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.

December 25, 1965

The Hockey News December 25, 1965

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02563/2441947-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">&lsquo;TUBBY&rsquo; ENSIGN &hellip; Hard At Work</figcaption></div>NEW YORK, N.YThe way Edward &ldquo;Tubby&rdquo; Ensign sees it. skates are like little people. They need nourishment, exercise, discipline and love, all of which Tubby gives them with rare fatherly affection. With Tubby, their guardian, the 18 pair of single runners owned by the Ranger Varsity, never had it so good &hellip; and sharp.Each morning, Ensign, the Blues&rsquo; assistant trainer and chief skate sharpener, awakes his brood of blades from their resting places beneath wooden benches in the Blues&rsquo; dressing room. He then carries them, two by two, into the sharpening room for morning activity, ten times around a grinding stone, with a dash of oil for breakfast.This done. Tubby puts his flock to sleep until game time when, dressed in a fresh coat of shellack. the skates are sent out into the cruel, hard world of hockey to earn a living.Tubby&rsquo;s paternal instinct for the blades does not end there. Like any proud parent he attends every game to watch them perform, and, also to see that they behave like good boys, er, skates should. While thousands cheer the Rangers, Tubby roots his blades to skate well.Unknown to the gallery, Tubby hides his corpulent frame behind the New York bench. Should any skate become impudent &mdash; Tubby gets hourly reports from the Rangers &mdash; he&rsquo;s right there to administer punishment, a good, crisp application of his sharpening stone. Usually, the embarrassed skate, its lesson learned, goes back on the ice and does a good job.When things get rough, Tubby also stands ready to defend his blades. In his most trying days, when Louie Fontinato used to abuse the skates in the late Fifties, Tubby would come to their rescue, all 220 pounds of him. Louie was positively brutal to the blades. Nowadays it&rsquo;s Jim Neilson.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t mind if Louie beat heck outa my skates during a game,&rdquo; Tubby said, gingerly cuddling a pair of CCM Prolites.&ldquo;I realized Louie played a hard game. What got me was when Louie would make a mistake and blame the blades for it. That. I won&rsquo;t take, from Louie, or anybody.&ldquo;I once warned Louie to leave those skates alone and play hockey. After all, skates are no different from anyone else, they like to be treated like human beings.&rdquo;Apart from Fontinato, Tubby says players in general are considerate of his skates&rsquo; feelings and do nothing to abuse them.&ldquo;Once in a while, a real good skater, like Rod Gilbert and old Larry Popein who centered the Andy Bathgate line, would get particular about the way he wanted the blade sharpened, but he&rsquo;d be nice about it &hellip; They all were except Louie. Every player uses two pair of skates a season. But that Louie, nah, he would ruin three. Ed Giacomin is pretty easy.&rdquo; Defensemen ask Tubby to give them skates with more blade on the ice for extra leverage when bodychecking. Forwards prefer blades that curve a little so they can pivot with ease. When Montreal&rsquo;s Gump Worsley was Ranger goalie, his skates were sharpened only once in six weeks because the Gump likes blades that are slippery and don&rsquo;t stick.A former speed skater himself, Tubby was drafted into sharpening when Mike Homan, a rink-owner, saw the terrific job Ensign was doing on his own blades. That was in 1924 at the Old Ice Palace on 181st, Manhattan. Next year Tubby was grinding for the New York Americans.&ldquo;I used to carry 28 skates at one time every day from our shop on 52 street to Madison Square Garden and back,&rdquo; Tubby recalls. &ldquo;I was young then and I didn&rsquo;t mind.&rdquo;Tubby, who for years has played Santa Claus at Ranger Christmas parties, treated skates so well over the year, the Garden rewarded him him with a special sharpening room of his own in 1950, adjoining the Rangers&rsquo; locker room.Once the puck is dropped, Tubby&rsquo;s attention is divided between his skates and the Rangers. After 39 years behind the grindstone, we wondered how Tubby liked his work. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;especially because I have nice boys to work with.&rdquo;&ldquo;Do you mean the players or the skates?&rdquo;&ldquo;What do you think? &hellip; Both.&rdquo; &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Garden Skate Sharpner ‘Tubby’ Ensign Old Hand At Tending Rangers Blades

TOLEDO, O.Edgar (Chirp) Benchley, new coach of the Toledo Blades of the International Hockey League, was fined $25 by commissioner Andy Mulligan for arguing with the referee during a game at Port Huron, Mich.Mulligan said the Toledo coach was fined for intercepting the referee and arguing with him in the arena lobby after the first period of the Toledo-Port Huron game.In ordering $150 in fines, Mulligan also fined Ivan Prediger of Des Moines $25 for using profane language and $10 for raising his stick at a referee; John Bailey of Des Moines, $25 for jumping on the boards; Pat Ginnell of Des Moines $25 for jumping into the penalty box, and John Annable of Des Moines and Pat Donnelly of Dayton each $20 for profanity. &#9632;

Brenchley Fined For Ref Baiting

FORT WAYNE, Ind.The touring Green Bay Bob Cats, with several International Hockey Leaguers in the cast, lost their first three games of an European tour to the Russians, by scores of 2-0, 5-1 and 6-5.The team, from the U.S. Hockey League, still had games to play in Switzerland and France on a 12-day tour.In charge of the tour on the business end was Ken Ullyot general manager of the Fort Wayne Komets and among the players were IHL part-time performers Roger Maisonneuve of the Komets and goalie Norm Jacques of Port Huron. &#9632;

U.S. Team Loses Games In Russia

<h2>WALLY</h2>NORTHERN pro HOCKEY STICKS<h2>WALLY</h2>POOL TABLES TABLE TENNIS CROQUET SETS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01615/2442451-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="475" height="526"><figcaption class="caption-body">MURRAY HALL</figcaption></div><h2>AHL Point Race</h2>(Including games of Sun., Dec. 10)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02525/2442444-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="568" height="419"></div>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03408/2442437-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="562" height="291"></div>ENALTY LEADERSMost Penalized Player: Dick Mattiussi. Cleveland and Larry Johnston, Springfield. 58 minutes.Most Penalized Team: Hershey. 331 minutes.Interlocking ScoreboardAMERICAN LEAGUE<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05218/2442430-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="932" height="245"></div> &#9632;

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

MONTREAL. Que &mdash;The Montreal Canadiens couldn&rsquo;t be faulted if they didn&rsquo;t believe in Santa Claus.NHL President Clarence Campbell announced that four members of the Canadiens will have a little less for Christmas shopping as the result of $225 in fines levied against them for their part in last Sunday night&rsquo;s Madison Square Garden brawl.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-01126/2443672-1-eng-US/f0001-012.jpg" title="f0001-01" width="301" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henri Richard</figcaption></div>Henri Richard was the big loser in the NHL automatic rule fining as he was hit for $75 &mdash; $50 for leaving the bench and another $25 &mdash; for a misconduct penalty handed him by referee Frank Udvari.Other Canadiens with lighter pocketbooks are defenseman Terry Harper, centre Jean Beliveau and left wing Dick Duff &mdash; each $50 for leaving the Montreal bench to get into the melee, which took place in front of the New York bench and lasted 10 minutes.Campbell said Vic Hadfield was assessed $25 and Jim Neilson $50 for going on the ice during the brawl. Hadfield stood on the Ranger bench and swung on several Canadiens.The fines totalled $300 for a fight which Campbell labelled a &ldquo;lot of nonsense.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Canucks Hit With Fines After Brawl

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0001-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-02102/2443703-1-eng-US/f0001-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit netminder ROGER CROZIER, who is probably the NHL&rsquo;s most acrobatic puck stopper, does one of his patented leg movements as he kicks puck away from his goal during league action. Crozier has been busiest goalkeeper in the league having played in 25 of Detroit&rsquo;s 26 games. He has two shutouts and has posted a 12-9-4 record this season to prove that leading rookies don&rsquo;t always fall flat in their second year in the NHL.</figcaption></div>TORONTO, Ont.&mdash;The Toronto Maple Leafs are running hot again and what&rsquo;s the reason?Is it the sudden scoring surge of big Frank Mahovlich or Dave Keon or Bob Pulford that&rsquo;s turning the Leafs into tigers? Most everyone concedes that the return of Eddie Shack has been largely responsible among other things.Shack, barreling into NHL opposition with new vigor since his recall from the minors a few weeks ago, has been propelling the Maple Leafs&rsquo; offense through the last six games and the Leafs haven&rsquo;t lost a solitary decision during that period.True, Keon. Pulford and Mahovlich have been lending new scoring zest to the Leafs and manager-coach Punch Imlach has been enthused by the resurgence of his established stars, but he can&rsquo;t overlook Mr. Shack.The firebrand Toronto right winger has scored 13 goals in 19 games this season, the best record on the club, and his driving, forceful play has generated new life in the club from all sides.As the result the Leafs have replaced Detroit Red Wings as the NHL&rsquo;s &lsquo;hot club&rsquo; and have moved from 12-points behind the leading Montreal Canadiens to six, in a third-place tie with Detroit. &#9632;

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Shack’s Fire Helps Boost Win Streak

<div class="byline">BY DAN MOULTON</div>CHICAGO, III.Bobby Hull&rsquo;s kid brother Dennis has won a three-man fight for regular employment with the Black Hawks.The muscular 21-year-old, who languished on the bench much of last year after the Hawks were unsuccessful in their effort to farm him out, has been skating at left wing for center Bill Ray and right wing Eric Nesterenko for the last several weeks.And, according to Coach Billy Reay; &ldquo;he&rsquo;ll be a regular for the rest of the season if he continues to show the improvement he&rsquo;s displayed recently.&rdquo;The losers in the battle, sophomore center Freddie Stanfield and rookie forward Ken Hodge, are in no danger of being sent to the bushes, according to Reay. But they will have to be satisfied with spot duty.Stanfield had the job at the outset of the season on the strength of his impressive rookie season. But the youngster failed to display the proper improvement and Reay was forced to move Hay from left wing to center.Hodge got a shot at the left wing spot but failed, although Reay is willing to excuse the junior graduate. He said.&ldquo;It really was too much to expect of Ken. He played the right side all during his junior career and he just couldn&rsquo;t make the switch. A player ought to be able to work both sides and Ken probably will learn. But he&rsquo;s awfully young.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02547/2441509-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="535" height="571"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENNIS HULL &hellip;Impresses Hawks</figcaption></div>Determination has to rate as the biggest factor in Dennis&rsquo; success.Size, willingness to use it, a hard shot and the name Hull won him a spot with the team at the start of last year but it soon became evident that Dennis&rsquo; skating was too great a handicap.Because Dennis was signed to a pro contract after the 1964 draft meetings, he wasn&rsquo;t on the Hawks&rsquo; 18-man protected list. So. in order to send him to the minors, the Hawks had to secure waivers from the five other teams.Several, including Toronto, refused. And although Dennis already had joined the Hawks&rsquo; St. Louis team in the Central league, he had to be recalled before he ever saw action.He saw action in 55 games with the Hawks and managed 10 goals but the betting was that he&rsquo;d spend this year getting that needed minor league work.However, Dennis showed enough improvement at the Hawks&rsquo; fall training camp to justify being kept with the big club. He still wasn&rsquo;t considered for regular work, though. Then began the experimenting with the Hay &mdash; Nesterenko line and Dennis&rsquo; emergence.&ldquo;His skating has improved quite a bit,&rdquo; said Reay. &ldquo;But his biggest improvement has come in his willingness to play his position and check.&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t that Dennis was reluctant to use his body. If it comes to a point where he can go over a guy or around his, Dennis will choose to go over.&ldquo;But all he could think of last year was goals. He&rsquo;d run around and be out of position and cause all sorts of trouble.&ldquo;You really couldn&rsquo;t blame him too much. He&rsquo;d been a big scorer with the St. Catharines juniors and he figured he&rsquo;d be able to score that way up here.&rdquo;Dennis hasn&rsquo;t been able to employ his blazing shot &mdash; regarded by some as harder than his fabulous brother&rsquo;s &mdash; too often thus far. But Reay is confident the goals will come.&ldquo;Dennis is learning that tf he just patrols his wing and keeps skating the puck will come to him,&rdquo; said Billy. &ldquo;And when it does, he sure has the power to put it away.&rdquo;That Dennis was unhappy in his role as bench rider last year and with his inactivity early this season was apparent to any one associated with the team.But Reay feels that the youngsters frequent moody spells merely were healthy signs of his desire to make good.&ldquo;Certainly he was unhappy on the bench and he didn&rsquo;t mind letting you know, either,&rdquo; said Reay. &ldquo;But I wouldn&rsquo;t want anything to do with a hockey player who was happy not to be playing. You can keep those jolly bench riders.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Stanfield, Hodge Fight Losing Battle As Dennis Hull Wins Regular Berth

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01572/2441540-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE McMAHON &hellip; New York Rangers</figcaption></div>The New York Rangers are particularly proud of their rookie defenseman MIKE McMAHON for two reasons. He is the son of a former National Leaguer, who also played defense for Montreal, and he is a product of the Rangers&rsquo; minor league farm system. The robust McMahon, who is only 177 pounds, stands near six feet tall and is quite effective behind the blueline. Rangers have thought highly of this youngster since they brought him along to their one-time Guelph Junior farm club. He has come up through St. Paul of the CPHL where last season he collected 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points, a performance that won him a promotion to the varsity this year. &#9632;

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MEET THE ROOKIES

Following are the latest player movements in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>BOSTON &mdash; Eddie Johnston, goalkeeper, recalled from Los Angeles of WHL. Derek Sanderson, forward, and Gilles Marotte, defenseman, called up from Niagara Falls of Junior OHA. Sanderson later returned. Don Marcotte, forward, returned to Niagara Falls after pro tryout. Jerry Cheevers, goalkeeper, sent to Oklahoma City of CPHL.DETROIT &mdash; Joe Watson, defenseman, returned to Memphis of CPL. Jimmy Peters, forward, recalled from Memphis. Billy Harris, forward, assigned to minors but refused to report.TORONTO &mdash; Larry Hillman and Darrel Sly, defensemen, recalled from Rochester of AHL, on emergency basis.<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>SEATTLE &mdash; Gary Butler, forward, optioned to Buffalo of AHL.VICTORIA &mdash; Ed Litzenberger, forward, returned to Rochester of AHL.LOS ANGELES &mdash; Jack Norris, goalkeeper, secured from Oklahoma City of CPHL.<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>TULSA &mdash; Bob Taylor, defenseman, loaned to Victoria of CPHL. Ron Gross, forward rejoined team from inactive list.MEMPHIS &mdash; Gordie Carruthers, defenseman, recalled from Johnstown of EHL.<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>PORT HURON &mdash; Billy Sinnett, forward, reactivated by club in emergency.<h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>KNOXVILLE &mdash; Wally Chase, forward, traded to Nashville of EHL in exchange for Angus Martin, defenseman.JACKSONVILLE &mdash; Murray Wilkie, forward, transferred to Jersey of EHL. Gordon Dibley, goalkeeper, placed on waivers. Bill Reid, forward, released. Chris Finnerty, forward, rejoined team after being cut. &#9632;

