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 9, 1975

The Hockey News May 9, 1975

<div class="byline">BY DEREK KNIGHT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01176/3635646-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GALEN HEAD&hellip;Helps Carry Playoff Offense</b></figcaption></div><p><b>Follow All The Action Every Week By Subscribing Today To THE HOCKEY NEWS</b></p><p><b>Superb Hockey Reading Each Month HOCKEY WORLD & HOCKEY PICTORIAL</b></p><p>BINGHAMTON&mdash;</p><p>Maybe a week of inactivity did serious damage to the Binghamton Dusters. Maybe the Johnstown Jets had more desire. Maybe the Dusters slumped at the wrong time, or maybe the Jets just put it all together and hit their peak at the right time.</p><p>These are not facts nor opinions but rather possibilities. What is fact is that the Johnstown Jets put themselves in the driver&rsquo;s seat early by soundly defeating the Binghamton Dusters in the first two games of the North American Hockey League championship series. Scores of 5-1 and 7-4 made Duster fans extremely edgy.</p><p>Lou Levasseur was given the nod in goal for the first two games by Jet coach Dick Roberge and Lou received plenty of offensive support from his teammates who even outshot the Dusters in Binghamton by the lopsided margin of 43-28.</p><p>Opening crowds were excellent as the Jets drew close to 3,500 on a weekday night, normally a bad drawing night in the history of the Johnstown hockey club. Game two was in Binghamton and if you didn&rsquo;t know it by now, they sold out again. Their 4.793 seats are always occupied. The Dusters are so popular that WBNG-TV Channel 12 in Binghamton is televising the entire championship series live even when the Dusters are at home. Along with the television exposure the Duster games were also on radio as they had been all season long.</p><p>Everyone knew how good a goaltender Ron Docken was. What they didn&rsquo;t know was how good their other netminder, Levasseur, was. This year they found out as the popular Levasseur enjoyed an outstanding season and his fine play has continued on through the playoffs. People are still talking about Levasseur&rsquo;s playoff performance against Syracuse. On defense the Jets are rugged, led by Bob Boyd, Pat Westrum, and Guido Tenisi. Boyd and Westrum both boast of WHA experience. Added finesse comes in the form of Francois Ouimet, Up front the Carlson brothers have excited Jet fans all season long. Brother Steve in fact, notched the winning goal in the 5-4 deciding game victory in Syracuse. The Jets have some other fine forwards up front including scoring threats Jerry Welsh and Jean Tetrault. Veterans Galen Head and Mike Chemoff are others who have been highly productive since the playoffs began. This club was the best road team in the NAHL especially over the second half of the regular season. Their play on the road could very well be they key if the Jets skate off with the Lockhard Cup.</p><p>Looking beyond the championship series the new Buffalo entry in the NAHL has scheduled a press conference for May 5. A name the team contest is already in full gear and the winning name will be revealed at the press conference. League commissioner Bob Dextraze will make himself available to the Buffalo area news media at that time. The new team is not expected to name their coach at this conference, but rather they are hoping to name their man at the conclusion of the NHL-WHA playoffs.</p><p>In Philadelphia the Firebirds have announced plans to return to the Philadelphia Civic Center with a seating capacity of 8,115 for hockey. This year, however, it will be a different story as the Firebirds will enjoy the luxury of selecting the good home dates. Last year, because of their late acceptance into the league, almost all of the choice dates were filled up at the Civic Center. Thus the Philly brass had to accept the fact that several games would have to be on traditionally dull Monday evenings. Sometimes the club had to play back-to-back home games on weekday nights and at times they would go long stretches without a home game because the building was not available. By the same token road trips became a requirement, long home stretches became commonplace too. The building just had so many dates open and that was it. The Firebirds had to work with them. The way they played and the way the crowds came in after January 1 (despite the bad dates) it looks like a rosy future is in store for the Firebirds who have already embarked on their season ticket campaign.</p><p>Mohawk Valley released their attendance figures recently and it showed that nearly 50,000 more fans came out to view this year&rsquo;s Comets, as opposed to the 1974 edition. The Comets enoyed a fine average of 2,805 customers per game. Coach-general manager Brian Conacher has been making the rounds these days. Conacher, along with the Comets&rsquo; board chairman Vic Ehre traveled to Indianapolis to meet with Racer officials about a continuance of the working agreement the two clubs shared last year.</p><p>The Comets other agreement was with the WHA&rsquo;s Toronto Toros and the Toros should have been pleased with the results. They recalled right winger Jeff Jacques (at the time the Comets&rsquo; leading scorer) and Jacques became a Toro for the remainder of the year. Then they recalled fireplug Lou Nistico whose firebrand style and spirited play quickly made him the people&rsquo;s choice in Toronto, as he was in Utica. In 27 games with the big club, Lou banged home 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. Reports have filtered down from the WHA city saying that Nistico has also developed a solid reputation as a fighter. At any rate the scrappy left winger has made the most of his promotion and although the Toros were upset by San Diego in thequarter-finals Lou&rsquo;s six goals in six games were enough to lead the club in that category.</p><p>Getting away from the action, there have been many cases where referees have received their share of publicity for whatever reason. It happens in every league. Rarely, however, does one see or read about the linesmen who carry out their duties every game. The NAHL has recognized the good linesmen by assigning the better ones to the key playoff games regardless of location. During the regular season of course all teams used local linesmen.</p><p>Two of the more visible linesmen have been Steve Barry and Dave Madsen, both from Long Island. The two were held in high esteem by the late referee-in-chief of the NAHL Len Gagnon, and their talents have been recognized by other league officials.</p><p>The rest of the NAHL appears for the moment to be quiet but one can look for some interesting developments to occur in the weeks and months that lay ahead.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02128/3635639-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="543" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE CARLSON&hellip;Game Winner</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0396/3635632-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="543" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEAN TETREAULT&hellip;Solid Attacker</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0463/3635625-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="543" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PAT WESTRUM&hellip;Steadies Defense</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-01

IN THIS ISSUE

Surprising Johnstown Jets Keep Rolling Stunning Binghamton In Early Cup Play

<div class="byline">BY HAL SIGURDSON</div><p>VANCOUVER&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>t 17:06 of overtime in the fifth game of their quarter-final series with the Montreal Canadiens the season abruptly ended for the Vancouver Canucks.</p><p>Unfortunately it was more a matter of self destructing than getting beaten, but the Canucks can look back on the 1974-75 National Hockey League season with pride for all that.</p><p>They had finished first in their own Smythe Division. No one had expected that. Then they defeated the Canadiens 2-1 in game two of their first-ever playoff series and did it right in the Montreal Forum. No one expected that, either, least of all the Canadiens.</p><p>And before finally bowing out they took the Canadiens into overtime at the Forum before losing the game 5-4 and the series 4-1. The end came when Vancouver defenseman Dennis Kearns inadvertently deflected Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s pass into his own net.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a lousy way to lose,&rdquo; admitted defenseman Mike Robitaille, &ldquo;but at least we went out the right way. We were down 3-1 and it would have been easy to get beat 5-0 or 7-0, but we haven&rsquo;t quit all year and we didn&rsquo;t quit this time, either. To tell you the truth I&rsquo;m kinda proud of myself. In fact I&rsquo;m proud of this whole team.&rdquo;</p><p>Robitaille and a lot of other Canucks had every reason to feel pride in their season&rsquo;s accomplishments, a season in which they made believers of a lot of people, including their own fans. The 1974-75 season was the one in which Canuck jokes went out of style.</p><p>Their early season success was explained as a great goaltending job from Gary Smith backed by 20 guys named Joe hustling. But there is more to the Canucks than that.</p><p>In big Bob Dailey, Don Lever. Dennis Ververgaert, Paulin Bordeleau and Chris Oddleifson they have some of the finest young talent in the league, talent that figures to get even better.</p><p>They also have a solid nucleus of journeymen. Not stars, perhaps, but capable players who clearly demonstrated they belong in the league. Garry Monahan, for instance. He&rsquo;ll never draw many All Star votes because he isn&rsquo;t a big goal scorer, but he&rsquo;s one of the best penalty killers and defensive players in the league. And like of a lot of Canucks this season, he doesn&rsquo;t quit.</p><p>For the first time in their history the Canucks began a season without a &ldquo;rookie phenom&rdquo; that was going to lead them out of the wilderness. They had traded away their first 1974 draft choice to obtain Dailey in 1973. The rookies they did sign were mostly unheralded, but by the end of the season it was clear they had landed three pretty good ones.</p><p>Ken Lockett came on with a late season surge to prove Smith isn&rsquo;t the Canucks&rsquo; only goaltender.</p><p>Left winger Ron Sedlbauer started slowly, spent most of the season in Seattle, but in the playoffs he emerged as the team&rsquo;s most consistent hitter among the forwards.</p><p>Torn knee ligaments interrupted the progress of rookie defenseman Harold Snepsts. but remember the name. You&rsquo;ll be hearing more from this large youngster of Latvian ancestry.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ll be hearing more from all of us,&rdquo; insisted Robitaille. &ldquo;I think this season gave everybody on the team a little more character. We&rsquo;ll be back.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02837/3633523-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="559" height="1103"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE ROBITAILLE&hellip;Feeling Proud</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-02

Future Outlook Much Brighter For Vancouverites

<div class="byline">BY BILL BRILL</div><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS EVERY WEEK for the price of a ticket to a SINGLE GAME!</b></p><p><b>Superb Hockey Reading Each Month HOCKEY WORLD & HOCKEY PICTORIAL</b></p><p>CHARLOTTE&mdash;</p><p>The Charlotte Checkers are still basking in the sunshine of their first Southern League championship, and the third title in five years for owner Al Manch.</p><p>But what of the future of the Checkers, who dominated the SHL&rsquo;s second season by winning the regular season and the playoffs? Several members of the Charlotte team are not likely to return, and coach Pat Kelly is currently in Canada scouting for future pros pects.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01190/3635760-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="277" height="461"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jack Wells</b></figcaption></div><p>Goalie Gaye Cooley, a sensation in the playoffs, is talking retirement. &ldquo;It isn&rsquo;t fair to my family to keep playing hockey six months a year for $300 a week. I can&rsquo;t make a living that way. Every year I have to go out looking for a summer job.&rdquo;</p><p>But that&rsquo;s the kind of talk the SHL&rsquo;s only unmasked netminder offers every season. Cooley is still young enough at 30 to go up somewhere, but the question is where?</p><p>Cooley has been a pro since he got out of Michigan State, where he was the NCAA All-Star goalie, and he&rsquo;s never had an average that wasn&rsquo;t less than four goals. This year, his regular season average was 3.26 but in the playoffs it dipped to a spectacular 1.75. Cooley had a regular season record of 24-8. best in the SHL. and in the playoffs he was 7-1. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a money player,&rdquo; said Kelly. Cooley admits he plays harder when it really means something.</p><p>Several of the other Checkers also are likely to be elsewhere next season. Jack Wells, who coached Charlotte two years ago (to a last place finish), indicates that he also plans retirement.</p><p>Shortly after beating Hampton in the sixth and final game of the playoffs. Wells confessed, that Manch and Kelly weren&rsquo;t among his favorite people, &ldquo;but give them some credit. They built a championship team.&rdquo;</p><p>Wells then took the moment to chastise the Charlotte press for lack of coverage and told Charlotte Observer sports writer Bob Quincy that he didn&rsquo;t like him. either. Wells asked Quincy to print that, which the columnist promptly did.</p><p>The Production Line of Dave Gilmour. Andre Deschamps and Steve Hull is certain to be broken up. Gilmour came to the Checkers late in the year after the Baltimore Clippers folded. He carries a high price tag, and even though he finished out the season in Charlotte and tied Hampton&rsquo;s Bob Gerrard for the most goals in the playoffs. 10. it is almost a certainty that he will not return.</p><p>Gilmour certainly will be looking for a higher spot, and Manch isn&rsquo;t likely to try and bring back the classy center at last year&rsquo;s prices, expecially since Charlotte lost $50,000 or so this year.</p><p>Deschamps, with 59 goals in the regular season, is figuring on a promotion from Buffalo. Perhaps the left winger will get a shot at the Sabres. Hull isn&rsquo;t certain what his future is. but he did lead the league with 114 points and somebody should be interested.</p><p>When defenseman Ralph Hopiavouri joined Roanoke Valley this year form Indianapolis, he couldn&rsquo;t believe the Production Line. &ldquo;What are these guys doing in this league?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the best line in minor league hockey.&rdquo; It might have been. too.</p><p>The Checkers were honored by the city with Charlotte Checkers Week April 13-19, which helped the pacifiy some of the miffed feelings of the hockey ownership. Manch has been especially sensitive to all of the aid that has been given by the city to the Charlotte Hornets of the World Football League.</p><p>While he wasn&rsquo;t outright asking for charity. Manch pointed out that the Checkers had been established for 20 years in Charlotte and the Hornets were newcomers. &ldquo;We can continue to take losses like this year for a while, but there is no guarantee that we&rsquo;ll stay here forever.&rdquo; In other words. Manch feels that Charlotte is going all out for the football team while taking the hockey team for granted.</p><p>To help out in attendance, another sore point with Manch. the Checkers have hired Kevin Johnson. 37. as director of promotions. Johnson, who worked a couple of years in the WHA. was with Hampton most of the year before falling into disfavor with management. But he was considered the man mostly responsible for the Gull&rsquo;s remarkable showing at the gate. Among other things. Hampton produced its own TV show and televised road games near the end of the regular season and also in the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03104/3635753-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="550" height="680"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDRE DESCHAMPS&hellip;Should Move Up</b></figcaption></div><h2>SHL Playoffs</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02142/3635746-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="607" height="987"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-01

Charlotte’s Title Team To Scatter As Retirements, Transfers Take Toll

<div class="byline">BY BILL MAKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01947/3633554-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>&ldquo;I Love Teams&hellip;It&rsquo;s PLAYERS I Can&rsquo;t Stand!&rdquo;</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

CARTOON CORNER

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><p>BUFFALO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Buffalo Sabres, who entered the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs as Adams Division champions, are a much-improved club over the one which made National Hockey League post-season play for the first time in 1973.</p><p>That 1973 club gave a good accounting of itself before succumbing to the eventual Stanley Cup winners. the Montreal Canadiens, in a six-game first round series.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02826/3633147-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="289" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Peter McNab</b></figcaption></div><p>But it had weaknesses. One linedid almost all of the scoring in that series. The French Connection of Gil Perreault. Rick Martin and Rene Robert accounted for 11 of the 16 goals the Sabres scored against the Canadiens.</p><p>This year, things are decidedly different for the Sabres. All three lines are scoring and they did so in the Sabres&rsquo; opening series&mdash;the second round&mdash;as they sent the Chicago Black Hawks packing for the summer in six games. The newly-acquired depth will be a vital factor as the Sabres move against the Canadiens in the semi-finals. It&rsquo;s something that just may give Buffalo the needed edge to take the high-flying Habs.</p><p>As an example of the Sabres&rsquo; depth let&rsquo;s look back at the pivotal game in the Chicago series when the Sabres won in Chicago. 6-2. for a 3-1 lead in the series. A rookie forward who had been warming the bench came through with one key goal and set up another.</p><p>Peter McNab scored 22 goals in 51 games for the Sabres this season&mdash;he was sidelined twice by major injuries&mdash;but when playoff time came, coach Floyd Smith told the big, blond youth from Denver University that he would have to go with experience.</p><p>That meant that Gil Perreault. Don Luce and Fred Stanfield would be the Sabres&rsquo; three centers and McNab would watch from the pine, except when he got on in Stanfield&rsquo;s place after a power play or after Fred killed a penalty.</p><p>After the third game of the series, however, when the Black Hawks won in overtime. 6-5. Smith decided to use a little strategy.</p><p>Instead of starting his French Connection at the beginning of each period. as he usually does, he sent out McNab between Brian Spencer and Rick Dudley. They are a fierce forechecking combination.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted to get the puck in the Chicago end early and let them know we&rsquo;re here for business.&rdquo; the coach explained.</p><p>These three aggressive forecheckers managed to do what Smitty wanted in each of the first two periods.</p><p>The Sabres, however, started the third period shorthanded. Jerry Korab was in the penalty box, serving a minor penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.</p><p>He had five seconds to go on his minor. McNab was in the box to return to the ice when Korab&rsquo;s first penalty was up.</p><p>McNab came out, skated over to the left boards, where Jim Lorentz sent him a pass. Peter skated into the Chicago zone, then sent a pass back to Lorentz for a goal that put Buffalo ahead for good, 2-1.</p><p>In the first 30 seconds of the second period, McNab had scored a goal, himself, to tie at 1-1.</p><p>After each of the Sabres&rsquo; first two games against Chicago in Buffalo, McNab rode a stationary bike in the club&rsquo;s Memorial Auditorium training room an imaginary 10 miles.</p><p>He felt he needed the workout because he had hardly been on the ice during the games. &ldquo;I wanted to stay in good shape,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;so I would be an asset to the team when I came off the bench. Smitty told me he would be going with experience in the playoffs. Everyone has a job on this winning club. Mine is to fill in when I&rsquo;m needed.&rdquo;</p><p>Going into that fourth game, the scoring had been almost evenly divided among the Sabres&rsquo; three lines. The Connection had four goals, the Luce-Craig Ramsay-Danny Gare and Stanfield-Lorentz-Dudley lines each had three.</p><p>After Lorentz scored that goal at the 17-second mark of the third period of the fourth game, the Sabres scored four more times and the French Connection got three of the goals.</p><p>Gare, the rookie who scored the first goal in each of the first two games, to start the Sabres on their way to victory, got the other third-period goal.</p><p>Thus, at the end of four games, the Connection had seven goals, and each of the other lines had four. Besides which, the makeshift McNab line had one.</p><p>Gerry Desjardins, the latecomer from the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s Baltimore Blades, tended goal in all four of the games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-02

Much Improved Sabres Carry New Depth Into Next Series With Tough Canadiens

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01901/3633178-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Veteran defenseman Bill White will be back in Chicago next year after all. The Hawks spiked rumors White would play in Toronto next season by signing him to a multi-year contract.</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>HAWKS SIGN DEFENSE PAIR</b></h2><p>CHICAGO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>Y</span>ou can scrap all those late-season rumors that Bill White and Phil Russell, Chicago&rsquo;s top defense duo, will be playing elsewhere next season. The Hawks didn&rsquo;t waste time signing the pair to multi-year contracts to ensure they stay in Chicago.</p><p>Hawks&rsquo; GM Tommy Ivan announced that he had signed both players to new contracts. Reports circulated that White, like Russell, wanted more money and if he didn&rsquo;t get it he would rather be traded. Toronto was believed to be White&rsquo;s target whether it be with the Maple Leafs of Toros. Russell, also reportedly disgruntled over his meagre contract, was asking for a whopping raise and hinted if he didn&rsquo;t get it he, too, would have to start thinking about other NHL clubs.</p><h2><b>BARRIE QUITS ALLAN CUP</b></h2><p>ST. JOHN&rsquo;S&mdash;</p><p>The Barrie Flyers flew out of this hostile hockey city back to the friendly confines of Barrie, Ont., after withdrawing from their Allan Cup playoff series against the St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., Capitals. The Ontario senior hockey champs turned their backs on the Eastern Canada final series after a stormy three games marred by violence.</p><p>Barrie led the Caps 2-1 after three games, which were punctuated by fights, injuries, suspensions and general hostility. Team manager Gordon Coates made the decision to fly the Flyers home to Barrie after a bench-clearing brawl sent two of his players to hospital. Earlier another Barrie player suffered a broken arm in the rough play. Outcome of the series was in doubt with CAHA president Jack Devine holding off a decision to award the series to St. John&rsquo;s until he received a full report. Playing coach Darryl Sly said fights, penalties and suspensions had reduced his roster and he was unable to ice enough players for a fourth game. The CAHA announced that Sly was among four players suspended for the rest of the series pending an investigation.</p><h2><b>FLYERS TO GET NEW DEAL</b></h2><p>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;</p><p>The Philadelphia Flyers are about to introduce a new wrinkle in hockey contracts&mdash;lifetime pacts for their super stars Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent.</p><p>Ed Snider, who is chairman of the board, said contract terms have not been completed but that &ldquo;it would be a lifetime payout of a contract over a certain number of years.&rdquo; Snider disclosed the contract has been in the discussion stage for some time and said it would be a precedent for his club. He added that most of the Flyers would be eligible for the new plan over a period of time. The deal would be very similar to a pension but Snider denied reports that it guaranteed Parent $40,000 a year for life if he played six more years with Philadelphia.</p><h2><b>WHA COUGARS TO FLORIDA?</b></h2><p>CHICAGO&mdash;</p><p>The financially-troubled Chicago Cougars could be basking in the Florida sunshine before another hockey season rolls around.</p><p>At least that&rsquo;s the prospect facing the Cougars, who are on their way out of Chicago unless some &lsquo;angel&rsquo; drops from the sky and bails them out. With a U.S. Internal Revenue lien of $186,770 hanging over the club for failing to make tax and compensation payments to the Government, the WHA was studying new locales to shift the team. Miami and Calgary were prime candidates for the Chicago franchise with a Miami group headed by former Chicagoan Bob Blum showing the most interest in the Cougars. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m convinced big league hockey will succeed in Florida,&rdquo; said Blum.</p><p>Hum! Famous last words that hockey seemingly heard before.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-01

Deadline Stoppers

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01905/3633216-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Flyers&rsquo; cup victory last season was a first for an NHL expansion team but it appears not the last with three &lsquo;new&rsquo; clubs making up the four-team second-to-last step to the cup.</b></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p>Montreal Canadiens are outnumbered three to one in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Of the four teams remaining in contention for Lord Stanley&rsquo;s trophy, the Habs are the only pre-expansion squad.</p><p>The Buffalo Sabres will oppose the Canadiens in one set while the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers will face the surprising New York Islanders in the other matchup.</p><p>This marks the first time that three expansion clubs have made it this far in post-season play.</p><p>Perhaps more significantly, it is also the only occasion in recent years that the Boston Bruins. New York Rangers or Chicago Black Hawks have not been among the final four survivors.</p><p>The Flyers, who became the first and only post-1967 club to win the cup by downing the Bruins in last spring&rsquo;s final series, will be attempting to prove that their rise to power was by no means a fluke.</p><p>Despite missing the playoffs on only two occasions in their seven-year history. the Flyers still have a lot of people to convince.</p><p>Only once did the &lsquo;Broad Street Bullies&rsquo; advance as far as the semi-finals before last season and then they dropped a four game to one decision in 1973 to their possible opponents in this year&rsquo;s final, the Canadiens.</p><p>While the Flyers were the first &lsquo;new&rsquo; team to win the cup last year they weren&rsquo;t the first to make it to the NHL&rsquo;s showcase final. That distinction belonged to the St. Louis Blues. The NHL, in an attempt to generate interest in its expansion program, pitted the old and new divisions against one another in the Stanley Cup final. The Blues, then under coach Scotty Bowman, lost out in all three successive years they reached the cup final being beaten by Montreal in 1967-68 and 1968-69 before losing to Boston in 1969-70.</p><p>The Islanders this year reached the post-season playdowns for the first time since they were admitted into the NHL.</p><p>The third-year Islanders raised many eyebrows by earning a playoff position and then knocking off both their crosstown rivals the Rangers in the preliminary round and upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rare four straight playoff sweep after losing the first three games of the series.</p><p>Of the other two &lsquo;new&rsquo; clubs aiming for a shot at the Stanley Cup showdown series, Buffalo has the least experience in playoff action.</p><p>In their five-year history the Sabres have competed for post-season honors on one occasion. Ironically, this year&rsquo;s semi-final opponents, Montreal, ousted the Buffalo squad in a six-game quarter-final encounter in the spring, of 1973.</p><p>Thus there will be at least one team carrying expansion colors in the Stanley Cup finals and should Buffalo leave Montreal by the wayside another first would follow right on the heels of the others already mentioned&mdash;an allexpansion final series.</p><p>To say that the Sabres, Islanders and Flyers are the only expansionists to have made an impression in the NHL this season would be ignoring commendable performances by others &lsquo;new&rsquo; to the game.</p><p>Despite dropping out in the opening set, the Los Angeles Kings enjoyed their finest campaign and established themselves as a power to be reckoned with in upcoming years.</p><p>The Vancouver Canucks, who were given little chance of finishing any better than third in the Conn Smythe Division, put together their finest season and captured top spot and the automatic first-round bye.</p><p>Although dropped out of contention by the Canadiens, the Canucks&rsquo; many youngsters have gained needed playoff experience which will make them all the more prepared for post-season action in coming seasons.</p><p>Despite being on the wrong end of the Islanders&rsquo; four-game trek to the semifinals, the Penguins have to consider this past season a success, at least on the ice.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02773/3633209-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1164" height="1189"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>When the NHL expanded in 1967-68 the St. Louis Blues were in the Stanley Cup finals three straight years under Scotty Bowman. Veteran Red Berenson, above, was their offensive spark scoring 19 goals in three playoff years.</b></figcaption></div><p>After missing the post-season action in the past two seasons and having made the playoffs only twice in their seven-year history, the Pens put togetheran awesome offensive attack which supported them until their downfall at the hands of the upstart Islanders.</p><p>Having missed the playoffs for the first time last season, the Blues came to back to post a respectable record during regular season play and were near capturing the Smythe Division title eventually having to settle for second spot and then were ousted by the Penguins in the playoff preliminary round in two straight games.</p><p>When fans think of expansion, Washington and Kansas City, the two youngest citizens of the NHL who both suffered through their initial season in 1974-75, and California, who have failed to make a mark for themselves since coming into existence in 1967, are the teams that immediately come to mind.</p><p>With those franchises front and center, the minuses heavily outweigh the plusses. But in reality the pros, such as the Sabres, Flyers and Islanders, surpass the cons.</p><p>Washington may be setting records for futility now, but some day&hellip;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0003-01

