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.

February 27, 1970

The Hockey News February 27, 1970

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01480/2682255-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">STAN MIKITA&nbsp;The Hot Hawk</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-02356/2682248-1-eng-US/cover-022.jpg" title="Cover-02" width="1981" height="1397"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERNIE WAKELY&nbsp;A New Face In Blues&rsquo; Picture (Hockey News by Richard Pellegrini)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

Cover-01

IN THIS ISSUE

NHL MISSING OUT ON PENALTY SHOTS

<div class="byline">BY TOM BURKE</div>BOSTON&mdash;If you&rsquo;re a hockey fan in the city of Boston, you&rsquo;re a privileged sort.While ice buffs all over the continent can enjoy the sport both during the season and the playoffs, be it college or professional, Bostonians have exclusive rights to college hockey&rsquo;s biggest yet most parochial attraction&mdash;the Beanpot Tournament.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03140/2681403-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="258" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Barton</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04108/2681396-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="265" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larrv Davenport</figcaption></div>February 2 and February 9 saw a total of 29,537 fans flow through the Boston Garden turnstiles. The second night&rsquo;s crowd of 14,835 was a new record for the event, and they weren&rsquo;t the least bit disappointed as Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern University treated them to the seat-squirmingest show yet.For the uninformed, the Beanpot first round pairings alternate for the first round each year among these four Boston schools. No newcomers will ever be welcome, it&rsquo;s so satisfactory as is. This time around, Boston College blanked Northeastern 5-0 while Boston University edged Harvard 5-3 to gain the final, making it another showdown of the Kelleys, coaches Jack Kelley of BU and Snooks Kelley of BC. But the consolation game as well as the championship turned the Garden into a pressure cooker.BU Terriers won the Beanpot title 5-4 in the final against Boston College after Harvard had to go to overtime to take Northeastern, also 5-4, in the consolation showdown.Northeastern, behind the sensational goal tending of sophomore Dan Eberly, held heavily-favored Harvard on the ropes for most of the game, and had the Crimson 4-3 until captain Chris Gurry tied it up with 8 minutes to go on a slapshot from the point. Steve Owen potted the winner for Cooney Weiland&rsquo;s squad with just 18 seconds left in the 10 minute overtime as the jammed home his third rebound past the persistent Eberly. And that was only for third place.Boston College, hampered by the loss of high-scoring right wing Paul Schilling, took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by John Sullivan and Tim Sheehy. The teams swapped scores in the second frame, as Pete Thornton tallied for BU and Scott Godfrey countered for BC.BU exploded for three goals in the last stanza to go up 4-3 with 8 minutes to play. Sophomore Wayne Gowing netted a pair while cocaptain Larry Davenport notched the other marker. But Godfrey sent the place into pandemonium as he tied it up 4-4 with 4 minutes left. There the game hung until Gowing converted a centering pass with 3 minutes left for the winning marker. The blood-boiling wasn&rsquo;t quite over yet, as BC pulled goalie Jim Barton, who had 52 saves on the night, and strafed the BU cage in the waning seconds. The Terriers held on valiantly for the well-deserved 5-4 victory.This year&rsquo;s championship was the 18th in the history of the tourney. BC has won it eight times, Harvard five, and Northeastern has yet to cop the title.The Beanpot is not just a couple of hockey doubleheaders, it&rsquo;s an institution. The first Beanpot, held back in 1953, drew a total of 8,487 fans to the Boston Arena for two nights, so just by comparing attendance figures it is easy to see how much the athletic and social prestige has grown over the years. For Bostonians, the best part is that there is always next year to look forward to. There are sure to be new pairings, new surprises, new attendance figures, and a generous helping of college hockey at its best. &#9632;

f0020-03

Record 14,835 Sees BU Terriers Score Beanpot Puck Win

MONTREAL&mdash;The unrestrained practice&rsquo;of National Hockey League teams emptying their benches to engage in ice fighting is going to stop or else a lot of players are going to find their pocketbooks lighter at season&rsquo;s end.This was the aftermath of NHL President Clarence Campbell&rsquo;s latest fine-issuing spree&mdash;which netted the league $7,350&mdash;against three member clubs. Toronto, Boston and Pittsburgh.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02595/2679797-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="247" height="416"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al Smith</figcaption></div>Campbell assessed fines of $1,000 against the Leafs, Bruins and Penguins for leaving their benches to join in the ice brawling. The Boston-Toronto TV game-of-the-week special on CBS Feb. 1 resulted in a general free-for-all. Campbell handed down fines totalling $4,700 of which $2,500 was to be paid by the Maple Leafs. Defensemen Rick Ley and Brian Glennie were each hit with $200 fines for leading the mass exodus of Leafs from the bench into the fray. Glennie came out of the penalty box to join the melee.In addition to Ley and Glennie, other Toronto players assessed $100 each were: goalie Gerry McNamara, defenseman Jim McKenny, and forwards Ron Ellis, George Armstrong, Murray Oliver, Jim Harrison, Dave Keon, Mike Walton, Floyd Smith, Paul Henderson and Norm Ullman.Boston players receiving $100 fines were: goaltender Ed Johnston, defenseman Rick Smith, Dallas Smith, Gary Doak and Don Awrey, and forwards Ken Hodge, Wayne Cashman, Garnet Bailey, Ed Westfall. Jim Lorentz, Don Marcotte and Wayne Carleton.The NHL chief executive was particularly hard on fiery Al Smith, the Pittsburgh goalkeeper, who was a major figure in the Jan. 31 debacle with St. Louis during which the Penguins&rsquo; bench emptied, an act that cost the Pittsburgh management $1,000 for failing to restrain its players.Smith drew a $300 fine, including the automatic $50 for a netminder who leaves his crease to engage in a fight. Campbell said he cracked down hard on Smith for the simple reason it was the fifth time this season. &#9632;

f0005-02

NHL Richer By $7,350 In Fines As Three Clubs Hit For Brawling

<div class="byline">BY HARVEY POLLACK</div>SALEM&mdash;Colin Kilburn, coach of the Salem Rebels, evidently is going to have to settle for runnerup laurels in the Southern Division of the Eastern Hockey League pennant chase.Kilburn&rsquo;s club had aspirations of catching front running Greensboro after a tremendous northern jaunt on which his Rebels won four of their five outings. This success lifted the Rebels within two points of Greensboro and set the stage for a 3-game series with the Gens.The hopes of the Rebels plummeted, however, when Greensboro rose to the occasion and whipped the upstart Salem skaters three straight times to widen the margin between the clubs. Now Kilburn is more or less resigned to the No. 2 spot in the regular season and has set his target for the playoff crown.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0616/2681922-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="258" height="456"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dick Roberge</figcaption></div>Kilburn claims Greensboro has been fortunate this year in the injury department whereas his Rebels have been jinxed in that regard. In fact captain Jim Jago and Bob Lacey both were sidelined with mishaps during the crucial games, with the Gens. Only two Rebels have played in all of the club&rsquo;s games this year to indicate the wide variety of injuries that have befallen the club and the great coaching job that Kill, burn has done in keeping the club so high despite the shortage of manpower.The loss of Jack Chipchase to Rochester also was a blow and there are other players like Lynn Margarit (broken nose) and Don Rozich (eye injury) who played when they should have been resting. The spirit of the club is still sky high and the Rebels haven&rsquo;t conceded a thing to Greensboro for the playoffs despite the club&rsquo;s failure to win on the Gens ice this year.Northern teams claimed the Rebels were the best club they had seen from the south this year but that analysis came before Greensboro&rsquo;s visit.JOHNSTOWN: Dick Roberge hit for his 700th goal at Clinton and received a plaque at home commemorating the feat three nights later. Dorn DiBerardino received 12 stich mouth cut from stick. Reg Kent is definite threat for northern scoring laurels despite missing club&rsquo;s first nine games. He already was over the century mark.NEW HAVEN: Blades flew to Halifax for two exhibitions with St. Mary&rsquo;s University. Blades lost five straight for longest streak in five years and a tailspin that killed their hopes for northern pennant. Bus breakdown blamed tor shutout loss at Clinton. Norm Guimond recalled from Syracuse when Don Walker suffered pulled hamstring.JERSEY: Gilles Banville posted first shutout over Nash ville. Jacksonville and Devils both complained about soft ice in game here. Gordie Stratton came out of sick bed to score 4 goals vs New Haven. Devils had one win and one tie in first 27 road games before upsetting Clinton. Bobby Brown is clubs top scorer and Jamie Kennedy leading goal getter. Playoff hopes slim.LONG ISLAND: Club&rsquo;s slump crimped hopes ot catchings Johnstown. Goal now is to beat out Syracuse for fourth playoff berth. Russ McClenaghan&rsquo;s birthday marred by loss to Johnstown. Jake Hendrickson through for year with ankle fracture Owner Al Baron irate over club&rsquo;s slide and promised fines if there was no turnabout. McClenaghan and Wayne Maxner top pointmakers.SYRACUSE: Recall of Norm Guimond by New Haven sent Ray crew scurying for a forward replacemen. Harvey Miller quit as GM of club citing health and personal reasons. Three remaining games with Long Island could determine which club makes playoff. Ray Adduoni over 100-point mark in his 3-way fight for northern scoring crown.CHARLOTTE: Jack Wells&rsquo; first EHL hat trick beat Jacksonville. Hal Willis suffered second match penalty of year for fight with Jacksonville&rsquo;s Brian Crowder and the punishment could be heavier than a fine. Tom Trevelyan&rsquo;s return to duty sparked club. His two goals helped whip Nashville after six weeks of inactivity with a knee injury.NASHVILLE: Log of 10 games in 12 days likely could determine Flyers&rsquo; hopes for playoffs. Coach Lloyd Hinchberger unhappy with club&rsquo;s home record which showed a dozen defeats at last count. Kentucky&rsquo;s basketball team was club guests Flyers purchased Ken Miller from Jersey and released winger Doug Smith. Club got off only 14 shots in game with, Greensboro against 59 for Gens. Lars Hansen had 4-goaler and Pierre Gagne three in rout of Jacksonville,GREENSBORO: Fan here gave Roger Wilson $100 after his fight with Salem&rsquo;s Dave Schultz to cover any fine Moe L&rsquo;Abbe scored goals in six straight games and Bob Sicinski had point scoring streak of 24 straight games, two under club record. Ernie Miller posted first shutout over Nashville. Tom Foxcroft had 8 goals in first 8 games. Wilson near club mark for penalties.CLINTON: Twin wins over New Haven and 13 game unbeaten streak have virtually clinched first place for Comets. Game here delayed two hours when New Haven bus broke down. Ted Tucker&rsquo;s net play has been brilliant including back to back shutouts that raised his total to five for season&hellip;Unbeaten home streak reached 28 before loss to Jersey.JACKSONVILLE: Gilles LeClerc&rsquo;s goal with 11 seconds left nipped New Haven and climaxed a comeback from a 4-1 third period deficit. In same game, goalie Michel Plasse received an assist on a length of ice pass to LeClerc. Plasse had 61save game. Rockets signed defenseman Jim Lane, former Salem and Charlotte player, for emergency duty during injury spell to regular defensemen. &#9632;

f0025-06

Gens Silence Solem Title Hopes; Roberge Scores 700th EHL Goal

<div class="byline">BY JACK BERRY</div>DETROIT&mdash;Sid Abel calls it his &ldquo;funny game.&rdquo;There&rsquo;s nothing funny when it works, though, and it has worked for the Red Wings, the most recent time being in Boston Garden where points for Detroit are as rare as a clear day on Zug Island.It&rsquo;s a variation on the fire-and-fall-back theme. You fall back, they fire.It involves dropping a forward, usually center Alex Delvecchio, back near the goalkeeper while his linemates are up ice.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01644/2679559-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="249" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sid Abel</figcaption></div>The intent is to disrupt the blitz and confuse the other team and it has done that.Abel first used the tactic a couple of years ago against Chicago when the Black Hawks used to roll over the blueline like a tidal wave in the opening 10 minutes of a game. They&rsquo;d score a couple of fast goals and the game was as good as over.So one day in practice Abel dropped Delvecchio back and had him pick off the puck when it was shot in&hellip; then he&rsquo;d start up ice, catching the oncoming forwards going the wrong way.&ldquo;The first time we tried it, we won,&rdquo; Abel said.So he&rsquo;s pulled out the trick on a few other occasions. The latest was against Boston and it did confuse the Bruins. Matter of fact, the Wings appeared befud-dled by it at times themselves.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02614/2679552-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="1166" height="889"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goaling has played a big part in Wings&rsquo; early season success. Here&rsquo;s ROY EDWARDS making stop on LARRY KEENAN of Blues.</figcaption></div>Abel had Garry Unger drop back first &ldquo;just to show it to them.&rdquo; Then he had Delvecchio do it.&ldquo;Alex does it perfectly,&rdquo; Abel said. &ldquo;But sometimes he gets so far back I can&rsquo;t even see him.&rdquo;Abel didn&rsquo;t call for the tactic every time Delvecchio was out and he had Unger do it only rarely. Al Karlander, the third center, didn&rsquo;t do it at all.&lsquo;&ldquo;There were times when we weren&rsquo;t doing it that their forwards were pulling up at our blueline,&rdquo; Abel said.There was some criticism of the center drop&mdash;that it made the game dull&mdash;but a few years ago the Bruins were criticized by Chicago for playing defense when the fans wanted to see scoring.Since then both the Black Hawks and Bruins have become more defense conscious, the Black Hawks before the season started and the Bruins in the last month when their scores began resembling football games.The tactic drew jibes from Bruin fans with one shouting, when the center was playing his normal position, &ldquo;Hey Abel! Where&rsquo;s your safety?!&rdquo;Amazingly, and maybe amusingly, despite the Wings&rsquo; drop back and the Bruins&rsquo; concentration on defense, the two teams totaled 86 shots for the game. Brilliant goaltending held it to a 2-2 draw.Unger, who set his sights on 30 goals before the season started&mdash;he had 24 last season, his first full one in the NHL, scored his 25th and 26th goals.&ldquo;I had to score twice,&rdquo; said the idol of the teeny-boppers, &ldquo;I got cut twice.&rdquo;Karlander was cut once and it was a bad one&mdash;he fell on Bruin defenseman Bill Speer&rsquo;s skate and some 50 stitches were required to close the wound on the back of his left thigh. It went into one muscle. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen a worse cut,&rdquo; Abel said.RED WING NOTES: The Wings found out what the Los Angeles-Oakland schedule is like when they played seven games in 10 1/2 days&hellip; from coast-to-coast&hellip; they made one trip to California, two to the east coast and played three at home.The worst part was the final home game&hellip; one of those switched from night to afternoon for television. The Wings played in Boston Saturday night while Philadelphia, their 2 p.m. Sunday opponent, was playing in Chicago Both clubs finally got to bed about 4 a.m.&mdash;the Wings delayed by fog and a slow flight from Boston and the Flyers&rsquo; bus from the airport to the hotel was involved in a fatal collision on the slippery, foggy freeway.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just too many games in too many places in too short a time,&rdquo; Abel said.Surprisingly it was the Wings&rsquo; two oldest players who had the most pep in the seventh game of the stretch&mdash;Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio.Howe popped in his 750th regular season goal on a Delvecchio passout and Flyer goalie Bernie Parent robbed Delvecchio of a sure goal that might&rsquo;ve changed the game&rsquo;s complexion&hellip; and he did it while he was flat on the ice.The Flyers went on to a 5-3 victory, their first ever in three seasons in Detroit. The game completed the season series between the teams and Detroit took it, 3-1-2 won-lost-tied, exactly the same as last year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03513/2679545-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="570" height="1208"><figcaption class="caption-body">GARRY UNGER&hellip;30 Goals in Sight</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0002-01

Wings’ NHL Rivals Not Laughing At Success Of Abel’s Tunny Game’

<div class="byline">BY NORMAN MacLEAN</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;At the annual mid-season All Star game hockey folk gathered from from far and near. The usual discussion sessions raged far into the night. One thing most players, officials and buffs agreed on was the lack of penalty shots in today&rsquo;s professional game, despite the definite rule calling for such a penalty for certain violations.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01646/2679597-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="252" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body">Norm Ferttuson</figcaption></div>The locale of the 23rd Classic recalls to mind very vividly when one such non penalty shot may have catapulted the St. Louis Blues to the 1967-68 Stanley Cup final. The date was May 3, 1968 and the protagonists were the Blues and Minnesota North Stars in the first ever West Division final. St. Louis won on Ron Schock&rsquo;s overtime goal at 2.50 of the second overtime period, but not before Referee Art Skov had failed to call a penalty or a penalty shot when the North Stars Bill Goldsworthy had broken into the. clear and walked in alone on goalie Glenn Hall.Wren Blair, the general manager-coach of Minnesota, recalls the play as if it were yesterday.&ldquo;Jimmy Roberts pulled Goldsworthy down from the rear, but Skov just wouldn&rsquo;t call it with the game, series and a ticket to the finals on the line. Really, I did not get that upset about it. He called a fine game otherwise and we all know it is harder to call something like that late in the third period or in overtime,&rdquo; says Blair, who despite a fiery reputation, was a gentleman in 1968 about the play and remains one now.Last season there were only four penalty shots with only Oakland&rsquo;s Norm Ferguson denting the twine against Eddie Giacomin in a game at Madison Square Garden. Claude Provost, Chico Maki and Charlie Burns, then with Pittsburgh, missed on other opportunities. Nonetheless, the fans watching the games in which the penalty shot was called were treated to a rare and tension filled spectacle as the puck carrier swept down on the goalie without anyone even standing on that half of the ice. One on one&mdash;man against man, that is the stuff sports and hockey is made of.Unfortunately, even when a man breaks into the clear and is hooked or tripped from behind the average NHL arbiter simply calls a minor infraction and lets it go at that.The NHL Rule Book, Rule 83B states, &ldquo;When a player in control of the puck in the attacking zone, and having no other opponents to pass than the goalkeeper, is tripped or otherwise fouled, from behind thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity, a penalty shot shall be awarded to the non offending side.&rdquo;Its there, but the boys in stripes interpret it their own way. &ldquo;From behind&rdquo; seemingly has been changed to read from directly behind. Any slight angle or direction on the part of the fouling player is reason enough to cancel out the penalty shot.We disagree. Either call it as it is in the book or remove it entirely. With the NHL in a death struggle for television rights with pro basketball, it seems to me that any reasonable method to make the game more attractive to the casual observer should be employed. And calling penalty shots when they actually occur is not a gimmick. It is there already and has been worked from the playing code by the interpretation given this supreme penalty by the officials.This is not to pinpoint Vern Buffey, or Skov or Bill Friday or John Ashley. They all are guilty and the players know that the calling of a penalty shot is almost a no no. Therefore, they trip, hook and hold when beaten by an attacking player, knowing that it will only get them a trip to the penalty box, not a reenactment of the drama their foul cut short.In sandlot baseball, doing it over is a common occurrence when neither side can agree on a disputed decision. In hockey, the offending player stops an offen-sive action by fouling and then escapes relatively free by simply sitting out two minutes. The fans are cheated of the drama of seeing the fouled player complete his offensive action.Most NHL officials do a competent job and remain unnoticed as they go about their business. They will tell you when questioned specifically about a particular play that it wasn&rsquo;t a penalty shot because the offensive player was only partially in the clear and the defensive man had a slight side angle on him.All right, let&rsquo;s change the rule for 1970-71. Make it read if a player is behind the defense with only the goalie to beat and is pulled down from the rear, a penalty shot shall be called. The referee-in-chief, Scotty Morrison, should be instructed to order his men to enforce the rule as it stands.Whether the NHL likes it or not, it is competition with the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. Also, to a lesser degree with football in the early part of the season. These two games both have that dramatic pause before a key foul shot or a huddle before forth and one from the one. Basketball, obviously has overdone the foul, but still it builds up tension.Ranger President Bill Jennings has many mementos in his law office. They range from golf photos, awards and trappings to a hockey picture of Andy Bath-gate beating Hank Bassen in the Detroit goal in March of 1962. It gave the Rangers a playoff berth and won the game. Guess how it was scored&mdash;by Bathgate on a penalty shot, called by Referee Eddie Powers.This is the only key game we can remember being decided by a penalty shot. We may be wrong, but a penalty shot in the playoffs just doesn&rsquo;t seem to happen.When the referee places the puck on the center face-off circle, hockey&rsquo;s moment of truth takes place. The attacking player may play the puck in any part of the nuetral zone or offensive zone, but once he crosses the blueline he must continue to propel it forward. No goal can be scored on a rebound and once the puck crosses the goal line, the shot has been taken. Since this gives the attack a one shot chance to score, the defense is still better off than if they had allowed a player to skate in free and easy on their goalie.Even on those plays wherein the defense gathers the puck under his body in the goal crease, more often than not they escape detection.One NHL official, who shall go unnamed, says &ldquo;Most of those guys are real sharp at pushing the puck under the goalie&rsquo;s pad or something like that. Or it always seems to wind up just outside the crease. It is real hard to nail them in the act.&rdquo;Even staid baseball recognized a need for a change in the strike zone last season. It&rsquo;s time for hockey to use its most exciting weapon in the battle for patronage and television coverage&mdash;the penalty shot.Imagine Bobby Hull coming in all alone on his former teammate Glenn Hall in a crucial game with the Chicago playoff bid on the line. Would Scotty Bowman, the St. Louis coach switch goalies and put Jacques Plante in goal against Hull just for the penalty shot? Plante stopped Hull in the recent All-Star game, after Bobby and his pals made mince meat of Bernie Parent. Controversy is the name of sports and the penalty, shot would provide just this for ice hockey. And plenty of legitimate excitement, too.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02528/2679590-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="2388" height="1047"></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

MORE PENALTY SHOTS IN THE NHL?