Movement Of Players

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01572/2441595-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit goalie ROGER CROZIER watches puck after shot by Leafs&rsquo; FRANK MAHOVLICH (27) during recent game between teams.Mahovlich has come out of his shell this season to lead the Maple Leafs&rsquo; resurgence in the National Hockey League race.</figcaption></div>TORONTO, Ont.The Toronto Maple Leafs are moving again in the National Hockey League and you can blame it all on the &lsquo;Big M&rsquo;.Frank Mahovlich, the big left winger who once came within two goals of a 50-goal season, is leading the rush as the Leafs rolled to four straight victories.Hockey fans can still recollect when Mahovlich was the big noise on the Leafs. They remember the two cup years when he scored nearly 70 goals in two seasons.It wasn&rsquo;t so long ago. Those were the years when Toronto Maple Leafs were winning Stanley Cups with regularity and were the toughest team in the National Hockey League.Well, the Leafs no longer are the toughest team in the league, and Mahovlich has left doubts in the minds of many about his superstar qualities.A week ago Leafs were in fourth place, having won only one game in four, while Detroit Red Wings went on a seven-game winning streak to move from fifth place to third.Leafs haven&rsquo;t improved their position over the last week but they&rsquo;ve won four consecutive games and the guy who is leading the charge is Mahovlich, the left-winger who scored only three times in his first 20 outings.Mahovlich scored winning goals in Leafs&rsquo; victories over Detroit and Montreal. His teammates say he&rsquo;s changed.In an obvious way he has. He&rsquo;s spent the last three games flying up and down left wing and in most of the last two, running roughshod over opponents, leaving bodies in his wake while terrorizing goaltenders with his booming slap shot.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve drawn a curtain around myself this season, and I hope I can keep it there,&rdquo; Mahovlich says.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;ll have to get used to it.&rdquo;Mahovlich is noted as a moody player &mdash; one Who goes all out only when he feels like it, the curtain is designed to keep him from thinking about anything but playing hockey.Is it working?&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still struggling a bit, but I&rsquo;m feeling a little better,&rdquo; he says.So is Coach Punch Imlach.&ldquo;That was the Big M&rsquo;s second big game in as many nights,&rdquo; said a joyful Imlach after the Leafs had beaten Montreal.&ldquo;When he&rsquo;s moving like that, he&rsquo;s a homerun hitter and we&rsquo;re in business. He straightened out our one line that wasn&rsquo;t producing and against Montreal we got goals from all units. That makes me happy.&rdquo;Mahovlich is still a long way from reaching his old time scoring form as he stands in 26th place in the current NHL race with 17 points in 26 games, but he is improving and that&rsquo;s encouraging to the Leafs and Imlach.Frank&rsquo;s teammates know when the &lsquo;Big M&rsquo; is ready to play. When he starts taking penalties as he has in recent games, then they know they can expect him to come up with the kind of super effort he has produced in the past two weeks.Mahovlich is rapidly closing in on the NHL&rsquo;s select 250-goal club. His seven goals this season have raised his lifetime record to a total of 234 and with more than half the season ahead of him, he is likely to score the 16 he needs plus a few more for good measure. At least the Leafs are hoping so.It has been proven that when the &lsquo;Big M&rsquo; rolls, so do the Maple Leafs. &#9632;

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Mahovlich Flashes Old Time Form On Ice As Toronto Rolls In Shades Of Cup Days

MONTREAL, Que.&mdash;Andy Bathgate scored his 300th National Hockey League goal last week and his Detroit Red Wing teammate Norm Ullman became the newest member of hockey&rsquo;s select 250-goal club.Bathgate now has a lifetime total of 302 goals, seventh highest in the history of the NHL. He is now 22 goals behind the late Nels Stewart.Ullman sank his 250th to become the 16th and newest player to take his place in the exclusive NHL goal-scoring club, established in recent seasons to lend a little more dignity to the scoring heroics of hockey&rsquo;s big top performers.Gordie Howe of Detroit is naturally hockey&rsquo;s all-time leader with 609 goals while another great hockey star, Bobby Hull of the Chicago Black Hawks continues to come on strong. Hull&rsquo;s 23 goals this year has raised his lifetime total of 287 enabling him to hurdle two old-time ice greats, Howie Morenz and Aurel Joliat.Here are the players who have scored 250 or more goals in their lifetime:<h2>&lsquo;THE 250-GOAL CLUB&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01635/2441633-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="508" height="609"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02589/2441626-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="1052" height="1741"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANDY BATHGATE &hellip;Showing Old Time Form</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Bathgate Scores 300th Goal In NHL

DETROIT, Mich. &mdash;Billy Harris, a disappointment for Detroit Red Wings this season, said he would make a decision on his hockey future after Christmas,He was demoted by the Wings, but refused immediate assignment to Detroit farms at either Pittsburgh in the American League or Memphis in the Central Professional League.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to spend Christmas with the family,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;Then I&rsquo;ll consider being sent down, perhaps to Memphis. I&rsquo;ve been to Pittsburgh in the winter and who&rsquo;d want to go there?&rsquo;Harris said he has considered retiring from hockey for two years, but would probably finish the season in the Detroit organization.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03500/2441664-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="293" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body">Billy Harris</figcaption></div>He was traded from Toronto to Detroit last summer in an Eight-player deal. Andy Bathgate, with Wings, and Leafs&rsquo; Marcel Pronovost are the only players involved in the swap still in the National League. The others have been farmed out to either the American or Central Leagues.Harris admitted the futility of his performance at Detroit. &ldquo;I only had one goal and four assists and finally was reduced to playing in spots like I did in Toronto. I&rsquo;ve thought about quitting to teach school, but still need two university courses to qualify for an education degree. I wouldn&rsquo;t consider teaching until a year from next September.&rdquo;Jimmy Peters, Jr., son of a former Detroit favorite, was called up from Memphis to replace Harris at centre.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not surprised at the Wings recruiting Peters to replace me,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;I was disappointing to them, and he&rsquo;s a Detroit boy who will get a good shot.&rdquo;Harris rented a house in Windsor when the hockey season began and leased his Toronto home to Pronovost. &#9632;

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Billy Harris Balks At Minor Hockey After Cut By Wings

<div class="byline">BY BOB GATES</div>BOSTON, Mass &mdash;&ldquo;If ya got any more like Marotte, Schmidt, bring &rsquo;em up!&rdquo;&ldquo;Yeah, Schmidt, give us more kids,&rdquo; bellowed another season - ticket holder at Boston Garden.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01592/2441695-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="280" height="391"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gilles Marotte</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had our fill of these bums,&rdquo; rasped a third.So goes the typical, steady chorus of displeasure emanating these days from a disgruntled Bruins&rsquo; &ldquo;fandom.&rdquo;Boston&rsquo;s pro hockey partisans have had little to cheer about over the past half decade. But they have kept coming back game after game in astonishing numbers, appeased by occasional flashes of honest effort and a &ldquo;Kitty-bar-the-door&rdquo; style of checking.Boston fans love their hockey rough. They appreciate good stick-handling and execution as much as the next, but for want of the super-efforts of a Hull, Howe, or a Belliveau, they take considerable solace in seeing one of the locals lay out a rival hero with a bit of the strong-arm, hip, and shoulder.Suddenly, however, the punch has gone out of the Bruins&rsquo; image. No longer is the team once able of equating talent with muscle setting the opposition on its collective derrire.What&rsquo;s more: rival NHL teams know it &mdash; and are capitalizing handsomely.On Montreal&rsquo;s last visit to the Hub, John Ferguson rammed and decked Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers not once but twice. And neither time did any Bruin retaliate.&ldquo;That wouldn&rsquo;t have happened if Green was here,&rdquo; opined a press-box observer. &ldquo;In the days of Eddie Shore they&rsquo;d have picked him (Ferguson) up with a spatula!&rdquo;True, the Bruins have missed Ted Green desperately, for his defensive sturdiness as well as his police work when the going gets rough. But even &ldquo;Terrible Teddie&rdquo; (still building back into shape after a long bout with a virus) has mellowed somewhatSo it&rsquo;s only natural that Boston fans look elsewhere for their satisfaction. And, not surprisingly, the hustling youngsters have caught their fancy. Maybe they do make a lot of mistakes. But none can deny that the kids are giving 100 percent in the effort dept., which many contend is some 25-30 percent more than some of the veterans have been want to expend.Crippling injuries to Forbes Kennedy (shoulder separation) and Eddie Westfall (severe charley horse) and other minor ailments have disrupted lines and thus checked the effectiveness of some of the veterans, but General-Manager Hap Emms isn&rsquo;t satisfied with the lame excuses and feeble efforts of several others.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m bringing up the kids from the farm, kids who can skate,&rdquo; the GM vowed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m through going with the 34 and 35-year-olds who aren&rsquo;t producing. If we&rsquo;re going to lose, we might as well lose with the kids. &ldquo;Least that way we&rsquo;ll be giving them experience, know what they can do, and be building for the future.&rdquo;Stepping off in that direction, one of Hap&rsquo;s first moves was to sign Gilles Marotte to a pro contract. A rugged 5 ft. 10 in., 190-pound rearguard, the 20-year-old out of Montreal looks like a closecropped. dark-haired version of Bobby Hull, the way his muscles bulge and the way his slap shot explodes with seeming little effort.Coach Milt Schmidt likes the way Gilles (summoned from the Junior-A hatchery at Niagara Falls) moves the puck to the forwards. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s young and has a lot to learn. And he&rsquo;ll make a lot of mistakes,&rdquo; Schmitty agreed. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s aggressive and wants to play.&rdquo;Already in his favor and drawing a lot of respect from rival goalies and defensemen is Marotte&rsquo;s shot from the point, which Schmidt calls &ldquo;one of the best I&rsquo;ve ever seen &mdash; anywhere!Another youngster who has been drawing considerable attention in the Boston cast is right winger Bill Goldsworthy. A first-year pro and another of Emms&rsquo; graduates from Niagara, this durable blond six-footer collected two goals within 21 seconds during Detroit&rsquo;s last visit to the Hub.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing a fine job and he&rsquo;ll get better,&rdquo; Schmidt said. &#9632;

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“Rather Lose With The Kids”, Says New Bruins’ GM Hap Emms As Club Turns Gilles Marotte Pro

BOSTON, Mass.The Niagara Falls, Ont., Flyers and the Oshawa Generals, currently fighting for first place in the fast Junior Ontario Hockey Association will play a regularly scheduled game at Boston Garden Dec. 28.The Flyers and the Generals are both Bruins&rsquo; affiliates. They played here a year ago and made such a fine impression on the local hockey fans, this game was scheduled.The Flyers won the Memorial Cup, symbolic of the Canadian junior championship, last year. From that team now on the Bruins are Bernie Parent, the brilliant 20-year-old rookie goaltender, right winger Bill Goldsworthy, and, defenseman Gilles Marotte.Oshawa, of course, is headed by 17-year-old Bobby Orr, who is rated the finest prospect in the junior ranks. Orr, playing his fifth season in the fastest junior amateur competition in the world, is leading the league in scoring quite a feat for a defenseman.There will be 10,000 unreserved seats on sale for $1.00. &#9632;

Top OHA Teams Play In Boston

<div class="byline">By Ken McKenzie</div><h2>The Hockey News THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY</h2>Founded October 1st, 1947Published weekly except monthly May through September by Ken-Will Publishing Co. Ltd. 1434 St. Catherine Street West.Montreal 35, Que.Kenneth William McKenzie, Will V Cote,President and Publisher Vice-Pres. and Gen Mgr.Yearly Subscription Rates: $4.00 in Canada and the British Commonwealth $5.00 in the U.S.A, and $7.00 in Foreirn Countries.Postage paid at Rouses Point, N.Y. Authorized as second class mail, Post Office Department. Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash Printed in Canada.Vol. 19 MONTREAL, DECEMBER 25, 1965 No. 11<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01662/2441802-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="404" height="429"></div>&bull; FOSTER HEWITT, dean of hockey&rsquo;s play-by-play announcers, picked his all-time NHL All-Star team recently. Foster selected Charlie Gardiner of the 1934 Chicago Black Hawks Stanley Cup winners in goal. On defense he named Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins and Eddie Gerard of the Ottawa Senators. At centre he picked Syl Apps, former Toronto captain. He named both Gordie Howe of Detroit and Maurice Richard of Canadiens at right wing and Aurel Joliat of Canadiens and Harvey Jackson of Toronto at left wing &hellip; Dick Beddoes writing in the Toronto Globe & Mail referred to the Boston Bruins as &ldquo;that lamentable blend of incompetent youth and aging incompetence&rdquo; &hellip; Scotty Bowman did an excellent job in coaching Montreal Canadiens Jrs. to their 2-1 win over Russia&rsquo;s National team. Scotty is one of the better young hockey coaches around &hellip; Stan Fischler reports that the NHL is advertising in trade publications for a public relations man. The ad was placed by the consulting firm which had been ordered by the owners to study the league&rsquo;s p.r. structure &hellip; Emile Francis is more than a trifle annoyed at the way Bert Olmstead, coach of the Vancouver Canucks, pops off. It seems that Bert is always putting his foot in his mouth &hellip; New York&rsquo;s Rod Gilbert is indeed a heroic type the way he continues to play such outstanding hockey with his broken back encased in a protective corset. Rod wears the corset all the time &hellip; The Russians are playing a much rougher brand of hockey today than they formerly played. They are most adept in the use of elbows.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02534/2441795-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="296" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scotty Bowman</figcaption></div>&bull; MANY HOCKEY people think Scotty Morrison, NHL refereein-chief, is making a mistake by sitting in the press box while attending games. He was involved with a Chicago official the other night, which is something that would not happen if he stayed out of the press box &hellip; Fred Sgambati, the very excellent Toronto sports announcer, has been dropped by the CBC. No doubt Fred will bounce up in another sports announcing job soon &hellip; Harold Cotton and Wren Blair and others in the Boston system maintain they recruit and groom outstanding NHL prospects but something is lost in the transition up to the Big League &hellip; Hockey lost a wonderful friend and a tireless worker in the recent death of Bob Giordano in Kelowna, B. C. Only 35 when he died, Bob had been manager of Kelowna Buckaroos Juniors for the past four seasons. He was formerly statistician of the old senior league in the Okanagan Valley and had been a wonderfully loyal friend to THE HOCKEY NEWS for the last 15 years. Bob died of a brain hemorrhage &hellip; Such former NHLers as Pentti Lund, Edgar Laprade. Steve Black and Pete Backor are performing these days for a team known as the Lakehead pros. The team plays other oldtime groups as well as senior clubs in the area. The players pay for their own equipment, sticks and practice time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03407/2441788-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="292" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wren Blair</figcaption></div>&bull;LEN PORTEOUS, organizer of the Quebec Veterans Hockey Association, reports the sixth annual dinner and get-together the finest yet. Organizer and manager of teams in the old Mount Royal Senior Hockey League back in the 1920&rsquo;s, Left is now retired and living in Prescott, Ont&hellip;. Armand Mondou, former NHL player, is the president of the Quebec Veterans Hockey Association &hellip; Goalie for Boston College, a Jesuit school, is Jeff Cohen &hellip; Hall of Famer Charlie Conacher is out of hospital and on the mend following his recent heart attack &hellip; When asked what it was like having Eddie Shack on his team Punch Imlach answered: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like conducting a 100-piece orchestra and one guy is out of tune&rdquo; &hellip; The same Shack has been Leaf&rsquo;s most consistent scorer of late &hellip; And to all our readers a most sincere MERRY CHRISTMAS !<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04288/2441781-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="266" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Gilbert</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0006-01

