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.

October 31, 1975

The Hockey News October 31, 1975

<h2><b>Tue. Oct. 14 MONTREAL 3, ISLANDERS 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01261/3334270-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="604" height="508"></div><h2><b>WASHINGTON 2, VANCOUVER 7</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02192/3334263-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="603" height="520"></div><h2><b>KANSAS CITY 1, ST. LOUIS 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03165/3334256-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="600" height="510"></div><h2><b>Wed.Oct. 15 ATLANTA 1, RANGERS 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04130/3334249-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="581" height="366"></div><h2><b>WASHINGTON 3, LOS ANGELES 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05110/3334242-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="587" height="504"></div><h2><b>PITTSBURGH 8, TORONTO 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0683/3334235-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="608" height="581"></div><h2><b>DETROIT 4, CHICAGO 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0772/3334228-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="609" height="479"></div><h2><b>CAUFORNIA 1, MINNESOTA 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0862/3334221-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="612" height="521"></div><h2><b>Thu.Oct. 16 ST. LOUIS 2, PHILADELPHIA 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0955/3334214-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="608" height="440"></div><h2><b>BOSTON 2, DETROIT 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1045/3334207-1-eng-US/f0022-102.jpg" title="f0022-10" width="599" height="440"></div><h2><b>CHICAGO 1, BUFFALO 7</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1140/3334200-1-eng-US/f0022-112.jpg" title="f0022-11" width="600" height="517"></div><h2><b>Fri. Oct. 17 ISLANDERS 2, ATLANTA 0</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1236/3334193-1-eng-US/f0022-122.jpg" title="f0022-12" width="620" height="360"></div><h2><b>WASHINGTON 3, CALIFORNIA 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1330/3334186-1-eng-US/f0022-132.jpg" title="f0022-13" width="590" height="533"></div><h2><b>LOS ANGELES 5, VANCOUVER 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1422/3334179-1-eng-US/f0022-142.jpg" title="f0022-14" width="598" height="614"></div><h2><b>Sat.Oct.18 RANGERS 1, TORONTO 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1520/3334172-1-eng-US/f0022-152.jpg" title="f0022-15" width="657" height="496"></div><h2><b>BOSTON 5, ISLANDERS 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1615/3334165-1-eng-US/f0022-162.jpg" title="f0022-16" width="585" height="448"></div><h2><b>PHILADELPHIA 2, MONTREAL 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1712/3334158-1-eng-US/f0022-172.jpg" title="f0022-17" width="591" height="418"></div><h2><b>ATLANTA 5, KANSAS CITY 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1811/3334151-1-eng-US/f0022-182.jpg" title="f0022-18" width="596" height="469"></div><h2><b>DETROIT 1, PITTSBURGH 6</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1911/3334144-1-eng-US/f0022-192.jpg" title="f0022-19" width="599" height="407"></div><h2><b>CALIFORNIA 3, LOS ANGELES 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2010/3334137-1-eng-US/f0022-202.jpg" title="f0022-20" width="635" height="481"></div><h2><b>CHICAGO 3, MINNESOTA 1</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01240/3334130-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="614" height="354"></div><h2><b>BUFFALO 5, ST. LOUIS 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02188/3334123-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="606" height="482"></div><h2><b>Sun. Oct. 19 VANCOUVER 1, RANGERS 8</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03144/3334116-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="609" height="448"></div><h2><b>DETROIT 1, PHILADELPHIA 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04112/3334109-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="614" height="477"></div><h2><b>WASHINGTON 4, BUFFALO 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0591/3334102-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="622" height="485"></div><h2><b>MINNESOTA 2, CHICAGO 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0679/3334095-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="604" height="430"></div><h2><b>TORONTO 0, BOSTON 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0770/3334088-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="617" height="447"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

IN THIS ISSUE

National Hockey League Summaries

<div class="byline">BY AL FISCHER</div><p>PROVIDENCE&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>lready loaded with talent that rates them as favorites to repeat as Northern Division champs, the Reds added still more just before the opener.</p><p>With Ranger No. 1 draft choice, netminder Doug Soetart already on hand, the Reds picked up another No. 1 pick, goalie Ed Staniowski from St. Louis.</p><p>Earlier, Bernie Lukowich and tough guy Bruce Cowick joined the club from St. Louis and Dale Lewis was dispatched by the Rangers.</p><p>&ldquo;We are now beginning to get the club together and we are getting stronger every day.&rdquo; commented GM-coach Johnny Muckier. &ldquo;When the season starts we will be in real good shape.&rdquo;</p><p><b>SPRINGFIELD:</b>The Indians working partner. Kansas City, assigned forward Richie Lemieux to bolster a somewhat questionable offense, but the shuffling back and forth of defensemen has not helped coach Jimmy Anderson as he attempted to get some cohesion on the backline.</p><p>As the opener approached it appeared that Jim McElmury and Dennis Patterson had nailed down defensive posts, but they had been exchanged for Claude Houde and Roger Lemelin and should that pair falter in the big time, another switch will probably be made.</p><p>The Indians also landed defenseman Mike Baumgartner and top draft pick Don Cairns from Kansas City. General manager Eddie Shore still had the lines out to Washington and St. Louis for player help.</p><p>For now, the defending Calder Cup champs do not appear to be as strong as when they closed last season, but as one expert declared, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t worry about Shore, he&rsquo;s building a tough club.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NOVA SCOTIA:</b>The Voyageurs were dealt a cruel blow when Peter Sullivan was cleared on waivers to join Winnipeg Jets of the WHA after being sent down by Montreal.</p><p>There was a bit of good news on the scene when veteran defenseman Noel Price was added to the Voyageur roster. Acquired from Atlanta, Price will also serve as an assistant coach in addition to his playing duties.</p><p>The addition of Price comes at an opportune time, since coach Al MacNeil was having some problems with the rearguard. Price was the first aid to arrive from Atlanta, which, along with Montreal is supplying help to the Voyageurs this season.</p><p>The younger players had dominated the training season; but MacNeil was confident that his veterans would be coming around in time for the opener.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01150/3335029-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="567" height="594"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETER SULLIVAN&hellip;Headed To WHA</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-01

Reds Loom Tough With Late NHL Cuts

<p>YARMOUTH&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>uring the two year existence of the Cape Cod Cubs, right wing Luc Simard wrote virtually every Cape Cod scoring record. Last year the Cape Cod Cubs became the Cape Codders and Cub superstar Luc Simard became a Syracuse Eagle. Now the explosive right winger has returned.</p><p>In his two previous seasons with Cape Cod Simard was a first team EHL All Star in 1972-73 and a second team NAHL All Star in 1973-74. He scored 68 goals, league leading totals, in each season. In addition he was the NAHL&rsquo;s first year scoring leader with 124 points.</p><p>Last year Simard&rsquo;s production fell off drastically as he was shifted to an unfamiliar left, wing by the AHL Eagles. The 25-year-old managed only 14 goals in 74 games.</p><p>But now Luc has returned to familiar surroundings, the Cape Cod Coliseum, where he led an expansion team to a pennant in their very first year, and he will be joining a contingent that last season was the second highest scoring team in the NAHL with 319 goals and which will have its three leading scorers returning.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Ex-Cub Star Simard Back

<p><b>(Including Sun. Oct. 19)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0858/3334377-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="620" height="960"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0023-08

NHL LEADERS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01575/3335827-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GIL GILBERT</b></figcaption></div><p><b>THE IHTERNATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY</b></p><p><b>Vol. 2&mdash;No. 3 October 31, 1975</b></p><p><b>14210 Price: 60c</b></p><h2><b>BLUES&rsquo; IRON MAN AFTER RECORD</b></h2><p><b>&mdash;Page 3</b></p><p><b>Bruin Netminder Faces Challenge</b></p><p>BRUINS PUT MORE PRESSURE ON GOALERS WITHOUT ORR&mdash;Page 6</p><p>VETERAN PENGUIN LIKES NEW CLUB LOOK&mdash;Page 9</p><p>WHA WHALERS FINED $100,000&mdash;Page 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-02437/3335820-1-eng-US/cover-022.jpg" title="Cover-02" width="976" height="1848"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GARRYUNGER</b></p><p><b>He&rsquo;s Blues&rsquo; Mr. Durable&rsquo;</b></p></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

Cover-01

The Hockey News

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01825/3333056-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Defenseman Terry Harper, who earlier stated he had no intention of playing hockey in Detroit because he disliked the city, had a change of heart and joined the Red Wings following his trade by the LA. Kings. Shown behind Harper is Dan Maloney, who went to the Wings in the same trade.</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>HARPER JOINS WINGS</b></h2><p><b>DETROIT&mdash;</b></p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>V</span>eteran defenseman Terry Harper has decided to join the Detroit Red Wings after holding out through training camp and the first two weeks of the new NHL season. It was a decision the former captain of the L.A. Kings had not expected to have to make after sounding off about the Motor City.</b></p><p><b>Harper, traded along with Dan Maloney to Detroit for Marcel Dionneduring the off-season, refused to report. He said he had no intention of uprooting his family and declared he didn&rsquo;t like Detroit and wouldn&rsquo;t play there. He took his case to court suing the Kings and the NHL for what he called a &lsquo;breach of his contract&rsquo; when L.A. traded him off without his consent. Now Harper has had a change of heart and reported to the Red Wings. His court case is still pending.</b></p><h2><b>WHA RAPS WHALERS</b></h2><p><b>HARTFORD&mdash;</b></p><p><b>Signing underage junior Gordie Roberts has cost the New England Whalers a whopping $100,000 and deprived them of their No. 1 pick in the next five WHA amateur drafts. The drastic action was taken by the WHA after the Whalers signed and ultimately dressed Roberts for a league game in defiance of the rules.</b></p><p><b>Ben Hatskin, chief executive officer of the WHA, made the announcements and the Whalers didn&rsquo;t take too kindly to the penalties. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the fine is fair,&rdquo; commented Howard Baldwin, managing general partner of the Whalers. &ldquo;I think the league is in for a long hard battle.&rdquo; Baldwin said the Whalers plan to appeal the fine. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s worth it,&rdquo; added Baldwin in reference to the New England club&rsquo;s plans to fight the league for the right to sign Roberts. Baldwin said &ldquo;that to have a hard and fast rule that you can&rsquo;t play until you&rsquo;re 20 doesn&rsquo;t make sense.&rdquo; Baldwin suggested the rule should be changed.</b></p><h2><b>RACERS FIRE MOORE</b></h2><p><b>INDIANAPOLIS&mdash;</b></p><p><b>The Indianapolis Racers fired Gerry Moore as coach making him the first coaching casualty of the 1975-76 season, which began only two weeks ago. Moore was relieved of the Racers&rsquo; job and replaced by Jacques Demers, who is the club&rsquo;s director of player personnel.</b></p><p><b>Demers, a Montrealer who coached successfully in junior amateur hockey ranks, moved from the defunct Chicago Cougars to Indianapolis this season. Moore was the original coach of the Indianapolis team, which stumbled out of the WHA starting gate this season with a 1-4 record.</b></p><h2><b>OFFICIALS PLAN SUIT</b></h2><p><b>TORONTO&mdash;</b></p><p><b>Now the men in the striped shirts are going to court to plead their case. Three dismissed officials, two referees and a linesman, are taking the WHA to court claiming their contracts were breached. The trio&mdash;referees Bob Sloan and Brent Casselman and linesman Mike Entwistle&mdash;are claiming $140,000 for their dismissal.</b></p><p><b>Sloan, a 12-year veteran of the NHL who jumped to the WHA, is seeking $60,000 from the league. The event is another in a series of litigation involing the WHA, who are being opposed by the Toronto Marlboros in an attempt to restrain John Tonelli from playing for Houston Aeros. The Marlies are asking to be reimbursed for Tonelli&rsquo;s services. Then there is the suit in which the WHA has been named by the Western Canada Hockey League and the Victoria Cougars for signing 17-year-old Gordie Roberts, a U.S. born player the Cougars claim they signed before the New England Whalers.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-01

Deadline Stoppers

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><p>BUFFALO&mdash;</p><p>They&rsquo;re always writing off Roger Crozier but he keeps on coming back.</p><p>Crozier, the 33-year-old goaltender with the pancreas problems, has been almost retired by the press about as often as he has been in the hospital but he&rsquo;s still scoring shutouts in the National Hockey League.</p><p>When Buffalo Sabres reported to training camp this season, they had a new goaltender, Bob Sauve, who was their number one draft choice this year. They also had two old goaltenders besides Crozier, Gary Bromley, who did the major share of the netminding through last season, and Gerry Desjardins, who took over in the playoffs after leaving the World Hockey Association when his contract was breached.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02760/3333087-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="325" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Roger Crozier</b></figcaption></div><p>Crozier had done some fine goaltending last season but in only 23 games. And, again, he had been ailing some of the time. He had, in fact, gone into the hospital just before the playoffs.</p><p>Not many followers of the Sabres figured on Roger to tend goal for their club. And, when he got married the night before Sabres were to report to training camp and then was absent when check-in time came up, he wasn&rsquo;t in very good standing with the Buffalo brass.</p><p>But when the Sabres opened their season against the Detroit Red Wings in Buffalo&rsquo;s Memorial Auditorium, who was tending goal for them? Roger Crozier.</p><p>And what did he do? He blanked the Wings as the Sabres won, 4-0.</p><p>Roger didn&rsquo;t have a very busy night. Only 18 saves and only a few of them tough ones. After the game he praised &ldquo;the guy at the other end,&rdquo; Jim Rutherford, who made 41 saves and blocked shots labeled goal time after time.</p><p>The thing was, Roger was equal to the task. Again.</p><p>After his first game in the 197475 season, against the New York Rangers, Crozier was asked how much time he had spent in hospitals during the previous year. After thinking it over, Roger decided it was 13 weeks. He put in another four days in the hospitals before the season was over.</p><p>He has been bothered by pancreatitis for about nine years now. When he was with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1960s, he was given time off to vacation in Florida in mid-season because his stomach and his nerves were bothering him.</p><p>During the 1967-68 campaign he &ldquo;retired&rdquo; from hockey. But he came back to finish the season. Shortly after he became a Sabre in the first trade engineered by Punch Imlach at the NHL meetings of 1970, Roger was in the hospital again.</p><p>But he was the main reason the Sabres kept the scores respectable during their first years in the league. He played 44 games the first season and 63 the second. In the third, when the Sabres made the playoffs for the first time, Roger played 49, with a 2.76 goals-against average but he was having stomach troubles again.</p><p>In 1973-74 he played only 12 games as Dave Dryden carried most of the netminding load. Last season Bromley came up from the American League to take over but coach Floyd Smith, placing Roger carefully, had him in 23 games, only two of which were Buffalo losses.</p><p>This year, Roger reported to camp only one day late, despite his wedding, and had his best camp ever. &ldquo;I was feeling good,&rdquo; he said, after the opening game. &ldquo;The pancreatitis hasn&rsquo;t bothered me in a year. When I went into the hospital last March it was a pulled muscle in my stomach.&rdquo;</p><p>The veteran goaltender could be an important member of the Sabre cast this season. Which would give coach Smith a problem, but a rather pleasant one: Which of his four goalies should he play?</p><p><b>ICE CHIPS:</b> Smitty was pleased to see his club make a quick change from the way it per-formed during the exhibition season, once play for keeps began. The Sabres won only three of nine pre-season games.</p><p>Only two newcomers dressed for the opening game. One was Jacques Richard, acquired from the Atlanta Flames for defenseman Larry Carriere and a draft choice, and the other was a first-year pro, Gary McAdam, a right winger from the St. Catharines Junior Black Hawks.</p><p>Richard played left wing on a line with Pete McNab and Jim Lorentz. McAdam, surprised to get so much ice time in his first NHL appearance, played on a line with Fred Stanfield and Brian Spencer and helped kill penalities.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-02

Crozier’s Comeback Shutout Debut Congests Sabres’ 4—Goaler Syste.

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01830/3333125-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GARRY UNGER&hellip;He&rsquo;s Mr. Durable Of The Blues</b></figcaption></div><p>ST. LOUIS&mdash;</p><p>Garry Unger, age 27 and nearing the prime of his career, has excellent chances to break a couple of records this season.</p><p>Speculating on new records before they are set is definitely risky, but there are solid reasons why Unger can achieve two milestones before the 1975-76 season ends.</p><p>All he has to do to break one long-standing National Hockey League record is keep playing. At the beginning of this season Unger had played in 563 consecutive games, and Andy Hebenton&rsquo;s league record is 630. If Unger is not injured, he would set the new NHL mark of 631 March 10 in Toronto.</p><p>Toronto is where Unger&rsquo;s long streak began on Feb.24, 1968, when the Maple Leafs, for whom he played in those days, beat the Boston Bruins, 1-0, with rookie Jim McKenny getting the game&rsquo;s only goal and Bruce Gamble getting the shutout.</p><p>Over the eight years needed to set the record Unger has been lucky to avoid serious injury and has played with a variety of minor injuries. He hurt his leg before this season and missed three exhibition games but answered the starting bell for the opening game in Detroit although not at top form because of the leg.</p><p>&ldquo;There have been times when I&rsquo;ve had a bad cold or the flu,&rdquo; Unger said. &ldquo;But I feel better after playing a game than I would feel if I sat out.&rdquo;</p><p>Unger has the type of personality and motivation that allows him to play despite minor aggravations. His string of games started when he was 20 and encompasses virtually all of his NHL career.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to miss any game at any time,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;whether there&rsquo;s a record involved or not.</p><p>It&rsquo;s going to have to be a good injury to keep me out. I&rsquo;d want to play every game even if I had a string of only two in a row.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season Unger reached his 500th game in a row, then passed Glenn Hall, who played 503 consecutively, and later in the season former Detroit teammate Alex Delvecchio, who played 548 in a row. The distinction of breaking Hebenton&rsquo;s record&mdash;if and when it comes&mdash;may put Unger at the top for some time to come.</p><p>The other record for Unger this season would be a personal one. It wouldn&rsquo;t be as spectacular as the NHL consecutive-game record but it would be even more valuable to the St. Louis Blues.</p><p>Six seasons ago Unger exploded for 42 goals with the Red Wings. Since that banner season he has averaged 35 goals a season and one year had 41 goals. But he has never topped the goal total he had as a 22-year-old.</p><p>Breaking that personal mark would be nice, and the reason Unger has a better than even chance this season is because of a new linemate on the left side, Ted Irvine. For years there has been a search to get someone who can get the puck to Unger, and Irvine appears to be well qualified.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a real digger in those corners,&rdquo; says Unger. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a hardworking hockey player. He and Claude Larose are just super linemates to have.&rdquo;</p><p>Although a new career high in goals would be a nice achievement for this season, Unger says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather score just 20 goals and win the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;</p><p>Unger, who earns well more than $100,000 a season, has no bonus clauses in his contract. The Blues&rsquo; management wondered about Unger&rsquo;s motivation in spuming bonuses, but Unger insisted such clauses not be included.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02702/3333118-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="576" height="784"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDY HEBENTON&hellip;Started It All</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0003-01

GARRY UNGER: Hot In Pursuit Of Andy Hebenton’s NHL Record of 630 Straight Games

<p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen veteran Andy. Hebenton concluded his big league playing time he left behind a personal playing record that has survived the challenge of time.</p><p>Hebenton quit the NHL after the 1963-64 season, having played in 630 consecutive games establishing him as the modern day iron man. Few expected the mark would ever be surpassed because of today&rsquo;s rugged style of hockey which makes players susceptible to injury, the bugaboo of all performers working on a consecutive game run.</p><p>Goaler Glenn Hall had to default his claim to the record when he stopped at 500 games. Alex Delvecchio made a run at it from 1956 to 1964, Hebenton&rsquo;s last year in the NHL. But Delvecchio fell short at 548. In between a fellow named John Wilson was also working on Hebenton&rsquo;s mark from 1952 to 1960 but, he, too was thwarted at 580.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Hebenton Mark Has Stood Time

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01883/3333201-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="466" height="456"></div><p>&bull; <b>NEW YORK RANGERS&rsquo;</b> new goalkeeper John Davidson appears to possess all the ability to be a super star of the future. He&rsquo;s looked very impressive in games to date. Davidson is the tallest goalie to wear New York livery. He stands six-three&hellip;Ranger followers were booing Brad Park here the night Rangers defeated Atlanta, 3-1. He seems to have fallen into disfavor with the hometown fans&hellip;Rangers worried about their inept defense and are hoping to make a trade to strengthen it soon&hellip;St. Louis Blues figure Wayne Merrick will challenge perennial team scoring leader Garry Unger this year. The 23-year-old Merrick led the club in scoring during the exhibition season&hellip;Bob Berry of the L.A. Kings has only missed two games out of the last five NHL seasons&hellip;Look for Steve Durbano to be traded to Toronto. The Penguins are anxious to unload the tempermental defenseman and the Leafs have gone on record as saying they could use him&hellip;Johnny Wilson, coach of the Cleveland Crusaders, predicts Al McDonough will score at least 40 goals&hellip;Buffalo re-ported ready to trade goalie Gary Bromley&hellip;Atlanta Flames badly miss rookie-of-the-year winner Eric Vail, still sidelined with a broken collarbone. He&rsquo;s been skating every day and hopes to be back in the Flames lineup in a couple of weeks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02839/3333194-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="282" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>John Davidson</b></figcaption></div><p>&bull; <b>WAYNE STEPHENSON</b> has played extremely well filling in for the injured Bernie Parent at Philadelphia. The Flyers made a smart move in landing him as backup to Bernie&hellip;It&rsquo;s only a matter of time before Pete Stemkowski, Ron Harris and Gilles Villemure go on the trading block. Right now these three players are excess manpower for the Rangers&hellip;No less than six current NHL coaches played for Buffalo&rsquo;s Punch Imlach at one time or another. They are Floyd Smith of Imlach&rsquo;s own Buffalo Sabres; Al Arbour, N.Y. Islanders; Bob Pulford, Los Angeles Kings; Red Kelly, Toronto Maple Leafs; Ron Stewart, N.Y. Rangers and Don Cherry, Boston Bruins&hellip;With so many European hockey players joining the NHL and WHA squads, Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; Bobby Kromm said a course in Berlitz I will soon be a must for all coaches&hellip;Won&rsquo;t it be interesting to see if the NHL recognizes Rangers&rsquo; Wayne Dillon and Pat Hickey as rookies when Calder Trophy nominations are going out? The ex-Toronto Toros should both be top candidates&hellip;Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders&rsquo; rookie, is off to about as fast a start as any rookie for a long time. Trottier is centering a line with Billy Harris on right wing and Clark Gillies at left. The Islanders look to this line to play a major role in the team&rsquo;s success.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03734/3333187-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="304" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Eric Vail</b></figcaption></div><p>&bull; <b>BOBBY HULL</b> doesn&rsquo;t think the Toronto Leafs have used Inge Hammarstrom properly. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to have him on the Winnipeg Jets. He has as much skill as anybody around today, but he can&rsquo;t deliver his best unless he&rsquo;s allowed to play the way he knows best,&rdquo; Hull said&hellip;The Jets now have seven Swedes and two Finns on their ros-ter&hellip;Detroit Red Wings signed Al Cameron, their No.3 choice in the amateur draft this year, to a three-year contract. The Wings expect big things from the young defenseman&hellip;Scotty Bowman wants his Montreal defensemen to move up more like the system employed by the Philadelphia Flyers. &ldquo;If Ed Van Impe and Ted Harris can do it, then any defenseman can do it,&rdquo; Bowman stated&hellip;Chicago&rsquo;s Stan Mikita has been playing with a damaged elbow. Stan tore some ligaments when he fell on it during pre-season exhibition games&hellip;Sherbrooke Beavers have one of the best organizations in all of junior hockey. General manager Georges Guilbault is a master in dealing with details and everything about the Beavers is first-class. In fact they are a better run team than many of the pro teams. Sherbrooke will again be a power in the Quebec Major Hockey League&hellip;Only five original N.Y. Islanders are still with the club. They are Bill Smith, Gerry Hart. Bill Harris, Ed Westfall and Lorne Henning&hellip;Center Rich Hansen became the first authentic Islander when he appeared at the Nassau Coliseum in a pre-season game against Pittsburgh. Rich hails from Northport, L.I. and played for the Metro Jr. Hockey Assn&rsquo;s Brooklyn Stars before completing his hockey education at St. Catharines of the OHA. He&rsquo;s been assigned to Erie of the North American Hockey League&hellip;Lynn Powis, who spent the past two seasons with Chicago and Kansas City, couldn&rsquo;t crash the line up of the St. Louis Blues this season. The Blues gave up Craig Patrick and Denis Dupere to get Powis this summer. He was unable to beat out Floyd Thomson, Ted Irvine. Bob MacMillan and Bert Wilson for a left wing spot&hellip;The general manager of a St. Paul hotel claims someone forged letters to nine WHA clubs telling them the clubs made other arrangements for lodgings in St. Paul this season&hellip;Emile Francis, Ranger GM. has a son working in Gerry Cosby&rsquo;s sports store in Madison Square Garden.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04632/3333180-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="282" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Inge Hammors from</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

<p><b>OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY</b></p><p>Founded October 1st, 1947</p><p><b>Vol. 29 No.3 OCTOBER 31, 1975</b></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></p><p><b>President, Publisher and Advertising Director</b></p><p><b>Don Wall</b> Associate Publisher</p><p><b>Charlie Halpin</b> Editorial Director</p><p><b>Hans Hoenig</b> Administration Manager</p><p><b>Pat Beale</b> Advertising Co-Ordinator</p><p><b>Ralph Bridgland</b> Asst. To Editor</p><p><b>United States Advertising Representatives</b></p><p><b>NEW YORK: Bill Hitzig, National Sports Publishing Corp., 150 East 58th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022. Telephone (212) 593-2100.</b></p><p><b>CHICAGO: Hooper Jones & Associates, 3322 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, III 60659. Telephone (312) 478-5544.</b></p><p><b>ATLANTIC STATES (Including New York, Boston, Buffalo & Philadelphia: Bob Bassinette, Basainette/Whlte, 50 East 42nd St. New York, N.Y. 10017. Telephone (212) 986-6210.</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>

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05507/3333256-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg"></div><h2><b>Best Wishes To WHA Cowboys</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>est wishes to the Calgary Cowboys in their first season. I hope that all Calgary hockey fans support you and that your franchise will be strong and endure. I lived in Vancouver during the time when the NHL teased us into thinking we were not good enough for the majors. I remember Montreal and Toronto&rsquo;s failure to support Vancouver so that the TV revenues could remain a 2-way split. Remember when Mr. Smythe requested some choice downtown property for a rink in order to support Vancouver. Remember when 6 U.S. cities were selected over Vancouver for the big expansion.</p><p>Well, we fooled them. Vancouver has one of the strongest franchises and followings. Hats off to the WHA, without you millions of Canadians would not have a home team to root for. So good luck Calgary. Canada has produced its fair share of hockey talent, it&rsquo;s just now beginning to get its fair share of hockey franchises.</p><p><b>IAN LIFCHUS,</b><br><b>Matawan, N.J.</b></p><h2><b>&ldquo;Clown Prince&rdquo; Will Be Missed</b></h2><p>With the start of a new hockey season, there will be one noticeable personality missing from the National Hockey League lineup. Mr. Eddie Shack, the &ldquo;Clown Prince of Hockey&rdquo;, will not be around to help brighten up some game, or to just make his presence known.</p><p>Who can forget his mad dashes down the wing, usually losing the puck along the way; his hard shot, hard to handle when accurate; the game in which he personally took five St. Louis Blues out on game misconduct penalties; or his fancy display of figure skating when he was named a game star selection last season?</p><p>You&rsquo;ll be missed Eddie, but may all the tracks be cleared to your future goals.</p><p><b>JOHN STYGALL,</b><br><b>Laval, Que.</b></p><h2><b>Belated Thank-You To Flyer Fan</b></h2><p>Thank your Philadelphia! This may be quite late but I still feel I should say thank-you to the Philadelphia Flyer Fans. I am from Buffalo and on behalf of all the Sabre fans I would like to thank the Philadelphians for all their nice letters to our local newspapers and magazines. Letters have been received and printed about the Sabre fans and their great show of sportsmanship in the final series of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I was at all the playoff games and was surprised when at the end of the final game the fans stood and applauded the world champion Flyers and Bernie Parent. Not to be prejudiced, but I think the saying is right&mdash;Buffalo certainly DOES have the greatest fans in the NHL!</p><p><b>ERIN MARTIN,</b><br><b>Buffalo, N.Y.</b></p><h2><b>NHL Refs Should Call &ldquo;Honest Games&rdquo;</b></h2><p>Although I&rsquo;m sure &ldquo;THE HOCKEY NEWS and NHL receive many letters on officiating. I think this letter is a change in its praise of a referee and its practical suggestion for officiating in general.</p><p>Most fans realize a referee is under tremendous pressure, can&rsquo;t see everything or be everywhere, and makes mistakes like anyone else. But I honestly don&rsquo;t think most fans are angered by the human errors officials make, unless they occur so frequently as to suggest incompetence or negligence. What really infuriates fans are officials who see an infraction, whether flagrant or marginal, and do not call it. The rationale usually given for such omissions is that it wasn&rsquo;t &ldquo;a good penalty,&rdquo; that the game wouldn&rsquo;t be &ldquo;attractive&rdquo; if you called everything, or that the infraction came at such a critical juncture of the game that, if called, would give one team too much of an advantage. In short, the &ldquo;honest game&rdquo; gives way to the &ldquo;attractive game.&rdquo; In other words, the officiating problem in the NHL is not one of competence, but one of integrity and plain old ethics.</p><p>The solution is clear: Call an &ldquo;honest game!&rdquo; I contend the sport is &ldquo;attractive&rdquo; enough to not require the help of officials to make it more so. Moreover, I feel the failure to call all infractions leads to further penalties and excessive violence since players feel they must administer justice they, along with the fans, see officials are reluctant to mete out. How can players respect rules officials don&rsquo;t even respect enough to consistently enforce? All the fines and suspensions in the world will never be as great a deterrant to the mounting penalties and violence (&lsquo;&lsquo;unattractiveness&rdquo;) in hockey as the official who calls an &ldquo;honest game.&rdquo;</p><p><b>KENN KORNICK,</b><br><b>Pittsburgh, Pa.</b></p><h2><b>Fans Hold Key To Leafs Fortunes</b></h2><p>As a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I am dismayed by the indifference the Garden fans have shown towards their team. Compared to the fans in Buffalo, Philadelphia or Los Angeles the Leaf supporters make the Garden look like a morgue. You&rsquo;ll notice that the teams whose fans are most enthusiastic are the teams who finish at the top of their respective divisions.</p><p>Maybe it&rsquo;s time for the Leaf fans to change their attitude and stick with the team through thick and thin. So for all the fans who are lucky enough to get Leaf tickets get out there and give our team a cheer! You never know, they could start playing like the team they really are.</p><p><b>JOEY BROZA,</b><br><b>Nakina, Ont.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-05