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01708/2679649-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="349" height="425"></div>&bull; PITTSBURGH GOALIE AL SMITH apparently just loves a fight. When he was fined $300 for joining a fray against St. Louis it was his fifth infraction this season&hellip;Three former members of the Toronto Maple Leafs will score 20 or more goals for Detroit this season. Two of them, Frank Mahovlich and Garry Unger, already have, while Pete Stemkowski should hit the 20-goal figure any day now&hellip;Stemkowski is the surprise shooter. In three and a half seasons with Toronto he never scored more than 13 goals. Last season he netted 21 for the Red Wings&hellip;During a recent Canadiens&rsquo; practice at the dimly-lit Maurice Richard Arena, John Ferguson yelled over to Henri Richard: &ldquo;Hey, Henri, tell your brother to turn up the lights&rdquo;&hellip;Hockey observes now feel that Canadiens Jacques Lemaire can shoot a puck as fast if not faster than Chicago&rsquo;s Bobby Hull&hellip;When Keith Mc-Creary scored for Pitts-burgh Penguins against St. Louis recently, it ended a Pittsburgh scoring drought of 22 minutes and 50 seconds against the Blues. It was the first goal by the Pens against the Blues this season. Keith McCreary is a brother of the Blues&rsquo; Bill McCreary&hellip;Sid Salomon, executive vicepresident of the St. Louis Blues, has been elected to the board of directors of the Missouri State Golf Association. He is an avid amateur golfer and takes part in various tournaments&hellip;Gordie Howe stirred up speculation that this could be his last season&hellip;but he says he didn&rsquo;t mean to&hellip;&ldquo;A lot of former players have told me that sometimes the legs go all of a sudden, overnight,&rdquo; Howe said&hellip;&rdquo; and if that happens I&rsquo;d have to quit&rdquo;&hellip;Several times Howe has said that he&rsquo;d like to play 25 seasons and also that he&rsquo;d quit when he had two bad years in a row&hellip;Chicago&rsquo;s Tony Esposito has more trouble against Minnesota than any other NHL team. He&rsquo;s allowed 16 goals in three meetings for an average goals-against per game of 5.33.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02659/2679642-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="267" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pete Stemkowski</figcaption></div>&bull; JOE CROZIER made a fast two-day trip to Toronto last week. He wouldn&rsquo;t reveal the purpose of the visit. He also told intimates that he still didn&rsquo;t know if he would be retained by the NHL Vancouver Canucks next season as general manager, as coach or as both&hellip;Bruce Gamble, Toronto goalie, says he loses five or six pounds every time the Leafs play four games in a short period of time. He also has trouble sleeping after a game and really goes short on shut-eye when Leafs play back-to-back games in different cities&hellip;Oakland Seals have been the giant-killers of the NHL in recent weeks. Coach Fred Glover has his team moving right now and they&rsquo;ll be tough to keep out of the Playoffs come Spring&hellip;Jacques Beauchamp, sports editor of Journal de Montreal, celebrated his 43rd birthday recently. Jacques has covered the Montreal Canadiens at home and on the road for over 20 years. He has missed fewer than five road games during that lengthy stretch&hellip;Watch for Eddie Shack to be traded or left open to draft next june. He has been a big disappointment on the West Coast since his shift from Boston&hellip;Minnesota North Stars, loaded with problems these days, had a close call in practice the other day when Ken Broderick their fine young goalie, needed 22 stitches to close a cut, above his mask after being hit by a shot&hellip;Someone in the North Stars organization apparently told Bob McCord that &ldquo;his legs were gone&rdquo; last season and the rugged defenseman was a bitter man at the end of the season. He was determined to make good his season and his play for Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League earned him All-Star honors at the half-way mark. Many Minnesota followers think McCord could help the Stars right now&hellip;George Hayes, long-time NHL linesman, was arrested by Grimsby, Ont., police and charged with causing a disturbance recently. Police reported that Hayes, a spectator at an Ontario Hockey Association Junior &ldquo;C&rdquo; game between Ingersoll, Hayes home town, and Grimsby, was involved in a dressing room incident following the game&hellip;Boston Bruins are still undefeated against exnansion teams.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03563/2679635-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="252" height="426"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eddie Shack</figcaption></div>&bull; WREN BLAIR on coaching in the NHL: &ldquo;If your team has any talent, I guess coaching is 80 percent motivation and 20 percent teaching. But there shouldn&rsquo;t be much a player has to learn once he gets into the big league&rdquo;&hellip;Dick Duff looks leaner since moving to Los Angeles. The veteran forward says he&rsquo;s happy getting plenty of ice time with the Kings. He wears No. 20&hellip;After losing the first two meetings of the 1967-68 season, Montreal has gone unbeaten in 13 games against Los Angeles&hellip;Larry Siegler, recent leader in the Bob Hope Desert Golf Classic and one of the better young players on the tour right now, is crazy about his spare time hobby of acting as stick boy for the St. Louis Blues. Larrry is a great hockey buff&hellip;Doug Harvey has been doing very little in a defense coaching capacity since he joined Los Angeles Kings. Management wants him to play but the 45-year-old defenseman doesn&rsquo;t think he can do any better than the Kings&rsquo; present defensemen&hellip;When Chicago blanked Philadelphia, 5-0, recently, it came as some kind of an anniversary celebration. Just a year previous, on the same date, the Hawks humiliated the Flyers, 12-0, also at the Spectrum&hellip;Rick Ley of Toronto has a younger brother, Ron, playing for Midland Flyers. Bobby Orr has a brother Ron playing for Parry Sound in the same Ontario Junior &lsquo;B&rsquo; League&hellip;Earl Scott of Midland played one year of hockey in Johannesburg, South Africa, of all places&hellip;Midland Flyers average 2,000 a game in a town with a 10,000 population&hellip;New York Rangers have escaped injuries this season and General Manager-Coach Emile Francis believes his plan of using four forward lines is a factor. &ldquo;I want fresh men on the ice and from 10 to 15 seconds have been trimmed off each shift,&rdquo; he pointed out&hellip;&ldquo;A tired hockey player is more liable to get hurt &lsquo;&hellip;Philadelphia Flyers have expanded their board of directors to six. Joining Ed Snider, Bill Putnam, Joe Scott and Earl Foreman will be prominent sprotsman F. Eugene Dixon Jr. and investment executive George L. Davis Jr&hellip;Davis was a member of the 1960 Olympic ice hockey committee and is former president of the Philadelphia Ramblers of the Eastern Hockey League&hellip;Dixon is a director of the Altantic City Pacing Association.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04491/2679628-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="257" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dick Duff</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

Founded October 1st, 1947Published weekly except monthly June through September by Ken-Will Publishing Co. Ltd.1434 St. Catherine Street West Montreal 107, Canada.Kenneth William McKenzie President and PublisherCharlie Halpin Edltor, al DrectorYearly SUBSCRIPTION Rates: $6.00 in Canada $7.00 in the U.S.A, and $9.00 in Foreign Countries.Postage paid at Rouses Point, N.Y.Second class mail&mdash;Registration No. 1327Printed in CanadaVol. 23 MONTREAL, FEBRUARY 27, 1970 No. 21 &#9632;

The Hockey News OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY

<h2>Anti-Litter Ban Needed in Hockey</h2>I went to see a hockey game recently at London&rsquo;s Garden, and was honestly appalled at the behavour of some so called &ldquo;fans&rdquo;. They were throwing things onto the ice. and obviously enjoying themselves in the process.They paid a few cents for the game, but if not for providence, a player on either team might well have played with a very serious injury. The fact that the game was not Jr. A. but intracity, merely makes things look worse. How do fans at Jr. A games act? It is far too easy to slip on something thrown on the ice, and I have, in fact, read about a man who did just that a long while ago. As a result, he was never able to play hockey again.As a hockey player myself, I am offended by persons who attend hickey games not so much as to watch the action, but to cause action of their own by throwing litter on the playing surface. Aska hickey player what he thinks of people who throw litter on the ice. and they will be sure1y condemned as fools and worse.Thinking of the antilitter law-on the highways, which impose a fifty dollar fine on violators. I should suggest that hockey too make this one of its more outstanding rules. Any person unintentionally dropping an item on the ice should be warned. On the other hand, a person seen dropping things repeatedly, or attempting to throw something onto the ice should be kicked out of the game, should get no refund, and further, should be fined fifty dollars for littering on either private or public property, depending on the rink.HARVEY ABEL. London. Ont.<h2>Live And Let Live In Wayne Maki Case</h2>I think that it&rsquo;s time for people to leave Wayne Maki alone and let him play hockey in peace. Since his controversal stick swinging duel with Ted Green, he&rsquo;s been plagued by hostile fans and even by his fellow players. These people, prejudiced by scandal-seeking sports writers, don&rsquo;t really know what happened any more than I do. All we know is what NHL President Clarence Campbell told us; Green swung first.Beside the moral presecution, Maki was suspended for one month and faces legal procedings. As Chuck Santaniello unsuccessfully tried to say in his &ldquo;Hockey News Special&rdquo; article of February 6; Wayne paid his debt.GARY BRAVSTEIN, Brooklyn, N.Y.<h2>Imlach Puts Leafs In Hole By Trades</h2>Recently, I have read articles in several sports publications questioning the merit of past trades made by Punch Imlacb for the Toronto Maple Leafs.I feel that Imlach made a tremendous blunder in manipulating personnel for short range objectives due to the fact that there is now an amateur draft of all junior players, with each NHL. club getting an equal opportunity at selecting talent which the Maple Leafs can no longer hide in their farm system. Furthermore. Imlach also has mistakenly allowed personality conflicts to interfere and influence his trades of certain players. In the case of Bobby Baun, he allowed Baun to be drafted free by the expansionist Seals.Aside from the aforementioned aspects of Imlach&rsquo;s dealings, there is one other cold, statistical fact that needs to be explored. Counting both regular season and playoff games, ex-Maple Leafs have overwhelmed Maple Leafs brought to Toronto by Imlach, in goals, assists, and total points. As of Tuesday, Janauray 13, 1970, the statistics are as follows:<h2>MAPLE LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05418/2679711-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="570" height="332"></div><h2>EX-MAPLE LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06339/2679704-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="576" height="521"></div>In conclusion, I feel it is safe to say that due to personal pride and short sightedness of future league rule changes, Punch Imlach has traded tbe Maple Leafs into a tremendous hole which may take years before the Leafs are able to climb out of it.CARL DIETZE, Bergenfield, N.J. &#9632;

f0004-05

Fan Forum

<div class="byline">BY NORMAN MACLEAN</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;In the salubrious climate of Southern California where referees never make mistakes, we paused to examine the National Hockey League schedule. If New York pulls off their little miracle by winning the pennant they will have done so in nose to nose competition with their East Division rivals.After the conclusion of this West Coast trip with games at Los Angeles and at Oakland, the Rangers have 24 games remaining, 12 at home and 12 away. They open up the stretch drive with a big afternoon match on CBS television against Montreal, the only team with a season&rsquo;s edge over te Blueshirts. Following that the Broadway Bombers meet East Division rivals in 16 additional games, with only 7 contests remaining with their West Division patsies against whom Emile Francis&rsquo; troops have rolled to a 17-3-7 mark.&ldquo;We still have five games left with Detroit and four with Montreal and these are big games,&rdquo; noted Francis, the New York General Manager-Coach.Boston&rsquo;s Bruins, the third member of the three cornered pennant scramble is booked for two games, one in each rink. Against the East, New York is a neat 13-7-3, which is just off the pace being set by Montreal in their own Division. Boston, amazingly is last versus the East, but hangs in the race with an unbeaten record against the West.In all probability it will come down to the last two weeks, during which no inter-division games are carded by the NHL. The Rangers are scheduled for seven big ones during this period with Toronto, Boston, Montreal, Montreal again, Toronto and a home-and-home series with Detroit finishing out the season.The men will be separated from the boys in that 14-day span with the Rangers&rsquo; depth and Bulldog line of Walter Tkaczuk, Billy Fairbairn and Dave Balon figuring to be the big guns. Tkaczuk&rsquo;s line continues to lead the NHL in points, having 164 up to February 11.&ldquo;The secret to their success is their fine skating and because of this they continue to make those short, accurate passes. They drove Roy Edwards, the Detroit goalie crazy when we beat them 5-1 on February 4. He was in a shooting gallery the first two periods,&rdquo; enthused Francis.The New York depth will also have a lot to say about the ultimate winner. A hot streak from the Jean Ratelie line would help. Jean is playing the finest hockey of his career and with 23 goals appears set to surpass last year&rsquo;s career high of 32 Ratelie&rsquo;s appearance on the NHL All-Star squad this season was long overdue. If his long time partner Rod Gilbert could hit a March hot streak, he might bring up his figures from a somewhat disappointing season&mdash;and put the Rangers over the top. Rodrigue is digging and trying as hard as ever, but the goals haven&rsquo;t come his way. So far, he has only eleven, which puts his harness racing pal Lucien Fontaine way out ahead in a private wager they have concerning goals for Rod and wins for Lucien.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01661/2679742-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="540" height="595"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROD GILBERT</figcaption></div>Orland Kurtenbach has supplanted Juha Widing as the center for the third or checking line, usually working with Donnie Marshall and Bob Nevin. After this comes Ron Stewart, one of the unsung heroes of the Rangers with three game winning goals no less, and hard working scrappy Real Lemieux.The real key man may be 40-year-old Terry Sawchuk who has played in five games this year and lost only one. He defeated Pittsburgh twice, Oakland once, tied Philadelphia and subbed for Eddie Giacomin in a runaway Montreal win early in the season. If things get tough, Terry may be asked to go in, in the clutch. &#9632;

f0005-01

Rangers’ Bid For Title Seen In ‘Showdown’ With Eastern Teams

1&mdash;Ted Lindsay is the all-time NHL penalty leader. How many minutes did he accumalate&mdash;1,800, 1,500 or 2,200?2&mdash;Andy Hebenton was the NHL&rsquo;s &lsquo;Iron Man&rsquo; before he slipped into the minors. How many games did he play without a miss&mdash;500. 630 or 1. 000?3&mdash;Phil Esposito set an NHL record last season for most points by a player in one year. How many points did he pile up, 115, 166 or 126?4&mdash;Maurice Richard was the first 50-goal scorer in NHL history. How many games did it take the Rocket to score them, 50. 44 or 70?5&mdash;One player scored 59 goals in one season, 47 in league and 12 in playoff competition. Who holds the NHL record, Maurice Richard. Bobby Hull or Jean Beliveau?6&mdash;Stan Mikita and Gordie Howe both won the four NHL scoring titles in their careers, but which player won them four times in succession?7&mdash;Back in the 19.30&rsquo;s a member of the Boston Bruins scored 4.3 goals in 44 games to lead the NHL. Can you remember his name?8&mdash;No one could match the &lsquo;bad man&rsquo; antics of a former Toronto defense great who answered to the nickname &lsquo;Red&rsquo;. He led NHL eight straight years. Who was he?9&mdash;Only one NHL netminder ever received an assist in Stanley Cup playoff action. Can you remember him, the team and year?10&mdash;Hockey players are generally considered good golfers, too. One left the NHL to become a golf pro. Do you know his name?<h2>HOCKEY QUIZ ANSWERS</h2>1&mdash;Lindsay had 1,808 minutes in penalties.2&mdash;Hebenton played in 630 NHL games without a miss.3&mdash;Esposito compiled 126 points.4&mdash;Richard scored 50 goals in 50 games in 1944-45.5&mdash;Jean Beliveau in 1955-56.6&mdash;Gordie Howe from 1950-51 to 1953-54.7&mdash;Cooney Weiland in 1929-30.8&mdash;Red Horner.9&mdash;Johnny Bower in 1962-63 with Toronto.10&mdash;Wild Bill Ezinicki of Boston. &#9632;

two minute hockey quiz

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN</div>&bull; IT MAY sound hypothetical but what would you say if the Montrea I Canadiens didn&rsquo;t make the Stanley Cup playoffs?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01735/2679828-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="248" height="447"></div>It just can&rsquo;t happen, you say? Don&rsquo;t bet your last dollar on it or else you might find yourself looking for a handout.The odds against the defending cup champions being excluded from the post-season round seem remote all right until you examine all of the facts. For instance, the two teams lurking behind the Canadiens&mdash;Detroit and Chicago&mdash;are setting such a blistering stretch pace, that the Habs could conceivably tumble all the way from third to fifth place in the short span of two weeks&mdash;unless they start winning again.The Eastern playoff hunt is growing more intense as the schedule wanes and not even the front-running New York Rangers can consider themselves &lsquo;safe&rsquo; with their slim first place margin. However, the way the Rangers have been cutting up, you might wager your bottom buck on them to hold their lead and feel reasonably secure. Montreal is something else. The Canadiens are listing like a ship with a hole in its bow.What exactly is ailing the Canadiens? Well, it appears to be a combination of things but generally their sudden demise can be attributed to three hapenings&mdash;the sub-par performance of the club&rsquo;s acknowledged ice leader Jean Belibeau; the untimely injuries to sparkplug John Ferguson; and finally, the fact the Canadiens no longer can hold on in the final minutes of a hockey game. It has cost them dearly this season and could ultimately have a bearing on where they finish the &lsquo;69-&rsquo;7O season.&bull; ONE WOULD have to go back a long way to discover the last time the venerable Canadiens were cast in the role of spectators at the NHL playoffs. It occured in 1947-48 just one year after the mighty Habs enjoyed a four-year reign in first place and won two cups in the process. So you see, it really can happen.The Canadiens have been sputtering far too much in recent games. Some of their big guns, like Bobby Rousseau, Jacques Lemaire, Mickey Redmond, Yvan Cournoyer and of course, Beliveau, have not been connecting with enough regularity. The defense has performed reasonably well but not totally dependent and the goalkeeping has left much to be desired. Maybe Gump Worsley doesn&rsquo;t miss the Canadiens, but it seems the Canadiens miss Gump&rsquo;s clutch goaling.Another thing that has contributed to the Habs&rsquo; dilemma is their rather unimpressive record against the Western clubs. They stand fifth among Eastern teams in games with the other division, having won only 15 of 27 starts with the West. Had they been able to reverse a few of those decisions, they&rsquo;d be nudging the Rangers in first place instead of rubbing elbows with the Red Wings and Hawks in fourth and fifth position.Still the Canadiens are not the ordinary run-of-the-mill hockey club that folds under pressure. This has been the club&rsquo;s strong point down through the years and there is nothing to say they won&rsquo;t rebound in the final 21 games.They stand at the top of the pack in games won against their own division&mdash;a highly important factor for the final month of the season when inter-division play is no longer a part of the schedule.And let&rsquo;s not forget the most significant point in the Habs&rsquo; dash to the wire. They are truly the money players in the NHL and when they start to pick up the scent of that playoff dough, it may take a lot of restraint to hold them back. &#9632;

f0006-01

INSIDE HOCKEY

<div class="byline">BY JIM PROUDFOOT</div>TORONTO&mdash;Although he celebrated his 25th birthday Jan. 3, Mike Walton shows absolutely no signs of mellowing with the onset of maturity. He is still the most controversial member of the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; roster, regularly moving in and out of everybody&rsquo;s doghouse.It is difficult, however, for coach Johnny McLellan or general manager Jim Gregory to remain angry at &ldquo;shakey&rdquo;. He happens to be the Leafs&rsquo; top scorer, having produced 15 goals and 26 assists in their first 50 games. Moreover, he had accounted for the decisive score on six occasions to that point, the latest being the single goal in a 1-0 victory over St. Louis Blues.Walton had been benched prior to that St. Louis match. He had failed to show up for a practice and, even though he apologized, McLellan felt there could be no acceptable excuse for the truancy. The workout schedule is well-known to all players. So Walton was dropped from the active lineup and replaced by Jim Harrison at centre between Brit Selby and Ron Ellis.Things would have remained that way, too, if Selby hadn&rsquo;t suffered a minor concussion during a Feb. 1 game at Boston. McLellan couldn&rsquo;t think of anybody better than Walton to put out at left wing. So he relented.That&rsquo;s how Walton happened to be on the spot to flip in that winner against St. Louis. Selby couldn&rsquo;t adjust to the helmet club physicians had instructed him to wear, so McLellan had to go to Walton again.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02598/2679859-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="744" height="903"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE WALTON&hellip;Hero to Goat And Back</figcaption></div>Then Walton talked himself into a 10minute misconduct, berating linesman Matt Pavelich unnecessarily, and Leafs were left short one left-winger for the final 10 minutes. When a team is trying to nurse a 1-0 margin through for a victory, and when a first-stringer such as Selby is missing, it is particularly fool-ish to take a needless penalty, as Walton did.But then that&rsquo;s the way Walton always has operated: from hero to goat and back to heroism again in the space of minutes.It&rsquo;s about a year since Walton staged his famous walkout, declining to accompany Leafs on a trip to Montreal.At that stage, he was finding it almost impossible to get along with Punch Imlach, the coach and general manager.Ultimately, he returned, at the urgent request of several teammates. But it also appeared, in the light of subsequent events, that he had been given some indication Imlach&rsquo;s days were numbered.That would have been possible because Walton is a member of the. Smythe family, which has operated Maple Leaf Gardens since its. construction in 1931. He married a granddaughter of Conn Smythe and is therefore a nephew, by marriage, of Leaf president Stafford Smythe.;Walton had been one of coach McLellan&rsquo;s three regular centres, Norm Ullman and Dave Keon being the others. McLellan and Gregory then traded with Boston Bruins to get hardhitting Jim Harrison as an extra pivot. He is more the aggressive type Leafs feel they need at that position and Walton may spend more and more time on the wing where he can put his excellent shot and his quick acceleration to maximum use.Walton, of course, is much more secure now than he ever was when Imlach was running the team. Imlach tried to dump him a couple of times, and confirms it now.Walton was offered to Detroit Red Wings in the legendary March, 1968, trade. Wings insisted on Garry Unger and that&rsquo;s the deal which ultimately was made&mdash;Frank Mahov-lich, Unger, Pete Stemkowski and the rights to Carl Brewer to Detroit for Ullman, Paul Henderson and Floyd Smith.Just last year, Imlach thought he had dealt Walton to Boston. He claims Bruins cancelled the transaction at the last minute, after agreeing to it.It doesn&rsquo;t seem likely Walton will be sent away now. You don&rsquo;t usually trade your leading scorer, especially if he is the presidents nephew. Imlach would have, obviously, but not many people would. &#9632;