PASSING PUCK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05240/2441833-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg"></div><h2>Francis Gets Boost From New York Fan</h2>Hockey News Editor:Having recently read of Emile Francis replacing Red Sullivan as coach of the Rangers, let&rsquo;s all wish Emile the best of luck and hope that he can help put the Rangers where they belong &mdash; in the playoffs.As a subscriber, I find your paper most enjoyable and interesting. Congratulations.Jeffrey Lee White Plains, N.Y.<h2>Reaume Still Starring In Minor Puck Ranks</h2>Hockey News Editor:What ever happened to Marc Resume? I always enjoyed his playing with Hershey and would like to know where he is now. Many thanks.David Hahnlen Hershey, Penna.(Ed. Note: Marc Reaume is still very much in hockey&rsquo;s limelight these days. He is currently a member of the Tulsa Oilers of the CPHL and doing a fine job of encouraging and instructing young players along with Rudy Migay, who is the Tulsa coach.)<h2>Players&rsquo; Whereabouts Bring About Inquiries</h2>Hockey News Editor:Would appreciate it very much if you could answer these questions:(1) I seem to remember a player by the name of Dineen who played for the Comets in the EPHL. Where did he come from and what happened to him. What was his record with the Comets?(2) I seem to remember two or three Negro players in organized hockey. Could you name them and tell me where they played and what they are doing now.David Evans Utica, New York(Ed. Note: In answer to question No. 1. there are two known Dineens in hockey. Bill Dineen is a veteran of 10 years in pro hockey and is presently with Seattle of the WHL. Gary Dineen is a young player who is a member of Canada&rsquo;s National team. Answering your second question, there were three Negro players, Ossie and Herbie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre, who played as a line in the old Quebec Senior League. All three are working in Eastern Canada and only recently Herbie was named to a top business position.)<h2>Long Island Executive Lauded For Work</h2>Hockey News Editor:In the December 11th issue of HOCKEY NEWS, Ken MacKenzie praised Carl Johnson of the Long Island Ducks Hockey Club for his outstanding work. I agree 100% with Mr. MacKenzie.I have seen dozens and dozens of different hockey programs and none can even come close to the ones that Carl Johnson puts out. His works put the others to shame.I wish to particularly emphasize that he did a beautiful tribute to the late Murray Balfour recently. Murray was never on the Ducks Club yet they devoted one full page tribute to him and had a full length picture of him on the next page.I do not have any connection with the Ducks Hockey Club, Carl Johnson, or anyone or anything connected with same, but I urge all true hockey fans to get one of the programs and or Yearbooks which Car Johnson puts out. Like the HOCKEY NEWS, Mr. Johnson&rsquo;s publications are &ldquo;first-class&rdquo; &hellip; the best. Other club publicity directors sure could use &ldquo;suggestions&rdquo; from him.Patricia R. Knaus Chicago, Illinois<h2>WITH THANKS</h2>Arch Winegarden, Saskatoon, Sask., has written a deeply appreciative letter thanking us for publishing his poem in the November 20th issue. Normally we don&rsquo;t publish poetry, but in view of Arch&rsquo;s love for hockey, and the fact the poem was well written, we were pleased to publish it. (Ed.) &#9632;

f0006-05

FAN FORUM

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06176/2441878-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg"></div><h2>OVERALL WON AND LOST RECORDS THIS SEASON</h2>(Inclding Games of Sunday, December 19)<h3>HOME GAMES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0792/2441871-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="560" height="259"></div><h3>AWAY GAMES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0844/2441864-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="562" height="263"></div> &#9632;

f0006-06

How NHL Teams Compare

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>NEW YORK, N.Y.When George &ldquo;Punch&rdquo; Imlach became general manager and coach of the Maple Leafs in the Fall of 1958 it was understood he would relinquish the coaching job at the end of the season. Two jobs, it was felt, were too much for one man.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01614/2441916-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="300" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jackie Gordon</figcaption></div>But Imlach loused himself up by performing the major miracle of modern hockey, the equivalent of the baseball Giants&rsquo; 1951 comeback. He guided the Leafs into a playoff berth although they were a distant last as late as March 3, 1959.Emile Francis now finds himself in the same position as Imlach. Everything&rsquo;s the same but the uniform. Francis is wearing the Ranger blue.If Emile somehow can energize the Rangers into a playoff berth. &mdash; a minor miracle &mdash; he will have no choice but to continue as coach as well as g.m. and his bosses will have to go along with the decision.Francis&rsquo; &ldquo;out,&rdquo; (one which he doesn&rsquo;t want) is for the Rangers to finish out of the playoffs. Then, he can proclaim that handling a team from the bench and running a front office is inhumane for one man.What will follow, I predict, is that Francis will summon reporters to a press conference where he&rsquo;ll name either Jack Gordon or Bert Olmstead as new Blue coach. Gordon, currently Francis&rsquo; asst, g.m., has the experience, the player respect and the savvy. He lacks (just slightly) the one ingredient Olmstead owns in abundance &mdash; fire.So, should the Rangers fail in their playoff bid, the choice of coach would hinge on whether the brass wants a calm, experienced man or a less-experienced but potentially successful fiery type.Francis told this reporter there&rsquo;s &ldquo;possibility&rdquo; that Gordon would be given the coaching job but he added an all-important qualification.&ldquo;Time will tell,&rdquo; Emile said.White means that a startling drive by the Blues between now and March would compel him to stay on as coach. But is such a drive possible?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03453/2441909-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="568" height="581"><figcaption class="caption-body">BERT OLMSTEAD &hellip;He&rsquo;s Fiery Type</figcaption></div>The Bruins&rsquo; chronic inaptitude, coupled with injuries to key Red Wing and Maple Leaf players give the Rangers an unexpected boost. If New York can remain within striking distance of fourth place through. January it&rsquo;s possible that younger Ranger legs will enable them to catch older Detroit and Toronto in late February and pass them in March. &#9632;

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‘Cat’ May Turn To Gordon Or Olmstead As Successor

(1) Two players who were in the NHL last season as rivals were once teammates on the Quebec Junior Citadels. Can you name them?(2)On December 22, 1952, a &ldquo;Night&rdquo; was held for a certain player in Maple Leaf Gardens. Who was the man they showered; with gifts which included a car?(3) Name the NHL players, past or present, who answer to the following; nicknames.Picket GooseKurt Stash(4)For a number of seasons Tommy Ivan was the successful pilot of the Detroit Red Wings. On how many consecutive occasions did he guide them to the NHL championship?(5) Back in 1945-46 Max Bentley, then with the Black Hawks, scored 30 goals.; From then until the 1951-52 campaign no Chicago player exceeded that mark. Who was the player who scored 31 goals?(6)A former NHL star who saw service as a coach and later a manager once played football with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Who is he?(7) Here&rsquo;s another night you may remember, but this time the player was feted in the Montreal Forum. The date was March 8, 1952. Who collected the loot on that occasion?(8)In the summer of 1954 Conn Smythe, then Toronto&rsquo;s manager, traded Fern Flaman back to the Boston Bruins. Name the player he received in return.(9) Two present NHL coaches were rivals a few years ago when they were mentors in the Quebec League. One guided the Valley field Braves while the other handled the Quebec Aces. Who are they?(10)Danny Lewicki, who was a whiz in junior competition, failed to become a star when he turned pro with the Maple Leafs. They gave up on him in the summer of 1954 and sold him to another NHL club. Which team bought him?(ANSWERS NEXT WEEK)<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2>(1) Rangers & Lorne Worsley(2) He was a referee.(3) They were lacrosse players.(4) Chicago & Detroit.(5) 540.(6) All were born in Regina, Sask., and all belonged to Canadiens at one time or another.(7) All won the Hart Trophy in two successive seasons.(8) Howe twice won the Hart Trophy in two consecutive seasons.(9) All are natives of Onttario.(10) As players they were all centres.<h2>SPORTS PHOTOS !</h2>Thousands of different 8x 10 glosy photos. Ideal for your bar, den or clubroom 5 for $3.00 Write for FREE new and enlarged illustrated catalog. Send 104 (stamps or coin) to cover postage and handling.ALL SPORTS PHOTOS Box 267-H Freeport, N.Y. &#9632;

HOCKEY … Quiz

<div class="byline">BY GIL SMITH</div>MONTREAL, Que.The Christmas bonus &mdash; traditional at this time of year &mdash; may come to the Montreal Canadiens in the form of a defenceman.There is a possibility that J. C. Tremblay may be in the lineup when Habs meet Detroit on December 25th. Though his return is by no means certain, the chance that he may play does exist. Coincidentally, it was in a game against Detroit last November 27th that Tremblay sustained the injury that put him on the shelf. He reinjured his cheekbones which had been previouly damaged in an early season game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01647/2442009-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="248" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry Harper</figcaption></div>&ldquo;When I played against Detroit on November 27th,&rdquo; says J. C., &ldquo;it was only my second game without a face mask. My face was still tender from the previous injury.&rdquo;Tremblay, a somewhat obscure defenceman for most of his career, burst into prominence in the playoffs last spring. He was a tower of strength in the Stanley Cup final against Chicago, and was credited with playing a vital role in the Montreal victory. As is so often the case on Canadiens, Tremblay rose to the heights while helping his team overcome the loss of a star performer. When J. C. came up with his tremendous performance in the Cup final, Canadiens were without starry rearguard Jacques Laperriere. He missed the finals with a cracked ankle, and J. C. took over in his stead.Tremblay is anything but spectacular on the ice, but he&rsquo;s effective. He concentrates on playing the puck, while leaving the hitting to the huskier types. He&rsquo;s particularly good at getting the puck out of his own zone, and sending his forwards off on breakaways. Though his return to the lineup by Christmas is problematical, there&rsquo;s no doubt about the fact that he&rsquo;ll be an asset when he does get back in action.Meanwhile, other defencemen were going all-out in an effort to overcome Tremblay&rsquo;s absence.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02567/2442002-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="538" height="970"><figcaption class="caption-body">J. C. TREMBLAY &hellip; His Services Wanted</figcaption></div>Terry Harper, a much misunderstood man these days, was working like a trojan everytime he was on the ice. It is said of Harper that he&rsquo;s one of the best defencemen Canadiens have, when the team is on the road. Unfortunately for him, his off-nights have been mainly reserved for home games. He&rsquo;s been unlucky, too, in that he&rsquo;s often the victim of two-on-one breakaways, as was the case in a recent game against Toronto. Harper was the lone defenceman back as Keon and Mahovlich swept into the Montreal end. The goal was scored by Mahovlich.Harper, no doubt, has his bad breaks and bad nights, but they&rsquo;ll never rule the man out for not trying.Also making a genuine effort for the team was Ted Harris, a man who has done much to keep the opposition honest, this season. Like Terry Harper, Harris is no Fancy-Dan but he can hand out a smashing bodycheck, and frequently does. It is men like Harper, Harris and, of course, John Ferguson who have changed the image of Canadiens from a team that could be pushed around to one that cannot.The overall result is that Canadiens are leading the league as we go to press, both in penalties and in points. &#9632;

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Canadiens Hoping For Christmas Bonus With Return Of J.C. Tremblay To Action

(As Seen In The Montreal Gazette)A few seasons back, Punch Imlach was asked what it was like to have Eddie Shack on his team. The manager-coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs had to resort to musical terms for a simile.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like you&rsquo;re conducting a hundred piece orchestra,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and one guy is out of tune.&rdquo;The Maple Leaf orchestra continues to play and Shack, who was once out of tune, is still with it and seems to have learned something about harmony in the meantime. Maybe he picked it up in Rochester where he was isolated for a brief spell at the start of the current season. In his seclusion in that quiet city on the Genesee River, Eddie became lonely and threatened to retire from hockey if he had to remain there much longer. The Leafs recalled him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01631/2442040-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="520" height="661"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDDIE SHACK</figcaption></div>Now he is blowing the loudest horn in the Toronto band, which is another way of saying that he is leading the Leafs in scoring with 13 goals, according to the latest official release from NHL headquarters. Punch Imlach discussed the Leafs&rsquo; situation.&ldquo;They wonder why I use Eddie Shack. Granted Shack does everything wrong. He&rsquo;ll skate with the puck with both teams chasing him and then put a beautiful pass on the stick of a rival player. But he has exuberance and he is the top scorer on my club.&rdquo;<h2>IT&rsquo;S HIS EXUBERANCE</h2>In a game in Chicago a few weeks ago, Shack made a brilliant play to set up a goal by Brit Selby. After the goal, Shack skated to Selby full speed to congratulate him. But he forgot to apply the brakes and crashed his teammate to the ice. Selby had to be helped off with an injured ankle and was through for the night. Incidentally, the Leafs won the game, 7-2.&ldquo;They asked me whether I said anything to Shack for injuring Selby,&rdquo; said Imlach, &ldquo;and I told them no. You have to admire exuberance like that. I just wish the rest of the club could get as exuberant as Eddie.&rdquo;The Leafs&rsquo; boss-man admits that he has problems. He has almost given up on Larry Jeffrey, the young left-winger he obtained from the Detroit Red Wings along with Marcel Pronovost, Eddie Joyal, Lowell MacDonald and Aut Erickson for Andy Bathgate, Billy Harris and Ken Stephanson.Joyal has been sent to the Leafs&rsquo; farm club at Rochester and so has Jeffrey.This brings us back to Eddie Shack. The New York hockey writers are still interested in Exuberant Eddie, since he was once a Ranger. On the Leafs&rsquo; last visit to New York, Imlach told them he wasn&rsquo;t sure that Shack was the answer to all his problems.<h2>HE WAS ONCE A RANGER</h2>&ldquo;If the team is going well, I don&rsquo;t mind having Eddie,&rdquo; Imlach said. &ldquo;But sometimes I can&rsquo;t afford it.&rdquo;Someone reminded Punch that Shack once showed up at the Rangers training camp in Niagara Falls, speeding along in a new convertible that came close to plunging into the water below.&ldquo;Sometimes,&rdquo; mused the Leafs&rsquo; manager-coach, &ldquo;I wish he would go over the Falls.&rdquo;It seems the Rangers wouldn&rsquo;t mind reacquiring Shack, if the Leafs would make him available.&ldquo;Maybe Eddie does confuse his own players, but he also confuses the opposition,&rdquo; says Emile Francis, manager-coach of the Rangers. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s big, strong, and has a good shot.&rdquo;They used to talk about Shack in New York before he was ever brought up to the Rangers. Phil Watson, who was coaching the Rangers then, said he &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t miss&rdquo; because he was fast, aggressive and could drill the puck. But Watson was the first to give up on him, to be followed by Muzz Patrick.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d pay two bucks anytime to watch him skate,&rdquo; said Patrick, &ldquo;but I wouldn&rsquo;t pay a dime to watch him play hockey.But Toronto fans are ready to pay more than two bucks to watch him play hockey today. They can&rsquo;t see enough of him in Maple Leaf Gardens. &#9632;

f0009-01

Leafs’ Eddie Shack Blows Loudest Horn

MONTREAL, Que.The touring Russian national hockey players are probably thanking their lucky stars they don&rsquo;t have to face six-time Vezina Trophy winner Jacques Plante every time they step out on the ice.Plante, now retired from hockey but pressured into coming back for just one more game, stood Russia&rsquo;s world hockey champions on their collective heads the night of Dec. 15 when he stepped in to guard the net for a pro-bolstered Montreal Junior team and whipped the Soviets 2-1.Plante was simply brilliant and his sensational play won him a standing ovation from nearly 15,000 Montreal Forum fans as he stopped the Reds on four breakaways.The loss was the first for a Russian team at the hands of a Canadian squad since 1962 when the Windsor Bulldogs turned the trick.Billy Inglis, Norm Dennis and Andre Boudrias, three of the six Houston pros who reinforced the Junior Canadiens (defensemen Noel Picard and Jean Gauthier were the others), set up the game winning goal with Boudrias making the big check that stopped the Russians coming out of their end of the rink. Inglis pounced on the puck shot at the Russian goaler and Dennis banged in the rebound for the winner to electrify Montreal&rsquo;s largest non-NHL crowd in a decade.While the Russian defeat by the Montrealers appeased a hungry hockey nation, it did little to solace the stigma of three straight losses handed Canada&rsquo;s National team by these same Soviets.The Russians had won three from the Nationals on their eight-game tour of Canada and had outscored them 18-8. which didn&rsquo;t auger too well for Canadian hopes at the spring World hockey tournament.There have been rumblings that the Canadians will be bolstered by some much needed scoring talent and there reportedly is some talk that Plante may be set up as the Nationals&rsquo; netminder in time for the world tourney.The former NHL &lsquo;Masked Marvel&rsquo; doesn&rsquo;t agree, however. &ldquo;It was a one-night stand,&rdquo; informed Plante and he said he has come to the end of the line as far as big time hockey is concerned. &#9632;

