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.

May 5, 1972

The Hockey News May 5, 1972

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GUGGER</div>PORT HURON&mdash;Liz and Dick. Gin and seven. Port Huron and the Turner Cup. St. Peter and heaven.Three of the above go together because they like what the other has to offer. In the case of the Turner Cup, it&rsquo;s a forced conciliation.The International League&rsquo;s cup, for the second straight season, will spend a year in the trophy case at McMorran Sports Arena. The Port Huron Wings annexed their second playoff title in a row last week by knocking off regular-season champion Muskegon in six games in the final series.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01121/3094125-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="246" height="434"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ted Garvin</figcaption></div>It was the second year in succession Port Huron had eliminated Muskegon in six games in the playoffs. The Hawks have won the last three IHL regular season championships, but they have been embarrassed in the playoffs each of those seasons.Coach Ted Garvin&rsquo;s Wings eliminated Flint and Fort Wayne in best-of-five series to move to the finals while Muskegon eliminated Dayton, four games to one, to advance.Port Huron, the smallest city in the league with a population of about 37,000, was the site of the sixth and final game of the series. The largest crowd in Port Huron history, a standing-room-only gathering of 3,582, watched the Wings and goalie Brian Cropper shut out the Mohawks. 4-0.Port Huron has won 12 of 17 playoff games between the clubs over the years and it became evident early the Wings were to be in control in the April 17 series clincher, the 10th playoff in 15 games for Port Huron.The Wings outshot the Hawks by 31-11 in the first two periods and goals by Al Genovy and Bob Brink worth gave them a 2-0 lead. Muskegon&rsquo;s biggest offensive thrust came in the final period, but Cropper stood in front of all threats, the most dangerous being a point-blank flip by Bob Smith midway through the period.The Wings finished in second place in the IHL&rsquo;s North Division, 22 points behind the Mohawks. It was the third year running Garvin had steered his club into the playoff finals.&ldquo;We might not be the most talented club in the league, but we&rsquo;ve got the biggest hearts,&rdquo; Garvin said. &ldquo;It goes to show what a team that plays together and puts out can do.&ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t a guy on my club that didn&rsquo;t get caught up in the emotion of it all and perform beyond what you have a right to expect.&rdquo;Deserving of special mention in the final game were Bob McCammon, Genovy, and Cropper. McCammon, who scored the winning goals in the two previous Turner Cups won by Port Huron, was a mobile defenseman throughout the playoffs. He was particularly adept at lugging the puck from dangerous territory to Muskegon&rsquo;s end of the rink.Genovy, in addition to stealing the puck for the game-winning goal, led a furious checking game by the Wings that completely bottled up the Hawks in the first two periods. Muskegon began dumping the puck into Port Huron&rsquo;s end, rather than finishing off the plays that enabled the Hawks to score more goals than any other team during the regular season.Cropper registered his third shutout of the playoffs and made it two years in a row the Wings had taken the cup via a shutout. Ron Marlow blanked Des Moines, 5-0, in the Cup clincher in 1971. Cropper finished the playoffs with a goals-against-average of around 2.00, more than a goal under his regular-season average.The Wings won all three games on home ice and one at Muskegon while the Hawks&rsquo; two victories came in L.C. Walker Arena.Len Fontaine had scored four goals in two games as the Wings took a 2-0 series lead. Muskegon broke through for a 5-2 victory before the pivotal fourth game.Don Grierson, a former Mohawk who was dealt to Port Huron at the player cutdown last season, fired a goal with just 57 seconds left to give the Wings a 3-2 victory before 3,526 in that game. It was Grierson&rsquo;s second goal of the game.The Mohawks hammered out a 5-1 victory in game No. 5 before the teams returned to Port Huron for the deciding sixth game.Port Huron&rsquo;s advancement through the playoffs meant the club, which this season received financial help from its working agreement with Detroit, would show a profit after years of deficits.&ldquo;The longer we lasted, the better our chance of making money,&rdquo; Morris Snider, Wings&rsquo; general manager, said. &ldquo;We had the possibility of nine playoff games here, and we ended up playing eight times on home ice. I can&rsquo;t say enough about the way our fans came through.&rdquo;The Wings averaged around 1,800 per game during the regular season, but that figure jumped to 2,800 for the eight playoff games. Included in that figure were three 3,500-plus crowds.<h2>IHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>FINALS</h3>SERIES E&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0295/3094118-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="575" height="131"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sat. April 9Port Huron 5 at Muskegon 2Tue. April 11Muskegon 2 at Port Huron 4Wed. April 12Port Huron 2 at Muskegon 5Fri. April 14Muskegon 2 at Port Huron 3Sat. April 15Port Huron I at Muskegon 5Mon. April 17Muskegon 0 at Port Huron 4Semi-finalsSERIES A&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0379/3094111-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="581" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. March 22Dayton 3 at Muskegon 6Sat. March 25Dayton 4 at Muskegon 5Sun. March 26Muskegon 1 at Dayton 4Wed. March 29Muskegon 4 at Dayton 2Sat. April 1Dayton 3 at Muskegon 8SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0463/3094104-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="584" height="98"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. March 31Fort Wayne DayPort Huron 3Sat. April 1Port Huron 2 at Fort Wayne 3Mon. April 3Fort Wayne 4 at Port Huron 7Wed. April 5Port Huron 2 at Fort Wayne 4Thur. April 6Fort Wayne 2 at Port Huron 4Quarter-FinalsSERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0553/3094097-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="583" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. March 22Flint 2 at Port Huron 3Fri. March 24Port Huron 1 at Flint 5Sat. March 25Flint 0 at Port Huron 2Tues. March 28Port Huron 5 at Flint 3SERIES C&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0635/3094090-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="583" height="99"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. March 21Des Moines 3 at Fort Wayne 5Wed. March 22Des Moines 3 at Fort Wayne 5Fri. March 24Fort Wayne 5 at Des Moines 1 &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Port Huron Does It Again By Victimizing Muskegon

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01776/3092665-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="572" height="572"></div>NEW YORK&mdash;The New York Rangers felt their fans deserved a present. And the long-suffering patrons of Madison Square Garden couldn&rsquo;t have been more appreciative.After a seemingly endless string of playoff disappointments, the Broadway, club made believers of their supporters with a stunning four-game semi-final sweep of the West Division Champion Chicago Black Hawks. But as an extra bonus, they wrapped up the series with a one sided 6-2 April 23 victory on home ice, the first occasion in 23 years that the Rangers&rsquo; have clinched a playoff before their own fans.Rangers&rsquo; standout young defenseman Brad Park perhaps summed up the determining factor in the unexpected sweep of the powerful Hawks when he said: &ldquo;If we had tried any harder, we would have had to die first.&rdquo;To observers of the series, the Rangers&rsquo; superior desire and never-say-die attitude carried the injury-plagued team past the Hawks. The Blueshirts, following a guelling six-game quarterfinal matchup with the defending cup champion Montreal Canadiens, appeared starved for their first appearance of cup final action since 1940. The Hawks, on the other hand, frequently appeared sluggish and ineffective against the fired-up charges of Emile Francis.After surprising everyone by taking the opening two games of the series on Chicago ice by 3-2 and 5-3 scores, the Rangers carried right on with their fine play when they returned home by taking a third-game 3-2 victory at Madison Square Garden, then finished off with the 6-2 clincher.Black Hawks coach Billy Reay tried to turn things around in the pivotal third game in New York with a goaltending switch and some line juggling. He pulled regular netminder Tony Esposito and inserted back-up man Gary Smith. As a tactical move with his forward combinations. Reay went the entire match with only the two Hull brothers manning the left wing.Dennis and Bobby appeared to react successfully to their double shifting with strong efforts, but the remainder of the club wasn&rsquo;t up to the task.A key goal came on a defensive lapse between goaltender Smith and defenseman Pat Stapleton. With the scored tied 1-1 in the second period, Smith left his net to field a loose puck in the corner. He leisurely directed a pass back towards the net intended for Stapleton, who didn&rsquo;t see the puck and instead circled behind the Hawk goal. Rangers&rsquo; ever present center Walter Tkaczuk snared the loose puck and set up Bruce McGregor for a goal before Smith could recover. It seemed to set the pattern for the rest of the series.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04375/3092658-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="1186" height="898"><figcaption class="caption-body">WALTER TKACZUK&hellip;Raises Stick In Victory Salute (Hockey News Photo by Harry Klaff)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Rangers Dramatically Sweep Hawks Out Of Playoffs

TORONTO&mdash;A major clash appears to be looming between National Hockey League players and the owners of the American-based clubs over the right to play for Canada in the special eight-game series against Russia set for this fall.The advent of the series, announced jointly April 20 by officials of the Canadian Amateur&rsquo; Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, will thrust the nine-time world amateur champion Russian national team against a top Canadian team&mdash;with NHL pros of Canadian citizenship elegible for inclusion.Four games will be played in Canada between Sept. 1-8 with another four scheduled for Moscow Sept. 22-28.The three Canadian-based NHL clubs&mdash;Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver&mdash;had, through their representation on Hockey Canada, already pledged their support to the venture. However, reaction from the American team managements, who had little or no knowledge of the negotiations, indicated what a wide gap must be bridged if some of the NHL stars are to be released to play in the series, which will take place during normal training camp period.Generally, the players greeted the announcement enthusiastically. Boston&rsquo;s Derek Sanderson said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to be included. Anytime, anywhere. Count me in!&rdquo;Dennis Hull, Chicago: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m all for it. I&rsquo;ll be ready if they want me.&rdquo;Other players took a more cautious approach. Brad Park of the Rangers said: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a good idea. I&rsquo;d like to play but a lot depends on what they (the New York management) think about it. After all, we&rsquo;re professional athletes. I&rsquo;m under contract to the Rangers so I&rsquo;d have to get their OK first.&rdquo;Only one NHL star, Chicago&rsquo;s Bobby Hull, issued a summary refusal. Hull said: &ldquo;Not me. The schedule is too long already without adding a high-pressure series in September.&rdquo;On the management side, Boston Bruin president Weston Adams Jr. was the most vocal. &ldquo;The entire idea is cockeyed,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying. &ldquo;If the Russians want to challenge the Stanley Cup champions for the world championship or whatever it is they want to call it, then it starts making some sense.&ldquo;I know I wouldn&rsquo;t send any of our players to a Canadian team. Can you imagine the Bruins sending over Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito before the start of training camp and maybe having them come back with a bad knee or a broken leg? There goes cur season!&rdquo;If Adams&rsquo; views are representative of the other U.S. owners, and there is every indication they are, then a major crisis is in the offing between the NHL governors and the players association President Alan Eagleson, who was one of the prime forces behind the arrangement of the games and who claims he was given a solid vote of support by the players at their last meeting. &#9632;

NHL Players, U.S. Team Owners Seen Split Over Proposed Russian-Canada Ice Series

<h2>Fri. April 14 BALTIMORE 4 at CLEVELAND 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01186/3093336-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="595" height="597"></div><h2>Mon. April 17 NOVA SCOTIA 4 at BOSTON 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02146/3093329-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="591" height="673"></div><h2>Tues. April 18 CINCINNATI 4 at BALTIMORE 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03115/3093322-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="606" height="982"></div><h2>Sat. April 22 NOVA SCOTIA 2 at BOSTON 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0492/3093315-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="598" height="470"></div> &#9632;

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Calder Cup Summaries

&mdash;Page 14HOCKEY NEWS AWARDS&mdash;Page 3OPINIONS DIVIDED ON NHL, RUSSIAN SERIES&mdash;Page 6PHIL ESPOSITO PLAYER OF YEAREMILE FRANCIS COACH OF YEARWALTER BUSH EXECUTIVE OF YEAR<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01549/3094644-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg" title="Cover-01" width="600" height="1012"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-02420/3094637-1-eng-US/cover-022.jpg" title="Cover-02" width="1218" height="1734"><figcaption class="caption-body">TED IRVINE Beating Black Hawks A Glorious Moment</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-03187/3094630-1-eng-US/cover-032.jpg" title="Cover-03" width="580" height="500"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-0462/3094623-1-eng-US/cover-042.jpg" title="Cover-04" width="578" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-0523/3094616-1-eng-US/cover-052.jpg" title="Cover-05" width="576" height="500"></div> &#9632;

Cover-01

RANGER-BRUIN FINAL LOOMS

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01748/3092141-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="667" height="402"></div>NEW YORK&mdash;Hardly had the furore of the Rangers quarter-final win over the Montreal Canadiens died down, but the sometimes lightly regarded New Yorkers quickly got off in front in the Black Hawk series.&ldquo;We have to win a game on the road to win the series and verses the home ice edge the Black Hawks had,&rdquo; said Emile Francis the Vic Hadfield Rangers general manager-coach.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02696/3092134-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="254" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vic Hadfield</figcaption></div>Many thought this advantage unfair, since it was awarded Chicago for its first place NHL West finish, compared to the Rangers second place NHL East standing. Overlooked was the fact that Boston, New York and Montreal in the East all had more points than did Chicago. Also overlooked is the fact that the annual draft is conducted in the reverse order of the standings and Chicago will pick before Boston, New York and Montreal. The Black Hawks can&rsquo;t lose for winning, it seems, except on the ice to the aroused Rangers.The heroes of the Montreal series were Walter Tkaczuk, Bill Fairbairn, Pete Stemkowski, Gene Carr, Vic Hadfield, all four regular defensemen and goalie Eddie Giacomin.Giacomin started every game and also held the fort in the opening 3-2 win over Chicago on April 16. He hurt his knee in that game and when asked if he was alright, quipped. &ldquo;You bet I&rsquo;m alright. Its just twisted. I knew I was going to get up, but I thought it best to wait a minute so I was sure nothing had popped.&rdquo; On top of the graying 32-year-old Sudbury native were Ron Stewart and 206 pound Jerry Korab of the Hawks.Eddie hasn&rsquo;t allowed a soft goal in seven Cup games and he has finally laid to rest the canard that he is not a clutch Stanley Cup goalie. Turk Broda, the old Maple Leaf, who used to play ordinary hockey during the regular season and then rise to the heights during the playoffs, could not have done better than Eddie. Giacomin outplayed Ken Dryden in the Montreal series, despite all the ink given Tall Kenny.Billy Fairbairn finally hit the net with consistency and his leading the Canadien series in scoring with five goals is a tribute to both his own hard work and that of partner Walter Tkaczuk. Tkaczuk has taken up much of the slack caused by the loss of Jean Ratelle. And Gene Carr, the left winger on the Tkaczuk line was a surprise star of the Montreal series and the opening Chicago game. Carr muffled Yvan Cournoyer in the Montreal set, got a key assist in the final game, then set up the winner in the opening Chicago game. He muffed a few solid scoring chances from in front, but did not let it bother his overall play.&ldquo;When Gene gets a couple of goals it will all fall into place,&rdquo; noted Emile Francis. &ldquo;You know he is doing a job in getting those shots.&rdquo;Hadfield, despite playing with a very bad right hand, which may mean no golf for most of the summer, has acted every bit the part of a fifty goal scorer. He is feared and tough in the slot and just outside the crease where Bobby Rousseau keeps hitting him with passes.The third member of the line, Rod Gilbert has only one assist so far, but says, &ldquo;I am not worried as long as we keep on winning. I&rsquo;m not getting my shots, but feel better now that the brace is off my neck. As long as the team wins, I&rsquo;m happy. I was not skat ing as well with the brace on my neck.&rdquo;Gilbert has never had a bad playoff before and if he breaks out, it could mean the difference in the Chicago series or later in the finals against Boston. In the Hawk series this might negate Bobby Hull, who figures to get his goals, no matter what. In the first game, Fairbairn, and Bruce MacGregor held Hull.The defense, meaning Brad Park, Dale Rolfe, Jimmy Neilson and Rod Seiling have been superb. Gary Doak filled in for Neilson part of the Chicago contest when Jim put a finger in the way of a Dennis Hull shot, but otherwise Francis has stuck to his big four, with the exception of a small bit of ice early in the Montreal series for Ab DeMarco.Jean Ratelle has begun working out. His ankle, broken March 1 by a shot by Rolfe, has healed but is still a bit sore. The hope is to have him ready for Boston.BLUE CHIPS: N.Y. has never beaten Chicago in cup competition, losing three different series, most recently, last year four games to three, and in 1968-69, by a four-two margin&hellip;Bobby Hull won two games last year on passes directly from faceoffs, but those were his only two goals&hellip;Pierre Jarry, now a Maple Leaf visited his old buddies in the Ranger room after the final Montreal game and wished them well against the Hawks&hellip;Jim Dorey has begun workouts and had the pins removed from his shoulder separated Feb. 22&hellip;Jean Ratelle worked as a color man on TV with this reporter and Tim Ryan on April 16 and did a fine job. &#9632;

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THIS IS RANGERS’ YEAR

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04248/3092172-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg"></div>(* Tied in voting&mdash;award shared)(Two winners in 1967-68 to salute expansion) &#9632;

