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.

April 5, 1969

The Hockey News April 5, 1969

<h2>TUES. MAR. 25</h2>PROVIDENCE 3 at QUEBEC 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03781/6682645-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="591" height="638"></div>SPRINGFIELD 3 at BALTIMORE 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04570/6682638-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="595" height="619"></div><h2>WED. MAR. 26</h2>SPRINGFIELD 1 at HERSHEY 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05425/6682631-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="592" height="373"></div>ROCHESTER 4 at BUFFALO 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06355/6682624-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="580" height="428"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07327/6682617-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="588" height="211"></div><h2>THURS. MAR. 27</h2>PROVIDENCE 1 AT QUEBEC 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08302/6682610-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="580" height="377"></div><h2>FRI. MAR. 28</h2>HERSHEY 6 at SPRINGFIELD 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-09276/6682603-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="581" height="704"></div>BUFFALO 4 at ROCHESTER 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-10253/6682596-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="591" height="530"></div>CLEVELAND 3 at BALTIMORE 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-11239/6682589-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="590" height="257"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-12220/6682582-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="589" height="242"></div><h2>SAT. MAR. 29</h2>BUFFALO 5 at HERSHEY 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-13205/6682575-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="594" height="496"></div>ROCHESTER 2 at CLEVELAND 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-14196/6682568-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="589" height="459"></div>QUEBEC 8 at BALTIMORE 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-15183/6682561-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="577" height="186"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-16178/6682554-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="580" height="767"></div><h2>AHL Point Race</h2>LEADING SCORERS(Including Games of Sun. Mar. 23)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-17170/6682547-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="580" height="533"></div> &#9632;

f0016-03

IN THIS ISSUE

American League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY TOM RENO</div>New Subscribers To THE HOCKEY NEWS Guaranteed To Get First Issue Within Two WeeksHOCKEY NEWS Makes An Ideal Gift On Any Occasion. Give A Subscription To Dad Or BrotherKANSAS CITY, Mo.&mdash;Championship playoff action in the Central Hockey League got underway in three cities last week, capped by a show down series between divisional winners Oklahoma City and Tulsa.Oklahoma City, winner of the Northern Division, lost 3-2, to Tulsa, the victor in the Southern Division, in the first game of a best-of-seven semi-final series. The two clubs play again in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. April 2; in Tulsa on Friday, April 4; Oklahoma City Saturday, April 5; and if necessary, in Oklahoma City, Sunday, April 6. If necessary, date and site of games 6 and 7 will be decided later.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011038/6683046-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="253" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Wiste</figcaption></div>The opponents in the quarterfinals were Dallas and Houston and Omaha and Kansas City. Each pairing is a best-of-five series. Winners of the quarterfinal series meet in a best-of-five series for the right to play the Oklahoma City-Tulsa winner in the best-of-seven finals.Tulsa won the championship last year and finished strong to claim the Northern crown this season.In a dramatic windup to the schedule, Kansas City grabbed second place in the North from out of the clutches of the Omaha Knights. Omaha, which had played out its schedule, had 69 points and the Blues 68 but KC had one game remaining and won it 4-2 against Tulsa with Jim Wiste leading the way with a pair of goals in the final game.OKLAHOMA CITY &mdash; Injuries forced the Blazers to call up a pair of collegians, Paul Hurley, defenseman from Boston College and center Bill Klatt of the University of Minnesota. Hurley tallied two goals and an assist in a 5-3 victory over Dallas. Ted Hodgson returned to the ice on March 21 after recovering from a broken wrist. Barry Gibbs also is back on the ice after recovering from a leg injury.DALLAS &mdash; The Black Hawks head into their final game of the year with only four less wins than Oklahoma City and the second highest goal total in the league 259. With five players now in the top 25 league leaders Dallas appears to be the hottest club in the CHL as the playoffs get underway. Jim Wiste now has 74 points, Oscar Gaudet 71, Brian McDonald 60, Cliff Koroll 59 and Garth Rizzuto 58.HOUSTON &mdash; A pair of 2-1 triumphs virtually assured the Apollos of posting the best goals-against record in the league. With one game to play, Houston had allowed only 200 goals, 14 less than Dallas and 21 less than Oklahoma City. Al Caron added his 38th goal and lifted his point total to 64. Ernie Hicke remains the team leader with 71 points on 23 goals and 48 assists.AMARILLO &mdash; Victories over Tulsa and Memphis assured the Wrangers of clinching fourth place and of winning as many games as any club in the opposite division. Amarillo closed its first year of play with 29 wins, 32 losses and 11 ties for 69 points on 237 goals scored and 259 goals allowed.FORT WORTH &mdash; Rick McCann picked up his 21st goal of the year and his 66th point, but the Wings failed to regain the winning touch they displayed during mid-season and finished out of the playoffs.TULSA &mdash; The Oilers are preparing for a rematch of divisional champions when they meet Oklahoma City in the semifinals of the CHL Playoffs. Andre Hinse, out for almost two months with a broken hand, is ready for the playoffs. Dan Johnson has the team scoring title sewed up with 73 points and Gary Marsh is next with 58.OMAHA &mdash; The Knights moved into second place with their final game, a 6-3 win over Oklahoma City only to lose it in the windup game to Kansas City. Juha Widing climbed into a tie for second place in scoring with 80 points, along with Steve Atkinson. Oklahoma City.KANSAS CITY &mdash; Two wins and a tie enabled the Blues in their drive to reach second place in the North ahead of Omaha. Gary Veneruzzo is now No. 4 in scoring with 76 points. Gary Edwards blanked Oklahoma City, 2-0, for his fourth shutout of the year.MEMPHIS &mdash; Carl Wetzel, South Star goalie, remained in the game after suffering a cut on his head during a 4-4 tie with Tulsa. Barry Meissner was called up by the North Stars. Some 3,031 fans turned out at MidSouth Coliseum as the South Stars blasted Ft. Worth, 4-2, in the final home game for Memphis. &#9632;

f0020-01

Tulsa Wins Playoff Opener From Blazers; Kansas City Grabs Second Spot Over Omaha

NEW YORK, N.Y.&mdash;Rangers drew the usual 17,250 sellout versus Bruins. This gave them 26 sellouts and a total of 603,294 paid for 37 home games. One still to go with Toronto on March 30 could be for third place, but more likely will mean nothing&hellip; On March 30, New York will try to match the record of the 1939-40 Stanley Cup winners who went 18 straight unbeaten at home. Present club has 17 (14-0-3)&hellip; Jim Neilson with 9 goals and 34 assists for 43 points is the second highest scoring defenseman in Ranger history. Bill Gadsby twice racked up 51 points&hellip; Blueshirts are one away from team record for most wins and within shooting distance of team record for points. The 1967-68 club set both marks with 39 wins and 90 points &hellip; Overall record against the Eastern clubs including the Geoffrion era is 15-7-4 with four to go&hellip; Bob Nevin with 10 and Vic Hadfield with 9 lead the club in power play goals&hellip; Rangers have 53 power play goals and their opponents a mere 33&hellip; Last home defeat was on January 2 versus Boston&hellip; Look for Jean Ratelle to star in this season&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs&hellip; Donnie Marshall picked up his 500th assist on his 37th birthday against Boston&hellip; Vic Hadfield was presented with Catholic Youth Organization award as the most popular Ranger&hellip; Eddie Giacomin has been voted the Most Maluable Ranger by the West Side Association in a tabulation of ballots cast by the New York Hockey Writers Association&hellip; Giac also won the Frank Boucher Trophy as the Most popular Ranger both on and off the ice. The Boucher Trophy is awarded annualy by the membership of the New York Rangers Fan Club&hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021070/6681703-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="247" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vic Hadfield</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0007-02

Blues ’ 26 Garden Sellouts Lift Crowds Over 600,000

<h2>TUES. MARCH 11</h2>OKLAHOMA CITY 6 at KANSAS CITY 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02691/6683119-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="596" height="684"></div>DALLAS 4 at AMARILLO 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03462/6683112-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="600" height="979"></div><h2>WED. MARCH 12</h2>KANSAS CITY 5 at DALLAS 9<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04290/6683105-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="594" height="631"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05159/6683098-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="600" height="381"></div>MEMPHIS 3 at TULSA 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06128/6683091-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="594" height="629"></div>OKLAHOMA CITY 4 at FORT WORTH 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07115/6683084-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="590" height="631"></div><h2>FRIDAY, MARCH 14</h2>KANSAS CITY 2 at AMARILLO 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0898/6683077-1-eng-US/f0020-082.jpg" title="f0020-08" width="602" height="801"></div> &#9632;

f0020-02

CHL Summaries

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-02186/6683559-1-eng-US/f0001-022.jpg" title="f0001-02" width="520" height="1338"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-01216/6683566-1-eng-US/f0001-012.jpg" title="f0001-01" width="224" height="275"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-0384/6683552-1-eng-US/f0001-032.jpg" title="f0001-03" width="1119" height="1314"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0001-0423/6683545-1-eng-US/f0001-042.jpg" title="f0001-04" width="502" height="1329"></div>&mdash;ON THE INSIDERussians Win World Title For 7th Time &mdash;Page 4Blake Lauds Ruel, Habs&rsquo; For Title Win &mdash;Page 6Howe Still &lsquo;Mr. Big&rsquo; In Detroit &mdash;Page 24Complete Stanley Cup Playoff Dates &mdash;On Page 7 &#9632;

f0001-02

ESPOSITO, GLOVER, SALOMONS NAMED HOCKEY NEWS’ TOP AWARDS WINNERS

<div class="byline">BY TOM MONAHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011472/6681330-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="561" height="645"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEN HODGE &hellip; Sets Club Goal Mark</figcaption></div>BOSTON, Mass.&mdash;Although the Bruins still entertained hopes of finishing first in the National Hockey League&rsquo;s East Division right up until the final weekend, Coach Harry Sinden was thinking of the playoffs.And the most disturbing thing on his mind was the latest statistic issued from the NHL office showing that the Bruins are the most penalized team in the league.The mere fact that the B&rsquo;s are leading the league in cooler time was not in itself disturbing to Sinden.&ldquo;We led the league last year and we&rsquo;ve been on top in that department practically all this year&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;But what bothers me is the discrepancy in the figures.&ldquo;The league average for two teams per game this season has been 22.8 minutes in penalties. Yet we have been hit with an average of 16.8 as a team.&rdquo;For 69 games the figures show the Bruins spent 1160 minutes in the penalty box. Next was Toronto with 891.&ldquo;It seems to me something is wrcxng,&rdquo; said Sinden. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t been hit with more major penalties that any other team. Mfost of our penalties have been minors at two minutes each.&ldquo;Yet we have almost 300 minutes in penalty time more than the second place team.&ldquo;Are we the dirtiest team that ever played this game?&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it. I haven&rsquo;t seen anything dirty about our play.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t play the game any differently than anyone else. Yes, we play it hard and we play it tough. But so does everyone else.&ldquo;Our guys aren&rsquo;t out there just head hunting and using sticks as weapons.&ldquo;Yet they are getting penalized more than anyone else.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe that we are deserving of an average of 16.8 munites a game while the average for two teams in a game is only six minutes more.&ldquo;I have to think that the officials are looking for things when we step on the ice and they are taking our game away from us.&ldquo;Certainly, it is obvious that we can&rsquo;t go into the playoffs and hope to be successful if we are going to get hit with six more minutes in the penalty box than our opponent.&ldquo;Look at it this way. If we have men off the ice for eight out of 20 minutes as we did against New York last game that means we have only 12 minutes in which to make our offense function.&ldquo;Sure it is possible to score when you are short-handed, but you certainly don&rsquo;t expect shorthanded goals. Meanwhile the other team has that 12 minute advantage to run against you.&rdquo;Does Sinden think the officials are discriminating against the Bruins?&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to use a term like that or make any such accusation,&rdquo;. he said. &ldquo;I just think its odd that there is such a discrepancy in the statistics.&ldquo;I still think we have to play a hitting game to win. That&rsquo;s our style and we can&rsquo;t deviate too much from that style just for the playoffs.&ldquo;But it seems to me the officials have been calling things much closer on us in our last 10 or 15 games.&ldquo;I still don&rsquo;t see how we can have an average penalty time for one team only six minutes below the seasonal average for two teams a game.&rdquo;ICE CHIPS &mdash; Sinden gave the Bruins last Monday and Tuesday off to rest up for the final week of the season and work themselves into the proper frame of mind for the playoffs&hellip; &ldquo;I learned a year ago there is a difference between playing regular season games and playoff games,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had a stretch of four games in 4&frac12; days and the guys needed a break from the steady routine of practice. Don Awrey and Eddie Shack both returned to action on their own however, after being benched with a bruised instep and strained knee respectively&hellip; With 43 goals, Ken Hodge surpassed the B&rsquo;s record of Dit Clapper for a right wing&hellip; Clapper incidentally was in town for the Bruins Old Timers&rsquo; game with the Montreal Old Timers Last Saturday at the Garden &hellip; The B&rsquo;s won the game 10-7&hellip; Sinden still hadn&rsquo;t made up his mind how he would work his goaltenders for the playoffs&hellip; &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still playing it by ear,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I won&rsquo;t make a final decision until the last minute.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0002-01

Laments Bruins’ High Penalty Total

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03896/6681382-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg"></div><h2>FINAL STANDINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021212/6681389-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="208" height="205"></div>EASTERN DIVISIONWESTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04667/6681375-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="1117" height="300"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Mar. 25Pittsburgh 3 at Minnesota 1Wed. Mar. 26Montreal 4 at Toronto 6New York 4 at Chicago 6Los Angeles 4 at Pittsburgh 8St. Louis 5 at Oakland 3Thurs. Mar. 27Toronto 4 at Detroit 2New York 3 at Boston 3Los Angeles 2 at Philadelphia 4Sat. Mar. 29Boston 3 at Montreal 5New York 4 at Toronto 2Chicago 1 at Detroit 1Pittsburgh 3 at Philadelphia 3Minnesota 2 at Oakland 7St. Louis 3 at Los Angeles 1Sun. Mar. 30Montreal 3 at Boston 6Toronto 0 New York 4Detroit 5 at Chicago 9Philadelphia 1 at Pittsburgh 2Minnesota 3 at Los Angeles 3<h2>TEAMS&rsquo; HOME-AND-AWAY RECORDS</h2>AT HOMEON THE ROADEASTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05485/6681368-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="1147" height="282"></div>WESTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06367/6681361-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg" title="f0002-06" width="1141" height="282"></div> &#9632;

f0002-03

THE NHL SCENE

<div class="byline">BY BOB HARRIS</div>MONTREAL, Que.&mdash; Expansion hockey teams are beginning to make their presence felt after only two years in the National Hockey League.This season the editors of THE HOCKEY NEWS, after careful deliberation, looked to the new division to fulfill two of their three individual hockey awards, indeed a solid tribute to the growing impetus the new teams are making on big time hockey.In selecting Sid Salomon Jr., chairman of the board and president, and his son, Sid Salomon III. executive-vice president of the St.Louis Blues, to jointly share the &lsquo;executive of the year&rsquo; award, THE HOCKEY NEWS took into consideration the tremendous feat these two highly industrious executives performed in making St.Louis a hockey power in the very short span of two years.Awarding the &lsquo;dual&rsquo; award to the Salomons was our tribute to their ingenuity and astute handling of a major league franchise which today ranks as one of the most lucrative and successful in pro sports.In addition to creating the unique executive &lsquo;double&rsquo; award. THE HOCKEY NEWS also chose Fred Glover of the Oakland Seals as the man best deserving the &lsquo;coach of the year&rsquo; honor in a close race with Boston&rsquo;s Harry Sinden, Montreal&rsquo;s Claude Ruel and New York&rsquo;s Emile Francis.The choice of Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins as the THE HOCKEY NEWS play-of-the-year is still another accolade for this high-scoring and inspirational ice phenom who won the NHL scoring championship and set four records in the process.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011628/6681441-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="565" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRED GLOVER &hellip; Coach Of Year</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021300/6681434-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1152" height="1169"><figcaption class="caption-body">SID SALOMON III, left, and SID SALOMON JR &hellip; top executives</figcaption></div>There was little doubt that Esposito, with a recordsmashing 126 points, 49 goals and 77 assists, was the outstanding player of 1968-69.Esposito glittered in a highly productive NHL season in which records fell like tenpins in a bowling alley and he was the leader with men like Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe experiencing remarkable seasons only to be overshadowed by the rangy Boston center.The selection of the Salomons marked the first time the THE HOCKEY NEWS had honored two executives in one year. However, last season in a special salute to NHL expansion, the editors singled out two players, Jean Beliveau in the East and Wayne Connelly of Minnesota in the West but decided this year to select one overall performer for the coveted player award.The Salomons were the last to get their NHL franchise in big league expansion but they have been virtually first in everything since.The Blues rolled to the Western title last year and into a dramatic Stanley Cup final with Montreal Canadiens before bowing.But success has been a trade mark of the Salomon family.Sid Jr., is a nationally prominent insurance executive who had written his first quarter of a million dollars worth of insurance by the time he was 20. He has been a key man in politics at the national level. In 1960 he served on the late President John F. Kennedy&rsquo;s Inaugural Committee.When the opportunity came to land a major league franchise the Salomons wasted little time pursuing their opportunity. Along with milionaire sportsman, Robert L. Wolfson, the three combined their resources and came up with nine million to get the Blues into the NHL and today they are sitting back as the enterprising owners of one of the National League&rsquo;s finest operations.Like the Salomons, Glover enjoyed instant success when he landed in the NHL this season from the American League. He coached the lowly Oakland Seals from last to nearly first place and doubled their victory output in addition to making the club a force to be reckoned with in the forthcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03853/6681427-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="317" height="393"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04469/6681420-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="1162" height="1155"><figcaption class="caption-body">PHIL ESPOSITO &hellip; Bruins&rsquo; centre player-of-the-year</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

