>Coach&mdash;Leger. Shawinigan</p><h2>Second Team</h2><p>G&mdash;Perreault. Shawinigan</p><p>D&mdash;Lamirande, Shawinigau</p><p>D&mdash;Langlois. Shawinigan</p><p>C&mdash;-Moore, Chicoutimi</p><p>RW&mdash;Kachur, Shawinigan</p><p>LW&mdash;S. Smrke, Chicoutimi</p><p>Coach&mdash;Plamondon, Chicoutimi.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Quebec League All-Stars

<div class="byline">By AL PARSLEY</div><p>MONTREOL, Que.&mdash;</p><p>A brisk passing-trade and booming business from the arriage. folk, too, was reported as the Quebec Hockey League schedule braked to a stop, and passage was cleared to he playoffs.</p><p>Shawinigan Cataracts clinched first place for a second itcaighi season, the&rsquo; Montreal toyals were solid in second. Chicoutimi Sagueneens wound up third, Quebec Aces, fourth and he first year Trois-Rivieres Lions were left out in the jungle.</p><p>Cataracts Sagueneens; Royals and Aces are now swinging into the semi-finals, both series on a best of seven footing.</p><p>The Cataracts wound up 14 points ahead of Royals and impressed their authority the final day of the schedule by nosing out Elmer Lach&rsquo;s crew 2-1 before 6,789 at the Forum.</p><p>This tidy gathering one of the: best of the season at the big Montreal plant, brought Royals attendance for the season to 115,600, &lsquo;a hoist of ten thousand customers above the 1954-55 turnstile count.</p><h2><b>Vezina To Gerry</b></h2><p>On the individual level awards were collected as follows: Gerry McNeil of Royals won the Vezina Memorial Trophy, with a goal tally of 162. compared to next best 16,6 against the Shawinigan Cataracts, which is the charge Shouldered by Bob Perreault. Perreault won the &ldquo;Vezina&rdquo; last year.</p><p>Gilles Dube, veteran pokerfaced center man for the Cataracts, took away The President&rsquo;s Cup. put up for annual competition annually by the league chief executive George M. Slater</p><p>Dube, a steady point collector all season, topped the field by nine points, outdistancing all rivals in assists, with 54. and matching the 87 goals scored by Royals&rsquo; sharpshooting Pony Express, Andre Corriveau.</p><p>Dube and Corriveau came into the last game tied in goals, but neither of them hit the cordage in this outing, though Dube added his last assist on one of the Shawinigan team&rsquo;s pair of tallies.</p><p>Corriveau got this share of the loot by capturing the Byng of Vimy Trophy as announced last week.</p><h2><b>Paille a Standout</b></h2><p>As this edition rolled presswise, only the Northey Trophy, the prize for the season&rsquo;s best rookie was left to be accounted for. It is hotly rumoured that Mareel Paille. Chicoutimi Sagueneens&rsquo; brilliant 21-year-old backstop held a halfnelson on Mr. Northey&rsquo;s award.</p><p>The Quebec loop has no trophy to offer the team which wins the race, so Roger Leger&rsquo;s troubadours at Shawinigan Falls, can paste a final league standing in their hatbands for evidence.</p><p>The Thomas O&rsquo;Connell Memorial Trophy goes to the club winning the playoff series. Jt has been in competition since 1939 and was donated to the old QSHL by D&rsquo;Arcy and Danny O&rsquo;Connell in memory of their father. Mr. Thomas O&rsquo;Connell, now deceased, was a former Montreal alderman, long time dean of the City Council. He was, during his lifetime very close to sports in Montreal.</p><h2><b>Lacrosse Great</b></h2><p>For many years he was president of the Columbusclub in the QSHL and in the keydey of lacrosse he captained Shamrocks, one of the trains hallowed in the halcyon period of Canada&rsquo;s grand old national game.</p><p>Cataracts clinched their second straight QHL banner in time to add frills to a celebration for their coach of vast popularity, Roger Leger.</p><p>&ldquo;Roger Leger Night&rdquo; was attended with all due auspices al Shawinigan Falls on March 13. Montreal Royals furnished the opposition for the Cataracts who responded to the occasion by giving their arch-rivals a terrific trouncing to the 9-1 tune.</p><p>Gilles Dube, on the trail of the league&rsquo;s scoring championship, swelled his totals by two goals and a pair of assists. Jean Paul Denis and Dick Wray also scored two goals apiece. Connie Broded. Dick Bouchard and Eddie Kachur added singles.</p><p>Ti-Guy Rousseau got the only marker tor the Montrealers.</p><h2><b>Leger&ldquo;DAY&rdquo;</b></h2><p>&lsquo;All due trappings were furnished the festivities for Leger, the popular-playing pilot, who showed his dura Hlity this season by returning to active duty after a five week layoff with three fractured ribs in late December and January.</p><p>Leger received spick and span 1956 hardtop Buick, which they say ie equipped with everything, but a bathtub. Wearing apparelgalore was included in the loot, besides an electric sewing-machine for Mrs. Leger, and a set of storm-doors for the Leger mansion.</p><p>A not of hilarity was added the ceremonies when Royals general manager Frank Carlin proffered Leger a rocking chair, lounge-robe, slippers and pipe a broad hint the popular playing coach was overdue for retirement.</p><p>When the car was driven to centre ice, the chauffeur was Claude Provost,&rsquo; with Bob Turner a passenger. Both played last year for Cataracts. A hitch-hiker was Erwin Grosse, one of this year&rsquo;s Cats sidelined with injuries.</p><p>Kenny Reardon, who is also general-manager of the Shawinigan club was an official representative of the Canadian Arena Company. Also in the grotip at centre ice were Jean Barrette, MLC. Mayor Gaston Hary of Shawinigan Falls, president George M. Slater and secretarySid Holstead ot the QHL.</p><h2><b>Consistent Cage Cop</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02267/1614719-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="941" height="637"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GERRY McNElL</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Cat Coach Honored</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03200/1614712-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="612" height="753"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROCKING CHAIR</b>for Roger&mdash;When &ldquo;Roger Leger Night&rdquo; was held at Shawinigan Falls, the opposition took part to show there were no hard feelings. Frank Carlin, generalmanager, and Lulu Denis, captain, of Montreal Royals are standing beside a rocking-chair, in which Leger is seated. The Montrealers brought along the chair, dressing-gown, slippers and a pipe. This may be construed as a broad hint it&rsquo;s high time Roger went into retirement.</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-02