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‘News’ Awards Winners

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01753/3092217-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="546" height="1539"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rangers&rsquo; GM-Coach EMILE FRANCIS has performed a tremendous job with his New York club this season and he could take them all the way.</figcaption></div>MONTREAL&mdash;No hockey player in the history of the National Hockey League has made the scoring impact on the league in the past two seasons that can compare with Boston&rsquo;s Phil Esposito.The brilliant Bruins&rsquo; center has won the Art Ross Trophy in each of the last two seasons with a cumulative total of 283 points and a fantastic 142 goals&mdash;which for many hockey players would possibly represent six seasons of work.But Esposito has been simply fabulous and again looms as the top candidate for the Hart Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player&mdash;an award he won last season as well.You can&rsquo;t argue with success and Espo has it in spades, which is the primary reason the editors of THE HOCKEY NEWS selected the rangy Boston star as the player of the year in their annual major league hockey awards.There is little doubt in hockey circles that Emile &ldquo;Cat&rdquo; Francis of the New York Rangers turned in the top coaching job of the 1971-72 season. He is our nomination as the coach of the year and if the Rangers were to go all the way, it would climax the most exciting year in the career of the little &lsquo;Cat&rsquo;.The third individual NHL award for the outstanding executive of the year belongs to Minnesota&rsquo;s Walter Bush, a man who has made a highly commendable contribution to both professional and amateur hockey alike in the past five years.The rise of the Bruins to a prominent place in the NHL the last few years has been the result of the emergence of Esposito and Bobby Orr as Boston super stars. Espo continues to play sensational hockey and along with Orr, the two have propelled the Bruins into the No. 1 spot in the big time. This season more than ever they are reaching out for the Stanley Cup, which disapointedly eluded them last year.The Bruins to every last man have vowed to avenge the loss and when they face up the to the surprising New York Rangers in the impending cup final series, one player who will have a lot to say about the outcome will be Esposito, a player who has maintained his magic touch in the present playoffs after a second-straight whirlwind season.It marks the second straight year Espo has won THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; player award and the third time he has captured the honor in the last four years. More significantly, Esposito is the first player to win the award tow years in succession&mdash;a feat not even the great Gordie Howe ever performed although Howe is the all-time award winner having been named five times.The selection of Francis as coach of the year is a tribute to the Cat&rsquo;s brilliant masterminding in not only this season but in recent years.The rise of the Rangers this season to the Stanley Cup finals was a combined effort of both playing and coaching. Francis personally molded his &rsquo;72 cup contender by some astute wheeling and dealing that brought such players as Gene Carr, Dale Rolfe, Bobby Rousseau, Pete Stemkowski, Bruce MacGregor, Phil Goyette, Gary Doak, Glen Sather, Ted Irvine and Jim Dorey to the club in the past two years to establish the Rangers as hockey&rsquo;s &lsquo;Cinderella&rsquo; club.The Rangers, who went out in the second round last season to the Chicago Black Hawks, came back this year to avenge the defeat and it was obvious for all to see that Francis&rsquo; player manipulations were a vital factor. The loss of top center Jean Ratelle at a strategic time when the Rangers were heading into the playoffs would normally have been a major blow to any hockey club but Francis improvised to the point the New Yorkers hardly missed their high-scoring pivot at all. The wily Francis deployed both Rousseau and Goyette, a pair of NHL oldsters, in Ratelle&rsquo;s spot and the Rangers hurdled the Hawks with both players performing a key role.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02629/3092210-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1182" height="1539"><figcaption class="caption-body">Winning the player-of-the-year award is not new for Boston&rsquo;s PHIL ESPOSITO. He won it last season as well. In two seasons, Espo has won the scoring title twice, counted 283 points and an amazing 142 goals.</figcaption></div>Francis has brought the Rangers to the peak of the NHL season and for his efforts, it is a fitting tribute that he should be picked by THE HOCKEY NEWS for the-best coaching job of the year.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03421/3092203-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="1782" height="1029"><figcaption class="caption-body">One of the highlights of Minnesota owner WALTER BUSH&rsquo;S hockey life had to be the year his rookie left winger DANNY GRANT won the Calder Trophy. It was in 1968-69 and sharing the momentous day with Grant and Bush, right, is the North Stars&rsquo; knowledgeable general manager WREN BLAIR, left, the man who brought Grant to Minnesota. Grant&rsquo;s feat was the first major award won by a Minnesota player after expansion and one that brought great delight to Bush. (Hockey News Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>The naming of Bush as the No. 1 executive in the NHL for the past season coincides with his tremendous contributions to hockey&mdash;both as the owner of the thriving Minnesota North Stars and a big booster of the American amateur hockey scene and the U.S. Olympic program.As president of the parent Northstar Corporation, which obtained the hockey franchise and built Metropolitan Sports Center, and as president of the hockey club, Bush fits his job like a glove. It would be very difficult, in fact, to picture him in any other position, although at one time he was a successful practicing attorney.Foremost among Walter&rsquo;s many admirable qualities is an immunization to crises. Running a corporation, and a hockey club, is an ulcer job with a mountain of problems. Walter calmly handles them from his little office in the catacombs of Metropolitan Sports Center, an office for which he seemed headed ever since those winter days long ago on the frozen surface of Lake of the Isles in south Minneapolis.&rdquo;Bush is a Minneapolis product who attended Dartmouth. Somewhere along the line he developed an insatiable love for hockey, even though as a player he was only a mediocre one. During his law school days in Minneapolis, he talked the people at Culbertson&rsquo;s Cafe into sponsoring a team in the Park National League, an amateur circuit which split its games between the old Minneapolis Arena on 29th and Dupont and the outdoor rinks of the city. Walter was a playing coach in those days, a very serious-minded defenseman whose horizons soon outgrew the confines of the park board.He began an involvement with international hockey and became manager of the 1959 U.S. National team. This led him into frequent contact with the late Walter Brown, who not only owned the Boston Bruins of the NHL and the Boston Celtics of the NBA, but also was active in international amateur hockey.Brown encouraged Bush to pursue his interest in the game on a professional level, and in 1964 Bush headed a group of Minneapolis men which also included Gordon Ritz and Bob McNulty, who established a farm operation for the Bruins in the Central Hockey League. The general manager of the Minneapolis Bruins was a vibrant executive in the Boston organization named Wren Blair.Bush furthered his contacts in the NHL through the minor league operation, and when the NHL expanded to 12 teams in 1966, for the 1967-68 season, Bush and his group were awarded a Minnesota franchise. It was such a natural, casual evolution for Walter that he took up the reigns of the North Stars as though he had been born for the job.In his current capacity, Bush is a full-time working executive. He runs the Met and he consults with Blair on matters of personnel, maintaining a veto power in the areas of trade. Once or twice he has exercised that power, but, by and large, he has gone along with the recommendations of his other executives.Among the gifted leaders which Minnesota has been fortunate to have in all of its major league sports enterprises, Walter stands out as the ideal president with the public. He is a master at dealing with people of all levels, available and obliging for functions throughout the Twin Cities. It has been significant that despite the work load of the North star Corp., Bush has found time to maintain his association with international hockey and figure skating.Last December, Walter cosponsored together with Thayer Tutt of the Broadmoor Corp., the World Cup hockey event involving the U.S., Russian and Czech teams. He was at Colorado Springs for the games there, he was the genial host at the Met and he accompanied the teams to additional games at St. Louis, Philadelphia and New York.One day last fall, while the North Stars were in training at Winnipeg, Walter spent the morning watching the team work out. He had a golf game scheduled early in the afternoon, but just before leaving, he received a call from the mother of a figure skater with a problem of some type. Walter spent nearly an hour on the phone with the mother, and had to cut his golf round in half. He&rsquo;s that kind of a guy.Bush&rsquo;s first lieutenant, Blair, is a man who projects, at first appearances, the very antithesis of Walter&rsquo;s approach. While he was coaching the North Stars in their early days, Blair earned the reputation as an eruptive, impulsive man running the full scale of the emotional gauntlet. That, however, was a facade created of necessity. Wren was an emotional coach, but in his executive capacity of general manager he is actually a thoughtful, cautious person who will never make a deal until he spins it around in his mind for a lengthy period of time.It is because of the close cooperation between owner and general manager that makes Bush and Blair such dynamic and successful operators in the NHL.The North Stars great record the past two seasons is truly indicative of Bush&rsquo;s hockey acumen. It&rsquo;s also the reason why THE HOCKEY NEWS editors selected him as executive of the year. &#9632;

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PHIL ESPOSITO Player Of The Year Coach Of The Year EMILE FRANCIS WALTER BUSH Executive Of The Year

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01812/3092262-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="518" height="528"></div>&bull; HOCKEY FANS everywhere had to be delighted with the recent announcement that Canada and Russia have reached an agreement that will call for an exhibition series of eight games this fall between the top players&mdash;pro or amateur&mdash;from both countries. It&rsquo;s a breakthrough that has been eagerly anticipated for many years now since the day it became evident that the Soviets had become too formidable for the remaining good amateurs of this country. Final details have yet to be worked out, but there will be four games in Canada between Sept. 18 and then four in Moscow, Sept. 22-28. On the Canadian side there will be matches in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver&hellip;The big question now is what NHL players will be made available for the Canadian team; the only qualification being that they be Canadian citizens. The three NHL teams located in Canada have already pledged their cooperation, but fans are anxious to learn whether stars like Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and Bobby Hull will be released by their teams to participate&hellip;Despite opposition from the Bruins that their players will not compete, Alan Eagleson, the player&rsquo;s representative, says Orr will be in the lineup when the team is selected. Eagleson is also Orr&rsquo;s personal adviser and the man who controls over 300 professional players. Eagleson was also in on the negotiations between Canada and Russia in Prague&hellip;Former Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; great Jean Beliveau expressed deep regret that the Russian breakthrough hadn&rsquo;t come a few years earlier when he could have participated as a player&hellip;For the travel-conscious fans there is encouraging word out of Toronto that at least one organization is doing preliminary work on organizing a flight package to the Soviet Union to attend the games there&hellip;The new Atlanta team in the NHL reports that rapid progress has been made in preparation for the club&rsquo;s introduction into league play this fall. Franchise President Bill Putnam indicates that that team officials are leaning heavily towards the name &ldquo;Flames&rdquo; for the southern U.S. entry which - will play in the West Division&hellip;The coaching positions for Atlanta and the New York Islanders, the other new NHL entry this fall, are the only major personnel positions left unfilled in either organization&hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02766/3092255-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="263" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alan Eagleson</figcaption></div>&bull; AN ESTIMATED crowd of 5,000 happy fans turned out at the airport in St. Louis to greet their favorites when the Blues returned home following their thrilling overtime upset of the Minnesota North Stars in the deciding game of their West Division quarter-final series. Exciting North Star Blues clashes have become an almost standard part of the NHL postseason show&hellip;The Blues&rsquo; colorful center Garry Unger was asked if he knew which Minnesota player he skated around to score the winning goal in the sixth game. Unger replied: &ldquo;1 was too busy looking at the puck. I noticed there was a smudge on one of the letters on the puck where it says &lsquo;St. Louis Blues&rsquo;. The T was blurry.&rdquo;&hellip;With a season of great fan support behind them, the Minnesota management is considering adding a balcony next season at Metropolitan Sports Center which would boost the current seating capacity of 15,067 by another 3,000. The North Stars averaged 15,300 during the regular season and 15,600 during the Stanley Cup playoffs&hellip;Several North Star players have purchased homes in the Twin Cities area, with intentions of staying around awhile&hellip;Gump Worsley was knocked unconscious when he collided with Bob Plager during the Minnesota&mdash;St. Louis series and had to be carried from the ice on a stretcher. Although Plager also lay on the ice, he suffered only a loss of breath and quipped later: &ldquo;The only reason I stayed down so long was to get a rest. Going from the blueline to the goal is a lot of skating for me.&rdquo;&hellip;Junior hockey fans who follow the popular OHA circuit are buzzing about the convincing manner in which the powerful league-champion Toronto Marlboros were sidelined in the playoff semi-finals by the Peterborough Petes in five games. Roger Neilson, one of the top young coaches in the game, deserves a large share of credit for a fine job as Petes&rsquo; coach this season&hellip;Terry Pye, former head scout for Loyola College Warriors, and Jim Houghton, former college hockey star at Colby College and Mount Allison University, have started operating their own referral and placement agency out of Montreal for amateur players&hellip;Canadiens&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman holy denied a newpaper story that had him ready to leave the team for an NHL general manager&rsquo;s job elsewhere in the league.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03668/3092248-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="266" height="444"><figcaption class="caption-body">Garry Unger</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PASSING THE BUCK

Founded October 1st, 1947Published weekly except monthly June through September by Ken-Will Publishing Co. Ltd. 1434 St. Catherine Street West Montreal 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, MAY 5, 1972 No. 31 &#9632;

The Hockey News OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY

<h2>Conflict Of Interest In Junior Playoffs</h2>I would like to comment on the farce perpetrated on the public in the recent quarter-final playoff series between the London Knights and the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s of the OHA Junior League.Both of these clubs are owned by the same Ottawa-based financial interests. Since Ottawa has an arena seating over 10,000 compared to 5,000 in London, it was a foregone conclusion as to which club the owners wished to win the series.A London victory would have cost them at least $15,000 each game in revenues lost because of playing in a smaller arena.I think the hockey fans of London deserve an explanation from the OHA, the CAHA, or whoever is responsible for allowing this situation to exist.Personally, I have been disillusioned to the point where a trade this coming summer, in which London &ldquo;would give up&rdquo; Reg Thomas, Dennis Ververgaert, and Roger Lemelin to Ottawa, would not surprise me.It was obvious that the London players wanted badly to win. It would be nice if next yar they had a management that was prepared to assist them.G.M. REID,&nbsp; London, Ont.<h2>Let Points Determine Home Ice Advantage</h2>I would like the system changed for determining who gets the home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.With the present setup, the final season standings in each of the two divisions is used as the guide. However, a more equitable manner would see those teams with the most points, regardless of division, have the extra game.For example, the Chicago Black Hawks got the advantage over the New York Rangers this year despite the fact Rangers gathered more points in the regular season, plus the fact that the Rangers truly earn every point they get as the pressure is on hem every game in the tough East Division whereas Chicago more or less coasts home every year.This new system would insure that teams already assured of a playoff spot would continue to give the fans a full effort all the way down to the wire.JIM SULLIVAN JR.,&nbsp; Topeka, Kansas<h2>TV Strike Left Fans In Black</h2>While watching the fourth game of the recent Stanley Cup quarter-final series between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens from the Forum in Montreal the television production of the game was interrupted at the end of the first period by a technicans strike. This left the hockey fans throughout all New York and Quebec without any coverage of the game.I feel that this is disgusting and that the situation was handled very poorly. Why couldn&rsquo;t management personnel have moved in and manned the cameras and other equipment?STEVE FROUMAN,&nbsp; Bayside, N.Y.<h2>Ban The Air Horns From Hockey Games</h2>I know it is rather late in the season, but I&rsquo;d like to see if I can get something started about banishing air horns from Madison Square Garden.Anyone who has had to sit smack in front of a person with one of those ear-splitting contraptions (for five Ranger goals yet!) will sympathize me. I&rsquo;m certain air horns were intended for outdoor use, which their high-decibel shrieks demonstrate 1 have frightening visions of MSG selling hearing aids at the concession stands and vendors pushing their wares via sign language.So how about it, hockey fans? Leave your air horns at home and bring along your own two hands and a pair of leather lungs.SHERRY ROSS,&nbsp; Randolph, N.J. &#9632;

FAN FORUM

PRAGUE&mdash;Russia&rsquo;s nine-year hold on the world amateur hockey championship came to an end here when they were defeated 3-2 by Czechoslovakia, the host country in the 1972 tournament.The Russians, who entered the final as the commanding favorites, had been winners of every world and Olympic title since 1962.The Czechs, urged on by a capacity home-town crowd of 14 jumped into a two-goal lead on scores by Vaclav Nedomansky and Richard Farda within 30 seconds of each other early in the first period.The Russians regained their composure and dominated the remainder of the game, but fell short in their attempts to tie the game. Veteran Jaroslav Holik notched the third goal for the new champions while Alexander Maltsev and Valeri Kharlamov were the Russian goal-getters.The game&rsquo;s conclusion was greeted by a general pandemonium as the victorious Czech players hurled their helmets and hockey sticks into the air and danced for joy. Since the Sovietled invasion of Czechoslovakia in August, 1968, world hockey championship matches between the two countries have been marked by a fierce rivalry.The Czechs closed the world tourney with an 8-2 whomping of Finland. Sweden and Russia tied 3-3 on their final day. The Soviets finished second, three points in back of the Czechs. Sweden was third. &#9632;

Czechs End Russians 9-Year Hockey Reign

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01787/3092389-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"></div>We don&rsquo;t have to tell you about the name Cooper, or our equipment. But, what we do want to tell you is&hellip;we&rsquo;re opening a better sports camp.Our coaches are professionals. You won&rsquo;t see their names all over the sports pages. They&rsquo;re all educators, or teachers who specialize in hockey and other sports training.And they&rsquo;re good at it, too.Coaching to them is not a part time summer job. It&rsquo;s their life&rsquo;s work, all year long. That&rsquo;s why we think they&rsquo;re the best for our sports camp.They&rsquo;re top professional coaches from the top universities. You&rsquo;ll receive full time coaching in hockey plus four other sports, six hours a day.And you&rsquo;re going to like the &ldquo;off hours&rdquo; as well. You&rsquo;ll live on campus at Appleby College on Lake Ontario. Every day you&rsquo;ll have at least 3 hours ice time in the large modern arena right on campus.You can learn tennis on 5 regulation courts. You will receive coaching in baseball, football, and soccer on any of 6 turf fields. Swim in the indoor pool. Work out in our complete gymnasium and receive professional basketball coaching. Then relax in your own dorm.See what we mean about a &ldquo;better sports camp? If it sounds like a better deal to you, send us this coupon and we&rsquo;ll send you complete details.If we can make you a better hockey player and you have fun doing it, can you think of a better way to spend some time this summer? &#9632;

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The people who bring you better sports equipment…bring you a better sports camp.

<div class="byline">&#x2014;By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01829/3092427-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="286" height="373"></div><h2>A True Super Star&hellip;</h2>THE TIME THAT COMES to mind was when his jaw was wired shut and he had to feed himself through a straw and it was painful for him to try to speak, but when the fans went to him in the corridor just off the ice, he stopped on his way to the dressing room and talked to them and signed autographs for them and tried to smile. Most other players push on through. Even when it was unreasonable for him to do so, he paused for the fans.This was a few years ago and Bobby Hull hasn&rsquo;t changed. Recently in pre-game practice he was leaning over the boards to sign autographs for fans and as he left the ice they begged for a puck he held in his hand and he flipped it to them. And, afterwards, in the dressing room, he was willing to talk to every writer and broadcaster who approached him and as usual he was the last one to get to dress and leave.He is 33 now and he has been in the big leagues for 15 years and he is special. He must have signed an autograph for every man, woman and child in the U.S. and Canada by now. &ldquo;Twice over,&rdquo; he grins. He must have heard every question a hundred thousand times. &ldquo;There aren&rsquo;t many new ones,&rdquo; he admits, smiling. He is always smiling. He accepts the pressures of his place in the sporting world. It is not as easy as you might imagine it to be, if you have to put up with it all the time. &ldquo;If I didn&rsquo;t enjoy it, I wouldn&rsquo;t do it. It doesn&rsquo;t bother me,&rdquo; he smiles.Some things bother him. The toll taken by the years, for example. &ldquo;I felt fine until the last few weeks of the season, then I started to feel tired and I slowed down some,&rdquo; he admitted. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s stupid to think I can go like I could ten years ago, but I keep thinking back to what were for me the good old days and I can&rsquo;t understand why I can&rsquo;t go the same these days. I guess we never realize we&rsquo;re getting older. I&rsquo;ve left a lot of blood, sweat and tears on the ice.&rdquo;It bothers him that he is checked the way he is. Not that he does not expect to be checked, but hockey&rsquo;s rules and referees never have been adequate to control the way defenders grab and push and pull and hang on super-scorers such as Bobby and, before him, Rocket Richard. This is stupid, for it takes from the game much of the grace and skill of its most talented performers.Bobby says, &ldquo;Here are teams trying to sell tickets by advertising a Bobby Hull is coming to town and then the people put up their money and come out and see some guy submerged under an octupus. To me, it&rsquo;s senseless, and, after all these years, it&rsquo;s discouraging. Checking me is one thing. Wrestling me around beyond reason is something else entirely.&rdquo;Another thing which bothers him is the toll taken by expansion. He says, &ldquo;expansion was good up to a point, but they&rsquo;ve crossed the line. I think maybe there&rsquo;s been too much too fast and the talent is spread so thin and so many unrealistic records are being set, I don&rsquo;t think you can feel the same pride at being a big leaguer or take so much pride in various accomplishments.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02739/3092420-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="544" height="1202"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY HULL&hellip;Still Reaching For Cup</figcaption></div>Hull proved himself prior to expansion. In 1962 he became the third player to score 50 goals in a single season and in 1966 he became the first one to do it more than once and in 1968 he did it for the fourth time with 58, which remained the record until Phil Esposito smashed it last season. Even after all the years and all the wrestling and all the punishment, he scored 44 last season and 50 again this season and he finished this season with 604 regular-season scores, second only to Gordie Howe&rsquo;s 786 in 25 seasons.<h2>The Pain Of Playoffs&hellip;</h2>HE HAD HAIR TRANSPLANTS, which he admits were painful, prior to this season to restore some of his once plentiful curly blond locks in front and he is somewhat overshadowed by the youthful Bobby Orr of Boston these days, but &ldquo;The Golden Jet,&rdquo; Bobby Hull, remains spectacularly explosive. He three times has led playoff scorers in goals, had 58 goals going into this season&rsquo;s playoffs, and went into this season&rsquo;s playoffs thirsting for a sip of champagne from the Stanley Cup.Only once in his long career, 1961, have his. Hawks taken this treasured trophy, and he says since this is what the players really shoot for, this is what has been most dissatisfying in his career. Hawks almost won it last season. They went to the seventh and last game-of the final round, they led in the game and they were at home, but they let it get away from them, and those incredible Canadiens captured the cup for the 17th time.&ldquo;That is too many times,&rdquo; Hull sighs. &ldquo;It should have been our turn. But they took it from us so they deserve it. It was ours to win and we lost it. I felt terrible for a long time after the game, until I decided I was not going to ruin my life over one game. You can replay that game in your mind a million times and there is no way you are going to change the results. You can only hope you get into a game like that again where you can win it all again. And even then there are no guarantees you&rsquo;ll get a different result. But you can give it your best and hope for the best.&rdquo;Stan Mikita who is 31 and has been in the big time 13 years and has been a super star all this time and down this same road with Hawks all this time, too, said, &ldquo;You work all the long season and all through the playoffs with all the pressure and it comes down to one blinking game, and one blinking goal beats you. I&rsquo;ve dreamt about it. It gives you nightmares. But that&rsquo;s sports and only one team wins every year, but every year you get a new chance.&rdquo; So now entering the semi-finals against New York he was bending his bad back to it and so were Bobby and the rest of the hungry Hawks, who hadn&rsquo;t shone the precious silverware for ten years and only that one time in 34 years. The ghosts in old Chicago Stadium wanted to howl, but the Rangers didn&rsquo;t care about that. &#9632;