Plante Dazzles Touring Russian Team But Nationals No Match For Soviets

MONTREAL, Que. &mdash;Providing certain conditions are agreed upon, the Montreal Canadiens stand ready to participate in hockey competition on an international basis.J. David Molson, president of the Canadiens, outlined the conditions.&bull; Any team presently a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation must declare itself professional and be openly recognized as such.&bull; Any encounter must be played under NHL pro rules.&bull; Financial arrangements satisfactory to the Club de Hockey Canadien would have to be negotiated.&ldquo;In terms of an official challenge by any member of the IIHF to the NHL for world hockey supremacy, such teams or team challenging, in addition to adhering to conditions 1 and 2, must first prove themselves against minor pro opposition. This is entirely in their own interest, and its purpose being to assist them in achieving standards comparable to the NHL,&rdquo; the statement read.&ldquo;In establishing these conditions. I feel that professional hockey is taking a realistic approach to the present situation. Until such time as there is agreement on these conditions, the expansion of professional hockey on a world basis can never be attained.&ldquo;There is absolutely no reason why both (professional and amateur hockey), cannot flourish in Europe as well as in North America &hellip; the obvious answer is for contending Europe countries to establish both amateur and professional leagues.&rdquo; &#9632;

Canadiens Ready To Play But Only Against Pros

<div class="byline">BY JACK BERRY</div>DETROIT, Mich.There hasn&rsquo;t been any more talk lately about the Red Wings shopping for a defenseman.The reasons? Unflappable rookie Bert Marshall and veteran Warren Godfrey are two, Doug Barkley is a third.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01647/2442143-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="280" height="412"><figcaption class="caption-body">Warren Godfrey</figcaption></div>Suddenly the ugly duckling Detroit defense has taken on a competent look and this even though Bill Gadsby is on the sidelines, recuperating from surgery for removal of a cyst behind his right knee.Marshall has been manager - coach Sid Abel&rsquo;s &ldquo;find&rdquo; this season - - Sid usually has one a year.The 6-3, 205-pound sophomore pro hardly got a look in training camp because, for the second straight year, he had a poor camp. But he was so strong at Pittsburgh that he got the call when the Wing blue line weakened and he was brought in after nine games.His first NHL appearance was against Montreal and he took a regular turn and was impressive in a 2-2 tie.&ldquo;He should get the rookie of the year votes,&rdquo; Abel stated. &ldquo;You certainly couldn&rsquo;t pick the two goalies (Bernie Parent of Boston and Ed Giacmin of New York) ahead of him.&rdquo;Marshall has uncommon poise for a rookie and he plays in the old Bill Quackenbush style, making fullest use of his stick to break up plays.In his first 13 games he drew only two penalties, one a major for accidentally cutting New Yorker John McKenzie. When McKenzie went down, as though he&rsquo;d been shot, the big rookie rushed over and leaned over McKenzie to see if he could help. Possum John leaped up and started to throw a punch but it missed its mark.Abel has so much confidence in Marshall that in addition to using him as one of his four regulars, he also uses him when the Wings are killing a penalty.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny,&rdquo; said a Wing forward, &ldquo;you&rsquo;d never heard Bert&rsquo;s name mentioned when they talked about defensemen on the farms. It shows that some guys play better up here.&ldquo;Now when we get Gadsby back we&rsquo;ll be in pretty good shape.&ldquo;If we&rsquo;d gone for Boivin (Boston&rsquo;s Leo Boivin) like they were talking, he might be around for a year and then you&rsquo;ve got to get someone else. This way you&rsquo;ve got a kid who&rsquo;s going to be around for a long time,&rdquo; he said.Also right there in the Wing back-yard &mdash; the farms &mdash; was Godfrey and the Rock has been as solid as a rock for Detroit.Godfrey, in the minors the past two years after being re-obtained from Boston, was assigned to Memphis this season and appointed captain to help coach Vic Stasiuk with the younger players.But Abel told Godfrey that if he needed help, he&rsquo;d call. He did and he did.Godfrey came up when sophomore Gary Bergman was dispatched to Memphis to get straightened around and, when Berman returned after two weeks, Godfrey remained with the Wings because he was playing so steadily.The Rock doesn&rsquo;t make any dashes in from the blue line &mdash; &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to take any chances on getting trapped,&rdquo; he grinned.Instead, he hangs back by the blue line, ready to move back to picket duty in the Detroit end.The big blue line blaster for the Wings has been Barkley and Abel feels he should get full All-Star consideration.&ldquo;Doug has been doing triple duty &mdash; regular shift, power play and penalty killing,&rdquo; Abel pointed out.He&rsquo;s taken on the responsibility with Gadsby out, of being the lead defenseman.The 6-2, 197-pounder was promoted to the power play after that weak arm of the Detroit attack had produced just five goals, but, even more embarrassingly, had surrendered five goals to rival penalty killers.At the time he moved Norm Ullman up to the front line with Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio, Abel also put Barkley on the right point on the power play and the Wings, overnight cellar occupants, began their flight to respectability.In the next seven games the power play scored seven times and Barkley got one of the goals and assisted on three others. Overall in the streak he had three goals and seven assists.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m using a lighter stick and keeping my shot lower,&rdquo; said Barkley, who used to be accused of using a wedge because his shots were so high. &ldquo;When they&rsquo;re low the guys in front of the net have a chance to get their sticks on them and deflect them,&rdquo; he said.And Barkley is off to his best start in his four NHL seasons &mdash; despite the hangover of a groin muscle injury that first hit him in the 1964 playoffs, continued through much of last season and lingered into this year even though he exercised five times a week during the summer to strengthen it.&ldquo;One thing it does,&rdquo; Barkley said, taking the positive approach, &ldquo;it makes you hesitate a split-second and sometimes you&rsquo;re better off doing that.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-01

Abel Admits Wings’ Defence Problem Over With Marshall Godfrey, Barkley On Hand

&ldquo;you like 7up 7up likes you&rdquo;&ldquo;you like 7up 7up likes you&rdquo;<h2>How They Stand</h2>(Standings on Wed. Dec. 22)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03483/2442174-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="564" height="183"></div>GAMES COMPLETEDWed. Dec. 15Detroit 3 at Toronto 5Boston 4 at Chicago 8Thurs. Dec. 16Toronto 3 at Montreal 2Boston 0 at Detroit 2Sat. Dec. 18Boston 1 at Montreal 2New York 4 at Toronto 8Chicago 1 at Detroit 3Sun. Dec. 19Montreal 2 at New York 3Toronto 3 at Boston 1Detroit 4 at Chicago 5GAMES TO COMEWed. Dec. 22New York at ChicagoThurs.. Dec. 23New York at DetroitSat.. Dec. 25Detroit at MontrealChicago at TorontoNew York at BostonSun.. Dec. 26Montreal at DetroitToronto at ChicagoBoston at New YorkTues., Dec. 28Detroit at BostonWed., Dec. 29Montreal at TorontoChicago at New YorkFri. Dec. 31Chicago at DetroitSat., Jan. 1New York at MontrealBoston at TorontoSun., Jan. 2Toronto at DetroitBoston at Chicago &#9632;

f0010-03

NATIONAL LEAQUE

When the Detroit Red Wings made their big off-season multiple player trade with Toronto Maple Leafs, the player they wanted most in the deal was Andy Bathgate. Detroit manager-coach Sid Abel had it figured out that Bathgate, one of hockey&rsquo;s all-time great right wingers, still had a lot of good hockey left in him.Sid set out to prove his point and Bathgate was given more ice play than he received with the Leafs. The results were gratifying to both Abel and Bathgate.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02568/2442205-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="262" height="417"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andy Bathgate</figcaption></div>The 33-year-old Bathgate this week collected a total of 10 points in Detroit&rsquo;s four games to climb into seventh spot in the NHL scoring race, but more important was Andy&rsquo;s feat in scoring his 300th lifetime goal.Bathgate collected the milestone marker Wed., Dec. 15th as the Wings went down to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of his ex-teammates. Andy came back with two more in the week to raise his count to 302.Bathgate scored 272 goals for the Rangers over an 11-year period and ranked among the NHL&rsquo;s premier right wingers. He was later traded to Toronto and landed with Detroit this season where he says, &ldquo;I have never been happier.&rdquo;Simon&rsquo;s Cigarillos is pleased to salute Andy Bathgate as player-of-the-week in the NHL. &#9632;

f0010-02

The Player Of The Week

(Including Games of Sun. Dec. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01644/2442243-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="589" height="3024"></div>Penalties In Minutes by Clubs<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02595/2442236-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="565" height="251"></div> &#9632;

f0011-01

NHL Point Race

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05365/2442274-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg"></div>A&mdash;When two goaltenders of one team play in same game, each is given half a credit for the final result &#9632;

f0011-05

Goalkeepers’ Records

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>NEW YORK, N.Y. &mdash;Gordie Howe and the Red Wings recently established a beachhead at the Garden and listening to the Rangers describe his guerrilla tactics one would think Howe was a member of the Viet Cong.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the dirtiest players in the league,&rdquo; says a Ranger who has been bludgeoned by the Great Man&rsquo;s elbows and deserves a Purple Heart for the stitches received via Howe&rsquo;s stick.The 37-year-old Howe, who unanimously has been acclaimed hockey&rsquo;s most accomplished player, long has been accused by Rangers of tactics that go above and beyond the rules of warfare set down by the Geneva Convention.A few years ago Howe performed a bit of unrequested surgery on Lou Fontinato&rsquo;s ear before 15,925 aghast viewers at the Garden. But Gordie doesn&rsquo;t play favorites.When Howe scored his 600th goal at Montreal recently he was hailed with a standing ovation. Apparently unimpressed with Northern hospitality he responded by rapping Hab defenseman J. C. Tremblay in the mouth with an elbow.Tremblay escaped with broken cheekbones and Howe escaped the Forum fans&rsquo; wrath by the skin of his hockey stick. &ldquo;Hockey,&rdquo; Gordie has explained in defining his philosophy, &ldquo;is a man&rsquo;s game.&rdquo;The Rangers have nothing but awe, admiration and occasional fear for Howe.&ldquo;Even when you leave him alone he&rsquo;s still mean,&rdquo; says blye, asst, coach Don Marshall. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll hit you for no reason at all. There&rsquo;s no doubt about it &mdash; he&rsquo;s dirty.&rdquo;Many believe Howe&rsquo;s violent behavior is an inevitable product of hockey&rsquo;s all&rsquo;s-fair-in-war thinking.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best and everybody&rsquo;s taking a run at him,&rdquo; a Ranger explains. &ldquo;So, by being tough, he keeps them away. It&rsquo;s the only way for him to operate under the circumstances.&rdquo;Other super stars, such as Bobby Hull, have been less rough than Howe.&ldquo;Hull will put you into the boards,&rdquo; says Marshall, &ldquo;but Howe tries to put you through the boards.&rdquo; &#9632;

“Hockey Man’s Game” Says Ace Gordie Howe

<h2>NHL Point Race</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Dec. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03518/2442399-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="560" height="817"></div>Penalties In Minutes by Clubs<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04433/2442392-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="564" height="655"></div><h2>Goalkeepers&rsquo; Records</h2>A&mdash;When two goaltenders of one team play in same came, each is given half a credit for the final result.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06325/2442385-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="556" height="531"></div><h3>Wed., Dec. 15</h3>BOSTON 4 at CHICAGO 8BOSTON &mdash; Goal: Cheevers, Parent; defense:Boivin, Ashbee, Awrey, Marotte, Woytowich, Langlois; forwards: MacDonald, Prentice, Stewart, Bucyk, Williams, Oliver, Fleming. Dillabough, Goldsworthy.CHICAGO &mdash; Goal: Hall, Dryden; defense: Pilote, Stapleton, Ravlich, Jarrett; forwards: R. Hull, Esposito, Maki, Mohns, Stanfield, D. Hull, Hay, Hodge, Nesterenko, Wharram, Mikita.Referee: Buffey. Linesmen: Sopp, Pavelich.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-07296/2442378-1-eng-US/f0011-072.jpg" title="f0011-07" width="560" height="437"></div>DETROIT 3 at TORONTO 5DETROIT &mdash; Goal: Crozier, Bassen; defense: Marshall, Barkley, B. Watson, Bergman; forwards: Ullman, Delvecchio, Howe, Fonteyne, Harris, MacGregor, Smith, Henderson, McKenney, Bathgate. McDonald.TORONTO &mdash; Goal: Bower, Sawchuk; defense: Horton, Pronovost, Sly, Hillman, Douglas, Stanley; forwards: Mahoviich, Kelly, Keon. Pulford, Ellis, Stemkowski, Selby, Shack, Armstrong, Kurtenbach. Boyer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-08282/2442371-1-eng-US/f0011-082.jpg" title="f0011-08" width="562" height="531"></div><h3>Thur., Dec. 16</h3>TORONTO 3 at MONTREAL 2TORONTO &mdash; Goal: Sawchuk. Bower; defense: Pronovost, Horton, Hillman, Douglas, Sly, Stanley; forwards: Kelly, Ellis, Armstrong, Selby, Keon. Boyer. Pulford, Shack, Kurtenbach, Mahoviich.MONTREAL &mdash; Goal: Worsley, Hodge; defense: Laperriere, Harris. Harper, Talbot; forwards: Beliveau. Duff, Rousseau. Backstrom, Ferguson. Larose. Richard, Provost, G. Tremblay, Cournoyer, Berenson, Roberts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-09270/2442364-1-eng-US/f0011-092.jpg" title="f0011-09" width="570" height="525"></div>BOSTON 0 at DETROIT 2BOSTON &mdash; Goal: Cheevers, Parent; defense: Boivin, Ashbee, Awrey, Marotte. Woytowich. Langlois; forwards: MacDonald. Prentice, Stewart. Bucyk. Williams. Oliver, Fleming, Dillabough. Goldsworthy.DETROIT &mdash; Goal: Crozier. Bassen; defense: Marshall, Barkley, Watson. Bergman. Wall, Godfrey; forwards: Howe, Delvecchio, Fonteyne. Harris. MacGregor. Ullman. Henderson, McKenney, Bathgate, McDonald.Referee: Friday. Linesmen: Sopp. Pavelich.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-10247/2442357-1-eng-US/f0011-102.jpg" title="f0011-10" width="562" height="601"></div><h3>Sat., Dec. 18</h3>BOSTON 1 at MONTREAL 2BOSTON &mdash; Goal: Parent, Johnston. Defense: Langlois. Woytowich, Marotte, Boivin. Ashbee. Awrey. Forwards: Stewart, Bucyk. Prentice. Fleming. MacDonald. Goldsworthy. Williams. Oliver, Dillabough.MONTREAL &mdash; Goal: Hodge. Worsley. Defense: Laperriere. Harris, Duff, Rousseau. Richard, G. Tremblay. Provost, Backstrom, Ferguson, Harper, Talbot. Forwards: Beliveau, Larose, Balon. Cournoyer, Roberts.Referee: Udvari. Linesmen: Armstrong. Frampton.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-11221/2442350-1-eng-US/f0011-112.jpg" title="f0011-11" width="568" height="433"></div>CHICAGO 1 at DETROIT 3CHICAGO &mdash; Goal: Hall, Dryden, Defense: Pilote, Stapleton, Ravlich, Jarrett. Forwards: R. Hull, Esposito, Maki, Mohns, Stanfield, D. Hull, Hay, Hodge, Nesterenko, Wharram, Mikita.DETROIT &mdash; Goal: Crozier, Bassen. Defense: Godfrey, Bergman, Barkley, Watson, Marshall, Wall. Forwards: Ullman, Howe, Delvecchio, Bathgate, McDonald, Henderson, MacGregor, Fonteyne, McKenney, Peters.Referee: Buffey, Linesmen: Sopp, Pavelich,<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-12202/2442343-1-eng-US/f0011-122.jpg" title="f0011-12" width="560" height="547"></div>NEW YORK 4 at TORONTO 8NEW YORK&mdash;Goal: Giacomin, Simmons. Defense: Howell, Brown, McMahon, Hillman, Neilson, Forwards: Ratelie, Gilbert, Nevin, Marshall, Goyette, Robinson, Hadfield, McKenzie, Peters, Ingarfield, Hicke.TORONTO &mdash; Goal: Bower, Sawchuk. Defense: Horton, Pronovost, Hillman, Douglas, Stanley, Forwards: Mahoviich, Kelly, Keon, Pulford, Ellis, Stemkowski, Selby, Shack, Armstrong, Kurtenbach, Boyer.DETROIT 4 at CHICAGO 5DETROIT &mdash; Goal: Crozier, Bassen, I defense: Marshall, Barkley. Wall, I Bergman. Watson; forwards: Mac-Gregor, Bathgate. McDonald, Peters, Ullman. Martin. Howe, Delvecchio, Fonteyne, Henderson, McKeney.CHICAGO &mdash; Goal: Hall, Dryden, defense: Pilote. Stapleton, Ravlich, MicNeil. Jarrett; forwards: Wharram. Mikita, Mohns. Stanfield, Esposito, R. Hull. D. Hull. Hodge. Nesterenko, Maki.Referee: Ashley. Linesmen: Pavlich and Sopp.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08126/2442336-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="574" height="785"></div>MONTREAL 2 at NEW YORK 3MONTREAL &mdash; Goal: Hodge. Worsley; defense: Laperriere. Harris, Talbot, Harper; forwards: Provost, Richard, Balon, Beliveau, Backstrom, Duff, Larose. Cournoyer. Rousseau, Ferguson, Roberts, G. Tremblay.NEW YORK &mdash; Goal: Simmons, Giacomin: defense: Brown, Howell. Neilson, Hillman, McMahon; forwards: Goyette, Peters, Ratelle, Ingarfield. Marshall, Robinson, Hadfield. Gilbert, Nevin, Hicke, McKenzie.Referee: Udvari. Linesmen; Armstrong, Frampton.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09113/2442329-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="568" height="653"></div> &#9632;