Bruins’ Esposito Selected Player-Of-Year; Glover Top Coach, Salomons Best Executives

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-05232/6681472-1-eng-US/f0003-052.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0003-05

‘News’ Awards Winners

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011647/6681524-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="354" height="441"></div>&bull; STAN MIKITA has taken some unprecedented booing at Chicago Stadium this season &hellip; but he really hasn&rsquo;t resented it &hellip; &ldquo;I guess they expect me to score 90 goals and get 144 points like Esposito. A perfect game for them I suppose would be for us to win, 10-9, and with Bobby Hull scoring nine goals. I can&rsquo;t figure these fans of ours, out, but I guess it&rsquo;s their privilege to boo whenever they wish. They pay my salary. But people seem to forget very fast. It&rsquo;s not what you&rsquo;ve done in the past that counts,&rdquo; related a disappointed Mikita &hellip; Two NHL stars celebrated birthdays on March 31 &hellip; Gordie Howe became 41 after winding up his 23rd NHL season, with plans for two more &hellip; Toronto&rsquo;s Bob Pulford became 33 and hopes to have a better playoff series than he had during the regular championship race &hellip; Ralph Mellanby, the very talented producer of Hockey Night in Canada, is receiving some enticing offers from the United States &hellip; It is hoped his Canadian employers can match these offers and retain this outstanding sports production phenom &hellip; They say Toronto&rsquo;s Johnny Bower is playing his last season in the NHL &hellip; New York Rangers will hit an attendance mark of over 600,000 at the new Madison Square Garden this season &hellip; Most successful by far was the just-concluded Seventh Annual Invitational International Hockey Tournament staged at Lake Placid, N.Y. &hellip; 23 teams participated in the four divisions: Mosquito, Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget. They say that Denis DeJordy and Doug Jarrett are a cinch not to be back with Chicago next season. There is also a rumor making the rounds that Stan Mikita will be traded to Toronto for a couple of towards and a young defenseman &hellip; But rumors like this seem to abound every year at this time &hellip; Terry Slater will not be back as coach and general manager of the Toledo Blades next season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021446/6681517-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="258" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ralph Mellanby</figcaption></div>&bull; JACKIE McLEOD is through as coach of Canada&rsquo;s National Team. He will probably take a scouting or coaching job with a National Hockey League club &hellip; Jacques Plante still carries his original face-mask which he designed in 1959, as a spare, and uses an improved model in games &hellip; Plante says St. Louis owner Sidney Salomon Jr. is going to introduce him to an aeronautical engineer who knows of a material that might be used in a face-mask and if successful the mask would weigh one-tenth of the present weight which is only 12 ounces now &hellip; Plante, always the innovator, figures that if it could be that much lighter, there&rsquo;s no reason why it couldn&rsquo;t be larger, to protect the top of the head and ears &hellip; Boston Bruins were so pleased with the play of Garnet &ldquo;Ace&rdquo; Bailey, recently brought up from the American League Hershey Bears that they&rsquo;ve decided to keep him around for the playoffs &hellip; Czech officials explain the reason the St. Louis Blues will be able to sign star player Jaroslav Jirik to a contract is due to the fact that any player who is over 30 may leave the country &hellip; And isn&rsquo;t Emile Francis something special? &hellip; Once again &ldquo;The Cat&rdquo; came through for the New York Rangers and moved a dispirited and disappointing team, when he took over as coach, into third-place in the final NHL standings &hellip; There are few better hockey leaders anywhere than Francis and his record since he joined the Rangers speaks for itself. A great little guy in every way &hellip; Hal Laycoe&rsquo;s Portland Buckaroos won the Western Hockey League championship for the fifth straight year and the seventh time in eight years.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031199/6681510-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="268" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hal Laycoe</figcaption></div>&bull; NORM ULLMAN is relieved now that Toronto has made the playoffs. &ldquo;They can say what they want about the trade, now,&rdquo; says Normie, who went to the Leafs from Detroit along with Floyd Smith and Paul Henderson &hellip; Bob Haggert, former trainer of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is fast becoming one of Toronto&rsquo;s outstanding young businessmen with his hand in several pies. He is closely associated with Alan Eagleson and the NHL Players Association, has his own Bob Haggert Enterprises and is also associated with Bobby Orr and Mike Walton in their upcoming new hockey school and sports camp &hellip; Hockey fans throughout Canada know the name of George McLagen as CTV&rsquo;s hockey producer in games out of Toronto &hellip; but few know that George was a solid senior defense stalwart of a few years ago. He played with Windsor and Hamilton of the OHA and Charlottetown in the Maritimes. An ex-Marlie junior he payed with Tim Horton and George Amstrong of the Leafs &hellip; Jacques Plante says New York&rsquo;s Vic Hadfield has the trickiest shot in hockey. &ldquo;His shot dips more than any other player and Stan Mikita has a screwpuck,&rdquo; adds Jacques. Apparently a screwpuck is something like a screwball, only with a puck. Somehow Mikita shoots it so that it curves sideways &hellip; Best young announcer in the International Hockey League is said to be Lyle Stieg, voice of the Dayton Gems. He&rsquo;s being doing play-by-play for five years and a big future is predicted for him &hellip; The many friends of Johnny Walker, long-time scout of the New York Rangers, will be saddened to hear of the recent death of his lovely wife Marguerite. Johnny and Marg were intimate friends of countless professional hockey players over the past 35 years. Mrs. Walker was also a sister of Ken Ullyot of the Fort Wayne Komets.And a reminder that for something different in vieweing and highly interesting as well, watch the Miss Teenage Canada Pageant, which will be telecast on the complete CBC network on Monday, April 7 from 8 to 9 p.m.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04975/6681503-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="260" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">Norm Ullman</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

<h2>FINAL STANDINGS</h2>(Group &lsquo;A&rsquo; Championship)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05787/6681586-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="582" height="235"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Sat. Mar. 15Russia 17, United States 2Czechoslovakia 6 Canada 1Sweden 6 Finland 3Sun. Mar. 16Canada 5 Finland 1Russia 4 Sweden 2Czechoslovakia 8 United Stotes 3Mon. Mar. 17No games scheduledTues. Mar. 18Russia 7 Canada 1Czechoslovakia 7 Finland 4Sweden 8 United States 2Wed. Mar. 19Russia 6 Finland 1Sweden 2 Czechoslovakia 0Thurs. Mar. 20Canada 5 United States 0Fr. Mar. 21Sweden 5 Canada 1Czechoslovakia 2 Russia 0Sat. Mar. 22Finland 4 United States 3Sun. Mar. 23Czechoslovakia 3 Canada 2Russia 8 United States 4Sweden 5 Finlond 0Mon. Mar. 24No games scheduledMon. Mar. 24Russia 3, Sweden 2Tues. Mar. 25Canado 1, United States 0Czechoslovak 4, Finlond 2Wed. Mar. 26Russia 7, Finland 3Czechoslovakia 6, United States 2Thurs. Mar. 27Sweden 4, Canada 2Fri. Mar. 28Czechoslovakia 4, Russia 3Sat. Mar. 29Canada 6, Finlond 1Sweden 10. United States 4Sun. Mar. 30Finlond 7, United Stotes 3Sweden 1, Czechoslovakia 0Russia 4, Canada 2LEADING SCORERS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06457/6681579-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="582" height="373"></div> &#9632;

f0004-05

How They Stand

OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLYFounded October 1st, 1947Published weekly except monthly June through September by Ken-Will Publishing Co. Ltd. 1434 St. Catherine Street West Montreal 107, Canada.Kenneth W. McKenzie President and PublisherWilliam Z. Stevenson Managing DirectorYearly Subscription Rates: $5.00 in Canada $6.00 in the U.S.A, and $8.00 in Foreign Countries.Postage paid at Rouses Point, N.Y.Authorized as second class mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa.Second class mail registration number 1327Printed in CanadaVol. 22 MONTREAL, APRIL 5, 1969 NO 26STOCKHOLM, Sweden &mdash;Prior to the start of the World hockey championships here Canada was not regarded as a major threat to capture the gold medal and as things turned out, the Canadians were not even in the running for a bronze medal.However, Canada had an opportunity to decide who would win the top award as they met the pre-tournament favorites, Russia, in the crucial windup day contest.All Jackie McLeod&rsquo;s team had to do was tie the Soviets in the final game and Sweden would have earned the gold Czechs.But the Canucks proved unworthy of the test as they dropped a 4-2 decision to Russia thereby permitting the Soviets to win the title for the seventh straight year.Russia finished the six nation tournment with 16 points, the same as Sweden and Czechoslovakia, but won on the basis of their superior goals average. Russia took it all with their 59-23 goals spread. Sweden was second at 45-19, followed bv the Czechs at 40-20.Canada came out of the tourney (10 games) with four victories and six defeats, scoring only 26 times against the opposition&rsquo;s 31.Finland finished fifth at 2-8 while the pathetie United States, team was winless in 10 starts. As a result of their last place finish, the Americans will drop into group B for next year&rsquo;s championships.Before the Canada Russia encounter, Czechoslovakia missed a golden opportunity to take top lauerls when they dropped a 1-0 verdict to Sweden. All the Czechs needed was a tie against Sweden to earn the gold medal.As a result of Canada&rsquo;s disappointing showing in the World tournament, McLeod&rsquo;s future as coach is somewhat uncertain. The one-time New York Ranger player has said he sees no place for himself in the new scheme in which both the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL will have a direct hnd to help reorganize the National team for the 1970 championships which will be held in Canad.There is speculation that Canada&rsquo;s &lsquo;70 world team will be comprised of a half dozen reinstated professionals, one of whom will possbilv be Brian Conacher, the former Toronto and Detroit winger.The current tournament turned ou to be a whopping financial success. A total of 196,299 persons watched the 30 games, which provided a 70 percent increase in gate receipts over the last event. &#9632;

Canada Misses Chance To Keep World Title From Russian Clutches

<h2>WAYNE RUTLEDGE, goal-tender, Los Angeles, Calif.:</h2>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of pressure. He can be whatever he wants to be, though. I don&rsquo;t think it will be a goal-tender. Not like his father. The last game he saw me play on TV, he called me a &ldquo;sieve&rdquo;. He said, &ldquo;Mommy, daddy&rsquo;s playing like a sieve.&rdquo;<h2>GERRY DESJARDINS, goal-tender, Los Angeles, Calif.:</h2>&ldquo;Yes. It&rsquo;s the greatest challenge, the most exciting position, the most fun in the world.&rdquo;<h2>VAL BLATZ, commercial representative, New York:</h2>&ldquo;Not really. I have seen pictures of Charlie Rayner and Terry Sawchuk. Their faces look like a chopped up hamburger. Even with the new face masks, a goalie takes a tremendous beating and usually gets blamed for all the woes a team suffers.&rdquo;<h2>JOE SPENDLEY, securities analyst, Matawas, N.J.:</h2>&ldquo;Why not? The way things are going today, teams will soon be carrying three goalies. If a boy has the desire to play goal, I would not try to stand in his way. My son is involved in pee wee hockey and has played both defense and goal. His proudest moment-was when he chalked up a shutout.&rdquo;<h2>WALLY MARTIN, postal inspector, Ottawa:</h2>&ldquo;Not if I have anything to say about it. I played a little senior hockey myself and I know what happens to a guy ins this game when his nerves go on him. Look at Durnan and Crozier. The pressure got them. Today I think it must be even tougher the way they&rsquo;re shooting those pucks off the slap shot. If my son wants to play hockey, it&rsquo;ll be on the forward line.&rdquo;<h2>MRS. JOAN COMBS, housewife, El Segundo, Calif.:</h2>&ldquo;As much as I&rsquo;d like him to be anything in any other contact sport, like football; more than a boxer, certainly. I know goal-tenders do get battered, but they&rsquo;re well-padded and the only ones who get to wear masks, and if they start out wearing masks and always do, it would reduce the more serious injuries. I just read that&rsquo;according to insurance statistics, garbage collection is the second most dangerous occupation, and my son wants to be a garbage collector, or did for awhile, anyway. I guess they get cut. I&rsquo;d just as soon he&rsquo;d be a goaltender as a dentist. If he was a dentist, he migt get bit.&rdquo; &#9632;