Gerry McNeil Captures QHL’s Vezina Trophy

<h2><b>Scoring Champ</b></h2><p><b>Gilles Dube of the Shawinigan Falls Cataracts is the 1955-56 QHL Scoring Champion,</b></p><h2><b>14-Point Margin</b></h2><p><b>Shawinigan Falls Cataracts finished the QHL schedule 14 points in front of the rest of the pack.</b></p><h2><b>HOW THE RACE GOES</b></h2><h3><b>FINAL STANDING</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01319/1614844-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="325" height="83"></div><h3><b>TUESDAY MARCH 13</b></h3><p><b>Montreal 1 at Shawinigan 9</b></p><p><b>Royals</b>&mdash;Goal: McNeil; defense: Clune, Deslaulies. R. Rousseau, Ingram, MacPherson; forwards: Corriveau, Thorndycraft. L. Denis, G. Rousseau, Boucher, Laplante, Goyette, Burnett, Mackay.</p><p><b>Shawinigan Falls</b>&mdash;Goal: Perreault; defense: Hodgson, Roche, Lamirande, Langlois, Leger; forwards: Broden, Faulkner, Kachur, Dube, Wray, J. P. Denis, Desaulniers, Bouchard, Thomson.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02282/1614837-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="325" height="434"></div><p><b>Three Rivers 0 at Chicoutimi 7</b></p><p><b>Trois Rivieres</b>&mdash;Goal: Bell; defense: Bedard, Amadio. Tennant, MacNeil; forwards: Blaine, Schcrza, Kapusta, Gro lea u, Haworth, Bouchard, Gagnon, Bi-sailion, Palarnar. &lsquo;</p><p><b>Chicoutimi</b>&mdash;Goal: Pallle: defense: Claude, Roy, Labrosse. Taillefer, Hanna; forwards: L. Smvke, Locas, Tkachuk, Perreaut, Topoll, Q&rsquo;esvjnan, Hicks, Maxwell, Moore, Campeau.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03258/1614830-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="319" height="311"></div><h3><b>WEDNESDAY MARCH 14</b></h3><p><b>Quebec 3 at Three Rivers 5</b></p><p><b>Quebec</b>&mdash;Goal: Millar; defense: Schneider, Macqueen, Ernst, Macnab; forwards: Gamble, Tessier. Powell, Ford. Polizianii Laba die, Tremblay, Cossette, Regan, Achtymdchuk.</p><p><b>Three Rivers</b>&mdash;Goal: Bell; defense: Bedard, Amadio, Bouchard, Tennant, MacNeil; forwards: Blaine, Lalonde, Scherza, Kapusta, Groleau, Haworth, Palarnar, Gagnon. Biaillnn.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04210/1614823-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="323" height="386"></div><h3><b>WEDNESDAY MARCH 15</b></h3><p><b>Montreal 0 at Quebec 1</b></p><p><b>Royals</b>&mdash;Goal: McNeil; defense, Ingram, Deslauriers, Clune, MacPherson; forwards: JI. Rousseau, Corriveau, Thorn dycraft. Goyette, Boucher, G. Rousseau, Denis, MacKay, laplante.</p><p><b>Quebec</b>&mdash;Goal: Millar; defense: Mac-Queen. Schneider. Ernst, Zeniuk. Mac Nab; forwards: Gamble. Tessier. Powell. Labadie. Tremblay, Achtymichuk, Buchanan, Cossette.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05172/1614816-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="320" height="183"></div><p><b>Shawinigan 2 at Chicoutimi 4</b></p><p><b>Shawinigan Falls</b>&mdash;Goal: R. Perreault; defense: Leger. Hodgson, Langlois, Roche; forwards: Desaulniers, Wray Bouchard, Kachur, Thomson, Denis, Broden, Grosse, Faulkner, Dube, Lamirand e.</p><p><b>Chicoutimi</b>&mdash;Goal: Paille; defense: Glaude, Roy, Taillefer, Hanna, Labrosse; forwards: L. Smrke. Moore, Locas. Topoll, F. Perreault, Hicks, Maxwell, Gressman, Tkachuk, Campeau.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-06152/1614809-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="319" height="296"></div><h3><b>SATURDAY MARCH 17, 1956</b></h3><p><b>Three Rivers 3 at Quebec 5</b></p><p><b>Three Rivers</b>&mdash;Goal: Bell; denfense: Bedard. Amadio, Bouchard. Tennant; forwards: Blaine. Lalonde, Scherza, Kapusta, Groleau, Hayworth, Maqjieil, Gagnon, Bisaillon, Palarnar.</p><p><b>Quebec</b>&mdash;Goal: Millar; defense: Schneider, MacQueen, Ernst, Zen Ink, Macnab; forwards: Gamble, Tessier, Powell. Labadie, Trepiblay, Achtymichuk, Buchanan, Cossette. Regan.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-07144/1614802-1-eng-US/f0015-072.jpg" title="f0015-07" width="321" height="340"></div><h3><b>SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 1956</b></h3><p><b>Shawinigan 2 at Royals 1</b></p><p><b>Shawinigan Falls</b>&mdash;Goal: Perreault; defense: Leger, Hodgson, Lamirande. Langlois, Roche; forwards: Desaulniers, Wray, Bouchard, Kachur, Thomson, J. P. Denis, Broden, Faulkner. Dube.</p><p><b>Royals</b>&mdash;Goal: McNeil; defense: R. Rousseau, Ingram, Deslauriers, Clune, Macpherson; forwards: Corriveau, Thorn dypaft, Goyette, Boucher, G. Rousseau, L. Denis, Markay, Laplante.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-08133/1614795-1-eng-US/f0015-082.jpg" title="f0015-08" width="320" height="229"></div><p><b>Chicoutimi 5 at Three Rivers 3</b></p><p><b>Chicoutimi</b>&mdash;Goal: Morissette; defense: Taillefer, Roy, Labrosse, Hanna: forwards: Cressman, Locas, Perreault, L. Smrke, Topoll, Campeau, Moore, Maxwell, Tkachuk.</p><p><b>Three Rivers</b>&mdash;Goal: Bell; defense: Bedard. Amadio, Bouchard, Tennant, MacNeil; forwards: Blaine, Hayworth, Lalonde, Scherza, Kapusta. Groleau, Gagnon, Bilsaiiton, Palarnar.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-09125/1614788-1-eng-US/f0015-092.jpg" title="f0015-09" width="324" height="397"></div><h2><b>Scoring King</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-10111/1614781-1-eng-US/f0015-102.jpg" title="f0015-10" width="294" height="296"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GILLES DUBE</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Top Marksman</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1192/1614774-1-eng-US/f0015-112.jpg" title="f0015-11" width="297" height="292"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDRE CORRIVEAU</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0015-01