EXPANSION CUP FINAL POSSIBILITY FOR NHL

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01957/3633268-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="447" height="443"></div><p><b>&bull; VANCOUVER CANUCKS</b> played their hearts out in losing to Montreal in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. Their 5-4 overtime loss to the Canadiens in the fifth game was as good hockey as you could ever hope to witness. The Canucks are the team of the future in the NHL and they&rsquo;ll be back battling for the Stanley Cup tot many years to come&hellip;Buffalo&rsquo;s French Connection Line is the best forward unit in the National Hockey League right now. Seldom do the Sabres play a game when one of the trio of Gil Perreault, Rene Robert or Rick Martin is kept off the scoresheet. Usually all three figure prominently in the Sabres&rsquo; scoring&hellip;Sherbrooke Beavers, champions of the Quebec Major League, will be heavy favorites to capture this year&rsquo;s Memorial Cup. The Beavers are a well-balanced squad and seem to have the knack of always being able to overcome adversity&hellip;Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita were booed by Buffalo fans when they failed to shake hands in the traditional handshaking ceremonies after the Hawks were eliminated by the Sabres&hellip;Incidentally, when Mikita scored the winning overtime goal giving the Hawks their lone win over the Sabres it was his first overtime play off goal&hellip;Doug Favell and Bill Flett are certain not to be back with Toronto Maple Leafs next season&hellip;Alan Eagleson, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito and a couple of other Bruins&rsquo; stars would like to be able to raise the money to buy the Bruins. This is really a new twist with the players turning into owners&hellip;The World Hockey Association has set May 6 as the deadline date for the decision of the fate of the Chicago Cougars.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02913/3633261-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="277" height="479"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rene Robert</b></figcaption></div><p><b>&bull; WHAT A JOB</b> Harry Howell has done as player-coach of the San Diego Mariners this season. The popular Howell would be a natural as coach of the New York Rangers for next season. Harry had a long and successful career as a player with the Rangers and has many ardent fans in the Big City&hellip;Congrats to Ron Corey who did such an outstanding job on public reltions for Molson&rsquo;s that he has been appointed marketing director. It couldn&rsquo;t happen to a more deserving fellow&hellip;Dave Keon and Norm Ullman, two veteran members of the Maple Leafs, are question marks for next season. The Leafs are anxious to make some sweeping changes in an all-out effort to improve the team&hellip;Ted Harris, Philadelphia defenseman. is hoping this will be his fifth Stanley Cup team. He was a member of four Cup winners at Montreal&hellip;One of the biggest assets the Flyers have going for them is the inspirational play of Bobby Clarke, their dynamic captain and center&hellip;Mel Swig and his San Francisco group will definitely buy the California Seals. Swig will take over as chairman of the board leaving the current president Munson Campbell to continue in the same role&hellip;Shep Goldberg has been the best publicist the Seals ever had and he secured more ink for a floundering franchise than anyone could hope to get&hellip;Toros&rsquo; Billy Harris returned from a scouting trip to Sweden raving about the number of good young defensemen in that country&hellip;Glenn Resch was sensational in goal for the Islanders in their series against Pittsburgh. The team won all four games once he took over goalkeeping duties&hellip;No love is lost between Buffalo&rsquo;s Punch Imlach and Montreal&rsquo;s Sammy Pollock&hellip;General manager Bill Torrey and coach Al Arbour have done wonders with the third-year New York Islanders&hellip;Bobby Orr may have trouble getting the contract he desires from Boston. The Bruins with a current payroll of $1.5 million just have so much money, and the club is on the decline in every way, artistically, emotionally and worst of all, financially. Bruin television ratings are down considerably as well.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03808/3633254-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="261" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Harry Howell</b></figcaption></div><p><b>&bull; MARC BOILEAU</b> proved to be a very popular coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His players were loyal to him and gave him every ounce of effort they could muster&hellip;Steve Shutt, Bob Gainey and Murray Wilson, all valuable members of the Montreal Canadiens. will be married this summer&hellip;Boston&rsquo;s Bobby Orr is the only player to have scored against every NHL team this season&hellip;We guess not everybody&rsquo;s a hockey fan even in Philadelphia. The Flyers tightened security at the Spectrum for the playoffs and coach Fred Shero was stopped by a new guard at the corridor entrance leading to the dressing rooms. Since Shero didn&rsquo;t have a new pass the guard refused to let him go past. Finally, Shero just walked on by&hellip;Danny Gare and Fred Stanfield of the Buffalo Sabres have brothers who play together on the Spokane Jets of the Western International League&hellip;The St. Louis Blues set team records this season for most penalty minutes, most penalties, most minor penalties and most major penalties. Bob Gassoff led the team with 222 minutes, nine short of Steve Durbano&rsquo;s team record. Garry Unger, Pierre Plante and Floyd Thomson had more than 100 minutes each.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04706/3633247-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="277" height="383"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Marc Boileau</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

PASSINC THE PUCK

<p>Founded October 1st, 1947 Vol. 28 No. 31 MAY 9, 1975</p><p><b>Published weekly except monthly June through September by W.C.C. Publishing Ltd., 1434 St. Catherine Street West, Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7. U.S. c/o W.C.C. Publishing, 150 E. 58th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022.</b></p><p><b>Kenneth W. McKenzie</b><br>President, Publisher and Advertising Director</p><p><b>Charlie Halpin</b><br>Editorial Director</p><p><b>Hans Hoenig</b><br>Administration Manager</p><p><b>Ralph Bridgland</b><br>Asst. To Editor</p><p><b>United Stated Advertising Representatives: Boston Steve Ganak. Ad. Reps. 479 Statler Office Bldg. Boston, Mass 02116. telephone (617) 524-6913: Chicago: Hooper Jones & Associates. 3322 W. Peterson Ave, Chicago. Ill 60659 telephone (312) 478-5544. New York: Bill Hitzig. National Sports Publishing Corp., 150 East 58th Street. New York. 10022. Telephone (212) 593-2100.</b></p><p><b>Southern States: Edward F. Mullen & Associates, 810 Ponce DeLeon Blvd., Belleaire, Fla. 33516 telephone (813) 585-1763.</b></p><p><b>YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $9.50 In Canada $10.50 in the U.S.A. and $14.00 in Foreign Countries. Second class postage paid at New York, N.Y., 10001 and at additional mailing offices. SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO 1434 ST. CATHARINE STREET WEST, SUITE 217, MONTREAL CANADA, H3G 1R7, Second Class mail Registration No 1327 All inquiries pertaining to subscriptions should be addressed to Subscription Dept., The Hockey News, 1434 St. Catherine St W. Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7. Printed in Canada.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

The Hockey News OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05574/3633323-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg"></div><h2><b>Caps Can&rsquo;t Lose With Their Fans</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>any times you hear how great the fans are in Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and other cities but one place is overlooked and that is Washington.</p><p>I&rsquo;ve been to games in Washington and when the Caps were losing and it was impossible to win, the fans kept cheering and never gave up. When the team left and returned to the ice the applause was just as loud as it was at the beginning of the game.</p><p>At the last home game of the season, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, the crowd cheered and gave the Caps a standing ovation as if they had just won the Stanley Cup.</p><p>With the record of the first-year Caps, I think their fans deserve much credit.</p><p>The Caps will go far next year because with their fans they couldn&rsquo;t go wrong.</p><p><b>MARY ANN BAHR</b><br><b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b></p><h2><b>Wings Forgetting Swedish All Stars</b></h2><p>It makes me wonder, with the Detroit Red Wings struggling this year, why they have seemingly forgotten two players of potential All Star quality.</p><p>I speak of left winger Tord Lundstrom and goalie Leif Holmquist of the Swedish National Team.</p><p>Their credentials are impressive. Lundstrom, as captain, led the Swedes in their 3-2 loss to Team Canada &lsquo;74 scoring a goal and an assist while Holmquist provided excellent goalkeeping.</p><p>In 1973-74 Lundstrom played injured with Detroit totaling a goal and an assist in 11 games before being sent to join Holmquist with the London Lions where they both apparently starred.</p><p>Since they both signed three-year contracts with Detroit in September 1973 and Detroit reportedly shelled out $50,000 for their release to the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, why aren&rsquo;t they with Detroit now?</p><p>It seems unquestionable that these two players would be of great value to the Red Wings and that along with Marcel Dionne. Mickey Redmond and Danny Grant would form the nucleus of a Stanley Cup winner in 1975-76.</p><p><b>BRAD WARK,</b><br><b>Ottawa, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>U.S. Needs, Deserves More Hockey Coverage</b></h2><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS very nicely reported to all hockey fans that NHL V.P. Don Ruck was applying his efforts to bringing TV coverage of games to foreign countries. As I see it, the one country that really needs and deserves more coverage is the good old U.S.A. After all, this is where most of the revenues come from. Canada already receives good coverage.</p><p>Why do the major networks televise every baseball game (no matter what the time of day) both home and away and hockey only gets an occasional nod on a road trip? Most fans are unable to watch their idols in person in cities like N.Y., Boston, Philadelphia, etc. due to continuous sell outs so why not give the rest of the fans a chance to watch them on TV? Cable does not help since it is a localized, restricted service.</p><p>I am certain the clubs would not lose dollars (which seems to be the primary concern) because, like myself, I know that if I could buy a ticket to watch my team in person, I would go to the game regardless but since I am unable to attend through no fault of my own (extremely frustrating to say the least), I could accept watching it on TV.</p><p>How can the NHL expect to attain more recognition from the American people if it doesn&rsquo;t go all out to give the game the proper exposure, including news coverage?</p><p><b>MARIA F. SANTOS,</b><br><b>Danbury, Conn.</b></p><h2><b>Hope NHL Officials Change Playoff Format</b></h2><p>It is my sincere hope that the officials of the National Hockey League will take another look at the inequities of the playoff system and make some changes next season. Some of the strongest teams, such as Los Angeles and Boston, have been eliminated in what can only be considered a qualifying round. Why should the Kings, who with 105 points and the fourth highest point total in the league, have had to play in a best two of three series? Such a series is no test of a team&rsquo;s ability. The true test is in the long, 80-game season, when the Kings battled Montreal right down to the wire. No one can convince me that Toronto, who did not win a single game from the Kings all season, is the better of the two teams.</p><p><b>M. L. ELDER,</b><br><b>Inglewood, Cal.</b></p><h2><b>Telling Story Like It Is</b></h2><p>Since you published my letter regarding the way the National Hockey League had deteriorated to a bunch of overpaid loafers, I would like to congratulate THE HOCKEY NEWS for the way the last few publications have told the story as it is.</p><p>Keep up the good work. There are a lot of good honest hockey players in the league. We want to hear about them.</p><p><b>GEORGE N. NICHOLS</b><br><b>Massena, N.Y.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-05

FAN FORUM

<div class="byline">BY BILL HEUFELDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01853/3633354-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GARY INNESS&hellip;Willing Listener</b></figcaption></div><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he St. Louis goalie. Ed Johnston, calls him I-ness. Denis Potvin, the heart of the New York Islanders, has a book on him. but discovered it was full of bum information.</p><p>What the Pittsburgh Penguins call Gary Inness is the player most responsible for putting them where they are in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is on the verge of getting past the Islanders into the semi-final round.</p><p>Two years removed from the University of Toronto&rsquo;s leisurely hockey schedule that contained roughly 20 games. Inness this season made more saves and won more games for the Penguins than any goaltender in their history.</p><p>Apparently, he didn&rsquo;t turn many heads.</p><p>&ldquo;All the reports we get say he&rsquo;s bad.&rdquo; revealed Potvin glumly after Inness had given a spectacular performance in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s 5-4 opening playoff victory over the Islanders.</p><p>Potvin drove eight shots at Inness, was shut out and settled for a pair of assists. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s supposed to be bad on the high shots, bad on the low shots. Easy to beat. But then we play against him and we can&rsquo;t beat him.&rdquo;</p><p>Actually. Inness proved fallible against the Islanders, posting a 1-2-1 during the regular season, although his average was an impressive 2.67.</p><p>In the playoffs. Inness, forced to carry the entire netminding burden with Michel Plasse sidelined, backstopped the Penguins to the two victories that eliminated St. Louis in the first round.</p><p>Inness and his Penguin teammates remained unbeaten with three straight triumphs over the determined Islanders before bowing. 3-1. in the fourth game.</p><p>In game No. 2 when Billy Smith gave a tremendous display in the New York net. Inness came up with bewildering saves, once flinging himself across an open net to bat away Bob Nystrom&rsquo;s 15-footer from point-blank range. The Penguins won, 3-1.</p><p>With the series moving to the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders produced a heavier attack, but with the same discouraging results.</p><p>Inness turned back 43 shots in a wild 6-4 victory that featured six goals, three by each club, in the final period. The Penguins were not out of danger until Lowell MacDonald flicked home an empty&mdash;net goal in the dieing seconds.</p><p>Whoever delivered to the Islanders the 101 ways to sneak the puck past Inness. he prefers it to be over his dead body.</p><p>Tirelessly working to refine his stylish skill as quickly as possible. Inness inadvertently heaped added problems on himself.</p><p>&ldquo;Gary&rsquo;s matured so much,&rdquo; general manager Jack Button observed. &ldquo;The other day. he mentioned to me that he knows the difference now between pressure and worrying. Before he didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p><p>Speaking confidently of his position in the playoffs. Inness said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s definitely pressure, but i&rsquo;m capable of handling it.&rdquo;</p><p>Until Plasse arrived last January from Kansas City, the Penguins were forced to rely almost entirely on Inness. despite his lack of pro experience. He responded with a creditable string of performances, broken occasionally by an off-night brought on by overwork and possibly worrying too much.</p><p>With Plasse recovering slowly from a late-season ankle injury, the situation repeated itself for Inness in the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m prepared to keep going.&rdquo; the 25-year-old netminder said, realizing he had about as much chance of being rested as Bernie Parent.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t prepared earlier in the season.&rdquo; Inness explained. Td look at the schedule, see four games in five nights and be thinking about the fourth game before I played the first one.</p><p>&ldquo;Now, I&rsquo;m taking one game at a time.&rdquo;</p><p>Playing an inspired brand of hockey and continuing their heavy scoring, the Penguins have overcome serious obstacles.</p><p>Barry Wilkins, squeezed between Clark Gillies and Bill Harris along the boards, was lost for the remainder of the playoffs with a separated shoulder in the series opener.</p><p>Dennis Owchar, who saw a moderate amount of action with the Penguins, proved to be an adequate replacement and Larry Bignell did an efficient job of filling in for Bob Paradise in two games. Paradise sustained a shoulder injury, but it was not considered serious.</p><p>Overall, the Pittsburgh defense was impressive with Dave Burrows playing some of his best hockey of the campaign and Ron Stackhouse providing enough points to lead the club in scoring.</p><p>The main man. however, remains Inness. and Stackhouse offered an insight into his rapid development.</p><p>&ldquo;He always has been a willing listener.&rdquo; Stackhouse said. &ldquo;He makes mistakes and he knows it. If somebody tells him something, he&rsquo;s trying to correct whatever he&rsquo;s doing wrong.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

Inness Responsible For Pens’ Success In Playoffs

<div class="byline">BY JACK MCCARTHY</div><p>BOSTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he season is long over so far as the Bruins are concerned, but now the second season begins, and I don&rsquo;t mean the Stanley Cup playoffs this year.</p><p>This is the season in which the lawyers and the agents go one-on-one with management, and Lord help whoever gets caught up-ice without a defenseman back.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01989/3633392-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="243" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Phil Esposito</b></figcaption></div><p>The accountants and the tax lawyers are the men who really know who makes what, and how management comes out of a season, but it is pretty safe to say the Bruins made money. They have a healthy TV contract. they have a healthy radio contract, and they make a good buck at some tough prices from the Boston Garden concessions.</p><p>But, there was a crack or two in the solid mass of humanity which always would fill the Garden to bursting. My heavens, this year there were several hundred folk who didn&rsquo;t even bother to pick up their Stanley Cup tickets, and there were some holes in what used to be a solid attendance every night the Bruins played.</p><p>However, a goodly bunch of Bruins have salaries that would make Howard Hughes flinch, and two of the biggest come up for negotiation this summer.</p><p>That would be the NHL&rsquo;s two leading scorers. Bobby Orr. No. 1, and Phil Esposito. No. 2. These negotiations are sort of a continuing thing, going on for months at a time, and, it is believed, that this time the Esposito talks have been going on for over a year.</p><p>On&rsquo; and Espo were signed to longterm contracts the last time by the old Bruins&rsquo; management, but since then, the team has been sold to Storer Broadcasting.</p><p>Orr is believed to be making around $120,000 a year as base pay with, in all probability, clauses for goals and attendance. Espo was signed for a little less. They were signed to long-term contracts just before the World Hockey Association began raiding the NHL. Some of their teammates signed after the bidding war began, and some renegotiated contracts with the results that the Bruins have a hefty payroll above and beyond the salaries paid to the two super stars. Some of the lesser players are not far off the amount paid to Orr, for example. That, for sure, will change.</p><p>It is believed that Espo&rsquo;s contract is in a closer stage of negotiation than Orr&rsquo;s. although there seems no question but that both will resign with Boston. Pandemonium would break loose in Boston if they didn&rsquo;t.</p><p>There are the whispers that Espo could be traded for a bunch of players, but that not only seems to be heresy, but would not make much sense in the face of the market of obscure players now in the NHL.</p><p>Any team that wants to play well, and make the playoffs, and win the Cup. and draw people, and has Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, does not trade a man who can put the puck in the net like Espo. There were mutterings about his back-checking and Harry Sinden has been talking about re-orienting this team to defense, and both Orr and Espo were mentioned along that line.</p><p>Which is fine; if it takes defense to win it all. then everybody must do his share along that line. But it puts the Bruins into something of a quandary&hellip;whether to keep paying the big money and hope you can turn things around with a winner next season. Or. dump some of the big money for players with lesser salaries (if there are any) and hope that you can come up with a winner from hustle and defense next season.</p><p>You would have to bet on Espo and Orr being a sure thing to resign, but there is always the question of those signs of customer resistance that greeted the non-winner of last season.</p><p>We should know a little more shortly.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02768/3633385-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="559" height="950"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOBBY ORR&hellip;Making About $120,000</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-01

Bruins’ Top Guns Renegotiating Contracts

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01894/3633423-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EDDIE SHACK&hellip;$17,000 Per Hour Performer</b></figcaption></div><p>TORONTO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>n overtime goal by Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; Moose Dupont which sent the Toronto Maple Leafs into oblivion in the Stanley Cup quarter-final had barely nestled in the hemp when Leaf owner Harold Ballard was on his feet, yelling &ldquo;change&rdquo;.</p><p>Despite the Leafs&rsquo; strong finish to the 1974-75 NHL season and their first-round upset of the Los Angeles Kings, Ballard feels his hockey team needs a house-cleaning job. Not that such an act represents anything new and startling because the Leafs have had so many housecleaning jobs in the past five years that it&rsquo;s difficult to find a spot of familiar dust.</p><p>Ballard also stated that his trusty vice-president King Clancy would have a large say in the housecleaning. In fact, it appears that Clancy will carry a large broom. Just where that broom ranks in size to the one general manager Jim Gregory will lug wasn&rsquo;t defined.</p><p>Harold didn&rsquo;t say which end of the broom coach Red Kelly would have or which direction Kelly would sweep&mdash;up or out.</p><p>Ballard and Clancy stated that Leafs needed to change as many as ten players. Gregory, a much more realistic man, merely said that the club would try to better itself through drafts and trades. Coach Kelly commented that the team&rsquo;s young players had made some progress during the past season.</p><p>Ballard talked a great deal about the Leafs going on a youth kick. That probably means that the older players can&rsquo;t kick or they&rsquo;ll pull their groins. But it seems Ballard was saying that the club&rsquo;s post-30s shouldn&rsquo;t sign any long-term leases in Toronto, unless they wrangle a long-term deal from the Toros of the World Hockey Association.</p><p>One of the old guys, Eddie Shack, probably will do precisely that. At $80,000 in salary, Shack&rsquo;s pay worked out to approximately $17,000 per hour for his few brief appearances with the Leafs. The Toros apparently are interested in Shack&rsquo;s gate appeal although it&rsquo;s never been established that he has any.</p><p>The Leafs have a long list of expendables but then, what 12th-place club which just raised its ticket prices didn&rsquo;t?</p><p>The names on the list of guys who might go include Norm Ullman. Shack, Gary Sabourin, Bill Flett, Brian Glennie, Dave Keon. Jim McKenny and Red Kelly. Goalie Doug Favell, too, can expect a new sweater next season. He isn&rsquo;t a big fan of Kelly&rsquo;s and the Leafs don&rsquo;t lead any cheers for his attorney, Howard Casper.</p><p>Ballard claims he wants more &ldquo;animosity&rdquo; on the team next season, and probably increased malevolence, bellicosity and truculence, too. If the owner has his way. Leafs will make the Third Reich look like the Washington Capitals.</p><p>Anyway, the Leafs will be canvassing the trade market from all angles. In Ballard&rsquo;s view, making deals is easy. Gregory&rsquo;s outlook is a trifle more practical.</p><p>&ldquo;Many people think that all I have to do is to phone another general manager and, in five minutes, we&rsquo;ve worked out a trade which will help both clubs.</p><p>&ldquo;It isn&rsquo;t that easy, or even close. Now that there are 18 teams, a club with players to swap has many more alternatives. You can&rsquo;t rush into a trade without checking around to see if you can better it.&rdquo;</p><p>Much speculation revolves around Kelly&rsquo;s future. The Leaf coach has two years to go on a four-year contract and even Ballard must remember that the club had an incredible list of injuries to a roster that wasn&rsquo;t overpowering to start with.</p><p>It seems the young Leafs are much more on Kelly&rsquo;s wave-length than the older ones. If Ballard&rsquo;s claim of moving the older players comes true, then Kelly&rsquo;s situation would be upgraded.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

Leafs’ Management Planning House-Cleaning Job

<div class="byline">&#x2014;By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01978/3633461-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="296" height="360"></div><h2><b><i>WHA On The Move&hellip;</i></b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMPLETING ITS</b> third season, the World Hockey Association is here to stay, though it still is in transition. Attendance has this season surpassed four million fans, most of the franchises seem solid, and the level of play has improved enormously, but there still are some serious soft spots, interest is non-existent in the major media centers of the United States, and a serious split has developed between the U.S. and Canadian forces, forecasting a power struggle. League offices are about to be moved from Orange County, California, to Toronto, with critical consequences.</p><p>A second major hockey league was the dream of Dennis Murphy, while Gary Davidson served as the midwife who brought the baby to life. After Davidson departed to preside over his World Football League nightmare. Dennis became president. Now, Dennis is departing, Dennis did not make a lot of money out of his American Basketball League and this WHA and he feels as he approaches 50 it is time to get something he can set aside for his future. However, his interest in sports persists. He&rsquo;d be interested in putting together the purchase of the San Diego Arena and WHA team, for one. And he still has his interest in his team tennis circuit.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02878/3633454-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="280" height="482"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pat Stapleton</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I feel I&rsquo;ve done a lot for the league. I feel it&rsquo;s time 1 moved on.&rsquo;&rsquo; the smiling Irishman says.</p><p>He has done more for the league than it has done for him. but both Dennis and Davidson were put under pressure by the circuit&rsquo;s Canadian hockey interest from the start. The latter regard it as their game and they want to run it their way. Few from the front office in California will accompany the office to Canada. Bud Poile will make the move to continue to conduct the hockey side of the show, but Bill Hunter probably will preside over a reorganized administration. When an owner of one team sits at the head of a board of owners you have ownership rule, but Bill is a powerful personality, if not the independent chief the circuit could use. Hopefully everyone will not begin to pull in different directions until the circuit starts to come apart at the seams.</p><p>The five Canadian-based clubs were among the six top teams in attendance in the WHA this season. The first four all were Canadian. Accordingly, provincial sentiment to split the circuit into Canadian and United States divisions has increased. And in answer to the protests of the U.S. teams there is the threat of forming a new league entirely of the Canadian clubs. There is here the threat of the loss of international appeal which could reduce the circuit from the major league to a minor league level. A major league, of course, is only anything you can sell under that name. So far, the WHA has been sold as a major league, but a completely Canadian League could not be. U.S. television interests would not be interested and they are the ones with the money. However, they haven&rsquo;t purchased the package up to now, anyway, and with the poor ratings records of the NHL show, are less interested than before.</p><p><b>THERE ISN&rsquo;T</b> any team in the WHA which could compete effectively with the top teams in the NHL, but based on the WHA games we saw this season the best WHA teams would destroy the worst NHL teams. The newest NHL teams, Kansas City and Washington, are not nearly as good as most WHA teams and Washington, the worst team we ever saw in the NHL, would be one of the worst in the WHA. It has produced the best balance the NHL ever has had, but expansion has sapped the strength from many established powers. The record of all but the most recent expansionist was superior to that of the original teams in the NHL this season. And the best of the WHA appears to be catching up, too.</p><p>While Vancouver of the WHA is still bidding for the NHL&rsquo;s super scorer, Phil Esposito, the league has altered its tactics from the pursuit of established stars to the pursuit of novice stars. It has been bagging enough so that the development of these to superstardom could bring it equality eventually. Add Esposito to Bobby Hull and the retiring Gordie Howe and the three greatest scorers in NHL history will have landed in the WHA. bringing with them big boosts in prestige and interest. But. it is in initiating the race for underage amateurs and in bringing in such skilled youngsters as Mark Howe. Gary MacGregor and Dennis Sobchuk that the WHA really began to grow.</p><p>Houston had the best team on the tour his season, but Quebec, Toronto. New England, San Diego and Minnesota also put together top teams. The ever-brilliant Bobby Hull&rsquo;s 77 goals, surpassing Esposito&rsquo;s 76 as a major-league mark, was the top individual achievement, although the exciting and explosive Andre Lacroix captured the points title, surpassed Bobby Orr&rsquo;s major-league mark of 102 assists, and set a new standard by picking up points in a startling string of 32 straight games. It was a scorer&rsquo;s circuit and wide-open games, often ending in exciting overtimes, attracted increased enthusiasm. Attendance jumped almost 50 percent over last season. It has increased from 2.5 million to 4 million in three seasons.</p><p><b>EDMONTON, DESPITE</b> a poor team, had five sellout crowds of more than 15,000 fans and led the league with an average of 10,700 fans per game. Toronto came close at 10,400. Then came Quebec at 9,400 and Winnipeg at 8,500. Minnesota, which lured a record single-game turnout of 17,300 fans, topped 8,000 on the average. So did Vancouver. The weak new team in Indianapolis, and the New England team pulled in close to 8,000 each. The new team in Phoenix topped 7,200. Cleveland and Houston came in at close to 7,000. San Diego settled for 6,000. The weakest sisters were in Baltimore and Chicago, where attendance barely beat 3,000, or a third of what was needed.</p><p>Amost every city on this tour now has a modern arena. New buildings in Edmonton. Indianapolis. Hartford and Cleveland added a lot of lustre to the league. The transfer of the Toros into Toronto&rsquo;s Maple Leaf Gardens paid off past expectations and has posed a threat to the glamorous Maple Leafs the NHL did not envision. Early returns on the transfer of the New York-New Jersey franchise to San Diego were disappointing, but interest increased as the season went on. On the other hand, the move of the Los Angeles franchise to first Detroit, then Baltimore, proved disastrous. Baltimore may disappear.</p><p>So may Chicago. Or there may be a transfer. Where? Calgary is most often mentioned, setting up a six-team Canadian circuit. Having had to leave New York, having left Los Angeles, leaving Chicago would leave the WHA without representation in the three U.S. centers of information, but after plans for a suburban arena in The Windy City were withdrawn, the Kaiser brothers withdrew as operators of the Cougars, leaving the club about to collapse. It became a curious world of sports, three players&mdash;Pat Stapleton. Dave Dryden, and Ralph Backstrom&mdash;and their agent&mdash;Jeff Rosen&mdash;took over &ldquo;ownership&rdquo;, for a reported $100,000.</p><p>Stapleton sat in a coffe shop on the day of a game recently and discussed the deal: &ldquo;They wanted to transfer the team. By my contract 1 didn&rsquo;t have to go. Others didn&rsquo;t want to go. When the idea of taking over the team ourselves arose, it seemed the only fair thing to do&mdash;for the league and the team. Without us, the franchise would have folded. But I have business interests in Chicago and at my age I&rsquo;m past the point of removing <u>mysel</u>f from them. Anyway, it&rsquo;s unfair to families and kids in school to move them around all the time. It may be sports, but it&rsquo;s wrong.&rdquo;</p><p><b>MARRIED TO JACKIE,</b> the father of Mary. Maureen. Tommy, Susan, Michael and Chris, operator of a construction company and two suburban skating rinks. Pat is an energetic gentleman with a sense of his responsibilities. Admitting he was in for the biggest share, he denied they were in for pennies: &ldquo;We have hard dollars on the line. We&rsquo;re responsible for current costs. We could lose a lot. 1 could be badly hurt. But if so. I&rsquo;ll just start again. Hockey has paid me a lot and it was a time to pay some of it back. I don&rsquo;t worry about it. I decided to take the gamble and so I&rsquo;ll accept whatever the roll of the dice is. Remember, there was always the possibility of hitting the jackpot, too.&rdquo;</p><p>Not only owner, but manager, coach, and player, Pat has taken on a lot, but the fact that his youngest is only a few months old shows that the 35-year-old is still a strong competitor. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of work, but I&rsquo;m learning a lot. and I love it.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Most of us are doing double duty. We&rsquo;ve cut back to keep costs down, but are far from breaking even. The players agreed to stretch out their paydays to lower the monthly nut. but player salaries are staggering,&rdquo; the apprentice owner grinned, having a staggering salary himself.</p><p>&ldquo;If so much hadn&rsquo;t been said about the Amphitheater being an impossible place I think we could have grown there, but so much was said about a beautiful new arena that when it fell through it hurt horribly. As an ex-Black Hawk I know we are not welcome to share Chicago Stadium. There is still the chance financing for a new arena will be secured. A low-cost, but functional suburban building is possible. But time is running out on us. We did not take on past obligations of the franchise. The league has the big stake in it and will make the final decision on it. I&rsquo;m anxious to see how the story turns out. myself.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY JAY GREENBERG</div><p>KANSAS CITY&mdash;</p><p>The Scouts finished their first season in Kansas City with an average attendance of 8,529. about 1,500 short of their announced break-even figure, but close enough to encourage Ed Thompson, the club president.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03736/3633492-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="268" height="452"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Simon Nolet</b></figcaption></div><p>The final average left the Scouts with the second-lowest figure (to California) in the National Hockey League, but does not compare too unfavorably with many of the 11 other post-1967 clubs.</p><p>The Scouts finished with a better average than California. Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles in those clubs&rsquo; first seasons, and less than 2,000 a game short of four other clubs&mdash;St. Louis. Washington. Philadelphia and Buffalo.</p><p>A predicted increase over the second half of the season fell short of Thompson&rsquo;s expectations however. &ldquo;I thought we would do a little better the second half of the year.&rdquo; said Thompson. The Scouts averaged 7,907 before Jan. I and 8,939 in the 24 dates afterward.</p><p>&ldquo;I think our schedule hurt us.&rdquo; said Thompson. &ldquo;There were too many times we had three games in one week. People just can&rsquo;t afford to come that often.&rdquo;</p><p>The Scouts, who went into the season with 4,900 season tickets sold, gradually increased it to 5,400 as the season went along. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t set any specific goals.&rdquo; said Thompson, but we&rsquo;ere hoping for 7,500 next year. I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s realistic or not.&rdquo;</p><p>The Scouts&rsquo; front office was, in many ways, as inexperienced as the club it put on the ice in its first year, and Thompson is still in the process of formulating a promotional policy for next year. In the meantime, the club underwent an almost complete turnabout in philosophy from the beginning of the season. For the first few games, the Scouts just opened the doors. Over the last month a promotion of some sort was attached to every home date.</p><p>&ldquo;We probably had too many.&rdquo; said Thompson, but while he is still wary of sponsoring too many giveaways, he is looking at new ways of marketing the team next year.</p><p>The business end of the front office will undergo some changes over the summer months, following the resignation of Bill Grigsby. Thompson&rsquo;s assistant. Grigsby, who was originally involved in the Scouts&rsquo; promotional efforts until an advertising agency was hired in mid-season, resigned two days before the end of the season to take a job with another Kansas City area company.</p><p>While the end of a long season produced a Thompson who was more receptive to promotional ideas, he realizes that the best gimmick will be an improved team. &ldquo;Kansas City fans support a winner and I think we&rsquo;ll have to do better to draw more.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m still encouraged. 1 still, think the best hockey fans in Kansas City haven&rsquo;t seen a game yet.&rdquo;</p><p><b>LOOSE PUCKS:</b> The Scouts averaged 10,501 on their 10 Saturday dates&hellip;Simon Nolet was named most valuable player of the club by the Scouts&rsquo; booster club&hellip;Nolet was also the Kansas City hockey writer chapter&rsquo;s nomination for the Masterton Trophy&hellip;Coach Bep Guidolin. still burning over remarks Garry Young, the Blues&rsquo; coach, made after the Scouts defeated the Blues earlier this season, refused to talk to Young after the Blues beat the Scouts. 3-2. to end the season. Young had said after a 5-3 Scouts victory over St. Louis in November that the loss was an embarrassment and that the Blues would not lose to the Scouts the rest of the season. It turned out Young was right, for Blues won the other five games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