f0006-02

Walton Still Leafs’ Problem Child Benched For Missing Team Drill

ST. LOUIS&mdash;Defeat never rested lightit on the shoulders of Scotty Bowman and when his St. Louis Blues started losing some of their momentum and fighting spirit, he didn&rsquo;t hesitate. He started shipping bodies out to the minor leagues.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01687/2679897-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="248" height="453"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Maki</figcaption></div>Bowman took exception to one of his players, Wayne Maki, being mauled by the Boston Bruins while some of tge Blues stood around and did nothing about it. He also berated his team for allowing defenseman Barclay Plager to be pummeled by three members of the Pittsburgh Penguins without intervening. Player had his nose broken in the process.The angered Blues&rsquo; generalmanager-coach decided to demote three of his regulars-forwards Larry Keenan, Andre Boudrias and Ron Anderson. Bowman called up Terry Crisp from Buffalo of the AHL and decided to retain defense-man Bill Plager, who had been summoned from the Buffalo club during an emergency when Noel Picard went out for the season with a knee infury that required surgery.The Blues, who had lost five straight games at one stretch recently, were given a solid tongue lashing by Bowman.&ldquo;The Blues used to be known as the team with a fighting spirit,&rdquo; said Bowman. &ldquo;But since the fine they got in the Pittsburgh and Montreal games, they haven&rsquo;t been very aggressive. We&rsquo;ve forced the opposition to very few penalties in our last 12 games and that cost us chances to score goals. &ldquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02620/2679890-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="878" height="681"><figcaption class="caption-body">BARCLAY PLAGER&hellip;Playing with special helmet</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0007-01

Angry Bowman Raps Blues For Lack Of Aggressiveness

<div class="byline">BY VICTOR BERNS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03485/2679928-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Newest member of the Blues is BILL PLAGER, youngest of the three Plager brothers. Recalled from Buffalo, he gives St. Louis first three-brother act in NHL history. (Hockey News Photo by Richard Pellegrini)</figcaption></div>ST-LOUIS&mdash;While the merit of the idea of having two alternating goalies is still being discussed by some teams, the St. Louis Blues are pioneering a system of three goalies.Not too long ago a team in the National Hockey League relied on one goalie who played every game. A backup goalie saw action only when the regular goalie was injured.The change to two goaltenders has come gradually with the lengthening of the schedule and the increased travel due to expansion.Some clubs still prefer one regular goalie. For New York Ed Giacomin plays virtually all of the games, and veteran Terry Sawchuk only occasionally to give Giacomin a rest. Tony Esposito is the starter nearly always for Chicago, and Rogatien Vachon for Montreal. But the other clubs have gone to the newer sys-tem of two alternating goalies.And now the Blues are probably the first team of use three goalies on a regular basis. Other teams have used more than two goalies in the course of this season, but because of injuries or personnel changes.Glenn Hall, Jacques Plante and Ernie Wakely are taking turns in the St. Louis net. and the new system is working. Through the first 47 games the Blues&rsquo; goals-against average was 2.38, third-best in the league. The Blues&rsquo; goalers has allowed only one more goal than the New York Rangers and eight more than the Chicago Black Hawks. The St. Louis goalies has eight shutouts, second-best to Chicago&rsquo;s 11 by Esposito.The Blues started the season with Plante and Wakely. Hall was on his farm in Alberta. Mr. Goalie had been talking seriously about retirement since last May, and the Blues acquired the 29-year-old Wakely from the Montreal organization to team with 12-year veteran Plante.Than Hall changed his mind about retirement and rejoined the team in December. Blues&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman assessed the situation and decided to keep Wakely with the team to form a starting rotation with the two veterans, who last year won the Vezina Trophy.Bowman acknowledged that his problem would be finding enough work for all three to keep each of them at a sharp peak. The three goalies do not take turns in a round robin, but rather Bowman makes an individual choice for each game and frequently makes the decision as game time nears. He occasionally pairs one of his goalies against a certain team or makes the decision on the basis of when each goalie last saw game action or how much work each has had in practice.The system has worked exceptionally well. At one point this season each of the three had a shutout in his last appearance. The Blues have not been the vic-tims of any of these wild scoring shows that have been occurring more frequently and distressingly in the NHL. And, as indicated, the Blues are within the grasp of their second consecutive Vezina Trophy. &#9632;

f0007-03

Three-Goaler System Working Well As Blues Set Another NHL Precedent

<div class="byline">By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01721/2679966-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="295" height="357"></div><h2>A Most Happy &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Kelly</h2>PROBABLY THE HAPPIEST man in hockey as the season turned into the stretch was Red Kelly, the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. If revenge is sweet the gentlemanly red-head is richer than chocolate layer cake these days. When Jean Pronovost scored two goals the other night and the Penguins beat the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth time in five meetings this season, Pittsburgh closed in on second place.Before Kelly came, the Penguins finished last and failed to make the playoffs their previous two seasons. Before Kelly left, the Kings finished second and fourth and never failed to make the playoffs, reaching the divisional finals last season. Now Pittsburgh is on its way to its best season, while Los Angeles is on its way to the worst season in modern NHL history. Pittsburgh attendance is up, L.A. attendance down.Personal opinions are unimportant. The record speaks for itself and is above dispute. In fairness to justice, Kelly must be credited with as convincing a knockout of the odds, as satisfying a personal triumph as any man in hockey has enjoyed in many years. It could not have come to a nicer man, nor one with a nicer family&mdash;Andra and those incredible red-haired, freckle-faced super-kids.Jack Kent Cooke&rsquo;s Kings will rise again, despite all our efforts to help. We would be less than honest if we said we had not applauded Hal Laycoe&rsquo;s arrival as the new Kings&rsquo; coach. We encouraged Hal to take the job. We have lost little faith in him now, but that does not precisely ease his misery. On the other hand, we sought to discourage Kelly from taking the Pittsburgh job. &ldquo;It is a troubled franchise with little talent. You will not have time enough to save it or yourself,&rdquo; we said one evening last spring.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02636/2679959-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="467" height="998"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEAN PRONOVOST&hellip;Life Is Beautiful</figcaption></div>&ldquo;The more challenging the job, the more I welcome it,&rdquo; Red said. &ldquo;It would be a pleasure to come back and beat the Kings.&rdquo;&ldquo;Yes, but you could come back and lose to them, too,&rdquo; I said.We welcomed Kelly to L.A. Here, this wife had an infant born while he was at camp, barely, though blessedly surviving. His wife got sick. His house was robbed. He lost his job. And his bowling alley burned down. As years go, his last one left something to be desired. His next one had to be better, and it has been. An eternal optimist, he turned to the new year and new task with determination. Rapidly he has rebuilt the Penguins, swiftly converting a lethargic and disorganized bunch into a fiery, hard-skating and competent crew. They have a long way to go yet, but they seem on their way. And they speak of their coach with reverence.<h2>The Promising Penguin</h2>ONE OF THE FEW PROVEN performers Kelly inherited with the Penguins was Joseph Jean Denis Pronovost, a little right-winger who had a brilliant NHL rookie year last season, scoring 16 goals and playing fiery and effective hockey. Always a good scorer in amateur play and two pro seasons with Oakla-homa City in the minors, Jean missed part of his last season&rsquo;there with a broken ankle. This and his slim 5-11, 165-pound stature caused Boston to consider selling him to Pittsburgh.Last season was not very far along before many other clubs approached the Penguins about him, but manager Jack Riley clung to him as though he was gold and presented him to Kelly with pride. Under Kelly, many Penguins have per-formed well, but none more than Pronovost, though it is not reflected in the scoring statistics. With 10 goals in two-thirds of the season, Jean has been discour-aged, but he need not despair so long as his all-around play holds up. A slick character, he should score more in time and he hits foes.&ldquo;Despite my lack of weight, I like to go after them,&rdquo; Jean grinned after a recent game. &ldquo;I have always played that way. Perhaps it is because I come from a large family and had to fight for my place at the table. Perhaps it is because my older brother was a fighter, who inspired me although he was long gone by the time I got going.&rdquo; One of 12 children, Andre has eight brothers, several of whom had great hockey talent and one of whom, Marcel, played 19 years in the majors before becoming player-coach at Tulsa in the Central League this season.Only 24, some 15 years younger than Marcel, Jean and his wife, Diane, have a tiny son, Eric, and make their off-season home in Beauharnois near Montreal, where Jean does promotional work for a brewery. Disappointed at first by his sale from Boston, he is happy in his new seasonal home now. &ldquo;I love Pittsburgh. We win,&rdquo; he grins.&ldquo;It is very hard to keep up your spirits when you lose too much, but with Mr. Kelly we are convinced we can win any game and have been winning our share. I&rsquo;m sorry I haven&rsquo;t given more goals, but I can try to make up for it by getting the puck for others and playing good defense. It is fun for a winger to play defense, so long as his defensemen play defense, too, which ours have been doing. When we play well, we check, check, check. It&rsquo;s beautiful.&rdquo;So is Jean, the little tiger whose checks bounce foes. And so, too, is life beautiful for his coach these days. &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY GLENN REDMANN</div>TWIN CITIES&mdash;Two victories in December, one in January and&mdash;at this writing&mdash;none in February.That, friends, is the dismal record piled up in 30 games by the Minnesota North Stars.But have their fans given up on them? Not on your life. They&rsquo;re still flocking to the Metropolitan Sports Center in nearby Bloomington at a rate which is sure to put the franchise over the half million mark in home attendance in only its third year in the NHL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03523/2679997-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="247" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">Danny O&rsquo;Shea</figcaption></div>When the 20th straight Saturday sellout of 14,710 showed up to watch their favorites battle Montreal to a come-from-behind 1-1 tie on Feb. 7, crowd figures soared to 355,433 for 25 games.That&rsquo;s an average of 14,217 per contest, 99.3 per cent of capacity and 42,708 ahead of last season&rsquo;s record pace when the club drew slightly more than 490,000.&ldquo;These have to be among the greatest fans anywhere,&rdquo; said Danny O&rsquo;Shea, the hard-working sophomore centerman whose extraordinary effort set up. J.P. Parise for the tying goal against the Habs with just a little more than three minutes left.&ldquo;Here we&rsquo;ve given them only a couple of wins at home in the last 2 1/2 months and they&rsquo;re still turning out in record numbers.&ldquo;I guess this proves that they really love their hockey around this part of the country.&rdquo;That they do, and there&rsquo;s probably a whole bunch of them who wish that the splendid play of O&rsquo;Shea and another centerman, Tommy Williams, would rub off on some of their teammates.&ldquo;You hear coaches talk about how they&rsquo;d like to have all of their players going at top speed every shift,&rdquo; said St. Paulite Don Rohrer, a devout North Star booster, &ldquo;and you wonder if they&rsquo;re just doing some wishful thinking.&ldquo;Then you come out and see a game like this (the 1-1 Montreal tie) and you know it&rsquo;s possible, because O&rsquo;Shea and Williams give it everything they have for every minute they&rsquo;re on the ice.&rdquo;After tight checking by both teams and steady if not sensational goaltending by Cesare Maniago and the Canadiens&rsquo; Phil Myre had dominated the scoreless first two periods, Montreal broke the deadlock with a fluke goal that might&rsquo;ve ruined the hopes of a less determined team.Big Jean Beliveau slapped the puck off a North Star detender&rsquo;s stick high into the air&mdash;about 40 feet&mdash;and little Yvan Cournoyer slipped behind two Stars to win a race for the disk with Mamago inside the Minnesota blue line.When Cournoyer hit the open net, a chorus of boos directed at Maniago broke out, but Cesare in all honesty did the only thing he could do. The important thing was that the Minnesotans, Jed by Maniago, hung in there for the next 12 minutes until O&rsquo;Shea&rsquo;s dash from his own territory and perfect pass to the goal-mouth from the corner to Myre&rsquo;s left set the table for Parise&rsquo;s 14th goal of the cam-paign.Unfortunately, the momentum of that moral victory which ended a nine-game losing streak for the Stars, didn&rsquo;t carry over into a road game at Pittsburgh the next night and the Penguins won 6-3 with half of their goals coming via the power play route as ex-star captain Bob Woytowich had four assists. &#9632;

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North Stars Continue Western Nosedive But Fans Still Pour In

<div class="byline">BY ED CONRAD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01702/2680028-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Reflection in mirror shows GENE CONLAN, far left, president of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, presenting silver cups to LARRY and WAYNE HILLMAN, right, as Flyers&rsquo; players-of-the-month by the club. The first brother defense act in the NHL, the Hillmans are two reasons Philly is in playoff picture again.</figcaption></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;It was just before the start of last season when the so-called experts, who had written off the defending West Division champion Flyers, predicted Minnesota as the team to beat.Among other things, the North Stars now had the Hillman brothers to bolster their defense and their mere presence was supposed to give Minnesota the edge over its five rivals.History, of course, proved the experts all wet. The St. Louis Blues breezed to the title and to the Stanley Cup final while Minnesota wound up tied with Pitts-burgh for the cellar.Since the Hillmans had figured so prominently in the rosy outlook which never materialized for the North Stars, it should be mentioned that they never really got a chance to show how they could play together.Not only did Larry, 33, and Wayne, 31, fail to play side-by-side, but Minnesota traded tbe older brother to Montreal by mid-season in effort to beef up their scoring attack.Larry, naturally, had to be financially pleased with the swap because he wound up earning a share of the Canadiens&rsquo; Stanley Cup playoff pot. However, he wasn&rsquo;t completely happy because he wasn&rsquo;t getting too much ice time.This year, though, he&rsquo;s more content because he&rsquo;s playing steady. Better still, he and Wayne are finally playing as a unit with the Flyers, and they may make a big contribution to put their new team into their first Stanley Cup final.Larry and Wayne were both &ldquo;plus&rdquo; hockey players after the first half of the season and, on the strength of statistics, were indeed the club&rsquo;s most consistent defensive alignment.Now that the playoffs are around the corner, the Flyers realize the importance of having these two seasoned veterans on their roster.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve both been around,&rdquo; said GM Keith Allen. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve both been through the good times and the bad. They refuse to get down on themselves when things aren&rsquo;t going well while, at the same time, they don&rsquo;t get carried away when things are going good.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re class guys, the type of individuals any team would be happy to have in their organization because they always give 100 per cent. The best part of all, they&rsquo;re a tremendous influence on the younger players on our team.&rdquo;Larry had been acquired from the Canadiens in the NHL draft, while Wayne had been traded in an even-up deal for defenseman John Miszuk.&ldquo;We wanted both of the Hillmans because we felt they were very fine defensemen despite how things went in Minnesota last season,&rdquo; said Allen. &ldquo;When they joined us, it seemed a logical experiment to play them together and that&rsquo;s just what Vic Stasiuk did. It worked like a charm.&ldquo;Naturally, it meant some sacrifice for Larry because both he and Wayne had been playing on the right side for years. However, he shifted to the left side and it was awhile before he got used to it.&rdquo;Now, the Hillmans are really perking. The Flyers, in turn, are continuing to get the excellent defense which has marked the team&rsquo;s efforts since expansion.Now they&rsquo;re also scoring more goals them before and packing more muscle.It&rsquo;s a combination of factors that should make the Flyers a good bet to do well in the playoffs, providing key injuries aren&rsquo;t a factor.Larry and Wayne Hillman, the first brothers to play side by side on defense in the NHL, may very well prove the experts weren&rsquo;t really wrong in their optimistic forecast. The only problem, it may be a a year late and a thousand miles from Minnesota. &#9632;

f0009-01

HILLMAN BROTHERS PROVING POINT WITH FLYERS

<div class="byline">BY PAT CURRAN</div>MONTREAL&mdash;Have the fire-wagon Canadiens changed their style or does it put look that way in their third-place plight?In any case, the faithful fans around Montreal Forum are wondering&mdash;especially when they figure that 15 minutes and five seconds of hockey have meant the difference between the East Division lead and third place. And they shudder at the thought the once-mighty Habs could miss the playoffs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01721/2680083-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="239" height="434"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jean Beliveau</figcaption></div>When Mike Walton of Toronto rapped in the 3-3 equalizer with 43 seconds left, Feb. 11, it was the ninth time the Habs blew a precious point in the dying minutes.They suffered three losses this way, Chicago 1-0, Minnesota 4-3 and Detroit 3-2 and gave up ties twice to Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Minnesota and Toronto.The change in style of dropping back to protect a slim lead may have been unintentional with Coach Claude Ruel but it has been obvious to veteran ob-servers who remember the all-out offensive of the old Canadiens.Instead of sitting on a one-goal lead, the oldtime Habs would go all out to score two or three more. And they&rsquo;d get the goals, too, with the likes of Jean Beliveau, Rocket Richard, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Dickie Moore and Doug Harvey at their best.While this 1970 edition doesn&rsquo;t stack up with the great Montreal teams&mdash;who today would have skated roughshod over expansion opposition&mdash;there&rsquo;s something missing in the scoring bite of this year&rsquo;s club.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to understand why we are playing so poorly late in the game,&rdquo; says Jean Beliveau. &ldquo;The third period always used to be our best.&rdquo;If that last-minute deadlock with Toronto was hard for Coach Ruel to digest, the pudgy little man&rsquo;s indigestion must have acted up moreso the following weekend. With a big opportunity to gain ground in the East Division race, after New-York was upset by Oakland, the Canadiens took a 5-2 tumble from Detroit right at the Forum. And the next day, when the chips were down at Madison Square Garden, they just couldn&rsquo;t do a thing under the Rangers&rsquo; checking blanket for a 2-0 defeat.&ldquo;We have only ourselves to blame after blowing so many games,&rdquo; said Ruel after his team started to fade in the championship run. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t expect to play badly at home and make up for it under pressure on the road.&rdquo;The Habs had a mediocre record of 14 wins, six losses and seven ties at home compared to New York&rsquo;s 18-3-6 effeort and Boston&rsquo;s mark of 20-3-6.A factor in Canadiens&rsquo; problems lately has been a lack of drive down centre which has always been the heart of the team. Big Jean Beliveau has been hot-and-cold from one game to the next, never able to hit his oldtime form this season. Henri Richard, who was the spark of the Habs in the first half, hasn&rsquo;t come around since his return to action from a foot injury.There has been one big bright spot for the Canadiens. That&rsquo;s the work of young Phil Myre as backup goalie to Rogatien Vachon. Until the New York game, Feb. 15, the rookie&rsquo;s only work had been in four wins, one loss and a tie against West Division opposition. He appeared weak on the first Rangers&rsquo; goal but came up with a brilliant effort the rest of the way.New York GM-Coach Emile Francis was impressed.&ldquo;Sometimes when a young goalie gets beaten early in a big game he falls apart,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;But Myre didn&rsquo;t let that bother him. He kept his cool and kept his team in the game.&rdquo;&ldquo;Nobody else could have done better,&rdquo; said Coach Claude Ruel who shouldn&rsquo;t have second thoughts of starting the rookie any time from now on. &#9632;

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Late-Game Letdown Proving Disastrous To Slumping Habs