QUEBEC LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By JACK PINER</div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>RIBE&hellip; Whowz Got The Bribe!&hellip; Northern Ontario senior hockey was rocked by RUMOURS of a big bribe offer. during the hectic playoffs&hellip; the bribe was supposed to have been offered a Soo Indian player before the end of the regular schedule&hellip;the FBI, according to the rumour, was called in and a big investigation was supposed to have started&hellip; we have heard all kinds of stories: one camp maintains it&rsquo;s all a phony stunt; another insists it&rsquo;s on the level &hellip; so far, nothing official has been announced except plenty of red faces around the circuit&hellip; MORAL OF THE STORY: when it comes to bribes wait until you? see the whites of their eyes before shooting &hellip; as I mentioned at the start of the column: &ldquo;Whoz got the bribe, Matilda?&rdquo;</p><p>Hats Off To Wolves&hellip; right now it&rsquo;s time to forget Aunt Matilda and toss plenty of bouquets tb Coach Johnny &ldquo;Peanuts&rdquo; O&rsquo;Flaherty and his hard-driving, highly-successful Sudbury Wolves &hellip; they romped to the NOHA Southern Division Senior &ldquo;A&rdquo; crown and as this column is being prepared are ready to battle Abitibi Eskimos from Iroquois Falls in the Northern Ontario finals for the right to clash with the Southern Ontario champions for the All-Ontario title&hellip; &ldquo;Peanuts&rdquo; deserves a lot of credit this season &hellip; he moved the Wolves all the way from the basement to the title in one season and you can&rsquo;t argue with that&mdash;Nohow!! &hellip; t.he fans in Sud-bury are right behind their team and let me tell you, friends, they have tremendous hockey fans in the fabulous Nickel City&rsquo; Of The World!!&hellip; when they get behind their team It&rsquo;s really something to behold&hellip; with support like they have received in the playoffs, co far, the Wolves will not lack for inspiration.</p><p>Could Be Johnny&rsquo;s Year&hellip; O&rsquo;Flahery is a hard-worker and has never won a major championship as coach&hellip;he has come close but the ultimate has always eluded the Fighting Irishman from Toronto&hellip; however, this could easily be &ldquo;The&rdquo; year for &ldquo;Peanuts! &hellip; in the 55-56 edition of the Wolves he has a well-balanced team &hellip; in their playoffs against the Soo Indians and North Bay Trappers, they only lost one game for a scintillating record &hellip; in diminutive Johnny Albani the Wolves have one of the finest rookie netminders to ever hit Northern Ontario &hellip; in the re-united and rejuvenated Kid Line of Tatter McClellan, Mauno Kauppi and Yacker Flynn they have the old Sudbury fire and spirit &hellip; in fellows like Johnny Gillis they have the symbol of young players on the way up the ladder&hellip; in guys like our good friend Carl Smelle they have experience at the defense&hellip; then, take a look at the other Wolves&mdash;Danny O&rsquo;Connor, Norm Gustavsen. Lennie Speck, Al Bacarrri; not to mention lanky Andy Milne, who can break up any type of game; Bille Watson, brilliant little centre man; Armand Lemieux, the Deception Mau of Senior Hockey; Marcel Clements and Francis O&rsquo;Grady; then, there&rsquo;s Nick Tomiuk who will be mighty valuable if his broken nose does not bother him too much&hellip; yes, fans, this could be the BIG ONE for the Sudbury Wolves&hellip; Maxie Silverman had that Allan Cup just about wrapped up against Pentieton V&rsquo;s a couple of seasons ago, only to see it slip away in the dying minutes of play in the final game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01303/1614875-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="298" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHNNY O&rsquo;FLAHERTY</b></figcaption></div><p>FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL&hellip; Playing-coach Eddie Reigle of North Bay Trappers and Coach Pete Backor of the Soo Indians were fined $300 each and severely reprimanded for permitting goals to be scored into their own nets during the final league game of the season&hellip; here&rsquo;s what happened: The Soo Greyhounds and Soo Indians were going to be tiedjor third place if the Indians beat North Bay in the final game&hellip; the Indians jumped away to a big lead on the up-and-up, so it was evident they would win&hellip; the third spot in the standings would then be decided on a goal-average basis&hellip; since the subsidy would continue only if Norlh Bay and the Indians played either against the Soo Greyhounds or Sudbury Wolves, league officials felt that when a couple of easy goals were made against Lornie Anderson, and the Indians tried desperately to score into their own net with Trappers actually protecting the Indian goal, that something was very, very strange in Denmark&hellip;charg es and counter-charges sailed into the air and when it was all over (the inquiry, that is) Reigle and Backor took the rap with 300 bucks sailing out of their pockets&hellip; both have bought Ernest Hemingway&rsquo;s great novel, For Whom The Bell Tolls&hellip; they should be able to understand the novel much better now&hellip; How Ya Doin&rsquo;, Pete and Eddie?</p><p>BOt&rsquo;QVETS TO ESKIE&hellip; you&rsquo;ll never find any finer fellows man the ones you meet in the popular Porcupines Mines Senior League&hellip; Abitibi Eskimos from the wonderful community of Iroquois Falls captured the NOHA Northern Division Senior &ldquo;A&rdquo; title by winning laurels in that circuit&hellip; the Eskies trimmed Timmins-Schumacher Flyers, 4-1. in the best-of-seven series for the right to take on Sudbury Wolves off the NOHA crown&hellip;among the stars for the Emkies were Tommy Mounsey, Butch Festarini, Brian Robinson, Bernie Donovan, Moe Chevrefils and Billy Scott&hellip; Congratulations To You All At Iroquois Falls! the odd-makers have installed the Wolves as heavy favorites in the NOHA finals but if spunk and determination mean anything the Eskies will still put up a real, rousing battle&hellip; Red Hamill, former colorful NHL performer is an authority on broken noses&hellip; he suffered three such mishaps during his stormy career&hellip; Redcommented on the broken nose suffered by tlie brilliant Nick Tomiuk of Sudbury Wolves and said it was the worst he had ever seen&hellip; the accident occurred just a few feet from our broadcast section at Pullar Stadium when the Wolves were playing the Soo Indians in one of the torrid playoff games&hellip; Nick was hit and ran smack into another player near the boards&hellip; it took out one of tlie finest senior players in Canada today&hellip; we miss you. Nick?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

