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.

December 19, 1975

The Hockey News December 19, 1975

<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02113/3544959-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="589" height="530"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

NAHL Leaders

The North American Hockey League player of the week award is designed to be just that, an honor for the top performance of the previous calendar week. But last wdek&rsquo;s award goes beyond that.It does honor a fine performance in a Thanksgiving week during which there were hat tricks aplenty and during which Mohawk Valley GM Brian Conacher made an inspirational comeback from a two and one half year retirement.But it also honors the fact that the winner&rsquo;s accomplishments culminated a recent performance that has driven his team to a commanding divisional lead. The player? Johnstown Jet goaltender Lou Levasseur.Levasseur&rsquo;s week was indeed a fine one. Two starts. A shutout on the road against Mohawk Valley. A win at home against Erie. But also consider this: The Jets have now won eight times in a row; Levasseur was in the nets for five of those including two on the road. Levasseur has started 13 times on the season and won 12 of those. He was tied once. He has yet to lose.Levasseur had a fine week. He has had agine season and deserves to be honored. He is the NAHL&rsquo;s player of the week for the week of Nov. 24 through Nov. 30. &#9632;

Lou Levasseur… Johnstown Jets

C&mdash;Captain*&mdash;Rookie<h2>CALGARY</h2>GOALDon McLeodWayne WoodDEFENSEDuane RuppFrancois LacombeWally OldsBill ReedChris EvansJohn MiszukCENTERRon ChipperneldMurray keoganPeter Driscoll* Derek HaasTerry CafferyR. WINGDanny LawsonButch DeadmarshHugh Harris* RayDoLorenzL. WINGLarry IsraelsonGeorge MorrisonDon TannahillRick SentesINJUREDPaul Terbenche<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GOALMike CurranJohn GarrettDEFENSERon BusniukPat WestrumRick SmithBill ButtersGerry OdrowskiCENTERTed HampsonFran HuckDave KeonHenry BouchaGary GambucciR. WINGMike WaltonWayne ConnellyJohn McKenziePaul HolmgrenL. WINGMike AntonovichCurt BrackenburyJack CarlsonINJUREDNone<h2>CINCINNATI</h2>GOALSerge Aubry* Norm LapointeRich CoutuDEFENSEJohn HughesMike PelykRon Plumb* Dave Inkpen&bull; Bruce AbbeyRon SerafiniCENTERDennis SobchukBryan Campbell* Jacques LocasBernie MacNeilR. WINGSteve AndrascikRick DudleyDon O&rsquo;Donoghue* Claude Larose* Pat DonnellyL. WINGGene SobchukDale SmedsmoLorne RomboughPierre GuiteINJUREDDanny Gruen<h2>NEW ENGLAND</h2>GOALC. AbrahamssonPaul Hogan sonDEFENSERick Ley C.Doug RobertsPaul HurleyBrad SelwoodAlan Hangsleben&ldquo;Gord RobertsCENTERLarry PleauGary SwainT. AbrahamssonR. WINGTom EarlFred O&rsquo;DonnellTom WebsterRosaire PaiementL. WINGRon Climie*Danny ArndtWayne CarletonDon BlackburnNick FotiuINJUREDNone<h2>CLEVELAND</h2>GOALGerry CheeversBob WhiddenDEFENSETerry Ball*Paul BaxterTom Edur&lsquo;Bryan MaxwellRay McKayPaul ShmyrWayne MuloinCENTERJim HarrisonRich LeducJ.C. StewartRon WardR. WINGAl McDonoughRuss WalkerL. WINGLyle MoffatGerry PinderJ. A. StewartGary Jarrett* Juhani TamminenINJUREDTerry Holbrook<h2>PHOENIX</h2>GOALGary KurtJack NorrisDEFENSEAl McLeod C.Jim NiekampSerge Beaudoin*Garry Lariviere*Pekka RautakallioCENTERJim BoydRobbie FtorekR. WING*Dave GormanJohn Gray*Lauri Mononen*Barry DeanRon HustonL. WINGCam ConnorMichel CormierJohn MigneaultDel HallGary VeneruzzoINJUREDNone<h2>DENVER</h2>GOALBob JohnsonCam NewtonDEFENSEBryon BaltimoreDarryl MaggsLarry BignellBarry LeggeJohn ArbourKeith KokkolaCENTERGary MacGrego&rsquo;Pete MaraBrian LavenderJimSherittR. WINGMark LomendaFrankie RochonDon Borgeson* Ron DelormeL. WINGBob LiddingtonRick MorrisJ.P. LeolancRalph Backstrom C* BillGoldthorpeINJUREDNone<h2>QUEBEC</h2>GOALRichard BrodeurMichel DeguisePeter DonnellyDEFENSEDale HogansonRic JordanPierre RoyJ.C. TremblayJean BernierJim WatsonAl GlobenskyCENTERSerge BernierChris BordeleauReal CloutierR. WINGMichel Parizeau C.Rene LeclercRejean HouleTom ServissL. WINGGord GallantMarc TardifSteve SutherlandJim BonzetockINJUREDNone<h2>EDMONTON</h2>GOALDave DrydenChris WorthyDEFENSEDoug BarrieSteve CarlyleBob Me AneeleyTed Me AneeleyBarry LongKerry KetterMurray KennettCENTEREddie JoyalNorm UllmanMike Rogers* Peter MorrisR. WINGBlair MacDonaldBruce MacGregorRusty PatenoudeTim SheehySkip KrakeJohn RegersL. WINGBilly MorrisKen BairdBilly EvoDanny Spring*Bob RussellINJUREDNone<h2>SAN DIEGO</h2>GOALErnie WakelyRuss GillowDEFENSEMike McMahonBob FalkenbergKevin MorrisonBob WallBrent HughesCENTERAndre LacroixRay AdduonoDon BurgessLoe InglisR. WINGWayne RiversNorm Ferguson CJoe NorisDave WalterGary BredinL. WINGGene PeacoshKevin DevineJamie BatemanJohn FrenchINJUREDJim HargreavesBrian Morenz<h2>HOUSTON</h2>GOALRon GrahameWayne RutledgeDEFENSELarry HaleMarty HoweGlen IrwinPaul PopielJohn ScholiaCENTERGord LabossiereLarry LundTerry RuskowskiR. WINGGordie HoweMurray HallFrank HughesDon LarwayJohn TonelliL. WINGAndre HinseMark HoweTed Taylor CRich PrestonJan PopielINJURH)None<h2>TORONTO</h2>GOAL* Dave Tataryn* Mario VienDEFENSEMike AmodeoRick CunninghamJim Dorey* Peter Foico* Jerry RollinsJim TurkiewiczCENTERRichard Far daGavin KirkPeter MarrinVaclav Nedomansky* Jean-Luc PhaneufR. WINGTony FeatherstoneJeff Jacques* Mark NapierTom SimpsonL. WINGRank Mahovlich CPaul HendersonLou Nistico* Bob DAI viseINJUREDJim Shaw<h2>INDIANPOLIS</h2>GOALAndy Brown* Leif HolmquistDEFENSEBob Woytowich C* Kim Clackson* Michel DuboisDick ProceviatKen BlockBill PrenticePat StapletonCENTERRon BuchananRandy WyrozubReg TnomasR. WINGMurray HeatleyTed ScharfAl KadanderNick HarbarukBob StetnskiBrian McDonaldBob WhitlockL. WINGBob RtcnnerBrian CoatesJim WisteINJURS)None<h2>WINNIPEG</h2>GOALJoe DaleyCurt LarssonDEFENSELarry HornungTed Greer.Lars-Erik SjobergThommie BergmanDuke AsmundsonLarry HillmanPerry MillerCENTERUlf NilssonVet KetoiaWilly LindstromR. WINGNorm BeaudinAnders HedbergBill LesukL. WINGMike FordBobby HullHexi RrihirantaMats LindhPeter SullivanINJURH)None &#9632;

WHA Team Rosters

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01610/3545297-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>&mdash;Page 2WAYNE STEPHENSONTHE AMAZING MAN IN FLYERS&rsquo; GOAL&mdash;Page 19MINNESOTA&rsquo;S CONNELLY MISSES WHA GOAL MARK&mdash;Page 24FOR CHICAGO&rsquo;S DENNIS HULL JEERS HAVE TURNED TO CHEERS&mdash;Page 3BUFFALO&rsquo;S PENALTY KILLERS DEADLY&mdash;Page 18<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-02462/3545290-1-eng-US/cover-022.jpg" title="Cover-02" width="802" height="1170"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON LUCE Leads Sabres&rsquo; Checking Crew</figcaption></div> &#9632;

Cover-01

RANGERS STRUGGLE FOR CONSISTENCY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01878/3542457-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The latest NHL trade to be consumated moved Wayne Merrick from St. Louis to California. Here&rsquo;s young Merrick in his new NHL livery after a swap that could turn out to be a &lsquo;steal&rsquo; for the Seals. For details see page 10.</figcaption></div><h2>HOWE IN TROUBLE</h2>TORONTO&mdash;Hockey&rsquo;s senior citizen, Gordie Howe, is in trouble for the first time in his 29 years as a top hockey performer. Howe&rsquo;s celebrated elbows got him into hot water when he bowled over referee Ron Asselstine during a regular league game, an incident that could bring Howe the first suspension of his long career.Howe faces disciplinary action from Ben Hatskin, chief executive officer of the WHA, who has the case before him after both Howe and goaler Ron Grahame of Houston Aeros were thrown out of a game for separate incidents involving Asselstine. Howe admitted he elbowed the referee for making some awful calls. Grahame was ejected for protecting too strongly over a Winnipeg goal. Howe later objected to one of Asselstine&rsquo;s high-sticking calls. When the official handed Howe a game misconduct, Howe elbowed him and the referee left the game only to return after 15 minutes. He said he would take his case to the WHA but added he was quitting the league. Hatskin said he would not give Howe preferential treatment in dealing with the WHA super star.<h2>SCOUTS LOSE JOBS</h2>TORONTO&mdash;The NHL&rsquo;s new central scouting system has put about 50 part-time bird-dogs out of business says Atlanta chief scout Don Graham. &ldquo;As far as I can see most of the part-time scouts are gone,&rdquo; said Graham. They averaged between $5,000 and $6,000 a year.The new NHL system employs nine scouts, each earning $25,000 a year, who feed a central bank with facts on players eligible for the June amateur draft. The system costs the 18 NHL clubs about $375,000 a year to support and is operated by Jack Button, former Pittsburgh GM, at the NHL&rsquo;s Montreal head office.<h2>PLAYERS STAGE STRIKE</h2>MONTREAL&mdash;The Laval Nationals of the Quebec Major hockey League are back on the ice after staging an unprecedented three-day strike that forced their club to miss one league game and ended with the team&rsquo;s captain. Yvon Vautour, taking over as coach at the insistence of the players.The Laval juniors went out in support of their former coach. Jacques St. Jean, who resigned after a salary dispute with the club&rsquo;s management. The team also tried to force chief scout Jean-Guy Lavoie on the players as new coach and they refused to accept him. The QMJHL ordered the Nationals to show up in Trois-Rivieres for a game or face suspension of all of its players and the franchise. They showed and lost 5-3. &#9632;

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Deadline stoppers

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div>NEW YORK&mdash;&ldquo;Last night in Pittsburgh, we were rotten.&rdquo; said Phil Esposito, the New York Rangers captain. &ldquo;Tonight we played like we wanted to win&mdash;and that&rsquo;s what we did.&rdquo;Esposito was talking about the contrasting Ranger efforts over the November 29-30 week-end. They were blown out in Pittsburgh 8-3 and then bounced back to whip St. Louis 5-2.&ldquo;I hope the game against St. Louis wasn&rsquo;t just a one game thing again,&rdquo; said coach Ron Stewart. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t tell them anything different than I did in Pittsburgh. Just used bleep a few more times.&rdquo;The difference might have been the Blues jinx in Madison Square Garden&mdash;a house of horrors for St. Louis teams. The Rangers country cousins have only won once in Madison Square Garden in their entire history. And that time, Nov. 13, 1968 they used three goalers, Jacques Plante. Glenn Hall and Robbie Irons to pull the trick.Most likely the difference was Esposito. The master of the slot tipped one red light in Pittsburgh, but gave a really great display in the Garden. He opened the scoring with a power-play effort at 7:23, when he tipped Lawrence Sacharuk&rsquo;s shot from the point. In the third period with New York ahead 3-0, he got the Rangers their insurance goal by combining with Jerry Holland and Rick Middleton. While skating with his back to the St. Louis net, Espo whirled and backhanded Holland&rsquo;s pass for a goal, then crashed into the backboards as his momentum carried him beyond the net.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still not 100 percent,&rdquo; said Phil. &ldquo;I will have to live with the ankle for a month or so. Nick Garen (hired by the Rangers to assist Frank Paice and Jim Young) is taping my ankle. He knows his job. But my timing is off. my faceoff work is off. It will come, but it&rsquo;s going to take time.&rdquo;Espo has convinced any doubters there might have been about his ability to put the puck into the net. He is an absolute marvel in front of the goal.&ldquo;Esposito can&rsquo;t be moved when he decides to plant himself and his stick is so quick you would almost think he was a Camille Henry.&rdquo; said a rival NHL general manager.Ted Irvine, the former Ranger, who is now with St. Louis, had a tiff with New York&rsquo;s goaler John Davidson in the third period of the game. Perhaps because of his unhappiness with the result. Ted noted. &ldquo;The Rangers offense is al-most entirely Esposito. They have to get another line scoring, too&mdash;or they will be in trouble.&rdquo;Ted. an honest worker with New York, has a point.&ldquo;The Rangers have a lot of young guys. Right now they are in a dog fight just to get past Atlanta. It could be tough.&rdquo; continued Ted.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02808/3542426-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="256" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Esposito</figcaption></div>One of those young guys is the much maligned Sacharuk, the young man with great point shot. Sach took a full turn in both the Pittsburgh and St. Louis games, pairing with Ron Greschner. The results weren&rsquo;t wonderful in Pittsburgh, but got a bit better the next night.&ldquo;I was happy with Jerry Holland, and Sacharuk. I&rsquo;m sure of something else, too. Ron Greschner plays better on the left side. I don&rsquo;t care what anyone says,&rdquo; said Stewart.With Sacharuk, a right hand shot, Greschner shifted to the left side. Although a left hand shot, Ron has played a lot on the right side, both with the Rangers and with his junior team, the New West minster club of WCHL.Carol Vadnais, now ensconced on the point with Sacharuk, thinks the New York power play can get better.&ldquo;If our power play had been better with all those advantages we had we might have beaten them 82. The Blues didn&rsquo;t gain by turning chippy when they fell behind. You could tell they had a bad road trip and were fighting for their jobs.&rdquo;With Esposito constantly skating from teammate to teammate prior to faceoffs, shouting encouragement, the Rangers need for a leader has been answered. How ever, one man cannot do it all. The return of Rockey Gilbert, out with a strained knee, courtesy of Bobby Clarke, will help, but the Rangers still have a tremendous infusion of youth to digest all at once. Steve Vickers seems like an old resident of the locker room, yet this is only his fourth season.The answer, as far as the attack is concerned comes down to Walter Tkaczuk. If Walter, in favor with Stewart, can get the second line moving, New York has a legitimate shot at the playoffs. If not, look out. There have been rumors that Tkaczuk turned down a trade, but this isn&rsquo;t considered likely by insiders. Stewart favored Tkaczuk over Derek Sanderson and when that decision was made. Walter remained a Ranger.At 28, he still has a future, although his recent past has been not what was envisioned when he and Brad Park were the cornerstones of the New York future. For the Rangers to trade Tkaczuk without getting an equally good, and equally young center, in return. would be a disaster. Wayne Dillon is still a boy in the rough and tumble of the NHL and both Esposito and Peter &ldquo;the Survivor&rdquo; Stemkowski are in their 33rd year.BLUE CHIPS: Rod Gilbert is expected back in the Rangers line-up soon&hellip;Nick Beverley has entered Lenox Hill Hospital to have his injured back placed intraction. When Nick took a regular spot on the defense last December the Rangers got hot for a month and settled into a playoff berth&hellip; Nick Garen, the new member of the training staff, used to work with the Chicago Black Hawks and Islanders and is a great &ldquo;cut&rdquo; man&hellip;Phil Esposito and his advisor Fred Sharf are expected to boom New York Street hockey. They are working with the American Street Hockey Assn&hellip;Brad Park was roundly booed when the Bruins visited MSG Nov. 26. &#9632;

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Esposito Not ‘Totally’ The Answer As Rangers Still Lack Consistency

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01883/3542509-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENNIS HULL&hellip; In Love With Home Fans Again</figcaption></div>CHICAGO&mdash;Dennis Hull was skating off Chicago Stadium ice after a shift, a good shift, when he heard the strange noise from above. It wasn&rsquo;t a bird, and it wasn&rsquo;t a plane and it wasn&rsquo;t even Superman.It was applause (The expression of approval by hand clapping or cheers. Syn. acclamation laudation, praise.)Coach Billy Reay walked over to him on the bench and said, &ldquo;Dennis, are you sure we&rsquo;re in Chicago?&rdquo;To which Hull replied: &ldquo;I think so. But I don&rsquo;t know. I haven&rsquo;t heard anything like this since our last game in Montreal.&rdquo;But that&rsquo;s the way things seem to be going this season for the Black Hawks. Everybody loves everybody. The fans even seem to love Hull, who has been the target of such vituperation in Chicago that he understandably prefers to play on the road.Of course, Hull has not only shed the pain in his ears this winter, but he&rsquo;s shed a pain in his back which last season was a major contributing factor to his paltry 16-goal output and overall hellacious experience.&ldquo;In the playoffs two seasons ago against Boston, I had a back spasm,&rdquo; recalled Hull. &ldquo;Last year, it bothered me again. Sometimes it would be real bad, other times it would go away for a period of several games.&ldquo;Then at the end of the season, they took a picture and found that I had a crack in the bottom vertebrae. The lower it is, the less need you have to operate for something like that, so the doctors just told me to exercise and stretch the muscles that were so tight around there.&ldquo;I did that during the summer, and I also did a lot of jogging so I&rsquo;d come to training camp in the best shape possible, and I also lost about 10 pounds. I got up over 200 last year and I figured that the less weight my back has to carry, the better.&rdquo;This year, it&rsquo;s the new/old model Hull. The depression of his personal struggles last season, plus the lazy third place finish by the team, robbed the normally comical left winger of his joviality. When in form, he and Doug Jarrett were a side-splitting one-two punch, in the locker room, on the team bus, in airports throughout the land.Jarrett is gone to the New York Rangers now, but, much as he misses his old confrere. Hull is evidencing his toothy grin once more.&ldquo;What happened here last year was really strange,&rdquo; said Hull. &ldquo;It just seemed like we could never get anything going. We&rsquo;d play well one game, then fall on our faces the next. And for me, things just kept snowballing. I&rsquo;d make a mistake early in a game at home, the crowd would be all over me, and I&rsquo;d be afraid to move after that.&ldquo;This year, there is a whole different feeling here. You see from the first day of training camp that everybody was more determined. I guess we wanted to make amends for last season. We seem more up for every game now, more serious.&ldquo;And everybody is really working hard. I can&rsquo;t imagine a better group of guys than we have right here. Everybody is together. We all go places together. I don&rsquo;t mean that we had factions last season, but this season we all seem to be heading in the same direction, if you know what I mean.&rdquo;Hull thought he might be heading in a different direction this summer.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have been surprised if they&rsquo;d have traded me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was sort of expecting it. In fact, last year when things were really going bad, I went in to Billy and talked about the possibility of my going elsewhere.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t helping the team and things were so tough that 1 figured a change might do everybody good. Now that I look back, I&rsquo;m glad they didn&rsquo;t get rid of me.&rdquo;Hull started slowly this year, with just three goals in 18 games though he wasn&rsquo;t playing badly at all. Then he surged with six goals in his next six games as the Chicagoans went through the entire month of November without defeat.&ldquo;I have to give a lot of credit to my linemates,&rdquo; said Hull. &ldquo;(Right wing) Grant Mulvey has more talent for a guy who&rsquo;s only 19 years old than I&rsquo;ve ever seen. It&rsquo;s unreal. And Ivan Boldirev (Chicago&rsquo;s high-scoring center) is playing great hockey.&ldquo;But the man I really have to thank is Billy Reay. He&rsquo;s stuck with me through so much. Since I first came up, people have been yelling at him to get rid of me, and you see a lot of situations where coaches have to bow to the Pressure. But he&rsquo;s been great to me.&rdquo;Ah. everybody loves everybody when you&rsquo;re in first place. Even in the Conn Smythe Division.HAWK TALK: Phil Russell, who incurred a slight crack in his right kneecap at Philadelphia N.v. 13, staged a quick return. He was back on skates in two weeks&hellip; But as of early December, Stan Mikita and Bill White remained in dry-dock.<h2>They Heard Boos, Too&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02752/3542502-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="556" height="646"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRADPARK&hellip;Hooted In N.Y.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03506/3542495-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="568" height="564"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARCEL DIONNE&hellip;Motor City Wrath</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04297/3542488-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="554" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIM PAPPIN&hellip;Booed Off Hawks</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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DENNIS HULL WINNING NEW PLAUDITS, CREDITS PATIENCE OF COACH REAY

