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

March 10, 1972

The Hockey News March 10, 1972

<div class="byline">BY JOHN PORTER</div>OAKLAND&mdash;One way or another, Carol Vadnais was to be the future of the California Golden Seals.With him, the Seals had a colorful player to build a young team around. They named the West Division all star defenseman captain and hoped his leadership would rally a last-place team into the playoffs this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02665/2952852-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="257" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Carol Vadnais</figcaption></div>Without him, that is if California should trade Carol, the club figured to get a package deal for its most valuable player. Certainly, many National Hockey League teams had tried for the flamboyant defenseman.With less than one-third of the season remaining and the Seals entrenched in a fight to make the playoffs, California went with the second alternative.The Golden Seals traded Vadnais to Boston for Reg Leach, Rick Smith and Bob Stewart.Other deals for Carol were turned down this season. Philadelphia, New York and Toroto all got a &lsquo;no thanks&rsquo; from general manager Garry Young, but there was a new ingredient involved when the Boston offer popped up.Vadnais was miserable in Oakland and said so. He asked to be traded during the All Star break, but nothing happened.When he scored a hat trick in Oakland in a 4-4 tie with St. Louis (Feb. 20), he didn&rsquo;t take the traditional curtain call on the ice for being named the game&rsquo;s No. 1 star.In the dressing room, he said he still wanted to be traded. With this revelation, morale in the stretch drive was in jeopardy.Vad&rsquo;s disenchantment apparently came about when fans and sports writers began to criticize his work on the ice. He was injured in the second game of the season and sat out nine games with a bum ankle.Upon his return, he went back into the lienup full-time, but he needed to work into shape and his weight was a couple of pounds too high.&ldquo;What am I supposed to do?&rdquo; the exasperated star said after one game when the hecklers got heavy on him. &ldquo;They want me to go out and score goals all the time like Bobby Orr, but there&rsquo;s only one Bobby Orr.&rdquo;Now Carol and Bobby Orr are on the same team.The Seals hope to strengthen their defense and let loose a hot coring winger from their side of the trade.Leach was Boston&rsquo;s top pick in the 1970 amateur draft, but found little limelight on a roster filled with stars. The Golden Seals hope the fourth-line winger blossoms forth the same way Ivan Boldirev has with regular play.California has been getting by with four defensemen most of this season, although Marshall Johnston has been back on the blueline when needed. The Seals lose Vadnais, but Smith and Stewart give them two defensemen in return.If age is considered, the Seals come out ahead. Vadnais is 26, Smith is 23 and Leach and Stewart are 21.SEALS SHOTS: GM Young now has seven former Bruins in the Seals&rsquo; organization&hellip;There are only five Golden Seals still with California who started the 1970-71 season&hellip;The Vadnais trade was announced the morning of the final appearance (Feb. 23) of the Bruins in Oakland this season&hellip;A Berkeley FM station planned to broadcast the game, the first home radio the Seals have had this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03549/2952845-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="492" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body">REG LEACH&hellip;Plumb In Deal</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0002-02

IN THIS ISSUE

Unhappy In Oakland, Seals Trade Vadnais

Don Blackburn of the Providence Reds continues to fight off challenges to the individual AHL scoring leadership and at last count, the veteran right winger was doing all right. Blackburn scored three times, set up two others and had a five-point week to raise his first-place margin to four points over Cleveland&rsquo;s Buster Harvey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01162/2954273-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="542" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON BLACKBURN</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

Player Of The Week

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Every hockey player from time to time must play with minor injuries. The demands of competition in the National Hockey League will not wait for bruises or cuts to heal nor the soreness of muscles to go away. In fact, few payers can be afforded the luxury of a night off when the flu bug hits.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01801/2953035-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="260" height="448"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Plager</figcaption></div>But in this environment of playing with discomforts and sometimes with pain Bob Plager of the St. Louis Blues has gone beyond the call of duty.Right at this time the rugged defenseman is playing with a nagging back injury that makes normal movements distressingly uncomfortable, a broken rib that is slow in healing and a right thigh plagued by a golfball-size calcium deposit that prevents him from sitting squarely on a chair.The injuries obviously are enough to force lesser men to the sidelines and perhaps to the hospital. But Plager refuses to succumb to his ills. If he can get out of bed in the morning, he wants to play hockey.There have been those mornings when he literally could not get out of bed, when, for example, the leg injury made him simply immobile. He has missed nearly half of the games so far this see son, and that statistic will be the one that will endure on his professional hockey record. Bit the record will not show that most of the games in which he did play could also have been added to the number of games out of action.On one occasion he managed to get out of the hospital a couple of hours before a game and reported for duty at the St. Louis Arena. He was allowed to play, but the back injury forced him back into the hospital immediately after the game.The season was less than three weeks old when Plager was forced out of action for a couple of weeks with a groin injury. At some point along the way his back began bothering him, and eventually x-rays showed that a small bone in the back was broken. The back problem continues to bother him.&ldquo;When I get out there on the ice, I forget about the back.&rdquo; Plager said. &ldquo;But. when I sit down on the bench. I can&rsquo;t raise my leg or knee.&rdquo;After a game in a dressing room full of agile athletes, Plager is the one sitting and rising slowly, gently taking off his uniform and pads and taking slow, short steps to move about the room. His teammales are now accusDomed to seeing him ailing, and some of the newer team members have never seen him healthy.The broken rib was suffered the same night that John Arbour broke his arm in a game with Montreal, and the Blues dropped to three defensemen. Plager was back in the lineup as quickly as possible and played with a foamrubber pad over his ribcage.&ldquo;The first night 1 played without the padding the doctor told me, &lsquo;Go ahead and play but don&rsquo;t hit anybody,&rdquo;&lsquo;Plager said. &ldquo;Now what kind of talk is that in hockey!&rdquo;The most frightening of the injuries is the calcium deposit. It is on the inside of his right thigh and it is painful. When Plager sits these days, he lists to the left because he puts his weight on his left leg and tries to keep his right leg slightly raised from the chair so as not to feel greater pressure and pain.&ldquo;The doctors have stuck needles with cortisone in my leg to try to dissolve the calcium, but it hasn&rsquo;t worked,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they operated on it, I&rsquo;d be out for the year. I suppose I could get it done at the end of the season, if the doctors want it done.&rdquo;Plager retains his spirit and humor, and those qualities are undoubtedly what keep him going in his season of injuries. &#9632;

f0006-01

Rugged Bob Plager Coes On Despite Injuries

Bobby Hull&rsquo;s value to his team is substantial. His value to hockey is virtually immeasurable. Yet other players of lesser skills are constantly attempting to minimize his effectiveness. They check him harder. Watch him more closely. Follow him everywhere. And Bobby copes not only with them but with all the normal hockey situations.A fall. A stick. A stray shot. And more.Bobby is outfitted from his Tackaberry skates to his shoulder pads with CCM equipment. He knows as a member of our Advisory Board that all our hockey equipment must satisfy not only himself but our other Advisory Board members. If it doesn&rsquo;t, the design is improved to meet CCM&rsquo;s consistently high standards.Bobby Hull, the million dollar investment, is protected by CCM. We&rsquo;re very happy about it. And we&rsquo;re certain the rest of hockey is, too.Bobby Hull.Frank Mahovlich.Darryl Sittler.Paul Henderson.Dale Tallon.Marcel Dionne.Gary Smith.The CCM Athletic Advisory Board. We use more than their names.We use their ideas.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01741/2953321-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="572" height="846"></div> &#9632;

f0013-01

HOW DO YOU PROTECT A MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT LIKE BOBBY HULL?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01524/2955669-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>&mdash;Page 15<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-02397/2955662-1-eng-US/cover-022.jpg" title="Cover-02" width="1168" height="1690"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY HULLSix Goals Away From Milestone (Hockey News Photo by Richard Pellegrini)</figcaption></div>JEAN RATELLE PUTS HOT LINE ON RECORD COURSE&mdash;Page 15VADNAIS ASKED TO BE TRADED&mdash;Page 2BOUCHA MAKES DREAM DEBUT&mdash;Page 16BOBBY HULLTAKES AIM AT 600TH MAJOR LEAGUE GOAL&mdash;Page 3 &#9632;

Cover-01

NHL SCORING RACE GOING TO WIRE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01706/2952814-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Dryden displays form that could win rookie award. (Hockey News Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div><h2>DRYDEN GETS BOWMAN&rsquo;S SUPPORT</h2>MONTREAL&mdash;Goaler Ken Dryden of the Canadiens can count on the support of his coach, Scotty Bowman, for the Calder Trophy rookie award voting after all.A controversy had developed when Bowman was quoted as saying &ldquo;he wasn&rsquo;t certain&rdquo; he could vote for Dryden since Martin was &ldquo;more of a rookie&rdquo;. Bowman heatedly denied the story and Dryden was equally upset by the statement.Bowman has reassured his ace goaler he will be in his corner when the Calder voting comes around. Dryden&rsquo;s main opposition for the award will be provided by teammate Guy Lafleur and of course Rick Martin, the hot scoring Buffalo rookie.<h2>TRIO COULD SET DRAFT PRECEDENT</h2>TORONTO&mdash;The Toronto Marlboros&rsquo; sensational high-scoring front line of Bill Harris, Steve Shutt and Dave Gardner, may set a precedent in pro hockey negotiations.The three may attempt to bargain collectively in order to remain together in their first pro season. The New York Raiders of the new WHA drafted the three together and it is their hope the line can negotiate some sort of a package deal to stay together. The only place they could succeed in their objective would be to play in the WHA. Under NHL draft rules, this would not be likely.<h2>AILING McLELLAN ON HOLIDAY</h2>TORONTO&mdash;Ailing Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; coach John McLellan has taken off on a short Florida vacation to recuperate from a bout with a stomach ulcer.The Toronto coach was released from hospital after undergoing tests. He is expected to remain in Florida for at least one week. McLellan&rsquo;s club is currently battling for its life with the Detroit Red Wings for the fourth and final playoff berth in the NHL&rsquo;s East Division race.Frank &lsquo;King&rsquo; Clancy is filling in for McLellan behind the Leafs&rsquo; bench.<h2>RUSSIANS FIRE HOCKEY COACHES</h2>MOSCOW&mdash;The Soviet Hockey Federation stunned the hockey world by announcing they had fired both their top coaches in one sweep.Anatoly Tarasov, the world&rsquo;s most successful hockey coach, and Arkady Chernyshov, senior Russian coach, were both dismissed by the Federation. No reason was given for the firings.Tarasov, who won nine straight world titles for Russia and three consecutive Olympic gold medals, was hailed and respected on both sides of the world. American Olympic coach Murray Williamson said he was frankly shocked by Tarasov&rsquo;s dismissal.He said the firing of Tarasov was part of the Russians&rsquo; political philosophy of not allowing any one individual to remain in the national spotlight. &#9632;

f0002-01

Deadline Stoppers

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01710/2952904-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"></div>CHICAGO&mdash;Watch it now. Any day. Robert Marvin Hull will ascend another plateau in his phenomenal National Hockey League career. He&rsquo;ll score his 600th goal, and when you walk that neighborhood, there&rsquo;s only one other fellow around&mdash;Gordie Howe, who retired with 786.Including games of Sunday, Feb. 27, Bobby had scored a career total of 594&mdash;meaning he needed six more goals to reach the 600 plateau.Is Robert Marvin Hull any different from that muscular, blond flash who first started assaulting the archives 15 seasons ago by putting his first puck past Don Simmons on the evening of Oct. 22, 1957?Well, maybe a little less blond, but still brilliant. He still terrorizes goalies with the flaming slap shot, but an hour later he is endearing children outside the rink by signing every last autograph. He is still the star of stars, the peoples&rsquo; choice, yet he is one of the guys and never too much of a star to make a rookie feel at home. He aches and accumulates bruises like everyone else, yet his are more quiet hurts&hellip;he merely covers them up with the uniform, and proceeds to play with gusto.And is he ever playing with gusto. The 33-year-old legs still hop, and the shot is still just a blur, and the savvy of all these years enables The Golden-Jet to perform, in some experienced eyes, his finest feats yet.But the ever-humble, ever self-critical Hull won&rsquo;t necessarily buy that.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I still have the old zip,&rdquo; he grins. &lsquo;&lsquo;Maybe I&rsquo;ve lost that step or two. I&rsquo;m playing a little less now than I used to when I was scoring all those goals, but maybe it&rsquo;s a blessing. T! ose were exciting days, but by having a little less ice time now, it may mean adding a couple years to my career.&ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t know if I could do what I used to anymore, anyway. Besides I don&rsquo;t have to. This is quite a hockey team we have here, and they don&rsquo;t need any one or two guys to shoulder the load.&rdquo;On the other hand, from his coach, Billy Reay, to the newest member of the Black Hawks, to the hockey people who have watched him for game upon game, Hull just might be at his best right now. A total genius with the raw attributes and finesse, as always, but now spiced with time.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen him play as enthusiastically or as sound as he is this year,&rdquo; said Montreal Coach Scotty Bowman. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the most explosive shot in the game, he&rsquo;s skating and carrying 1 he puck tremendously well, and he&rsquo;s playing great defensively.&ldquo;Trouble is, he&rsquo;s not getting all the attention he used to, because it&rsquo;s all been written before. People have come to take him for granted. But now he has all the lacets of the game under command. He can score from more places on the ice than anyone else. That wrist shot of his is especially dangerous. To stop him requires a concentrated effort.&rdquo;Stopping Robert Marvin Hull has been nigh impossible. He owns the NHL record for most consecutive 30-goal-or-more seasons, 13. In his debut campaign of 1957-58, he registered 13. The year after, 18. After that, he&rsquo;s been a terror&mdash;from a high of 58 in 1968-69 to a low of 31 in 196061 and 1962-62.This season will represent his 8th year of gathering 40-or-more goals, also a record. And it&rsquo;s not unthinkable that he&rsquo;ll hit the 50 mark for the fifth time, also a record.Howe&rsquo;s 786 production encompassed a quarter century. If Hull chooses to play that long, he could well dash that milestone.&ldquo;And the way he&rsquo;s going now,&rdquo; said Reay, &ldquo;he just might go on a long while yet.&rdquo;The remarkable aspect of Hull&rsquo;s grandeur is that he collects as many plaudits as goals. He is loved, respected, admired.When Phil Esposito scored his 50th goal in a recent game at Chicago, it was noted that the burly Bruins&rsquo; center had equalled another Hull standard by bagging 50-or-more goals for the secord consecutive season.&ldquo;The greatest honor of a record like that,&rdquo; said Espo, &ldquo;is being in the company of Bobby Hull.&rdquo;HAWKLEY TALK: The Bruins&rsquo; 3-1 victory in which Esposito scored his 50th (and 51st) goals marked just the second home ice defeat for the Black Hawks in 31 games this season. The first was also to the Bruins, a 5-1 setback on Dec. 29. Phil Espo once again devoured his former employers and brother Tony as the Bostonians whipped the Hawks for the fourth time in five outings. The Chicagoans entered March with an unimpressive record of two wins, eight losses and three ties against their top three quality foes&mdash;Boston, Montreal and New York&hellip;Stan Mikita went into the helmet business by announcing he&rsquo;ll manufacture a protective headgear which he had designed for his own use and currently wears. The new helmet has a webbed safety suspension system that separates the player&rsquo;s head from the outer plastic shell and prevents direct blows&hellip;Chico Maki, right wing on the top Hawk line of Center Pit Martin and Hull, tore a hip muscle in a tumble at St. Louis Feb. 15 and was due to miss two weeks. Reay tabbed rookie Darryl Maggs and vet Eric Nesterenko to fill in for Maki.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02590/2952897-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="949" height="1668"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Hockey News Photo By Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div><h2>ALL TIME LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03394/2952890-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="578" height="722"></div><h2>Hull&rsquo;s Milestone Goals</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04233/2952883-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="1098" height="536"></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

600th NHL GOAL

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01772/2952956-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="521" height="523"></div>&bull; OWNER ROY BOE of the New York Islanders is delighted that his new expansion team will play in the Eastern Division of the National Hockey League next season. &ldquo;The basic reason we wanted to be in the same division as the Rangers is that there is a natural rivalry. We&rsquo;ll play the Rangers five times, three times at the Coliseum and twice at the Garden,&rdquo; he explained&hellip;Boe&rsquo;s wife, a clothing designer by trade, will design the team&rsquo;s uniforms and the colors will be blue and orange. &ldquo;They will look good for spectators and for television both,&rdquo; Boe stated&hellip;When Toronto&rsquo;s Rick Ley was recently asked what was wrong with the Leafs, he replied: &ldquo;Everybody and everything&rdquo;. When General Manager Jim Gregory was asked if punitive measures would be taken against Ley for his criticism of management, he very sensibly replied: &ldquo;What do you want me to do, call him a liar?&rdquo;&hellip;Gregory then indicated that the matter was closed. Ley has been suffering most of this campaign with a bleeding ulcer&hellip;Bobby Hull thinks he might have been laughed out of the league a few years ago if he&rsquo;d had a hair transplant. &ldquo;But things are different today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Men use cologne, get their hair styled and use hair spray. It&rsquo;s the accepted thing. Nobody laughs at it, with everybody wearing long hair, why should I let myself lose my hair?&rdquo;&hellip;The new owners of the Montreal Canadiens aren&rsquo;t kidding when they say they are trying to better the club&rsquo;s public relations. Director Jean Beliveau has invited media types to suggest what improvements might be made&hellip;The St. Louis Blues were involved in two challenges of hockey sticks. Referee Bill Friday ruled in a game with Toronto that the curve of Jack Egers&rsquo; stick was too large. Two nights later the Blues initiatied the challenge, and Referee Bruce Hood disqualified Bill Goldsworthy&rsquo;s stick because he thought the width of the Minnesota star&rsquo;s stick was too narrow&hellip;Montreal&rsquo;s Henri Richard celebrated his ninth birthday on February 29. He was a leap year baby in 1936.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02723/2952949-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="267" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Ley</figcaption></div>&bull; CALIBRE OF PLAY in the various Canadian college leagues has improved tremendously in the last few years, and pro scouts are tripping over each other attending these games. Last year during the national championships in Sudbury, Jerry Toppazzini had this to say to a group of pro scouts: &ldquo;You guys don&rsquo;t realize how good these college kids are today. There&rsquo;s hardly a kid out there that hasn&rsquo;t got more ability than I ever had,&rdquo; the former member of the Boston Bruins emphatically stated&hellip;Lorne (Gump) Worsley&rsquo;s father died at the age of 79. Sympathy of hockey fans goes out to the veteran Minnesota goalie&hellip;Johnny Wilson has done a marvelous job in coaching Detroit Red Wings this season. The Wings were in last place when he took the club over and he now has them in fourth place&hellip;One of the freakiest injuries possible happened to Gordon Kannegiesser recently when he was called up by the St. Louis Blues from their Kansas City farm team. Kannegiesser jumped out of bed in the morning, slipped and fell and cut his thumb on his big toenail. The cut required 10 stitches to close, and Kannegiesser went back to Kansas City&hellip;In the March issue of Sport Magazine Rod Gilbert recalls the late New York physician, Dr. Kazio &ldquo;Yan&rdquo; Yanigasyawa, who performed the second spinal fusion operation on the Ranger forward. &ldquo;I remember once Yan operated on Jacques Plante. Afterwards Yan asked Plante to lift up his leg. &lsquo;I can&rsquo;t&rsquo;, said Jacques. Yan took the cigar out of his mouth and put the burning end into Jacques leg. &ldquo;See you can lift it,&rsquo; Yan said. &lsquo;You just did&rsquo;&rdquo;&hellip;Obviously admiring Yan&rsquo;s toughness, Gilbert said: &ldquo;Yan was some man, every bit as tough as any hockey player&rdquo;&hellip;Bruce Gamble, the Philadelphia goalkeeper who is recovering from a heart attack, has been receiving 300 to 400 letters from fans wishing him well. Most of these letters are from the Philadelphia area. Gamble won&rsquo;t know until the middle of the summer whether he will be able to play again&hellip;It won&rsquo;t be long before Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr replace almost all of the scoring records in the Boston Bruins&rsquo; record book. Although he has been with the Bruins but five seasons, Esposito will exceed Milt Schmidt&rsquo;s total of 575 scoring points before the current season ends. That will leave only Johnny Bucyk ahead of Espo. Defenseman Orr is already fifth among all-time Boston scorers, is only his sixth season as a Bruin.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03625/2952942-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="256" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Gilbert</figcaption></div>&bull; MORE AFTERNOON games have been played in the NHL this season than ever before. A large section of the crowd at these matinees are children. They make an excellent audience because they are highly vocal, not too critical and just attending an NHL game is such a rare experience for them that they always enjoy themselves&hellip;The American Hockey League is enjoying one of its finest years in history and President Jack Butterfield is even more optimistic for next season&hellip;Trainer Frank Lewis of Philadelphia, who has been with the Flyers since their inception, is hospitalized with arthritis in Lankenau Hospital in Philadelphia. Lewis, who played saxo-phone in Tommy Dorsey&rsquo;s orchestra at one time, is one of the nicer guys in the business&hellip;The March issue of HOCKEY PICTORIAL rates as one of the best. Fine cover shot of Carol Vadnais&hellip;There are more talented young play-by-play hockey announcers on the scene right now than ever before. Many of them just need that one break to launch their careers into the Big Time&hellip;Fred Walker of the CBC in Montreal is one of the best of this new crop. Fred does many of the NHL games over the CBC radio network&hellip;There&rsquo;s a Pat and Mike McCormack refereeing in the Eastern Hockey League this season. They are twin brothers and hail from Toronto&hellip;Gary Sabourin&rsquo;s 20th goal of the season was also his 100th NHL marker. The St. Louis forward scored it against Tony-Esposito of Chicago and immediately dived into the net to retrieve the puck for a souvenir&hellip;Al Fisher of the Baltimore Sun is president of the North American HockeyWriters Association representing the American Hockey League&hellip;Cesare Maniago of Minnesota got a Canadian stockbroker&rsquo;s licence a number of years ago and wants to go into the brokerage business when he retires from hockey&hellip;Howard Baldwin, president of the New England Whalers, noted that the first three letter of Whalers are WHA, the initials of the World Hockey Association. Baldwin feels his club will be one of the best draws in the new puck circuit and hopes to be able to announce his home arena any day.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04535/2952935-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="266" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gary Sabourin</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