NOHA Puck Parade

<p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>iery Phil Watson, coach of the resurgent New York Rangers, was among the first people to get his votes in for the annual Hockey News NHL Fans&rsquo; All-Star poll.</p><p>Fiery Phil, who perhaps doesn&rsquo;t qualify as a fan in the strict sense of the word, picked the following players for his personal All-Star team.</p><p>First Team: Terry Sawehuk. Goal; Fern Flaman and Tom Johnson, defence; Jean Beliveau, eenter; Rocket Richard, right wing; Nick Miekoski, left wing; Toe Blake, coach.</p><p>Second Team: Lome Worsley, goal: Doug Harvey and Bill Gads by, defense; Tod Sloan, center; Gordie Howe, right wing: Bert Olmstead, left wing; King Clancy, coach.</p><h2><b>Sloan MVP</b></h2><p>As his MVP, the Ranger coach chose Tod Sloan of the Toronto Maple Leafs while he went along with Andy Heben ton of his own club as the top first year man in the circuit.</p><p>How do your selections stack up alongside those of Watson?</p><p>We&rsquo;d like to know. Yes sir, we&rsquo;d like you to read the rules governing the poll (which appear elsewhere on this page), fill in the ballot and get it in the mail pronto, addressed to All-Star Editor. The Hockey News. Room 309, 1434 St. Catherine St. West, Montreal, Quebec.,</p><p>In the meantime, here&rsquo;s a list of some of the leading candidates in the various departments:</p><p>COACH: Toe Blake (Montreal Canadiens): Jimmy Skinner (Detroit Red Wings); Phil Watson (New York Rangers); King Clancy (Toronto Maple Leafs); Dick Irvin (Chicago Black Hawks).</p><p>GOAL: Jacques Plante (Monreal Canadiens); Glenn pall (Detroit Red Wings); Lome Worsley (New York Rangers); Harry Lumley (Toronto Maple Leafs); Terry Sawehuk (Boston Bruins); Al Rollins (Chicago Black Hawks).</p><p>DEFENSE: Doug Harvey and Tom Johnson (Montreal Canadiens); Red Kelly and Marcel Pro novost (Detroit Red Wings); Bill Gadsby and Harry Howell (New York Rangers); Jim Morrison and Hugh Bolton (Toronto Maple Leafs); Fernie Flaman and Bob Armstrong (Boston Bruins); Allan Stanley and Lee Fogolin (Chicago Black Hawks).</p><p>CENTRE: Jean Beliveau (Montreal Canadiens); Dutch Reibel and Alex Delvecchio (Detroit Red Wings); Dave Creighton and Lar-ry Popein (New York Rapgers); Tod Sloan (Toronto Maple Leafs); Don McKenney. (Boston Bruins); Red Sullivan (Chicago Black Hawks).</p><p>RT. WING: Maurice Richard (Montreal Canadiens); Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings); Andy Bathgate (New York Rangers); George Armstrong (Toronto Maple Leafs); ef.o Labine (Boston Bruins): Edie Litzenberger (Chicago Black Hawks).</p><p>LFT. WING: Bert Olmstead and Dickie Moore (Montreal Canadiens); Ted Lindsay (Detroit Red Wings); Dean Prentice (New York Rangers); Earl Balfour (Toronto Maple Leafs); Vic Sta siuk (Boston Bruinst; Nick Mi ckoski and Johnny Wilson (Chi-cago Black Hawks).</p><p>First year men eligible for tlie Rookie-of-the-Year Award as this issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS went to press were: Montreal&mdash;Guy Talbot, Bob Turner, Henri Richard and Claude Provost; Detroit&mdash;Glenn Hall, Norm Tillman, Larry Hillman and Johrnny Bucyk; New Yo/k&mdash;Andy He benton, Guy Gendron and Bronco Horvath; Toronto&mdash;Dick Duff, Billy Harris, Gerry James, Marc Reaume, Ron Hurst and Earl Balfour; Boston&mdash;Lionel Heinrich; Chicago&mdash;Hank Ciesla, Hec Lalande and Pierre Pilote.</p><h2><b>These Cage Cops&hellip;</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02243/1614941-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="161" height="238"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jacques Plante</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03188/1614934-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="153" height="233"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Glenn Hall</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04157/1614927-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="134" height="223"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 134px"><b>Gump Worsley</b></figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>&hellip;Tops In Stops</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05110/1614920-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="143" height="224"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 143px"><b>Al Rollins</b></figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-0685/1614913-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="151" height="239"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Harry Lumley</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-0774/1614906-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="151" height="225"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Terry Sawehuk</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Voting Rules</b></h2><p>1&mdash;Anyone is eligible to cast ballots for The National Hoekey League All-Star Team, but each reader may submit ONLY ONE ENTRY, naming first and second team, as well as coach, MVP and Outstanding Rookie</p><p>2&mdash;The ballots will run for four weeks. Final ballot will appear in the issue dated March 24. 1956.</p><p>3&mdash;Use blanks published in The Hockey News, or reasonable facsimile or tracings ofsame if you do not wish to deface your copy. Be sure to fill in your own name ami address.</p><p>4&mdash;Ballots must be mailed to&mdash;AllStar Editor. THE HOCKEY NEWS, Room 30ft. 1434 St. Catherine St. W., Montreal. Que.</p><p>5&mdash;All ballots must be postmarked NOT EATER THAN MIDNIGHT, MONDAY. APRIL 2, 19541.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Last Week To Mail In Ballots For Annual HN All-Star Poll

<div class="byline">By HERB ELK</div><p>NEW YORK, N.Y&mdash;</p><p>Who says it doesn&rsquo;t matter how much you win by just as long as you win?</p><p>The Washington Lions and Clinton Comets finished the 1955-56 Eastern League schedule with identical records of 33 wins, 28 losses and three ties, but the Hershey Challenge Trophy (emblematic of second place in league play) went to the Comets who outscored the Lions 298 to 258. The Comets also were awarded home ice for the first Iwo (and fifth if necessary) games of their semi-final playoff round.</p><p>While the Comets and Lions are battling it out, the pennant winning New Haven Blades will be meeting the challange of the fourth place Johnstown Jets in the other semi-final set.</p><p>A Baltimore victory in Clinton on March 10th gave Andy Brown&rsquo;s homeless six the fifth slot in the EHL standings. Just 24 hours earlier they had fallen into the cellar as the Philadelphia Ramblers made one last bid to escape the league depths.</p><p>The John Carlin Trophy went to Johnstown&rsquo;s Dick Roberge who edged Don Hall. 118-114 for league scoring honors. The New Haven Blades duo of John Sher ban and Claude Boileau finished in a deadlock for third with 109 points each while Ken Coombes of the Jets also hit the century mark with a total of 101.</p><p><b>NEW HAVEN: Bert Hirsh feld and Fred Weaver were in the Blade lineup for the March 4th game against Clinton. The two former pros were declared ineligible (not having obtained releases from the CAHA after playing with Moncton) and dropped from rhe squad&hellip; The Hlades won that game 8-2 as Claude Boileau ami Ron Rohmer each scored two goals and an assist&hellip; Coach Don Perry sat out the game as Ron Kapil an ami AIf tewsey&hellip; The two defensemen returned to action March 7lh as the Blades blanked the Clinton six, 8-0. It was Murray Dodd&rsquo;s third shut-out of the campaign&hellip; Johnny Sherban was the big gon with two goals and a pair of assists &hellip; A 6-3 win in Johnstown (March 16th) and an 8-2 triumph over Hah imore the following night finished the champs regular season&hellip; Chasle lead the team in goals with 53. Boileau in assists with 82 (the loop high) and Slierhan and Boileau in total points with 109 each&hellip; Perry lead the I team in penalties.</b></p><p>PHILADELPHIA: The Rambiers escaped the EHL basement for a few hours as they trounced Baltimore 9-3 in their final game in the Arena. March Jtth&hellip; Jimmy Moore paced the scoring parade with a hat trick (the 2nd by a defenseman in EHL play this year), while Paul Michelin counted twice&hellip; Big Ray Crew scored his only goal ot the year in this encounter&hellip; Every Philly player except Al Fontana (and goalie Ivan Walmsley) picked up one or more points&hellip; The Ramblers also beat the Clippers on March 6th by a 7-3 margin as Gil MacNeil and Reg Meserve scored braces of goals&hellip; Ray Grenon drew misconduct in this match and had to sii out the March 7th game which the Ramblers dropped at Washingion, 5-3&hellip; Rocky Rukavina was the leading scorer for the team and won the Most Popular Player Trophy. (Crew&rsquo; finished 2nd for the award)&hellip; Art Dorrington (now in the service), led the team with 34 goals while Dick Piloqnin (who was released at the end-of January) edged Grenon for bad man honors.</p><p>WASHINGTON: The Lions clinched third place on March 7th with a 5-3 win over Philadelphia at Uline Arena&hellip; Jack Spencer turned the cellar dwellers back 3-1 in the Lions final game (March 10th) and ended the season with the third best goals-against average. 4.33 (in 27 games)&hellip; Fern LaPointe, who missed eight games through injuries, was the top Washington scorer with 92 points&hellip; He led the team in assists while player-coach Stan Warecki led in goals scored&hellip; Joe Formica was third in total points.</p><p>CLINTON: Doug Coxon was the ero king of the loop with 4 slvut mts&hellip; Clinton clinched second dace and thj3 Hershey Challange &ldquo;rophy with a 4-1 win over Johns own on March 6th&hellip; Steele. 1 Itringle. Burton and Pawchuk accounted for the goals&hellip; The next evening the Comets were blanked in New Haven, marking the first md only time this year that Jack. Pimmins&rsquo; crew failed to register a score&hellip; A 6-4 loss to Baltimore ended the Clinton season&hellip; Only the league leading New Haven; Blades won their season series rom the Cornels (though Philly split their 12 decisions &hellip; Needless to say Indian Joe Nolan led, he league in penalties&hellip; George Steele and Willie Pawchuk. with 99 pointseach. tied for team scoring honors followed by Jerry Btringle&rsquo;s 94&hellip; Pawchuk had the most goals, 49&hellip; Capt. Bernie. Hill led the team&rsquo;s blueline corps in scoring.</p><p><b>BALTIMORE: The homeless Marylanders escaped the cellar by downing t&rsquo;linton 6-4 on March 10th&hellip; St. Louis. Maas. O&rsquo;Hearn, Murphy, Schiller and Sullivan each netted for Andy Brown&rsquo;s sextet&hellip; The following night Capt. Al O&rsquo;Hearn scored his 200th EHL goal as the Clippers bowed in New Haven. 8-2&hellip; O&rsquo;Hearn was the teams top scorer for the campaign&hellip; John Brophy received misconduct penalty (and automatic suspension) as a result of a fight in the March 6th loss to Philadelphia. He also received a major and Iwo minors&hellip; Les Binkley&rsquo;s 5.12 average was the highest-against record of EHL regular netminders.</b></p><p>JOHNSTOWN: Dick Roberge&rsquo;s 64 goals in as many games gave him honors in that department as well as the John Carlin Trophy as the circuits top scorer&hellip; Linemate Don Halt finished 2nd with 114 points to Roberge&rsquo;s 118. gut was out of action for nine games with a bail knee&hellip; Ken Coombes. the thard member of the Jet trio ended the season with 101 points&hellip; Bill Gallagher led the league&rsquo;s defensemen in scoring and finished second to Jimmy Moore (combined record with Philly and Clintoni in goals scored from the rearguard spot&hellip; Crash Kelly was the bad man for Lloyd Ailsby&rsquo;s team&hellip; The Jets led the loop in hat tricks as Roberge and Hall had six and five respectively&hellip; Johnstown and Baltimore were the only teams that failed to blank the opposition least once during the season.</p><h2><b>ALL-STAR TEAM</b></h2><h3><b>1st TEAM</b></h3><p><b>G. I. Walmsley (Philadelphia)</b></p><p><b>D. Don Perry (New Haven)</b></p><p><b>D. Ron Telford (New Haven)</b></p><p><b>C. ken Coombes (Johnstown)</b></p><p><b>RW. Don Hall (Johnstown)</b></p><p><b>LW. Dick Roberge (Johnstown)</b></p><h3><b>2nd TEAM</b></h3><p><b>G. Doug Coxon (Clinton)</b></p><p><b>D. Dave Luos (Washington)</b></p><p><b>D. Alex Znbatiiik (Johnstown)</b></p><p><b>C. Fern LaPointe (Washington)</b></p><p><b>RW. Ivan Ohasle (New Haven)</b></p><p><b>LW. S. Warecki (Washington)</b></p><p>The All-Star teams were selected by the six&rsquo; coaches of the East ern Hockey League. (The selections could not include players on their own clubs). Ron Telford oi New Haven was the only unani-mous choice while on Perry of the Blades was first choice on four ballots and 2nd team on the other Iwo. Claude Boileau of New Haven was edged out for tbe 2nd team center spot, losing to LaPointe by 1 point.</p><h2><b>Missed Cellar</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01269/1614972-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="277" height="689"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDY BROWN</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-01