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-01935/3542561-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="454" height="450"></div>&bull; DOUG BARKLEY has left the coaching post of the Detroit Red Wings twice. The first time he quit and the second time he was fired. Doug left the Wings after only 11 games back in 1971-72. He was fired by Alex Delvecchio, general manager of the Red Wings, following the teams humiliating 9-1 loss to Vancouver. Delvecchio will also assume the coaching role as well and hopes to lead the Wings into the Stanley Cup playoffs, something they&rsquo;ve missed every year since 1970. Since the 1967-68 season the Wings have had nine coaches involving seven different men&hellip; Bobby Hull has scored 196 goals in three plus seasons in the World Hockey Association. The 36-year-old scoring star of the Winnipeg Jets has now fired 800 goals in major pro hockey, second only to Houston&rsquo;s Gordie Howe. Hull set a major league record of 77 last season&hellip; While NHL attendance is off after the first two months of play the gate receipts are up. There is a decrease of 433 per game compared to the same number of games last season, 215. The gate receipts stem from an average increase of 51 cents in the price of tickets&hellip; New York Islanders show the largest increase of more than 2,000 per game over last sea son&hellip; Don Cairns, No. 2 amateur draft choice of Kansas City Scouts, underwent surgery last week to repair torn cartilage in the left winger&rsquo;s left knee. He had been playing with Springfield of the American League&hellip; Philadelphia Flyers are tough to beat at home. Through the 23-game mark this season they had a 12-1-2 record at the Spectrum. Over two seasons (excluding playoffs) the Flyers had lost just once in 37 games and boasted a 32-1-4 record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02891/3542554-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="280" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alex Delvecchio</figcaption></div>&bull; VANCOUVER CANUCKS play to sellout crowds every time they perform before the loyal and rabid B.C. fans. Phil Maloney, general manager-coach of the Canucks, has done an outstanding job in turning the club around and Bill Hughes, president of the team, is one of the most astute and progressive governors in the National Hockey League. The Canucks have been beset by a number of injuries of late which is hampering their won-lost record, but once some of their big guns return to action, the feeling in puck circles is that Vancouver will be a strong contender for Stanley Cup honors this spring&hellip; Harold Ballard, president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is going to make a firm offer to buy the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Chances of the controversial Ballard actually obtaining the team are slim but he and his son Bill have shown interest in purchasing the Tiger-Cats for some time now&hellip; Kansas City Scouts enjoyed their greatest day in the sun when they defeated the highly-favored Montreal Canadiens, 6-5. Wilf Paiement, Scouts&rsquo; star forward, scored his first NHL hat trick in the game. It was the first time Kansas City had defeated Canadiens since they entered the NHL in 1974&hellip; Brad Park and Phil Esposito, major cogs in hockey&rsquo;s biggest trade in years, have both played well for their new teams. Park has been carrying the load for the injured Bobby Orr on defense for Boston and Espo has been scoring and assisting with regularity for the Rangers&hellip; Doug Harvey, ex-defense great with Montreal Canadiens and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, recently appointed chief scout for the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA&hellip; Bobby Clarke, captain of the Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers, is rated one of the greatest leaders in all of sports. He is admired and respected by every player in hockey and there&rsquo;s no doubt but that he&rsquo;s the heart of the Flyers. Clarke is the ideal type of player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the &ldquo;player adjudged to be most valuable to his team&rdquo;. He never lets down and never plays a poor game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03786/3542547-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="274" height="426"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Clarke</figcaption></div>&bull; GARRY UNGER has scored his eighth hat trick in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis star is getting his hat tricks at a pace faster than anyone except Phil Esposito and Rick Martin among the active league leaders in three-goal games&hellip; The first snow of the season in St. Louis cut the usual attendance at Blues&rsquo; games in half. The Blues average around 17,000 a game but their contest against cross-state rival Kansas City on the day of the snow was less than 8,500&hellip; Hugh Delano, crack hockey writer for the New York Post, has edited a fine book called Power Hockey by Don Awrey and Ken Hodge. It is published by Atheneum and sells for $6.95 and is available at most book stores&hellip; Some other U.S. college graduates who are playing goal in the NHL today are Wayne Thomas (Wisconsin) with Toronto, Dave Reece (Vermont), Boston Bruins; Bill McKenzie (Ohio State), Kansas City; Pete LoPresti (Denver), Minnesota North Stars; &lsquo;Jerome Mrazek (Duluth), Philadelphia and Gord McRae (Michigan Tech), Toronto&hellip; Owner Jaye Moore has redesigned the Cleveland Crusaders uniforms and the WHA team is wearing sweaters made of a special nylon material and the Crusaders are the only pro team using it&hellip; Bryan Maxwell, a crowd favorite with Cleveland fans, is nicknamed &ldquo;Jaws&rdquo;&hellip; Trades forced the appointment of three new delegates to the Players&rsquo; Association. Dave Gardner for California, Nick Beverley for N.Y. Rangers and Bobby Orr in Boston&hellip; New York Islanders have the best power play in the NHL with 37 goals&hellip; Montreal Canadiens are second with 31.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04684/3542540-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="280" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wilf Paiement</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

OFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLYFounded October 1st, 1947Published 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.Kenneth W. McKenziePresident, Publisher and Advertising DirectorDon WallAssociate PublisherCharlie HalpinEditorial DirectorKeith LawtonAdministration ManagerPat BealeAdvertising Co-OrdinatorRalph BridglandAsst. To EditorUnited States Advertising RepresentativesNEW YORK: Bill Hitzig, National Sports Publishing Corp., 150 East 58th Street. New York N.Y. 10022. Telephone (212) 593-2100.CHICAGO: Hooper Jones & Associates, 3322 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, III 60659. Telephone (312) 478-5544.ATLANTIC STATES (including New York, Boston, Buffalo & Philadelphia: Bob Bassinette, Bassinette/White, 50 East 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017. Telephone (212) 986-6210.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. CATHERINE 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. &#9632;

The Hockey News

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05554/3542616-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg"></div><h2>Overall Player Ability Better Before Expansion</h2>I am writing this letter to oppose the views of Mr. Craig Walsh which appeared in your Nov. 28th issue. It is evident that this individual did not have the pleasure of viewing hockey in its pre-expansion form. He says: &ldquo;With hockey talent getting better every year in the U.S. and Canada why have pre-expansion and post-expansion records separate? I would answer his question by stating: &ldquo;John Bucyk and Rick MacLeish would never have scored fifty goals in the pre-expansion era, Phil Esposito would never have accumulated the unbelieveable and bloated total of 152 points in one season, and Bobby Orr would never have recorded 102 assists in a single season. Why? Because, in the six-team setup prior to expansion there were no patsy teams like the Seals, Capitals, etc. The teams faced each other fourteen times and built up strong rivalries which provided for tighter play and a win-at-all-cost attitude. I will not attempt to compare individuals as who can judge whether or not Gil Perreault or Jean Beliveau was the best center hockey has ever seen. But, I will contend that the overall ability of the individuals in the pre-expansion era was superior. Each team to be a viable force had to have three good lines and at least four solid defensemen. How many teams today can boast an arsenal equal to that? (The Montreal Canadiens, who else!, may be the only exception) Another of Mr. Walsh&rsquo;s comments was: &ldquo;With all the new defensive minded teams in the league it is getting harder to score goals than easier.&rdquo; Now I query the rest of the fans who read your fine publication, &ldquo;Who is this person trying to kid?&rdquo;ROBERT NIEDOSPIAL, Burbank, Ill.<h2>Avid U.S. Fan Of Maple Leafs</h2>Too little has been said about the Toronto Maple Leafs over the years, and as one of the few avid Maple Leaf fans in the United States for over the past 40 years, I would like to correct that.I started listening to the Toronto Maple Leafs play hockey on the radio in 1932 when Foster Hewitt was doing the play-by-play and today that premier personality is still doing a fine job on the mike, believe it or not. Toronto has only finished out of the playoffs once or twice in that span and has won 11 Stanley Cups, second only to the immortal Montreal Canadiens with 18. The Maple Leafs have a record nine players in the Hockey Hall of Fame and-have another record whereby they won three consecutive Stanley Cups two different times. I feel they are coming on again and will win the Cup again soon.Also, another record of distinction is that five former Maple Leaf stars of Stanley Cup fame are now coaching in the NHL, namely Bob Pulford for the Los Angeles Kings, Al Arbour for the New York Islanders, Ron Stewart for the New York Rangers, Floyd Smith for the Buffalo Sabres, and of course, Len &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Kelly of the present Maple Leaf team. I still remember over 80 percent of the members of all the Maple Leaf teams since 1932, and I doubt that they have a more avid fan, in Canada or in this country.JOHN H. PAULSEN, Jr., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.<h2>Hockey Press Ignoring Seals</h2>I would like to comment on an annoying situation. It seems like the hockey press is intent on totally ignoring the California Seals. I can understand this happening in their whiteskate-Finley days. But this is a new and vastly improved club. Last year the Seals placed three rookies in the top ten rookie scoring race. But, the press had very little to say about the likes of Larry Patey, Dave Hrechkosy and Al MacAdam. Hrechkosy was a standout with 29 goals. Rookie defenseman Rick Hampton showed great moves and figures to be a future All Star. Fearless goalie Gary &ldquo;Cobra&rdquo; Simmons beat the Flyers and Bruins twice each last year. Not too many goalies can make that claim. Simmons laid on the lumber last year, and opponents quickly learned that the crease is his sole property. It&rsquo;s amazing how the hockey writers could turn their backs on such fine talent.I&rsquo;m hoping that this year will not be more of the same. Thus far, the Seals have remained in the thick of the Adams Division race, thanks to such first-year men as Ralph Klassen, Bob Girard, Bob Murdock and Dennis Maruk. Maruk has combined with Al MacAdam to form a potent penalty killing unit. Each has notched three short-handed goals thus far this season! The Seals appear to be on their way to their finest season.PETE MANZOLILLO, Bellmore, Long Island<h2>Beverley Rangers Top Rearguard</h2>As a long-time and loyal Ranger fan I must disagree with Norm MacLean in the Nov. 21st issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS when he stated that if Carol Vadnais reports to the Rangers he will be No. 1 on defense. MacLean would have people believe that Vadnais will become the team&rsquo;s best defenseman by default with the departure of Brad Park. Well myself and many of my friends are of the belief that for the last year Nick Beverley has been the best Ranger defenseman. Unfortunately for the Rangers Nick is having back problems and as such is playing only part-time, but hopefully he will recover soon and again become New York&rsquo;s best defenseman.As for all of the recent trades, the only one that will hurt the Rangers will be the Villemure-Jarrett trade. Good luck Gilles.WARREN E. COHEN, Brooklyn, N.Y. &#9632;

f0004-05

FAN FORUM

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01840/3542668-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"></div><h2>Howie Meeker Tells you how to get it</h2>Howie Meeker: coach, hockey analyst, and former Maple Leaf star.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02703/3542661-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="807" height="772"></div>A skate should be like a second skin. No larger. First, make sure you&rsquo;re wearing just a thin, single sock. That&rsquo;s all you need. Anything more and you&rsquo;ll just cancel out any support the skate gives by putting too much soft padding between the skate counter and your foot. Remember, if the skates are fitted and laced properly, there will be absolutely no problem with cold feet. The next thing to do is forget about your shoe size. Most skate and shoe sizes don&rsquo;t match. And different brands marked the same size will vary too. Look at it this way. If the skates are close to size, you will probably have to force them on. So try them on, lace them up, then tap the heels snugly into place.And this is important, before you stand up, bang the rear point of the blades on the floor with your toes skyward. Just like you were trying to chip a hole in the ice. Then stand up. If your toes touch the front, buy a half to a full size larger. If your toes are clear of the front, the fit should be OK.Foot. The shape of your foot is crucial.Any player with a short stubby foot stands a better chance of getting a good fit in a pair of skates. Why? Because his foot is wider and can be cupped more snugly by the ankle area of the skate. The player with a long, narrow foot usually has a problem. And he probably won&rsquo;t even be aware of it. You see, he must get longer skates with a wider heel cup and ankle space. What happens? His narrower ankle and heel leave too much slack in the counter. Trouble is, he won&rsquo;t notice this when trying them on. They feel OK. But when he&rsquo;s on the ice his heels are actually slipping from a quarter to a half inch each way. If you&rsquo;ve got a narrow foot problem, you have no choice but to buy skates with heel slack. But there is a cure. Have your local shoemaker put additional support or leather inserts into the ankle area.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03506/3542654-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="844" height="868"></div>Inserts. Even if your skates fit like a glove you can expect small folds or ripples near or above the counter area. This must be corrected because too much slack means not enough support. Even with tight lacing. You see, except for lifting your toes up and down, and pointing them from side to side, your feet should be immobilized. That&rsquo;s why you need inserts. Inserts are made of tapered, high-quality leather that will not break down under pressure and moisture, and are glued and sewn into each side of the ankle area in the skate boot. But there&rsquo;s a potential problem here. They may irritate your ankles, so slip your sock strap off your foot and tuck it up behind the calf of your leg until the insert moulds itself to the ankle. If the sore spot persists, wet the leather with a damp cloth and pound it a few times with a hammer. That should do the trick.Knowing your skates and equipment is fundamental to playing the greatest game on earth professionally.If you&rsquo;d like a copy of Howie Meeker&rsquo;s Hockey Basics book, send $1.95 to Bauer Skates, 51 Ardelt Ave., Kitchener, Ont. Quantities are limited.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04333/3542647-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="670" height="124"></div>The Official Skate of the National Hockey League. &#9632;

f0005-01

FIT.

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Larry Patey has endured the shock of his first trade in professional hockey.At age 22 he started this season with the California Seals. Last season as a Seals&rsquo; rookie he tied for the team lead in scoring with 25 goals and 20 assists. The previous season, his first as a pro, he spent with the Seals&rsquo; Salt Lake City farm club and was the Western Hockey League&rsquo;s Rookie of the Year. He had been drafted in 1973 by the Seals.In general, then, Patey seemed to be establishing himself pretty firmly as a member of the Seals&rsquo; organization.But his affiliation with that franchise ended abruptly when he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Wayne Merrick. The Blues also got the Seals&rsquo; third-round amateur draft pick in 1977.&ldquo;The Seals were in New York when the trade was made, and I went straight to St. Louis,&rdquo; Patey said. &ldquo;My clothes and other belongings are back in Oakland.&rdquo;The first night Patey was in St. Louis the Blueliners, a fan club, held its annual banquet, which the St. Louis players always attend. Patey didn&rsquo;t go.&ldquo;The first day I was a little sore at the Seals and the whole situation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was a regular center in California and I thought I would stay there&mdash;at least they told me that.&rdquo;But, then Patey began to adjust to his trade as thousands of hockey players have done before him.&ldquo;Everything looks good in St. Louis,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I never considered a trade; but, if I had to be traded, I&rsquo;d pick St. Louis.&rdquo;Patey had a slow start this season with the Seals because of a knee injury. He missed five games and played another five or so while the knee was recuperating.&ldquo;I guess the Seals thought I was going to have a poor year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Bill McCreary knew what Waynd Merrick can do.&rdquo;Merrick was highly popular with his teammates and the St. Louis fans, and the trade puzzled many and left some bitter.The evidence thus far in the careers of Merrick and Patey indicates Merrick is and will continue to be the better scorer. The Blues&rsquo; management can read the statistics and compare the players on the ice as well as anybody. The trade apparently was not made in consideration of scoring.Sid Salomon III, president of the Blues, indicated Patey was obtained because Patey is more aggressive than Merrick and a better checker. Salomon said the trade should be evaluated by the test of time.With the loss of Merrick, any scoring that Patey can contribute to the Blues&rsquo; efforts will be very helpful to the team. The Blues each season usually find themselves short of scoring power and looking for help wherever it can be found.This season several members of the Blues are off to excellent starts, and scoring goals isn&rsquo;t an immediate problem. Garry Unger is among the National Hockey League&rsquo;s top 10 scorers, and Chuck Lefley is right behind Unger. Also in double figures are old pro Red Berenson, playing at top efficiency whenever needed. Bob MacMillan, contributing a larger share than expected, newcomer Derek Sanderson and Merrick&rsquo;s old linemates, Pierre Plante and Floyd Thomson.Those players will have to maintain their scoring paces if the Blues are to fulfill pre-season predictions and beat out the Chicago Black Hawks for the title in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-01966/3542730-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="262" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larry Patey</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02756/3542723-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1176" height="1170"><figcaption class="caption-body">Blues&rsquo; scoring leader Garry Unger, shown with Claude Larose at left, has been carrying St. Louis offense. Unger has 33 points in Blues&rsquo; first 26 games.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0006-01

Patey Adjusting To Trade From Seals

Following are the latest player movements in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>PITTSBURGH&mdash;Jacques Cossette, forward, recalled from Hershey of AHL.WASHINGTON&mdash;Ron Jones, defenseman. recalled from Hershey of AHL. John Paddock, forward. recalled from Richmond of AHL. Pete Scamurra, defenseman. sent to Richmond. Paul Nicholson, forward, assigned to Dayton of IHL.N.Y. RANGERS&mdash;Greg Holst, forward, returned to Providence of AHL after emergency callup.ST. LOUIS&mdash;Doug Palazzari, forward, assigned to Providence of AHL. Gilles Gratton, goalkee-per removed from active roster and suspended for leaving club.BOSTON&mdash;Barry Smith, forward. sent to Rochester of AHL.TORONTO&mdash;Claire Alexander, defenseman, recalled from Oklahoma City of CHL for one game and returned.VANCOUVER&mdash;Glen Richardson, forward, recalled from Tulsa of CHL.MINNESOTA&mdash;Norm Gratton and Doug Rombough, forwards. assigned to New Haven of AHL.LOS ANGELES&mdash;Dennis Abgrall, forward, returned to Fort Worth of CHL when Kings can celled recall.<h2>WORLD HOCKEY ASSN.</h2>DENVER&mdash;Ron Delorme, forward. recalled from Tucson of CHL. Keith Kokkola, defenseman. recalled from Erie of NHL. Nick Sanza, goalkeeper, sent to Tucson on loan.PHOENIX&mdash;Jim Clarke and George Tower, defensemen. and Pete McNamee, forward, assigned to Tucson of CHL.SAN DIEGO&mdash;Jamie Bateman. forward, recalled from Tucson of CHL.CINCINNATI&mdash;Pat Donnelly, forward, recalled from Hampton of SHL.EDMONTON&mdash;John Rogers, forward, recalled from Spokane of WIHL.TORONTO&mdash;Pete Folco, defenseman. recalled from Beauce of NAHL. Dave Tataryn, goalkeeper, called up from Columbus of IHL as backup net minder after Jim Shaw placed on disabled list indefinitely with torn ankle ligaments.NEW ENGLAND&mdash;Mike Byers, forward, placed on waivers. Nick Fotiu, forward, recalled from Cape Codders of NAHL.CALGARY&mdash;Rick Jodzio, defenseman. sent to Springfield of AHL. Ray DeLorenzi, forward, recalled from Johnstown of NAHL.MINNESOTA&mdash;Fran&ccedil;ois Ouimet, defenseman. assigned to Johnstown of NAHL.INDIANAPOLIS&mdash;Jim Wiste and Bob Whitlock, forwards, recalled from Mohawk Valley of NAHL.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>ROCHESTER&mdash;Les Auge, defenseman. called up from Dayton of IHL on five-game pro trial. Rick Adduono and Steve Langdon, forwards, recalled from Binghamton of NAHL.<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>DALLAS&mdash;Jim Koleff, forward. placed on disabled list for six week after undergoing knee surgery.OKLAHOMA CITY&mdash;Paul Daigle, forward, placed on disabled list for six weeks after under going knees urgery.TULSA&mdash;Frank DeMarco, forward, assigned to Flint of IHL.TUCSON&mdash;Brian Gibbons, defenseman. placed on voluntary retired list.SALT LAKE&mdash;Charlie Simmer, forward, placed on disabled list for indefinite period after under going knee surgery. Ray Martynuik, goalkeeper, returned to California for reassignment. Jim Weaver, goalkeeper, recalled from Toledo of IHL on 10-game pro trial.<h2>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>BEAUCE&mdash;Jean-Luc Duquette and Mike Busniuk, defensemen and Mike McKegney, forward, all placed on disabled list. Jean Cloutier, goalkeeper, signed as free agent.BINGHAMTON&mdash;Jim Pettie, goalkeeper, reassigned from Dayton of IHL by Boston Bruins. Wayne Clairmont, forward, place on disabled list. Barry Brooks, forward, activated from disabled list.CAPE CODDERS&mdash;Dave Wisener, forward, released. Steve Richardson, forward, reassigned from Baltimore Clippers by New England.ERIE&mdash;Frank Hamill, forward, sold to Binghamton.JOHNSTOWN&mdash;Bob Young, defenseman, released.MAINE&mdash;George Hulme, goalkeeper, assigned by Detroit on loan. Kevin Tory, forward, signed as free agent. Roger Kosar, goackeeper, and Gary Gresdal, defensemen, placed on disabled list. Bob Murphy, forward, activated from disabled list.PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Dan Sullivan, goalkeeper, and Peter Cahill, forward, placed on disabled list. Ron Marlow, goalkeeper, and Ray Schultz, forward, activated from disabled list. &#9632;