Founded October 1st, 1947Published weekly except monthly June through September byKen-Will Publishing Co. Ltd.1434 St. Catherine Street WestMontreal 107, Canada.U.S. Office: 16 Maple Street, Rouses Point, N.Y. 12979Kenneth William McKenzie President and PublisherCharlie Halpin Editorial DirectorLyndon Little Assistant To EditorYearly SUBSCRIPTION Rates: $6.00 in Canada $7.00 in the U.S.A, and $9.00 in Foreign Countries.Postpage paid at Rouses Point, N.Y. 12979. Send address changes to 1434 St. Catherine Street West, Suite 212, Montreal, 107, P.Q.Second class mail&mdash;Registration No. 1327Printed in CanadaVol. 25 MONTREAL, MARCH 10, 1972. No. 23 &#9632;

The Hockey News OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY

<h2>Graduating Juniors Should Keep Helmets</h2>Much has been said over the past few years concerning the mandatory use of hockey helmets. Many of the current pros feel the headgear is too heavy, bulky or warm. This arises mainly from the players being unaccustomed to them.I suggest as a possible solution that all graduating juniors be made to retain their helmets. The rookies are accustomed to them because of current junior rules making their utilization compulsory. In such a way, almost all players would be protected within a decade. This would be a practical solution to a difficult problem.FRANK McAULEY, Prescott, Ont.<h2>Slumping Toronto Needs Fan Support</h2>I would like to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs are being unjustly booed.This team has been under tremendous pressure as of late. Twice on the road the Leafs have come back from games a lesser team would have lost. If anything, the players are trying too hard. They are visibly nervous and it does not help any when they have the fans on their backs. I think this booing has been cruel and senseless. There is more to hockey than scoring goals and there is more to the Toronto slump than &ldquo;they&rsquo;re not trying.&rdquo;DENNIS SMITH,&nbsp; Oakville, Ont.<h2>Home Uniforms Would Add to All Star Game</h2>Although this year&rsquo;s 3-2 East victory in the All Star game was the most exciting game since the East-West match-up came into existence, there was a definite lack of color both figuritively and literally. The thing that sets the major league baseball All Star game apart from its counterparts in the NHL. NFL and NBA is that the players wear their own team&rsquo;s uniform.For instance, in riext year&rsquo;s game at Madison Square Garden; the East squad should sport their home whites while the visiting West club should wear their colorful road sweaters. I&rsquo;m sure this innovation would install a bit more fan appeal putting the game on an interest level with the baseball classic.BARRY ARNTZ,&nbsp; Sharon, Mass.<h2>Information Sought On Coaches School</h2>I was wondering if you could supply a piece of information to me that would be very helpful. I coach a minor hockey team (midget) and was wondering if there existed a hockey school for coaches. If so I would be interested to have the address or any other information.SPENCER BOUDREAU,&nbsp; Rue Don Bosco, Sherbrooke, Que.(EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTE: We have no information of such a school. If such schools exist, we would like to hear about them.)<h2>Canadian Amateurs Enough For Russians</h2>Now that the Olympics are behind us for another four years I feel we should review the situation with respect to international competition for Canadian hockey teams.I think that most Canadians agreed at the time that we made the right decision in pulling out team. However, if a poll were taken today, I think most of us would say we should be back in world competition, with the best amateurs we have.Look at what a commendable job the Americans did at Sapporo with their amateurs. They could cry as we did that they should be allowed to use their pros. But they didn&rsquo;t. Doug Volmar, Lou &Ntilde;anne and Tom Williams, to name a few presently playing pro hockey, would be enough to beat the Russians. Canada wouldn&rsquo;t even need the pros to win. They present editions of any of the top five teams in the OHA Junior A circuit would do it.JIM TATTL Burlington, Ont. &#9632;

Fan Forum

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02654/2953066-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="910" height="607"></div><h2>Defending In Close</h2>Defensemen must always remember their job is to help the goalie before the puck is shot at the net. If a defenseman can&rsquo;t prevent a shot, he must keep out of the way so the goaltender can see it coming.Draw an imaginary square on the ice with the forward corners touching the face off circles and the back corners at the red line beside the goal.If you&rsquo;re defending against an attack in close, stay out of the square. If you&rsquo;re standing inside it you&rsquo;re too close and will blcok the goalie&rsquo;s view of the play. &#9632;

f0006-02

Hockey for Kids

<div class="byline">By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01787/2953104-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="289" height="356"></div><h2>Players Are Traded</h2>WAYNE CONNELLY is 32-years-old and has been a pro 13 seasons, during which he has changed uniform on the average of once a season. He broke into the majors with Montreal, bounced to Boston, was stuck in the minors for several seasons, bounced back to Boston, then to Minnesota, Detroit, St. Louis and Vancouver.After last season started, he was swapped to St. Louis. After this season started, he was swapped to Vancouver. He says, &ldquo;This has happened to me many times, but this time for the first time, I said this is the last time, and I said to myself, &lsquo;This is it,&rsquo; and I went to my wife and said, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s go home.&rsquo; &ldquo;Connelly is a clever player with a lot left in him, but he admits he was discouraged. He said, &ldquo;I thought things weren&rsquo;t going that bad for me. I knew they were going bad for the Blues. I expected them to make trades. I didn&rsquo;t expect them to trade me. But I should have known better. It&rsquo;s like I never learn. It&rsquo;s like whenever a deal is made, it always includes me.&rdquo;He sat in the Vancouver dressing room after a loss and he said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been with good teams and I&rsquo;ve been with bad teams. You always try to make your team better. You always try to give your best. When you&rsquo;re traded up, it encourages you to make the move. When you&rsquo;re traded down, it discourages you. It&rsquo;s fun playing this game with a winner. It&rsquo;s no fun with a loser. But there are better players than me on this team. And we have the players who can make a winner.&rdquo;Why did he decide to report, after all? &ldquo;Reason takes over,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just starting to make pretty good money at this profession. And despite having been bounced around some, I&rsquo;ve had a pretty good life. And I like the game. You always hope something will work out for the best. I can go on playing good hockey and making good money for a few years yet. I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;d be sorry if I tossed it away in a moment of disappointment. I talked it over with my wife and we decided, &lsquo;All right, let&rsquo;s go on again.&rsquo;&ldquo;But, being traded is the hard part of this business,&rdquo; he concluded. &ldquo;It is a business, without sentiment. I have a couple of kids in school. So I have to take &lsquo;em out of school and put them in a new school. I have to break up our home and make a new home. The kids have to make new friends. It&rsquo;s a very difficult life an athlete puts on his family. But a man wants his family with him. He needs them. Traded, sold, drafted, bounced around the way you are in this business, who else do you have you can count on?&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02697/2953097-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="536" height="905"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE CONNELLY&hellip;Let&rsquo;s Go Home</figcaption></div>Earlier this season, Ed Van Impe heard he was going to be traded from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. It didn&rsquo;t happen. He sat in the Philadelphia dressing room after a game in Los Angeles and said, &ldquo;It seems like every season I hear that I&rsquo;m going to be traded somewhere. I don&rsquo;t want to go. I have my home in Philadelphia and a business starting up there. My family is settled in there. I&rsquo;m happy there. I wouldn&rsquo;t move away. But I&rsquo;d report to my new team. I&rsquo;d go on.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to hear this trade talk all the time. It unsettles you and makes you feel insecure. I guess you can look at it that a lot of teams want you. Or when you re not traded you can say, well, your team doesn&rsquo;t want to let you go. After awhile, you realize you&rsquo;re just going to have to ignore all the talk and do your job as best you can and what&rsquo;s going to happen will happen and there isn&rsquo;t anything you can do about it.<h2>Trade Shocked Roberts</h2>JIM ROBERTS had just been made captain in St. Louis when he was sent to Montreal. He says, &ldquo;It came as quite a shock. I felt secure. I met my wife, Judy, in St. Louis. Our baby girl is just a little over a-year-old. The trade came right before Christmas. That was some present. That was one present that made my wife cry. So you give up everything and pack up and move on.&rdquo;He stood in a nearly-empty corridor with a suitcase in his hand and he said, &ldquo;It made it easier it easier going to a top team, but it&rsquo;s never easy. I left a good team. Both St. Louis and Montreal are good organizations. The atmosphere around the team is similar. There&rsquo;s more hockey tradition in the city of Montreal, but St. Louis fans were spirited too. I did a job for the Blues, I&rsquo;m trying to do one for Canadiens. The trade hasn&rsquo;t hurt me. I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s helped me.&rdquo;Jim Johnson was traded from Philadelphia to L.A. He says, &ldquo;It was tough to take. Not that I had any bad feelings about L.A. But I&rsquo;d been with the guys in Philadelphia four years and I&rsquo;d come to feel at home in the town and it was very unsettling, like having to leave friends. I had to leave my family behind, too. I have a nine-year-old daughter, Shellie, going to school in New Jersey and it woudn&rsquo;t have been fair to her to just pull her out. My boy, Jimmy, is 5 and not in school. I miss my kids and my wife, Jo Anne. You move into a motel and go home to an empty room at night and it&rsquo;s not the same as going home nights. It&rsquo;s very cold and lonely.&ldquo;Oh, we&rsquo;ll be together again next season. We&rsquo;ll make the move. I&rsquo;m already making the adjustment. I didn&rsquo;t know too many of the guys on the Kings, but one of them. Bob Woytowich, is my brother-in-law, and I&rsquo;d played against the rest, and they re all hockey players, and a hockey player soon feels at home among other hockey players. When you&rsquo;re traded during the off-season, it&rsquo;s not so bad. You start fresh. But when you&rsquo;re traded in mid-season, it&rsquo;s tough. My wife was kind of upset. I said, &lsquo;Look, maybe it&rsquo;ll turn out to be the best thing that could have happened.&rsquo; You have to look on the bright side. It&rsquo;s not up to you, anyway. It&rsquo;s not as if you have any choice.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;After going six straight games without a defeat, the Kings lost six straight games before again winning one, whipping Vancouver at home, the third Saturday in February, for only their 10th victory in 30 starts at their Fabulous Forum.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03575/2953135-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="238" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Fred Glover</figcaption></div>For awhile, it appeared coach Fred Glover had the team headed up, then it slipped right back. Alter five seasons as a franchise, it now appears the club will miss the playoffs for the third straight season, and possibly drop back into the cellar.Glover, who took over for manager Larry Regan after 10 games of the season, guided the team to a record of 13 victories, 31 defeats and six ties in his first 50 games as coach of the Kings. It is no secret that he has a job that is in jeapordy.Possibly, he deserves a full season, taking the team through camp into a campaign, but Jack Kent Cooke is a demanding owner. a perfectionist who is not easily satisfied, and he certainly is dissatisfied with the Kings&rsquo; status in life, far more so, you can rest assured, than any fans.After the latest losing streak, Fred says, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s discouraging. We were going good. Then we ran into a tough road trip, a stiff schedule and some bad breaks. We played a lot better in a 6-5 loss in Montreal than we have in beating lesser teams at home. We outshot Minnesota in Minnesota, 37-23, but Maniago frustrated us and we lost, 4-1. We lost at home to New York. 6-4. but we were behind, 4-1, after two periods and we outscored them, 3-1, in the last period. We battled back. We are a team now which does not give up.&rdquo;This team has had a complete roster turnover in two years and has undergone many changes this year alone. More talented players appear to have been traded for more spirited ones. Glover says, &ldquo;This is a much better team than the one which began the season. It is more aggressive and tougher and I seldom am dissatisfied with the effort of the players, as I often was earlier in the season. We&rsquo;re made a lot more progress than shows in the standings. And there&rsquo;s a lot of talent in our players which hasn&rsquo;t shown yet.&rdquo;Glover is 44 and he established himself as a good coach for many years in the minors before he had great years and terrible years in Oakland. He jumped from the frying pan there into the fire here. It is tough to win with down teams, constantly unsettled by trades, rebuilt almost annually. His players always have respected him, although Fred doesn&rsquo;t hesitate to bench even his best players, as he has done in L.A.One of his present players, a veteran, says, &ldquo;Glover is one of the good coaches. He&rsquo;s tough, but fair. He treats us all alike. He&rsquo;s a little quicker with criticism than he is with compliments, but then maybe we haven&rsquo;t rated much praise. He&rsquo;s a sound hockey man and he has a lot of spirit. He&rsquo;s a players&rsquo; coach, I think. He thinks like a player and tries to get the best from his players.&rdquo;Glover says, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard for me io figure out why some fellows don&rsquo;t go all out all the time, but I guess some just don&rsquo;t have that sort of desire. You have to understand the personalities of your people. I&rsquo;d rather have a player who puts out than a better one who doesn&rsquo;t, especially in this situation. It&rsquo;s discouraging when you&rsquo;re down and start getting up and get knocked down again, but I&rsquo;m not discouraged. I think our personnel could be better and you always try to improve yourself wherever you can, but I think we have personnel we can win with now.KINGS THINGS&mdash; Serge Bernier, who scored in three of the last four games, has appeared the most promising of the players from Philadelphia. Jim Johnson ard Bill Lesuk are hard workers, but Lesuk is only playing in spots&hellip;Bob Berry, Butch Goring and Ralph Backstrom are going good right now. Berry scored two goals and Goring four points in the big 5-3 victory over Vancouver and with Mike Corrigan they form an effective line. Berry, who played with Juha Widing and Mike Byers on the Kings&rsquo; best line last season, says, &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a pro, you should be able to go out with any combination and do your job.&rdquo;When St. Louis visited, a fan taunted the Blues until Bob Plager took a belt at him, stirring up a fracas reminiscent of the player-fan fuss Blues had with the crowd in Philadelphia&hellip;Stu Nahan, the ABC-TV ace here who had to give up his travels as the Philadelphia hockey telecaster this season, has resumed them for weekends only for the rest of the season&hellip;He is a top sportscaster who had to give up midweek assignments which conflicted with his regular role locally&hellip;Average attendance here is at the 8,500 level. &#9632;

f0008-03

Disappointed Glover Feels Present Kings Good Enough To Win

<div class="byline">BY CHARLEY BARTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;Late last fall when it became apparent Richard Martin would almost certainly reach the 20-goal plateau in his first season in the National Hockey League, he was asked if he was pointing for an objective.&ldquo;Yes, I am,&rdquo; replied the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; brilliant left-winger. &ldquo;When I reach it I will tell you what is was.With his 20th, 25th, 30th and 35th goals, Martin again was asked if he had reached his objective.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01766/2953173-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="548" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDDIE SHACK&hellip;Getaway Cost Money</figcaption></div>Each time he was polite, but firm.&ldquo;No, when I reach it, I will tell you then,&rdquo; was the reply.In the Sabres&rsquo; 59th game of the season, a 4-1 loss in Toronto, Martin collected his 39th goal, thus breaking the rookie record of 38 set the previous season by Gilbert Perreault. Martin and Perreault were teammates with the Montreal Junior Canadiens, and Perreault is Martin&rsquo;s center on a line with Mike Byers with the Sabres.Martin is well ahead of the pace set by Perreault. Gilbert scored goal No. 38 in game No. 78, and Martin has 19 games to add to his record.After his record-breaking goal, Martin at long last revealed the record was his objective.&ldquo;I felt that if I could set a record, it would be a good year for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a lot of help. Gilbert has helped me, and Punch Imlach (the Sabres&rsquo; ailing general manager and coach) also helped a lot.&rdquo;Martin scored 22 of his 39 goals on the road, and had 18 powerplay goals to his credit. Perreault, who suffered a back injury earlier in the game in which Martin set the record, was not around to see the historic goal.The 20-year-old Martin was more concerned with Perreault&rsquo;s condition than with his big goal. Perreault fell heavily to the ice when checked hard, but cleanly, by the Leafs&rsquo; Brian Glennie, and was taken to hospital where x-rays revealed he did not suffer any broken bones.Martin says he doesn&rsquo;t have a second objective.&ldquo;I would simply like to get as many goals as I can, and hope we can win a few more games,&rdquo; he said.ALONG THE BOARDS: With 18 games to play, Martin had a good chance of becoming the NHL&rsquo;s first rookie to hit the 50-goal mark&hellip;Imlach left Maple Leaf Gardens before the game started. He came to the arena to visit with his players for the first time since he was stricken Jan. 7. Imlach appeared in good health, but indicated he woudn&rsquo;t be active again before the season ended. He confers daily with the Buffalo front-office by telephone.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02696/2953166-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="1778" height="1031"><figcaption class="caption-body">Which is the real RICHARD MARTIN? Frankly they cull are. That&rsquo;s what everyone discovered when the record-breaking Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; rookie met seven-year-old RICHARD MARTIN, left, of Oshweken, Ont., and 15-year-old RICHARD MARTIN, right of Elmira, Ont. The amateur Martins, both members of the Scotiabank Hockey College, were introduced to the Sabres&rsquo; star during an NHL game</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

Martín Admits Aiming At Rookie Coat Mark

<div class="byline">&#x2014;BARTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;At 35, when most hockey players are a half-step slower, Eddie Shack is faster than he has ever been.As a matter of fact, the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; veteran forward sped out of Memorial Auditorium Before a 4-0 loss the the Montreal Canadiens even started, and it cost him some money.When Gilbert Perreault was unable to play because of a back injury which hampered him in the warmup, a call went out for Shack over the public address system.Shack, who had been in the building before the game, apparently departed for points unknown after Coach Joe Crozier told him he wouldn&rsquo;t be playing. He failed to answer the public address call, and the Sabres were forced to face the world champions one man under the 19-player limit.Shack met with Fred Hunt, the Sabres&rsquo; acting general manager, the following day and was notified he was under indefinite suspension.&ldquo;I told him to go home and to stay there until he was ready to play hockey,&rdquo; said Hunt, filling in for Punch Imlach, the Buffalo general manager and coach recuperating at his Toronto home from a heart attack.Shack, acquired a year ago from the Los Angeles Kings, had 10 goals and 13 assists in 50 games. He has a $38,000 per-season contract. &#9632;

Sabres Suspend Shack For Leaving Too Soon

Following are the latest move nents in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>BOSTON&mdash;Rick Smith and Bob Stewart, defensemen. and Reg Leach, forward, traded to California in exchange for Carol Vadnais, defenseman. and Don O&rsquo;Donoghue, forward. Matt Ravlich, defenseman. returned to Boston Braves of AHL.VANCOUVER&mdash;Ed Dyck, goalkeeper. recalled from Rocheser of AHL.BUFFALO&mdash;Randy Wyrozub, forward, recalled from Cincinnati of AHL.DETROIT&mdash;Henry Boucha, forward, signed to pro contract from U.S. Olympic team. Andy Browri, goalkeeper, recalled from Fort Worth of CHL and later returned.NEW YORK&mdash;Tommy Williams, forward, returned to Omaha of CHL.LOS ANGELES&mdash;Jack Norris, goalkeeper, and Bud Debrody, forward, recalled from Seattle of WHL and reassigned to spring AHL.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>CLEVELAND&mdash;Ron Wilson, defenseman. recalled from Fort Wayne of 1HL.RICHMOND&mdash;Roger Kosar, goalkeeper, recalled from Roanoke Valley of EHL.TIDEWATER&mdash;George Hulme, goalkeeper, called up from Port Huron of 1HL on five-game pro tryout. Brian Cropper, goalkeeper, returned to Port Huron.<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>DENVER&mdash;Doug Smith, forward, returned to Kansas City of CHL. Jack Kell, defenseman. returned to Springfield of AHL. who reassigned him to Sun Coast of EHL.<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>KANSAS CITY&mdash;Derek Harker, defenseman, recalled from Long Island of EHL. Wayne Gibbs, defenseman. signed to pro contract.TULSA&mdash;Bob Charlebois, forward, signed as free agent.OMAHA&mdash;Larry O&rsquo;Connor, defenseman. recalled from De? Moines of IHL.<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>FORT WAYNE&mdash;Gil Smith, forward. dropped from roster.DAYTON&mdash;Nels Jacobson, forward. dropped from roster.TOLEDO&mdash;Kent Byrnes, forward, claimed from Davton of IHLDES MOINES&mdash;Gene Sob chuk. forward, dropped from ros ter.COLUMBUS&mdash;Brian Cadle and Nick Holmes, forwards dropped from roster.<h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>NEW HAVEN&mdash;Blaine Rydman, defenseman. secured from Charlotte of EHL. Ed Sidebottom, defenseman. released.LONG ISLAND&mdash;Michel Letourneau, forward, returned to active roster.GREENSBORO&mdash;Don Carter, playing coach, placed on inactive list. Ted Lanyon and Don Lanelle, defensemen. put on active roster for playoffs. Steve Johnson, defenseman, dropped.CLINTON&mdash;Mike Legge, forward, secured from Winnipeg Juniors on tryout basis.SYRACUSE&mdash;Bob Buchy, forward secured from Greensboro of EHL as replacement for Bob Peppler, forward, placed on disabled list for rest of season.SUN COAST&mdash;Keith Silvernagle, defenseman. placed on inactive list. &#9632;