Johnstown’s Dick Roberge Wins Eastern League Scoring Crown

<div class="byline">By JOE MINSTER</div><p>TOLEDO, Ohio&mdash;</p><p>It was just 24 hours before the end of the regular 1955-56 international Hockey League season and the season fate of two clubs, Toledo-Marion and Grand Rap. &lsquo;S, still was very much In doubt.</p><p>Locked in a nip-and-tuck battle for the fourth and final playoff berth, the two teams were about to clash on Toledo ice.</p><p>Butch SUhan&rsquo;s Mercs were one full game ahead of their rivals from Michigan, by virtue of a 4-3 overtime triumph in Grand Rapids three lays earlier.</p><p>A Toledo-Marion win would assure rhe Mercs of fourth, whereas a Rocket victory would swing the pendulum the other direction. Since both outfits went into the game with 24 conquests, the one with the extra triumph would be awarded the No. 4 spot in case of a tie.</p><h2><b>Will Meet Troy</b></h2><p>To make a long story short, the Toledoans won their crucial four-point encounter 5-3, to cement their hold on fourth and earn a berth opposite runner-up Troy in the semi-finals of the IHL playoffs.</p><p>It mattered little that Troy defeated Toledo-Marion the next day by a 5-2 score, or that qellar dwelling Indianapolis hung a 6-3 setback on the fifth-place Grand Rapids squad.</p><p>And this was the wav the race finally wound up:</p><p>Cincinnati, which won 15 of its 60 games, on top by six and a half lengths over Troy, which, in turn was nine and halt games ahead of third-plate Ft. Wayne. Toledo-Marion was next, followed in order by. Grand Rapids and Indianapolis.</p><p>The championship was the fourth in a row for Cincinnati, which now will seek Us fourth successive post-season crown.</p><p>Best-of-Five semi-finals series will put the rampaging Mohawks against Ft. Wayne&rsquo;s Koinets and Troy against Toledo-Marion. Winners of these sets will advance to the best-of-seven final round, with Cincinnati and Troy favored to meet for the title.</p><p>Much of the credit for Toledo Marion&rsquo;s fast finish must go to its goalie, the veteran Al Bennett. A late-season fill-in for Jack Spencer. Bennett ignited the Mere drive that enabled the Ohioans to overcome a sizeable Gravid Rapids lead and land in the playoffs.</p><h2><b>Mekilok Starting King</b></h2><p>Rookie Centre Max Mekilok of Cincinnati breezed in as the IHL&rsquo;s most prolific pointmaker with an even 100 to his credit in 59 out of 60 giuies. Mekilok hud 3S onls ar.d 6. assists to nose out his team-male. Capt. Billy Goold, another centre, who had 32 goals and 62 assists for 94 points. Third went to Ft. Wayne&rsquo;s veteran Pele Wy wrot.</p><p>In the goal-tending department All-Star Billy Tibbs once more was the pacesetter in both departments, with an excellent average of 2.53 that was helped along considerably by eight shutouts. Next was little Jacques Marcotte of Cincinnati, with a mark and three shutouts.</p><p>Grand Rapids&rsquo; Roland Spong enjoyed the &ldquo;biggest&rdquo; single goalscoring night, when he lit tire red lamp live times and added an assist to spark the Rockets io a 102 win over Indianapolis on March 2.</p><p>Cincinnati&rsquo;s Duke Edmundson ended the campaign ui a blaze of glory w&rsquo;hen he contributed the hat. trick as the Hawks rallied to nose out Ft. Wayne. 5-4, in overtime on the dosing lay of the season at Ft. Wayne before 6,400. Edmundson connected for his this Edmundson connected for his third goal ayter just 27 seconds of overtime to end the contest.</p><p>Ft. Wayne finished with the best home attendance in the IHL, and is expected to continue the same trend in the post season classic. All in all, it was a good rear, and President Frank Gallagher had no complaints as the top quartet prepared for the upcoming playoffs.</p><h2><b>Hat Trick</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02231/1615003-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="312" height="320"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DUKE EDMUNDSON</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-02