FANFORUM

<p>Following are the latest player movements in hockey:</p><h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p>DETROIT&mdash;<b>Al Cameron</b>, defenseman, assigned to Kalamazoo of IHL.</p><p>St. Louis&mdash;<b>Mitch Babin</b> and <b>Doug Palazzari</b>, forwards, sent to Providence of AHL. Rick Bourbonnais and Bruce Cowick, forwards, recalled from Providence. Brian Ogilvie, forward, restored to active roster. Mike Kelly, forward, sent to Oklahoma City of CHL on loan.</p><p>LOS ANGELES&mdash;<b>Bart Crashley</b>, defenseman, assigned to Fort Worth of CHL</p><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;<b>Gord Laxton</b>, goal-keeper, sent to Hershey of AHL.</p><p>ATLANTA&mdash;<b>Ken Houston</b>, forward, and <b>Jean Lemieux</b>, defenseman, assigned to Nova Scotia of AHL.</p><p>KANSAS CITY&mdash;<b>Mike Baumgartner</b>, defenseman, and Don Cairns, forward, assigned to Springfield of AHL. Lynn Powis, forward, sent to Oklahoma City of CHL on loan. <b>Richard Lemieux</b>, forward, sent to springfield of AHL.</p><p>MONTREAL&mdash;<b>Guy Delparte</b>, forward, sent to Oklahoma City of CHL on loan.</p><p>CALIFORNIA&mdash;<b>Brent Meeke</b>, defenseman, <b>Fred Ahern, Jim Moxey</b> and Frank Spring, forwards, sent to Salt Lake of CHL.</p><p>BUFFALO&mdash;<b>Bryan McSheffrey</b>, forward, assigned to Buffalo of NAHL.</p><p>MINNESOTA&mdash;<b>Dwight Bialowas</b>, defenseman, <b>Tim Young</b> and Don Martineau, forwards, sent to New Haven of AHL. John Rogers, forward, handed outright release.</p><p>WASHINGTON&mdash;<b>Mike Lampman</b>, forward, sent to Baltimore of AHL.</p><p>CHICAGO&mdash;<b>Randy Holt</b> and <b>Ian McKegney</b>, defensemen, sent to Dallas of CHL. ,</p><p>WASHINGTON&mdash;<b>Mike Lampman</b>, forward, sent to Baltimore of AHL. Ron Jones, defenseman, assigned to Richmond of AHL.</p><h2>WORLD HOCKEY ASSN.</h2><p>INDIANAPOLIS&mdash;<b>Jim Park, Michel Dion</b> and <b>Randy Burchell</b>, goalkeepers, Ralph Hopiavouri, Craig Hanmer, Rick Fraser and Bob O&rsquo;Reilly, defensemen, <b>Nick Harbaruk, Jim Wiste, Brian McKenzie, Rich Pumple, Bob Sicinski, Bobby Jones, Bob Murray, Kerry Bond and Eric Sanderson</b>, forwards, assigned to Mohawk Valley of NAHL.</p><p>EDMONTON&mdash;<b>Bob Barnes</b>, defenseman, <b>Steve McKnight, Bob Russell</b> and <b>Jim Montgomery</b>, forwards, assigned to Spokane of WIHL.</p><p>CALGARY&mdash;<b>Eric Headwell</b>, goalkeeper, <b>Ron Homenuke</b>, defenseman, <b>Jim Younker</b>, forward, sent to Nelson of WIHL.</p><p>NEW ENGLAND&mdash;<b>Nick Fotiu</b>, forward, sent to Baltimore of AHL.</p><p>MINNESOTA&mdash;<b>Fran&ccedil;ois Ouimet</b> and <b>Jean Tetreault</b>, forwards, signed as free agents. <b>Bruce Boudreau</b> and <b>Paul Holmgren</b>, forwards, sent to Johnstown of NAHL.</p><p>DENVER&mdash;<b>Jim Sherrit</b>, forward, secured from Tucson of CHL. <b>Nick Sanza</b> and <b>Bruce Greig</b>, goalkeepers, <b>MalZinger</b> and Ron Delorme, forwards, assigned to Tucson of CHL. Greg Miazga and Ken Gassoff, forwards, sent to Fort Wayne of IHL.</p><p>CLEVELAND&mdash;<b>Craig Reichmuth</b> and <b>Grant Erickson</b>, forwards, sent to Syracuse of NAHL.</p><p>PHOENIX&mdash;<b>Brian Erickson</b>, defenseman, and <b>Cam Fryer</b>, forward, sent to Binghamton of NAHL. <b>Bruce Aberhart</b> goalkeeper, and <b>Roger Swanson</b>, goalkeepers, <b>Keith Kokkola</b>, defenseman, sent to Tucson of CHL.</p><h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><p>BALTIMORE&mdash;<b>Blair Mackasey</b>, defenseman, returned to Washington of NHL</p><p>NOVA SCOTIA&mdash;<b>Michel Lachance</b>, defenseman, returned to Montreal of NHL. Frank DeMarco, forward, returned to Atlanta of NHL.</p><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2><p>SALT LAKE&mdash;<b>Moe Brunel</b>, forward, sent to Toledo of IHL.</p><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p>TOLEDO&mdash;<b>Ted Tucker</b>, goalkeeper, placed on disabled list for remainder of season after suffering multiple internal injuries following a car accident.</p><h2>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><p>ERIE&mdash;<b>Norm Schmitz</b>, defenseman, left team. <b>Dave Staffen</b> and Sid Prysunka, forwards, signed as free agents.</p><p>CAPE CODDERS&mdash;<b>Blaine Rydman</b>, defenseman, signed as free agent.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Movements of Players

<div class="byline">BY JACK MCCARTHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01914/3333311-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="556" height="746"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DALLAS SMITH&hellip;On The Block?</b></figcaption></div><p>BOSTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>an the Bruins play defensive hockey? This, indeed will be the question of the year in Boston and around the NHL. Their past history is very much against them, but surely any kid who has played organized hockey in Canada knows how to check his man, up and down, down and up.</p><p>If they don&rsquo;t, it looks like a long, cold winter for the Boston club, which began its season by getting shellacked in Boston Garden by the Canadiens. 9-4, coming completely unglued in the middle period. One swallow doesn&rsquo;t make a spring, nor one loss a season, and this was, of course, the Canadiens.</p><p>But the Bruins certainly didn&rsquo;t impress 14,180 in the Garden, some of whom were doubtless attracted by newspaper advertising for the game. When was the last time the Bruins had to advertise that there were seats left for a game with Montreal?</p><p>It could be that everyone was saving their money to buy tickets to watch the Red Sox in the World Series, but you can sure that the new owners, the Jacobs brothers of Buffalo, will be watching that gate count this season.</p><p>Of course, Bobby Orr will not be ready until the middle of November. (He is walking around now). But the Bruins knew they would have to hang tough until he got back. The thing is, you have to play defense to hang tough.</p><p>Speaking of defense, the hot word around Boston was that veteran defenseman Dallas Smith was on the block (high salary, perhaps).</p><p>The silent Smith, who has always been a competent defenseman, did not have his greatest season last year, but he did not figure to be traded, either.</p><p>In the meantime, they have enough to worry about with their own heroes. The opener was the worst home defeat since Boston was zapped by Black Hawks, 10-2, on Dec. 8, 1966.</p><p>Dave Reece was the victim of the Canadiens&rsquo; major onslaught in his debut in the NHL in goal, but Coach Don Cherry would not stick him with all of it. said Cherry, &ldquo;We fell apart after the fourth goal. (4-2 Canadiens lead)&hellip;Don&rsquo;t put all the blame on Reece&hellip;&rdquo;</p><p>The Boston defense, generally, played poorly, backing in on Reece after he had played well in the first period. He later took a shot in the groin and was lifted for Gilles Gilbert.</p><p>Reece was one four new players dressed by Boston in the opener. The others were Doug Halward, the Bruins&rsquo; No. 1 draft pick out of Peterborough; Ray Maluta, a second-year man from Flin Flon who played at Rochester last year, and Barry Smith, the second-round amateur pick from New Westminster.</p><p>Halward and Maluta are defensemen, and Smith is a center, working between Hank Nowak and Earl Anderson on a fourth line. Smith, a red-head, got good marks in the exhibit ion season for good old-fashioned hard work.</p><p>He impressed the Philadelphia Flyers in one of the late exhibition games, getting praise such as, &ldquo;Active,&rdquo; &ldquo;Aggressive,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Never stops working.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s a little early to judge anything yet, however, and the most immediate concern is the search for that defense which has been talked about for a long time now, but has never really been found in these precincts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

Boston’s Defensive Play Suspect Without Orr In Opening NHL Games

<div class="byline">&#x2014;By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01902/3333349-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="306" height="360"></div><h2><b><i>Chico The Man</i></b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE NEW YORK ISLANDERS</b> of only three seasons back were the worst team in the history of the National Hockey League until the Washington Caps came along last season. &ldquo;If we won a game, lost two and tied one we figured we were on a four-game winning streak,&rdquo; one of the players said. They started to assemble talent when Denis Potvin arrived as a rookie the following season, but they still lost most of their games. &ldquo;The only system that was figured out for us was the way from the dressing room to the ice and back again,&rdquo; said another player. They started to win when Al Arbour arrived as coach last season. He gave them this: &ldquo;The only system that counts is teamwork. The player doesn&rsquo;t matter, just the team.&rdquo;</p><p>But the team became big at the box office when a little second-string goaltender shot from the shows into the spotlight during the last playoff.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02803/3333342-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="288" height="526"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Glenn Resch</b></figcaption></div><p>When the Islanders caught the Rangers in the standings last season, then surpassed them in the playoffs. New Yorkers began to boo the old guys and cheer the new kid in town. And the hotplayer in the playoffs who led the upstart team to the final game of the semi-final series before bowing was a 5&rsquo;8&rdquo;, 165-pound, 27-year-old character out of Moose-Jaw, Saskatchewan, named Glenn Allan Resch and nicknamed &ldquo;Chico&rdquo; because with his long dark hair and dark must ache he resembles Freddie Prinze. the star of the hot TV series, &ldquo;Chico and the Man&rdquo;. Signs sprouted around the Nassau Coliseum proclaiming,&ldquo;Chico IS the Man!&rdquo;</p><p>Soon the newspapers were featuring an advertisement headlined &ldquo;Congratulations to our hero, Glenn Resch: He gets results too.&rdquo; The ad, displaying a small picture of a balding Glenn Resch and a larger picture of a long-haired Glenn Resch, were sponsored by a chain of &ldquo;hair replacement centers&rdquo; and betrayed the truth under the mat of which covers the bare skin atop Chico&rsquo;s head. &ldquo;Anything for a buck,&rdquo; admitted The Man, who was not about to get an inferiority complex over it. It is said that his hometown of Moose Jaw is named for him, his jaw always working the way a large-mouth Moose&rsquo;s might. Resch is a talker. &ldquo;If I wasn&rsquo;t talking, I wouldn&rsquo;t know what to say,&rdquo; he is said to have said once. &ldquo;I like to talk. I like to express myself. I like to exchange different ideas with different people. I&rsquo;ll never run out of words.&rdquo;</p><p><b>CHICO WAS NOTHING SPECIAL</b> as a boy back home. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have any size and 1 was never any natural,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;I can remember I wanted to be a goaltender. My father had five daughters and I was his only son so he wanted me to be good and worked with me. He and my uncle would take me to the cellar and shoot a tennis ball at me with a hockey stick. I had a goalie&rsquo;s stick. Sometimes I&rsquo;d use a broom, but it didn&rsquo;t help. The ball would go by me and through the milk cartons that represented the goal pipes. My father coached me on my kids&rsquo; teams, but it was a struggle for me. My idol was Glenn Hall because he was so acrobatic. I tried to copy him. I dove all over the ice just like him. Unlike him, I didn&rsquo;t stop the puck. I was third string on my amateur team, the Regina Pats.</p><p>&ldquo;I went to college because 1 didn&rsquo;t think I had a future in hockey. I went to the only college that would give me a hockey scholarship, the University of Minnesota&hellip;at Duluth. In four years I improved enough to be signed by the Montreal Canadiens. Ken Dryden, Tony Esposito, me&mdash;all college guys, all smart, all great goaltenders. It&rsquo;s the new thing but when I got to the Canadiens&rsquo; camp they had Dryden, Rogie Vachon and Phil Myre ahead of me. Sam Pollock called me into his office. I thought he was going to sign me for Montreal. Instead he said he was sending meto Muskegon. I asked where that was. I didn&rsquo;t even know what it was. He said it was a town with an International League team in Michigan. His assistant, Claude Ruel, said they&rsquo;d pay me $180 a week, but not to worry, I&rsquo;d only be there one year, I thought he mean they&rsquo;d bring me back up in one year and I thought he was crazy. I was only there one year. They got rid of me completely. I wound up with the Islanders. I played in the minors in New Haven and Fort Worth. The coach in Texas, Ed Chadwick, was a former goaler who taught me how to play goal.&rdquo; He still plays goal all over the ice, as if he didn&rsquo;t know where the nets were, but for him it works.</p><p><b>THE ISLANDERS BROUGHT HIM UP</b> last season to back up Billy Smith. But he played in only 25 games, while Smith played in 58. Resch had a 2.47 goals-against average to Smith&rsquo;s 2.78, however. But Smith was consistent and Resch was erratic. Arbour says, &ldquo;He was a rookie and he had some problems early in the year and I didn&rsquo;t want to rush him. He&rsquo;d flub a shot and let in a bad goal and he couldn&rsquo;t forget the mistake. He really got bombed by eight goals in Pittsburgh and it took him a long time to bounce back.&rdquo; The coach devised slogans designed to boost the rookie&rsquo;s morale. One read, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t dwell on your mistakes.&rdquo; Another read. &ldquo;You have a mouth&mdash;use it.&rdquo; Resch didn&rsquo;t really need the latter advice, though he started to talk to his defensemen to set things up in front of him the way goaltenders should.</p><p>Resch says, &ldquo;It turns out I have a talent for this, though it took a long time for it to come out. I had to learn to control my nerves. I found out it helped to talk to anyone who&rsquo;ll listen to me before games. When the guys hide from me, I telephone my wife. I get edgy. Glenn Hall used to throw up before every game and I found out why. I feel sick before a lot of games. I used to fight it, but now 1 just throw up and get it over with. I&rsquo;ve figured out the jumpier my nerves are the quicker my reflexes are. Instead of trying to forget the pressure. I let it psych me up. I go out and play, anyway.</p><p>&ldquo;When a guy would come in on me. I used to say to to myself, &lsquo;Watch out, Chico, this guy can shoot that puck.&rsquo; That would drive me batty. I decided they all can shoot. So I just try to stop their shots. If I make a mistake, I forget it. I&rsquo;m gonna make mistakes. Ken Dryden makes mistakes. Bernie Parent makes mistakes. Rogie Vachon makes mistakes. Good old Glenn Hall used to make mistakes. We all do. All it can do, is cost us a goal. Or a game. I can always cut my throat.&rdquo;</p><p>Chico got to going so good he was a gambling starter in the playoff opener against the Rangers and beat them, 3-2, in the Garden. But he was bombed, 8-3, back home and booed two nights later. Smith substituted for him before the embarrassment was over and played the third game, which the Islanders won in overtime to take the short series. And Smith played the first three games of the semi-final with Pittsburgh. But after the Islanders lost all three. Arbour returned to Resch.</p><p>In the next four games, Resch stopped 124 of 128 shots and the Islanders won all four in one of the most dramatic comebacks in hockey history.</p><p>The night before the final, Chico put away an awesome meal at a Pittsburgh restaurant: Salad, spaghetti, fried scallops, ice cream with choclate syrup and several sodas. &ldquo;No doctor would recommend that I eat like this the night before a game, but I know what my stomach can take,&rdquo; he said. Reminiscing, he recalled &ldquo;In Muskegon, the manager. Jerry DeLise, was a nut about food. He fined us $ 100 if he caught us eating hot dogs, french fries or pancakes. There they fined me for eating pancakes for breakfast. Here, they pay me to eat as much of anything I want.&rdquo;</p><p>He did not sleep much the night before the big game. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always the same,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I sleep a couple of hours, wake up, doze off, wake up. I think of things, anything but the game. If I thought of the game. I&rsquo;d become a basket case. Sometimes I feel so good going into a game, I feel like I could catch the puck with my teeth. Other times I stand back there and hope they don&rsquo;t shoot it my way because I know I won&rsquo;t touch it. I hope Chico will be the man tonight.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY HALSIGURDSON</div><p>VANCOUVER&mdash;</p><p>Somehow and soon the Vancouver Canucks are going to have to learn the new sections of rule 42.</p><p>To do otherwise is proving too expensive.</p><p>The Canucks began the 197576 National Hockey League season on the road and came home as losers of two of their first three starts.</p><p>In both losses running afoul of the new sections embodied in rule 42 were significant factors.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03667/3333380-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="256" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Robitaille</b></figcaption></div><p>In essense the new sections of rule 42 give game officials the right to tell players, coaches and managers, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t sass me boy or it will be expensive.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canucks are having trouble accepting these new facts of life. They are in danger of talking or, more accurately, gesturing themselves to death.</p><p>In a 4-2 loss to Kansas City, Bob Dailey was whistled down for tripping. The big defenseman demonstrated his displeasure with the call by tossing his stick in the air and catching it. He was promptly assessed a further two minute penalty for &ldquo;un sportsman like conduct.&rdquo; This prompted Dailey to make some verbal comments which prompted the referee to throw him out of the game.</p><p>At that point the Canucks were down only 3-2 with plenty of the time left to tie or even win the game. But killing four minutes in penalties and having to get along without Dailey, one of their more efficient performers, didn&rsquo;t help.</p><p>Instead Kansas City scored their fourth goal into an empty net when the Canucks pulled goaltender Gary Smith despite being a man short as the result of still another losing confrontation with the new rule.</p><p>Then, in a 3-0 loss to the Black Hawks in Chicago the next night, lightning struck in the same place again.</p><p>Near the end of the second period defenseman Mike Robitaille drew a penalty for tripping Grant Mulvey. Robitaille proceeded directly to the penalty box, but bumped Mulvey en route. Linesman Neil Armstrong witnessed the incident and ordered a further two-minute sentence for roughing.</p><p>General manager-coach Phil Maloney was not impressed by the call. As he left the ice at the end of the second period he either straightened his tie or gave Armstrong the choke signal.</p><p>Armstrong responded by slapping the Canucks with a bench penalty.</p><p>The Canucks were down only 10 at the time, but with Vancouver two-men short the Hawks scored their second goal only 58 seconds into the third period.</p><p>Scratch another possible comeback.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a bad rule,&rdquo; Maloney insisted later. &ldquo;All it does is give the incompetent official something to hide behind. The good ones don&rsquo;t like it.&rdquo;</p><p>Certainly some officials have privately admitted they don&rsquo;t like the new rule in its present form. They feel it invites confrontations and requires modifications.</p><p>Meanwhile, it&rsquo;s there and the Canucks like the other 17 NHL teams are going to have to live with it.</p><p><b>CANUCK CAPERS:</b> The Canucks are learning early the injuries woes that plagued them last year are still around. They lost Garry Monahan, their premiere penalty killer, early in the exhibition season. Since then Gerry O&rsquo;Flaherty, another top penalty killer, Ron Sedlbauer, John Gould and John Grisdale have all missed action because of injuries.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

New Penalty Rules Costly For Canucks In Opening Losses

<div class="byline">BY BILL HEUFELDER</div><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;</p><p>The dramatic playoff elimination notwithstanding, last season represented a gigantic plus for the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>In compiling their first winning record ever, they uncovered three full lines of 20-goal scorers and could find encouragement in their overall youth.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01877/3333411-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="284" height="377"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Lowell MacDonald</b></figcaption></div><p>For Lowell MacDonald, the season could have been better. One of the finest all-round left wingers in the game, he failed to register 30 goals for the first time in three years, finishing with 60 points or 15 less that he registered two years ago in winning the Masterton Trophy.</p><p>The deteriorating condition and eventual death of his father in Nova Scotia drained MacDonald considerably. Through the first half of the season, Lowell made four emergency flights home and they took their toll.</p><p>&ldquo;There were times when I felt alright,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but over a whole season&hellip;well, it was just one of those years that you wouldn&rsquo;t want to go through again.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, MacDonald came up with statistics that would prove enviable to others. He collected 27 goals and added 33 assists. Although feeling drained in the playoffs, the 34-year-old veteran managed to knock in four goals in nine games.</p><p>&ldquo;I was tired,&rdquo; he admitted. &ldquo;It just got to a point that I didn&rsquo;t know what was keeping me going.&rdquo;</p><p>MacDonald and his teammates stopped just short of the Stanley Cup semi-final when the upstart New York Islanders, after losing three straight in the best-of-seven series, rallied to win four straight. The Islanders grabbed the final game, 1-0.</p><p>If the summer proved to be relaxing for him, it was hectic in Pittsburgh where the city was in danger of losing its hockey franchise. In Nova Scotia, the news filtered back slowly of the club&rsquo;s plight.</p><p>Certainly, MacDonald would not have been out of work. Through five full big-league seasons, he&rsquo;s become a proven scorer equally efficient defensively. But the idea of leaving Pittsburgh was unsettling for him, as well as six of his teammates who have purchased homes in the city.</p><p>&ldquo;We realize we&rsquo;re a pretty good hockey club. There&rsquo;s a different feeling this year. We feel we can play with a lot of clubs in the league and we can go all the way if we get a few breaks.&rdquo;</p><p>With MacDonald pointing toward a steadier season, the Penguins obviously are headed in the right direction.</p><p><b>PENGUIN NOTES:</b> In a surprise move, coach Marc Boileau started No. 1 draft choice Gordon Laxton in the regular-season opener at Washington.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

MacDonald Optimistic About ‘New’ Penguins

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01893/3333442-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="546" height="718"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHN BEDNARSKI&hellip;Clinched Berth</b></figcaption></div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>It was goalie John Davidson and defenseman Gilles Marotte who were the heroes of the Rangers initial victory of the season, a 2-1 success in Atlanta. But it took goals by Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle, two old standbys, to give Ron Stewart his first win as Ranger coach.</p><p>Stewart switched his lines from his announced pre-season plans during the opening 2-2 tie with Chicago. The Kid Line disappeared. Jerry Holland, booked to team with Walter Tkaczuk and Billy Fairbairn didn&rsquo;t even dress in the opener.</p><p>&ldquo;Holland seemed very nervous. He is a good kid and will get action,&rdquo; said Ron. &ldquo;I thought he&rsquo;d get a full shift in the Atlanta game when Greg Polis came up with the flu, but Greg made the plane and played a hecK of a game.&rdquo;</p><p>Polis, challenged for his job and even his roster spot, has been a revelation. Along with Derek Sanderson and Rick Middleton, he was flying in the Omni.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll do OK with Rickie McNifty,&rdquo; quipped Sanderson, who was proving that pre-season meant not too much.</p><p>Davidson played well in the win over Atlanta, although his style is not from the text book. He goes down an inordinate amount of time, particularly for a goaler 6&rsquo;3&rdquo; and 205 pounds. But he stops the puck and usually smothers the shot, preventing rebounds.</p><p>&ldquo;He played very well in Atlanta,&rdquo; said Ed Giacomin, who opened the Rangers fiftieth season with the starting assignment against Chicago on Oct. 8. It was his 11 the opener in a row.</p><p>Stemkowski was not dressed for the first two games and was very unhappy about it. Neither was goalie Gilles Villemure, who seems almost forgotten. These players are obvious trade bait, although Stemmer might hope a bit after Wayne Dillion missed a breakaway in the Hawk game and then worked as the fourth line center most of the Atlanta game.</p><p>As of now, Ranger lines are Ratelle, Gilbert and Steve Vickers, Walter Tkaczuk, Pat Hickey and Billy Fairbairn, Sanderson, Polis, and Middleton plus Dillion with Holland and Billy Collins.</p><p>John Bednarski seemingly has won a job on the defense, as he teamed with Ron Greschner. The other pairing is Brad Park with Gilles Marotte. Nick Beverly got two shifts in Atlanta&mdash;and Ron Harris and. Lawrence Sacharuk didn&rsquo;t dress.</p><p>&ldquo;John hits and is moving the puck well,&rdquo; noted Stewart. &ldquo;He won his job in camp. He&rsquo;s a tough kid.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m much more confident this year than last year. I don&rsquo;t run around and make too many mistakes&mdash;and when I start Ed Giacomin yells at me and keeps me thinking, said Ski. &ldquo;Last year, I wasn&rsquo;t sure I could play in the league. Now I know I can.&rdquo;</p><p>This Rangers team is still in the making, much as the post war Brooklyn Dodgers, who didn&rsquo;t know if Dick Whitman or Carl Furillo would be their right fielder.</p><p>Stewart has appeared at ease&mdash;and has handled questions from the media with aplomb.</p><p>Hickey played well offensively with Tkaczuk, but was slow coming back into the New York end and Bill Flett beat him to the puck&mdash;and fired it past Davidson for the Atlanta goal. But Hickey works and digs and should make it.</p><p>It is Middleton, the second year right wing who is becoming the darling of Ranger fans. Rick ie has moves, and then more moves.</p><p>&ldquo;Rickie is going to be a big star this year,&rdquo; said Sanderson. &ldquo;Look at the extra goals he&rsquo;ll get on the power play. He&rsquo;s a comer.&rdquo;</p><p>BLUE CHIPS: Rangers did their opener up brown with Robert Merrill singing the National Anthem&hellip;It was also the fifieth anniversary season for the Chicago Black Hawks who provided the opposition&hellip;Ranger program is a big seller with each game featuring a team picture from a different Ranger season&hellip;Rod Gilbert played is 900th game as a Ranger in the opener&hellip;Harry Howell is the all-time Ranger leader in games payed with 1,160&hellip;The starting time fo all Ranger home games in the evening (except April 4) is now 7:35 P.M.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

Stewart Still Line Switching

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02756/3333473-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MEL BRIDGMAN&hellip;Philadelpnia Flyers</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he Philadelphia Flyers grabbed Mel Bridgman as their No. 1 pick in the NHL&rsquo;s summer amateur draft and they chose the 20-year-old center for two reasons&mdash;he had muscle and could put the puck in the net. Bridgman displayed both talents on his way to winning the Western Canada Hockey League individual scoring title last year with 157 points in 66 games. He shot 66 goals for Victoria and accumulated 175 penalty minutes, two attributes that drew the Flyers to him. In order to get Bridgman, a six-foot, 1 85 pounder, the Flyers dealt two players to Washington, Bill Clement and Don McLean, for the right to draft first in the Capitals&rsquo; place. It was a deal the Flyers worked on for several months.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

MEET THE ROOKIES

<h2><b>DEREK SANDERSON:</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he colorful Rangers&rsquo; center has always spoke his mind. He has openly predicted a big trade, saying &ldquo;either myself or Stemmer (center Pete Stemkowski) have to go. They aren&rsquo;t going to get rid of Wayne Dillon and Jean Ratelle and Walt Tkaczuk are institutions here. But I think a big trade is brewing,&rdquo; said Sanderson of the overcrowded center ice situation with the N.Y. Rangers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

What They’re…Saying

<div class="byline">BY Bill FLEISCHMAN</div><p>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Flyers know retaining the Stanley Cup for a third consecutive season will be tough. One glance at Montreal&rsquo;s back-to-back trouncings of Los Angeles and Boston is proof the Canadiens are talented enough to pry the Flyers&rsquo; grip from the cherished Cup.</p><p>Critics have said the major reason the Flyers are two-time NHL champions is No. 1 in the nets, Bernard Marcel Parent. The critics may be right, but most don&rsquo;t see how the Flyers, led by captain and Hart Trophy-winner Bobby Clarke, sacrifice for each other over the long season. Santa Claus could be in goal and the Flyers would try like tigers to make him a winner.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01876/3333528-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="255" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Stephenson</b></figcaption></div><p>Neither Parent nor Santa Claus were in goal when the Flyers opened with a 5-4 victory over Washington. One of Santa&rsquo;s elves, Wayne Stephenson, was guarding the Flyers nets. The 5&rsquo;9&rdquo; veteran had finished the exhibition grind as the Flyers goalie because Parent was hospitalized for a pinched neck nerve.</p><p>Stephenson looked sharp in the exhibitions, but those pre-season yawners are several levels below the intensity of regular NHL competition. Faced with not having Parent back for a while, teams of flimsier character might shake like a belly full of Jello. The Flyers, from the front office to Stephenson, showed no signs of nerves although their defensive effort against the hustling Capitals was less than acceptable.</p><p>&ldquo;Based on what we&rsquo;ve seen,&rdquo; said GM Keith Allen, &ldquo;the guy (Stephenson) has played darn well. The times we had to have him last season, I don&rsquo;t think he ever let us down.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked if he were positive Stephenson could fill in capably for Parent over an extended period, Allen said, &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t answer that. We&rsquo;d have to see Wayne play over a long period to tell. But we have confidence in the guy.&rdquo;</p><p>Stephenson, who played in 85 games over two seasons for St. Louis before his &ldquo;gift&rdquo; trade to Philadelphia a year ago, isn&rsquo;t wavering in confidence either.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind that I could play over the long haul,&rdquo; the former Canadian National goalie said. &ldquo;This team&rsquo;s system helps, of course. We&rsquo;re basically a defense-oriented team so if we play our system, we&rsquo;re usually okay.&rdquo;</p><p>Naturally, Parent is missed around the Flyers dressing room, but &ldquo;Hey, what do you hear about Bemie?&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t a frequently asked question.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think about Bernie not being here,&rdquo; said left wing Bill Barber. &ldquo;Sure we&rsquo;re gonna miss him, but this team is good at picking up the extra slack. We did it when Barry Ashbee got hurt in the playoffs two years ago and we can do it again.&rdquo;</p><p>Reports on Parent&rsquo;s condition were encouraging, but he wasn&rsquo;t expected back until the season&rsquo;s second week at the earliest. By opening night Parent had been intraction for five days at Abington Hospital.</p><p>Doctors hadn&rsquo;t discovered the cause of the pinched nerve, which Parent first felt during a practice session. Dr. John Wolf, the club&rsquo;s orthopedic surgon, hadn&rsquo;t ruled out a disc has caused the pain Parent was suffering.</p><p><b>FLYER FACTS:</b> Rejean Lemelin, the NAHL&rsquo;s Rookie of the Year with the Philadelphia Firebirds, was serving as Stephenson&rsquo;s backup. Both Lemelin, and Jerry (Moses) Mrazek had been impressive in brief exhibition appearances with the Flyers&hellip;Mel Bridgman, the first choice in last summer&rsquo;s amateur draft, gets better with every game. With Dave Schultz sidelined for the opener with strained ankle ligaments, Orest Kindrachuk moved to Schultz&rsquo;s left wing Spot and Bridgman took over at center. He quickly scored his first NHL goal, deflecting a shot by Joe Watson past Caps&rsquo; goalie Michel Belhumeur&hellip;Bobby Clarke was within two of the 500-point level&hellip;Dave and Cathy Schultz named their first child Chad David.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