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Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;Punch Imlach was back at his desk in the Buffalo Sabres headquarters in Memorial Auditorium a couple of weeks after the end of the National Hockey League season.He was talking at random, discussing the Sabres&rsquo; strong finish under Joe Crozier, who took over when Punch suffered a heart attack Jan. 9, and what must be done in the future to make the Sabres playoff contenders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03612/3092458-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="269" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Zaine</figcaption></div>&ldquo;All of our games in the latter half on the season were close&rdquo;, said Punch. &ldquo;At the end we were winning or tying nearly all of them&rdquo;. The Sabres lost only two of their last nine games.&ldquo;But&rdquo;, the veteran coach and general manager went on, &ldquo;we have to improve next season. And we have to improve our defense if we&rsquo;re going to improve our team. If we take a defenseman either first or second in the amateur draft, he&rsquo;s got to be able to step right in and play. Otherwise, we have to trade to get defensemen.&ldquo;However,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;I think that in the two years we&rsquo;ve been in the league we&rsquo;ve come farther than some of the older clubs. Eventually one of them will come to us for help and then maybe we&rsquo;ll get what we want.&ldquo;There are three ways we can improve. First, the amateur and intra-league drafts. Second, moving up players from a Cincinnati club that made the Calder Cup playoffs and was, in fact, one of the best teams in the American Hockey League by the end of the season. Third, by trades.&rdquo;Imlach was asked who among his Cincinnati players he thought could help him. &ldquo;Butch Deadmarsh, Jack Gould, Tom Miller, Doug Rombaugh, Rod Zaine&hellip;They all are young and because they are young, they could develop overnight,&rdquo; he replied. Zaine has already, been up in the NHL with Pittsburgh.&ldquo;All of our forwards are young,&rdquo; Punch pointed out. &ldquo;We picked up older people to get things started when we first came into the league. But we gradually let them go and started to build with youth&rdquo;.Such veterans as Floyd Smith, Dick Duff, Eddie Shack and Phil Goyette departed during the 1971-72 campaign and were replaced by such youngsters as Rick Martin, Jim Lorentz, Rene Robert, Craig Ramsay and Randy Wyrozub.All the forwards who finished the season with the Sabres are 26 years of age or younger. The only ones on the entire club who have hit the 30 mark are the two goaltenders, Roger Crozier and Dave Dryden, each exactly 30, and defenseman Larry Hillman, 35.Imlach refused to state whether he would be coach or general manager next season, or both as he was from the time the Sabres entered the league until his heart attack.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll wait a while and see what my doctor says,&rdquo; was his statement. But then he added, &ldquo;I doubt that I will handle both the jobs again.&rdquo;Punch did some scouting at junior and American League playoff games during the month of April but was scheduled to take another Florida vacation early in May. &ldquo;When I get back from that one,&rdquo; he said &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be ready to settle down and prepare for the draft.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Imlach To Improve Sabres’ Defense By Draft Or Trade

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div>CHICAGO&mdash;After disposing of the Pittsburgh Penguins in four not-so-easy quarter-final games, the Chicago Black Hawks were awarded one whole week off before confronting their next Stanley Cup playoff foe&mdash;New York&rsquo;s Rangers.An entire week off. Besides the perfunctory practices, things certainly figured to be a mite monotonous. Yawn.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01806/3092496-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="273" height="422"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dennis Hull</figcaption></div>But then Alan Eagleson appeared at Chicago Stadium bright and early one morn and remarked to a reporter: &ldquo;This team is the most cohesive in the league&hellip;they really are together.&rdquo;Eagleson, National Hockey League Players Association executive director, then huddled with the Hawk athletes in a closed-door session and emerged looking like a prophet. The Chicago hockey team had, alas, voted to strike the subsequent round of the Cup playoffs.The problem at hand was sticks, and regulations thereof. In the second game of the Pittsburgh series, Dennis Hull had his hockey stick confiscated with about a minute to go. He was later fined $500 (as was the club) when the curvature in the blade was found to be three-eights of an inch over the legal 1/2-inch limit.Dennis was charged with tampering, or &ldquo;cheating&rdquo; in the words of National Hockey League President Clarence Campbell, a spectator at the game.The whole scene, the whole philosophy of the strict playoff stick enforcement ruling, brought the Hawks&mdash;and particularly the Hulls&mdash;to an angry edge.Enter Eagleson.&ldquo;The players on the Black Hawks and I agree,&rdquo; said Eagleson, &ldquo;that the NHL has no right to enact the stick rule without consulting the players. One way or another, the NHL is going to learn that the players should and will have some voice in the way the game is run.&rdquo;Thus the strike vote. It was unanimous, but it was also contingent on the other teams participating in the playoffs voting similarly. That didn&rsquo;t develop, and the Hawks relented.&ldquo;The issue is over for now,&rdquo; said Bobby Hull, &ldquo;but I hope the league does something this summer to change this. The rule makes no sense.&rdquo;There was some gossip by alarmist observers that the sticky situation would inevitably prompt dissension on the Hawks.&ldquo;That, without a doubt,&rdquo; said one Hawk, &ldquo;is the dumbest thing I&rsquo;ve heard yet. The fact that we can air things out is a positive sign, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;If it was positive for the Hawks and Eagleson to punctuate the issue with the word &ldquo;strike,&rdquo; the episode did not please Campbell.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02723/3092489-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="556" height="1021"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLARENCE CAMPBELL</figcaption></div>When informed of the strike vote, the president said that contributing a voice to rules was none of the players&rsquo; business.&ldquo;The players of the league have no jurisdiction on participation in rules-making,&rdquo; said Campbell, &ldquo;they never have. That&rsquo;s not to say they never will. I don&rsquo;t think the Chicago team will get support from other teams. I think the whole thing was brought about by one or two individuals.&rdquo;Campbell labeled the strike vote as nonsense and expressed some surprise that Eagleson (&ldquo;an intelligent and fair man&rdquo;) would be party to such a thing.Then Campbell unloaded on Bobby Hull.&ldquo;He, I think, is employing this as a tactic to help tear apart the Players Association,&rdquo; said Campbell. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been against the Association ever since it failed to back him in a personal situation a few years ago.&rdquo;Campbell referred to Hull&rsquo;s l1-game holdout in 1969 when No. 9 had contract problems with the Chicago brass.Hull retorted that he in no way was trying to undermine the Players Assn.: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why Mr. Campbell is so mad at me.&rdquo;One post mortem of the sniping was this: some of the Hawks felt that perhaps too much had been said on both sides but that the primary concern was just to establish a voice for the players on rules making.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s all we ask&hellip;we think that would be fair,&rdquo; said Lou Angotti, who assumed duties at Chicago player rep after Stan Mikita retired for &ldquo;personal reasons.&rdquo;Sure was a dull week. &#9632;

f0009-01

Hawks’ Vote To Strike Over Stick Incident Lacks Teams Support

CHICAGO&mdash;When Hawks lost the first game of their semi-final series to New York, it marked their first setback in 17 games. The last loss was March 5 in Minnesota by a 2-1 count&hellip;Even though the Montreal Canadiens downed the Hawks in last year&rsquo;s Cup final, there were no celebrations in the Chicago clan when the Habs were bounced out by New York this time around. There&rsquo;s a profound respect on the Hawks for the Rangers, much of it stemming from last spring&rsquo;s classic seven game playoff between the two clubs&hellip;Doug Jarrett signed new Hawk pact late in the season&hellip;Most depressed man among the Hawks during the baseball strike was Jim Pappin, and avid Chicago Cub fan&hellip;Jimmy Walker was tabbed for scouting promotion in western Canada by Hawk bosses&hellip;Radio Station WMAQ broadcast all Hawk home and road cup games live and in full while WGN-TV continued converage of the away contests. TV spieler Jim West, by the way, is one of Chicago&rsquo;s most popular voices. &#9632;

Hawks Hold High Regard For Rangers

<div class="byline">BY TOM MONAHAN</div>BOSTON&mdash;When Carol Vadnais was traded to the Bruins by the California Golden Seals, he regarded the change as the deliverance from bondage.After all he was going from the bottom to the top of the National Hockey League in one easy step.Over the span of the current East Division Stanley Cup playoffs, things haven&rsquo;t been all sugar and spice for the mustachioed defenseman who once toured spasmodically for the Montreal Canadians.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01821/3092558-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="261" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Johnson</figcaption></div>While the Bruins were defeating Toronto in Series A of the playoffs, the most vociferious of their following were more than a little disgruntled that it took their darlings five games to eliminate the Maple Leafs.And they were quick and eager to vent their venom on the most recent addition to the Bruin defensive corps.Vadnais, it seems, was found guilty of failing to clear the puck adequately on several occasions and on a few others he showed an undesireable talent for placing the puck on opposing sticks.The boo-birds immediately seized on these violations to belie Boston&rsquo;s reputation as &ldquo;the fairest sports city in the country&rdquo;.And the &lsquo;You&rsquo;re A Bum Club&rsquo; compounded the insults on Vadnais by clamoring for veteran Teddy Green, a long-time favorite.The Bruins themselves were quick to rally around their new comrade, however.Don Awrey, who had himself a sensational series against Toronto as Carol&rsquo;s defensive mate, was his staunchest supporter.&ldquo;They just aren&rsquo;t giving him a chance,&rdquo; said Awrey. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not all his fault. He came here cold to a different style of hockey than he&rsquo;s been accustomed to playing.&ldquo;With the Seals, Vad had to do so many things to make up for shortcomings of the team that he not only had to change his style but to change his thinking.&ldquo;He used to carry the puck a lot for California but here we have Bobby Orr to carry the puck when he&rsquo;s on the ice and we have so many good forwards that the main job is to get the puck out to them.&ldquo;Vad is a helluva hockey player. He can skate, he can handle the puck and he can shoot. And he&rsquo;s a tough man to move around.&ldquo;If anyone would take time to analyze that Toronto series he&rsquo;d find out Vad and I were on the ice for only four of those Maple Leaf goals.&rdquo;And coach Tom Johnson refused to be swayed by the reaction of the fans.&ldquo;It seems to me,&rdquo; said Johnson, &ldquo;that I recognized most of those voices&hellip;the loudest ones anyways.&rdquo;&ldquo;They&rsquo;re the same ones who were yelling at me for playing Teddy last year when we was a bit off form.&rdquo;All of the other Bruins gave Vadnais public and private encouragement.&ldquo;Just go out there and play your game,&rdquo; said Green. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;.t listen to the crowd.&rdquo;&ldquo;I apprectaied that,&rdquo; said Vadnais. &ldquo;This is some bunch of guys. I never played on a team like this before. Everyone is pulling for everyone else. It&rsquo;s quite a feeling knowing your teammates are all behind your.&ldquo;You know, of course, that it is difficult to close your ears. But I am not angry when the fans boo me. They pay their money and they are entitled to their opinions. I have heard other players&rsquo; booed in other cities. So when they get on me I have to accept it.&ldquo;And I know that as I get more accustomed to playing with this team I will play better, and the fans will react to that. They showed me that when they gave me a big cheer after I scored a goal in the last game against Toronto.Johnson has no worries about Vadnais fulfilling those desires.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a damned good hockey player,&rdquo; said Johnson. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s better than a lot of people seem to think and he&rsquo;ll prove it.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02705/3092551-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="932" height="816"><figcaption class="caption-body">CAROL VADNAIS&hellip;Wins Teammates&rsquo; Confidence</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Johnson Predicts Vadnais Will Prove Hub Fans Wrong

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01794/3092603-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="957" height="879"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02683/3092596-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="954" height="864"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03540/3092589-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="946" height="872"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gordie Howe has retired from the big league hockey scene but the day may not be too far off when another Howe will be making his mark on the National Hockey League scene. Here&rsquo;s 16-year-old MARK HOWE, son of the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; great, showing some of his rougher moments during his recent play with the American Olympic team at the recent Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan. Many claim there is a tremendous likeness between Gordie and his son on the ice. Young Mark has many of his famous dad&rsquo;s hard-nosed attributes, which are expected to carry him to the NHL in the near future. The Bank of America helped young Howe and many other Olympians get to Sapporo with an outright gift of $130,000 to the U.S. Olympic Committee program.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Another Howe With Big League Hotkey Poise

MONTREAL&mdash;Scotty Bowman wants it known that Canadiens did not beat themselves in the recent cup playoffs. The New York Rangers, he feels, had quite a bit to do with it.&ldquo;Ever since the last siren sounded at the end of the sixth game, guys have been coming up to me and asking &lsquo;What Happened,&rsquo; &ldquo;he said.&ldquo;Maybe they don&rsquo;t mean it the way it sounds, but I get the impression they think Canadiens has some kind of great collapse. Well, we didn&rsquo;t. We were beaten by a helluva hockey team, one that had great ability to go with their depth and experience.&rdquo;Bowman pointed out that four of the six games played in the quarter final series between New York and Montreal were decided by the margin of a single goal.&ldquo;They beat us 3-2 in the first and last games of the series, and on two other occasion we edged them 2-1,&rdquo; he said.Ken Dryden, who was called upon for some miracle saves during the series, agreed with Bowman&rsquo;s summation.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand why so many people are trying to pick our team apart, following the loss,&rdquo; Dryden said. &ldquo;Why can&rsquo;t they realize that Rangers have a very good club and played very well.&ldquo;They deserved to win on the basis of their very fine performance,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

Bowman Irked At Playoff Post Mortems

ST. LOUIS&mdash;Only a flimsy thread of probability stands between a Boston Bruins&mdash;New York Rangers&rsquo; Stanley Cup final series following the Bruins&rsquo; third consecutive one-sided victory here April 23. This time the count was 7-2.The convincing victory was the first game for the Blues&mdash;quarter-final winners over the Minnesota North Stars&mdash;on their home ice which followed embarrassing 6-1 and 102 pastings in Boston in the first two games of the semi-final series between the two clubs. The easy&mdash;almost contemptuous&mdash;manner in which the Bruins handled the Blues on St. Louis ice left little doubt that the series is headed for a four-game sweep.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02664/3092703-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="274" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Peter McDuffe</figcaption></div>The 7-2 triumph brought the Bruins&rsquo; goal margin in the series to a stunning 23-5 total, one of the most one-sided playoffs in many years. Leading the Bruins&rsquo; onslaught against the Blues has been left winger Johnny Bucyk, last season&rsquo;s Lady Byng winner, who has collected four goals and six assists in the first three games. But the offensive punch of the Boston club has been so overpowering that virtually every member of the team has had a hand in the action.The opening game was Fred Stanfield&rsquo;s show as the often overlooked Bruin center came up with a smart three-goal performance to lead the way to the 6-1 victory.Two nights later, in the second game, it was Bucyk&rsquo;s turn to step foward with hat trick as the B&rsquo;s clobbered the Blues 10-2.The third game, however, provided a little interesting drama off the ice in the form of a player eligibility controversy as Blues&rsquo; coach Al Arbour tried to put some life into his sagging troops with a goaltender switch. The Blues wanted to start rookie Peter McDuffe, who had begun the season with the team but had been later shipped to the Western League and had not been included on the team&rsquo;s playoff eligibility list.The St. Louis management appealed to NHL President Clarence Campbell on the grounds that one of the teams&rsquo; regular goalies, Jacques Caron, was unable to play. Campbell gave the go-ahead to use McDuffe but was shocked when Caron dressed for the game as McDuffe&rsquo;s backup.&ldquo;By dressing Caron,&rdquo; said Campbell, &ldquo;the Blues negated their reason for an emergency replacement. Win, lose or draw, they will be heavily fined.&rdquo;&ldquo;We could have made a fuss over McDuffe being used,&rdquo; said Boston coach Tom Johnson, &ldquo;but&hellip;&rdquo;A Ranger-Boston cup final would see the New Yorkers enter as underdogs, not just because the Bruins were East Division champions, but even more so because of the convincing fashion in which the Beantowners controlled the games between the two clubs during the regular season.Over the six-game regular season series, the Bruins won five the Rangers managing only a single triumph. The one New York win came in the first meeting between the teams, following which the Rangers dropped the next five decisions.The Bruins also held a decisive goal-scoring advantage in the six games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03519/3092696-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="564" height="588"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRED STANFIELD&hellip;Playoff Hat Trick</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Boston-New York Final Looms As Bruins Overpower St. Louis

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01750/3092776-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;E&rsquo;</h2><h3>Tue. April 18 NEW YORK 5 at CHICAGO 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02675/3092769-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="626" height="708"></div><h3>Thur. April 20 CHICAGO 2 at NEW YORK 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03560/3092762-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="608" height="568"></div><h3>Sun. April 23 CHICAGO 2 at NEW YORK 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04438/3092755-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="628" height="700"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;</h2><h3>Tue. April 18 ST. LOUIS 1 at BOSTON 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05326/3092748-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="612" height="762"></div><h3>Thur. April 20 ST. LOUIS 2 at BOSTON 10</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-06272/3092741-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="605" height="1028"></div><h3>Sun. April 23 BOSTON 7 at ST. LOUIS 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-07243/3092734-1-eng-US/f0015-072.jpg" title="f0015-07" width="600" height="807"></div> &#9632;

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STANLEY CUP SUMMARIES

<h2>SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-08219/3092856-1-eng-US/f0015-082.jpg" title="f0015-08" width="539" height="207"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5Toronto 0 at Boston 5Thur. April 6Toronto 4 at Boston 3Sat. April 8Boston 2 at Toronto 0Sun. April 9Boston 5 at Toronto 4Tue. April 11Toronto 3 at Boston 4<h2>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-09202/3092849-1-eng-US/f0015-092.jpg" title="f0015-09" width="557" height="206"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5Montreal 2 at New York 3Thur. April 6Montreal 2 at New York 5Sat. April 8New York 1 at Montreal 2Sun. April 9New York 6 at Montreal 4Tue. April 11Montreal 2 at New York 1Thur. April 13New York 3 at Montreal 2<h2>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-10179/3092842-1-eng-US/f0015-102.jpg" title="f0015-10" width="548" height="213"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5Pittsburgh 1 at Chicago 3Thur. April 6Pittsburgh 2 at Chicago 3Sat. April 8Chicago 2 at Pittsburgh 0Sun. April 9Chicago 6 at Pittsburgh 5<h2>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-11158/3092835-1-eng-US/f0015-112.jpg" title="f0015-11" width="552" height="205"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5St. Louis 0 at Minnesota 3Thur. April 6St. louis 5 at Minnesota 6Sat. April 8Minnesota 1 at St. Louis 2Sun. April 9Minnesota 2 at St. Louis 3Tue. April 11St. Louis 3 at Minnesota 4Thur. April 13Minnesota 2 at St. Louis 4Sun. April 16St. Louis 2 at Minnesota 1<h2>SERIES &lsquo;E&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-12131/3092828-1-eng-US/f0015-122.jpg" title="f0015-12" width="564" height="211"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun. April 16New York 3 at Chicago 2Tue. April 18New York 5 at Chicago 3Thur. April 20Chicago 2 at New York 3Sun. April 23Chicago 2 at New York 6<h2>SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-13117/3092821-1-eng-US/f0015-132.jpg" title="f0015-13" width="564" height="217"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 18St. Louis 1 at Boston 6Thur. April 20St. Louis 2 at Boston 10Sun. April 23Boston 7 at St. Louis 2<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tue. April 25Boston at St. LouisThur. April 27St. Louis at Boston (if necessary)Sun. April 30Boston at St. Louis (if necessary)Tue. May 2St. Louis at Boston (if necessary)<h3>PLAYOFF SCORING</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-14104/3092814-1-eng-US/f0015-142.jpg" title="f0015-14" width="563" height="3485"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-1588/3092807-1-eng-US/f0015-152.jpg" title="f0015-15" width="1124" height="1012"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boston&rsquo;s Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge skate away after scoring on Louis series. Between them they had 11 playoff goals. (Hockey News Photos by Steve Goldstein)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Looking At The Stanley Cup Playoff Picture