f0011-03

National League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY CHARLEY BARTON</div>BUFFALO, N. Y.Billy Dea was on the verge of setting an American Hockey League consecutive-games record; Jerry Melnyk was one away from the 200-goal plateau, and the Buffalo Bisons were making signs of nearing the third and last playoff spot in the Western Division as this edition of The Hockey News went to press.The Bisons were scheduled to play their 26th game of the season in Cleveland on Christmas Night, and that was the one in which Dea would set the record.Dea, the hard-rock little left-winger in his eighth term with the Bisons, had played in 500 straight games when the season opened. The Christmas Night game would be his 526th, one more than the old record held by Bill Needham, the burly Cleveland defenseman.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06176/2442482-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="288" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jerry Melnyk</figcaption></div>Melnyk, a throwback to the stickhandlers who dominated the game prior to the advent of the present-day hurly-burly performers, needed just one goal to make it 200 in his 12th term as a pro.Some hockey players should never be judged by statistics, and Melnyk is a prime example. In addition to being a fine playmaker who passes when he might take the shot himself. Melnyk is also one of the more talented penalty-killers in the game.Here is truly a &ldquo;hockey player&rsquo;s hockey player.&rdquo;For the first time this season, the Bisons won two in a row at home when they knocked over the Vancouver Canucks and the Springfield Indians, and third place, and a playoff spot next spring, somehow seemed much closer.ALONG THE BOARDS &mdash; A second Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; farm hand, left-winger Gary Butler, joined the club. Butler, who played with Regina in the Saskatchewan Senior League last winter, came here from Seattle of the Western League &hellip; Center Billy Carter is the other Montreal-owned player on the squad, and has played well between Alain (Boom Boom) Caron and Mel Pearson &hellip;A &ldquo;Stick Night&rdquo; promotion attracted in excess of 5,500 for a Friday night game with Vancouver, and the Bisons were planning a repeat, with either shin pads or plastic helmets being given to every boy and girl 16 and under. &#9632;

f0012-06

Bisons Making New Noises -- Dea, Melnyk Eye Marks

<div class="byline">By JOE GORDON</div>PITTSBURGH, Pa.It has been sixteen seasons since the Pittsburgh Hornets had an American lean League scoring champion. Sid I Smith, a right wing who later starred with Toronto, performed the trick in the 1948-49 campaign.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04301/2442513-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="293" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sid Smith</figcaption></div>This season the Hornets have two strong contenders for the title.They are linemates Murray Hall and Norm Beaudin. At this writing they stood one-three in the league scoring race. Hall had 34 points on 14 goals and 20 assists while Beaudin trailed by four points with 15 markers and 15 assists. Rochester&rsquo;s Dick Gamble was second with 33 points.Smith racked up 112 points in that 1948-49 season on 55 tallies and 57 assists. Carl Liscombe, playing with Providence, also hit the twine 55 times the same season and shares the league mark of goals in one season with Smith. Smith&rsquo;s point total is also a Hornet club record and is just seven behind George Sullivan&rsquo;s league mark of 119.Both Hall and Beaudin are not unfamiliar to posting impressive scoring figures.Hall led the Hornets in scoring last season with 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points. While with St. Louis of the old Eastern Professional Hockey League he equalled the loop record for assists with 69. in the 1962-63 season. Combined with his 29 markers that season, he totaled 98 points. A season earlier in his rookie pro season the blond pivotman tallied 20 goals and added 21 assists for Buffalo.Beaudin struck gold last season when he fired in 45 goals. Forty-one of them came with Memphis of the Central League. The other four were garnered with Pittsburgh at the tail end of the AHL schedule. At his present rate of scoring goals this season he would eclipse his mark of last season and approach the half century mark.This is the second time this season that the AHL weekly release has found Hall&rsquo;s name at the top. Two weeks ago he led but was displaced by Quebec&rsquo;s Ed Hoekstra when the Hornets played only one game that week and Murray went pointless.Coincidentally, both players have missed adding to their point totals in only seven of the Hornets&rsquo; 23 games. Beaudin has never gone more than two games without a point. This happened twice. The longest Hall has been blanked is three games when the Wasps made their West Coast tour. He has also gone two games without a point once.Hall has picked up three points in a game seven times while Beaudin has pulled the trick four times. Beaudin has the team&rsquo;s lone &ldquo;hat trick&rdquo; this season and in two other games he has scored twice. Hall has lit the red light twice in one game three times.With this pair&rsquo;s prolific scoring the Hornets are breathing hard on the Rochester Americans, who jumped off to a bulging lead in the Western Division race but have seen their margin pared considerably as the Pittsburghers got hot. &#9632;

f0012-04

Hall, Beaudin First Hornets To Bid For Scoring Title Since Sid Smith

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07152/2442544-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="468" height="589"><figcaption class="caption-body">NORM BEAUDIN</figcaption></div>SPRINGFIELD, Mass.Only when Eddie Shore is one of the principals can a hockey player take a swing at his boss, be suspended and reinstated in a matter of days, and get back into the lineup within three weeks.Shore and goalie Jacques Caron traded punches in a post-game, dressing brawl after the Indians whipped the Bisons. 4-2, in Buffalo, and three weeks later, Caron was back in action.Any number of owners probably have felt like taking a crack at a player after losing, but Shore and Caron squared off following a victory when Shore refused Caron permission to spend the night with his wife.In addition to a series of well-aimed blows, Shore, 63, and the 26-year-old Caron also swapped harsh words. Time, however, heals most things, and all appears well again between them.As this edition of THE HOCKEY NEWS went to press, Shore, having settled the Caron case, was seeking a successor for Coach Al Murray. Murray, charging Shore with interference, quit the club Dec. 4.General Manager Jack Butterfield, longtime Indians&rsquo; front office chief, was operating the bench while Shore sought a fulltime replacement for Murray.Butterfield, Shore&rsquo;s nephew, is an experienced hand in the ticket and promotion branch of the business, and is also accomplished at arena management. &#9632;

f0012-07

Shore, Caron Smooth Over Differences

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01608/2442589-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="536" height="501"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRED GLOVER &hellip; Still Recovering</figcaption></div>(Standings on Sat. Dec. 25)EASTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02564/2442582-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="564" height="155"></div>WESTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03525/2442575-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="561" height="125"></div>(NHL Affiliation: 1. Toronto. 2. Montreal. 3. Chicago. 4. Detroit. 5. New York. 6. Boston, x. independent.)GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Dec. 14Providence 4 at Quebec 11Hershey 6 at Vancouver 3Wed. Dec. 15Springfield 2 at Cleveland 1Thurs. Dec. 16Providence 2 at Quebec 1Fri. Dec. 17Rochester 5 at Baltimore 4Buffalo 1 at Providence 2Sat. Dec. 18Rochester 1 at Cleveland 3Quebec 3 at Hershey 2Baltimore 0 at Pittsburgh 2Buffalo 2 at Springfield 3Sun. Dec. 19Pittsburgh 1 at Buffalo 3Quebec 7 at Providence 3Springfield 1 at Rochester 4Cleveland 2 at Baltimore 4GAMES TO COMESat., Dec. 25Buffalo at ClevelandBaltimore at HersheyRochester at PittsburghProvidence at SpringfieldSun., Dec. 26Quebec at BaltimoreSpringfield at BuffaloCleveland at ProvidencePittsburgh at RochesterTues., Dec. 28Cleveland at BaltimoreWed., Dec. 29Providence at BuffaloRochester at ClevelandQuebec at HersheySpringfield at Pittsburgh &#9632;

f0013-01

How They Stand

<div class="byline">BY SHEL FULLERTON</div>CLEVELAND, Ohio &mdash;No matter how soon Cleveland Barons&rsquo; Coach Fred Glover gets back into action following his recent knee operation for the removal of torn cartilege, it won&rsquo;t be soon enough for Barons&rsquo; fans.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04483/2442620-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="284" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larry Zeidel</figcaption></div>With every game the Barons play, it becomes more evident that Glover is as important to the team&rsquo;s success as propaganda is to the Kremlin.With Glover on the ice, the Barons can be a dangerous contender in the American Hockey League. Without him, they have proved, up to this point, to be completely lacking in fire. They get their shots but they click effectively only in spurts and fail to crack hard enough on defense to discourage free-wheeling enemy forwards.It is Glover&rsquo;s spark they lack, nor does there seem to be anyone around to supply that spark when he is forced to remain on the bench.Coming successfully through his operation on December 6 and expecting to be kept in the hospital as a patient for approximately 10 days, Glover received a surprising release only four days later and was on the bench, with the aid of a pair of crutches, for a December 10 game against Pittsburgh. The trouble is that Glover, on the bench, finds it impossible to provide the same spark that can be generated by Glover on the ice.The Barons&rsquo; captain is Bill Needham, with Ron Attwell and Joe Szura the alternates. It would be hard to find three quieter individuals on the ice. Talented though they are, not one of them is gifted with the type of personality that can supply the spark needed to fire up a team.There are only two men on the club, other than the coach, who seem to have the type of drive the club so sorely needs. Howie Glover, the coach&rsquo;s brother, is one; Larry Zeidel is the other.Howie, however, just is getting back in stride after recovering from a broken jaw. Still weak, he lost 19 pounds while subsisting on a liquid diet for several weeks.Zeidel has the necessary fire but his over-zealousness in the past, when as a member of the Hershey Bears he was made to feel that he carried the fortunes of the team on his back, indicate that it may not be the better part of wisdom to delegate him with too much authority with the Barons, even if Needham were not the club&rsquo;s nominal leader in Glover&rsquo;s absence.Zeidel has played steady hockey and has done a remarkable job of curbing his sometimes violent temper. Any change to upset the scale may be unwise.After whipping the Hornets in Pittsburgh, the Barons faced a great opportunity the following weekend to take over second place in the Western Division when they met Pittsburgh, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, again, in successive nights.Instead of taking advantage of their chance, they fell before the Hornets 3-2 in a contest in which they generated little offensive power, then suffered the humiliation of a 1-0 blanking by weak-scoring Vancouver when they were content to play the Western League style of free-skating hockey instead of the harder-hitting American League style of play. &#9632;

f0013-04

Barons Ice Coach Fred Glover Sorely Missed

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div>ROCHESTER, N.Y.&ldquo;Please delete from your program the following Rochester players &hellip; and add the following &hellip;&rdquo;That&rsquo;s becoming standard procedure wherever the Rochester Americans play these days. It&rsquo;s getting so you can&rsquo;t tell the Amerks with or without 1 a program.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05402/2442651-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="282" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larry Hillman</figcaption></div>The path between Toronto and Rochester is well worn already this season, as a total of 27 different players have represented the Amerks in the season&rsquo;s first 22 games.Latest departures were the most popular players ever here &mdash; defenseman Al Arbour and center Wally Boyer. Both were recalled by Toronto on Dec. 8. At the same time, Larry Jeffrey was assigned to the Amerks by the Maple Leafs and Claude Labrosse was brought in from Victoria.Arbour, a first team all-star selection for all three of his seasons with the Americans, the AHL&rsquo;s Eddie Shore Plaque winner as the circuit&rsquo;s top blueliner last year and assistant coach of the Amerks, was taken by the Leafs after Bobby Baun underwent a knee operation.Boyer, the hustling little center who excels in checking and penalty killing, was in his fifth season with the Amerks. He didn&rsquo;t waste anytime showing the Maple Leafs fans his effectiveness as a penalty killer, either. In his NHL debut, the 29-year-old Boyer scored a goal and assisted on another &mdash; both times while Toronto had a man in the penalty box.ICICLES &mdash; Labrosse startled a lot of Amerk fans with his streamlined form. Claude had played for Rochester in 1958-59 and 1959-60, and when he left at the end of the second season, he weighed 196 pounds. He arrived here this year at a trim 175.Jim Pappin had his fourth multiple goal game in 14 outings since arriving from Toronto when he tallied twice against Vancouver here Sunday, Dec. 12. They were Pappin&rsquo;s 13th and 14th goals in 14 games &hellip; Attendance is up some 15,000 for the first 12 home games. Only 14 more contests will be played in Rochester before the Amerks are chased out of town by the American Bowling Congress Championships.Rookie Gary Smith returned to the Amerk nets on the Dec. 10th weekend after being sidelined since Nov. 25 with a viral throat infection &hellip; Defenseman Larry Hillman continues to be in the thick of the club assist race. Hillman had 20 in the first 22 games to trail Dick Gamble by one. Pappin with 14 goals, Gerry Eh-man with 13, Gamble with 12 and rookie Mike Walton with 11 were the leading goal-getters. &#9632;

f0013-05

Amerks’ Lineup Juggling Continues As Team Dresses 27th Player Of Year

<h2>Tues.. Dec. 14</h2>HERSHEY 6 at VANCOUVER 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06342/2442766-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="560" height="699"></div>PROVIDENCE 4 at QUEBEC 11<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07316/2442759-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="560" height="1017"></div><h2>Wed., Dec. 15</h2>SPRINGFIELD 2 at CLEVELAND 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08297/2442752-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="548" height="359"></div><h2>Thurs., Dec. 16</h2>PROVIDENCE 2 at QUEBEC 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09283/2442745-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="558" height="353"></div><h2>Sat., Dec. 18</h2>BUFFALO 2 at SPRINGFIELD 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10263/2442738-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="558" height="505"></div>ROCHESTER 1 at CLEVELAND 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11239/2442731-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="582" height="401"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12209/2442724-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="444" height="59"></div>QUEBEC 3 at HERSHEY 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-13175/2442717-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="558" height="581"></div>BALTIMORE 0 at PITTSBURGH 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-14145/2442710-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="554" height="379"></div><h2>Sun., Dec. 19</h2>QUEBEC 7 at PROVIDENCE 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-15118/2442703-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="560" height="731"></div>SPRINGFIELD 1 at ROCHESTER 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1680/2442696-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg" title="f0013-16" width="558" height="579"></div>PITTSBURGH 1 at BUFFALO 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1762/2442689-1-eng-US/f0013-172.jpg" title="f0013-17" width="560" height="603"></div>CLEVELAND 2 at BALTIMORE 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1851/2442682-1-eng-US/f0013-182.jpg" title="f0013-18" width="556" height="555"></div> &#9632;