Movements of Players

<div class="byline">BY KEN RUDNICK</div>KANSAS CITY&mdash;The First Annual Simon Nolet belated birthday party on wheels rolled to a stop in Kansas City at 3:30 on Thanksgiving morning, long after some of the celebrants had fallen asleep.Paving the way for the festivities. which got under way when the Kansas City Scouts&rsquo; chartered bus left the St. Louis Arena four hours earlier, was the first major snowstorm of the season in the Midwest. Making the party all the merrier was the way the Scouts scrapped to gain a 3-3 tie with the Blues the night before.&ldquo;This team played a heck of a hockey game.&rdquo; said Bep Guidolin, the Scouts&rsquo; coach. &ldquo;And they did it when they were short handed.&rdquo;Jean-Guy Lagace. the club&rsquo;s top defenseman. missed everything&mdash;the game and the party. Sent home to Kansas City earlier in the week to rest his injured right shoulder, he had to listen on radio to the surprising grand finale of a seven game road trip. Guy Charron. the club&rsquo;s leading scorer, played the first period, then sat out the last two in the locker room with the flu.Charron, at least, got to attend the party, a makeshift event made possible by a decision to take a bus back to Kansas City immediately after the game. The alternative was to the airport in St. Louis, closed much of game day by a snowstorm, would be open for the Scouts&rsquo; scheduled noon flight the next day.&ldquo;All I know is we&rsquo;re going to be in Kansas City for a hockey game.&rdquo; said Bep. referring to a rematch with the Blues on Thanksgiving night.After 16 days on the road, that in itself was a positive development. There had been others the night before, including a game-tying goal by Ed Gilbert late in the final period and a second-period goal by the belated birthday boy. who hadn&rsquo;t scored in the Scouts&rsquo; previous 13 games.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not kidding 1 was counting,&rdquo; said Nolet, who had turned 34 earlier in the week and received two cakes on the bus ride from St. Louis to Kansas City.The party spirit was still there on Thanksgiving night after the Scouts nursed a one-goal lead through the third period and beat the Blues. 3-2.&ldquo;Just say we came of age on the road trip.&rdquo; said Bep. putting special emphasis on Larry Johnston&rsquo;s effort in the third period of the game in St. Louis.Johnston was given a game misconduct as the third man in a fight involving the Scouts&rsquo; Wilf Paiement and Bob Gassoff of the Blues, a penalty that carries with it an automatic $100 fine from the National Hockey League.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s one fine we&rsquo;re going to pay and you can quote me on that.&rdquo; Bep said. &ldquo;We had a meeting with the players and we told them we&rsquo;re not going to pay for stupid penalties, but this wasn&rsquo;t a stupid penalty. When Wilf gets knocked down from behind and Johnston jumps in. he&rsquo;d doing the right thing.&rdquo;The emotional roller coaster the Scouts have been riding in their second season came crashing down two nights later with a 5-3 loss to Detroit on home ice.&ldquo;We keep going up a little bit, up a little bit, but we just can&rsquo;t get over the hump,&rdquo; Bep said.Kansas City has never gone three straight games without a loss and Detroit was not the most likely team to present itself as an obstacle. The Red Wings had won only once on the road this season before beating the Scouts.Yet the next night the Scouts came bouncing back to get a 1-1 tie against the Black Hawks in Chicago. At that point, the Hawks were unbeaten in their last 14 games.LOOSE PUCKS: Charron recently picked up at least one point in seven straight games, a club record&hellip;Paiement, after scoring only twice in the first 19 games, had scored goals in four straight at this writing&hellip;Denis Dupere was expected to return to the line-up in mid-December after recovering from a broken left collarbone. He was injured in practice following the season opener.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01880/3542761-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="559" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body">SIMON NOLET&hellip;Scouts &lsquo;Birthday Boy</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0007-01

Sophomore Scouts Come Of Age On Road As Club Rides Emotional Roller Coaster

<div class="byline">&#x2014;By Bill Libby</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-01955/3542799-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="296" height="362"></div><h2>On The Line&hellip;</h2>THIS WAS LAST season. On a Thursday night, linesman Willard Norris suffered a broken nose trying to break up a fight between Philadelphia&rsquo;s Dave Schultz and Chicago&rsquo;s Phil Russell. On Sunday night in Chicago, the official banged up his right leg getting banged into the boards. On Tuesday night in Vancouver, his left hand was slashed 16 stitches worth. The next day he discovered he had a broken bone in his leg.The National Hockey League in a sudden display of sympathy agreed to give him some time off. He took two weeks. &ldquo;1 had kept assignments to officiate 652 consecutive games without missing one, so 1 didn&rsquo;t want to be away too long. 1 missed seven games while 1 was sidelined. One good thing, I got to be home for Christmas,&rdquo; Norris smiles.Being home for family holidays during the winter months is rare for hockey&rsquo;s officials. Norris works 85 games or so a year and travel around 120,000 miles, mostly by plane, in pursuit of his profession. He gets home to Guelph for two or three days every week or two, to spend some time with his wife, Pat, and two children.She&rsquo;s a nurse which is sometimes helpful, though Norris, who at 5&rsquo;6&rdquo;, 160 pounds hardly looks like aguy who can take punishment, says he really has not been seriously hurt much in his career prior to last season&rsquo;s lost week of injuries.&ldquo;I guess I&rsquo;ve been a little lucky,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;With all those bodies and sticks and skates flying around you and the pucks being shot so hard, you&rsquo;re bound to suffer some mishaps, but I&rsquo;ve gotten away with it. I suppose the roughest thing we as linemen have to do is break up fights while the referees watch. What usually happens is a guy throws a punch right over my head and it hits my partner. I guess I was overdue for some bad luck.&rdquo;He has been officiating for 15 years. He had played a little, but had no talent for the future. He started working kids&rsquo; games and moved up as he gained experience and impressed supervisors. He was working in the Ontario Hockey Association when expansion arrived in 1967. The doubling of the National Hockey League required a doubling of the officiating staff. As the circuit has swollen since, so has the officiating staff. From 15 officials working a 210-game NHL schedule, the staff went to44 men working 720 NHL games. They also fit in as many minor league games as possible.NORRIS WAS ONE of the officials added to the staff with expansion and he is still on staff, so he is entering his ninth season in the NHL. &ldquo;I like the life,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s far from perfect, but every profession has its shortcomings. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a bit of a put, I guess. I like to fly. I like seeing the different cities on tour. I sight-see and window-shop a lot. It&rsquo;s a little lonely at times. You keep a partner awhile, then rotate. I&rsquo;ll play cards with my partner. A guy needs company. You can&rsquo;t pass time with the players or coaches, though you&rsquo;re in the same business. You have to stay at different hotels, fly different planes, keep apart off the ice.&rdquo;He says the players and coaches mostly treat him decently and he can take the taunts of the fans: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re all human. The players are and we are. They have a job to do and they know we do, too. They may not like a call. They may be right at times, too. We make mistakes, too. We try not to, but we do. If we don&rsquo;t make too many, we&rsquo;re all right. If we do, we&rsquo;re out of business. The league keeps close check on the performances of its officials. The fans are fickle. They like all the calls that favor the home fans and hate all the calls against them, so you can&rsquo;t take them seriously.&ldquo;Anyway,&rdquo; he laughs, &ldquo;the refs take most of the heat. They&rsquo;re the ones who have to make the most controversial calls.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02856/3542792-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="300" height="608"><figcaption class="caption-body">Willard Norris</figcaption></div>They&rsquo;re also the ones who make the most money in officating ranks. Why, then, doesn&rsquo;t a veteran linesman aim at becoming a referee9&rdquo; The way it is,&rdquo; Norris explains, &ldquo;I jumped right from amateur ranks over the minor league ranks into the majors and I&rsquo;m making a fair living. If I wanted to be a referee I&rsquo;d have to drop back and spend a couple of years mastering it. I&rsquo;m 37 and I&rsquo;m past the time for doing that.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an old man&rsquo;s game. The skating takes too much out of your legs. That&rsquo;s why so few former players go into it. By the time they&rsquo;re done playing, they don&rsquo;t have enough time left at a physical level sufficient to officiate. That&rsquo;s why a lot of our new officials are young&mdash;in their mid 20&rsquo;s. Because of the physical demands, I suspect hockey has younger officials than any other major league sport.&rdquo;Norris admits the schedule catches up to him at times. &ldquo;When you work four or five games in five nights, you wear down. In stretches like that, you lose some of your enthusiasm and your sharpness. That&rsquo;s when you make mistakes. The league tries to schedule us to avoid that sort of situation, but it happens from time to time. A couple of nights off and you&rsquo;re refreshed again. You try to maintain a standard of officiating. You know the rules and you strive for consistency in your calls.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t second-guess myself. If 1 know that I&rsquo;ve blown one I feel bad. If I felt I did it often, I&rsquo;d quit. But I have the feeling in my heart I do a good job. I don&rsquo;t have the difficult calls the refs do. I feel an important part of my job is to help the ref do his. I work together with the other linesman and we work together to help the referee. He counts on us for our help.&rdquo;REFEREE DAVE NEWELL says, &ldquo;Linesmen can make or break a referee. A good one helps us do a good job. Abad one hurts us a lot. It gets everyone to going against us. They have a heck of a hard job to do and most of them in the NHL do it tremendously well. We&rsquo;re in the spotlight. We accept that. But I think too often too little attention is paid to the part the linesmen play.&rdquo;Scotty Morrison is the referee-in-chief in the NHL, presiding over supervisors Frank Udvari, Dutch van Deelen and Dan McLeod. They operate a staff of 20 to 25 referees and 20 to 25 linesmen, as well as numerous minor officials in each city, including game and penalty timekeepers, goal judges and scorers, statisticians and spares. Scotty says, &ldquo;They all work together. A breakdown in any link of this chain can create havoc and cause considerable problems.&rdquo;Morrison is a former junior player from Montreal who has completed 25 years as an official on and off the ice and ten full years in his current critical role, so he is deserving of an anniversary celebration. However, he prefers to slip through shadows. Were his whereabouts at a game known, he&rsquo;d be besieged by amateur refs and booed out of buildings.Morriscn has done much to upgrade officiating and the life of the official. Just as the teams do, officials and hopefuls are brought to pre-season training camp. It lasts 10 days and it&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We have two-a-days on the ice, stressing conditioning and positioning, and we have skull sessions off the ice. Since we started giving physiologcial tests in recent years, the improvement in grades has been phenomenal.&ldquo;Theirs is a difficult life. They&rsquo;re always on the go on and off the ice. They&rsquo;re being judged every minute of every game. But they&rsquo;re a part of a great game, there&rsquo;s a satisfaction in knowing you do a difficult job well, and they&rsquo;re pretty well paid. When I started off officiating in the NHL, I made a little more than $4000 a season&hellip; Today, a veteran ref can make $30,000 and a veteran linesman $15,000 or more per season, and both can pick up a lot more in the playoffs.&rdquo;As one of his linesmen, Willard Norris, says, &ldquo;There are worse ways of earning a living.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div>MONTREAL&mdash;For awhile it looked as though the Montreal Canadiens might follow in the footsteps of most National Hockey League teams and adopt the two-goaler system. But forty minutes of hockey can do much to change the outlook on a certain situation.The scene was Kansas City&rsquo;s Kemper Arena where the Canadiens were to do battle with one of the NHL&rsquo;s lesser lights, the Scouts.Montreal was carrying a six-game winning streak into the game and as is often the case when a top team walks into the Missouri city, a seven-game skein appeared to be on the horizon.Michel &lsquo;Bunny&rsquo; Larocque was coach Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s choice as the Canadiens&rsquo; starting goaltender which didn&rsquo;t shake the hockey world since most clubs insert their number two man between the pipes for games against the so-called weak sisters.But the Habs&rsquo; had a night they&rsquo;d just as soon forget as the Scouts came up with a 6-5 victory and snapped the Montrealers&rsquo; winning skein.Not only that, but it convinced Bowman that unless Ken Dryden should be hurt or need the rest, he will be the man in the Montreal goal.And then came the debate as to who was at fault. The obvious target had to be Larocque, who was beaten five times in 40 minutes before he was pulled at the outset of the third period in favor of Ken Dryden.The Scouts managed only 15 shots on net in the first two stanzas but beat Larocque five times, three of those in the first eight minutes of the contest.Despite Bunny&rsquo;s less than impressive performance, coach Bowman felt that he should bear the blunt of the blame himself. After having gone six straight games with Dryden in the nets and having compiled a half-dozen victories in that stretch, Bowman&rsquo;s hindsight suggested that it might have been a grave mistake to break up the winning combination.Whether it was a contributing factor to the Habs&rsquo; loss is debatable, but Bowman has to take all the credit for putting together a forward combination that has been nothing short of spectacular during its short tenure.Pete Mahovlich and Steve Shutt are still together from last season&rsquo;s potent line of Shutt on the left, Mahovlich at center and Guy Lafleur on the right. But Lafleur has been taken off the troika and speedy captain Yvan Cournoyer inserted in his place.The result: In eight games the Canadiens have lost only once, in Kansas City and the line has accounted for seven of the eight game-winning goals.The loss to Kansas City cost the Canadiens two points in the standings but might have taught them a lesson which might just as well be learned now as later when it&rsquo;s really going to count.Even in this day of expansion in the NHL, you can&rsquo;t take anything for granted.HAB-BITS: The Canadiens rebounded from the setback in K.C. to down the Blues in St. Louis, 4-1, the next evening. Only red Berenson&rsquo;s third period tally kept Dryden away from his fifth shout-out of the season&hellip; Lafleur is quickly turning the Molson Cup competition (based on the most three-star selections at home games) into the &ldquo;Guy Lafleur Benefit Trophy&rsquo;. Lafleur was the dominant figure in the 1974-75 competition and started of the new campaign in the same style capturing the first segment and the $1,000 check that goes along with the honor.The Canadien players are stars of a new feature film &ldquo;The Mystery Of The Million Dollar Hockey Puck&rdquo; which is being presented as a Christmas special to both English and French children in the province of Quebec&hellip; The Montreal Canadiens Press Guide for 1975-76 is now available for $2 by writing: Montreal Canadian Publicity Department, 2313 Ste. Catherine Street West. Montreal. Quebec N3H1N2.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03716/3542830-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="266" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Michel Larocque</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0008-03

Habs Learn That You Can’t Take Anybody Lightly

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div>TWIN CITIES&mdash;The Minnesota North Stars are willing to try most anything to turn their NHL misfortunes to fortunes.They&rsquo;ve shaken up their roster with minor league callups, added a couple of players in trades, implemented unusual practice sessions..Nothing, or virtually nothing, seemed to work. For the month of the November, following a month in which they played spirited hockey, the North Stars stood with a 5-16 record, and a considerable distance away from being a contender in the Smythe Division.The most critical point came after the North Stars dropped a 9-1 game to the New York Islanders with former teammates Jude Drouin and J.P. Parise helping rub it in with goals.&ldquo;I know what those fellows are going through,&rdquo; said Parise. &ldquo;It becomes like a disease. No matter how hard you try, nothing seems to go right. You&rsquo;re ashamed when you take the ice. and you hope that no one recognizes you on the street.&rdquo;The major point coach Ted Harris made about his North Stars after that humiliation was: &ldquo;We have some guys who are afraid to become involved.&rdquo;Minnesota met the lowly Washington Capitals in their last November booking, and people were calling it the most crucial game to that point of the season for the North Stars. Since each team went into the game with eight points, and the loser would be proclaimed the worst team in the NHL.Harris ordered the North Stars to skate without pucks in practice the day before the game after giving them a regular workout on Thanksgiving Day. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been wanting to give the team a day off for three weeks, but how can you reward them after a 9-1 loss,&rdquo; Harris said.Team captain Bill Goldsworthy called a &ldquo;players&rsquo; only&rdquo; meeting to talk things over.&ldquo;We just wanted to get things out in the open,&rdquo; said Goldsworthy. &ldquo;We talked about how we were playing the first month of the season when we were in every game. It was easy to see that we have to do things as a team&hellip;that four or five guys can&rsquo;t carry the load.&rdquo;So what happened? The Capitals staggered goalie Cesare Maniago and the North Stars with the game&rsquo;s first three goals in the first period.&ldquo;I thought it was going to be another one of those nights,&rdquo; said Cesare. &ldquo;I just kept telling myself to bear down&hellip; bear down and not let in any more goals. I felt that we were carrying the momentum even if they were ahead by three goals.&rdquo;Goldsworthy started the comeback with his ninth goal late in the first period, Craig Cameron added another in the second and Goldy tied it up with his 10th tally of the season late in the second period. Goals by Dean Talafous and Bryan Hextall in the third period finished off the Caps 5-3 and buried a frustrating November of three victories and nine losses.Goldsworthy broke out of a 10-day slump by taking six shots at goalie Ron Low, just missing the hat trick on two occasions. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t been getting the shots,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I get six shots a game, I can get a couple of goals.&rdquo;The North Stars like that as one of the best solutions to their dilemma.General manager Jack Gordon swung another trade. He sent the contract of minor league right winger Don Martineau to the Detroit Red Wings for forward Pierre Jarry, who was called up immediately from New Haven to add more speed to Minnesota&rsquo;s attack.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02819/3542861-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="562" height="678"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILL GOLDSWORTHY&hellip; Led Stars Back</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-02

North Stars Hoping Shakeup Will Ignite Team

<div class="byline">BY BILL MAKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-01925/3542892-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">&ldquo;&hellip; No Miss Bagley&hellip; We Only Sell and Trade Our Players To Other Hockey Clubs!&rdquo;</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

CARTOON CORNER

<div class="byline">BY ROY CRAIGIE</div>OAKLAND&mdash;It was one of those unexpected trades. It caught most hockey people in two cities completely by surprise.If there were some puzzled looks in the Bay Area, however, there was downright shock in St. Louis over the announcement that the Blues had traded Wayne Merrick to the California Seals for Larry Patey and a third-round draft choice in 1977.Neither player has become a household word throughout the league but the potential of both for doing just that is great. Both are young centers (Patey is 22 and Merrick 23) who had big seasons last year and both figure to help their new teams.Merrick, in his fourth NHL season, scored 28 goals last season on the Blues&rsquo; &ldquo;Kid Line&rdquo; with Floyd Thomson and Pierre Plante, and was highly regarded by everyone in St. Louis. The Seals, who wanted a player of Merrick&rsquo;s calibre and experience to settle down one of their troubled lines, were ecstatic.&ldquo;In Merrick we are gaining a player with great play-making ability who should help our power play,&rdquo; said Seals&rsquo; general manager Bill McCreary. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a fast skater and an excellent two-way player and should fit right into our system.&ldquo;We were reluctant to give Patey up,&rdquo; added McCreary, &ldquo;but we had to give up a quality player in order to receive another quality player who would suit our specific needs.&rdquo;Patey was a rookie sensation with the Seals last year, notching 25 goals and 20 assists in tying for the club scoring leadership. Running into injuries and hampered by a sluggish start, he had managed but four goals and four assists for the Seals and saw little ice time while dressing for 19 of the Seals&rsquo; first 24 games.Merrick, the number one draft choice of St. Louis in 1972, had collected seven goals and eight assists in his first 19 games. Last season, his 28-37-65 record was good enough for third place in club scoring back of Garry Unger and Plante. In two previous seasons with St. Louis, he scored 20 goals in 64 games in 1973-74, and had 10 goals in 50 games during his rookie year.An article on Merrick in a recent issue of Goal Magazine entitled &ldquo;Plus 29&rdquo; pointed out the fact that he led the Blues last season with an impressive plus-29 in the list of plus-minus marks. The article quoted St. Louis coach Gary Young as saying &ldquo;The only thing between Wayne Merrick and greatness is time. He&rsquo;s still young but he&rsquo;d going to get better and better.&rdquo;It didn&rsquo;t take long for Bay Area fans to discover why the Seals were so happy about landing Merrick. The newcomer scored the winning goal in a 2-1 home victory over Vancouver in his very first game in a Seal uniform. Wayne became an instant hit with the fans who quickly had Merrick banners up at the next game.Seals&rsquo; coach Jack Evans placed Merrick on a line with Jim Pappin and Dave Hrechkosy. Both Patey and Dave Gardner had played center on the unit before Merrick&rsquo;s arrival. &ldquo;We need his playmaking ability on that line,&rdquo; said Evans.While admitting his initial shock over the trade, Merrick, who starred for the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s of the OHA Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; (39 and 34 goals in his last two Ottawa seasons), indicated that he had quickly taken a liking to his sunny new surroundings.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really great playing in California and I&rsquo;m playing with a great scorer in Jim Pappin. This team has a lot of talent and that Gilles Meloche&mdash;well, he&rsquo;s got to be one of the very best goalies in the league.&rdquo;Merrick disputes the claim by some that he was not aggressive enough at St. Louis. &ldquo;Some people may say that, and maybe they can see better from the stands. But I play the body and I like to be known as a good checker and playmaker rather than a scorer.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s exactly why the newest of the Seals was obtained by California in the first place.SEALS OF APPROVAL: With the departure of Patey, the Seals now have only three for-wards who started last season with the club-left wingers Hrechkosy and Al MacAdam and right winger Wayne King&hellip;there are five rookie forwards with the team (Dennis Maruk, Ralph Klassen, Bob Girard, Bob Murdoch and Gary Holt) and three veteran forwards (Pappin, Merrick and Gary Sabourin) obtained through trades&hellip;Seals&rsquo; captain Jim Neilson was sidelined with a severe knee injury and will be lost to the team for a minimum of eight weeks&hellip; The rugged defenseman sustained torn ligaments in his right knee in a collision with Hilliard Graves of Atlanta and underwent successful surgery the following day&hellip; Defenseman Bob Stewart will take over the captaincy of the Seals until Neilson returns.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-01945/3542923-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="559" height="589"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE MERRICK&hellip; Adds Balance</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-01