<h2>In The East</h2>The Boston Bruins are making a shambles of the Stanley Cup semi-final series with the St. Louis Blues and one player who has been thriving on the Bruins&rsquo; overwhelming offensive play is veteran left wing John Bucyk.The Chief has jumped to the front in the individual playoff scoring race on the strength of his scoring output alone against the Blues in their current one-sided series. Bucyk has racked up 10 points in the three games with St. Louis to lead all Stanley Cup playoff scorers with 15 points.The high point for the Bruins&rsquo; prolific winger came in the 10-2 rout of the Blues. Bucyk fired three goals. In the series opener, which the Bruins won in a breeze 6-1, Bucyk figured in four of the goals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02510/3092925-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="554" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN BUCYK&hellip;Boston Bruins</figcaption></div><h2>In The West</h2>Even in defeat Dennis Hull of the Black Hawks stood out during the recently concluded four-game playoff fiasco with the New York Rangers. Most of the Hawks let down but Dennis, along with brother Bobby, managed to maintain their dignity by providing most of the few goals the Hawks collected.Dennis scored once in the Rangers&rsquo; 5-3 second-game win and two nights later tried vainly to get the Chicago machine rolling by scoring twice for the Hawks. As it turned out it was the total extent of the damage the West Division champions could muster as they ran out of steam and lost the game 3-2 to the aroused Rangers.With four goals and two assists in the playoffs to almost match brother Bobby, who was 4-4, Dennis Hull proved to be one of the few threats the outclassed Hawks had in their unexpected playoff fadeout.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03408/3092918-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="562" height="652"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENNIS HULL&hellip;Chicago Black Hawks</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Player’s of the week

<div class="byline">BY HAL SIGURDSON</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaVANCOUVER&mdash;Last in the National Hockey League, but first in stocking the budding World Hockey Association&mdash;that&rsquo;s the Vancouver Canucks.To the Canucks has gone the dubious distinction of becoming the first NHL club to lose players to the rival league. In one three-day span they lost two.Veteran right winger Wayne Connelly, who joined the Canucks from St. Louis via New York in late November, was the first to defect.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01588/3092887-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="280" height="396"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bud Poile</figcaption></div>Connelly, who makes his offseason home in the Minneapolis St. Paul area, signed a five-year contract for a reported $300,000 with the Minnesota Fighting Saints April 15.On April 18 goaltender George Gardner signed a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Sharks. Terms of the agreement weren&rsquo;t disclosed, but Gardner revealed it would be 2 1/2 times as much as he received from Vancouver.Vancouver president Tom Scallen said the Canucks would take the Connelly case to court. He said the club would seek an injuction preventing the right winger from playing for any club other than Vancouver and that the Fighting Saints-would be sued for &ldquo;inducing the breach of an existing contract.&rdquo;Suing on those grounds, incidentally, avoids a test of the NHL&rsquo;s controversial reserve clause&mdash;which binds a player to one club for life&mdash;in court.If the courts held the reserve clause valid, the WHA would, of course, be dead. But if it was held illegal, then the flood gates would open for every potential jumper.It is probable Gardner&rsquo;s defection will go uncontested in the courts. Early in March Vancouver general manager manger Bud Poile told Gardner he was through in the Canucks&rsquo; organization and would not be protected in the June draft.Poile made the statement after Gardner refused assignment to the minors. Gardner, then, was simply taking Poile at his word when he signed with Los Angeles.Connelly&rsquo;s lawyer, Morden Lazarus of Montreal, said:&ldquo;Wayne has kicked around the NHL for nine years without much to show for it. Now he is fixed for life. His contract at his age (33) adduces incontrovertible evidence that the WHA will do better than the NHL for the players and there is no doubt it will get off ground in the fall.&rdquo;Including sidelines such as a television show with a St. Paul station, Connelly&rsquo;s contract rates as an attractive one.&ldquo;If the NHL decides to sue and Wayne can&rsquo;t play until it&rsquo;s done with, he&rsquo;ll be paid just the same,&rdquo; Lazarus said.Connelly will be paid twice a month through a bank in St. Paul and Lazarus said he plans to put half the money in escrow for the player and his family &ldquo;so that in 15 years he&rsquo;ll be worth half a million, &ldquo;Lazarus said Connelly will get a $10,000 bonus for signing and his defection &ldquo;is only the beginning.&rdquo;.Gardner&rsquo;s contract also reportedly includes a signing bonus plus a two bedroom furnished apartment. Gardner is a bachelor.In Vancouver there is a growing suspicion the defection of Connelly and Gardner may be just the tip of the iceberg.Lawyer Alan Eagleson, who represents both Dale Tallon and Andre Boudrias in contract negotiations, said he expects both players to join Connelly in Minnesota.For the moment, the Canucks are considering that statement as only a bargaining ploy. But at the same time, they admit they&rsquo;re not prepared to match the type of money the WHA is talking about.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how they can afford to pay that kind of money,&rdquo; said Scallen.Boudrias and Tallon admit they&rsquo;re negotiating with Minnesota. There&rsquo;s reason to believe at least four other Canucks are also bargaining seriously with WHA clubs.Goaltender Dune Wilson, defensemen John Schella and Dennis Kearns and winger Ted Taylor have all been approached by the new league.Murray Costello, general manager of the Seattle Totems, the Canucks&rsquo; newest farm team, revealed won&rsquo;t he back after his contract expires June 30 &#9632;

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Canucks To Make Test Case Of Connelly’s Jumping

<div class="byline">BY GIL SMITH</div>MONTREAL&mdash;With the first shock waves of disappointment receding after their playoff elimination. Canaliens are taking a long, hard and&mdash;hopefully&mdash;realistic look at some of the problems confronting hem.One of the chief trouble spots his center ice, a position that for decades was one of the strongest the team.The retirement of Jean Beliveau created the first huge gap in the line, of course, and now with Peter Mahovlich reportedly considering a WHA offer and Larry Pleau already signed by a WHA club, the picture looks gloomy.Pete Mahovlich sputtered to a near-stop in the recent playoffs, and Canadiens wound up with people like Jim Roberts filling a center-ice slot. It&rsquo;s no rap against Roberts to say that he&rsquo;s not likely to be the answer to the problem.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll play anywhere Scotty Bowman wants me to play,&rdquo; said the willing Roberts, who has touched all bases except goal since coming back to Habs. But, Roberts is primarily a defensive specialist who is at his best at right wing.During the Rangers-Canadiens&rsquo; playoff series, Hab pivots were mainly outplayed by their opposite numbers on the New York team; notably Walt Tkaczuk and Bobby Rousseau.Ironically, Rousseau, a natural center, had to be used on the wing when he played for Montreal, because of the abundance of center-ice strength at that time.Another irony was the sight of the venerable Phil Goyette, a Hab castoff as far back as 1963, winning key faceoffs in clutch situations from present-day Canadiens centermen.Jacques Lemaire now seems to be about the only man on the team capable of putting the puck in the net while playing the pivot position, and he may wind up centering a first line on a permanent basis.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind where I play as long as I&rsquo;m on the ice for my regular shift,&rdquo; says Lemaire, who was Habs&rsquo; third-highest scorer during the regular season with 32 goals and 49 assists.&ldquo;Lemaire shoots the puck as hard as anyone I know,&rdquo; says Claude Ruel, the ex-coach turned scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s also a good skater, knows how to forecheck, and is able to anticipate the play.&rdquo;Up to now, Lemaire has been constantly shifted between center and left wing, but next season may find him lodged firmly in the pivot position. Henri Richard still moves the puck well and has experience.There are youngsters in the Hab system, notably Chuck Lefley, who&rsquo;ll probably be given an opportunity of cracking the lineup at center, as Canadiens strive to shore up some weaknesses. And, there is always the possibility of a trade that could bring a proven centerman into the Hab fold.HABBITS: The most disappointed figure on the Canadiens&rsquo; team after their elimination from playoffs, had to be Ken Dryden. The super goalie, who should get the MVP award for his work this season, had tears in his eyes after the final playoff game&hellip;Scotty Bowman was bitterly philosophical after defeat. &ldquo;Rangers were too much for us all year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And, it was the same story in the playoffs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01500/3092963-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="562" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body">LARRY PLEAU&hellip;One That Got Away</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02445/3092956-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="556" height="570"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACQUES LEMAIRE&hellip;Shifting Positions</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Pleau’s Defection Hon To WHA Worsens Center Problems

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;The goal that put the St. Louis Blues into the Stanley Cup semi-finals was symbolic.It was symbolic because it was scored by the 40th player to wear the St. Louis uniform this season, Kevin O&rsquo;Shea. In a season of constant change for the Blues the end result has not suffered because of the changes on the assembly line.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01504/3093001-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="266" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin O&rsquo;Shea</figcaption></div>Yes, Gary Sabourin scored the first goal in that 2-1 win over the Minnesota North Stars in the seventh game of the quarter-finals. And yes, Bob and Barc Plager were outstanding on defense. Those three have all been with the Blues since 1967. But, when the game entered sudden-death overtime, just one goal was needed, and it came from O&rsquo;Shea.Forty players in and out of the St. Louis lineup over the season is a staggering figure&mdash;literally enough for a complete turnover, two whole teams. O&rsquo;Shea became the 40th on March 2nd when he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. He suffered a knee injury in his first shift with the Blues and was out for nearly the entire final month of the regular sesaon. He played in the last two regular season games for a total of three games in a St., Louis uniform before the Minnesota series began.The 24-year-old O&rsquo;Shea scored one other goal in the series, the tieing goal in the fourth game when the Blues wiped out a 2-0 Minnesota lead and won, 3-2, on a goal by Barclay Plager. O&rsquo;Shea&rsquo;s shot completely fooled Minnesota goalie Cesare Maniago. O&rsquo;Shea took the puck from Bob Plager about 20 feet from the net, and Maniago apparently assumed O&rsquo;Shea would take a backhand shot and moved to the right. But O&rsquo;Shea turned nearly 180 degrees for a forehanded shot that was untouched by Maniago.The series-winning goal also came against Maniago and was a sizzling 35-foot slap shot. The shot bounced off the goalpost to the right of Maniago and was headed away from the net when it hit the tip of Maniago&rsquo;s stick and went over the goalline at 10: 07 of overtime.&ldquo;I heard it hit the post, but I didn&rsquo;t know it went in until I saw my brother, Danny, pointing his stick at the net,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Shea said, &ldquo;The light hadn&rsquo;t gone on because the judge didn&rsquo;t see the puck. It was caught in the netting.&rdquo;Maniago said, &ldquo;For a moment I must have been the only person in the building who knew it was in. There was a pause there before the light went on. But the puck was too far back in the net for me to sneak it out.&rdquo;And so, the Blues, who have never lost a seven-game playoff series, eliminated the North Stars for the third time in four playoff confrontations. As Maniago said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s getting to be a regular occurrence, almost something to look forward to every year-like stepping in front of a bus.&rdquo;A throng of about 5,000 persons awaited the Blues&rsquo; arrival at Lambert Field in St. Louis after the win over the North Stars. Some of them overlooked O&rsquo;Shea, not yet a familiar face at the St. Louis Arena.&ldquo;Coming to St. Louis was the greatest thing that ever happened to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And scoring the goal in overtime, well, I can&rsquo;t begin to explain it. This is the first time I&rsquo;ve ever been in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Winning the game and the series is the greatest thrill I&rsquo;ve had in hockey.&rdquo;St. Louis coach Al Arbour said of O&rsquo;Shea, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a young tough kid&mdash;the kind we&rsquo;re trying to build with in St. Louis.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02408/3092994-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="538" height="1482"><figcaption class="caption-body">AL ARBOUR&hellip;Building For Future (Hockey News Photo by Steve Goldstein)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0018-01

Blues’ Hero Kevin O’Shea 40th Performer On Squad

<div class="byline">BY JOHN PORTER</div>OAKLAND&mdash;There&rsquo;s good news for the California Golden Seals, who could use some after their last-month tailspin in the National Hockey League&rsquo;s West Division this season.&ldquo;I went out and had a little skate,&rdquo; said Tom Webster from his home in Niagara Falls, Ont. &ldquo;It felt really, really good.&rdquo;What felt so good was Tom&rsquo;s back which refused to bend much after the Detroit Red Wings traded him to California early in the season.The Wings also refused to bend when Seal owner Charles Finley asked for a rearrangement of the deal.So Webster, who scored three times in his five-game stint with the Seals, remained on California&rsquo;s roster.He was placed in traction for two weeks in an Oakland hospital, then returned home to Niagara Falls. On Jan. 6, Dr. David Hastings performed a bone graft operation on Webster&rsquo;s back in Toronto&rsquo;s Wellesly Hospital.&ldquo;What actually happened,&rdquo; said Webster, who was explaining his back problem, &ldquo;was a few vertebrae were out of alignement. The doctor had to go in with a bone graft to straighten everything out to keep the nerve from being pinched.&rdquo;Webster was released from the hospital two weeks later. He was encumbered with a back brace for two and a half months after that.Then he decided to lace on the skates &ldquo;just for five minutes&rdquo; to show some of the Niagara Falls juniors how to do a thing or two on the ice.Actually, he probably wanted to see how he could do.&ldquo;There shouldn&rsquo;t be any problem,&rdquo; reported the right winger who scored 30 goals and added 37 assists in his rookie year two seasons ago. &ldquo;My last checkup is May 1. Then I hope to start playing golf.&rdquo;&ldquo;Golf?&rdquo; he was asked.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m putting on a little beef,&rdquo; he admitted.&ldquo;That isn&rsquo;t good?&rdquo; he was asked.&ldquo;No, it&rsquo;s bad,&rdquo; he said.Webster said he hoped to have a contract talk with general manager Garry Young in the near future, but the first-year GM was tied up in negotiations with the team&rsquo;s owner in Chicago at the time.&ldquo;Just think what we could have done,&rdquo; said Young the day after the season ended, &ldquo;with a healthy Tom Webster in the lineup. Reggie Leach, Tom Webster and Gerry Pinder make us the best team on right wing in the league.&ldquo;And we have Norm Ferguson on right wing, too,&rdquo; he pointed out, &ldquo;so we could put Pinder on left wing. You know Gerry can really play that left wing as well as right.&rdquo;Webster managed to see the Seals play twice after his operation. Once California blew a two-goal lead in Detroit and the other time the Seals gave up a three-goal advantage in Buffalo.&ldquo;We should have won them both,&rdquo; he agreed. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a lack of experience and the bad start at the beginning of the season, but I see no reason why we can&rsquo;t make the playoffs next year.&ldquo;I know I want to play. My heart is in hockey. We&rsquo;ll just have to wait and see,&rdquo; he said<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01484/3093032-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="432" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM WEBSTER&hellip;He&rsquo;ll Wait And See</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0019-01

Tom Webster Confident He’ll Be Asset To Seals

<div class="byline">BY JACK DENNETT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01330/3093094-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="342" height="343"></div>TORONTO&mdash;The field of sport offers myriad attractions, and as time goes on, the list will increase; with the combination of new sports and more leisure time to enjoy them.My own career has been marked by the most pleasant of combinations. My basic job in broadcasting has been augmented by a close association with hockey and the people in it&hellip;and when a life&rsquo;s work can be tied in with one&rsquo;s favorite hobby or pastime&hellip;then that must be a recipe for a happy existence.I&rsquo;ve often tried to analyze the attachment I feel for hockey and I usually conclude that the companionship of those in the game and the philosophies they display are the major magnets. Even more than viewing the game itself.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02244/3093087-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="270" height="455"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jack Dennett</figcaption></div>Hockey presents a wide cross section of personalities, with a countless variety of characteristics, but, I for one, am a strong believer in the theory that contact sport&hellip;in which a large number of players constitute a team, breeds tolerance&hellip;loyalty, courage, and dispenses perhaps the two most important ingredients necessary in the transition from boy to man&hellip;discipline and self discipline.As a result, when a person&rsquo;s playing days are over and he becomes settled away, in what we call the &ldquo;hockey buff&rsquo;s fraternity&rdquo;&hellip;hockey players and those on the perimiter turn out to be as attractive a group as I&rsquo;ve ever known.I&rsquo;m often prompted to look back over more than 40 years with hockey and it&rsquo;s people&hellip;to determine just what influence it&rsquo;s had on my life&hellip;and I glow at the benefits and dividends it has provided. In no other channel of my existence have I been so pleasantly exposed to such delightful friends and associates. What would the average Canadian boy give to be able to list among his friends and colleagues, such names as Jean Beliveau, George Armstrong, Punch Imlach, Gordie Howe and dozens of others. I don&rsquo;t say this in a name dropping way, but to indicate that the giants of the field are no less humble than the most lowly fringe player hoping for a tryout.The contributions to one&rsquo;s life in a position such as mine, come without solicitation. The simple association leaves one with many things which later give him comfort and pride. I cannot think of a greater possession I&rsquo;ve gained since becoming part of radio&rsquo;s old Hot Stove league back in the mid forties and then over the years in television&hellip;than to spend hours with men such as Dick Irvin&hellip;Jack Adams&hellip;Frank Selke&hellip;Conn Smythe&hellip;Eddie Shore&hellip;Art Ross&hellip;learning of their pride. I suppose I sit in a spot where the perspective convinces me that all of these men really gave the game much more than the average fan will ever know.During a brief television interview in the Maritimes a few years back I was asked&hellip;&ldquo;what player or hockey personality stood out in my mind as the man who most commanded respect and affection from players, executives and fans?&rdquo; This naturally resulted in a long silence on the show because it&rsquo;s impossible to quickly go through the process of elimination to come up with a name bordering on omnipotence. In the end I said I felt Gentleman Joe Primeau would perhaps best fit that role because of his great humility, dignity&hellip;knowledge of the game&hellip;and his admirable temperament. Primeau&rsquo;s magnificent accomplishments, played a part in the choice as well, because he&rsquo;s the only to coach teams to the Memorial, Allan, and Stanley Cups and of course his own playing record has been recognized for more than 40 years.Primeau however is not alone, he&rsquo;s simply the spearhead to a wonderful crop of men, who&rsquo;s humor, friendliness, and downright decency make the game so inviting.I&rsquo;ve said a little more than I meant to when I started out, but when think of the countless hours of fun, companionship and sheer pleasure hockey has brought to my life, perhaps you 11 forgive the extra paragraphs I&rsquo;ve used to express my gratitude. &#9632;

f0020-01

HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA LA SOIREE DU HOCKEY

<div class="byline">BY DWAYNE NETLAND</div>TWIN CITIES&mdash;The bitter sting of defeat in a sudden-death showdown with the St. Louis Blues was still lingering in the headquarter of the Minnesota North Stars when general manager Wren Blair and coach Jack Gordon were already making plans for the 1972-73 National Hockey League season.St. Louis ousted the North Stars in the seventh game of their quarter-final playoff series on a goal by Kevin O&rsquo;Shea at 10: 07 of overtime that shocked 15,635 Minnesota loyalists into stunned silence.It was the third time in four Stanley Cup series with St. Louis that the North Stars had gone down, and the second time in which the Blues had put them out of business with an overtime goal in the deciding game.There is no question that the North Stars, the most veteran team in the NHL this season, will undergo several changes in personnel before the 1972 training camp.&ldquo;The fact that we lost to another expansion team, despite playing an almost perfect game, would dictate some change,&rdquo; explained Blair. &ldquo;There are several other reasons.&ldquo;We have an expansion draft coming up in June and I would hate to sit there and hear Long Island or Atlanta claiming this or that player from Minnesota. I like to think our players are too valuable to lose in that way.&ldquo;I feel that Buster Harvey and Fred Barret will come up from Cleveland to earn a spot on our roster next season. Dean Prentice has indicated that he will retire We aren&rsquo;t totally sure of our goalie situation.&ldquo;All these factors, plus being able to protect only 15 skaters on our total roster in the expansion draft, would seem to point to some changes in our hockey club.&rdquo;One of Blair&rsquo;s biggest problems is what to do with Charlie Burns, who will be 37 next February. Burns played magnificently in the St. Louis series. Blair would like to protect him, but he must also consider his age.&ldquo;Charlie is a tremendous influence on our hockey club,&rdquo; added the Minnesota general manager. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like nothing better than to keep him in the organization. But just how I can do it is the question.&rdquo;Burns has been rumored as a possible successor to Hal Laycoe as coach at Vancouver, if Laycoe, a capable man, is not held over by general manager Bud Poile. Burns was a playing coach under Poile with San Francisco in the Western Hockey League, and the two are close friends.&ldquo;I certainly have no quarrel with the way our veteran players performed during the season and during, the playoffs,&rdquo; Blair added. &ldquo;But in this business you always have to look ahead.&rdquo;Blair, Gordon and the North Star scouting staff scattered to observe the last two rounds of the Stanley Cup, together with playoff games in minor league and junior hockey. They&rsquo;ll convene at Lake Geneva, Wis., in mid-May to map final preparations for the NHL draft meettingsNORTH STAR NOTES:&mdash;The Minnesota season terminated abruptly when a 30-foot shot by Kevin O&rsquo;Shea struck the goal post, bounced off Cesare Maniago&rsquo;s stick and back in over the goal line. The North Stars had a number of opportunities to win it earlier, but were the wanted by the superb goaltending of Jacques Caron&hellip;One of the first calls Blair received after the game was from old friend Harry Sinden, the former Boston coach who had watched it on television. &ldquo;A tough way to lose,&rdquo; Sinden said, and Blair admitted he couldn&rsquo;t remember any loss that hurt him more&hellip;With all credit due to a game and courageous St. Louis team, the North Stars were badly crippled during the series. Defensemen Doug Mohns and Dennis O&rsquo;Brien missed a total of seven games with injuries and Gump Worsley was kayoed 14:00 of the first period in the sixth game when he was crashed by Bob Plager into the goal posts&hellip; &#9632;