Movements of Players

<div class="byline">BY DWAYNE NETLAND</div>TWIN CITIES&mdash;As he has done so often in a National Hockey League career that has taken him from Toronto to New York to the frosty plains of Minnesota. Bob Nevin is having the last laugh on his critics.They booed this deceptively talented right winger in Toronto, they lashed out unmercifully at him in New York and for several long weeks in mid-season this year the Bronx cheers were rolling down upon him from the customers at Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01783/2953259-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="260" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Nevin</figcaption></div>The truth was that Nevin was not performing at a particularly high level during the major portion of December and January, for one reason or another, and there were times when Jack Gordon sat him on the bench and went with Craig Cameron instead.Then one night at St. Louis, while the Blues were pinning down the other two Minnesota lines with some tight checking, Nevin threw a couple of moves which prompted some nods of admiration on the St. Louis bench. The North Stars, of course, noticed them. too.In the next four games. Nevin personally accounted for 11 points. Gordon had assigned him, in a move that took on the aspects of a permanent one. on a line with J.P. Parise at left and Dennis Hextail at center. Hextail was just breaking into the lineup after missing nearly the first four full months with knee problems, and Parise was coming back after sitting out six games with a bruised shoulder.The line produced six goals in their first three games together, including both in a 2-0 matinee victory over Pittsburgh. Nevin, casually toweling after his postgame shower, was inclined to trace the outburst to the fact that &ldquo;we&rsquo;re just starting to feel the knack of knowing where each other is without having to look for him.&rdquo;Parise, however, re-created a slippery move that Nevin made on the Pittsburgh defense, nedded over at his linemate and quietly said: &ldquo;If you watch him closely, Nevin makes a lot of those moves. He controls the puck until his other forwards are in position to make a move.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see why anybody should be surprised at what he is doing. Nevvy&rsquo;s been in the NHL for 13 years and has over 230 goals. Just the other day he played in his 800th NHL game. You don&rsquo;t accomplish all that by doing nothing.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02675/2953252-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="1155" height="1174"><figcaption class="caption-body">After living on a liquid diet and losing weight while recovering from a broken jaw, young defensemen BARRY GIBBS of the North Stars wore this modified football type face mask to protect him during the six-week period.</figcaption></div>Nevin has improved his skating, no question about that, but there is a suspicion that he has also benefited from the late-season arrival of Hextali. Hex is a penetrating, hell-for-leather center who can forecheck for possession and thus enable Nevin to initiate his deft moves around the net.Whatever, the 33-year-old winger (he&rsquo;ll be 34 March 18) has been playing the type of hockey that has brought some broad smiles to the face of Wren Blair, the Minnesota general manager. Blair got Nevin from New York last summer in a deal for Bobby Rousseau.While Nevin was experiencing a relatively slow start, Rousseau was pouring in a flock of early-season goals for the Rangers. Now Bobby has tailed off a bit, and Nevvy is coming on with the flourish of an old pro who can sniff the upcoming playoffs.Meanwhile, the Minnesota power play unit experienced a swift and sweet atonement with its two goals to beat Pittsburgh. They came less that 24 hours after the North Stars had surrendered two short-handed goals to the Boston Bruins within one minute of the second period. &#9632;

f0010-01

Nevin Giving North Stars Lift

<div class="byline">BY TOM MONAHAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01753/2953290-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY ORR&hellip; Superb In Bruins&rsquo; Romp (Hockey News Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>BOSTON&mdash;As the Bruins rolled along with but one loss in 21 games and three in 46, Chicago Coach Billy Reay and Vancouver coach Hal Laycoe fingered the reason for the success of the NHL&rsquo;s East Division leaders.To be sure they cited Phil Esposito&rsquo;s 100-plus points and the superb play of Borry Orr, but the summation is overall depth.&ldquo;Just damned strong,&rdquo; said Reay simply. &ldquo;They come off the bench and there is no difference.&rdquo;Laycoe was more expansive.&ldquo;They come at you, around you, over you, in back of you, From everywhere,&rdquo; he said thinking particularly of the 9-1 troucing they gave his Canucks two weeks ago.&ldquo;Look at the Minnesota game last week. The North Stars were going great. You have to figure they can beat them on home ice the way they are going. But the Bruins win 6-4.&ldquo;Then I read about them going into Chicago with no sleep, no one having breakfast and they take Chicago 3-1 the next afternoon.&ldquo;Chicago hadn&rsquo;t played a game in two days and was rested and at home. The Bruins had been in Philadelphia and Minnesota and should have been tired.&ldquo;Yet, after Chicago goes great for 10 minutes, the Bruins take the game away from them.&ldquo;I know the Bruins have power but the most impressive thing to me is the way they have survived injuries this season.&ldquo;They lost Don Awrey and never missed him. They lost Don Marcotte and no one knew he was gone. They lost Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman moves over and Mike Walton takes over left wing and they go great with Espo.&ldquo;Then they lose Walton and put Ace Bailey in his spot against Chicago and there is no difference.&ldquo;They even lose Johnny Bucyk and Marcotte takes his place as though nothing happened.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve just got everything,&rdquo; said Laycoe. &ldquo;They lose two players and just go to the bench. If most of us lose one man, all we can do is pray.&rdquo;B&rsquo;s coach Tom Johnson agrees that the bench has been a lifesaver this year. But one a more general basis he still insists that team defense is the key.&ldquo;Take that Chicago game, for example,&rdquo; said Johnson. &ldquo;That has to be one of our better efforts this year.&ldquo;We seemed a little slow at the start but we settled down to play a great defensive game. Yet we still had the scoring opportunities and made the most of them.&rdquo;ICE CHIPS&mdash; Esposito is the second man ever to score 50 or more goals in two successive seasons&hellip; And he also has 100 points or more to his credit in three of the last four years&hellip;But his main concern still is to win the Stanly Cup&hellip; &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only thing that will make me really happy,&rdquo; he says&hellip;Eddie Johnston is closing in on his personal goal of being in the Bruins nets for 30 victories&hellip;His performance against Chicago was his 23rd victory of the season&hellip;Gerry Cheevers had 20 to his credit going into last week&rsquo;s game at Vancouver&hellip;The breakdown on Espo&rsquo;s 51 goals showed he has bagged 21 against East Division competition and 30 against the West&hellip; Buffalo and Vancouver have been his pet East teams yielding five each but next is New York with four&hellip;Philadelphia has accounted for nine in the West with St. Louis giving him seven and Chicago five&hellip;Minnesota has been his toughest team&hellip;He has but a single goal against the North Stars. &#9632;

f0012-01

Reay, Laycoe Agree: “Bruins Have Everything”

MONTREAL&mdash;Hockey is a game that can, on occasion, turn its most gentle practioners into raging lions.J.C. Tremblay, a man noted for his cool and reasoned approach to the game (eight minutes in penalties in 55 games, this season) provided one of the more recent examples. Tremblay lost his cool and blew sky-high at referee Bruce Hood in a Feb. 16 game with the California Golden Seals at the Forum, when he was called for &ldquo;deliberately delaying the game.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02687/2953352-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="277" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">J.C. Tremblay</figcaption></div>What happened was that J.C. fired the puck into the stands in attempting to relieve pressure in front of the Canadiens net, and Hood decided he&rsquo;d done it deliberately. A two-minute penalty resulted, under Rule 50-A in Section six of the rule book.Tremblay, &ldquo;The Quiet Man&rdquo; of Canadiens, argued so violently with the referee that he was assessed a 10-minute misconduct penalty; only the second time he&rsquo;s been nailed for that in a 12-year NHL career.However, even Tremblay&rsquo;s reaction was mild compared to that of Seals&rsquo; coach Vic Stasiuk when referee Hood twice more invoked the controversial rule&mdash;both times against the Seals.Hood penalized Seals&rsquo; goalie Gilles Meloche near the midway mark of the second period, when the little netminder cleared the puck over the boards.Canadiens scored while holding the man advantage and so salvaged a 1-1 tie with the Seals. Stasiuk termed the call &ldquo;Bush League.&rdquo;Still later in the same game, the call was made for the third time when then Seals&rsquo; rearguard Carol Vadnais looped the puck into the stands after the whistle had gone. It was probably fortunate that Habs failed to score while he was off.&ldquo;How can they call a guy for deliberately delaying a game when play has already stopped?&rdquo; yelped Vadnais.Said Hab coach Scotty Bowman:&rsquo; &ldquo;Why did Vadnais handle the puck at all after the whistle had gone? It&rsquo;s not his job to pass the puck to the referee for the next faceoff, or to do anything with the puck. He had no business even touching it. So, why did he?&rdquo;Bowman said the rule had been passed by the rules committee at a meeting at which he&rsquo;d been present, last summer and the reason for it was to prevent possible injury to spectators resulting from pucks being shot into the stands.Others claimed the real reason for the introduction of the rule, was to prevent certain goalies from trying to relieve pressure by deliberately shooting the puck out of the playing area, notably Boston&rsquo;s Berry Cheevers among a few.No one could recall a previous occasion when the contentious rule had been invoked three times in a single game. &#9632;

f0013-02

Tremblay Loses Cool On Delaying Game Call

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01741/2953495-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><h2>TOP 25 SCORERS</h2>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 27)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1747/2953488-1-eng-US/f0014-172.jpg" title="f0014-17" width="1438" height="900"></div><h2>BOSTON Bruins</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02630/2953481-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="737" height="735"></div><h2>BUFFALO Sabres</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03491/2953474-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="730" height="742"></div><h2>CALIFORNIA Seals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04359/2953467-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="747" height="776"></div><h2>CHICAGO Black Hawks</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05269/2953460-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="728" height="718"></div><h2>DETROIT Red Wings</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06227/2953453-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="722" height="756"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES Kings</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07185/2953446-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="724" height="671"></div><h2>MINNESOTA North Stars</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08159/2953439-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="731" height="739"></div><h2>MONTREAL Canadiens</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09145/2953432-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="726" height="758"></div><h2>NEW YORK Rangers</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-10129/2953425-1-eng-US/f0014-102.jpg" title="f0014-10" width="720" height="739"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA Flyers</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-11116/2953418-1-eng-US/f0014-112.jpg" title="f0014-11" width="722" height="740"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH Penguins</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-12105/2953411-1-eng-US/f0014-122.jpg" title="f0014-12" width="720" height="829"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS Blues</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1388/2953404-1-eng-US/f0014-132.jpg" title="f0014-13" width="719" height="778"></div><h2>TORONTO Maple Leafs</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1469/2953397-1-eng-US/f0014-142.jpg" title="f0014-14" width="717" height="818"></div><h2>VANCOUVER Canucks</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1560/2953390-1-eng-US/f0014-152.jpg" title="f0014-15" width="722" height="742"></div><h2>NHL&rsquo;S EAST-WEST SCOREBOARD</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1649/2953383-1-eng-US/f0014-162.jpg" title="f0014-16" width="1388" height="227"></div>(Statistics include games of Sun. Feb. 27) &#9632;

f0014-01

PLAYERS SCORING PENALTY RECORDS

<div class="byline">BY HAL SIGURDSON</div>VANCOUVER&mdash;When a club has lost eight out of its last nine games and has given up 45 goals in the process, the coach tends to search desperately for silver linings.Hal Laycoe of the Vancouver Canucks thinks he&rsquo;s found one.Even while his club is taking its lumps in its second year of operation in the National Hockey League, Laycoe can wax poetic about the performance of his newest and smallest player, centre Richard Lemieux.&ldquo;I just love sending him out there,&rdquo; Laycoe smiles. &ldquo;I get a real charge just watching him play.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01715/2953533-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="261" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body">Richard Lemieux</figcaption></div>Lemieux joined the Canucks from their American Hockey League farm club in Rochester early in January. And though he hasn&rsquo;t exactly burned up the NHL with scoring exploits, his consistent hustle and determination has been one of the club&rsquo;s few bright spots.As a third round choice in last June&rsquo;s amateur draft, Lemieux has to rank as a master stroke for the Vancouver scouting department. But there were some agonizing reappraisals when the young center first reported to the Canucks&rsquo; training camp last September.Scouting reports had him listed as five-foot-nine and 167 pounds. When he took his medical examination with the rest of the Canuck hopefuls, his actual measurements turned out to be five-foot-seven and 151 pounds.But Lemieux quickly demonstrated that he could skate, shoot and handle a puck. And despite his lack of size, he didn&rsquo;t back away from the heavy going.His play at Rochester earned him a promotion to the NHL and he&rsquo;s made the most of it.&ldquo;After watching him play two games I knew he was here to stay,&rdquo; Laycoe insists.Bobby Schmautz, who has been Lemieux&rsquo;s right winger most of the time, insists he has played with only one better center&mdash;Stan Mikita of the Chicago Black Hawks.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a creative player,&rdquo; says Laycoe. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s out there he makes things happen. When you watch him play, you&rsquo;ve got to be reminded of Henri Richard.&rdquo;The fact Vancouver was able to land the little center as late as the third round can be traced directly to a pair of injuries that idled him through most of his final year with the junior Montreal Canadiens.First he suffered a knee injury that put him on the shelf for three months. After his return he got into a fight with Steve Durbano, a king-sized defenseman with the Toronto Marlboros, and broke his hand.As a result, Lemieux played only 19 games in his final junior season. Nevertheless, he managed to score 15 goals.But Vern Buffey&mdash;now referee-in-chief of the WHA, but then a Vancouver Scout remembered the fine year Lemieux had enjoyed the previous season. When he was still available in round three the Canucks grabbed him.People who watched the junior Canadiens play last season insist that Richard Martin, who scored 71 goals, would have scored 100 if Lemieux had been his pivot the entire season.Martin, of course, is now setting records with the Buffalo Sabres.But while Laycoe enthuses about Lemieux&rsquo;s play, he can&rsquo;t get as enthusiastic about all of his Canucks.His goaltending, hot in January, has cooled off in February. Or more accurately, the whole club&rsquo;s defensive play has cooled off.On more than one occasion goaltenders Dune Wilson and George Gardner would be justified for launching &ldquo;lack of support&rdquo; action against their teammates.In an effort to shore up his defense, Laycoe moved Dale Tallon back behind the blueline after an extended trial at right wing. The move has not appreciably slowed the torrent of opposition goals, but Laycoe hopes the return of Barry Wilkins will.Wilkins suffered a severe shoulder separation Dec. 7 against the St. Louis Blues. At the time, it was believed the injury was bad enough to keep him out for the rest of the season&mdash;a cruel blow since at the time of the injury Laycoe was calling him his best defensive defenseman.However, Wilkins surprised everyone with his quick recovery and was scheduled to return to action Feb. 2 against the Boston Bruins.&ldquo;I have to play him,&rdquo; says Laycoe, &ldquo;because he&rsquo;s getting so itchy he says he&rsquo;ll quit if I don&rsquo;t. Besides, the doctors have assured us the injury has completely healed.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02642/2953526-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="524" height="554"><figcaption class="caption-body">BARRY WILKINS&hellip;Back In Action</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

Rookie Lemieux’s Hustle Turns On Canucks’ Coach

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03541/2953578-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg"></div><h2>THE TOP NETMINDERS</h2>(Including games of Sunday February 27)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04422/2953571-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="1112" height="377"></div><h3>COMPLETE GOALKEEPING RECORDS FOR NHL TEAMS</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05315/2953564-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="1118" height="2246"></div> &#9632;

f0015-03

LOOKING AT NHL GOALERS

MONTREAL&mdash;No matter how hard he tries, Jean Ratelle of New York Rangers still finds himself number two in the National Hockey League&rsquo;s individual scoring parade.Statistics released by the NHL show that despite a 13-consecutive-game point-scoring streak during which he scored 18 goals and 13 assists, Ratelle is still a point behind Esposito, 110 to 109. Esposito leads the League in goals with 55Within Ratelle&rsquo;s point streak was a skein of eight straight games during which he scored 13 goals&mdash;the longest such streak by any player this season&mdash;and boosted his total to 46, second best in the NHL.Ratelie&rsquo;s 109 points breaks the Ranger club record by 21 points. He is a member of the second-highest scoring line&mdash;both in goals and points&mdash;in NHL history. Along with Rod Gilbert&rsquo;s 91 points and Vic Hadfield&rsquo;s 90, the trio has combined for 290 scoring points, just 46 fewer than the record 336 collected by Esposito, Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman with Bruins last season. That total included 140 goals. If their present pace is maintained over Ranger&rsquo;s remaining 16 games, the New York line would finish with 158 goals and 365 points.While most of the limelight has surrounded Esposito and Ratelle this season, a West Division center has been quietly forging his way into the thick of the scoring leaders. He is Bobby Clarke of Philadelphia Flyers who, since the halfway mark, has been the West Division&rsquo;s hottest point collector with 15 goals and 28 points in his last 23 games.Clarke, 22-year-old native of Flin Flon, Man., and Flyers&rsquo; second choice in the 1969 Amateur Draft is now tied for 16th place in the overall scoring race but is tied for second place with Stan Mikita and Pit Martin of Chicago among West Division players. Each&rsquo;has 58 points, although Clarke leads in goals with 25. Hawks&rsquo; Bobby Hull is first in the West with 76 points.Chicago&rsquo;s goaltending combination of Tony Esposito, Gary Smith and Gerry Desjardins continue to lead the Vezina Trophy race with an average of 2.07 goals against per game. Competition for the runner-up position, however warmed up last week with the result that today Boston, New York and Minnesota are all tied for second with identica 2.30 goals against averages &#9632;

NHL WEEK—In Review

<h2>In The East</h2>If the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to repel the fast-raising Detroit Red Wings in the torrid battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the NHL East Division, the man who will have to carry a lot of the offensive load is veteran left winger Paul Henderson. And he isn&rsquo;t letting them down.A thirty-goal scorer for the Leafs last season, Henderson has been the only member of the weak-scoring Toronto team that has managed to pick up goals with any consistency this year. After a potent five-goal, two-assist week he looks like a good bet for a 40-goal campaign.One of the swiftest skaters in the game, the 5-foot, 11-inch Henderson connected twice in a 5-4 loss to Detroit, picked up an assist in a 2-0 shutout over the Penguins and notched a hat trick and an assist in a 71 thrashing of Vancouver.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02485/2953671-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="546" height="673"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAUL HENDERSON&hellip;Toronto Maple Leafs</figcaption></div><h2>In The West</h2>While it might not be pleasant to think about such things, many hockey fans are beginning to wonder where the Philadelphia Flyers would be if it weren&rsquo;t for the exceptional play of their third-year center whiz Bobby Clarke.The Flyers are currently in a scorching five-team battle for playoff spots in the West Division, and Clarke has almost been a one-man gang recently in his efforts to keep his team in contention.In a span of 28 games, the former Flin Flon Bomber junior standout scored 17 goals and 21 assists. Last week, he showed no sign of slowing his pace as he picked up another pair of goals and aided Flyer teammates on two others. Clarke now has 24 goals and 34 assists for the year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03384/2953664-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="552" height="650"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY CLARKE&hellip;Philadelphia Flyers</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0016-02