Flyers Throw Onus On Stephenson With Parent Out

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01864/3333566-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><h2><b>High Profile Owner</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>THER THAN CHARLIE O. FINLEY</b> and his Oakland Athletics, it&rsquo;s difficult to recall a high-profile owner who ever had a winning team. Most &ldquo;successful owners, that is, those whose teams triumph, remain in the background where the operation of the team on the rink or field is concerned and seldom make public pronouncements about the athletes on their payrolls.</p><p>The high profile proprietors, the ones who are quoted often in media with pats and slams to the athletes and comments on how the team is playing, usually are the possessors of losers.</p><p>The reason is simple. A camel is a horse built by a committee and too many bosses usually spoil the team.</p><p>The chain of command in most pro sports organizations is owner-manager-coach. If all three are heard from repeatedly, the players become so confused that they don&rsquo;t know which man is boss. The coach should be the man in charge of the club and its day-to-day operation, of course, working in quiet conjunction with the others in the administration.</p><p>If the coach tells the players one thing and the owner shoots off his yap in the other direction, then the workers have no idea who is calling the shots. Before long, they figure that the easiest way is for them to call their own.</p><p>Harold Ballard, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has the Mount Everest of profiles among the National Hockey League owners. Ballard probably is better known than any of his athletes because he&rsquo;s quoted more often than any other sports personality in Toronto.</p><p>Toronto is a city that specializes in high-profile owners of sports teams. It also specializes in losers. The most notable of these is the Toronto Argonauts football team, a national joke in Canada. The Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association were expensive losers last season. Their principal owner is John F. Bassett, a much-quoted man. His father, at one time, owned the Argos and a large chunk of the Leafs. His profile parallels that of Ballard.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02749/3333559-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="344" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Harold Ballard</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>He Wants Goons Galore</b></h2><p><b>BALLARD&rsquo;S GREAT ABILITY TO EARN</b> newspaper and air space has led a few people to call him a promotional genius. But he does cause problems for the men he&rsquo;s hired to operate his hockey team&mdash;general manager Jim Gregory and coach Red Kelly. Every so often, Ballard delivers an assessment of the Maple Leafs in the media. Often, those little speeches take the form of indictments of the Leaf players which causes wonder as to why Ballard would pay hockey players he holds in such low regard more than $15 per game.</p><p>This autumn is a good example of the Ballard blast. The Leafs were having an excellent pre-season series with a winning record, increased aggressiveness and a major improvement in their weakest area, defensive play. Kelly was extremely pleased with the progress his young team was making and the good team feeling which the players had developed.</p><p>Then along comes Harold with a newspaper blast in which he claims that his club doesn&rsquo;t have enough muscle to make the cast of Mary Had A Little Lamb.</p><p>To a coach who&rsquo;s trying to build confidence in his team, a blast from the owner is a kick in the seat to his efforts. Kelly is forced to try to isolate his team from the man who pays the bills, to tell them that the owner merely is trying to get his name in the papers.</p><p>Instead of the players seeing the man who signs the cheques as an ally, the Leafs look on Ballard as the enemy. Few psychologists have recommended belittling employees and ridiculing them in public as the best method of getting them to deliver a big effort.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re forced to look at Mr. Ballard and the Philadelphia Flyers in the same light,&rdquo; said one Leaf; &ldquo;They&rsquo;re both enemies we must overcome to accomplish anything this season. He has a weird idea that he can make us mad at him and we&rsquo;ll play better. But it doesn&rsquo;t work. When he says he wants to trade most of the players, and get goons instead, all he does is wreck guys&rsquo; confidence.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>A Leaf Tradition</b></h2><p><b>BALLARD IS MERELY WORKING</b> in the Maple Leaf tradition of crashing the sports pages at the time when other games are threatening to shove hockey to the back of the section.</p><p>This year&rsquo;s blast happened during World Series week in the autumn overlap of sports schedules when football, baseball and hockey are fighting for space. Last season&rsquo;s big blast of the Leafs from Ballard came during the week of the Grey Cup game, Canada&rsquo;s football championship.</p><p>But then it&rsquo;s been a tradition with the Leafs to crack the media during the Grey Cup with loud statements and, often, plain, hokey, old gimmicks.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

FRANK ORR SAYS:

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><p>CHICAGO&mdash;</p><p>Hubert Jacques (Pit) Martin isn&rsquo;t afraid to look anyone or anything in the eye, and that included the mirror.</p><p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it, our attitude was bad news last year,&rdquo; said the Chicago Black Hawks&rsquo; sprightly veteran. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some darn good years in Chicago, years where we were a contender all the time.</p><p>&ldquo;Last season was just one of those occasions when everything went wrong. You don&rsquo;t notice it as much while it&rsquo;s going on as when you look back in retrospect. But maybe we all had a case of the blahs.</p><p>&ldquo;Things go in cycles, you know, and after all those years when we were up and in first place and all, maybe we just hit a period when our motivation wasn&rsquo;t that strong. I think maybe even (coach) Billy Reay realized sometime during last year that it was going to be one of those seasons and he might have said to himself &lsquo;let&rsquo;s just play this season out and get it over with.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Not that we gave up or anything. Heck, we almost finished first with all the problems that we did have. I remember one night sitting up in the press box when Bill White, Keith Magnuson, Dale Tallon, Jim Pappin and myself were all injured.</p><p>&ldquo;I realize you can&rsquo;t lean on injuries as a crutch, but we did have an incredible run of them and it has to have an effect. If a guy doesn&rsquo;t play Saturday and comes back Sunday, that doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;s going to be right. All those injuries have an adverse effect.&rdquo;</p><p>Martin also mentioned that goalie Tony Esposito &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t have a good year,&rdquo; and he also touched on another theory for the Black Hawks&rsquo; slovenly ways in 1974-75.</p><p>&ldquo;&rdquo;You hear that Chicago is such a great place to play and that everybody is so happy to be there,&rdquo; said Martin. &ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;m sure not all the players on our team think it&rsquo;s the only place to play, but most are happy and maybe that contributes a little to the self-satisfaction.</p><p>&ldquo;We got a little lazy last year. We just didn&rsquo;t want it badly enough. We might have kept thinking that we&rsquo;d start winning tomorrow and pretty soon we ran out of tomorrows. If we had been in a stronger division, we might have been more inclined to work harder, but I&rsquo;m not sure that had anything to do with it.</p><p>&ldquo;Whatever it was, I know I really looked forward to September this season. We have pride, and felt badly about what happened last season. I think when you have that kind of empty feeling, you can&rsquo;t wait to get back to your job to make amends.&rdquo;</p><p>Martin was burdened with injuries much of last season, during which he produced only 19 goals. Good health and regular wing mates were not to be his.</p><p>&ldquo;Billy broke up our line with Jimmy Pappin and Dennis Hull at the start,&rdquo; said Martin. &ldquo;And we did a lot of switching around. Ivan Boldirev had just come to our team and everybody wanted him to have a good start, so we did a lot of ex-perimenting with center men. It doesn&rsquo;t bother me that I was taken off that line and put with younger players. I take that as a compliment. But nothing seemed to work consistently all year. We were bad and I was bad.</p><p>&ldquo;I had some problems. I had the appendectomy 21 games into the season, and then I came back too soon. Not until Jan. 7 in Toronto did I feel right. That was about six weeks after I got sick. If you check my production after that day, I don&rsquo;t think it was all that bad. &ldquo;</p><p>Martin&rsquo;s job title has undergone an interesting change this year. Reay, envisioning another Kenny Wharram in his midst, has switched Martin to right wing where the Hawks have the vacancy sign out for still more help.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind it, I&rsquo;ll do whatever he tells me,&rdquo; said Martin. &ldquo;It will take a little while to get used to it. You have to be patient over there, because you don&rsquo;t get the puck as often. But if it helps us become better, then I&rsquo;m all for it.&rdquo;</p><p><b>PARTING SHOTS:</b> Martin opened the season playing right flank for Bobby Sheehan and Darcy Rota. Sheehan, who bailed out of the World Hockey Association and joined the Hawks as a free agent, signed a three-year contract with Chicago on the eve of the team&rsquo;s regular season opener in New York. He then went on to score a goal that night. &ldquo;Sheehan must be playing pretty well,&rdquo; said Ranger Derek Sanderson, &ldquo;&ldquo;to move a guy like Martin over to right wing.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Hawks made two late cuts on defense&mdash;Ian McKegney and Randy Holt&mdash;but kept Bob Murray, who spent last season in Dallas&hellip;Stan Mikita is the new Black Hawk captain. &ldquo;Just walked into the locker room before our first game and saw the &ldquo;C&rdquo; on the jersey,&rdquo; said Mikita. &ldquo;You remember what happened to our last captain (Pat Stapleton). He wound up in the WHA.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03588/3333597-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="567" height="1221"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STAN MIKITA&hellip;Becomes Ice Leader</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Martin Hoping For Good Year In Switching To Right Wing

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p>For a 21-year-old sophomore Doug Risebrough bears a striking resemblance to a seasoned veteran.</p><p>Not that Doug doesn&rsquo;t make mistakes or take the occasional &lsquo;stupid&rsquo; penalty. It&rsquo;s his drive, determination and composure that set him apart from most of the other second-year men in the National Hockey League.</p><p>Risebrough not only centers the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; Kid line, he is also the main man in the Habs&rsquo; swing to aggressiveness.</p><p>In 64 games with the Montrealers last season he did manage to break one club record&mdash;most penalty minutes in a season (198) that had been held by John Ferguson.</p><p>Anyone expecting Risebrough to revert to a mild-mannered performer this season is in for a rude awakening.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to play a little more aggressively this season,&rdquo; Doug states. &ldquo;It worked well last year so there&rsquo;s no use changing now.&rdquo;</p><p>By his own admission he&rsquo;s surprised at the kind shape he&rsquo;s in at the outset of the new schedule. &ldquo;I feel really good,&rdquo; he states. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m surprised because I didn&rsquo;t train that hard during this summer. I played tennis, water-skied, hiked and worked at a couple of hockey schools. The main thing is just to keep active so you don&rsquo;t get stale and out of shape.&rdquo;</p><p>One off-season activity that has made a big difference in Doug&rsquo;s performance was a week&rsquo;s visit to a power skating school.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel I&rsquo;m skating better,&rdquo; Risebrough opines. &ldquo;When training camp first opened I wondered if my skating was better or not but now I feel the improvement. I was only there for a week and they can&rsquo;t show you everything in that amount of time. Now I have to concentrate in practices and games and do what I was taught.&rdquo;</p><p>Risebrough centers the line of Yvon Lambert on left wing and Mario Tremblay on the right side and that troika was one of the most pleasant surprises for coach Scotty Bowman last season. The Kid Line specialized in keeping the opposition off balance and off the scoreboard. Now that they have had a Season together Risebrough is looking for an even better performance from the threesome in 1975-76.</p><p>&ldquo;I expect a better year,&rdquo; explains Risebrough. &ldquo;We want to play more consistent hockey and help to better the team.&rdquo;</p><p>As far as personal goals are concerned, Doug tries to avoid them.</p><p>&ldquo;I just want to improve my game all round,&rdquo; he states. &ldquo;That will improve the line and the club. I don&rsquo;t like to set goals as far as points or anything are concerned. I&rsquo;ll just play my best at the time and it&rsquo;ll work out.&rdquo;</p><p>For Doug Risebrough it&rsquo;s always an all-out effort. He doesn&rsquo;t know how to play any other way.</p><p>HAB-BITS: The Canadiens had scored 10 goals while on the power play in the first four games this season. That is ahead of last year&rsquo;s record-breaking pace when they scored seven man-advantage goals in their first four games&hellip;Defenseman Don Awrey missed Montreal&rsquo;s second regular season game in Boston because of a thumb injury&hellip;Guy Lafleur has maintained his point-a-game pace since joining the Habs in the fall of 1971. With 11 points through the first four games, he has totalled 305 points during 289 games in a Canadien uniform for an average of 1.05 points per game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02732/3333628-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="573" height="894"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DOUG RISEBROUGH&hellip;Tough Competitor</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Risebrough Wants To Play More Aggressively

<div class="byline">BY ROY CRAIGIE</div><p>OAKLAND&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>J</span>ack Evans is the quiet type. He&rsquo;s a deliberate speaker, a deliberate thinker, and he&rsquo;s the reason why the California Seals figure to turn a major corner in their history this season.</p><p>The new Seals&rsquo; coach typifies the mood and feeling of all those playing for or connected with, the club. It&rsquo;s a serious we&rsquo;re going to win hockey games attitude and it has proven contagious. The players, some of whom played on Evans&rsquo; title team at Salt Lake, respect him and when he talks, they listen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01849/3333659-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="256" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jack Evans</b></figcaption></div><p>Rapidly, Evans has installed a system of close checking and tight defensive play designed to cut down sharply on the number of goals against. Opponents might out play or even out shoot the Seals, but if they can&rsquo;t score enough goals to win, then the Evans system is working.</p><p>&ldquo;To me, the three main things have always been conditioning, positional play and having a system to work with,&rdquo; said Evans after the Seals shocked the Atlanta Flames, 4-3 in the league opener for both teams.</p><p>It was a sweet victory for the reborn Seals, and it was the first time the team had ever won a road opener in its history. The spirited play of the Seals prompted one Atlanta scribe to ask what&rsquo;s gotten into that California team?&rdquo;</p><p>What&rsquo;s &ldquo;gotten into&rdquo; the Seals is the realization that there&rsquo;s a pretty fair collection of talent here, that they are suddenly working very, very well together and that they can go out and win hockey games using the Jack Evans&rsquo; system.</p><p>&ldquo;Our wingers are coming back to help the defense and we&rsquo;re covering everybody in our own zone,&rdquo; said Evans, &ldquo;and, of course, we&rsquo;re forechecking a lot. We&rsquo;re having a lot of success in breaking up the other team&rsquo;s plays in their end of the rink.&rdquo;</p><p>The Seals rolled into the regular season on the momentum of three straight wins in their last three pre-season games, including a 5-4 victory over the Kings at Los Angeles and a 6-3 bombing of the Vancouver Canucks. It should have served as some sort of advance notice that these were not the same old Seals.</p><p>&ldquo;We feel very strongly that this is a team on the way up,&rdquo; enthuses Evans. &ldquo;We have many good, young, extremely-talented players. There have been many upsetting factors involved with the Seals in the past. Now that those things are over, everybody is settling down.&rdquo;</p><p><b>SEALS OF APPROVAL:</b> Ralph Klassen, the playmaker who looks like a veteran instead of a rookie, led the Seals along with clever left winger Al MacAdam in pre-season scoring. Klassen&rsquo;s seven points all came on assists, while MacAdam was 3-and-4&hellip;Right winger Bob Murdoch and left winger Bob Girard were early-season surprises for the Seals&hellip;Murdoch, who had 33 goals last year at Salt Lake, had three pre-season tallies and earned a spot on the Seals&rsquo; roster with his hustling play. He scored the winner at Atlanta&hellip;Girard, a former defenseman, fits in well on the port side and lends a lot of muscle up front&hellip;Dave &ldquo;the Wrecker&rdquo; Hrechkosy led Seals&rsquo; pre-season goal-scorers with four&hellip;They&rsquo;re calling Dennis Maruk &ldquo;the Pocket Wrecker&rdquo; and he likes it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Young Seals Learning What Defense’s About From New Coach Evans

<div class="byline">BY RON WEBER</div><p>WASHINGTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or years we&rsquo;ve been told to prepare for a sudden influx of American-born players into the National Hockey League. But it hasn&rsquo;t happened yet and less than two dozen Yanks, at last count, were scattered among the 18 clubs.</p><p>So it was noted with some surprise in the very first game of the season&mdash;Pittsburgh at Washington&mdash;that six U.S. types were on the rosters. The Penguins were represented by defenseman Bob Paradise of St. Paul, center Bob McManama, the Harvard All American from Belmont, Massachusetts, and rookie left wing Harvey Bennett (brother of Curt) of Cranston, Rhode Island.</p><p>For the Capitals there had been the two heads from the opposite sides of the same playground in Duluth, Minnesota&mdash;forwards Tommy Williams and Stan Gilbertson. Now they were joined, somewhat surprisingly, by a rookie from Buffalo, Pete Scamurra.</p><p>Scamurra is a big, pleasant, quiet defenseman whose home is actually in a Buffalo suburb to the south, Tonawanda, New York. Now 6&rsquo;2&rdquo;, 195 pounds, Pete long ago began towering over his playmates talent-wise: in hockey, where he played six years in Nichols, a private school; in soccer where he was a center forward in high school and summer league play; but especially in tennis.</p><p>For eight straight years young Peter marched thru the State of New York junior tennis eliminations at Troy, Utica, Syracuse or Rochester winning two titles each in the 12,14, 16 and 18-and-under divisions. By his own admission it was not his main sport after the age of 14, but with brother Dave, a year and a half his elder, they won the Western New York doubles title two years running. They couldn&rsquo;t defend this past summer because Dave went off to medical school in Italy, the family home until two generations ago.</p><p>About six years ago Pete began to concentrate more and more on hockey, playing on up to five teams at once so he would have the ice time, if not the calibre of competition, of Canadian boys his age. At 15 and 16 he was on a good midget team that learned from occasional whippings by teams from across the border such as Well and. At 17 Scamurra joined the Tier II section of the Niagara Falls Flyers, then at 18 enrolled at the University of Wisconsin.</p><p>By Christmas, the studious freshmen had B-plus marks in his classes and had adjusted to the life in Madison&mdash;but was seeing too little action with the hockey team. Pete looked one of those crossroads of life we come upon squarely in the eye. He put aside. for awhile at least, his ambition to write and to get a Business Administration degree&hellip;and quit school.</p><p>He showed up on the roster of the Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; Peterborough Petes just in time to get a trip to Russia&hellip;where the Petes beat young squads from Sweden, Finland, Czechoslovakia and the United States, finished second in a tourney back of the host country. He remembers the Soviets as a subdued people and perhaps more fondly he remembers his play, when back in Peterborough, to be improving at a rate that got him thinking he might be good enough to play in the NHL some day.</p><p>But first came a full season at Peterborough, marred by an injury, About the tenth game of the season he jammed his right hand into the boards and damaged a bone at the base of the thumb. He played for a month in a leather playing cast. It hurt and hampered him and he ended with 52 points. But it was for the lowest scoring team in the OHA and the Capitals scouts liked the way he moved out there on the ice. On June third, 20-year-old Pete Scamurra was drafted by the Caps to start the second round. When his agent told him, Pete said they were both cited. He was pleased not to go to a club overloaded with good defensemen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01826/3333690-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="564" height="560"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETE SCAMURRA&hellip;Learned Fast</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Rookie Scamurra Clicks With Capitals

<h2><b>ATLANTA FLAMES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01654/3333840-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="724" height="684"></div><h2><b>BOSTON BRUINS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02568/3333833-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="718" height="744"></div><h2><b>BUFFALO SABRES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03456/3333826-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="724" height="708"></div><h2><b>CALIFORNIA SEALS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04351/3333819-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="728" height="732"></div><h2><b>CHICAGO HAWKS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05255/3333812-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="728" height="748"></div><h2><b>DETROIT RED WINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06206/3333805-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="730" height="708"></div><h2><b>KANSAS CITY SCOUTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07184/3333798-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="722" height="722"></div><h2><b>LOS ANGELES KINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08167/3333791-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="728" height="742"></div><h2><b>MINNESOTA STARS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-09145/3333784-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="724" height="726"></div><h2><b>MONTREAL CANADIENS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-10123/3333777-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="732" height="690"></div><h2><b>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-11109/3333770-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="720" height="736"></div><h2><b>NEW YORK RANGERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1293/3333763-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="726" height="762"></div><h2><b>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1382/3333756-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="730" height="738"></div><h2><b>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1476/3333749-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="734" height="736"></div><h2><b>ST. LOUIS BLUES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1566/3333742-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="719" height="686"></div><h2><b>TORONTO LEAFS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1663/3333735-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="736" height="748"></div><h2><b>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1755/3333728-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="724" height="760"></div><h2><b>WASHINGTON CAPS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1848/3333721-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="732" height="716"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

NHL SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

<p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p>Only two players in National Hockey League history earned 500 points in regular season play faster than Bobby Clarke of Philadelphia Flyers.</p><p>The Flyers&rsquo; captain, who leads the NHL&rsquo;s individual scoring parade after two weeks with 14 points in six games, has 511 points&mdash;181 goals, 330 assists&mdash;in 470 games; He scored his 500th point in the second game of this season and 466th of his career. Bobby Orr, injured Boston defenseman, took only 396 games to record 500 points and Jean Beliveau, former brilliant center for Montreal Canadiens, gained his 500th point in his 424th game. It took Phil Esposito of Boston one more game than Clarke to get to the 500-point level.</p><p>In the all-time list of players with at least 500 regular season points, Clarke now ranks fifth in average of points per game with 1,087. Orr, who has yet to play this season, is the leader at 1.401 (621 games, 870 points); followed by Esposito, 1,381 (853 games, 1,178 points); Bobby Hull, former Chicago Black Hawk, 1.113 (1,036 games, 1,153 points);; and Stan Mikita of Chicago, 1.095 (1,133 games, 1,241 points). A total 62 players have had at least 500 points since the NHL began in 1917-18.</p><p>Clarke, off to his best start in his seven-year NHL career, leads Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; Gilbert Perreault by one point but the Sabres have played one game fewer than Flyers. Clarke and Perreault share the lead in assists with nine each.</p><p>Third in the scoring race is Montreal right winger Guy Lafleur with 12 points, including six goals, which ties him with Buffalo left winger Rick Martin for that lead. Rookie Bryan Trottier of New York Islanders is off to the best start by a first-year player in recent history and shares fourth place with Marcel Dionne of Los Angeles, who gained 10 points in three games last week, and Rod Gilbert of New York Rangers, all with 11 points.</p><p>If Washington Capitals could get the rest of their operation working as well as their power-play, they would no doubt improve their record. The Capitals have the second-highest power-play goal total with 11, although they have had 47 opportunities. That works out to 23.4 percent, eighth best in the NHL. Buffalo has 12 power-play goals on 31 chances for 38.7 percent. Leaders are Pittsburgh Penguins with eight goals on 18 chances for 44.4 percent.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NHL WEEK—In Review

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div><p>LOS ANGELES&mdash;</p><p>Humiliated in opening losses by 9-0 in Montreal and 7-0 in Long Island, the Kings disbanded and the players headed to their respective homes to wait for next season.</p><p>Nonsense? Of course, as nonsensical as surrendering on a season which had just begun, as some people did around here. The Kings bounced back to build a 6-0 lead in New York, though they had to hang on towin, 6-4.</p><p>The Montreal game probably was their worst defeat in history, though they lost 11-2 in Boston back in November of 1971. Certainly there was nothing like it last season when they did not even lose a game in their first 11 on the road.</p><p>Coach Bob Pulford was so disappointed he did not even speak to the media after the game.</p><p>However, this is a different team from last season. Dan Maloney and Terry Harper were traded. Dave Hutchison and Gene Carr started suspensions in the opener. Juha Widing missed the entire exhibition campaign and he and Larry Brown missed the opener with cases of the flu.</p><p>By the time Shelly Kannegiesser chipped a bone behind his right thumb in the third period of the first game, the Kings were without seven of last season&rsquo;s players, including three of their four regular defensemen.</p><p>Well, Montreal scored nine goals in Boston and seven in St. Louis in their next two outings. It may be the dominant team in the league this year. More disappointing was the loss two nights later to the Islanders. Pully emerged to admit, &ldquo;We were totally disorganized.&rdquo;</p><p>Clearly, this is a new season and he must reorganize his team along new lines. Going in, he had not yet settled on forward trios or defensive pairings and was still experimenting. Manager Jake Milford was trying to deal a surplus center for an experienced defenseman. His illness may have made Widing vulnerable.</p><p>Here are the 22 players the Kings carried into the opener with Pully planning to cut to the 19 that can dress for each game or the 20 which gives him an extra, a though he hates having to tell one man each night he is not going to suit up.</p><p><b>CENTERS&mdash;</b>Marcel Dionne, Butch Goring, Vic Venasky, Juha Widing.</p><p><b>RIGHT WINGS&mdash;</b>Mike Murphy, Bob Nevin, Don Kozak, Mike Corrigan.</p><p><b>LEFT WINGS&mdash;</b>Bob Berry, Tom Williams, Dennis Abgrall.</p><p><b>SWING MEN&mdash;</b>Gene Carr (LW & C), Frank St. Marseille (RW & C).</p><p><b>RIGHT DEFENSE&mdash;</b>Bob Murdoch, Bart Crashley.</p><p><b>LEFT DEFENSE&mdash;</b>Shelly Kanneigesser, Larry Brown, Dave Hutchison, Neil Komadoski, Gary Sargent.</p><p><b>GOALERS&mdash;</b>Rogie Vachon, Gary Edwards.</p><p>Obviously, Pully had to shift some left&mdash;side defensemen to the right and rookie Sargent was being paired with Komadoski. Despite limited professional experience, Sargent earned a shot at a job up top in the pre-season. So did Ve-nasky, recovered from a two-year bout with a groin injury. Otherwise, the pre-season results, three wins, four defeats, probably were meaningless, as usual.</p><p>Sargent&rsquo;s future may be tied up to Hutchison&rsquo;s. Big Hutch is getting a trial on left wing although he has not scored a goal in three prior seasons in the majors. If he is moved back on defense, Sargent may be moved back to the minors for more seasoning. A deal for a defenseman could also force the move.</p><p>The Kings were 22-7-11 at home and 20-10-10 away last season, totalling 105 points, fourth best in the league. Going in, Pully said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t expect to do as well on the road, but I expect to do better at home. I think 100 points is a fair objective if you expect to have a top team, but we could play better and get less points. Breaks enter into this. I hope we&rsquo;ll be a better team by the playoffs than we were last season.&rdquo;</p><p>Facing a rugged early grind of the first three and seven of the first nine on the road, he said, &ldquo;These games aren&rsquo;t as critical as they were in past seasons.&rdquo;</p><p><b>KINGS THINGS:</b> The Kings have three of the first four finishers in the Lady Byng voting last season&mdash;winner Dionne, two-time contender Goring and Nevin. With two of their toughest departed, they look to some like a team which can be pushed around, which is why Hutchison is getting a trial up front&hellip;Long-time baseball and hockey exec Marvin Milkes is the new director of promotions at the Forum here&hellip;Walt Marlow settled his contract as publicist of the WHA and returned to his Santa Ana Home.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Kings’ Dismal Start Stuns Pulford

<div class="byline">BY ALAN TRUEX</div><p>ATLANTA&mdash;</p><p>Getting traded is not a happy experience for most professional athletes.</p><p>Many of them are settled into homes, and most are content with their environment. And to find that suddenly you&rsquo;ve been ordered to move a thousand miles away&hellip;</p><p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; says Larry Carriere, recently traded to the Atlanta Flames, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a shock. It was really a shock for me. I wasn&rsquo;t expecting it at all.&rdquo;</p><p>Carriere is just 23, and he had played well for three years as a defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres. The team was a Stanley Cup finalist last season, so there was no reason to expect a shakeup.</p><p>&ldquo;I had just gotten married in June,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and we had bought a house in Buffalo. I was very happy there. Nobody wants to be traded unless you&rsquo;re getting an unfair deal where you are.&rdquo;</p><p>But, added Carriere, &ldquo;I always said if I got traded I hope it&rsquo;s Atlanta. It&rsquo;s a nice city to live in, and it&rsquo;s a young hard-working club, like we had in Buffalo. &ldquo;</p><p>Carriere, who played his ama teur hockey at Loyola University, became instantly popular in Atlanta with his rugged play in the slot and comers.</p><p>The 6&rsquo;1&rdquo;, 200-pound defenseman, nicknamed &ldquo;Hawk&rdquo; expects little difficulty in adjusting to the Flames.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really not that much different from Buffalo,&rdquo; he said. If anything, his job as a defenseman may be easier. With the Sabres, he had the difficult assignment of playing defense while the high-scoring French Connection came out on the ice. Carriere said, &ldquo;You knew you were in for some three-on-twos.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, though, Carriere felt no playoff pressure. The Sabres were in the same division as lowly California, so they were assured of a playoff appearance.</p><p>But arriving in Atlanta in a deal sending Jacques Richard to Buffalo, Carriere found himself in a different situation.</p><p>He is playing for a much less powerful team than Buffalo, in a much tougher division.</p><p>&ldquo;In a division like this,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;every game means so much. But I think it makes you improve faster as a player, because there&rsquo;s constant pressure on you.&rdquo;</p><p><b>FLAMES NOTES:</b> Randy Manery, for three years the Flames&rsquo; best defenseman, has been hearing rumors since training camp that he was headed for Chicago, in a deal possibly involvin Dennis Hull.</p><p>&ldquo;It really kind of bothers me,&rdquo; Manery says. &ldquo;I really enjoy Atlanta. I&rsquo;ve met so many people here, and I don&rsquo;t want to move.&rdquo; Reason he may have to is that Flames management wants a big aggressive team, and Manery doesn&rsquo;t fit in&hellip;</p><p>Flames farmed out defenseman Jean Lemieux to Nova Scotia as the regular season started. Lemieux played regularly in Atlanta for the past year and a half, but he was not strong defensively. He&rsquo;s 23 and was once considered a top prospect&hellip;</p><p>Buster Harvey, the Flames&rsquo; highest-scoring right winger last year (17 goals, 44 points) is another rumored on the way out. Coach Fred Creighton was displeased in Harvey&rsquo;s play last spring. Harvey reduced his status even more by showing up this season in less than sharp condition&hellip;</p><p>Flames start the season with only one rookie, defenseman Rich Mulhern, the top draft pick last summer. He has more ability than any defenseman this club has ever had, but he has an awful lot to learn on defense&hellip;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01556/3333919-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="561" height="1026"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LARRY CARRIERE&hellip;Thought He Was Set</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-01