New Marketing Procedures Top Year Two Priority List Of Kansas City Management

<div class="byline">BY ALAN TRUEX</div><p>ATLANTA&mdash;</p><p>Cliff Fletcher, general manager of the Atlanta Flames, is speaking up these days for his defensemen.</p><p>&ldquo;Our defensemen have been maligned a lot.&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;but 1 think they played pretty well this year. Afterall. we ranked fifth in the league in fewest goals allowed, so they must have been doing a good job.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01968/3633592-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="284" height="469"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ed Kea</b></figcaption></div><p>True, the Flames&rsquo; defensive record is excellent. But most of the credit usually has gone to the goaltenders, Daniel Bouchard and Phil Myre. Fletcher feels some notice should also be given to the defensemen. Atlanta this season used a six-defenseman system, as the team has done in the past two years.</p><p>Coach Fred Creighton finished the year pairing Randy Manery with Pat Quinn, Noel Price with Barry Gibbs, and Jean Lemieux with Eddie Kea.</p><p>Fletcher considers Gibbs his best defenseman. The 26-year-old Gibbs came to the Flames in midseason from the Minnesota North Stars. He did not provide the playmaking performance many fans expected, but he was very solid defensively.</p><p>Price, at age 39. had a slow start, a strong middle of the season and then a slight fade at the end. The 80-game schedule tired him out somewhat, but he played all the games.</p><p>Price has a year to go on his contract, but in all likelihood, he will be replaced next season by rookie Kenny Houston, who played in Omaha this year.</p><p>Behind Gibbs, the Flames&rsquo; other highly-respected defenseman is 26-year-old Randy Manery, who had an in-and-out season. He was one of the league&rsquo;s finest defenders during the first half of the year, but except for occasional flashes, he was ordinary the second half.</p><p>At his best. Manery is a spectacular player, smart and agile and an accomplished shot-blocker. But only rarely is he properly aggressive. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just not an aggressive person.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Some people are and some aren&rsquo;t. I&rsquo;m not.&rdquo;</p><p>At 6&rsquo; and 180 pounds. Manery feels he&rsquo;s not big enough to be a physical player. But there is also the contention that he could add some muscle.</p><p>Manery&rsquo;s playing partner. Pat Quinn, is a near-perfect positional player, and at 6&rsquo; 3&rdquo;, 215 pounds, he&rsquo;s not one to be pushed around. But the 32-year-old Quinn victimized his team by taking numerous crucial penalties. He was slapped with a team record 156 penalty minutes.</p><p>Two players who improved substantially under Creighton&rsquo;s guidance are Kea and Lemieux. Kea, in his first season. and Lemieux, in his second in the NHL. played surprisingly steady hockey in the late weeks, when there was some question they could withstand the playoff pressure.</p><p>Lemieux, a skillful puck-carrier, was caught up ice regularly for much of the season. But during the final month, he appeared to have a better sense of defense.</p><p>Kea spent the first two months of the season in Omaha, but when he was called up. as a temporary replacement for the injured Manery. he played so well that he stayed when Manery returned.</p><p>Although he still needs to improve his skating, Kea is the team&rsquo;s most physical defender and usually keeps the slot clear.</p><p>On the whole, the Flames&rsquo; defense was considerably more effective this season than in 1973-74. Although Manery had a slight off year, the addition of Gibbs and Kea and the improvement of Lemieux were important plusses.</p><p><b>FLAMES NOTES:</b> Cliff Fletcher, who is expected to be a busy trader in the off-season, says, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re interested in getting a little more speed and a little more aggressiveness.&rdquo;</p><p>Guy Chouinard. Atlanta&rsquo;s top draft choice last year, has been named Central Hockey League rookie-of-the-year. The 18-year-old center scored 68 points (28 goals) despite spending three weeks with the Flames.</p><p>Altanta management once questioned whether Chouinard had the toughness for the NHL. but the teeling now is that he will make the big league next fall.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02800/3633585-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="561" height="683"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BARRY GIBBS&hellip;Solid Defensively</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

Fletcher Praises Flames’ Defensemen

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01935/3633630-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Guy Lafleur of the Canadiens won the Molson Cup as the player garnering the most points in the Three Star selections after each Montreal regular season game. Not only did Lafleur backbone the Habs during the 80-game regular slate, he also scored three of his club&rsquo;s four game-winning goals in the quarter-final series against Vancouver. Ronald Corey, left, public relations manager of Molson&rsquo;s Brewery and the man who made the promotion possible, is seen above presenting the All Star right winger with the coveted trophy.</b></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>ontreal Canadiens passed through the National Hockey League Stanley Cup quarter-finals into the semi-final set where their toughest test, the Buffalo Sabres, awaits them.</p><p>The Habs ousted the Vancouver Canucks four games to one in an up-and-down series, at least as far as excitement was concerned. Only two of the five outings ended in one-goal margins while the bulge in the remaining three was four (on two occasions) and three.</p><p>The fifth and final game proved to be the most suspenseful as the Canucks battled to carry the series cross-country to their home rink for a sixth contest.</p><p>Not until 17:06 of the first overtime session was a 5-4 decision reached and the Vancouverites pushed to the sidelines.</p><p>It was poetic justice that Guy Lafleur. the All Star right winger who led the Canadiens&rsquo; shooters in the series as he did all during the regular schedule, should tally the winning marker.</p><p>But even Lafleur himself would be the first to admit it was not one of his more artistic efforts.</p><p>&ldquo;I picked up the puck in the comer and tried to pass it to Yvan (Cournoyer) in front of the net,&rdquo; Guy explained. &ldquo;I passed it very hard and it deflected off Dennis Kearns&rsquo; stick into the net. I was surprised.&rdquo;</p><p>Lafleur couldn&rsquo;t have been the only shocked person as Canucks&rsquo; brilliant goaltender Gary Smith had foiled the Habs time and time again in the extra period (a dozen shots to be exact) before unlucky number 13 eluded his grasp. The final shots on goal total stood at 47-33 in favor of the Canadiens.</p><p>The Canucks, who were not expected to even win one game, certainly put up a stubborn fight.</p><p>&ldquo;They knew they were considerable underdogs and gave a good account of themselves,&rdquo; commented Ken Dryden, who appeared in the Canadiens&rsquo; net for all five outings.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re still at the stage when they get behind they have trouble coming back but they&rsquo;ve come an incredible distance in one year.&rdquo;</p><p>Now the Canadiens move on to face the Sabres, who had the best record of any team against the Habs in regularseason action, four wins and a tie in their five meetings.</p><p>In the fist-full of games offense was the dominating feature as the Sabres outscored the Canadiens 28-22, including counts of 7-6 and 8-6 in the two encounters at the Montreal Forum.</p><p>Goaltending looms as the possible deciding factor in the semi-final series and with Dryden the Canadiens have to be awarded the edge in that department.</p><p>&ldquo;A record like their&rsquo;s merits respect,&rdquo; opined Dryden. We&rsquo;re a winner, they&rsquo;re a winner. We&rsquo;re both aware that in a head-to-head series it is different than during the regular season. It&rsquo;s not like you&rsquo;re playing 16 other teams too.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be up to both teams to play the best they can and if one doesn&rdquo;t the other will win.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked to compare his present play to that of 1971, when he captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable performer in the playoffs and the Canadiens captured the Stanley Cup, Dryden stated, &ldquo;If pressed I can play the same way. You can&rsquo;t do anything when you&rsquo;re not called upon to.&rdquo;</p><p>If the Habs and Sabres keep their offensive reputation intact, Mr. Dryden is indeed going to be called upon to carry more than his share of the load.</p><p><b>HAB-BITS:</b> Lafleur concluded the quarter-finals with nine points, five goals-four sssists, in five games. Lafleur tallied three of the four gamewinners with linemate Bob Gainey collecting the other.</p><p>Gainey replaced Steve Shutt on the Lafleur, Pete Mahovlich troika after game two when Shutt sustained a bruised hip. Gainey has been playing his best hockey of the season on the line with Lafleur and Mahovlich.</p><p>Greg Hubick was. called up from the AHL&rsquo;s Nova Scotia Voyageurs but failed to see any ice time.</p><p>The overtime contest with the Canucks was the longest since 1947, when Johnny Quilty scored in the second overtime session to give the Canadiens a victory over the Boston Bruins.</p><p>Does fatigue in an overtime game like this tend to cause a goaltender to lose his concentration?</p><p>&ldquo;Not in a game like that,&rdquo; explains Dryden. &ldquo;I tend to get stronger as the game goes on.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02819/3633623-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="359" height="1173"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The &lsquo;new look&rsquo; in uniform fashions is modeled by usherette Doreen Hishon, a Montreal university student, as she shows off what Forum ice fans can expect to see as they are escorted to their seats. Photographer Fred Dobran of Famous Studio on Drummond Street in downtown Montreal snapped this photo of Miss Hishon during the Stanley Cup playoffs.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

Canadiens Face Sabres Seeking First Win Of Year

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div><p>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>arry Ashbee, the Flyers&rsquo; assistant coach, had just returned from a midseason trip to Richmond. Asked for an opinion on Larry Goodenough, the Flyers&rsquo; top 1973 amateur draft choice, Ashbee shook his bowed head.</p><p>The impression was clear: don&rsquo;t expect Goodenough in a Flyers&rsquo; uniform this season, or maybe even next season. No one has questioned Goodenough&rsquo;s offensive ability, but to qualify as a full-time Philadelphia defenseman he had to do more than shoot the puck.</p><p>Ah, excuse me, but wasn&rsquo;t that Larry Goodenough on the Maple Leaf Gardens ice as the Flyers tried to prevent an overtime session in the fourth game of their Stanley Cup quarter-final? It certainly was, which shows the sudden improvement in the player teammates nicknamed &ldquo;Izzy&rdquo; (as in, is he good enough?).</p><p>An explanation, please, Izzy. &ldquo;When I came up this time the guys talked to me and gave me confidence.&rdquo; said the tall, dark-haired Toronto native. &ldquo;If people tell you you can do it. your can.&rdquo;</p><p>Goodenough was recalled from Richmond in mid-February as an emergency replacement for injured Tom Bladon. Few expected Goodenough to stay, but he played with such poise the Flyers decided to keep him around.</p><p>His 3-9-12 scoring statistics in 20 games were impressive, but more importantly. he looked as it he belonged.</p><p>&ldquo;He handles the puck as well as anyone we have,&rdquo; said coach Fred Shero.</p><p>Goodenough, who was traded from the OHA Toronto Marlies to the London Knights for his final junior season, had made one previous appearance with the Flyers&mdash;in Washington the day after Christmas.</p><p>&ldquo;I was nervous then,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;I was running around trying to hit guys and made a fool of myself. But I got a taste of it (NHL level) and knew I wanted to play here.&rdquo;</p><p>Goodenough got a taste of the Flyers&rsquo; atmosphere during last year&rsquo;s playoffs, but only as a civilian.</p><p>&ldquo;I watched them and saw their attitude. You could see they wanted to win. That&rsquo;s why they did win the cup.&rdquo;</p><p>Goodenough was also a spectator for the first three playoff games against Toronto. Then he exchanged places with veteran Ted Harris for the fourth and final game in Toronto where his parents saw him play in person.</p><p>Shero figured &ldquo;Izzy&rdquo; made only one mistake. Given a point-blank shot at Toronto goalie Gord McRae, Goodenough tried a slapshot which McRae stopped easily.</p><p>When Goodenough returned to the bench, Shero told him to forget the slapshot that close and &ldquo;loosen up. use the wrist shot&rdquo;.</p><p>Goodenough didn&rsquo;t miss a shift and was on the ice when Moose Dupont converted Dave Schultz&rsquo;s pass into the winning goal.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted my best offensive players on,&rdquo; said Shero. &ldquo;What did we have to lose? We wanted to win the ball game.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Later, Goodenough shook hands with his teammates in the dressing room. Normally a shy sort, he beamed and said. &ldquo;I really feel good.&rdquo;</p><p>The Flyers feel the same way about another top draft choice who will apparently make good.</p><p><b>FLYER FACTS:</b> After Richmond&rsquo;s dismissal from the Calder Cup playoffs, the Flyers recalled Serge Lajeunesse, Jack McIlhargey and Steve Short for stand-by duty&hellip;Despite a 2:45 A.M. arrival several hundred fans welcomed the Flyers when they returned to Philadelphia International Airport after the Toronto sweep.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01939/3633661-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="561" height="815"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LARRY GOODENOUGH</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

Goodenough Turned Trial Into Regular Flyers’ Spot

<p>Because of the acute shortage of newsprint in the world you can expect to find fewer copies of THE HOCKEY NEWS on your favorite newsstand.</p><p>It is a situation dictated by the paper producing industry and one which we hope will be resolved in the near future. In the meantime, we are turning out less papers for newsstand buyers.</p><p>To avoid being deprived of your weekly paper at the corner store or newsstand, may we suggest becoming a subscriber. This will not only assure you of your copy of The HOCKEY NEWS each week, but it will also enable you to realize a saving&mdash;a rarity in such inflationary times. If you subscribe for three years at a time you can save over $45, a tidy sum.</p><p>If you would rather have your paper delivered to your door every week, turn to page 21 and consult the HOCKEY NEWS mailer. Nobody wants to be shut out.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

DON’T BE SHUT OUT

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01912/3633723-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BUTCH GORING&hellip;An Untouchable King</b></figcaption></div><p>LOS ANGELES&mdash;</p><p>Despite the disappointment of their fast elimination from the playoffs at the hands of a foe they should not even have had to face, the Kings can see that the team which won 25 games more than it lost this season is not one which should be changed drastically.</p><p>They were outplayed by Toronto, but not by much. All three games in the short series were one-goal games and two of them went into overtime. The Kings outplayed Toronto by a lot all season and outplayed better teams all season.</p><p>If their confidence was not cracked, they can continue to outplay most teams. The hard work that won for them can continue to win for them, but it took a lot out of them and they may have to find an easier way to win once in awhile so they have a lot left for the playoffs.</p><p>One of those 50-goal scorers the other teams on top have would help, though coach Bob Pulford is not so sure it would be worth breaking up the balance of two-way players which paid such handsome dividends most of this season. &ldquo;The value of super stars may be the most over-rated aspect of this sport.&rdquo; he insists.</p><p>However, owner Jack Kent Cooke is not so sure one might not be all this team needs to take the final step to the top. &ldquo;Team harmony is to be treasured, but so is talent. The Oakland A&rsquo;s and the old Yankees and others have shown you can win more ways than one.&rdquo; he says.</p><p>Cornered recently. Cooke told this writer. &ldquo;My philosophy always has been that if you want success more than the next man and are willing to put more into it than he is. you will be the one to get it.</p><p>&ldquo;While we were frustrated for years, we never stopped striving for success. We may have made mistakes, but we kept trying. Now that we have had some success, we are not going to stop trying. We are going to try harder to have greater success.&rdquo;</p><p>He added. &ldquo;The man who tries to pinpoint one major reason for success is as much a fool as the man who tries to pinpoint one major reason for failure. There are many reasons why we fell into failure in the past, just as there are many reasons why we have started to succeed at present.</p><p>&ldquo;I will say. however, that the one reason for our recent success that stands out above all others is the coaching of Bob Pulford. His intense interest in his profession and his willingness to work towards winning has been transmitted to his players. He has earned respect&mdash;not demanded it. earned it.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel I have given him the parts with which he has put together a winner. Given the right parts, he can put together a champion, too.&rdquo; concluded Cooke.</p><p>So the Kings hope to replace a part here and there and thus strengthen a strong team, but it is too strong a team to take apart and if they make any moves. they may only be major ones, maybe just one or two. maybe just one massive one.</p><p>Goaltender Rogie Vachon and center Butch Goring are the only &ldquo;untouchables&rdquo; but forwards Juha Winding. Dan Maloney and Mike Murphy and defensemen Bob Murdoch and Shelly Kannegiesser now also are regarded as the basis on which a winner has been built and a cup contender can be constructed. The Kings do not want to trade any of these, though the right offer might be tempting.</p><p>The Kings have other players, young and old. they want to keep, but could consider parting with for the right return. It is unsettling to speculate on who these might be. but it is clear Gary Edwards is one. not because of what he hasn&rsquo;t done, but because of what he has done. Only the No. 2 goaltender on this team, he was No. 3 statistically in the entire league, so is sought by many.</p><p>With Edwards behind Vachon, the Kings have the league&rsquo;s greatest strength at the sport&rsquo;s most important position, but you have to give something good to get something good, so the Kings may be tempted to part with Gary by teams who are hurting in the nets and who feel he has earned the opportunity to prove he can star as a regular.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02781/3633716-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="556" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JACK COOKE&hellip;Praises Coach Pulford</b></figcaption></div><p>Owner Cooke notes. &ldquo;Not trading may have stabilized this team, but it was trades I made with Montreal and the Rangers that made it the team that it is. We can win with what we have, so we may not make any trades. However if the opportunity comes along to make a move that will make it easier for us to win. or help us win more, we will take it.</p><p>&ldquo;The players know we want to keep this team together. As it is. it is on the rise. But we will not he satisfied until we reach the top. And then we will not be satisfied until we stay there.&rdquo; Cooke says. It is no secret the owner is not a man who is easily satisfied.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

No Drastic Changes Planned For Kings After Disappointing End To Fine Season

<p>KENOSHA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Kenosha Flyers came back to square their Continental Hockey League championship final with Peoria as the teams battled through their best-of-seven series deadlocked at 2-2.</p><p>Winner of the series takes home the Walmar Cup and judging by the first four games, the series appears to be a toss-up.</p><p>Peoria, led by Ric Olson&rsquo;s four assists and John Marino&rsquo;s two goals, took a 2-1 lead in the third game of the series by dumping Kenosha 4-2.</p><p>The series was all squared again as Kenosha regrouped and came right back to overpower Peoria 9-4 on Peoria ice. Kenosha&rsquo;s Steve Anderson was the big gun hitting for four goals. Center Jim McClellan hit for two goals for the Flyers while goaler Paul Lelley was outstanding in the nets for Flyers with 52 saves.</p><p>Kenosha had won the series opener 6-5 before Peoria came back to tie things up with a 7-5 victory in game two.</p><p>Kenosha reached the CHL finals by disposing of Chicago 3-1 in a best-of-five series winning 7-5, 6-2 and the deciding fourth game in overtime 5-4. Chicago had taken the second game 3-2 but couldn&rsquo;t match the offense thrown up by Kenosha.</p><p>Peoria simply overwhelmed Madison Blues in the other semi-final series as they swept the best-of-five affair. Peoria won 12-3 in the first game, took the second 4-2 and finished off Madison with a 6-5 overtime win in the third game.</p><p>CHL president Mark Olson will be on hand to present the Walmar Cup to either Peoria or Kenosha at the conclusion of the championship series.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Kenosha Evens CHL Cup Final Against Peoria

<div class="byline">BY JULES FURTH</div><p>CHICAGO&mdash;</p><p>When you don&rsquo;t win in the other guy&rsquo;s rink there isn&rsquo;t any excuse needed when you lose a playoff series.</p><p>That was the situation with the Chicago Black Hawks as they went down to defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres in five games in their best-of-seven quarter-final and the deciding factor was the Sabres&rsquo; ability to win all three games on their home ice while the Hawks came away empty-handed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01922/3633785-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="263" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Grant Mulvey</b></figcaption></div><p>The Hawks turned limp on Buffalo ice despite the crucial position they found themselves in to stay alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Coach Billy Reay had reminded them of it but his words apparently went unheeded.</p><p>&ldquo;When this series started we knew we had to win one game in Buffalo. Now we re in a position where we have to win two.&rdquo; Thus spoke Billy Reay after the resounding 6-2 loss on home ice in the fourth game of the series. &ldquo;We are now in the same position we were in going into Boston last year, except it isn&rsquo;t two out of three this time,&rdquo; reminded Reay. The Hawks weren&rsquo;t listening.</p><p>To tell you the hard facts fans, it was even worse. Chicago hadn&rsquo;t been able to win but two out of 11 at Buffalo in a span that started Dec. 9, 1971 and included the two recent cup failures. Two ties and nine losses at the Aud started people thinking. Those ties weren&rsquo;t going to help either. They would only get you into overtime and it was only in this category that the Hawks had any edge.</p><p>Returning to the friendly confines of &ldquo;the old home ice advantage&rdquo;, Chicago was again faced with that tired cliche of &ldquo;crucial&rdquo;. Reay was beaming at the end, but it was merely a reflection of the sweat spread on his ample forehead. &ldquo;It was as good a game as I&rsquo;ve ever coached. There was no let up, from start to finish. The good guys scored to end it!&rdquo;</p><p>The game was a distinct reversal from the two earlier free-skating contests. Seconds after the opening faceoff, Schoenfeld and Magnuson collided and the tone was set. Grant Mulvey, the large rookie, earned a start off his performance in Buffalo. John Marks, continuing his fine playmaking chores, spotted Mulvey camped in front of the crease unmolested. Across came the puck and Grant tipped it over goaler Gerry Desjardins&rsquo; shoulder. Mulvey jubilantly jumped up about one foot higher than he had put the puck, chopped up the ice with his dance of joy, dove in the net to retrieve a valuable souvenir and fell under the pounding from his teammates.</p><p>Referee Ron Wicks went on a whistle toot and power plays accounted for the next three goals, Pit Martin, Ivan Boldirev and Gil Perreault getting the scores. Lots of physical fun, too. Darcy Rota, after getting his from Jim Schoenfeld, retaliated by elbowing Danny Gare and Don Luce. Rota then got into a sweater pull with the lovable, large Jocelyn Guevremont. While these two were escorted off, Schoenfeld threw down his blue and yellow gauntlets at center ice. Phil Russell accepted the challenge. It was a good fight. Each got their hands full. With each others&rsquo; hair mostly. There was one knockdown and one takedown.</p><p>Schoenfeld used his time in the box to reflect on his sins. He tied the game, sending it into overtime, by intercepting an errant Dick Redmond pass, sidestepping the sliding Richard and slipping a sneaky backhand into a very small space.</p><p>The overtime was short. At 2:31. Mikita took the faceoff, &ldquo;I passed it back to Cliff (Koroll), Redmond then got the puck and fired, hitting Desjardins&rsquo; stick. I came off spinning. I just snapped at it.&rdquo; It was Mikita&rsquo;s first overtime goal in Stanley Cup play.</p><p>After the third period, Black Hawk president. Billy Wirtz came down to the Hawk dressing room. &ldquo;Bill,&rdquo; he said to coach Reay, &ldquo;We score first and go ahead in every period and they come back and tie it.&rdquo; Reay chuckled. &ldquo;Mr. Wirtz, if we get a goal ahead in this period, they won&rsquo;t come back!!.&rdquo;</p><p>Oh, but did they come back! On Sunday, to be exact, and with a vengeance. After a strategically ordered &ldquo;Rand R&rdquo; at home, the Sabres returned to prove why they had earned a first round in the first place. Another surprise by coach Floyd Smith. He started the Dudley-McNab-Spencer line. Reay still played the Marks-Boldirev-Mulvey line that had defended against the scourge of the scoring race, Martin-Perreault-Robert. Dennis Hull again joined the press corps. Doug Jarrett sat out most of the contest as Dale Tallon moved back to defense. There is not too much to be said about this one. The Hawks were virtually underwhelmed. Mulvey converted a Marks pass again for the only daylight they were to see.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02781/3633778-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="1153" height="1366"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STAN MIKITA&hellip;First Ever Playoff Overtime Goal</b></figcaption></div><p>The second period was a nightmare unto itself only to be topped by the mercy killing in the final stanza. What referee Dave Newell saw was 34 minutes of Sabre penalties to the Hawks&rsquo; six. Included in the four shorthand situations were misconducts to Rick Dudley (an old lacrosse buddy) and Jerry Korab (who had a minor &ldquo;brush&rdquo; with Newell). This inequity kept the Sabres&rsquo; number one offensive line off the ice for 18 minutes. Even being up two men for a brief time, the Hawks were futile in their attempts to dent Desjardins. Gerry only stopped six shots in defense of the Hawk power play. What Newell didn&rsquo;t see was Rick Manin&rsquo;s score, blowing the play dead when he lost sight of the puck in a pileup. Linesman Neil Armstrong also pointed out too many men on the ice (a bench penalty).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Inability To Win On Road Cost Hawks Playoff Series