Player’s of the week

<div class="byline">BY JACK BERRY</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaDETROIT&mdash;Long after the rest of his new teammates had showered, dressed and left the Detroit Red Wing dressing room, 20-year-old Henry Boucha (pronounced Booshay) sat in his long underwear, his garter belt, shin pads and stockings.One more reporter sat next to him, talking to him and the handsome Chippewa Indian from Warroad, Minn., had a dazed, happy grin on his face.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01562/2953633-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="262" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henry Boucha</figcaption></div>It has been some kind of winter for Boucha&mdash;Europe, Japan, a silver medal in the Olympic Games, being courted by the St. Paul Saints of the hopeful World Hockey Association, agreeing to terms with the Red Wings in the tinsel atmosphere of Las Vegas and then, before the biggest crowd ever to see a hockey game in Detroit, Henry scored the goal that triggered the Red Wing comeback.And it was some kind of comeback&mdash;Detroit was down 4-0 after two minutes and 41 seconds of the second period in another of their showdown games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club they&rsquo;ve got to beat to make the Stanley Cup playoffs in the East Division.Then Mickey Redmond knocked down a high pass, fed it over to Boucha by the Toronto net, to goalie Jacques Plante&rsquo;s right.&ldquo;I had one hand on the stick and one hand on the guy who was checking me,&rdquo; Boucha said. &ldquo;I backhanded it.&rdquo;The puck dribbled by Plante, far from a line drive, but Boucha grinned and said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll take all of those I can get.&rdquo;Redmond dove into the net to retrieve the souvenir and the packed house of 16,012&mdash;first crowd ever over 16,000 at Olympia for hockey&mdash;gave Boucha a standing ovation.Sixty-six seconds later Nick Libett scored the first of his two goals on feeds from Detroit&rsquo;s other prize rookie, Marcel Dionne, and Detroit was on its way.It looked like a big gamble when Red Wing Coach Johnny Wilson threw Boucha right in at the start of the game, putting him at left wing on Alex Delvecchio&rsquo;s line in place of injured Al Karlander. Wilson went with the youngster on the power play, too, and it was during Detroit&rsquo;s first gang play that Dave Keon broke away to score.Wilson said he didn&rsquo;t feel it was a gamble to use Boucha in such a key game and to use him regularly.&ldquo;I had a long skate with him after he signed (the day before),&rdquo; Wilson said, &ldquo;and I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of scouting reports on him. I think he&rsquo;s capable of playing hockey here&mdash;he can shoot, he can check, he can skate, he can handle the puck and he showed great poise. I had no fear of putting him out there.&ldquo;And,&rdquo; Wilson continued, &ldquo;if the players know you&rsquo;ve got confidence in them, they&rsquo;ll do anything for you.&rdquo;Boucha certainly appreciated Wilson&rsquo;s confidence because he didn&rsquo;t expect to play much.&ldquo;I thought I&rsquo;d get in in spots&mdash;he didn&rsquo;t tell me I was going to play regularly.&rdquo;Boucha called his first goal in his first pro game his biggest thrill in hockey and he&rsquo;s certainly had a load of them this winter.He played with the U.S. National Team in Europe and led the team in scoring during its 43 games prior to the Olympics with 36 goals and 49 assists for 85 points.Then there was the U.S. upset of Czechoslovakia and subsequent surprise second place finish in the Olympics and his courting by the Red Wings. Detroit sent scout Jack Paterson to Sapporo, the only NHL team to dispatch a scout to the Games.Boucha has played against every style of hockey imagineable this winter&mdash;there were games against semi-pro teams, Central and American League clubs, college teams, the Russians and the Czechs.February was a constant whirlwind with the trip to-Japan, a hero&rsquo;s welcome at home in Minnesota&mdash;he got home for 2-1/2 days&mdash;and then a couple of exhibition games in Las Vegas where he met, talked with and agreed to terms with Red Wing General Manager Ned Harkness.Boucha&rsquo;s dazed, happy grin after his pro debut was completely understandable under those circumstances.RED WING NOTES: Goalie Al Smith was completely wrapped up in the Wings&rsquo; crucial 5-4 victory over Toronto&hellip;Smith blanked the Leafs, 4-0, in their previous meeting hut gave up an admitted bad goal to get the Leafs off to their four goal lead.As the goals mounted, the fans started booing. Then a fight broke out between Detroit&rsquo;s Larry Johnston and Toronto&rsquo;s Norm Ullman and Jim Harrison skated from the Leaf bench to join in and Smith, enraged, skated 60 feet from his goal to get at Harrison.He drew a five minute fighting penalty and two minutes for leaving the crease but Wilson pointed to it as one of the factors in the Detroit comeback.Smith played stout goal the rest of the way and also fed Billy Collins for his rink-long scoring dash that cut the Leaf lead to one goal.The victory extended the Wings&rsquo; Olympia unbeaten streak to eight games and they&rsquo;ve lost only two of 17 stretching back to November. &#9632;

f0016-01

Rookie Boucha’s Rise To NHL Culminates Dream Year

<h2>MONTREAL</h2>GOALPhil MyreDenis DeJordyKen DrydenDEFENSEJacques LaperrierePierre BouchardJ.C. Tremblay AGuy LapointeSerge SavardDale HogansonCENTERHenri Richard CPete MohovlichRey ComeauLarry PleauR. WINGYvan CoumoyerGuy LafleurJim RobertsRe jean HouleL. WINGFrank Mohovlich AJacques LemaireChude LaroseMarc TardifINJURREDTerry Harper A<h2>CHICAGO</h2>GOALTony EspositoGary SmithGerry DesjardinsDEFENSEPat StapletonBill WhiteKeith MagnusonDoug Jarrett AJerry KorabCENTERStarl Mikita APit MartinBryon CampbellLou AngottiAndre LacgoixR. WINGCliff KorollChico MakiEric Nesterenko ADarryl MaggsJim PappinL. WINGBobby HullDennis HullChris BordeleauINJUREDnone<h2>BOSTON</h2>GOALGerry CheeversEd JohnstonDEFENSEBobby OrrDallas SmithCarol Vadnais CMatt RavlichTed Green ADon AwreyCENTERPhil Esposito AFred StanfieldDerek SandersonR. WINGJohn McKenzieEd Westfall AL. WINGJohn Bucyk AWayne Cash manGarnet BaileyDon MarcotteINJUREDKen HodgeMiko Waltc<h2>ST LOUIS</h2>GOALErnie WakelyJacques CaronDEFENSEAndre DupontBarclay Phger ABill PhgerLarry HornungBob Phger ACarl Brewer AJohn ArbourCENTERGarry UngerTerry CrispFiank St Marseille ADanny O&rsquo;SheaR. WINGGary SabourinMike MurphyGerry OdrowskiPhil RobertoL. WINGGeorge MorrisonFloyd ThomsonJack EgersBrian LavenderINJUREDNoel Picard<h2>DETROIT</h2>GOALAl SmithJoe DaleyDEFENSEGary Bergman AAmie Brown ARon StackhouseLarry JohnstonBob WallCENTERAlex Delvecchio CRed Berenson AMarcel DionneR. WINGMickey RedmondBill CollinsDoug VolmarLeon RochefortTim EcclestoneL. WINGNick LibettDanny JohnsonGuy CharronHenry BouchaINJUREDRon HarrisAl Karlander<h2>CALIFORNIA</h2>GOALGilles MelocheGary KurtDEFENSERick SmithBert Manhall AManhall JohnstonDick RedmondPaul ShmyrKen BairdCENTERWalt McKechnieIvan BoldirevKen DavidsonBobby SheehanR. WINGNorm Ferguson AGerry Pinder AWayne CarletonCraig PatrickReg LeachL. WINGGary CroteauStan GilbertsonGarry JarrettJoey JohnstonINJUREDTom WebsterErnie Hicke<h2>TORONTO</h2>GOALBernie ParentJacques PlanteDEFENSEBob Boun AJim McKennyBrad SelwoodBrian GlennieRicky LeyCENTERNorm Ullman ADave Keon CJim HarrisonDon MarshallR. WINGRon Ellis AGuy TrottierRick KehoeBilly MacMillanPierro JarryL. WINGGarry MonahanDenis DupereDarryl SittierPaul HendersonINJUREDMike Pelyk<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>GOALDoug FavellBob TaylorDEFENSEBarry Ashbee AWayne HillmanEd Van ImpeJoe WatsonRick FoleyJean PotvinBrent HughesBill BrossartCENTERBobby ClarkeEd JoyalBill ClementDick SarrazinR. WINGGary Dornhoefer ALew MorrisonBill FlettSimon NoletL. WINGJean-Guy GendronBob KellyMike PanxeauRoss LansberryINJUREDBruce GambleDon McLeod<h2>NEW YORK</h2>GOALEd GiacominGilles VillemureDEFENSEBrod Park AJim Neilson ARod SeilingGary DoakDale RolfeCENTERJean RatelieWalt TkaczukBobby RousseauPete StemkowskiR. WINGRod Gilbert ABill FairbairnBruce MacGregorL. WINGVic Hadfield CTed IrvineGlen SatherGene CarrINJUREDAb DeMarcoJim Dorey<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>GOALJim RutherfordLes BinkleyDEFENSEDave BurrowsSheldon Kannegies MBryan WatsonTim Horton ADuane RuppCENTERRon SchockRene RobertBryan HextaliSyl AppsBobby LeiterR. WINGNick HarbarukKen Schinkel AJean PronovostAl McDonoughL. WINGGreg PolisSteve CardwellVal FonteyneDarryl EdestrandINJUREDKeith McGreary A<h2>BUFFALO</h2>GOALGory EdwardsBill SmithDEFENSEDoug BarrieHarry Howell APaul CurtisBob WoytowichGilles Marotte ACENTERRalph Backstrom AButch GoringJuha WidingJimmy JohnsonR. WINGLucien GrenierSerge BernierMike CorriganL. WINGBob BerryBob Pulford CReal LemieuxBill LesukINJUREDLarry Brown<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>GOALRoger CrozierDave DrydenDEFENSEAl Hamilton AJim WatsonChris EvansTracy Pratt.Ray McKayMike RobitailleCENTERGerry Meehan CDon LuceJim LorentzGilbert Perreault AR. WINGRon AndersonSteve AtkinsonKevin O&rsquo;SheaEddie ShackMike ByersL. WINGDanny LawsonRichard MartinCraig RamsayRandy WyrozubINJUREDLarry Hillman<h2>VANCOUVER</h2>GOALDune WilsonGeorge GardnerEd DyckDEFENSEPat QuinnJocelyn GuevremontDennis KearnsJohn ScholiaGreg BoddyBarry WilkinsCENTEROrland Kurtenbach CAndre Boudrias ARon WardRichard LemieuxR. WINGRon StewartWayne ConnellyRosaire PaiementBobby SchmautzL. WINGWayne MakiTed TaylorDave BalonDale Tallon APoul PopielINJURED<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GOALCesare ManiagoLome WorsleyDEFENSETed Harris CTom ReidDoug MohnsBarry Gibbs ABob ParadiseCENTERTed HampsonMurray OliverCharlie Bums AJude DrouinDennis HextaliR. WINGBill GoldsworthyLou NannoBob NevinL. WINGDanny GrantDean PrenticeJean-Paul Ponse A.INJUREDCraig CameronDennis O&rsquo;Brien &#9632;

NHL Team Rosters

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1738/2953863-1-eng-US/f0017-172.jpg" title="f0017-17" width="425" height="281"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1832/2953856-1-eng-US/f0017-182.jpg" title="f0017-18" width="468" height="292"></div><h2>Tues. Feb. 22 NEW YORK 7 at MONTREAL 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01475/2953849-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="585" height="737"></div><h2>TORONTO 4 at DETROIT 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02422/2953842-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="586" height="791"></div><h2>BOSTON 4 at VANCOUVER 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03348/2953835-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="585" height="696"></div><h2>Wed Feb. 23 PITTSBURGH 0 at TORONTO 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04273/2953828-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="588" height="390"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA 3 at NEW YORK 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05226/2953821-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="589" height="576"></div><h2>BOSTON 8 at CALIFORNIA 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06190/2953814-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="578" height="930"></div><h2>BUFFALO 2 at CHICAGO 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07168/2953807-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="584" height="424"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS 2 at LOS ANGELES 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08137/2953800-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="581" height="381"></div><h2>Thur. Feb. 24 MONTREAL 4 at MINNESOTA 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09122/2953793-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="581" height="559"></div><h2>VANCOUVER 0 at DETROIT 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10112/2953786-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="581" height="403"></div><h2>CHICAGOS at BUFFALOS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1195/2953779-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="588" height="672"></div><h2>Sat. Feb. 26 DETROIT 1 at MONTREAL 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1284/2953772-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="582" height="663"></div><h2>VANCOUVER 1 at TORONTO 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1368/2953765-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="588" height="705"></div><h2>BOSTON 5 at LOS ANGELES 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1457/2953758-1-eng-US/f0017-142.jpg" title="f0017-14" width="589" height="714"></div><h2>CALIFORNIA 0 at CHICAGO 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1547/2953751-1-eng-US/f0017-152.jpg" title="f0017-15" width="598" height="468"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA 2 at PITTSBURGH 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1926/2953744-1-eng-US/f0017-192.jpg" title="f0017-19" width="592" height="593"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS 3 at MINNESOTA 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1645/2953737-1-eng-US/f0017-162.jpg" title="f0017-16" width="577" height="517"></div><h2>Sun. Feb. 27 PITTSBURGH 3 at MONTREAL 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01480/2953730-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="585" height="654"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS 0 at NEW YORK 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02388/2953723-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="575" height="410"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA 3 at DETROIT 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03288/2953716-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="572" height="517"></div><h2>CALIFORNIA 4 at BUFFALO 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-08104/2953709-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="589" height="660"></div><h2>VANCOUVER 3 at CHICAGO 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04226/2953702-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="581" height="600"></div> &#9632;

f0017-17

National Hockey League SUMMARES

<div class="byline">BY ED CONRAD</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Not until May or June will Bruce Gamble learn whether he&rsquo;s through with hockey for good or has a chance at making an unprecdented comeback.That&rsquo;s when specialists at Lankenau Hospital in Philadelphia will put the veteran NHL goaltender through a series of exhaustive tests to determine why he suffered a heart attack, also to evaluate the condition of his heart, at that time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05171/2953918-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="275" height="460"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bruce Gamble</figcaption></div>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt Bruce did suffer a heart attack, probably during the game,&rdquo; said Dr. Stanley Spoont, the Flyers&rsquo; physician. &ldquo;What we hope to find out is the reason it happened.&ldquo;Normally, a heart attack results for a diseased artery which prevents the proper flow of blood 10 the heart. This is what happens when older people have attacks. Bruce, however, is young (only 33), so it might well be that there is no disease.&rdquo;Dr. Spoont says it is quite possible that Gamble, who had a 2.93 goals against average, in 24 games this season, suffered his attack due to a swelling of a muscle in the heart after being struck in the chest.&ldquo;It could&rsquo;ve been a stick, ane bow, even a puck striking him in the chest. Anything may have been responsible,&rdquo; noted Dr. Spoont. &ldquo;Any hard blow could have done the damage (swelling the muscle and, in turn, preventing the proper flow of blood).Gamble himself remembers being struck by a knee or a skate just six minutes into a game against the Canucks in Vancouver. He says he felt dazed and, in fact, dropped to his knees.Bruce finished the game, his fourth without a loss, but had the dry heaves afterward. He then spent a restless night in Oakland after the Flyers&rsquo; flight there for a game the following evening. He was sent to Merritt Hospital in Oakland for a checkup. Doctors diagnosed the heart attack and ordered hospitalization.Gamble, father of three children, was to be flown back to Philadelphia by Dr. Spoont the weekend of Feb. 27. He&rsquo;ll rest for more than two months, then enter the hospital for further tests, which will determine his future in hockey.&ldquo;With a heart patient, nothing should be done for at least three months following the attack in order to give the patient enough time to recuperate from the initial seizure,&rdquo; explained Dr. Spoont.&ldquo;So, in May or June, we hope to be able to determine the condition of Bruce&rsquo;s heart. Hopefully, we&rsquo;ll find the arteries aren&rsquo;t diseased. If they are, there is no way he&rsquo;ll be able to play again, since hockey is too strenous. And, of course, there is always the chance of physical contact.&rdquo;If Bruce&rsquo;s arteries check out okay, though, doctors will then assume that a swollen muscle was responsible. If this is the case, he might then be able to return to his goaltending duties next season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long shot,&rdquo; said the doctor.The class guy that Bruce Gamble is, the Flyers and millions of hockey fans in two countries hope and pray that he makes it back. &#9632;

f0018-05

Gamble’s Return To Playing Depends On Rigid Heart Tests

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06142/2953956-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg"></div>(Standings on Tuesday, Feb. 29)<h2>EAST DIVISION</h2><h2>WEST DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07124/2953949-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="1098" height="331"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tues. Feb. 22New York 7 at Montreal 3Toronto 4 at Detroit 5Boston 4 at Vancouver 3Wed. Feb. 23Pittsburgh 0 at Toronto 2Philadelphia 3 at New York 4Boston 8 at California 6Buffalo 2 at Chicago 1St. Louis 2 at Los Angeles 0Thur. Feb. 24Montreal 4 at Minnesota 2Vancouver 0 at Detroit 2Chicago 3 at Buffalo 5Sat. Feb. 26Detroit 1 at Montreal 8Vancouver 1 at Toronto 7Boston 5 at Los Angeles 4California 0 at Chicago 3Philadelphia 2 at Pittsburgh 5St. Louis 3 at Minnesota 2Sun. Feb. 27Pittsburgh 3 at Montreal 5St. Louis 0 at New York 2Philadelphia 3 at Detroit 1California 4 at Buffalo 4Vancouver 3 at Chicago 3<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tues. Feb. 29Vancouver at DetroitWed. March 1Buffalo at MontrealToronto at St. LouisCalifornia at New YorkChicago at Los AngelesThur. March 2New York at BuffaloVancouver at BostonDetroit at PittsburghMinnesota at PhiladelphiaFri. March 3Chicago at CaliforniaSat. March 4Vancouver at MontrealLos Angeles at TorontoBoston at DetroitSt. Louis at PhiladelphiaMinnesota at PittsburghSun. March 5Montreal at PhiladelphiaVancouver at New YorkLos Angeles at BostonPittsburgh at DetroitSt. Louis at BuffaloChicago at Minnesota (afternoon)Tues. March 7Los Angeles at St. LouisWed. March 8Montreal at PittsburghDetroit at TorontoChicago at New YorkBoston at MinnesotaBuffalo at CaliforniaPhiladelphia at VancouverThur. March 9Montreal at St. LouisPhiladelphia at Los AngelesFri. March 10Buffalo at Vancouver &#9632;

f0018-06

NHL SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY MILT DUNNELL</div>As Seen In The Toronto Star<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01459/2953987-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="438" height="422"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLARENCE CAMPBELL&hellip;Ready For A Fiqht</figcaption></div>The first head-to-head action between the old and well-heeled National Hockey League and the fledgling World Hockey Association almost certainly will be in a courtroom.Now that the WHA has divvied up the NHL sweaty bodies&mdash;Bobby Orr to Dayton, Ohio; Bobby Hull to the Winnipeg Jets; Gerry Cheevers to the New England Whalers, etc., etc.&mdash;Clarence Campbell, the legal-minded NHL boss, is waiting quietly for what the considers an inevitable test of the NHL contract.There is no suggestion that Campbell or anyone else in the NHL expects the old league to lose any of its super-stars. For the Dayton promoters to draft Orr and Phil Esposito after they had picked Andre Hinse, Larry Lund, Wayne Rutledge, Mike Corrigan and numerous other honest but anonymous workmen, might indicate that the realists among WHA operators are thinking on the same wave length.Both Orr and Esposito are have indicated they give absolutely no thought to leaving the Boston Bruins. So, in drafting them, the Dayton people merely were looking for a headline back home.For NHL players whose contracts expire at the end of this season, the WHA has been giving the assurance that they are free to sign with the new league. There&rsquo;s a reserve or option clause in the standard NHL contract, by which the player gives his present employer exclusive rights to his services under a further contract to be negotiated between the parties.This clause would not stand up in court, the WHA medicine men say. Al Eagleson, a lawyer, and executive director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, who has bargained some of the best contracts in hockey&mdash;including that of the game&rsquo;s highest-paid player, Bobby Orr&mdash;is far from sure.Eagleson&rsquo;s warning to all members of his association has &ldquo;been that the WHA promoters have no way of knowing either. No one can give that answer until the reserve clause and other features of the standard NHL contract have been tested in court. Eagleson&rsquo;s own opinion (and prayer) would be that a court would toss them out.He even is willing to speculate that the NHL will not risk the test. In that guess, he is wrong, according to Campbell, who insists he is warming up now for the main bout.&ldquo;If anybody wants to challenge our contract, we are prepared to defend it in court.&rdquo; Campbell advises. &ldquo;I think it is reasonable to expert they (the WHA) will sign somebody who is under NHL contract.&ldquo;Our course of action likely would be an injunction, together with a writ for damages. I have no desire to forecast what the decision of a court might be. Our contract is in harmony with those which have existed, over the years, in hockey and in other sports. I would expect it to be honored.&ldquo;There are some highly acceptable people in the WHA&mdash;some with whom we would like to be associated. We have no quarrel with them. We are merely saying: &lsquo;Do not steal our players.&rsquo; If they do, we certainly are taking them to court.&rdquo;Campbell also made it clear that Toronto Maple Leafs will not be permitted to let goalie Bernie Parent tap the jackpot in the event Miami&rsquo;s noisy Screaming Eagles come up with real money.Parent&rsquo;s Philadelphia lawyer had extravagant offers from the Eagles. Bernie advised Harold Ballard, president of the Leafs, that he has agreed to a $750,000 contract. Parent has one year remaining in his contract with the Leafs.Ballard&rsquo;s advice to the young goalie was: &ldquo;Take the money but make sure every nickel is in the bank before you sign anything. Then, you&rsquo;re protected if the team folds.&rdquo;If Parent actually signed&mdash;as the WHA publicits claim&mdash;his contract could be the first sumitted to a court. It would not be a key case, however, because Parent&rsquo;s contract is supposed to be for one more year.The decision for which everyone in hockey will be waiting is one in which a player&rsquo;s contract has expired but the club seeks to retain his services under the reserve clause. It probably would go all the way to the Supreme Court.&ldquo;I already have spoken to Harold (Ballard) about the Parent case,&rdquo; Campbell reveals. &ldquo;I Parent signs with the WHA club, the Leafs will be obliged to contest it. I have pointed out to Harold that every club in the NHL would have a right to claim Parent on waivers.&rdquo;The hockey season will not end with the Stanley Cup. That&rsquo;s when the real contest will start. &#9632;