Mohawks Favored to Add Playoff Championship To League Title In IHL

<div class="byline">By HUGH BOWMAN</div><p>GUELPH, Ont.&mdash;</p><p>The fact that the regular season and the playoffs are two separate and distinct entities has never been more forcibly borne out than in the OHA Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; playoffs.</p><p>Exhibit number one: Barrie Flyers, who eliminated the Kitchener-Waterloo Canucks from further competition after a hectic eight game series. The Flyers finished sixth; the Canucks were tied with Guelph for second. Exhibit number two: St. Michaels College Majors, fifth place finishers, who swept their series with the high-scoring Guelph Biltmores in three straight games. Exhibit number three: the Toronto Marlboros who aftep four games Jed the pennant winning St. Catharines Teepees five points to three and appeared capable of repeating tlieir Memorial Cup triumph of last year.</p><p>While St. Mikes&rsquo; clean sweep over the Bill mores was the most stunning occurence. Barrie&rsquo;s emergence over Kitchener was the biggest series upset. Canucks, with the highest scoring line in the league in Stan Baluik, Walt Bradley and Willie O&rsquo;Ree, experienced secondary strength in Gribbons. Youngber. and Martin, and a hard hitting defence, were top heavy favourites. They lacked reserve strength and had a tendency to be careless back of tlieir own blueline but weren&rsquo;t expected to be extended beyond six games in tlveir best-of-seven set. In addition the Flyers had beaten them only twice and tied once during the regular season and failed to take a point on Kitchener ice. The regular season, however, was just a preliminary to the playoffs as far as the Flyers were concerned.</p><h2><b>Ace In The Hole</b></h2><p>The Flyers&rsquo; ace in the hole was coach Hap Emms and Barrie&rsquo;s victory was just another tribute to the veteran coach long regarded as just about the shrewdest junior coach in the country. Before the series started Ems said, &ldquo;That Baluik O&rsquo;Ree-Bradley line is the best in the league. Our only hope of winning is to tie them up.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s exactly what the Flyers did. Ttie line which average 2.3 goals per game during the season were held to 12 in the 8 game playoff and 6 of them scored while the Flyers were short handed. The defensive heroes were Gord I.ove day assigned to shadow Baluik and Jack Kane who had a like chore against the leagues leading goal scorer Walt Bradley. Nine of the 12 goals were scored in 3 games and Bradley was the marksman on 6 of them.</p><p>The Flyers also scored a win and a tie on Kitchener ice and they came up with a couple of sharpshooters who took advantage of the Canucks&rsquo; defensive lapses. Bob Beckett, 1 16 goal scorer during the regular season put ten pucks behind Canucks goalkeeper Claude Dufour during the series and George Ranieri tallied 6 to give the pair 16 of the 2 7 goals Barrie scored. The other two key men for the Flyers were defenceman John Chaszcewiski and goalkeeper Bob Senior. The big rearguard with the big name looked like the most improved player in the league. He was solid back of tlie blueline, carried the puck with authority and scored three goals. Senior came up with a great performance for tlie Flyers turning In a 2.75 goals against average in tlie series.</p><h2><b>Didn&rsquo;t Let Down</b></h2><p>The Canucks didn&rsquo;t let down in the series. Bradley and Baluik worked themselves into exhaustion in a series that had thre overtime games. The Canucks just didn&rsquo;t have the bench strength to cope with an inspired Barrie team. The Canucks showing this year howecer was a tremendous improvement over last year when they won only 8 games.</p><p>In the other big upset the St. Michaels College Majors threw a wrench into the powerful Guelph scoring machine with a relentless checking display and uncorked a lethal scoring weapon in the Howarth-Mahovliteh-Hannigan line. Hampered by injuries through most of the season the Irish were at full strength lor the playoffs and t.he return to action of their ace, Frank Mahovlitch provided the spark that could take them all the way. Reunited with the playmaking Frank Howarth and the hard hitting Pat Hannigan, Mahovlitch showed no ill effects from tlie knee injury that sidelined him from early January to the final games of the schedule. In the abbreviated session wjth Guelph the line acounied for 8 of the 14 goals the Collegians scored.</p><p>The third game of the series was a heartbreaker for the Hatters. The Bilts who came up with, uninspired performances in the first two outings went all out before a capacity crowd on their home ice. St. Mikes playing the role of opportunists scored three times in less than three minutes in a second period splurge taking a 3-0 lead for the third time in the series. Gerry Goyer with his third goal of the series cut the margin to 3-1 and despite a desperation third period drive the Bilts couldn&rsquo;t improve on it as Bob Savage turned in a spectacular netminding display.</p><p>St. Michaels&rsquo; victory In the series wasn&rsquo;t as surprising-as the fact that they took it in three straight and limited the free-scoring Biltmores to a mere 6 goals in three games.</p><p>At the time of writing St. Kitts and Marlboros were in tlie midst of their hard-fought best-of-seven semi-final that like the Barrie Kitchener series could go 8 games. With two victories and a tie in four starts the Dukes had a 5-3 edge in points and had assume.! the role of favourites. If the series goes 8 bames the deciding contest would, be played on Toronto ice. As was the case in the quarterfinal series defensive play has assumed an important role in the DukeTeepee clash. In four games the Teepees had hit for only 12 goals an average of 3 a game which by coincidence is the same average they had against Marlboros during the regular season when they won 5 of 8 starts. The Dukes had tallied only 14 goals against Marlboros but the two goal edge was good for a two point edge in tlie series and Mar lies have come up with a payoff Isniper in Bob Pulford. Pulford scored the tieins and winnie goals Bn Marlies&rsquo; victory in Toronto It he winning goal in their 5-4 triumph in St. Catharines and a pair in the 3-all tie in Toronto. Elis 5 goals placed both clubs at the four game mark in the series. Marlies strong defence which has seen living up to expectations in the playoffs after a somewhat Idisapointing season has come tip with some unexpected playmaking bility. Ron Casey. Al McNeill and fcarry Neale all racked up three gists apiece in the first four amee of the series and Bobby fcaun had kicked in with a goal.</p><p>There&rsquo;s been little fault to find with the goalkeeping on either side. Both Marlboros I.en Broder Bek and Teepees Roy Edwards nave played exceptionally well. In our games both netminders has 26 shots thrown at. them which forks out to an average of a goal very 9 shots against Edwards and goal every 10.5 shots against Broderick. (Some of those half shots are dangerous in hockey tool. The furore caused by Rudy Pilons&rsquo; statement that Charley Burns, who has a plate in Ivis head as the result of a serious injury two years ago. shouldn&rsquo;t be playing hockey appears to have subsided. Burns is still in action and has been a top performer for the Dukes. The OHA however is putting through legislation that will mean players in Burns&rsquo; category will have to have medical permission before being allowedto play. The ruling will go into effect next season.</p><p>Between OHA playoff dales five Teepees played two exhibition games against the Montreal Canadiens losing 4-3 in Welland and 3-1 in Ottawa. They drew 5000 fans in Ottawa where the Capitol has adapted the Canadiens.</p><p>If Marlboros get by St. Kitts and St. Mikes eliminate Barrie we&rsquo;ll have the first &ldquo;subway&rdquo; final since the Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; series was organized in 1934.</p><p>So far it&rsquo;s been a great year for the second division clubs.</p><h2><b>Prolific</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01277/1615034-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="309" height="477"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOB BECKETT</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-01