<div class="byline">BY JACK BERRY</div><p>DETROIT&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen your season ends early, as the Red Wing season does each year, there&rsquo;s time to get right at the housekeeping chores for next year and that&rsquo;s what Alex Delvecchio is doing.</p><p>The Detroit general manager and coach, between scouting missions, signed defenseman Jean Hamel for next season.</p><p>The Wings have been impressed with the sturdy, 5&rsquo;11&rdquo;, 185-pound defenseman and figure him to be one of the building blocks for a defense that will get the team into the playoffs again. Hamel played all 80 games this season, his third in the NHL, and he won&rsquo;t be 23 until June. Hamel isn&rsquo;t flashy but the Wings don&rsquo;t need flashy defense&mdash;they need dependable defense and game in, game out, Hamel did the job better than anyone else.</p><p>And, in an odd turn, he received great recognition in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, where the town of 10.000 staged a parade for him and had a &ldquo;Jean Hamel Day&rdquo;.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not even from Nova Scotia,&rdquo; said Red Wing public relations director John Bell. &ldquo;The town wanted a hockey player and apparently asked some other clubs and was snubbed.</p><p>&ldquo;They asked us and I asked Jean and he said he&rsquo;d go and they really appreciated it.&rdquo;</p><p>While Hamel, a native of Asbestos, Que., travelled to Nova Scotia, most of his teammates headed for Florida when the season ended and Mickey Redmond. happy with the way his back responded following his surgery, worked on his tennis game.</p><p>Redmond was scheduled to participate in a sports celebrity match against Bobby Riggs. Redmond, kidded about his bounce serve of others years, said he now serves conventionally. If his serve is anything like his shot, master hustler Riggs could have his hands full.</p><p><b>RED WING NOTES:</b> Heads were high around Olympia after the Detroit Junior Wings won the National Junior A championship by whipping the Minnesota Junior North Stars and National Junior B champion Ecorse, Mich.</p><p>Goalie Jimmy Rutherford has joined the number of year-round Detroit residents among the Red Wings, moving from his hometown of Beeton, Ont.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01892/3633816-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="505" height="579"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEAN HAMEL&hellip;Did The Job Best</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0015-01

Hamel Could Anchor Wings’ Future Defense

<div class="byline">&#x2014;BERRY</div><p>DETROIT&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ormer Detroit Red Wing coach Johnny Wilson, another year-round suburbanite, returned home after the disastrous Michigan Stags-Baltimore Blades World Hockey Association season and said he had &ldquo;a few&rdquo; job offers from NHL teams.</p><p>Wilson was waiting to see the fate of the Blades, who haven&rsquo;t drawn now in three different cities from coast-to-coast.</p><p>Wilson, who predicted, as have several other hockey men, the end of the WHA-NHL bidding war, said the WHA is 10 years behind the NHL financially and said that players who make big salary demands &ldquo;should go through what we experienced this year.&rdquo;</p><p>From mid-December on, the Stags-Blades were on half pay and many high-salaried players were lopped from the roster.</p><p>While still in Detroit, the Stags denied they had sold the future season rights to Pierre Guite to the Cincinnati Stingers, who begin play next season in the WHA.</p><p>But when the team moved to Baltimore, Guite refused to go and the league didn&rsquo;t force him. Wilson found out later that the Stingers purchased a new car for Guite from a Detroit dealer.</p><p>&ldquo;And you don&rsquo;t buy a car for somebody unless there&rsquo;s a good reason.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

WHA Behind NHL Financing By 10 Years Says Wilson

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div><p>ST. LOUIS&mdash;</p><p>Lawrence Sacharuk. regarded as a constant scoring threat from the blueline, passed a milestone in the waning days of the season when he scored his 20th goal. Only six other defensemen in the history of the National Hockey League have scored as many as 20 goals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01729/3633878-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="285" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Larry Sacharuk</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I was honored to get it,&rdquo; said Sacharuk. &ldquo;It put me up there with some respected names, and I&rsquo;m happy to be among them. It was a plateau I wanted to reach.&rdquo;</p><p>The only other defensemen to get 20 are Bobby Orr, Brad Park. Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, Denis Potvin and Flash Hollett. The first five, of course, would form a pretty solid blueline brigade for any current All-Star team. And the six names give an indication of some changes in the game.</p><p>Hollett was the only defenseman to hit 20 goals up until 1969. He scored 20 in 50 games in 1944-45 with the Detroit Red Wings.</p><p>Then came Orr, who has scored more than 20 goals seven times&mdash;in other words, the last seven years. Park hit 24 three years ago. and Lapointe and Potvin reached 20 this year. Savard, finishing with four goals in the last week, also hit 20 this year.</p><p>The trend is obvious and has been for some time. Teams are getting scoring help for their front lines by having defensemen with powerful and accurate shots.</p><p>Sacharuk&rsquo;s shot is indeed powerful. It&rsquo;s one of those board-rattlers that draws some gasps from the crowd everytime he takes it. Half of his goals this season came as point man on the power play.</p><p>&ldquo;I try to be as accurate as possible, said Sacharuk. &ldquo;But I know our guys can usually get the rebound.&rdquo;</p><p>This past season was Sacharuk&rsquo;s first in the NHL. The two previous seasons he split between New York and Providence with most of the time spent in Providence. The Rangers traded him to the Blues last August for Greg Polis. The Blues also will receive the Rangers&rsquo; No. 1 draft choice in either 1976 or 1977.</p><p>Sacharuk had been the Rangers&rsquo; third draft choice in 1972. In 1973-74 he was THE HOCKEY NEWS Minor League Player of the Year with 27 goals and 35 assists in 42 games. The 27 goals broke a 24-year-old American Hockey League record.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy with the way things have turned out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to stay in the NHL and I have been able to do that with the Blues. The American League doesn&rsquo;t compare in any way. It&rsquo;s like junior hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Sacharuk, at times the Blues&rsquo; only righthanded defenseman, missed all of training camp because of a back injury but he started the season with a burst of scoring. In the first game in Oakland he scored a goal and in the second game in Vancouver he had a hat trick to quickly take the team lead in goals.</p><p>Sacharuk continued to improve his defensive game this past season. He realizes his scoring ability plus top defensive play could make him one of the top players in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I learned a lot his year; Garry Young taught me more than any coach I&rsquo;ve ever had,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After my first full year in the NHL I feel like I&rsquo;ve been playing in the league for five years.&rdquo;</p><p>Sacharuk is one of four young defensemen upon whom the Blues relied this season. Sacharuk, Bob Hess and Rick Wilson were rookies, and Bob Gassoff missed being a rookie by three games.</p><p>Those four apparently will be the mainstays of the Blues&rsquo; defensive corps of the future. Veteran Barclay Plager, the team captain, remains an extremely valuable member of the team by his play and by his instruction of his four young teammates.</p><p>The Blues also have Bob Plager and Bruce Affleck. Plager, of course, has been part of the team&rsquo;s backbone since its beginning, and Affleck, when given a chance to play, has done everything expected of him.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02626/3633871-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="1793" height="1382"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ken McKenzie, left, publisher of THE HOCKEY NEWS, HOCKEY PICTORIAL and HOCKEY WORLD, was presented a limited edition painting depicting the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; march to the Stanley Cup last season by Flyers&rsquo; president Joe Scott during a recent visit to the Spectrum. Several scenes are illustrated in the painting including series-winning goals, parading the Stanley Cup around the Spectrum ice surface following the deciding sixth game of the finals and the multitude of fans who turned out on the streets of Philadelphia to cheer their heroes.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

Sacharuk Only 7th NHL Defenseman To Score 20 Goals

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK EPSTEIN</div><p>OAKLAND&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen California Golden Seals&rsquo; defenseman George Pesut isn&rsquo;t playing hockey, he spends a lot of time at tennis, swimming or on the golf course.</p><p>He hopes to put the versatility to good use in the March of Dimes Decathlon May 17 at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. California.</p><p>Annually some of the Bay Area&rsquo;s best pro athletes gather to compete in the charity event. Pesut is the second Seal to be included in the select field. Craig Patrick was the first hockey player to be invited and last year placed third behind pro football&rsquo;s MacArthur Lane and Jim Barnett of pro basketball. Patrick is entered again this year, but as a St. Louis Blue.</p><p>There is no prize money involved; the athletes donate their time and efforts to the project and there is a scramble each year to be included.</p><p>Lane and Barnett will return this year and the field also includes Cas Banaszak of the 49&rsquo;ers. Bob Moore of the Oakland Raiders. No. 1 pro draft choice Steve Bartkowski of Atlanta Falcons. Jim Plunkett of the New England Patriots. Al either started their athletic careers in the Bay Area or reside here now.</p><p>The list of events is low key. with emphasis on fun.</p><p>The football throw, tennis, weight lifting, golf, soccer kick, basketball, water race, volleyball. 40-yard dash and 400-yeard relay are included.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no hockey shot-on-goal, but Pesut figures he should do well, particularly in tennis, golf, volleyball, the weight lifting and the water races.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been playing tennis a lot lately with Whitney Reed (a local tennis professional. who played on the local World Team Tennis franchise) and he&rsquo;s helped me. I hope to do well in golf. The longest drive will figure in the points and that&rsquo;s the strong point of my game.&rdquo; Pesut said.</p><p>&ldquo;I played a lot soccer and volleyball in high school in Canada and hope to do well in those events. And I&rsquo;ve done a lot of swimming.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the more interesting events is the weight lifting, where a specified number of bags of potatoes will have to be lugged from one point to another 50 yards away. The competitors have the choice of carrying a lot at a slow pace or a little at a fast pace.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a lot of experience there too. said the Saskatoon. Saskatchewan native, &ldquo;I was in a couple of relay races carrying 50 pound packs last summer.&rdquo;</p><p>Pesut&rsquo;s entry into the March of Dimes decathlon is another in a continuing series of efforts by the Seals to contribute more to Bay Area activities.</p><p>Defenseman Mike Christie recently played in the 8th Darryl Lamonica Invitational Golf Tournament and placed among the top eight in the pro athletes division. Center Dave Gardner is entered in a local Heart Fund tournament and carries a five handicap into the action.</p><p>This is Pesut&rsquo;s first venture into a Bay Area activity but at least to one person he&rsquo;s no stranger.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to get some help on the football throw from my cousin (a coach at Blackford High in San Jose. California).&rdquo;</p><p>The coach&rsquo;s name? George Pesut.</p><p><b>SEALS&rsquo; NOTES:</b> Christie, who finished fifth in the above mentioned Lamonica Golf Tournament, was the first hockey player to appear in the tournament in five years. The last two were goalie Gary Smith and defenseman Carol Vadnais. Gardner will also try his hand at the big Palm Springs Pro Athletes golf event this month&hellip;Some additional goalie stats&mdash;Gary Simmons stopped 90 percent of the opposition shots-on-goal this season, while Gilles Meloche kicked out 85 percent&hellip;Seals&rsquo; management is extremely pleased to see both farm clubs. Salt Lake (CHL) and Toledo (IHL) in their respective league finals&hellip;Right wing Gary Holt, who was called up for the last game of the season, was a &ldquo;plus&rdquo; hockey player. He was on the ice for the Seals&rsquo; tying goal against Los Angeles, assisting on center Larry Patey&rsquo;s goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01626/3633909-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="559" height="831"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GEORGE PESUT&hellip;Hopes To Do Well</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-01

Pesut Putting Off-Ice Versatility To Good Use

<p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>WASHINGTON&mdash;</p><p>The Washington Capitals are spending the off-season pondering a major d&eacute;cision that will soon confront them&mdash;whether they should retain or trade their first pick in the 1975 amateur draft.</p><p>It would seem the Capitals would benefit more by trading off their top choice in the National Hockey League&rsquo;s summer amateur grab-bag and the consensus appears to be that they will make a definite move to unload it in return for some proven skaters.</p><p>The Caps need just about averything a struggling hockey club would require to gain some respectability for Year Two in the NHL. Certainly, the Caps couldn&rsquo;t do any worse than their apathetic 8-67-5 record spread over an 80-game schedule.</p><p>The Caps need scorers to put the puck in the net. And they need defenders to keep them out as well. Probably their biggest need lies on defense where the club yielded a whopping 446 goals against this past season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01637/3633940-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="552" height="692"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NELSON PYATT&hellip;Paid off Trade</b></figcaption></div><p>Much of the Capitals&rsquo; plans for their second year in the NHL will be quickly formulated once the team hires a new bench coach and allows Milt Schmidt to return to the vital duties of general manager. Schmidt finished the year behind the Caps&rsquo; bench when coach George &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Sullivan was relieved of the job to return as a team scout.</p><p>Caps will likely opt out for a steady NHL defenseman and a young forward with big league potential in return for their No. 1 draft pick.</p><p>&ldquo;They need not have played in the NHL last year,&rdquo; said Schmidt. &ldquo;Those other clubs have guys on the farm who can help us,&rdquo; he added.</p><p>Schmidt tried desperately to bring the Capitals up to some semblance of an NHL team by making seven deals in the final months of the season and he expects the players he picked up will help form the nucleus of next year&rsquo;s squad. The acquisition of Ace Bailey and Stan Gilbertson paid off as did a trade that sent this year&rsquo;s No. 3 amateur draft pick to Detroit for Nelson Pyatt, who was probably the best of the Caps in the closing weeks of the dismal first NHL season.</p><p>Schmidt doesn&rsquo;t sit on a loser. He has never been known to operate like this before in the NHL and there is every indication he&rsquo;ll be planty active in the off season for Washington. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have new faces next year for sure and hopefully a better show for the Washington fans,&rdquo; said Schmidt, who said he was grateful to the fans who stuck with the club even in the most adverse times. The Caps averaged over 10,000 for the season, better that the basketball Bullets, which was a first-place outfit.</p><p>So as spring fades into summer, watch for the Washington Caps to be moving in hockey&rsquo;s bargain basement. They just might by throwing out their No 1. amateur draft pick as bait.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

Washington Likely To Trade First Amateur Pick

<p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ittle Yvan Coumoyer has joined a select number of National Hockey League playoff scorers after scoring his 50th goal and 100th Stanley Cup point during the current 1975 playdowns.</p><p>The dynamic Montreal right winger collected eight points in his first six playoff games this year giving him a career total of 104 points to put him into a tie with Alex Delvecchio for 11th place in the all-time playoff scoring race.</p><p>Coumoyer shot his 53rd playoff goal against Vancouver Canucks in the quarter-finals to move into 7th place in the goal scoring statistics behind Stan Mikita of Chicago, who has 56 during his playoff lifetime. Coumoyer replaced Frank Mahovlich, who bowed out of the NHL with 53.</p><p>Despite his point flurry, Coumoyer is well off the pace set by former Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; teammate Jean Beliveau, who retired as the undisputed playoff leader with 176 points. For that matter Beliveau&rsquo;s record appears out of reach of most of today&rsquo;s active scorers. Mikita boosted his career total to 146 but he is still 30 in arrears of Beliveau. However, Mikita did close the gap on Beliveau in the race for playmaking honors as he raised his total to 90, seven behind Beliveau.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02514/3633971-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="557" height="932"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>YVAN COURNOYER</b></figcaption></div><p>Most of the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 scorers are either retired or in the WH A leaving the field pretty well to the likes of Mikita, Coumoyer and Phil Esposito, who is also in the 100-plus bracket. Bobby Orr is also approaching the 100 mark and finished up this year with a career aggregate of 92.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-02

Cournoyer Reaches Two NHL Playoff Milestones

<h2>GILBERT PERREAULT</h2><p>Buffalo Sabres</p><p>Who is the most exciting player in the NHL?</p><p>No longer can anyone just reply Bobby Orr without giving some consideration to the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; super star center Gilbert Perreault.</p><p>When he winds up in his own zone and heads up-ice the puck could just as easily end up in his opponent&rsquo;s net as not.</p><p>Perreault has been really flying in the playoffs as he has already collected four goals and seven assists including a single tally and a pair of helpers in opening semi-final game with Montreal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03385/3634009-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="529" height="576"></div><h2>GLENN RESCH</h2><p>New York Islanders</p><p>One of the main reasons the Islanders were able to come back from a three-game deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarter-finals was a rookie goaltender by the name of Glenn Resch.</p><p>In the final four games of the series he allowed but four goals.</p><p>The 26-year-old Long Island puckstopper blocked a total of 105 shots in the four outings including 30 in the seventh game in which he registered his first playoff shutout and backboned the Isles to a 1-0 win.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04285/3634002-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="525" height="566"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-03

NHLs Stars of the week

<p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>Rod Gilbert may be a free agent but his sizeable contract hasn&rsquo;t any other NHL clubs chomping at the bit to acquire his services.</p><p>Gilbert, the highest scorer in New York Ranger history, has been declared a free agent under the terms of his $175,000 contract signed in accordance with the NHL-WHA agreement one and a half years ago.</p><p>&ldquo;Gilbert is a free agent,&rdquo; revealed Bill Jennings, the Rangers president. &ldquo;It comes under the terms of the agreement with the WHA. His contract is Form 72. eliminating the option year. Jean Ratelle has a year to go on his pact and then he will be in the same situation.&rdquo;</p><p>Gilbert is said to be negotiating with teams in both the NHL and WHA with emphasis on the Whalers of the WHA and the Islanders of the NHL. He would be a natural for the fledgling Isles, who eliminated the Rangers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup this year.</p><p>In the past year Gilbert scored 36 goals and 61 assists for 97 points, tying his career high in points and setting an assist record. He is the all-time, Ranger scoring leader with 341 goals and 510 assists for 851 points. He was consistent throughout and was named the MVP as well as most popular player. With a salary in the area of $175,000 per year, Gilbert may be a victim of the Garden&rsquo;s new austerity program. Whether or not Emile Francis, the Rangers&rsquo; general manager, will attempt seriously to sign him seemed to be a moot point. At press time Francis was unavailable, being on a scouting trip. It is known that Gilbert has stayed in New York instead of accompanying his wife to Florida, in order to attempt to talk contract. His wife Judy is expecting and her mother is seriously ill.</p><p>Walter Tkaczuk and Brad Park, the Rangers&rsquo; other high-price players, have holdover contracts extending through 1975-76 and will not be affected by the same situation that is Gilbert&rsquo;s present problem.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Gilbert’s Big Contract Scaring Off NHL Teams

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>With Emile &ldquo;The Cat&rdquo; Francis away on a scouting trip which included junior games and some AHL, NHL and WHA contests the guessing game continued in Gotham over the projected changes in the New York lineup next season&mdash;and indeed as to who would coach the Rangers.</p><p>Michael Burke, the president of Madison Square Garden, said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone disagrees that two jobs in this day and age of complexities is a bone crusher. Emile (Francis) does not disagree.&rdquo;</p><p>On three different occasions, general manager Francis had to step behind the bench to save failing situations. The short-term mentors were Red Sullivan in 1965, Boomer Geoffrion in 1969 and Larry Popein in 1974. Although Sully is red haired and a fiery tempered Irishman, his later shots at NHL coaching with Pittsburgh and Washington also ended in failure. Geoffrion, bombastic, loud, even profane, but not a disciplinarian, was sick and also had lost control of his players. The fat cat. high-salaried Rangers of the half season Popein coached, didn&rsquo;t understand Larry, and were openly critical.</p><p>In every case the team righted itself and made some progress when Francis took over as coach&mdash;but some progress is not enough in Stanley Cup starved New York, which hasn&rsquo;t won since 1940&mdash;and to be fair to the Francis regime, hasn&rsquo;t won under Emile since he took over in 1964.</p><p>Francis&rsquo; coaching job this season in skippering a changed-over team into second place in the tough Patrick Division was his best job behind the bench, even considering his HOCKEY NEWS Coach of the Year award in 1966-67. The failure in the playoffs would have been considered a fluke, if it weren&rsquo;t for consistent playoff failures over the past nine years.</p><p>The Rangers need to settle upon their coach soon, even though general manager Francis, with characteristic energy, is intent upon shoring up some of the obvious holes the partial revamp job of 1974-75 revealed. A young goalie is needed to help out Ed Giacomin, 36, and Gil Villemure, 35. Dunc Wilson, 28, the Toronto reject, is a question mark. Likely either Giacomin or Villemure will be traded, with Gil the most logical candidate.</p><p>The defense is in need of help. Ron Greschner came fast and will be a future All Star, but he still needs to learn his trade on the back line. Brad Park&rsquo;s history of knee trouble has left him slightly less mobile than he was. but the captain is still the guts of the Ranger rearguard.</p><p>Dale Rolfe&rsquo;s future must be considered doubtful, until, at 35, he proves he can come back from his ankle break of last season. He knows what to do&mdash;and can get the puck out of the Ranger end, but his speed hand been slowed by previous injuries, even when healthy last year.</p><p>Ron Harris is a splendid pinch hitter, and a winning clutch player, but he isn&rsquo;t fast enough to take a full-season regular turn. Gilles Marotte, puck blocker and occasional hitter, gives his all, but makes the odd costly mistake. All of which might add up to Jim Dorey of the WHA Toronto Toros, whose NHL rights the Rangers own.</p><p>&ldquo;Dorey broke his word to me&mdash;and he&rsquo;ll never play for the Rangers again,&rdquo; said Francis, in the past. &ldquo;That doesn&rsquo;t mean I can&rsquo;t get somebody for him.&rdquo; Things change and the Cat might just keep Dorey if he can get him.</p><p>In the wings at Providence is Dave Maloney, younger than Greschner, at 19. Dave had a good season until he separated his shoulder in March, but he has a shot at the big club next year. He is a star of the future.</p><p>Up front the four center situation, with Jean Ratelle, Derek Sanderson, Pete Stemkowski and Walt Tkaczuk. screams for a profitable trade, most likely for a goalie or defenseman.</p><p>High-scoring Jerry Holland of the Providence Reds is a left winger. His 44-35-79 with the Reds means that Ted (Nice Guy) Irvine and Greg Polis, both portsiders, should worry.</p><p>Trading the higher-priced Rangers won&rsquo;t be easy as the Rangers found out with Rod Seiling. Seiling was moved by Washington after one game, and has been offered around the NHL by Toronto.</p><p>As to the front office situation, Francis will return as general manager, although this hasn&rsquo;t been announced yet. Bobby Rousseau could be a coaching candidate, after undergoing spinal surgery, but nice guy Bobby may be too close to the troops. What is needed is a heavy to lean on the players and not have to bother with details like signing them&mdash;as did Francis. Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell have been mentioned as has Ron Stewart, whose Springfield AHL team upset the defensively crippled Providence team of John Muckier.</p><p>Taking them in order, Muckier is a good choice, and is a stronger personality than either Geoffrion or Popein. Stewart comes from the hard nosed Toronto style of checking and was a Francis favorite. Ie is NHL-oriented and would be very quotable by the press. Bathgate faced at Vancouver in the WHA and spoken out in the past. He may be on the NHL &ldquo;don&rsquo;t touch&rdquo; list, although he is a superb strategist and would make a respected coach. Howell has kept in touch with the Rangers and is respected by them. His job in keeping the Jersey Knights and San Diego WHA team alive has not gone unnoticed. He is the dark horse.</p><p><b>BLUE CHIPS:</b> The players Emile Francis covets in the WHA are all on Toronto. Wayne Dillon, the young free agent center who can score, Pat Hickey, Ranger draftee who can play both the left and right wing and defenseman Jim Dorey are said to be gleams in the Cat&rsquo;s eye.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01458/3634040-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="557" height="681"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EMILE FRANCIS&hellip;Returns As GM</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-01

Speculation Over New Coach Continues

<div class="byline">BY HARRY KLAFF</div><p>LONG ISLAND&mdash;</p><p>Down three games to none in a series that could have gone the other way, the N.Y. Islanders pulled out all the stops in game four of their quarter-final set against the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>First coach Al Arbour resurrected center Ralph Stewart&mdash;who had seen more action from the press box than ice level during the second half of the season&mdash;and put him in the starting lineup. And second, he tapped rookie netminder Glenn Resch to replace Bill Smith, as the latter seemed to suffer a relapse of the jitters.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01302/3634102-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="303" height="455"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ralph Stewart</b></figcaption></div><p>Although Stewie didn&rsquo;t figure in the scoring of the 3-1 victory which was seen on national TV, the blond pivotman contributed nicely to the team effort in this &ldquo;must&rdquo; game. Stewart beat Pittsburgh&rsquo;s hot rookie, Pierre Larouche. on faceoffs by better than a two to one ratio.</p><p>The big story in games one, two, and three was goaltending. Very simply, the Penguins had it and the Islanders didn&rsquo;t. Gary Inness was superb in the Pittsburgh cage as in each game the Islanders were swarming through his crease, testing him with their best efforts.</p><p>The Islanders dropped the opener at Pittsburgh 5-4, despite unloading 40 shots at the Penguin net. They still managed 30 in their weakest effort, a 3-1 setback in game two, and powdered 47 more in the third game at the Nassau Coliseum which also went to the Pens, 6-4.</p><p>While Inness was burning hot in his end of the ice, Smitty was having problems at his. This has been a strange year for Smith, who on many occasions has shown the skill and poise of a Vezina winner. Whenever it seemed that he was putting his game together, he let in a couple of bad goals and skidded downhill. No one knows for certain what has caused these lapses, but foremost in bill&rsquo;s mind is his concern for his pregnant wife, Debbie, who&rsquo;d been overdue for weeks.</p><p>With their collective backs to the wall. Arbour elected to go with Resch for the do-or-die game. It was Glenn&rsquo;s first appearance since being bombed by the Rangers in the second game of their preliminary round.</p><p>&ldquo;Reschy played a great game for us.&rdquo; said a happy Arbour after the fourth game had become history. &ldquo;He made the big stops for us, especially early in the game when it was really tight.&rdquo;</p><p>The little goaltender wasn&rsquo;t the Islanders&rsquo; only star that day, as the victory was truly a combined effort. Game four was the only one in which the Isles could play &ldquo;their&rdquo; game&mdash;the closechecking style which got them to the playoffs in the first place. In the first three games they were behind 3-0 before they knew what hit them.</p><p>Gremlins also played a role in subjecting the Islanders to their almost certain fate in the quarter-finals. It was earlier against the Rangers that the Isles developed quite a taste for iron. iron, that is, as in goal post.</p><p>The Isles had thought they had seen enough posts to last a lifetime in the Ranger finale, when they hit six of them. Then in a crucial moment of game three at the Coliseum with Pittsburgh leading 3-2 midway through the third period, Clark Gillies made a nifty move to get behind the Penguin defense. Clang went Gillies&rsquo; shot off the bar, and the puck kicked harmlessly away. Seconds later, Vic Hadfield rifled a 45-footer past Smith to virtually ice the game.</p><p>The Islanders did come back in that one. and somehow trailed 5-4 with seconds left. Denis Potvin was set up fifteen feet away with a mass of bodies screening Inness. The puck caught the outside of the upright and carommed to Jean Pronovost, who fed Lowell MacDonald for an empty-net goal.</p><p>For a while it looked like the fourth game would be another house of horrors for the Isles. In the first period alone, Denis Potvin and Gillies saw their efforts ring off the pipe. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Dave Burrows almost put one into his own net in that stanza, but it too deflected off the goalkeeper&rsquo;s best friend.</p><p>That 3-1 victory looked to be the final win of the year for the Isles as winning in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Civic Arena is no easy task.</p><p>But the surprising Islanders came away with a 4-2 triumph to bring them to within one game of knotting the series at three games apiece.</p><p><b>ISLAND SOUNDS:</b> Ed Westfall now has seven career cup shorthanded goals. His latest effort was the Isles&rsquo; first goal in game three with Denis Potvin in the box. Westfall was previously tied with Dave Keon and Derek Sanderson&hellip;For a while J.P. Parise led all cup scorers with five goals and four assists. &ldquo;Jeep&rdquo; got two in game one, and the insurance goal in game four&hellip;Andre St. Laurent outdrew Syl Apps 18-10 in the fourth game and stole his team&rsquo;s first goal off a draw deep in the Pittsburgh zone&hellip;Denis Potvin hardly missed a turn despite a severely pulled leg muscle.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02213/3634095-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="1179" height="1301"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GLENN RESCH&hellip;Made Big Stops</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0021-01

Resch Sparked Islanders’ Do-Or-Die Situation

<h2><b>Series &lsquo;F&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Tue. April 22 CHICAGO 1, BUFFALO 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03218/3634189-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="605" height="528"></div><h2><b>Series &lsquo;G&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Tue. April 22 VANCOUVER 4, MONTREAL 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04172/3634182-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="595" height="63"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05146/3634175-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="611" height="839"></div><h2><b>Series &lsquo;H&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Tue. April 22 ISLANDERS 4, PITTSBURGH 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06117/3634168-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="605" height="559"></div><h3>Thu. April 24 PITTSBURGH 1, ISLANDERS 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07104/3634161-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="600" height="524"></div><h3>Sat. April 26 ISLANDERS 1, PITTSBURGH 0</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0894/3634154-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="604" height="468"></div><h2><b>Series &lsquo;I&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Sun. April 27 MONTREAL 5, BUFFALO 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0986/3634147-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="608" height="759"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01327/3634140-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="1177" height="1923"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Islanders&rsquo; Bert Marshall set up series-winning goal.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02250/3634133-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="1177" height="952"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Guy Lafleur Habs&rsquo; most productive playoff scorer.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-03