f0019-01

NHL Set To Battle New WHA In Court

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div>NEW YORK&mdash;The Rangers acquisition of rugged Toronto rearguard Jim Dorey, with all its possibilities for future trades, and the movement of Rod Seiling to the forward line, struck a snag, when the young 24-year-old defenseman separated his right shoulder in the New York-Montreal game of February 22. Dorey crashed heavily into the boards after checking Montreal&rsquo;s Pierre Bouchard during second period of the action in what was a sensational come 7-3 win over the Canadiens.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02396/2954018-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="274" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Dorey</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It was one of our finest hours,&rdquo; said Brad Park, the defenseman, whose unassisted goal in the third period knotted the score at 3-3 all. &ldquo;almost unbelievable, after being down 3-0 in the first. And six goals in one period in the Forum, is even more unbelievable. My first goal in the NHL was more exciting, but this was the prettiest I ever got.&rdquo;New York, down 3-0 in the first, hung in there with a Vic Hadfield goal in the initial stanza, then roared back in the third. Peter Stemkowski notched the winner on a perfect pass from Walter Tkaczuk, for his most important goal since last year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup heroics.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t quit and it shows what you can do if you don&rsquo;t&rdquo; said the Stemmer. &ldquo;Park&rsquo;s goal gave us a big lift. We knew they would sag then.&rdquo;Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert continue to lead the Blueshirt surge. Ratty had 46 goals and 110 points at press time and was one behind Phil Esposito. Hadfield reached the 40-goal plateau against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-3 win on February 23 and was saluted by the Garden crowd for his effort. The gag Line was up to 291 points in its run at the NHL record held by the Esposito line.Pierre Jarry for Dorey still figures to be a big strike in the long run. Dorey, enthusiastic about joining New York, had a record of violent play in his four seasons in the league.&ldquo;I figure my style will fit in better with New York&rsquo;s attacking game than with Toronto&rsquo;s clutch and grab defense,&rdquo; said Jim. &ldquo;Now I&rsquo;ll just have to work hard and get ready for next year.&rdquo;Dorey was operated on and two pins inserted in his shoulder by Dr. William Liebier. In his place, the Rangers expect defenseman Ab DeMarco to return to the firing line, recovered from his broken ankle. DeMarco is due to return about March 1. &#9632;

f0019-02

Jim Dorey Trade Blows Up After New Ranger Injured

<div class="byline">BY DAN PROUDFOOT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01304/2954049-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PIERRE JARRY&hellip;To Get Chance With Leafs (Hockey News Photo by Stephen Newman)</figcaption></div>TORONTO&mdash;Jim Gregory, who as general manager of Toronto Maple Leafs has spent much of this season shopping for first aid. finally bought some when he traded defenseman Jim Dorey for forward Pierre Jarry.Gregory explained the deal with extreme understatement.&ldquo;We hope Jarry can score some goals, and we do have extra defenseman.&rdquo; Then he elaborated.&ldquo;When Mike Pelyk gets back (from his cartillage operation) we&rsquo;ll have six defensemen.&ldquo;Jarry had three goals and three assists with Rangers, but he wasn&rsquo;t playing much. What we were interested in was his 46 goals and 46 assists last season with Omaha in the Central Hockey League. He won the scoring championship, and Rangers protected him in the draft.&ldquo;He was a first-round amateur draft choice in 1970&hellip;drafted 11th by the Rangers.Gregory completed the deal by telephone from Philadelphia, and Dorey and Jarry boarded trains so they could appear for their new teams that night in the Spectrum and Madison Square Garden.Jarry struggled through several power play shifts and a regular turn in the third period, when coach John McLellan tried him at right wing with Ron Ellis at centre and Denis Dupere at left. The word was struggled because Jarry clearly lacked conditionning. But, his shooting intinct showed with one near miss directed from a severe angle.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in condition,&rdquo; Jarry said afterward, &ldquo;but not playing condition. The Rangers just got back from the coast, where we had no chance to practice, so I&rsquo;ve hardly skated for 10 days.&rdquo;When had he last played a regular shift? &ldquo;I was a regular in training camp, and again in November before I got a groin injury. Since then, no.&rdquo;Jarry was assured of the opportunity to play regularly for Leafs, who were desperate for scoring.Dorey, at 24, two years older than Jarry, said he was disappointed at first to be traded, but that he realized the move to Rangers was a step up in the standing.Dorey had spent much of the season listening to rumors that he was about to be traded. He had considered the prospect of moving the Oakland and Montreal, for instance, after hearing stories he definitely was going to be traded to those clubs.&ldquo;Whatever happens,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I hope I&rsquo;m finally able to realize my potential.&rdquo; Dorey wouldn&rsquo;t say it, but he obviously doubted his ability to develop with Leafs.He possesses superb skating ability, which he puts to use by rushing often. On the negative side, he seldom used his considerable muscle while performing for Leafs. Emile Francis, manager-coach of the Rangers, may change that. &#9632;

f0020-01

Leafs Hope Scoring Potential Will Make Jarry Deal Pay Off

<div class="byline">BY JOHN ARNOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02223/2954080-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="836" height="1105"></div><h2>SOLUTION IN MARCH 17 ISSUE</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;Pictured player.6&mdash;Montreal plays most of their home games on this day. (abbr.)8&mdash;Former Hawk defenseman nicknamed &ldquo;Rags&rdquo;.10&mdash;Initials of one of the Bruins.11&mdash;An injured one could keep a player off skates.12&mdash;Former NHL forward now coach in IHL.14&mdash;Number of shutouts registered by Phil Myre last season.15&mdash;Initials of former pro Pronovost.17&mdash;Pronoun.19&mdash;Guy Lafleur recently scored one.20&mdash;Nothing.21&mdash;Wears No. 6 for Toronto.24&mdash;Initials of a U.S. State.26&mdash;Former Bruin GM.27&mdash;Golf ball stand.30&mdash;First name of one of the Rangers.31&mdash;Position held by 16 down.<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;City in International Hockey League.2&mdash;An NHL goaltender answers to this.3&mdash;Lou Nanne played for this country in the Olympics.4&mdash;Phil Myre did this on T.V.5&mdash;Initials of former Bruins Tessier.7&mdash;1969-70 Lady Byng Trophy winner.9&mdash;1st and 15th letters of the alphabet.10&mdash;7 across once played for this team (abbr.)13&mdash;Vancouver farm team in AHL.16&mdash;Vancouver executive.18&mdash;Maple Leaf center.22&mdash;9th and 13th letters of the alphabet.23&mdash;Initials of one of the Canadiens.25&mdash;Former Detroit forward.28&mdash;England, (abbr).29&mdash;Afternoon, (abbr.)30&mdash;Initials of Evans of San Diego.<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;GOYETTE8&mdash;OR.9&mdash;HORTON11&mdash;LV.12&mdash;ADD.13&mdash;DARRYl15&mdash;R.R.16&mdash;SLY17&mdash;TOE18&mdash;W. A.19&mdash;O.O.21&mdash;R.S.22&mdash;R.K.23&mdash;SKI25&mdash;BRIT28&mdash;IV29&mdash;A. A.30&mdash;RE.32&mdash;YOUNG34&mdash;RON36&mdash;ENG37&mdash;PAT<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;GOLDSWORTHY2&mdash;ORVAL3&mdash;E.H.4&mdash;TONY5&mdash;T.R.6&mdash;E.T.A.7&mdash;ANDREA10&mdash;ODROWSKI14&mdash;RYE20&mdash;O.K.21&mdash;R.S.24&mdash;IVAN25&mdash;BAUN26&mdash;RANG27&mdash;T.R.31&mdash;ERA33&mdash;O.E.35&mdash;O.T. &#9632;

f0020-02

HOCKEY CROSSWORD

TORONTO&mdash;The distinction of being the first player to jump to the new World Hockey Association apparently will go to Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; netminder Bernie Parent.The young Toronto goaler has acknowledged that he is prepared to accept a guaranteed $750,000 contract with the Miami Screaming Eagles.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01165/2954111-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="276" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bernie Parent</figcaption></div>The stunning disclosure by Parent also appeared to be the first salvo in the impending NHL-WHA battle over the rights to top named hockey stars.Landing Parent was considered a strike for the new league and the Eagles, who reportedly already have the cigar-smoking goalkeeper&rsquo;s name on a contract. No one, however, is confirming the move or saying anything specific but Parent was switched from Calgary&rsquo;s protected list to Miami&rsquo;s in an 11th hour maneuver prior to the WHA draft meetings Feb. 12-13 at Anaheim, Calif.Parent admitted the offer from the WHA was too good to turn down. He said he had been assured that he would get the whole $750,000 even if the Miami team or the league, failed to get off the ground.&ldquo;Anyone would be stupid if he&rsquo;d get an offer like this and turn it down,&rdquo; said Parent.&ldquo;At my present salary, it would take me 10-15 years to make the kind of money I&rsquo;m going to make with Miami. Even if this new league doesn&rsquo;t get started, I&rsquo;m going to get my money, and that&rsquo;s all I care about.&rdquo;Parent was originally drafted by Calgary Broncs but was not interested in playing there. Rights were transferred to Miami and the deal was worked out by his lawyer, Howard Casper, of Philadelphia. The contract with the Screaming Eagles covers five years.&ldquo;By the time the five years are up,&rdquo; said Casper, &ldquo;he&rsquo;ll be a millionaire, or close to it. By the time he&rsquo;s 31, he&rsquo;ll never have to work another day unless he wants to.&rdquo;Parent will be the first player to jump from the established NHL to the new league. Steve Arnold, personnel director for the WHA, indicated that more would follow but said he hoped there would be no more announcements untill the season is over.&ldquo;I hope there are no more immediate announcements of signings,&rdquo; said Arnold. &ldquo;Singings shouldn&rsquo;t be announced prior to a player finishing the existing season.&rdquo;Arnold said the WHA has contacted &ldquo;a maximum of 10 players&rdquo; among those drafted to form the new league. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t want to say how many have agreed to terms, but it is more than one. We&rsquo;ve only contacted players of star quality so far.&rdquo;Arnold said such actions like Parent&rsquo;s create a bad image for the player with the team and city he is about to leave.He said he hoped that other WHA teams would desist in publicly declaring they have signed players until the close of the season.WHA JOTTINGS: Phil Watson, former National Hockey League coach with Boston and New York, has been signed as director of player personnel and chief publicist for the Miami Screaming Eagles&hellip;Orest Hershick has been appointed president of the Calgary Brones, replacing Bob Brownridge, who stepped down for health reasons. Herb Elk has been hired as administrative assistant to New York Raiders&rsquo; General Manager Marvin Milkes. &#9632;

f0021-01

Miami Snares Parent With $750,000 Guarantee

DETROIT&mdash;Did the new World Hockey Association force the Detroit Red Wings to shell out a cool $250,000 to lure United States Olympic hockey star Henry Boucha away from the WHA?Boucha, who was the first choice of the Minnesota Fighting Saints and the first player taken in the WHA draft, signed with Detroit for a reported $250,000 for three years. The Saints were eager to sign him because of the act he is a Minnesota bred hockey star. &#9632;

Did Red Wings Pay$250,000 To Keep Boucha Out Of WHA?

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallacaburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE(Standings on Mon. Jan. 24)<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01183/2954187-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="576" height="153"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02123/2954180-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="585" height="278"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. Jan. 17Springfield 7 at Tidewater 3Tues. Jan. 18Baltimore 5 at Boston 3Providence 3 at Cincinnati 4Cleveland 1 at Nova Scotia 4Wed. Jan. 19Boston 2 at Hershey 1Springfield 3 at Richmond 3Cincinnati 3 at Rochester 4Thurs. Jan. 20Nova Scotia 2 at Boston 5Fri. Jan. 21Richmond 2 at Baltimore 5Rochester 2 at Cincinnati 6Cleveland 0 at Providence 4Nova Scotia 5 at Springfield 5Sat. Jan. 22Rochester 5 at Baltimore 5Providence 1 at Boston 4Tidewater 2 at Hershey 4Cleveland 1 at Springfield 6Sun. Jan. 23Baltimore 2 at Cincinnati 1Tidewater 5 at Providence 7Cleveland 3 at Richmond 2Hershey 4 at Rochester 9<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Mon. Jan. 24Nova Scotia at BostonTues. Jan. 25Tidewater at BaltimoreWed Jan. 26Springfield at ClevelandNova Scotia at HersheyBoston at Tidewater (Hampton Roads)Thur. Jan. 27Springfield at CincinnatiFri. Jan. 28Hershey at BaltimoreBoston at RichmondNova Scotia at RochesterSat. Jan. 29Rochester at ClevelandBaltimore at HersheyRichmond at SpringfieldConcinnati at Tidewater (at Norfolk)Sun. Jan. 30Tidewater at CincinnatiHershey at Cleveland (afternoonBoston at Nova ScottiaRichemond at ProvidenceSpringfield at RocherterTues. Feb. 1Springfield at BostonRochester at Nova ScotiaWed. Feb. 2Providence at BaltimoreCleveland at HersheyRichmond at Tidewater (et Norfolk)Thur. Feb. 3Rochester at Nova Scotia<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3>(Including Games of Sun. Jan. 16)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03106/2954173-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="582" height="545"></div><h3>GOALKEEPERS RECORDS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0488/2954166-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="591" height="869"></div> &#9632;

f0022-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div>ROCHESTER&mdash;A lot of unusual things have happened to the Rochester Americans this season&hellip;now they&rsquo;re giving a five-game trial to a 40-year-old amateur!This is no ordinary amateur who has been kicking around for years waiting for an opportunity to turn pro, though. In fact, this amateur hopes to set an all-time American Hockey League record during his brief trial with the Amerks.He happens to be Willmott Charles Marshall, known around the AHL for years as Willie Marshall.Released by the Baltimore Clippers last August after scoring 15 goals and assisting on 40 others in 64 games last season, Marshall attended the Rochester training camp in the fall, but was sent home.Marshall signed with the Toledo Hornets of the International League in October and was reinstated as an amateur.Willie started fast in the IHL, but when the Hornets skidded to a long streak of lop-sided losses, Marshall lost interest and finally quit the team in January after scoring 15 goals and assisting on 32 for 47 points in 46 games.Amerk general manager Doug Adam, whose team is struggling for a playoff berth, gave Marshall a call at his Niagara Falls, Ont., home and the veteran center readily agreed to join Rochester for five games. Since he cannot play as a pro again until Oct. 8 because he is an amateur, Marshall is limited to a five game trial.&ldquo;A couple of other AHL clubs have contacted me, but when they found I couldn&rsquo;t play more than five games I never heard from them again,&rdquo; Marshall said.The five games could be the most important in Willie&rsquo;s long career.He is one goal short of the American League career record for goals. Freddy Glover had 522 and Marshall, when he joined the Amerks late in February, had 521. Willie already holds the all-time league marks for points (1,371) and assists (850). The five games will give Marshall an even 1,200 AHL games, one behind Glover&rsquo;s record.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really appreciative Rock ester is giving me this opportunity,&rdquo; Marshall said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care where I tie the record, but I want to break it in Rochester&hellip;any club that gives you a chance, that&rsquo;s where it should happen.&rdquo;Marshall had hoped to tie the record in Baltimore on Feb. 20 in his first game with Rochester. But a heavy snowstorm stranded he Americans in Rochester and they were unable to get to Baltimore for the afternoon game. It was the Amerks&rsquo; third postponement this season&mdash;two early games thwarted here by an ice making machine failure and an ushers&rsquo; strike.Willie, who played his first AHL game back in 1952-53 with Pittsburgh, was an Amerk once before. He was here for 19 games in 1958-59.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0578/2954218-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="554" height="593"><figcaption class="caption-body">WILLIE MARSHALL&hellip;A Shot At Record</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-05

Willie Marshall Comes Back To AHL Play

<div class="byline">BY BARRY SWINEHART</div>CLEVELAND&mdash;Linemates Buster Harvey and Terry Caffery both enter the final 20 games of the Barons 1971-72 season with an excellent chance of being the first Cleveland skaters to score over 100 points in a campaign since Fred Glover set the Barons scoring record with 107 points in the 1959-60 season.Harvey, who spent his rookie campaign last year with Minnesota, has totaled 28 goals and 48 assists for 76 points in his first 53 games with Cleveland. At his current rate of almost 1.5 points a contest, the young right winger has been in a battle with linemate Terry Caffery and Providence&rsquo;s Don Blackburn in the race tor the American Hockey League scoring championship.Centering for Harvey and keeping the pressure on him in the scoring race, Caffery had 74 points on 28 goals and 46 assists as the Barons entered their final 20 contests. If Caffery, who spent the majority of the last two years at Dallas of the Central League, continues his pace he could join Harvey in the 100-point club, the first time the Barons would have two in the same season.In addition to Glover, the only other Barons to register 100 point years were Jackie Gordon with 102 in 1953-54 and Les Douglas with an even 100 during the 194950 campaign.BLUELINERS: Winger Gary Gambucci and defenseman Fred Barrett both continue on the Barons&rsquo; injured list. is still recovering from surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone. Barrett will be out with a dislocated shoulder suffered in mid-February. The injury will probably keep him out for close to six weeks. The Barons 9,700 plus crowd of Feb. 19 exceeded by amost 100 last year&rsquo;s top crowd of 9,681. Gordon Labossiere is the only Cleveland player over the 30-goal mark with 31 but if Billy Heindl can register one more goal and Grant Erickson can add two, then the Barons will have a total of seven twenty goal scorers for the 1971-72 season. &#9632;

Harvey, Caffery To Get Shot At 100-Point Club

<h2>Fri. Feb. 11 CINCINNATI 5 at PROVIDENCE 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02123/2954360-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="584" height="587"></div><h2>SPRINGFIELD 3 at BALTIMORE 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0397/2954353-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="591" height="590"></div><h2>TIDEWATER 1 at CLEVELAND 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0477/2954346-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="584" height="670"></div><h2>ROCHESTER 0 at RICHMOND 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0561/2954339-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="572" height="317"></div><h2>Sun. Feb. 13 CINCINNATI 1 at BALTIMORE 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0652/2954332-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="581" height="466"></div><h2>Wed. Feb. 16 NOVA SCOTIA 2 at BALTIMORE 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0748/2954325-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="570" height="544"></div><h2>Fri. Feb. 18 NOVA SCOTIA 2 at SPRINGFIELD 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0840/2954318-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="573" height="459"></div><h2>Sun. Feb. 20 BOSTON 3 at CINCINNATI 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0932/2954311-1-eng-US/f0023-092.jpg" title="f0023-09" width="589" height="503"></div><h2>HERSHEY 2 at NOVA SCOTIA 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1024/2954304-1-eng-US/f0023-102.jpg" title="f0023-10" width="589" height="493"></div> &#9632;

f0023-02

American Hockey League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY JOHN TRAVERS</div>HERSHEY&mdash;Rick Kessell, the most consistent scorer of late for the Hershey Bears, brought the club&rsquo;s recent tailspin to an abrupt halt along with the aid of veteran center Wally Boyer.The Bears had just gone through a seven game streak without a win, losing four and tieing three, but at Providence on Feb. 18, Kessell and Boyer combined for three goals in a 5-3 victory.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01173/2954391-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="263" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kick Kessell</figcaption></div>The 22-year-old Kessell, property of the Pittsburgh Penguins, never lost the scoring touch through the prolonged lump. He connected for eight goals and aided in six others for 14 points.Kessell, the Bears top sniper with 23 goals, is now the team&rsquo;s fifth leading scorer with 36 points. He has four game winning markers.In reaching the 36 point plateau, the Toronto native, equaled his previous AHL one-season scoring mark, set in 1969-70 in a 52-game stand with the Baltimore Clippers.Last season, the Penguins had &ldquo;him assigned to Amarillo where in 62 games he tallied 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points.Through a combination of inju and recalls, the Bears have been unable to re-capture the early season drive they showed in commanding control of the Western Division.However, defenseman Jean Lagace, sidelined with broken thumb since Jan. 30, is expected to be ready to return to the lineup soon which should bolster the backline corps.Coach Frank Mathers club has a balanced schedule in the last six weeks, playing ten at home ard on the road.Mathers has hopes his outfit will get untracked for the stretch drive as it did last season when Hershey lost only four of its last 21 games.&ldquo;Everyone is working hard,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Mathers. &ldquo;Things will have break our way.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0024-01

Kessell, Boyer Spring Bears Out Of Slump

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK SANTANIELLO</div>SPRINGFIELD&mdash;The Los Angeles Kings dispatched some much needed help to the local team, as it started its final drive of the season, hoping for a spot in the playoffs. Barring a complete collapse, they should make it. They could finish as high as second place, or as low as fourth spot.Optioned to the Kings were goal-tender Jack Norris, 29-year-old, much-traveled backstop who is also no stranger to the American Hockey League, since he was goaler for the Montreal Voyageurs, who are now in Nova Scotia. Norris is called by many one of the better netminders outside of the NHL.Joining him is 26-year-old winger Bud DeBrody, another capable veteran with a lot of experience. He is also familiar with the AHL, having played with the Hershey Bears, before he came into the Los Angeless system. He is a good goal scorer who can dig and work in the corners.Both players came to Springfield from the Seattle Totems of the Western League, where the big Kings have a partial agreement with the club. Totem officials were not too pleased at losing Norris and Debrody in addition to Camille Lapierre, who was recalled by Springfield, after playing with Seattle for some 15 games.Los Angeles figured that the trio would be in a better position to help Springfield in the playoffs coming up in April, where the players will go-for a record $4,000 share each if they take home the Calder Cup like they did last season. On the other hand, Seattle is buried in last place in the WHL.A bomb of sorts was dropped on the club with the announcement that 21-year-old NHL prospect Bill Mikkelson, a much improved player, quit the club and is now back home in Brandon, Manitoba looking for a job. The youngster, who was getting a major league pay check, did not want to continue with the club since he felt he was not playing too well.Mikkelson was also drafted from the Los Angeles Kings list by the new Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association for next season. That might help him to change his mind, but as of the present he quit the Kings.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02121/2954422-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="537" height="536"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACK NORRIS&hellip;Experience To Help</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-02