Seals Admit Merrick Just What Club Wanted

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02788/3542954-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB GIRARD&hellip; California Seals</figcaption></div>The California Seals are loaded down with rookies this season. At last count they had five playing regularly and one of their new acquisitions is a fellow named Bob Girard, who has come up through the Seals&rsquo; chain to make the big club. Girard is a 6&rsquo;, 180-pounder who started out as a defenseman and has been moved successfully to the offense by the Seals. Last season Girard had 45 points in 74 games with Salt Lake Eagles of the Central Hockey League. California is hoping players like Girard, Dennis Maruk, Ralph Klassen, Bob Murdoch and Gary Holt develop into big leaguers who will propel the Seals into a contending position in the NHL. &#9632;

f0010-02

MEET THE ROOKIES

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div>TORONTO&mdash;The Toronto Maple Leaf&rsquo;s have made some impressive progress in the 1975-76 season and most of that up-grading is based on hard work, the abundant hustle displayed by the young team.Few toilers in the Leaf scheme, however, have devoted as much energy to the task as Greg Hubick, the utility man Leafs acquired along with goalie Wayne Thomas in an off-season trade with the Montreal Canadiens.Hubick has assumed the role of &ldquo;pinch-hitter&rdquo; for the Leafs as a couple of recent games demonstrate. In late November, the Leafs had a big weekend doubleheader against the Montreal Canadiens at home and the Bruins at Boston. Hubick had been the club&rsquo;s extra man in the two previous games when he hadn&rsquo;t dressed for combat and he sat out the Canadien game, too.&ldquo;I found out on game-day morning that I wasn&rsquo;t playing that night so I ran two miles in the afternoon just to maintain my conditioning,&rdquo; Hubick said.Thus, when Leaf defenseman Bob Neely missed the Boston game with an injury, Hubick was dressed for the game. When Leafs floundered early in the game, coach Red Kelly inserted Hubick on left wing with center Darryl Sittler and Jim McKenny. Hubick scored one goal and assisted on two others as the Leafs fought back for a3-3tie.A few days later at Chicago, the Leafs trailed the Black Hawks, 41, in the third period when Kelly again moved Hubick into regular duty. He had two assists and the Leafs again rebounded for a tie, 44.&ldquo;The whole thing when you&rsquo;re not playing a regular shift or working in every game is to be ready when you do get the chance,&rdquo; Hubick said. &ldquo;That means working hard in practice and, in my case, running a few miles when I&rsquo;m not playing. I try to do a little brisk skating at the end of each period if I&rsquo;m on the bench just to be loose in case I have to go in.&rdquo;The late-June announcement that he had been traded to the Leafs was happy news to Hubick. He had contemplated retirement from hockey if he didn&rsquo;t get a good shot at big-leage employment.He&rsquo;d spent the past three seasons with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs of the American League, where he shifted from defense to the wing last season.&ldquo;I was pretty dejected in Nova Scotia last season because it was my third year and I didn&rsquo;t figure I was getting anywhere,&rdquo; Hubick said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d pretty well decided that if I didn&rsquo;t get a good shot at a big-league job either wath the Montreal Canadiens or another club this season then I&rsquo;d go back to farming for a living.&ldquo;My family has a big farm near Strasbourg, Sask., and that&rsquo;s a life I love. I didn&rsquo;t see many openings on the Canadiens roster and that&rsquo;s why the trade to the Leafs was a big boost for me. They had a young team and I knew I&rsquo;d have a good shot at a job.&rdquo;Hubick&rsquo;s major asset was his defensive ability, and up-and-down style of playing the wing. Early in the season, he was used in spot duty and as a penalty-killer. But his off-the-bench heroics as an attacker will give him more work on a regular basis.&ldquo;My big job is to prevent my man from scoring,&rdquo; Hubick said &ldquo;I worry more about my check getting away from me than anything else. I&rsquo;m not fancy, but Red Kelly has really helped me in handling the puck and shooting it with some special drills after the Leaf workouts.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a funny thing but a player can go for several games and not get any points, then pick up assists for not really doing anything. In that game at Boston, I passed the puck to Sittler in our zone and immediately went to the Leaf bench. Sittler carried across the Bruin line and dropped the puck to Ian Turnbull, who scored. I was on the bench when the puck went in and I got an assist for it.&ldquo;That Boston game was a big thrill and I&rsquo;m going to send a summary of it to my family in Saskatchewan. Then they&rsquo;ll believe that in one game, anyway, I outscored Bobby Orr.&rdquo;Hubick had three points while Orr had a goal and an assist.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01914/3542985-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="564" height="742"><figcaption class="caption-body">GREG HUBICK&hellip; Almost Retired</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0011-01

Hubick Filling All Roles For Leafs

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-01916/3543023-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><h2>Big Days For Hockey</h2>THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, the Russians are coming and isn&rsquo;t it great? During three weeks in late December and early January, Alexander Yakushey, Valery Kharlamov, Vladislav Tretiak and their Soviet pals will be matching skills with National Hockey League teams and already considerable excitement is building about the confrontation.Two top Soviet Union club teams. Central Red Army and Wings of The Soviet, will play eight games againt NHL teams, the first time individual teams from the two hockey bodies have met. The only flaw&mdash;and it&rsquo;s a minor one&mdash;is that the Soviet teams can add a total of six players.For instance, the addition of Yakushey, the mighty left winger of Spartak, will be a large boost for Wings, It would have been preferable if Soviet teams, as such, met NHL clubs, instead of the comrades bolstering their rosters. That way evaluation and comparison of the relative merits of clubs could be more accurately made. But, as it is, the eight games will revive the excitement that prevailed during the Team Canada-Soviet series in 1972 and &rsquo;74.Increased international competition, of course, is a big shot in the arm for the game. These eight games plus the invitational tournament which Alan Eagleson has arranged for Canada in September, 1976, will make hockey the hot sport, especially in Canada, during the next year. Oh, sure the Olympic Games are great but give Canadians the choice of watching high-level hockey or any other sport, and their decision is an easy one to make.Not that the calibre of hockey entertainment provided by the NHL and World Hockey Association this year has been that bad. It&rsquo;s difficult to remember clubs producing more entertaining hockey than the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, more disciplined hockey than the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. The Winnipeg Jets of the WHA are a delight to view, especially when the &ldquo;Swedish Connection&rdquo;&mdash;Bobby Hull, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg&mdash;are in high gear and the Quebec Nordiques have a fast, high-scoring attack.<h2>That Special Flavor</h2>INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION has that special flavor which domestic league play, no matter how excellent, can&rsquo;t duplicate, especially when North American teams meet the Soviets.There&rsquo;s been a tendency to over-stress the sociological aspects of NHL-Soviet matches with the claims that the games match capitalism against communism, democracy against dictatorship, which, of course, is so much hogwash.The games match good athletes playing hockey and that&rsquo;s about as far as it goes. The sociological battles are waged between the series organizers.Hopefully, the eight games will be forerunner of increased play between All Star and club teams from the NHL, WHA, the Soviet Union and the European Hockey countries such as Finland, Sweden and Czechoslovakia. The two professional leagues have sufficient problems such as sagging attendance and red ink in their own operations that a few owners feel they should concentrate on upgrading the domestic product before moving into foreign markets.However, the more enlightened proprietors see visits by Soviet and European teams as a method of generating revenue. Some would like to explore the possibility of each NHL team playing four or five games, which count in the league standings, against overseas clubs.<h2>Soviets Hold The Key</h2>THE SOVIETS, OF COURSE, can&rsquo;t resist a little brinksmanship where Eagleson&rsquo;s world tournament is concerned. A Stockholm meeting of the six nations involved-Canada. U.S. the USSR, Czechoslovakia. Sweden and Finland,&mdash;hammered out an agreement for the round-robin event to be staged in Canada in September, 1976. Toronto likely will be the main base with some games in Montreal and. possible. Ottawa and Buffalo.All six countries must confirm their entry by Dec. 31 in writing or the entire deal is off. The Soviets and. to a lesser degree, the U.S., were the only reluctant onesThe U.S. and Canadian teams will use NHL and WHA players born in those countries. The U.S. would have 60 players from which to draw its 25-man roster but not too many of them are big stars, which is inspiring a slight reluctance.&ldquo;The Soviets always have to play around a little bit before they make a commitment to anything. Eagleson said. They probably won&rsquo;t make a formal entry until right at the deadline. It they re not involved, the tournament would be meaningless.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02791/3543016-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="528" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vladislav Tretiak</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

FRANK ORR SAYS:

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03619/3543054-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Kings took it as a sign of southern California&rsquo;s soaring interest in hockey when the City of Los Angeles officially honored Bob Pulford after he was named coach of the year by the NHL last season. City councilman Joel Wachs, left, made presentation of scroll to Pulford, who did outstanding job directing Kings to second-place finish in Norris Division race.</figcaption></div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;After being routed in their first two games of the season, the Kings bounced back to put together one of the finest first quarters in their history. They wound up with losses in only six of their first 20 games. However, since then they have not won in six games and have lost the last five in a row. Their last loss was the worst. Finishing a futile four-game road trip, they were beaten badly in Washington by a team which seldom beats anyone, 7-2. Other losses this season have been by 7-1, 6-1, 7-0 and 9-0. Clearly they have become an inconsistent team.Still, this is no time to panic. This still is a talented team, but it has been rebuilt and Bob Pulford has not yet put all the pieces in place yet. Long on left defensemen and short on right defensemen who have had trouble shifting over, he has not found his best combinations on the reargurard. A coach who is quick to juggle lines, he has not yet settled on his upfront trios. Pully&rsquo;s defensive system of play works when everyone is working at it, but comes completely apart when some are not. The team is not together at this time. Inconsistent checking is causing the goaltenders to crack.The addition of Marcel Dionne was expected to increase the offense so much that it would offset any loss in defense. However, this now is a small team and not a tough team and Dionne is getting beaten-up badly. Foes feel if they stop Dionne, they stop the Kings. And they have ben stopping him. He went six games without a point before he banged in two goals in the last four games, but he had no assists in these games.Most of the wingers put with him have been unable to put his passes into the nets. Mike Murphy knocked in nine in the first 19 games, but none in the last five. Gene Carr has knocked in nine in the last five, Tom Williams none in the last 12. The power play Marcel was supposed to improve wasted 33 straight opportunities before cashing in one recently. In its six-game winless streak, the Kings scored only 11 goals.Dionne can&rsquo;t do it alone. He has to have help and he hasn&rsquo;t been getting it.The low point came in Detroit, which he deserted. Angry fans spurred on the Wings to vengeance as Dennis Polonich and Nick Libett led destructive defensing of Dionne. &ldquo;It was the worst I&rsquo;ve ever seen a crowd act,&rdquo; Pully said later at the profane reception accorded Dionne and his new teammates. &ldquo;As a professional you have to learn not to hear that stuff, but you reach the point where you almost have to react in some way.&rdquo;Near the end of the 4-1 defeat dealt the Kings, Pully turned to tell off fans behind the visitors&rsquo; bench. One fan threatened the coach, and one of his players. Mike Corrigan tried to get up into the stands to get at the guy before he was removed from the building. Corrigan was stirred by the way the Wings defensed Dionne. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen a team work over a guy from start to finish like they did tonight,&rdquo; Mike said later.Dionne received a cut chin and a badly bruised arm. He continued to play, but did not get a shot on goal all night. &ldquo;I thought he showed a lot of courage,&rdquo; the coach commented. Dionne said, &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t pay any attention to the crowd. I took some hard knocks out there, but that&rsquo;s to be expected. I just keep playing my best. It&rsquo;s not paying off right now, but I&rsquo;m sure it will in time. There&rsquo;s a lot more games to play.&rdquo;All concerned have been angry about the officiating, feeling the refs have not been penalizing the rowdies. Aside from serious injuries the new wave of violence may cause, there is cause for concern that the games become wrestling matches. The true stylists of the sport are deprived of their proper right to play the game as it should be played. But Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito and others can tell Dionne he is not the first to suffer. The game itself suffers. We all are the losers. The beauty, grace and electric excitement gifted stars can create is obscured by the thunder of thugs.By the time this is in print, the Kings will have had a rematch with Detroit in Los Angeles. They promised revenge. Maybe they will have had it. Maybe not. One King said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll guarantee you one thing, the Wings won&rsquo;t play in L.A. the way they did in Detroit.&rdquo; Why not? If it worked for them in Detroit, why wouldn&rsquo;t they try it in L.A.? Are the Kings suggesting players will do things at home they&rsquo;re afraid to do on the road? If the Kings are willing to protect a star at home why not on the road?Last year, they were &ldquo;Kings of the Road,&rdquo; with only 10 losses in 40 games on foreign ice. This year they had eight losses in their first 13 games away. They are beginning to blame management economies which have them flying scheduled airlines on game-days instead of charters the night before. They are travelling a more tiring road, but if they were working together they would not have noticed.Maybe by the time this reaches print the Kings will have gotten their act together. Their owner, Jack Kent Cooke, is not a patient man. He has put a lot into this team and expects it to produce. He may make some moves soon, starting with the sending of manager Jake Milford back into the trading market. This club may be nearing the crossroads of its destiny. &#9632;

f0012-03

Kings’ Tailspin Indicates Club Hasn’t Put It Together

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02773/3543099-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="529" height="576"><figcaption class="caption-body">GUY LAFLEUR&hellip;Top Canadien</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03687/3543092-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="555" height="572"><figcaption class="caption-body">RON SEDLBAUER&hellip;Leads Canucks</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04614/3543085-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="531" height="571"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE THOMAS&hellip;No. 1 Leaf</figcaption></div>MONTREAL&mdash;The first segment in the Molson Cup competition came to a close on Saturday, Nov. 30 with two former winners leading their respective races.Wayne Thomas of the Maple Leafs leads the Toronto competition by a slight margin over captain Darryl Sittler. Thomas won the Montreal competition for the 1973-74 season while guarding the nets for the Habs.In Montreal, Guy Lafleur began defense of his Molson Cup title by winning the first segment and the $1,000 check which goes to the point leader. The very first winner of the Molson Cup in the 1972-73 season, Ken Dryden, was runner up to Lafleur and receives a check for $500.In Vancouver, sophomore winger Ron Sedlbauer holds a comfortable lead over defenseman Dennis Kearns in this, the first year of competition for the Canuck players. &#9632;

f0013-02

Lafleur, Sedlbauer, Thomas Top Molson Cup Balloting

<div class="byline">BY HAL SIGURDSON</div>VANCOUVER&mdash;Through the first two months of the National Hockey League season the Vancouver Canucks have suffered slightly more downs than ups.They&rsquo;ve had one seven-game unbeaten streak, but twice have gone four consecutive games without a win. Their goal-tending has ranged from hot to cold to lukewarm while a steady string of injuries has kept the roster in a constant state of change.But if there has been one consistent factor to their game, it has been the steady play of Chris Oddleifson.The tall, lean center is far from the most spectacular in the game. He doesn&rsquo;t dazzle people with his skating like Gilbert Perreault or overpower them with his strength like a Phil Esposito.Somehow, though, he generally manages to get the job done. What be wasn&rsquo;t handed in pure physical ability he makes up for in tenacity and hockey intelligence.&ldquo;That guy has a great case of the smarts&hellip; he&rsquo;s got it up here,&rdquo; noted Vancouver defenseman John Grisdale tapping his forehead following one of Oddleifson&rsquo;s more impressive performances. &ldquo;He plays the game the way it&rsquo;s supposed to be payed.&rdquo;But if Oddleifson&rsquo;s head is his strength, it has also proved to be his weakness. While it may contain a superior stock of hockey knowledge, that knowledge appears to be encased in a brittle exterior.Four times during his career the 80-year-old former Winnipeg junior has had his season interupted by facial fractures. Two of them have occurred since he joined Vancouver from Boston in February, 1974.A check by Atlanta defenseman Pat Quinn broke his cheekbone late in the 1973-74 season. Last season there was the celebrated (notorious?) incident involving Chicago&rsquo;s Keith Magnusson wherein the Hawk defender broke Oddleifson&rsquo;s jaw during a fight. Magnuson was wearing a wrist cast reaching almost to his knuckle at the time.At the time of that injury the Canucks were comfortably ensconced in first place in the Smythe Division. Shortly there-after they went into a nine-game losing streak that ended on the same night Oddleifson returned to the roster.In Vancouver, that is not considered a coincidence.Thus far, Oddleifson has managed to steer clear of injuries of any kind this season. He has also produced a consistently solid brand of hockey. He is both Vancouver&rsquo;s leading scorer and perhaps its most dependable defender among the forwards. In addition, he&rsquo;s a consistent winner in the faceoff circle.Most important of all for a center, his wingers have also enjoyed a high level of success. Ron Sedlbauer, who scored three goals in 26 games as a rookie last season, has already scored 10 in 20 games as Oddleifson&rsquo;s linemate.Rookie Rick Blight and John Gould have both played at Oddleifson&rsquo;s right. Each had scored eight times during the first two months and for both most of those goals came while playing on a line with Oddleifson.The plus-minus figures are also revealing. After 24 games, Vancouver&rsquo;s record was 8-11-5. Oddleifson. meanwhile, has had 12 plus games, six even and just six in the minus category.CANUCK CAPERS: With four regulars on the injury list, the Canucks called up rookie left winger Glen Richardson from their Central League farm team in Tulsa&hellip; Richardson was Vancouver&rsquo;s fourth round draft choice last June&hellip; In his first four games the 6&rsquo;2&rdquo;, 200-pound former Hamilton Junior produced a goal and two assists&hellip; If he continues to play in the same manner the only way he&rsquo;ll see Tulsa again is if he visits the place during the summer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01891/3543130-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="264" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Oddleifson</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-01

Unspectacular Oddleifson Gets Job Done For Canucks

WASHINGTON&mdash;The Washington Capitals completed a busy week&rsquo;s activities with only one point out of a possible eight to show for their work but despite the lack of ground gained in the standings the Caps showed signs that they might just be ready to shake their &lsquo;weak sister&rsquo; image.A visit to the Capital Centre by the high-flying Buffalo Sabres didn&rsquo;t set a promising tone for the four-games-in-five-nights grind that was to follow but as it turned out the game against the Buffalo&rsquo;s was the high point of the week&rsquo;s action.The Caps fell behind 1-0 after one period but bounced back in the middle stanza to enjoy their most productive 20 minutes of the season.In firing 11 shots at Buffalo net-minder Gerry Desjardins the Washington crew scored four times to take a 4-3 lead into the final period. Nelson Pyatt led the attack with a pair of markers while John Paddock and captain Bill Clement added singles.The Sabres tied things up for the final time six minutes into the final frame but Bernie Wolfe in the Washington nets withstood the barrage sent his way and gave his club an important point, if not in the standings, at least spiritually. In all Wolfe faced 37 Buffalo shots.The next night in Boston the Capitals lost, which isn&rsquo;t a surprise, but the fact that they lost by a count of only 3-2 and gave the Bruins a run for their money, was.Ace Bailey&rsquo;s marker early in the first period was all the scoring through the first two periods despite the fact the Capitals were outshot 28-11. Only the stellar net-minding of Ron Low even kept the Caps close.Then in the final 20 minutes the Bruins sent 15 shots Low&rsquo;s way and scored three times in the first 15 minutes.The Capitals managed only two shots on Gilles Gilbert in the final period but made one count as Bailey tallied again with only a minute and a half left in the game to send a chill down the Bruins&rsquo; backs.The low point of the week was in Montreal where the Capitals assumed leads of 2-1 after the opening period and 3-2 in the second only to fall 9-3. It marked the return of Wolfe to his native city where he played college hockey and he was greeted with a Montreal on slaught which consisted of 54 shots, the most on the Washing-net this season, while the Caps could manage a mere 13 on Ken Dryden at the opposite end of the rink.Pyatt, Yvon Labre and Bob Gryp accounted for the Caps&rsquo; offense.Again in Madison Square Garton den the following evening the Capitals enjoyed a lead mid-way through the middle frame but once more a third period thrust by the Rangers left the Caps on the short end of the decision this time 5-2.Tommy Williams and Pyatt counted the lone Washington goals and for Pvatt it gave him four in the five-game stretch and lifted his season total to 12.While the Capitals are still the owners of the worst record in the NHL, they are showing signs that there is a definite improvement being made. Last season the Caps had difficulty staying in a game against the top clubs for even the first ten minutes of the contest. Now they&rsquo;re battling in some cases right down to the wire and consistently through the first half of the game.If they should ever put two halves together, well, it just might mean a few more marks in the win column. &#9632;