North Stars Planning Some New Faces In Lineup

<div class="byline">BY JOHN ARNOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01189/3093125-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="831" height="1110"></div><h2>SOLUTION IN JUNE ISSUE</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;1962-63 Calder Trophy winner.7&mdash;Former Lady Byng Trophy winner.9&mdash;NHL city.10&mdash;1st and 15th letters of the alphabet.11&mdash;Gerry Cheevers registered one in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. Abbr.)12&mdash;Patrick answers to this.13&mdash;Buffalo farmhand (init.)14&mdash;Period of time.16&mdash;A Ranger veteran.17&mdash;One of the Hoekstras.18&mdash;Native country of Larry Pleau.19&mdash;One of the Hawks answers to this.20&mdash;Former AHL forward Glover.22&mdash;Initials of Terbenche.23&mdash;A Ranger left winger.26&mdash;An NHL captain.28&mdash;15th and 5th letters of the alphabet.29&mdash;A Buffalo defenseman.32&mdash;Ex-Ranger O&rsquo;Connor.33&mdash;Number worn by Bert Marshall.<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;Pictured player.2&mdash;Former NHL forward now coach of Columbus in IHL.3&mdash;First name of one of the Red Wings.4&mdash;1st and 9th letters of the alphabet.5&mdash;Initials of one of the Kings.6&mdash;An NHL referee.8&mdash;Shared Vezina Trophy this year.12&mdash;Former Montreal center.15&mdash;Initials of a Toronto right winger.16&mdash;A Penguin defenseman.21&mdash;One of the Bruins.24&mdash;An NHL general manager.25&mdash;This division has always won the Stanley Cup.27&mdash;1966-67 Conn Smythe Trophy winner.30&mdash;Number worn by 21 Down (Rom. Numb).31&mdash;Compass point.32&mdash;Seattle forward Ellett.<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1&mdash;ULLMAN.6&mdash;B.H.7&mdash;IRVINE.8&mdash;E.N.9&mdash;R.E.11&mdash;ANDY12&mdash;EYES.13&mdash;N.T.14&mdash;USE.15&mdash;H.Y.16&mdash;NOV.17&mdash;A.A.18&mdash;N.A.19&mdash;CROZIER.23&mdash;P.S.24&mdash;N.A.26&mdash;EEL27&mdash;CRISP.30&mdash;ROCH.31&mdash;A.H.L.<h3>DOWN</h3>1&mdash;UDVARI.2&mdash;LINDSAY.3&mdash;M.R.4&mdash;AVE.5&mdash;NINE.6&mdash;BERENSON.10&mdash;ESTEVAN.14&mdash;U.N.15&mdash;HARPER.17&mdash;A.C.20&mdash;OSLO.21&mdash;INCH.22&mdash;EAR.25&mdash;ASH28&mdash;I.A.29 P.L. &#9632;

f0021-01

HOCKEY CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Jiggs McDonald, who has been the play-by-play man on radio and TV for the Los Angeles Kings since they were formed five years ago, has submitted his resignation to owner Jack Kent Cooke.It was reported here late in the season that he was unsure of his future with the Kings. He is young and an outstanding hockey announcer and he may get the play-by-play job with the new Atlanta NHL entry.Dan Avey, a fine color man who made a distinctive duo with Jiggs, is a possibility for the play-by-play spot.McDonald thus makes the first departure from the Kings this summer. It is not clear if he will be the last. Cooke currently is concerned with the fate of his successful franchise, the Lakers, and as is the case annually here, there is little action on the hockey front until the NBA playoffs conclude locally.Let&rsquo;s review the leadership situation:Larry Regan has been the team&rsquo;s only general manager and remains in that capacity, but the team has missed the playoffs three seasons in a row now and any assessment of his job comes down to how much he is to be held responsible for the coaching changes, trades and so forth which have taken place during the club&rsquo;s slide into the cellar.Red Kelly coached the team to second and fourth places and into the playoffs the first two seasons before he was dismissed. He has since coached Pittsburgh into the playoffs two years out of three. His two-season record in L.A. was 55-75-20, a winning percentage of .423.Hal Laycoe coached the first 25 games of the third season to a 518-2 mark and .217 percentage before he was replaced by Johnny Wilson for the last 51 games and a 9-34-8 mark and .209 percentage. The team landed in last place. Since then, Laycoe has been struggling in Vancouver, missing playoffs, while Wilson just missed the playoffs in Detroit this season.Regan took over the coaching reins last season and went 25-4013 for a .385 percentage, lifting the club to a tie for fifth place, but was replaced after going 2-71 the first 10 games this season, giving him a .364 percentage for his &ldquo;two&rdquo; seasons. Fred Glover took over and went 18-42-8 for a .300 percentage, as the club sank into seventh and last place.Some of the players are &ldquo;for&rdquo; Glover and some are &ldquo;against&rdquo; him. Possibly, some of their feelings should not be taken seriously. Losing teams always have players who blame the coaches for their problems.Meanwhile, Glover does not know what his fate will be. Sadly, there is little in the local newspapers about the fates of hockey&rsquo;s leaders here and few complain about it. It is not a matter of great concern in Southern California as it would be in Toronto or Philadelphia. &#9632;

Kings’ TV Man First To Go With More Changes Expected

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<h2>AHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Semi-Finals</h3>SERIES &lsquo;E&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02146/3093215-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="610" height="110"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. April 17Nova Scotia 4 at Boston 1Sat. April 22Nova Scotia 2 at Boston 0<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Mon. April 24Boston at Nova ScotiaWed April 26Boston at Nova ScotiaFri. April 28Nova Scotia at Boston (if necessary)Sat. April. 29Boston at Nova Scotia (if necessary)Mon. May 1Nova Scotia at Boston (if necessary)SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03123/3093208-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="606" height="108"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Too. April 18Cincinnati 4 at Baltimore 7Wed. April 19Cincinnati 3 at Baltimore 4Fri. April 21Baltimore 2 at Cincinnati 3Sun. April 23Baltimore 1 at Cincinnati 4<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Fri. April 28Cincinnati at BaltimoreSat. April 29Baltimore at CincinnatiSun. April 30Cincinnati at Baltimore (if necessary)<h3>Quarter-Finals</h3>SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04101/3093201-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="591" height="102"></div>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0590/3093194-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="587" height="100"></div>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0668/3093187-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="592" height="103"></div>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0760/3093180-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="601" height="107"></div> &#9632;

f0022-02

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY BOB ELMER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01209/3093260-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="560" height="448"><figcaption class="caption-body">MICHEL PLASSE&hellip;Hot For Vees</figcaption></div>BALTIMORE&mdash;The Baltimore Clippers jumped the Cincinnati Swords winning the first two games of their semi-final Calder Cup series before the young Swords got a slice of the action and won the next two to deadlock the best-of-seven series at 2-2.The winner was to meet the survivor of the hotly-contested other semi-final between Nova Scotia Voyageurs and Boston Braves. It appeared the Vees had one foot inside the door by capturing the first two games of the best-of-seven series on Boston ice, 4-1 and 2-0, behind the brilliant goalkeeping of Michel Plasse, who stopped 39 shots in recording his playoff shutout over the front-running Braves.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0852/3093253-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="268" height="456"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Shaw</figcaption></div>The Clippers had a hot goaler of their own in the person of Jim Shaw.For a guy who didn&rsquo;t want to be a hockey goalie, the Clippers&rsquo; taciturn rookie Shaw, otherwise known as &ldquo;Mr. Cool&rdquo; is making himself known to more than a few hockey buffs.The personable 26-year-old netminder from Saskatoon is enjoying his finest hour as goaltender for the Clippers as he steered Coach Terry Reardon&rsquo;s Clippers through the quarter-final series against the Cleveland Barons by playing every minute of the six game set and out-duelling Cleveland&rsquo;s Fem Rivard and Gilles Gilbert, four games to two. He permitted but 12 goals including one shutout, and posted a gaudy 2.03 average.As a goaltender, the 6 foot, 180 pound skater, tended the nets for his college team, and in his junior year stepped into the faster Junior A competition with the Saskatoon Blades, followed by two seasons with the Senior A Saskatoon Quakers. From there Shaw moved to the Fort Wayne Komets of the International League where for the 1968-69 campaign he posted a 3.36 average in 57 outings.Shaw turned pro with the Portland Buckaroos who still own his contract, and loaned him to the Chicago Black Hawks for their Dallas club in the Central League last winter. He had a 3.23 goals against average, led the league in shutouts with four and was named to the league&rsquo;s second All Star team.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0947/3093246-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="1198" height="858"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Baltimore Clippers have their own &lsquo;French Connection&rsquo;. HOWIE MENARD, left, JOHN FRENCH and BOBBY RIVARD, right, turned in a fabulous 19-point night during the Calder Cup playoffs. They scored nine goals and had 10 assists in one game as the Clippers overpowered Cleveland 10-1. Menard with three goals and four assists set an AHL record. French had four goals.</figcaption></div>Despite these promising credentials, few here in the East knew much about him. He got off to a bad start early this year with Portland, and when the Bucks reacquired Jim McLeod to work again with Dave Kelly, Shaw became expendable with a not so-nifty won 1 and lost 9 record.&ldquo;When Garry Young asked me if I was interested in him,&rdquo; Clipper coach Reardon recalled, &ldquo;I really wasn&rsquo;t overly enthusiastic. However, we seemed to be having some goalie problems when California recalled Gary Kurt, so I told Young to send the kid along. I have to say that I made a very lucky decision.&rdquo;Shaw readily admits that he became excess baggage with Portland due to his poor play at the beginning of the season.&ldquo;I was using 34 inch goalie pads there, and when I got to Baltimore, Gumpy (trainer Ray Embro) had a pair of 32 inch pads which I liked much better and they felt lighter and I found I could move around much better,&rdquo; Shaw explained. &ldquo;Of course, Mr. Reardon thought I was a little daft, but I still think the equipment has made a difference plus, of course, playing regularly.&rdquo;On the ice, Shaw is the epitome of calm reserve. And, strangely, he&rsquo;s the same off the ice. Nothing seems to fluster him very much, even when his one year old daughter starts wandering off toward the escalator here in the Civic Center. &#9632;

f0022-01

Clippers Pin Hopes On Shaw

<div class="byline">BY GREG FARLEY</div>BOSTON&mdash;&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t count us out yet,&rdquo; advised Braves&rsquo; coach Bep Guidolin, prior to his team&rsquo;s departure to Halifax, for games three and four of their semi-final series with the Voyageurs.&ldquo;We proved that we can win on their ice during the regular season and there&rsquo;s no reason we can&rsquo;t continue to in the playoffs.&rdquo;The Braves were put into the position of having to take at least one game on Nova Scotia ice after the Voyageurs outclassed the locals in game one last week at the Garden, 4-1 and 2-0 in game two. Also in Boston.Braves&rsquo; defenseman Paul Hurley, who has emerged as one of the team&rsquo;s outstanding blueline performers, assessed the predicament this way:&ldquo;We put ourselves on the spot by coming up flat for the opener, and it&rsquo;s up to us to rectify the situation. We realized the importance of winning the first game, but it was just a lousy effort on our part, that&rsquo;s all.&ldquo;Give them credit, though. They skated, checked and passed well all night and they deserved to beat us. It might have been their best game against us all year.&rdquo;Vees&rsquo; mentor Al MacNeil concurred with Hurley.&ldquo;It was one of our better showings against the Braves alright, but it was still only one game. They&rsquo;re a fine team, and they&rsquo;re especially tough on their own ice. We were sky-high for that game though, because we knew we had to win at least once on their ice to stand a chance of winning the series.&rdquo;The cagey MacNeil, leery of stirring up any war cries in the Braves&rsquo; camp, politely declined to make any forecast on the series.&ldquo;The first team to win four games can count itself in,&rdquo; conceded Al. &ldquo;When this thing began, most people figured it would go the full seven games, and I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if it did. We&rsquo;re just going to play as well as we can in each contest, and hope for the breaks.&rdquo;There seemed to be little doubt on either side that the series would remain a physical one.Noel Price, Voyageurs&rsquo; hard rock defenseman, felt that the heavy hitting in game one set the tempo for the entire series.&ldquo;It figured to be a rough series anyway,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re both big teams, and there are a lot of guys on both sides who like to mix it up.&ldquo;And there&rsquo;s a natural rivalry between us too. I suppose it stems from that old Boston Montreal feud. We both feel we&rsquo;ve got the best team in the league, and each of us is out to prove it.&rdquo;Rich Leduc, the hot-tempered high-scoring gift to the Braves via the Cleveland Barons, voiced a similar opinion.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great series from the fans point of view. Lots of hitting, and plenty of great hockey. We always play hard against the Voyageurs, and they give their best effort against us.&ldquo;I suppose they&rsquo;re still pretty unhappy about us winning those two games on their ice at the end of the season, and edging them out of first place.&ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve got just as much incentive to prove to them that it wasn&rsquo;t a fluke. Yes, this series means a lot to both of us, and it&rsquo;s not going to be an easy one for either team.&rdquo;Any arguments? &#9632;

“Don’t Count Us Out Yet,” Says Braves’ Coach Guidolin

<div class="byline">BY JOE MINSTER</div>CINCINNATI&mdash;The amazing saga of the youthful Cincinnati Swords continues to be the talk of the American Hockey League.Mired in fifth place in the AHL&rsquo;s Western Division when Floyd Smith took over the coaching reins from Joe Crozier, the Swords climbed towards the top slowly but surely, until they shared first with Baltimore.A 4-3 loss in Baltimore and 3-3 deadlock in Rochester in the final two regular-season contests after Cincinnati held 3-0 leads in both games, relegated the Swords to third place, just one point away from the leaders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01198/3093374-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="518" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body">BUTCH DEADMARSH&hellip;Top Sword Scorer</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02142/3093367-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="553" height="575"><figcaption class="caption-body">TERRY BALL&hellip;Solid On Blueline</figcaption></div>Baltimore and Hershey shared first with 79 points apiece, with the Clippers awarded the No. 1 spot on the basis of more victories than the Bears. Cincinnati was a scant point back in third place.Maintaining their heads-up style of play in the quarter-final round of the Calder Cup playoffs, the Swords disposed of a favored Hershey club in four straight games to move into the semi-final round against the Baltimore Clippers.Cincinnati nosed out Hershey, 5-4, in an overtime opener and followed up with a 5-2 conquest of the Bears, with both games played on the losers&rsquo; ice. Moving to Buffalo for the third game (Cincinnati Gardens was unavailable because of the Shrine Circus), the Swords powered their way to a 7-2 victory before wrapping up the sweep with a 3-1 win before a noisy home crowd of almost 7,000 in the Gardens.What made the performance of Coach Smith&rsquo;s skaters all the more impressive was the fact that they had not been able to win a single decision from Hershey all year, losing four times and tying four other games.Smith was lavish in his praise of his team, pointing out that it lost twice in its last 14 AHL outings, to Springfield and Baltimore.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a team effort all the way,&rdquo; he emphasized. &ldquo;Our goaltending has been excellent, with Rocky Farr and Ray Reeson, who have both come up with the big save when we needed it most. During one late surge, Farr went unbeaten in 10 straight starts, which was quite a feat, especially when it came when the Swords were under extreme pressure.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to single out any partilcular players, since they all have contributed, but it&rsquo;s certainly safe to say that we tightened up our defense quite a bit and also scored the goals when we had to in that late-season streak.&rdquo;The &ldquo;Shifty Line,&rdquo; which bad Tom Miller centering for Paul Andrea and Jim Nichols, was the all-purpose combo for the streaking Swords. Not only did it score its share of goals, but Miller and Andrea became one of the most adept penalty-killing duos in the AHL. And Andrea was also used on the left point on the power play.Defenseman Terry Ball, voted to the first All Star team in the AHL, blossomed as the loop&rsquo;s top-scoring defenseman, with 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points.And the veteran Keke Mortson, team captain, also enjoyed a fine campaign and emerged as one of the &ldquo;iron men&rdquo; of the Swords by appearing in all 76 games. Doug Rombough was the only other skater to play in all regular-season battles.Mortson trailed only Andrea in the Cincinnati scoring column, as Andrea lit the red light 14 times and chipped in with 58 assists for his 72-point aggregate in 69 contests.Butch Deadmarsh, who, along with Ball, did a stint with the parent Buffalo Sabres of the National League, led all Sword goal-getters with 34, including five game-winners. Deadmarsh wound up third in scoring among the Swords with 61 points to 72 for Andrea and 67 for Mortson. Ball fourth with his total of 56.Other 20-goal men for Cincinnati were John Gould, with 26, Nichol with 25, and Rombough, with 22.Two late-season additions did much to strengthen the Swords in a hectic finish which saw Coach Smith&rsquo;s club play nine games in an 11-day period. They were lanky defenseman Ray McKay, sent down by Buffalo, and winger Jake Rathwell, who finally arrived after being sidelined by a back injury. McKay was paired with Ball on defense, while Rathwell handled a wing position on a line with Deadmarsh and either Mortson or Rod Zaine, another standout during the stretch drive.Asked about Cincinnati&rsquo;s playoff chances prior to the start of the Hershey series, Smith unhesitatingly affrimed that &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll be tough. The boys are playing real well and right now feel that they can beat any team in this league.&rdquo; The coach proved to be quite a prophet, in view of the way his team handled a talented, but injury-riddled, Hershey outfit in opening Calder Cup play. &#9632;