Springfield Ready For Playoff Run As L.A. Options Norris, Debrody

<div class="byline">BY GREG FARLEY</div>BOSTON&mdash;Steve Stirling, the Braves&rsquo; rookie who captained Boston University to the NCAA hockey title last year, has established himself as the team&rsquo;s most valuable penalty-killerStirling, who opened the season on the Braves&rsquo; bench except for spot duty on the penalty killing squad, has since worked himself into a regular line shift&mdash;and his efforts have paid off in dividends for the Braves.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01142/2954453-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="257" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Stirling</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I guess I was just a bit nervous when the season started,&rdquo; confessed Steve. &ldquo;Besides trying to work myself into the starting lineup, I was worried about trying to make an impression on the hometown fans.&ldquo;Both Paul (Hurley) and I were a bit over anxious during the first few games, and our play suffered from it. It was then that we decided to forget about who was in the stands and concentrate on giving our best possible effort.&ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve both been playing much better ever since.&rdquo;Steve has seen action on the power-play in addition to his other duties, and coach Bep Guidolin has been more than pleased with the results.&ldquo;It was only natural that he&rsquo;d be a little edgy playing before his family and friends,&rdquo; conceded Bep, &ldquo;and I was sure that he&rsquo;d conquer his nervousness in due time.&ldquo;Besides that, Steve also needed time to adjust from the college style to the pro style, and that&rsquo;s why I played him in spots at the beginning of the year.&ldquo;But he&rsquo;s really come on strong during the past few months, and he&rsquo;s going to wind up with a 20 plus goal season. Not bad for a kid just out of college.&rdquo;Now that he&rsquo;s within range, Steve is shooting for that charmed 20 goal plateau&mdash;a mark he never even dreamed of when he reported to training camp.&ldquo;My only goal was to win a berth on the team,&rdquo; he revealed. &ldquo;There were a lot of talented and experienced hockey players in camp, and I knew I&rsquo;d have to hustle to have any chance of making the team.Things have worked out well for me, and I&rsquo;m looking forward to getting number 20. Of course if we can wind up in first place and win the Calder Cup too&hellip;well, that would really &lsquo;be something for a first year team.&rdquo;BRAVES BRIEFS:&mdash; The Braves game at Rochester on Friday March 3 will be televised back to the Hub area via TV 38 beginning at 8 p.m&hellip;The Tribe will visit Springfield, Richmond and Tidewater before returning home to host Rochester on the 15th. &#9632;

f0025-01

College Ace Stirling Making Adjustment To Pro Hockey Style

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01149/2954484-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="543" height="579"><figcaption class="caption-body">ART JONES&hellip;Pulling Away</figcaption></div>PORTLAND&mdash;The Western Hockey League statistical release has had a similar look about it every week since Nov. 8. The league standings haven&rsquo;t changed in that time until the last release.The Portland Buckaroos moved ahead of San Diego into third place. Denver remains first with Phoenix second, Salt Lake fifth and Seattle sixth.There is something else that appears very familiar.Art Jones, in pursuit of his fifth consecutive scoring championship, has opened up a 17-point lead over Larry Lund of Phoenix and is threatening his own scoring record.If the 37-year-old center continues at his present pace of 94 points in the Bucks&rsquo; first 52 games, he will score 130 points. He set the record of 127 two years ago.Jones has 65 assists, a pace that would give him 90 for the season, just five short of the record set by Guvle Fielder with Seattle in 1958-59. Jones and Fielder are now teammates at Portland.Meanwhile, Coach Aut Erickson claimed some of the blame for the decline since the first of the year of the Phoenix Roadrunners, placed some of it on his leading scorers and some on the Arizona sunshinse.&ldquo;Our team is in good physical shape,&rdquo; Erickson said at a recent Phoenix Press Box Association luncheon. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re not so good mentally. That&rsquo;s my job, to get them in mental shape.&rdquo;&ldquo;A couple of guys are worried about winning the scoring race,&rdquo; added Erickson, &ldquo;and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re not winning. It fakes the whole team.&rdquo;&ldquo;The sunshine,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;is not conducive to good hockey. It&rsquo;s tough to get mentally conditioned for hockey when the guys&rsquo; thoughts are on tennis, golf and swimming. In cold country, there&rsquo;s nothing else to do, so you think about playing hockey.&rdquo;The latter logic is the same imparted by former Roadrunner coach Alf Pike four years ago.The Roadrunners have an 11 record in 1972, have slipped seven points behind the league leading Denver Spurs and face eight consecutive road games.If their present rate of decline continues, they could be fighting for fourth instead of first when they make their next appearance before the Phoenix fans. &#9632;

f0026-01

Art Jones On Retord Course

<h2>Fri. Feb. 11 SAN DIEGO 8 at DENVER 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0381/2954585-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="582" height="745"></div><h2>SALT LAKE 5 at PHOENIX 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0460/2954578-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="589" height="538"></div><h2>PORTLAND 2 at SEATTLE 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0552/2954571-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="587" height="511"></div><h2>Sat. Feb. 12 PHOENIX 3 at PORTLAND 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0641/2954564-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="580" height="514"></div><h2>SALT LAKE 6 at SAN DIEGO 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0733/2954557-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="582" height="718"></div><h2>Sun. Feb. 13 PHOENIX 0 at SEATTLE 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0825/2954550-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="577" height="597"></div><h2>Fri. Feb. 18 SALT LAKE 4 at SAN DIEGO 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0921/2954543-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="595" height="649"></div><h2>PORTLAND 3 at DENVER 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1018/2954536-1-eng-US/f0026-102.jpg" title="f0026-10" width="584" height="682"></div><h2>Sat. Feb. 19 DENVER 5 at PHOENIX 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1116/2954529-1-eng-US/f0026-112.jpg" title="f0026-11" width="589" height="675"></div><h2>PORTLAND 11 at SEATTLE 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1212/2954522-1-eng-US/f0026-122.jpg" title="f0026-12" width="580" height="928"></div><h2>Sun. Feb. 20 SALT LAKE 3 at PORTLAND 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1311/2954515-1-eng-US/f0026-132.jpg" title="f0026-13" width="584" height="709"></div> &#9632;

f0026-03

Western League Summaries

SEATTLE&mdash;Just when things seemed to be getting better for the Seattle Totems, they suddenly got worse.Veteran defenseman Don Ward went into the boards with Sani Diego&rsquo;s Earl Heiskala and came away with a broken leg. Then Minnesota North Stars recalled Bob Paradise reducing the defense corps to three.Tom Reilly was rushed in from the Rochester Americans of the American League for the second time. He played three games earlier in an emergency appearance.That wasn&rsquo;t enough misfortune for the last place Totems but the Los Angeles Kings had some more news for the Totems.They recalled goaltender Jack Norris.Norris had been holding the Totems together since Christmas with a goals against average of less than 3.00. The Totems recently ended a 12-game winless&rsquo; steak with back-to-back victories, 3-2 over Portland and 7-0 against Phoenix. &#9632;

Don Ward Suffers Broken Leg To Compound Seattle Troubles

<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wod. March 1)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02102/2954640-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="581" height="227"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Mon. Feb. 21Salt Lake 4 at Seattle 0Wed. Feb. 23Salt Lake 4 at Denver 4Portland 6 at San Diego 3Thur. Feb. 24Phoenix 2 atSalt Lake 4Fri. Feb. 25Phoenix 2 at Denver 5Portland 9 at Seattle 4Sat. Feb. 26Phoenix 4 at San Diego 3Denver at Salt Lakea (postponed)Sun. Feb. 27San Diego 4 atSeattle 2<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Wed. March 1Seattle at Salt LakeSan Diego at PortlandThur. March 2Denver at San DiegoFri. March 3Seattle at Salt LakeSat. March 4Phoenix atSeattleSalt Lake at Son DiegoSun. March 5Phoenix Portland &#9632;

f0026-02

HOW THEY STAND

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>DENVER&mdash;The Denver Spurs are healthy again. So is their hold on the Western Hockey League lead. It&rsquo;s back to seven points.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing our game again,&rdquo; enthused Denver coach Jean Guy Talbot. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got everybody back and everybody playing where he should be. We only had 14 players for most of the last month.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01134/2954678-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="551" height="1051"><figcaption class="caption-body">RON BUCHANAN&hellip;A Hot Spur</figcaption></div>Towering rookie center and left winger Curt Bennett, who missed 23 games when called up to the injury-riddled parent St. Louis Blues, scored two goals 30 seconds apart in the 5-3 victory right in Phoenix which put the Spurs seven points up on the second place Roadrunners.Jim Shires, another callup to the Blues for part of the season, dug the puck out from beside the net for both of Bennett&rsquo;s goals.Mostly, though, it&rsquo;s been the return to the lineup of popular Claude Laforge, which enabled Fran Huck to concentrate his energies on playing a regular shift and Ron Ruchanan to take that extra power play shift.The result is that Huck has broken the team record for assists by two with 51.&ldquo;with Laforge back for the past week,&rdquo; said Talbot, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to use Huck to kill penalties and I can rest him more. That gives him a chance to score more.&rdquo;Laforge, who missed 16 games with a shoulder injury, helps keep the Spurs&rsquo; penalty-killing unit by far the most effective in &bull; the league. They have only allowed 26 through 51 games and successfully shut off the Roadrunner in that pivotal game. The Runners lead the league in power play goals with 53.Buchanan, a 6-3 stringbean, missed most of January&mdash;&ldquo;except for a shift here and a shift there&rdquo;&mdash;with a badly bruised ankle.&ldquo;I caught a shot by that big Portland defenseman, Barry Long,&rdquo; said Buchanan. &ldquo;He can really fire that puck.&rdquo;Opposition goalteners might think so, too. Long has scored a dozen goals, already, in his rookie season.Buchanan, a seven-year pro, has been trying to add to his 178 pounds for that long.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve tried everything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Special diets. I&rsquo;ve lifted weights, taken all kinds of pills. Nothing helps.&rdquo;The news that Buchannan, son of Ralph (Bucky) Buchanan, former senior hockey star, was still trying to add pounds, alarmed Talbot a little.&ldquo;I like him fine just the way he is,&rdquo; said Talbot.At the time, Buchanan had just scored his sixth goal in three games, including his third hat trick of the season, his 15th power play goal and his 31st goal.&rdquo; All three are league leading totals.It&rsquo;s the best season ever for the lanky pivot. He had 34 goals in his first season of pro hockey, with Oklahoma City in the Central Hockey League, but seems capable of easily surpassing that with 20 games remaining.The Spurs added to their defense, claiming 6-2, 215 pound Hal Willis on waivers from, of all places, the last place Seattle Totems.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been working out well for us,&rdquo; said Talbot. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been with us for four games and we&rsquo;ve won three of those and tied the other. You can&rsquo;t expect much more than that.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02102/2954671-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="1777" height="1025"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denver&rsquo;s CURT BENNETT moves in to fire the puck past Phoenix netminder MARV EDWARDS during a recent WHL game. Bennett connected for two goals to send Runners down to defeat.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-01

Denver Spurs Healthy Again Aim To Keep Top Spot

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U. S. and CanadaDALLAS&mdash;By the third weekend in February, the question was no longer if the rampaging Dallas Black Hawks would clinch first place in the Central Hockey League, but when? And how many CHL records would they set in the process?Rookie goalie Michel Dumas shut out the Fort Worth wings at home, 8-0, Feb. 19, giving the Hawks their fourth straight victory and ninth game without a setback. They had padded their first-place margin to 20 points over the second-place Tulsa Oilers, and the Oilers had only 21 games left.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01124/2954716-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="267" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Watts</figcaption></div>The Hawks had only 17 games remaining in the regular slate, but that was more than enough in which to break the records of 45 victories and 101 points, set by the Omaha Knights in their cakewalk to the 1970-71 regular-season title. Dallas needed only nine victories and 24 points to match those league records.Coach Bobby Kromm&rsquo;s men also appeared a cinch to break the team scoring record of 312 goals set by Omaha last season. That represented a 4.33 average. Through 53 games Dallas had counted 247 goals, for a blazing 4.66 average.Only one team record seemed out of reach. Oklahoma City set a defensive mark in 1967-68 by allowing only 174 goals in a 70-game schedule, for a 2.49 average. Although boasting the best goaltender in the league, the Hawks had yielded 149 goals in 53 games for a 2.81 average.Dumas, posting his third shutout of the campaign, tied Kansas City&rsquo;s John Garrett for the league lead in whitewashes. His personal goals-against average was 2.62. Ken Brown owned two shutouts and a 2.84 average.Center J.P. LeBlanc widened his lead in the CHL individual scoring race. He had a goal and three assists in the week&rsquo;s three victories, giving him 71 points on 16 goals and. 55 assists. He boosted his margin to seven points over runnerup Jean Payette of Tulsa.Bob Sicinski was tied for fourth place with 59 points, and J.P. Bordeleau was tied for sixth with 58. Bordeleau had four goals, two in the come-from-behind 4-2 triumph in Tulsa, Feb. 18, and two in the 8-0 romp over Fort Worth the next night. The Hawks had opened the week with a 4-1 breeze at Omaha, mounting three goals in the opening period.Coach Kromm, a perfectionist at heart, didn&rsquo;t like the way his men took so long to find their attack at Tulsa. &ldquo;We always take a long time to get untracked up here,&rsquo;&rsquo; he comented.The previous week the Hawks had to overcome a pair of two-goal deficits before a hot third period gave them a 6-4 triumph.For two periods in the Feb. 18 game, the only tally was a first-period score by Tulsa&rsquo;s Lyle Moffat. Mike Baumgartner&rsquo;s bullet from the blueline on a power play tied it early in the third, but Brian Marchinko quicly regained the Oiler advantage. Then Bordeleau and Dave Hudson won it for the Hawks, and Bordeleau added his second goal into the empty net with 21 seconds to go.Kromm wasn&rsquo;t kept in suspense the next night at home against Fort Worth. Dave Kryskow, Sicinski, and Bordeleau scored in the first six minutes. Larry Romanchych, returning to duty after a long injury absence, made it 4-0 before the first period was half over.The Hawks lost right wing Don Gordon for a month, when he broke an ankle in a crash into the boards at Tulsa, Feb. 12.TULSA: Having lost three of their last four games, and all of those losses coming against Dallas, the Tulsa Oilers were happy to be facing a different team for a change. They celebrated by whipping the Oklahoma City Blazers, 5-1, Feb. 19. It was the Oilers&rsquo; second victory this season in Oklahoma City, where they lost all six trips last season.The Feb. 18 loss to Dallas was the Tulsans&rsquo; second straight at home, where they had run up a string of 14 games without a loss prior to Feb. 12. In both games the Hawks were apparently beaten, and came off the deck to win with torrid third periods.Right wing Steve King fractured an ankle when he stopped a shot while penalty-killing against the Hawks, Feb. 12. He was expected to miss a months action, as he joined center Cal Swenson and left wing Errol Thompson on the casualty list. The Oilers were down to nine forwards and five defensemen, and coach Marcel Pronovost had to use defenseman Joe Lundrigan at left wing, when Brian Spencer drew a misconduct in the Feb. 18 game.Ron Low gave one of his greatest goaltending performances of the season in the victory at Oklahoma City. The only goal he yielded was a power play deflection by Al Caron in the first period. Murray Heatly. Spencer. Jan Popiel, Bob Duncan and Brian St. John counted for Tulsa, St. John getting a shorthanded goal.Jean Payette held to second place in the scoring race with 64 points, while the injured Swenson, with 56, dropped into a tie for ninth.OMAHA: The Knights clung to third place in the jockeying for playoff positions, but were eight points back of Tulsa, with only 18 games left. They had a two-point edge over Oklahoma City, and were three ahead of Kansas City, but both those clubs had two games in hand.The Knights lost rookie winger Tom Williams on a callup to the parent New York Rangers, just after Williams had rung up his 25th goal and 49th point. The Rangers later returned young Williams to the Knights.Bill Hogaboam, second-year center, vaulted into the club scoring lead by scoring four goals and two assists in the Knights&rsquo; 74 home triumph over Kansas City, Feb. 18. He had the last two goals as the Knights took a 4-0 lead in the opening period, added another 51 seconds into the middle period, then got his fourth tally in the final period, after the Blues had fired in three straight.That gave Hogaboam 20 goals and 59 points, two ahead of Norm Gratton, the former pacesetter for the Knights. Norm was eighth in the league race.The rout of the Blues in Omaha broke a four-loss streak for the Knights. But it looked like they were back in their old ways, when Kansas City held a 2-0 lead for two periods in KC the following night. However, Brian Lefley and Barry Meissner scored in the first three minutes of the last period to salvage a 2-2 tie.Burly defenseman Steve Durbano had racked up 329 penalty-minutes, and was only two minutes shy of matching the CHL record set by Dennis O&rsquo;Brien for Iowa in 1969-70. As one of his teammates is reported to have said, &ldquo;Steve can pick up a twominute penalty while we&rsquo;re warming up!&rdquo;OKLAHOMA CITY: The Blazers had to fight back to gain a 4-4 tie at home against Fort Worth, Feb. 18, but the next night, every time they tried to come back, they found the door closed by Tulsa goalie Ron Low!That left the Blazers winless in their last two appearances before the home fans.Bill Klatt was the hero of the deadlock, rebounding Chris Hayes&rsquo; shot from the slot for the tying tally barely two minutes into the final period.Greg Sheppard collected&rdquo; his sixth shorthanded goal of the season midway of the second period to gain a 3-3 tie. after Brian Watts&rsquo; hat trick had boosted the Wings into a 3-2 lead. Randy Manery put for Worth in front again before the second period ended.Defensemann Ken Baird, just returned from the California Seals, was the penalty-sitter when Sheppard scored. Baird picked a fight with Herb Boxer and drew a major penalty, while Boxer got two minors.With 33 goals and 60 points, Sheppard clung to third in the league scoring race. Klatt was just out of the top 10 with 54 points.KANSAS CITY: Thirteen games without a victory brought no joy to Kansas City fans or to KC general-manager-coach John Choyce. But they had six ties in that 13-game span, making 12 draws for the campaign. They could thank those ties, and the frequent troubles of Omaha and Oklahoma City, for the fact the Blues were still only three points out of third place, and one point out of fourth, with 20 games to play. The CHL record for draws is 20, set by St. Louis in 1966-67 (70 games) and tied by Fort Worth in 1968-69 (72 games).The Blues&rsquo; unhappy record had reached seven straight home games without a victory, and 11 on the road without a triumph. Their last win was Jan. 22. a 5-3 home triumph over Omaha.Amateur goalie Wayne Stepehenson rejoined the club for an indefinite stay. In previous appearances with KC, the youngster had a victory and two ties, including a draw with league-leading Dallas.Norm Dennis remained the Blues leading scorer with 56 points, tied for ninth in the league.FORT WORTH: Goalie Andy Brown was called up by the Detroit Red Wings Feb. 17, and the Fort Worth Wings finally tasted defeat, for the first time in seven games. The cellar-dwelling Wings had played five road games without a loss before the invasion of Dallas, Feb. 19. Before their late spurt, the Wings had played eight straight road games without a victory.Brown&rsquo;s departure for Detroit left the goalie chores strictly up to rookie Ron Marlow, who played at Port Huron in the International League last winter. George Hulme was brought up from Port Huron to back up Marlow.The Wings regained center Jim Schraefel from the injured list, but rookie defenseman Gordie Redden was out with a severe leg injury.The Wings were on the verge of clinching the cellar spot until they pulled their sudden turnaround<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0270/2954709-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="549" height="858"><figcaption class="caption-body">MICHEL DUMAS&hellip;Third CHL Shutout</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

Runaway Dallas Hawks Eye New Records In Title Romp

<h2>Sun., Feb. 13 DALLAS 4 at OMAHA 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0345/2954796-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="584" height="433"></div><h2>FORT WORTH 1 at KANSAS CITY 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0434/2954789-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="570" height="334"></div><h2>Fri. Feb. 18 DALLAS 4 at TULSA 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0527/2954782-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="586" height="557"></div><h2>KANSAS CITY 4 at OMAHA 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0621/2954775-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="576" height="841"></div><h2>FORT WORTH 4 at OKLAHOMA CITY 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0718/2954768-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="584" height="666"></div><h2>Sat., Feb. 19 FORT WORTH 0 at DALLAS 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0816/2954761-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="579" height="689"></div><h2>TULSA 5 at OKLAHOMA CITY 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0913/2954754-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="574" height="671"></div><h2>OMAHA 2 at KANSAS CITY 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1014/2954747-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="565" height="469"></div> &#9632;

f0028-03

Central Hockey League Summaries

Bill Hogaboam has swept into the club scoring lead with the Omaha Knights following his highly productive week in the CHL. Hogaboam counted one of those rare four-goal games against Kansas City and added three assits for a seven-point week to become Omaha&rsquo;s most prolific marksman with 20 goals and 59 points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0435/2954827-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="532" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILL HOGABOAM</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0029-04