MONTREAL&mdash;John Ferguson, whose real value to the Canadiens really shows up in his absence, has been sidelined for another two to three weeks.The hard-luck winger, hit in the right eye and cheekbone right off the faceoff at Minnesota Feb. 7, required surgery to remove fluid that was seeping into a crack on his cheekbone.After staying three days in hospital at Minneapolis, Ferguson returned home without visual damage and hoping he could rejoin the Habs at least by Feb. 18 at Toronto. However he was disappointed after further examination by Montreal team doctors.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a slight crack in the cheekbone and a substance developed just above it,&rdquo; explained G.M. Sam Pollock. &ldquo;The doctor hoped it would go away in a couple of days but Fergy was in severe pain.&rdquo;The operation to remove the substance just on top of the cheekbone was performed at Montreal General Hospital. The club is hopeful the veteran forward can play again within two weeks but he could be shelved longer.It&rsquo;s the fourth setback this season for Ferguson who has played only 33 games. After scoring 29 goals last year, his hard luck started in an exhibition when he suffered a thumb injury in a freak accident with Detroit&rsquo;s Carl Brewer. He joined the Habs for only a few games before being suspended for stick-swinging and then suffered another thumb injury in a mild scrap with Chicago&rsquo;s Gilles Marotte.Despite all these problem^, John Ferguson is still the sixth leading goal-getter on the Montreal team with 13 goals, including five game-winners. &#9632;

Hard-Luck John Ferguson On Shelf After Suraery On Cracked Cheekbone

Following are the latest player movements in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>MINNESOTA&mdash;Bill Orban, forward, and Tom Polonic, defenseman, returned to Iowa of CHL. Gilles Gilbert, goalkeeper, recalled from Iowa.ST. LOUIS&mdash;Ron Anderson, Andre Boudrias S and Larry Keenan, forwards, assigned to Kansas City of CHL. Terry Crisp, forward, recalled from Butfalo of AHL. Terry Gray, 5 forward, sent to Kansas City for 10 days to play himself into condition after coming off injury list. Bill Plager, defenseman, retained after recall from Buffalo. Noel Picard, defenseman, placed on injury list for rest of season.CHICAGO&mdash;Paul, Shmyr, defenseman, recalled from Dallas of CHL.DETROIT&mdash;Fred Speck, forward, recalled from Forth Worth of CHL.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>BUFFALO&mdash;Forbes Kennedy, forward, activated from injury list.ROCHESTER&mdash;Claude Hardy, goalkeeper, secured from Los Angeles of NHL via Springfield on loan for rest of, season.SPRINGFIELD&mdash;Doug Shelton, defenseman, secured from Denver of WHL. Gary Marsh, forward, secured from Phoenix in trade for Jacques Lemieux, defenseman.BALTIMORE&mdash;Dune McCallum, defenseman, returned to club from inactive list.<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>PHOENIX&mdash;Dave Richardson, forward, secured from Detroit of NHL via San Diego of WHL but refused to report. Jacques Lemieux, defenseman, secured from Los Angeles of NHL via Springfield in trade, refused, to report. Dwight Carruthers, defenseman, secured from Philadelphia of NHL and transferred from Seattle roster to Phoenix. Bill Terry, defenseman, secured from Tulsa of CHL.DENVER&mdash;Brian Kilrea, forward, placed on active roster.SAN DIEGO&mdash;Dennis Huculak, defenseman, placed on disabled list to undergo tests for stomach disorder.SALT LAKE&mdash;Ray Clearwater, defenseman, secured from Providence of AHL on loan for second time.<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>DES MOINES&mdash;Doug Smith, forward, secured from Nashville of EHL to replace Meehan Bonnar, forward, placed on disabled list for rest of season. Dale Blomquist, forward, placed on waivers. Buddy Boone, forward, placed on disabled list for rest of season with knee injury.DAYTON&mdash;Dune seau, forward, activated after six weeks on injury list, Gord Malinoski, forward, returned from injury list. Art Thomas, forward, placed on waivers.FORT WAYNE&mdash;Merv Dubchak, forward, returned from injury list and went out again with back injury. Jean Losier, Jean Losier, forward, placed on waivers and claimed by Des Moines of IHL. Moe Bartoli, playercoach, placed on retired list to reach 16-player limit.FLINT&mdash;Randy Prior, forward, secured from Port Huron of IHL. Trevor Conn, forward, placed on 14-day injury list. Bobby Clyne, forward, placed on waivers. Ron Racette, defenseman, placed on disabled list for season.TOLEDO&mdash;Jerry Fleury, goalkeeper, named backup netminder and Al Cecile, goalkeeper, sent to Nashville of EHL on loan. Stan Maxwell, forward, placed on disabled list for season with knee injury.<h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>NEW HAVEN&mdash;Norm Guimond, forward, recalled from Syracuse of EHL. Don Walker, forward, placed on 14-day injury list.LONG ISLAND&mdash;Jake Hendrickson, defenseman, placed on disabled list for rest of season with broken ankle.NASHVILLE&mdash;Ken Miller, forward, secured from New Jersey of EHL. &#9632;

Movements of Players

PITTSBURGH&mdash;If it weren&rsquo;t for the Pitts burgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings might be breathing a little easier today in the tense stretch battle for NHL play off berths.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01712/2680138-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="255" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith McCreary</figcaption></div>The Pen guins slipped the rug out from under the unsuspecting Wings just when they had the Pittsburghers lined up in their sights. The Wings were coming off a smart 5-2 decision against Montreal and had the advantage of the Olympia ice to boot. But they let the Penguins get away and the 4-2 loss coupled with Chicago&rsquo;s 6-4 romp over Toronto, closed up the fourth-place playoff struggle again with one point separating the two teams.Keith McCreary, the husky Penguins&rsquo; star who has just come back from the injury list, continued to set the pace for the Pens in the big games. He scored twice and they were the club&rsquo;s ultimate margin of victory when the final decision was posted against Detroit.McCreary&rsquo;s 16-goal output moved him past teammate Ken Schinkel, who has 15, and within range of team goal-leader Dean Prentice, who has sunk 20. &#9632;

f0011-01

McCreary Sizzles For Pens

OAKLAND&mdash;Everybody was ready to bury the Oakland Seals except the Oakland Seals.Fred Glover&rsquo;s surprise Western Division club continues to make its all-out drive to grab off a playoff berth after almost skidding right out of the picture.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02659/2680169-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="246" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bert Marshall</figcaption></div>In the past two weeks, the Seals have been the big club in among the expansionists and as the result of their resurgence, the Minnesota North Stars are hanging precariously out of the race at the moment.The Seals could scale as high as third place if the Pittsburgh Penguins experience any kind of a letdown and it could happen. Glover wants his team to be up and ready in case the Pens do a fadeout and they certainly have shown the last two weeks that they are set to move if the opportunity presents itself.The Seals toppled Minnesota 2-1 in a &lsquo;must&rsquo; game or fourpointer as they call such important clashes, and topped off the week by handing the Eastern division leading New York Rangers a 4-2 upset.The Seals are certainly not picking their spots. Last week they knocked over Montreal 5-2 and St. Louis 2-1. They now have four wins in their last five starts.No one can doubt that the Seals aren&rsquo;t moving. The way they finished up last season, they could be coming on to the hottest club in the West division through the second half of the schedule.Playing their best hockey of the &lsquo;69-70&rsquo; season, the Seals give part of the credit for their improved play to tighter defense. In Oakland&rsquo;s last 15 games they have allowed the opposition an average of 2.5 goals per game, more than a goal better than 3.6 goals per game which they averaged for the season&rsquo;s first 39 games.Seals general manager. Frank Selke, cites better overall performance as the chief reason for the upswing: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing better defense as a team. Forechecking is our game. To play well we have to do a good job upsetting the other team in their own zone and that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s been happening lately.&rdquo;Glover, agreed with Selke and pointed to the improved play of defenseman, Bert Marshall, as another reason for the surge: &ldquo;Bert Marshall is playing the best hockey of his, career. He&rsquo;s more physical, more aggressive and is handling the puck better.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Revived Seats Surprise Of NHL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01689/2680235-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><h2>INDIVIDUAL SCORING LEADERS</h2>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 15)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02594/2680228-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="1818" height="1545"></div><h3>EAST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03467/2680221-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="592" height="2468"></div><h3>WEST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04344/2680214-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="590" height="2265"></div><h3>PENALTIES IN MINUTES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05256/2680207-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="574" height="325"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-08160/2680200-1-eng-US/f0012-082.jpg" title="f0012-08" width="1200" height="207"></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

TOP 25 SCORERS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06209/2680273-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg"></div><h2>THE TOP 10 NETMINDERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 15)<h2>COMPLETE GOALKEEPING RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07184/2680266-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="1203" height="1866"></div> &#9632;

f0012-06

Looking At NHL Goalers

<div class="byline">BY DAN MOULTON</div>Black Hawks hopes for overcoming Detroit in the battle for the final playoff in the Eastern division will be hard-pressed to survive in the wake of the loss of captain and standout defena seman Pat Stapleton.When Pat was helped from the ice early in the second period of a recent 4-4 tie with Philadelphia after he had piled heavily into the Hawk net post while blocking a shot which seemed certain to make it into the net, several things vital to the Hawks departed with him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-14164/2680304-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="246" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Stapleton</figcaption></div>First, the loss of Pat cost the Hawks the man whose clever skating and brilliant puck-handling set the pace of the Hawks&rsquo; offense, particularly on the power play.And second, when Pat was shipped to Henrotin Hospital for treatment of severely damaged ligaments in his left knee, the Hawks&rsquo; defense lost the glue that had been holding it together, especially in their end of the rink.The game in which Pat was injured provides a good example of how and where the stocky little blond veteran will be missed.When he went out of action, the Hawks held a 3-2 lead and he has taken a major hand in all three Hawk goals. After he left, the Hawks&rsquo; became so disorganized, both offensively and defensively, that they let the hustling Flyers take a 4-3 lead, which held up until midway in the in the second period, when Bobby Hull broke loose to hit the tying tally.With Stapleton performing up to standard, it&rsquo;s reasonable to assume the Hawks could have added a couple of goals to their total, and probably have held the Philadelphians in check.Pat&rsquo;s absence was felt again the next night in a 3-2 loss to the Canadiens. It wasn&rsquo;t that rookie Ray McKay failed to perform capably. It was simply that McKay isn&rsquo;t Stapleton and wasn&rsquo;t up to doing the things, particularly on offense, that Stapleton does.Actually, at this writing doctors had been unable to determine just how long Pat will be out of action because the swelling still was too great to allow a thorough examination.But a cast was to be placed on the left leg and, even if Pat isn&rsquo;t required to sit out the remainder of the season, he will miss enough of the action down the stretch so that herculean efforts by the rest of the defensemen will be required to take up the slack if the Hawks are to stay in the battle.The accident, which may go down in history as the most damaging the Hawks have suffered since Bobby Hull was put out of action with a facial injury during the playoffs 10 years ago occurred early in the second period after the Flyers&rsquo; Jimmy Johnson had broken in to fire on Goalie Tony Esposito from about 15 feet on right wing.As Johnson fired, Tony leaped out to his left but managed to get only part of the puck with his pads. The puck slithered away from Esposito, who now was out of position, and appeared headed for the net when Stapleton streahed in from the left side, flung himself full-length on the ice, and knocked the puck into the corner as he skidded across the goal crease.The skid ended when Pat&rsquo;s left knee smashed against the net post. First reports were that he&rsquo;d suffered a fracture but further examination revealed the ligament damage.Stapleton&rsquo;s loss at this time was particularly painful to the Hawks whose goaling had become a bit shaky. Esposito has been showing signs of needing a rest. The three goals which got past him in the Montreal game ran his total for four games to 15 and he had dropped two goals behind New York&rsquo;s Ed Giacomin in the race for the Vezina trophy. And there were indications that Coach Billy Feay was planning to rest the rookie in favor of veteran Denis DeJordy. &#9632;

f0013-14

Stapleton’s Loss Seen Blow To Hawks’ Playoff Chances

(Inducting games of Sun. Feb. 8)<h2>TEAM STATISTICS AGAINST OWN DIVISION</h2><h3>East Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01679/2680419-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="581" height="180"></div><h3>West Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02633/2680412-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="579" height="179"></div><h2>AGAINST OTHER DIVISION</h2><h3>East Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03588/2680405-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="577" height="176"></div><h3>West Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04537/2680398-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="577" height="176"></div><h2>HOME AND AWAY RECORDS</h2><h3>East At Home</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05443/2680391-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="577" height="176"></div><h3>East On Road</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06377/2680384-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="577" height="175"></div><h3>West At Home</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07347/2680377-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="577" height="177"></div><h3>West On Road</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08325/2680370-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="580" height="178"></div><h3>Power Play Goals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09309/2680363-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="586" height="415"></div><h2>INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS</h2><h3>POWER PLAY GOALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10287/2680356-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="593" height="377"></div><h3>GAME WINNING GOALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11262/2680349-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="579" height="224"></div><h3>GAME TIEING GOALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12229/2680342-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="580" height="124"></div><h3>SHORTHAND GOALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-13195/2680335-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="581" height="52"></div> &#9632;

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NHL WEEK—in Statistics

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-16" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1695/2680457-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-15135/2680464-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="189" height="200"></div>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 17)<h2>EAST DIVISION</h2><h2>WEST DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1774/2680450-1-eng-US/f0013-172.jpg" title="f0013-17" width="1101" height="296"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Wed. Feb. 11Toronto 3 at Montreal 3New York 6 at Los Angeles 2Boston 3 at St. Louis 2Pittsburgh 1 at Minnesota 7Minnesota 1 at Oakland 2Thurs. Feb. 12Toronto 3 at Philadelphia 3St. Louis 2 at Detroit 5Fri. Feb. 13New York 2 at Oakland 4Sat. Feb. 14Detroit 5 at Montreal 2Philadelphia 3 at Toronto 4Boston 3 at Pittsburgh 0Chicago 5 at Minnesota 2Los Angeles 1 at St. Louis 2Sun. Feb. 15Montreal 0 at New York 2Toronto 4 at Chicago 6Pittsburgh 4 at Detroit 2Los Angeles 1 at Philadelphia 7St. Louis 3 at Minnesota 3<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Tues. Feb. 17.Boston at OaklandPhiladelphia at PittsburghWed. Feb. 18Montreal at TorontoPhiladelphia at New YorkBoston at Los AngelesDetroit at MinnesotaChicago at St. LouisThurs. Feb. 19New York at DetroitMinnesota at ChicagoPittsburgh at Los AngelesFri. Feb. 20St. Louis at OaklandSat. Feb. 21Philadelphia at MontrealDetroit at TorontoNew York at ChicagoBoston at MinnesotaPittsburgh at OaklandSt. Louis at Los AngelesSun. Feb. 22Montreal at DetroitToronto at New YorkBoston at ChicagoWed. Feb. 25Pittsburgh at MontrealOakland at TorontoSt. Louis at New YorkLos Angeles at MinnesotaThurs. Feb. 26New York at BostonOakland at DetroitChicago at PhiladelphiaLos Angeles at Pittsburgh &#9632;

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THE NHL SCENE

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>&ldquo;You like 7up 7up likes you&rdquo;LOS ANGELES&mdash;It would be nonsense to say with the Kings&rsquo; record many players have played well, but some have, who usually are overlooked in last-place circumstances. Among these are forwards Eddie Joyal, Bill Flett, Ross Lonsberry and goalkeep-er Gerry Desjardins. There are others.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01677/2680502-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="261" height="369"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Flett</figcaption></div>Joyal and Desjardins did, at least, until they were injured. Reports that the club is considering trading Desjardins are shattering! It would be a great break for him, promoting him to instant stardom, but a fatal blow to the immediate future of the team. Young Gerry is the one King who forms a foundation on which to build a champion.If adversity provides the full measure of men, Joyal and Desjardins have attained great stature by gallant performances. One who has risen to fill the void caused by Joyal&rsquo;s month-long absence has been Flett, whom former coach Hal Laycoe calls the team&rsquo;s most valuable player since recalled from Springfield in mid-December.Despite scoring 50 goals and attaining a measure of stardom in his first two NHL seasons, Flett sometimes has been criticized for slow seasonal starts, concentrating on offense and frequent lethargic performances. Ironically, he says he worked harder this last summer and reported in better shape this fall than any previous season. After six weeks of poor production, he was punished by demotion to the AHL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02568/2680495-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="527" height="572"><figcaption class="caption-body">GERRY DESJARDINS&hellip;Reported Trade Bait</figcaption></div>Since returning, the 26-year-old, 6-2, 205-pound right wing has played the best hockey of his career. Consistently aggressive, he has been using his size as never before, whacking people and playing determined defense. It is another irony that the goals have not been coming as before, but he will score less if he plays more defense, although he has such a hard shot more goals are inevitable, eventually.Being moved around is part of the business, but Bill did not feel he merited demotional punishment and he was disturbed that his pretty wife, Doreen, and three young sons, Cody, Dean and Shane, were so disturbed by it. &ldquo;It is too much for a young girl, being alone with three children. My oldest boy has been hospitalized with asthma problems. If I had been down one more day, I would have sent for them and I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d have been willing to move them back later. This business is not as important to me as they are,&rdquo; he comments sadly.Bill always has insisted he always gave his best. No speedster, he says he needs a lot of ice time to unwind. Laycoe did not play him as much as new coach John Wilson has. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting work and I think my play reflects it,&rdquo; The Cowboy, an off-season calf-roper, comments.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure few have noticed because my scoring is down. And I&rsquo;m not sure it means much when we keep losing. There is no pleasure whatsoever in playing when you always wind up in a depressed locker room beaten. But if you have pride, you press yourself to keep giving your best all the way. Wherever the team finished, we all have to live with ourselves.&rdquo;Almost every team in the league has sought him, but manager Larry Regan has resisted trading him, certain he could be psyched into reaching his potential. Now Regan has. been vindicated and Flett has been proven.KINGS THINGS&mdash;If the Kings were doing better, their attendance might be approaching its potential. Crowds of 13,912 for Detroit and 11,310 for Montreal were striking. That&rsquo;s the most Detroit ever drew here&hellip;Hal Laycoe coached 24 games before being fired, recording a 5-18-1 record for 11 points. John Wilson in his first 24 games recorded a 4-16-4 record for 12 points&hellip;In a minor trade, the Kings sent defenseman Jacques Lemieux to Phoenix for left-wing Gary Marsh. &#9632;

f0014-01

Kings Sag But Bill Flett’s Ice Play Cheers LA.

<h2>In The Fast</h2>Up until this week, the individual NHL scoring race has been largely a two-man affair&mdash;Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. However, make way for an intruder by the name of Stan Mikita, who is casting threatening gestures at the dynamic Boston duo.Mikita came up with the most productive single week performance of the season by an NHL player when he collected 10 points in the Hawks&rsquo; three games, all of which resulted in victories.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03433/2680540-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="276" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stan Mikita</figcaption></div>Stan the Man played a major role in all three wins for Chicago and in so doing moved menacingly towards Orr and Esposito. Orr leads the race with 85 points. Espo is second with 74 and Mikita third with 67. Orr led Mikita by 25 points last week but now is only 18 ahead.Mikita&rsquo;s five goals in the three Chicago games gave him 33 for the season and allowed him to take the goal-scoring lead away from Esposito. In his last eight games, Stan has collected 10 goals and 12 assists.THE HOCKEY NEWS and El Producto are pleased to salute the NHL&rsquo;s player-of-the-week in the East.STAN MIKITA&hellip;Chicago<h2>In The West</h2>Bill Sutherland of the Philadelphia Flyers has never been considered a Bobby Hull type scorer since he came into pro hockey years ago. But he does have his moments, like this past week when he figured in five goals to help solidify Philadelphia&rsquo;s playoff hopes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04325/2680533-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="251" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Sutherland</figcaption></div>&lsquo;Sudsy&rsquo;, as his teammates call him, scored three times, twice in one game, and picked up two assists for a five-point week, which was top production for the NHL&rsquo;s Western Division marksmen.Sutherland&rsquo;s big effort came on the weekend when he scored the first two goals of the game to send the Flyers on the way to a 7-1 rout of Los Angeles. He also netted the kickoff goal in a 33 tie with Toronto.With 10 goals under his belt and still 21 games remaining to play, it appears a safe bet Sutherland will surpass his 1968-69 output of 14. He could possibily pass his peak year mark of 20 with the Flyers with a second-half spurt.THE HOCKEY NEWS and El Producto are pleased to salute the NHL&rsquo;s player-of-the-week in the West:BILL SUTHERLAND&hellip;Philadelphia &#9632;

f0014-03

NHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

<h2>Game-By-Game Summaries</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01652/2680697-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="842" height="571"></div><h3>Wed Feb 11 TORONTO 3 AT MONTREAL 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02586/2680690-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="576" height="551"></div><h3>BOSTON 3 AT ST. LOUIS 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03496/2680683-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="580" height="651"></div><h3>PITTSBURGH 1 AT CHICAGO 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04383/2680676-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="577" height="696"></div><h3>MINNESOTA 1 AT OAKLAND 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05286/2680669-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="575" height="450"></div><h3>NEW YORK 6 AT LOS ANGELES 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-06235/2680662-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="576" height="739"></div><h3>Thurs. Feb. 12 ST. LOUIS 2 AT DETROIT 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-07209/2680655-1-eng-US/f0015-072.jpg" title="f0015-07" width="582" height="673"></div><h3>TORONTO 3 AT PHILADELPHIA 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-08187/2680648-1-eng-US/f0015-082.jpg" title="f0015-08" width="579" height="598"></div><h3>Fri Feb 13 NEW YORK 2 AT OAKLAND 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-09172/2680641-1-eng-US/f0015-092.jpg" title="f0015-09" width="578" height="598"></div><h3>Sat. Feb. 14 DETROIT 5 AT MONTREAL 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-10149/2680634-1-eng-US/f0015-102.jpg" title="f0015-10" width="578" height="639"></div><h3>CHICAGO 5 AT MINNESOTA 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-11130/2680627-1-eng-US/f0015-112.jpg" title="f0015-11" width="575" height="575"></div><h3>LOS ANGELES 1 AT ST. LOUIS 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-12104/2680620-1-eng-US/f0015-122.jpg" title="f0015-12" width="585" height="466"></div><h3>PHILADELPHIA 3 AT TORONTO 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1391/2680613-1-eng-US/f0015-132.jpg" title="f0015-13" width="580" height="675"></div><h3>BOSTON 3 AT PITTSBURGH 0</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1478/2680606-1-eng-US/f0015-142.jpg" title="f0015-14" width="583" height="451"></div><h3>Sun. Feb. 15 MONTREAL 0 AT NEW YORK 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1563/2680599-1-eng-US/f0015-152.jpg" title="f0015-15" width="576" height="405"></div><h3>PITTSBURGH 4 AT DETROIT 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1659/2680592-1-eng-US/f0015-162.jpg" title="f0015-16" width="581" height="600"></div><h3>ST. LOUIS 3 AT MINNESOTA 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1756/2680585-1-eng-US/f0015-172.jpg" title="f0015-17" width="579" height="524"></div><h3>TORONTO 4 AT CHICAGO 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1847/2680578-1-eng-US/f0015-182.jpg" title="f0015-18" width="579" height="773"></div><h3>LOS ANGELES 1 AT PHILADELPHIA 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1940/2680571-1-eng-US/f0015-192.jpg" title="f0015-19" width="587" height="751"></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