f0013-06

American Hockey League Summaries

Before you say SCOTCH say &ldquo;DEWAR&rsquo;S&rdquo; it never variesBefore you say SCOTCH say &ldquo;DEWAR&rsquo;S&rdquo; it never varies<h2>How They Stand</h2>(Standings on Wed. Dec. 22,)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07149/2442797-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="562" height="243"></div>(NHL Affiliation: 1. Toronto. .2 Montreal. 5. New York. 6. Boston x. independent).GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Dec. 14Hershey 6 at Vancouver 3Los Angeles 1 at Victoria 5Fri. Dec. 17Victoria 3 at San Francisco 4Seattle 5 at Vancouver 0Sat. Dec. 13Victoria 3 at San Francisco 4Los Angeles 3 at Seattle 2Sun. Dec. 19Vancouver 9 at Seattle 3Los Angeles 4 at Portland 3GAMES TO COMETues., Dec. 22Vancouver at PortlandSat.. Dec. 25San Francisco at PortlandLos Angeles at VancouverSeattle at VictoriaSun., Dec. 26Victoria at PortlandLos Angeles at SeattleMon.. Dec. 27San Franscisco at VancouverWed.. Dec. 29San Francisco at Victoria &#9632;

f0014-07

WESTERN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01604/2442835-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="454" height="715"><figcaption class="caption-body">LEO LABINE &hellip;Getting Second Wind</figcaption></div>LOS ANGELES, Calif.At the age of 34, Leo &ldquo;The Lion&rdquo; Labine still snarls regularly. In his 14th year as a professional. Leo is off to one of his fastest starts. In Portland, he erupted for four goals against Don &ldquo;The Bear&rdquo; Head, giving the Blade winger 16 goals for the season, second-best in the Western League. The feat earned Leo &ldquo;player of the week honors&rdquo; in the circuit.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03382/2442828-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="277" height="421"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Barlow</figcaption></div>Victoria&rsquo;s Bob Barlow is still tops with 17 goals after approximately one-third of the season, but Labine and Wayne Connelly of San Francisco are close behind with 16 each, followed by Milon Marcetta of Victoria, Howie Hughes of Vancouver and Cliff Schmautz of Portland with 15 each. Marcetta, who has 19 assists, has totalled 34 points to lead in the total-points race by one over Billy McNeill of Vancouver.The Blades lost the Portland game 6-5, but Labine&rsquo;s three goals in the third period, two of them less than a half-minute apart, turned a rout into a struggle. The fun-loving. tact-tongued Lion scored 30 and 31 goals his first two seasons in L.A., but slumped to 16 while missing a dozen games last season. He reported late, then got injured. At the finish, he was still getting good position, but couldn&rsquo;t puli the trigger in time to score.Going into this campaign, Leo said he didn&rsquo;t feel time had beaten him. &ldquo;I played so little much of last season, it was almost like having a year&rsquo;s vacation.&rdquo; he pointed out. &ldquo;I feel sharp and I think I can still go some.&rdquo;A 5-10 and 178 pounds, The Lion is no brute, but his elbows have never lost their skill. He is still able to handle himself in the corners and around the goalmouth. He was never a powerful shooter, but has always been an opportunist, especially effective on power-plays. He leads the league with eight man-advantage goals this season.Leo lasted 11 years with Boston and Detroit in the NHL because he knows how to play the game and makes the most of what he has. He topped 20 goals only once, with 24 way back in 1955. but ten years later, the Lion has bounced back strong.Practically the first move Lynn Patrick made after being given the Blades job last summer was to call his old player and make sure he wouldn&rsquo;t retire. Now. Lynn says he&rsquo;s satisfied with Leo, if not with the Blades and their performance so far.&ldquo;All his games aren&rsquo;t good ones, but he&rsquo;s worked hard and played well for me,&rdquo; Lynn pointed out. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not in his prime as he was when I had him in Boston, but he&rsquo;s not really very far away from that level, either.&rdquo;Besides leading the league in points. Marcetta leads in gamewinning assists with eight. Besides leading in goals, Barlow leads in hat-tricks with two and game-winning goals with six. Seattle&rsquo;s Guyle Fielder, who has just two goals, leads in assists with 26, one more than L.A.&rsquo;s Norm Johnson. Still. Johnson is starting slower than usual with only five goals. A string of nine straight games with at least one assist for Fielder was snappedSan Francisco&rsquo;s Jack McCartan leads the regular goal-tenders with a 2.68 goals-against average for 16 games. Al Millar of Victoria is second-best with a 2.74 mark in 23 games. Don Head, 2.79 in 24 games is tops in shutouts with three. &#9632;

f0014-01

L.A. Veteran Off To Fast Start

SEATTLE. Wash. &mdash;With 34 of the 72 games scheduled between the Western and American League teams played. just short of the halfway mark, the American has taken an 18-14-2 edge as the rival circuits went on a month-long intermission before resuming talerleague competition in midJanuary with Providence visiting the west and Seattle invading the east.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02502/2442866-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="238" height="411"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andy Hebenton</figcaption></div>Each of the six Western clubs must play 12 American clubs. Each of the nine American clubs must play eight Western clubs. The difference in the number of teams in each circuit caused the unbalanced schedule. Each league winds up playing 72 games.So far, home teams have dominated the series. The American has a 13-3-2 record at home, the Western an 11-5 mark. The American has a distinct advantage in that its teams must take only four-game road trips, while the Western clubs must make six-game jaunts.Hershey is the top club in inter-league play so far, having won one at home and three on the road. No other team has won more than one on the road. However, the American&rsquo;s strongest clubs, Quebec and Rochester, still have their road swings to come. Ditto for the West power, Victoria, but the No. 2 West club. Portland, disappointed with a 1-3-2 road swing.Four clubs in the American and three in the Western have completed their road swings so far.After nine weeks of the 27week schedule, at the one-third point, the Victoria Maple Leafs continued to pull away from their Western League rivals as they won two out of three games played in four nights to open up an eight-point margin on runnerup Portland&rsquo;s Buckaroos. Each has played 24 games. Coach Frank Mario&rsquo;s hustling Leafs have been unbeatable at home so far, having compiled a 12-0-2 mark in their own rink. A year ago at this time, the Leafs were six games below 500.Led by a tremendous first line of centre Milan Marcetta and wings Bob Barlow and Andy Hebenton, which has scored 40 goals, the Leafs have scored 101 goals. 20 more than the next highest-scoring team, Portland. Led by defensemen Fred and Sandy Hucul and Autry Erickson, and goalie Al Millar, the Leafs have surrendered only 65 goals. Only San Francisco, with Jack McCartan in the nets, has surrendered as few.Portland returned from a disastrous tour of the East to win its only game of the week, niping visiting L.A. 6-5, despite Leo Labine&rsquo;s four-goal flurry. Finishing its own disastrous tliur of the East, third-place Vancouver, came home to be bombed by Hershey and has slipped three games below 500.San Francisco beat L.A. in its only game of the week to hold on to the fourth and last playoff spot. It leads Seattle by one point and last-place L.A. by two, but has played three less games than Seattle and six less games than L.A., so is in good shape. &#9632;

f0014-02

Interlocking Play ‘Homer Series, AHL Teams Leading WHL-18-14-2

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04294/2442904-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg"></div>INTER-LEAGUE RECORDS34 of 72 games played)WESTERN LEAGUE<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05227/2442897-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="1123" height="460"></div>GP &mdash; Games played.GTP &mdash; Games to play.*&mdash; Completed road schedule. &#9632;

f0014-04

Interlocking Picture

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06190/2442935-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="562" height="604"></div> &#9632;

f0014-06

WHL’s Big 10’

<div class="byline">&#x2014; By Bill Libby</div><h2>Rangers Eye Olmstead</h2>BERT OLMSTEAD SAYS THAT he could have had the New York Ranger coaching job this season, but that he preferred to gain at least two years experience as a coach in the high minors before tackling a major league assignment. Last year, the new Vancouver coach served as a special assistant to Ranger general manager Emile Francis. Now that Francis has taken the coaching reins from Red Sullivan, there is speculation that Bert will move up ahead of schedule next season. Vancouver general manager Max McNab says he called Francis and Emile said the change would not affect Olmstead now. Max added that while Olmstead has a two-year contract in Vancouver, the club would not stand in the way of a move up to the NHL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01580/2442973-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="268" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bert Olmstead</figcaption></div>Meanwhile, Olmstead is finding that experience is sometimes bad. He has impressed many of the officials and players around the league with the way he has the Canucks knuckling down, but the Canucks have not been responding lately and have lost six of their last seven games, including a depressing tour of the East against American League clubs. Most recently, Olmstead has reprimanded Dune McCallum. Bob McCusker and Ray Brunel.&ldquo;I benched McCallum in Springfield because he hasn&rsquo;t been playing up to his capabilities for some time,&rdquo; Olmstead told the press &hellip; I left Brunel on the bench in Providence because he wasn&rsquo;t mentally ready to play. Just before game time, for example, he had to have his skates sharpened &mdash; something that should have been done earlier &hellip; McCusker turned up in Springfield without his skates or other equipment. In other words, he wasn&rsquo;t about to help us much, was he?&rdquo;Asked if his tough attitude had hurt the morale of the club. Olmstead said. &ldquo;Are you kidding? Listen When the players start thinking I&rsquo;m a great guy, then we&rsquo;re in trouble I am not coaching this team because I want the players to love me. I want to win hockey games If my players produce, we&rsquo;ll win. It&rsquo;s my job to see they produce.&rdquo;<h2>$300 Fine For Poile</h2>BOSS McNAB SAID. &ldquo;OLMSTEAD is doing an excellent job I have no complaints at all. The hockey club is 100 per cent behind whatever he says or does.&rdquo;Obviously, the Rangers will be watching Bert and his boys the rest of the way, very closely.Western League president Al Leader flew in to San Francisco to fine Seal general manager Bud Poile $300 for an altercation with rookie referee Barry Ballance after a recent game with visiting L. A. Poile blocked Ballance&rsquo;s path to his dressing room while discussing some of the game&rsquo;s key plays with the ref. In the aftermath, on Leader&rsquo;s instructions, Poile has had to move the referees&rsquo; quarters to a site further from the Seal quarters.Poile, who not so long ago fined each of his players for poor play at home, said recently, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m convinced we&rsquo;ve got a good club, but they&rsquo;re the unluckiest bunch I&rsquo;ve ever handled. However, they&rsquo;re all working hard and putting out and you can&rsquo;t fault them there.&rdquo; Bud added that efforts to strengthen his fourth-placers have so far failed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked to seven clubs in three days. They all want Wayne Connelly and I&rsquo;m not dealing him off to anybody, except an NHL club if it comes to that.&rdquo;Leader stopped off in Fresno to look over arrangements for the new 6.000-seat ice rink being built there. &ldquo;If three clubs move up to big league status as they think they will, Fresno&rsquo;s new building might fit very nicely into a revised Western League,&rdquo; he said. In L.A., Leader said that refusal of the clubs to black out home games had stymied plans for a weekend afternoon WHL TV series at first, but the clubs had now agreed to the blackouts and that the series was still possible after the first of the year, but much more likely for next season.<h2>AHL-WHL Playoff Vague</h2>LEADER ALSO SAID THAT possibilities of a playoff between the WHL and AHL champs was still a vague hope for this year. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d like to work one out. We&rsquo;re very happy with the inter-locking schedule so far,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The road-block is that we started our season later than usual and end it later and some arenas aren&rsquo;t going to be available. However, we like the new schedule. We&rsquo;d rather buck the early baseball season than the World Series.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02521/2442966-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="274" height="412"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al Leader</figcaption></div>Drawing 88 penalty minutes in the 17 games he&rsquo;s played, Howie Young could break his WHL record of 227 minutes and his NHL and universe mark of 300 minutes if he played regularly the rest of the way. He won&rsquo;t. When Blade coach Lynn Patrick backed up a teammate who criticized Young for a foolish penalty recently, Young said, &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t want me to get penalties, don&rsquo;t play me, baby.&rdquo; So, baby didn&rsquo;t play him.Chicago recalled Pat Stapleton from St. Louis &hellip; Ex-Blade Eric Sutcliffe and ex-Seal Paul Jackson have been benched by Phil Watson at Buffalo &hellip; Ex-Leaf Gary Smith has beaten out ex-Seal Bob Perreault in the Rochester nets &hellip; Victoria&rsquo;s Larry Keenan is off the injury list and will be back in action soon, but Vancouver&rsquo;s Bryan Hextali is weeks away yet. Victoria lost a big man &mdash; Ed Litzen-berger &hellip;Bill Warwick tried a coaching comeback, but didn&rsquo;t like it and quit while running second with Edmonton in the Alberta Senior League &hellip; The new $30,000,000 Oakland - Alameda Coliseum - Arena complex in Northern California went for an extra $30,000 to provide NHL desired 85 x 200 ice surface for its 13,000-seat indoor structure &hellip; In one game, Springfield outshot Portland 44-16 but settled for a 2-2 tie. Portland&rsquo;s bad-kneed Don Head is playing on guts and ability. &#9632;

f0015-01

Western Ad Lib

SEATTLE, Wash.The &ldquo;home-ice&rdquo; advantage is holding true to form in the Western Hockey League as the home teams are enjoying a better than two-to-one edge in wins over the visiting teams. In games up to Dec. 12 the home team had won 55 times as compared to only 27 wins by the visitors.The first goal is also proving all-important as the winning team has notched the first tally no less than 52 times while the losers scored the first goal in 31 games. The League&rsquo;s leading scorer, Victoria centerman Milan Marcetta and rookie Los Angeles winger Bill Orban are tied for the most first goals in games with four initial markers each. &#9632;