Barrie Flyers Provide Biggest Playoff Upset In Ontario Jr. League

<div class="byline">By &#x201C;CHICK&#x201D; APPEL</div><p>STRATFORD, Ont.&mdash;</p><p>Barely making&rsquo; the fourth and last playoff berth by nosing out Windsor Bulldog&rsquo;s in the last week of the schedule, the amazing Chatham Maroons are making a determined bid to cop the senior &ldquo;A&rdquo; O.H.A. championship, sparked by their driving coach, Murph Chamberlain.</p><p>Rated as tlie weak sister of the league, Chamberlain has converted the Maroons into a battling bunch ot guys with a heap of desire and spirit,&rsquo; who never know when they are beaten.</p><p>They appeared to be underdogs when they tangled with the second-place Stratford Indians in the semi-final series and after the two teams sawed off the first six of their seven-game series, Maroons sprung a surprise by whipping the Indians decisively on Stratford ice, 6-2,in the seventh and deciding game.</p><p>By sheer fight and determination Maroons then travelled to Kitchener for the first game of the finals and sprung another surprise by walloping the Canadian Olympic representatives, Kitchener Waterloo Dutchmen, 7-2.</p><h2><b>&ldquo;Cinderella Team&rdquo;</b></h2><p>The big&rsquo; factor in the Maroons&rsquo; late surge is credited largely to coach Chamberlain, who changed them from just another mediocre headed nowhere into an aggregation now being dubbed the &ldquo;Cinderella&rdquo; team, which Chamberlain called his &ldquo;13 honest workmen.&rdquo;</p><p>Short-staffed through release of five players, whom Chamberlain claimed were dispensable, after he took over from another veteran N.H.L.&rsquo;er. Ott Heller, the Maroons finished out the schedule short two men, and continued with that roster until the last game with the Stratford Indians, when defenceman Marty Zorica, forward Ron Halstead and goalie Dick Piatowski were brought up from the Chatham affiliated se nier &ldquo;B&rdquo; club at Wallaceburg.</p><p>Only Zorica was used in the seventh game against the Indians, but he made an appreciable dif terance in the three-man Maroon rearguard of Danny Blair, Dick Kotanen and Doug Baldwin. This defence, aided by veterans like Ernie Dick, Eric Unger, Jim Connelly, Lloyd Ferguson and Ted Power, gained a new lease on life, and goaded by Chamberlain they are proving serious contenders, just as were the Stratford Indians in 1952 when they advanced to the Allan Cup finals in Fort Frances, with but ten players, only to bow out in six games.</p><h2><b>Can Come Back</b></h2><p>On their display in the first game of the finals against Kitchener Dutchmen, the Maroons must be conceded a chance, since that game was won on Kitchener ice. before a hostile crowd. However, the Dutchmen have proven before that they can come back, which they did in their semi-final series with Owen Sound Mercurys, after dropping the first game of the best-of-seven semifinals on Kitchener ice. They won the next game in Owen Sound, the third in Kitchener and then wound up the set in six games by taking three straight, one of them on Owen Sound ice.</p><p>The senior &ldquo;A&rdquo; O.H.A. competition this season has been fraught by several official protests, highlighted by the Howie Lee case, who signed a pro contract the day the Dutchmen landed back from the Olympic Games hockey tournament at Cortina. Italy, and then played two pro league games with Cleveland Ba rons in the American Hockey League. Lee was whitewashed on that occasion, but later three more protests cropped up, one by Chatham Maroons that the referee erred in awarding a goal when.one of their players threw his stick at Owen Sound player, who had an empty net in front of him. Chatham won that protest and the balance of the game, from the point of the disputed goal, was replayed with Owen Sound winning.</p><h2><b>Protest Lodged</b></h2><p>Then when Kitchener and Owen Sound met in the first game of the semi-finals, the Dutchmen lodge a protest, claiming th referee had erred in not stopping play when their ace forward, Jack McKenzie, was speared by John Lumley of the Mercurys, and was lying on the ice injured w&rsquo;hen Lumley intercepted the puck, skated the lingth of the ice to score the tie-breaking goal, as Owen Sound won 31.</p><p>The next protest was filed by the Owen Sound Club, who claimed that Ken Laufman, league&rsquo;s top scorer, was not eligible to play for the Dutchmen in the third game of the series because he had been assessed a match misconduct penalty, which called for ten-dollar fine before he played again. Laufman did play the third game in Owen Sound, which the Dutchmen won, although the fine had not been paid.</p><p>Outside of the Chatham protest, none of the other three were allowed by the O.H.A. sub-committee. their explanation being that two of them were a matter of the referee&rsquo;s judgment, not a. wrong interpretation of the playing rules, while in the Laufman case, it was ruled that the $10 fine had been paid within the allotted time, because Sunday did not figure in the 48-hour time limit.</p><h2><b>Added Interest</b></h2><p>All of which has added interest to the playoffs, which are at a red-hot pitch right now, especially in Chatham where the hockey public is gll set up, over 300 of them accompanying the Maroons to the last game in Stratford, despite icy highway which created a hazzard for motorosts.</p><p>Prospects for a Stratford entry in the senior &ldquo;A&rdquo; O.H.A. next season are anything but bright, because &ldquo;Dutch&rdquo; Meier, owner of the franchise, dropped a wad of dough, estimated as well over $10,000. Kitchener and Owen Sound are alriiost certain to face the wire again, and now that Chatham Maroons have their supporters all agog over their recent success an entry from that border city is almost certain. Bill and Les Butcher, owners of the Windsor franchise and the arena, are definitely out of the picture, but a Windsor entry is sure, because local professional and businessmen have organized to sponsor and operate the Bulldogs. They made their first move by approaching the former Windsor coach, Murph Chamber-lain, to return to Windsor, while reports have it that Chatham has also offered Chamberlain a three year renewal contract to remain in Chatham.,</p><h2><b>Deal Boonieranged</b></h2><p>Player deals often boomerang and such was the case this season when Windsor Bulldogs released goalie Marve Edwards, defencemen Dick Kotanen and Doug Baldwin and winger Alec Viskelis to the Chatham Moroons, and this quartette was destined to come back and haunt the Bulldogs, as they proved to be four of the top Chatham players when the Maroons nosed out the Bulldogs for the fourth and last playoff berth.</p><h2><b>Opportunist</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02197/1615065-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="326" height="319"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHNNY LUMLEY</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-02