Carriere Admits Shocked After Trade To Atlanta

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by</p><p>HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD</p><p>Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario</p><p>Sold in U. S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by</p><p>HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD</p><p>Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario</p><p>Sold in U. S. and Canada</p><p>TWIN CITIES&mdash;</p><p>Talk about tough breaks in hockey.</p><p>It was a harsh break that prevented Ted Harris from salvaging at least a point out of his first game as coach of the Minnesota North Stars.</p><p>The Vancouver Canucks opened defense of their Conn Smythe Division championship with a 3-2 victory over the North Stars Oct. 8 as the 39-year-old Harris began his coaching career in the National League.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01564/3333957-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="298" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ted Harris</b></figcaption></div><p>A harsh break indeed. The Canucks scored the winning goal with five minutes to play in the game on a shot by Gerry O&rsquo;Flaherty, a shot that would have been easy stopping for goalie Cesare Maniago.</p><p>The only problem was that Maniago was tending goal without the bottom end of his stick. It had shattered as he attempted to start a clearing pass. O&rsquo;Flaherty scooted over and slid the puck right between Cesare&rsquo;s skates.</p><p>It was an obvious disappointment for Harris, Maniago and the rest of the North Stars after a strong performance that gave indications Minnesota will be a considerably improved team from the 1974-75 model that finished a distant fourth in the Smythe group.</p><p>&ldquo;Sure, I would have made the save if I had my stick,&rdquo; Cesare said afterwards. &ldquo;It was an injustice that we couldn&rsquo;t have gotten at least a point in this game the way the team played.&rdquo;</p><p>Harris could not fault his goalie, who made 27 stops in the contest. &ldquo;That probably won&rsquo;t happen again in another five years,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Cesare could well be looking for a new company to order his sticks from. He was using a stick from the same manufacturer two years ago when the North Stars lost a close game in Atlanta&mdash;one of the goals tore cleanly through the blade and into the goal.</p><p>The North Stars attracted their smallest opening night crowd in nine NHL seasons, 8.911. One reason there were more than 6,000 empty seats at Met Sports Center was that the North Stars offered the game to local television viewers.</p><p>&ldquo;We wanted exposure.&rdquo; explained Walter Bush Jr., North Star president. &ldquo;We wanted to let the people know we have a team in town. We have never done well opening our season at home during a week night and we have four home television dates, so why not this one.&rdquo;</p><p>Save for the breaks of the game, the move could have been a good one in an effort to win Back some disgruntled fans who failed to renew season tickets.</p><p>The North Stars, whose season ticket sales dropped from 11,400 to 7,600 after a second straight season of not making the playoffs, played with a vitality that should have impressed the undecided.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad the game was on television,&rdquo; said winger Lou Nanne, who scored the first Minnesota goal of the season. &ldquo;We showed the people some entertaining and exciting hockey. If we play like that we&rsquo;ll win our share of games. The thing now is that we keep our spirits up.&rdquo;</p><p>Most fans were wondering if the North Stars would continue to play like they did against the Canucks. The first period, in which Nanne&rsquo;s goal gave them a 1-0 edge, saw the North Stars delight the crowd with a series of well-placed bodychecks by defensemen and forwards alike.</p><p>The breakdowns came in the second and third periods when penalties slowed the flow of play for the North Stars and when the Canucks showed why they won the championship last spring.</p><p>The North Stars went into the season after an exhibition record of 1-3-3 that possibly did not indicate Harris&rsquo; accomplishment of reuniting and conditioning the team. Perhaps the opener did.</p><p>&ldquo;We have the size and the enthusiasm,&rdquo; Harris said. &ldquo;The one thing we may be lacking is self-discipline on the ice and we hope to achieve that as the season goes along.&rdquo;</p><p>Along the way, they must get the breaks to go their way. Or at least make sure the defective sticks are left for kindling.</p><p><b>NORTH STAR NOTES:</b>The final roster cut for the opening game saw the club ship right wing Don Martineau, defenseman Dwight Bialow as and rookie center Tim Young to New Haven of the American League&hellip;The move left the North Stars with three rookies: No. 3 amateur choice Paul Harrison, a goalie, and New Haven graduates Dave Cressman at center and Jerry Engele on defense&hellip;Johnny Rogers, a 1973 amateur draft pick, was given his unconditional release&hellip;Bill Goldsworthy led exhibition scoring with four goals and four assists for seven games&hellip;Harris plans to start out with three goalies, each taking a turn of watching from the press box&hellip;With one extra skater, the new coach also plans to have a different man upstairs for each game&hellip;&rsquo;&rsquo;Everybody is going to play,&rsquo;&rsquo; Harris proclaimed&hellip;Vancouver&rsquo;s opening night victory ended a long jinx at the Met Center&mdash;seven losses and two ties to the North Stars in Minnesota since January 1972.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02459/3333950-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="565" height="586"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CESARE MANIAGO&hellip;It Was An Injustice</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-01

North Stars Spoil Coaching Bow For Harris

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPEUAN</div><p>DETROIT&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Detroit Red Wings approached last June&rsquo;s amateur draft with a good deal of apprehension. It was a make or break draft for the Wings, and the club prepared a list of priorities and stuck to it.</p><p>When it was over, general manager Alex Delvecchio said, &ldquo;We got the guys we wanted, I just hope we wanted the right guys.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>The player the Wings wanted most, the No. 1 guy on their list of all the available amateurs, was defenseman Rick Lapointe and Detroit made the rugged 6&rsquo;2&rdquo;, 195-pounder its first round choice, fifth overall.</p><p>There is very little doubt that in Lapointe, the Wings wanted the right guy.</p><p>The 20-year-old defenseman has stepped right into the National Hockey League and is playing with the poise and confidence of a seasoned veteran. There are already murmurs about Lapointe&rsquo;s chances for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.</p><p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the thing I like best about Rick Lapointe, eh?&rdquo; said Red Wing coach Doug Barkley, repeating the question.</p><p>&ldquo;Heck, where do I start? I like everything about the kid. He&rsquo;s got it all. He&rsquo;s really a blessing for us. But that&rsquo;s what we drafted him for. We knew he could step right into the big leagues and play.</p><p>&ldquo;Rick deserves a lot of credit. He&rsquo;s big and strong and he&rsquo;s not afraid to use his body. He&rsquo;s smart with the puck. He does something most young defensemen don&rsquo;t. He has perception-he takes a look. He doesn&rsquo;t choke. These are things you can&rsquo;t teach, they must come natural. The rest we can teach him.&rdquo;</p><p>The most impressive thing about Lapointe is his attitude. He&rsquo;s cool and calm and never gets upset.</p><p>&ldquo;Nervous? No, I don&rsquo;t get nervous,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the type. Besides it doesn&rsquo;t do any good anyway. I&rsquo;m not really surprised by the NHL, eXcept that all the players are bigger and faster.&rdquo;</p><p>Lapointe is getting a quick baptism in the NHL. He played 40 minutes in Detroit&rsquo;s opener and regularly plays on Detroit&rsquo;s power play and shorthanded units.</p><p>&ldquo;I like a lot of ice time, it makes you feel more a part of the game. You get more involved,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Lapointe&rsquo;s approach to the bough stuff, is, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t go looking for it, but I won&rsquo;t hide either.&rdquo; In hockey lingo, that means he&rsquo;s ready to go whenever he&rsquo;s challenged. He had one bout in the exhibition season that started when &ldquo;the other guy came up from behind me after the play was dead.&rdquo;</p><p>How did Lapointe do?</p><p>&ldquo;Well, the other guy didn&rsquo;t play the next night,&rdquo; he answered.</p><p><b>MOTOR CITY SHORTS:</b> The Wings led the NHL in penalties in the early going and also had the best percentage for killing them off with veterans. Bryan Hextall, Dan Maloney, Walt McKechnie, Nick Libett, Phil Roberto, Danny Grant and Bill Hogaboam sharing the short-handed duties. McKechnie has been a standout and earned the praise of Barkley&hellip;First-year pro defenseman Al Cameron was assigned to Kalamazoo of the International Hockey League to gain experience&hellip;Peter McDuffe gave the club a big lift with a solid performance in a 4-4 tie in Chicago. The Wings are looking for a reliable backup goalie to give No. 1 man Jim Rutherford an occasional breather.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01544/3333988-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="566" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETER McDUFFE</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0019-01

Red Wings Convinced Drafted Right Man in Rookie Lapointe

<div class="byline">BY HARRY KLAFF</div><p>LONG ISLAND&mdash;</p><p>Although he generally declines to talk about it, this past summer had to be one of serious contemplation for Islander netminder Bill Smith. Although he concluded his best season ever with a 2.78 goals-against average, he was shaky in spots toward the end of the schedule, and had only one exceptional game in the playoffs&mdash;the clincher against the Rangers.</p><p>Despite Smith&rsquo;s problems and the emergence of Glenn Resch as a top prospect, coach Al Arbour insisted that the two were equal, and would share the goaltending chores this season. Still, everyone in training camp wondered how long it would before Smitty regained his magic.</p><p>As it turned out, they didn&rsquo;t have to wait very long. Smith reported to camp in fine shape after spending part of the vacation at the Islanders Youth Hockey School at the Racquet &lsquo;n Rink in Farmingdale. His workouts were sharp, and played exceptionally well during the exhibition schedule.</p><p>He was especially sharp in the Isles&rsquo; final tune-up, a 2-1 loss to the Rangers at the Coliseum. &ldquo;Smitty played a fine, fine game,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Arbour. &ldquo;He kept us in the game in the first period when he stopped a couple of point-blank shots. But this is the way he&rsquo;s played all through camp.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s got his confidence back.&rdquo; said partner Resch. &ldquo;About 85 percent of a goaltender&rsquo;s game is based on confidence. When you&rsquo;re playing well, you&rsquo;re sure that you can stop everything thrown at you. That&rsquo;s how you have to play in this league.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m doing anything different this year that I didn&rsquo;t do last year,&rdquo; said Smith. &ldquo;My reflexes are just as sharp, and if anything, I&rsquo;ve benefitted from another season&rsquo;s experience.&rdquo;</p><p>Although he&rsquo;s starting his fourth season with the Islanders, Smith is still only 24. Most NHL goaltenders don&rsquo;t mature until at least age 27.</p><p>Had it not been for Smith in the nets, the Islanders&rsquo; opening night 1-1 tie at Kansas City could have been a disastrous defeat. With the offense unable to solve the revamped Scout defensive pattern and goaltender Denis Herron, the pressure was on Smith to keep the Isles in the game, especially in the first period when the Scouts had a two-man advantage.</p><p>&ldquo;They were swarming all over the place in the first ten minutes,&rdquo; said Smith. &ldquo;If they were able to keep it up, it would have been all over.&rdquo;</p><p>Meanwhile, the Islanders brought their roster down to 20, one over the limit, the day before the season started by sending center Bob Bourne and defenseman Pat Price to the Fort Worth Texans of the Central League.</p><p>The demotion of Price, in particular, was somewhat of a shock. The 19-year-old rearguard was a million-dollar bonus baby with Vancouver of the WHA last season, and would have almost certainly been the number one underage draft selection by the NHL had he not already jumped.</p><p>The Islanders are paying him a reported $60,000 a year. And that&rsquo;s a lot of bread for a kid who isn&rsquo;t opening the season with the varsity.</p><p>However general manager Bill Torrey softened Price&rsquo;s demotion by emphasizing that &ldquo;there is no question of Pat&rsquo;s playing ability. We are not unhappy with the way he has developed during training camp. It is only unfortunate that he is trying to crack one of the better defenses in the NHL. We&rsquo;re sending him to Fort Worth to work on some specific parts of his game, and to give him the most important thing, playing time.&rdquo;</p><p>In one respect, it is somewhat surprising that the Isles went after him in the first place. In terms of style, an offensive-minded defenseman like Price would find it difficult to fit into the Islanders current system of positional defense. He would have adapted better to a team with a more wide-open style of play.</p><p>With respect to Bourne, who impressed many observers with his speed last season, Torrey indicated that the center missed much of training camp with a virus, and he could use the extra playing time with the Texans.</p><p>Both Price and Bourne can be recalled after 7 days.</p><p><b>ISLAND SOUNDS:</b> After slumping in the second half of last season, Billy Harris is off with a bang this year. The swift right winger notched three goals and three assists during the pre-season schedule, and scored the Isle&rsquo;s only goal against Kansas City.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01390/3334019-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="569" height="599"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BILLY SMITH&hellip;New Outlook</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-01

Islanders’ Coaler Regains Confidence

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01237/3334057-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div><p>TORONTO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>on Ellis spent 11 seasons on the right wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a player of such quiet efficiency that he never stood out. He scored 276 goals and played the position with two-way, textbook excellence that few of his peers could equal. His easy skating style never made hockey to appear as work for him.</p><p>In short: Ellis was an honest toiler, one. of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s most respected players and gentlemen. That&rsquo;s why those who knew him had no doubts that Ellis told it as it was when he announced his retirement from hockey at 30 just before the opening of the season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02174/3334050-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="283" height="431"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ron Ellis</b></figcaption></div><p>Ellis retired simply because he didn&rsquo;t want to play hockey for a living any longer. No mysteries, no hidden motivations for the decision. The game offered him no pleasure and it disrupted his family life. He had four years remaining on his contract, a deal which would have paid him approximately $450,000. Many would have gritted their teeth and stuck it out&mdash;strictly for the bread. But not Ellis.</p><p>&ldquo;It is not a snap decision to retire but I&rsquo;ve been thinking about it for quite some time, through many sleepless nights,&rdquo; Ellis said.</p><p>&ldquo;In fact, I came close to retirement part-way through last season but stuck it out and had what I considered was a good year (32 goals).</p><p>&ldquo;I thought about it a great deal during the off-season and had pretty well decided to get out of the game. But I worked out all summer and went to camp in top condition to make certain I was making the right decision.</p><p>&ldquo;The desire to play the game just wasn&rsquo;t there and I don&rsquo;t want to play any longer. It&rsquo;s the right time to make the move, rather than a month after the season starts. It gives the team a chance to replace me.&rdquo;</p><p>Ellis added that he had never planned a long career in the game and certainly didn&rsquo;t leave as a hockey-hater. He listed several highs to his career&mdash;the Leafs&rsquo; 1967 Stanley Cup victory and being selected to Team Canada 1972 and playing in all eight games against the National Team of the Soviet Union.</p><p>&ldquo;Hockey never has been the end-all in my life,&rdquo; Ellis said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just time to make a change. I know people are going to wonder about me leaving what many consider to be a glamorous existence with a high salary. But the desire to play just wasn&rsquo;t there any more.</p><p>&ldquo;I have the type of personality that hasn&rsquo;t allowed me to separate the game and my home life. I&rsquo;d bring the game home with me and kick it around. At times that hasn&rsquo;t been fair to my family.&rdquo;</p><p>The Leafs were shocked by Ellis&rsquo; move. They had counted on him as a mainstay of a young team. He was one of only three players on the Leaf roster who had reached their 30th birthdays. Ellis was to work with center Darryl Sittler and Tiger Williams on the team&rsquo;s No. 1 forward line.</p><p>While the team&rsquo;s management respected his decision, they did feel that Ellis caught them a bit short with his sudden decision.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known Ron for 16 years from the time he was with Marlboros juniors and I was coaching the team,&rdquo; said general manager Jim Gregory. &ldquo;I know he&rsquo;d thought of retiring a couple of times but we managed to get him to stay.</p><p>&ldquo;This time, it was completely unexpected because he seemed happy during our training camp. We offered to give him some time to think it over but Ron had made the decision. He&rsquo;s a thinking man and it&rsquo;s not a choice he made lightly.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s really no way we can replace a player of his calibre.&rdquo;</p><p>The Leaf players expressed admiration for Ellis in making the decision at a time when his career and his earning power were at their peak.</p><p>&ldquo;We have nothing but respect for Ron because he&rsquo;s such a dedicated player and hard worker,&rdquo; said team captain Sittler. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a decision that he made with great deliberation and it took much courage.&rdquo;</p><p>Ellis summed it up best when he said: &ldquo;There are simply no external factors involved in my decision to retire, no beefs that I had against anyone because I don&rsquo;t have any, especially against the Leafs who treated me well. It is completely my own choice.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-01

Ellis Quit After Losing Desire To Play

<h2><b>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 21)</b></h2><h2><b>PATRICK DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2110/3334322-1-eng-US/f0022-212.jpg" title="f0022-21" width="582" height="126"></div><h2><b>SMYTHE DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-228/3334315-1-eng-US/f0022-222.jpg" title="f0022-22" width="578" height="154"></div><h2><b>NORRIS DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-238/3334308-1-eng-US/f0022-232.jpg" title="f0022-23" width="578" height="156"></div><h2><b>ADAMS DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-247/3334301-1-eng-US/f0022-242.jpg" title="f0022-24" width="574" height="128"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p><b>Tue. Oct. 14</b></p><p>Montreal 3 at N.Y. Islanders 5; Washington 2 at Vancouver 7; Kansas City 1 at St. Louis 5.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>At lanta at N.Y. Rangers 3; Washington 3 at Los Angeles 4; Pittsburgh 8 at Toronto 4; Detroit at Chicago 4, California 1 of Minnesota 4.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>St. Louis 2 at Philadelphia 3; Boston 2 at Detroit 2; Chicago 1 at Buffalo 7.</p><p><b>Fri Oct. 17</b></p><p>N.Y. Islanders 2 at Atlanta0; Washington 3 at Californio 3; Los Angeles 5 at Vancouver 3.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct 18</b></p><p>N.Y. Rangers 1 at Toronto 4; Boston 5 at N.Y. Islanders 2; Philadelphia 2 at Montreal 2; Atlanta 5 at Kansas City 3;</p><p>Detroit 1 at Pittsburgh 6; California 3 at Los Angeles 5; Chieago 3 at Minnesota 1;Buffalo 5 at St. Louis 3.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Vancouver I at N.Y. Rangers 8; Detroit 1 at Philadelphia 5; Washington 4 at Buffalo 5; Minnesota 2 at Chicago 3; Toronto 0 at Boston 3.</p><h2>GAMES TO COME</h2><p><b>Tue. Oct. 21</b></p><p>Vancouver at N.Y. Islanders, Montreal at Pittsburgh; Los Angeles at St Louis</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 22</b></p><p>N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo, St. louis at Atlanta, Montreal at Detroit, Kansas City at Washington, Los Angeles at Chicago.</p><p>Vancouver at Tornoto; Minnesota at California.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct 23</b></p><p>Philadelphia at N.Y Islanders. Kansas Crfy at Boston</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>Los Angeles at Atlanta Toronto to Washington. Minnesota at Vancouver</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>N.Y Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, Philadelphia at Pittsburgh. Atlanta at St Louis, Boston at Montreal. Buffalo at Detroit, Chicago at Kansas City, California at Toronto.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, Washington at Chicago,</p><p>Detroit at Boston, Minnesota at Los Angeles; Californio at Buffalo.</p><p><b>Mon. Oct. 27</b></p><p>N.Y. Islanders at Montreal.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 28</b></p><p>At lanta at Vancouver, Washington at Los Angeles.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 29</b></p><p>St. Louis at N.Y. Rangers, Montreal at Chicago; California at Detroit, KansasCity at Minnesota, Buffalo at Toronto.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 30</b></p><p>Toronto at Philadelphia, Washington at Kansas City,</p><p>Pittsburgh at Los Angeles; Vancouver at Buffalo, St. Louis at Boston.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>At lanta at Californio<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-21

LOOKING AT THE NHL SCOREBOARD

<p><b>C-Captain</b></p><p>*<b>&mdash;Rookie</b></p><h2>ATLANTA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Don Bouchard</p><p>Phi Myre</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Pat Quinn C</p><p>Barry Gibb</p><p>Larry Carrier</p><p>Ed Kea</p><p>Randy Manery</p><p>Richard Mulhern</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Curt Bennett</p><p>Rey Comeau</p><p>Bob Loiter</p><p>Tom Lysiak</p><p>Gerry Meehan</p><p>Claude St, Sauvour</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Hiliard Graves</p><p>Buster Harvey</p><p>BillRett</p><p>Tim Ecclestone</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Larry Romanchych</p><p>Dave Kryskow</p><p>Hugh Harvey</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Eric Vail</p><h2>CALIFORNIA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gilles Meloche</p><p>Gary Simmons</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Lon Frig</p><p>Jim Neilson</p><p>Rick Hampton</p><p>Miko Christie</p><p>Bob Stewart</p><p>George Pesut</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Dave Gardner</p><p>Larry Patey</p><p>Ralph Klassen</p><p>Dennis Maruk</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Butch Williams</p><p>Gary Sabourin</p><p>Wayne King</p><p>Bob Murdoch</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Dave Hrechkosy</p><p>Al Mac Adam</p><p>Charlie Simmer</p><p>Gory Holt</p><p>Bob Girard</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gillos Gilbert</p><p>Dave Reece</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Gary Dock</p><p>Darryl Edostrand</p><p>Sims</p><p>Dallas Smith</p><p>Carol Vadnais</p><p>Ray Maluta</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Phil Esposito</p><p>Andre Savard</p><p>Gregg Sheppard</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Hank Nowak</p><p>Bobby Schmautz</p><p>Ken Hodge</p><p>Terry O&rsquo;Reilly</p><p>Earl Anderson</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>John Bucyk C</p><p>Dave Forbes</p><p>Wayne Cashman</p><p>Barry Smith</p><p>Doug Halward</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Bobby Orr</p><p>Don Marcotte</p><h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Tony Esposito</p><p>Michel Dumas</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Doug Jarrett</p><p>Keith Magnuson</p><p>Dick Redmond</p><p>Phil Russell</p><p>Dale Tallon</p><p>White</p><p>Bob Murray</p><p>BOSTON</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Stan Mikita</p><p>Ivan Boldirev</p><p>Bobby Shoehan</p><p>R.WING</p><p>CliffKoroll</p><p>Grant Mulvey</p><p>P.Bordeleau-</p><p>Martin</p><p>Alain Daigle</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Dennis Hull</p><p>Darcy Rota</p><p>John Marks</p><p>Joey Johnston</p><p>Germain Gagnon</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gary Bromley</p><p>Roger Crozier</p><p>Gerry Desjardins</p><p>Robert Sauve</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Jim Schoenfeld C</p><p>Jerry Korab</p><p>LoeFogolin</p><p>J. Guevremont</p><p>BillHajt</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Don Luce</p><p>GilPerreault</p><p>Peter McNab</p><p>Fred Stanfield</p><p>Jim Lorentz</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Danny Garo</p><p>Rone Robert</p><p>Gary McAdam</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Richard Martin</p><p>Brian Spencer</p><p>Craig Ramsay</p><p>Jacques Richard</p><p>Morris Titanic</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Jim Rutherford</p><p>Peter McDuffe</p><p>Torry Richardson</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Jean Hamel</p><p>Larry Giroux</p><p>Rick Lapointe</p><p>Frank Bathe</p><p>Miko Korney</p><p>Bryan Watson</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Bill Hogoboa m</p><p>Phil Roberto</p><p>Bryan Hextall</p><p>Walt McKechnie</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Michel Bergeron</p><p>Mickey Redmond</p><p>Bill Lochoad</p><p>Brian McCutcheon</p><p>Mike Wong</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Danny Grant C</p><p>Nick Libett</p><p>Dan Maloney</p><p>Miko Bloom</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>KANSAS CITY</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Denis Herren</p><p>Bill McKenzie</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Claude Houde</p><p>Jean-Guy Lagace</p><p>Larry Johnston</p><p>Gary Bergman</p><p>Roger Lemelin</p><p>Terry McDonald</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Guy Charron</p><p>Eddie Gilbert</p><p>Dave Hudson</p><p>Richard Lemieux</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Simon Nelot C</p><p>Wilf Paiement</p><p>Randy Rota</p><p>Gary Coalter</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Gary Croteau</p><p>Craig Patrick</p><p>Norm Dube</p><p>Don Cairns</p><p>Robin Burns</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Denis Dupero</p><h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Ken Dryden</p><p>Ed Walsh</p><h3>DEFNSE</h3><p>Don Awrey</p><p>Guy Lapointe</p><p>Serge Savard</p><p>Larry Robinson</p><p>Pierro Bouchard</p><p>John Van Boxmeer</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Jacques Lemaire</p><p>Pete Mahovlich</p><p>Doug Risobrough</p><p>Doug Jarvis z</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Yvan Cournoyor C</p><p>Guy Lafleur</p><p>Mario Tremblay</p><p>Jim Roberts</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Yvon Lambert</p><p>Steve Shutt</p><p>Bob Gainey</p><p>Murray Wilson</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Michel Larocque</p><h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Rogio Vachon</p><p>Gary Edwards</p><h3>DENFENSE</h3><p>Bob Murdoch</p><p>S. Kannogiessor</p><p>Neil Komadoski</p><p>Dave Hutchison</p><p>Bart Crashloy</p><p>Larry Brown</p><p>Gary Sargent</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Marcel Dionne</p><p>Gene Carr</p><p>Vic Vonasky</p><p>Whitey Widing</p><p>Butch Goring</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Mike Murphy C</p><p>Miko Corrigan</p><p>Bob Nevin</p><p>Frank St. Marseille</p><p>Don Kozak</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Bob Berry</p><p>Tom Williams</p><p>Dennis Abgroll</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>ISLANDERS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Glonn Resch</p><p>Billy Smith</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Gerry Hart</p><p>Bert Marshall</p><p>Denis Potvin</p><p>Joan Potvin</p><p>Dave Lewis</p><p>Dave Fortier</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Eddie Westfall C</p><p>Lorne Henning</p><p>Ralph Stewart</p><p>Bryan Trottier</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Judo Drouin</p><p>Billy Harris</p><p>Bob Nystrom</p><p>Andre St. Laurent</p><p>Garry Howatt</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Clark Gillies</p><p>J.P. Parise</p><p>Billy MacMillan</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Cesare Maniago</p><p>Peter LoPresti</p><p>Paul Harrison</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Tom Reid</p><p>Dennis O&rsquo;Brien</p><p>Doug Hicks</p><p>Fred Barrett</p><p>Dwight Bialowas</p><p>Bill Mager</p><p>Jerry Engele</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Dennis Hextall</p><p>Tim Young</p><p>Blake Dunlop</p><p>Dave Cressman</p><p>Doug Rombough</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Bill Goldsworthy C</p><p>Dean Talafous</p><p>Craig Cameron</p><p>Don Martineau</p><p>Lou Nanno</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>John Flesch</p><p>Ernie Hicke</p><p>Glen Sather</p><p>Norm Gratton</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>RANGERS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Ed Giacomin</p><p>Gilles Villemure</p><p>John Davidson</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Brad ParkC</p><p>Gil Marotte</p><p>Ron Greschner</p><p>Larry Socharuk</p><p>John Bednarski</p><p>Nick Beverley</p><p>Ron Harris</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Joan Ratelle</p><p>Wayne Dillon</p><p>Walt Tkaczuk</p><p>Peter Stemkowski</p><p>Derek Sanderson</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Rod Gilbert</p><p>Bill Fairbairn</p><p>Bill Collins</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Stove Vickers</p><p>Gpg Polis</p><p>Pat Hickey</p><p>Jerry Holland</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Wayne Stephenson</p><p>Jerome Mrazek</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Tom Biodon</p><p>Andro Dupont</p><p>Larry Good enough</p><p>Ed Van Impe</p><p>Jim Watson</p><p>Jee Watson</p><p>Jock Mcllhargey</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Bobby Oarke C</p><p>Rick MacLeish</p><p>Torry Crisp</p><p>Orest Kindrachuk</p><p>MelBridgman</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Gary Dorn hoofer</p><p>Rog Loach</p><p>Don Soloski</p><p>Bob Sirois</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Bid Barber</p><p>Dave Schultz</p><p>Bab Kelly</p><p>Ross Lansberry</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Bernie Parent</p><h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Wayne Thomas</p><p>Gordon McRae</p><p>Doug Favoll</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Borje Salming.</p><p>Rod Seiling</p><p>Jim McKenny</p><p>Ian Turnbull</p><p>Brian Glennie</p><p>Dave Dunn</p><p>Ooire Alexander</p><p>Bob Neely</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Darryl SittlorC</p><p>George Ferguson</p><p>Stan Weir</p><p>Don Ashby</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Blaine</p><p>Lanny McDonald</p><p>Inge Hammantron</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Dave Williams</p><p>Errol Thompson</p><p>Pot Boutette</p><p>Grog Hubick</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gary Innes</p><p>Michel Plasse</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Dave Burrows</p><p>Colin Campbell</p><p>Stove Durbano</p><p>Ron Stackhouse</p><p>Barry Wilkins</p><p>Bob Paradise</p><p>Harvey Bennett</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ron Schock C</p><p>SriApp.</p><p>Pierre La roue he</p><p>Bob Me Maname</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Chuck Amason</p><p>Rick Kehoe</p><p>Jean Pronovost</p><p>Low Morrison</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Vic Hadfield</p><p>Lowell MacDonald</p><p>Bob Kelly</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Nono</p><h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gary Smith</p><p>Kon Lockett</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Bob Dailey</p><p>John Grisdale</p><p>Tracy Pratt</p><p>Ab DeMarco</p><p>Mike Robitaille</p><p>Dennis Kearns</p><p>Harold Snepsts</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Andro Boudrias C</p><p>Don Lover</p><p>Chris Oddleifson</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>John Gould</p><p>Paulin Bordeleau</p><p>Gerry O&rsquo;Haherty</p><p>Dennis Ververgoe</p><p>Rick Blight</p><p>Leon Rochefort</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Bobby Lalonde</p><p>Grogg Baddy</p><p>Ron Sedlbauer</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Garry Monahan</p><h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gilles Gratton</p><p>Yves Belanger</p><p>Eddie Johnston</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Barclay Mager C</p><p>Bob Plogor</p><p>Bob Hess</p><p>Bob Gossoff</p><p>Rick Wilson</p><p>Bruce Affleck</p><p>Jamie Masters</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Garry Unger</p><p>Chuck Loney</p><p>Wayne Merrick</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Pierro Monte</p><p>ClaudeLarose</p><p>Bob MacMillan</p><p>Rick Bourbonn</p><p>Brian Ogilvie</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Royd Thomson</p><p>Tod Irvine</p><p>Rod Berenson</p><p>Bert Wilson</p><p>Bruce Cowkk</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Jerry Butler</p><h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Michel Belhumeur</p><p>Ron Low</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Yvon Labre</p><p>Greg Joly</p><p>Jock Lynch</p><p>Don McLean</p><p>Willie Brassart</p><p>Peto Scomurra</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>BillClement C</p><p>Tommy Williams</p><p>Ron Lalonde</p><p>Nelson Pyatt</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Stan Gilbertson</p><p>Blair Stewart</p><p>Bob Gryp</p><p>Jock Egon</p><p>Hartland Monahan</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Mike Manon</p><p>Aco Bailey</p><p>Tony White</p><p>Paul Nicholson</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Ron Andenon<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NHL LEADERS Rosters