MARK Ten That’s taste!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01309/3634234-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"></div><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>Y</span>ou could cut the gloom with a knife among Pittsburgh Penguin fans but there was no restraining the New York Islanders after they climaxed one of the most brilliant Stanley Cup playoff comebacks in 33 years of NHL play as they ousted the Penguins in the seventh and deciding game of their quarter-final series.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03187/3634227-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="271" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ed Westfall</b></figcaption></div><p>Captain Ed Westfall registered a third-period goal and the Islanders made it stand up as they defeated the Penguins 1-0 in the seventh game of their best-of-seven series after losing the first three games to Pittsburgh.</p><p>Not since the 1942 playoff season when the Toronto Maple Leafs roared back from a 3-0 deficit to win four straight games from Detroit has an NHL team come close to duplicating the feat until the &lsquo;Cinderella&rsquo; Islanders pulled it off.</p><p>Goaler Glenn Resch, a rookie who had been knocking at the door of NHL teams for the past few years without success, came up big in the series and frustrated the high-scoring Penguins by limiting them to four goals in the last four games as the Islanders rallied to win 3-1 in Uniondale, 4-2 in Pittsburgh, 4-1 back in Long Island and finally 1-0 in the seventh game here.</p><p>Islanders&rsquo; Al Arbour, who was selected by THE HOCKEY NEWS as the NHL&rsquo;s Coach of the Year this season in their annual awards, chose simple arithmetic to describe his team&rsquo;s conquest.</p><p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t win a best-of-seven series in three games,&rdquo; said the bespectacled coach calmly after his team eliminated the Penguins.</p><p>The surprising Islanders, who just squeezed into the playoffs on the final weekend of the schedule, faced all the obstacles in the series and in the final game. Home ice was against them and the Penguins&rsquo; awesome offense, which had been relatively quiet since the playoffs began, was overdue to break out. The Pens appeared in the right direction as they outshot the Islanders 30-17 but they couldn&rsquo;t penetrate the spectacular netminding of Resch and a solid defense anchored by Denis Potvin and Bert Marshall. It was Marshall who set up the game&rsquo;s only goal by Westfall that put the Penguins out of the playoffs.</p><p>Arbour&rsquo;s defensive strategy paid off after the Penguins had taken what amounted to a commanding 3-0 series lead. The Islanders permitted Pittsburgh just four goals in the four games they won in succession with Resch doing the backstopping in all four. The Islanders had been down 3-0 when Arbour decided to switch off goaler Billy Smith and use Resch in his place.</p><p>The Islanders were ready for the Philadelphia Flyers in the best-of-seven semi-finals and to a man the New Yorkers know they are in for a tough battle. But they said the same thing when they skated out against the Penguins.</p><p>Pittsburgh coach Marc Boileau was stunned by the reversal of form shown by his Penguins. He admitted the team blew it when they missed several key scoring chances and two open nets in the deciding game. The Pens also felt the injury to Vic Hadfield, who saw limited service in the finale after breaking two ribs in game six.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04151/3634220-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="551" height="1194"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AL ARBOUR&hellip;Magic Touch</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0023-01

‘CINDERELLA’ ISLANDERS KNOCK PENGUINS OUT

<p>BUFFALO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Buffalo Sabres outlasted the Montreal Canadiens in the opening game of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup semi-final series and the margin of victory was rookie Danny Gare&rsquo;s overtime period goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02243/3634265-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="276" height="327"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Danny Gare</b></figcaption></div><p>Gare sank the winner, his fourth goal of the playoffs, at 4:42 of the sudden-death extra period on a closein shot that beat Montreal goaler Ken Dryden on his right side. Craig Ramsay set up a 3-on-2 breakaway with Gare connecting to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.</p><p>The Sabres made it to the semi-finals by ousting the Chicago Black Hawks 4-1 in a best-of-seven quarter-final series in which the Hawks were unable to win a game on Buffalo ice while the Sabres won three times including the series-clinching 3-1 fifth game. Ramsay, Rene Robert and Jim Lorentz put the series away as the hapless Hawks generated the grand total of three goals in three games played in Buffalo.</p><p>Class prevailed as the Canadiens pushed the Vancouver Canucks to the sidelines in five games in their best-of-seven quarter-final. The Habs delivered the knockout blow in the fifth game as they won 5-4 in overtime as Guy Lafleur triggered the winning goal. It was Lafleur&rsquo;s fifth goal of the series.</p><p>Turning point of the series was Montreal&rsquo;s two victories on Vancouver ice, where the Canucks came up empty handed and scored only one goal.</p><p>The Canadiens opened their semifinal series against the Sabres as favorites in some circles and underdogs in others.</p><p>Whatever, the Canadiens didn&rsquo;t set up too solid a defensive game against the offensive-minded Sabres and found that mistakes in your own end of the rink can eventually kill you.</p><p>Sabres capitalized on carrying the play to the Montrealers in the first game as they outshot the Habs 43-31 and won on goals by Rick Martin, Robert, Rick Dudley, Gil Perreault and Lorentz as well as Gare&rsquo;s overtime winner. Guy Lapointe scored two of the Montreal goals with Lafleur, his sixth of the playoffs, Yvan Cournoyer and Jacques Lemaire connecting for singles.</p><p>Lemaire&rsquo;s goal came with 24 seconds remaining in regulation time and was a gift as the puck bounced crazily over a maze of players into the goal with Buffalo defenseman Jerry Korab already inside the net after slipping on the ice. The fluke shot tied the score at 5-5 and sent the teams into overtime where Gare won it.</p><p>The win was costly for the Sabres. They lost goalkeeper Gerry Desjardins after only 56 seconds of the game with a brusied knee. He was replaced by veteran Roger Crozier. Desjardins had played in all the Buffalo playoff games before being injured. The Sabres also lost Dudley with a knee injury in the game. Montreal&rsquo;s Henri Richard came back to the lineup making his first appearance on the ice since Nov. 23 when he suffered a broken ankle.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-02

Sabres Draw First Blood On Gare’s Overtime Goal

<h2>Preliminary Round SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05126/3634359-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="588" height="166"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Toronto 2 at Los Angeles 3</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Los Angeles 2 at Toronto 3</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Toronto 2 at Los Angeles 1</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06112/3634352-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="594" height="158"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Chicago 2 at Boston 8</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Boston 3 at Chicago 4</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Chicago 6 at Boston 4</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0798/3634345-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="594" height="154"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>St. Louis 3 at Pittsburgh</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Pittsbrugh 5 at St. Louis</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0883/3634338-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="594" height="154"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Islanders 3 at Rangers 2</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Rangers 8 at Islanders 3</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Islanders 4 at Rangers 3</p><h2>Quarter-Finals SERIES &lsquo;E&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0969/3634331-1-eng-US/f0023-092.jpg" title="f0023-09" width="584" height="156"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Toronto 3 at Philadelphia 6</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Toronto 0 at Philadelphia 3</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Philadelphia 2 at Toronto 0</p><p><b>Sat. April 19</b></p><p>Philadelphia 4 at Toronto 3</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1059/3634324-1-eng-US/f0023-102.jpg" title="f0023-10" width="536" height="156"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Chicago 1 at Buffalo 4</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Chicago 1 at Buffalo 3</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Buffalo 4 at Chicago 5</p><p><b>Sun. April 20</b></p><p>Buffalo 6 at Chicago 2</p><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Chicago 1 at Buffalo 3</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;G&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1146/3634317-1-eng-US/f0023-112.jpg" title="f0023-11" width="536" height="156"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLET ED</h3><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Vancouver 2 at Montreal 6</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Vancouver 2 at Montreal 1</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Montreal 4 at Vancouver 1</p><p><b>Sat. April 19</b></p><p>Montreal 4 at Vancouver 0</p><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Vancouver 4 at Montreal 5</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;H&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1238/3634310-1-eng-US/f0023-122.jpg" title="f0023-12" width="536" height="155"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Islanders 4 at Pittsburgh 5</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Islanders 1 at Pittsburgh 3</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 6 at Islanders 4</p><p><b>Sun. April 20</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 1 at Islanders 3</p><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Islanders 4 at Pittsburgh 2</p><p><b>Thu. April 24</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 1 at Islanders 4</p><p><b>Sat. April 26</b></p><p>Islanders 1 at Pittsburgh 0</p><h2>Semi-Finals SERIES &lsquo;I&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1333/3634303-1-eng-US/f0023-132.jpg" title="f0023-13" width="536" height="155"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Montreal 5 at Buffalo 6</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. April 29</b></p><p>Montreal at Buffalo</p><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>Buffalo at Montreal</p><p><b>Sat. May 3</b></p><p>Buffalo at Montreal</p><p><b>Tue. May 6</b></p><p>Montreal at Buffalo</p><p><b>Thu. May 8</b></p><p>Buffalo at Montreal</p><p><b>Sat or Sun. May 10-11</b></p><p>Montreal at Buffalo</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;J&rsquo;</h2><h3>Islanders vs Philadelphia</h3><p>(Best-of-seven series)</p><p><b>Tue. April 29</b></p><p>Islanders at Philadelphia</p><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>Islanders at Philadelphia</p><p><b>Sun. May 4</b></p><p>Philadelphia at Islanders</p><p><b>Tue. May 6</b></p><p>Philadelphia at Islanders</p><p><b>Thu. May 8</b></p><p>Islanders at Philadelphia</p><p>Sat. or Sun. May 10-11</p><p>Philadelphia at Islanders</p><p><b>Tue. May 13</b></p><p>Islanders at Philadelphia</p><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1431/3634296-1-eng-US/f0023-142.jpg" title="f0023-14" width="549" height="1280"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0023-05

STANLEY CUP SCOREBOARD

<p>TWIN CITIES&mdash;</p><p>Can the Minnesota North Stars come all the way back to a playoff berth in the National Hockey League next season?</p><p>One person who believes they can do it is team captain Bill Goldsworthy, but the North Stars&rsquo; highest goal scorer admits the team will have to make a number of changes and possibly adopt a new, tighter style of play that will hold the Stars in the game for 60 minutes.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to play it differently.&rdquo; said Goldsworthy.&rdquo; we can&rsquo;t play good hockey for two periods and forget about the third, or be good for 55 minutes and let down for five. That hurt us the most this past season. We can do it. I&rsquo;m certain.&rdquo;</p><p>Goldsworthy&rsquo;s wisdom makes sense and the North Stars would do well to think about it as they prepare for the 1975-76 season, which is bound to bring about changes both on defense and offense.</p><p>Some players will move on. There will be trades, notably one that could involve controversial center Dennis Hextall, who was roundly jeered by Minnesota fans in the closing weeks of the season. The North Star patrons felt Hextall, like Goldsworthy, was drawing a big salary and should have been putting out more when the club needed him in their losing struggle to gain a playoff berth.</p><p>The North Stars gave up 121 more goals than they had planned for the past season and this is probably the most significant part of the club that will have to be imporved. Offensively, the North Stars weren&rsquo;t all that bad although only Hextali and Goldsworthy ranked high with 74 and 72 points respectively. After the top two, the Stars next high scorer was a 36-point man, Ernie Hicke, and he played only part of the year coming in a trade with New York Islanders.</p><p>But it was on defense that the North Stars incurred the wrath of their home town fans. The team closed the year with a record of 23-50-7 for 53 points, fourth lowest in the NHL. Only Washington, California and Kansas City were more apathetic than the North Stars and only expansion Washington allowed more goals than the 341 rendered by the Stars.</p><p>Certainly the North Stars need beefing up behind the blueline where rookies Doug Hicks and Dwight Bialowas and regulars Tom Reid. Dennis O&rsquo;Brien and Fred Barrett played erratically ip front of the North Stars&rsquo; three-man goaling team. Netminders Peter LoPresti, Cesare Maniago and Fem Rivard had a disappointing year but they didn&rsquo;t get much help from their defense. Back-checking, by the fowards, a necessary commodity on any good hockey team, was noticeably lacking. Coach Carlie Bums will have to sacrifice some of his offense to get the North Stars thinking defense and impove on the team&rsquo;s checking game.</p><p>LoPresti, a rookie goaler who impressed in his first NHL year, will be back as No. 1 netminder next season but the status of Maniago, a 10-year NHL veteran, seems in doubt. Maniago has already said he plans to retire and the club could he hunting for a new backup to LoPresti before training camp begins.</p><p>At any rate there will be considerable changes in the North Stars and as team leader Goldsworthy pointed out, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll have to play it differently.&rdquo; Now all Goldy has to do is get the rest of the North Stars thinking the same way and Minnesota could enjoy a welcome turnabout next season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01315/3634390-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="558" height="1099"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETER LOPRESTI&hellip;He&rsquo;ll Be No. 1</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-01

Goldsworthy Sees Hope For Next Year

<div class="byline">BY JOHN ARNOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02245/3634421-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="711" height="949"></div><h2>SOLUTION IN MAY 16 ISSUE</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3><p>1. Part owner of Chicago Cougars.</p><p>8. An NHL general manager.</p><p>9. One of the Leafs, (init)</p><p>10. The. (fr)</p><p>11. 9th and 1st letters of the alphabet.</p><p>12. Former NHL goaltender.</p><p>14. One of the Sabres answers to this.</p><p>16. Initials of former Montreal coach.</p><p>17. To make mistakes.</p><p>18. Number worn by Gary Smith.</p><p>20. 25th and 9th letters of the alphabet.</p><p>21. A U.S. state, (abbr.)</p><p>22. One of the Blues, (init)</p><p>25. Pictured player.</p><p>31. Initials of one of the Flames.</p><p>33. A North Star defenseman.</p><p>34. Nickname of an NHL coach.</p><p>36. A New England forward, (init)</p><p>38. Plays forward for Minnesota in WHA.</p><h3>DOWN</h3><p>1. A WHA goaltender.</p><p>2. 1st and 22nd letters of the alphabet.</p><p>3. Denis Potvin won this trophy last year.</p><p>4. Dennis Ververgaert injured one in this year&rsquo;s playoffs.</p><p>5. A forward line.</p><p>6. Former Montreal defenseman.</p><p>7. Girl&rsquo;s name.</p><p>13. Coaches Houston in WHA.</p><p>15. One of the Flames answers to this.</p><p>19. Initials for former NHL toward Balfour.</p><p>23. One of the Canucks, (init)</p><p>24. Former San Diego (WHL) forward.</p><p>26. Initials of former Red Wing Relbel.</p><p>27. First name of former NHL, forward Prentice.</p><p>28. One of the Kings answers to this.</p><p>29. Outside diameter, (init)</p><p>30. Initials of 12 across.</p><p>32. One of the Hoekstras answers to this.</p><p>35, To perform.</p><p>37. WHA scoring champ, (init)</p><h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3><p>1. MAHOVLICH.</p><p>9. CROZIER.</p><p>10. ELKS.</p><p>11. BIRD.</p><p>12. HAT.</p><p>14. ERR.</p><p>16. NOR.</p><p>17. A.S.</p><p>18. TO.</p><p>19. E.G.</p><p>21. DRYDEN.</p><p>24. R.A.</p><p>26. VAL.</p><p>27. LAROSE.</p><p>29. L.G.</p><p>31. EYE.</p><p>32. OSHEA.</p><h3>DOWN</h3><p>1. McKECHNIE.</p><p>2. A.R.</p><p>3. HOEKSTRA.</p><p>4. O.Z.</p><p>5. VIC.</p><p>6. LE.</p><p>7. IRVINE.</p><p>8. HENDERSON.</p><p>13. A.O.</p><p>15. RATELLE.</p><p>20. GRAY.</p><p>22. YVES.</p><p>23. D.A.</p><p>25. ARE.</p><p>27. LE.</p><p>28. S.O.</p><p>30. G.A.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

HOCKEY CROSSWORD

<p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>The National Broadcasting Corporation has a hand-picked 40-man team working towards televising the National Hockey League&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs as NBC-TV completes its third consecutive playoff series, and fourth overall this year.</p><p>As the network that&rsquo;s &ldquo;No. I in live coverage of major sports events all year &lsquo;round,&rdquo; NBC is intent on giving viewers at home the best seat possible to the NHL&rsquo;s post-season championships&mdash;as it did in both 1973 and 1974 in capturing all the decisive action (NBC first presented the Stanley Cup in 1966).</p><p>Working toward that goal is a team of 10 production personnel and 30 engineers and technicians, spearheaded by executive producer Scotty Connal, that has been together this year since January. In the intervening months, as the NHL&rsquo;s divisional races began to take shape, NBC sought to provide coverage of those games which had the most direct bearing on such a battle.</p><p>Commentary is provided by three announcers&mdash;play-by-play man Tim Ryan; NHL Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, who provides the expert analysis; and intermissions host Brian McFarlane&mdash;who have been together the last three campaigns. Last season they were joined by a fourth &ldquo;commentator&rdquo;&mdash;Peter Puck, the inimitable little Hanna-Barbera cartoon imp whose insight into the rules and basics of hockey has been shared with viewers of &ldquo;NBC&rsquo;s NHL Game-of-the-Week.&rdquo;</p><p>NBC&rsquo;s Stanley Cup coverage&mdash;with co-producers George Finkel and Ted Nathanson calling the shots from inside their mobile unit&mdash;is provided by five stationary color cameras as well as a &ldquo;minicam.&rdquo; one of the hand-held cameras that freely roams an arena&rsquo;s confines. In addition, Mathanson and Finkel have at their disposal three slomotion machines and one video-tape recorder, equipment used to provide in-depth coverage of a hockey game&mdash;to capture through isolation action wherever it occurs (and that isn&rsquo;t always around the puck!).</p><p>To embellish its coverage. NBC has a lineup of special between periods feature providing viewers with a look at the new Stanley Cup playoff structure; intermission interviews with players, officials and other members of the hockey scene; guest commentators who will analyze the on-ice action; and various facets of the Soviet Union&rsquo;s hockey program.</p><p>NBC-TV coverage of the fastest game on ice is widely recognized for its excellence. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean NBC&rsquo;s hockey crew is content to sit on its laurels. They strive game after game to give millions of viewers across the country the kind of coverage that personifies the Stanley Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01262/3634459-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="883" height="1241"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02189/3634452-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="867" height="1241"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NBC&rsquo;s three top TV hockey commentators include analyist Ted Lindsay at left with play-by-play man Tim Ryan and intermission host Brian McFarlane, right, who poses with the inimitable cartoon character Peter Puck as part of NBC&rsquo;s NHL Game-of-the-Week presentation. NBC is bringing fans around the country the NHL playoffs for the third straight year.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-01

NBC Using 40-Man Team To Televise NHL Playoffs

<h2>RON GRAHAME</h2><p>Houston Aeros</p><p>The San Diego Mariners must have been wandering around shaking their heads following the first two games of their semi-final set with the defending champion Houston Aeros.</p><p>Despite firing 73 shots at the Houston net in the first two outings, the Mariners managed but one goal.</p><p>Ron Grahame blocked 35 shots in 4-0 whitewashing of Mariners in opening contest and then followed by blocking 47 of 48 shots in 2-1 second game triumph.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02214/3634528-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="517" height="529"></div><h2>MARC TARDIF</h2><p>Quebec Nordiques</p><p>Six points in four semi-final encounters with the Minnesota Fighting Saints lifted Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; Marc Tardif well within range of the playoff scoring lead.</p><p>The six points, evenly distributed between goals and assists, gave Tardif a playoff total of 14 points only two in back of Fran Huck of the Saints.</p><p>Tardif had a pair of markers in 5-3 loss to Minnesota in game two, a goal and two assists in 6-1 thrashing of Saints in third game and an assist in 4-2 loss in their fourth meeting.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03177/3634521-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="511" height="545"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-02

WHA’s Stars of the week

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01266/3634490-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>J.C. TREMBLAY&hellip;Not Appreciated By Quebecers</b></figcaption></div><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;</p><p>Quebec Nordiques finally made it into the World Hockey Association playoffs in their third season, something the fans in Quebec City have wanted for a long time.</p><p>Still, the fans seem a little fickle. They enjoy booing the fellow who is largely responsible for getting them there.</p><p>Nordique fans have often taken a disapproving notice of the play of defenseman J.C. Tremblay, and when the Nordiques came up with a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Roadrunners to clinch their best-of-seven quarter-final series 4-1. they would still not let up on Tremblay.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never finish my hockey career here.&rdquo; said Tremblay afterwards, showing his displeasure with the hometown fans. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll finish the two seasons I have on my contract, but that&rsquo;s it.</p><p>The fans turned on the Quebec captain after he had made a couple of bad passes coming out of the Nordiques&rsquo; zone in the second period of the fifth game. And at one point, one of the fans threw some beer at Tremblay, with the latter making an obscene gesture in return.</p><p>&ldquo;I hate myself for having done that.&rdquo; Tremblay said. But 1 just couldn&rsquo;t help it.&rdquo;</p><p>Marc Tardif, who scored the tiebreaking goal at 14:20 of the third period to give the Nordiques a 3-2 lead, came valiantly to the aid of his teammate in the locker room afterwards.</p><p>&ldquo;He makes one mistake and the people jump on him.&rdquo; said Tardif. &ldquo;If J.C. Tremblay hadn&rsquo;t been here three years ago, they wouldn&rsquo;t even have had a professional club. He put Quebec City on the map.&rdquo;</p><p>Reynaid Leclerc and Jeannot Gilbert scored the first two goals for the Nordiques and Serge Bernier had his sixth goal of the series into an empty net from a Tremblay pass to finish the scoring and send Quebec into the semi-finals.</p><p>Toe Blake, the former coach of the Montreal Canadiens and a former coach of Tremblay, had some interesting points about the fans&rsquo; reaction to the classy defenseman.</p><p>&ldquo;They booed him in Montreal sometimes. but it&rsquo;s his style that gets to them,&rdquo; said Blake. &ldquo;J.C. is very clever with the puck, but he doesn&rsquo;t hit anyone and that seems to get the fans going.&rdquo;</p><p>Regardless of the fans&rsquo; opinion of Tremblay. Roadrunners coach Sandy Hucul. THE HOCKEY NEWS coach of the year in the WHA, is bullish on the Quebec chances in future series.</p><p>&ldquo;Quebec has a fine hockey club. They are well balanced, they work hard and I think they have an opportunity to win the whole thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Nordiques were led in the series by the people who have led their attack all season. Tardif scored three goals and Rejean Houle four to go along with Bernier&rsquo;s better than a goal-a-game production. Richard Brodeur, who had a goals-against average of 3.90 during the regular season, was outstanding against the Runners, particularly in the last three games of the series.</p><p><b>TORONTO:</b> After the San Diego Mariners had taken a 2-0 lead in the series involving the Toros in the quarterfinals. Gavin Kirk, the fellow who is supposed to help check Andre Lacroix, said &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have to play 60 minutes to win a game.&rdquo;</p><p>The only problem was only the home teams were playing a 60-minute game in the series.</p><p>The fifth game was a classic example of how the series slipped away from the Toros just as they were about to get their clutches on an all-important road win.</p><p>Toros, getting some super goaltending from Jim Shaw, had taken a 2-0 lead at 8:26 of the second period and appeared to have an excellent chance of taking what could well have been the decisive fifth game in their favor.</p><p>Frank Mahovlich had opened the scoring in the first period with his third goal of the series and Vaclav Nedomansky had his third as well to establish the lead. But then Gene Peacosh got the Mariners on the board, and the roof collapsed on the Toros, who ended up being outshot 55-37, with 22 of those shots coming in the third period.</p><p>&ldquo;We had pretty good control of the game until they scored their first goal, &ldquo;</p><p>said Toros coach Bob Leduc, who watched the Mariners end up with a 4-3 victory after another Peacosh goal. &ldquo;Then the crowd went crazy and it seemed to pick them up.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed the crowd did pick up the Western Division club, and as the series switched back to Toronto for the sixth game, the home team&rsquo;s luck ran out on the Toros as San Diego won 6-4 to eliminate the Toros in six games.</p><p>Earlier, it was that home ice advantage the Toros used to get back onto even terms with the Mariners, who suddenly have become one of the hardest clubs in the WHA to beat at home.</p><p>Toros took game three 5-2 on some great work from Lou Nistico. who checked Lacroix into the ice. and scored two goals himself. Linemates Kirk and Tom Martin also had good evenings. drawing some praise from Leduc.</p><p>&ldquo;That line&rsquo;s job was to check Lacroix&rsquo;s line and they came up with three goals,&rdquo; said Leduc. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take that kind of production anytime.&rdquo;</p><p>The fourth game, a bizarre 6-5 win for Toronto, lent the Mariners an excellent opportunity to get a road win as they took a 2-0 lead in the second period but fell apart when the Toros got their attack going.</p><p>&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t start out in the first period playing well at all.&rdquo; said Leduc of his club&rsquo;s performance. &ldquo;Then we turned the game around in the second period, and then almost let it get away again.&rdquo;</p><p>Wayne Dillon, the youthful center who led Toronto with two goals in the win, said that he felt the Toros had to tighten up defensively.</p><p>The series took it&rsquo;s toll in terms of minor injuries as at least five Toros and one Mariner required dental work following game three. Tom Simpson was the most serious casualty as he required general anaesthetic for removal of a broken tooth.</p><p>Mariners even managed to get Nedomansky, a player who must certainly be in the running for the league&rsquo;s most gentlemanly performer, into a fight as he took on Ray Adduono.</p><p>But in the long run the Toros&rsquo; defensive shortcomings spelled their end.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Nordiques’ Star Vows To End Career Elsewhere

<div class="byline">&#x2014;GALLAGHER</div><p>WINNIPEG&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>udy Pilous says the Jets are looking for a bench-coach now that he has been appointed manager of hockey operations with the Canadian Division club. Pilous, who held the coaching position most of this past season, replaces Billy Robinson as director of player personnel and says that Bobby Hull will retain the title of &ldquo;playing-coach&rdquo; but &ldquo;will not be the coach&rdquo;. Pilous says they want a man who &ldquo;must be a special individual and we have to be careful and thorough in our selection.&rdquo;</p><p>Jets also said they are presently negotiating with three more Swedish forwards, and rumors have it that they are all members of one line. That would bring their foreign contingent to 10 if everyone remains with the club.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Pilous Says Jets To Seek Bench Coach For Next Year