<h2>MONTREAL</h2>GOALKEEPERSRogatien VachonPhil MyreDEFENSEMENJ. C. TremblayTed HarrisSerge SavardTerry HarperJacques LaperriereFORWARDSJean Beliveau CRalph BackstromBobby RousseauYvan CournoyerClaude Provost AMickey RedmondJacques LemaireBobby SheehanLuc GrenierHenri Richard AChristian BordeleauINJUREDJohn Ferguson ASUSPENDEDLorne WorsleyC&mdash;Captain.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>GOALKEEPERSJacques PlanteErnie WakelyGlenn HallDEFENSEMENRay FortinBob PlagerBill PlagerBarclay PlagerAl Arbour CJean-Guy TalbotFORWARDSPhil GoyetteRed Berenson AFrank St. MarseilleGary SabourinTim EcclestoneBill McCrearyAb McDonaldWayne MakiJim Roberts ATerry CrispTerry GrayINJUREDNoel PicardC&mdash;Captain<h2>BOSTON</h2>GOALKEEPERSGerry CheeversEd JohnstonDEFENSEMENBobby OrrRick SmithDallas SmithBill SpeerDon AwreyGary DoakFORWARDSKen HodgeJohn Bucyk AWayne CarletonFred StanfieldGarnet BaileyEd Westfall AJohn McKenziePhil Esposito AJim LorentzWayne CashmanDon MarcotteDerek SandersonINJUREDRon MurphyA&mdash;Alternate Captain<h2>OAKLAND</h2>GOALKEEPERSGary SmithCharlie HodgeDEFENSEMENDoug RobertsWayne MuloinDick MattiussiBert MarshallHarry HowellFORWARDSBilly Hicke AGerry EhmanTed HampsonDon DonoghueGary JarrettEarl IngarfieldMike LaughtonNorm FergusonBob DillaboughHowie MenardCarol VadnaisINJUREDNONEA&mdash;AlternateCaptain<h2>CHICAGO</h2>GOALKEEPERSTony EspositoDenis DeJordyDEFENSEMENKeith MagnusonDoug JarrettRay McKayPaul ShmyrDoug MohnsFORWARDSLou AngottiPit MartinJim PappinBobby HullDennis HullEric NesterenkoChico MakiCliff KorollJim WisteStan MikitaGerry PinderGene UbriacoGil MarotteINJUREDPat Stapleton C<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>GOALKEEPERSBernie ParentDEFENSEMENEd Van ImpeJoe WatsonLarry HillmanWayne HillmanDick CherryLarry HaleFORWARDSEarl HeiskalaAndre LacroixSimon NoletJean-GuyReg FlemingBill SutherlandGary DornhoeferBob ClarkeLew MorrisonTerry BallGarry PetersJim JohnsonINJUREDDoug Favell<h2>DETROIT</h2>GOALKEEPERSRoy EdwardsRoger CrozierDEFENSEMENBobby BaunGary BergmanCarl BrewerRon HarrisMatt RavlichFORWARDSAlex DelvecchioGarry UngerGordie HoweGarry MonahanBruce MacGregorNick LibettWayne ConnellyPete StemkowskiFrank MahovlichBilly DeaINJUREDAl Karlander<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>GOALKEEPERSAl SmithJoe DaleyDEFENSEMENDuane RuppBob WoytowichBob BlackburnTracy PrattJim MorrisonBryan WatsonFORWARDSBryan HextailVai FonteyneNick HarbarukKen SchinkelGlen SatherRon SchockWally BoyerJean PronovostDean PrenticeMichel BriereKeith McCrearyINJUREDLes Binkley<h2>TORONTO</h2>GOALKEEPERSBruce GambleGerry McNamaraDEFENSEMENTim Horton APat QuinnJim McKennyRicky LeyBrian GlennieFORWARDSDave Keon CRon Ellis AMurray OliverJim HarrisonBrit SelbyMike WaltonFloyd SmithPaul HendersonBob Pulford ATerry ClancyNorm UllmanGeorge ArmstrongINJUREDJim DoreyMarv EdwardsJohn BowerMike Pelyk<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>GOALKEEPERSGerry DesjardinsWayne RutledgeDEFENSEMENDale RolfeBrent Hughes ABob Wall ALarry Cahan CBill WhiteFORWARDSEddie ShackDick DuffBill FlettJimPetersButch GoringTed IrvineSkip KrakeMike CorriganRoss LansberryLeon RochefortBryan CampbellEddie JoyalINJUREDHowie Hughes<h2>NEW YORK</h2>GOALKEEPERSEd GiacominTerry ScwchukDEFENSEMENBrad ParkArnie BrownRod SeilingAllan HamiltonJim Neilson AFORWARDSRod Gilbert ABob Nevin COrland KurtenbachReal LemieuxBill FairbairnVic HadfieldRon StewartDave BalonWalt TkaczukJean RatelleJuha WidingDon Marshall AINJUREDNone<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GOALKEEPERSCesare ManiagoGilles GilbertDEFENSEMENLou NanneJohn MiszukLeo Boivin AMarshall JohnstonDarryl SlyTom ReidFORWARDSDanny O&rsquo;SheaBill GoldsworthyDanny LawsonRay Cullen AJean-PaulPariseTommy WilliamsBob BarlowClaude LaroseBill CollinsDanny GrantGrant EricksonINJUREDWalt McKechnieBarry GibbsKen Broderick &#9632;

National League Rosters

MONTREAL&mdash;College hockey fans in Canada are wondering if the second guessers, who have been speculating whether St. Louis&rsquo; first 1969 draft choice, Mike Lowe, would make the grade or not, are still firm in their belief.Lowe, the scoring hero of Loyola College Warriors of Montreal, is currently the top producer in Canadian collegiate hockey circles with 45 goals and 30 assists in 28 games. In his final year at Loyola, the fasLskating Lowe passed the 100-goal plateau midway through the current season and in one game set a record of seven goals, six of which came in one period.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01498/2680776-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="497" height="494"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE LOWE&hellip;Loyola&rsquo;s Ice Spark</figcaption></div>The Loyola Warriors, led by the dynamic Lowe, are nreparing for the Canadian National championships to be held in the first week of March at Charlottetown, P.E.I. The Montrealers sport a 24-3-2 record to date, including a 3-3 hard-fought tie against the defending Canadian ice champions, Toronto Varsity Blues. The two teams are ranked one, two with Varsity heading the Canadian Intercolegiate Athletic Union poll across the nation. Loyola leads the Ottawa-St. Lawrence Conference race.Lowe is the young man the St. Louis Blues plucked out of the summer amateur draft as their No. 1 choice last year and in so doing astonished the hockey world by bypassing other more prolific junior scoring stars. But the Blues&rsquo; selection looks mighty good at this juncture.There is also a possibility Lowe will step up into professional ranks at the conclusion of the college hockey season and perform with the Blues&rsquo; Kansas City team in the Central Hockey League playoffs&mdash;providing of course the lowly KC Blues make it.Lowe is slated to report to the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; NHL training camp next September to launch his pro bid for a shot at hockey&rsquo;s big time. He certainly will carry some imposing credentials with him. &#9632;

f0016-01

NHL Blues Top Draft, Mike Lowe Hottest College Scoring Ace

<div class="byline">BY ED CONRAD</div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;He is no Bernie Parent or Tony Esposito except that he, too, is a goaltender whose job is to block shots. He doesn&rsquo;t stop too many, though, because almost every time the other team shoots the puck, the red light goes on.Immediately afterwards, pintr size Fran Malletroit removes a glove, tucks a bare hand under his face mask and apparently wipes away a tear or two. His teammates feel badly for him, so they skate over to the net, rub the little guy&rsquo;s head and offer a few words of encouragement.The crowd, naturally, sympathizes with him. So whenever he accidentally gets his stick in front of the puck to keep even the softest of shots from entering the net, there is a thunderous ovation from nearly 17,000 fans. The kid smiles while his coach and teammates grin.The heartwarming scene tells a lot about the annual International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament which is held every winter at the Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada.It is a tournament for teams whose players are not over 12 years of age, and for the last 11 years it has been the highlight of the annual Winter Carnival which is to Quebec what the Mardi Gras is to New Orleans.Malletroit is the backup goaltender on a team from Paris which helped give this year&rsquo;s tournament a real international flavor. The French team and one from West Germany represented the European continent.This year 102 teams competed in four different divisions, classified according to the population of their respective towns or cities. The grand champion was Cedar Hill, a team from Toronto, which whipped Lasalle, a team from Montreal, in the finale, 6-1.Cedar Hill, as classy as a team can be for players so young, had clinched the Class AA title by beating another Toronto entry, Young Nationals, and advanced to the finals by whipping Asbestos, Que., the Class B champ. Lasalle, the Class A title-winner, had reached the finals by defeated Amos, Que., the winner of the Class C (or lowest) division.Naturally, the French team had entered the tourney with the hope of winning. However, when they were trailing, 3-0, after two periods of their special European championship game against West Germany, their coach put his tiny goalie into the contest. The final score was 7-0.Hockey News SpecialIt was quite a sight, though, because the lad looked like he could hardly lift the goaltending equipment, let alone move around carrying all that weight. That&rsquo;s why he was the darling of the fans, no matter how he did.The crowd itself plays an unforgettable part in the Pee Wee Tournament. Every day ot the weeklong series, the Coliseum is packed to the rafters.In fact, one morning the Quebec Aces&mdash;the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; American Hockey League affiliate&mdash;took the ice at 7 a.m. for practice and more than 15,000 fans were there to watch. They had come that early in order to assure themselves a seat. Most bring their lunch and stay all day.&ldquo;It sure is a sight,&rdquo; said Joe Scott, currently president of the Aces who make the Coliseum available every year. &ldquo;Imagine, the place is packed and still thousands of fans wait outside in the cold keeping their fingers crossed that someone will leave so they can get inside.&rdquo;The tournament, which is to hockey what the Little League World series is to baseball, is sanctioned by the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association. Proceeds benefit charity, which helps promote hockey for the boys and young men of Quebec.Numerous unforgettable things have occurred ever since the first tournament was staged with a 24-team field back in 1960.Off the ice, there are funny stories every year. One of the best concerned the time a team from nearby Pont Rouge, Que., braved a snowstorm to make the game, then couldn&rsquo;t make the trip back home because all highways were impassible. It was disastrous because more than 200 kids and more than 100 parents had not lodging for the night.A parish priest from the little French-Canadian town came to the rescue. He contacted the train station, inquired about the cost of transporting the team and the fans, then dashed off a check for more than $400. Everybody got home safe and sound.The following Sunday morning, however, came the fun. The priest, during his sermon, said in so-many words that he&rsquo;s not Rockefeller and he&rsquo;d appreciate all the adults dropping $1.70 in the collection plate and all the kids doing the same to the tune of 65 cents.He got every penny back. &#9632;

Drama, Excitement Grip Quebec Pee Wee Tourney

<div class="byline">BY ALEX HARDY</div>EDMONTON&mdash;The worst part of the Western Canada League&rsquo;s two-day All-Star extravaganza was the game itself.The All-Stars, led by two goals from Winnipeg defenceman Bill Mikkelson, spanked the home-standing Edmonton Oil Kings 7-2 before 5,000 fans.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01413/2680807-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="240" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Hunter</figcaption></div>Oil Kings, who appeared to be in poor condition, collapsed midway through the second period after battling the All-Stars to a 1-1 tie through the game&rsquo;s first 30 minutes.In all other respects the AllStar break was a classic success. Pro hockey officials poured in from across the continent to watch the best talent in the West. They haven&rsquo;t forgotten that the WCHL sent NHL rookie-of-the-year contender Bob Clarke to Philadelphia Flyers this season.The big names included Westson Adams, owner of the Boston Bruins; Wren Blair, general-manager of Minnesota North Stars; Del Wilson, Jimmy Skinner and Frank Mario, directors of player personnel for Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues, respectively; and a coteries of scouts.The night before the game, 657 persons filled the Edmonton Inn for a testimonial dinner honoring Bill Hunter, a founder of the WCHL and owner of the Oil Kings. The City of Edmonton declared it &ldquo;Bill Hunter Day&rdquo; in honor of the man who has been a leader in Western junior hockey for 25 years. The All-Stars erupted for three goals late in the second period against the over-matched Oil Kings. Edmonton&rsquo;s top players, such as sure-fire pro defenceman Ron Jones, matched the Stars in ability, but several of the Oiler&rsquo;s lesser players couldn&rsquo;t keep up.Greg Polis, super forward ol Estevan Bruins, was picked by Blair as the first star Winnipeg centre Chris Odd-liefson was his no. 2 choice, followed by Jones. &#9632;

f0017-01

Oil Kings Spring Leak As WCHL’s All-Stars Romp To Easy Ice Win

<div class="byline">BY CHARLEY BARTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;Larry Brown was in hospital for treatment for a knee ailment, and Forbes Kennedy had just resumed skating following knee surgery as the Buffalo Bisons operated with four defensemen and nine forwards.The recall of Billy Plager by the St. Louis Blues left the Western Division leaders with a full complement of five defensemen until Brown was hurt.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02364/2680838-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="238" height="431"><figcaption class="caption-body">Forbes Kennedy</figcaption></div>Dr. Howard Lehman said Brown aggravated an old injury, and would require post-season surgery. However, Brown was expected to rejoin the club after treatment and would be able to complete this season, Dr. Lehman said.Kennedy, an abrasive center, underwent surgery Oct. 27 on his right knee for the second time in less than a year, and played for the first time this season Feb. 6 in a 2-2 tie with Montreal.He was on the ice twice for brief shifts, and also made two short appearances two nights later in a 5-2 loss to the Springfield Kings.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s obvious Kennedy needs a great deal of work to get ready,&rdquo; said Coach Fred Shero. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s working hard on the trainingroom bike, and we&rsquo;ll have him exercise the leg with weights, as well.In addition to Plager, the Blues also recently recalled left-winger Wayne Maki from the Bisons. Maki picked up his clothes after two weeks with the Blues, and reportedly would finish the season with them.Whether Plager would be returned wasn&rsquo;t known as this edition of THE HOCKEY NEWS went to press. Noel Picard of the Blues was slated for surgery, and was through for the season, and Plager joined brothers Barclay and Bob at St. Louis as Picard&rsquo;s replacement.ALONG THE BOARDS&mdash;1 ne so-canea nome ice advantage means nothing to the Bisons and Springfield this season. The Bisons have won two and lost one in Springfield and the Kings have won two and lost one here&hellip;The Pastor brothers, Ruby, Sam and Al, hosted the Bisons, their wives and girl friends at a gala dinner party at a plush Buffalo restaurant&hellip;The Bisons and the Montreal Voyageurs drew 10,641 and the SRO sign was up 10 hours before game time. &#9632;

f0017-02

Kennedy In At Hon For Herd But Full Beto very To Be Slow

<h2>WESTERN CANADA JUNIOR</h2>(Standinqs on Wed. Feb. 11)<h3>Eastern Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03298/2680918-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="567" height="165"></div><h3>Western Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04233/2680911-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="575" height="172"></div><h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 13)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05189/2680904-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="576" height="301"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3>(Including Games of Tues. Feb. 10)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06159/2680897-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="580" height="481"></div><h2>MANITOBA SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Sat. Feb 7)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07143/2680890-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="581" height="177"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08112/2680883-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="573" height="232"></div><h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2><h3>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</h3>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1091/2680876-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="596" height="176"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09100/2680869-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="574" height="549"></div> &#9632;

f0017-03

Looking At Hockey Races

<div class="byline">BY GEORGE DUFFY</div>PROVIDENCE&mdash;John McKenzie does the job for Boston. Reg Fleming is Philadelphia&rsquo;s man and Tony Featherstone is eager to fill the bill for Oakland.&ldquo;Some people don&rsquo;t think Im normal.&rdquo; the rookie right wing says, &ldquo;but I enjoy going into the corner to dig for the puck.&ldquo;Matter of fact.&rdquo; the 21-vear-old forward continues. &ldquo;I get as much satisfaction out of digging the puck out of the corner and setting up goals as I do scoring myself.&rdquo;Featherstone, Oaklands No. 1 draft selection in last summer&rsquo;s amateur draft, has spent most of the current season with the Providence Reds, the Seals American Hockey League affiliate.The 5-foot-ll. 185-pound Toronto native scored 10 goals and 14 assists in his first 35 games for Providence, and impressed friend and foe alike with his work in the corners.&ldquo;Tony,&rdquo; offered Coach Dave Creighton of the Reds, &ldquo;has the knack of always coming up with the puck in the corner. He&rsquo;s strong enough and tough enough for the job.&rdquo;Featherstone impressed defenseman Jack Chipchase of Rochester with his toughness in a recent game at the Amerks&rsquo; War Memorial Auditorium.&ldquo;They were beating us and I was getting a little thick.&rdquo; admitted Featherstone, who finds defeat difficult to accept. &ldquo;Anyhow, we went into the corner together and the referee blew his whistle for a faceoff.&ldquo;I relaxed for a second and Chipchase bounced my head off the plexiglass. That was the last straw.&rdquo;Featherstone quickly dropped his gloves and battered the Rochester defenseman with a series of lefts and rights in a Gene Fullmer-like display of strength.&ldquo;I guess Tony proved he can take care of himself,&rdquo; observed Creighton. &ldquo;At least I&rsquo;m pretty sure Chipchase won&rsquo;t try to push him around anymore.&rdquo;Joe Hardy, the rookie who centers the line on which Featherstone finds employment, stopped worrying about his linemate in Springfield earlier in the season.&ldquo;Larry Johnston plays for Springfield and most guys think he&rsquo;s the toughest defenseman in the league.&rdquo; said Hardy.&ldquo;Anvhow, in this particular game he hit Featherstone about two or three times with good. clean, hard bodychecks.&ldquo;Tony didn&rsquo;t say anything to me. but I could see he was getting a little fed up with Johnston.&rdquo; Hardy recalled.&ldquo;Finally, the puck went behind the Springfield net and Johnston skated over for it. He had his head down and never saw Tony circling from the front of the net.&ldquo;Tony really unloaded on him perfectly.&rdquo; Hardy laughed, &ldquo;and we didn&rsquo;t have anymore trouble from Johnston for the rest of the night.&rdquo;Featherstone is eager to graduate to Oakland, but realizes he&rsquo;ll have to improve his skating and shooting to do the trick.&ldquo;Everyone in the NHL is a step faster than they are in the AHL.&rdquo; he declared. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to improve mv stride to catch up with them.&rdquo;Still Featherstone gets a vote of confidence from his Providence coach, Creighton.&ldquo;I expect him to be playing in the NHL next season.&rdquo; the coach declared, &ldquo;because he&rsquo;s got the desire to be there. There&rsquo;s one thing you can&rsquo;t be without&mdash;heart&mdash;in the National Hockey League. Tony&rsquo;s definitely got it.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01419/2681071-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="551" height="1417"><figcaption class="caption-body">TONY FEATHERSTONE&hellip;Needs No Bodyguard</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0018-01