<div class="byline">BY JIM KERNAGHAN</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p><b>Made in Canada by</b></p><p><b>HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD.</b></p><p><b>Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario</b></p><p><b>Sold in U. S. and Canada</b></p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p><b>Made in Canada by</b></p><p><b>HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD.</b></p><p><b>Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario</b></p><p><b>Sold in U. S. and Canada</b></p><p>WINNIPEG&mdash;</p><p>Early form in sports has proven deceiving to the pundits since men became involved in fun and games, but of all teams in the World Hockey Association this season, the Winnipeg Jets are most likely to show the greatest improvement.</p><p>While this city&rsquo;s love affair with its favourite Swedes continues unabated, hockey teams around the league are grudgingly becoming believers in the Nordic style. Even Canadian Division defending champion Quebec Nordiques are impressed.</p><p>&ldquo;The Winnipeg Jets are the team to beat in the Canadian Division, no doubt in my mind now about that,&rdquo; said Jean-Guy Gendron, Nordiques&rsquo; coach.</p><p>Gendron knows whereof he speaks. The Jets stormed into Quebec like some form of Scandinavian tornado and literally blasted the Nordiques off their own ice.</p><p>Moreover, they did it with Quebec&rsquo;s game&mdash;speed.</p><p>&ldquo;As I see it, it&rsquo;s going to be between the Jets and us for this division,&rdquo; said Gendron. &ldquo;You have to contain that Hull line and those guys can skate all night and day.&rdquo;</p><p>Observers know, of course, what Bobby Hull&rsquo;s linemates Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson can do. Hull himself aptly decribes their attack as like &ldquo;a can of worms, all over the place.&rdquo;</p><p>Fast worms. Together, they accumulated 362 scoring points on. 156 goals and 206 assists. Of five 50-goal scorers last season, Jets had two in Hull and Hedberg, Hull hitting his record 77 in 78 games and Hedberg striking with 53 in 65 games.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t forget Nilsson. He scored 26 goals but, coupled with his massive 94 assists, he pulled down fourth spot among scorers at season&rsquo;s end.</p><p>There now are a full seven Swedish-born players with the Jets, with newcomers Willie Lindstrom and Mats Lindh this year joining Hedberg, Nilsson, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Thommie Bergman and Curt Larsson.</p><p>Hull, for one, wouldn&rsquo;t mind seeing more. When Toronto Maple Leafs president Harold Ballard began knocking his Swedish winger, Inge Hammarstrom, for not playing robustly enough, the Golden Jet issued an invitation.</p><p>&ldquo;If Mr. Ballard doesn&rsquo;t like&rsquo; Swedes anymore, we&rsquo;ll take that Borje Salming, too,&rdquo; said Hull.</p><p>Most of the Nordiques, a team noted for its speed, figure there&rsquo;ll be some barn-burners in store during their games with the Jets this season.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re both skating teams,&rdquo; explained Rejean Houle, the fleet winger. &ldquo;Jets were good anyway but now with those two new Swedes, they&rsquo;re better. They&rsquo;re going to be hard to beat. I see it as between us and the Jets for this division.</p><p>&ldquo;Still, you can&rsquo;t tell about Toronto I know Bobby Baun. I think he&rsquo;ll get them going more defensively, with the defensemen standing up and the wingers coming back. They&rsquo;ll play the way he wants.&rdquo; &ldquo;Winnipeg nearly blew us off the ice,&rdquo; related Gordie Gallant, one of Quebec&rsquo;s new policemen. &ldquo;You have real trouble catching a piece of anybody. They&rsquo;re gonna be tough to beat.&rdquo;</p><p>Quebec is just going to be tough, period. Gallant scored a decision over Toronto&rsquo;s Mike Amodeo in their first meeting and nobody with the Nordiques was reluctant to join the fray when rookie defenseman Jerry Rollins of the Toros left his bench, a move which precipitated a bench-clearing session in the final period of their game in Quebec.</p><p>Rollins engaged large Allan Globensky in what was a standoff clutching match, a confrontation which may have been a preview to future battles between the pair.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01243/3334408-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="562" height="1152"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOBBY HULL&hellip;Likes Swedes</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-01

Division Rivals Like Speed Of Jets Pick Winnipeg As Team To Beat

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02182/3334453-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"></div><h2><b>CANADIAN DIVISION</b></h2><h2><b>EAST DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03128/3334446-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="1124" height="201"></div><h2><b>WEST DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0499/3334439-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="1118" height="243"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-02

How Division Races Will Finish In WHA

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div><p>SAN DIEGO&mdash;</p><p>There&rsquo;s no way that the San Diego Mariners can start this season the way they finished the last.</p><p>If they did, they&rsquo;d win about 72 of the 80 games with a couple of ties thrown in.</p><p>The Mariners, picked by many to finish in the spot most familiar to them when they were wearing the names Raiders, Golden Blades,</p><p>Knights, last, surprised everyone and set sail in the final weeks of the schedule.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01195/3334498-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="287" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rick Sentes</b></figcaption></div><p>They won nine, tied one and lost one to finish second in the Western Division to the mighty Houston Aeros.</p><p>Coach and general manager Ron Ingram isn&rsquo;t expecting any such success, but he does think his 1975-76 version of the Mariners is improved. Improved enough to take it all.</p><p>The Mariners were tough in preseason with only an overtime goal marring an undefeated record in their three exhibition games.</p><p>&ldquo;I certainly think we&rsquo;re improved on defense,&rdquo; said Ingram. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve added Brent Hughes from the Kansas City Scouts of the National League and Mike McMahon.</p><p>&ldquo;McMahon was an All Star three years ago and last year had an off year, which is why we were able to get him.&rdquo;</p><p>The Mariners turnaround was most evident in the final weeks of the schedule but Ingram said it started at Christmas.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the whole thing was when we got Ernie Wakely from Winnipeg,&rdquo; said Ingram. &ldquo;He turned it around for us. Our goaltending had been a little suspect, but Ernie is a major league goaltender, most definitely so.&rdquo;</p><p>Wakely came on to finish third in the league among goaltending averages.</p><p>The Mariners, warns Ingram, are also improved up front, the addition of Joe Noris at center giving them a third line.</p><p>Noris, born 24 years ago this month in Denver, Colo., had played with three NHL teams, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Buffalo and spent last season with Syracuse of the American League.</p><p>He&rsquo;s played defense and right wing, mostly, &ldquo;but his best spot is center ice,&rdquo; said Ingram, who adds, &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s a late bloomer and he&rsquo;s got a lot of talent. He showed me a lot at training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year,&rdquo; pointed out Ingram, &ldquo;we got by basically with two lines carrying the load for us, but this year lean throw three lines out there and be confident I&rsquo;m going to have some firepower on all three.</p><p>Kevin Devine, starting his second year of pro hockey, and Brian Morenz are Noris&rsquo; wings.</p><p>The two lines the Mariners had to go with last season were two of the most potent in the WHA.</p><p>Andre Lacroix, who does it all, centered the first and merely set records of 147 points and 106 assists while Wayne Rivers led all right wingers with 54 goals. Rick Sentes, on the other wing, kicked in 44 goals, but was dealt away in the off-season when he demanded to be paid like a 44-goal scorer.</p><p>Ingram is plain on that subject.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t consider Sentes a 44-goal scorer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I picked him up from Michigan last year before the draft so he wouldn&rsquo;t go in the draft and signed him.</p><p>&ldquo;He played very well once we got him on the Lacroix line but we had about three or four weeks in the early part of the season he didn&rsquo;t play very well at all. In 16 games he had only one point. Then we put him with Lacroix and he wound up with 44 goals. That should tell you something.&rdquo;</p><p>The other line, centered by Ray Adduono with Gene Peacosh on he left and captain Norm Fergu-on on the right, scored 222 points last season.</p><p>Another big point-getter is All Star defenseman Kevin Morrison, who led all blueliners last season with 81 points.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02136/3334491-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="1216" height="836"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDRE LACROIX&hellip;Backbone Of The Mariners</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0399/3334484-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="564" height="596"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NORM ULLMAN</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-01

Ingram Sees San Diego Club Threat For Title

<p>(Including Sun. Oct. 1 9)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0475/3334529-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="634" height="968"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-04

WHA Leaders

<div class="byline">BY RICH PASSAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01202/3334567-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="564" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RANDY WYROZUB&hellip;Stuck It To Spurs</b></figcaption></div><p>CLEVELAND&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>ime had run out and defenseman John Hughes gleefully skated back, grabbed goaltender Serge Aubry and applied a large bearhug. The Cincinnati Stingers had done the impossible.</p><p>Playing before a Coliseum opening-night crowd of 12,248, the Stingers took it to the Cleveland Crusaders after a shaky first period and emerged with a scintillating 1-0 victory in what promised to be a very good intrastate rivalry.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02150/3334560-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="288" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Danny Gruen</b></figcaption></div><p>The Stingers, put together in the last two years by Cincinnati coach Terry Slater and making their World Hockey Association debut the evening of Oct. 11, looked like an expansion team in the first period.</p><p>The Crusaders came out blasting, ripping 24 shots at Aubry in the first 20 minutes. The little netminder, who is either very good or very bad, was very good on this night.</p><p>He did have a little help as Crusaders&rsquo; Danny Gruen and Richie Leduc missed easy shots at an empty net.</p><p>After the first period, the Crusaders were never in the game. The Stingers stuck it to the listless Clevelanders. They skated harder and made fewer mistakes, although they didn&rsquo;t necessarily play good hockey.</p><p>But they hustled and forced a multitude of Cleveland errors. Whenever there was a loose puck, a Stinger usually wound up with it. The Cleveland offense never really got untracked after that first-period onslaught.</p><p>The winning goal came off the stick of rookie left winger Claude Larose mid-way in the second period. Larose took a lead pass from defenseman Mike Pelyk and undressed rookie Cleveland defenseman Bryan Maxwell just inside the C&rsquo;s blueline.</p><p>After getting around Maxwell, Larose cut toward the middle, stumbled a but managed to beat Gerry Cheevers low and to his stick side.</p><p>While they didn&rsquo;t score, the line of Bryan Campbell, Rick Dudley and Gary Veneruzzo was easily the best on the ice. They logged at least 35 minutes of ice time, especially in the final period when the Stinger sat on their precious lead.</p><p>The Crusaders were not the same team they were in two exhibition victories. In those two games&mdash;5-3 triumphs over Quebec and Indianapolis&mdash;they hit and played pressure hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s my kind of game,&rdquo; says new Cleveland coach John Wilson. But the Cleveland skaters forgot how to play Wilson&rsquo;s style after the first period against the Stingers.</p><p>Everything that could go wrong did for the C&rsquo;s. They frittered away five power-play opportunities with some shoddy skating and passing. At one point, they had a two-man advantage for a minute and 45 seconds.</p><p>Due to ineptitude, they managed zero shots on goal and were nearly embarrassed when Dennis Sobchuk got loose on a breakaway.</p><p>The Stingers who have a fine blend of youth and experience, won&rsquo;t win a great many games this season, but they&rsquo;ll surprise a few clubs along the way.</p><p>The Crusaders can testify to that.</p><p><b>INDIANAPOLIS:</b> The Racers got off to the best start of their two-year existence by winning their first game in Denver against the new Spurs.</p><p>The Racers, who dropped both their exhibition games, stormed to a 7-1 victory over the Spurs with Ron Buchanan and Randy Wyro-zub scoring two goals apiece.</p><p>Buchanan nearly did not suit up. He contracted a case food of food poisoning and was doubtful until game time. Coach Gerry Moore allowed Bucky to suite up, but played him only on the power plays.</p><p>The injured list included defenseman Bill Prentice with a broken nose and center Jim Wiste with a hairline fracture of the ankle&hellip;</p><p><b>NEW ENGLAND:</b> Gordie Roberts, the young man from Detroit who signed with the Whalers although just 18, still hasn&rsquo;t suited up for the Harpoonists because the league hasn&rsquo;t ruled on whether he&rsquo;s eligible.</p><p>The club, of course, is hopeful the youngster will be able to play, especially since older brother Doug suffered a shoulder separation after being hit by Quebec&rsquo;s Serge Bernier in an exhibition&rsquo; game.</p><p>The Whalers won three of four exhibition outings, but were stymied by Houston, 5-0, in the season opener at Hartford.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

New Stingers Bow On Winning Note As 12,248 Clevelanders Numbed

<div class="byline">BY DON WALL</div><p>HELSINKI&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> dramatic increase in international hockey competition has been signaled at a meeting of Canadian, American, Finnish and Swedish hockey officials held in Helsinki in early October.</p><p>Officials of the newly formed Scandinavian American Hockey Association (SAHA) met with their Finnish and Swedish counterparts to formulate plans which will pave the way for intercontinental tours and tournaments at all levels of amateur and professional play.</p><p>SAHA Chairman Paul Lufkin, who is Yale University&rsquo;s hockey coach, stated that there are already 30 teams in North America waiting for scheduling and travel arrangements to be made in Scandinavia during this coming season. Most of these tours, he said, will take place during winter and spring holiday periods.</p><p>Lufkin said SAHA will function as a coordinating agency and will work closely with the CAHA and the AHAUS as well as the various pro leagues in arranging games and obtaining the various sanctions necessary.</p><p>Current applications include teams ranging from professional, college, senior and junior amateur, and youth hockey.</p><p>Both Finnish and Swedish officials explained at the conference that adequate ice time and competition is available and that accommodations could be made on very short notice.</p><p>Touring groups of coaches and managers from both sides of the ocean will be observing games in order to make sure that some sort of parity is possible.</p><p>Chairman Lufkin stressed that each North American team can play four or five games in an eight day tour. He said that adequate time should be left for sight-seeing and other cultural activities. This feature has been noted by observers as being especially important to teen-age teams.</p><p>The conference agenda also covered plans for reverse traffic. Experts expect that the volume of Scandinavian teams coming over to North America will be somewhat less during initial phases. Midget and junior teams from Finland have already planned to tour the U.S. and Canada during the 1975 Christmas holidays. From Sweden, the Mora team is scheduled to visit North America in early December and is currently contacting teams from the Junior A leagues as well as those in the International, American and Central leagues.</p><p>Observers at the meeting, from the ranks of amateur, collegiate and professional hockey, concurred that the top divisional Scandinavian teams, technically amateurs, could provide good competition to North American minor league teams as well as to top junior leagues.</p><p>As always, the feeling among the North American observers is that the superior speed and passing skill of the better Scandinavian teams will be offset by the heavy body action of a North American counterpart.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01185/3334598-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="566" height="900"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PAUL LUFKIN&hellip;Heads Committee</b></figcaption></div><p>At the pro level, Toronto Toros and Winnipeg Jets of the WHA both trained in Scandinavia this year. Neither found these top Swedish and Finnish teams easy pickings.</p><p>It was reported at the conference that several other NHL and WHA teams are currently investigating possibilities of training in Sweden and Finland next fall.</p><p>The SAHA group also voted to sponsor a rotating tournament, beginning in 1976, which will feature teams from Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland at all levels of amateur play, from pee wees through juniors.</p><p>Lufkin closed the meeting by stating that the plans put forward at this meeting would springboard the frequency and interest of international hockey at all levels into major significance in just a very short time.</p><p>North American SAHA directors attending the meeting were, in addition to Lufkin, Don Wall representing THE HOCKEY NEWS; Sven Ljunholm of Finnair, Herb Emanuelson, SAHAs, counsel, John Kivlehan of Dallas and Peter Mateja from Windsor, Ontario. Director Norm Ullman was forced to cancel from the trip when he signed with Edmonton.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

Hockey Men Predict Jump In International Ice Action

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1810/3334891-1-eng-US/f0028-182.jpg" title="f0028-18" width="259" height="242"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1910/3334884-1-eng-US/f0028-192.jpg" title="f0028-19" width="195" height="195"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-208/3334877-1-eng-US/f0028-202.jpg" title="f0028-20" width="241" height="245"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-218/3334870-1-eng-US/f0028-212.jpg" title="f0028-21" width="187" height="194"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-227/3334863-1-eng-US/f0028-222.jpg" title="f0028-22" width="251" height="122"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-237/3334856-1-eng-US/f0028-232.jpg" title="f0028-23" width="222" height="248"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-247/3334849-1-eng-US/f0028-242.jpg" title="f0028-24" width="237" height="215"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-257/3334842-1-eng-US/f0028-252.jpg" title="f0028-25" width="267" height="252"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-267/3334835-1-eng-US/f0028-262.jpg" title="f0028-26" width="216" height="163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-277/3334828-1-eng-US/f0028-272.jpg" title="f0028-27" width="204" height="200"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-287/3334821-1-eng-US/f0028-282.jpg" title="f0028-28" width="243" height="289"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-297/3334814-1-eng-US/f0028-292.jpg" title="f0028-29" width="198" height="205"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-307/3334807-1-eng-US/f0028-302.jpg" title="f0028-30" width="255" height="188"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-317/3334800-1-eng-US/f0028-312.jpg" title="f0028-31" width="199" height="223"></div><h2><b>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 21) CANADIAN DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-327/3334793-1-eng-US/f0028-322.jpg" title="f0028-32" width="577" height="153"></div><h2><b>EAST DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-337/3334786-1-eng-US/f0028-332.jpg" title="f0028-33" width="587" height="124"></div><h2><b>WEST DIVISION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-347/3334779-1-eng-US/f0028-342.jpg" title="f0028-34" width="582" height="148"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2><p><b>Tue. Oct. 14</b></p><p>Indianapolis 3 at Calgary 5; Houston 3 at Toronto 6; Edmonton 5 at Quebec 6.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>Edmonton 4 at New England 5; Cleveland 8 at Minnesota 4.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>Indionapolis Oct at San Diego 3; Winnipeg 7 at Denver 3.</p><p><b>Fri.Oct. 17</b></p><p>Cincinnati 6 at Calgary 2; Denver 5 at Phoenix 4; Edmonton 4 at Toronto 4.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 18</b></p><p>Toronto 1 at New England 3; Denver 6 at Indianapolis 4; Houston 2 at Quebec 3; Edmonton 3 atMinnesota 1; Winni&mdash;aipeg 1 atSan Diego 2.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Houston 6 at Cleveland 5; Cincinnati 2 at Edmonton 4; Winnipeg 5 at Phoenix 6.</p><h2>GAMES TO COME</h2><p><b>Tue. Oct. 21</b></p><p>New England at Quebec; Cincinnati at Winnipeg; Minnesota at Indianapolis.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct 22</b></p><p>Denver at Calgary.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 23</b></p><p>Edmonton at Cincinnati; Houston at Indianapolis; Minnesota at Son Diego.</p><p><b>Fri.Oct. 24</b></p><p>New England at Toronto, Phoenix at Calgary; Denver at Winnipeg.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>Edmonton at Cleveland; Houston at Cincinnati; Minnesota at San Diego, Toronto atQuebec.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Calgary at New England; Edmonton at Indianapolis Phoenix at Winnipeg.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 28</b></p><p>Phoenix at Edmonton; Quebec at Toronto</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 29</b></p><p>Quebec at New England; Calgary at Cleveland; Cincinnati at Minnesota.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 30</b></p><p>Cincinnati at Winnipeg; Calgary at Indianapolis; Phoenix at Denver, Houston at San Diego.</p><p><b>Fri.Oct. 31</b></p><p>New England at Edmonton; Quebec at Cleveland.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-18

WHA Scoreboard

<h2><b>Tue. Oct. 14 INDIANAPOLIS 3, CALGARY 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01174/3334748-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="597" height="521"></div><h2><b>HOUSTON 3. TORONTO 6</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02114/3334741-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="600" height="452"></div><h2><b>EDMONTON 5, QUEBEC 8</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0382/3334734-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="591" height="507"></div><h2><b>Wed.Oct. 15 EDMONTON 4, NEW ENGLAND 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0465/3334727-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="584" height="427"></div><h2><b>CLEVELAND 8, MINNESOTA 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0553/3334720-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="615" height="770"></div><h2><b>Thu. Oct. 16 INDIANAPOLIS 0, SAN DIEGO 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0644/3334713-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="595" height="407"></div><h2><b>WINNIPEG 7, DENVER 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0737/3334706-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="616" height="498"></div><h2><b>DENVER 5, PHOENIX 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0834/3334699-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="608" height="527"></div><h2><b>EDMONTON 4, TORONTO 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0931/3334692-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="597" height="508"></div><h2><b>CINCINNATI 6, CALGARY 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1030/3334685-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="644" height="498"></div><h2><b>Sat. Oct. 18 TORONTO 1, NEW ENGLAND 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1124/3334678-1-eng-US/f0028-112.jpg" title="f0028-11" width="584" height="375"></div><h2><b>DENVER 6, INDIANAPOLIS4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1222/3334671-1-eng-US/f0028-122.jpg" title="f0028-12" width="581" height="505"></div><h2><b>HOUSTON 2, QUEBEC 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1318/3334664-1-eng-US/f0028-132.jpg" title="f0028-13" width="628" height="428"></div><h2><b>EDMONTON 3, MINNESOTA 1</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1412/3334657-1-eng-US/f0028-142.jpg" title="f0028-14" width="599" height="382"></div><h2><b>WINNIPEG 1, SAN DIEGO 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1512/3334650-1-eng-US/f0028-152.jpg" title="f0028-15" width="604" height="407"></div><h2><b>Sun. Oct. 19 HOUSTON 6, CLEVELAND 5</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1611/3334643-1-eng-US/f0028-162.jpg" title="f0028-16" width="612" height="583"></div><h2><b>CINCINNATI 2, EDMONTON 4</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02115/3334636-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="605" height="427"></div><h2><b>WINNIPEG 5, PHOENIX 6</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0375/3334629-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="605" height="556"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

World Hockey Association Summaries

<p>ST. PAUL&mdash;</p><p>The Minnesota Fighting Saints, after a 4-1 opening victory at Edmonton, spoiled the return of pro hockey to Calgary with a 2-0 shutout of the Cowboys, alias the Vancouver Blazers.</p><p>Mike Walton and Fran Huck gave Mike Curran the only goals he needed as he played solidly for the shutout.</p><p>The Saints opened with a 23-player roster after signing 22-year-old left wing Jean Tetreault and 24-year-old defenseman Francois Ouimet. General manager Glen Sonmor called the two &ldquo;the bright and exciting thing of our camp.&rdquo;</p><p>Sonmor and coach Harry Neale delayed cutting to the 19-player limit due to injuries and defenseman Gerry Odrowski being &ldquo;slow rounding into form.&rdquo; Jeff Carlson had an ankle injury and Jack Carlson and Henry Boucha back injuries. .</p><p>Seven of the current 23 players on the roster are newcomers. They are Tetreault and Ouimet, who played at Johnstown last season, Steve and Jeff Carlson, their Johnstown teammates, Odrowski, Boucha, Dave Keon and John McKenzie.</p><p>Rookie Paul Holmgren and highly-touted Bruce Boudreau were assigned to Johnstown of the North American Hockey League and Craig Sarner to the American League.</p><p><b>PHOENIX:</b> The Roadrunners spoiled the San Diego Mariners opening with a 6-5 victory in Phoenix and a 4-2 decision in San Diego but found the pace of three games in three nights, especially this early, plus Bobby Hull&rsquo;s Winnipeg Jets was too much. Joe Daley blanked the Roadrunners 4-0 as Hull scored his first two goals of the season, Ulf Nilsson notched his third and added two assists.</p><p>Pekka Rautakallio, the young (22) but cool Finnish defenseman, scored a goal and an assist in each of his first two games in pro hockey. His teammate from the Finnish Nationals, Lauri Mononen, had to wait to make his first WHA start. The 24-year-old right wing was still limping on an ankle injured in a pre-season game.</p><p>The Runners opened with just 12 players back from last year and only two players, over the age of 30&mdash;Ron Huston, 30, and Jack Norris, 33. The average age is 24.8.</p><p><b>HOUSTON:</b> Gordie Howe, as the new president of the Houston Aeros, signed goaltender Ron Grahame to a new long-term contract in the summer months and the two took up right where they, left off last spring.</p><p>Grahame, who led the WHA with a 3.03 goals-against average last season and won the Gordie Howe Trophy as the outstanding player in the Avco World Trophy playoffs with a 2.00 average in 13 games, stopped 27 shots for a 5-0 shutout over the New England Whalers in the WHA opener.</p><p>Howe, who retired last season for the second time but relented and is starting his 28th major league season at age 47, scored a goal and an assist in the victory.</p><p>The shutout was the first the Whalers have suffered since moving into their new Civic Center in Hartford, Conn., mid-way through last season.</p><p><b>DENVER:</b> &ldquo;I honestly feel we have a good chance for the playoffs even though it&rsquo;s our first year,&rdquo; said Denver Spurs&rsquo; general manager and coach Jean Guy Talbot.</p><p>The Spurs aren&rsquo;t exactly an expansion team, having 12 members of the Chicago Cougars, which Talbot says, &ldquo;helps some.&rdquo;</p><p>The Spurs were winless in four pre-season games and took their lumps in their season opener, a 7-1 whipping by the Indianapolis Racers right there in their spanking new McNichols Arena, a game which attracted only 5,016.</p><p>Francois Rochon scored the first goal, but from then on the Racers dominated.</p><p>Defenseman Larry Mavety and forward Brian Lavender were signed just before the opening while Talbot sent right wing Mal Zinger and Ron Delorme and goaltender Nick Sanza to the farm at Tucson and centers Greg Miazga and Ken Gassoff to Fort Wayne of the International League.</p><p>Gary MacGregor, the center who authored 44 goals for the Cougars in his rookie season, scored three times in two pre-season games to tie Mark Lomenda (1-3) for the scoring lead with four points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01143/3334922-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="556" height="636"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE CURRAN&hellip;Earns Shutout</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-01