Home Ice Proves Decisive In WHL

<div class="byline">BY MATT DENNIS</div>DETROIT, Mich. &mdash;When Memphis Wings general manager Johnny Mitchell made a quick trip to Detroit, he was enthusiastic about the drive shown by the Central League team noting that Jimmy Peters and Max Mestinsek were moving in high gear.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01424/2443035-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="274" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Seiling</figcaption></div>&ldquo;They just took a little while to get their second wind after a good start,&rdquo; he commented.Peters, 21, a centreman, counted 26 goals and came up with 65 assists with Hamilton Junior Wings last season in the Ontario Hockey Association Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; ranks. Son of a former NHL star, young Peters at 6&rsquo;3&rdquo; and weighing 180 pounds, fires the puck from the left side and had seven goals and 11 assists in his first 18 games.Mestinsek, in his second year with Memphis at the age of 22. shoots from the starboard side and in 68 contests notched 27 goals and counted 17 assists.Over the first 18 games, he had 11 goals to his credit and six assists this season.As Vic Stasiuk abandoned his bench role and became a playing coach, the team started to improve and after 19 games were holding down top spot in the standing.Wings were aided when Irv Spencer, a versatile player with experience as both forward and defenseman, was sent to Memphis from Pittsburgh and he picked up four scoring points in his first three outings.Pat Quinn was sidelined for three games and fined $100 following his run-in with linesman Fred Gibbon at Tulsa.MINNESOTA &mdash; Bill Hicke. recovering from an attack of pneumonia, was sent to the Rangers to work himself into playing condition but after three games was hurriedly recalled by the parent New York RangersCoach Shero warmly welcomed Rod Seiling, a defenseman. as a replacement for Hicke. Plans are to re-convert Seiling who was a forward in his junior days, back to a leftwinger.When Hicke arrived at Minnesota. Ed Lawson, a forward with a record of three goals and five assists, was sent to Baltimore.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02354/2443028-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="493" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAT QUINN &hellip; Fined, Suspended</figcaption></div>HOUSTON &mdash; After a tailspin that plummeted them to the Central League lower strata, playing-coach Bill McCreary regrouped his Apollos, with Germain Gagnon back in the lineup. He suffered a concussion in a practice session Nov. 10 and as a two-way forward he was missed.Gerry Kell, a graduate of the University of North Dakota, was recalled by Houston from Seattle in an effort to give more strength up front. A rightwinger, Kell hits the scales at over 200 pounds.TULSA &mdash; When injuries hit Marc Reaume and Don Cherry, two experienced defensemen, the Oilers tumbled from first to third in a five-game losing streak.Bob Taylor, who played for Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League and was late in joining the Victoria club of the Western League, was rushed to Tulsa as an injury replacement.ST. LOUIS &mdash; Camille Henry, working his way back into playing condition after a back operation, lent power to the Braves&rsquo; offense.With Billy Taylor out with a knee injury, coach Gus Kyle inserted Granger Evans into the line-up for regular turns and the University of North Dakota grad gave a couple of stalwart efforts.OKLAHOMA CITY &mdash; Skip Krake and Dallas Smith of the Blazers had quick trips to the NHL as injury replacements with the sagging parent Boston Bruins but were returned after two games.Playing their first season in the new Fair Grounds Arena, the Blazers were forced to vacate their home when the U.S. National Rodeo moved in. And when the cowboys moved out, extra time was required to put the ice back in the building. &#9632;

f0016-01

Peters, Mestinsek Spark Memphis Drive; Rangers Convert Rod Seiling To Forward

Don&rsquo;t be vague &hellip; say HAIG & HAIG SCOTCH WHISKYDon&rsquo;t be vague &hellip; say HAIG & HAIG SCOTCH WHISKY<h2>How They Stand</h2>(Standings on Sat. Dec. 25)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1733/2443073-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="572" height="193"></div>(NHL Affiliation: 1. Toronto. 2. Montreal. 3. Chicago. 4. Detroit. 5. New York. 6. Boston.)GAMES COMPLETEDWed. Dec. 15St. Louis 2 at Memphis 5Fri. Dec. 17Minnesota 1 at Memphis 1Sat. Dec. 18Minnesota 3 at St. Louis 4Memphis 1 at Tulsa 5Houston 1 at Oklahoma City 5Sun. Dec. 19St. Louis 3 at Houston 1Memphis 3 at Minnesota 3Tulsa 4 at Oklahoma City 5<h2>Point Race</h2>(Including Games of Sun., Dee. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1830/2443066-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="570" height="471"></div>LEAGUE LEADERSMost Goals: Inglis. Houston 14.Most Assists: Stratton. St. Louis 19.Penalties in Minutes: Bob Piager, Minnesota - 73.Leading Goalie: Wayne Rutledge, Minnesota. 2.79 average.Most Shutouts: Carl Wetzel, Houston - 3. &#9632;

f0016-17

CENTRAL LEAQUE

<h2>Sun., Nov. 29</h2>TULSA 3 at MINNESOTA 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03275/2443223-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="562" height="631"></div><h2>Wed., Dec. 1</h2>MEMPHIS 3 at HOUSTON 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04225/2443216-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="564" height="521"></div>TULSA 1 at ST. LOUIS 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05162/2443209-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="566" height="465"></div>OKLAHOMA CITY 4 at ST. LOUIS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06130/2443202-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="572" height="645"></div>HOUSTON 2 at MEMPHIS 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07118/2443195-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="566" height="715"></div>TULSA 1 at MINNESOTA 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08107/2443188-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="568" height="307"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-0991/2443181-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="564" height="165"></div><h2>Sat., Dec. 4</h2>OKLAHOMA CITY 1 at HOUSTON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1076/2443174-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="572" height="483"></div>MEMPHIS 4 at TULSA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1166/2443167-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="564" height="757"></div><h2>Sun., Dec. 5</h2>MEMPHIS 4 at ST. LOUIS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1251/2443160-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="554" height="191"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1344/2443153-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="566" height="453"></div><h2>Wed., Dec. 8</h2>MINNESOTA 3 at HOUSTON 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1440/2443146-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="552" height="739"></div><h2>Fri., Dec. 10</h2>HOUSTON 6 at TULSA 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1537/2443139-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="570" height="493"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1636/2443132-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="574" height="341"></div>ST. LOUIS 4 at MINNESOTA 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1927/2443125-1-eng-US/f0016-192.jpg" title="f0016-19" width="566" height="511"></div>OKLAHOMA CITY 2 at MEMPHIS 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2027/2443118-1-eng-US/f0016-202.jpg" title="f0016-20" width="568" height="831"></div><h2>Sat., Dec. 11</h2>TULSA 1 at MEMPHIS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1247/2443111-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="562" height="505"></div><h2>Sun., Dec. 12</h2>MEMPHIS 6 at ST. LOUIS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1336/2443104-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="556" height="681"></div> &#9632;

f0016-03

Central Hockey League Summaries

<h2>EASTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues., Dec. 2)NORTHERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01344/2443317-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="566" height="159"></div>SOUTHERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02295/2443310-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="572" height="157"></div>GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Dec. 14New Haven 2 at Charlotte 6Wed. Dec. 15Johnstown 6 at New Jersey 3New Haven 5 at Knoxville 8Thurs. Dec. 16Clinton 2 at Charlotte 3New Haven 2 at Nashville 4Long Island 3 at New Jersey 3Greensboro 3 at Johnstown 7Clinton 1 at Knoxville 6Charlotte 3 at Jacksonville 1Sat. Dec. 18Long Island 2 at Johnstown 4Greensboro 6 at Knoxville 5Clinton 2 at Nashville 4New Haven 4 at Jacksonville 6Sun. Dec. 19Charlotte 1 at Long Island 4LEADING SCORERS(Including: Games of Sun., Dec. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03236/2443303-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="568" height="279"></div>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04182/2443296-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="570" height="277"></div>Most Penalties in Minutes: John Brophy, Long Island, 104 minutes.<h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Dec. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05143/2443289-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="566" height="183"></div>(x-plays four-point games)GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Dec. 14Woodstock 2 at Guelph 6Fri. Dec. 17Galt 3 at Guelph 1Sat. Dec. 18Guelph 6 at Galt 3Woodstock 5 at Kingston 3Sun. Dec. 19Kingston 6 at Oakville 3LEADING SCORERS(Including Games of Thurs., Dec. 1G)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06122/2443282-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="570" height="467"></div><h2>SASKATCHEWAN JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Sun., Dec. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07113/2443275-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="570" height="235"></div>LEADING SCORERS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-0885/2443268-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="570" height="389"></div><h2>QUEBEC JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon., Dec. 13)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-0974/2443261-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="568" height="149"></div>LEADING SCORERS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1065/2443254-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="570" height="253"></div> &#9632;

f0017-01

Hockey Races

<div class="byline">BY HARVEY POLLACK</div>CHARLOTTE, N.C.&mdash;If there was one thing coach Fred Creighton of the Charlotte Checkers vowed to do this fall, it was to add some punch to his club&rsquo;s anemic attack.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1155/2443348-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="306" height="431"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jack Kane</figcaption></div>Last year the Checkers were one of the weaker scorers in the Eastern Hockey League. This lack of offense hurt the club considerably, especially since the Checkers seemed to be always involved in close tussels in which one goal meant the difference between victory and defeat.Creighton resolved to correct this deficiency, and early indications are that he is succeeding. For the Checkers, after being the second worst scorers last year, now top the Southern Division in points. The club was the first to clear the century mark in goals in the South and Creighton is happy with his offense.The club is shooting more at the cage. They are bombarding enemy goalies with a vengeance. Just recently Norm DeFelice, Jersey&rsquo;s sterling netminder, had to stop 39 shots, many of the spectacular variety, to quell the Checkers.&ldquo;Charlotte is a smooth-skating club,&rdquo; says Jersey pilot Benny Woit. &ldquo;The way they skated against us, they could beat any northern team.John McClellan, Nashville skipper, says &ldquo;On the basis of what has happened to date, Charlotte appears to be the only southern club that has improved.&rdquo;Moe Savard, the 34-year-old veteran centre, is the pacesetter in the attack, leading in the assists department. If he stays healthy, he is a cinch to reach the 100-point mark. His top mates are Claude Ouimet, veteran Jim McNulty and rookies George Hill, Grant Warwick, and Andre Hinse. When Sam Gregory is hale and hearty again, the attack should get further stimulus.JERSEY: Hec Lalande&rsquo;s first appearance in three weeks helped beat Clinton. Coach Benny Woit may change some presonnel. Ted Szydlowski reinjured hand. Rudy Filion playing with injured leg &hellip; Norm DeFelice playing brilliantly in nets although he&rsquo;s far behind shutout totals of last year. He said, &ldquo;This is first time in 9 years I&rsquo;ve been on a loser and I don&rsquo;t like it.&rdquo;NEW HAVEN: Blades and Long Island met on four straight Wednesdays. Eno Kraft missed some action with infected ear. Club played Eastern Olympic team in exhibition. Jim McCarthy nursing broken toe. Blades scored 3 goals in 37 seconds against Johnstown. Ray Clearwater posted hat trick. Jackie Leclair had a verbal hassle with ref Bob Anselm that ended in his eviction. The pilot is disenchanted with goaltending and defense of his club. Brian Perry&rsquo;s overtime goal beat Jersey.CLINTON:Ed Babiuk posted his second shutout over Jets and third over Ducks. No word yet as to whether club has attracted Don Davidson out of retirement. Club has long road trip during holiday season. Captain Jack Kane is the scoring pacesetter. Tim Hook sidelined with torn side muscles. Borden Smith leader in goals and making club happy over off-season Jersey deal.JACKSONVILLE: Ron Willy tagged with misconduct penalty for firing puck into stands. Team dropped first 16 road games. Club asked waivers on Gordie Dibley and sent Murray Wilkie to Jersey. Rockets negotiating both with Bob Duncan of Charlotte and Pete Babando of Clinton. Duncan played briefly for Rockets last year and has to straighten his business affairs to play. Egan lauded Rick Bradford in club&rsquo;s second victory over Charlotte. Team has new bus. Bill Reid released and Chris Finnerty back on roster.LONG ISLAND: John Muckier says Barry Zoback &ldquo;will get his share of goals if he shoots more often&rdquo;. Ducks victory at Greensboro was only their second there in seven years. Norm DeFelice, Jersey goalie, said after game here, &ldquo;I thought I saved on about 60 shots, that&rsquo;s how much rubber I saw out there tonight.&rdquo; Jim Armstrong has missed several shutouts in fading moments of games.GREENSBORO: Gens lost four straight at home before coach Ron Spong ordered post-game practice. Garry Sharp went eight games without a goal. Don Carter doubling as defenseman during injury period of John Murray.CHARLOTTE: Sam Gregory&rsquo;s injured knee has sidelined him. Ralph Winfield&rsquo;s infected hand has curtailed his duty. He hurt hand slugging Greensboro player in second game of year. Tom Polon doing well in Winfield&rsquo;s spot. Checkers dropped overtime game at Jacksonville to become Rockets&rsquo; second victim. A rib injury knocked Claude Ouimet from the club scoring lead. Jim McNulty&rsquo;s third hat trick of year beat Jacksonville.JOHNSTOWN: Jets beat southern rivals in first five games. Jets scored 3 goals in 69 seconds against New Haven. Defenseman Gordie Carruthers and trainer Dan Woods called for emergency duty by Memphis. Carruthers&rsquo; stay will be temporary, but Woods will stay until first of year. Ed Babiuk&rsquo;s shutout stopped Jets&rsquo; 5-game win streak. Dick Roberge scoring leader.KNOXVILLE: Knights acquired Angus Martin from Nashville for Wally Chase. Knights upset over Norm Ryder&rsquo;s act in hitting Eddie Burr across the back with his stick and receiveing no penalty.NASHVILLE: Flo Pilote got his No. 4 uniform back when Angus Martin was traded. Mark Parrish&rsquo;s offer for the club included $1,100 per share for stock or $75 per year per share for proxy voting rights. &#9632;

f0017-11

Checkers Turn Into League Scoring Giants’

<div class="byline">BY BOB REED</div>FORT WAYNE, Ind.International Hockey League players may soon be considering asking for double pay for overtime. They are playing more extrasession contests than any other time in league history.With the season one-third over, the league had racked up 11 overtime contests, including games of Dec. 12. The IHL did not hit this figure in overtimes last year until Feb. 6 and had a total of 18 for the season.Most overworked players in the league, from the standpoint of overtimes, are the Muskegon Mohawks. They have engaged in five of the extra period sessions. They have won one, lost one and three ended in ties after the ten-minute sudden-death period.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01350/2443379-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="472" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body">MOE BENOIT &hellip; Dissatisfied Blade</figcaption></div>Des Moines figured in four of them, winning one, losing two and tieing one. Fort Wayne&rsquo;s Komets also had four, winning one and tieing three. Dayton, in three overtimes, had an even break to show, with a win, loss and tie. So did Toledo. Port Huron had two ties.Home teams won three of the 11 overtimes, lost two and tied six.DAYTON &mdash; The Gems had a deal under consideration for Toledo defenseman Moe Benoit, who was reported unhappy in Toledo &hellip; The management presented hockey sticks to the first 500 youngsters occupying adult seats for a game with Toledo &hellip; But they couldn&rsquo;t help the Gems, who lost to the Blades, 7-3 &hellip; Gems&rsquo; crowds in ten home games totalled 31,292 for a 3,129 average.MUSKEGON &mdash; Joe Kastelic, shooting for Eddie Long&rsquo;s alltime goal record, scored six in seven games &hellip; Unofficially, he was still two behind &hellip; The Mohawks were hitting an average of 5.29 goals per game &hellip; Gary Schall and Bryan McLay were contending for scoring honors.FORT WAYNE &mdash; Eddie Long scored his third goal since coming out of retirement to remain two ahead of Joe Kastelic for all-time honors &hellip; Merv Dub-chak racked up 11 goals in seven games, including two within a period of eight seconds, for a total of 24 in 23 games &hellip; Ten different players scored in a 6-4 win over Toledo &hellip; Dubchak drew his first penalty, a minor, in his 21st game, while trying to intercede in a scrap between Chick Balon and Bronco McIlroy &hellip; Johnny Goodwin, held to two goals in 20 games, hit two against Dayton.PORT HURON &mdash; Playing coach Lloyd Maxfield went to the sidelines for a shoulder operation and Bill Sinnett, a former Flag, was brought in to replace him &hellip;. Bill LeCaine was fined $25 by Commissioner Andy Mulligan for swinging his stick at a spectator in Fort Wayne. It was his third fine of the season &hellip; The Flaggs won 11 and tied one in their first 12 games at home.TOLEDO &mdash; Goalie Glenn Ramsay had 51 saves in a 6-4 loss at Fort Wayne &hellip; The Blades ripped Dayton, 7-3, for their second victory in 11 starts on the road &hellip; Wayne North was switched to defense in Coach Chirp Brenchley&rsquo;s new plans. &#9632;