THE FANS’ CORNER

<div class="byline">BY PAT CURRAN</div>MONTREAL, Que. &mdash;After years in the hockey limelight as player and coach, Hector (Toe) Blake was somewhat forgetten publicly this season as he dabbled as observer, scout and trouble shooter with the fancy tag of assistant vicepresident with the Canadiens. Still he never strayed far from the action, often following the club on road trips and seldom missing a home game at the Forum.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011747/6681641-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="256" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Claude Ruel</figcaption></div>Thus the kindly old former coach is as pleased as everyone else with the success of the Canadiens and just couldn&rsquo;t help throwing a few bouquets at his successor, Claude Ruel, and the team as a whole.Blake, who led the Habs to nine league titles and eight Stanley Cup championships in his 13 years at the helm before retiring last spring, sang his praises of the current club just after it had equalled a couple of records.By beating New York here March 22, Montreal matched the record of 101 points in the standings set by Detroit in 1950-51 and the mark of 45 victories scored by the Canadiens of 1955 56.&ldquo;Give Claude Ruel credit,&rdquo; Toe told the writers. &ldquo;He has done a gigantic job of handling the Canadiens under a lot of pressure. His job wasn&rsquo;t easy from the start when the club had to play on the road until November before getting into the new Forum. Then he had so many injuries to contend with but never lost his enthusiasm. He deserves a championship team.&rdquo;Toe was reminded of his statement last June just after Ruel was a surprise appointment as coach of the Habs.&ldquo;Claude is a bear for work and the club is in good hands. He has good judgment and he knows his hockey,&rdquo; said Blake at the time.How about the players? Have they played up to his rating this season?&ldquo;Claude has had his whole team working,&rdquo; replied Blake. &ldquo;Ted Harris has enjoyed his greatest season. Serge Savard has shown the potential to become an all-star. Jean Beliveau has been playing the way he did so many times in those great games against Chicago. Yvan Cournoyer has been more conscious of his defensive play but sensational on attack. John Ferguson has had an exceptional season with so many goals.&rdquo;Toe also threw bouquets at some of the other Habs, like Jacques Lemaire. He pointed out that some players have a tendency to let down in their third NHL season but the young winger has been the opposite. Bobby Rousseau, seldom playing a bad game, had been great all season.The visit was one of Toe&rsquo;s frequent stops in the team dressing room where scribes have met a far different person than when he was under the pressure of coaching. This year he has been congratulating the players after victory or trying to cheer them up following defeat &mdash; like a friendly tap on the shoulder of Rogatien Vachon after the young goalie had been beaten on a couple of longshots last week at Toronto.HAB-NOTES: Management is expected to hide away the Habs again in the Laurentians before and between playoff games at the Forum&hellip; Larry Hillman, the former Minnesota defenceman who hasn&rsquo;t been in uniform for three weeks, refuses to complain about his hockey fortunes. He had been on the bench most of the time with the expansion club and Jias played very little since he joined Canadiens in December. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d prefer to play but this club has treated me well,&rdquo; says Larry whose share of title and playoff money will help pay for his farm in Ontario&hellip; Left-winger Gilles Tremblay has been hospitalized in Montreal for his bronchial trouble and is unlikely to see any action in the playoffs&hellip; Bob Berry from Cleveland remains with the club as utility forward along with Christian Bordeleau from Houston. &#9632;

f0006-01

Blake Lauds Canucks On Title Win But Reserves Most Praise For Ruel

<div class="byline">BY NORMAN MacLEAN</div>NEW YORK, N.Y.&mdash;Emile &ldquo;The Cat&rdquo; Francis was angry. The New York Rangers General ManagerCoach had just seen his team vanquish the Boston Bruins in the weekly CBS telecast game and he still was seething.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011587/6681672-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="256" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Neilson</figcaption></div>&ldquo;One of you fellows wrote that we backed into the playoffs after we lost to Montreal (1-3 Saturday March 22). Well it just isn&rsquo;t so. Out record against the East in the last two months has been 10 wins, 4 losses and 3 ties. That&rsquo;s not backing into anything,&rdquo; growled the Cat, as he addressed the members of the press.Francis had a right to be angry, even though New York&rsquo;s clinching of the fourth and last playoff berth came on an evening when they were losing to Montreal. As it turned out New York finished third and plays Montreal in the playoffs.There is no doubt in this observer&rsquo;s mind that Francis righted the good ship Ranger just as it was sinking back in January. At the time of Bernard Geoffrion&rsquo;s collapse in Oakland, New York was last and losing the respect of their rivals. They were being physically intimidated in some games and outscored in most.The Cat revived the Blueshirts spirit, made them believe in themselves again and with judicious use of matchups got them through trying injury filled times. His present three lines find only one trio in the same form as Coach Geoffrion opened with last October.Ranger line No. 1 still is the Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield combination. Gilbert and Ratelle have come down the stretch in blazing fashion, each getting at least 2 points in the last nine games. During that period Ratty has amassed 7 goals and 10 assists and Rod 5 goals and 13 assists. Ratelle has taken charge and has been the driving force in the renaissance of the New York attack. Against Boston, the Rangers fired 46 shots at Gerry Cheevers in the Beantown net. Forty and more shots have become a Ranger trademark &mdash; and the line carrying the big guns is the one centered by Ratelle.Line number two is the Walter Tkaczuk, Bob Nevin, Dave Balon trio. It shows the progress that Tkaczuk, the rookie center of the future has made since his recall from Buffalo last October. Walter can score (10-21-31) he can check and Francis is even planning to use him as a penalty killer in the future. Nevin is the best two winger in the NHL and his 29 goals speak highly for his offensive capabilities. Balon, whom the dynamic little pepperpot that is Francis, rescued from the obscurity of the bench, has done his job well. He can skate, hit and score occasionally. His total of 10 goals and 17 assists are quite remarkable in the light of his limited early season ice time. This line can be played against the opponents big guns and maybe even get a goal or two itself, as well as doing a competent job in checking the opposition.Line number three presently lists Phil Goyette at center with Donnie Marshall on the left and Ron Stewart on the right. All three are old pros who will not scare in playoff competition. All three know what to do with the chips down. All three can harry an opponent into the ice and can put the puck in the net upon demand.If there is any fault in New York, it is the simple fact that they do not have a big star, a la Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau or Bobby Hull. But then, I notice that Howe and Hull most likely will not be in the playoffs and that the New York offensive balance has done the job even better than the star system.The defense is the envy of the league with youngsters like Brad Park and Rod Seiling and young veterans such as Jim Neilson and Arnie Brown. Both Brown and Neilson have nine big goals (Neilson got-two against Boston on March 23) and the younger boys have taken up the slack created by the on again off again back troubles endured by Harry Howell. Park is this corner&rsquo;s choice as the best rear guard to come into the NHL since Bobby Orr. Neilson is the Number Two defenseman in the league, with only Orr rating ahead of Jim. When Jim is on his game, look out and right now Francis has the Indian on the warpath.I goal, the only regular goaltender rn the NHL is ensconced in the Ranger nets. Eddie Giacomin is, the All Star netminder of the league and should show everyone why in the coming playoffs. He does not have to be babied a la Jake Plante or Glenn Hall and he is the definite choice of his coach to play in almost all games.Rangerville generally feels that New York would be better off playing against the best, Montreal, although Francis himself will not be tricked into commenting on this.Montreal skates with New York, but does not really hit that hard. They lost the season series to the Rangers by a 4-3-1 margin, whereas Boston and New York are even at 3-3-1 with one game still upcoming.If New York should slip back to fourth by letting Toronto edge by them, it would mean that the Blueshirts would have to face the bombastic bruisers on the Bruins in the first round. A far happier result might occur if New York played Montreal first and watched while Toronto and Boston went at each other in a real wing ding. &#9632;

f0007-01

Rangers Gird For Playoffs Wondering About Spring Jinx

MONTREAL, Que. &mdash;Following are the dates for four quarter-final rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Necessary seventh games of the best-of-seven series are all tentative in order to comply with game of the week commitments on CBS television.<h2>SERIES &ldquo;A&rdquo;</h2>NEW YORK VS MONTREALWednesday, April 2 &mdash; at MontrealThursday, April 3 &mdash; at MontrealSaturday, April 5 &mdash; at New YorkSunday, April 6 &mdash; at New YorkTuesday, April 8 &mdash; at MontrealThursday, April 10 &mdash; at New YorkSaturday or Sunday, April 12-13&mdash; at Montreal<h2>SERIES &ldquo;B&rdquo;</h2>TORONTO VS BOSTONWednesday, April 2 &mdash; at BostonThursday, April 3 &mdash; at BostonSaturday, April 5 &mdash; at TorontoSunday, April 6 &mdash; at TorontoTuesday, April 8 &mdash; at BostonThursday, April 10 &mdash; at TorontoSaturday or Sunday, April 12-13&mdash; at Boston<h2>SERIES &ldquo;C&rdquo;</h2>PHILADELPHIA VS ST. LOUISWednesday, April 2 &mdash; at St. LouisThursday, April 3 &mdash; at St. LouisSaturday, April 5 &mdash; at PhiladelphiaSunday, April 6 &mdash; at PhiladelphiaTuesday, April 8 &mdash; at St. LouisFriday, April 11 &mdash; at PhiladelphiaSaturday or Sunday, April 12-13&mdash; at St. Louis<h2>SERIES &ldquo;D&rdquo;</h2>LOS ANGELES VS OAKLANDWednesday, April 2 &mdash; at OaklandThursday, April 3 &mdash; at OaklandSaturday, April 5 &mdash; at Los AngelesSunday, April 6 &mdash; at Los AngelesWednesday, April 9 &mdash; at OaklandThursday, April 10 &mdash; at OaklandSaturday or Sunday April 12-13&mdash; at Oakland. &#9632;

Stanley Cup Dates

<div class="byline">By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011644/6681765-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="288" height="363"></div><h2>Tiny Tim--A Lover Of The Leafs</h2>&bull; He came sweeping in out of the Southern California night, strinkingly tall with a nose you could cut bread with and dark hair hanging long in frizzy curls. He had on a blue raincoat and a wildly-colorful tie, knotted as a child would and askew beneath an unbuttoned collar. Three aides chaperoned him and people turned to stare, smiling, as he was hustled through the Forum corridors. The big stars come to hockey and basketball games in L.A., but no one draws the attention Tiny Tim does.Of course you know who Tiny Tim is. You may not know who Cesare Siepi is, or Nina Simone, or even Johnny Cash, but we&rsquo;re sure you know Tiny Tim, who sings like men sang thirty years ago, only it sounds so strange now, so effeminate, as, of course, are his dress and gestures and attitude, and he&rsquo;s making a lot of money with it right now, even if it may not last, as these things sometimes do not.He says he loves hockey and you can tell he really does just by talking to him about it. Born Bernard Khoury or something like that &mdash; he doesn&rsquo;t want to talk about what he was once&mdash;he was raised in Brooklyn, a Dodger fan, which he still is, and one night he saw a hockey game and got hooked.&lsquo;I wanted to have a team so 1 looked at the standings in the newspapers and there were six teams to pick from,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;The Toronto Maple Leafs were third or fourth then, which was in the early 1940&rsquo;s. Maple reminded me of maple syrup and Leafs reminded me of tree leaves, and it all reminded me of nature, and I like that, so I chose them.&rdquo;He has been doing this act for years, in two-bit night-clubs, without attracting any real attention, except when he went to games. His appearance makes him stand out, to say the least. &ldquo;The people used to call me &ldquo;girly&rdquo; and other names and yell at me a lot,&rdquo; he smiles. Rooting for the Dodgers, it was all right in Ebbets Field, but not elsewhere. Once he was thrown out between games of a Dodger doubleheader in Philadelphia. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d driven up to see the games and I was disappointed because the Dodgers had lost the first one. I sang &ldquo;Tiptoe Through The Tulips.&rdquo; which is my song, of course, and other songs, and the guards threw me out. But I didn&rsquo;t mind, because the Dodgers won the second game, which maybe they wouldn&rsquo;t have if I&rsquo;d been there,&rdquo; he says.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021279/6681758-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="859" height="873"><figcaption class="caption-body">Here&rsquo;s Leafs&rsquo; veteran hardrock TIM HORTON with hockey fan TINY TIM.</figcaption></div>Rooting for the Leafs in Madison Square Garden, he was considered a jinx because the Leafs always seemed to beat the Rangers when he was on hand, which, of course, everyone always did a few years ago no matter who was on hand. They used to call him Alice&rdquo; and once they chased him through the aisles and out the building. &ldquo;They treated me as though I was some sort of witch putting a hex on their team,&rdquo; Tim comments.Over the years, his passion for the Leafs grew. &ldquo;I found out could pick up Foster Hewitt&rsquo;s Toronto broadcasts between WOR and WABC on the dial there in New York. I couldn&rsquo;t get it good, it was full of static and kept coming and going, but I could get it,&rdquo; Tim says. &ldquo;I had a bad radio. I could&rsquo;ve gotten it better on a better radio, but I couldn&rsquo;t afford one.&rdquo;Near the end of this past season, while the Leafs were battling for a playoff berth and had a game in Montreal, Tim called up Ken McKenzie, the obss of this newspaper, and talked hockey to him for 15 minutes and then asked him to put the radio by the phone so he could hear the game. Ken did, of course, and Tim listened for 2&frac12; hours, or $130 worth. He can afford it now.<h2>Friend And Advisor To Imlach</h2>&bull; In recent years, he&rsquo;s been sending Punch Imlach. letters and telegrams of advice. When Punch traded Jim Pappin, a favorite of Tim&rsquo;s, Tim wired, &ldquo;No Pappin, no play-offs.&rdquo; He&rsquo;s getting self-conscious about this, however, so when he wired Imlach, Dets play Johnny Bower. Let&rsquo;s win or lose with the old pro, Tim signed it, Mrs. Caldwell Jenkins,&rdquo; or something like that.He had never met Imlach or any of the Leafs, however, until this night at the forum, when he was interviewed for a &ldquo;Hockey Night In Canada Jape. When Imlach walked in, Tim dissolved in ecstasy, &ldquo;Oh, Mr. Imlach, what a thrill, he said, and Punch presented him with an autographed hockey stick. Tim has four sticks and a lot of pucks in his Hollywood hotel apartment and he takes the ends of tomato-juice cans and tapes them to his shoes and &ldquo;skates&rdquo; up and down a long hallway, stickhandling and shooting the pucks so enthusiastically the management made him move from the third floor to the first floor after complaints from tenants below him.The Leafs won the game and we invited Norm Ullman and 1 lm Horton to meet Tim and pose for some photos with him. They came, smiling, and bringing other Leafs with them. Tim seemed overwhelmed and told them how critical he considered their next game, in Oakland. He seemed a lot more worked up about it than they were.He really knows the players and the game, will talk knowingly tor hours about it all. He is unhappy that he can&rsquo;t watch a game in peace because or the tans who stare at him and ask for his autographs, though since he has gotten famous they at least no longer veil obscenities at him. &ldquo;I know I have to expect attention, and I do appreciate it, but I do really w&rsquo;ant to see the games and when I&rsquo;m at a game I&rsquo;m just like one of the players. all I care about is winning.&rdquo;He has never gone into a dressing room because he says he doesn&rsquo;t want to impose or bother anyone, and made us promise we&rsquo;d only ask some Leafs to meet him if then won and weren&rsquo;t depressed. He doesn&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s accept, Yet, despite the crowds he draws &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;re coming to see what they don t accept, he said. The more he talked, the deeper his voice got and the less he used those giggling gestures of his and the less we noticed his long curls. &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY DAN MOULTON</div>CHICAGO, Ill. &mdash;The final week of the Black Hawks season meant nothing to most of the fans and nearly all of the players.But for Gilles Marotte and Ray McKay, that final week could very well have had a profound effect on their careers in the National Hockey LeagueWho has been a defenseman all of his career Marotte is being considered for a job at Marotte is being considered for a job at left wing for next season and used the final weeks to acquaint himself with the chore and to impress coach Billy Reay with his willingness to provide the Hawks with much-needed muscle up front.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03947/6681796-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="253" height="423"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray McKay</figcaption></div>McKay, who is only in his second pro season, hopes to make a spot for himself on the Hawks&rsquo; defense corps next year. And if his performances in the final few regular season games can be taken as an indication of his potential, he&rsquo;ll make it. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m juststartingto get the hang of the thing.&rdquo; said Gilles after helping set uplinemates Kenny Wharram and Stan Mikita for goals in his third game on the Wing. &ldquo;For the first couple of games, I always was in the wrong place at the right time.Altho Gilles possesses a strong, accurate shot, he doesn&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s being moved up to add scoring punch. The Hawks certainly don&rsquo;t need any more scorers.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m there to be a checker in both ends of the rink and I know it,&rdquo; said the 5-10, 195-pound youngster.As far as his linemates are concerned. Marotte performed well in his brief trial near the end of the year.&ldquo;He kept the other guys honest in the offensive zone, skated his wing, and handled the puck very well,&rdquo; said Mikita. &ldquo;What more can you ask of any wing?&rdquo;&ldquo;I really think left wing might be the best spot for Gilles,&rdquo; said Reay. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s always loved to skate and he&rsquo;ll sure do more of it at forward than on defense. And he did exactly what I wanted him to do &hellip; take out the other guys in the offensive zone.&ldquo;But what&rsquo;s surprising is that he&rsquo;s shown he can come back about as well as any guy on our team.&rdquo;That last just might be damning with faint praise &hellip; but the hunch lie re is that Billy really meant that Marotte was doing well.McKay&rsquo;s play has pleased the Hawks&rsquo; brass, too. At 6-4, 175, Ray looks like something left over from the pro basketball season. But few of the forwards who have tried to make their way past him, particularly on the outside, ever would mistake him for an NBA guard.&rdquo;&ldquo;Ray won&rsquo;t beat many teams with his shot.&rdquo; said Reay,&rdquo; &ldquo;but there won&rsquo;t be many players beating him in our end, either. And altho he looks like an ungainly skater, he gets where he has to go in an awful hurry.&rdquo;HAWK TALK &mdash; Trade &ldquo;rumors&rdquo; concerning Mikita have been kicking around but Reay, and Manager Tommy Ivan, who were stung in the Esposito, deal with the Bruins two years ago, turn white at the thought of letting another great center get away.One of the reasons for the supposed deal is that Mikita &ldquo;had a bad season.&rdquo;&ldquo;What do they want from the guy?&rdquo; said Reay. &ldquo;He won the scoring title four out six years and in two of those seasons also won the Hart Trophy and the Lady Byng. I his year, he&rsquo;s only fourth or fifth. But does that mean he can&rsquo;t play with this team any more?&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t build a team up by trading the great players you have. The thing to do is build around the nucleus&rdquo;. &#9632;