Fighting Saints Spoil Cowboys’ Home Opener

<p><b>C&mdash;Captain</b></p><p><b>*&mdash;Rookie</b></p><h2><b>CALGARY</b></h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Don McLeod</p><p>Wayne Wood</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Duane Rupp</p><p>Rick Jodzio</p><p>Francois Lacombe</p><p>Wally Olds</p><p>Paul Terbenche</p><p>Chris Evons</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ron Chipperrield</p><p>Vic Mercredi</p><p>Peter Driscoll</p><p>Derek Haas</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Donny Lawson</p><p>Butch Deadmarsh</p><p>Hugh Harris</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Larry Israelson</p><p>George Morrison</p><p>Don Tannahill</p><p>Rick Sentes</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Mike Curran</p><p>John Garrett</p><p>Jack McCartan</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>John Arbour</p><p>Ron Busniuk</p><p>Pot Westrum</p><p>Rick Smith</p><p>BillButters</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ted Hampson</p><p>Fran Huck</p><p>Dave Keon</p><p>Steve Carlson</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Mike Walton</p><p>Wayne Connelly</p><p>Jeff Carlson</p><p>Jean Tetreault</p><p>John McKenzie</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Mike Antonovich</p><p>Curt Brackenbury</p><p>Francois Ouimet</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Gerry Odrowski</p><p>Jack Carlson</p><p>Henry Boucha</p><h2>CINCINNATI</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Serge Aubry</p><p>&lsquo;Norm Lapointe</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>John Hughes</p><p>Mike Pelyk</p><p>Ron Plumb</p><p>Dave Inkpen</p><p>Bruce Abbey</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Dennis Sobchuk</p><p>Bryan Campbell</p><p>Jacques Locas</p><p>Bernie MacNejl</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Steve Andrascik</p><p>Rick Dudley</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Gary Veneruzzo</p><p>Gene Sobchuk</p><p>Dale Smedsmo</p><p>Lorne Rombough</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>NEW ENGLAND</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>C. Abrahamsson</p><p>Paul Hoganson</p><p>Bruce Landon</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Rick Uy C.</p><p>T. Abrahamsson</p><p>Paul Hurley</p><p>Brad Seiwood</p><p>Alan Hangsleben</p><p>Gord Roberts</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Larry Pleau</p><p>GarySwain</p><p>Terry Caffrey</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Mike Byers</p><p>Tom Earl</p><p>Fred O&rsquo;Donnell</p><p>Toni Webster</p><p>Rosaire Paiement</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Ron Climie</p><p>Danny Arndt</p><p>Wayne Carleton</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>Doug Roberts</p><h2>CLEVELAND</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gerry Cheevers</p><p>Bob Whidden</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Terry Ball</p><p>PaulBaxter</p><p>Tom Edur</p><p>Bryan Maxwell</p><p>McKay</p><p>Paul Shmyr</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Jim Harrison</p><p>Rich Leduc</p><p>Stewart</p><p>Ward</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Terry Holbrook</p><p>McDonough</p><p>Russ Walker</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Danny Gruen</p><p>Moffat</p><p>Gerry Pinder</p><p>A. Stewart</p><p>Gary Jarrett</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>PHOENIX</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Gary Kurt</p><p>Jack Norris</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>AIMcUod</p><p>Niekamp</p><p>Serge Beaudoin</p><p>Jim Clarke</p><p>Garry Lariviere</p><p>Pekka Rautakallio</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>JimBoyd</p><p>Robbie Ftorek</p><p>Murray Keogan</p><h3>R.WING</h3><p>Dave Gorman</p><p>John Gray</p><p>Lauri Mononen</p><p>Barry Dean</p><h3>L.WING</h3><p>Pete McNamee</p><p>Cam Connor</p><p>Michel Cormier</p><p>John Migneault</p><p>Hall</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>DINVAR</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Bob Johnson</p><p>Cam Newton</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Larry Mavety</p><p>Bryon Baltimore</p><p>Darryl Maggs</p><p>Larry Bignell</p><p>Barry Ugge</p><p>Brian Gibbons</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ralph Backstrom</p><p>Gary MacGregor</p><p>Pete Mara</p><p>Ed Pizuhski</p><p>Brian Lavender</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Mark Lomenda</p><p>Gary Bredin</p><p>Frankie Rochon</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Bob Liddington</p><p>Rick Morris</p><p>Jan Popiel</p><p>J.P.Leblanc</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Richard Brodeur</p><p>Michal Deguise</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Dale Hoganson</p><p>Ric Jordan</p><p>Pierre Roy</p><p>J.C. Tremblay</p><p>Jean Bernier</p><p>Jim Watson</p><p>Al Globensky</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Serge Bernier</p><p>Chris Bordeleau</p><p>Real Cloutier</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>MichelParizeau C.</p><p>Rene Uderc</p><p>Rejean Houle</p><p>Tom Serviss</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Gord Gallant</p><p>Marc Tardif</p><p>Steve Sutherland</p><p>JimBenzelock</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Dave Dryden</p><p>Chris Worthy</p><p>Jacques Plante</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Doug Barrie</p><p>Steve Carlyle</p><p>Bob McAneeley</p><p>Ted McAneeley</p><p>Barry Long</p><p>Kerry Ketter</p><p>Murray Kennett</p><p>Al Hamilton</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Eddie Joyal</p><p>Norm Ullman</p><p>Mike Rogers</p><p>&lsquo;Peter Morris</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Blair MacDonald</p><p>Bruce MacGregg</p><p>Rusty Patenaude</p><p>Tim Sheehy</p><p>Skip Krake</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Billy Morris</p><p>Ken Baird</p><p>Billy Evo</p><p>Danny Spring</p><p>&lsquo;Bob Russell</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>SAN DIEGO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Ernie Wakely</p><p>RussGillow</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Mike McMahon</p><p>Jim Hargreaves</p><p>Bob Falkenberg</p><p>Kevin Morrison</p><p>Bob Wall</p><p>Brent Hughes</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Andre Lacroix</p><p>Ray Adduono</p><p>Don Burgess</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Wayne Rivers</p><p>Norm Ferguson</p><p>Joe Noris</p><p>Dave Walter</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Brian Morenz</p><p>Gene Peacosh</p><p>Kevin Devine</p><p>Bill Goldthorpe</p><p>Alex Tidey</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>HOUSTONI</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Ron Grhame</p><p>Wayne Ruthledge</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Larry Hale</p><p>Marty Howe</p><p>Glen Irwin</p><p>Paul Popiel</p><p>John Schella</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Gord Labossiere</p><p>Larry Lund</p><p>Terry Ruskowski</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Gordie Howe</p><p>Murray Hall</p><p>Frank Hughes</p><p>Don Larway</p><p>John Tonelli</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Andre Hinse</p><p>Mark Howe</p><p>Ted Taylor</p><p>Rich Preston</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Jim Shaw</p><p>Mario Viens</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Mike Amodeo</p><p>Rick Cunningham</p><p>Jim Dorey</p><p>Rick Foley</p><p>Jerry Rollins</p><p>Jim Turkiewicz</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Richard Farda</p><p>Gavin Kirk</p><p>Peter Marrin</p><p>Vaclav Nedomansky</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Tony Featherstone</p><p>Jeff Jacques</p><p>&lsquo;Mark Napier</p><p>Tom Simpson</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Frank Mahovlich C.</p><p>Paul Henderson</p><p>Lou Nistico</p><p>Bob D&rsquo;Alvise</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>INDIANAPOLIS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Andy Brown</p><p>Uif Holmquist</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Bob Woytowich C</p><p>Kim Clackson</p><p>Michel Dubois</p><p>Dick Proceviat</p><p>Ken Block.</p><p>Bill Prentice</p><p>Pat Stapleton</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ron Buchanan</p><p>Randy Wyrozub</p><p>John Sheridan</p><p>Reg Thomas</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Murray Heatley</p><p>Ted Scharf</p><p>Al Karlander</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Bob Whitlock</p><p>Bob Fitchner</p><p>Brian Coates</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None</p><h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>GOAL</h3><p>Joe Daley</p><p>Curt Larsson</p><h3>DEFENSE</h3><p>Larry Hornung</p><p>Ted Green</p><p>Lars-Erik Sjoberg</p><p>ThommieBergman</p><p>Duke Asmundson</p><p>Larry Hillman</p><p>Perry Miller</p><h3>CENTER</h3><p>Ulf Nilsson</p><p>Veli Ketola</p><p>WillyLindstrom</p><h3>R. WING</h3><p>Norm Beaudin</p><p>Anders Hedberg</p><p>Bill Usuk</p><h3>L. WING</h3><p>Mike Ford</p><p>Bobby Hull</p><p>Hexi Riihiranta</p><p>Mats Lindh</p><h3>INJURED</h3><p>None<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

WHA Team Rosters

<div class="byline">BY AL FISCHER</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by</p><p>HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD</p><p>Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario</p><p>Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER</p><p><b>HOCKEY STICKS</b></p><p>Made in Canada by</p><p>HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD</p><p>Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario</p><p>Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>BALTIMORE&mdash;</p><p>The dual role of general manager and coach in any sport is not the most desirable position in the world. In hockey today the role is almost an impossible task.</p><p>Baltimore general manager Terry Reardon is one of many men in hockey to have held the unenviable role of GM-coach and when the Clippers returned to the American Hockey League this season, after giving way to an abortive World Hockey Association bid mid-way through last year, Reardon emphatically stated that under no terms would he want to handle both.jobs again.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01168/3334998-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="293" height="399"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Serge Lajeunesse</b></figcaption></div><p>When Baltimore first became an AHL entry back in 1962, the trend in the league was for one man to handle both jobs. In addition to Reardon, Frank Mathers, Joe Crozier, Eddie Shore and Floyd Curry all served in the dual role capacity at one time or another.</p><p>Then came National League expansion and the evolution of the WHA and with players shuffling from league to league and team to team it became difficult for a GM to keep in contact or to travel to see other players since his time was limited to coaching the team.</p><p>The trend began to change and today as the AHL embarks on another season, only two men, John Muckier at Providence and Al MacNeil at Nova Scotia served in two capacities. Even in these two cities, Muckler and MacNeil must answer to NHL general managers, Muckier to Emile Francis, of the Rangers, and MacNeil to Sam Pollock, of the Canadiens, so in reality they serve more in a coaching capacity than as general manager.</p><p>Baltimore&rsquo;s insistence on remaining as an independent entity in the league, has added to Reardon&rsquo;s task as the chief of the front office, and his time is spent pursuing player help via telephone or when he can, as was the case during training camp, by visiting the respective clubs at their training sites.</p><p>The job Reardon holds, as is the case with every independent club in the minor leagues, calls for tremendous powers of persuasion, since major league teams are quite reluctant to assign a player with potential major league talent to an independent team. Normally, those players that are assigned must remain with the club for the entire season and cannot be recalled for any reason, including injury.</p><p>To that extent, most of the younger players in the league are with development clubs where they may be recalled at any time.</p><p>Baltimore was the lone independent in the American League and also pried loose many tried and proven AHL veterans away from major league rosters.</p><p>With final cutdowns having been made, Reardon added three experienced skaters just before the league opener in Steve Richardson, Nick Fotiu and Mike Lampman. It now appears that Clipper coach Kent Douglas will have the makings of a strong club and the 0-2-1 exhibition record was only a guise.</p><p>The schedule maker also gave Baltimore a favorable early season break, listing 13 of the Clippers first 20 games at home.</p><p>However, a bad break in the weather (three days of rain, including opening night) put a damper on what officials had anticipated, a crowd of 7,500 or better to watch the &ldquo;new&rdquo; Clippers in action. Only 4,837 were on hand, but they enjoyed the festivities as Baltimore blanked Hershey, 2-0, the first shutout in two years for the Bears.</p><p>The Clippers will not only battle hockey opponents this season with what Douglas hopes will be &ldquo;an entertaining and winning club,&rdquo; but they will also face an American Basketball Association foe in the continuing struggle to interest more and more fans.</p><p><b>RICHMOND:</b> Coach Larry Wilson&rsquo;s Robins completed their exhibition campaign with <i>a</i> victory and a tie against Baltimore, and the results left most people feeling that the Robins need a lot more help if they are to repeat their second place finish of last year.</p><p>They did add Serge Lajeunesse and Larry Wright as the season opener neared, but working partner Washington sent Mike Lampman to Baltimore as well as No. 3 draft pick Blair Mackasey.</p><p>Baltimore returned MacKasey to the Washington club after a brief looksee and he could wind up with the Robins.</p><p><b>HERSHEY:</b> As the Bears met Baltimore in their season opener in the Maryland city, they looked even, stronger than when they finished training camp. Added were Michel Deziel, a 24-goal scorer last season, Kelly Pratt, Derek Smith and Dennis Owchar, a tower of strength on defense last year.</p><p>A final 7-2 exhibition triumph over Baltimore gave evidence that the Bears were ready for the regular season and improvement over their third-place finish of 1974-75.</p><p>The Bears made former team-mate Terry Ewasiuk one of their prime targets in the season opener, while Baltimore fans were begging their tough guy Nick Fotiu to revenge Ken Murray for last year&rsquo;s attack by Dean Sherematta.</p><p><b>NEW HAVEN:</b> The Nighthawks, favored to lead the Southern Division, added Don Martineau and goal tender Brian Holdemess on the eve of the season opener, with Doug Rom bough and possibly Blake Dunlop also expected from Minnesota.</p><p>The Nighthawks also expected some last minute cuts from Detroit, but with the new rule that limits NHL clubs to just 19 players allowed to dress, both the Red Wings and the North Stars were taking a long and careful look at the fringe players.</p><p>Actually, only Baltimore, Springfield and Rochester, the league&rsquo;s three independent clubs, were fairly certain of their early season lineups.</p><p>Jackie Gordon, general manager of New Haven&rsquo;s working partner in Minnesota commented, &ldquo;The final cuts are the toughest decisions to make, because in many cases the differences between the players involved are only fractional.&rdquo;</p><p><b>ROCHESTER:</b> Amerk coach Dick Mattiussi welcomed back Doug Gibson, last year&rsquo;s leading-scorer, and the club was assured of top-notch goaltending when Boston assigned both Ross Brooks and Ken Broderick on the eve of the new season.</p><p>The Amerks finished off their training camp with a come-from-behind 5-5 deadlock with New Haven and it appears that a somewhat uncertain offense is finally ready to start rolling.</p><p>Pete Sturgeon and Steve Langdon were quite impressive in the exhibitions along with newcomers Brian Murphy and Rene Drolet, added during the off-season from Virginia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02117/3334991-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="568" height="593"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KEN BRODERICK&hellip;Amerks&rsquo; Goaler</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0387/3334984-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="562" height="593"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROSS BROOKS&hellip;Sent By Bruins</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0469/3334977-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="553" height="594"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DOUG GIBSON&hellip;Scoring Champ Back</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0030-01

AHL GM’s Shun Coaching Role In Pursuit Of Duties

<h2><b>AMERICAN LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 21)</b></p><h3><b>NORTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02114/3335109-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="597" height="129"></div><h3><b>SOUTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0395/3335102-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="611" height="129"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Oct. 14</b></p><p>Novo Scotia 5ot Baltimore 6.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>Springfield 3 at Rochester 8.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 1 7</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 1 at New Haven 0; Springfield 3 at Providence 6.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 18</b></p><p>Providence 3 at Baltimore 6; Hershey 2 at Richmond</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Rochester 5 at New Hoven 1; Springfield 2 at Nova Scotia 3; Baltimore 3 at Providence 6.</p><h3>GAMESTO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. Oct 21</b></p><p>Richmond at Baltimore; Springfield at Nova Scotia.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 23</b></p><p>Rochester at Nova Scotia</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>New Haven at Baltimore, Rochester at Providence, Hershey at Springfield.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>New Haven at Richmond, Providence at Springfield.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Hershey at Nova Scotia; Richmond at Providence, Haven at Rochester.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 29</b></p><p>Providence at New Hoven, Richmond at Nova Scotia</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>New Haven at Baltimore, Nova Scotia at Providence.</p><h2><b>CENTRAL LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. Oct. 22)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0476/3335095-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="616" height="195"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>Tulso 0 at Fort Worth 3; Dallas 2 at Salt Lake 3.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 17</b></p><p>Tulsa 7 at Oklahoma City 7, Dallas 5 at Tucson 4.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 18</b></p><p>Oklahoma City 2 at Fort Worth 8; Dallas 4 atTulsa 3.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Fort Worth 0 at Oklahoma City 4; Salt lake 2 at Tucson</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Wed. Oct. 22</b></p><p>Oklahoma City at Salt Lake; Tulso at Tucson.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>Dallas at Fort Worth; Oklahoma City at Salt Lake; at Tucson.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>Fort Worth at Dallas, Tucson at Tulsa.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Tucson at Oklahoma City; Salt Lake at Dallas.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 28</b></p><p>Tucson at Fort Worth.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 29</b></p><p>Tucson at Dallas, Salt Lake at Oklahoma City.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>Salt Lake at Dallas, Tulsa at Fort Worth; Tucson at Oklahoma City.</p><h2><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. Oct. 22)</b></p><h3><b>NORTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0564/3335088-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="601" height="150"></div><h3><b>SOUTH DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0644/3335081-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="616" height="131"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. Oct. 17</b></p><p>Saginaw 1 at Flint 3; Port Huron 2 at Toledo 6; Columbus 1 at Fort Wayne 5.</p><p><b>Sat Oct. 18</b></p><p>Flint 0 at Saginaw 4; Port Huron 5 at Fort Wayne 3; Kalamazoo 3 at Muskegon 2; Toledo 2 at Dayton 1.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Kalamazoo 2 at Flint 6; Columbus 1 at Toledo 3.</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Wed. Oct. 22</b></p><p>Flint at Dayton; Port Huron at Muskegon.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>Port Huron at Flint; Muskegon at Kalamazoo; Dayton at Toledo.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>Columbus at Muskegon; Flint at Port-Huron, Fort Wayne at Dayton; Kalamazoo at Saginaw.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Fort Wayne at Fling; Muskegon at Fort Huron, Columbus at Saginaw, Kalamazoo at Toledo.</p><p><b>Wed Oct. 29</b></p><p>Toledo at Fort Wayne; Port Huron at Muskegon, Kalamazoo at Dayton, Saginaw at Columbus.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 30</b></p><p>Dayton at Kalamazoo.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>Fort Wayne at Columbus.</p><h2><b>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 21)</b></p><h3><b>EAST DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0733/3335074-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="605" height="165"></div><h3><b>WEST DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0827/3335067-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="611" height="167"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. Oct. 17</b></p><p>Syracuse 2 at Mohawk Volley 1; Binghamton 4 at Buffalo 3; Beauce at Cape Codders (postponed); Maine 2 at Philadelphia 8; Erie 3 at Johnstown 4.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 18</b></p><p>Mohawk Valley 1 at Syracuse 1; Buffalo 0 at Erie 4; Beauce 8 at Maine 4, Cape Codders 7 at Philadelphia 4; Binghamton</p><p>I at Johnstown 5.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Cape Codders 8 at Binghamton 6, Maine 2 at Beauce 9</p><h3>GAMESTO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. Oct. 21</b></p><p>Mohawk Valley at Buffalo; Johnstown at Philadelphia.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 22</b></p><p>Binghamton at Erie, Maine at Syracuse, Johnstown Pliladelphia, Cape Cod at Beauce.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 23</b></p><p>Maine at Mohawk Volley; Buffalo at Philadelphia.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>Erie at Buffalo, Beauce at Syracuse Philadelphia Johnstown.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>Buffalo at Johnstown; Beauce at Mohawk Valley, Maine at Cope Cod; Philadelphia at Erie.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 26</b></p><p>Cape Cod at Maine, Beauce at Binghamton, Philadelphia at Syracuse; Mohawk Valley at Erie.</p><p><b>Mon. Oct. 27</b></p><p>Maine at Erie.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 28</b></p><p>Maine at Buffalo.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 29</b></p><p>Mohawk Volley at Cape Cod; Syracuse at Binghamton.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 30</b></p><p>Philadelphia at Mohawk Valley.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>Syracuse at Cope Cod; Johnstown at Buffalo; Binghamton at Beauce.</p><h2><b>SOUTHERN LEAGUE</b></h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 20)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0917/3335060-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="603" height="198"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. Oct. 10</b></p><p>Hampton 4 at Tidewater 3. Roanoke 3 at Charlotte</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 11</b></p><p>Tidewater 5 at Hampton 4; Charlotte 6 at ROANOKE Winston-Salem 3 at Greensboro 2.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 14</b></p><p>Greensboro 4 at Chorlotte 4</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>Roanoke 3 at Hampton 6</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>Tidewater 4 at Winston-Salem 1; Roanoke 3 at Greensboro 5.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 17</b></p><p>Hampton 2 at Charlotte O.</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 18</b></p><p>Hampton 1 at Winston-Salem 8; Charlotte 3 at Greensboro 2.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 19</b></p><p>Tidewater 4 at Roanoke 6.</p><h3>GAMESTO COME</h3><p><b>Mon. Oct. 20</b></p><p>Greensboro at Tidewater.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 21</b></p><p>Greensboro at Hampton; Chorlotte at Winston-Salem.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 22</b></p><p>Hampton at Tidewater; Roanoke at Greensboro.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 23</b></p><p>Winston-Salem at Roanoke; Charlotte at Tidewater.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 24</b></p><p>Chorlotte at Hampton, Tidewater at Greensboro</p><p><b>Sat. Oct. 25</b></p><p>Charlotte at Roanoke, Hampton at Winston-Salem.</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 28</b></p><p>Tidewater at Charlotte</p><p><b>Thu. Oct 30</b></p><p>Hampton at Roanoke; Greensboro at Winston-Salem.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 31</b></p><p>Roanoke at Hampton, Winston-Salem at Charlotte; Tidewater at Greensboro.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-02

LOOKING AT THE MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

<p>NHL: 1&mdash;Montreal 2&mdash;Detroit. 3&mdash;Boston. 4&mdash;Y. Rangers. 5&mdash;Chicago. 6&mdash;Toronto. 7&mdash;Los Angeles. 8&mdash;Pittsburgh.</p><p>&mdash;California 10&mdash;Philadelphia 11&mdash;Minnesota. 12&mdash;St. louis. 13&mdash;Vancouver 14&mdash;Buffalo. 15&mdash;Y. Islanders.</p><p>16&mdash;Atlanta. 17&mdash;Kansas City. 18&mdash;Washington</p><p>WHA. 19&mdash;Calgary 20&mdash;New England 28&mdash;Phoenix. 2&mdash;Quebec. 30&mdash;San Diego. 31&mdash;Toronto. 32&mdash;Winnipeg.</p><p>Inter league. 33&mdash;Y Rangers (NHL) & St. Louts (NHL) 34&mdash;Montreal (NHL) & Atlanta (NHL). 36&mdash;Pittsburgh (NHL) & Buffalo (NHL). 37&mdash;ew England (WHA) & Washington (NHL) 38&mdash;Detroit (NHL) & Minnesota (NHL) 39&mdash;Atlanta</p><p>(NHL) & Vancouver (NHL) 40&mdash;Phoenix. Houston, Denver & Son Diego (WHA). 41&mdash;Los Angeles (NHL) & N.Y. Islanders</p><p>(NHL). 43&mdash;Kansas City (NHL) & N.Y. Rangers (NHL) 44&mdash;Boston (NHL) 4 Washington (NHL). 45&mdash;Minnesota (NHL) & Vancouver(NHL) 46&mdash;Calgary (WHA), Kansas Cyy (NHL) 4 Minnesota (WHA). 47&mdash;Philadelphia (NHL) 4 Washington</p><p>&#2404; NHL) 50&mdash;Boston (NHL), San Diego (WHA). Phoenix (WHA) 51&mdash;Buffalo (NHL) 4 Toronto (WHA). 52&mdash;Montreal (NHL) 4</p><p>Toronto (WHA). 55&mdash;Buffalo (NHL) 4 Calgary (WHA). 56&mdash;Buffalo (NHL) 4 Cleveland (WHA). 57&mdash;Y. Rangers (NHL) 4 St Louis (NHL). 58&mdash;Detroit(NHL) 4 Edmonton (WHA).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Minor League Affiliations

<div class="byline">BY TOMLOBAUGH</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY LTD Arnold Street Wallaceburg Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY LTD Arnold Street Wallaceburg Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>TULSA&mdash;</p><p>The season-opener was still tour nights away, but you couldn&rsquo;t tell it from the hitting, as the Tulsa Oilers and Fort Worth Texans went after each other in an exhibition game Oct. 6 in the Texans&rsquo; Will Rogers Coliseum.</p><p>Coaches Orland Kurtenbach of the Oilers and Terry Gray of the Texans had to be pleased with the spirit of their charges, who barely waited for the National anthem to be played.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01153/3335171-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="257" height="411"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Lynn Powis</b></figcaption></div><p>There were eight fights in the game, seven of them in the opening period. For the game, referee Murray Harding assesed 119 minutes in penalties, 62 against Tulsa, 57 against Fort Worth. There were 13 major penalties, 22 minors, and only one misconduct. Seven of the fights, and 91 of the penalty minutes came in the first period.</p><p>Kurtenbach had 22 players as he prepared for his season opener at home against Oklahoma City. The joint operation of the NHL. Vancouver Canucks and Atlanta Flames, the Oilers had three experienced goalkeepers, and it appeared one would have to be reassigned.</p><p>Vancouver provided last year&rsquo;s Seattle goalie tandem of Dan Brady and Bruce Bullock, while Atlanta sent in Curt Ridley, who has played with Providence in the American League the past two seasons. The working agreement specified each parent club would supply one goalie.</p><p>The Flames also furnished three defensemen off last year&rsquo;s Omaha club&mdash;Bob Bilodeau. Glen Surbey and Pat Ribble&mdash;plus three rookie forwards&mdash;left wing Dale Ross (Ottawa) and right wings Cam Botting (Des Moines) and Bill Plett (St. Catharines).</p><p>After beating the U.S. Olympic team, 5-3. the Oilers split a pair of exhibitions with Fort Worth, losing at home (1-3) before winning the brawling 7-1 decision.</p><p>OKLAHOMA CITY: &ldquo;Strong up front, steady in the nets, questionable on defense&rdquo; was the way general manager Ray Miron described his Oklahoma City Blazers as they arrived from training camp in Toronto.</p><p>The usually strong collection of Maple Leaf farmhands was bolstered by acquiring four players on loan. Center Tom Cassidy, owned by the Los Angeles Kings, played for Springfield last winter. Right wing Mike Kelly, owned by St. Louis, was with Denver. Left wing Lynn Powis was with the Kansas City Scouts in the NHL. and left wingdefenseman Guy Delparte, owned by Montreal, played for Nova Scotia.</p><p>Nine of the 1975-76 Blazers played for Oke City last season. They are goalies Mike Palmateer and Pierre Hamel, both standouts as rookies, defensemen Mike Ruest, Scott Garland and Ron Clarke; center-Jack Valiquette; left wings Bob Sykes and Les Burgess, and right wing Alf Handrahan.</p><p>Center Paul Daigle, who played tor Miron at Tulsa two seasons ago, spent last winter with Saginaw in the International League. So did rookie defenseman Kurt Walker. Other rookies were defensemen Bob Warner (St. Mary&rsquo;s University) and Bill Czerwine (Laurentian University) and left wing Paul Evans (Peterborough).</p><p>Evans, the Blazers&rsquo; top scorer in exhibition play, and blueliner Czerwinec were on 10-game pro trials. Oklahoma City had a 2-1-3 pre-season record in Canada. The Blazers lost to Galt (2-6), tied Orillia in a brawling 4-4 game, tied the Toronto Marlboros (2-2) and won two, tied one against the rival Dallas Black Hawks (4-1,4-2,3-3).</p><p>DALLAS: Without a veteran defenseman, new coach Gordon Fashoway of the Dallas Black Hawks was looking to Chicago, waiting for the parent club to turn loose one of last year&rsquo;s Dallas blueliners. Bob Murray, Randy Holt and Ian McKegney were still with the big club.</p><p>The best guess was that Holt would return to Dallas, where he set a CHL record by drawing 411 minutes in penalties last season.</p><p>Top candidates among the rookie Dallas defensemen were Bob Hoffmyer, drafted from Saskatoon; Mike St. Cyr, who played at Flint last season, and Mike O&rsquo;Connell, drafted from Kingston. Mike is the younger brother of Tommy O&rsquo;Connell, who formerly quarterbacked the football Cleveland Browns. Mike is mending from a shoulder injury in an auto accident.</p><p>Dave Logan, a Dallas defender last season, suffered a shoulder injury in the Hawks&rsquo; final exhibition game in Canada, and was late arriving in Big D.</p><p>Dallas fans had high hopes for young center Greg Vaydik. Chicago&rsquo;s No. 1 amateur draft choice, who had 55 goals and 51 assists for Medicine Hat in the Western Canada League last season.</p><p>FORT WORTH: Along with some unenviable distinctions last season, the Fort Worth Texans had one to brag about&mdash;they were the only CHL club not to be shut out in 78 regular-season games.</p><p>It wouldn&rsquo;t have counted officially, but the Texans almost suffered a shutout before the current season opened. There was just 1:27 left in the game when Ron Kennedy spoiled Dan Brady&rsquo;s shutout bid in the brawling exhibition game at Fort Worth Oct. 6.</p><p>Ron scored on a power play&mdash;you might have guessed it. He topped the CHL with 15 power tallies last season, accounting for almost half of his 34 goals.</p><p>Coach Terry Gray and general manager Ed Chadwick at one point had 46 players in the Texans&rsquo; training camp at their own Will Rogers Coliseum. &ldquo;I felt like rushing out to the airport and telling the guys not to get off,&rdquo; quipped Chad as the number grew each day.</p><p>With two parent clubs providing players, the Texans had eight players from last year&rsquo;s American League champs at Springfield (Los Angeles-owned) seven holdovers from last year&rsquo;s Fort Worth club (New York Islanders owned) seven holdovers from last year&rsquo;s Fort Worth club (New York Islanders owned), and center Walt Ledingham talso Islanders property), who played at New Haven in the AHI&hellip;last winter.</p><p>SALT LAKE: The Eagles had plenty of experience, looking forward to their season-opener, but lost defenseman Glenn Patrick with a broken ankle in training camp.</p><p>Counting Patrick, new coach Marv Edwards had 10 returnees from last season&rsquo;s Adams Cup champs, plus defensemen Tim Jacobs and Paul Shakes, both Eagles two years ago but with Springfield in the AHL last season.</p><p>Returning were goalies Ray Martyniuk and Ernie Miller, defensemen Brent Meeke, Tom Price and Patrick; centers Denis Meloche and Lyle Bradley: left wings Charlie Simmer and Jim Moxey, and right wing Fred Ahern.</p><p>TUCSON: The Mavericks&rsquo; four parent clubs were pouring players into coach Adam Keller&rsquo;s roster, and he had 25 on hand just ahead of the season opener.</p><p>The Phoenix Roadrunners had provided 10 men, with others coming from the Houston Aeros. San Diego Mariners and Denver Spurs, all of the World Hockey Association.</p><p>Among the experienced hands joining the Phoenix-owned players was defenseman Keith Kokkola, dratted by Denver from the Chicago Cougars when that club folded.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02102/3335164-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="560" height="600"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAN BRADY&hellip;Missed Shutout</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-01

Oilers, Texans To Ice Spirited Squads

<p>SALT LAKE&mdash;</p><p>The Salt Lake Golden Eagles have been named winners of the prestigious Clarence Campbell Trophy for being rated the most efficient franchise in the Central Hockey League during the 1974-75 season. CHL president Max McNab presented the trophy officially to Art Teece, Golden Eagles president, at the season-opening game in the Salt Palace, Oct. 10.</p><p>The trophy, named for the National Hockey League president, originally was presented to the CHL club with the largest attendance on opening night.</p><p>The new ground rules for winning encompass all phases of a franchise operation during the entire season. Points are awarded for best paid attendance, largest increase in attendance over the previous season, front office efficiency in the promotion of hockey in their area, and the performance of the team on the ice.</p><p>Because there is so much difference in the sizes of CHL buildings, points are also given for percentage of available seats sold.</p><p>McNab pointed out the Eagles gained points by leading the league in overall attendance, team performance (winning the Northern Division title and the Adams Cup), and general promoting. &ldquo;Their family night promotions and their exceptional group sales returns indicate an imaginative approach to exposing hockey to fans of all ages in their area,&rdquo; he commented.</p><p>Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Blazers showed the greatest increase in attendance, while the Dallas Black Hawks showed the best percentage of available seats sold.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Salt Eagles Win CHL’s Team Award