Featherstone AU Muscle In The Corners As Rivals Discover Of NHL-Bound Rookie

<h2>Sat. Feb. 7 BALTIMORE 3 AT CLEVELAND 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02332/2681165-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="582" height="454"></div><h2>HERSHEY 2 AT SPRINGFIELD 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03239/2681158-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="586" height="481"></div><h2>Tues. Feb. 10 ROCHESTER 1 AT QUEBEC 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04189/2681151-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="582" height="350"></div><h2>Wed Feb 11 SPRINGFIELD 3 AT CLEVELAND 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05137/2681144-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="588" height="587"></div><h2>ROCHESTER 3 AT PROVIDENCE 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06114/2681137-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="580" height="756"></div><h2>Thun. Feb. 12 HERSHEY 2 AT QUEBEC 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07100/2681130-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="590" height="625"></div><h2>Fri. Feb 13 HERSHEY 3 at MONTREAL 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-0886/2681123-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="592" height="678"></div><h2>BALTIMORE 4 AT SPRINGFIELD 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-0975/2681116-1-eng-US/f0018-092.jpg" title="f0018-09" width="597" height="861"></div><h2>PROVIDENCE 4 at ROCHESTER 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1067/2681109-1-eng-US/f0018-102.jpg" title="f0018-10" width="590" height="651"></div><h2>CLEVELAND 1 AT BUFFALO 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1162/2681102-1-eng-US/f0018-112.jpg" title="f0018-11" width="577" height="425"></div> &#9632;

f0018-02

American League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK SANTANIELLO</div>SPRINGFIELD&mdash;Noel Price, very frankly, is a National Hockey League caliber defenseman playing in the American Hockey League. It&rsquo;s that simple since Los Angeles got him in the reverse draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins. In order for him to play with Los Angeles, they must negotiate a player with the Penguins.The 34-vear old &lsquo;Mr. Perfection&rsquo; on defense has played the programe since 1956. 1 his makes the iourtn seperate time he&rsquo;s played in Springfield. A left handed shot, he spent the last two seasons with Pittsburgh in the NHL. playing 70 games in 1967, 73 games in 1968. He hit 33 points in 1967 and only 20 last season. He played four seasons for Toronto St. Michaels College in the Ontario Hockey Assn, before turning pro with Toronto.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1256/2681196-1-eng-US/f0018-122.jpg" title="f0018-12" width="260" height="422"><figcaption class="caption-body">Noel Price</figcaption></div>That was in 1956 when he played 70 games with Winnipeg in the Western League and one game with Rochester. In 1957, he appeared in 69 games with Rochester, one with Toronto. up on in the NHL in 1958. playing 28 games with Toronto. They traded him to New York in 1959.The Rangers in turn sent him to their Springfield farm club, where he played 31 games, also six for the Rangers. In 1960, he appeared in 71 games for Springfield and one for the Rangers.Price was off to Detroit in 1961, where he played 20 games for them and 47 for Springfield. He put a great season together in 1962 with Baltimore and followed that up with another big year in 1963 with the Clippers.In 1964. he played with Baltimore in 72 games, turning in a great 39 points season. Noel was on to Quebec in 1965, with 28 points in 55 games. He managed 15 games in &lsquo;65 with Montreal. He potted 26 points in 47 games with Quebec in 1966 and the Canadians used him in 24 games.His NHL totals include 238 games overall, with 8 goals,&hellip;assists for 63 points. Price has the ability to break up a play without slamming the player into the boards. He is a steadying influence on younger players and very rarely makes mistakes.He&rsquo;s a fine left hand shot who likes to play right defense He was the best &ldquo;wrong&rdquo; side backliner with the Penguins last season. &ldquo;Shiny&rdquo;, as Price is known because of his thinning hairline, is a strong man to have on any power play. &#9632;

f0018-12

Kings’ Price Carries ‘Big League’ Label

Save $$$$$$ Subscribe To The HOCKEY NEWS Receive 35 Issues At HomeFor The Best In Hockey Reading It&rsquo;s HOCKEY PICTORIAL Hockey&rsquo;s Most Exciting Publication<h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE(Standings on Tues. Feb. 17)<h3>Eastern Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01396/2681040-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="574" height="167"></div><h3>Western Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02344/2681033-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="584" height="336"></div>(Affiliations: 1, Montreal 2. Detroit 3. Boston 4. New York 7. Los Angeles 8. Pittsburgh 9. Oakland 10. Philadelphia 13. Vancouver)<h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Feb. 10Rochester 1 at Quebec 2Wed. Feb. 11Springfield 3 at Cleveland 4Rochester 3 at Providence 8Thurs. Feb. 12Hershey 2 at Quebec 7Fri., Feb. 13Cleveland 1 at Buffalo 1Hershey 3 at Montreal 6Providence 4 at Rochester 5Baltimore 4 at Springfield 9Sat. Feb. 14Buffalo 2 at Cleveland 5Providence 1 at Springfield 5Sun. Feb. 15Baltimore 1 at Buffalo 6Hershey 1 at Montreal 5Springfield 1 at Providence 5Quebec I at Rochester 7<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Tues. Feb. 17Springfield at BaltimoreRochester at MontrealHershey at ClevelandWed. Feb. 18Springfield at HersheyThurs. Feb. 19Rochester at QuebecFri. Feb. 20Providence at BuffaloSpringfield at MontrealSat. Feb. 21Buffalo at BaltimoreQuebec at ClevelandMontreal at HersheyRochester at SpringfieldSun. Feb. 22Rochester at BuffaloHershey at ClevelandQuebec at MontrealBaltimore at ProvidenceTues. Feb. 24Providence at QuebecWed. Feb. 25Cleveland at HersheyThurs. Feb. 26Cleveland at BaltimoreFri. Feb. 27Providence at MontrealBuffalo at RochesterHershey at Springfield<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03279/2681026-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="585" height="526"></div><h2>COLLEGE RACES</h2>NEW YORK COLLEGE(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 5)<h3>EAST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0549/2681019-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="582" height="239"></div><h3>WEST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0634/2681012-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="579" height="237"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><h3>East Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0730/2681005-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="581" height="308"></div><h3>West Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0823/2680998-1-eng-US/f0020-082.jpg" title="f0020-08" width="581" height="302"></div><h2>OTTAWA&mdash;ST-LAWRENCE</h2>(Standings on Sat. Feb. 14)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0916/2680991-1-eng-US/f0020-092.jpg" title="f0020-09" width="581" height="305"></div><h2>FINGER LAKES LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 12)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-1013/2680984-1-eng-US/f0020-102.jpg" title="f0020-10" width="576" height="302"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-1110/2680977-1-eng-US/f0020-112.jpg" title="f0020-11" width="582" height="279"></div><h2>ONTARIO&mdash;QUEBEC COLLEGE</h2>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 12)<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-129/2680970-1-eng-US/f0020-122.jpg" title="f0020-12" width="581" height="237"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-138/2680963-1-eng-US/f0020-132.jpg" title="f0020-13" width="577" height="236"></div><h2>ONTARIO COLLEGE LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 11)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-147/2680956-1-eng-US/f0020-142.jpg" title="f0020-14" width="577" height="268"></div><h2>WCHA DIVISION</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 2)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-157/2680949-1-eng-US/f0020-152.jpg" title="f0020-15" width="581" height="335"></div> &#9632;

f0019-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY BOB ELMER</div>BALTIMORE&mdash;For the first time in many moons, the rambunctious Baltimore Clippers appear to have a good shot at having one of their clan take down the coveted Dudley &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Garrett Memorial Trophy.As most hockey buffs know, the Garrett Trophy is awarded to the year&rsquo;s outstanding Rookie in the AHL. It was first offered into competition in 1947-48 in memory of a young player who gave his life during World War II while in the service of the Canadian Navy.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04239/2681241-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="246" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Snell</figcaption></div>Eligibility rules covering this award restrict the recipient to not having played in more than thirty games in any combined season in the AHL, NHL or WHL and must be on the roster of a member AHL club after the first Sunday in March.While the Baltimore Clippers have never spawned a Garrett winner there are three former rookie of the year honorees who have at one time or another worn the Orange, Black and White since the city first gained an AHL francise in 1962-63. This trio are Doug Robinson, Ray Cullen and Bobby Rivard, the latter presently putting in a solid season with the locals.However, Baltimore is looking for its first &ldquo;freshman&rdquo; winner and this may very well be the year. The club is blessed with a bevy of outstanding rookies to such an extent that the problem will likely be not whether the Clippers indeed have the rookie of the year, but rather which of the youngsters deserves the top award most.Beginning with scoring top man would be right winger Ron Snell. At this writing the aggressive Regina native is third among the Clippers leading point-getters, just a point behind veterans Jean-Marie Cossette and Jimmy Bartlett. The 21-year-old forward turned pro last winter with the Pittsburgh Penguins who sent him to Amarillo of the Central League and then moved him up to Baltimore this winter. He is closing in on 20 goals scored, kills penalties and is having a fine two-way season with the second place Clippers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05199/2681234-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="555" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROD ZAINE&hellip;Back In Form</figcaption></div>Bracketed behind Snell in the offensive column are two of the team&rsquo;s potentially finest &ldquo;future stars&rdquo;&mdash;Rod Zaine and Rick Kessell. Both are centers. Both are young, and both are going like gangbusters over the past month of the present campaign.Zaine, 23, is owned by Baltimore. General Manager Terry Reardon put the personable, well educated Ottawa native on his negotiation list three years ago following a tip from old friend Ian Anderson, the veteran defenseman and teammate of Zaine&rsquo;s with the Clinton Comets of the Eastern League. Rod turned pro this year after putting in a combined season last winter with &ldquo;the Canadian Nationals and the Comets.After a fast start as a new pro, Zaine caught an elbow with his chin in a game in Cleveland ir mid-November and was out for six weeks with a broken jaw. It was a very painful injury inas much as his jaw was broken in two places and when he finally returned to action, the blackhaired, blue-eyed youth skated with a helmet until recently.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06154/2681227-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="549" height="581"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK KESSELL&hellip;Point-A-Game Pace</figcaption></div>At the time of his injury, Zaine had 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points. As of this writing, he has tallied a point a game (8 for 8) in addition to killing penalties and assisting veteran wingers Bartlett and Wayne Hicks on many key scores.Kessell is just 21 years of age, having reached voting status last month. He was Pittsburgh&rsquo;s top draft choice last summer following a brilliant year with the Oshawa Juniors. The baby-faced but handsome pivot didn&rsquo;t get too much of an opportunity at the start of the season when the Clippers were juggling their lines, but after the first of the year Coach Rudy Migay began inserting the 5-10, 170 pounder into a regular line, and the more ice Rick got, the better he performed. Like Zaine, young Kessell has been on a point-a-game tear rising from a two goal, two assist total as of January 5 to a current 8-14 scoring pace, or 18 points in as many outings.In addition to his threesome, Coach Migay is very high on his two first year defensemen JeanGuy Lagace and Doug Barrie.Three more rookies, Larry Billows and Gary Swain, up front, and Yvon Labre on defense, appear to be a step behind their aforementioned teammates, but have continued to improve. &#9632;

f0019-04

Hot Clipper Rookies Problem For Voters

<div class="byline">BY JOHN TRAVERS</div>HERSHEY&mdash;Once again the Hershey Bears are skating on thin ice. The defending Calder Cup champions dropped their first two games of an eight-game road trip sched-uled for February and slipped to third place in the American League&rsquo;s Western Division.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-08120/2681272-1-eng-US/f0019-082.jpg" title="f0019-08" width="247" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Lesuk</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We have to play close to. 500 hockey on this trip if we&rsquo;re going to finish second,&rdquo; said coach&mdash;general manager Frank Mathers before departing on the extended trip through the hinterlands.&ldquo;What bothers me is that we&rsquo;re not being out-played or out shot, but still we&rsquo;re losing,&rdquo; he added.For instance, Hershey dropped a 5-4 decision Feb. 6 at Rochester, though it out shot the Americans, 37-24. And five days earlier, the Bears had it all over Buffalo for two periods, but then collapsed in the windup period as Guy Trottier struck for the three goal &ldquo;Hat Trick&rdquo; to pace the Bisons to a 6-2 triumph.As of the 45-game mark, the Bears are far behind their pace of last season in points, goals for and goals against.Hershey showed 43 points, 163 goals for and 160 against after 45 matches, while in 1968-69 the Bears boasted 52 points, 186 goals for and 142 against at the same stage.Mathers is hoping the club can catch fire again, especially in the stretch run for the final playoff positions.&ldquo;Last season we played in and out hockey in February and part of March, but then we suddenly got rolling and the momentum carried us to the Cup championship,&rdquo; said Mathers.The bears won seven of their last nine regular season games and then swept past Buffalo in six games ana the Quebec Aces in five to capture the Cup in last year&rsquo;s whirlwind finish.Currently Hershey, Baltimore and Rochester are battling for the last two places open in the West for the playoffs. Only six points separated the three clubs as of Feb. 6. Buffalo should clinch the division title for the second straight year within the month.There are a few bright spots in the club&rsquo;s ranks. For one, winger Stan Gilbertson, who scored only five goals in the first half of the season, has apparently found the touch. The American-born skater has collected six goals in his last eight starts.Rookie winger Bill Lesuk popped in four goals in the last half-dozen games. Forward Ted Snell, sidelined for several weeks with a severe ankle injury, re-turned to action Feb.6, but defenseman Ralph Keller and winger Roger DeJordy remain on the injured list.Defenseman Larry McNabb returned from Salt Lake City of the Western League to help shore the backline ranks. &#9632;

f0019-08

Bears Still Well Behind Title Pace

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div>ROCHESTER&mdash;The Rochester Americans, who went from a riches to rags status once they were purchased by the Vancouver Canucks of the Western League before the 1968-69 season, have added a goaltender who fits right in.He&rsquo;s Claude Hardy, acquired on loan for the rest ot the American League season from the Los Angeles Kings of the National League.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07134/2681303-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="256" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">Claude Hardy</figcaption></div>Hardy opened the season as the No. 2 man (behind Gerry Desjardins) with Los Angeles, but never faced a shot by the opposition before being sent down to Springfield of the AHL in the middle of December.Rookie Bob Landon and veteran Bob Sneddon were firmly entrenched as No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with the AHL Kings, and Hardy found himself unwanted. He never even got a uniform for a game with Springfield, so hadn&rsquo;t played a minute this season when he arrived in Rochester Feb. 6.What makes it all the tougher is that the 27-year-old second-year pro had high hopes ot a good season back in the fall.&ldquo;I think I was the best in training camp after Gerry Desjardins,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;But in Los Angeles after Desjardins there is no more goaltender, so all I do is sit there until I go to. Springfield.&ldquo;And when I get to Springfield I think they put the whole blame on me for not making the playoffs last year,&rdquo; the Arvida, Que., native added. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t tell me that, but I&rsquo;m not stupid. All I know is I don&rsquo;t get to play at all, even after the team gets bombed a few games. I don&rsquo;t even get a uniform as the back-up man.&rdquo;Hardy began his rookie pro season with Springfield last year sharing the duties with Bob Perani, but soon took over as the regular. Then he didn&rsquo;t see any action in January and February as Don McLeod was brought in. Hardy did get to play some in March again and finished the season with a 3.62 goals-against average in 44 games.A look at Claude&rsquo;s hockey background gives an indication of why he is so unhappy and frustrated at what&rsquo;s happened this season. He&rsquo;ll be 28 in September and this is only his second pro season and it&rsquo;s been a total waste up to now.After playing his Junior hockey around his hometown area, he signed a C form with the Rangers and went to Baltimore&rsquo;s training camp in 1963. He spent some time with the Rangers, but didn&rsquo;t get to play until he was sent to the Philadelphia Ramblers of the Eastern League. He had a 5.17 goals-against figure for 29 games.That plus being a little homesick took Hardy back to Quebec for the next two seasons and he played some local senior hockey while working as a railroad machinist. He joined Victoriaville of the Quebec Senior Hockey League in &lsquo;66-67 and the following season goaltended the club to the Allan Cup (Canada&rsquo;s Senior hockey championship) with a brilliant 2.75 goals-against average.What Claude Hardy does with the opportunity he has now may influence his entire future in the sport. Bob Whidden, a rookie, is the Amerk regular and Hardy was obtained to spring back-up Al Millar for additional scouting. &#9632;

f0019-07

Amerks Pry Cooler Hardy Away From LA Kings

<div class="byline">BY PHIL LANGAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01241/2681334-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="492" height="951"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Frith&hellip;Greatest of The Ithacans</figcaption></div>ITHACA&mdash;There were only 1000 people, there to see it, but they sounded like 10,000 when Ithaca College&rsquo;s Rod Frith recently scored the 100th goal of his starry collegiate career.The victim was Finger Lakes Collegiate League foe St. John Fisher College, and it was fitting that Frith reached the rarely touched century mark against an FLCL opponent, since he has done a lot to make this successful, eightrteam league a positive force in eastern small college hockey.Rodney &ldquo;Rudy&rdquo; Frith doesn&rsquo;t play against the Cornells or Denvers or Boston Colleges. His roadblocks are named Oswego, Buffalo University and Salem State. But make no mistake, the 6-2, 200 pounder from Don&rsquo;s Mills, Ontario Canada could play for any team in the country.Frith is the greatest player in Ithaca College&rsquo;s ten-year hockey history. Through the fist nine games of this season, he has scored 105 career goals and 59 assists for 164 points. In addition he has 17 career hat tricks, been named to the Finger Lakes Collegiate League First All-Star team for three straight years, and generally kept Ithaca College hockey alive and breathing.This year, for the fist time ever, Ithaca has depth, and Frith has help. The Ithacans, under the direction of first year coach Forbes Keith, are on the way up. For the past three years, though, Ithaca College hockey was usually wrapped up in a five letter word spelled F-R-I-T-H.Rudy killed penalties, played the point on power plays, centered Ithaca&rsquo;s first line and then went back on defense while the second unit was on the ice. Above all, he poured in goals at a potent pace. As a freshman, Frith had 34 goals and 23 assists for 60 points. He was 21-9-30 as a sopho more and 35-17-52 as a junior. This year he&rsquo;s 15-10-25, in just nine games, and appears headed for this greatest season ever.&ldquo;Rod is the complete hockey player,&rdquo; comments Keith. &ldquo;His only drawback, until this year, was in the area of forechecking, but now he&rsquo;s mastered that. He usually plays about 40-45 minutes a game, and still plays the point, kills penalties and takes a few turns on defense, along with his regular job at center. In addition, he&rsquo;s tough as nails and checks very well.Frith, a physical education major at Ithaca, wants a chance at pro hockey after he graduates. &ldquo;All want is the opportunity to play&rdquo; he said &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll know soon enough if I can make it. Right now I think I can.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0020-01