f0008-03

Hawks ‘Test’ Marotte As Forward In Closing Games Of NHL Schedule

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011563/6681834-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div>JIM VIPOND,noted sports editor and commentator tells the revealing story of GORDIE HOWE: NO. 9&mdash;the man and brilliant hockey player who doesn&rsquo;t know the meaning of the word quit.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021104/6681827-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="361" height="444"></div>Gordie Howe&rsquo;s teammates have dubbed him Power &mdash; and rightfully so. After twenty-two seasons in the NHL, this six-time winner of both the Hart Trophy as the League&rsquo;s most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer, is still the driving force behind the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; attack. Globe & Mail sports editor Jim Vipond now tells the amazing story of magic NO. 9 &mdash; his early days in Saskatoon where, one winter, he played for five teams simultaneously; the loneliness and homesickness that drove Howe back to Saskatoon after he had been invited to join the New York Ranger&rsquo;s training camp at the age of fifteen. With another offer two years later, he became a regular member of the famed Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; Production Line. Here is the candid and fascinating biography of Gordie Howe the businessman, family man, personality and world&rsquo;s greatest hockey player. Illustrated with many original photographs. $4.95from the Ryerson Collection of fine Canadian Books &#9632;

f0009-01

Now… read the exciting story of Mr. Hockey himself

<div class="byline">BY GEOFFREY FISHER</div>ST. LOUIS, Mo.&mdash;The money and the prestige are the two big things going for the teams battling for the Stanley Cup. The St. Louis Blues have two additional incentives and it could prove to be their secret weapons. They are the fans and the owners.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011623/6681865-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="253" height="420"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ab McDonald</figcaption></div>There has rarely in professional sports been a more remarkable bond between players and fans, and players and owners, than that which exists with the Blues.There is the money first, of course, and winning the Stanley Cup can mean upwards of $10,000 everything considered. The veteran St. Louis left winger Ab McDonald states it simply:&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it,&rdquo; says McDonald, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re in this game for the money and it&rsquo;s the playoff split that gives you the nest egg for the future.&rdquo;But McDonald, who came into this playoff for payoff with 54 Stanley Cup games and 14 Stanley Cup goals to his credit, admits that the honor of winning the old Cup runs a close second to the money.There&rsquo;s not a member of this St. Louis ice squad that doesn&rsquo;t feel an obligation to reward both fans and owners for the kind of support and royal treatment they have enjoyed here.Ask any St. Louis player and the response is the same where the home town fans are concerned. They simply have never enjoyed such loval support before. The fans at the St.Louis Arena have achieved their own fame throughout the sports world, having been acclaimed from coast to coast. But as the regular season faded and the Blues lolled on top of the Western Division bv an enormous margin, there aere rare interruptions in that loyalty. The first traces of boos filtered down from the raucous inhabitants of the rafters in January when the Blues staggered ineffectively with a power play that has been mostly impotent all season. The catcalls of the turncoast reached a peak in the final home game of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins which the Blues lost, 21, in an uninspiring performance. There were obviously some renegades lurking in the shadows of the St. Louis Arena.But such momentary displays of disenchantment by the few were looked upon by the majority as shocking exhibitions of blasphemy.The Blues themselves have generally expressed the opinion that St. Louis fans are worth at least a goal per game. This should be somewhat disconcerting to the Blues&rsquo; brilliant center, Gordon (Red) Berenson, the team leader in goals. At a goal-per-game, the fans will be the St. Louis regular season scoring champ with a total of 38, a figure the redhead could not quite reach.Spirit on the club and fan support have been major factors in the success of the Blues. Player for player they are far from the greatest team ever formed, but a great desire to work together for a common cause has brought them continued success. Like their superlative goaltender Jacques Plante states: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not 20 points better than the rest of the league but we play for each other and not for ourselves.&rdquo;The Blues will certainly want to win the Stanley Cup for the fans. And they&rsquo;ll want to win it for the owners, too. The Sidney Salomon&rsquo;s and their partners, whose benevolent treatment of-their players is already legendary, having promised then an allexpense vacation in Miami with their families for two weeks.Can the Blues do it?They have the playoff weapons, the kind of armament any Stanley Cup winner must carry in their arsenal. They have the best of the lot back in the payoff station in Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante, the winners of the Vezina Trophy. They have experience and muscle on the blueline and a lot of hustle up front.In the Stanley Cup it&rsquo;s the cool hand with the quick draw that has the best shot at the big pot.The Blues proved that a year ago when they tore through the best in the West to grab the playoff crown and pushed the Montreal Canadiens right up against the wall. &#9632;

f0010-01

Blues Take ‘Secret Weapon’ Into Playoffs

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021204/6681896-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit broadcaster BRUCE MARTYN, left, shown here interviewing hockey executive JOHNNY MITCHELL, has been airing Red Wings&rsquo; games since 1963.</figcaption></div>DETROIT. Mich.&mdash;Bruce Martyn is a 39-year-old hockey broadcaster who has been airing Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; games since 1963.During that time, the Wings haven&rsquo;t done too well. They have finished sixth on one occasion, fifth on another, and came in fourth during three different seasons. Once, in 1964-65, they nailed down first place. They haven&rsquo;t won the Stanley Cup in 15 years, going back to 1954-55.&ldquo;However,&rdquo; says broadcaster Martyn, &ldquo;there have been many thrills and they&rsquo;ve been supplied by Gordie Howe. Following him, game in and game out, has been a terrifict experience. One of the finest moments I ever witnessed in hockey was in the Montreal Forum, the night that Howe scored his 600th career goal. The crowd rose and gave Gordie an absolutely tremendous ovation. I rank it among the most memorable moments I&rsquo;ve had in hockey.&rdquo;Martyn, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, first got into broadcasting when he took a summer job in between semesters at college.&ldquo;I was in my third year at college,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;and came home between semesters and found a job at a local radio station in Sault Ste. Marie. That ended my formal education and started a working education that&rsquo;s been continuing now for eighteen years.&rdquo;He broadcasted hockey games in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association for a couple of years, then moved to the Detroit area in 1953. He caught on as play-by-play man with the Red Wings six years ago, and does all their home games on radio while handling both radio and TV oh the road.&ldquo;Actually, we do all away games except the West Coast,&rdquo; Martyn says. &ldquo;But, it does mean being away from home a great deal, and I&rsquo;d have to say that being on the road so much is perhaps the toughest part of this job.&rdquo;Though Gordie Howe has supplied most of the big moments, Martyn says that the Chicago Black Hawks get his vote as the most exciting team in the NHL.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s simply because everytime Bobby Hull gets the puck &mdash; which seems to be most of the time &mdash; it&rsquo;s a potential goal.&rdquo; he Martyn hasn&rsquo;t had too many anxious moments in his six years of airing Red Wings games, but an extended lull in action during a Detroit&mdash;Chicago game a couple of years ago, gave him a tough time.&ldquo;It was during the playoffs between the Wings and Hawks a couple of seasons ago,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;The game was being played in Chicago Stadium, and, during the course of it, a pane of glass along the side of the rink was shattered. The problem was, it took close to an hour to repair it&hellip; and, I had to fill the TV time by talking about anything and everything that would come to mind.&rdquo;It was, in effect, his most shattering experience. &#9632;

f0010-02

Howe Gave Martyn Broadcast Thrill

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011584/6681969-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><h2>FINAL INDIVIDUAL SCORING LEADERS</h2>WESTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021279/6681962-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="613" height="2813"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03831/6681955-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="598" height="915"></div>EASTERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04483/6681948-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="582" height="441"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05345/6681941-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="596" height="2583"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06285/6681934-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="568" height="564"><figcaption class="caption-body">NORM FERGUSON</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07248/6681927-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="538" height="564"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANNY GRANT &hellip; NHL&rsquo;s highest scoring rookies this season</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

NHL POINT SCORING RACE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-08" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-08214/6682000-1-eng-US/f0012-082.jpg"></div>RECORD OF GOALTENDERS FOR 1968-69 SEASON &#9632;

f0012-08

NHL Goalkeepers’ Race

<div class="byline">BY ED CONRAD</div>&ldquo; you like 7UP 7UP likes you&rdquo;PHILADELPHIA, Pa. &mdash;His name is Ralph MacSweyn and they say, when he hits you, the first thing you do is jot down his license number.He&rsquo;s built like a Sherman tank and he packs almost the same wallop. He may be new to the National Hockey League but, aleady, his reputation has gotten around.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011467/6682031-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="256" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ralph MacSweyn</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Without a doubt,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; coach Keith Allen, &ldquo;Ralph&rsquo; is one of the strongest men in the entire league. Cripes, he&rsquo;s like the Rock of Gibraltar out there. So it&rsquo;s no wonder guys have trouble putting him down.&ldquo;Why, back in the Eastern League a few years ago, MacSweyn was playing for the Johnstown Jets and the guys on the Long Island Ducks really respected him. In fact, they had a standing bet that any Duck who would knock Ralph down would collect $5 from all of the other players. Nobody collected a cent all winter.&rdquo;MacSweyn, of course, is the Flyers&rsquo; rookie defenseman who has contributed a great deal to the club&rsquo;s tremendous momentum in the second half of the season. It helped solidify the defense which-figured prominently in its &ldquo;Successful realization of a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.Ralph who stands 5-11 and weighs 15, is 26 years old and is proudesOproduct off his family&rsquo;s dairy farcin Dalkeith, Ont.He was &ldquo;buried deep in the minors just two years ago but then, on the excellent advice of scout Marcel Pelletier, the Flyers lassoed him. They signed him to a pro contract and shuffled him off to their farm club Quebec Aces in the American Hockey League.The Aces had a fine season, advancing to the finals of the Calder Cup playoffs for ths&mdash;first time in history, and MacSweyn had impressed the Flyers&rsquo; brass. Still, the Flyers&rsquo; defense seemed in great shape at the start of this current season so that Ralph was still with the Aces when the year got underway.&ldquo;One thing I have no fears about,&rdquo; said general manager Bud Poile early this season, &ldquo;if our defense falters, we can bring MacSweyn right up because we know he can play in the NHL.&rdquo;It was about mid season when the Flyers, who had some problems settling their defense put in a call to Quebec and MacSweyn was on his way to the Flyers.He played well from the very start. His hard-hitting immediately won the respect of the opposite his coach, this teammates and the home town fans. His brute strength even had fans on the road gasping in awe and admiration.MacSweyn, despite his Samson strength, is the mildest, most pleasant guy you could want to meet off the ice. In fact, he&rsquo;ll admit he doesn&rsquo;t care to fight &mdash; unless he is forced into it.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m out there to play hockey the best way I know how,&rdquo; said Ralph. &ldquo;If I were still playing for Johnstown in the Eastern League, I&rsquo;d be playing the same way I am now. I try to work hard every minute.&ldquo;Sure, I&rsquo;m surprised that I&rsquo;m playing in the NHL today. It&rsquo;s quite a jump in a short time. I&rsquo;m just happy the Flyers had confidence in me and gave me my big chance. I just hope I can continue to make the best of it.&rdquo;MacSweyn is only one reason the Flyers appear to have the rosiest future of any team in the Western Division. They are loaded down with exceptional young talent in their organization.There&rsquo;s Bernie Parent and Dcug Favell in goal, plus forwards such as Andre Lacroix, Jim Johnson, Gerry Meehan, Mike Byers, Simon Nolet, Rosey Paiement and defensemen such as MacSweyn, Larry Hale and Joe Watson among others.No matter how they fare in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flyers can look forward to a bright future.MacSweyn is just one goal reason. &#9632;

f0011-01

NEW FLYER MacSWEYN HEALLY ROCKS DN DEFENCE

When the National Hockey League gets around to it they might consider publishing a &lsquo;Phil Esposito Record Book&rsquo; and that way they would cover the multitude of the many new records set in the terminated 1968-69 NHL schedule.If there was a record to be tied or set, you knew that Esposito was there to be a part of it. It seems every time the starry Boston center put his stick to a puck he was involved in some sort of record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021050/6682062-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="262" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Esposito</figcaption></div>Espo wound up his glittering season last weekend by capturing the NHL points scoring title and the Art Ross Trophy with 126 points, a new record. He also tallied his 48th and 49th goals to become the highest scoring center in NHL history eclipsing the old mark of 47 set by Jean Beliveau. His 77 assists also was a new NHL record.For his performance, Esposito picked up $1,750 in bonus money-$1,000 as overall scoring champion, $500 as second half leader and $250 as firstrhalf runner-up to Bobby Hull. &#9632;

f0011-02

Esposito Player Of The Year — IN THE EAST

It isn&rsquo;t very often that two players are singled out at the same time for their ice achievements but it happened this season in the persons of Jacques Plante and Glenn Hall.Since the two combined their efforts to win the Vezina Trophy, it is only fitting that they should share the distinction of being selected as the outstanding performers in the NHL&rsquo;s Western Division this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03728/6682100-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="244" height="414"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jacques Plante</figcaption></div>Unquestionably, the St. Louis Blues would not have enjoyed the cake-walk they did in the expansion section race if it hadn&rsquo;t been for their two veteran netminders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04567/6682093-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="244" height="399"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glenn Hall</figcaption></div>Both played equally well. Hall, who is 37, participated in 11 games. Plante, who is 40, appeared in 37 games and between them they compiled an awesome 2.07 goaling average and finished 39 goals ahead of their closest rivals. The Blues romped in first place and ended with a 19-point pull over Oakland. Undoubtedly Hall and Plante played a major role. They racked up 13 shutouts, a new team record, and pocketed $1,250 in bonus money for capturing the Vezina. &#9632;