<div class="byline">BY RICH PASSAN</div><p>CLEVELAND&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Crusaders, who played their finest hockey of the regular season down the stretch, carried over their prowess into the World Trophy playoffs.</p><p>But it fell short, way short. That&rsquo;s because they went up against the defending champion Houston Aeros and bowed in five games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01250/3634573-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="269" height="417"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jack Kelley</b></figcaption></div><p>But that is deceiving when you look at how the games went. The Crusaders were in every game going into the third period.</p><p>The Aeros scored every clutch goal in the series, proving they are the team to beat.</p><p>In game one, they snapped a 3-3 tie late in the second period, scored another in the first minute of the third period and went on to register an 8-5 victory.</p><p>In the second game, the Aeros broke a 1-1 tie late in the second period, added a pair of quickies in the first five minutes of the third and proceeded to take a 5-3 victory.</p><p>The Crusaders won game three. 3-1, scoring a pair of power-play goals in the third period after the two clubs had traded second-period goals.</p><p>In game four, the Crusaders gave up two first-period goals, then clung to the 2-0 lead heading into the third period. They tried to open up, made several mistakes and the Aeros blew it open and eventually won going away, 7-2.</p><p>The deciding game was tight all the way. The C&rsquo;s were on the short end of a 2-1 score heading into period three and, once again, the Aeros got the clutch goal midway through the session to put it out of reach.</p><p>The line that hurt Cleveland the most was the least likely. Gordon Labossiere, Murray Hall and Ted Taylor were poison in every game but the third, which the Clevelanders won.</p><p>Whenever the Aeros needed a goal, this trio usually got it for them. The veteran troika was virtually unstoppable.</p><p>&ldquo;That line broke our backs through the whole series,&rdquo; said Cleveland coach and general manager Jack Vivian. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud of the way our guys gave 100 percent after being down, 3-1, in games. &ldquo;They gave it a heckuva try&rdquo;</p><p>Cleveland goaltender Gerry Cheevers, who relinquished 23 goals in the five games, said he played well in only the fifth game. &ldquo;We had a chance to win the series, but didn&rsquo;t take advantage of it,&rdquo; said Cheevers, the target of fans&rsquo; boos in Cleveland during the fourth game.</p><p>Vivian defended his goalie by rapping back at the Cleveland fans and reminding them he was glad the Crusaders were going to Houston (for the fifth game) &ldquo;where they aren&rsquo;t fickle&rdquo;.</p><p>Chances are Vivian will not be around as coach next season, but he will hold onto the GM part of his job. Owner Jay Moore said he is satisfied with the job Vivian has done and is rewarding him with a pay raise of 20 percent.</p><p>Vivian, however, wasn&rsquo;t as popular with veteran Cleveland defenseman Ray Clearwater, who rapped him after the fifth game. Said Clearwater, who was moved up to left wing in the first four games of the playoffs and then benched for the fifth, &ldquo;I have no respect for what he did to me.&rdquo;</p><p>Clearwater said he did not care whether he was traded. He made it quite clear he did not want to play for Vivian. Vivian declined to make any statements regarding Clearwater, who is certain to do his skating somewhere else next season.</p><p><b>NEW ENGLAND:</b> General manager and interim coach Jack Kelley is back as full-time coach of the Whalers. He assumed the full-time role once again&mdash;he coached the Whalers in their first season&mdash;after Ron Ryan announced he no longer desires to coach.</p><p>&ldquo;Ronnie is now going to be the assistant to the president (Howard Baldwin) and me,&rdquo; Kelley reported. &ldquo;Ronnie is a bright and articulate guy. He&rsquo;s got his master&rsquo;s degree from the Wharton School of Finance.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked if he considered bringing in anybody else to replace Ryan. Kelly replied, &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t feel like bringing in a stranger.&rdquo;</p><p>Kelley also said director of player personnel Jack Ferreira has taken on the added duties of assistant general manager to ease Kelley&rsquo;s load. Ryan will do some scouting on the pro and amateur levels.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02199/3634566-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="1175" height="1469"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GERRY CHEEVERS&hellip;Booed By Cleveland Fans</b></figcaption></div><p>The Whalers, for the first time in their history, were bounced (in six games) from the playoffs in the first round, even though they finally beat the Minnesota Fighting Saints in St. Paul.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to be objective and not look through rose-colored glasses and think of excuses why we didn&rsquo;t make it,&rdquo; said Kelley, who could make excuses with numerous injuries. &ldquo;We just hit Minnesota when they were on the upsurge. We ran into a goalie (John Garrett) with a hot streak. He kept coming up big.&rdquo;</p><p>Kelley said he is looking forward in the near future to sitting down with right winger Rod Gilbert, recently declared a free agent by New York Rangers&rsquo; boss Bill Jennings.</p><p>The Whalers, a couple of months ago, put Gilbert&rsquo;s name on their negotiation list. Kelley said he has not discussed anything with Gilbert or his attorney yet.</p><p><b>CHICAGO:</b> The troubled Cougars, who may be headed out of the Windy City before long, got some more bad news from the Internal Revenue Service recently.</p><p>The IRS slapped a lien of $186,770 in back taxes on the club, tying up the team&rsquo;s assets until such time as the tax collector is paid. The problem stems from the club&rsquo;s failure to pay unemployment compensation and Social Security taxes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03146/3634559-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="560" height="615"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RAY CLEARWATER&hellip;Wants Trade</b></figcaption></div><p>Understated Ralph Backstrom, who partially owns the club with teammates Whitey Stapleton, Dave Dryden and attorney Jeff Rosen, &ldquo;Things don&rsquo;t look too rosy now, but we still want to stay in Chicago.&rdquo;</p><p>The league has set May 6 as the deadline for making a decision on whether the Cougars will remain in Chicago or move to either Calgary or Miami.</p><p><b>INDIANAPOLIS:</b> The Racers will have five or six new faces next season, according to club general manager Jim Browitt. &ldquo;We hope to get two of them from the National Hockey League,&rdquo; said Browitt, naturally mum on who they might be.</p><p>&ldquo;We also need a big defenseman and could possibly pick him up in the draft next month,&rdquo; he continued.</p><p>Browitt, when asked about the status of coach Gerry Moore for next season, hedged a bit. He did not say Moore would be back and he did not say Moore would not be back.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s too early to say.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t change coaches if you can&rsquo;t find anybody better.&rdquo;</p><p>The Racers, whose fans are among the most loyal and vocal in the World Hockey Association, wound up averaging a shade under 8,000 persons a game in their first season.</p><p>In the first week of selling season tickets for next year, Browitt reported, one-third of this season&rsquo;s subscribers renewed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

Charges Hurled As Crusaders Bow Out; Kelley Eyeing Rod Gilbert For Whalers

<div class="byline">BY DOUG McCONNELL</div><p>ST. PAUL&mdash;</p><p>Mike Walton&rsquo;s hat trick and John Garrett&rsquo;s nearly successful bid for a second consecutive hat trick gave the Minnesota Fighting Saints a 6-1 victory over the New England Whalers to wrap up the best-of-seven quarter-final series in the World Hockey Association playoffs.</p><p>Garrett was beaten at 12:19 of the third period by a close-in rebound, the only shot in 33 which eluded him.</p><p>His shutout string extended through 119 minutes and one second, through a 27-save. 4-0 shutout at Hartford. Conn., and to a Whaler goal at 13:18 of the final period in New England&rsquo;s fourth game victory, which tied the series at 2-2.</p><p>Fran Huck broke up a scoreless tie at 17:29 of the second period, including Wayne Connelly&rsquo;s fourth and fifth of the playoffs, to take a 3-2 lead in games.</p><p>The Whalers&rsquo; 5-2 victory to tie the series came in St. Paul, where they had never won in three years and 10 previous attempts.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable.&rdquo; Whalers&rsquo; Nick Fotiu declared after his fourth game heroics. &ldquo;Two goals tonight. As many as I scored all year.&rdquo;</p><p>And if he was surprised, listen to Saints&rsquo; coach Harry Neale.</p><p>&ldquo;I never thought Fotiu would beat us,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but we never started hitting tonight and if we don&rsquo;t play aggressively we don&rsquo;t have much of a chance against New England. Going out for the third period I thought we&rsquo;d be able to score early and put the game away.&rdquo;</p><p><b>HOUSTON:</b> Gordie Howe&rsquo;s first goal of the playoffs was a shot which trickled under Cleveland goaltender Gerry Cheevers and started the Houston Aeros to a 3-1 victory to close out the best-of-seven opening round World Hockey Association playoff series in five games.</p><p>Larry Lund added a power-play goal and Ted Taylor completed the Houston scoring in the third period after 20-year-old Mark Howe had set up his 47-year-old dad for the opening goal 27 seconds into the game.</p><p>Mark had scored eight times in the first four games, counting his second hat trick of the playoffs in the 7-2 victory at Richfield, Ohio. Murray Hall added a pair for the Aeros who tied a WHA playoff record, held by numerous teams, with five goals in the third period.</p><p>&ldquo;It seems like they&rsquo;re picking up other guys and letting me shoot,&rdquo; said a mystified Mark. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been picking up my dad and leaving me open.&rdquo;</p><p>While Mark was working on his second hat trick. Old Dad picked up a 10-minute misconduct for shooting the puck at a linesman.</p><p>&ldquo;I told the referee,&rdquo; he laughed afterward, &ldquo;Can you imagine me shooting the puck so softly.&rdquo;</p><p><b>PHOENIX:</b> The Phoenix Roadrunners couldn&rsquo;t take advantage of their scoring opportunities against the Quebec Nordiques.</p><p>The Roadrunners outshot the Nordiques 192-124 but were outscored 23-12 in losing the best-of-seven World Hockey Association opening playoff round in five games.</p><p>An overtime goal by Michel Cormier gave the Roadrunners their only victory, 6-5 in Phoenix, sending the series back to Quebec City where the Nordiques closed it out with a 4-2 tightly contested game.</p><p><b>SAN DIEGO:</b> Gene Peacosh scored his second goal of the night and sixth of the playoffs to give the San Diego Mariners in 4-3 victory over the Toronto Toros for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven opening playoff round in the World Hockey Association.</p><p>A crowd of 12,819 watched the Mariners outshoot the Toros 55-37 as goalie Jim Shaw turned in a sensational night&rsquo;s work.</p><p>To that point it had been a &ldquo;homer&rdquo; series with the Toros having tied the set at 2-2 with a 6-5 victory in Toronto. Wayne Dillon&rsquo;s two goals sparked a four-goal Toronto second period. Mike Laughton had a pair for San Dieeo.</p><p>The Toros won the third-game in Toronto, pelting the San Diego net with 41 shots for a 5-2 victory. Rookie Lou Nistico counted his third and fourth playoff goals on setups by Tom Martin.</p><p>The Mariners wrapped up the series with a 6-4 win right in Maple Leaf Gardens.</p><p>&ldquo;We put up a good fight.&rdquo; said Phoenix coach Sandy Hucul. &ldquo;I give full marks to Quebec for winning. They have possibly the best team in the league and my boys played what was probably their best game of the season.&rdquo;</p><p>One problem the Roadrunners had in the playoffs was turning into a one-line hockey club. Robbie Ftorek. Dennis Sobchuk and John Gray accounted for nine of the club&rsquo;s 12 playoff goals.</p><p>Sobchuk set one record and Ftorek and defenseman Al McLeod matched a couple other WHA playoff records in the overtime victory in Phoenix.</p><p>Sobchuk, the 20-year-old rookie who switches Phoenix colors along with his older brother. Gene, and defenseman John Hughes next season for those of Cincinnati, scored the fastest two goals from the start of a game, 9:39. The old record of 10:17 was held by Larry Lund of Houston.</p><p>Sobchuk&rsquo;s goal at 0:20 of the first period was the second-fastest opening goal in WHA playoff history.</p><p>Ftorek scored a goal and three assists in the first period to match the record for assists in a period and points in a period. He assisted on a second-period goal to tie the record for most assists in a game, four.</p><p>McLeod also matched the single period assists record with three.</p><p>The Roadrunners obviously missed Hughes&rsquo; aggressive play and that of rookie right wing Cam Connor, who came back off a broken ankle to play in the first four playoff games but was severely slowed.</p><p>Hughes slammed into the boards, missing a check, in the final regular season game, required surgery to repair torn knee ligaments and was hopeful it wouldn&rsquo;t hinder his career.</p><p>WHA president Dennis Murphy, who is retiring June 1, presented Roadrunner president Bill MacFarland with a plaque at the last playoff game in Phoenix, honoring the expansion team for &ldquo;one hell of a job&rdquo;.</p><p>Murphy pointed out that the Roadrunners won 39 games, finished eight games over .500 and made the playoffs in their first year and with 15 rookies in the lineup.</p><p>Murphy said MacFarland was one of four persons being considered for the WHA executive-of-the-year award, which is decided by the owners.</p><p>He said the others were Bill Hunter of Edmonton, whose Oilers grossed over $2 million this season, the highest gate total in the WHA; Maurice Filion, whose Quebec Nordiques came from last place to a division championship; and Ron Ingram, who took over in mid-season as general manager of the San Diego Mariners, who after two last-place finishes took second in the strong Western Division this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01238/3634628-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="489" height="619"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WAYNE CONNELLY&hellip;Hot In Playoffs</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

Saints Dump Whalers To Earn Berth In Semis

<h2><b>Series &lsquo;D&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Mon. April 21 SAN DIEGO 6, TORONTO 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0955/3634715-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="599" height="672"></div><h2><b>Series &lsquo;E&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Tue. April 22 MINNESOTA 1, QUEBEC 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1054/3634708-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="588" height="508"></div><h3>Thu. April 24 MINNESOTA 5, QUEBEC 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1148/3634701-1-eng-US/f0028-112.jpg" title="f0028-11" width="586" height="64"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1245/3634694-1-eng-US/f0028-122.jpg" title="f0028-12" width="602" height="594"></div><h3>Sat. April 26 QUEBEC 6, MINNESOTA 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1341/3634687-1-eng-US/f0028-132.jpg" title="f0028-13" width="612" height="124"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1435/3634680-1-eng-US/f0028-142.jpg" title="f0028-14" width="606" height="441"></div><h3>Sun. April 27 QUEBEC 2, MINNESOTA 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1535/3634673-1-eng-US/f0028-152.jpg" title="f0028-15" width="608" height="582"></div><h2><b>Series &lsquo;F&rsquo;</b></h2><h3>Fri. April 27 HOUSTON 4, SAN DIEGO 0</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1630/3634666-1-eng-US/f0028-162.jpg" title="f0028-16" width="596" height="444"></div><h3>Sun. April 27 HOUSTON 2, SAN DIEGO 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1725/3634659-1-eng-US/f0028-172.jpg" title="f0028-17" width="617" height="528"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-09

WHA Summaries

<h2>Quarter-finals SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02169/3634788-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="586" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Cleveland 5 at Houston 8</p><p><b>Sat. April 12</b></p><p>Cleveland 3 at Houston 5</p><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Houston 1 at Cleveland 3</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Houston 7 at Celveland 2</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Cleveland 1 at Houston 3</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03126/3634781-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="587" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Phoenix 2 at Quebec 5</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Phoenix 2 at Quebec 6</p><p><b>Sat April 12</b></p><p>Quebec 3 at Phoenix 0</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Quebec 5 at Phoenix 6</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Phoenix 2 at Quebec 4</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04102/3634774-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="587" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Minnesota 6 at New England 5</p><p><b>Frl. April 11</b></p><p>Minnesota 2 at New England 3</p><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>New England 3 at Minnesota 8</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>New England 5 at Minnesota 2</p><p><b>Thu. April 17</b></p><p>Minnesota 4 at New England 0</p><p><b>Set April 19</b></p><p>New England 1 at Minnesota 6</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0588/3634767-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="536" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Toronto 3 at San Diego 5</p><p><b>Sat. April 12</b></p><p>Toronto 6 at San Diego 7</p><p><b>Mon. April 14</b></p><p>San Diego 2 at Toronto 5</p><p><b>Wed. April 18</b></p><p>San Diego 5 at Toronto 6</p><p><b>Fri. April 18</b></p><p>Toronto 3 at San Diego 4</p><p><b>Mon. April 21</b></p><p>San Diego 6 at Toronto 4</p><p>Semi-Finals</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;E&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0674/3634760-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="536" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Minnesota 1 at Quebec 4</p><p><b>Thu. April 24</b></p><p>Minnesota 5 at Quebec 3</p><p><b>Sat. April 26</b></p><p>Quebec 6 at Minnesota 1</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Quebec 2 at Minnesota 4</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. April 29</b></p><p>Minnesota at Quebec</p><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>Quebec at Minnesota</p><p><b>Sat. May 3</b></p><p>Minnesota at Quebec</p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0764/3634753-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="536" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. April 25</b></p><p>Houston 4 at San Diego 0</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Houston 2 at San Diego 1</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. April 29</b></p><p>San Diego at Houston</p><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>San Diego at Houston</p><p><b>Sat. May 3</b></p><p>San Diego at Houston</p><p><b>Tue. May 6</b></p><p>Houston at San Diego</p><p><b>Thu. May 8</b></p><p>San Diego at Houston</p><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0859/3634746-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="544" height="409"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-02

AVCO TROPHY SCOREBOARD

<p>ST. PAUL&mdash;</p><p>The Minnesota Fighting Saints weren&rsquo;t conceding a thing to the Quebec Nordiques but the San Diego Mariners were giving a wide berth to the Houston Aeros in the start of the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s semi-final playoff round.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01203/3634819-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="269" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Fran Huck</b></figcaption></div><p>The Saints and Nordiques battled on even terms through the first four games of their best-of-seven series. Minnesota won once in Quebec and once at home and the Nordiques did like-wise as they took the opener 4-1 at home and won the third game here in St. Paul 6-1. But the Fighting Saints came back to win the second game in Quebec 5-3 and deadlocked the series at home in game four by winning 4-2.</p><p>The Houston Aeros could be headed for a series sweep with San Diego following their first two victories in the best-of-seven series, 4-0 and 2-1, both on San Diego ice. The teams headed for Houston and the next three games of the series placing the defending champion Aeros in a very enviable position.</p><p>The Nordiques outscored the Saints 15-11 in the four games as Serge Bernier, Rejean Houle and Marc Tardif continued to carry the Quebec offense. Bernier&rsquo;s eighth goal of the playoffs couldn&rsquo;t save the Nordiques from defeat in game four but his seventh in the third game helped them win 6-1.</p><p>Fran Huck, Wayne Connelly and Mike Walton were generating most of the Minnesota offensive power. Huck scored the go-ahead goal in the fourth game as the Saints won 4-2 and Connelly came up with the insurance goal minutes later.</p><p>With the Nordiques having the homeice advantage in the series, the Saints faced an uphill battle to win it and much depended on the solid netminding of John Garrett to pull it off. Garrett, who has been oustanding since the playoffs began for the Fighting Saints, handled 41 shots in the fourth game and was the difference between the two clubs.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Houston Aeros won their first two games in San Diego and faced a somewhat easy task of wrapping up the series on series on home ice with games three, four and five in Houston. Andre Hinse, Murray Hall, Terry Ruskowski and Gord Labossiere scored the first-game goals for Houston as goaler Ron Grahame came up with a flawless netminding performance for his first plavoff shutout.</p><p>Hall and Jim Sherrit collected the two goals in game two for Houston scoring in the second period and the margin was enough to carry them past the Mariners.</p><p>Hall and Sheritt scored at 17:11 and 17:36 in the second period to break the game open. Wayne Rivers spoiled Grahame&rsquo;s bid for a second straight shutout when he rifled a shot past the Houston goaler midway in the third period.</p><p>Grahame was the outstanding figure in both games as the Mariners outshot the Aeros firing 47 shots at Grahame in the first game and 48 in the second.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-01

Aeros Take Command Winning First Two In San Diego

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02167/3634857-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg"></div><p>TORONTO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Toronto Toros, the team the hockey experts picked at the outset of the season to win it all in the World Hockey Association, didn&rsquo;t even make it to the semi-finals and for only one reason&mdash;no defense.</p><p>The Toros discovered that scoring 27 goals in six games wasn&rsquo;t enough to overcome the powerful San Diego Mariners as they went down to defeat 4-2 in their best-of-seven quarter-final series.</p><p>Defense was the Toros&rsquo; big hangup in the series as they lost by scores of 5-3, 7-6, 4-3 and 6-4. The Toros had to score 11 times to win the two games they did because the Mariners came back with seven of their own as they outscored Toronto 29-27 in the six-game set.</p><p>The Mariners broke precedent in the sixth game in what had been predominately a &lsquo;homer&rsquo; series. The Mariners won three games in San Diego and the Toros took the two in Toronto before coming home to Maple Leaf Gardens for the sixth game. The Mariners won 6-4 with veteran Norm Ferguson scoring twice giving him six for the series, five of which came on MLG ice Gene Peacosh, Kevin Devine, Andre Lacroix and Ray Adduono scored the other San Diego goals. Lacroix&rsquo;s goal was into the empty Toronto net in the final minute of the game.</p><p>The Toros started veteran goaler Les Binkley in goal when regular Jim Shaw turned up with an injury. Shaw had backstopped Toronto to both their victories in the series.</p><p>Toros&rsquo; coach Bob Leduc, who said he didn&rsquo;t know what his status would be for next year, said he was certain there would be changes in the Toros for next season. Many were critical of the way the veteran players let down the Toros in the series.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Mariners were headed into the semi-finals with the Houston Aeros as coach Harry Howell faced the giant task of keeping his club up for a second straight series.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03115/3634850-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="559" height="926"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NORM FERGUSON</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-02

Mariners Vanquish Toronto With Big Offense

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>SPRINGFIELD&mdash;</p><p>If someone had said at the outset of the Calder Cup playoffs that Springfield Indians and New Haven Nighthawks would ultimately be matched in the American Hockey League&rsquo;s showcase final, the chances are he would have been referred to a psychiatrist.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01234/3634916-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="275" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brian Holderness</b></figcaption></div><p>After all, how could a fourth place team&mdash;Springfield&mdash;and a fifth place team&mdash;New Haven&mdash;possibly make it to the cup finals when you have powerhouses like Providence Reds, Rochester Americans, Nova Scotia Voyageurs, Virginia Red Wings and Hershey Bears waiting in line to lay claim to the Calder Cup.</p><p>Strangely, after four weeks of playoff competition. Providence. Rochester, Nova Scotia. Virginia and Hershey are gone from the playoff scene but New Haven and Springfield aren&rsquo;t. In fact, they are the combatants for the 1974-75 Calder Cup and if that isn&rsquo;t a Cinderella hockey story, then what is?</p><p>The Nighthawks qualified for a cup berth by upsetting the Hershey Bears 4-1 in their best-of-seven semi-final series and Springfield did a tremendous job on Rochester and skated off with a 4-2 edge in the best-of-seven series.</p><p>So now it&rsquo;s Springfield and New Haven in the longshot cup final.</p><p><b>ROCHESTER:</b> Doug Gibson. Barry Merrell and Dave Hynes totaled 130 goals for the Amerks during the regular season, but as Rochester lost out to Springfield in the semi-finals, that trio had only seven goals in eight games.</p><p>Gibson, hampered by a charley-horse and a bruised wrist, had three goals, while Merrell, who had a shoulder injury, and Hynes had two apiece. During the regular season, Gibson and Merrell tied for league honors with Nova Scotia&rsquo;s Peter Sullivan and Providence&rsquo;s Jerry Holland with 44 goals. Hynes had 42.</p><p>Gordie Clark and Craig Samer led the Amerks with five and four, respectively.</p><p>Rochester gained the semis for the first time since 1968&mdash;their last Calder Cup winning year&mdash;by exploding for their biggest single-period scoring outburst on the road this season.</p><p>Trailing 2-0 after one period in Nova Scotia in the sixth game of the best-of-seven series, the Amerks struck for four goals in the space of less than eight and a half minutes during the second period and went on to a 5-2 triumph.</p><p>The amazing thing about the Rochester-Nova Scotia series was that the home team won only once during the six games. The Amerks won all three games in Halifax while the Voyageurs won two of three in Rochester.</p><p>Ron Garwasiuk was one of the heroes in the series-clinching win. After playing only briefly in the first game and some in the fifth game because of an injured knee, he scored two goals ans assisted on a third after playing less than a minute and a half in the first period.</p><p>Billy Knibbs, who missed most of the 1975 portion of the schedule with an injured elbow, was a surprise starter and scored what proved to be the winning goal.</p><p><b>SPRINGFIELD:</b> The mastery the Indians held over Rochester during the regular season carried over to the semifinals.</p><p>Springfield won seven times, tied two and lost only one to the Americans during the season.</p><p>Rochester struck for three goals in the first 15 minutes of the opening playoff game and went on to a 5-2 victory at home. The Indians didn&rsquo;t spoil Dave Reece&rsquo;s shutout until they scored twice in the finalfive minutes.</p><p>Back in Springfield for the second game, the Indians used Rochester&rsquo;s trick and scored three goals in the first period. But the Amerks battled back and forced an overtime.</p><p>Springfield was winless in 10 overtime games during the regular season&mdash;losing four and tying six&mdash;and had lost one to Providence in the first round before winning the series from the Reds in sudden-death on a goal by Jimmy Nichols.</p><p>Against the Amerks, Nichols set up Pete Harasym for the winning goal at 2:51 of the extra period.</p><p>Like Rochester, through eight games of playoff competition, the goal-scoring was not led by the regular-season leaders. Tom Cassidy had 32 and Dale Lewis and Bobby Poffenroth 28 apiece during the regular season. But for the first eight playoff games, Dennis Abgrall (25 during the season) had five goals and rookie Lorne Stamler and Phil Hoene four apiece. Stamler had 16 goals in 43 games during the season, while Hoene had 25.</p><p><b>NEW HAVEN:</b> Rookie goalie Brian Holdemess, who had only one shutout during the regular season, continued to star for the Nighthawks as they ousted Hershey in the semi-finals.</p><p>After losing the series opener in overtime in Hershey, New Haven returned home and Holdemess made 32 saves to blank the Bears 4-0.</p><p>&ldquo;A goalie can have a shutout with no work, or a goalie can have a shutout and have to work to get it. Brian had to work for his.&rdquo; reported New Haven writer Paul Marsalano. &ldquo;He had a dozen good stops.&rdquo;</p><p>The Nighthawks lost defenseman Jerome Engele for the rest of the season in the series opener. He suffered tom knee ligaments. And high-scoring Alain Langlais, who had 41 goals and 29 assists in 66 regular-season games and five goals and four assists in the playoff games against Syracuse and Virginia, was forced out of the lineup by an attack of intestinal flu after the first period of the Hershey series opener.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01192/3634909-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="563" height="721"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOE ZANUSSI</b></figcaption></div><p>New Haven&rsquo;s Dave Cressman and Ron Wilson, the latter a defenseman, share the league playoff point-scoring lead after games of April 20. Cressman had five goals and six assists and Wilson two goals and nine assists, both in eight games.</p><p><b>NOVA SCOTIA:</b> Coach Al MacNeil thinks this season&rsquo;s Voyageurs were the most exciting team he&rsquo;s had in Halifax.</p><p>&ldquo;This also was the most inconsistent club we&rsquo;ve ever had there,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but one thing if for sure, we were never dull.</p><p>We had a young, aggressive hockey club and Rochester had a solid, experienced hockey club. We got flustered a few times when we shouldn&rsquo;t have and it cost us in the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>MacNeil said the sixth game of the series, which his team lost 5-2 at home to be eliminated, was the most disappointing of the series.</p><p>&ldquo;When we started out 2-0 at home, we should have been smart enough to hang on to it. But we got a bad decision by a referee that didn&rsquo;t help us any. We had two men in the penalty box and one of them came out just as a goal was scored. The penalty expired at the same time as the goal was scored, yet the referee made our other player stay in the box.</p><p>&ldquo;They scored again while he was in to make it 42 and that was it. There&rsquo;s no way we could protest, even though it was a question of a guy being totally wrong. It was a grave mistake and we suffered from it.</p><p>&ldquo;But 1 have to give Rochester full marsk. They&rsquo;ve got a good hockey club and Dick Mattiussi had done a tremendous job with them.&rdquo;</p><p><b>PROVIDENCE:</b> Injuries were, of course, the most disappointing thing for Reds&rsquo; coach Johnny Muckier this season.</p><p>&ldquo;I really feel we had the best team when we were healthy,&rdquo; said Muckier, whose Reds won the Northern Division championship but were ousted from the playoffs by Springfield in the first round.</p><p>&ldquo;We got nearly all our injuries at one position&mdash;defense&mdash;and so did New York (the Rangers). We had to draw people from the International League and the Southern League and Boston was good enough to loan us a player from Boston College.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought we had an outstanding year except fort the injuries.</p><p>&ldquo;Joe Zanussi should be the Eddie Shore award winner as the best defenseman and he was hurt for the playoffs. Jerry Holland should be the rookie-of-the-year and the All Star left wing, yet he was only 50 percent of the player in the playoffs that he was during the season as the result of the facial fractures he suffered late in February when hit by the puck in Rochester.</p><p>&ldquo;We started the season with Ron Greschner, Dave Maloney, John Bednarski, Joe Zanussi and Marty Gateman on defense. If we&rsquo;d had them all year and healthy, it would have been no contest. But I shouldn&rsquo;t even talk about Greschner because he was just too good for this league and should have gone up when he did.</p><p>&ldquo;But putting Bryan Lefley, who we got later and who also was hurt for the playoffs, in there, we still had a championship club if we were healthy.</p><p>&ldquo;But there&rsquo;s no use crying over spilled milk. That&rsquo;s hockey.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03133/3634902-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="556" height="707"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETE HARASYM&hellip;Game Winner</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04101/3634895-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="1792" height="1243"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>A familiar sight at all Rochester Americans&rsquo; homegames is R.S. Laurence, who has become a fixture to hockey fans purchasing their copies of THE HOCKEY NEWS, HOCKEY PICTORIAL and the Americans&rsquo; souvenir program from him.</b></figcaption></div><h2>AHL Playoffs</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02179/3634888-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="594" height="556"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Calder Cup Becomes “Cinderella” Final As New Haven, Springfield Seek Title