f0024-01

Young Swords Talk Of Calder Cup Play

<div class="byline">BY JOHN TRAVERS</div>HERSHEY&mdash;Even general manager-coach Frank Mathers cannot predict what the future holds in store for the Hershey Bears.However, of one thing he is certain. He will return next season in his present dual role. Mathers, Hershey&rsquo;s successful coach in a 16-year reign, dispelled all rumors of his being promoted within the Hershey organization.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01165/3093412-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="270" height="482"><figcaption class="caption-body">Frank Mathers</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard about them, too,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to it. I will be back as coach&rdquo;.In fact, Mathers is making plans to scout the Memorial Cup junior finals in Ottawa for a first hand evaluation of Canada&rsquo;s top young skaters.The Bears parent National League team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, receive two junior choices on the second round of the player draft in June at Montreal.Since it&rsquo;s very possible the two selected could wind up with Hershey, Mathers wants a long hard look at the lot during the playoffs.As for player personnel for next season. Mathers says it depends on a number of factors, namely, the draft. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s decision on which players from this year&rsquo;s team will be promoted to the big club, what transpires with the new World Hockey Association trades and any retirements.Captain and center Mike Nykoluk has retired after a 14-year stay with the Bears. There could be others.Of this year&rsquo;s 20-man squad, Hershey owned seven, including Nykoluk. The others were defensemen Ralph Keller, 36, and Bob Barber, 28; forwards Gil Gilbert, 31, Ted Snell, 25, and Jean Gratton 22, and goalie Andre Gill 30. Gratton was the club&rsquo;s leading goal sniper with 30, while Gilbert paced the team in scoring with 71 points.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if Gratton is drafted by one of the two new National League teams, Atlanta or Long Island,&rdquo; said Mathers. &ldquo;Gill was drafted by Dayton of the WHA, which moved its club to Houston. I don&rsquo;t know what Andy has planned. I haven&rsquo;t any idea if anyone else is retiring.&rdquo;Gratton also was drafted by the WHA&rsquo;s Winnipeg franchise.&ldquo;I would be very much surprised if the WHA gets off the ground,&rdquo; added Mathers. &ldquo;I think they are five years too late.&rdquo;Among the Pittsburgh-owned players, defensemen Joe Noris and Jean-Guy Lagace probably will get a crack at making the Penguins.&ldquo;We need another right-hand shot on defense,&rdquo; said Penguins&rsquo; general manager Jack Riley. Both Norisand Lagace fill that order.Noris also surprised the Penguins brass with his versatility when pessed into service as a center for the last 14 games because of injury to Nykoluk. Wally Boyer and Rick Kessell.&ldquo;Kessell and John Stewart may get a chance with Pittsburgh, too,&rdquo; said Mathers. Kessell was the club&rsquo;s top scorer before being sidelined after 54 games with a shoulder separation.Riley said he felt some of the farmhands at Hershey &ldquo;showed real promise&rdquo; while others &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t come up to expectations.&rdquo;Also the make-up of next fall&rsquo;s Hershey squad will depend on any trades Pittsbugh makes in the off-season.Only recently all the Pitsburgh scouts assembled to evaluate every player amateur and pro, owned by the Penguins.Pittsburgh, with only rookie Jim Rutherford and Les Binkley, a 36-year-old veteran, as goaltenders, is expected to try and secure another netminder in the draft.Mathers isn&rsquo;t harboring any high hopes for Hershey&rsquo;s draft since each National League team can protect 37 players.&ldquo;The pickings will be slim by then,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but there&rsquo;s still the opportunity of making trades. I feel our team will be much younger next year, though this year&rsquo;s club was a young one. We might onot have very many players over 26 years of age&rdquo;.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0380/3093405-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="548" height="588"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEAN GUY LAGACE&hellip;To Get NHL Chance</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0025-01

Bears Eye Penguins’ High Draft Picks

<div class="byline">BY GEORGE DUFFY</div>PROVIDENCE&mdash;The 46th consecutive season of pro hockey came to an end for the R.I. Reds last weekend at Boston Garden as the Braves edged the Reds 3-2 the windup game of a best-of-seven series.With that verdict, gained on a disputed goal by Neil Murphy, the Braves took the series, 4-1, and advanced to the semi-finals against Nova Scotia.For the members of the Reds, it wound up the campaign for 1971-72 and set the players to packing for the return trip to homes in the various parts of Canada.For three members of the Reds&mdash;Steve Andrascik, Marcel Paille and Bert Wilson&mdash;the season is going to last a little while longer. Emile Francis, general manager and coach of the New York Rangers, has directed the trio report to New York to be on hand as Stanley Cup playoff standbys.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02110/3093443-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="278" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Speer</figcaption></div>The Reds held a breakup dinner with owner George Sage hosted the gathering. One of the highlights was voting by team members for the George Army Memorial Award. This award goes annually to the player who exhibits the best type of sportsmanship combined with maximum effort. Paille won the first Army award in &lsquo;68-&rsquo;69 followed by Bobby Leduc and Joe Szura. Don Blackburn, the AHL&rsquo;s leading scorer this season, was this year&rsquo;s winner. The award is named in honor of George Army, a trainer with the Reds for over 35 years.Morris Stefaniw, noted for his penalty killing and defensive ability all season, was the leading scorer for the Reds in the Calder Cup playoffs. In five games, he had three goals and three assists for six points. Brian Perry with five points and Neil Nicholson, Billy Speer and Blackburn had four points each.Speer, sold to Providence by Boston early in the 1971-72 season, was the outstanding defenseman in the Reds-Braves series. His hard checking was the talk of major league scouts who saw the games and Bill&rsquo;s chances of getting another crack at a NHL job are extremely good.Sage, having completed three years as owner of the Reds, will shortly begin plans for a new season with the Reds playing at the downtown Providence Civic Center. &#9632;

f0025-02

Speer’s Hard Checking Impressed NHL Scouts

LOUISVILLE SLOGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLOGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<h2>WHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Final</h3>(Best-of-seven series)Wed. April 26Portland at DenverFri. April 28Portland at DenverSat. April 29Denver at PortlandSun. April 30Denver at PortlandWed. May 3Portland at Denver (if necessary)Fri. May 5Denver at Portland (if, necessary)Sat. May 6Portland at Denver (if necessary)<h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01172/3093481-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="592" height="109"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Thurs. April 13Denver 2 at San Diego 0Sat. April 15Denver 4 at San Diego 2Tue. April 18San Diego 3 at Denver 4Wed. April 19San Diego 1 at Denver 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02124/3093474-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="593" height="116"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 12Phoenix 1 at Portland 3Fri. April 14Portland 5 at Phoenix 6Sat. April 15Portland 3 at Phoenix 5Wed. April 19Phoenix 3 at Portland 4Fri. April 21Portland 3 at Phoenix 2Sat. April 22Phoenix 2 at Portland 6 &#9632;

f0026-01

WESTERN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>PORTLAND&mdash;The Portland Buckaroos spotted the Phoenix Roadrunners a 2-1 series lead and then roared back to score three straight victories&mdash;two of them on home ice&mdash;to wrap up their semi-final series and advance to the Western Hockey League finals against the Denver Spurs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0399/3093519-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="266" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ted McCaskill</figcaption></div>The Bucks took the best-of-seven series 4-2 in games winning 4-3, 3-2 and 6-2 in succession after the Runners had broken on top in the series with a two-games-to-one lead.By virtue of their win, the Buckaroos get another chance to defend the Patrick Cup they won last season by facing up to the powerful and undoubtedly favorite Denver Spurs. The Spurs hardly worked up a sweat in disposing of San Diego Gulls in four straight in the other WHL semi-final series.The Buckaroos won the series opener 3-1 and the fourth game, 4-3 at Portland.The Runners&rsquo; rookie standout, Bob Whitlock, scored the game opener on a power play, was injured early in the third period and missed the next two games.Mike Donaldson, Cliff Schmautz and Bill Saunders scored the comeback goals for Portland.The second game saw the Buckaroos lose their fifth straight overtime playoff game when Wayne Hicks scored at 3:01 of, the first extra period to give the Roadrunners a 6-5 decision on. Phoenix ice.The Buckaroos have not won in. Phoenix this season.The overtime game was a wild affair in which Phoenix team captain Ted McCaskill was ejected by referee Alf Lejeune with a match penalty.McCaskill&rsquo;s two-handed stick swing over Portland defenseman Connie Madigan&rsquo;s head was interpreted as a &ldquo;deliberate attempt to injure&rdquo; by Lejeune.The Buckaroos, who had a power play goal scored on an earlier McCaskill penalty, added two more before the Runners had skated off the match penalty and came out of the opening period with a 4-2 lead.Cliff Schmautz, Ken Campbell and Barry Long scored the Portland power play goals with Andy Hebenton furnishing the game opener. After Larry Lund and Campbell exchanged second period goals, John Gofton and Frank Hughes clicked in the third period to send the game into overtime.The extra period win was the Runners&rsquo; third straight in overtime play. They took two from Denver in last season&rsquo;s semi-finals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0475/3093512-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="560" height="553"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE HICKS&hellip;Scored Game Winner</figcaption></div>Lejeune was jumped by a fan as he made his way to the dressing room at the end of the first period. The fan was ejected and another escaped security guards after leaning over the screen in the second period to punch Lejeune on the side of the head.Andy Hellemond refereed the uneventful third game in which the fans hung Lejeune in effigy.Frank Hughes and Larry Lund broke open a 3-3 tie with late third period goals for the 5-3 victory. Wayne Hicks, Bob Liddington and Ted McCaskill scored earlier for Phoenix. &#9632;

f0026-03

Portland Subdues Phoenix In Six Games To Win Cup Final Berth Against Denver

DENVER&mdash;The Denver Spurs turned bad luck into a sweep of their best of-seven Western Hockey League Patrick Cup semi-finals.Shut out of their own building for the first two games, even though they earned the opening dates by virtue of their first place finish, they went into San Diego and swept the pair 2-0 and 4-2.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0561/3093550-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="266" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Fran Huck</figcaption></div>The Spurs moved back to Denver where they wrapped up the series with 4-3 and 3-1 victories. The wins were the 30th and 31st on home ice for Denver this season&mdash;a record for the WHL.Peter McDuffe provided shutout goaltending in the opening 2-0 victory and part way through the second period of the next game.Fran Huck and Ron Buchanan did the Denver scoring in the opener. Huck&rsquo;s was the game winner.Bob McCord scored the winning goal in the second and added the clincher. Gary Veneruzzo scored once and set up two, including one by Claude Laforge.Earl Heiskala and Bob Courcy, with second period goals 24 seconds apart, finally ended San Diego&rsquo;s scoring frustration against McDuffe.In game three, Huck contributed two more goals as the Spurs continued to pull away from the Gulls. &#9632;

f0026-05

Denver Sweeps Gulls Out Of WHL Playoffs

PHOENIX&mdash;The 1972 winner of the Western Hockey League rookie award is Bob Whitlock of the Phoenix Roadrunners. Whitlock is the second Phoenix player to receive the award. Walt McKechnie, now with the California Golden Seals of the NHL. also a centerman, won the award in 1968.The 22-year-old native of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, has had previous professional experience with National Hockey League development clubs at Cleveland of the AHL and Iowa of the CHL, and his record shows one game with Minnesota of the NHL. To be eligible for the WHL rookie rule, a player must not have played more than 30 games of professional hockey outside of a development club in the CHL or AHL, and shall not have attained his 24th birthday prior to December 31, 1971.During the 1971-72 season, Whitlock played 65 games for the Roadrunners, scoring 33 goals, 46 assists for 79 points.Four players dominated the voting. Following Whitlock (300 votes) were: Bob Johnson, Denver (215 votes); Barry Long, Portland (179 votes) and Orest Kindrachuk, San Diego (145 votes). &#9632;

Whitlock Top Rookie In WHL

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>SEATTLE&mdash;Goaltender Don Caley was stunned. Leftwinger Andre Hinse didn&rsquo;t believe it.Along with their Phoenix Roadrunner teammate, Sandy Hucul, a defenseman, they made up half of the 1971-72 Western Hockey League&rsquo;s first All Star team.&ldquo;I must have been the only goaltender with enough games played to qualify,&rdquo; was Caley&rsquo;s response to the news of his selection. Undoubtedly the honor, which is accompanied by $400 and a trophy, will do wonders for the 26-year-old netminder&rsquo;s confidence.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01156/3093619-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="261" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McCord</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I was thinking more of the second team,&rdquo; admitted Hinse, aware that his season&rsquo;s production was well off that of last year.The teams are selected on an all-opponent balloting by the players with five points awarded for a first team selection, three for second and one for third.Defenseman Bob McCord and rightwinger Gary Veneruzzo of the Coleman E. Hall Cup winning Denver Spurs and center Art Jones of the third place finishing Portland Buckaroos completed the first team.Jones&rsquo; selection was his fourth, Hucul&rsquo;s his third and Hinse&rsquo;s his second in succession. Caley, McCord and Veneruzzo are all first time picks.Hinse topped the vote-getting with 338 votes. Jones had 328.The closest competition was between Caley and Salt Lake City&rsquo;s Wayne Rutledge with Caley winning by a three vote margin, 239-236.Hinse, 27, was tied for runnerup in last year&rsquo;s scoring race with 93 points, including 44 goals. This season, hampered by injuries and off to a slow start, he tied for ninth with 76 points, including 33 goals.Portland leftwinger Bill Saunders, whose 302 votes led the second team balloting; scored four more goals and seven more points.Hinse is recognized as a stronger two-way performer.Caley&rsquo;s goals against average, 3.19, was second among regular netminders to Denver rookie Bob Johnson, who posted a 2.83 mark. Rutledge was well back in the pack with a 3.51 mark in 60 games for a fifth place team.Johnson was the third All-Star choice with 168 votes.The Phoenix team gave Rutledge 77 of a possible 85 votes and the Salt Lake club gave Caley 71 of a possible 85.Hucul, McCord and Jones bring plenty of experience to the All-Star squad. Hucul and McCord are 38 and Jones 37.Hucul has hinted strongly at retirement this season and is on the lookout for a coaching job. He&rsquo;s been plagued with injuries ever since winning the Hal Laycoe Award as the league&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman in 1967-68, although he only missed three games this season, due to a pinched nerve in his neck.The Roadrunner Booster Club honored Hucul on the final home night of the 1971-72 schedule with a &ldquo;night&rdquo; and showered him with about $8,000 in gifts, including a new Ford LTD.McCord anchored a Denver defense which allowed only 209 goals in a 72-game schedule. The runnerup Roadrunners were also second in fewest goals against, with 235.The 6-1, 205-pound defenseman, nicknamed &ldquo;Big Maw&rdquo;, is the Denver team captain.Jones, the helmeted redhead who kills penalties, plays on the power play and takes a regular shift, won an unprecedented fifth consecutive scoring championship this season.His 124 points, which included 38 goals, fell three short of the league record he established two years ago.Veneruzzo, the sturdy speedster who led the WHL in goals with 41, was the third overall votegetter with 338 and had a 100-point margin over second team selection, Cliff Schmautz of Portland. Schmautz was second in goal scoring with 40.Veneruzzo was fourth in the points race with 86, the finest season in the career of the 28-year-old. His previous high was 78 points, including 38 goals for Kansas City in 1968-69.Fran Huck of Denver beat out Phoenix&rsquo;s Larry Lund for the second team berth, 273 votes to 159.Lund, slowed in the final half of the season by a lung disease, Valley Fever, was runnerup in the scoring race to Jones with 96 points and Huck was third, but Huck won recognition for his allround contribution. He killed penalties and played on the power play.The fleet, 5-foot-7 center from Denver, tied the WHL consecutive point scoring record with 23 games at mid-season but it was later broken by Jones.Portland&rsquo;s Connie Madigan, who started the season with a 30-day suspension for striking referee Dave Newell in last season&rsquo;s playoffs, and Denver&rsquo;s Ray Larose, who required knee surgery for ligaments torn in the final week of the schedule, were the second team defense selections.Salt Lake&rsquo;s Paul Terbenche and Gord Kannegiesser of Denver were the third team picks, in front of Johnson in goal. Lund, his teammate Frank Hughes and Salt Lake&rsquo;s Reg Fleming make up the forward line.Fleming, who had opponents listening for footsteps, scored 20 goals for the first time in his pro career. His previous high was 19 for the Kingston Frontenacs in the Eastern Pro Hockey League in 1959-60.Hughes, a late arrival in Phoenix this season, scored 34 goals and 62 points in just 53 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02119/3093612-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="542" height="542"><figcaption class="caption-body">ART JONES</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0390/3093605-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="1146" height="1618"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON CALEY&hellip;Surprised By All Star Pick</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-01

Caley All Star Netminder, Jones Named For 4th Time

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0483/3093650-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg"></div>Honorable Mention (Third team): Bob Johnson, Denver, Goal; Paul Terbenche, Salt Lake, and Gord Kannegiesser, Denver, defense; Larry Lund, Phoenix, center: Frank Hughes, Phoenix, right wing; Reg Fleming, left wing. &#9632;

f0027-04

WHL All Star Teams

<h2>Wed. April 12 PHOENIX 1 at PORTLAND 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0569/3093716-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="578" height="472"></div><h2>Thur. April 13 DENVER 2 at SAN DIEGO 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0660/3093709-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="594" height="516"></div><h2>Fri. April 14 PORTLAND 5 at PHOENIX 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0753/3093702-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="583" height="1055"></div><h2>Sat. April IS PORTLAND 3 at PHOENIX 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0849/3093695-1-eng-US/f0027-082.jpg" title="f0027-08" width="597" height="799"></div><h2>DENVER 4 at SAN DIEGO 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0948/3093688-1-eng-US/f0027-092.jpg" title="f0027-09" width="595" height="591"></div><h2>Tues. April 18 SAN DIEGO 3 at DENVER 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1045/3093681-1-eng-US/f0027-102.jpg" title="f0027-10" width="599" height="614"></div> &#9632;

f0027-05

Western League Playoff Summaries

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<h2>CHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Final</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0289/3093761-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="586" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 19Tulsa 2 at Dallas 0Fri. April 21Tulsa 1 at Dallas 3Sat. April 22Dallas 3 at Tulsa 2<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Wed. April 26Dallas at TulsaFri. April 28Tulsa at DallasSat. April 29Dallas at Tulsa (if necessary)Sun. April 30Tulsa at Dallas (if necessary)<h3>Semi-finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0363/3093754-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="593" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5Oklahoma City 2 at Dallas 6Sat. April 8Oklahoma City 7 at Dallas 6Sun. April 9Dallas 1 at Oklahoma City 4Tue. April 11Dallas 4 at Oklahoma City 2Fri. April 14Oklahoma City 1 at Dallas 7Sat. April 15Dallas 3 at Oklahoma City 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0450/3093747-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="572" height="100"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 5Fort Worth 4 at Tulsa 8Fri. April 7Forth Worth 1 at Tulsa 4Sat. April 8Tulsa 3 at Forth Worth 6Tues. April 11Tulsa 4 at Fort Worth 6Wed. April 12Fort Worth 3 at Tulsa 2Fri. April 14Tulsa 3 at Fort Worth 1Sun. April 16Fort Worth 1 at Tulsa 4 &#9632;

f0028-02

CENTRAL LEAGUE

DALLAS&mdash;The selectors went with the champions in their annual Central Hockey League individual player awards and All Star team selections for the 1971-72 season.The league-winning Dallas Hawks collected four All Star team berths and made a sizeable dent in the awards with the coach of the year and the outstanding defenseman selections.The Hawks placed three players on the first All Star team&mdash;defenseman Bart Crashley, left wing Dan Maloney and right wing J.P. Bordeleau while J.P. Leblanc made the second team at center. Coach Bobby Kromm was chosen as coach of the year and Crashley was selected as the best defenseman in the CHL.The Oklahoma City Blazers didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs until the last week and they didn&rsquo;t reach the playoff finals either, but the CHL voters gave them a wide berth in the selections.Center-Greg Sheppard was named to the first-team All Star team along with goaler John Adams and defenseman Ron Plumb and Sheppard was given the added honor of being picked as the CHL&rsquo;s most valuable player for his 41-goal performance.The only other individual award to escape either the Blazers or the Hawks was the rookie-of-the-year honor which went to young Tommy Williams of Omaha Knights, who went up with the parent New York Rangers for a few games this season in addition to playing 67 games with the Knights in which he had 30 goals and 34 assists for 64 points.Williams was picked on the second team at left wing.In fact the Knights fared best in the second-team voting placing Williams, defenseman Bob Ash and right wing Norm Gratton. Ash got the nod for the one defense post but the other ended up in a rare three-way tie between Randy Manery of Fort Worth, Joe Lundrigan of Tulsa and Dick Proceviat of Kansas City.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0540/3093858-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="261" height="393"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Williams</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0633/3093851-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="260" height="403"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bart Crashley</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0727/3093844-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="262" height="399"><figcaption class="caption-body">J.P. Leblanc</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0824/3093837-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="247" height="399"><figcaption class="caption-body">Greg Sheppard</figcaption></div><h2>CHL All Star Teams</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0921/3093830-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="1226" height="583"></div>Most Valuable Player: GREG SHEPPARD, Okla. CityRookie of the Year: TOM WILLIAMS, Omaha. &#9632;