Caps Showing Signs Of Improvement

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div>DETROIT&mdash;Someday, Nick Libett will reap his just rewards.The Detroit Red Wing forward has long been one of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s &lsquo;forgotten men.&rsquo;The reason is simple: Libett has toiled for the last five seasons on a team which has failed to make the playoffs even once. And everybody knows that the spoils go to the victors.Since Libett became an NHL regular with the Wings in the 196869 season, there has been no more dedicated or harder working player in the league.There is one individual trophy for the Nick Libett of hockey the Masterton-and if the Wings ever reach the playoffs, the 29-year-old left wing should be a shoe-in to get it.The Masterton is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The description fits Libett perfectly. It&rsquo;s easy to work hard and dedicate oneself to a winning cause but Libett has performed that way on a losing team.Libett isn&rsquo;t totally overlooked-his teammates, club officials and opponents know how valuable he is.When Terry Harper joined the Wings, the veteran defenseman was comparing the relative strengths of Detroit with other clubs. One remark Harper made was:&hellip;&rdquo;And who works as hard as Libett does all the time?&rdquo;Coach Doug Barkley and general manager Alex Delvecchio, both former teammates of Libett, appreciate his efforts. Delvecchio has steadfastly refused to trade Libett, as have Detroit GMs before him, despite the insistence of opposing general managers. Only Libett remained with the club through the great Red Wing purge of the early 1970s and is the team&rsquo;s elder statesman.Libett is off to a fast start this season, and with the Wings showing signs of blossoming into a playoff contender, this could be the season he&rsquo;s been waiting for.Over the years. Libett has been as consistently good as any player on the team and his best performances always seem to come when the club needs them most.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m never going to score 40 goals, it&rsquo;s just not my style,&rdquo; Libett says. &ldquo;I concentrate on going up and down my wing. That&rsquo;s my game.&rdquo;Once again this season, Libett is on Detroit&rsquo;s checking line and that unit, with rookie center Dennis Polonich and Phil Roberto on the right side, was outstanding as the Wings stretched their home ice unbeaten streak to six games (five victories and a tie). Featured in the streak was a victory over Los Angeles in Marcel Dionne&rsquo;s return to Detroit.Dionne was treated harshly by the standing room only crowd of over 15,000. &ldquo;In all my years (19) in the National Hockey League, I&rsquo;ve never seen a crowd like that,&rdquo; said Los Angeles coach Bob Pulford. &ldquo;It was hostile.&rdquo;Dionne got the business from his former teammates, too.Barkley was blunt about his feelings.&ldquo;The last thing I wanted to see was Dionne score in this building,&rdquo; Barkley said. &ldquo;This game was for Danny Maloney and Terry Harper (the players the Wings received from Los Angeles as compensation for Dionne).&rdquo;Incidentally, both Maloney, with 10 goals, and Harper have been outstanding to date. Neither is flashy-they&rsquo;re the kid of players you must see every game to appreciate.&ldquo;Marcel didn&rsquo;t go like he can, there was no doubt about that,&rdquo; Libett said. &ldquo;The fan enthusiasm was great. When they get behind us like that, it makes us play harder.&rdquo;MOTOR CITY SHORTS: Polonich kept Bobby Clarke off the scoreboard, distracted Bobby Orr to the point where the Boston super star took a foolish and costly penalty and watched Dionne so closely that Marcel never even got a shot on goal. In the Boston game, Orr and Polonich exchanged words. &ldquo;He asked me if I was trying to make a name for myself against him,&rdquo; Polo said. &ldquo;I was just told him I had a job to do and was doing it the best I could.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;the flu bug hit the Wings just before their West Coast swing&hellip;the 4-1 victory over Los Angeles was Detroit&rsquo;s first against the Kings in seven games over two seasons.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01873/3543185-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="564" height="700"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICK LIBETT&hellip; Masterton Candidate</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

Recognition Evades ‘Forgotten Man’ Libett

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01706/3543342-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="325" height="638"></div><h2>ATLANTA FLAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02614/3543335-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="715" height="719"></div><h2>BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03493/3543328-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="722" height="797"></div><h2>BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04383/3543321-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="710" height="730"></div><h2>CALIFORNIA SEALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05284/3543314-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="716" height="701"></div><h2>CHICAGO HAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06229/3543307-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="712" height="760"></div><h2>DETROIT RED WINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07206/3543300-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="730" height="732"></div><h2>KANSAS CITY SCOUTS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08187/3543293-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="726" height="716"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-09165/3543286-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="722" height="718"></div><h2>MINNESOTA STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-10143/3543279-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="724" height="720"></div><h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-11129/3543272-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="730" height="720"></div><h2>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-12112/3543265-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="728" height="756"></div><h2>NEW YORK RANGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-13101/3543258-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="734" height="822"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1494/3543251-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="726" height="720"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1584/3543244-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="750" height="774"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1681/3543237-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="721" height="662"></div><h2>TORONTO LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1773/3543230-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="726" height="799"></div><h2>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1866/3543223-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="721" height="818"></div><h2>WASHINGTON CAPS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1961/3543216-1-eng-US/f0016-192.jpg" title="f0016-19" width="735" height="752"></div> &#9632;

f0016-01

NHL SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

<div class="byline">BY JACK MCCARTHY</div>BOSTON&mdash;Jean Ratelie is back with the Bruins, and, for those of you who don&rsquo;t understand that, it is not a misprint of Rangers, but really Boston Bruins.The slick center caused a furor in Boston recently when he left the club to go home to Atlantic Beach, Long Island, and think over his future in hockey. He is 35. Ratelle missed a game, against the L.A. Kings, which the Bruins won.That was, incidentally, a night when three centers moved. Ratelle went home. Barry Smith went back to Rochester, and Doug Gibson came up from Rochester and promptly scored his first NHL goal on a slick feed from Bobby Orr.When Ratelle left, the Bruins played it cool, and GM Harry Sinden, although disturbed, gave no hint of any fine or suspension. When the Bruins went to New York to play, and beat the Rangers in the Garden, Sinden, Bruins attorney Charlie Mulcahy, Ratelle, his wife, and attorney Lou Powell met for about two hours, after which it was announced that all was well.Ratelle donned his Boston uniform, went onto Madison Square Garden ice for the first time since the trade with Brad Park, and promptly scored the Bruins&rsquo; first goal.Said Sinden, &ldquo;He went home to resolve certain problems involved in moving to Boston. He is now prepared to do what he has to do to fulfill his contract obligations to the Bruins. There is no new contract involved, except that he figures in our plans beyond this season. I don&rsquo;t foresee any more difficulties, and our contract talks are proceeding and many be settled very, very soon&hellip;He just wanted to make sure that a future in Boston is possible and he and his wife are now satisfied that they should make the move.&ldquo;Actually, the real discussion took only about 15 minutes. The rest of the time was devoted to discussing Boston suburbs and possible locations.&rdquo;Ratelle, who has three daughters, said that one of the problems was, &ldquo;It is hard to move your family. When you have teenaged school children you have to find a town with good schools and you want to find a good house for your wife where her work won&rsquo;t be so hard. That was one of the problems we had to resolve.&rdquo; Ratelie has a home on Long Island.In their first game in New York since becoming Bruins, Park and Ratelle fared differently. Brad was boohed and Ratelle was cheered. &ldquo;Never felt so nervous in my life,&rdquo; said Park.Park, incidentally, skated a few turns in Boston later in an ice show for the benefit of the U.S. Olympic Fund. Park skated with a female figure skater in an easy hockey routine, and after she had checked him heavily into the glass, she taught him a few figure-skating routines. She attempted to, that is. Park will not make it with an ice show.Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Bruins continued to sail along with a nine-game winning streak, all with Gilles Gilbert in the nets. Gibson scored his second NHL goal against the Rangers, and was two-for-two.Doug is the center who was MVP in the AHL last year with Rochester, and the leading scorer. He is 22, and played with the Peterborough Petes. He was the third pick of the Bruins in the amateur draft in 1973, and led the Boston Braves in scoring as a rookie, getting 82 points.He had 31 goals with the Braves and 44 with Rochester, some indication that he can put it in the net, which should keep him gainfully employed for some time.BEANTOWN BRIEFS: Word here is that game between the Russians and the Bruins, set for Jan. 8 at $13.50 a pop, is selling like mad&hellip;CBC people think that half of Canada will be watching this game. Surgery on Bobby Orr&rsquo;s left knee for the fifth time means the Bruin super star will again miss an opportunity to play against the Soviets. Bob Pulford, coach of the L.A. Kings, demanded a measurement of Kenny Hodge&rsquo;s stick in a Boston game. The curve met specifications, which meant that Pulford had to cough up $100 for the privilege of getting his look.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01605/3543380-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="566" height="1092"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEANRATHLE&hellip;Problems Erased</figcaption></div><h2>TEAM PENALTIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02523/3543373-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="594" height="672"></div> &#9632;

f0017-01

Bruins Breathe Easier As Ratelle Returns

MONTREAL&mdash;New York Islanders&rsquo; sensational rookie center, Bryan Trottier is the hottest rookie point-scorer in the NHL since at least 1942-43&mdash;the beginning of the so-called &ldquo;modern era&rdquo; of the National Hockey League.Trottier picked up a goal and six assists in four games last week giving him 11 goals, 26 assists and 37 points in 28 games played. That performance moved him into a share of fifth place in the scoring race from ninth a week ago.The player Trottier shares that position with, interestingly enough, is Marcel Dionne of Los Angeles Kings, holder of the NHL record for points by a rookie&mdash;77&mdash;set in 1971-72 while with Detroit Red Wings. Trottier is far ahead of Dionne&rsquo;s pace of that season when he had only five goals and 13 assists after 28 games. The 19-year-old native of Val Marie, Sask, is also exactly half way to equalling teammate Jude Drouin&rsquo;s rookie record 52 assists amassed in 1970-71 with Minnesota North Stars. In fact, the only rookie mark that appears reasonably intact at this point is the one for goal-scoring which is held by Rick Martin of Buffalo Sabres&mdash;44 in 1971-72.If Trottier were to maintain his current point-scoring pace for the remainder of the season, he would end up with a remarkable 103 points. His spectacular play at center has helped make his line&mdash;with Billy Harris, right wing and Clark Gillies, left wing&mdash;one of the most productive in the league with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points. Trottier is also Islanders&rsquo; leading scorer, having regained the position from defenseman Denis Potvin who held it for the past six weeks.Second-leading scorer among rookies and sharing the team-lead in points is Hartland Monahan of Washington Capitals who has eight goals, 16 assists for 24 points&mdash;the same number as teammate Stan Gilbertson. Monahan was an All Star right winger in the American Hockey League last season with Providence Reds, scoring 28 goals and 70 points.Only two other rookies have 20 points or more. They are Dennis Maruk of California Golden Seals with nine goals (four of them shorthand), bassists, 21 points, and Michel Bergeron of Detroit, four goals, 16 assists, 20 points. Washington&rsquo;s Tony White and California&rsquo;s Robert Murdoch have each reached the 10-goal mark.The leading point-getter among rookie defensemen is Larry Goodenough of Philadelphia Flyers who has 13 points&mdash;all assists. &#9632;

NHL WEEK—In Review

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<h2>Looking At NHL Goalers</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01615/3543435-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="614" height="2076"></div> &#9632;

f0018-01

NATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02497/3543466-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRED STANFIELD&hellip; Considered A Bargain Buy</figcaption></div>BUFFALO&mdash;The Sabres have come up with two fine penalty-killing combinations this season and when the National Hockey League season hit the one-quarter mark they had the Buffalo club on top in this department.The Sabres skated off 26 straight penalties before being hit by two power-play goals in their 21st game.That game, a 4-0 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver, saw the end of a couple other Buffalo streaks. When the Canucks&rsquo; goaltender, Gary Smith, blanked the Sabres it marked the first time they had been shut out this season; in 51 games, in fact, since Feb. 1, when the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; Bernie Parent turned the trick.And the loss was Buffalo goaltender Roger Crozier&rsquo;s first of the campaign, after six straight triumphs.The two power-play goals gave Buffalo opposition only seven in 84 opportunities, which still was by far the best percentage in the league.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just as well we got scored on,&rdquo; said coach Floyd Smith, after the game. &ldquo;It takes the pressure off.&rdquo;Don Luce and Craig Ramsay, who have posted one of the best penalty-killing records in the NHL over the last three seasons, have been on the ice at the start of most of the Sabre penalties.After a minute or so, however, Smitty usually sends out Jim Lorentz and Fred Stanfield to kill off the rest of the penalty.They have been doing an excellent job, too. For Stanfield, it was a return to his early days in the NHL.&ldquo;When I broke in (1964-65), I killed penalties with an old master, Eric Nesterenko,&rdquo; Fred recalled. That, of course, was with Chicago. Fred was to become a standout center with the Boston Bruins for six seasons after being traded by the Black Hawks in 1967.He put in a season and a half with the Minnesota North Stars before joining the Sabres in time for the 1974-75 playoff drive.What a bargain he was. At 31 the elder statesman of the Sabres (except for goaltender Roger Crozier), Fritzie has played all three forward positions, has worked at center, right wing and point on the power play and has killed penalties.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the kind of a player a contending club needs,&rdquo; Smitty has pointed out. &ldquo;An experienced guy who can come off the bench and go right to wok at almost any job.&rdquo;Stanfield has been on the ice mostly when one team or the other has a player in the penalty box. But occasionally he has filled in at center on a regular line and once in awhile centers for a fourth line.&ldquo;With a guy like Stanfield around,&rdquo; Smitty pointed out, &ldquo;we won&rsquo;t lose efficiency on our lines if we have an injury, particularly at center.&rdquo;One of the most important plusses in the Buffalo attack has been the way all three lines have been scoring. When the French Connection is blanked another line will come through.For instance, after the Connection had scored 11 goals in four games, they failed to put one in the net against Kansas City.So, the Luce line scored four goals as the Sabres won, 6-2. Don Luce got two goals, Craig Ramsay one and Danny Gare one.One of Luce&rsquo;s goals came when the Sabres had a man in the penalty box and it was the first shorthanded goal of the season for the lanky center who had eight of them in 1974-75.His other goal, first of the game also was a welcome one because he had gone 13 games without scoring. Ramsay had gone eight, and he was beginning to wonder if he would ever light the lamp again.Gare was glad to see his linemates break their slump. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been cashing in on their rebounds,&rsquo; said Danny, &ldquo;while they have been having bad luck around the net. I&rsquo;m glad to get the goals (he was tied for first in the NHL at the time with 16 in 20 games) but I&rsquo;d like to see Craig and Don get some, too. They work awfully hard in the corners.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0018-02

NHL Rivals Groan As Sabres Boast Most Deadly Penalty Killing Teams

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Everyone keeps asking Wayne Stephenson &ldquo;How much longer until you collapse?&rdquo; And Stephenson keeps replying, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m feeling stronger every day. The way I feel now I could play all 80 games.&rdquo;Shhh! You want to be expelled from the IAS-CG (International Association of Semi-Crazed Goaltenders)? Noone, not even Bernie Parent or Ken Dryden, plays all 80 games anymore. The travel is too tough, the season is too long goes the standard objection to a one-goalie system.Well, through the Flyers&rsquo; first 23 games Wayne Stephenson was the goaltender win, lose or tie. And the Flyers were usually winning. The Stanley Cup champions&rsquo; record was 15-3-5 compared to 14-6-3 at the same time a year ago. Significantly, the Flyers had yielded only two more goals than at the comparable time last season.While Parent was slowly recuperating from neck surgery, Stephenson was playing better than many thought was possible. The 30-year-old former Canadian Nationals&rsquo; goalie had suffered through only one dismal performance. Chicago&rsquo;s John Marks set an NHL record with two goals in the first 33 seconds and the Black Hawks piled up a 5-1 lead. But the Flyers rallied to tie, 5-5, and afterward Stephenson shrugged off the nightmare.&ldquo;I was fighting the puck,&rdquo; said the only NHL goalie to play every game this season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s happened before and it&rsquo;ll happen again.&rdquo;Stephenson&rsquo;s even temper is ideal for the spot he is in. The pressure of trying to replace hockey&rsquo;s best goalie doesn&rsquo;t seem to bother him.&ldquo;I used to be very emotional,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d break my stick over the crossbar after goals were scored against me. But I learned that doesn&rsquo;t help you.&rdquo;The one-time Winnipeg accountant has had assistance in filling in for Parent. The biggest assist comes from playing for the Flyers. &ldquo;Steff&rdquo; has seen 30 or more shots only five times. The Flyers&rsquo; forwards and defensemen limit the number of game-deciding shots Stephenson faces to only a handful per game.&ldquo;When I was with St. Louis,&rdquo; Stephenson says, &ldquo;their defensemen would block a lot of shots. But that screens the goalie. Here, the defensemen cut down on all the angles and they clear the rebounds. Nobody stays in the crease very long.&rdquo;The schedule has softened Stephenson&rsquo;s task, too. Of Philadelphia&rsquo;s first 23 games, 15 were at the Spectrum. And there were only a couple of four-games-in-five-nights grinds.Although he isn&rsquo;t a chronic flop-per, Stephenson&rsquo;s goaltending style hasn&rsquo;t been compared to Parent&rsquo;s classic stand-up stance. The Philadelphia Inquirer&rsquo;s Bill Lyon accurately described Stephenson&rsquo;s puck-stopping approach.&ldquo;He reminds you of a third baseman who might not have all the natural tools but makes up for it by being the dirtiest uniform on the team, by wallowing in the dust and digging everything out.&rdquo;While Stephenson is digging almost everything out, Flyers&rsquo; management is keeping an eye on Parent&rsquo;s recovery. By Thanksgiving Parent had begun light workouts but still suffered pain in his right arm and did not have complete neck movement. If the Vezina Trophy-winner is back in the lineup by Christmas, management will rejoice over Santa&rsquo;s surprise gift.And when Parent does return, how will Stephenson adjust? Will he give Parent a cold shoulder? Will he demand to be played or else traded? Again, Stephenson&rsquo;s realistic outlook surfaces.&ldquo;When Bernie is recovered he&rsquo;ll be back (in the nets) and I&rsquo;ll be on the bench. I&rsquo;ll accept it. But I do expect to play more than I did last season (12 games). I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;ll se send me to the bench for two months.&ldquo;Look, I&rsquo;m happy here. I&rsquo;ve got a job to do. I&rsquo;m not looking to go anywhere else.&rdquo;As Bobby Clarke said, the biggest thing the Flyers have to be thankful for is Wayne Stephenson.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01592/3543497-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="290" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Stephenson</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0019-01

Stephenson Amazes With Goaling Consistency

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02330/3543559-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="956" height="636"></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy to fool an opponent into thinking you&rsquo;re going to shoot when you really plan to pass the puck.&rdquo;&ldquo;First, you&rsquo;ll have to learn to start a shooting motion. And we mean by that that your eyes&rsquo; your head and the upper part of your body and stick will have to telegraph to him that you intend to shoot. Get used to changing your shooting stance to a passing one in a split second.&rdquo;&ldquo;Get used to judging quickly whether you should pass the puck or shoot. Don&rsquo;t go too far with the team spirit by passing to a mate when a shot by you has more chance of scoring.&rdquo;&ldquo;A couple of &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t Evers&rsquo;;Never pass from a good shooting to a player in a poor position.&rdquo;&ldquo;Never pass to a teammate in the corner of the other team&rsquo;s defensive zone. That&rsquo;s exactly what the defenders would like you to do. It gives the defence a chance to get set and their stragglers a chance to get into position to defend the goal. Keep that puck moving when you&rsquo;re on the attack.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0020-02

MINOR HOCKEY TIPS

<div class="byline">BY HARRY KLAFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01437/3543528-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="571" height="1230"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLARK GILLIES&hellip; An Opportunist</figcaption></div>LONG ISLAND&mdash;Like most NHL teams, the Islanders are loaded with nicknames. Goalie Glenn Resch is &ldquo;Chico,&rdquo; as in &ldquo;Chico and the Man&rdquo;. Billy Harris is &ldquo;Harry-O&rdquo; for obvious reasons. And Clark Gillies is &ldquo;Jethro.&rdquo;You see, Gillies looks more like Max Baer, Jr. of Jethro Clampett fame than Max himself does. The only difference is that the Islander left wing has longer hair, and a few more muscles.Gillies came to the Islanders last year as the club&rsquo;s number one amateur draft pick, following in the footsteps of Harris and Denis Potvin before him. Although he wasn&rsquo;t signed with the same fanfare that the other two were, Gillies was expected to be every bit as valuable to the team as Harris and Potvin.From the very beginning, Clark&rsquo;s role has been to put the puck in the net. By their second year, the Islanders had improved to the point of clearing the puck out of their zone, and even setting up on the opponent&rsquo;s end. But they lacked the big guy who could finish off the play.Gillies, of course, was the man expected to fill this void, but everyone began to wonder when he got off to a slow start as a rookie a year ago.&ldquo;I was pressing then,&rdquo; Gillies recalls. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even get a single point in pre-season. Then it took me seven games before I finally got my first goal.&rdquo;Then the pieces began to fall into place. Gillies finished his rookie season with 25 goals and 22 assists for 47 points. Then came another four goals in the playoffs.This year Gillies has been working the left side with rookie Bryan Trottier at center, and Harris at right wing. The line got off to a lightning start, then slowed down some, but has erupted once again of late.All three are fine skaters, and work well together. Trottier and Harris lug the puck up ice. Gillies muscles the puck out of the corners and hangs around the crease waiting for rebounds. And at 6&rsquo;3&rdquo;, 220 pounds, he represents somewhat of an immovable object.Most of Gillies&rsquo; eight goals through the last week of November have come from in front. But a few have been tallied with his blistering wrist shot from 30-35 feet. He likes to stay by the net, but he can put them in from anywhere.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t consider myself a &lsquo;hanger&rsquo;,&rdquo; says Gillies. &ldquo;Sure, I&rsquo;ll look for opportunities in front, but I think my job is more to get the puck in the first place, especially in the offensive end.&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a digger&mdash;always working hard,&rdquo; adds linemate Harris. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s always putting out 100 percent,&rdquo;Although his penalty totals are quite reasonable, Gillies quickly established a reputation for himself as a fighter. But he doesn&rsquo;t get involved particulary much, mainly because opponent&rsquo;s are aware what happens if he gets mad.Jethro&rsquo;s most memorable battle, of course, took place in the playoff semi-finals last year against Philadelphia. With the Isles en route to an easy victory in the fifth game, Dave Schultz decided to take a run at the nearest Islander in sight, which just happened to be Gillies.Clark proceeded to give Schultz a thrashing, and Peck&rsquo;s Bad Boy became Shero&rsquo;s Good Boy for the rest of the series. &ldquo;Yeah, I knew who I was fighting,&rdquo; smiled Gillies sheepishly following the scrap.&ldquo;Gillies is exactly the type of player we always wanted to have on this club,&rdquo; says general-manager Bill Torrey. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s big, he&rsquo;s tough, and he can play hockey. From the very beginning. I said that nobody was going to push us around.&rdquo;One other thing that Torrey likes about Gillies is his age. At 21, he&rsquo;s still only a baby with a lot to learn. Of the Islanders large crop of talented, young players, Gillies, in time, could be the best of the lot.ISLAND SOUNDS: The Isles unloaded against Minnesota on Nov. 26th, winning on the road 9-1. The Gillies-Trottier-Harris line accounted for 10 points, with Trottier notching his second five-point night of the season. &#9632;