f0011-03

Plante, Hall Ton Performers —IN THE WEST

<h2>TUES. MARS 25</h2>PITTSBURGH 3 at MINNESOTA 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011485/6682285-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="596" height="585"></div><h2>WED. MAR. 26</h2>MONTREAL4 at TORONTO 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021050/6682278-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="588" height="687"></div>NEW YORK 4 at CHICAGO 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03787/6682271-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="602" height="805"></div>LOS ANGELES-4 at PITTSBURGH 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04671/6682264-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="588" height="629"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05539/6682257-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="598" height="187"></div>ST. LOUIS 5 at OAKLAND 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06450/6682250-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="600" height="737"></div><h2>THURS. MAR. 27</h2>LOS ANGELES 2 At PHILADELPHIA 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07412/6682243-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="586" height="587"></div>TORONTO 4 At DETROIT 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08385/6682236-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="598" height="557"></div>NEW YORK 3 At BOSTON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09361/6682229-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="592" height="587"></div><h2>SAT. MARCH 29</h2>NEW YORK 4 at TORONTO 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10340/6682222-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="596" height="81"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11310/6682215-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="594" height="509"></div>PITTSBURGH 3 at PHILADELPHIA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12272/6682208-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="596" height="629"></div>BOSTON 3 at MONTREAL 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-13232/6682201-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="584" height="727"></div>ST. LOUIS 3 at LOS ANGELES 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-14199/6682194-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="588" height="531"></div>CHICAGO 1 at DETROIT 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-15165/6682187-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="594" height="455"></div>MINNESOTA 2 at OAKLAND 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-16123/6682180-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg" title="f0013-16" width="612" height="763"></div><h2>SUN. MAR. 30</h2>DETROIT 5 at CHICAGO 9<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-17102/6682173-1-eng-US/f0013-172.jpg" title="f0013-17" width="610" height="194"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1888/6682166-1-eng-US/f0013-182.jpg" title="f0013-18" width="604" height="787"></div>MINNESOTA 3 at LOS ANGELES 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1971/6682159-1-eng-US/f0013-192.jpg" title="f0013-19" width="590" height="559"></div>MONTREAL 3 at BOSTON 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-2051/6682152-1-eng-US/f0013-202.jpg" title="f0013-20" width="582" height="133"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-2140/6682145-1-eng-US/f0013-212.jpg" title="f0013-21" width="586" height="559"></div>TORONTO 0 at NEW YORK 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-2230/6682138-1-eng-US/f0013-222.jpg" title="f0013-22" width="596" height="475"></div>PHILADELPHIA! at PITTSBURGH 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-2320/6682131-1-eng-US/f0013-232.jpg" title="f0013-23" width="590" height="443"></div> &#9632;

f0013-01

National Hockey League Summaries

<h2>MONTREAL</h2>Goal, Vachon, Worsley, Defense, Laperriere, J.C. Tremblay, Harris, Hillman, Savard, Harper, Forwards, Beliveau, Bordeleau, Backstrom, Duff, Cournoyer, Provost, Rousseau, Richard, Ferguson, Redmond, Lemaire.<h2>TORONTO</h2>Goal, Gamble, Bower, Defense, Pilote, Pronovost, Horton, Pelyk, Quinn, Ley, Dorey, Forwards, Ellis, Ullman, Oliver, Keon, Mickey, Walton, F. Smith, Henderson, Pulford, Armstrong, Kennedy, Selby.<h2>CHICAGO</h2>Goal, Dryden, DeJordy, Defense, Marotte, Young, McMahon, McKay, Stapleton, Jarrett, Forwards, Boudrias, Martin, Pappin, B. Hull, Mohns, Nesterenko, C. Maki, Wharram, Schmautz, Mikita, D. Hull.<h2>NEW YORK</h2>Goal, Giacomin, Simmons, Defense, Hamilton, Howell, Brown, Park, Neilson, Seiling, Forwards, Gilbert, Nevin, Fleming, Jeffrey, Hadfield, Stewart, Balon, Ratelie, Goyette, Marshall, Tkoczuk. DETROIT<h2>DETROIT</h2>Goal, Crozier, Edwards, Sawchuk, Defense, Baun, Douglas, Popiel, Bergman, Harris, Forwards, Unger, Howe, Delvecchio, F. Mahovlich, MacGregor, Libett, Leclerc, Stemkowski, Monteith, Prentice, Connelly.<h2>BOSTON</h2>Goal. Cheevers, Johnston, Defene, Orr, Green, Westfall, Smith, Awrey, Forwards, Esposito, Hodge, Bucyk, Cashman, Sather, Sanderson, Stanfield, McKenzie, Shack, Murphy, Sanderson.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>Goal, Parent, Favell, Defense, Van Impe, Watson, Miszuk, Stanley, Hale, Cherry, Forwards, Lacroix, Rochefort, Sutherland, Gendron DornhoeTer, Sorraiin, Peters. Blackburn, Johnson, Meehan, Byers.<h2>OAKLAND</h2>Goal, Smith, Worthy. Defense: Roberts, Vadnais, Lacombe, Mattiussi, Marshall, Odrowski, Forwards, Laughton, Ehman, Hicke, Hampson, Jarrett, Ingarfield, Dillabough, Ferguson, Szura, Perry, Ubriaco.<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>Goal, Binkley, Daley, Defense, Rupp, Pratt, Price, McCallum, Woyteich, Forwards, Angotti, Fonteyne, Burns, Watson, Swarbrick, Schinkel, Dea, Harris, Boyer, Pronovot, McCreary, Andrea, ST. LOUIS<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>Goal, Hall, Plante, Defense Arbour, Bob Plager, Roberts, Barclay Plager, Talbot, Picard, Forwards, Berenson, St. Marseille, Schock, Sabourin, Ecclestone, McCreary, Cameron, Keenan, McDonald, Henry, Gray.<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>Goal, Maniago, Rivard, Bauman, Defense, W. Hillman, Boivin, Vasko, McCord, Nanne, Reid, Forwards, O&rsquo;Shea, Cullen, Parise, Lawson, Oitean, Johnston, Larose, Collins, Grant, Goldsworthy.<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>Goal, Rutledge, Caron. Defense, Wall, Amadio, Rolfe, B, Hughes, Cahan, White, Forwards, Inglis, Peters, R. Lemieux, H. Hughes, Irvine, Joyal, Flett, Croteau, Anderson, MacDonald, Menard. &#9632;

NHL TEAM LINEUPS

<div class="byline">with ED FITKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011571/6682354-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="322" height="425"></div>WHILE THE STANLEY CLIP ROAR reverberates around the nation as the annual warfare for Lord Stanley&rsquo;s old basin undergoes its preliminary throes. I&rsquo;d like to take a time out her and talk about the Vezina Trophy, which, to the fans, must be the most confusing of all player awards &hellip; Perhaps one of these days the NHL governors will change the Vezina Trophy regulations because, while it is supposed to be a goalkeeper&rsquo;s award, it really isn&rsquo;t &hellip; It&rsquo;s a team award and the regulation reads: &ldquo;An annual award to the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it&rdquo; &hellip; The Vezina Trophy was donated by Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau and Joe Cattarinich, former owners of Montreal Canadiens, in memory of Georges Vezina, outstanding goalie of the Canadiens who collapsed during an NHL game Nov. 28, 1925, and died of tuberculosis a few months later &hellip; The intent of the donors was, I feel sure, not to honor a team with the best defense but the best goalie in the league &hellip; However, the governors of that era thought otherwise, preferring to make it a team award, with the goalie actually playing a secondary role &hellip; There have been many times oyer the years when the best goalie in the league did not play for the team with the fewest goals scored against it, and somehow this always seemed, to my way of thinking at least, a trifle unfair.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021191/6682347-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="270" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Giacomin</figcaption></div>WHAT HAS ADDED TO THE CONFUSION, too, is the fact that the NHL statistical department, headed so capably by Ron Andrews, releases the weekly stats on the goalies in the league, giving the number of games they&rsquo;ve played in, their total number of minutes in the nets, their goals against record, their shutouts and their average &hellip; All this is very interesting but it really is just so much window dressing and, in a way, misleading &hellip; Jacques Plante and Glenn Hall, the two standout goalies of the St. Louis Blues, have had the Vezina Trophy locked up for more than, a month and they will share the 1968-69 award &hellip; Plante, at this writing, had a 1.93 average and Glenn Hall, with a league-leading 8 shutouts, boasted a 2.20 average &hellip; In no way am I trying to detract from their performance because these two have been sensational all season and undoubtedly would have won the Vezina Trophy under any plan &hellip; Net, at the same time, you think of other great goalies in the league who, because of their Yearns poorer defensive records, really don&rsquo;t stand a chance &hellip; Ed Giacomin, for instance. He&rsquo;s really been The Lone Ranger for New York and probably will have played in 70 of the 76 games by season&rsquo;s end &hellip; &ldquo;Jacko&rdquo; has been tremendous in his solo effort in this age of goalie-platooning and at this writing had a commendable 2.54 average and six shutouts &hellip; There is no double that he is one big reason the Rangers are in the play-offs &hellip; Gerry Cheevers has played an equally prominent role in the resurgence of the Boston Bruins, Bernie Parent was a key to the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; belated comeback, Gump Worsley is the man the Canadiens rely on when the chips are down, Gary Smith turned in great goaling for Oakland, Gerry Desjardins was a rookie standout with Los Angeles Kings, and Bruce Gamble bailed Toronto Maple Leafs out when they had net-minding problems &hellip; Who was as overworked or played as brilliantly most of the way as Minnesota&rsquo;s Cesare Maniago?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03820/6682340-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="256" height="417"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cesare Maniago</figcaption></div>THE NHL IS LOADED with great goalkeepers now and with the two-man system in vogue, and often a three-man system. I think more stress should be put on the Vezina Trophy as a goalkeeper&rsquo;s award and not a team trophy &hellip; After all, they don&rsquo;t award the Art Ross Trophy to the player who has the most points for the team with the greatest offensive record &hellip; It&rsquo;s strictly an individual award &hellip; As it turns out, Boston Bruins are the highest scoring team this year and, their ace, Phil Esposito, the scoring champion &hellip; But it wasn&rsquo;t automatic he had to earn it &hellip; Last year, for example, the scoring champ was Stan Mikita of Chicago &hellip; But had the same regulations been applied to the Ross Trophy as they are to the Vezina, Boston Bruins were the top scoring team and Esposito would have been named the scoring champion because he was their top scorer &hellip; The method of determining the outstanding goalie in the NHL poses a number of problems once you get past the simple way of giving it to the goalie(s) with the best defensive team &hellip; Average would be the first denominator but equally as important is the goalie&rsquo;s won-lost-tied record &hellip; Shutouts should also be a factor &hellip; The Hart, the Calder, the Bvng and the Smythe (playoff), trophies ape all poll &hellip; Why not the Vezina? &#9632;

f0014-01

Footloose

<div class="byline">BY GLENN REDMANN</div>TWIN CITIES, Minn.&mdash;There are a multitude of reasons why the Minnesota North Stars didn&rsquo;t finish high enough this season to qualify for a position in the Stanley Cup playoffs.But the one which sticks out as being No. 1 in this writers opinion is defense.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04550/6682385-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="262" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Elmer Vasko</figcaption></div>Or pershaps we should say lack of defense.Don&rsquo;t get the impression that only the defensemen are being indicted here for the club&rsquo;s better than three goals per game yield.As Captain-defenseman Elmer (Moose) Vasko said not too long ago, there were times when the corps of rearguards-just couldn&rsquo;t cope with the amount of 3-on-2 and 4-on-2 rushes that they were asked to break up.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying that we&rsquo;ve always done our jobs well,&rdquo; said Moose, &ldquo;but one can just stand so many of those rushes without a single forward coming back to pick up his man.&rdquo;Vasko wasn&rsquo;t making excuses. If either he, Lou Nanne, Bob McCord, Leo Boivin or any of the other blue-liners on the club could have had a dollar for every 3-on-2 they faced this season, they&rsquo;d have enough to buy groceries all summer long.Another victim of these all-to-frequent rushes, of course, is goalkeeper Cesare Maniago.Last summer, after the rangy former New York Ranger backup turned in a 2.77 goals against in the regular schedule, then did even better than that in 14 gruelling playoff games, his critics said there was no way he could do it again.But Cesare proved them wrong for more than half the season when in the eyes of this writer and many others, he simply wore out from being forced to block too many shots.The North Stars play an offensive style of hockey.In a mid-march game against the Boston Bruins, coach Harry Sinden of the Beantowners seemed astounded by the Minnesotans&rsquo; constant gambling in the Boston end and utter disregard for potential breakaways by the opposition.&ldquo;It was their great forechecking that made it pay off for them,&rdquo; said Harry of the 3-3 tie. &ldquo;Actually, we like it when a team plays all of its forwards in like Minnesota did. You just have to have great forechecking to make it work.&rdquo;Some observers feel that general manager and coach Wren Blair will go to a more rugged checking type game next season.These people point out that in trading away players like Mike McMahon, Wayne Connelly, Andre Boudrias and Duane Rupp, Blair got rid of those who were hurting the club defensively.If this is so, it didn&rsquo;t readily show up in the cases of 1967-68 stars McMahon, Boudrias and Connelly, because after they left in the middle of February, the club was still giving up an average of between three and four goals per game.The Minnesotans fought back gamely after Blair replaced John Muckier late in January, and were still within hailing distance of fourth-place Philadelphia, on the morning of March 19.But they lost at home to New York that night, 4-2, and followed up with 5-2 and 5-1 losses to Philly during the next three days, so it was no surprise when Pittsburgh literally tore them apart on the Penguins&rsquo; ice to the tune of 5-0 on March 23.The second of those losses to the Flyers on the afternoon of March 22 was downright embarrassing, because a victory would have pulled the Minnesotans back to within two points of Keith Alien&rsquo;s crew.There were 14,664 fans in the stands that day, hoping to see their favorites stay alive.But Blair and most of the players admitted afterward that the Stars were flat, and those faithful followers had to have a bad taste in their mouths when they left the Sports Center. Many, in fact, headed for home after the second period with the Stars trailing 4-1.It should be interesting to note how Blair or whoever coaches the North Stars next season puts together his forward lines. &#9632;