<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 29)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0194/2954872-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="575" height="225"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Thur. Feb. 24Omaha 5 at Fort Worth 5Fri. Feb. 25Omaha 5 at Dallas 3Fort Worth 6 at Tulsa 2Oklahoma City 4 at Kansas City 3Set Feb. 26Dallas 2 at Fort Worth 5Kansas City 2 at Omaha 2Oklahoma City 1 at Tulsa 2Sun. Feb. 27Tulsa 4 at Dallas 1<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Tue. Feb. 29Kansas City at Fort WorthWed. March 1Kansas City at Oklahoma CityFri. March 3Kansas City at Dallas Omaha at TulsaSat. March 4Fort Worth at DallasTulsa at Kansas CityOklahoma City at OmahaSun. March 5Fort Worth at Kansas CityTulsa at Oklahoma CityTue. March 7Tulsa at Fort WorthWed. March 8Dallas at Oklahoma CityFri. March 10Dallas at Kansas CityOmaha at Fort WorthOklahoma City at Tulsa<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0269/2954865-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="577" height="1036"></div><h2>GOALKEEPERS RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0344/2954858-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="575" height="489"></div> &#9632;

f0029-01

<div class="byline">BY HARVEY POLLACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01117/2954910-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="550" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAMIE KENNEDY&hellip;Third 40-Goal Year</figcaption></div>NEW HAVEN&mdash;Don Perry has officially declared that this is his final season as mentor of the New Haven Blades but he&rsquo;d like to go out with the Eastern Hockey League crown as his farewell achievement.A lot of folks have suspected that Don wouldn&rsquo;t be back next year for various reasons including his run-ins with management this year and also with the knowledge that Don has several offers with other clubs for the future. Don isn&rsquo;t disclosing where he&rsquo;ll go next year, just that the won&rsquo;t be with the Blades.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0815/2954903-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="261" height="434"><figcaption class="caption-body">Don Perry</figcaption></div>Perry is one of the most respected coaches in the league and he is highly regarded by hockey people. There&rsquo;s no doubt he&rsquo;ll be in hockey next year though he certainly would like to be around this area where he resides.If he is going to go out with a bang, his Blades will have to perk up in the stretch phase of the race. The last three games with Johnstown and Jersey may determine where the Blades will finish and possibly whether they will beat out Clinton for a playoff berth.To aid in the stretch run, Perry secured Blaine Rydman from Charlotte and dropped Ed Sidebottom. He&rsquo;s the second policeman-type the Blades have secured of late with the first one, winger Mike McNiven, already embroiled in a series of tiffs that are of the Kevin Morrison variety. Rydman was the most penalized Checker this year.One of the club&rsquo;s problems is the failure of goalie Jim Armstrong to completely recover from the concussion he suffered a few weeks ago. He still gets some dizzy spells and trainer Gunner Garrett has to fill in on occasions. Center Andre Peloffy&rsquo;s return from the injured list could be the spark that is needed for the waning games. Possibly even Norm Schmitz will be back.Perry is disappointed his team didn&rsquo;t take charge of the topsy turvy race in the North, but he feels that the closeness of the teams makes the playoffs a wide open affair with no team a heavy choice as was prevalent in previous years.Garrett is much more confident in the nets than he was in the past. Team had much more shuffling of personnel this year than in many seasons Pierre Leblanc a good bet to win club scoring title.CHARLOTTE: Checkers sent Blaine Rydman to New Haven on loan. Club routed Roanoke Valley 8-0 to clinch second straight regular season crown. Robert Richer near Checkers&rsquo; record of 39 goals for a rookie. He had second hat trick against Sun Coast Club averaging 4,870 fans per game. Checkers near club penalty mark. Gary Bromley doing well for Cincinnati while on loan.LONG ISLAND: Ducks put Michel Letourneau back on roster after Kansas City recalled Derek Harker. Jean Marie Nicol playing despite painful shoulder. Ducks beat New Haven on Blades rink for first time since 1966. Butch Morris posted hat trick in vital game. Guy DeNoncourt had 55-save game.CLINTON: Murray McNeil&rsquo;s hat trick provided win over Johnstown and kept alive club&rsquo;s playoff hopes. Dave Lee father of second daughter who was born in Nashville. McNeil discarded protective faceguard that covered his fractured cheekbone. Mike Legge, a junior from Winnipeg, worked out with Comets seeking place on squad. Ted Tucker blanked Greensboro.JERSEY: Jamie Kennedy has posted his fourth straight 40-goal season and a hat trick against New Haven helped. Bobby Gerrard&rsquo;s two hat tricks in two straight games matched Kennedy&rsquo;s club record. Coach Jim Hay has played sparingly in recent games. Ron Legault&rsquo;s improvement at defense has aided club&rsquo;s better play in late stages.ROANOKE VALLEY: Center Dave Parenteau fined $350 for climbing into stands at home to reach a heckler. Dave later apologized. Ken Miller hampered by ankle and face injuries. Goalie Roger Kosar called up by Richmond temporarily. Claude Piche&rsquo;s goal nipped Charlotte. Dale MacLeish bothered by bruised hip. J.C. Garneau has instilled some fight into the club since his activation.SYRACUSE: Blazers acquired Bob Buchy from Greensboro to replace Bob Peppier who broke his leg in Johnstown. Doug Ferguson suffered back injury in same game. Paul Larose got sixth hat trick against Greensboro. Blake Ball playing with cast on his broken index finger and knuckle. Ray Adduono&rsquo;s 102nd assist broke his own club record and he was near club standard of 146 points.JOHNSTOWN Bob Vroman&rsquo;s third shutout came against Clinton. He had been up and down with Springfield three times this year. Dave Birch sidelined with ankle injury. Gene Peacosh shooting for 100-point season. Sub goalie Ron Dockens had 23 saves in one period with Clinton. All three Jet lines doing well.SUN COAST: Suns picked up Jack Kell from Springfield after he was to returned to Kings by Denver and Keith Silvernagle placed on inactive list. Goalie Bill Yeo loaned to Springfield. Goalie Grant Green and captain Gregg Pilling conducted clinics at local grade schools. Neil Clairmont upset by his failure to score goals. Cliff Pennington says Roger Kosar of Roanoke Valley is toughest goalie for him to beat.GREENSBORO: Ted Lanyon activated for playoffs and Don Labelle also on roster. Rookie Steve Johnson off roster when Lanyon returns but mates voted him full playoff split. Coach Don Carter, who&rsquo;ll be bench coach, delighted with consistency of Brian Derksen. &#9632;

f0030-01

Perry Eyeing New Horizons; Charlotte Wraps Up Pennant

ST. PETERSBURG&mdash;Bobby Guindon of the Roanoke Valley Rebels was resting in hospital here after suffering a head injury in a highspeed collision with another player during an Eastern Hockey League encounter.Guindon was confined to the intensive care ward of the hospital while doctors watched over him after he was seriously injured on the ice when he and Gregg Rilling of the Sun Coast Suns collided with one another.The Roanoke player had stopped breathing following the mishap. Medical attendants promptly massaged his chest to restore his breath and quickly moved him to hospital. &#9632;

High-Speed Collision On Ice Puts Roanoke Star In Hospital

<h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Feb. 29)<h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0272/2955000-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="578" height="178"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0348/2954993-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="587" height="252"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. Feb. 21Johnstown 5 at Lona Island 1Tues. Feb. 22Roanoke 2 at Sun Coast 1Greensboro 3 at Charlotte 2Wed. Feb. 23Johnstown 3 at New Hoven 10Long Island 2 at New Jersey 4Roanoke 3 at Sun Coast 6Thurs. Feb. 24Long Island 3 at Syracuse?Fri. Fob. 25Greensboro 3 at Charlotte 3Johnstown 2 at Long Island 6New Hoven 4 at New Jersey 4Syracuse 2 at Clinton 3Sat. Fob. 26Charlotte 3 at Roanoke 5New Haven 1 at Syracuse 3New Jersey 5 at Clinton 9Long Island 3 at Johnstown 5Sun. Feb. 27Roanoke 3 at Charlotte 9Syracuse 3 at New Haven 9Clinton 5 at Long Island 2New Jersey 1 at Johnstown 4Greensboro 3 at Sun Coast 3<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tues. Feb. 29Roanoke Valley at GreensboroCharlotte at Sun CoastWed. March 1New Jersey at SyracuseJohnstown vs Clinton (at Utica)Long Island at New HavenThur. March 2Greensboro at Roanoke ValleyCharlotte at Sun CoastNew Hoven at JohnstownFri. March 3Charlotte of GreensboroSun Coast at Roanoke ValleyClinton at SyracuseLong Island at New JerseyNew Haven at JohnstownSat. March 4Roanoke Valley at Sun CoastLong Island vs Clinton (at Utica)Syracuse at New Jersey NewHaven at JohnstownSun. March 5Sun Coast at GreensboroJohnstown at SyracuseNew Jersey at New HavenClinton at Long IslandCharlotte at Roanoke Valley<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 20)NORTHERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0436/2954986-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="584" height="280"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0535/2954979-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="593" height="303"></div><h3>GOALKEEPERS&rsquo; RECORDS</h3>NORTHERN DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0627/2954972-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="585" height="303"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0719/2954965-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="588" height="180"></div> &#9632;

f0030-02

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GUGGER</div>TOLEDO&mdash;Thirteen proved to be an unlucky number for the Toledo Hornets.The Hornets suffered through an early-season losing streak that stretched 25 days and 13 games and it has, apparently, cost them a playoff position in the North Division of the International Hockey League.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01101/2955031-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="242" height="410"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glenn Resch</figcaption></div>&ldquo;In all my years in hockey a team of mine never went that many games without winning,&rdquo; Paul Bright, Hornets&rsquo; owner and general manager, said. &ldquo;It was like one bad dream after another.&rdquo;Bright, of course, was associated with the Cleveland Barons for more than a decade before purchasing the Toledo franchise last summer. He recently announced his intentions of keeping the franchise here despite heavy financial losses this season.The Hornets losing streak carried from late November through mid-December. Toledo had an eight-win, nine-loss record before the skid and has performed better than at least half of the IHL teams since snapping the slump.Bright&rsquo;s Hornets showed a 1614 record since ending the losing streak and had put some pressure on third-place Flint as they tried to inch back into playoff contention. They had cut Flint&rsquo;s margin over them from a high of 19 points to a low of seven.However, there just didn&rsquo;t appear to be enough games left for Toledo to catch the Generals.Part of Toledo&rsquo;s early-season problems originated from poor goaltending and the failure to win on home ice. Eight of the losses during the 13-game streak were at home.Veteran Glenn Ramsay, the first man in IHL history to participate in 1,000 league games, came out of retirement to help stabilize Toledo&rsquo;s defense situation. Prior to his return, the Hornets lost by scores of 8-7, 6-5, 8-6, and 8-5 at home, defeats which probably could have been reversed with good netminding.Former Western Leaguer Jim Paterson was leading the Hornets offensively with 38 goals and 70 points. Paterson left the Providence training camp last fall on his own and was out of hockey before joining Toledo 13 games into the season. Despite the handicap, he was pressing Port Huron&rsquo;s Don Grierson for the IHL goal-scoring lead.John Gravel, playing the entire season with a bad back, was again performing in All Star Fashion on defense. Gravel, the team captain, and defense partner Mickey Goulet also provided Toledo with some offense on the blueline.It was possible the Hornets might finish with six 20-goal scorers Paterson, Greg Jablonski, Hal White, and rookie Moe Brunel had already reached that plateau while Howie Heggedal and Bill Staub each had 16 goals with 12 games to play.MUSKEGON: Mohawks pushed home-ice win streak to 19, just seven off IHL record&hellip;Crowd of 2,800 against Flint was best Friday gathering of season&hellip;Bob Tombari hit overtime winner against Toledo&hellip;Don Liesemer had hat trick agaiqst Des Moines&hellip;Glenn Resch registered fourth shutout of season, a league high&hellip;Mohawks had been at cutdown figure of 17 for two months when time came&hellip;PORT HURON: Wings down to 10 men plus goalies for game in Toledo&hellip;Coach Ted Garvin had run in with Toledo fan following wild game there&hellip;Goalie George Hulme called to Tidewater on five-game trial&hellip;Goalie Brian Cropper, returned by 1&rsquo;idewater to spend four more games with AHL club when Hulme returns&hellip;Five Wings, including league&rsquo;s top goal scorer, Don Grierson, chosen in WHA draft&hellip;Wayne Ego out with chest injury&hellip;FLINT: Stan Fuller hit over time winner in Columbus after six seconds of play&hellip;Corky Agar traded to Des Moines for two players to be named at end of season&hellip;Leigh Bannister dropped&hellip;Gens snapped road slide at 10 games&hellip;Wayne Zuk had obvious goal disallowed in Fort Wayne&hellip;Sandy Snow led club in goals with 25&hellip;Gens had 7 of last 10 games at home&hellip;DAYTON: Gems signed two-year contract at Hara Arena with option for three more years despite the new WHA franchise here&hellip;Nels Jacobson dropped, Kent Byrnes claimed by Toledo, and Gary MacMillan removed from injured list at cutdown&hellip;Goalie Pat Rupp removed in game at Columbus after quick Seals flurry&hellip;Chick Balon hit tying goal in Columbus with 22 seconds to play, then Jim Benzelock won match in overtime&hellip;Gems were 10-0 against Seals&hellip;FORT WAYNE: Defenseman Ron Wilson recalled by Cleveland&hellip;Leading scorer Rusty Patenaude out with gimpy leg&hellip;Gil Smith dropped at cutdown&hellip;Gerry Methe played defense, center, and wing in one game&hellip;K&rsquo;s surrendered 14 goals in dropping crucial two-game series in Des Moines in battle for second place&hellip;Bernie MacNeil led club in penalty minutes&hellip;DES MOINES: General manager Terry Slater, who is Los Angeles&rsquo; coach in WHA, took 11 Leafs in latter stages of WHA draft&hellip;Gene Sobchuk dropped and defenseman Jack Griel returned from injured list at cutdown&hellip;Larry O&rsquo;Connor recalled by Omaha&hellip;Leafs had several applications already for Slater&rsquo;s dual general manager-coach position&hellip;Many here upset with trade that allows Flint pick of any two Leafs at end of season in return for Corkv Agar&hellip;COLUMBUS: Best crowd of season, 3,012, saw loss to Dayton&hellip;Seals lost consecutive overtime games at home&hellip;Angus Beck hit 30-goal mark&hellip; Brian Cadle and Nick Holmes dropped at cutdown&hellip;Seals held Fort Wayne scoreless in third period, a rarity, and fired four goals of their own to pick up 11th win of season&hellip;Owner Charlie Finley here on visit of undisclosed nature. &#9632;

f0031-01

Aroused Hornets Too Late For Playoffs; Dayton Gems Sign New 2-Year Arena Lease

<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 29)<h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0276/2955076-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="574" height="126"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0361/2955069-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="581" height="203"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Feb. 22Muskegon 5 at Columbus 4Des Moines 2 at Port Huron 4Wed. Feb. 23Muskegon 3 at Dayton 6Des Moines 7 at Toledo 3Fri. Feb. 25Columbus 2 at Des Moines 4Port Huron 4 ot Flint 4Sat. Feb. 26Toledo 7 ot Muskegon 5Dayton 3 ot Port Huron 5Fort Wayne 3 at Flint 1Columbus 1 at Des Moines 7Sun. Feb. 27Toledo 2 at Fort Wayne 6Port Huron 0 at Muskegon 6Des Moines 4 at Columbus 5Flint 3 at Dayton 7<h2>GAMES TO COME</h2>Tues. Feb. 29Muskegon at DaytonWed. March 1Muskegon at Fort WayneFri. March 3Fort Wayne ot ToledoSat. March 4Des Moines at MuskegonFort Wayne at Port HuronDay ton at ToledoColumbus at FlintSun. March 5Des Moines at Fort WayneToledo at MuskegonPort Huron at ColumbusDayton at Flint<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including Games of Sun. Feb. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0446/2955062-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="574" height="254"></div> &#9632;

f0031-02

<div class="byline">BY TOM BURKE</div>BOSTON&mdash;The revised, eight-team ECAC Division Two playoff tournament will apparently be as &ldquo;representative&rdquo; of the best in the division as President Thieu&rsquo;s South Vietnamese regime is democratic in this, its first year of implementation.Thanks to a ruling within the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and some alleged unwillingness to compromise the issue on the part of the ECAC, Bowdoin College will not be able to defend its Division II title won in 1971. The Polar Bears, under Sid Watson, have been at or near the top of the Division Two standings all season, but will have to sit out the playoffs since, according to the powers that be in the NESCAC, an eight team tournament like Division One&rsquo;s would mean too much time away from classes and the books for the players involved.The NEACAC is made up of 11 schools; those which play hockey in Division II are: Amherst, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, and Williams in addition to Bowdoin. They had adopted the stance of allowing their member colleges to compete in a two-game elimination, as has been the Division Two custom until this year.But the ECAC announced that the playoffs would include eight seeded teams instead of four after the current season began. Here is the rub, according to President Roger Howell, Jr. of Bowdoin.In a statement dated February 11, Howell said that he &ldquo;Would like very much for Bowdoin to be in the tournament, but I fear that the ECAC drive for expansion has made it impossible.Howell and Bowdoin acting Athletic Director Edmund L. Coombs had hoped to effect a compromise wherein the tournament would be made up of six teams with the top two receiving first round byes. This was rejected by the ECAC along with a proposal to delay the expansion a year.&ldquo;The ECAC has shown itself completely inflexible on this point,&rdquo; said Howell. &ldquo;They were advised of the NESCAC position long before they decided to expand the tournament. Their decision to change the format of the tournament was not officially communicated to the colleges concerned until the end of December.&rdquo;Howell made a trip to New York to confer with ECAC Commissioner-Elect Robert (Scotty) Whitelaw about his compromise proposal, which allegedly had the approval of coaches of the teams most likely to be in the tournament. Whitelaw wrote him back to say the ECAC Tournament Committee had reaffirmed its previous decision to expand to an eight team field. A plea signed by the Bowdoin players headed by captains Coley King and Jim Burnett was also considered before the ECAC voted against the Bowdoin stance &#9632;

Committee Room Decisions Shelve Bowdoin’s Hopes

<div class="byline">By John Gilbert</div><h2>Denver, Wisconsin Headed For WCHA Title Showdown</h2>Wisconsin found out that with Denver on your trail, a six-point lead doesn&rsquo;t mean much. With three weekends to go in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season, Wisconsin beat Michigan but then lost the rematch in the two-game series, gaining two points for the weekend.Denver, which went into the weekend six points down, slipped to a pair of narrow victories over Notre Dame, but both were four-point games, so Denver pulled into an exact tie with Wisconsin for first place with two weekends to go. On the record, Wisconsin is 18-6, a .750 percent pace, while Denver is 16-8, a .667 percentage. But both Denver and Wisconsin had accounted for 44 points won and 16 points lost under this year&rsquo;s new point system, and both had 12 points remaining.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01111/2955131-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="254" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Cahoon</figcaption></div>Wisconsin had beaten Michigan 5-1, but Michigan came back for a 6-4 victory the next day, when Julian Nixon broke a 4-4 tie, then Randy Neal zipped one into an open net for the clincher. It was a big win for Al Renfrew, in his last season as Michigan coach.Denver sophomore Bob Krieger, from Edina, Minn., scored the overtime goal to give the Pioneers a 3-2 decision over Notre Dame with only 17 seconds left in the 10-minute sudden-death session.Wisconsin is awaiting a season-ending showdown against Denver in Madison, Wis., but the Badgers can&rsquo;t look ahead. Michigan State, which was once 3-9 in the WCHA, doesn&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s only a two-team race. The Spartans swept contending Minnesota-Duluth 6-1 and 5-1. Mike Chaurest scored three goals in the first game and two in the second and the Spartans, who have convinced a lot of observers that they may indeed be the best team in the league, had stretched 10 victories out of their last 11 games, and are hosts to Wisconsin in the next round of WCHA play. Goalie Jim Watt proved he&rsquo;s the best in the league with the two MSU triumphs over UMD; he&rsquo;s now allowed 76 goals in 24 games, while blocking 777 other shots.North Dakota remained in the heat of the battle with Michigan State and Duluth for third place, although State could still win the title. Dakota hammered defending league champ Michigan Tech 10-4 and 5-3. Center Jim Cahoon and freshman defenseman Alan Hangsleben were the Sioux stars. Each got a hat trick in the first game, and Cahoon wound up with four goals, two assists and Hangsleben three of each for a big weekend. North Dakota has won 10 of 12 games.Another big weekend was had by Doug Palazzari, Colorado College&rsquo;s 5-foot-5 sparkplug. It could be the tiniest all WCHA or All-America team in history with both Palazzari and Michigan State&rsquo;s high-scoring Don Thompson and Gilles Gagnon measuring 5-5 and all having a shot at post-season honors.Palazzari, however, is a virtual cinch. He got three goals and one assist at Minnesota as Colorado won 6-2 and then lost 6-3. Credit for the loss to the Gophers must go to Minnesota&rsquo;s Dean Blais-Doug Peltier-Pete Anderson line. Blais, in a deep sleep most of the season, got two goals and three assists in the six goals. Peltier had two goals also, and Andeson had one. But Palazzari continues to lead the WCHA in scoring, with 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points.Colorado has warmed up for its Minnesota series by pounding Air Force Academy 11-3 earlier in the week, with Bill Baldrica getting a hat trick.At Minnesota, interim coach Ken Yackel said he is not interested in the coaching job on a permanent basis, and Herb Brooks, 34-year-old former Goher and St. Paul prep star and veteran of several United States National and Olympic teams, was hired as coach beginning next season. Brooks, who has been coaching a new junior team, the Minnesota Junior Stars, will start recruiting immediately and said he plans to continue the Gophers&rsquo; trend of bringing in almost exclusively Minnesota high school players. &#9632;