f0020-01

Gillies Supplies ‘Punch’ As Islander Scoring Threat

<div class="byline">BY BILL HEUFELDER</div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;If a bad start really means a good ending, Michel Plasse is in business.The 27-year-old goaltender, in a surprising move, found himself in the minors shortly after the season began when the Pittsburgh Penguins recalled their No. 1 draft choice, Gordon Laxton, from the Hershey farm club.&ldquo;I was not too happy,&rdquo; Plasse admits, &ldquo;but now everything is goingfine.&rdquo;Plasse wasn&rsquo;t fooling. The floundering Penguins, winless through a six-game stretch that included five defeats, summoned him after a two-week stretch with the American League dub and immediately he stopped the skid.With the Penguins in Atlanta and Plasse in goal, they stopped the Flames, 4-1, on the road, then followed up the victory with home wins over Los Angeles and Detroit. Plasse, his goals-against average at 3.00 for the three games, improved his won-loss mark to 5-1-1.If Plasse did not look as sharp as the Penguins had anticipated at the outset of the season, he could understand the problem as well as anyone.Acquired during the past season from Kansas City to support a beleaguered Gary Inness in goal, Plasse did not feel prepared when this campaign opened.&ldquo;During the exhibition season, they wanted to see what Laxton could do,&rdquo; Plasse noted.Laxton played well enough to remain with Pittsburgh and, in fact, backstopped the club to a win in its opener at Washington. Mean while, Plasse felt rusty from a lacl of work.In early November, Wren Blair, the club president and acting as his own general manager, talked to Plasse. The subject was not pleasant. The Penguins wanted him to return to the minors where he hadn&rsquo;t played since working his way through the Montreal system almost three years ago.Plasse agreed to the two-week stay in Hershey. He played five of seven games during that stretch and began to get that old feeling back.&ldquo;Why sit in Pittsburgh and just do the practices?&rdquo; Plasse shrugged. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really in the shape I wanted to be, then you push so hard sometimes that everything goes wrong.&ldquo;When I came back, I was in better shape.&rdquo;The same could not be said for the Penguins, who were constantly winding up on the short end of wild-scoring games. Plasse&rsquo;s return seemed to signal a more settled atmosphere on the youthful, yet experienced club which a year ago had put together the first winning record in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s history.To the casual observer, the Penguins possessed almost a set lineup when training camp began, but Plasse took a wary approach, especially since the club&rsquo;s top draft choice happened to be a goaltender.&ldquo;You never know what is going to happen,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When a team brings in a new guy, you better work hard.&rdquo;PENGUIN NOTES&mdash;Jean Pronovost continued his steady scoring, delivering a point in a Pittsburgh record 13 straight games and all but one of the club&rsquo;s first 19 games&hellip;His assist in a 5-2 win over Detroit made him the first player to score 400 points in a Pittsburgh uniform&hellip;It also stretched Plasse&rsquo;s unbeaten record on home ice to 13 games (10-0-3)&hellip;Vic Hadfield, a 31-goal scorer last season with the Penguins, punched home nine goals in eight games.Blair pared down the excessive number of defensemen by sending Bob Paradise to the Washington Caps in exchange for a second round draft choice next spring&hellip;Paradise, acquired fromAtlanta as part of a thorough housecleaning almost two years ago, had played sparingly with the Penguins this year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01281/3543590-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="272" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">Michel Plasse</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0021-01

Plasse’s Arrival Stems Penguins’ Slide

(Standings on Tue. Dec. 9)<h2>PATRICK DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2028/3543876-1-eng-US/f0022-202.jpg" title="f0022-20" width="538" height="134"></div><h2>SMYTHE DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2128/3543869-1-eng-US/f0022-212.jpg" title="f0022-21" width="545" height="156"></div><h2>ADAMS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2225/3543862-1-eng-US/f0022-222.jpg" title="f0022-22" width="549" height="137"></div><h2>NORRIS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-2325/3543855-1-eng-US/f0022-232.jpg" title="f0022-23" width="537" height="158"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3>Tue. Dec. 2N.Y Islanders 4 at St Louis 1; Atlanta 3 at Los Angeles 5.Wed. Dec. 3Montreal 5 at Kansas City 6; Buffalo 4 at Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 at Chicago 3; Detroit 1 at Vancouver 9, Los Angeles 3 at California2; Toronto I at Minnesota 3Thu. Dec. 4N.Y. Rangers 6 at Buffalo 6 Pittsburgh 1 at N.Y Islanders 6 Chicago 2 at Philadelphia 5. Montreal 4 at St. Louis 1. Washington 2 at Boston 3.Fri. Dec. 5N.Y. Rangers 3 at Kansas City 2. Atlanta 6 at Vancouver 2; Detroit 2 at California 3Sat. Dec. 6Buffalo 4 at N.Y Islanders 2; Philadelphia 2 at St. Louis 7; Washington 3 at Montreal 9 Detroit 2 at Los Angeles 3; Kansas City 0 at Minnesota 4; Boston 4 at Toronto 2|Sun. Dec. 7Washington 2 at N.Y. Rangers 5; N.Y. Islanders 3 at Buffalo 0 Minnesota 1 at Philadelphia 6; Atlanta 2 at Chicago 0; Montreal 2 at Boston 2. Toronto 3 at Pittsburgh 6.<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tue. Dec. 9Minnesota at N.Y. Islanders; Washington at Atlanta, Pittsburgh at Kansas City; St. Louis at Vancouver.Wed. Dec. 10Buffalo at N. Y. Rangers, Philadelphia at California, Toronto at Montreal; Chicago at Washington; Pittsburgh at Detroit; St. Louis at Los Angeles.Thu. Dec. 11N.Y. Rangers at Boston; Minnesota at Kansas City.Fri. De. 12N.Y. Islanders at Atlanta; Philadelphia at Vancouver, Detroit at Washington; St. Louis at California.Sat. Dec. 13N.Y. Rangers at Detroit; N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, Philadelphia at Los Angeles; Kansas City at Montreal; Boston at Pittsburgh; Chicago at Minnesota.Sun. Dec. 14Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, Atlanta at Buffalo; Pittsburgh at Montreal; Minnesota at Washington, Vancouver at Boston, St. Louis at Chicago.Tue. Dec, 16Kansas City at Atlanta.Wed. Dec. 17N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia at Chicago; Atlanta at Minnesota; Montreal at Los Angeles, Boston at Washington; Pittsburgh at California; Buffalo at Detroit; Vancouver at Kansas City; St. Louis at Toronto.Thu. Dec. 18Toronto at N.Y. Islanders; Minnesota at Buffalo.Fri. Dec. 19N.Y. Rangers at Atlanta. Philadelphia at Washington Pittsburgh at Vancouver; Detroit at Kansas City; Chicago at California.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01287/3543848-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="553" height="688"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE SHUTT</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-20

LOOKING AT THE NHL SCOREBOARD

<h2>Tue. Dec. 2 ISLANDERS 4, ST. LOUIS 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01307/3543817-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="588" height="455"></div><h2>ATLANTA 3, LOS ANGELES 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02232/3543810-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="606" height="508"></div><h2>Wed. Dec. 2 MONTREAL 5, KANSAS CITY 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03203/3543803-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="602" height="485"></div><h2>BUFFALO 4, WASHINGTON 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04159/3543796-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="586" height="434"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH 3, CHICAGO3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05134/3543789-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="583" height="439"></div><h2>DETROIT 1, VANCOUVER 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06106/3543782-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="592" height="614"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES 3, CALIFORNIA 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0793/3543775-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="591" height="414"></div><h2>TORONTO 1, MINNESOTA 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0883/3543768-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="595" height="374"></div><h2>Thu. Dec. 4 RANGERS 6, BUFFALO 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0975/3543761-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="599" height="499"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH 1, ISLANDERS 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1065/3543754-1-eng-US/f0022-102.jpg" title="f0022-10" width="592" height="491"></div><h2>CHICAGO 2, PHILADELPHIA 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1160/3543747-1-eng-US/f0022-112.jpg" title="f0022-11" width="596" height="561"></div><h2>MONTREAL 4, ST-LOUIS 1</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1256/3543740-1-eng-US/f0022-122.jpg" title="f0022-12" width="601" height="412"></div><h2>WASHINGTON 2, BOSTON 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1349/3543733-1-eng-US/f0022-132.jpg" title="f0022-13" width="609" height="476"></div><h2>Fri. Dec. 5 RANGERS 3, KANSAS CITY 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1441/3543726-1-eng-US/f0022-142.jpg" title="f0022-14" width="644" height="411"></div><h2>ATLANTA 6, VANCOUVER 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1539/3543719-1-eng-US/f0022-152.jpg" title="f0022-15" width="603" height="472"></div><h2>DETROIT 2, CALIFORNIA 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1633/3543712-1-eng-US/f0022-162.jpg" title="f0022-16" width="612" height="391"></div><h2>Sat. Dec. 6 BUFFALO 4, ISLANDERS 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1730/3543705-1-eng-US/f0022-172.jpg" title="f0022-17" width="573" height="432"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA 2, ST. LOUIS 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1829/3543698-1-eng-US/f0022-182.jpg" title="f0022-18" width="594" height="437"></div><h2>WASHINGTON 3, MONTREAL 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-1929/3543691-1-eng-US/f0022-192.jpg" title="f0022-19" width="603" height="477"></div><h2>DETROIT 2, LOS ANGELES 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02225/3543684-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="620" height="413"></div><h2>KANSAS CITY 0, MINNESOTA 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03174/3543677-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="552" height="358"></div><h2>BOSTON 4, TORONTO 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04140/3543670-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="570" height="473"></div><h2>WASHINGTON 2, RANGERS 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05115/3543663-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="606" height="464"></div><h2>Sun. Dec. 7 ISLANDERS 3, BUFFALO 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06101/3543656-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="600" height="359"></div><h2>MINNESOTA 1, PHILADELPHIA 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0787/3543649-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="616" height="436"></div><h2>ATLANTA 2, CHICAGO 0</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0873/3543642-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="646" height="380"></div><h2>MONTREAL2, BOSTON 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-0959/3543635-1-eng-US/f0023-092.jpg" title="f0023-09" width="614" height="426"></div><h2>TORONTO 3, PITTSBURGH 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1049/3543628-1-eng-US/f0023-102.jpg" title="f0023-10" width="610" height="518"></div><h2>NHL Leaders</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-1136/3543621-1-eng-US/f0023-112.jpg" title="f0023-11" width="616" height="1060"></div> &#9632;

f0022-01

National Hockey League Summaries

C&mdash;Captain*&mdash;Rookie<h2>ATLANTA</h2>GOALDan BouchardPhil MyreDEFENSEPat Quinn CBarry GibbsLarry CarrioreEd KeaRandy ManeryJean LemieuxKen HoustonCENTERCurt BonnettRoy ComeauBab LoiterTom LysiakGerry MeehanClaude St, SauveurR. WINGHilliard-GravesBillHottTim EcclestoneWINGKen HoustonDave KryskowINJUREDErie VailLarry Romanchych<h2>CALIFORNIA</h2>GOALGilles MelocheGary SimmonsDEENSELon FrigRick HamptonMiko ChristieBob StewartGeorge PesutCENTERDave GardnerWayne MerrickRalph KlassonDennis MarukR. WINGGary SabourinWayne KingBob MurdochJim PappinL. WINGDave HrechkosyAl Mac AdamGary HoltBob GirardINJUREDJim Neilson<h2>BOSTON</h2>GOALGilles Gilbert* Dave ReeceDEFENSEGary DoakDarryl EdestrandAl SimsDallas SmithBrad PorkJoe ZanussiCENTERJoon RatelleAndro Savard* Doug GibsonR. WINGHank NowakBobby SchmautzKen HodgeTerry O&rsquo;ReillyEarl AndersonL. WINGJohn Bucyk CDave ForbesWayne CashmanINJUREDDon MarcotteBobby Orr<h2>CHICAGO</h2>GOALTony EspositoMichel DumasGilles VillemureDEFENSEKeith MagnusonDick RedmondDale Tallon* Bob MurrayPhil RussoliCENTERIvan BoldirevBobby SheehanPit MartinR. WINGCliff KorollGrant MulveyJ.P. Bordeleau* Alain DaigleL. WINGDennis HullDarcy RotaJohn MarksJoey JohnstonINJUREDStan Mikita CBill White<h2>BUFFALO</h2>GOALGary BromleyRoger CrozierGerry DesjardinsDEFENSEJim Schoenfeld CJerry KorabJ. GuevromontBill Hajt* Paul McIntoshCENTERDon LuceGil PerreaultPeter McNabJim LorentzR. WINGDanny GareRene RobertFred StanfieldL. WINGRichard MartinBrian SpencerCraig RamsayJacques RichardMorris TitanicINJUREDNone<h2>DETROIT</h2>GOALJim RutherfordEd GiacominDEFENSEJean HamelRick LapointeBryan WatsonTerry HarperBarry SalovaaraCENTERPhil RobertoBryan HextaliWalt McKechnieR. WING* Michel BergeronMickey Redmond* Dennis PolonichBill LocheodJ.P. LeblancL. WINGDanny Grant CNick libettDan MaloneyMike BloomINJUREDBill Hogoboam<h2>KANSAS CITY</h2>GOALDanis Herron* Bill OleschukDEFENSEClaude HoudeJean-Guy LagaceLarry JohnstonGary BergmanDennis PattersonKen MurrayCENTERGuy CharronEddie GilbertDave HudsonBob MurrayR. WINGSimon Nolet CWilf PaiementRandy RotaBuster HarveyL. WINGGary CroteauCraig PatrickNorm DubeRebin BurnsGermain GagnonINJUREDDenis DupereBillMcKenzie<h2>MONTREAL</h2>GOALMichel LarocqueKen DrydenDEFENSEDon AwreyGuy LapointeSerge SavardLarry RobinsonPierre BouchardJohn Van BoxmeerCENTERPete MahovlichDoug Risebrough* Doug JarvisJacques LemaireR. WINGGuy LafleurMario TremblayJim RobertsYvan Cournoyor CL. WINGYvon LambertSteve ShuttBab GaineyMurray WilsonINJUREDNone<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>GOALRogie VachonGary EdwardsDENFENSEBob MurdochS. KannegiesserNeil KomadoskiDave HutchisonLarry Brown&bull; Gary SargentCENTERMarcel DionneGone CarrVic VonaskyWhitey WidingButch GoringR. WINGMike Murphy CMike CorriganBob NevinFrank St. MarseilleDon KozakL. WINGBob BerryTom WilliamsINJUREDNone<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>GOALGlenn ReschBilly SmithDEFENSEGerry HartBert MarshallDenis PotvinJoan PotvinDave LewisDave FortierCENTEREddie Westfall CLorne HenningRalph StewartBryan TrottierAndro St. LaurontR. WINGJude DrouinBilly HarrisBob NystromGarry rolwattL. WINGClark GilliesJ.P. PariseBilly MacMillanINJUREDNone<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GOALCesare ManiagoPotor LoPrestiDEFENSETom ReidDennis O&rsquo;BrienDoug HicksFred BarrettDwight BialowasCENTERDennis HextaliTim Young* Dover-inPierre JerryBryan HextallR. WINGBill Goldsworthy CDean TalafousCraig CameronLou NannoL. WINGJohn FleschErnie HickeGlen SatherINJUREDNone<h2>RANGERS</h2>GOALJohn DavidsonDune WilsonDEFENSECarol VadnaisGil MarotteRon GreschnorLarry SacharukJohn BodnarskiCENTER* Wayne DillonWalt TkaczukPeter StemkowskiPhil Esposito CR. WINGRod GilbertBill FairbairnRick MiddletonBill CollinsL. WINGStove VickersGrog Polis* Pat HickeyINJUREDRon HarmDoug JarrettNick Beverley<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>GOALWayne Stephenson* Rejean LemelinDEFENSETom BladonAndre DupontLarry GoodenoughJim WatsonJoe Watson* Jack McHhargeyEd Van ImpeCENTERBobby Clarke CRick MacLeishTerry CrispOrest Kindrachuk* Mel BridgmanR. WINGGory DornhoeferRog LoachDon SoleskiL. WINGBill BarberDave SchultzBob KellyRoss LansberryINJUREDBernie Parent<h2>TORONTO</h2>GOALWayne ThomasGordon McRaeDEFENSEBorje SalmingRod SeilingJim McKennyIan TurnbullBrian GlennieDave DunnBob NeelyCENTERDarryl Sittier CGeorge FergusonStan Weir* Don AshbyR. WINGBlaine StoughtonLanny McDonaldInge HammarstromL. WINGDave WilliamsErrol Thompson* Pat Boutette* Greg HubickINJUREDDoug Favell<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>GOALGary InnessMichel PlasseDEFENSEDave BurrowsStove DurbanoRon StackhouseBarry WilkinsDennis OwcharCENTERRon Schock CSyl ApptPierre laroucheR. WINGChuck ArnasonRick KehoeJean PronovostLow MornsonJacques CossetteL. WINGVic HadfieldLowell MacDonaldHarvey BennettINJUREDColin Campbell<h2>VANCOUVER</h2>GOALGary SmithKen LockettDEFENSEBob DaileyAb DeMarcoMike RobitailleDennis KearnsHarold SnepstsCENTERAndro Boudrios CDon LeverChris OddloifsonR. WINGJohn GouldPaulin BordeloauGerry O&rsquo;RahertyDennis Vorvergaert* Rick BlightL. WINGBobby LalondeGrogg BoddyRon Sodlbauer* Glen EdchardsonINJUREDTracy PrattGurry MonahanJohn Grisdale<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>GOALYves BelangerEddie JohnstonDEFENSEBarclay Plager CBob PiagetBob HessBob GassoffRick Wilson* Bruce AffleckCENTERGarry UngerChuck LefleyLarry PateyDerek SandersonR. WINGPierro PlanteClaudeLaroseBrian OgilvieL. WINGFloyd ThomsonTod IrvineRed BerensonBert WilsonINJUREDJerry Butler<h2>WASHINGTON</h2>GOALMichel BelhumeurRon Low* Bernie WolfeDEFENSEYvon LabreGrog JolyJock Lynch* John PaddockBob ParadisoRon JanesCENTERBill dement CTommy WilliamsNelson PyattR. WINGStan GilbertsonBlair SteyrartBob Gryp* Hartland MonahanAce BaileyL. WINGMiko MarsonRon LalondeTony WhiteINJUREDRon Anderson &#9632;

NHL Team Rosters

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BHADSBY LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U. S. and CanadaWayne Connelly came within a couple of inches of a new World Hockey Association record.The veteran right wing had to settle for a share of the record for most goals in a game, five, and that accounted for all the Minnesota Fighting Saints&rsquo; scoring in a 5-3 victory over the Cincinnati Stingers.The record was set by Ron Ward of New York in 1973 and since equalled by Ward Nov. 30 of this season, Ron Climie of Edmonton in 1974 and Andre Hinse of Houston last January.Connelly scored two goals in the first period, two in the second and one in the third.&ldquo;About 10 seconds after I got the fifth goal,&rdquo; said Connelly, &ldquo;the puck was in front. It went by the post and missed by only inches.&rdquo;He wasn&rsquo;t upset by the missed shot.&ldquo;I would have been happy with one goal,&rdquo; he said, mindful that he had scored only six goals in his first 18 games this season.Linemate Fran Huck assisted on four of Connelly&rsquo;s goals as Stingers went down to their seventh straight loss.Earlier, Mike Antonovich scored with 3:38 left in sudden death overtime to lift the Minnesota Fighting Saints to a 3-2 victory over New England in a World Hockey Association.Antonovich didn&rsquo;t exactly give it his best shot. He was attempting to center a pass from the right boards when the puck glanced off fallen Whaler Thommy Abrahamsson and past brother, goaltender Christer Abrahamsson.The Saints appeared to have the game won on third period goals by Johnny McKenzie and Wayne Connelly, but Ron Climie forced the overtime, tying the game on a rebound with 10 seconds remaining.Gary Gambucci is back in the Saints&rsquo; lineup after being sidelined for 32 days and missing 11 games with pulled rib ligaments.Jack Carlson set a WHA record with four major penalties in one game when he drew two double majors at Cleveland. The added misconduct game him 30 minutes for a new club record.Meanwhile, the Houston Aeros&rsquo; 8-4 victory over the San Diego Mariners was a record setting performance.Poul Popiel scored two first period goals and added a pair of assists for a team record four points in one period.Andre Hinse added a pair of goals in the Aeros&rsquo; 15th consecutive win on home ice, a new World Hockey Association record. The Aeros&rsquo; last regular season loss was March 8 to New England. They have won 20 overall in succession.Their home-ice victory string this season is nine games long.Gordie Howe slammed in his own rebound and added an assist in a 4-1 victory over the Indianapolis Racers in the only other Aero game of the week.The home-ice advantage has helped but coach Bill Dineen attributes the Aeros&rsquo; return to the defensive form of the past two years as the biggest reason for the two-time Avco Trophy champion&rsquo;s surge.The Aeros&rsquo; goals against average has shrunken from almost 4.00 to 3.43.&ldquo;We talked about it in Winnipeg,&rdquo; said Dineen. &ldquo;Everybody had his say and it helped clear the air. The defense was gambling too much, taking too many chances.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve stopped doing that. And the wrings have started coming back to pick up. We&rsquo;re executing the system better, too. We&rsquo;re playing out the game, waiting for the chances that are going to come.&rdquo;The Phoenix Roadrunners, attempting to put some spice in their bland offense, traded minor league defenseman Ron Serafini to the Cincinnati Stingers for veteran forward Gary Veneruzzo.Veneruzzo, 32, has averaged 38 goals in three World Hockey Association seasons and last year&rsquo;s total of 33 goals might have been the most amazing, amassing that total while watching the WHA bomb in Detroit and Baltimore.He had played the two previous seasons for the now defunct Los Angeles Sharks.The Roadrunners have averaged 3.00 goals through 21 games and have failed to make a long home stand pay off. In the first six games of a stretch in which they play 13 of 15 at home, they have won once, tied three times and lost twice.They have fallen into a tie for the WHA West basement with Denver.Exemplifying the Roadrunners&rsquo; inept shooting was their 4-4 tie with the Quebec Nordiques, after leading 4-0. They took a club record 49 shots, breaking the old record by one.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01293/3543938-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="307" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andre Hinse</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02227/3543931-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="1166" height="1128"><figcaption class="caption-body">Veteran winger Wayne Connelly was a one-man show the night the Minnesota Saints drubbed Cincinnati Stingers 5-3. Connelly scored all five goals. It didn&rsquo;t set a WHA record but tied the existing one held by three other players.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-01