<div class="byline">BY MORLEY HOWE</div><p>TRAVERSE CITY&mdash;</p><p>The United States Hockey League opened its 29th consecutive season again with two divisions, each with four teams playing a balanced 48-game schedule with six playoff berths.</p><p>Traverse City Bays under coach Joe Kiss, former veteran IHL defenseman. replaced league champion Thunder Bay Twins in the Northern Division along with Green Bay. Marquette and Copper Country. The USHL&rsquo;s newest expansion club has obtained several well know league performers such as goalie Rich Dumas, defenseman Bill Slewidge and winger Greg Robinson from Chicago Warriors, plus forwards Brian MacKenzie and Gord Neilson and rearguards Bill McLeod and Mike Powers from Marquette.</p><p>Green Bay Bobcats, last season&rsquo;s pennant winners are into a rebuilding program with new coach Jack Red&rsquo; Hannah. The 40-year-old Ottawa native recently joined Bobcats after several winning seasons in European Hockey leagues, both as player and coach.</p><p>In Marquette, the Iron Rangers have popular Oakie Brumm back behind the bench after a two year absence. Owner Bob Hoppe is still seeking new additions to the team&rsquo;s roster.</p><p>Playing-coach Jack Mahon of Copper Country Chiefs is the only Northern Division coach returning this season. Mahon looks to forwards Jim Carter and Jim Crawford to lead club offensively.</p><p>The tough Southern loop has been reduced to four teams, Sioux City. Waterloo, Milwaukee and Central Wisconsin. with all four coaches returning.</p><p>At Sioux City. John Saville leads his Musketeers into their fourth year of league play with many new faces, including ex-college stars Mitch Brandt, Kevin O&rsquo;Rear. Rick Kennedy and Sean Coghlan.</p><p>At Stevens Point, home of the Central Wisconsin Flyers, playing coach D&rsquo;Arcy Keating and general manager Stan Martin have added goalie John Anderson from Milwaukee, plus ex-Chicago veterans Nelson Leclair and Boh Cademortori. along with Rick Kramp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Around The USHL

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECLIFF</div><p>KINGSTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Punch Scherer Left Kitchener Rangers and took over as general manager of the Kingston Canadians after a franchise had been granted to this city in the Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A League, he made no mention of a three-year-plan.</p><p>In fact Scherer, one of the most knowledgeable men in Canadian amateur hockey, made no promises&mdash;period.</p><p>However judging by the way the Canadians have taken off in the early weeks of the 1975-76 season they could accomplish the incredible feat of winning the Ontario title in only their third year of operation.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01134/3335226-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="308" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jim Morrison</b></figcaption></div><p>As far as is known, no team in history has won the title in its third season and, naturally a lot of water will go under the dam and a lot of pucks into various nets before the Canadians can even start thinking about a championship.</p><p>But the dream seems to be remarkably close this year.</p><p>To backtrack a little, the Canadians came into the league after paying an estimated $35,000 franchise fee and while they didn&rsquo;t qualify for the playoffs they made a more than respectable showing by earning 47 points, 10 above Hamilton Red Wings who had been in the league two decales.</p><p>Their coach. Jack Bownass, was named coach of the year.</p><p>Last season the Canadians didn&rsquo;t appear to be improving as much as the executive and, with only a few games left, the previous year&rsquo;s hero, Bownass, was dumped and Scherer took over.</p><p>So much for security in junior hockey.</p><p>Scherer was criticized for the move but it did pay off as the Canadians made a dramatic late dash and sneaked into the playoffs, a point ahead of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.</p><p>They then proceeded to extend Toronto Marlboros to an eighth game of a scheduled seven game quarter-final before packing their bags last spring.</p><p>Scherer was adamant however that he didn&rsquo;t want to retain both the coaching and managing chores and hired Jim Morrison away from Kitchener Rangers.</p><p>To date the one-time professional defenseman has done a fantastic job with the Canadians&mdash;something which, incidentally, was started by Bownass who used young players that initial season. They are now coming into their own and producing the type of hockey you would expect from teenagers just about ready to graduate.</p><p>In their first seven games the Canadians won six&mdash;their only lose coming at home, surprisingly enough, by a 5-1 score to the strong Sudbury Wolves.</p><p>Everything else has come up roses and the only genuine problem Morrison faces each game is who to dress. He still has 24 players in camp and only 19 can be used in teach game.</p><p>Many other coaches would like to share Morrison&rsquo;s dilemma.</p><p>Players such as Brad Rhiness, Mike Crombeen, Dave Hynek, Tony McKegney. Ken Linesman&mdash;just to scrape the surface&mdash;have given them depth seldom seen these days in junior hockey.</p><p>And it as shown with wins over Oshawa (6-3). Hamilton (5-1) and Sault St. Marie (6-4) since their single defeat.</p><p>When this was written the Canadians not only led the Leyden Division but also had more points than any club in the Emms Division.</p><p><b>TORONTO:</b> The defending Canadian champions are in first place in the Emns Division but still haven&rsquo;t shown the power expected of them&hellip;Naturally the loss of underage players Mark Napier and John Tonelli hurt, but they were expected to come up with their usual quota of quick, tough, young skaters&hellip;The Marlies lost only one of their first five games, 5-4 in Oshawa, but haven&rsquo;t filled the opposing nets as panticipated&hellip;They just managed to edge Peterborough 5-4 after establishing a 4-1 lead with John Smyrke scoring two, including the game-winner.</p><p><b>KITCHENER:</b> Of all the teams in the league the Rangers, so far, have shown the most improvement&hellip;Could be the no-nonsense attitude of their new coach Mac McLean which has helped&hellip;McLean slapped the Rangers with $900 in fines when some of their players were caught pub-crawling and 48 hours later they produced a 4-1 win over Hamilton Fincups. who have to rate as the biggest disappointment to date&hellip;Ken Street, Clay Watts and Dwight Foster, the first two while short-handed in the second period, turned, the tide in their direction&hellip;Rangers shipped defenseman John Baby to Sudbury, then swapped John Stewart and winner Mark Thiel to St. Catharines, Black Hawks for Joe Grant.</p><p><b>LONDON:</b> After a hesitant start, the Knights have come on strongly and while they&rsquo;re still slightly below the.500 mark in wins and losses, coach Bill Long has them playing superior hockey to last season when the finished out of the playoffs with an experienced roster&hellip;They are playing more aggressive hockey as evidenced by their brawl filled 6-3 win over Windsor Spitfires before 2.611 in the London Arena&hellip;Twice in the third period there were bench-clearing battles and some Windsor players even entered the stands to take on the fans who had been giving them a bad time&hellip;One London spectator was allegedly held in the alleyway leading to the dressing room and punched by several Spitfire players&hellip;Brad Marsh and Ron Twiss were two of the instigators on the ice and both were given match penalties.</p><p><b>HAMILTON:</b> What&rsquo;s happened to the Fincups?&hellip;That&rsquo;s the major mystery in the league after almost a month of action&hellip;The Hamilton Fincups. under coach Bert Templeton, jumped from their perennial basement position to third last year and were just nudged out of the Ontario championship in the finals against Toronto Marlboros&hellip;Most of their players are back including their captain Dale McCourt who is considered one of the best pro prospects in Canada but the team just isn&rsquo;t functioning as it was a year ago&hellip;Almost invincible in the tiny Hamilton Forum during the 1974-75 schedule, they dropped two in succession on home ice. 5-4 to Windsor and 5-1 to Kingston&hellip;However they gained a measure or revenge by winning 7-5 in Windsor on Ted Long&rsquo;s game-winner mid-way in the third period&hellip;McCourt scored there goals which seems to prove the team plays well if he&rsquo;s in form&hellip;Manager Dave Draper doing and her fine job of promotion.</p><p><b>WINDSOR:</b> The Spitfires weren&rsquo;t expected to do too much their first year and while they won only once and tied once in their first six games, their record is rather misleading&hellip;They were only outscored in those half dozen matches by a total of 29-22&mdash;not bad for a freshman club&hellip;Their win in Hamilton was especially rewarding but they&rsquo;d like to win one at home to please their fans who are turning out almost 4,000 strong for every game.</p><p><b>ST. CATHARINES:</b> Nothing is going right for the Hawks who were a shaky sixth last season&hellip;They cut down their defense corps by dispatching Joe Grant to Kitchener but have lost several games by one or two goals&hellip;Their latest heartbreak was a 6-5 setback in Ottawa when they appeared to have at least one point to call their own&hellip;They also had Marlboros tied 3-3 at home but gave up the game-winner in the last minutes and had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Garden City Arena with Ottawa&hellip;Bill Hamilton back as an overage junior after failing to earn a position in the New York Ranger organization&hellip;He should add punch to the attack&hellip;Goaltending can&rsquo;t be faulted with especially good work from Bob Froese and Kevin Walton but wins are to come by&hellip;Attendance contins to be low&hellip;Only 689 at recent midek game with the 67s.</p><p><b>SUDBURY:</b> The Wolves appear to definitely in line for their best sean since joining the league in 1972&hellip;hey won five of their first six games and scored more goals (46) than any her club&hellip;It was the Wolves who anded the Canadians their first loss of year&mdash;5-1 right in Kingston&mdash;a sandy Carlisle scored twice. Alex McKendry. Ron Duguay and Dan Carthy once&hellip;However their 13-1 lumiliation of Peterborough was a sholer&mdash;especially to the Petes who have traditionally employed a tight defensive type of hockey&hellip;Rod Schuttcored four times against the Petes, a scored for Sudbury Major Junior A teams&hellip;The only disappointing feature was that Wolves&rsquo; goalie Jim Bed failed by 16 seconds to record his rst shutout. The Petes were behind 3-0 when coach Roger Neilson pulled goalie Howie Murney and Ron Sto-neburgh scored the single Peterborough goal.</p><p><b>OTTAWA:</b> The 67s are maintaining their.500 average in wins-losses-ties put fans still not coming out in the lame numbers as when Denis Potvin pad them lining up for the 9,500 tickets&hellip;Defenseman Doug Wilson scored 6-5 game winner against Black Hawks with little more than five minutes to play in Ottawa&hellip;There was an odd situation during the 2-2 tie in St. Catharines when five Wilsons were in the lineup&hellip;They were Behn. Doug and John of the 67s and Ron and Don of the Hawks&hellip;Behn and John are brothers but the others are not related&hellip;Peter Lee. one of top scorers last year, had fairly slow beginning but is putting them in regularly now. to the relief of coach Brian Kilrea.</p><p><b>SAULT:</b> Greyhounds had one of their best-ever road games when they pulverised St. Catharines Black Hawks 9-3&hellip;Couldn&rsquo;t have happened at a better time for the Hounds either as they had just lost 6-4 and 6-3 in Kingston and Peterborough the previous two nights&hellip;The Hawks got away to a 3-0 lead on goals by Doug Caines. Larry Landon and Greg Craig, then gave up the next nine in a row before the horrified eyes of their own spectators&hellip;Mike Hordy, a defenseman. led the Sault with three goals. Randy Borbely had a pair&hellip;Mike Kaszycki. obtained from the Marlboros in a trade for popular Cary Farelli. still scoring almost every game.</p><p><b>PETERBOROUGH:</b> Coach-manager Roger Neilson always has a few tricksup his sleeves but he&rsquo;ll have to be a magician to prevent this season from becoming a genuine disaster&hellip;The Petes just can&rsquo;t score goals, which is nothing new for them as they usually rely on defensive hockey&hellip;However the problem is that they can&rsquo;t prevent goals either as proven by their 13-1 debacle in Sudbury&hellip;They had a tough break at home in the 5-4 loss to the Marlies as they came back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game, then lost in the third period.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-01

Kingston Proving Early Season Power; Marlies Rolling But Offense Low Key

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>MUSKEGON&mdash;</p><p>As the countdown continued for opening action in the International Hockey League, the number of returning veterans for each of the nine-team rosters began to grow. New faces figure to still be in the majority on most squads but pennant hopes for a couple of perennial contenders have been boosted considerably with late-arriving, battle-tested vets.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01146/3335288-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="260" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Steve Lyon</b></figcaption></div><p>Most significant of the &ldquo;late shows&rdquo; was Gary Ford in Muskegon. Ford, whose whereabouts was somewhat of a mystery to Mohawk coach and general manager Moose Lallo for sometime, showed up in the Mohawk camp in time for the first pre-season exhibition. And it didn&rsquo;t take long for Lallo to get Ford&rsquo;s name on a contract for the 1975-76 season, which will be the slick-skating forward&rsquo;s ninth with the club</p><p>The IHL&rsquo;s most valuable player last season. Ford&rsquo;s value to the defending Huber Trophy champions is reflected in his statistics. The 29-year-old Toronto veteran is the active point leader in the IHL with 729 points, including playoffs. He has pumped in 277 goals.</p><p>Only twice in his eight previous seasons has Ford failed to surpass 100 points in the scoring column. And Ford played only a fraction of the season on each of those occasions, appearing in but 21 games during the 1970-71 season and in just 25 two years ago when he joined the club late.</p><p>Ford&rsquo;s best year of productivity was 1972-73 when he scored 60 goals, was credited with 81 assists for 141 points&mdash;an IHL record. Last year Ford scored 47 goals and had 72 assists for 113 points.</p><p>In addition to the high-scoring Ford, other veterans who figure to make Muskegon a strong contender in the IHL&rsquo;s power-packed North Division include Sid Prysunka. Bob Tombari. Bert Scott and Pat DeMarchi. Lallo is also expecting Ernie Moser to find his way back to Muskegon in the not too distant future.</p><p>Another welcome late-comer was Moe Brunel in Toledo. Brunel, who scored 40 goals for the Turner Cup champions last season, was given a good chance to stick at Salt Lake but was a late cut:</p><p>Columbus coach Moe Bartoli, who has expressed great confidence in the defensive potential of his Owl unit anchored by the popular and steady Steve Lyon, is a little apprehensive about the early schedule challenge facing his team. The Owls will open the 1975-76 campaign with four straight road games.</p><p>&ldquo;The necessity of playing our first four games on the road is not to our advantage.&rdquo; Bartoli points out. &ldquo;However. we believe we have a squad of sufficient depth to meet the challenge.&rdquo;</p><p>The Owl opening dates were at Fort Wayne. Toledo. Muskegon and Saginaw.</p><p>Lyon, who will playing his third season with the Owls, was one of the first veterans signed. He was an All Star selection last season and his aggressive, offensive-style of play has made him one of the most popular players to every wear the Owl uniform.</p><p>Key to any hockey team&rsquo;s defense is the goalie position and in Port Huron the battle for the two vacancies is a four-wav fight. One of the leading candidates is Bill Oleschuk. a 20-year-old youngster who was the Kansas City Scouts&rsquo; sixth-round pick. Also in stjong contention is Rockey Menard, who was with the Thunder Bay Twins Allan Cup champions last season. The fourway fight is completed by last season&rsquo;s duo of Mike Ralph and Ty Langton.</p><p>Comments Flag general manager Morris Snider: &ldquo;Competition is keen for the two goalie spots. In fact, this camp stacks up as the most competitive one we have had in the years I have been at Port Huron. I&rsquo;m glad to see that because I&rsquo;ve always believed that a competitive camp produces the strongest effort from all players.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0298/3335281-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="565" height="527"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GARY FORD&hellip;Back In Fold</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-01

Mohawks Get Lift As Top Scorer Ford Returns

<h2><b>OCTOBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0374/3335354-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="611" height="711"></div><h2><b>NOVEMBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0456/3335347-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="555" height="1688"></div><h2><b>DECEMBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0543/3335340-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="553" height="1583"></div><h2><b>JANUARY</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0631/3335333-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="554" height="1695"></div><h2><b>FEBRUARY</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0726/3335326-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="547" height="1674"></div><h2><b>MARCH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0821/3335319-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="540" height="1568"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-03

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE 1975-76 SCHEDULE

<p>TOLEDO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he defending champion Toledo Goaldiggers welcomed their assortment of talent and late cuts from the California Seals and Salt Lake Eagles but not all the news was good for fed Garvin&rsquo;s club.</p><p>There was also some bad news&mdash;tragic in fact&mdash;in the Toledo camp. Ted Tucker, the gutsy goalie who made a major contribution to the Diggers&rsquo; late run for all the marbles last season, was seriously injured in an auto accident and is out for the season. Tucker received multiple internal injuries in the single-car accident.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Digger Goalie Ted Tucker Out For The Year

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE PENTON</div><p>VICTORIA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or eight years, Patty Ginnell has been battling referees, opposing players and coaches, League presidents, the odd sportswriter and visiting fans over the rough-and-tumble way his junior hockey teams play the game.</p><p>His latest battle, though, is with a new foe. And not one the fiery coach of Victoria Cougars particularly relishes.</p><p>The scene was Victoria&rsquo;s home rink. It was the Cougars&rsquo; home opener of the 1975-76 season and, not unlike a Ginnell team, a brawl happened along. In the stands sat one of the most influential men of the island city&mdash;Mayor Peter Pollen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01134/3335451-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="250" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bernie Federko</b></figcaption></div><p>The brawl lasted 20 minutes, with 104 minutes in penalties dished out. Pollen wasn&rsquo;t impressed with the show. He&rsquo;d gone to watch hockey. Leaving his seat behind the penalty benches, Mr. Pollen circled the rink and clambered up on the Cougar player bench, brushed past the players and proceeded to give Ginnell a verbal blasting.</p><p>&ldquo;I asked him (Ginnell) if he was going to get his animals under control or the other animals under control,&rdquo; said the mayor. Is this the example we set for our young people? This is a complete disgrace. If I have my way, they won&rsquo;t play here anymore. This isn&rsquo;t sports anymore it&rsquo;s barbarism.&rdquo;</p><p>The timing for the outbreak was perfect&mdash;for Ginnell, at least. His Cougars left soon after for a nine-game road trip. Nobody can say the Cougars were run out of town&mdash;they left due to commitment.</p><p>With Ginnell and the Cougars on the road, Pollen took the situation to city council. He told an inquiring Dale Eisler of the Regina Leader-Post he was bringing it up in council to initiate action so that &ldquo;this behavior won&rsquo;t happen again.&rdquo;</p><p>According to Pollen, he has a number of options at his disposal.</p><p>One is to force the Cougars out of the city-owned rink. Scratch that one for logical reasons. A threat is a threat is a threat&hellip;</p><p>Another is to utilize the police force with the idea of laying criminal charges should similar fights break out. That isn&rsquo;t an unprecedented move. Hennepin County, Minn., tried it and failed.</p><p>The best bet is that no option will have to be used. Ginnell has been embarrassed across Western Canada by his own mayor. That should be enough to force the Cougars to cool it at home.</p><p>Surprisingly, WCHL president Ed Chynoweth sided with Ginnell on the controversy. &ldquo;I think he (Pollen) acted hastily under the circumstances,&rdquo; Chynoweth said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t condone fighting but I saw the referee&rsquo;s report and from my standpoint. I wouldn&rsquo;t classify what happened in Victoria as a brawl. Only the people on the ice at the time were involved. There was no bench-clearing.&rdquo;</p><p>Meanwhile, the Cougars reception on the road has been similarly non-friendly. After clipping Calgary 9-2 in their opener. Cougars dropped three in a row&mdash;but all by one goal.</p><p>One bright spot has been the prolific scoring of over-age winger, Jimmy Gustafson. A St. Louis Blues&rsquo; draftee, Gustafson so far is making the most of the new over-age rule in the WCHL&mdash;picking up six goals and eight assists in his first four games.</p><p><b>KAMLOOPS:</b> Chiefs played just once in seven days&mdash;that a home-ice loss to New Westminster. But promising signs were shown to coach Harvey Roy in that newly-acquired Larry Lestander scored a goal and rookie Kelly Ferner notched his third tally in just two games.</p><p><b>NEW WESTMINSTER:</b> The Bruins went four games before they finally lost&mdash;7-5 on the road to Saskatoon Blades. But Mark Lofthouse and Steve Clippingdale were hot. each picking up 10 points in a three-game stretch as the high-scoring Bruins scored 20 goals.</p><p><b>EDMONTON:</b> Coach Doug Messier held a closed-door meeting after his team&rsquo;s season-opening loss to Lethbridge and the move apparently paid off. The Oil Kings came back to drub the visiting Winnipeg Clubs 7-4. Sophomore Wayne Babych had a four-point night and defenseman Dave Morrow had three. Brad Hall, starting goalie against Lethbridge, watched as Tim Tomlinson won over Winnipeg.</p><p><b>CALGARY:</b> Last season, the Centennials went something like 15 games before winning. Not so this year: they beat Victoria 6-5 in their fifth game for victory No. 1 of 1975-76. Earlier in the week, though. Dave Amadio&rsquo;s Cents suffered back-to-back 9-2 losses in Victoria and New Westminster. Calgary also completed a trade with Victoria, acquiring 18-year-old winger. Clint Eccles in exchange for defenseman Dallas Ellerby and center Mark Schnaar.</p><p><b>LETHBRIDGE:</b> Coach Earl Ingarfield has the hottest team in the league&rsquo;s first two weeks, winning its first four games, including a 10-1 thrashing of Winnipeg. Brian Sutter had eight goals in those four games, and rookie Steve Tambellini had 13 points, tops on the team. Rollie Boutin&rsquo;s 2.50 goals-against average is satisfactory, considering the Broncos have rung up 28 goals in those four victories.</p><p><b>MEDICINE HAT:</b> Super star right winger Don Murdoch missed his team&rsquo;s first game, a 4-2 loss to Leth-bridge, due to contract squabbles. He was back for Ga me 2, but the result was the same&mdash;defeat. Murdoch tried, though, getting a goal and three assists in the 7-4 loss to Winnipeg. Over-age goalie Ken Holland has returned from Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; camp, stabilizing that position.</p><p><b>SASKATOON:</b> Blades were another of the league&rsquo;s unbeaten teams as center Bernie Federko went on a scoring rampage, rapping in five goals and five assists in two games, giving him 12 points in three games. Winger Blair Chapman has also been hot, averaging three points a game. Blades&rsquo; most satisfying win of their three was a 7-5 triumph over New Westminster Bruins, who beat Saskatoon in the league final last year.</p><p><b>REGINA:</b> Losing twice to Saskatoon to open the season, Pats got on the winning track with a 4-3 win over Victoria, as Gerry Minor scored in the dying minutes. Al Dumba is Regina&rsquo;s top scorer with six points in two games and it appears goalie Bob Mahnic is doing a creditable job of replacing graduated EdStaniowski.</p><p><b>FLIN FLON:</b> Bombers ended their early-season, four-game road swing with a 9-2 loss to Brandon and went home to await the arrival of the rough-and-tough New Westminster Bruins. Goalie Don Crockett has been an early-season rookie surprise, promting coach Mel Pearson to consider trading off one of his three netminders&mdash;either Crockett, Dale Rideout or Ralph Bradbury. Mark Bosma, for a 16-year-old, has been a Bomber standout on the big line with veterans Mark Davidson and Rick Gosselin.</p><p><b>WINNIPEG:</b> After winning twice at home. Clubs left on a six-game road swing. After four games of that trip. Clubs&rsquo; record was 3-3 on the season. Their only road win came in Medicine Hat, 7-4, as sophomore Guy Lash potted three goals and Gord Blumenschein, the early scoring leader with 17 points, added four assists. Their losses were for real&mdash;7-4 in Edmonton, 8-4 and 10-1 in Lethbridge.</p><h2><b>HOW THEY STAND</b></h2><p><b>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</b></p><p><b>(Standings on Sat. Oct. 18)</b></p><h3><b>EMMS DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02108/3335444-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="605" height="190"></div><h3><b>LEYDEN DIVISION</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0378/3335437-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="599" height="184"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue.Oct. 14</b></p><p>Kingston 2 at Hamilton6.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 1 6</b></p><p>Hamilton 4 at Peterborough 5; Kitchener 3 at Windsor 2; Oshawa 3 at Sault Ste. Morie 3</p><p><b>Fri Oct. 17</b></p><p>Oshawa 3at Sudbury 7, Toronto 3 at London 7; St. Catharines? at Kingston 8; Peterborough 3 at Hamilton 3</p><h2>WESTERN CANADA LEAGUE</h2><p>(Standings on Sat. Oct. 1 8)</p><h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0467/3335430-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="598" height="178"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0555/3335423-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="596" height="178"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sat Oct. 11</b></p><p>Winnipeg 3 at Calgary 1, New Westminster 7 at Flin Flon 7; Kamloops 4 at Medicine Hat 6.</p><p><b>Sun. Oct. 12</b></p><p>Victoria 1 at Brandon 4; New Westminster 2 at Flin Flon 3; Kamloops 6 at Lethbridge 4; Winnipeg 5 at Regina 3.</p><p><b>Mon. Oct. 13</b></p><p>Kamloops 3 at Saskatoon 5.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>Victorio 3 at Flin Flon 0; Brandon 6 at Regina 5, New Westminster 2 at Winnipeg 6; Kamloops 5 at Edmonton 5.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>New Westminster 3 at Brandon 3, Victorio 6 at Flin Flon 5; Kamloops 4 at Calgary 2.</p><p><b>Fri. Oct. 17</b></p><p>Kamloops 4 at Edmonton 3; New Westminster 6 at Winnipeg 3; Victorio 4 at Brandon 4; Lethbridge 5 at Regina 3, Flin Flon 3 Saskatoon 10.</p><h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Fri. Oct. 17)</b></p><h3>EAST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0643/3335416-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="601" height="148"></div><h3>WEST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0738/3335409-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="593" height="149"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3><p><b>Mon. Oct. 13</b></p><p>Chicoutimi 5 at Laval 4</p><p><b>Tue. Oct. 14</b></p><p>Quebec 7 at Hull 5; Sherbrooke 7 at Trois-Rivieres 5.</p><p><b>Wed. Oct. 15</b></p><p>Montreal 5 at Sorel 5.</p><p><b>Thu. Oct. 16</b></p><p>Hull 2 at Carnwall 7.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Victoria Mayor Throws Verbal Check At Ginnell And Brawling Cougars

<h2><b>OCTOBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0361/3335555-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="584" height="978"></div><h2><b>NOVEMBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0442/3335548-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="572" height="1824"></div><h2><b>DECEMBER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0530/3335541-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="588" height="1816"></div><h2><b>JANUARY</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0620/3335534-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="592" height="1877"></div><h2><b>FEBRUARY</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0718/3335527-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="580" height="1844"></div><h2><b>MARCH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0813/3335520-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="596" height="1064"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-03

NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE 1975-76 SCHEDULE

<div class="byline">BY GARY CLARK</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>UTICA&mdash;</p><p>Not since 1969-70 have the Comets, then the EHL Clinton Comets, finished in first place. Five years without a championship is a long drought for a team for whom winning had become a way of life. Now the Comets appear to be gearing up for their first genuine title shot in six years.</p><p>While Beauce, Cape Cod, Maine, and Syracuse are hardly ready to disappear from the NAHL&rsquo;s Eastern Division race, the Comets have assembled an impressive looking team. With four days to go before their regular season opener on October 17, the Comets had already been assigned 18 players by the Indianapolis Racers. Among them were several with extensive big league backgounds in both the WHA and NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01118/3335489-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="263" height="421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Les Binkley</b></figcaption></div><p>At forward Comet coach Ted McCaskill could call on Racer products Nick Harbaruk, Jim Wiste, Brian McKenzie, Rich Pumple, Bob Sicinski, Bobby Jones, Bob Murray, Kerry Bond, and Eric Sanderson. At defense the Racers had provided Ralph Hopiavouri, Craig Hanmer, Rick Fraser, and Bob O&rsquo;Reilly, Indy had returned for second Comet seasons goalies Jim Park and Michel Dion and they added rookie Randy Burchell for good measure. Still waiting to play while recovering from injuries were forwards Ross Smith and Brian McDonald.</p><p>The Comets look powerful on paper, and they looked powerful during their three-game pre-season schedule. They overwhelmed Binghamton and Syracuse on consecutive nights by scores of 4-0 and 7-3. They led by two goals entering the third period of their third game at Buffalo before lapsing and bowing to the Norsemen 5-4.</p><p>Comet general manager Brian Conacher could not help but be pleased by the way his team was shaping up, although he was cautious about their chances.</p><p>&ldquo;Sure we are happy,&rdquo; said the onetime Maple Leaf star. &ldquo;The most important thing is that these players from Indianapolis will give us the aggressiveness that we lacked for the past two years.&rdquo;</p><p>Aggressiveness is a word heard often around the Comet camp these days. The word in NAHL locker rooms during the league&rsquo;s first two years was that the Comets could be intimidated. The C&rsquo;s are determined to put an end to that reputation in 1975-76. McCaskill was hired as the Comets&rsquo; new coach in part because of his reputation for toughness.</p><p>McCaskill did the usual pre-season line juggling during the exhibitions, but one combination that might see a lot of ice time together is right wing Murray, center Jones, and left wing Pumple. Pumple has one of the hardest shots in hockey, Jones is a &lsquo;&lsquo;smoothie&rdquo; who knows how to set up his wings, and Murray is a digger who knows how to create opportunities. Conacher admits that he expects big things from that threesome.</p><p>As for the defense, Conacher is especially pleased by the return of Hopiavouri, although he has been hobbling and did not play in any of the exhibition games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0279/3335482-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="563" height="526"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RICH PUMPLE</b></figcaption></div><p>It is easy to be a contender before opening night. The Comets look like they have the makings to be a contender in February and March.</p><p><b>BINGHAMTON:</b> The Dusters will again be affiliated with the Boston Bruins. They have also announced a new working agreement with the San Diego Mariners, who helped build championship teams in Syracuse in each of the last two years. In addition coach Wayne Clairmont has secured a promise of player help from the Phoenix Roadrunners.</p><p><b>BUFFALO:</b> The Norsemen acquired two more former National Leaguers from the Sabres and Toros (they already had Guy Trottier and Steve Atkinson).</p><p>From Toronto came goaltender Les Binkley, a veteran of five years in the NHL and three in the WHA. Binkley is 41 years old and coming off of a knee injury, but he should lend a steadying hand to young netminders Peter Crosbie and Bill Cheropita.</p><p><b>CAPE COD:</b> The big news in Cape Cod was the return of Luc Simard after a season&rsquo;s absence. Simard holds the NAHL single season goal scoring record with 68.</p><p>The New England Whalers have returned Bob Charlebois, last year&rsquo;s captain, as well as John Danby. Charlebois and Danby were the numbers two and three scorers on the 1974-75 Cape Codders.</p><p><b>ERIE:</b> The Blades have added Dave Staffen and Sid Prysunka to the list of players under contract for 1975-76. Both played in the International League last year. One player who has left camp is veteran defenseman Norm Schmitz. Schmitz was going to try to catch on with the Syracuse Blazers.</p><p>Hockey interest continues to build in Erie. Over 1,200 fans, most of them youngsters, attended a &ldquo;Meet the Blades&rdquo; hockey clinic held at the Erie County Fieldhouse.</p><p><b>JOHNSTOWN:</b> Commissioner Jack Timmins was on hand for the Jets&rsquo; opener on Oct 17 to present the Jets with the Lockhart Cup. Timmins also dropped the first puck during the Jets&rsquo; opening night ceremonies.</p><p>For the first time in the history of the Jets their entire regular season schedule will be broadcast on radio. WJAC recently agreed to carry the Jets 74 game 1975-76 schedule. Roger Neel, who will be in his third year as the Jets broadcaster. will do the play-by-play.</p><p><b>MAINE:</b> Latest player signing was that of left wing Jacques Royer. Royer spent part of 1973-74 with the Nordiques but last year played for Greensboro of the SHL. Royer had the unusual distinction of playing with four different NAHL teams in 1973-74. He star-ted with Cape Cod but was traded first to Binghamton and then to Mohawk Valley before being sent to Maine.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA:</b> The Firebirds made a major trade in acquiring defenseman Dean Boylan from the Syracuse Blazers for Darrel Knibbs and Jamie Kennedy. Boylan ran up 219 minutes in penalties in 66 games with the Blazers last season. He joins a Philly defense that already includes badmen Ray Schultz and Lee Crozier. Boylan spent a full season playing in Cherry Hill in 1973-74 with the WHA Jersey Knights. On the other hand Kennedy spent that season with the Blazers&rsquo; Lockhart Cup Champions.</p><p><b>SYRACUSE:</b> The Blazers have been assigned left wingers Craig Reichmuth and Grant Erickson by the Cleveland Crusaders. Reichmuth appeared briefly with the Blazers in each of the last two seasons scoring eleven goals in 23 games. Erickson is an eight-year pro vet who scored 23 goals with the Crusaders in 1973-74.</p><p>Returning from last year&rsquo;s Blazers are 69-point scorer Terry West, Terry Marshall and Darryl Knowles. Mike Smith, on loan to Long Island last year, has also returned.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