f0018-01

Overtime Game Mark Seen Likely For Teams Following 11th Draw

<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Dec. 22)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02264/2443441-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="568" height="231"></div>(NHL Affiliation: 2. Montreal. 3. Chicago. 5 Boston).GAMES COMPLETEDWed. Dec. 15Fort Wayne 0 at Des Moines 4Thurs. Dec. 1GMuskegon 5 at Dayton 7Fri. Dec. 17Fort Wayne 0 at Des Moines 4Port Huron 6 at Toledo 1Sat. Dec. 18Des Moines 1 at Fort Wayne 7Port Huron 4 at Muskegon 6Dayton 2 at Toledo 1Sun. Dec. 19Des Moines 2 at Dayton 5Muskegon 7 at Port Huron 4LEAGUE LEADERSMost Goals: Merv Dubchak, Fort Wayne 24.Most Assists: Chick Chalmers, Toledo, 26.Best Goals Against Average: Bob Sneddon. Port Huron 3.13.Most Shutouts: Bob Sneddon, Port Huron 3.Most Penalties in Minutes: Ivan Prediger, Des Moines 120.<h2>Point Race</h2>LEADING SCORERS(Including Games of Sun.. Dec. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03175/2443434-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="564" height="287"></div> &#9632;

f0018-02

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04132/2443472-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS</h2>1. Toronto forward shown in centre.4. Complete initials of Ferguson of Montreal.7. Frank Mahovlich likes this.9. Clarence Campbell is a &mdash; Scholar.12. Pronoun.13. Johnny Bucyk&rsquo;s number.14. Stan Mikita collected 87 of these last season, (abbr.)15. Initials of Cusheian, ex-NHL rearguard.16. Artificial language.17. Initials of Kullman, once a Ranger.18. Native province of Don Awrey. (abbr.)20. Name given MacQueen of Baltimore.23. Number of goals Vasko scored last season.25. Last season Jim Roberts participated in &mdash; 70 scheduled games.27. Carl Brewer&rsquo;s &mdash; is named Christopher.28. An injured Leaf.29. Pictured player&rsquo;s &mdash; is 5&rsquo;7&rdquo; (abbr.)30. Arbour&rsquo;s initials.31. Name given Buller, former New York defenseman.32. Initials of one of Detroit&rsquo;s goalies.34. One of the Rangers&rsquo; answers to this.36. Initials of retired pro Mazur.37. Given name of pictured star.<h2>DOWN</h2>1. Name given Parent of Boston.2. Man&rsquo;s name (Fr.)3. Small species of deer.4. Initials of Evans, ex-NHL player.5. Given name of Selby of Toronto.6. Alex Delvecchio&rsquo;s nickname.8. Initials of a Toronto forward.10. This Ranger is a native of Regina.11. Of (Fr.)14. This player Scored 27 goals for Canadiens last season.19. Number of goals Murray Oliver scored in 1964-65.21. Tommy Williams&rsquo; birthplace.22. Former Bruin, first name Leo.24. Gordie Howe wears a famous one (abbr.)26. A WHL entry (abbr.)29. This Black Hawk started out as a Red Wing.31. Montreal players wear sweaters of a bright &mdash;.33. Initials of Watson of Detroit.35. Old Testament (abbr.)<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S SOLUTION</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1. Brewer5. G.P,7. Aid8. B.O.9. Wrist13. Spanish15. Err16. Ian17. Nod18. D.T.20. Nov.22. W.B.24. Eve25. Lou.26. Toronto27. Sn.28. Ran.30. Stockings33. O&rsquo;Ree<h3>DOWN</h3>1. Bassen2. R.I.3. Edward4. Ross5. G.B.6. Polano10. R.N.11. 11.12. Third14. Pronovost19. Two20. Net21. Vernon23. Burns25. Lorne29. Age30. S.M.31. K.O.32. Ir. &#9632;

f0018-04

Hockey Crossword Puzzle

<div class="byline">BY JOHN TRAVERS</div>HERSHEY, Pa. &mdash;Two defensemen, Nick Polano and Paul Popiel, delivered the payoff shots for the Hershey Bears in the first two games of the club&rsquo;s invasion of the Western League.Hershey, scheduled for a four game stand on the West Coast in its inter-locking play against the WHL, nailed a pair of one goal back-to-back victories in San Francisco and Los Angeles.On Dec. 8, Polano hammered in a third period tally to spearhead the Bears to a 5-4 win, while two nights later at LA, Popiel hit the mark with a 50 footer in the last 36 seconds of action. It gave the club a 3-2 decision.Polano&rsquo;s score was only his second of the season, while Popiel&rsquo;s marker was his first, but the tallies couldn&rsquo;t have come at a more opportune time.However, a night after the LA triumph, the Bears lost their shooting touch and were defeated 5-2 by Victoria, the WHL leaders.Tn overall play against WHL teams, the Bears show a .500 mark, winning two of four. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Portland on home ice before heading for the coast.Though the Bears haven&rsquo;t exactly been a success on home ice, winning only four of 11 games, they certainly haven&rsquo;t suffered financially. In the 11 game span, the club drew 61,240 fans, better than 5,000 a game. &#9632;

Hershey Bears Show Puck Might In West

<h2>ONTARIO JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues., Dec. 21)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01327/2443534-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="588" height="343"></div>(NHL Affiliation: 1. Toronto; 2. Montreal; 3. Chicago; 4. Detroit; 5. New York; 6. Boston).GAMES COMPLETEDMon., Dec. 13Oshawa 6 at London 0Thurs., Dec. 16Montreal 3 at Hamilton 5St. Catharines 3 at Peterborough 5Fri., Dec. 17Hamilton 1 at Niagara Falls 7Montreal 1 at Kitchener 3London 2 at Toronto 2Sat., Dec. 18Peterborough 4 at Oshawa 4Sun., Dec. 19Hamilton 3 at Montreal 3Kitchener 3 at St. Catharines 3Niagara Falls 4 at Toronto 4London 2 at Peterborough 9<h2>Point Race</h2>(Including games of Sun., Dec. 12)LEADING SCORERS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02275/2443527-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="580" height="377"></div> &#9632;

f0019-01

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div>Niagara Falls Flyers, who threatened to make a shambles of the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A League after going their first 13 games without a loss, have been struck by the injury jinx.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03222/2443572-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="300" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jack McIntyre</figcaption></div>The Flyers, who won the0020Canadian junioT hockey championship last season over Edmonton Oil Kings, have only managed one win and two ties in their last eight games and have been forced to give up first place to the second Boston Bruin-sponsored team in the circuit, the Oshawa Generals.Of 18 players on the Niagara Falls roster, only two (Karl Haggarty and Guy Allen) have escaped injury this season which must constitute some kind of a record in Canadian amateur hockey.And as if that isn&rsquo;t bad enough, the worst may be yet to come.All-star Niagara Falls defenseman Gilles Marotte, a 19-year-old bouncer who can also fire jet-propelled shots from the point, missed three weeks of the schedule because of a chipped ankle, and after returning to the Flyers for just one game, was promptly elevated to the talent-hungry Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League.Another future Bruin, defenseman Bobby Orr, was the key man in the important 5-4 victory by Oshawa Generals in the Falls.Orr scored two goals and assisted on two others in the game which moved Oshawa into first place for the first time this season.The Generals had a perfect week, following up their decision over Niagara Falls with back-to-back victories (9-3 and 6-0) over last place London Nationals.Although the two Boston-backed teams are leading the way, the Montreal Canadiens-sponsored club in Peterborough is threatening to break the monopoly.The Petes had only one game scheduled but trounced Toronto Marlboros 8-4 in that one to remain just a point behind Niagara Falls.The league is a real tight fit the rest of the way &hellip; with the possible exception of London.The Marlboros edged St. Catharines Black Hawks 6-5 before losing to Peterborough and Montreal and stayed in fourth place five back of the Petes.The single win by the Canadiens over Marlboros boosted them into fifth place, two points above Kitchener and Hamilton while St. Catharines was eighth, two more points behind and five above London.At the midway stage of the schedule the only real problem may be in London, starting its first season of junior A hockey under the sponsorship of the Toronto Maple Leafs.The Nationals, coached by former National Hockey League player Jack McIntyre is having real difficulty in the higher brand of hockey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04192/2443565-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="469" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANDRE LACROIX &hellip; Top Point Man</figcaption></div>In fact it&rsquo;s hard to say whether their major trouble rests with offense or defense.A combination of the two might be the logical conclusion.London has scored fewer goals (67 in 23 games) than any other team and has also allowed more (122) but the attendance still approaches the 3,000 mark for every home game.They&rsquo;ve gone more than a month and 13 games since scoring a victory &hellip; their last win coming Nov. 12 when they edged Montreal Canadiens 2-1.In that stretch the Nationals have only two points, both on ties. McIntyre, although disappointed, isn&rsquo;t completely dis-couraged.&ldquo;We knew this league was going to be tough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And I think we still have a chance a making one of the eight playoff spots. However right now we&rsquo;re building for next season and will give the younger players as much ice time as possible.&rdquo;In the individual scoring race, Peterborough centre Andre Lacroix, although involved in only one game during the week, moved into first place.Lacroix, who started his junior A hockey with Montreal Canadiens four years ago, then switched to Peterborough last season, scored twice and assisted on four other goals in the Petes&rsquo; 8-4 win over the Marlboros.His record now showed 53 points on 16 goals and 37 assists.Even more impressive is the fact that he has accumulated that total in two less games than have been played by either of his closest rivals, Bobby Orr and Danny O&rsquo;Shea of Oshawa.Orr&rsquo;s 51 points are made up of 19 goals and 32 assists while O&rsquo;Shea has the same total on 21 goals and 30 assists.Danny Grant of the Petes still leads in actual goals scored with 22 and is in fourth place with 45 points.Others in the top 10 include Mickey Redmond of Peterborough (15-20-35), Wayne Cashman of Oshawa (11-23-34), Mike Corrigan of Toronto Marlboros (15-17-32), Derek Sanderson of Niagara Falls (13-18-31), Doug Shelton of St. Catharines (18-1129) and Bill Little of Oshawa (14-15-29).The goaltending race has tightened up with American-born Bob Ring of Niagara Falls holding a slight edge over Brian Caley of Peterborough.Ring has an average of 2.95 goals against, Caley is exactly even at three goals against. &#9632;

f0019-03

Crippled Flyers Lose Hold On OHA Lead

NORTH BAY, Ont.As the NOHA Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; Southern Group schedule draws near the halfway mark, the league has developed into a two-division setup.One bracket has North Bay Trappers, Sault Greyhounds, Sudbury Wolves and Espanola Eagles in a torrid struggle for first place. At the present time, coach Howie Parker&rsquo;s North Bay club occupies the top spot with 21 points, but the Trappers are only three points ahead of the fourth-place Espanola Eagles.Meanwhile coach Joe Protulipac who guided Garson Native Sons to the league championship and a berth in all-Ontario finals against Niagara Falls Flyers last year, has had nothing but problems with his current entry. Left with only a handful of returnees from their championship club, the newly-formed Combines have played 13 games to date, and are still looking for their first win of the season.&ldquo;They aren&rsquo;t winning,&rdquo; remarked Parker, &ldquo;but they&rsquo;re pretty tough on their own ice. One of these nights they&rsquo;ll surprise somebody.&rdquo;With the exception of the Combines, the other four clubs have been waging a tight battle, Trappers and Greyhounds in particular, shuffling first place around like a hot potato.The addition of former senior star Marcel Clements as head coach has turned Sudbury Wolves into a contender. A rugged type in his playing days with Sault Greyhounds, Sault Michigan and Sudbury Wolves, Clements has the Wolves in high gear. Since replacing Leo Gasparini as coach, Marcel has guided the Sudbury club to six wins and a tie in 10 starts.Possibly the biggest news so far has been supplied by Mike Buba, Sudbury&rsquo;s smooth-working centreman. Buba has scored in 14 straight games, a new league record. The previous mark of 10 consecutive games was set by another Sudbury player, Bob Leduc back in the 1963-64 campaign. Leduc is now a member of the Providence Reds in the American Hockey League.Buba snapped Leduc&rsquo;s record with one goal in a 10-3 victory over Garson. Since then, he clicked for a goal in a loss to Espanola, fired a pair in a 7-5 win over the Trappers, then notched a hat-trick as the Wolves beat Garson 13-4 to run his scoring streak to 14 consecutive games. &#9632;

NOHA Junior Race Becomes Tight Two-Division Battle

<div class="byline">By ERIC WESSLBY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03103/2443627-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="472" height="868"><figcaption class="caption-body">TERRY JONES</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01195/2443641-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="227" height="183"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02128/2443634-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="225" height="170"></div>WINNIPEG, Man.Selecting the outstanding prospect in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League is as difficult as selecting the outstanding team in the four-club, all-Winnipeg circuit.Each team has its shining light, and few are in their last year of junior competition.Observers point to the Braves&rsquo; Gerry Mazur or Cam Allison, Warriors&rsquo; Bill Kops, Rangers&rsquo; Terry Jones or Monarchs&rsquo; Brent McLean, Bill Scott and Bob Tole.No one player is able to dominate the league picture, just as no one club monopolizes the well-balanced league.Perhaps the nearest thing to a dominant player is Rangers high-scoring centre, Terry Jones.A 19-year-old playing his third season in junior competition, Jones is headed for his best season yet, and he still has another season of junior competition left after this year. Last year he led league marksmen with 44 goals.&ldquo;If I had to send player help to Minnesota of the Central Pro League or Vancouver of the Western League,&rdquo; Denis Ball, chief western scout for New York Rangers, was saying, &ldquo;it would have to be Jones. He does everything well and wouldn&rsquo;t get pushed around.&rdquo;Jones tried to crack the tough Ontario circuit this year with Kitchener Rangers but didn&rsquo;t catch on, which hardly displeases Ranger coach Jack Bownass.&ldquo;We wouldn&rsquo;t be where we are today (fighting for first place) without him,&rdquo; the former professional defenseman said following a recent game, in which Jones had scored a pair of goals to help the club earn a tie.Typical of the young men who are tomorrow&rsquo;s hockey stars is TERRY JONES, a rugged performer in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Jones can step right in now on the minor pro level says N.Y. Rangers&rsquo; scout Denis Ball.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll score important goals, serve up the important pass, and if you need a policeman, he&rsquo;s there. He doesn&rsquo;t look for trouble, but neither does he run away from it,&rdquo; Bownass said.Jones, who played minor hockey in the Weston, district of Winnipeg, jumped directly into junior hockey from midget. In fact, he was New York Rangers first western choice in the NHL draft that year.He was a defenseman until midget hockey, and admits he still hasn&rsquo;t mastered all of the tricks at centre.&lsquo;.&rsquo;Gord Pennell, who coached Rangers before Jack (Bownass) took over this year, helped me a great deal in all aspects of the centre&rsquo;s game,&rdquo; Jones said.&ldquo;The biggest obstacles were that I had to think more when I became a centre and also look for the wingers to be breaking.&ldquo;I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the change, but with Gordie&rsquo;s help I slowly improved.&rdquo;Of the pros he has watched, via television and on their rare appearances at the Winnipeg Arena, he likes Gordie Howe the best.He has a great deal of respect for former teammates Jim Irving, now at the University of Manitoba and a former Ranger captain, and Alton White, who is now with Fort Wayne of the International League but who may become the first Negro to perform with New York Rangers.Among opponents, he rates opposing centres Mazur and the Warriors&rsquo; Ken Sucharski as the toughest, as well as Allison.Monarchs&rsquo; Tole is the toughest goalkeeper he finds in the league, a player many consider to be a sure bet for NHL stardom if he continues to play as he has this year.One player sure to draw plenty of attention in the coming years is a rookie teammate of Jones, right winger Chuck Lefley.He&rsquo;s only 15 but after shaking off an early-season leg injury he&rsquo;s been showing the moves of a great one. Big and rangy, he could be the Gordie Howe of the league within three years. &#9632;

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December 25, 1965

Garden Skate Sharpner ‘Tubby’ Ensign Old Hand At Tending Rangers Blades

Brenchley Fined For Ref Baiting

U.S. Team Loses Games In Russia

AMERICAN LEAGUE