Connelly’s 5-Goal Game Misses WHA Record

<div class="byline">BY RICH PASSAN</div>CINCINNATI&mdash;Based on the sudden turn of events lately, it would appear the bubble has burst for the fledgling Cincinnati Stingers.The Queen City skaters got off to a 9-4 start and were beginning to make believers out of a lot of hockey people. Then everything hit the fan and now the Stingers are in the throes of a seven-game losing streak.During that stretch, the offense has produced an average of four goals a game. In doing so, however, the Stingers have apparently forgotten how to backcheck and permitted 47 goals, nearly seven a contest.Cincinnati allowed 50 goals in compiling the 9-4 record that startled the entire hockey world. Coach Terry Slater has been going largely with four defensemen and it was just a matter of time before something had to give.To this end. Slater shipped left winger Gary Veneruzzo to the Phoenix Roadrunners for defenseman Ron Serafini, who had been skating at Tucson of the Central Hockey League.The reason Veneruzzo, a capable high-scoring winger, went, according to some sources, was his refusal to play Slater&rsquo;s style of hockey. Terry is the kind of coach who appreciates a good body check and expects his men to throw their weight around.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01242/3544123-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="268" height="494"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Dudley</figcaption></div>After the fifth straight loss. Slater took off publicly on some of his troops. &ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t getting the leadership we need from the big guys,&rdquo; said Slater, who singled out Rick Dudley, Mike Pelyk and Dennis Sobchuk.&ldquo;Look who is playing well for us&mdash;rookies and fourth line players,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;That isn&rsquo;t enough any more. I&rsquo;ve got to start teaching fundamentals to veteran players and I think that&rsquo;s ridiculous.&ldquo;I know some people think there is an awful lot of security playing for us. This organization has treated its players well. But I won&rsquo;t tolerate people who don&rsquo;t give 100 percent and I&rsquo;m sure our office will back me on this,&rdquo; Slater continued his tirade.&ldquo;If there are people who think they&rsquo;re just going through the motions of playing for us, they&rsquo;re going to find themselves in some deal. I&rsquo;m telling you. I&rsquo;ll trade them.&rdquo; Apparently Veneruzzo fit into this category.&ldquo;I know what my hockey team can do,&rdquo; Slater added. &ldquo;If we get the leadership, we can play well against any team in the business. It&rsquo;s just like it hasn&rsquo;t exploded yet and I&rsquo;m still waiting for it to explode. The fuse is still burning and I&rsquo;m waiting. If it takes two months toexplode, it will be too late.&rdquo;Slater held a team meeting before what turned out to be the sixth straight loss, an 11-3 drubbing at home administered by the Winnipeg-Jets.It was against the Jets that Slater&rsquo;s team had the &ldquo;thug&rdquo; nickname pinned on them for their tactics in a game in Winnipeg. Winnipeg left winger Bobby Hull, who sat out one game to protest growing violence in the sport, blamed Slater for the actions of the Stingers.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the one who causes those bad things to happen.&rdquo; said the Golden Jet. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t blame the players. They&rsquo;re trying to do what they are told. You have to blame the people who tell them.&rdquo;Slater dismissed Hull&rsquo;s remarks. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t bother me.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to hurt anyone intentionally. We&rsquo;re going to go out and body check people.&rdquo;CLEVELAND: The Crusaders moved into a tie for first place in the East Division with the Stingers after beating Toronto, 4-3, in overtime. Little Gerry Pinder, who has improved 100 percent over last season, got the game-winner.However, it was a bittersweet victory. Left winger Danny Gruen suffered a badly sprained ankle and center iceman Jim Harrison, who had just come back after missing 10 games with a knee sprain, aggravated the knee and missed the next game. Gruen will be out at least two weeks.INDIANAPOLIS: The Racers have gained respectability under new coach Jacques Demers. Under their new bench boss, the Indy skaters are 6-6 and getting better every game.And the town is beginning to take to the new look of the Racers. A turnout of 12,028 was on hand to see Indianapolis beat Winnipeg, 31. Thanksgiving night. In the two teams&rsquo; first game Nov. 16 in Winnipeg. Indy right winger Nick Harbaruk held Bobby Hull shotless for the first time in his storied career.NEW ENGLAND: The Whalers are not scoring. They are averaging less than three goals a game and have lost nine of their last 12, due mainly to their inability to put the puck in the net.Amazingly, center Larry Pleau is scoreless for the season. He hasn&rsquo;t blinked a red lamp in the first 20 games. And Pleau has scored 95 goals the last three campaigns. Right winger Rosie Paiement, obtained from Denver for a first-round draft choice, has just two goals and rookie left winger Danny Arndt checks in with only three.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02176/3544116-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="566" height="776"><figcaption class="caption-body">GERRY PINDER&hellip;Scores Winner</figcaption></div><h2>Tue. Dec. 2 NEW ENGLAND 5, HOUSTON 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01245/3544109-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="598" height="383"></div><h2>WINNIPEG 4, DENVER 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02196/3544102-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="609" height="436"></div><h2>CLEVELAND 2, QUEBEC 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03160/3544095-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="595" height="454"></div><h2>TORONTO 2, EDMONTON 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04122/3544088-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="603" height="467"></div><h2>Wed. Dec. 3 CINCINNATI 5, CLEVELAND 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0598/3544081-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="594" height="420"></div><h2>TORONTO 4, CALGARY 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0677/3544074-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="591" height="401"></div><h2>Thu. Dec. 4 NEW ENGLAND 4, PHOENIX 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0766/3544067-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="598" height="538"></div><h2>WINNIPEG 5, SAN DIEGO 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0857/3544060-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="589" height="496"></div><h2>CINCINNATI 1, INDIANAPOLIS 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0951/3544053-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="635" height="685"></div><h2>Fri. Dec. 5 DENVER 3, MINNESOTA4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1048/3544046-1-eng-US/f0026-102.jpg" title="f0026-10" width="600" height="404"></div><h2>WINNIPEG 4, HOUSTON 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1145/3544039-1-eng-US/f0026-112.jpg" title="f0026-11" width="597" height="584"></div><h2>EDMONTON 3, CALGARY 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1239/3544032-1-eng-US/f0026-122.jpg" title="f0026-12" width="601" height="595"></div><h2>QUEBEC 4, TORONTO 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1339/3544025-1-eng-US/f0026-132.jpg" title="f0026-13" width="596" height="537"></div><h2>Sat. Dec. 6 HOUSTON 5, PHOENIX 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1435/3544018-1-eng-US/f0026-142.jpg" title="f0026-14" width="602" height="628"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND 1, SAN DIEGO 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1532/3544011-1-eng-US/f0026-152.jpg" title="f0026-15" width="605" height="453"></div><h2>DENVER 2, CINCINNATI 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1625/3544004-1-eng-US/f0026-162.jpg" title="f0026-16" width="652" height="398"></div><h2>CLEVELAND 2, INDIANAPOLIS 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1721/3543997-1-eng-US/f0026-172.jpg" title="f0026-17" width="602" height="444"></div><h2>Sun. Dec. 7 NEW ENGLAND 1, DENVER 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1820/3543990-1-eng-US/f0026-182.jpg" title="f0026-18" width="603" height="387"></div><h2>CLEVELAND 1, CINCINNATI 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1920/3543983-1-eng-US/f0026-192.jpg" title="f0026-19" width="595" height="361"></div><h2>CALGARY 5, EDMONTON 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-2018/3543976-1-eng-US/f0026-202.jpg" title="f0026-20" width="598" height="489"></div><h2>QUEBEC 3, WINNIPEG 2</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-2117/3543969-1-eng-US/f0026-212.jpg" title="f0026-21" width="591" height="442"></div> &#9632;

f0025-01

Bubble Finally Bursts For Stingers As Slater Raps Play Of Name Stars

(Standings on Tue. Dec. 9)<h2>CANADIAN DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-2216/3544168-1-eng-US/f0026-222.jpg" title="f0026-22" width="580" height="157"></div><h2>EAST DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-2314/3544161-1-eng-US/f0026-232.jpg" title="f0026-23" width="587" height="133"></div><h2>WEST DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-2412/3544154-1-eng-US/f0026-242.jpg" title="f0026-24" width="585" height="157"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. Dec. 2New England 5 at Houston 2; Winnipeg 4 at Denver 3; Cleveland 2 at Quebec 9; Toronto 2 at Edmonton 7.Wed. Dec. 3Cincinnati 5at Cleveland 3, Toronto 4 at Calgary 3.Thu. Dec. 4New England 4 at Phoenix 5; Winnipeg 5 at San Diego 4; Cincinnati 1 at Indianapolis 7.Fri. Dec. 5Denver 3 at Minnesota 4; Winnipeg 4 at Houston 5; Edmonton 3 at Calgary 8; Quebec 4 at Toronto 7.Sat. Dec. 6Houston 5 at Phoenix 6; New England 1 at San Diego 4, Denver 2 at Cincinnati 3; Cleveland 2 at Indianapolis 3.Sun. Dec. 7New England 1 at Denver 5; Cleveland 1 at Cincinnati 3; Calgary 5 Edmonton 4; Quebec 3 at Winnipeg 2.<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tue. Dec. 9Minnesota at Toronto; Cleveland at Denver; Quebec at Calgary; Cincinnati at Houston.Wed. Dec. 10Minnesota at New England; Indianapolis at Phoenix; Toronto at Winnipeg; Quebec at Edmonton.Thu. Dec. 11Indianapolis at San Diego, Edmonton at Calgary.Fri. Dec. 12Minnesota at Cleveland; Indianapolis at Houston, Cincinnati at Phoenix; Calgary at Winnipeg; Quebec at Toronto.Sat. Dec. 13Houston at Minnesota, Phoenix at Denver, Cincinnati at San Diego; Cleveland at New England; Toronto at Quebec.Sun. Dec. 14Houston at Cleveland; San Diego at Phoenix; New England at Indianapolis; Calgary at Toronto; Winnipeg at Edmonton.Tue. Dec. 16San Diego at Houston; Cincinnati at Denver, Edmonton at Indianapolis, Calgary at Quebec; Winnipeg at Toronto.Wed. Dec. 17New England at Minnesota; Edmonton at Cleveland.Thu. Dec. 18Indianapolis at Phoenix; Cincinnati at San Diego, Winnipeg at Quebec.Fri. Dec. 19Cleveland at Indianapolis, Edmonton at New England; Calgary at Toronto; San Diego at Denver. &#9632;

f0026-22

WHA SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY JIM KERNAGHAN</div>TORONTO&mdash;The up-and-down Toronto Toros finally hit a down that has the whole organization rumbling.The Toros held an 8-2 lead with two minutes remaining in the second period of a game with Cleveland Crusaders, managed to let it evaporate and wound up on the wrong end of a 10-9 score in which the Crusaders had a 63-30 shots-on-goal advantage when the shooting was over.Aside from being a game full of club and league records, the debacle has started some shifts in personnel that won&rsquo;t end until coach Bobby Baun gets a team in which the defence begins to play somewhere on a par with the attack.Baun had much to say about the club after the game, immediately fining every player $550, but not much of it was printable. His postgame diatribe was liberally sprinkled with words like &ldquo;disgrace&rdquo; and &ldquo;ashamed.&rdquo;&ldquo;We&rsquo;re better off with some 20-year-olds who are trying than what we have,&rdquo; roared Baun, as he explained the club would immediately sift through the minors for help. Longer range planning had a series of trades afoot.Toros immediately added defenceman Peter Folco from Beauce Jaros of the North American Hockey League and had feelers out throughout the league for trade possibilities, apparently willing to give up a lot to acquire a solid defenceman or two.In a game in which Cleveland&rsquo;s Ron Ward scored a record-tying five goals, Crusaders hit the Toros with three goals in 44 seconds during the third period to stage their comeback. Baun credited Jim Turkiewicz as the only Toro detender who has played adequately the last 10 games.WINNIPEG: Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, recently signed to long-term contracts with the Jets, have an interest in only one other team despite the romancing they&rsquo;ve been getting from NHL clubs. With the announcement of the World Cup concept of world competition next year, they&rsquo;re looking forward to getting into national team action for a while.&ldquo;I think we can be competitive with Russia now, with all the pros we have in hockey,&rdquo; said Hedberg, surely the fastest right winger in hockey.&ldquo;We may not beat them,&rdquo; said Ulf Nilsson, center on the Bobby Hull-Nilsson-Hedberg line, &ldquo;but they won&rsquo;t beat us easily.&rdquo;&ldquo;They&rsquo;re starting to roll now,&rdquo; said Jets coach Bobby Kromm. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see them play last year,&rdquo; added the former Dallas coach, &ldquo;but I can see now why they scored so many goals last year.&rdquo;Kromm, his club battling Quebec Nordiques for the division lead, hit on a hockey truism in discussing his team.&ldquo;The goals-against dictates where you&rsquo;ll end up in the major leagues,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Ours is good and we&rsquo;re playing a system that&rsquo;s hard to beat.&rdquo;Joe Daley continued his strong work in goal and, though Larry Hillman was suffering injuries, the defense, with Teddy Green and Thommie Bergman anchoring, remains difficult to every team.EDMONTON: There are some financial problems, apparently, as well as problems on the ice as the Oilers&rsquo; crowds have dropped off dramatically from the league leading pace of last year. Oilers were trying to get things together, though, and acquired John Rogers, a 22-year-old right winger Edmonton had drafted, but lost, to Minndsota North Stars two years ago.Rogers, former junior Oil Kings captain, played fewer than 50 games in the NHL. North Stars drafted him in the second round and outbid Oilers for him. He scored 63 goals in his final year of junior hockey, 1972-73.QUEBEC: As entertaining a team as the Nordiques are, it&rsquo;s hardly surprising they lead the league in attendance figures. Que bee has the highest per game average along with the highest percentage of capacity, averaging 9,728 in the 10,000-seat Colisee.Their firepower no doubt contributes to that as Marc Tardif entered the month leading thd league in scoring with 21 goals and 17 assists. Chris Bordeleau wasn&rsquo;t far behind, holding third spot with seven goals and 29 assists, with Serge Bernier at 11 goals and 21 assists and Rejean Houle scoring 16 (including five game-winners) and assisting on 15.CALGARY: All the dark-horse predictions are starting to come true. Calgary, when the shooting is over, may not be able to crack the one-two situation between Winnipeg and Quebec but as a wild card possibility for the playoffs, clearly has the inside track. Cowpokes&rsquo; tenacity is the reason behinp their latest rush. While they had only 80 goals. They&rsquo;ve only been scored upon 71 times in the first quarter of the season.Don McLeod was 9-9-1 and Wayne Wood held a 3-0 record as strong third-period performances played a large part in Cowboys&rsquo; record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01229/3544199-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="282" height="414"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Rogers</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-01

Slumping Toros Shaken By Fines, Trade Threats

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>DENVER&mdash;&ldquo;To win we need to hit,&rdquo; declared Denver Spurs general manager and coach Jean Guy Talbot.To put his theory to work, he called rookie Ron Delorme and defenseman Keith Kokkola up from the minors. &ldquo;Ron and Keith had 11 hits between them and we came back and won,&rdquo; said Talbot, looking at a recent 5-3 win over Cincinnati. Then he traded right wing Gary Bredin to San Diego for pugnacious Bill Gold thorpe. &ldquo;Bill should give us added muscle, which is what we need right now,&rdquo; added Talbot.Goldthorpe, 32, had 30 penalty minutes and one goal in 14 games for San Diego. He was the 1973-74 North American Hockey League rookie of the year and amassed 285 penalty minutes for the Syracuse Blazers.The Spurs won two of their next three games and got a leg up&mdash;almost&mdash;out of the basement, tying Phoenix for fourth in the Western Division.Delorme, the Spurs&rsquo; third round draft choice and playing in his second World Hockey Association game, scored his first goal and Cam Newton posted his first shutout of the season, 3-0 over the Crusaders in Cleveland.Newton, who came into the game with a 4.29 goals against average, stopped 23 shots for the shutout.Two nights later, Ralph Backstrom scored two first period power play goals fora 4-2 victory over the Indianapolis Racers in a penalty-plagued game.The Spurs snapped a three-game Racers&rsquo; victory streak although the tired Racers were playing their fourth game in four nights. Indy&rsquo;s Kim Clackson was thrown out in the third period after his third major penalty.Gary Bredin, the right wing obtained from Denver in a trade for Bill Goldthorpe, didn&rsquo;t pay instant dividends.It took him until his second game to score his first goal, but it was the second score in a three-goal flurry which lasted 56 seconds and powered the San Diego Mariners to a 5-1 victory over the Canadian Division leading Quebec Nordiques.Don Burgess started the burst and Gene Peacosh capped it with his 15th goal of the season.The Mariners iced the game with another burst, this time for two goals and with another newcomer, John French (late of New England) and Norm Ferguson scoring 10 seconds apart early in the third period.Earlier in the week, Peacosh scored his 13th and 14th in a 7-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers with Kevin Devine adding a pair and Andre Lacroix, coming off his usual slow start, counting a goal and three assists. The Mariners had lost three straight to Edmonton.Bredin, in 17 games this season, had four goals for Denver, including two game winners.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02181/3544254-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="283" height="444"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gary Bredin</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-02

New Faces Give Denver Needed Muscle

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03117/3544285-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="582" height="379"></div> &#9632;

f0028-03

WHA Leaders

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01217/3544323-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02153/3544316-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="1320" height="1408"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Hull, left, and Anders Hedberg, are maintaining their scoring potential with the Winnipeg Jets this season. Hull has 17 goals, slightly down from last year, while Hedberg has 20. Along with Ulf Nilsson, they comprise the WHA&rsquo;s highest scoring line.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