Comets Loaded With Racer Talent; Norsemen Land Binkley From Toros

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div><p>Quebec Major Hockey League</p><p>CORNWALL&mdash;</p><p>It has been said that a man&rsquo;s actions speak louder than his words. Whichever philosopher made that observation must have been referring to Orval Tessier.</p><p>Cornwall Royals have gotten off to a fast start in the West Division of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the person most responsible for that is coach Tessier.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01109/3335610-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="280" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Orval Tessier</b></figcaption></div><p>Sure the players have to go out and win the games but if they&rsquo;re not well drilled and disciplined there is no way the club is going anywhere no matter how deep the talent is.</p><p>The key word in hockey to Tessier is discipline. Not the type dealt out with shouting and threats but the kind achieved through communication.</p><p>&ldquo;They have to learn discipline.&rdquo; opined Tessier. &ldquo;Not just curfew and that type of thing but disciplined hockey. A player has to listen and try to do what he&rsquo;s told.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the main reasons for the Royals&rsquo; early season success stems from their fine defensive play, Their goals-against average was the best in the entire league and it is the unselfish nature which Tessier has instilled in his players that made it possible.</p><p>&ldquo;We practice certain phases of the game.&rdquo; Tessier said, &ldquo;and then I sit down and explain what it can do for them. The better you play defensively the more you have the puck. You&rsquo;ll get your share of goals.</p><p>&ldquo;The forwards are backchecking very well.&rdquo; the Cornwall bench boss explained. &ldquo;The goaltending has been good and everybody&rsquo;s put in a good defensive effort. If you play your position well it won&rsquo;t hurt your offense to play defensively.&rdquo;</p><p>Tessier isn&rsquo;t the kind of man who hordes all the credit for himself. If he feels there&rsquo;s something his players deserve credit for he lets people know about it. And that doesn&rsquo;t just apply to on-ice activities.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re an excellent group on and off the ice.&rdquo; stated Tessier &ldquo;They are very well behaved. I don&rsquo;t scream at them and they put out for me.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season the Royals had a solid hold on second place in the West hut faltered in the closing stages, wound up in third and were eliminated in four straight games by Montreal in the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;We lost three defensemen in February due to injuries.&rdquo; explained Tessier. &ldquo;We just couldn&rsquo;t keep up with Montreal.&rdquo;</p><p>The Cornwall mentor has taken steps which he hopes will prevent a re-peat performance of 1974-75.</p><p>&ldquo;We are keeping 21 players in Cornwall at all times including six defensemen.&rdquo;</p><p>The policy has already paid dividends as the injury bug hit the Cornwall defense in the early going and the &lsquo;taxi squad&rsquo; recruits kept the Royals riding high.</p><p>As far as team leaders are concerned Tessier said. &ldquo;Dan Geoffrion (son of former NHL great Bernie Geoffrion) has led the team on and off the ice. Pierre Brassard and Bill Wells, who was acquired from the Toronto Marlboros during the off-season, have good experience and stabalize the boys.</p><p>The Royals are a team built on youth and Tessier is just as happy it turned out that way.</p><p>&ldquo;Unless he&rsquo;s an exceptional player. I would sooner have a younger player than one in his final year of junior. If he&rsquo;s in his last year and knows he doesn&rsquo;t have a good shot at the pros he&rsquo;ll pace himself. A younger player will put out all season long.&rdquo;</p><p>An example of the Royals&rsquo; youth is that they don&rsquo;t have one defenseman over 19 years of age. Three of them are 18 and there are three rookies on the blueline.</p><p>However. Tessier is quick to point out. &ldquo;I respect Sherbrooke and Montreal but we should be in a race for first.&rdquo;</p><p>If. by the conclusion of the 197576 campaign, the Royals are as respected by the rest of the league as they respect their coach. Orval Tessier will have a Memorial Cup team on his hands.</p><p><b>SHERBROOKE:</b> Despite not having anyone on the top ten scoring list, the Beavers have got off to an impres-sive start and only the fine play of the Royals has taken the spotlight away. Sherbrooke has lost only once this season. in Laval, and have out-scored their opposition 53-33. In only outing the Beavers dumped Trois-Rivieres 75.</p><p><b>HULL:</b> Lally Lalonde&rsquo;s Festivals had managed to keep their heads above water despite having seven of first 10 games on the road. However. 75 loss to Quebec on home ice put club one game under 500 and left Festivals four points behind leaders. Hull also dropped 7-2 decision in Cornwall.</p><p><b>MONTREAL:</b> After dropping first two games of the season, the Juniors have come back to go undefeated in their last five outings, three wins and two ties. Only game of the week saw club move into Sorel and tie the Black Hawks 5-5. Garth McGuigan and Normand Dupont tied for league points lead with 19 a piece.</p><p><b>LAVAL:</b> Hot and cold performances have left the Nationals in the basement of the West Division. Perfect example of inconsistency was 5-4 home ice loss to Chicoutimi. Michel Bossy (9-8&mdash;17). Richard-larry (8-8&mdash;16) and Yvon Vautour (8-8&mdash;16) among top point-getters.</p><p><b>SHAWIN1GAN:</b> It&rsquo;s beginning to look that the club that plays.500 hockey is going to capture East Division crown. That&rsquo;s exactly what the Dynamos have done so far (.3-3-1) and are tied for top spot with Sorel but have a game in hand on the Black Hawks. Benoit Plouffe tied for early scoring lead with 19 points including 12 assists.</p><p><b>SOREL:</b> Black Hawks are tied for division lead despite being one game under.500. Sorel is going to have to cut down on goals-against figures if they are to seriously challenge. Offensively the Hawks have triggered the red light 34 times but have been scored against on 51 occasions, second worst mark in the entire league.</p><p><b>CHICOUTIMI:</b> Unlike Black Hawks. Sagueneens problems lie on offense where they have counted only 31 goals in their seven games, worst mark in the league. Defensively the Sags are solid ranking second behind Cornwall in the goals-against category with 35. Only contest saw Chicoutimi surprise Nationals 5-4 right in Laval.</p><p><b>TROIS-RIVIERES:</b> Draveurs are tied with Quebec which, both teams should be accustomed to after last season&rsquo;s battle for top spot. But this season they are knotted at the bottom of the division. Week&rsquo;s only encounter was 7-5 home ice loss to Sherbrooke.</p><p><b>QUEBEC:</b> About only bright spot for coach Ron Racette is the play of Gaetan Boucher who ranks among league&rsquo;s top point-getters with 17 on nine goals and eight assists. Remparts own worst defensive record in QMHL having allowed 55 goals in eight games. Club surprised Festivals in Hull 7-5 for their second victory in eight tries.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Discipline Most Important To Tessier As Strong Defense Gets Royals Rolling

<div class="byline">BY HOWIE STALWICK</div><p>CRANBROOK&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Cranbrook Royals jumped off to a red-hot start after the first week of Western International League play, but here in the west the big topic was the Spokane Flyers&rsquo; shaky beginning.</p><p>After becoming the league&rsquo;s first member club to over officially align with a major league club, the Flyers disappointed both themselves and the parent Edmonton Oilers by getting off to a very sluggish 1-2 opening.</p><p>Always tough even before the linkup with the Oilers, the defending champs fell to Trail 3-2 and Nelson 6-3 on the road in the first week before coming back big to bomb the Smoke Eaters 12-2 with a nine-goal final period outburst in their home debut Oct. 11.</p><p>Tier One rookie recruits Derek Spring and Jim Montgomery both nicked Trail for hat tricks, and the third period explosion hints most ominously of what&rsquo;s in store for league opponents this winter.</p><p><b>CRANBROOK:</b> Despite the Flyers&rsquo; intimidating alignment with Edmonton, the Royals obviously are not about to accept a second-place finish without a bit of a fight.</p><p>Veteran Billy Martin&rsquo;s overtime tally Oct. 11 pushed the Royals past arch-rival Kimberley 54 for the team&rsquo;s third win. The Royals&rsquo; offense has been led equally by Brian Dickie (six goals in the early going), Dick Moternson and Felix LaVallee, all with eight points.</p><p><b>NELSON:</b> The Maple Leafs are hoping to regain their respectability of old this season by reinstituting their scholarship agreement with Notre Dame University, and early results are most favorable.</p><p>All 12 of the Leafs&rsquo; newcomers have enrolled at the Nelson school, and they should go well with the team&rsquo;s veterans, which includes former major leaguers Ted Hargreaves and Ed Hatoum and defenseman Hugh Hooker.</p><p><b>KIMBERLEY:</b> It&rsquo;s been a very rugged beginning for the hard-luck Dynamiters, who dropped their first four games by a total of five goals.</p><p>Among the latest defeats were back-to-back 5-4 and 4-3 losses to Cranbrook (in overtime) and Nelson, respectively. Kimberley&rsquo;s number-one line of Dave Lee, Len Walton and David Schick accounted for all but one of the team&rsquo;s seven goals in the two contests.</p><p><b>TRAIL:</b> Despite their third period let down against Spokane, the youthful Smokies could surprise quite a few people before year&rsquo;s end. The team&rsquo;s new look has carried over to Cominco Arena, where protective glass and improved seating have helped the team to its biggest advance season ticket sales in years.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

The WIHL Scene

<div class="byline">BY STEVE WAID</div><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>WINSTON-SALEM&mdash;</p><p>What started out to be a single exhibition game erupted into a brawl on Oct. 8 and prompted the Southern Hockey League to promote new legislation for the welfare of the league.</p><p>It all began in Greensboro&rsquo;s Piedmont Sports Arena, where Winston-Salem&rsquo;s Polar Twins, under the guidance of fiery Forbes Kennedy, played Gregg Pilling&rsquo;s Philadelphia Firebirdsol the NAHL in an exhibition encounter.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01131/3335665-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="287" height="395"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rich Coutu</b></figcaption></div><p>The Firebirds, who flew south to engage a couple of SHL teams in exhibitions. wasted no time in scoring, as Bob Collyard scored on the opening faceoff. Time elapsed: six seconds.</p><p>But then, at 8:43 of the first period. Winston-Salem forward Bobby Geoffrion and Philadelphia defenseman Dean Boylan started fighting. The fight apparently unhampered by officials. prompted the Firebirds&rsquo; bench to get into the act.</p><p>As the teams streamed out onto the ice. the whole incident took on a bit of irony. Wayne Spooner, a defenseman for Philadelphia who Pilling had loaned to the undermanned Polar Twins, was the first one oil the Winston-Salem bench. But he didn&rsquo;t skate out to help his newly assigned team-mates. He helped his Firebird teammates.</p><p>Referee Craig Siminic saw it another way. though, claiming that the P-Twins&rsquo; Bobby Miller was first off the bench&mdash;and thus out of the game.</p><p>Kennedy, however, would have none of it. He pulled his team off the ice and refused to come back out on the ice after the word was reportedly passed that Philly was waiting for Miller.</p><p>&ldquo;There was no way I was going to send my team back out there when we were out manned two to one. said Kennedy. &ldquo;They think they can come down here and run our league. I&rsquo;d be crazy to send my players back out there.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Kennedy may have been looking for the preservation of his team. SHL commissioner-lack Riley and the rest of the league took a very dim view of the forfeited game.</p><p>The league voted to adopt a rule in which no coach may remove his team from the ice unless he first notifies the referee. Then, he may do so only if team is in danger. He must return his team to the ice when the referee says the danger is over. Failure to do so means an automatic $1,500 fine.</p><p>In other action, the SHL suspended overtime play during the regular season and adopted the NHL disaster rule. This rule says that should a dis-aster obliterate any team, the other teams have the right to protect 12 players. The remainder will be subject to draft by the team involved in the dis-aster.</p><p>Winston-Salem, to its credit, picked up a big opening win Oct. 11 in Greensboro. where P Twins defeated Generals 3-2.</p><p><b>GREENSBORO:</b> Generals may have lost opener, but coach Garry MacMillan has seen his team suffer through some critical injuries during training and exhibition season.</p><p>Howie Heggedal, perhaps Generals&rsquo; best player and certainly a more than capable winger, was injured during exhibition season. taking a lot from Generals&rsquo; attack. He heads list of at least half-dozen players MacMillan lost to injury before start of regular season.</p><p>Generals lost three exhibitions (6-4. 4-0 to Charlotte and 4-2 to Roanoke Valley), before dropping opener. But MacMillan saw improvement. &ldquo;We moved the puck and skated better in loss to Roanoke (last exhibition game), than in any other,&rdquo; he said. He added that Generals will have to beef up young defense.</p><p><b>TIDEWATER:</b> Sharks. SHL&rsquo;s newest entry, pulled a lew surprises.</p><p>First, Sharks had trouble getting enough players to fill a roster, but got help when Michel Boudreau and Mike Norton were sent to there from Roanoke Valley. Also. Minnesota North Stars were sending two players by Oct. 12.</p><p>Neverthless. Sharks took WHA Cincinnati Stingers to overtime before losing 4-3. Stingers loaned Sharks four players but Sharks got goals from Steve Dolloff and Boudreau, their own players. Mike Jakubo. another Tidewater property, got two assists. Jim Watt. Sharks goalie, was superb in goal with 27 stops in two periods. Ron Clark stopped 24 shots in final period.</p><p>Sharks lost 4-3 home opener Oct. 10 to Hampton, but then turned around and heat Gulls 5-4 in Hampton the next night. Boudreau got two goals and two assists.&rdquo;</p><p><b>CHARLOTTE:</b> So far. Checkers can be called perfect.</p><p>Charlotte swept two exhibitions from Greensboro then won home opener against Roanoke 6-3 Oct. 10. Neil Korzack got two goals for Checkers in opener, a tough contest.</p><p>In Roanoke Oct. 11. Charlotte again had tough night, trailing 4-3 alter two periods, but then scoring twice and then once on empty net to win 6-4. Korzack got the winner in final period.</p><p>No less than 14 players return to Charlotte from last year&rsquo;s SHL championship team and coach Pat Kelly has problems in cutting players.</p><p><b>HAMPTON:</b> John Brophy&rsquo;s Gulls started season with loaded lineup, which included newcomers Art Stratton at center and Rich Coutu in goal.</p><p>Gulls wasted little time in proving point, taking a 4-4 lead over Tidewater in opener before Sharks got two goals in final set.</p><p>However. Tidewater put a damper on Hampton&rsquo;s opener next night with its win. Pat Donnelly scored two goals for Gulls in Norfolk opener and Bobby Gerrard and Murray Meyers added goals in loss in Hampton before 5.189 fans.</p><p><b>ROANOKE VALLEY:</b> Rebels, improved from dismal team of last year, lost 6-2 exhibition to Philadelphia Firebirds Oct. 7 before winning in exhibition over Greenboro Oct. 8.</p><p>Then Rebels ran into tough luck against Charlotte Oct. 10. taking lead twice. 1-0. and 2-1 beofre losing 6-3. In Roanoke, it was a repeat as Rebels led 4-3 after two periods and lost 6-4.</p><p>John Raynak scored two goals in two nights for Rebels while rookie Randy Kozar had one goal and two assists and rookie Tom Dalheim one goal and one assist in time span. Rebels, like most teams in SHL. expecting to get player help as season progresses.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

Riley Cracks Down On Coaches With $1,500 Dissuader

<div class="byline">BY JOHN ARNOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0286/3335696-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="924" height="1226"></div><p><b>Solution in November 7 Issue</b></p><h2>ACROSS</h2><p>1. Pictured player.</p><p>8. An NHL general manager.</p><p>9. Used to wear No. 14 for the Leafs.</p><p>10. One of the Bruins, (init)</p><p>12. Denotes scoreless tie.</p><p>13. Bobby Hull&rsquo;s middle name.</p><p>16. Number worn by Craig Ramsay.</p><p>18. Former Red Wing Fonteyne answers to this.</p><p>20. Nickname of pictured player.</p><p>21. Skating requisite.</p><p>22. Goaltenders protect this.</p><p>23. An NHL coach answers to this.</p><p>27. Vancouver is here.</p><p>28. Former Hawk defenseman.</p><p>30. Number worn by Doug Risebrough.</p><p>34. All players are this, (abbr.)</p><h2>DOWN</h2><p>1. A Denver center.</p><p>2. Former Black Hawk forward, (init)</p><p>3. High scoring Red Wing forward.</p><p>4. 5th and 12th letters of the alphabet.</p><p>5. Former NHL linesman.</p><p>6. 15th and 5th letters of the alphabet.</p><p>7. High&hellip;</p><p>10. Negative reply.</p><p>11. Retired from the Rangers last year, (init)</p><p>14. A St. Louis left winger.</p><p>15. One of the Atlanta Flames.</p><p>17. Twin vowels.</p><p>19. Former nickname of Quebec when in AHL.</p><p>24. Avenue, (abbr.)</p><p>25. 14 down used to play for this team (abbr.)</p><p>26. Initials of a Calgary center.</p><p>27. Former NHL defenseman.</p><p>29. One of the Bruins answers to this.</p><p>30. Former Bruin Labine. (init)</p><p>32. A California forward. (init)</p><p>33. Recently traded to Detroit by L.A. (init)</p><h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3><p>1. BERRY</p><p>4. EARL.</p><p>7. ULLMAN.</p><p>10. A.S.</p><p>12. CHERRY.</p><p>13. N.N.</p><p>14. AGE.</p><p>15. AUG</p><p>16. MEL.</p><p>17. D.O.</p><p>20. BATHGATE.</p><p>26. D. O.</p><p>27. ANDREA.</p><p>28. KEON.</p><p>30. JOYAL.</p><h3>DOWN</h3><p>1. BOUCHARD.</p><p>3. YEAR.</p><p>5. ANY.</p><p>6. LANGE.</p><p>8. L.H.</p><p>9. M.R.</p><p>11. SNELL.</p><p>14. A.M.</p><p>18. OBOE.</p><p>19. ETE.</p><p>21. TAN.</p><p>22. H.N.</p><p>23. G.D.</p><p>24. ARMY.</p><p>25. EARL.</p><p>26. T.K.O.</p><p>29. O.O.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

HOCKEY CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY BILL HILTS</div><h2><b>New York&mdash;Penn League</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>iagara Falls Mangs &ldquo;Sharks&rdquo; played an exhibition game with the Northeast Dodge Juniors of the Mid-Atlantic Junior League in the Philadelphia Spectrum, as a preliminary game to the NHL Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres pre-season encounter. The contest was an extremely ex-citing one and delighted the early-arriving Flyer fans. Outstanding goal-tending kept the Dodge skaters in contention all through the match with the speedy Sharks <b>Mike Brigante,</b> high-scoring Shark center fired in the winning goal, to break a 4-4 deadlock, with just five seconds left in the game.</p><p>The Buffalo Blades, regular season champs for the past two years, have three players who graduated to the Canadian leagues this season. Mitch Bradt, a big, hard-working defenseman who starred for the Blades all last season, has signed with the Sherbrooke Beavers of the QMJHL.</p><p>Mitch is elated over the fact that the Beavers have been selected to represent Canada in the World Junior Hockey Tournament to be held in Finalnd from December 23 until January 6.</p><p>Other Buffalo Blades skating north of the border are <b>Bruce Adams</b> who tried out for the St. Catharines Black Hawks of the OHA. is now playing tor the Flower City&rsquo;s Tier Two club, the Welland Sabres. Also. <b>Jim Zimmer</b> is skating for the Niagara Falls. Ontario junior entry in the OHA Tier 2 League.</p><p>General Manager Dick Metzger, of the Southtown Cougars tells us that he has a veteran squad returning for the new season, with 12 veterans on the roster&mdash;including the NY-Penn scoring champ from last season, <b>Tom Metzger.</b> Tom returned to the Cougars following tryout with the Montreal Junior and Brockville Warriors.</p><p>Coming to the Cougars from other NY-Penn teams are a pair of fine young skaters&mdash;<b>Jay Boudreay</b> who transferred from the Amherst Kinghts and <b>Tony Vesons</b> who skated for the Buffalo Blades last season.</p><h2><b>New England League</b></h2><p>Husky Poirier sends word that his Berlin, N.H. Marroons will badly miss two of their star performers from last season who have graduated to other teams. <b>Raymond Roy</b> has signed with the Sherbrooke Beavers of the QMJHL and <b>Frank Roy,</b> who is now playing for the University of New Hampshire.</p><h2><b>Great Lakes League</b></h2><p>According to <b>Gale Cronk,</b> who just retired as secretary of the newly formed Great Lakes Junior Hockey League, there have been a few changes in the team lineup for the coming season, as announced in a previous column. Court action ordered the addition of one more team to each of the &ldquo;A&rdquo; and &ldquo;B&rdquo; Tiers and some franchises have shifted. The tier plan, is the first time it has been established in the U.S. and all junior leagues south of the border are closely watching to see how successful the set up will be.</p><p>The &ldquo;A&rdquo; Tier is now set with the previously announced Detroit Junior Red Wings. Southfield Chiefs and Allen Park Little Caesars. The St. Clair Shores franchise is now sponsored by Paddock Pools and the Port Huron Fog Cutters have been added to the lineup, as the result of the court ruling.</p><p>Incidentally, in the opening league game this season, the upstart new-comers from Port Huron, soundly wihipped the veteran Detroit Juniors by a 6-3 score.</p><p>The &ldquo;B&rdquo; Tier stands with Berkley Bruins, Waterford Lakers and Flint Icelanders. The Dearborn franchise was shifted to the Wayne Americans. A fifth team added by the court action, is the Fraser Highlanders.</p><p>Cronk notes that the tiered plan has full sanction of the AH AUS Junior Development Committee.</p><h2><b>Around And About</b></h2><p>Don Clark, chairman of the AHAUS Junior Development Commitee sends some interesting data concerning the advancement of U.S. players in organized hockey circles. During the eight-year period since the inception of the AHAUS program, 124 American reared players have been drafted by the NHL. Of those 124, 57 have played part of their careers in one of the development leagues. The player development review reveals that the greatest number of quality hockey players in the U.S. are coming from the States of Minnesota, Massachusetts and Michigan. The report also notes that in the 1975 draft, six players were drafted from American Junior Leagues during the past season, all from the Midwest League. Thirty-five were drafted from American Colleges.</p><p>Clark continues that, in contrast to Canada and the European nations, hockey participation in the U.S. is in a large degree high school and college related. This situation poses problems in the development of a strong junior program in the U.S.A large percentage of the outstanding prospects in the country compete as members of high and/or prep schools. After completing their school hockey careers they are zealously recruited by the leading hockey colleges in the natio and in many cases decide to paly college hockey. Thus, these players bypass junior hockey and consequently miss the advantages of playing in a strong junior program.</p><p>Junior Leagues in the U.S. and Canada! We want to hear from you. Let&rsquo;s hear what your boys are doing. That&rsquo;s what this column is all about. We ask that league secretaries and PR people put us on their mailing lists and send us weekly reports regarding activities in your leagues. Primarily what we are interested in is hearing about your players. Send all information to Bill Hilts, JUNIOR JOTTINGS, 5115 Bear Road, Sanborn, N.Y U.S.A.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

JUNIOR JOTTINGS

<h2><b>Body Check Exercise</b></h2><p><b>Here&rsquo;s a good way you and a friend can practise body checks on the ice.</b></p><p><b>A good off-ice exercise is to get your friend to stand with his body against and pushing one side of a door. You stand on the other side, press one shoulder against the door, trying to move it&mdash;push your friend back.</b></p><p><b>You&rsquo;ll find that the lower you crouch, the more pressure you&rsquo;ll put against his weight. While you&rsquo;re pushing, look down at your legs. The one closest to the door is bent, the other leg is straight, exerting most of the pressure. Your body is pressing upward with your shoulder and the upper arm is the point of contact.</b></p><p><b>Now, turn around and do the same exercise with the other side of your body. Practise several times, then let your friend do it.</b></p><p><b>It&rsquo;s a good exercise and will become a technique against opponents on the ice.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01114/3335751-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="670" height="588"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-01

MINOR HOCKEY TIPS

<div class="byline">BY KEN RUDNICK</div><p>KANSAS CITY&mdash;</p><p>Every September they show up in National Hockey League training camps, the young defensemen straight out of junior hockey, and normally the clubs get only two models to choose from.</p><p>On one hand, there is the Neanderthal type, determined to make a place for himself by hitting anything that moves and collecting a few big-namescalps. On the other, there is the would-be Bobby Orr, whose mind is in the opposition&rsquo;s end even when the puck isn&rsquo;t.</p><p>What, then, are we to make of Terry McDonald?</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great moves,&rdquo; says Johnny Choyce vector of scouting for the Kanssity Scouts, citing a quality rarey associated with 20-year-old defance men.</p><p>He has also had a way of confounding people&mdash;even himself&mdash;ever since reporting to the Scouts&rsquo; training camp in Port Huron, Mich., last month.</p><p>&ldquo;I was sort of counting on the American League,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;I thought I had a chance to make it to the NHL right away, but not a good one.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c4-01195/3335789-1-eng-US/c4-012.jpg" title="C4-01" width="317" height="448"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Terry McDonald</b></figcaption></div><p>Yet, even though Sid Abel was warning about premature conclusions, McDonald was one of seven defensemen on the plane that left Detroit for Kansas City and the second phase of the Scouts&rsquo; camp Sept. 24.</p><p>&ldquo;Remember, it&rsquo;s only been two exhibition games against Washington,&rdquo; said Abel, the Scouts&rsquo; general manager. &ldquo;He looked good, but wait until we play St. Louis. Things get faster and he may not know where he is out there.&rdquo;</p><p>In the second of back-to-back exhibitions against the Blues he picked up his first goal as a professional. By the time he added a second goal in the Scouts&rsquo; exhibition finale against Minnesota there was no longer any question he would be opening the regular season in Kansas City against the New York Islanders.</p><p>&ldquo;He showed us since the start of camp that he belongs,&rdquo; Abel said.</p><p>The goals were nice, but the quality that sold the Scouts on McDonald was his quiet efficiency, a testimony to the ability of at least one leopard to change his spots.</p><p>&ldquo;In junior he was a leader,&rdquo; says Choyce, who watched him play four or five games for Kamloops of the Western Canada Hockey League last season: &ldquo;He was a good puck-carrier, a scorer, a shooter. Here he&rsquo;s been more cautious, more careful.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I decided before I came to camp that I&rsquo;d have to change,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;I could get away with that stuff in junior. Here I just take the puck to center (ice) and either pass it or shoot it in.</p><p>In his junior incarnation McDonald had 32 goals and 37 assists last season, healthy totals for a defenseman. The New England Whalers of the WHA were impressed enough to make him their first round choice and guarantee him a contract, something the Scouts, who found him still avail-able in the fifth round of the NHL draft, refused to do.</p><p>&ldquo;We had an agreement with his agent (Frank Milne) that if he made the NHL, he&rsquo;d get such-and-such an amount,&rdquo; Abel said. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;d gone down he&rsquo;d have gotten less. If he couldn&rsquo;t play, he would have gone home.&rdquo;</p><p>Two days before the start of the regular season McDonald signed a multi-year NHL contract. He may be going places, but home isn&rsquo;t one of them.</p><p><b>LOOSE PUCKS:</b> The Scouts finished their exhibition schedule with a 3-1-2 record that included two victories over Washington, a victory and a tie against St. Louis and a tie and a loss against Minnesota. Gary Croteau, who scored only eight goals in 77 regular-season games last year, picked up four to lead Kansas City in exhibition play&hellip;McDonald wound up as the only first year pro starting the season in Kansas City when the Scouts shipped left wing Don Cairns, their No. 2 draft pick, to Springfield of the AHL. &ldquo;We were quite pleased with him,&rdquo; Abel said. &ldquo;He could be back in a month or two. The physical part of his game we like. But he&rsquo;s awful green when he gets the puck in our zone.&rdquo; Also farmed out it Springfield were Dennis Patter son, Jim McElmury and Mik Baumgartner, defensemen why played for the Scouts as rookie last season. Baumgartner sat our the entire second half of the season after suffering a serious injury it his left eye when struck by a show off the stick of Dennis Kearns O&rsquo;Vancouver. &ldquo;My sight isn&rsquo;t like it used to be,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m not the type to make excuses.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c4-02173/3335782-1-eng-US/c4-022.jpg" title="C4-02" width="1149" height="903"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GARY CROTEAU&hellip;Led Exhibition Scorers</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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October 31, 1975

National Hockey League Summaries

Reds Loom Tough With Late NHL Cuts

Ex-Cub Star Simard Back

NHL LEADERS