f0014-04

Hard-Pressed Stars’ Defense Blamed For Playoff Failure

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES, Calif.The Los Angeles Kings may have lost a season, but found a line. As they ran out their second regular season fighting for playoff position, but with a .500 record far out of sight, hoping to atone in the playoffs, the Kings&rsquo; best line was a makeshift line they had no intention of using just before it was formed, and one which may spark a resurgence in 1970.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011454/6682423-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="259" height="417"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ted Irvine</figcaption></div>Early in March, the Kings sent their first expansion draft choice, Gordon Labossiere, back to Springfield, Mass., bringing up Billy Inglis, a clever little veteran from the minors to move in-between left-wing Ted Irvine and right-wing Lowell MacDonald. In his first game, Inglis got his chest iammed and was sidelined.Not wanting to make a yo-yo out of Labossiere, the Kings decided to go with what they had and inserted handyman defensive specialist Jimmy Peters between Irvine and MacDonald. In the next seven games, this line scored at least one goal a game and 11 of the Kings&rsquo; 14 goals in this stretch.MacDonald banged in two goals in one game, Irvine three in another. Meanwhile, Peters was doing the heavy work.Peters, 24, is a 6-2, 185-pounder, son of a former NHL veteran, who played his way onto the team this season with hustle, checks extremely well, plays intelligently, but is a poor shooter. Coach Red Kelly says, &ldquo;Jimmy&rsquo;s done all I&rsquo;ve asked of him this season,&rdquo; but most of the season he did not ask him to work a fulltime shift.Irvine, also 24, is a 6-2, 195 pounder, who has rare raw skating and shooting ability, but is easily depressed and has scored only in spurts so far in the NHL. Every club in the league would like to trade for this potential super-star, but, while the Kings have been unwilling to give up on him, he had been a big disappointment to them.MacDonald, 27, a helmeted 511, 185-pounder, who can skate, plagued with the reputation of being injury and sickness prone and, like Irvine, a worry-wart, surprised with 21 goals last season, but scored only one goal the first half of this season and was demoted to the minors awhile. Peters and Irvine also were in danger of demotion along the way.Then Peters got in-between Irvine and MacDonald and the line began to click. Of course, lines sometimes get hot when the pucks bounce right for awhile, then go cold, so no one is going overboard for awhile, but the three, who represent very good NHL potential, do look very good together, hurling themselves around with reckless abandon.&ldquo;Peters is the key. He gets the puck, he digs it out of the corners, he holds it until we&rsquo;re in position and he feeds us good passes,&rdquo; MacDonald says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very hard-working and very unselfish,&rdquo; Irvine adds. Peters says. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter who gets the goals as long as the line and the team gets them. I do feel good playing regularly and with these guys.&rdquo;Peters and MacDonald have also been teamed killing penalties.The Kings, who need more scoring if they are going to get more victories next season, may team this trio from the outset then.KINGS THINGS &mdash; &ldquo;The Dread Thread,&rdquo; the midget line of Howie Hughes, Howie Menard and Bob Wall was one line that got hot, then cooled off, then bounced back with two goals by Wall and one by Menard in one game. The future of these three tiny, but hustling veterans as a unit has yet to be settled &hellip; One who looks like he has a great future is Gary &ldquo;Bull&rdquo; Croteau, the first-year-pro called up with Inglis. It&rsquo;s a tough time to use him much, but he has great size, strength and aggressiveness and really busts on the goal. He looks like a good one &hellip; Promising young Ron Anderson had not been playing lately and admits he&rsquo;d have been better off with full-time dutv in the minors &hellip; Wen Roberts of Photography Inc., who takes Kings Pictures, is expecting his first two children. His wife is waiting on twins.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021010/6682416-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="547" height="534"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIMMY PETERS &hellip; Pivoted hot line</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

‘Makeshift’ Line Most Productive In Kings’ Windup

LOS ANGELES, Calif. &mdash;Gerry Desjardins, the overworked, but outstanding goaltender who has saved the Kings from total annihiliation at times this season and survived a mid-season spot of shakiness, has been named the team&rsquo;s most valuable player by a unanimous vote of the Southern California Hockey Writers&rsquo; Assn, group of the NH writers&rsquo; lodge, a rare honor for a rookie. He is an outstanding candidate for NHL &ldquo;rookie of the year&rdquo; honors.Defenseman Bill White, who may have been the Kings, outstanding player for the better part of two seasons, but has mysteriously tailed off the second half of this season, would have been the choice earlier, but now finished second&lsquo; getting most of the number two votes. Eddie-Joyal, the high-scoring center who won the trophy last season, finished third, far ahead of the few other vote-getters. &#9632;

Desjardins Named MVP Of L. A. Kings

Save $$$$$$ Subscribe To The HOCKEY NEWS Receive 35 Issues At Home & Save $3.75For The Best In Hockey Reading It&rsquo;s HOCKEY PICTORIAL Hockey&rsquo;s Most Exciting Publication<h2>American League</h2>(Standings on Tues. Apr. 1)Eastern Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011356/6682485-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="596" height="175"></div>Western Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021053/6682478-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="583" height="174"></div>GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Mar. 25Providence 3 at Quebec 6Springfield 3 at Baltimore 4Wed. Mar. 26Rochester 4 at Buffalo 4Springfield 1 at Hershey 2Thurs. Mar. 27Providence 1 at Quebec 2Fri. Mar. 28Cleveland 3 at Baltimoic 3Buffalo 4 at Rochester 2Hershey 6 at Springfield 4Sat. Mar. 29Quebec 8 at Baltimore 6Rochester 2 at Cleveland 3Buffalo 5 at Hershey 1Providence 1 at Springfield 5Sun. Mar. 30Quebec 2 at Buffalo 2Cleveland 3 at Rochester 5Baltimore 3 at Providence 0 &#9632;

f0016-01

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div>ROCHESTER. N.Y.&mdash;Lynn Zimmerman was married last May. He and Bobby Perreault were he Rochester American&rsquo;s two goalkeepers when, the 1968-69 American Hockey League season opened.The new Mrs. Zimmerman was eager to watch her husband in action on the ice.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-18163/6682516-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="253" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Lynn Zimmerman</figcaption></div>She waited, and waited, and waited. Lynn went the whole 60 minutes in the first three road games, but didn&rsquo;t play here.Then George Wood came on the scene, and except for a couple of appearances, again on the road, Zimmerman wasn&rsquo;t even in uniform until January when he finally was sent to Johnstown of the Eastern Hockey League after the arrival of Al Smith.Still Mrs. Z. hadn&rsquo;t seen her husband play here. She-want home to Fort Erie, Ont., when Lynn went to Johnstown. He proved himself there, posting an amazing 2.67 goals-against average and four shutouts while playing just 35 games.The injury-ridden Jets went out of the playoffs in three straight games, however, and the diminutive 5-7, 154-pound netminder was summoned back to Rochester because Smith was with Toronto.Zimmerman rejoined the Amerks here March 16, but as usual sat on the bench and watched. Rochester was down 6-0 after two periods in Providence March 19 when Lynn was put into the game. He allowed two more goals.Finally on Sunday, March 23, it happened &hellip; and what a spot for the 26-year-old.The Amerks had fallen into the Western Division cellar the previous night when Quebec shocked Hershey in Hershey. Now the Aces were in Rochester on the 23rd and player-coach Dick Gamble gave Zimmerman the job of putting the Americans back into the third and final playoff spot.Rochester went into the game with four straight defeats and just one win in its fast eight outings.With Mrs. Zimmerman in the stands and her husband in the nets, the Amerks edged the Aces 4-3 to regain third.&ldquo;She must have been beginning to wonder if I really was a hockey player,&rdquo; a happy Zimmerman said afterward. &ldquo;It sure feels good to win and play in Rochester.&rdquo;Lynn started last season with Rochester, too, and played only four games here before being sent to Memphis and loan as part of the big Christmas trade with Minnesota. His last appearance here prior to this March 23 was Christmas Night of 1967 when he lost 3-2 to Cleveland after winning his three other outings on home ice. &#9632;

f0016-18

Finally Sees Husband Play In Goal-And Win

<div class="byline">BY CHARLEY BARTON</div>BUFFALO, N.Y.&mdash;The expected return of defenseman Bob Blackburn would put the Buffalo Bisons at full strength for the first time in six weeks as the American Hockey League&rsquo;s Western Division champions prepared for the Calder Cup playoffs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011212/6682676-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="262" height="390"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry Pembroke</figcaption></div>The parent New York Rangers recalled Blackburn and center Dennis Hextall when Harry Howell and Phil Goyette were hurt. Hextall was returned when Goyette resumed skating, and Howell was ready to play again as this was written.Meanwhile, the Bisons brought in three newcomers for the closing weeks of the season. From the Omaha Knights of the Central League, the Herd imported defenseman Terry Pembroke. From Salem of the Eastern League came center Al Osborne, and from Johnstown of the same circuit came defenseman Rich Paradise.Aside from the customary bumps and bruises, the Bisons were hale and hearty, and Coach Fred Shero was pointing them for the playoffs. He wanted to rest some of his older men, but didn&rsquo;t since all the playoff berths hadn&rsquo;t been determined.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to give some our guys a rest, but I can&rsquo;t until all the playoff teams are set,&rdquo; said Shero. &ldquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t be fair to the teams battling for the playoff places.&rdquo;Blackburn&rsquo;s imminent return cheered Shero.&ldquo;He probably isn&rsquo;t getting nearly as much work in New York as he would here, and I&rsquo;d like to get him back as soon as possible to get him prepared for the Calder Cup playoffs,&rdquo; Shero said.&ldquo;We have several guys on the limp, but none of the injuries are serious. We should be all set for the playoffs.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0017-01

Bisons Bring Rookies In To Rest Vets

<div class="byline">BY JOHN TRAVERS</div>HARRISBURG, Pa.&mdash;The Hershey Bears and Buffalo Bisons dominated the 17th annual American Hockey League all-star teams selected by the eight league coaches for the Patriot News and THE HOCKEY NEWS.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02916/6682721-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="256" height="414"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gilles Villemure</figcaption></div>The Western Division champion Bisons had three players named to the first team as did the Eastern Division kingpin Bears. Buffalo skaters picked were goalie Gil Villemure, defenseman Bob Blackburn, and right winger Guy Trottier, the league&rsquo;s top goal sniper. For the Bears it was defenseman Ralph Keller, center Gil Gilbert and left winger Michel Harvey, who have staged a head-to-head duel for the scoring championship.Five points were given for a first team vote; three for second. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players in team balloting as the club&rsquo;s are allopponent choices. A coach could ballot for his own player for the individual awards.Villemure walked off with the most valuable award, while Blackburn was picked as the best defenseman. Rookie honors went to Springfield winger Gary Croteau, recalled earlier this season by the Los Angeles Kings.Jack Gordon, who stepped in to handle the Cleveland Barons after the season was underway and directed the young team to a second place finish in the Western Division, was selected as &ldquo;Coach-of-the-Year&rdquo; by his fellow mentors.The second team selections included goal, John Henderson, Hershey; defense, Ron Ingram, Buffalo and Jim Morrison, Baltimore; center, Ron Ward, Rochester; left wing Dick Gamble, Rochester, and right wing Marc Dufour, Springfield.In the overall balloting Hershey had ten skaters drawing votes, while Buffalo had seven, an indication of the power-packed lineups of both clubs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06279/6682714-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="565" height="549"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB BLACKBURN &hellip; Best defenseman</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07234/6682707-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="553" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body">GARY CROTEAU &hellip; Rookie of year</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0017-02

Hershey, Buffalo Players Dominate Poll

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03664/6682759-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg"></div><h2>FIRST TEAM</h2>SECOND TEAM<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04486/6682752-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="1222" height="231"></div>COACH-OF-THE-YEAR &mdash; Jack Gordon, Cleveland.ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR &mdash; Gary Croteau, Springfield.MOST VALUABLE &mdash; Gil Villemure, Buffalo.BEST DEFENSEMAN &mdash; Bob Blackburn, Buffalo. &#9632;

f0017-03

How They Picked Them

HERSHEY, Pa. &mdash;Roger DeJordy had himself quite a season for the Hershey Bears despite the fact he was &ldquo;hitting&rdquo; from the wrong side of the plate.As the 1968-69 American League season swung into the stretch, the 31-year-old forward had 22 goals, but still he wasn&rsquo;t satisfied.However, for nearly half the campaign, DeJordy played at right wing, an unfamiliar spot for him.For the past six years DeJordy operated at left wing, driving in 178 goals, including a single season club record of 52 a couple of years ago.But an injury to right winger Bud Debrody in January saw DeJordy move into the position. It was like a southpaw slugger trying to blast homers righthanded.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05354/6682790-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="261" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roger DeJordy</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s awkward for me,&rdquo; he said,, &ldquo;because the puck is landing on my backhand. That&rsquo;s the toughest shot to master. A lot of guys would be satisfied with 22 goals, but I&rsquo;m not.&rdquo;For DeJordy, though, the night of Mar. 19 was one to remember. With a near capacity crowd of 7,200 on hand, the veteran forward collected his 200th goal of a seven-year AHL career.&mdash; TRAVERS &#9632;

f0017-05

Bears’ DeJordy Nets 200th AHL Goal in 7-Year Career

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011248/6682821-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Baltimore Clipper captain and defenseman JIM MORRISON, poses proudly with his two hockeyplaying sons, JIM JR., left, and JOHN, in team dressing room. Boys played in Baltimore Boys&rsquo; Hockey Program leagues this season.</figcaption></div>BALTIMORE. Md. &mdash;The Baltimore Boys&rsquo; Hockey Program had ended its most successful season ever.This year the program expanded to sixteen teams, four each in squirts, peewees. bantams and juveniles. Each team plays a sixteen game intra-league schedule plus the Washington Invitational Tournament and many out-oftown games.The Baltimore bantams dumped the Washington bantams in the first round of tournament play to go on and win the A division championship of the Capitol Invitational Tournament from Chevy Chase Country Club.The program serves some 250 boys in the greater Baltimore area and is looking forward to next season. &#9632;

f0018-01

Kids’ Hockey Program Hit In Baltimore

<div class="byline">BY PAT CONNOLLY</div>HALIFAX, N.B. &mdash;Halifax Canadiens advanced to the first leg of Memorial Cup playoffs by defeating Charlottetown Islanders five games to two in the best-of-nine Maritime Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; final series.Canadiens, coached by ex-Boston Bruin Wayne Maxner won the first three games, 8-6 in overtime, 3-2 and 3-2, dropped the fourth game, 6-2, captured the fifth 3-2, lost the sixth 9-2 and captured the Maritime crown for a fourth straight year by winning a 5-3 decision on Halifax ice. Islandders finished the round without two of their top guns, Brian Foley and Hilliard Graves, sidelined with injuries, which considerably reduced the young Islanders chances against the more experienced Haligonians.Canadiens are now moving against Hull Volants in Memorial Cup quarter final play, scheduled to open at the home of the Central League winner before returning to Halifax for games on April 2, 3 and 5. Canadiens are permitted to add four players from within the Maritime branch. Early indications were that high scoring Dale Turner, Ronnie LeBlanc and goaltender Ray Gibbs of the Moncton Beavers would be three choices.Phil Dalgleish&rsquo;s Port Hawkes bury Strait Pirates won the Nova Scotia Junior &ldquo;B&rdquo; crown for the second straight year by defeating Metro-Valley League champions East Hants Penguins in three straight games, 5-4, 1-0 and 65. The Lachine, Que. native qualifies as &ldquo;coach of the year&rdquo; in the Maritimes. He lost his entire championship team of 1967-68 and had to rebuild the club from goal out.Charlottetown Royals had little trouble disposing of Brookfield Elks in three straight to advance to the Maritime Intermediate &ldquo;A&rdquo; title round. Doug McPhee&rsquo;s Saint John Mooseheads hold a 3-1 lead in games in their New Brunswick final series with Bathurst Papermakers.One of the strongest midget clubs to come out of the seaside provinces in years represents Kentville Wildcats. The &lsquo;Cats easily eliminated Dartmouth Lahey&rsquo;s, 24-5 in their total goal mainland final, and then took a stranglehold on the provincial title by blasting Glace Bay Miners 12-3 in the first game of their total goals round. Rumours persist that Moncton Beavers will be shifted to either Saint John or Glace Bay when the 1969-70 season rolls around. &#9632;