f0028-05

Dallas, Oklahoma Dominate All Star Teams, CHL Awards

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>DALLAS&mdash;The Dallas Black Hawks and Tulsa Oilers, only teams to occupy first place in the 1971-72 Central Hockey League regular season, were locked in a showdown in the best - of - seven Adams Cup championship final, after surviving scares in the semi-finals.The Hawks of coach Bobby Kromm, after losing two of the first three semi-final games to Oklahoma City, including a wild 7-6 setback at home, came back with three straight victories, two of them on the Blazers&rsquo; rink. They scored a 4-2 triumph in Oklanhoma-City, April 11, romped to a 7-1 decision at home, April 14, then ended the series with a 3-2 verdict on the road the following night.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01146/3093799-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="259" height="460"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Low</figcaption></div>Tulsa, under coach Marcel Pronovost, had its back to the wall, but won its last two games against the Fort Worth Wings in convincing fashion. After dropping the first two playoffs in Tulsa, the Wings won two at home, then took charge of the series with a double-overtime decision in Tulsa. April 12. The game ended a minute before midnight when Herb Boxer tallied for the Wings at 5:12 of the second overtime session.But the Oilers, getting spectacular goaltending from rookie Ron Low, evened the set with a 3-1 triumph in Fort Worth, April 14, and routed the Wings, 7-1 in Tulsa in the seventh game April 16.Kromm could even find a blessing in disguise in the two Dallas losses earlier in the series. &ldquo;They taught us a few lessons, the hard way,&rdquo; he commented.&ldquo;I have to be proud of the whole team, they way they played those last three games. They were checking very well, Ken Brown was very sharp in the nets, and we were able to jump out front and hold our leads, for a change. They deserve a lot of credit for winning two games in Oklahoma City.&ldquo;The big game was Tuesday night. We were down, 2-1, and winning that night in Oke City really put us on the right track.&rdquo;J. P. LeBlanc gave the Hawks two first-period goals in that April 11 game at Oklahoma City, and the Blazers spent the night trying to catch up.Chris Hayes narrowed the gap late in the first period, but Pit Archambault scored for Dallas in the second. Bill Klatt scored the final Blazer tally in the third, but defenseman Mike Baumgartner answered for the Hawks.The fifth game was in doubt for only one period. J.P. Bordeleau opened the gate with a shorthanded goal after five minutes of the second, and Archambault, Bob Sicinski and Len Frig raised the count to 4-0 before that period ended. Leblanc, Dan Spring, and Archambault wound up the barrage in the third. Greg Sheppard got the lone Blazer tally at 15:37 of that period, after the Hawks had mounted a 6-0 advantage.The series finale wasn&rsquo;t as close as the 3-2 score would indicate. Frig put the Hawks ahead in the opening period, while Larry Romanchych and Bordeleau made it 3-0 midway of the second. Bill Klatt scored on an OC power play late in the second, and Brian Bradley got the final Blazer goal with seven seconds Left in the game, after goalie Lyle Carter was lifted in favor of a sixth attacker.The Hawks figured on being even stronger for the finals. Defenseman Bart Crashley, out since mid-March with monocucleosis, was expected to be ready for duty when the finals opened in Dallas, April 19.&ldquo;Bart will be a big help,&rdquo; Kromm commented. &ldquo;He can steady down our defensemen. It&rsquo;s been tough, with just four of them carrying the whole load, and three of them rookies.&rdquo;The key to beating Oklahoma City, Kromm felt, was &ldquo;containing&rdquo; the high-scoring line of Sheppard, Hayes and Klatt. &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t stop &rsquo;em,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but we did slow &rsquo;em down a bit, and we stopped their other two lines.&rdquo;That line accounted for 14 of the 18 Oklahoma City goals in the series. Klatt and Hayes scored five each, and Sheppard four. Leblanc and Bordeleau had six apiece to lead the Hawk scoring.If Kromm was proud of his Dallas club, Pronovost was bursting his buttons over his Oiler outfit.&ldquo;What a great bunch of guys,&rdquo; he commented. &ldquo;They played well enough to win the double overtime thing Wednesday. But, even after losing a tough one like that, they never quit. They went out and worked like demons, and won the one they had to win in Fort Worth.&rdquo;When the Oilers went into the Wings&rsquo; rink. April 14. in a &ldquo;do or die&rdquo; situation, they hadn&rsquo;t won in six previous invasions since Dec. 29.Tulsa was ahead when the week started, after winning two at home and dropping one in Fort Worth. But the Wings scored five times in the middle period at home, April 11, and held on for a 6-4 trimph.Ross Perkins had scored on a Fort Worth power play 58 seconds before the first period was over, and Ralph Steward made it 2-0 early in the second. Joe Lundrigan cut the deficit in half on an Oiler power attack, but then the roof fell in. Brian Conacher scored twice, followed by Bob Guindon and Perkins.Low replaced starter Gordon McRae in the Oiler cage for the third period. Goals by Brian St. John, Cal Swenson and Jean Payette made the score respectable. The Oilers pulled their goalie in the final minute, but couldn&rsquo;t score again.Still, things didn&rsquo;t look too bad for the Tulsans, because two of the next three games were on their own ice. But the situation grew darker when Stewart and Randy Manery gave the Wings a quick 2-0 lead in Tulsa, Apr. 12.Brian Marchinko got the Oilers on the scoreboard from a face-off in the Wings&rsquo; zone with 56 seconds left in the first period. The Oilers had to kill five straight penalties in the second session. Murray Heatley finally tied the score at 9:32 of the third.The Oilers dominated the rest of the third period, and the first 20 minutes of overtime play, but couldn&rsquo;t beat Fort Worth goalie Gerry Gray.The Wings had the upper hand in the second extra period. The game ended when Stewart won control of the puck behind the Tulsa net, and set up Boxer&rsquo;s 15-foot spinning shot that beat Low and ended the 85-minute marathon.Two nights later in Fort Worth the Oilers were in command all the way. Low was unbeatable until 9:03 of the third period, when Boxer (again!) solved him. But by that time the Oilers had mounted a two-goal lead, with Payette scoring in the first period and Steve King 40 seconds into the second. Payette added an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left, after the Wings lifted Gray.That meant the series would end on Tulsa ice, and the Oilers took good advantage of it. Murray Heatley&rsquo;s early goal ws matched by Stewart for the Wings. But Brian Marchinko got what proved to be the winning goal on an Oiler power play at 6: 30 of the second. King batted in an insurance tally with his hand at 13:50 but it was legal, because the puck bounced into the net off the shoulder of Fort Worth defenseman Serge LaJeunesse!Gerry O&rsquo;Flaherty and Jan Popiel completed the rout by scoring two goals each in the final period. O&rsquo;Flaherty won the third-period faceoff, faked his way past a defenseman and beat the goalie in seven seconds, while shorthanded! Popiel tallied on a rebound less than two minutes later.Popiel lost control of the puck, but scored anyway at 12:1)2, when Gray came far out and then couldn&rsquo;t flop on the slowly-escaping puck. O&rsquo;Flaherty got the final goal 11 seconds before the buzzer on a rebound.Stewart of the Wings and Payette of the Oilers had six goals each in the series. Popiel and King scored five apiece for Tulsa;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01114/3093792-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="540" height="482"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRIAN MARCHINKO</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

Dallas, Tulsa Braced For ‘Showdown’ Cup Series

<h2>Tue., Apr. 11 DALLAS 4 at OKLAHOMA CITY 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0289/3093931-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="593" height="653"></div><h2>TULSA 4 at FORT WORTH 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0361/3093924-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="593" height="779"></div><h2>Wed., Apr. 12 FORT WORTH 3 at TULSA 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0447/3093917-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="585" height="704"></div><h2>Fri., Apr. 14 TULSA 3 at FORT WORTH 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0543/3093910-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="588" height="473"></div><h2>OKLAHOMA CITY 1 at DALLAS 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0633/3093903-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="608" height="755"></div><h2>Sat., Apr. 15 DALLAS 3 at OKLAHOMA CITY 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0725/3093896-1-eng-US/f0029-072.jpg" title="f0029-07" width="578" height="557"></div><h2>Sun., Apr. 16 FORT WORTH 1 at TULSA 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0821/3093889-1-eng-US/f0029-082.jpg" title="f0029-08" width="591" height="711"></div> &#9632;

f0029-02

CHL Playoff Summaries

CHARLOTTE&mdash;The Charlotte Checkers are still champions of the Eastern Hockey League.The heavily-favored Southern Division titleholders lived up to their advance Walker Cup billing by sweeping past the Syracuse Blazers in four straight games to successfully defend the league championship they won in 1970-71.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0826/3094011-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="265" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Lockhart</figcaption></div>The Checkers are back in the EHL throne room but it will be their last title under the presidency of Tom Lockhart, the 80-year-old head of the Eastern League.After 39 years at the helm of the EHL, Lockhart is stepping down in May when the league holds its annual meeting at which time they will name a successor to Lockhart, who has been responsible for the emergance of the Eastern League from a run-of-the-mill amateur hockey circuit to an 11-team operation that has been increasingly successful in recent years.The on ice spotlight was on Al Manch&rsquo;s Charlotte club, which proved this year that their run to the championship last season was no passing thing. The Checkers, under manager-coach Fred Creighton, have been become a power in the EHL and much of the credit for the Checkers&rsquo; premier position in the league belongs to Creighton, who has repeatedly turned down offers from higher leagues to continue with Charlotte. His off-season player movements have made the Checkers the most feared team in the entire league again and it showed in the final series when they outscored Syracuse, the Northern Division winners, 16-4.The Checkers played no favorites in the playoffs. They won the first two games of the cup series at home 4-0 and 41 and returned to Syracuse to convincingly clinch the championship with 41 and 42 victories.After a tough Southern semi-final series with the upstart Sun Coast Suns, in which they were extended to six hard-fought games, the Checkers defeated Greensboro in the division final, in five games before sweeping past Syracuse.Their overall playoff record totalled 12 wins in 15 starts as they outscored their opposition 66-30.When you put fellows like Frank Golembrosky, Mike Rouleau, Bob Mowat, Wayne Schaab and Robert Richer at the head of your offense and can back it up with a pair of hot netminders&mdash;Gaye Cooley and Gary Bromley&mdash;and a solid defense anchored by Bob Shupe, there&rsquo;s little a team can do to stop them. The Sun Coast Suns, Greensboro Generals and Syracuse Blazers will attest to it.<h2>EHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01139/3094004-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="602" height="132"></div>(Charlotte wins best-of-seven series 4-0)<h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 11Syracuse 0 at Charlotte 4Fri. April 14Syracuse 1 at Charlotte 4Sun. April 18Charlotte 4 at SyracuseTues. April 18Charlotte 4 at Syracuse 2<h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0294/3093997-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="641" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Thur. March 23Johnstown 1 at Syracuse 7Fri. March 24Johnstown 2 at Syracuse 8Sat. March 25Syracuse 2 at Johnstown 9Tue. March 28Syracuse 5 at Johnstown 7Thur. March 30Johnstown 0 at Syracuse 4Sat. April 1Syracuse 5 at Johnstown 1Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0370/3093990-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="596" height="103"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Thur. March 9New Haven I at Syracuse 5Sun. March 12New Haven 2 at Syracuse 5Tue. March 14Syracuse 5 at New Haven 3Thur. March 16Syracuse 4 at New Haven 8Fri. March 17New Haven 3 at Syracuse 4Sun. March 19Syracuse 3 al New Haven 4Tue. March 21New Haven 2 at Syracuse 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0457/3093983-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="588" height="118"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed March8Clinton Oat Johnstown 8Sat. March 11Clinton 3 at Johnstown 4Sun. March 12Johnstown 2 at Clinton 6Tues. March 14Johnstown 3 at Clinton 0Thur. March 16Clinton 1 ot Johnstown 2<h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0551/3093976-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="596" height="111"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue March 21Greensboro 0 at Charlotte 5Wed. March 22Charlotte 3 at Greensboro 5Fri march 24Greensboro 5 at Charlotte 6Sun. March 26Charlotte 4 at Greensboro 0Tue March 28Greensboro 2 at Charlotte 7Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0641/3093969-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="598" height="107"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tues. March 7Sun Coast I at Charlotte 6Fri. March 10Sun Coast 3 at Charlotte 2Sun March 12Charlotte 3 at Sun Coast 5Mon March 13Charlotte 4 at Sun Coast 2Tues. March 14Sun Coast I at Charlotte 7Wed March 15Charlotte 3 at Sun Coast 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0732/3093962-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="581" height="116"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tues. March 7Roanoke 2 at Greensboro 5Wed March 8Greensboro 2 at Roanoke 3Mon March 13Roanoke 3 at Greensboro 8Tue March 14Greensboro 3 at Roanoke 4Wed March 15Roanoke 3 at Greensboro 6Sat. March 18Greensboro 4 at Roanoke 0 &#9632;

f0030-08

Charlotte Keeps EHL Title; Prexy Lockhart Steps Down

TORONTO&mdash;York University in Toronto has announced that Dave Chambers will be the new coach of its hockey team next season.Chambers will be a full-time member of the university physical education staff and replaces Bill Purcell, who lead the Yeomen to a first-place finish in the Ontario Conference last season. &#9632;

Chambers New York U. Coach

1954-55&mdash;Washington Lions1955-56&mdash;New Haven Blades1956-57&mdash;Charlotte Checkers1957-58&mdash;Washington Presidents1958-59&mdash;Clinton Comets1959-60&mdash;Johnstown Jets1960-61&mdash;Johnstown Jets1961-62&mdash;Johnstown Jets1962-63&mdash;Greensboro Generals1963-64&mdash;Clinton Comets1964-65&mdash;Long Island Ducks1965-66&mdash;Nashville Dixie Flyers1966-67&mdash;Nashville Dixie Flyers1967-68&mdash;Clinton Comets1968-69&mdash;Clinton Comets1969-70&mdash;Clinton Comets1970-71&mdash;Charlotte Checkers1971-72&mdash;Charlotte Checkers &#9632;

EHL Champions

MUSKEGON&mdash;Glenn Resch, 23-year-old goalkeeper of the Muskegon Mohawks, has been named the International Hockey League&rsquo;s outstanding rookie of the 1971-72 season.In being named winner of the Longman Memorial Trophy, the freshman netminder played in 59 of the Mohawks&rsquo; 72 regular season contests giving up 180 goals and compiling a 3.06 goals-against average, best in the eight-team circuit.As he sparked the Mohawks to the Huber Trophy, that goes annually to the team with the best won-loss record over the season, Resch was the leading goalkeeper in shutouts with four.Writers in the eight cities made the selection and Resch beat out right winger Angus Beck of the Columbus Seals and center. Jim Boyd of the Fort Wayne Komets for the award. &#9632;

Muskegon Coaler Resch Named Top IHL Rookie

1945-46&mdash;Detroit Auto Club1946-47&mdash;Windsor Spitfires1947-48&mdash;Toledo Mercurys1948-49&mdash;Windsor Hettche1949-50&mdash;Chathom Maroons1950 51&mdash;Toledo Mercurys1951-52&mdash;-Toledo Mercurys1952-53&mdash;Cincinnati Mohawks1953-54&mdash;Cincinnati Mohawks1954-55&mdash;Cincinnati Mohowks1955-56&mdash;Cincinnati Mohawks1956-57&mdash;Cincinnati Mohowks1957-58&mdash;Indianapolis Chiefs1958-59&mdash;Louisville Rebels1959-60&mdash;St. Paul Saints1960 61&mdash;St Paul Saints1961-62&mdash;Muskegon Zephyrs1962-63&mdash;Fort Wayne Komets1963 64&mdash;Toledo Blades1964-65&mdash;Fort Wayne Komets1965-66&mdash;Port Huron Flogs1966-67&mdash;Toledo Blades1967-68&mdash;Muskegon Mohowks1968-69&mdash;Dayton Gems1969-70&mdash;Dayton Gems1970-71&mdash;Port Huron Flags1971-72&mdash;Port Huron Wings &#9632;

IHL Champs

<div class="byline">BY RICK PEARSON</div>CHICAGO&mdash;Now that the World Hockey Association has firmed up its first year membership with $1 million in performance bonds, you can look for a steady barrage of player signing announcements.There are some problems to be worked out along the way, but it has become apparent the WHA will be dropping the puck as a second major professional league in October.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01128/3094204-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="274" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">George Gardner</figcaption></div>In a press conference during its recent Chicago meeting, WHA President Gary L. Davidson hinted &ldquo;more than 50&rsquo;&rsquo; players had signed or agreed to terms with the new league. The group is supposed to include at least 20 NHLers.Right wing Wayne Connally and goalie George Gardner, both members of the Vancouver Canucks this season and Larry Pleau of Montreal Canadiens, jumped to the WHA encampment immediately following the Chicago meeting. And the word is there are more to come.Connelly, who makes his offseason home in a Twin Cities suburb, joined the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Gardner, single and &ldquo;tired of losing,&rdquo; will play for the Los Angeles Sharks. Pleau inked a three year pact with the New England Whalers.The total of announced WHA signings stands at seven, including U.S. Olympian Mike Curran and Eastern League All Star Guy Denoncourt of Long Island. Curran will be with the Fighting Saint and Denoncourt with the New York Raiders. Both are goalies. Also signed were Tom Gilmore of Tidewater and Steve Sutherland of Port Huron by the L.A. Sharks.Calgary and Miami were the only WHA teams that did not make bond at Chicago, but insiders aren&rsquo;t counting out either team.Despite problems in both cities, each has some definite plusses for the new league.In Calgary, Scotty Munro left the nucleus of one of the WHA&rsquo;s best organizations. Herb Pinder, the former Canadian National star who carried the title of assistant to the president in the Munro regime, has just returned from a scouting trip to Europe. He&rsquo;s young, enthusiastic arid knowledgeable.The Brones also have received deposits on more than 800 season tickets and officials-of the Stampede Corral, where the team will play, have indicated they&rsquo;ll hold playing dates until reorganization can be completed&hellip;The WHA is optimistic. &ldquo;We have new ownership in mind,&rdquo; Davidson said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have a team in Calgary.&rdquo;In Miami, Herb Martin&rsquo;s problem concerns a zoning matter with Dade County officials. The county is insisting on a one-to-four ratio of parking spaces to arena seats. Martin would like to count some of the parking spaces for his four-building office complex in the arena total.There&rsquo;s no chance he can compromise the issue in time to get the building finished for the team&rsquo;s October 11 opener, so he&rsquo;s seeking backup arena dates in St. Petersburgh, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. Martin&rsquo;s building can be completed by January 1, 1973.For the record, the 10 teams who posted bond were Chicago, Edmonton, Houston, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New England, New York, Ottawa, Quebec and Winnipeg. &#9632;

f0032-01

Miami Not Included Among 10 Starters; Gardner, Pleau Sign

BOSTON&mdash;Leon Abbott has been named head hockey coach at Boston University replacing Jack Kelley. Abbott has been coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,Troy, New York, for the last three seasons. Kelley resigned on April 1 after ten seasons as Terrier head coach to become the coach and general manager of the New England Whalers of the pro World Hockey Association.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01109/3094235-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="260" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Leon Abbott</figcaption></div>Abbott, 33 years old and a native of Edmonton, Alberta, is a 1964 graduate of McGill University. He will receive a Master of Science degree from Springfield College in 1972. He became head hockey coach at RPI prior to the 1969 season and his teams have compiled a 41-31-4 record in three seasons.Jack Parker, former. Terrier captain and part time&rsquo; hockey assistant coach, has accepted an invitation from Abbott to be a full-time assistant and will coach the &ldquo;B&rdquo; team next season. &#9632;