<div class="byline">BY HANS TANNER</div><p>SPRINGFIELD&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>nly three of the eight American Hockey League teams that played full schedules both last season and this season showed an increase in attendance in 1974-75, but the eight teams&rsquo; total attendance was up 13,314.</p><p>Nova Scotia was responsible for most of the improvement&mdash;the Voyageurs going from 77,975 last season to 114,259 for an increase of 26,284.</p><p>Virginia climbed from 120,166 to 134,200&mdash;an increase of 14,034, while Richmond moved from 159,738 to 168,729&mdash;up 8,991.</p><p>Hershey again led the AHL in attendance with 221,337, but the Bears&rsquo; regular season total was down 2,070 from 1973-74.</p><p>Rochester was runnerup to Hershey with 209,371, a decrease of 5,216.</p><p>Also down from last season were New Haven from 187,897 to 163,689 (24,208), Springfield from 111,476 to 101,056 (-10,420) and Providence from 182,413 to 178,332 (-4,081).</p><p>Even what may seem like large drops in New Haven and Springfield aren&rsquo;t upsetting AHL officials.</p><p>&ldquo;New Haven was in last place all the way through,&rdquo; said Gordon Anziano, the league&rsquo;s vice president and secretary,&rdquo; and that&rsquo;s not conducive to drawing well. Springfield picked up when Eddie Shore regained control and the club became the Indians again early in February.</p><p>&ldquo;The picture for the league was very bleak early in the season, but as it went along, things picked up. Everything considered, especially the economy, we&rsquo;re pleased with the attendance overall, and especially pleased and encouraged by the big increase in Nova Scotia and the improvement in Virginia and Richmond.&rdquo;</p><p>Anziano said figures from Syracuse had not been made available to league officials at the time of The Hockey News interview, so he couldn&rsquo;t comment on the situation there.</p><p>&ldquo;All I can say is that the deadline for notifying us if a city doesn&rsquo;t plan to operate next season was March 31. and that came and went without any notice from anybody,&rdquo; he said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Nova Scotia’s Box Office Surge Lifts AHL Crowd Mark

<h2><b>AMERICAN LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Anal Standings)</b></p><h3><b>NORTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01214/3635153-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="592" height="210"></div><h3><b>SOUTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02170/3635146-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="595" height="248"></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><p>Preliminary Round</p><p><b>Tue. April 2</b></p><p>Syracuse 3 at New Haven 8.</p><p>(Sudden-death to decide last playoff spot.)</p><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03143/3635139-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="589" height="280"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 2</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 3 at Rochester 2</p><p><b>Fri. April 4</b></p><p>Nova Scotia at Rochester (postponed)</p><p><b>Sun. April 6</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 4 at Rochester 5</p><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Rochester 2 at Nova Scotia 1</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Rochester 2 at Nova Scotia 1</p><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 6 at Rochester 3</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Rochester 5 at Nova Scotia 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04115/3635132-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="587" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. April 4</b></p><p>New Haven 8 at Virginia 4</p><p><b>Sun. April 6</b></p><p>New Haven 2 at Virginia 5</p><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Virginia 0 at New Haven 4</p><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Virginia 2 at New Haven 6</p><p><b>Sat April 12</b></p><p>New Haven 3 at Virginia 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05101/3635125-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="587" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. April 3</b></p><p>Hershey 3 at Richmond 5</p><p><b>Sat. April 5</b></p><p>Richmond 3 at Hershey 6</p><p><b>Sun. April 6</b></p><p>Hershey 5 at Richmond 2</p><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Richmond 3 at Hershey 6</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Hershey 4 at Richmond 5</p><p><b>Sat April 12</b></p><p>Richmond 2 at Hershey 1</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Hershey 4 at Richmond 3</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0677/3635118-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="589" height="157"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. April 18</b></p><p>Springfield 2 at Rochester 5</p><p><b>Sun. April 20</b></p><p>Springfield 5 at Rochester 4</p><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Rochester 4 at Springfield 2</p><p><b>Wed. April 23</b></p><p>Rochester 1 at Springfield 6</p><p><b>Fri. April 25</b></p><p>Springfield 5 at Rochester 2</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Rochester 3 at Springfield 4</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0765/3635111-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="589" height="129"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sat. April 19</b></p><p>New Haven 3 at Hershey 4</p><p><b>Sun. April 20</b></p><p>New Haven 4 at Hershey 0</p><p><b>Tue. April 22</b></p><p>Hershey 2 at New Haven 7</p><p><b>Wed. April 23</b></p><p>Hershey 4 at New Haven 7</p><p><b>Sat. April 26</b></p><p>New Haven 6 at Hershey 3</p><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><h3>NORTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0858/3635104-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="613" height="175"></div><h3>SOUTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0946/3635097-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="613" height="175"></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1037/3635090-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="581" height="160"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. April 4</b></p><p>Omaha 5 at Denver 3</p><p><b>Sat. April 5</b></p><p>Denver 3 at Omaha 4</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1132/3635083-1-eng-US/f0031-112.jpg" title="f0031-11" width="586" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. April 4</b></p><p>Oklahoma City 3 at Tulsa 1</p><p><b>Sat. April 5</b></p><p>Tulsa 1 at Oklahoma City 5</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1216/3635076-1-eng-US/f0031-122.jpg" title="f0031-12" width="587" height="150"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Oklahoma City 3 at Dallas 5</p><p><b>Sat April 12</b></p><p>Oklahoma City 0 at Dallas 4</p><p><b>Wed. April 16</b></p><p>Dalias 10 at Oklahoma City 1</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1313/3635069-1-eng-US/f0031-132.jpg" title="f0031-13" width="589" height="120"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. April 10</b></p><p>Omaha 0 at Salt Lake 8</p><p><b>Sat. April 12</b></p><p>Omaha 4 at Salt Lake 5</p><p><b>Fri. April 18</b></p><p>Salt Lake 2 at Omaha 5</p><p><b>Sat April 19</b></p><p>Salt Lake 4 at Omaha 3</p><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1411/3635062-1-eng-US/f0031-142.jpg" title="f0031-14" width="585" height="129"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. Apr. 23</b></p><p>Dallas 2 at Salt Lake 3</p><p><b>Fri. April 25</b></p><p>Dallas 3 at Salt Lake 4</p><p><b>Sat. April 26</b></p><p>Salt Lake 0 at Dallas 7</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Salt Lake 2 at Dallas 5</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. April 29</b></p><p>Dallas at Salt Lake</p><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>Salt Lake at Dallas</p><p><b>Sat. May 3</b></p><p>Dallas at Salt Lake</p><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><h3>NORTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1511/3635055-1-eng-US/f0031-152.jpg" title="f0031-15" width="583" height="248"></div><h3>SOUTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-169/3635048-1-eng-US/f0031-162.jpg" title="f0031-16" width="584" height="273"></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-178/3635041-1-eng-US/f0031-172.jpg" title="f0031-17" width="591" height="568"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. March 26</b></p><p>loledo 3 at Columbus 1</p><p><b>Thu. March 27</b></p><p>Columbus 0 at Toledo 7</p><p><b>Sat. March 29</b></p><p>Toledo 0 at Columbus 7</p><p><b>Sun. March 30</b></p><p>Columbus 1 at Toledo 4</p><p><b>Tue. April 1</b></p><p>Toledo 3 at Columbus 2</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-187/3635034-1-eng-US/f0031-182.jpg" title="f0031-18" width="586" height="153"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sat. April 5</b></p><p>Saginaw 4 at Muskegon 7</p><p><b>Sun. April 6</b></p><p>Muskegon 3 at Saginaw 5</p><p><b>Tue. April 8</b></p><p>Muskegon 4 at Saginaw 3</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Saginaw 2 at Muskegon 5</p><p><b>Sat. April 12</b></p><p>Saginaw 8 at Muskegon 6</p><p><b>Tue. April 15</b></p><p>Muskegon 3 at Saginaw 5</p><p><b>Fri. April 18</b></p><p>Saginaw 8 at Muskegon 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-196/3635027-1-eng-US/f0031-192.jpg" title="f0031-19" width="586" height="127"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 9</b></p><p>Toledo 3 at Dayton 4</p><p><b>Fri. April 11</b></p><p>Toledo 5 at Dayton 3</p><p><b>Sat. April 12</b></p><p>Dayton 4 at Toledo 6</p><p><b>Sun. April 13</b></p><p>Dayton 6 at Toledo 4</p><p><b>Wed. April 16</b></p><p>Toledo 0 at Dayton 5</p><p><b>Fri. April 18</b></p><p>Dayton 3 at Toledo 7</p><p><b>Sat April 19</b></p><p>Toledo 6 at Dayton 2</p><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-206/3635020-1-eng-US/f0031-202.jpg" title="f0031-20" width="588" height="151"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. April 24</b></p><p>Toledo 5 at Saginaw 3</p><p><b>Fri. April 25</b></p><p>Saginaw 5 at Toledo 3</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Toledo at Saginaw (postponed)</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Mon. April 28</b></p><p>Toledo at Saginaw</p><p><b>Wed. April 30</b></p><p>Saginaw at Toledo</p><p><b>Fri. May 2</b></p><p>Toledo at Saginaw</p><p><b>Sat. May 3</b></p><p>Saginaw at Toledo</p><p><b>Sun. May 4</b></p><p>Toledo at Saginaw</p><h2>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-214/3635013-1-eng-US/f0031-212.jpg" title="f0031-21" width="588" height="264"></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-224/3635006-1-eng-US/f0031-222.jpg" title="f0031-22" width="592" height="385"></div><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-234/3634999-1-eng-US/f0031-232.jpg" title="f0031-23" width="589" height="298"></div><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-243/3634992-1-eng-US/f0031-242.jpg" title="f0031-24" width="589" height="151"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Wed. April 23</b></p><p>Binghamton 1 at Johnstown 5</p><p><b>Thu. April 24</b></p><p>Johnstown 7 at Binghamton 4</p><p><b>Sun. April 27</b></p><p>Johnstown at Binghamton</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Thu. May 1</b></p><p>Binghamton at Johsntown</p><p><b>Fri. May 2</b></p><p>Johnstown at Binghamton</p><p><b>Sun. May 4</b></p><p>Binghamton at Johnstown</p><p><b>Tue. May 6</b></p><p>Johnstown at Binghamton</p><h2>SOUTHERN LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-253/3634985-1-eng-US/f0031-252.jpg" title="f0031-25" width="586" height="179"></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-263/3634978-1-eng-US/f0031-262.jpg" title="f0031-26" width="590" height="289"></div><h3>FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-273/3634971-1-eng-US/f0031-272.jpg" title="f0031-27" width="585" height="145"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-01

LOOKING AT THE MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

<p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>HL: 1&mdash;Montreal 2&mdash;Detroit. 3&mdash;Boston. 4&mdash;N.Y. Rangers 5&mdash;Chicago. 6&mdash;7&mdash;Los Angeles. 8&mdash;Pittsburgh. 9&mdash;California 10&mdash;Philadelphia. 11&mdash;Minnesota 12&mdash;St. Louis. 13&mdash;Vancouver. 14&mdash;Buffalo. 15&mdash;N.Y. Islanders 16&mdash;Atlanta. 17&mdash;Kansas City. 18&mdash;Washington.</p><p>WHA: 19&mdash;Cleveland. 20&mdash;San Dieoo. 21&mdash;Vancouver. 22&mdash;Baltimore. 23&mdash;Toronto. 24&mdash;Quebec. 25&mdash;Edmonton. 26&mdash;Houston. 27&mdash;Chicago. 28&mdash;Winnipeg. 29&mdash;Minnesota. 30&mdash;New England. 31&mdash;Indianapolis. 32&mdash;Phoenix. 33&mdash;Cincinnati.</p><p>Inter-League: 34&mdash;Phoenix (WHA) & Vancouver (NHL). 37&mdash;Minnesota (NHL) & N.Y. Islanders (NHL). 39&mdash;St. Louis (NHL). Montreal (NHL) & N.Y. Rangers (NHL). 40&mdash;Pittsburgh (NHL) & Buffalo (NHL). 41&mdash;Boston (NHL) & Washington (NHL) 42&mdash;New England (WHA) & Cleveland (WHA) 48&mdash;N.Y. Rangers (NHL)&mdash;Kansas City (NHL) 49&mdash;Chicago (NHL)&mdash;Edmonton (WHA) 50&mdash;Vancouver (NHL). Philadelphia (NHL)&mdash;Atlanta (NHL). 51&mdash;Indianapolis (WHA)&mdash;St. Louis (NHL). 54&mdash;Indianapolis (WHA)&mdash;Toronto (WHA). 55&mdash;Buffalo (NHL). California (NHL)&mdash;Vancouver (WHA). 56&mdash;Winnipeg (WHA). Houston (WHA). Cleveland (WHA), Indianapolis (WHA)&mdash;Phoenix (WHA). 57&mdash;Baltimore (WHA). Quebec (WHA)&mdash;N.Y. Islanders (NHL). 58&mdash;Edmonton (WHA) 4 N.Y. Rangers (NHL) 59&mdash;Mmnesota (WHA) 6 Pittsburgh (NHL)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Minor League Affiliations

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p><b>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</b></p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>DALLAS&mdash;</p><p>A 10-goal explosion, five of them in the first period, wrapped up their semifinal series and put the Dallas Black Hawks into the Adams Cup playoff finals for the fifth straight season, and a record sixth time in nine years as a member of the Central League.</p><p>The 10-1 triumph in Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Myriad, Apr. 16, gave Bobby Kromm&rsquo;s Hawks a three-game sweep over the OC Blazers. Dallas had prevailed. 5-3 and 4-0, in earlier games at home.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01213/3635229-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="561" height="647"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE VEISOR</b></figcaption></div><p>Dallas. Southern Division champion, had to wait three days to learn its rival in the finals would be the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, winners on the Northern half. The best-of-seven finals opened in the Salt Palace Apr. 23. If the series went six games it would give the CHL a May game for the first time in history. The 1972 finals had that possibility, but Dallas wrapped up the title in the sixth game, on Apr. 29.</p><p>&ldquo;When we finally got going, everything went right for us.&rdquo; Kromm observed after the celebration. Dan Hinton, Chuck Ness and Jim Koleff each scored two goals in the rout, and Bob Murray scored shorthanded for the Hawks.</p><p>For the first minute and a half the Blazers kept the Hawks penned in their own end. But once Dallas got the puck across its own blueline, the bombardment started.</p><p>Koleff opened the scoring at 2:55, and Hinton tallied at 3:18. Ness got an unassisted goal at 5:59. then scored again at 12:14 to make it 4-0.</p><p>Blazer Steve Dolloff spoiled Mike Veisor&rsquo;s dreams of a second shutout in the series with a Blazer goal at at 14:24 of the first, but Hinton counted again to make it 5-1 before the period ended.</p><p>Murray, Dave Elliott and Bill Orban scored for Dallas in the middle period. Blazer rookie goalie Mike Palmateer signalled he wanted out, and went to the bench after Orban&rsquo;s goal at 13:57. But OC backup goalie Pierre Hamel was in the dressing room, getting his skates sharpened, and wasn&rsquo;t able to relieve Palmateer until 18:11.</p><p>Michel Archambault, making his first appearance in the series, tallied in the third period, and Koleff scored his second goal of the night. Archambault had missed the two games at home with an ankle injury, suffered in practice, when he was hit by a slapshot from, of all people, coach Kromm! Rookie center Curt Bowman, up from Flint in the International League for a trial, had been suiting up in Archambault&rsquo;s place.</p><p>The Hawks and Kromm have won the Adams Cup three times, and their only failures in the finals have been against the Omaha Knights. Dallas fell in the first round in 1968, the club&rsquo;s first season in the CHL.</p><p>The won the cup in 1969. beating Omaha in the finals, but missed the playoffs in 1970, and bowed to Omaha in the 1971 finals. They were champs in 1972, beating Tulsa in the finals, lost to Omaha in the 1973 finals, but last year regained the Adams Cup by beating Oklahoma City in the finals.</p><p><b>SALT LAKE:</b> Fred Ahem took a drop pass from Del Hall and whistled a 30-foot shot between the legs of Omaha goalie John Voss, with 2:33 left in Omaha&rsquo;s Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum, Apr. 19, and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles were in the CHL playoff finals.</p><p>Salt Lake&rsquo;s hoped for three-game sweep of the semi-final set was denied when the Knights turned home ice advantage into a 5-2 victory the previous night. But the Eagles made it a 3-1 series triumph and headed home to open the Adams Cup finals against Dallas.</p><p>Eagle boss Jack Evans, last week selected minor league Coach of the Year by THE <b>HOCKEY NEWS:</b> changed his usual strategy. Evans matched the line of Bob McAneeley, Hall and Ahem against the Knights&rsquo; Wayne Schaab, Allie Sutherland and Alan Young. &ldquo;Bobby Mac&rdquo; did a tremendous job of checking league-leading scorer Schaab. and the big checking line produced two key third-period goals in the decisive game. Schaab didn&rsquo;t get a shot in the first two games at Salt Lake (won by the Eagles. 8-0 and 5-4). and was held to one goal for the series, a power-play tally that gained a 3-3 tie late in the final game.</p><p>Ray Martyniuk, the Eagles&rsquo; leagueleading goalkeeper, was spectacular in all four series games, and turned back 38 Omaha shots in the finale.</p><p>Penalties hurt the Eagles in both games. They drew 44 minutes to Omaha&rsquo;s 14 in the Friday game, which the Knights won. 18 minutes to Omaha&rsquo;s eight in the Saturday game. Salt Lake defenseman Terry Murray received a misconduct and a game misconduct Friday when he charged out of the penalty box to protest a tripping call by referee Greg Madill, which the Knights converted into a winning goal by Young.</p><p>Gerry Byers had the hat trick in the Omaha victory with a goal in each period. two on power plays. Ken Houston wrapped up the Knight scoring with a shorthanded goal late in the third.</p><p>The Eagles&rsquo; Larry Wright waited until the playoffs to score his first goal of the season on a power play at the twominute mark of the first period. Byers&rsquo; first two goals put the Knights ahead, but Bob Murdoch tied it for Salt Lake midway of the second period. Powerplay goals by Young and Byers, and the shorthanded score by Houston, wrapped up the lone Omaha victory in the series.</p><p>The next night the Knights took up right where they had left off. Sutherland and Bill Klatt made it 2-0 for Omaha in the first period, with Sutherland&rsquo;s goal coming on a power play.</p><p>Omaha didn&rsquo;t draw its first penalty in that game until 14:58 of the second period. by which time the Eagles had been assessed seven. Murdoch tipped in Lyle Bradley&rsquo;s shot on the first Salt Lake power play, and three minutes later Bradley tied the score on another power assault.</p><p>Bob McAneeley scored with 56 seconds gone in the third period, just nine seconds after a third Eagle power chance had expired, giving Salt Lake three goals in 4&frac12; minutes on the clock. Schaab tied it on an Omaha power play with 5:06 left, but the Eagles, and Ahern, weren&rsquo;t to be denied.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02157/3635222-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="581" height="691"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAN HINTON&hellip;Two Big Goals</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03102/3635215-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="562" height="691"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FRED AHERN&hellip;Ousted Knights</b></figcaption></div><h2>CHL Playoffs</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0911/3635208-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="589" height="329"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-01

Hawks’ Title On Line Against Eagles As Dallas Gains 5th Straight Cup Final

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0465/3635288-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="247" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ray Martyniuk</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0540/3635281-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="247" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Garry Lariviere</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0627/3635274-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="247" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Schaab</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0720/3635267-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="247" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Howie Heggedal</b></figcaption></div><p>DALLAS&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ix different clubs placed a player on the Central League&rsquo;s first all-star team, headed by the league-leading scorer, Omaha center Wayne Schaab and the top goalkeeper. Salt Lake&rsquo;s Ray Martyniuk.</p><p>Others winning first-team berths in the balloting of CHL coaches were left wing Howard Heggedal of Denver, right wing Ron Kennedy of Fort Worth, and defensemen Ian McKegney of Dallas and Garry Lariviere of Tulsa.</p><p>The selection of Kennedy to the first team was gratifying for the right winger whose team finished last in the Southern Division race. Heggedal emerged as the leading scorer on the Denver club.</p><p>Four Salt Lake players made the second team, which was composed entirely of Northern Division players. The Eagles honored were defensemen Ted McAneeley and Brent Meeke, center Denis Meloche and right wing Bob Murdoch. Joing them were Omaha goalie John Voss, and Seattle left wing Dan Seguin.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0817/3635260-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="1005" height="543"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-04

Six Clubs Place Players On CHL’s All Star Team

f0034-02

IHL All Star Teams

<div class="byline">BY LEN HOYES</div><p><b>For the finest in Hockey Magazines subscribe today to the Hockey Twins: HOCKEY WORLD & HOCKEY PICTORIAL</b></p><p><b>For the same price as a ticket to ONE GAME you can read over 1600 PAGES of outstanding news about Hockey by subscribing today to THE HOCKEY NEWS</b></p><p>SAGINAW&mdash;</p><p>For the second time in three seasons the International Hockey League&rsquo;s playoff champion may be a team without All Stars.</p><p>The Saginaw Gears already are two-thirds of the way toward that &ldquo;achievement&rdquo; but the toughest road may lie ahead as they go against the astonishing Toledo Goaldiggers in the Turner Cup finals. Despite their third-place finish in the North Division, the Gears&rsquo; spot in the finals isn&rsquo;t surprising to a lot of the IHL&rsquo;s &ldquo;smart money&rdquo;. Many figured coach Don Perry&rsquo;s club would have finished No. 1 except for late-season injuries which cost the services of captain Borden Smith and Paul Evans.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01208/3635340-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="264" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Don Perry</b></figcaption></div><p>Just as the Gears&rsquo; spot in the finals isn&rsquo;t surprising to many, neither is their omission from the 14 players who were selected to the All Star team. An eight-man second-team was chosen because of ties in voting at two positions.</p><p>All season Saginaw has been a team of superb balance with Perry being able to call upon three lines of near-equal strength and four defensemen of nearequal ability. Unlike Muskegon, which relied upon Gary Ford, and Flint, which had its hopes wrapped in the line of Doug Manchak, Kirk Bowman and Clyde Simon, the Gears were a scoring threat at all moments.</p><p>Their only lapse came when the aforementioned injuries forced Perry to juggle lines until Reggie Fleming, the National Hockey League castoff, and Brian Glenwright, late of the World Hockey Association, meshed into the lineup.</p><p>But the Gears gained momentum at the start of the playoffs.</p><p>Goalie Mario Lessard, who had some late-season lapses, suddenly became a terror in the nets and, in the final analysis, was the deciding factor as Saginaw ousted the Huber Trophy-winning Muskegon Mohawks in seven games.</p><p>Dennis Desrosiers, the All Star right winger of 1973, had a good season with 44 goals but became more potent in the playoffs. He scored 17 goals in 12 games and needed only three in the finals to claim the playoff record.</p><p>Those were probably the Gears&rsquo; best two All Star candidates. Unfortunately, they reached peaks after the All Star balloting.</p><p>Flint claimed three spots on the All Star first team, including coach Doug Carpenter who was recognized for his regeneration of the Generals from a seventh-place team in 1973-74 to a title contender until the final weeks of the campaign when other teams&rsquo; player moves took their toll.</p><p>Rookie Bob Volpe, the IHL&rsquo;s No. 1 netminder, was the goalie and Doug Manchak, a61-goal scorer, the left winger. Scoring champion Rick Bragnalo of Dayton was the center, and 50-goal scorer Mike Powers of Columbus the right winger. Muskegon&rsquo;s Murray Flegel, previously voted the top defenseman, occupied one blueline spot. The other went to Steve Lyon of Columbus, the only first-team holdover from 1973-74.</p><p>Ironically, Lyon played for Saginaw in 1972-73 before being exiled to Columbus where he blossomed into a star.</p><p>The second team had goalies Dave Hainsworth of Muskegon and Mike Ralph of Port Huron; defensemen Yvon Bilodeau of Dayton and Larry Klewchuk of Port Huron; center Gary Ford of Muskegon; left wingers Bob Tombari of Muskegon and Moe Brunel of Toledo; and right winger Steve Self of Dayton. The second-team coach was Moose Lallo of Muskegon.</p><p>Ironically, a week earlier Ford had been voted the most valuable player in the 1HL but was relegated to the second team.</p><p>Showing a touch of class, Perry refused to publicly state any unhappiness about the Gears being overlooked.</p><p>He apparently was concentrating on handling the favorite&rsquo;s role against Toledo.</p><p>Although Saginaw was the choice to replace Des Moines as Turner Cup champion, few were ready to dismiss Toledo lightly.</p><p>The reason? The playoff reputation of colorful Ted Garvin, who has put his club into the finals in five straight tries.</p><p>He took Port Huron to the finals four straight times, and won the Turner Cup twice, before an interlude in 1973-74 with the Detroit Red Wings. He not only was fired by the Red Wings but also by their Virginia farm club in the American Hockey League.</p><p>Undaunted, Garvin became coach of an expansion team after the Toledo Hornets of 1973-74 were shifted to Lansing, Mich., and eventually folded because of poor attendance.</p><p>Garvin, who was named minor league Executive of the Year last week by THE HOCKEY NEWS, brought the fans back to Toledo in droves, drawing almost 158,000 for the regular season and doing better with 25,167 for five playoff games in the quarter-finals and semifinals.</p><p>Garvin asked, &ldquo;How can you take us seriously? Heck, we&rsquo;re only an expansion team.&rdquo; &ldquo;Insiders&rdquo; were suspecting that Garvin was merely trying to throw Saginaw off guard.</p><p>The real money was aware of Garvin&rsquo;s annual preparation of his team for the playoffs.</p><p>If he can pull off the Turner Cup with an expansion team, it easily would be the greatest feat in the 30-year history of the IHL.</p><p>That would suit him just fine, especially knowing that the Detroit Red Wings had long packed their bags for home.</p><p><b>SAGINAW:</b> Gears wrapped up semifinals with 8-2 thumping of Muskegon in seventh game, Dennis Desrosiers, John Gravel and Reggie Fleming building 3-0 lead in first six minutes&hellip;Goalie Mario Lessard made 47 saves in finale&hellip;Veteran Reg Malinoski. in sixth playoff series, helping Gears with 2-6-8 point combination&hellip;Jean-Marie Nicol scored his first two goals of playoffs in 5-3 triumph in sixth game&hellip;Line of Desrosiers, Jim Johnston and Stu Irving scored 18 goals in 12 playoff games&hellip;At tendance topped 25,000 for five home playoff dates.</p><p><b>MUSKEGON:</b> Mohawks built 3-1 edge in semi-finals, then lost three straight for first time since late December&hellip;Home crowd of 5,323 for seventh game was club&rsquo;s largest since March 5, 1966&hellip;Mohawks scored eight powerplay goals in first five games, then were unable to click while suffering 5-3 and 8-2 losses&hellip;Murray Flegel reported considering retirement for coaching job.</p><p><b>TOLEDO:</b> Captain Juri Kudrasovs, limited to one goal in first 10 playoff games, broke loose with hat trick in 7-3 victory in sixth game of semi-finals against Dayton&hellip;Goalie Pierre Chagnon turned aside penalty shot by ex-NHL, WHA star Guy Trottier in seventh game&hellip;Willie Trognitz and Don Westbrooke scored two goals in 6-2 triumph in deciding contest&hellip;Goaldiggers&rsquo; four playoff victories doubled total in 2-9 regular-season record against Dayton.</p><p><b>DAYTON:</b> Goalie Jim Pettie suffered bruised hand during five in fifth game, shared 5-0 shutout with Garth Malarchuk&hellip;Pettie sat out sixth game, then suffered tom knee ligaments in first period of seventh game&hellip;Line of Rick Bragnalo. Steve Self and Tony White scored 24 goals in first 12 playoff games&hellip;Dana Johnson shifted from left wing to center with Brian Mason injured&hellip;Self and White scored two goals in 5-0 victory&hellip;Shutout was only third in Gems&rsquo; playoff history.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0478/3635333-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="561" height="658"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DENNIS DESROSIERS&hellip;Potent In Playoffs</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0553/3635326-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="561" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RICK BRAGNALO&hellip;First Team Center</b></figcaption></div><h2>IHL Playoffs</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03115/3635319-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="593" height="476"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-01