Halifax Wins Title To Hit Junior Cup Trail

<div class="byline">BY JOHN WHITE</div><h2>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</h2>HOCKEY STICKS (Formerly Wally)Hillerich & Bradsby Co., Limited Wallaceburg, Ontario<h2>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</h2>HOCKEY STICKS(Formerly Wally)Hillerich & Bradsby Co., limited Wallaceburg, OntarioPORTLAND, Ore. &mdash;On paper, the Portland Buck-aroos were the least improved team in the Western. Hockey League this season.The addtions from last season were center Gerry Goyer, back with Portland after a season of watching National Legaue games with Chicago; goalie Dave Kelly, back with the Buckaroos after campaigns in San Diego and Los Angeles; Roger Bellerive, a 19 goal scorer in the Central League last season, and Kenny campbell, fine prospect from Tulsa but out of action for a long spell with a shoulder separation.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011152/6682876-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="260" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Saunders</figcaption></div>The losses were goalie Marv Edwards, whose 2.36 average last year set an all-time WHL record; Arnie Schmautz and Arlo Goodwin, two of the best penalty killers in Western League history, and defenseman Wayne Smith, who saw little action last year.Meanwhile, Seattle, Phoenix and San Diego all improved. And Vancouver was loaded. Of the 19 players used by the Canucks at the end of the year, 17 have played in the National League and 13 &mdash; that&rsquo;s 13 &mdash; played varying stretches in the NHL last season.But when the regular season ended, the Western League champions for the fifth consecutive year were the Portsland Buckaroos. It&rsquo;s a record bettered only once in professional hockey history &mdash; by the Detroit Red Wings who took seven straight titles from, 49 through, 55.It was the most masterful coaching job ever by Hal Laycoe, the Buckaroo skipper whose clubs have taken regular-season titles in seven of the last eight seasons and whose teams in the past nine years have won more games than any other professional club in the world.The Buckaroos finished first because they did what they had to do &mdash; beat Vancouver face-to-face. The Canucks had winning records against every other foe. But the Buckaroos won the season series with Vancouver, 74-5, and that was the difference between first and second in the standings.The Buckaroos won, too, because they were toughest when it counted &mdash; in the clutch games down the stretch. In 14 games from February 22 through March 23, Portland won 11, tied 1 and lost only 2 to wrap up the title.The Bucks, as always, were strong at home (26-6-4 with one game to play). But they won the title because they were the only Western League team with a winning (13-10-11 with three games left) road record.The word seemed to spread through the league that the way to play Portland was to high stick and cross-check. The Buckaroos retaliated by tieing the club record of 26 major penalties. And they made foes pay with an incredible 80 power-play goals with four games left. That already was 15 more power play goals than scored by any other club in the 21-year history of the Western League.The Buckaroos were one of the wildest offensive teams of all time in the WHL. With four games to play, they already had scored 280 goals to set a club record and were just 22 short of a league record set two decades ago when the offense dominated the defense.The Bucks were three assists short of a new all-time record for playmaking &mdash; and with four games left they would break that mark.Individually, it was a riot in Portland this season.Center Art Jones had scored 113 points with four games to play and would make a run at the all-time Western League record of 122 scored by Golden Guvle Fielder with Seattle back in 1956-57.Bill Saunders already was the highest-scoring winger in Western League history with 109 points. He already had sniped 51 goals and could break the league mark of 57 scored in 6 with Calgary by Lou Jankowski.Veteran center Norm Johnson already had sniped 41 goals &mdash; eight more than he ever had collected in a professional career that started in the fall of 1955.Andy Hebenton, at the age of 39, already had earned 48 assists &mdash; three more than he ever had collected in a professional career dating back to the fall of 1949.Cliff Schmautz, out for six weeks with a broken finger, had sniped 26 goals in 49 games &mdash; a 40-goal pace over a full campaign.But the Buckaroos continued to play defense, too. Going into the final week of action, they had given up 27 fewer goals than any other team in the league. &#9632;

f0019-01

Bucks’ Win Top Beating Vancouver

<h2>WED. MAR. 12</h2>VANCOUVER 2 At PORTLAND 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02830/6682977-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="586" height="465"></div><h2>FRI. MARCH 14</h2>DENVER 6 At SAN DIEGO 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03548/6682970-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="588" height="927"></div>PORTLAND 4 At VANCOUVER 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04428/6682963-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="588" height="491"></div>PHOENIX 3 at SEATTLE 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05340/6682956-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="590" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06265/6682949-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="576" height="239"></div><h2>SAT. MARCH 15</h2>SEATTLE 6 at SAN DIEGO 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07233/6682942-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="594" height="1001"></div>PHOENIX 1 at PORTLAND 10<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-08211/6682935-1-eng-US/f0019-082.jpg" title="f0019-08" width="594" height="865"></div><h2>SUN. MAR. 16</h2>VANCOUVER 6 at PORTLAND 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-09180/6682928-1-eng-US/f0019-092.jpg" title="f0019-09" width="582" height="411"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-10157/6682921-1-eng-US/f0019-102.jpg" title="f0019-10" width="578" height="307"></div><h2>MON. MAR. 17</h2>SEATTLE 6 at DENVER 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-11142/6682914-1-eng-US/f0019-112.jpg" title="f0019-11" width="592" height="663"></div><h2>TUES. MAR. 18</h2>PHOENIX 2 at VANCOUVER 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-12134/6682907-1-eng-US/f0019-122.jpg" title="f0019-12" width="594" height="573"></div> &#9632;

f0019-02

Western League Summaries

<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Final Standings)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-13112/6683015-1-eng-US/f0019-132.jpg" title="f0019-13" width="592" height="251"></div>GAMES COMPLETED<h2>Tues. Mar. 25</h2>San Diego 2 at Vancouver 6Phoenix 2 at Denver 4<h2>Wed. Mar. 26</h2>Denver 3 at Phoenix 4Seattle 2 at Portland 4<h2>Fri. Mar 28</h2>Portland 3 at Phoenix 3Son Diego 1 at Seattle 4Denver 5 at Vancouver 6<h2>Sat. Mar 29</h2>Portland 4 at Phoenix 5Denver 2 at Seattle 4<h2>Sun. Mar. 30</h2>Portland 3 at San Diego 2Seottle 3 at Vancouver 2LEADING SCORERS(Including Games of Sun. Mar. 23)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-14102/6683008-1-eng-US/f0019-142.jpg" title="f0019-14" width="594" height="533"></div> &#9632;

f0019-13

<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Final Standings)Northern Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0974/6683164-1-eng-US/f0020-092.jpg" title="f0020-09" width="589" height="165"></div>Southern Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-1061/6683157-1-eng-US/f0020-102.jpg" title="f0020-10" width="577" height="196"></div>GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Mar. 25Fort Worth 4 ot Houston 4Wed Mar. 26Kansas City 4 at Tulsa 2Memphis 4 at Dallas 5Oklahoma City 2 at Fort Worth 4LEADING SCORERS(Including Games of Sun. Mar. 23)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-1148/6683150-1-eng-US/f0020-112.jpg" title="f0020-11" width="586" height="677"></div> &#9632;

f0020-09

<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01810/6683237-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="570" height="117"></div>(Tulsa leads best-of-seven semi-finales 1-0)GAMES COMPLETEDFri. Mar. 28Tulsa 3 at Oklahoma City 2GAMES TO COMEWed. Apr. 2Tulsa at Oklahoma CityFri. Apr. 4Oklahoma City at TulsoSat. Apr. 5Tulsa at Oklahoma CitySun. Apr. 6Tulsa at Oklahoma CityQuarter-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02441/6683230-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="586" height="105"></div>(Dallas wins best-of-five quarter-finals 3-0)GAMES COMPLETEDFri. Mor. 2Dallas 4 at Houston 1Sat. Mar. 29Dallas 3 at Houston 1Sun. Mar. 30Houston 1 at Dallas 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03245/6683223-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="582" height="117"></div>(Omaha leads best-of-five quarter-finals 2-1)GAMES COMPLETEDFri. Mar. 28Omaha 3 at Kansas City 1St. Mar. 29Kansas City 4 at Omaha 1Sun. Mar. 30Omaha 3 at Kansas City 1EASTERN LEAGUEFinalsNashville vs Clinton(Best-of-seven series)Wed. April 2Nashville at ClintonSat. Apr. 5Nashville at ClintonThus. Apr. 10Clinton at NashvilleFri. Apr. 11Clinton at NashvilleSun. Apr. 13Nashville at Clinton<h2>NORTHERN DIVISION</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04175/6683216-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="590" height="105"></div>(Clinton wins best-of-seven finals 4-3)GAMES COMPLETEDTues. Mar. 25New Haven 3 at Clinton 7Wed. Mar. 26Clinton 3 at New Haven 5Sat. Mar. 29New Haven 1 at Clinton 3Semi-finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05140/6683209-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="596" height="107"></div>(Clinton wins best-of-five series 3-0)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06114/6683202-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="592" height="107"></div>(N. Haven wins best-of-five series 3-0)<h2>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0798/6683195-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="580" height="109"></div>(Nashville wins best-of-seven finals 4-0)GAMES COMPLETEDWed. Mar. 26Nashville 4 at Greensboro 2Fri. Mar. 28Nashville 5 at Greensboro 2Sat. Mar. 29Greensboro 2 at Nashville 9Sun. Mar. 30Greensboro 3 at Nashville 5 &#9632;

f0021-01

Playoff Races

<div class="byline">By HARVEY POLLACK</div>GREENSBORO, N.C.&mdash;The Eastern Hockey League season reached the &ldquo;showdown&rsquo; stage this past weekend when the Clinton Comets and Nashville Flyers came down in front to win their respective division playoffs and set up the championship final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0886/6683268-1-eng-US/f0021-082.jpg" title="f0021-08" width="244" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Lucas</figcaption></div>The favored Comets had to battle every inch of the way to outlast the New Haven Blades 4-3 in a best-of-seven Northern Division final series. In the South, the Nashville Flyers rolled over the Greensboro Generals in unexpected fashion as they swept the best-of-seven division final in four straight games.The Generals&rsquo; skating prowess failed them in the Southern final after their spectacular victory over Jacksonville in the semis. Nashville, which disposed of Charlotte, had the more aggressive squad and it showed in the final tabulation.No one disputed the power of the Clinton Comets in the North but few expected the Blades to prove so stubborn in their confrontation with the Comets.JACKSONVILLE: Rock ets lost nine straight at Greensboro this year. Goalie Tim Tabor pulled a muscle during playoffs and Harrison Gray played part of the time. Loss of Harley Hodgson hurt&rsquo;Rockets in playoffs.GREENSBORO: Loss of Kas Lysionek with broken wrist didn&rsquo;t curb Gens offense. Gens have delayed each of their series due to ice problems. Roger Wilson praised his defensive mate Doug Carpenter for his steadiness and always backing him up. Stu Roberts voted most popular player and Pete McDuffe rookie of year. Bill Young bothered by leg injury. John Fisher tabbed hat trick in clincher over Jacksonville.NASHVILLE: Lloyd Hinchberger has signed to coach the Flyers for next season. Ron Hindson&rsquo;s freak goal beat Charlotte in decisive game. Line of Hindson, Ed Hebert and Andre Lajeunesse labeled &ldquo;Go Go Line.&rdquo; Club&rsquo;s defense has really been tough in playoffs. Goalie Chuck Goddard could prove big difference in club&rsquo;s chances for southern title. Don Labelle still a question mark at defense.JERSEY: Bob Taylor has been attending all of the New Haven playoff games in the role of standby goalie. Thus far he hasn&rsquo;t seen any action. Coach Marcel Pelletier in retrospect says the loss of Gordie Stratton was the major blow that stopped the Devils from making the playoffs. Pelletier is now working with the Flyers front office staff.SALEM: Coach Dave Lucas has been offered a boost in pav to stick with the Rebels next season but he also has an offer to serve as a scout for Pittsburgh. Lucas told GM Jack Dame that he wants a little time to decide which offer to take. The fact that Dave still thinks he has some playing time left in his aging legs may influence his decision. Jan Popiel says the biggest lesson he learned as a rookie was to &ldquo;keep your head up all the time or they&rsquo;ll murder you.&rdquo;CHARLOTTE: Neil Clark voted most valuable player by Boosters Club. Chuck Stuart embittered by past season which saw injuries sideline him both during the regular campaign and again during the playoffs. Newcomers Frank Golembrosky and Tim McCormack were bright lights in a season which saw the Checkers get wiped out in three straight playoff games by Nashville. Goalie Bob Whidden played well in playoff&rsquo;s.JOHNSTOWN: Lynn Zimmerman was recalled by Rochester after Jets were eliminated by New Haven. Dick Paradise was called up by Buffalo. Trainer Lou Klashinsky had to undergo surgery for the broken jaw he suffered in the brawl at New Haven. Defenseman Larry Johnston, now with Springfield, witnessed some playoff games and said the EHL is much rougher than when he played.CLINTON: Comets rallied from 2-0 deficit to score three goals in final period to gain win over New Haven. Moe St. Jacques carried off ice in one game but returned in same contest. Comets defense and ability of forwards to clear puck have helped club considerably. Pat Kelly keynoted Blades series with proclamation &ldquo;We hope the Blades want to play hockey but we won&rsquo;t back down if they would rather fight.&rdquo; Ian Anderson, Don Herriman and Joe Robertson evidently discouraged New Haven&rsquo;s customary aggressiveness at Utica.NEW HAVEN: Don Perry unhappy his club was hitting hard at home vs Clinton but not doing so on the road. Billy Orr unexpectedly was able to play in series after being injured vs Johnstown. Rookie Mike Hornby and Murray Kuntz had two goal games. Blake Ball minicked Lyle Carter&rsquo;s beefs about an illegal goal here. Goal judges here were rapped by Comets. Perry lauded Billy Smith&rsquo;s play. &#9632;

f0021-08

Nashville, Clinton Skate Into Final As Greensboro, New Haven Fall Victims

<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>Round-Robin PlayoffsTues. Mar. 25Port Huron 2 at Dayton 3Wed. Mar. 26Wed. Mar. 26Fort Wayne 5 at Toledo 4Columbus 1 at Muskegon 7Thurs. Mar. 27Muskegon 6 at Port Huron 3Fri. Mar. 28Dayton 4 at Fort Wayne 3Toledo 4 at Columbus 6Sat. Mar. 29Columbus 3 at Dayton 4Port Huron 6 at Toledo 7Fort Wayne 2 at Muskegon 7Semi-Finals(Be st-of-five series)Tue omhr. 1Muskegon at ToledoWed. Apr. 2Fort Woyne at DaytonThurs. Apr. 3Toledo at MuskegonDayton at Fort WayneSat. Apr. 5Muskegon at ToledoFort Woyne at DaytonSun. Apr. 6Toledo at MuskegonDayton at Fort WoyneTues. Apr. 8Muskegon at ToledoFort Wayne at Dayton<h2>ALLAN CUP</h2>Eastern Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01933/6683390-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="577" height="110"></div>Western Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02643/6683383-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="585" height="110"></div>(Spokane leads best-of-five quarter-finals 1-0)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03457/6683376-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="581" height="103"></div>(Port Arthur leads best-of-five semi-finals 2-0)<h2>ONTARIO SENIOR</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04308/6683369-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="581" height="108"></div>(Galt Wins best-of-fine finals 3-0)<h2>QUEBEC SENIOR</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05240/6683362-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="578" height="107"></div>(Victoriaville leads best-of-seven finals 3-1)<h2>ALBERTA SENIOR</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06194/6683355-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="572" height="107"></div>(Calgary wins best-of-seven finals 4-0)<h2>MEMORIAL CUP</h2>Eastern Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07169/6683348-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="575" height="110"></div>(Hull leads best-of-seven quarter-finals 1-0)Western Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-08149/6683341-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="575" height="110"></div>(Dauphin leads best-of-seven semi-finals 2-1)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-09137/6683334-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="581" height="140"></div>(Lethbridge leads best-of-seven quarter- finals 3-2)<h2>ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-10126/6683327-1-eng-US/f0022-102.jpg" title="f0022-10" width="574" height="114"></div>(Montreal wins best-of-seven semi-finals 4-0)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-11120/6683320-1-eng-US/f0022-112.jpg" title="f0022-11" width="580" height="103"></div>(Niagara Falls leads best-of-seven semi- finals 2-1)<h2>NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-12113/6683313-1-eng-US/f0022-122.jpg" title="f0022-12" width="586" height="110"></div><h2>QUEBEC JUNIOR</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-13104/6683306-1-eng-US/f0022-132.jpg" title="f0022-13" width="575" height="106"></div>(Sorel wins best-of-five finals 3-0)<h2>CENTRAL ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1492/6683299-1-eng-US/f0022-142.jpg" title="f0022-14" width="574" height="113"></div>(Hull wins best-of-seven finals 4-0) &#9632;