f0032-01

WESTERN WAY

<div class="byline">By Tom Burke</div><h2>Netminders Steal Show As Top Ice Powers Upset</h2>Ol&rsquo; Man Winter must be a hockey fan.Bidding farewell to the mild weather which has prevailed over most of the country all winter, the Ol&rsquo; Man called in the cold and snow to such a degree that two important ECAC Division One games scheduled for Saturday, February 19, had to be postponed. Harvard couldn&rsquo;t get to Ithaca to face the Big Red of Cornell while Penn had to take a rain&hellip;er, check on its trip to Dartmouth.But in freezing out the skaters, Ol&rsquo; Man Winter was merely following the example of a couple of ECAC goaltenders who managed to cool off enemy snipers enough to add two more stunning upsets to the lengthening list of surprises in Division One.Boston College&rsquo;s Neil Higgins stopped 43 Clarkson shots to propel the Eagles to a 6-4 road win over Clarkson in Potsdam, and Peter Proulx helped Harvard lose their third straight game by coming up with 38 stops enroute to a 4-3 Dartmouth win over Harvard in Cambridge.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0266/2955169-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="259" height="470"><figcaption class="caption-body">Neil Higgins</figcaption></div>Higgins was injured in the third period and the game at Clarkson&rsquo;s refurbished rink was delayed ten minutes while trainer Roy Fowler taped his left knee like a mummy for the final 15 minutes of the game. He shut out the Golden Knights the rest of the way, and an unassisted goal by Bobby Reardon with 4: 27 to go lifted BC out of a 4-4 deadlock. Ed Kenty&rsquo;s second goal of the game into an empty net iced the decision for BC, who saw a 3-1 first period lead dissolve into a 4-3 deficit on tallies by the Knights&rsquo; Jerry Kemp, Pete Harasym, and Mike Conroy. Kenty tied the game at 12: 30 of the second period and left the heroics to Higgins.Harvard also enjoyed an early lead, jumping ahead 2-0 on scores by Bob McManama and Bob Goodenow. But replies from the sticks of Bob Nuffort, Fred Riggall, and Bill Dunbar put the Bi Green up 3-2 after a period. After a scoreless second frame, Dunbar knocked in a rebound at 2:22 of the third period for the game winner.The win vaulted Dartmouth right into the playoff scramble and dropped Harvard deeper into third spot behind BU and Cornell. The Crimson lost the annual Beanpot Tourney final to the Terriers the Monday before, 4-1, before a packed house at Boston Garden.The Terriers stymied Harvard on eight power plays and clicked on three of their four man-advantage chances. Captain John Danby paced the scoring with a pair of goals and an assist. He shared the MVP award with goalie Dan Brady, stopper of 31 Crimson shots. Joe Bortagna had 21 saves in the Harvard cage, but the shot discrepancy doesn&rsquo;t tell the story of the game. Harvard had few glittering scoring chances as BU forechecked and backchecked them all the way to the Club Casablanca. In the consolation game, Higgins was again immense in the BC nets, stopping 36 shots, 17 of which came in the third period, as the Eagles edged Northeastern 5-4.BU and Harvard have now met twice this year, having tied 4-4 earlier in the campaign at BU. Last season showed the exact same pattern, with a 4-4 deadlock followed up by a 4-1 BU Beanpot win. It was the 20th annual Beanpot and the seventh and final for BU and Jeck Kelley. BC&rsquo;s Snooks Kelley, also departing with a total of eight Beanpots to his credit, managed to leave on a winning note. Next year, Fernie Flaman will be the Beanpot&rsquo;s senior coach in only his third year at Northeastern&rsquo;s helm. Bill Cleary is new at Harvard this year, of course.Other Division One action saw Providence College win a couple of close games to stay above the .500 mark and in playoff contention. A pair of goals by captain Gerry Leschyshyn lifted Lou Lamoriello&rsquo;s Friars to a 4-3 come-from-behind home win over Northeastern. Tod Blanchard had 45 stops in the Huskies&rsquo; net and Wayne Blanchard (no relation) had set NU off to a 2-0 lead. That Saturday, Friar goalie Brian Reynolds withstood a 45 shot barrage by crosstown rival Brown on the road to lead the way to a 3-2 PC win. Len Alsfeld tallied twice for PC, including the game winner at 17:34 of the second frame. Earlier in the week, Brown had kept its playoff hopes flickering with a 3-2 overtime win at Princeton. It was the Bruins second straight OT win and the Tigers&rsquo; second straight OT loss. John Bennett&rsquo;s second goal of the game 15 seconds from the end of the extra period was the biggie for Brown. Princeton broke a two-year, 21 game Ivy League losing skein by toppling Yale, 6-4, at Princeton behind two-goal efforts by Walt Snickenberger and Paul McNamara. Snick had the only two Princeton goals against Brown which came within 21 seconds of each other.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0335/2955162-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="253" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gerry Leschyshyn</figcaption></div>A hat trick by George Shields and four points by Carlo Ugolini paced Cornell to a 7-3 win over Yale in New Haven. Clarkson defensemen figured in seven of eight goals scored by the Golden Knights as they beat Colgate 8-3 in Hamilton.Following a laughable 19-0 win over Division Two&rsquo;s AIC at Troy, RPI came East and dropped a pair of games, 7-3 at Boston University and 6-3 at New Hampshire. Jack Kelley&rsquo;s 200th win at Boston University featured two goals by defenseman Tric Jordan. Tom Misener collected two RPI goals. At Durham the next night, RPI eked out a 32 lead after two periods, but two goals each by Terry Blewett and Gordie Clark in the third period powered New Hampshire to the win.St. Lawrence battled a tired Boston College team even for two periods before going on to win 7-5 in the second night of BC&rsquo;s North Country swing. Skating four lines, the Larries broke a 5-5 tie early in the third period as Dave Yoshida drove a shorthanded goal past BC goalie Ned Yetten. Mike Keenan&rsquo;s second goal of the game insured the SEUvictory in the only action of the week for the Larries. &#9632;

f0032-02

DOWN EAST

<h2>ECAC CONFERENCE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 21)<h3>DIVISION l</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0195/2955284-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="579" height="448"></div><h3>DIVISION lI</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0268/2955277-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="580" height="570"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>BEANPOT TOURNAMENTBoston College 5, Northeastern 4Boston University 4, Harvard 1DIVISION I GAMESClarkson 8, Colgate 3Brown 3, Princeton 2Cornell 7, Yale 3Dartmouth 4, Garvard 3Providence 4, Northeastern 3Boston College 6, Clarkson 4Boston University, 7, RPI 3St. Lawrence 7, Boston College 5Providence 3, Brown 2New Hampshire 6, RPI 3Princeton 6, Yale 4DIVISION II GAMESMassachusetts 7. Colby 1Connecticut 10, Holy Cross 3Vermont 11, Williams 2Merrimack 10, Boston State 4Bowdoin 8, Massachusetts 4Wesleyan 6, Bridgewater 1New England College 8,New Hoven College 4Colby 5, Amherst 3INTERDIVISIONAL GAMESRPI 19, AIC 0Vermont 5, Army 3New Hampshire 4, Massachusetts 3<h2>WCHA CONFERENCE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 25)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0347/2955270-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="579" height="276"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Wisconsin 5, Michigan 1Michigan 6, Wisconsin 4Denver 3, Notre Dame 2Denver 4, Notre Dome 3Michigan State 6, Minn-Duluth 1Michigan State 5, Minn-Duluth 1North Dakota 10, Michigan Tech 4North Dakota 4, Michigan Tech 3Colorado College 6, Minnesota 2Minnesota 6, Colorado Colbige 3<h2>ONTARIO CONFERENCE</h2>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 24)<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0435/2955263-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="582" height="203"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0530/2955256-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="577" height="205"></div><h2>QUEBEC CONFERENCE</h2>(Standing on Wed. Feb. 23)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0623/2955249-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="578" height="235"></div><h2>CENTRAL JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 24)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0720/2955242-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="581" height="151"></div><h2>NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 22)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0818/2955235-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="579" height="130"></div><h2>MARITIME CONFERENCE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 21)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0915/2955228-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="581" height="276"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 14)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1014/2955221-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg" title="f0033-10" width="578" height="129"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1114/2955214-1-eng-US/f0033-112.jpg" title="f0033-11" width="589" height="527"></div><h2>NEW YORK COLLEGE LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 21)<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1213/2955207-1-eng-US/f0033-122.jpg" title="f0033-12" width="581" height="183"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-137/2955200-1-eng-US/f0033-132.jpg" title="f0033-13" width="581" height="178"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

COLLEGE HOCKEY RACES

PLATTSBURGH&mdash;Russia&rsquo;s national student team established themselves as prohibitive favorites to take the hockey championship with an impressive 9-3 shellacking of the Canadian team in the opening round of the World Student Winter Games.The Canadian team&mdash;composed of the top 20 performers from the country&rsquo;s four collegiate hockey leagues&mdash;rebounded from the first-day setback and handed the United States team, the only other country represented in the hockey section, a 94 pasting in the second day of play.Speedy winger Alexandre Bodounov led the Russian triumph over the Canadians with a four-goal effort. John Wright and Kas Lysoniek of the University of Toronto and Steve Latinovich of York University scored the Canadian markers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-146/2955315-1-eng-US/f0033-142.jpg" title="f0033-14" width="260" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Munro</figcaption></div>Against the American team, Wright, Latinovich, Bob Munro of Toronto and Steve Carlyle of Alberta each scored twice with Gavin Kirk of Loyola adding a single.Each of the three countries entered play three games against the other two opponents in the round-robin affair with the squad emerging with the best record awarded the gold medal. Russia is the defending hockey champions having won at the 1968 games in Insbruck, Austria.The Soviet squad, coached by Boris Koulagin, tuned up for the games with a pair of exhibition contests in Canada before arriving in the United States. In the first match, the Russian squad dropped a surprise 5-1 decision to the Toronto University team in Toronto. However, the next night, they showed how formidable an opponent they were going to be by out-classing an All Star team from Quebec colleges, 5-0, in Montreal. &#9632;

f0033-14

Russians Appear Headed For World Student Title

CALGARY&mdash;Tom Lysiak had his point streak snapped at 18 games last week, but the 18-year-old Medicine Hat Tiger star still holds a six-point lead at the top of the Western Canada Hockey League&rsquo;s scoring race.Lysiak, after picking up an assist Feb. 15 against Regina Pats to extend his string to 18 games, was held pointless Feb. 17 against the Western Division-leading Calgary Centennials. He, however, rebounded with four points against Edmonton Oil Kings to bring his seasonal output to 115 points.Included in his total are 78 assists, tops in the league.Stan Weir, also Medicine Hat, is second with 109 points, while Flin Flon Bombers&rsquo; Blaine Stoughton has also surpassed the century plateau. He has 101 points.Ron Chipperfield, Brandon Wheat Kings&rsquo; 17-year-old center leads the league in goals with 52, one more than Stoughton and Jeff Ablett of Medicine Hat.In the goaltending department, Calgary rookie John Davidson continues to set the pace. The 18-year-old has a 2.32 goals-against average and six shutouts. Terry Richardson of New Westminster Bruins is second in the percentage chase with a 2.95 average. He also has three shutouts to tie him for second place with Larry Hendrick of Edmonton and Henry Durkin of Swift Current Broncos in that department.Defenseman Phil Russell of Edmonton has assumed the role as league badman with 278 minutes in penalties. Jack Mcllhargey of Flin Flon is second at 254 and Bob Gassoff of Medicine Hat is third (252). &#9632;

Lysiak’s Scoring Streak Snapped But Medicine Hat Ace Holds Lead

<h2>WESTERN CANADA LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 21)<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01104/2955447-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="573" height="178"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0259/2955440-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="581" height="186"></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/f0034-0343/2955433-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="570" height="180"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0429/2955426-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="577" height="228"></div><h2>MICHIGAN SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 22)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0525/2955419-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="578" height="127"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0617/2955412-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="579" height="276"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND LEAGUE</h2>(standings on Fri. Feb. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0714/2955405-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="569" height="180"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0810/2955398-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="571" height="328"></div><h2>CANADIAN CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 16)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-097/2955391-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="588" height="155"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-107/2955384-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="575" height="275"></div><h2>MID-WEST AMATEUR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 16)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-118/2955377-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="576" height="151"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-127/2955370-1-eng-US/f0034-122.jpg" title="f0034-12" width="578" height="640"></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div>TORONTO&mdash;It took them longer than most people thought but Toronto Marlboros are now firmly entrenched in first place in the Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior standings.And judging by their record in recent weeks, plus the fact that there is less than a month left in the schedule, the Marlboros appear to be just about set to clinch the pennant.Despite a power-packed offensive unit the Marlies hung around fourth place the first half of the season but. made their move soon after the New Year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0192/2955485-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="268" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paulin Bordeleau</figcaption></div>They put together a string of a dozen games without a defeat, lost one, then went on another victory splurge which carried them well ahead of Oshawa Generals.The Generals had amazed junior hockey observers by rising from ninth place a year ago to the top but the potent Toronto attack was just too much for Gus Bodnar&rsquo;s Generals and they seem destined to finish second.Even runner-up after four near-disastrous seasons is a major victory for Oshawa and the attendance has more than doubled over a year ago.Coach Frank Bonello of the Marlies has the league&rsquo;s top line centered by Dave Gardner with Bill Harris and Steve Shutt on the wings.All three will graduate this season, they will end the schedule with well over 100 points each and are certain to go high in the NHL draft in June.They have an outside chance of surpassing the 178 goals and 389 points, both records, set by Hugh Barlow, Brian and Barry Cullen as a line with St. Catharines Teepees in 1953-54.As if that isn&rsquo;t enough they have some other pretty fair shooters in George Ferguson, Glen Goldup and Paulin Bordeleau.Bordeleau has been hit with an injury jinx most of the season but has now returned and will make things even more unpleasant for the opposition in the playoffs.Bordeleau played with the Memorial Cup champion Montreal Canadians two years ago, went to the Marlies via Niagara Falls last season and still has one season of junior eligibity left.OSHAWA: Although they may be a minor disappointment there are no tears in Oshawa following the Generals replacement by the Marlboros in first place&hellip;It&rsquo;s their best showing since Bobby Orr left for Boston five years ago&hellip;Losses to Niagara Falls (5-2) and Hamilton (20) may have cost the Gens their last chance, of finishing at the top of the pack.OTTAWA: The 67s have not completely lived up to expectations but are still in the thick of the battle for third place&hellip;Bunny Larocque playing well and should be the first draft among graduating goaltenders&hellip;Coach Bill Long can&rsquo;t wait to get veteran Denis Potvin back on defense&hellip;The 67s need him desperately if they have any hope of going places in the playoffs.PETERBOROUGH: Usually money in the bank on home ice, Peterborough suffered one of its rare losses before their own fans 8-4 to Oshawa&hellip;However the Petes are still playing solid hockey under coach Roger Neilson ard will end the schedule above the .500 mark despite the lack of any individual stars.KITCHENER: The Rangers missed a chance to move up in the standings losing to St. Catharines Black Hawks and Toronto Marlboros in less than 24 hours&hellip;Like the 67s the Rangers have not played consistent hockey but are capable of beating any team when they&rsquo;re right&hellip; Forward Tom Cassidy back in the lineup after a six-game suspension issued by coach Ron Murphy for what was described as &ldquo;conduct detrimental to the team&rdquo;&hellip;Despite Cassidy&rsquo;s return the Rangers&rsquo; couldn&rsquo;t handle the Hawks in Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and the two teams are even on the series with two wins, two losses and two ties&hellip;Al Blanchard, 19-year-old rookie heading for the 40-goal mark and should also be a high draft in June.NIAGARA FALLS: Don Lever continuing his hot scoring with four goals in 10-5 win over Hamilton and a single against St. Catharines in 4-3 defeat&hellip; Lever has led the league in points most of the season but has not been given as much credit as players such as Harris, Gardner and Shutt of the Marlboros&hellip;Paul Emms&rsquo; club still slightly over .500 which is vast improvement compared with outrof-the-playoff situation the past two years&hellip;Still rumblings that the Flyers may move to Sudbury next year but nothing confirmed by owner-manager Hap Emms.ST. CATHARINES: Despite rash of injuries to key personnel defending Ontario champion Black Hawks have responded well to coach Frank Milne&rsquo;s patience and moved from a shaky eighth position to seventh when this was written&hellip;Hawks won eight, lost two and tied one of last 11 games, many of them without veterans Bob MacMillan, Mike Bloom, Tim Jacobs and Jeff Jacques&hellip;In three games the Hawks had only one player in uniform from last season, defenseman Paul Shakes&hellip;Milne used Shakes for all but three shifts in 5-3 win in Kitchener and all but two turns in 3-2 home victory over Niagara Falls.LONDON: The Knights still just can&rsquo;t seem to put it all together despite fine work of line made up of Dennis Ververgaert, Reg Thomas and Randy Osburn&hellip;Their defeats to Kitcherner (4-1), Ottawa (4-3) and Toronto (6-1) in succession plunged them to eighth after holding seventh for almost the entire season&hellip;Coach Bronco Horvath at loss to explain club&rsquo;s slide.MONTREAL: Barring a sudden upsurge plus collapse of London or St. Catharines, the Canadiens, coached by Roger Bedard, will miss the playoffs for the first time since joining the Ontario League in 1960&hellip;The club just lost too many veterans and couldn&rsquo;t come up with adequate replacements after so many good years&hellip;Bedard now concentrating on building for next season&hellip;Apparently little truth to rumors Canadiens will move to Kingston in 1972-73 despite low crowds in the Forum&hellip;Game with Oshawa postponed because of storm conditions in Montreal.HAMILTON: Harry Neale&rsquo;s Red Wings, last almost since the season began, pulled one of the big upsets of the schedule winning 2-0 in Oshawa&hellip;But the Wings appear to have delayed their charge too long&hellip;Terry Ryan continues as the Wings&rsquo; top forward&hellip;Crowd&rsquo;s low but owner Nick Durbano planning to go on for another season in the ancient Hamilton Forum.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0268/2955478-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="1168" height="1028"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ottawa 67s&rsquo; gaoler BUNNY LAROCQUE has been the loop&rsquo;s top puck stopper this season. It is expected Larocque will be the No. 1 netminder in the NHL amateur draft in June. (Hockey News Photo by London Little)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0035-01

Marlboros’ Powerful Offense Helps Put Lead Out Of Reach

<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Tues. Feb. 29)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0345/2955607-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="577" height="280"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tues. Feb. 22Kitchener 6 at Hamilton 2Montr&eacute;al 4 at St. Catharines 7Oshawa 5 at Ottawa 0Thur. Feb. 24London 3 at Peterborough 6Fri. Feb. 25Toronto 6 at Kitchener 5London 7 at Niagara Falls 6Ottawa 9 at Montreal 5Sat. Feb. 26Niagara Falls 3 at Toronto 8St. Catharines 1 at Oshawa 8Sun. Feb. 27Oshawa 2 at ST. Catharines 8Hamilton 1 at Kitchener 5Niagara Falls 3 at Ottawa 5Toronto 9 at Montreal 4Peterborough 7 at London 4<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0439/2955600-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="576" height="260"></div><h2>QUEBEC JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 28)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0534/2955593-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="579" height="282"></div><h2>SOUTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>(Final Standings)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0624/2955586-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="574" height="229"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0724/2955579-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="572" height="296"></div><h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(final Standings)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0820/2955572-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="585" height="275"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2>(Including games of Sun. Feb. 13)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0921/2955565-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="590" height="549"></div><h2>BRITISH COLUMBIA JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1016/2955558-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="593" height="178"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1114/2955551-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="587" height="274"></div><h2>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Thurs. Feb. 24)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-129/2955544-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="576" height="154"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-136/2955537-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="583" height="569"></div><h2>NEW YORK METRO LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-146/2955530-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="593" height="160"></div><h2>WESTERN DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-156/2955523-1-eng-US/f0035-152.jpg" title="f0035-15" width="580" height="131"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-165/2955516-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="577" height="680"></div> &#9632;

f0035-03

Looking At The Amateur Races

<div class="byline">BY BOB SMIZIK</div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;The Penguins have received much needed scoring help from a totally unexpected source in their drive to make the Stanely Cup playoffs.Scoring has been a Penguin problem since the team&rsquo;s inception five years ago and this season was no different. But, of late, the Penguins have been getting scoring help&mdash;from of all people&mdash;their defensemen.There was a four-game stretch in mid-February where the defensemen were primarily responsible for 10 of the team&rsquo;s 14 goals&mdash;either by scoring them or shooting the puck in where a forward could deflect it past the goalie or get the rebound and put it in the net.Biggest scorer among the defensemen has been Duane Rupp, the 33-year-old veteran who was recalled from Hershey in January.Rupp scored 11 points in his first 16 games as a Penguin, a pace guarenteed not to remind anyone of Bobby Orr. but still one that enabled him to be the Penguins&rsquo; top point-per-game man regardless of position.Rupp scored nine points, including three goals, in one six-game stretch.Typically, Rupp looked upon his scoring flurry with great modesty. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of luck involved,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Sometimes the goalie robs you and other times when you don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;re going to score it gets by him.&rdquo;Bryan Watson, the defenseman known more for his brawling tactics than his scoring, also has contributed.Watson scored eight points in 10 games, no sizzling pace, but for the pesky defenseman, a virtual tear.Watson had 16 points in late February which was already six more than he scored in any previous NHL season.When Watson scored against Toronto Feb. 9. it was his first goal in over a year. He scored again 10 days later against Detroit.Even Dave Burrows, a notorious light scorer, picked up his rate. Burrows scored only two points in the Penguins first 50 games, but then came on to get four in the next 10,thus tripling his season&rsquo;s output.Most of the scoring came while the defensemen were working at a dog-tired pace. When Sheldon Kannegiesser was injured at Toronto Feb. 9, the Penguins were reduced to four defensemen and Coach Red Kelly didn&rsquo;t go to Hershey for help.That meant the defensemen were on the ice 50 per cent of the time. &#9632;

Search for your favorite player or team

March 10, 1972

Unhappy In Oakland, Seals Trade Vadnais

Player Of The Week

Rugged Bob Plager Coes On Despite Injuries

HOW DO YOU PROTECT A MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT LIKE BOBBY HULL?