Ithaca Wonder Boy Rod Frith Nets 100 th Coat

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02171/2681365-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="837" height="1122"></div><h2>SOLUTION IN MARCH 6 ISSUE</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;Pictured player.4&mdash;Boxing term.6&mdash;Wears No. 7 for Detroit.7&mdash;An NHL Captain.9&mdash;New Rochelle, (init.)10&mdash;A resident doctor.12&mdash;One of the Wings.14&mdash;A cereai plant.15&mdash;Roberts of the Seals.16&mdash;Initials of Locas of Providence.17&mdash;15th and 23rd letters of the alphabet.20&mdash;One of the San Diego Gulls.23&mdash;21st and 8th letters of the alphabet.24&mdash;Preposition.25&mdash;Hoekstra answers to this.27&mdash;First name of Drolet of Quebec.28&mdash;Former Ranger with. Seals.<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;1967-68 Calder Trophy winner.2&mdash;One of the Kings.3&mdash;Played for San Diegc last season.4&mdash;A former Leaf Captain.5&mdash;Last season&rsquo;s Norris Trophy winner.8&mdash;Preposition.11&mdash;Initials of DeJordv of Hershey.13&mdash;Girl&rsquo;s name.18&mdash;A Black Hawk rookie.19&mdash;One of the North Stars.21&mdash;1962-63 Hart Trophy winner.22&mdash;-Rookie with Omaha Knights.24&mdash;NHL&rsquo;s scoring trophy.26&mdash;Initials of former Hawk Raglan.<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;HARRISOF6&mdash;ABEL8&mdash;WIDING.12&mdash;S.M.13&mdash;E.N.14&mdash;FLETT.16&mdash;LG.17&mdash;REG.19&mdash;LAB.21&mdash;ORE.22&mdash;R.O.23&mdash;TEE.24&mdash;F.B.25&mdash;TH.26&mdash;JIRIK28&mdash;RENO30&mdash;KEON32&mdash;ALOHA.34&mdash;YD.35&mdash;N.H.L 36-HR<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;HOWELL2&mdash;RED.3&mdash;SAGE.4&mdash;O.B.5&mdash;NESTERENKO7&mdash;LM.9&mdash;INGARFIELD10&mdash;IF.11&mdash;N.L15&mdash;TROTTIER.IS&mdash;GEE.20&mdash;BOB26&mdash;JOHN.27&mdash;R.K.28&mdash;RAY.29&mdash;NO.31&mdash;NOR.33&mdash;A.H. &#9632;

f0020-02

Hockey Crossword

<div class="byline">By Tom Burke</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01107/2681448-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div>NEW HAMPSHIRE&mdash;Returning for exam break, the &lsquo;Cats lost to Div. II Vermont 6-3 before bouncing back for fine efforts at Clarkson, where they lost 6-5 in overtime, and at Durham where they demolished RPI 17-3. Sophomore forward Guy Smith had been switched to defense, and after about ten games the usually reserved coach Charlie Holt has been heaping praise on his new find. Guy had a hat trick against Krl ana is tne team&rsquo;s lourtn leauing scorer with 11-26-37. Dick Umile and Lou Frigon also scored three goals against RPI, as UNH poured 78 shots on the Engineers&rsquo; goal. Against Clarkson, UNH led 3-0 and then 5-3 before succumbing late in the game. Sophomore John Gray had a pair of goals in the contest before stretching ligaments in his knee; fifth in team scoring at the time, he&rsquo;ll be out for two weeks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0276/2681441-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="258" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Curt Bennett</figcaption></div>BROWN&mdash;It was 4 wins in a row after exam break for the Bruins before they bowed 5-1 to an aroused Cornell six 5-1 in Ithca. Earlier the two teams had gone to overtime as Big Red won 5-4. Coach Jim Fullerton continues to rave aboutCurt Bennett, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer who plays defense and centers the &ldquo;Cranston&rdquo; line between Rich&rsquo; McLaughlin and his brother, John Bennett. Captain Bob Fleming, hurt before the season started, is back and has boosted the Bruins&rsquo; offense, but sophomore wing Dick Fernter has had knee trouble and has been a slow healer. Goalie Don McGinnis had 56 saves against Cornell, as Brown took an early lead on Curt Bennett&rsquo;s goal but couldn&rsquo;t hold on. The Bruins&rsquo; 4-2 win over Providence was especially encouraging, both as revenge for a 5-3 loss earlier, and since the flu bug swept through the team and took away 3 players.RPI&mdash;Exam period must have been terribly confining for the Engineers. A two game Eastern swing saw them trounced 13-6 by BC and 17-3 by UNH. But nobody&rsquo;s going to surpass RPI in penalties. At BC they had 18 minors, one high sticking major, one misconduct and one match misconduct for fighting. At UNH they were assessed 13 minors and one high sticking major, and one more RPI player was booted out. It&rsquo;s little wonder that Snooks Kelley and Charlie Holt, both coaching contenders, let their players roll up the score before using all the subs. But 84 minutes in penalties, many of the high sticking and charging variety, is a little tough to take from a club that is going nowhere in the standings this year.St. LAWRENCE&mdash;Facing a tough remaining schedule in their efforts to make a playoff spot, the Larries beat Providence 6-4 and lost three non-division games, on to Middlebury 8-6 and a pair to Lake Superior State 4-3 and 6-4. SLU fell behind early in both tilts but came back to tie the score both times. George Menard singled out goalies Jerry Healey and Allen Howes for special praise, and Brian Hind for his work up front. Though 4 of the Larries&rsquo; last five games are against teams higher than them in the standings, they have been a better team especially on defense recently, and have been bolstered at the blueline by the return to school of Larry Keenan, who missed the first semester. Senior wing John Henderson was also tried at defense and shows promise.HARVARD&mdash;Before the Crimson could scrape off the rust from a long exam layoff, they had lost two games and may have to play the first playoff round on foreign ice. The team just didn&rsquo;t click in the disastrous 5-4 overtime loss to Penn, but came around again in the 5-3 loss to BU in the Beanpot Tourney. They were three goals behind before looking like they did earlier in the season and bouncing back to tie the count in the third frame, only to yield a goal with 2: 25 remaining, another on an empty net. On the plus side, Dan DeMichele and Ron Mark, the top top left wingers, are back in form and the line of Joe Cavanagh, Demichele, and Steve Owen is playing well. Inability to move the puck well in the defensive zone has been the sore spot for Harvard.BOSTON COLLEGE&mdash;It was &ldquo;hat trick week&rdquo; for the Eagles in 5-0 win over Northeastern and 13-6 troucning of RPI. All-America Tim Sheehy notched his third hat of the year vs. Northeastern, while sophomore defenseman Tom Mellor had 3-3-6 against RPI to go along with senior John Snyder&rsquo;s first hat trick of the season. Jim Barton&rsquo;s shutout of Northeastern was the first of his career and the first by a BC goalie in two years. Mellor, a bona fide sophomore of the year candidate, now is 4th in Eagle scoring with 16-20-36, while Sheehey leads the division with 22-34-56.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0345/2681434-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="242" height="446"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Mellor</figcaption></div>COLGATE&mdash;Tom Earl and Dave Conte, reunited on the Red Harners first line along with John Dandy, continue to pace the scorers. Both had a goal and an assist in the 5-2 loss to Cornell, and Earl had a pair of goals while Conte picked up a goal and assist in 5-2 triumph over Northeastern. Al MacKinnon separated a shoulder and will be lost for two weeks. His place as left wing on the second line with sophs Rick Rowell ana Gene Fewster will be taken by junior Bill Finnegan. &#9632;

f0021-01

DOWN EAST

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GILBERT</div>MADISON&mdash;Hockey interest has boomed on the University of Wisconsin campus, with the size of crowds limited only by the capacity of the Badgers&rsquo; Dane County Coli-seum.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0437/2681486-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="253" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Murray Heatley</figcaption></div>The new building holds 7,000, but was overfilled for the Feb. 6-7 series with Western Collegiate Hockey Association leader Minnesota. When Wisconsin stunned the Gophers 10-1 in the first game, 7,575 fans watched, and 8,169 crammed in the next night, but Minnesota came back to gain a 5-3 victory and a split.For nine home games, Wisconsin has drawn 60,255 fans, for an average of 6,695 which the Badger sports information department claims is the best in the nation for colleges.The fans are wildly enthusiastic, although it must be said they are Wisconsin fans first and hockey fans second. They rival the pro crowds for the St. Louis Blues in their dislike for the visiting team&mdash;particularly Minnesota.A student reporter had done his best to whip the students and the team to a frenzy for the series. He wrote stories in the campus newspaper and in the hockey program claiming &ldquo;Minnesota has always disliked Wisconsin hockey,&rdquo; and making up various fictional examples that refuted the fact that the University of Minnesota had indeed done numerous favors to help Wisconsin&rsquo;s hockey program get started.The palatial Coliseum has no press box, so the Wisconsin assistant sports information director sits with reporters at ice-leyel tables, and shrieks personal insults at visiting players&mdash;at least when Minnesota is in town. He also berated the referees, and it reached the point where referee Don Wilkie stopped play once Saturday and skated over to threaten to have him removed from the premises.The result of the predictably tense emotional scene was a positive effect on the Badger hockey team in the Friday game. Swarming all over Minnesota, Wisconsin played by far its best game of the season to humiliate the Gophers 10-1 while the crowd screamed lustily to pour it on.Their pride bludgeoned and their record threatened, Minnesota came from a 3-1 Saturday deficit to stun the Badgers 5-3 in the Saturday rematch, however, as goalie Murray McLachlan kicked out 44 Badger shots&mdash;18 in the third period.It was in the third period that the tension truly had an effect on tempers on the ice. First, Minnesota&rsquo;s star freshman center Mike Antonovich was ejected after a bitter dispute over a goal by Badger Bob Poffenroth. The goal light never flashed, the puck bounced out in front, and Antonovich claimed it went off both goalpipesand caromed out.Referee Wilkie said it went in and bounded out, and threw Antonovich out for the duration of that game and Minnesota&rsquo;s next one too.The Gophers came back to cut it to 3-2, then Murray Heatley, who had four goals in the Friday game and one Saturday, and Minnesota defenseman Frank Sanders battled in front of the net. Heatley, a clever one with a stick, was accused of spearing Sanders and shoving the big defenseman into his own goal. Sanders, a 6-foot-2 strongman from North St. Paul, responded by punching Heatley to the ice for a clear fistic triumph.Both were ejected, and are also lost for the ensuing game, but the one-sided spirit and emotional fire that had led Wisconsin was shattered by Sanders&rsquo; big right hand, and the Gophers came through with their 10th come from behind triumph in 13 WCHA victories.The series proved the strength of eighth-place Wisconsin, a tribute to coach Bob Johnson, who put a team of 14 top young Canadians and four U.S. players, including spares, into a tough, aggressive unit. Minnesota had two Canadians and 16 homestate Minnesotans dressed.Wisconsin, in its first year in the WCHA, has already made Minnesota its biggest rival, and Gopher backers will have a chance to get even when the teams meet Feb. 27-28 in Minneapolis.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0532/2681479-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="1151" height="1146"><figcaption class="caption-body">Minnesota freshman ace MIKE ANTONOVICH was ejected from Wisconsin game over goal dispute.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0021-04

Overflow Crowd Watches Wisconsin Stun Gophers

<div class="byline">By John Gilbert</div>The Western Collegiate Hockey Association race turned into a three-way affair as leading Minnesota split at Wisconsin while Denver and Michigan Tech closed in with sweeps of other two-game series.The University of Minnesota-Duluth stayed in the race, too, sweeping two games from Michigan, but the Bulldogs then turned to Colorado for four games in five days against both Denver and Colorado College. By the end of the week, UMD had played six games in nine days.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0627/2681517-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="239" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Collyard</figcaption></div>In non-conference play, NAIA small college champion Bemidji State had its 17-game winning streak of this season snapped 7-4 by WCHA member North Dakota, but Bemidji came back for a 7-5 upset Saturday, Feb. 7.MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN: Eight h-place Wisconsin showed what balance the WCHA has, getting supercharged performances from everybody and stinging leader Minnesota, 10-1 Friday, Feb. 6. The Badgers played a flawless game, while Minnesota had one of those nights where nothing bounced the right wav. Murray Heatley scored four goals, Jim Young three and freshman Norm Cherrey of Beausejour, Manitoba, two as the. Badgers jumped to a 4-0 first period lead and a 9-0 bulge after two periods. Minnesota came back, however tor a 5-3 victory the next night, coming from a 3-1 deficit in the third period as Don Dumais, Pat Westrum, Doug Peltier and Dean Blais scored.MICHIGAN TECH-MICHIGAN: If Minnesota goalie Murray McLachlan had a rough night Friday at Wisconsin, Michigan State&rsquo;s Rick Duffett had just as bad a one at Michigan Tech, being shelled in an 8-1 Tech romp. Al McLeod and Herb Boxer scored twice each for the Huskies, who built a 7-0 lead. Houghton, Mich., is no place for a visiting hockey team during Tech&rsquo;s Winter Carnival, but Michigan State came back strong Saturday afternoon, only to fall 5-4 to Doug Hinton&rsquo;s overtime goal. Randy Sokoll scored twice for MSU, and Frank DeMarco and Pat Russo tallied in the third period to lift the Spartans from a 4-2 deficit and force the overtime. Tech was outshot solidlv, but goalie Gord McRae made 37 saves for the Huskies.DENVERrCOLORADO COLLEGE: Winless CC traded homesites for a weekend series with powerful Denver, but the 1 igers stayed winless. Denver built a 4-0 lead after two periods on its, home ice and won 5-2. The next night at Colorado Springs, CCs Bob Collyard, and All-American from Hibbing, Minn, scored three times to pace the Tigers to a 7-7 regulation tie. In the overtime, however Ed Hays scored for Denver after 5: 32 of the 10 minutes had elapsed and Hay&rsquo;s second goal of the game produced a wild 8-7 Denver victory. That second-game was tied five times, but Denver came out with an 8-5-1 WCHA record, 15-6-1 overall. CC was 0-13 in WCHA play and 4-16-1 overall.MINN. DULUTH-MICHIGAN: UMD&rsquo;s kiddie corps projected the Bulldogs into contention with 6-5 and 5-2 victories to sweep Michigan. Murray Keogan&rsquo;s second goal of the first game came at 5: 39 of overtime to sink the Wolverines. All six UMD goals came off the sticks of freshmen, with Walt Ledingham, Dave Roy, Cam Fryer and Al Young getting one each. The game stood 2-2 after one period, then UMD got three in the second period before Michigan tied it with three in the third. The next night, UMD led 1-0 after one period, then it was 2-2 after two before Ledingham sandwiched two goals around one by Young in the third period. Michigan goalie Karl Bagnell made 41 Friday stops in the overtime loss. He was replaced by freshman Doug Hastings Saturday but UMD&rsquo;s Glenn Resch was the star in that one with 36 saves, including all 18 Michigan shots in the first period.NORTH DAKOTA&mdash;BEMIDJI: Bemidji State College, a small campus in Northern Minnesota, had its fourth season of hockey competition rolled up into one series, but Dakota took a 7-4 Friday Victory behind Doug Johnston&rsquo;s hat trick. The Sioux led 6-1 after two periods with a five-goal second period. Glenn Beckett had three goals for Bemidji, then he came back with three more Saturday as Bemidji rose up to knock off Dakota 7-5. Bryan Grand, Bemidji&rsquo;s center who will be a regular for the U.S. Nationals later this month, had seven points in the series, helping Bemidji up its record to 18-1 overall. &#9632;

f0021-06

WESTERN WAY

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HIILERICH & BRADSBY CO LIMITED WAllY ENTERPRISES LIMITED. AFFILIATE Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH&rsquo;S BRAOSBY CO LIMITED WHIT ENTERPRISES LIMITED. AFFILIATE Arnold Street Wallaceburo Ontario Sold in J&rsquo;S and Canada &#9632;

WESTERN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY JOHN WHITE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01124/2681579-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="481" height="1022"><figcaption class="caption-body">CONNIE MADIGAN&hellip;My Lea &lsquo;Froze&rsquo;</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0268/2681572-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="488" height="963"><figcaption class="caption-body">GORD FASHOWAY&hellip;Series Of Incidents</figcaption></div>PORTLAND&mdash;The news exploded in Portland with the force of a bomb&mdash;and a blockbuster at that.Connie Madigan, the only defenseman in Western Hockey League history to win first All-Star honors for four consecutive seasons, was suspended indefinitely by the Portland Buckaroos.And almost immediately Madigan was placed on the trading block by Portland Coach Gordon Fashoway, with no action reported within the following week.Fashoway&rsquo;s formal announcement was that Madigan had been suspended for &ldquo;indifferent play&rdquo; and for an attitude that &ldquo;has left a lot to be desired.&rdquo;There is no question but that the suspension was sparked by Madigan&rsquo;s play in a 4-1 loss to Seattle on the first of February.On a play on which Seattle apparently had iced the puck, Madigan failed to skate for it. A Totem picked it up and Seattle immediately scored.Madigan was benched for the rest of the game.Fashoway, although he did not elaborate, says that was simply the climax of a series of incidents.Madigan insisted vehemently that he had been injured in an earlier game, that medication applied before the game with Seattle had worn off and that his leg, in a sense, &ldquo;froze&rdquo; and that he suddenly couldn&rsquo;t move for the puck.The suspension, naturally, touched off rumors of deals with virtually every team in the Western League and other leagues. But nothing was confirmed immediately.The suspension came at a time when Portland faced its most crucial week of the season in the Buckaroos&rsquo; attempt to cut down the lead of the first-place Vancouver Canucks.First there was a home game, for Portland, against San Diego and then back-to-back games with Vancouver, the first in British Columbia and the second on the Buckaroos&rsquo; ice.Portland nipped San Diego, 3-2, in a clash preceded by some boos&mdash;first in Portland history for a coach&mdash;when rookie skipper Fashoway was introduced.In the game in Vancouver, the bottom appeared to fall right out. Portland was bombed, 9-1It was Portland&rsquo;s worst defeat of the season, and Madigan&rsquo;s fans&mdash;and he had plenty of them judging from cheers every time he was introduced&mdash;appeared to have strong ammunition.But the next night in Portland, in a wild and brawl-filled game punctuated by seven major penalties, the Buckaroos ended Vancouver&rsquo;s all-time unbeaten streak of 18 straight with a hard-skating 6-3 victory.And now there was ammunition for the pre-Fashoway forces.At any rate it seemed a sad ending to Madigan&rsquo;s stay in Portland.In his younger days&mdash;and Madigan never has denied it&mdash;the rugged Port Arthur product was the Peck&rsquo;s Bad Boy of hockey. He never played with any one team, amateur or professional, for more than two seasons until he came to Portland.And it was his reputation of being tough to handle more than any other reason that kept him out of the National Hockey League while guys with far less talent and far less toughness were at least given trials.&ldquo;Madigan joined the Buckaroos in the fall of 1964 and was a spark on teams that finished first for five consecutive seasons. &#9632;

f0022-01

Madigan Suspended For Indifferent Play

<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 17)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0727/2681624-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="574" height="334"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues Fab. 10Denver 2 at Seattle 2Wad. Fab. 11San Diego 7 at Salt Lake 5Denver 6 at Portland 8Fri.Fab.13Portland 6 at Denver 1Salt Lake 5 at Son Diego 8Phoenix 2 at Vancouver 5Sat. Feb. 14Portland 7 ot Salt Lake 5Phoenix 7 at Seattle 0Sun. Feb. 15San Diego 8 at Denver 2Phoenix 2 at Portland 6<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Tues Feb. 17Phoenix at Salt LakeSan Diego ot VancouverWed. Feb. 18Phoenix at DenverSan Diego at PortlandVancouver at SeattleThurs. Feb. 19Salt Lake at PhoenixFri. Feb. 20San Diego at DenverSeattle at VancouverSat Feb. 21Vancouver ot PhoenixSalt Lake at SeattleSun. Feb. 22Vancouver at San DiegoSalt Lake at PortlandMon. Feb. 23Phoenix ot Salt LakePortland at SeattleTues. Feb. 24Phoenix at VancouverWed. Feb. 25Salt Lake at San DiegoThurs. Feb. 26Denver at Salt LakePhoenix at SeattleFri. Feb. 27San Dieao at Denver<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 8)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0824/2681617-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="574" height="679"></div><h2>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0921/2681610-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="574" height="227"></div> &#9632;

f0022-07

LOOKING AT WHL RACE

<h2>Sat. Jan. 31 PORTLAND 5 AT DENVER 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0355/2681718-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="580" height="598"></div><h2>PHOENIX 2 AT SAN DIEGO 11</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0441/2681711-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="583" height="760"></div><h2>SEATTLE 4 AT PORTLAND 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0533/2681704-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="582" height="417"></div><h2>SALT LAKE 2 AT VANCOUVER 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0627/2681697-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="585" height="542"></div><h2>Tues. Feb. 3 DENVER 6 AT SALT LAKE 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0351/2681690-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="585" height="772"></div><h2>SAN DIEGO 2 AT VANCOUVER 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0440/2681683-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="581" height="566"></div><h2>Wed. Feb. 4 DENVER 2 AT PHOENIX 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0528/2681676-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="576" height="492"></div><h2>SAN DIEGO 2 AT PORTLAND 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0623/2681669-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="580" height="596"></div><h2>VANCOUVER 5 AT SEATTLE 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0720/2681662-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="592" height="695"></div><h2>Fri. Feb. 6 SAN DIEGO 6 AT SEATTLE 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0817/2681655-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="583" height="742"></div> &#9632;

f0022-03

Western League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>PHOENIX&mdash;It would come as no surprise if the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce asked the Roadrunners to leave town. They&rsquo;re giving the Valley of the Sun a bad name as a winter paradise.During the past week the Runners traded left winger Gary Marsh to the Los Angeles Kings (Springfield) organization for defenseman Jacques Lemieux, but Lemieux refused to report&mdash;at least this season&mdash;and remains at home in Quebec City.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01105/2681756-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="262" height="434"><figcaption class="caption-body">Len Ronson</figcaption></div>To replace Marsh, the Runners purchased Dave Richardson from the Detroit Red Wings.Richardson also refused to come to Phoenix, remaining in San Diego.At the same time, Dwight Carruthers, who had been playing defense for Seattle this season, was purchased from the Philadelphia Flyers, and another defenseman, Bill Terry, arrived from Tulsa.Roadrunners&rsquo; coach Alf Pike wasn&rsquo;t sure how much help Terry would be as be had only been released two days before from a doctor&rsquo;s care for mononeucleosis. Pike&rsquo;s first intent was to return him to Tulsa, but he has been so impressed by the 6-0, 195-pound 23-year-old, that he said he wanted to keep him although he is the seventh defenseman on the roster.Another Phoenix defenseman, Aut Erickson, was released from hospital one week after spinal surgery. He still has hopes of playing before the season ends.Pike was still shopping around for a forward who could inject some scoring power into the Runners who, with back-to-back losses to Denver and Salt Lake City, have dropped to sixth place, just six points ahead of the cellar-dwelling Golden Eagles.Phoenix club president Bob Whitlow said he asked Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; general manager Jim Gregory for Ron Ward, the American Hockey League&rsquo;s rookie-of-the-year last season, but was told the 25-year-old center, also, did not want to come to Phoenix, that his wife preferred Tulsa, and Ward was attending school there.Meanwhile Max McNab is happy with his club&rsquo;s recent performance although it is only slightly better than. 500 percent, and with Len Ronson, who is simply leading the Western Hockey League in goal scoring.The San Diego Gulls won five on nine, but six of those games were on the road and all nine were in a space of 13 days, the last five in six days.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0269/2681749-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="548" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILL TERRY&hellip;Shook Off Mono Effects</figcaption></div>What pleases him most was that back-to-back wins over Seattle (6-2) and Denver (6-1) vaulted the Gulls past the Totems into third place in the Western Hockey League standings.Ronson retained the WHL&rsquo;s goal scoring lead, bagging his 34th and 35th against Denver while adding a pair of assists.&ldquo;Ronson is playing more consistent hockey this year than any other time in his four years with us,&rdquo; said McNab of the 5-9, 175-pound 33-year-old. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s working harder than I ever saw him work.&ldquo;When we were in a slump, he was, too, with just two goals in 12 games, but he was our hardest working guy. Any spark we had, we got from him. He&rsquo;s played well both ways.&ldquo;Paul Andrea is having a great year for Vancouver and Bill Saunders another one for Portland, but when your team is scoring a lot of goals, you&rsquo;re bound to score more. We were the lowest scoring team in the league and yet Ronson was still leading the league in goals.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll take him over all the others.&ldquo;He surprises a lot of people. He&rsquo;s durable and doesn&rsquo;t get hurt. His wrists are powerful but he&rsquo;s a lot stronger in the upper part of his body than people think.&rdquo;The injury jinx, which has hit the Gulls hard this season, hasn&rsquo;t completely left them. Defenseman Dennis Huculak passed out during a game in Salt Lake City with a stomach disorder and has missed the last four. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s undergoing every test known to man,&rdquo; said McNab. &#9632;

f0023-01

Lemieux, Richardson, Ward Balk At Joining Roadrunners

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 Brother<h2>LOOKING AT CHL RACES</h2><h3>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h3>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01115/2681801-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="579" height="326"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Feb. 11Dallas 3 of Oklahoma City 2Omaha 3 at Tulsa 8Iowa 1 at Fort Worth 5Fri. Feb.13Oklohoma City 6 at Kansas City 2Tulsa 1 at Omoha6Iowa 7 at Dallas 4Sat. Feb. 14Dallas 3 at Omaha 0Fort Worth 3 at Kansas City 3Iowa 0 at Oklahoma City 6Sun. Feb. 15Kansas City 2 at Fort Worth 2Oklahoma City 3 at Dallas 4Tulsa 5 at lowal<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Wed. Feb. 18Dallas at Kansas CityFort Worth at TulsaThurs. Feb. 19Dallas at IowaFri. Feb 20Tulsa at Kansas CityIowa at OmahaSat. Feb. 21Fort Worth at DallasKansas City at OmahaOklahoma City at TulsaSun. Feb. 22Dallas at TulsoKansas City at IowaOklahoma City at Fort WorthWed. Feb. 25Dallas at Kansas CityTulsa at Fort WorthFri. Feb. 27Fort Worth at Oaklahoma CityOmaha at lowo Tulso at Dallas<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 8)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0267/2681794-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="580" height="306"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0344/2681787-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="1166" height="1021"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY KROMM&hellip;his Hawks coming onstrong</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-01

CENTRAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0433/2681832-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RON BUCHANAN&hellip;chasing the leaders</figcaption></div>DALLAS&mdash;Have the Dallas Black Hawks begun their final push to figure higher in the Central Hockey League playoff picture?It would appear that Bobby Kromm&rsquo;s defending CHL champions are about to shed the shackles that have pinned them down in the doldrums of the league since the start of the season.If the Texans aren&rsquo;t serious about moving up for the forthcoming playoffs, then they have been making a lot of noise for nothing in the past two weeks.Winding up the Feb. 15 weekend with a 4-3 decision over Oklahoma City Blazers, one of the clubs they must overhaul in their upward ascent, the Hawks have now run their record to five wins in their last seven starts, by far the most productive of the all the seven teams in the CHL.The Hawks wound up last week&rsquo;s league play with a 3-1 record and included in their take was a 3-0 romp over the league-leading Omaha Knights. They also won a pair from Oklahoma City and are now only five points behind the fifth-place Blazers while increasing their edge over the last-place Kansas City Blues to four points. The Baby Blues will have their work cut out for them trying to over-take the streaking Hawks to avert being shut out of the CHL playoffs Six of the seven clubs make the postseason round.Meanwhile, Omaha clings to first place despite an unproductive week, holding a four-point bulge over Fort Worth. The Knights&rsquo; ace scorer, Jack Egers, continues to roll along at the top of the individual scoring race. The hot-scoring Omaha skater, first in the CHL to reach the 30-goal plateau, is top man in points, too, with 62, seven more than Danny Seguin of Iowa Stars. Ron Buchanan of Kansas City has leaped into fourth place after starting the season in the NHL. &#9632;

f0024-04

Aroused Dallas Hawks Set Sights On Higher Finish For Playoffs

<h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 17)<h3>Northern Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0198/2681891-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="564" height="238"></div><h3>Southern Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0258/2681884-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="575" height="208"></div>(Affiliations: 2 Detroit. 3 Boston. 4. New York. 5. Chicago 6. Toronto. 10. Philadelphia x. Independent).<h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues Fab 10Charlotte 1 at Jacksonville 8Long Island 2 at New Jersey 4Wed. Feb. 11Greensboro 2 ot New Haven 4Long Island I at Johnstown 3Salem 3 at Charlotte 1Thurs. Feb. 12Greensboro 5 at Syracuse 3Clinton 2 at Long Island 3Charlotte 6 at Salem 6Fri. Feb. 13Nashville 2 at Syracuse 5Greensboro 4 at Clinton 0Johnstown 5 at Long Island 4New Haven 3 at New Jersey 0Sat. Feb. 14Nashville 4 at Clinton 8Long Island 5 at New Jersey 7Greensboro 4 at Johnstown 2Sun. Feb. 15Nashville 4 at New Haven 7Greensboro 1 at Long Island 0Johnstown 2 at New Jersey 4Jacksonville 1 at Charlotte 2Clinton 3 at Syracuse 5<h2>GAME TO COME</h2>Thurs. Feb. 17Greensboro at New JerseySalem at CharlotteNashville at JacksonvilleJohnstown at SyracuseWed. Feb. 18Clinton at SyracuseThurs. Feb. 19Salem at JacksonvilleFri. Feb. 20Johnstown at ClintonNew Haven at Long IslandSyracuse at New JerseyGreensboro at CharlotteSat. Fev. 21Long Island at ClintonNew Jersey at JohhstownCharlotte at GreensboroSalem at NashvilleSun. Feb. 22Salem at NashvilleSyracuse at New HavenClinton at Logn IslandNew Jersey at JohnstownJacksonville at GreensboroMon. Feb. 23New Jersey at CharlotteWed. Feb. 25Long Island at New HavenNew Jersey ot GreensboroNashville at JacksonvilleFri. Feb. 27New Haven at Long IslandClinton at New JerseySalem at Jacksonville<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 15)<h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0337/2681877-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="572" height="276"></div><h2>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0427/2681870-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="574" height="280"></div><h2>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0526/2681863-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="575" height="354"></div> &#9632;

f0025-01

HOW THEY STAND

<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 18)<h3>North Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01106/2681995-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="569" height="171"></div><h3>South Division</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0259/2681988-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="570" height="169"></div>(Affiliations: 1. Montreal. 2. Detroit. 3. Boston. 5 Chicago, x-independent.)<h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Feb. 10Columbus 2 of ToledoWed. Feb. 11South All-Stars 6, North All-Stars 3Fri. Feb. 13Fort Wayne 3 at Des Moines 4Sat. Feb. 14Fort Wayne 2 at Des Moines 4Columbus 3 at Port Huron 3Muskegon 4 at Flint 3Sun. Feb. 15Muskegon 4 pt Port Huron 2Dayton 0 at Flint 8<h3>GAME TO COME</h3>Web. Feb. 18Toledo at Fort WayneDes Moines at DoytonThurs. Feb. 19Des Moins at DaytonFri. Feb. 20Columbus at MuskegonPort Huron at FlintSat. Feb. 21Columbus at Fort WayneDes Moines at MuskegonToledo ot Port HuronFlint at DaytonSun. Feb. 22Dayton at ColumbusMuskegon at Port HuronToledo at FlintWed. Feb. 25Columbus at DaytonPort Huron at ToledoFri. Feb. 27Flint at MuskegonToledo at Des MoinesFort Wayne at Port Huron<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 8)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0343/2681981-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="576" height="652"></div><h2>GOALKEEPERS RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0428/2681974-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="578" height="451"></div><h2>IHL JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 6)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0524/2681967-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="567" height="160"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0616/2681960-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="573" height="279"></div><h2>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0714/2681953-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="583" height="139"></div> &#9632;

f0026-01

<div class="byline">BY BOB REED</div>PORT HURON&mdash;The Port Huron Flags couldn&rsquo;t keep it up forever. They were finally shut out after playing 334 consecutive games without being whitewashed.The Flags&rsquo; long record string was broken on Feb. 6 when they were blanked by the Fort Wayne Komets in a game played at Port Huron, 20.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0912/2682033-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="262" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Buddy Boone</figcaption></div>The Flags had extended their own record of 285 consecutive noshutout games, which they held at the end of last season. They had not been shut out since Nov. 6, 1965, carrying their string through four and one-half seasons.The Komets&rsquo; Paul Hoganson was the goalie who turned the trick. It was his third shutout of the season. He had 34 saves in turning back the Flags without a goal.The Flags almost prevented the shoutout at the six-minute mark of the final period. Len Fontaine blasted a shot that Hoganson kicked out and in the ensuing scramble for the rebound the Komet goalie went down on his back. The puck squirted underneath him and headed for the goal-line but met the handle of the goalkeeper&rsquo;s stick, which was resting on the red line. Meanwhile the net had been lifted from the pegs but the puck did not carry over the line.Merv Dubchak and Ray Brunel scored the Fort Wayne goals. Coach Ted Garvin of the Flags said, &ldquo;How can you lose when you carry the play 90 percent of the time&rdquo;. Garvin had to admit his club couldn&rsquo;t find the range when it came to passing the puck at the right time. &ldquo;We passed it when we shouldn&rsquo;t have and didn&rsquo;t pass it when we should have,&rdquo; he remarked.The defeat of the Flags enabled the Komets to pass them by one point for second place in the Northern Division but the positions were reversed when the Flags won the next night in Fort Wayne.DES MOINES&mdash;The Oak Leafs remained ahead of Columbus for third place in the Southern Division by winning and tieing a two-game series, giving them 4-1-2 against the Chex&hellip;Doug Smith, rookie center from Nashville of the EHL, had the winning goal in his first game. He replaced Meehan Bonnar, out for the season with a bad knee&hellip;Buddy Boone was also lost for the season with a knee injury&hellip;The newly-formed Golden Leafs won their third game, beating Omaha All-Stars, 11-4, with Dave Padzerski and Art Chiupka getting hat tricks.DAYTON&mdash;Sid Garant had a hat trick and Billy Staub had five points in a 7-5 victory over Port Huron&hellip;The Gems boosted their lead over pursuing Toledo to six points&hellip;They finished their season against Muskegon, trailing by 2-7-1 Chick Balon, secured from Toledo in the three-for-one trade, went in at right wing with Larry Wilson, and Sid Garant&hellip;Dune Rousseau was in uniform for the first time in six weeks.FORT WAYNE&mdash;Merv Dubchak. returning after a layoff with a broken forearm, went out again with a back injury&hellip;Goalie Paul Hoganson had his third shutout, 2-0 over Port Huron&hellip;Seven different players scored in an 8-1 defeat of Dayton&hellip;A fifth crowd of over 7,000 brought season attendance for. 27 games to 144,177&hellip;Komet coach Moe Bartoli took off his uniform and went on the retired list to allow the team to reach the 16-player cutdown limit.MUSKEGON&mdash;The Mo hawks won their 22nd consecutive victory on home ice, four short of the record, held by Cin-cinnati in 1955-56&hellip;Gary Ford had a hat trick in a 7-5 win at Columbus&hellip;Goalie Bruce Mullett had to take a trip to the hospital for 12 stitches but came back to finish&hellip;Bob Tombari had a hat trick against Dayton&hellip;The Hawks boosted their Northern Division lead to 16 points after they had beaten Dayton, Southern leader, for the seventh time.FLINT&mdash;The Generals purchased Randy Prior from Port Huron, placed Trevor Conn on the 14-day injured list and still were two over the limit&hellip;The Generals were nine points in arrears in power plays, for and against&hellip;Ron Ringler was the Gens&rsquo; &ldquo;clutch&rdquo; player, with four winnings goals and two that tied.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0813/2682026-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="554" height="570"><figcaption class="caption-body">SID GARANT&hellip;Fired &lsquo;Hat Trick&rsquo;</figcaption></div>TOLEDO&mdash;The Blades sent goalie Al Cecile to Nashville on loan and named Jerry Fleury backup for Glenn Ramsay&hellip;Stan Maxwell underwent surgery for a damaged knee and was out for the season&hellip;Jerry Dionne, secured from Dayton in the three-for-one trade, had two goals against Des Moines, although he didn&rsquo;t arrive until the end of the first period&hellip;Blades attendance was up, total 74,850, an average of 2,772 for 27 games.COLUMBUS&mdash;The Checkers had the league&rsquo;s poorest road record&mdash;3-15-5; Coach Moe Mantha had three lines intact for the first time in weeks when Nelson LeClair returned to action&hellip;Mantha was hoping to return after four weeks off with a broken ankle. &#9632;

f0026-09

Port Huron ‘Whitewash’ First In 335 IHL Games; Muskegon Eyeing Record

<h2>ONTARIO JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standinqs on Tues. Feb. 17)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0260/2682155-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="572" height="371"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Feb. 10Montreal 9 at London 5Thun. Feb. 12Kitchener 3 at Peterboro 6Toronto 1 at Hamilton 1Fri. Feb. 13Toronto 4 at Niagara Falls 6Peterboro 3 at Kitchener 0St. Catharines 5 at Ottawa 5Hamilton 2 at London 5Sat. Feb. 14Montreal 8 at Oshawa 3Sun. Feb. 15Oshawa 5 at Montreal 4Kitchener 5 at St. Catharines 4Hamilton 1 at Ottawa 2London 4 at Toronto 1<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 8)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0339/2682148-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="587" height="703"></div><h2>QUEBEC JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 10)<h3>EAST SECTION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0434/2682141-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="574" height="231"></div><h3>WEST SECTION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0526/2682134-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="573" height="201"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0621/2682127-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="581" height="427"></div><h2>WESTERN ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 11)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0718/2682120-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="574" height="170"></div>(Sarnia&mdash;disbanded Feb. 1.)<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0817/2682113-1-eng-US/f0027-082.jpg" title="f0027-08" width="584" height="405"></div><h2>NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 10)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0916/2682106-1-eng-US/f0027-092.jpg" title="f0027-09" width="575" height="203"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1014/2682099-1-eng-US/f0027-102.jpg" title="f0027-10" width="586" height="455"></div><h2>NEW YORK METRO LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 2)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1112/2682092-1-eng-US/f0027-112.jpg" title="f0027-11" width="578" height="262"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1211/2682085-1-eng-US/f0027-122.jpg" title="f0027-12" width="581" height="330"></div><h2>MICHIGAN JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 2)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-138/2682078-1-eng-US/f0027-132.jpg" title="f0027-13" width="577" height="235"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-148/2682071-1-eng-US/f0027-142.jpg" title="f0027-14" width="578" height="280"></div><h2>INTERLOCKING PLAY</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 2)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-157/2682064-1-eng-US/f0027-152.jpg" title="f0027-15" width="577" height="398"></div> &#9632;

f0027-02

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div>TORONTO&mdash;There&rsquo;s not much question which teams will occupy the first four positions in the Ontario Hockey Association junior A league.However still to be settled is the order those clubs will be in when the 270-game schedule closes the first week in March.For a time early in January it appeared as if it was strictly a race between Montreal Canadiens, Peterborough Petes and St. Catharines Black Hawks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0190/2682186-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="257" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gus Bodnar</figcaption></div>But in the last 10 days, Toronto Marlboros have suddenly flexed their muscles and might still nudge one of the teams above them for a higher position.And it&rsquo;s muscle the Marlboros have used this season especially in their games with Montreal Canadians.The Canadiens, a free-skating club, have won [four consecutive games over St. Catharines which employs the same type of hockey but this just hasn&rsquo;t worked against the Marlboros.In their first five games against Gus Bodnar&rsquo;s Baby Leafs the Canadiens have salvaged only one tie and have lost the other four.The Canadiens last deteat was oy an o-z margin in Maple Gardens before the largest crowd of the season there, just under 10,000 fans.That win combined with a 4-2 decision over St. Catharines two nights earlier moved the Marlboros right back into contention for one of the top three positions.Oddly enough the latest Toronto drive towards the top came immediately following their worst defeat of the year&mdash;12-1 to St. Catharines at Garden City Arena.&ldquo;It could be that the drubbing in St. Catharines did our team some good,&rdquo; said Bodnar. &ldquo;But whatever the reason we&rsquo;ve been playing much better hockey ever since.&rdquo;The recent rise by the Marlboros confirms a statement made by Black Hawk coach Brian Shaw before mid-season that the Toronto club, in his opinion, would be the toughest to beat in the playoffs.Shaw reiterated that statement after his club&rsquo;s 12-1 win over the Dukes and the Marlies promptly took him at his word by edging St. Catharines 4-2 in a well-played game in the Gardens.While much of the emphasis has been placed on the scramble for first place the battle continues for the final playoff position between Kitchener, Ottawa, London, Oshawa and Hamilton.With an average of 10 games left for all teams, only one point separated Kitchener, Oshawa and London while the Red Wings were hanging in three points behind.Niagara Falls Flyers are out of the picture in last place while Ottawa is fairly certain of finishing at the head of the second division in fifth position. &#9632;

f0027-01

Aroused Marlboros Turn On ‘Muscle’ In OHA Challenge

<div class="byline">BY TOM MONAHAN</div>BOSTON&mdash;Don Marcotte is broad-shouldered, well-muscled and handsome enough to be a movie idol. Instead he rapidly is becoming a hockey idol with the Bruins.The 23-year-old 185-pound rookie left wing has been making his own way for the Bruins since he was recalled from Hershey on January 24.He hit a peak with three goals in a game with St. Louis in a 7-1 victory while playing on a revised line with Phil Esposito and Wayne Cashman against St. Louis on Feb. 8.Now many people think this may be the turning point for the husky Niagara Falls resident who was born in Arthabaska, Que.While playing with the Niagara Falls Junior A squad on a line with Derek Sanderson, Marcotte was tabbed as one of the more promising youngsters in the Bruins farm system.He had occasional appearances in and out of Boston but spent most of the last two seasons at Hershey where he totaled 66 goals and 43 assists.In pre-season training this past fall, Don was impressive and, in fact, was one of four rookie forwards the Bruins brought to Boston from their London, Ont., camp.But when cut-down time came the Bruins decided Jim Harrison, Jim Lorentz, and Garnet Bailey had progressed just a bit more than Marcotte and he was one of the first of the rookies to be returned for more seasoning.Injury to Sanderson was an influencing factor since Marcotte was a left wing and Harrison and Lorentz were centers.The Bruins at the time had Ron Murphy, Johnny Bucyk, and Bailey on left wing with Cashman who could play both sides.But then Murphy suffered another arm injury, the team defense started to sag and general manager Milt Schmidt made a tour of the Bruins minor league teams.He saw Marcotte in three games with Hershey and thought maybe the kid was ready to make a move upstairs.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do anything about it immediately,&rdquo; says Schmidt, &ldquo;but we were certain that he could play defensive forward for us.&ldquo;He showed a lot of hustle and desire at Hershey in the games I watched and when things started to look sour we decided to bring him up.&rdquo;Prior to that decision, however, the Bruins had traded Harrison to Toronto for left wing Wayne Carleton.Then Carleton came down with the Asian flu and the Bruins had to make the move.Marcotte was recalled and put on left wing with the Esposito line.The young winger immediately made an impression with his back checking. It was so strong that Coach Harry Sinden put him out on penalty killing duty.&ldquo;He stepped in like he had been doing that job all his life,&rdquo; said Sinden. &ldquo;And he still kept going both ways as a forward.&ldquo;He has that knack of killing penalties like Eddie Westfall, always being on the move. That&rsquo;s the key to good penalty killing and Don proved he could do the job.&rdquo;Then he scored three times in eight games and showed a bit of ability.&ldquo;This is an area we didn&rsquo;t count heavily on Don,&rdquo; says Sinden. &ldquo;We figured he was so busy forechecking and back checking he wouldn&rsquo;t be a big scorer but then he came up with three against St. Louis and he showed us something else.&ldquo;He knows what do do in front of the net and that&rsquo;s where he is supposed to be. Maybe we made a mistake on him early in the season thinking he needed more time to make it here.&ldquo;Now it appears he may be the hockey player we have been looking for. He is strong and tough and he has shown some of our other guys something about playing defensive hockey.&ldquo;No one can say yet that he can keep it going over a whole season but it certainly looks like he has the ability do to it.&rdquo;ICE CHIPS&mdash;Ken Hodge was disappointed and being set down for three games in favor of Wayne Cashman on the Espo line at right wing but with the Bruins scoring 14 goals in three games and allowing only four it seems Sinden&rsquo;s switch in his lines has paid off.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-0148/2682217-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="C0004-01" width="544" height="794"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON MARCOTTE&hellip;Making It Big</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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February 27, 1970

NHL MISSING OUT ON PENALTY SHOTS

Record 14,835 Sees BU Terriers Score Beanpot Puck Win

NHL Richer By $7,350 In Fines As Three Clubs Hit For Brawling

Gens Silence Solem Title Hopes; Roberge Scores 700th EHL Goal