f0033-01

BU Selects Leon Abbott As Ice Pilot

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0281/3094266-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Outgoing Clarkson College coach LEN CEGLARSKI, left, and incoming coach JERRY YORK, congratulate team&rsquo;s newly appointed captains for the 1972-73 season. BRIAN MASON, second left, and PETER HARASYM, second right, were named to lead the Golden Knights in York&rsquo;s first season at the helm of the team. Ceglarski leaves Clarkson to take up the head coaching position with Boston College. (Hockey News Photo by Laird Chaffer)</figcaption></div>POTSDAM&mdash;Jerry York, freshman hockey coach at Clarkson College of Techonology, has been appointed head hockey coach at Clarkson, effective July 1. The announcement was made by John Hantz, the College&rsquo;s director of athletics and chairman of the Department of Physical Education.York, a 1967 graduate of Boston College, succeeds Len Ceglarski, hockey coach for the past 14 years. Ceglarski was recently named hockey coach at Boston College replacing John &ldquo;Snooks&rdquo; Kelley.In making the announcement, Hantz said: &ldquo;We certainly will miss Len Ceglarski. We have had an extremely pleasant 14-year relationship. We wish Len and his family the very best of luck in the future&rdquo;. He added that he was very pleased with the appointment of York and that &ldquo;we are very confident that Jerry will do a fine job in his new position&rdquo;. Hantz said that York&rsquo;s appointment is in keeping with the tradition of hiring young, dynamic people to carry out the Clarkson hockey program.York said that the hockey picture at Clarkson has never been brighter, &ldquo;mainly because the Clarkson administration has backed the hockey program 100% and because our former hockey coach has instilled a sense of excellence in the players.&rdquo; He added: &ldquo;The return of 14 lettermen plus the addition of probably our most talented freshman team in years are factors that contribute to my optimism for Clarkson hockey&rdquo;.York received his master&rsquo;s degree in guidance and counseling and CAES in counseling and psychology from Boston College. He has coached the Clarkson freshman hockey team for the past two seasons.A native of Boston, he was an All-American and captain for Boston College in 1967. He led his team in scoring in both his junior and senior years and is fifth in career scoring at Boston College with 64 goals and 70 assists in 81 games.Following the 1967 season at Boston College, he was a member of the U.S. National Team. &#9632;

f0033-02

Ex-BC Star Jerry York To Coach Clarkson

<div class="byline">BY BOB BRISCOE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01121/3094346-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="564" height="584"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRIAN COATES&hellip;Wrapped Up Series</figcaption></div>CALGARY&mdash;It&rsquo;s the same old movie in the Western Division final of the Western Canada Hockey League but Calgary Centennial fans are hoping for a different ending.For the fourth consecutive year, Calgary Centennials and the Edmonton Oil Kings are embroiled in the battle for the West Division berth in the league final against the East Division champions.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0816/3094339-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="264" height="454"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Horbul</figcaption></div>In the last three years, two out of which the Oil Kings finished in first place, the Edmonton club has emerged as divisional champion and in all three years found themselves in early serious trouble against their southern rivals before rallying for the win.So right off the start of this year&rsquo;s best-of-seven series, the favored and pennant-winning Cents started according to the ususal script, defeating Edmonton 5-3 in the opening game.In a surprisingly peaceful series opener for the two bitter rivals, Chuck Holdaway&rsquo;s Cents at one time owned a 3-0 lead only to have Brian Shaw&rsquo;s Oil Kings close the gap to 3-2. Cents then opened a 4-2 edge before Oil Kings, again pulled to within a goal late in the game.But as was the case each time in the game that the Calgary club was pressed, they quickly scored another goal to get themselves out of trouble and win the game 5-3.Part of the blame for the loss was assumed by Edmonton goaltender Larry Hendrick, the hero in Oil Kings&rsquo; march to the Memorial Cup final last year. Hendrick blamed himself for three soft goals the Calgary club scored, one of them from the centre ice area.Coach Shaw confessed the Oil Kings received something less then good goaltending, admitting to the three bad goals, but he added that there were players on the ice who made 23 bad palys.Holdaway, on the other hand, wasn&rsquo;t all that excited about the play of his club. &ldquo;We let down quite a bit and they got back in the game&hellip;Over the season that&rsquo;s about the way both clubs played. We came out of a tougher series than they did and I think we were better for it. But as for the kid in goal&hellip;he doesn&rsquo;t play that bad all the time.&rdquo;Centennials entered the final on the strength of a seventh game victory over Medicine Hat Tigers in one of the more interesting series of recent years. The advantage in that series three times shifted from one club to the other before Cents finally wrapped it up with 4-3 victory when Doug Horbul scored into an empty net. All Cents needed was a tie to reach the eight points they needed to win the final berth.Oil Kings, meanwhile, clinched their semi-final series against New Westminster Bruins in five games, the shortest series in the playoffs this season. The final win was 6-4 decision in Edmonton but it was much closer than it appeared. Oil Kings twice held the lead only to have Bruins come back for 1-1 and 3-3 period ties. But Edmonton wrapped it all up by scoring three quick goals early in the third. New Westminster coach Ernie McLean pulled goaltender Terry Richardson with five minutes to play in the game but was unable to get closer than the 6-4 final score.Wild and exciting things were also happeining in the Eastern Division where Rudy Pilous&rsquo; young Brandon Wheat Kings pulled the upset of the season by ousting the second-place Saskatoon Blades of Jackie McLeod. Needing only a tie in the seventh game on home ice, Blades were whipped 6-1 by the youthful Brandon club, forcing an eighth game back in Brandon.In that one, Wheat Kings, who once trailed the series 2-0, scored a 4-3 overtime victory to enter the divisional final against Regina Pats, the pennant winners. Brian Coates scored the biggest goal of the season for Wheat Kings at 5.49 of the sudden-death overtime period after Blades had pressed for the last 10 minutes of regulation time and in the overtime.Just prior to the Eastern series between Brandon and Regina, the Wheat Kings announced that all home Brandon games would be played in the Winnipeg Arena, 120 miles to the east. The move was forced because of the large demand for tickets and the only 1,400-seat Man-Ex Arena, the temporary Wheat King home until the new arena, under construction, is completed.The Wheat Kings announced that all season-ticket holders would be provided with free bus transporation to Winninpeg, where there are 9,000 seats. All other fans could travel, by bus, for a good round-trip price of $2.50While Wheat Kings were authoring their upset victory, Pats were having all kinds of trouble against Pat Ginnell&rsquo;s Flin Flon Bombers.After losing the first two games of the series, Pats came back to win it in seven games. They key to the win was two ties the young Pat club of Earl Ingarfield managed on Flin Flon ice. The series ended with the clubs playing to a 2-2 tie on one night in Flin Flon then rushing back to Regina the next night where the Pats crushed the Bombers 8-2 before a jammed Exhibition Stadium record crowd of 4,856. An earlier Pat victory on home ice in game five set another record, that of 444 minutes in penalties. The mess immediatly drew the wrath of league secretary-manager Tom Fischer of New Westminster, who wrapped each club $500 and threatended suspensions if there was a repeat performance or anything close to it.<h2>WCHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3>FINALS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0276/3094332-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="588" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Calgary 5, Edmonton 3Edmonton 2, Calgary 1Edmonton 3, Calgary 2Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0358/3094325-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="598" height="108"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Medicine Hat 4, Calgary 2Medicine Hat 4, Calgary 1Calgary 4, Medicine Hat 3Calgary 3, Medicine Hat 1Calgary 3, Medicine Hat 3Calgary 11, Medicine Hat 3Calgary 4, Medicine Hat 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0444/3094318-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="600" height="115"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Edmonton 4, New Westminster 2Edmonton 5, New Westminster 3New Westminster 4, Edmonton 2Edmonton 5, New Westminster 3Edmonton 6, New Westminster 4<h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0536/3094311-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="600" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Regina 8, Brandon 1Regina 6, Brandon 4Brandon 6, Regina 1Brandon 5, Regina 2Semi-finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0625/3094304-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="595" height="109"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Saskatoon 8, Brandon 0Saskatoon 4, Brandon 2Saskatoon 11, Brandon 3Brandon 9. Saskatoon 4Brandon 5, Saskatoon 4Brandon 2, Saskatoon 2Brandon 6, Saskatoon 1Brandon 4, Saskatoon 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0720/3094297-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="591" height="113"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Flin Flon 3, Regina 2Flin Flon 6, Regina 4Regina 8, Flin Flon 6Regina 1, Flin Flon 1Regina 9, Flin Flon 1Regina 2, Flin Flon 2Regina 8, Flin Flon 2 &#9632;

f0034-01

Cents Following Old Script In West Final With Edmonton

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div>PETERBOROUGH&mdash;The Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A semi-final playoff round was like no other in the loop&rsquo;s modern history. The two favorites got knocked off and a well-known hockey name disappeared from the managerial ranks.It all happened when the underdog Peterborough Petes accomplished one of the major upsets in the last 20 years by eliminating the Toronto Marlboros in a stunning playoff upset.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01108/3094377-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="270" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Smythe</figcaption></div>The defeat was such a blow to the power-laden Marlies that their general manager, Tom Smythe, resigned his position, removing the last member of the famous hockey family from Toronto&rsquo;s Maple Leaf Gardens.At almost the same moment, the favorite Oshawa Generals were tripping all over themselves and ended up being shunted out of the semi-final playoff round in six games, only one of which they won, by the Ottawa 67s.Consequently it was Roger Neilson&rsquo;s surprising Peterbrough Petes against Bill Long&rsquo;s Ottawa squad in the bestrof-seven OHA final for the right to enter the Memorial Cup playdowns against the winners of the Quebec and Western Canada hockey leagues.The defeat of the Marlboros was undoubtedly the big shocker.They were rated one of the greatest offensive machines in Ontario Junior history establishing a record for goals scored (363) while two of their players Billy Harris and Dave Gardner shared the points championship with 129 each.As expected the Marlies, who easily finished in first place, got rid of Kitchener Rangers in a hurry during the quarter-finals, winning four of five games.In other quarter-final series Peterborough eliminated St. Catharines Black Hawks 4-1, Ottawa 67s held a 4-3 margin over London Knights while Oshawa disposed of Niagara Falls Flyers four games to two.However the first reversal of form occured in the semi-finals when Peterborough, which finished third 16 points behind Toronto, defeated the Marlboros 5-2 in the opening game in Toronto.The Petes also won the second 6-2, lost in Toronto 5-3 but clinched the series with a 5-3 win on home ice and 6-4 victory in Maple Leaf Gardens.The deciding victory was the result of a spectacular comeback when they erased a 4-0 Toronto lead with two goals in the last minute of the second period, then poured four in succession past goaltender Kevin Neville in the third, two by Bob Smulders, including the game winner.It was a case of turnabout is fair play in the Peterborough-Toronto series.A year ago the Petes finished first, the Marlies fifth but Toronto knocked them out of the quarter-finals winning four games, tying two and suffering no defeats.Outstanding goaltending by &ldquo;Mike Veisor and robust defensive work by Bob Neely were two of the factors contributing to the Peterborough victory.Both were acquired from last place Hamilton Red Wings in mid-season deals made by Peterborough coach Neilson.Historically placing first in the OHA Junior A is almost a disadvantage.In the last 25 years the pennant-winners have only won the playoff championship 10 times.Smythe, 26, said he was quitting the Marlboros because of the situation around the Gardens since the death of his father, Stafford, &ldquo;This is it for me. I&rsquo;m getting out,&rdquo; said Smythe.Smythe added he was leaving to avoid a repetition of what happened to his father. &ldquo;I saw what hockey did to my father and I don&rsquo;t want that for myself. My decision had nothing to do with the semi-final playoff series. I&rsquo;ve being thinking about it for four months,&rdquo; confided Smythe.Control of Maple Leaf Gardens has passed from the hands of the Smythe family to Harold Ballard since the death of the late Stafford Smythe last October. Tom Smythe said he had no plans about his future but doubted that he would remain in hockey. &#9632;

f0035-01

Peterborough, Ottawa in Final After Double Upset

TORONTO&mdash;The long-rumored departure of the Montreal Canadiens from the Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A League was confirmed when the Junior Habs asked for and were granted a suspension of their franchise for one season.The Canadiens entered the Ontario League in 1960 as an emergency replacement for Toronto Marlboros and St.Michaels when those two teams defected from the established league to form their own eight team Toronto Metro Junior A League.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0284/3094408-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="272" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hap Emms</figcaption></div>The experiment was a failure and the Marlies returned two years later&rsquo;Large travelling expenses and lack of support at home were contributing factors to the decision by the Canadiens to withdraw.A team not affiliated with the NHL Canadiens will use the Forum as base of operations next season in the Quebec Junior Hockey League.Several other moves are expected within the OHA in the next few weeks.The OHA Junior A Council, formed of owners of the 10 teams, granted Hap Emms permission to sell his Niagara Falls club to Sudbury.Sault Ste. Marie applied for entry and left a certified cheque for $30,000 with the council, the going rate for new teams.While Emms will not operate in Niagara Falls&mdash;where he moved the team 12 years ago from Barrie&mdash;he may still be involved with the Junior A League.There were persistent rumors that St. Catharines Black Hawk owner Fred Muller may sell the club because of failing health and Emms is said to be extremely interested in acquiring the Hawk franchise. &#9632;

f0035-02

Junior Hans Leave OHA; Emms To Sell

NEW YORK&mdash;By defeating the Brooklyn Stars by a score of 2-1 the New York 14th Precincts captured their sixth consecutive Art Keegan Memorial Trophy, emblematic of Metropolitan Junior Hockey Association playoff supremacy.This season marked a tremendous changeover for the squad, causing many to believe that the long line of championships might be over. The club lost many players because of age or to college, but the Precinct&rsquo;s reached back into their West Side neighborhood for young skating talent.From the opening face-off last October, it was apparent that although the club had a new name (changed from the Green Leafs), a new Coach (Joe Russo), a new general manager (Bob Mazzeo), and many new faces, the tradition would continue. The Precinct&rsquo;s finished first in the Western Division with a record of 23-5-4, four points ahead of the Newark Raiders.The Raiders were quickly disposed of four points to none in the playoff semi-finals preparatory to meeting the Stars for the championship. New York got off to a fast start, taking the opener at Coney Island 4-0, but dropped the next two to Brooklyn by scores of 2-1 and 4-1.The scene shifted to Ironbound Arena in Newark for a crucial battle with the Gotham boys in a &ldquo;must win&rdquo; situation. Down by a goal, the squad swept their rivals off the ice with a third period flourish to win 5-2. &#9632;

Winning Metro Title Old Hot For New York

<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR JUNIOR</h2><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0360/3094561-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="592" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Peterborough 4, Toronto 2Peterborough 6, Toronto 2Toronto 5, Peterborough 3Peterborough 5, Toronto 3Peterborough 6, Toronto 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0452/3094554-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="599" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Oshawa 7, Ottawa 1Ottawa 4, Oshawa 3Ottawa 4, Oshawa 1Ottawa 2, Oshawa 2Ottawa 4, Oshawa 2Ottawa 7. Oshawa 0<h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0545/3094547-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="596" height="406"></div><h2>QUEBEC JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0634/3094540-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="585" height="103"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Cornwall 5, Quebec 3Quebec 4, Cornwall 2<h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0733/3094533-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="601" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Cornwall 6, Shawinigan 2Shawinigan 5, Cornwall 2Cornwall 2, Shawinigan 1Cornwall 3, Shawinigan 2Cornwall 4, Shawinigan 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0828/3094526-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="590" height="103"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Quebec 5, Drummondville 3Quebec 6, Drummondville 3Quebec 5, Drummondville 2Quebec 4, Drummondville 2<h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0928/3094519-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="586" height="208"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1022/3094512-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="587" height="218"></div><h2>CENTENNIAL CUP</h2><h3>Eastern Final</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1120/3094505-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="587" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Guelph 6, Charlottetown 3Guelph 6, Charlottetown 2Guelph 5, Charlottetown 2Eastern Canada Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1214/3094498-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="586" height="101"></div>Western Final<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1311/3094491-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="586" height="99"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Red Deer 3, Humboldt 2Humboldt 7, Red Deer 0Red Deer 6, Humboldt 5Western Canada Semi-finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1411/3094484-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="596" height="207"></div><h2>ALLAN CUP</h2><h3>Eastern Final</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1511/3094477-1-eng-US/f0035-152.jpg" title="f0035-15" width="586" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Barrie 3, Grand Falls 2Barrie 8, Grand Falls 2Eastern Canada Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1610/3094470-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="583" height="324"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Spokane 6, St. Boniface 3Spokane 8, St. Boniface 5Western Canada Semi-finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-178/3094463-1-eng-US/f0035-172.jpg" title="f0035-17" width="595" height="207"></div> &#9632;

f0035-03

Amateur Playoff Races

<div class="byline">BY ED CONRAD</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;The sad, unjust thing about the Flyers&rsquo; playoff miss is the way one player in particular &ldquo;played his heart out&rdquo;.Certainly, that expression is a cliche, but it&rsquo;s the only appropriate description of the gutsy determination and courageous effort displayed consistently by young center Bobby Clarke.It all went for naught, of course, due to the Flyers&rsquo; shocking demise, but Philadelphia hockey fans won&rsquo;t soon forget the way Clarke virtually singlehandedly carried his club. He was a team leader in every sense of the word.&ldquo;Bobby Clarke was just unbelievable,&rdquo; sighed coach Fred Shero. &ldquo;There are guys around with more talent&mdash;guys who can skate and shoot better&mdash;but there aren&rsquo;t any better all-around hockey players.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t believe I would&rsquo;ve had the right to ask any more of him. He gave us everything he had&mdash;and more.&rdquo;Game in and game out during the final months of the season, it was Clarke who came through with either the crucial goal or the key assist.Bobby had set Flyer scoring records for goals (35), assists (46) and points (81). He was only one point shy of Red Berenson&rsquo;s record for points for a post-1967 team, which Berenson had accomplished with St. Louis in the 1968-69 season.Clarke, however, wasn&rsquo;t just an offensive player. He was also doing a tremendous job on defense. He was constantly pressing the opposition, doing what he could to panic an opposing skater into a mistake, and he was succeeding regularly.Admiration for his spendid qualities of perseverence and all-out hustle is heightened, in fact, by the way he really never let up in the final week of the regular season.Actually, Bobby had suffered a painful leg injury and could hardly stand. Yet he insisted on taking pain-killers so he could get out on the ice when his teammates needed him most.The next-to-final game of the season, when a victory over Pittsburgh would&rsquo;ve put the Flyers in the playoffs, Clarke scored two goals to give his team a 3-1 lead. The game ended in a 3-3 tie on the Penguins&rsquo; first goal of the season after removing their goaltender for another skater.Then with the Flyers needing either a victory or just a tie in Buffalo the final night of the season, Clarke helped the Flyers get the go-ahead goal with perhaps his most picturesque effort in his three year NHL career.Clarke had picked up the puck and skated in on goaltender Roger Crozier when one of the pursuing Sabres tripped him from behind. As Bobby actually was flat on the ice, he reached forward with his stick and flicked the puck past Crozier.That gave the Flyers a big goal&mdash;not to mention a tremendous psychological boost. It all went in vain, though, as the Sabres broke a 3-3 tie on ex-Flyer Gerry Meehan&rsquo;s long slapshot with just four seconds remaining.Those last four seconds on the Buffalo Auditorium clock must&rsquo;ve seemed like an eternity to Clarke and his shaken teammates. They were so close but, alas, so terribly far.All the bard work and the dedication and the sweat and the pain had been wasted. It was all over, so sudden and so soon. &#9632;

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