f0022-01

<div class="byline">BY BOB REED</div>TOLEDO. O. &mdash;On the eve of the International Hockey League playoffs, Terry Slater, volatile and unpredictable coach and general manager of the Toledo Blades, announced that he planned to give up both positions at the close of the season.Slater, 30 years of age, has held the dual position for the last three seasons. Before that he coached for a year at the University of Toledo and played with the Blades.Slater&rsquo;s plans for the future were indefinite but he declared, &ldquo;I have accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in Toledo. Hockey here is on a much sounder basis financially than it was when I took over. In fact we have cut losses by more than $80,000. The time has come for me to move on, I don&rsquo;t want hockey to die in Toledo, thought, just because one man is moving.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1587/6683421-1-eng-US/f0022-152.jpg" title="f0022-15" width="250" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry Slater</figcaption></div>Steve Stranahan, president of Civic Pride, which owns the hockey club, said Slater hadn&rsquo;t officially informed him of a decision to resign but said he knew he had been thinking about it. He said no decision would be made until after the playoffs on whether the city would have a hockey team next year.The Blades under Slater finished one point behind pennant winning Dayton. They lost their chance for the championship in a 6-6 tie game at Fort Wayne when the Komets scored the tying goal with 16 seconds remaining to play.The IHL playoffs opened with first place Dayton host to fourth place Port Huron, fifth place Forth Wayne at Toledo and sixth place Columbus at Muskegon. Then to follow, it was to be Dayton at Fort Wayne, Toledo at Columbus and Muskegon at Port Huron, with the windup of the &ldquo;semi-round robin&rdquo; calling for Columbus at Dayton, Port Huron at Toledo and Fort Wayne at Muskegon. The four leading teams from this series were to clash in a best three-out-of-five with the survivors meeting in another five-game series for the Turner Cup.As the playoffs opened the Blades and Columbus Checkers appeared to be in poor physical condition. The Checkers had three players &mdash; Chuck Kelly, Marcel Goyette and Bill Bond &mdash; doubtful starters. By league rules they could activate another player if the three were delcared out but the Chex were at a Joss to find that player should they be reduced to 11 men.The Blades finished the season short-handed, with Ray Germain and Lou Kazewski out of the lineup. Goalie Glenn Ramsay, out of the game for many weeks with a knee injury, was tried in the closing games and the Blades were apparently planning to use him in the playoffs, although sub Bill White was showing considerable improvement.FORT WAYNE &mdash; Bob Baird scored four goals in the 6-6 tie with Toledo and Reggie Primeau hit for the tying goal with 16 seconds remaining that eventually cost the Blades the league championship &hellip; Bill Staub had a hat trick in the 11-1 rout of Columbus that finished the season &hellip; The Komets had the most tie games in the league &mdash; 15 &hellip; They finished with an unofficial total attendance for the 36 games of 175,950.DAYTON &mdash; The Gems retired the Governor&rsquo;s Cup, offered by Gov. James Rhodes three years ago for the top Ohio team in the IHL &hellip; General Manager Lefty McFadden was fined $50 by Commissioner Andy Mulligan for &ldquo;acting in a threatening manner toward Referee Al LeJeune &hellip; At the annual awards banquet of the Booster Club, Duncan Rousseau was named &ldquo;most popular player&rdquo; by Booster club vote; awards, by vote of players only, went to Don Westbrooke, most valuable; Moe Benoit, best defenseman; Gerry Mazur, unsung hero; Lome Weighill, most improved; Berry Merrell, best sportsman. Mazur was named &ldquo;most popular&rdquo; by fans&rsquo; vote.MUSKEGON &mdash; The Mohawks finished best scoring team in the league with 332 goals, 19 more than champion Dayton &hellip; They finished third by beating rival Port Huron in two closing games &hellip; Gary Ford, scoring leader, went over the 100-point mark the second straight year &hellip; The Mohawks finished even with Dayton over the season, each winning five and tying one on home ice &hellip; Carl Brewer saw the final home game, at the same time announcing he would not join the Detroit Red Wings for their closing games.COLUMBUS &mdash; Al White, right wing, was named most valuable player by teammates &hellip; Bert Fuzzell ran his point total to 104 in the final game, passing the previous club record by Moe Bartoli &hellip; Rookie Doug Volmar collected his 63 rd goal, nine short of MervDubchak&rsquo;s league record.PORT HURON &mdash; Jerry Korab, 20-year old defenseman, set a number of club records with 46 assists, most, ever by a defenseman and most for a rookie. He was league&rsquo;s highest Scoring defenseman and second to Lynn Margarit of Muskegon in penalties. &#9632;

f0022-15

Slater To Quit Dual Toledo Roles; Blades, Checkers Limp Into Playoffs

<div class="byline">BY ED CRANE</div>SPORANE. Wash. &mdash;The possibility of an American Allan Cup champion is once again a possibility as the Spokane Jets have won the Western International Hockey League championship. thereby retaining possession of the Savage Cup. emblematic of senior hockey supremacy in British Columbia.Spokane, the only non Canadian team in the league also won the Cup last season and were defeated in the Western Canada Allan Cup play-off by the Drumheller Miners. This year they&rsquo;re getting ready to face either the Edmonton Monarchs or Calgary Stampeders, who are struggling to win the Alberta Senior Hockey League championship.The Jets had to work hard for the Savage Cup. They beat the Kimberley Dynamiters in the final play-off series, 4 games to one, but that margin doesn&rsquo;t really tell the whole story. Four of the five games were won by just one goal, one of them went into double overtime. another was settled in a first overtime period, and the final game, which was a 4 to 3 victory for Spokane on Kimberley ice, wasn&rsquo;t really settled until the final buzzer-the Dynamiters scored their third goal with only seconds to go.All in all, the Dynamiters, who are always a gutty group, put in a valiant effort. But they were hampered at various points by injuries to defensemen Terry Campeau, Sonny Perkinson, and Bill Steenson, and their most dangerous line &mdash; Dick Vincent, Ken McTeer. and Walter Peacosh &mdash; was effectively bottled up by the Jets&rsquo; top line of Tom Rendall, Bud Bodman, and Don Scherza.The other big factors in the series were Spokane&rsquo;s depth and goaltender Dave Cox, who turned in some of his strongest games of the year. At the end of the regular season, Cox had been voted most valuable goalkeeper by the league captains. &#9632;

American Team Sets Sights On Allan Cup Title

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01833/6683476-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="901" height="1182"></div>SOLUTION IN APRIL 12 ISSUE<h2>ACROSS</h2>1&mdash;Pictured player.2&mdash;One of the North Stars answers to this.6&mdash;Denotes scoreless tie.7&mdash;Hold record for fastest goal by a rookie.12&mdash;A Buffalo defenseman.13&mdash;First name of N.H.L. referee in chief.14&mdash;1st and 16th letters of the alphabet.16&mdash;Number worn by Joe Daley.17&mdash;Short for 1st name of an N.H.L. coach.19&mdash;12th and 14th letters of the alphabet.20&mdash;Verb.22&mdash;Initials of one of the Habs.23&mdash;First name of an N.H.L. general manager.26&mdash;Initials of former Leaf Ezinicki.27&mdash;Most N.H.L. teams used this mode of transportation before expansion.30&mdash;Beverage.32&mdash;Initials of a C.H.L. city.33&mdash;One of the Bruins.<h2>DOWN</h2>1&mdash;Wears No. 9 for New York.2&mdash;Initials of Ehrenverth of San Diego.3&mdash;One of the L.A. Kings.4&mdash;Pictured player answers to this.8&mdash;Preposition.9&mdash;Initials of a Minnesota rookie.10&mdash;New Rochelle, (init.).11&mdash;Initials of one of the Blues.15&mdash;One of the Wings answers to this.16&mdash;Pictured player played Junior in this League.18&mdash;One of the Houston Apollos.21&mdash;First name of one of the Rangers.22&mdash;Initials of an N.H.L. captain.23&mdash;One of the Hawks answers to this.24&mdash;Initials of ex-Hawk Rollins.25&mdash;One of the Hawks.28&mdash;Skating requisite.29&mdash;An N.H.L. general manager answers to this.31&mdash;Each, (abbr.)<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h2>ACROSS</h2>1&mdash;BERENSON.8&mdash;ABEL.9&mdash;KEON.10&mdash;B.O.12&mdash;OO.13&mdash;MARVIN.16&mdash;TEN.18&mdash;VAL.20&mdash;RED.21&mdash;ICE.22&mdash;NET.23&mdash;MARC.27&mdash;WEST.28&mdash;VASKO.30&mdash;LEN.31&mdash;EIGHT.34&mdash;GENTS.<h2>DOWN</h2>1&mdash;BACKSTROM.2&mdash;E.B3&mdash;REDMOND.4&mdash;E.L.5&mdash;SKOV.6&mdash;O.E.7&mdash;NOON.10&mdash;NO.11&mdash;B.R14&mdash;IRVINE.15&mdash;FLETT.17&mdash;E.E.19&mdash;ACES.24&mdash;AVE.25&mdash;RANG.26&mdash;C.S.27&mdash;WOIT.29&mdash;KEN.30&mdash;L.L.32&mdash;G.S.33&mdash;T.H. &#9632;

f0023-01

Hockey Crossword

<div class="byline">BY JACK BERRY</div>DETROIT.Mich. &mdash;For some years now, quite a few actually, hockey people &mdash; management, players and fans, have been asking what the Red Wings would do without Gordie. Howe.It appears they&rsquo;ll have to wait a couple more years &mdash; at least &mdash; to find out.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01913/6683514-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="245" height="389"><figcaption class="caption-body">Poul Popiel</figcaption></div>The Incomparable One was picked as Detroit&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player this season, the 14th time, by the Detroit chapter of the National Hockey League Writers&rsquo; Association. Roy Edwards was the only other player to receive votes and Howe far outdistanced him.Howe had his most productive season, a season that ended one day before his 41st birthday.He returned to the 40-goal plateau for the first time in 12 years, he broke the single season NHL record for points by a right wing, a record he shared with Bernie Geoffrion and he broke the record for assists bv a right wing.Howe finished with 103 points on 44 goals and 59 assists.And he finished among the top five scorers for the 20th consecutive season, perhaps the most amazing record of all.The fantastic season, plus the fact that he&rsquo;s working on a two year contract, guarantees Howe will go on for another year and he&rsquo;s said that now he&rsquo;d like to make it a nice round 25.Never in the pauper ranks on payday, Howe didn&rsquo;t hit the really big money, the kind they shovel out to baseball and basketball stars, until this season when club owner Bruce Norris made him a vice president of one of his insurance agencies and increased his salary to an estimated $80,000.Prior to that, Howe was making probably $45,000, nothing to sneeze at certainly but nothing near the price his talent would command in baseball, basketball or football. Matter of fact, Howe would&rsquo;ve been a $100,000 = plus performer under baseball standards for close to 15 years.It took expansion, really, and the prices paid to former minor star and fringe players, to give the top stars substantial boosts. This despite the fact that the Red Wings, for example, will take in something like $2 &frac12; million at the gate this season.With the big money starting to flow now and Howe continuing to glide smoothly through the record book, there&rsquo;s no reason for him to retire &hellip; fortunately for the Red Wings.Not only did he set, or add to, a flock of records this season on an individual basis &mdash; he scored his 700th goal on Dec. 4 and may be around for 800 &mdash; he also contributed to two line records.Howe, Frank Mahovlich and Alex Delvecchio erased the goals and total points record by a line, the first set in 1944-45 by Montreal&rsquo;s Punch Line with 105 goals and the second set by the Detroit line of Howe, Ted Lindsay and Norm Ullman in 1956-57, 226.Delvecchio also had his top point season and, as Howe won &ldquo;his&rdquo; award &mdash; the club MVP &mdash; again, Alex won &ldquo;his&rdquo; &mdash; the Stu Evans Trophy which is the Detroit version of the Lady Byng. Delvecchio, a top contender for his third Byng, won the Evans Trophy for the seventh time.Poul Popiel was picked as Detroit&rsquo;s top rookie by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and Bob Baun was the easy winner as the team&rsquo;s top defenseman. Baun was outstanding season-long until at the end, with the rest of the defense and the second and third lines sagging, he began to wilt.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s arm-weary,&rdquo; said coach Bill Gadsby, &ldquo;and 1 know just how he feels.&rdquo; Gadsby called Baun one of the players who gave &ldquo;150 percent.&rdquo; Some others, said the coach, &ldquo;gave 40 percent.&rdquo;Mahovlich was given the club&rsquo;s James D. Norris Trophy as top goal scorer in Award Night ceremonies and Edwards was voted the Wings&rsquo; &ldquo;Most Exciting Player&rdquo; bv the Travelers Fan Club.ICE CHIPS: Disastrous was the Wings&rsquo; final five game trip &hellip; they managed a tie in Oakland and lost the other four. The team scored 13 goals and the big line scored 10 of them and assisted on another and the lack of support from the second and third lines practically did in the club.The loss of second unit center Pete Stemkowski for four of the games contributed heavily to the slide. St. Louis&rsquo; Bob Plager nailed Stemkowski along the boards and Stemkowski pulled muscles from his knee to his ankle.Things got so desperate the Wings started talking with Carl Brewer again but again the former All-Star defenseman said &ldquo;Thanks but no thanks.&rdquo;Owner Bruce Norris ordered general manager Sid Abel to go behind the bench in an effort to shake up the club, a move that didn&rsquo;t sit well with Gadsby who submerged his own feelings to help the club &hellip; the Wings got a tie and a defeat with Abel behind the bench and Gadsby went back &ldquo;where I ought to be all the time.&rdquo;Gordie isn&rsquo;t the only Howe pulling down honors. Sons Marty, 15, and Mark, 13, helped their team. Dearborn Fabricating, with the U.S. Midget (16 and under) championship at Fort Wayne, Ind., and both were voted to the all-tournament team. Mark, a center, scored eight goals in the four games. He uses a Bobby Hull-model stick.Marty is a defenseman.Their team played 68 games, nearly as many as the Wings, and showed a much better record: 51-13-4. Many of the games are played against Canadian teams.The Howe boys&rsquo; performances brings up an incident at this year&rsquo;s Lester Patrick Dinner when Bobby Hull was telling of watching Mark play and how he scored a goal. Toronto president Stafford Smythe, listening, groaned &ldquo;My Gawd! Is it never going to end?!&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02612/6683507-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="1165" height="1169"><figcaption class="caption-body">GORDIE HOWE &hellip; Named MVP For 14th Time</figcaption></div> &#9632;

Search for your favorite player or team

April 5, 1969

American League Summaries

Tulsa Wins Playoff Opener From Blazers; Kansas City Grabs Second Spot Over Omaha

Blues ’ 26 Garden Sellouts Lift Crowds Over 600,000

CHL Summaries