Gears’ Toughest Road May Lie Ahead, Face Surprising Goaidiggers In Final

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01197/3635402-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="563" height="745"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DANNY SHEARER&hellip;Wins Emms Award</b></figcaption></div><p>HAMILTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>amilton&rsquo;s sudden emergence as an Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A power is being reflected in individual trophy-winners selected after the end of the regular schedule.</p><p>A year ago the Red Wings, as the Hamilton entry was known, finished dead last with only 37 points on 16 wins and five ties in 70 games, 31 points out of the final playoff position.</p><p>This year, under the name of Fincups (a combination of the name of the new owners Joe Fincchio and Ron and Mario Cupido) Hamilton was well up in the standings all season and placed third with 83 points, more than double their total 12 months earlier.</p><p>The work of coach Bert Templeton was recognized when his peers selected him as coach of the year for 1974-75, succeeding Jack (Red) Bownass who led Kingston Canadians to a better-than-expected first season of major junior A hockey. Templeton played junior A in Hamilton in the 1950s.</p><p>By the quirks of hockey fate. Bownass was fired with just two weeks left in the 1974-75 schedule.</p><p>&ldquo;I just hope that doesn&rsquo;t happen to me.&rdquo; quipped Templeton, who handled Hamilton Junior B Red Wings last season and led them to a controversial provincial championship.</p><p>The final series was called off after a big brawl in Bramalea and the Bramalea team refused to return to Hamilton.</p><p>Even if he hadn&rsquo;t won the Matt Leyden Trophy as top coach, there was little doubt Templeton would return.</p><p>He breezed through the quarterfinals with four straight wins over the defending champion St. Catharines Black Hawks, then eliminated Peterborough eight points to four to advance to the finals.</p><p>The Leyden Trophy is named after Matt Leyden, an Ontario Hockey Association past president who is still involved in Junior A in Oshawa after more than 40 years.</p><p>The second individual trophy to go to a Hamilton player was the Emms Family Award, won by 18-year-old center Danny Shearer who collected 91 points including 34 goals.</p><p>The Emms Award is named after 70-year-old Hap Emms, owner of St.- Catharines Black Hawks and a former franchise-holder in Barrie and Niagara Falls&mdash;as well as his wife Mable, his son Paul and daughter-in-law Sue.</p><p>The entire Emms family has been connected with junior hockey since 1947.</p><p>Shearer is 5&rsquo;8&rdquo;, weighs 165 pounds and is a native of Toronto.</p><p>In the voting he collected 38 points, more than double the number given to Tony McKegney of Kingston, who had 16. Trevor Johanssen of Toronto was third with 11.</p><p>Previous Emms Award winners were Dennis Maruk of London Knights and Jack Valiquette of Sault Ste-Marie Greyhounds.</p><p>Templeton won the Leyden with 31 of a possible 50 points, six more than Roger Neilson of Peterborough. George Armstrong of Toronto was third with 15 points.</p><p>Despite the individual recognition, no members of the Fincups were named to the first or second All Star teams.</p><p>Also in the trophy department, Peterborough captain Doug Jarvis became the first winner of the Bill Hanley Trophy for outstanding and gentlemanly Play.</p><p>It is similar to the Lady Byng in the National Hockey League and is in honor of Mr. Hanley, who was executive-director of the OHA for 27 years before his retirement prior to the start of this season.</p><p>Jarvis had 37 of a possible 50 votes followed by Cary Farelli of Sault Ste. Marie with 11, Bruce Boudreau of Toronto and Dale McCourt of Hamilton with 10 each.</p><p>Trophies previously announced were the Max Kaminsky as outstanding defenseman to Mike O&rsquo;Connell of Kingston and the Red Tilson as most valuable to Dennis Maruk of London.</p><p>Oddly enough Maruk did not make the All Star team.</p><p>It was a rough road but Toronto Marlboros. after finishing in first place in the Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A league by a country mile, have made it to the finals.</p><p>Believe it or not the Marlies, who lost John Tonelli when he refused to play after reportedly signing a professional contract with the World Hockey Association Houston Aeros, played a total of 16 games in the first two rounds.</p><p>How can you play 16 games in two best-of-seven series?</p><p>Well in Ontario Major Junior A there is no overtime in the first seven games and if the series is still tied an eighth is played to a finish.</p><p>This happened to the Marlboros twice.</p><p>In the eight-point quarter-finals they were taken to eight by the eighth place Kingston Canadians before winning the deciding match in Kingston by the astronomical score of 9-7.</p><p>It was almost an instant replay in the semi-finals.</p><p>Sudbury Wolves at one time held a 7-3 margin in points but the Marlies came back to tie the round, then won it 5-4 in Sudbury on agoal by John Anderson at 13:52 of overtime.</p><p>It was a genuine heartbreak for the Wolves and the capacity crowds of 6,666 they had been attracting.</p><p>On home ice in the eighth game they led 4-3 going into the third period only to have Mark Napier&rsquo;s goal force it into overtime where they eventually lost.</p><p>Bruce Boudreau, Mike McEwen, Mike Kasycki, Anderson and Napier provided the Marlboro total while Rod Schutt, Alex McKendry, Dave Farrish and Bob Russell replied for the Wolves.</p><p>Immediately after the Saturday night game in Sudbury the Marlboros made the long bus trip back to Toronto where they played the rested Hamilton Fincups and made another valiant comeback.</p><p>At one stage they were behind 4-1 but scored five successive goals and won it on a third period shot by Ron Wilson at 17:43 of the last period which gave them a 6-5 margin.</p><p>Goaltending was supposed to be the Marlboro weakness but in the clutch Gary Garr played extremely well and kept the Marlies in the game in both Sudbury and Toronto before their scorers got moving.</p><p>Mike Clarke of Hamilton, on the other hand, didn&rsquo;t look too sharp on a couple of Toronto goals.</p><p>John Anderson. Bruce Boudreau, Mark Murphy, Napier and Wilson scored in the first game of the finals against the Fincups.</p><p>Replying for Hamilton were Danny Shearer, Sean Sullivan, Greg Hickey, Joe Contini and Archie King.</p><p>Whether the tough Fincups will prove to be too much for the Marlboros remains to be seen.</p><p>Toronto had played seven games in eight days and 17 playoff starts in 26 days while the Fincups had relatively easy series against St. Catharines and Peterborough.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>OHA MAJOR HOCKEY LEAGUE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0035-01

Fincups Sudden Emergence As Power Reflected In Individual Trophy Winners

<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</h2><h3><b>Quarter-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02163/3635594-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="584" height="475"></div><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03122/3635587-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="590" height="165"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Toronto 8, Sudbury 1</p><p>Toronto 4. Sudbury 4</p><p>Sudbury 6, Toronto 4</p><p>Sudbury 5. Toronto 3</p><p>Toronto 8. Sudbury 6</p><p>Sudbury 5, Toronto 1</p><p>Toronto 3. Sudbury 2</p><p>Toronto 5. Sudbury 4</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0499/3635580-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="584" height="121"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Hamilton 5. Peterborough 2</p><p>Hamilton 9. Peterborough 0</p><p>Peterborough 5. Hamilton 0</p><p>Hamilton 5. Peterborough 2</p><p>Peterborough 4, Hamilton 2</p><p>Hamilton 4. Peterborough 1</p><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0576/3635573-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="590" height="148"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Toronto 6. Hamilton 5</p><p>Toronto 7, Hamilton 4</p><p>Hamilton 3. Tonronto 2</p><p>Hamilton 5, Toronto 4</p><p>Toronto 5, Hamilton 3</p><h2>WESTERN CANADA LEAGUE</h2><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0660/3635566-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="590" height="148"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Kamloops 6. Victoria 4</p><p>Victoria 3 Kamloops 4</p><p>Kamloops 2. Victoria 7</p><p>Victoria 5 Kamloops 3</p><p>Kamloops 2. Victoria 3</p><p>Victoria 3. Kamloops 0</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0752/3635559-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="589" height="148"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>New Westminster 5, Medicine Hat 6</p><p>New Westminster 6. Medicine Hat 3</p><p>New Westminster 3. Medicine Hat 2</p><p>Medicine Hat 6. New Westminster 8</p><p>Medicine Hat 4 New Westminster 5 (ot)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0838/3635552-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="589" height="127"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Saskatoon 1. Brandon 4</p><p>Brandon 3, Saskatoon 13</p><p>Brandon 4. Saskatoon 6</p><p>Brandon 4. Saskatoon 6</p><p>Saskatoon 6. Brandon 3</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0936/3635545-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="583" height="118"></div><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1029/3635538-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="584" height="186"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>New Westminster 3, Victoria 1</p><p>New Westminster 6, Victoria 2</p><p>Victoria 5, New Westminster 2</p><p>New Westminster 7, Victoria 5</p><p>Victoria 7. New Westminster 4</p><p>New Westminster B. Victoria 6</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1125/3635531-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="584" height="123"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Saskatoon 4. Regina 2</p><p>Saskatoon 5. Regina 2</p><p>Regina 5. Saskatoon 4</p><p>Saskatoon 4. Regina 0</p><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1218/3635524-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="593" height="150"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Saskatoon 5. New Westminster</p><p>Saskatoon 5. New Westiminster 1</p><p>New Westminster 2, Saskatoon 1</p><h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1315/3635517-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="587" height="497"></div><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1415/3635510-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="586" height="303"></div><h3>Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1513/3635503-1-eng-US/f0035-152.jpg" title="f0035-15" width="591" height="146"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Sherbrooke 5. Laval 2</p><p>Sherbrooke 5, Laval 4</p><p>Sherbrooke 10. Laval 5</p><p>Laval 11. Sherbrooke 10</p><p>Sherbrooke 8. Laval 0</p><h2>ALLAN CUP</h2><h3>Eastern Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1612/3635496-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="586" height="183"></div><h3>Western Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1710/3635489-1-eng-US/f0035-172.jpg" title="f0035-17" width="586" height="183"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p>Thunder Bay 6. St. Boniface</p><p>St Boniface 5, Thunder Bay</p><p>Yhunder Bay 5, St. Boniface</p><p>Thunder Bay 5. St Boniface</p><h3>Eastern Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-189/3635482-1-eng-US/f0035-182.jpg" title="f0035-18" width="591" height="145"></div><h3><b>Western Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-198/3635475-1-eng-US/f0035-192.jpg" title="f0035-19" width="591" height="145"></div><h3>Western Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-208/3635468-1-eng-US/f0035-202.jpg" title="f0035-20" width="591" height="145"></div><h2>CENTENNIAL CUP</h2><h3><b>Eastern Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-214/3635461-1-eng-US/f0035-212.jpg" title="f0035-21" width="589" height="170"></div><h3><b>Western Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-222/3635454-1-eng-US/f0035-222.jpg" title="f0035-22" width="589" height="149"></div><h3><b>Western Semi-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-232/3635447-1-eng-US/f0035-232.jpg" title="f0035-23" width="582" height="180"></div><h2><b>HARDY CUP</b></h2><h3><b>Western Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-242/3635440-1-eng-US/f0035-242.jpg" title="f0035-24" width="582" height="151"></div><h3><b>Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-252/3635433-1-eng-US/f0035-252.jpg" title="f0035-25" width="582" height="141"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0035-02

Looking At The Races

<div class="byline">BY BOB STRUMM</div><p>SASKATOON&mdash;</p><p>Ralph Klassen wasn&rsquo;t voted to the Western Canada Hockey League All Star team. He didn&rsquo;t win any individual awards.</p><p>But there&rsquo;s one honor the Saskatoon Blade captain should win for all of major junior hockey in Canada, if there was such an award. He&rsquo;s the comeback player of the year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01162/3635691-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="268" height="431"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ed Staniowski</b></figcaption></div><p>After 12 playoff appearances. Klassen leads all WCHL post-season scorers with 23 points, including 18 assists. In the process, the smooth centerman has led Blades through the Eastern Division playoffs with comparative ease and also to a two-games-to-none lead over New Westminster Bruins in the WCHL final.</p><p>There was a time when Klassen wasn&rsquo;t even certain he&rsquo;d be participating in the playoff chase, however. The 19-year-old Blade leader contracted mononucleosis at the end of January and missed six full weeks of the regular season.</p><p>At that time, Klassen vowed one thing. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back for the regular And he is.</p><p>The rangy forward, in his fifth season of major junior play, returned in time for the final five regular season games, which proved to be a spring tuneup for the playoffs ahead.</p><p>Everyone warned Klassen about returning to the lineup too quickly. But as his gears started to find comfort, it was obvious the classy center was 100 percent healthy again.</p><p>&ldquo;Ralph has just been super in these playoffs,&rdquo; explained Blade coach Jack McLeod. &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t afraid he was returning too quickly because we followed doctors&rsquo; orders. And the doctors said he could play.</p><p>&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a better junior hockey player in Canada right now. I&rsquo;d like to see him.&rdquo; added McLeod. &ldquo;Ralph has completely dominated some of our playoff games, something you rarely see when it comes down to the playoff pressure.&rdquo;</p><p>Playoffs spell something extra to Klassen, who is playing in his draft season with the Blades. He played only 41 games during the regular schedule so his output was arrested at a modest 68 points.</p><p>Adding Klassen&rsquo;s regular-season and playoff statistics, however, he has 91 points in just 53 games, not bad on a club which concentrates on defense first and offense second.</p><p>&ldquo;Ralph is the best all-round player in the WCHL,&rdquo; McLeod has insisted on many occasions. &ldquo;Besides taking a regular shift, he kills penalties as well as anyone and plays both center and the point on the power play.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02125/3635684-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="546" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RALPH KLASSEN&hellip;Timely Return</b></figcaption></div><p>Klassen doesn&rsquo;t rate as the number one Blade surprise in the WCHL playoffs though. The team&rsquo;s back-to-back victories right in New Westminster&rsquo;s Queen&rsquo;s Park Arena overshadowed everything.</p><p>The best-of-seven league final between Blades and the New West Bruins opened in the Bruins&rsquo; lair, an unproductive spot for Saskatoon on previous occasions. In nine previous games in New Westminster since Bruins moved to the coast four seasons ago, Blades had never won in Queen&rsquo;s Park Arena.</p><p>But like they say, playoffs are played on a more slippery pond, proven by the Blades who walked away with 5-3 and 5-1 wins in the series&rsquo; opening two games, enjoying the prospect of returning home for the next three contests.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not counting on anything until we win that fourth game,&rdquo; said McLeod, who would dearly love to make his first Memorial Cup apperance in five years of coaching the Blades.</p><p>Wes Peters. Fred Williams. Danny Arndt, Blair Chapman and Klassen scored for the Blades in game number one. Steve Clippindale and Rick Shinske with two replied for the Bruins in a rather cozy affair.</p><p>Game two was of a much more physical nature, but Blades&rsquo; shooting power still survived Bruins&rsquo; muscle power. Bernie Federko and Bruce Hamilton with two goals each and Klassen with a single contributed Saskatoon&rsquo;s goals while New West&rsquo;s Fred Berry spoiled Bill Oleschuk&rsquo;s bid for a shutout midway through the third period.</p><p>The double win in New West raised Blades&rsquo; playoff win streak on the road to five games, squashing rumors that this Blade team was too meek to win away from home. They have long since dispelled that myth and may even get the chance to prove it further in a place called Kitchener, host of the 1975 Memorial Cup final.</p><p><b>SASKATOON-REGINA:</b> Blades wrapped up their semi-final against Regina in five games with a 4-3 win in Regina and a 4-0 victory back in Saskatoon&hellip;Danny Arndt&rsquo;s breakaway goal with two minutes remaining in game four gave Blades the all-important 3-1 series lead&hellip;For Arndt, it was his second goal of the game.</p><p>The shutout in the clincher came from Blade goaltender Randy Ireland, who saw limited action during the regular season but arose to the occasion when he received the playoff call&hellip;Williams&rsquo; first-period goal was all the Blades really needed but Arndt, Klassen and Federko added insurance.</p><p>Outstanding performers for the Pats during the playoff run were goaltender Ed Staniowski and defenseman Mike Harazny&hellip;Staniowski faced 194 shots in five games against the Blades and had to find consolation for his bruised body in the whirlpool.</p><p>Harazny turned in miles of skating time, and actually played 58 minutes in the all-important fourth game of the Pat-Blade series, leaving the ice only once.</p><p><b>NEW WEST - VICTORIA:</b> Probably the upset of the playoffs occurred when the Bruins, third-place finishers in the Western Division, eliminated Victoria Cougars, who had won the regularseason pennant by a sizeable margin.</p><p>Bruins sewed up the series in six games with an exciting 8-6 see-saw victory which saw the lead change hands several times&hellip;Victoria led 3-1 after one period and actually increased that lead to 4-1 early in the middle stanza&hellip;Then the Bruins stormed back, before 4.339 home fans, largest crowd of the season in Queen&rsquo;s Park.</p><p>Berry, New West&rsquo;s leading playoff scorer, fired three goals in the game, while defenseman Brad Maxwell supplied the winner early in the third period&hellip;Mel Bridgman, who finished the playoffs with 12 goals in 12 games, scored twice for Victoria.</p><p>Shinske. Brian Shmyr, Mark Lofthouse and Kevin Schamehorn added the other goals for the Bruins, who scored three goals within 54 seconds late in the second period, not a playoff record by the way&hellip;Danny Lucas also had two goals for Victoria while Don Cairns and Peter Morris contributed singles.</p><p>The mystery of the series surrounded Victoria&rsquo;s goaltending situation&hellip;Victoria coach Patty Ginnell chose to go with backup goaltender Danny Rogers and his 5.84 goals-against average in the final 167 minutes of the series, rather than regular-season starter Bob Leslie who compiled a 2.78 goals-against average in the playoffs amid constant criticism&hellip;Such are the intangibles of playoff hockey.</p><h2>WCHL Playoffs</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0394/3635677-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="595" height="667"></div><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Western Canada Hockey League</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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Klassen’s Hot Scoring Gives Lift To Blades’ Bid For Title In WCHL

<p>BLOOMINGTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Minnesota Junior North Stars swept to the playoff championship in the windup of the Midwest Junior Hockey League season but the North Stars had to relinquish any hopes of a National junior title to the Detroit Junior Red Wings.</p><p>The Wings, who are entered in the Canadian border Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League, won the United States national championship by beating out Minnesota and the Ecorse, Mich., team, in the three-team round-robin title tournament held at Pontiac, Mich. Each team played two games in the series with Detroit ending up on top.</p><p>Ecorse had earlier won the National Junior &lsquo;B&rsquo; title in playoffs at Springfield. Mass.</p><p>The Junior Stars coached by Andre Beaulieu advanced to the national championships by closing out the St. Paul Vulcans in the MHL playoffs with a 5-2 victory in game five of the best-of-seven Clark Cup series. Minnesota took four straight games from St. Paul after losing the opener.</p><p>The Minnesota playoff victory was a two-fold disappointment for the Vulcans, who not only lost possession of the Clark Cup, but gave up the opportunity to defend their 1973-74 national junior title, which like last year&rsquo;s MHL playoff crown was won at the expense of the Junior Stars.</p><p>The Junior Stars concluded the second season of the Midwest Hockey League competition with a 40-17-3 record. In the Clark Cup playoffs, the Junior Stars swept three semi-final games with St. Cloud in the semi-final round and played to a 4-1 championship playoff decision with St. Paul. Last year, the Junior Stars ended the season in a first-place tie with Thunder Bay with a 44-13-3 record.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Minnesota Sweeps MJHL But Loses To Detroit In U.S. Junior Finals

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season ended the way it began with a large rift between the Sherbrooke Beavers and the other nine teams.</p><p>The Beavers survived trying times, especially a bus accident part way through the season which resulted in the death of one player, Gaetan Paradis, and several others severely injured.</p><p>Through it all the Beavers hung together and now will attempt to make their mark on the national hockey scene when the travel to Kitchener, Ontario, for the Memorial Cup playdowns.</p><p>The latest victims of the impressive Sherbrooke onslaught were the Laval Nationals who, unlike the Beavers&rsquo; quarter and semi-final opponents who succumbed in four straight games, managed to capture one contest.</p><p>After capturing two upset series victories, first over Trois-Rivieres then against Montreal, the Nationals could couldn&rsquo;t match the talent-laden Sherbrooke club.</p><p>Laval thrived on work throughout the playoffs but work against the Beavers&rsquo; wealth of talent just wouldn&rsquo;t allow the Nationals to get untracked and come up with even one victory.</p><p>The Nationals, depsite dropping the final set. have to consider this a fine season. Occupying the fifth and last spot in the West Division during the regular schedule. Laval came through in the post-season action to surprise all hockey observers in the province. Coach Jacques St. Jean and his hustling team just couldn&rsquo;t put together another upset performance although a minor miracle would have been more appropriate had they knocked off the Beavers.</p><p>The opening game of the final series proved to be no contest as the hometown Beavers scored a convincing 5-2 triumph. Had it not been for the outstanding goaltending of Laval&rsquo;s Robert Sauve the count could have gone much higher.</p><p>Claude Larose put Sherbrooke on top with a natural hat trick in the first period and they never looked back. Michel Brisebois widened the margin to 4-0 early in the middle frame.</p><p>Laval staged a comeback effort with early third-period markers by Yves Preston and Yvon Vautour but Jere Gillis snuffed out the drive with a goal with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game.</p><p>A four-goal outburst in the third period enabled the Beavers to go up two games in the set.</p><p>Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes Peter Marsh scored twice and Sydney Veysey and Brisebois chipped in with singles as the Beavers recorded a 5-4 road triumph. Robert Simspon had tallied in the opening frame.</p><p>Michel Bossy paced the Nationals with a pair of markers while Denis Roy and Jean Trottier had one apiece.</p><p>The third contest, back in Sherbrooke, saw the Beavers run up period scores of 2-0, 8-1 and wind up on the tall end of a 10-5 verdict.</p><p>Simspon and Veysey had two goals each with singles going to Marc Tessier, Alain Belanger, Marsh, Joe Carlevale, Brisebois and Robert Desormeaux.</p><p>Bossy scored twice and Tony Peluso, Michel Dalbello and Roy potted one apiece in the losing effort.</p><p>The lone surprise of the final set came in game four as the Nationals upset the Beavers 11-10 in Laval.</p><p>Trailing 8-2 after two periods Sherbrooke came back to tie the game at 10-10 only to lose in the late stages of the third frame.</p><p>Bossy had a hat trick, giving him 102 goals for the season, and four assists, Trottier seven assists and Vautour four goals to pace the Laval attack. Michel Hamel, Roy, Mario Piacente and Richard Dutton helped out with one apiece.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01173/3635798-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="560" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NICK SANZA&hellip;Records Shutout</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02126/3635791-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="560" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SIDNEY VEYSEY&hellip;Four-Goal Series</b></figcaption></div><p>Larose and Tessier had a pair of markers each for the Beavers with singels going to Femand Leblanc, Carlevale, Brendan Lowe, Fran&ccedil;ois Robert, Simpson and Mark Green.</p><p>Outshot 55-17 the Nationals bowed out in the fifth game 8-0 with eight players sharing in the Sherbrooke scoring.</p><p>Daniel Chicoine, Robert, Tessier, Lahache, Simpson. Veysey, Andre Leduc and Larose were the Beavers&rsquo; marksmen while Nick Sanza recorded the shutout.</p><p>So it&rsquo;s off to the Memorial Cup for the Sherbrooke Beavers. They&rsquo;ve gone through a lot this season and hung together despite the ill fate that has confronted them. They&rsquo;re not about to come apart now.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Quebec Major Hockey League</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0039-01

Nationals’ Bag Of Surprises Runs Out, Beavers Capture QMJHL Championship

<p>KITCHENER&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hree major junior A hockey players have been nominated by sportswriters and broadcasters across the country in the preliminaries of the CCM Canadian hockey player of the year award.</p><p>The award winner will be announced at the 1975 Memorial Cup dinner in Kitcherner. Ontario, on May 6.</p><p>The three nominees are Normand Lapointe (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). Doug Jarvis (Ontario Hockey Association) and Ed Staniowski (Western Canada Hockey League).</p><p>Lapointe. 19. goaltender for the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs. played in 72 games for a total of 4,307 minutes of ice time. He collected four shutouts. 34 wins. 25 losses, three ties and assisted on two goals.</p><p>Jarvis. 19. scored 44 goals and added 88 assists from his center position for the Peterborough Petes.</p><p>Staniowski, 19, played goal in 65 games for the Regina Pats for a total of 3,878 minutes.. He recorded a pair of shutouts. 1,981 saves. 29 wins. 31 losses. five ties and picked up four assists.</p><p>The selection is based on the player&rsquo;s productivity, his participation in activities other than hockey, gentlemanly conduct, sprotsmanship. leadership qualities, ability to communicate and his scholastic standing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-0398/3635829-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="555" height="1007"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DOUG JARVIS&hellip;OHA Nominee</b></figcaption></div><p>The selections were made by three sportswriters or broadcasters from each of the three leagues familiar with teams from their respective leagues who nominate the one player from their loop they feel exemplifies the above mentioned qualities.</p><p>A secret panel of hockey writers&rsquo; and broadcasters selected by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and not involved in the original nominations will select the final winner.</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s 56th Memorial Cup will be staged in Kitchener from May 3 to May 11.</p><p>The cup. first presented by the OHA as an annual trophy in 1919, is emblematic of junior hockey supremacy in Canada. The league champions of the OHA. QMJHL and WCHL will compete for the honor.</p><p>The game schedule and Memorial Cup draw is as follows:</p><p>May 3-Ontario vs. Quebec</p><p>May 5-Quebec vs. West</p><p>May 7-West vs. Ontario</p><p>May 9-Semi-round playoff</p><p>May 11-Sudden-death-playoff (To be televised live on national CTV network.)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-03

CCM Player Of Year Award Highlights 1975 Memorial Cup

<p>ATLANTA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Atlanta Flames figure they have a pretty strong case when it comes to deciding the National Hockey League&rsquo;s rookie of the year. His name is Eric Vail and just in case everyone has forgotten about Vail&rsquo;s 1974-75 ice feats, here they are outlined:</p><p>&bull; He broke Atlanta&rsquo;s season goalscoring record by 12, scoring 39 goals in 72 games.<br>&bull; He scored those 39 despite missing eight games and nearly a month of the season with a broken left wrist. He still scored two of those 39 with a cast on that wrist.<br>&bull; He scored eight more goals than any other rookie in the National Hockey League this season, despite playing less.<br>&bull; He made his place in the NHL record books right behind Buffalo&rsquo;s Rick Martin as the second leading rookie goal-scorer in league history. It now reads Martin with 44 in 1971-72, Vail with 39 in 1974-75, Gil Perreault with 38 in 1970-71.<br>&bull; He scored three hat tricks (against Detroit. Kansas City and Vancouver) and had seven two-goal games.</p><p>There are arguments for and against Vail being named the Calder Trophy winner. He did not win the overall rookie scoring title. But last year. Atlanta&rsquo;s Tom Lysiak won that and finished second in the rookie balloting. Vail did not play for a playoff team. Last year. Lysiak did and Denis Potvin&rsquo;s Islanders finished last. Potvin still won the honor.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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May 9, 1975

Surprising Johnstown Jets Keep Rolling Stunning Binghamton In Early Cup Play

Future Outlook Much Brighter For Vancouverites

Charlotte’s Title Team To Scatter As Retirements, Transfers Take Toll

CARTOON CORNER