Maroons Are “Cinderella Team” Of OHA Senior Playoff Series

<h2><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE (FINAL STANDING)</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01255/1615117-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="321" height="98"></div><h2><b>SCORING LEADERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02208/1615110-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="320" height="153"></div><h2><b>THE LEADERS</b></h2><p><b>Points:</b></p><p>Gene Mekilok. Cincinnaia 100.</p><p><b>Goals:</b></p><p>Warren Hynes, cinvinnati 39.</p><p><b>Assists:</b></p><p>Pete Wywrot, Fort Wayne 64</p><p><b>Winning Goals:</b></p><p>Steve Caber, Troy 9.</p><p><b>Hat Tricks:</b></p><p>Pete Wywrot. Fort Wayne 64.</p><p><b>Leading Goalkeeper's Average:</b></p><p>Bill Tibbs, Troy 2.53.</p><p><b>Shutounts:</b></p><p>Rill Tibbs. Troy S.</p><p><b>Penally Minutes:</b></p><p>Edgar Blondin. Fort Wavne 167</p><h2><b>EASTERN LEAGUE (FINAL STANDING)</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03164/1615103-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="318" height="98"></div><h2><b>SCORING LEADERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04143/1615096-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="318" height="150"></div><h2><b>LEADERS</b></h2><p><b>Most Goals:</b></p><p>Roberge, Johnstown 64.</p><p><b>Most Assists:</b></p><p>Boileau. New Haven 82.</p><p><b>Best Goaltending Average:</b></p><p>Dodd. New Haven 3.22</p><h2><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS</b></h2><p>Troy 2. Toledo-Marion 1 (overtime) (Best-of-five series tied 1-1).</p><p>Troy 2. Toledo-Marion 1 (Troy, leads best of five semi-final 2-1)</p><p>Cincinnati 4, Fort Wayne 1 (Best of five semi-final lied 1-1)</p><h2><b>NOHA SENIOR</b></h2><p>Abitibi C. Sudbury 2</p><p>(Best of five semi-final tied 2-2)</p><h2><b>ALLAN CUP PLAYDOWNS</b></h2><p>Winnipeg 11. Port William 2</p><p>(Winnipeg leads best of seven series 2-0)</p><h2><b>MONTREAL METROPOLITAN JR.</b></h2><p>National 4. Ste. Therese 3</p><p>(Best of five quarterfinal tied 2-2)</p><p>St. Laurent 4. Park Extension 0</p><p>(St. Laurent leads best of five quarter-final 2-1)</p><p>Verdun 5. Lachine 4</p><p>(Verdun leads bent five quaterfinal 2-0)</p><p>St. John&rsquo;s 6. Lakeshore 3</p><p>(St. John&rsquo;s wins best of five quater final 3-0)</p><h2><b>ONTARIO JUNIOR A</b></h2><p>Marlboros 7, St. Catharines 2</p><p>(Marlboros win best of seven semi-final 4-1. one tied)</p><p>Barrio 3. Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s 2</p><p>(Best of five semi-final 1-1)</p><h2><b>THUNDER BAY</b></h2><p>Fort Prances 4, Port Arthur 3</p><h2><b>SAVAGE CUP FINAL</b></h2><p>Vernon 7. Spokane 4</p><p>(Vernon leads best of seven final 1-0)</p><h2><b>OHA SENIOR &ldquo;B&rdquo;</b></h2><p>Kingston 7. Cornwall I</p><h2><b>OHA JUNIOR &ldquo;B&rdquo;</b></h2><p>Simcqe 5. Waterloo 4</p><p>(Simone leads best of seven intergroup playoff 1-0)</p><h2><b>EXHIBITION</b></h2><p>Montreal Junior Canadiens 4. Whitby Dunlopsl.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-01

Amateur Puck Parade… …At A Glance

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-0798/1615148-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="642" height="882"></div><p><b>(Solution next week)</b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1. Boston player shown in centre.</p><p>6. linitials of Pidhirny of Springfield.</p><p>8. Given name of 1 down.</p><p>10. &ldquo;Joe&rdquo; Lund&rsquo;s initials.</p><p>11. Ex Ranger. Murray Murdoch, was know as hockey&rsquo;s &ldquo;&hellip;Man&rdquo;.</p><p>12. Number of goals George Sullivan scored in 1954-55.</p><p>13. Ells English (abbr.)</p><p>14. Odd Fellows (abbr.)</p><p>17. Mrs. Paul Bibeault is sometimes called ihis.</p><p>18. Leafs&rsquo; goalies often answers to this.</p><p>19. Name given a Hab defenseman.</p><p>20. Jerry James notched his first NHL goal against this club.</p><p>22. Pictured star&rsquo;s is 5&rsquo;11&rsquo; (abbr.)</p><p>23. Once played wirh Canadiens, called Johnny.</p><p>27. Los Angles (abbr.)</p><p>28. Short for given name of Harwood, ex NHL referee.</p><p>29. Nickname of goalie who played for Leafs in Detroit recently.</p><p>30. Conn Smyihe&rsquo;s son is one (abbr.)</p><p>31. Number of times Geoffrion has won NHL scoring championship.</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1. Played one game for the Leafs recently.</p><p>2. Another name for Walter Dorohoy.</p><p>3. Initials of a member of the Boston Bruins.</p><p>4. Number of playoff points Ken Mosdell collected Inst season.</p><p>5. Initials of an NHL captain.</p><p>6. Adverb.</p><p>7. Played one game in goal for Boston this season.</p><p>9. Leafs and Detroit played to one on March 3.</p><p>15. Month in which Don Cherry was born (abbr.)</p><p>16. This player was called help Boston on March 4.</p><p>17. Initials of Canadiens&rsquo; captain,</p><p>20. Initials of pictured star.</p><p>21. All rookies could he described as this.</p><p>22. Given name of Buller, e3 N.Y. defenseman.</p><p>24. Vic Stasiuk&rsquo;s native province (abbr.)</p><p>25. Dick&rsquo;k Irvin&rsquo;s daughter.</p><p>26. Basic color of the Maple Leafs home uniform.</p><p>29. Initials of Duff of Pittsburgh.</p><h2><b>(Last week&rsquo;s solution)</b></h2><h3><b>Across</b></h3><p>1. LeClair</p><p>7. Pratt</p><p>8. Clipper</p><p>10. Hee.</p><p>11. Err</p><p>13. Ina</p><p>14. I.E.</p><p>15. B.C.</p><p>16. Ego</p><p>18. A.H.L.</p><p>20. Ray</p><p>21. Six</p><p>22. R.R.</p><p>23. An.</p><p>25. Fido</p><p>27. None</p><p>28. O.E.</p><p>29. D.R.</p><p>30. R.C.</p><p>31. Bruce</p><h3><b>Down</b></h3><p>1. Lachine</p><p>3. Apps</p><p>2. Chicago</p><p>4. Ire</p><p>5. Rate</p><p>6. Store</p><p>9. Len</p><p>12. Richard</p><p>15: Barrie</p><p>17. Gainor</p><p>19. Ly.</p><p>21. Sandy</p><p>24. Det.</p><p>25. Four</p><p>26. Once</p><p>30. R.C.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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March 24, 1956

The Hockey News VOLUME 9 MONTREAL. MARCH 24, 1956 NUMBER 26

Conn Smythe Forecasts Return To Greatness By Rebuilt Leafs

Amiable Mentor Has Enviable Victory Record

No Playoff Jitters Apparent In Camp Of New York Rangers