High Flying Jet Scorers

<div class="byline">BY SCOTT HERRON</div>COLORADO SPRINGS&mdash;Colorado College goalie Eddie Mio was starting to talk to himself a few weeks ago. The All-American from Windsor was allowing goals by the bushel, his club wasn&rsquo;t playing well and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association race was leaving them behind.But then prior to a series against Minnesota-Duluth (Nov. 28-29), the Tigers got together and hashed over their faults. And they came to the conclusion that since they had practically the same team as a year ago when they finished third in the WCHA, there was no good reason why they shouldn&rsquo;t be winning.Long live pep talks. CC swept the series from the tough Bulldogs, winning the opener 3-2 in overtime and the second game 6-3. and now Mio has others to talk to&ldquo;We finally put it together as a defensive team.&rdquo; says Colorado&rsquo;s Jeff Sauer, the WCHA&rsquo;s coach of the year last season. &ldquo;We have some young players in key positions, including a couple of freshmen. Curt Christ-offerson and Larry Soltvedt, on defense, and it took us a while to get going. Now it&rsquo;s just a matter of continuing to play good hockey.&rdquo;Although the Tigers rely considerably upon the likes of super sophomores Jim Warmer, last year&rsquo;s rookie of the year. Jim Kronschnabel and Mike Haedrick when they need to play good hockey, it&rsquo;s Mio who they count on the most. He&rsquo;s their game stopper.That was one of Colorado&rsquo;s problems at the start of the season&mdash;Mio wasn&rsquo;t stopping them. To be sure, he wasn&rsquo;t receiving much help, especially from the Tiger penalty killers who had 15 goals scored against them, but then All-Americans are expected to help cover up for their teammates&rsquo; mistakes.Colorado was shelled by Notre Dame 9-7. 7-5 in its season opening series, and then following a sweep of North Dakota in which the Sioux netted eight goals, they split with Wisconsin. Mio allowing 11 goals. That brought Duluth out west and the series sweep the Tigers managed, due considerably to Mio&rsquo;s outstanding play, came at the right time.&ldquo;Eddie was excellent.&rdquo; admits Sauer. &ldquo;I think he just had to get his confidence. It&rsquo;s also the first time he&rsquo;s had to play in both games of a series. We had Dan Griffin before and there&rsquo;s more pressure on Eddie. &ldquo;Mio admits as much. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s harder to get up for two games instead of one.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Last year Dan and I pushed each other. If he&rsquo;d have a super game the first night then I felt I had to come back the next and play well to match him.&rdquo;Not having Griffin around may have also played a role in the type of attitude Mio had at the start of the season. &ldquo;At the beginning of the year I just couldn&rsquo;t get into it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I think that I have finally found myself&hellip; I don&rsquo;t think I was playing badly, but I wasn&rsquo;t playing up to my potential. I knew I could play better.&rdquo;Mio obviously did play better against Duluth. He held up against what many Tiger observers felt was the best team Colorado had played so far and he did it despite eight Bulldog power plays, including one in the second game that lasted five minutes when sophomore Dean Magee received a major penalty.&ldquo;We ran into a super goalie.&rdquo; said Bulldog coach Gus Hendrickson. &ldquo;Mio was terrific. We couldn&rsquo;t get anything by him.&rdquo;Miowouldn&rsquo;t accept all of the credit, though. He said his defensemen had a lot to do with his success.&ldquo;Duluth was only getting one shot off against me.&rdquo; Mio explains. &ldquo;They&rsquo;d shoot, then one of our defensemen would clear the puck. In our first few games they weren&rsquo;t doing that.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s defense that concerns Sauer the most. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not concerned where the goals come from.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We have plenty of kids who can score. But we have to be able to control the puck and keep it out of&rsquo; our end.&rdquo;The Tigers did that well enough in the third period of the second game against Duluth. They broke open a 2-1 game in which they held the lead but were being pressured, by scoring four goals, two by freshman forward Dave Delich of Eveleth, Minn. Delich had a deep hip bruise and wasn&rsquo;t expected to play.&ldquo;He couldn&rsquo;t walk to the rink, but he could sure skate.&rdquo; said Sauer, admiringly.Colorado met Denver the week following the Duluth series, but didn&rsquo;t play a league series again until Dec. 19-20 when it faces Minnesota. &ldquo;We play the Olympic team and St. Louis in non-league games after Denver.&rdquo; Sauer says. &ldquo;That should be to our advantage with the rest of the teams in the league playing each other.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01183/3544361-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="563" height="589"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDDIE MIO&hellip; Regained Confidence</figcaption></div><h2>College Races</h2><h3>WCHA CONFERENCE</h3>(Standings on Fri. Dec. 5)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02148/3544354-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="589" height="292"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3>Colorado College 6, Wisconsin 5Notre Dame 5, Denver 2Michigan 4, Michigan Tech 0Michigan State 3, Minnesota 1North Dakota 5, Minnesota-Duluth 4Wisconsin 6, Colorado College 3Denver 4, Notre Dame IMichigan Tech 6, Michigan 3Minnesota 4, Michigan State 2Minnesota-Duluth 4, North Dakota 2Colorado College 3, Minnesota-Duluth2Denver 3, Michigan 2Michigan State 6, North Dakota 4Michigan Tech 5, Notre Dame 3Wisconsin 4, Minnesota 2Colorado College 6, Minnesota-Duluth 3Michigan 6, Denver 5Michigan State 8, North Dakota 3Michigan Tech 6, Notre Dame 5Minnesota 6, Wisconsin 1 &#9632;

f0029-01

Colorado College Turns It Around As Mio’s Coaling Pulls Tigers Up

<div class="byline">BY TOM BURKE</div>BOSTON&mdash;Add Boston University&rsquo;s winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division One hockey title to that list of certainties that includes death and taxes.At least that&rsquo;s what the seventeen coaches of Division One told THE HOCKEY NEWS in the annual pre-season poll. The Terriers garnered fifteen of seventeen first place votes and totalled 134 poll points.Also, here&rsquo;s to the power of tradition despite logical evidence to the contrary. Perennial power Harvard, losing eleven lettermen to the cap and gown, still amassed enough points to nail down second spot in the coaches&rsquo; poll, edging out Cornell 86 points to 84.Big Red. last year&rsquo;s fourth seed in the playoffs, finished five points ahead of last year&rsquo;s third seed Vermont in the poll with 84 points to the Catamounts&rsquo; 79. Each had one first place vote.Just astern in fifth spot was New Hampshire at 77 for the same finish they had in last year&rsquo;s regular season standings. A gap of eight points found Brown checking in sixth, one notch higher than the reality of last March.A sizable chasm loomed between Brown and crosstown rival Providence, slipping a notch in the voting from sixth to seventh ans a 42 point total.The only playoff team from 1974-75 that did not get a nod in the predictions was eighth place Clarkson, with graduation losses accounting for its eleventh place finish in the poll. St. Lawrence ranked eighth at 13 points, 29 behind Providence. Others receiving light support were RPI, nine points; Boston College, seven; Clarkson, four; Northeastern and Pennsylvania, three each; and Princeton, two. Colgate, Dartmouth, and Yale received no points.Last week, we assessed the chances of the nine EC AC Division One teams chosen by the coaches of that league not to make the playoffs in March of 1976. The eight teams here previewed should make the tournament, according to those who should know, their coaches.BOSTON UNIVERSITY: (25-6-1 last year. ECAC Champ): Poll Finish: First. No one in his right mind would pick the Terriers to finish anywhere but on top. Indeed, on paper at least, BU should lead from wire to wire. Herein lies they&rsquo;ll miss All-America defenseman Vic Stanfield&rsquo;s quarterbacking but five other defensemen, led by Pete Brown, are still around. In goal, soph Brian Durocher is good and will get better. Three full waves of forwards, paced by Mike Eruzione and All-American Rick Meagher, are back with a supporting cast of ten others who scored at least 24 points each last year. Yes, BU will get tripped up a few times, but in this writer&rsquo;s humble opinion only Vermont has a shot to beat them for the top play off come March.HARVARD (23-6, ECAC Runner-up): Poll finish. Second. The fall of Harvard seemed a certainty around Gossip and Scuttlebutt Arena last summer But when the votes were in, Harvard polled out second. With 11 lettermen graduated including All-American Randy Roth, three defensemen and the bulk of three lines, Bill Cleary has quite a job ahead of him. All-America goalie Brian Petrovek should be seeing more rubber while underclassmen mature around the nucleus of Kevin Burke, Kevin Carr and Dave Bell up front. Harvard, like the rest of the Ivy League, now has permission to skate freshmen on the varsity and will do so. Cleary, who relishes the role of underdog, isn&rsquo;t being counted out by his peers. But second place?CORNELL (17-9-2, 4th place ECAC) Poll Finish: Third. Graduation losses were relatively light tor the Red men. with only forward Dave Peace, and defensemen Steve Bajinski and Gunar Skillins leaving gaps in the lineup. Cornell will use frosh, plus candidates from a 14-1 freshman team of a year ago. A high finish again seems likely, but the defense corps is a bit thin and might be susceptible to breakdowns. At forward, seniors Brian Campbell. Dave Groulx and John Harper and junior Jim Vaughn combined for 86 goals last season and will score in abundance again. Dave Chrastina (3.7) emerged from the bench into goal in mid-season and did a good job. He&rsquo;s back. Another good year for the Big Red.VERMONT (24-12, 3rd ECAC) Poll Finish: Fourth. Despite having only three seniors on the team, UVM is the top choice in this writer&rsquo;s mind to knock off Boston University if the Terriers look back. With seven lost to graduation. UVM should have little problem filling in, even for second and third scorers Bill Koch and Roger Mallette. Senior Tom O&rsquo;Connell earned All American honors and will enhance the scoring total of whatever new linemates Jim Cross assigns him. Other top forwards on the speedy Catamounts include Michel LeBeau, Andy Helford, Bill Reber, and Randy Koch. Senior Ken Yeates and junior John Glynee head five defensive lettermen in front of goalie Tom McNamara, a junior. The month of January will decide if UVM wrests first place from BU, with a total of eight Division One games played away from Gutterson Field House.NEW HAMPSHIRE (21-9-1, 5th ECAC) Poll Finish: Fifth. Charlie Holt has to find a new goalie since Cap Raeder has gone pro. He&rsquo;ll also need some firepower to take up for soph Bob Miller, gone Olympic after a sensational (21-38-59) rookie year. Three other regulars graduated, but Durhamites can still look forward to a winning season. Thirteen lettermen are back, including Cliff Cox. who missed a good deal of last season with a bad shoulder. Jamie Hislop (66 points) Barry Edgar, Dave Lumley, and Gary Burns top the other returnees at forward. Five experienced defenders are around to protect whomever wins the goalie job from among junior Dan Magnarelli, soph Mark Evans, and frosh Ken Lorance and Brian Stankowicz. UNH once again should be in there somewhere, but doesn&rsquo;t seem to have enough to gain a first place finish.BROWN (15-9-1, 7th ECAC): Will the Bruins&rsquo; resurgence prove a one-time affair under new coach Dick Toomey? Or will they resume their former stature as perennieal contender and giant killer? Most observers believe the latter, after Brown nearly dumped BU in the ECAC quartertinald last spring. But Toomey has only four seniors available for duty and has several holes to fill, so he too will go to his incoming freshmen. Jack Ahern. Tom Colehour, and Jim Lindquist find themselves without blueline playmates Gary Faryniuk and Bob Thornton in front of fine junior goalie Kevin McCabe. Toomey prefers a more offensive style of play then Brown traditionally features, thus leaving the performance of three a key to Bruin fortunes. Top scorers Bill Gilligan and Bob McIntosh lead the junior oriented for-ward waves. Brown is on the way back and a playoff berth is a good bet. But they might need another year to challenge for the top spot.PROVIDENCE (17-9-1. 6th ECAC) Poll Finish: Seventh. The emphasis is on youth for the Friars, with five good forwards gone plus All-America defenseman Ron Wilson taking the year off for Olympic play. Improvement for Lou Lamoriello&rsquo;s outfit will depend on whether they can all pull together to offset the flashy Wilson&rsquo;s loss. But there&rsquo;s plenty of other talent on hand to produce such a showing starting with goalies Rick Moffitt and Phil Anchukaitis. On defense, senior Kevin Gaffney should get solid support from last year&rsquo;s rookies, Dave Dornseif and Steve Roberts, plus senior Terry Nagel. A total of 87 goals worth of scoring graduated, so improvement must come from rookies and the lower part of last year&rsquo;s ledger. Brad Wilson and Dan Kennedy are bona fide first liners, but they need extra goals from individuals like Steve Heggison. Bob Richardson Tim Whisler, and John McMorrow<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03102/3544392-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="270" height="411"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pete Brown</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0029-03

Boston U. Rated Team To Beat In Hockey News’ Coaches Poll

<div class="byline">BY AL FISCHER</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U. S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U. S. and CanadaConsider the plight of Rochester coach Dick Mattiussi. that is if you want to think of it as a plight.Stripped of his best defenseman when Joe Zanussi was recalled by Boston. Mattiussi saw his defensive corps depleted even more when Al Simmons was sold to New York.That still left the Amerks with five dependable rearguards, but that situation lasted but a game before Rick Pagnutti. the winner of (he Eddie Shore award as the league&rsquo;s best defenseman two years ago. was sidelined with a knee injury.That left youngsters Mike Milbury. Ray Maluta, and Doug Halward to serve on the backline with old reliable Harry Shaw. Hardly a promising outlook for the second-year Rochester coach.Added to his defensive dilemma. Mattiussi also felt the long arm of parent Boston reach down for young center Doug Gibson, the American League&rsquo;s top scorer at the time of his departure. Gibson&rsquo;s recall was necessitated when Jean Ratelle returned to New York to discuss the trade that sent him to Boston with his wife. Gibson responded admirably, scoring a goal in each of his first two games with the Bruins.Rather than panic. Mattiussi did what he had to do, make the best of the material on hand.Mattiussi moved veteran Rene Drolet into Gibson&rsquo;s spot to center for the league&rsquo;s top scoring line, which also in cluded Dave Hynes and Gordie Clark on the wings.To help the defense. Brian Murphy was shifted from his normal wing spot to rearguard duty, and although he is not a candidate for the Shore award. Murphy proved more than adequate on the backline.Thus saddled with defensive questions and the loss of his top scorer, one might expect Mattiussi to try foul. Such was not the case, however, as the Amerks made the best of what they had, and it was pretty good.Drolet stepped right into Gibson&rsquo;s vacated spot and the Amerks reeled off three victories and a tie in five games to close the gap between themselves and Nova Scotia&rsquo;s Northern Division pacesetters to three points.Two of those victories were identical 5-4 decisions over Nova Scotia, while the Drolet-Hynes-Clark unit paced an 8-3 victory over Hershey, as the Amerks rebounded from a 6-4 loss to the same Bears the night before.A tip to Baltimore resulted in a 5-5 overtime deadlock, with the Amerks rallying behind Paul O&rsquo;Neil to earn the tie in the final period, rallying from a two-goal deficit.The loss to Hershey was only the first for the Amerks in nine starts against Southern Division rivals.If Mattiussi and the Amerks can win with a makeshift lineup, think what will happen when everybody is healthy once again.Pagnetti returned after a two-game absence.The defense, despite the loss of three stalwarts, was good enough that the Amerks had taken over as the division leader in least goals allowed, supplanting Nova Scotia as the kingpin in that category.As the second quarter of the campaign got underway, the Amerks had further opportunity to close the gap to first place, as they entertained the Voyageurs to begin a three-game week.The Amerks had played four fewer games than the Vees and had three less losses, but trailed in victories 14-12. The Amerks also were looking over their shoulder at the third place Providence club, just three points behind.PROVIDENCE: It was a week of lost opportunities for the Reds. While Rochester was beating Nova Scotia three times, the Reds floundered and dropped three of four games, two of them at home.Two of the defeats came at the hands of Southern Division rivals, who have suddenly reversed their losing ways against the North.Coach Johnny Muckler can find little to fault with his offense, which has produced at a better than four goals a game clip. But he most certainly must shore up a defense which has permitted the opposition more than four goals a game and has allowed the most goals in the league.The two young goaltenders. Doug Soetaert and Ed Staniowski saw their goals-allowed average climb with each outing and there is no doubt the Reds miss the steadying influence of Joe Zanussi. lost in a trade to Boston a few weeks ago.The Reds made two player moves, obtaining left winger Dale Lewis on loan from the New York Rangers, and losing Jerry Holland to the same Rangers on an emergency condition recall.Eddie Johnstone has taken over as the club scoring leader and the young forward also led the league in game winning goals.The Reds were on the road for three games last week, two in Nova Scotia and another in Rochester. If they were to gain any ground this was the time to dail.NOVA SCOTIA: The Voyageurs experienced a rare week in that they failed to win a game. In fact the Vees were carrying a five-game winless streak that started back on November 21 when they lost an overtime decision to Rochester.Coach Al MacNeil still had defensive woes as Atlanta once again recalled Ken Houston and Jean Lemieux on emergency conditions.The Vees did regain the services of forward Sean Shanahan, who was finally returned by Montreal. Nova Scotia was the first team in the league to reach the 100-goal mark, but in the three losses manged only two a game.Pierre Mondou and Ron Andruff continued their running battle for team scoring honors and also remained in the struggle for league leadership.Boston&rsquo;s recall of Rochester&rsquo;s Doug Gibson gave Mondou and Andruff an excellent chance to move ahead of the Amerk star in the scoring race.Assistant coach Noel Price was up to his old tricks, being listed in the league&rsquo;s top 25 scorers without scoring a goal. Price shared the 25th spot with 18 assists.SPRINGFIELD: The Indians enjoyed their most productive week of the season, winning three of four starts as coach Jim Anderson has finally put things together in Springfield.Most impressive was a week-concluding 6-3 decision over the fading Baltimore Clippers as the Indians scored three times with the power play, a phase of the game that had been somewhat of a trouble spot earlier in the season.The addition of Bob Poffenroth three weeks ago. and Terry Ewasiuk. in the last two weeks, has certainly added strength to the Indian scoring attack.Norm Dube continues as the club&rsquo;s top man in point production and goal scoring.His hat trick against Baltimore was his second of the season and enabled him to take over the league lead in goals scored.Bob Taylor is not displaying top form in the goal, and despite their slow start, the Indians may still make a run for a playoff spot.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01213/3544444-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="271" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gordie Clarke</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02161/3544437-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="553" height="490"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVEHYNES&hellip; Pacing Amerks</figcaption></div><h2>AHL Leaders</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03121/3544430-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="584" height="619"></div><h3>GOALING RECORDS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0492/3544423-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="583" height="675"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

Amerks Make Best Of Material On Hand

<div class="byline">BY AL FISCHER</div>The Nighthawks continued their climb under new coach Parker MacDonald and when the week ended, they were only two points behind Richmond&rsquo;s Southern Division lead.The Hawks won three straight after opening the week with a loss in Hershey.The Hawks lost their top scorer Tim Young via recall to Minnesota, but more than compensated for that loss with the addition of Doug Rom-bough and Norm Gratton. Add those two to Blake Dunlop, sent down a week ago and the Hawks have even more scoring power than ever.Tom Colley and Brian McCutcheon had taken over as the team leaders in goal scoring, but it Gratton keeps up his current pace, four goals in three games, it might not be too long before he will be challenging for the club leadership.Brian Holderness and Pete McDuffe have really stopped the opposition cold in the Hawk goal. Holderness had another fine effort in Baltimore in a 3-1 victory over the Clippers. It was that game that enabled the Hawks to move into second place in the division and was their third win in four starts on Baltimore ice.MacDonald lost Pierre Jarry in a trade between Minnesota and Detroit, the Hawks NHL working partners. Jarry went to join the North Stars, while Don Martineau, the other man in the deal, remained in New Haven. Likewise a trade that saw Rick Chinnick exchanged from Minnesota to Detroit for Bryan Hextall. Hextall went to Minnesota and Chinnick remained with the Hawks.In another player move, Detroit recalled hustling young center Mike Korney. But the shuffling apparently did little to hurt the Hawks, in fact it appeared to help them.HERSHEY: The big, bad Bears are beginning to grumble as they shake off their early season misfortunes. Two victories in as many starts enabled them to move into third place, just four points off the lead.The addition of defenseman Lee Fogolin and center Bob McManama went a long way in shoring up not only a somewhat shaky defense, but also provided scoring thrust.Hershey&rsquo;s working partner, Pittsburgh, exchanged goaltenders once again, sending Gordon Laxton to the Bears in return for Michel Plasse.Newcomer Gary McAdam was also making life a little more pleasent for coach Chuck Hamilton. The young left winger had scored four goals and had a like number of assists in just seven games as the Bears moved to challenge for the Southern Division lead.The Bear offense is still not scoring at a level Hamilton would like, but the much-maligned defense has taken on the mantle of hero of late.The Bear roster lists six defensemen, but only four are normal rearguards, Mario Faubert, Fogolin. Bob Stumpf and Ken Breitenbach.RICHMOND: The Robins, after moving into the Southern Division lead, ropped two of three and sudenly found New Haven right on their heolsLarry Fullan, Andre Peloffy and Bob Sirois continue as the team scoring leaders, with Peloffy holding the edge in goal production while Fullan, the club leader in point production also leads the assist category.John Paddock&rsquo;s heroics during a four-game winning streak earned him a recall to Washington. Paddock scored a tying goal in an overtime victory against Providence, and tied the game and scored the clincher in another overtime decision against Springfield.The Robins continue to draw well, evidenced by a crowd of 8,100 that watched a recent Saturday night contest.BALTIMORE: The bloom is off the rose in the Monumental city, as the Clippers plummeted into the Southern Division cellar.The Clippers opened the week in second place, just three points behind front-running Richmond, but they blew a 5-3 lead at home against Rochester and had to settle for a 5-5 tie.Then came another home engagement, this time against New Haven, and once again, the Clippers faded in the final period in a 3-1 defeat.In Springfield, Baltimore was out of it in the first period as the Indians raced to a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-3 decision. Penalty killers failed the Clippers as the Indians scored three times on the power play.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01193/3544475-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="548" height="575"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM COLLEY&hellip; Nighthawk Leader</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

Hawks Climbing Under MacDonald’s Direction

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Dec. 9)<h3>NORTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02152/3544569-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="595" height="132"></div><h3>SOUTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03126/3544562-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="593" height="128"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. Dec.Rochester 1 at Baltimore 5.Wed. Dec. 3Providence 4 at Nova Scotia 5; Baltimore 3 at Springfield 5.Thu. Dec. 4New Hoven 0 at Richmond 2Fri. Dec. 5Hershey 4 at Baltimore 2, Richmond 4 at New Hoven 0; Springfield 2 at Rochester 7.Sat. Dec. 6Springfield 1 at Hershey 8.Sun. Dec. 7Baltimore 8 at New Haven 2; Providence 3 at Nova Scotia 2; Springfield 1 at Richmond 3; Hershey 5 at Rochester 2<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tue. Dec. 9Springfield at Baltimore.Wed. Dec. 10New Haven at Hershey; Providence at RochesterFri. Dec. 12Hershey at Baltimore; Nova Scotia at New Hoven; Richmond at Providence; Rochester at Springfield.Sat. Dec. 13Baltimore at Hershey; Nova Scotia at Springfield.Sun. Dec. 14New Haven at Nova Scotia; Baltimore at Providence; Hershey at Richmond; Springfield at Rochester.Tue. Dec. 16Springfield at Richmond.Wed. Dec. 17Richmond at Baltimore; Providence at Hershey; Rochester at New Hoven.Fri. Dec. 19Springfield at Baltimore; New Haven at Providence; Nova Scotia at Richmond; Hershey at Rochester.<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Dec. 8)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04101/3544555-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="596" height="174"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Salt lake 5 at Fort Worth 7Thu. Dec. 4Dallas 5 at 3Fri. Dec. 5Salt Lake 2 at Fort Worth 4 Dallas 5 at Tucson 3 Oklahoma City 7 at Tulsa 4Sat. Dec. 6Fort Worth 3 at Dallas 4 Tucson 2 at Oklahoma City 4 Tulsa 2 at Salt Lake 4Sun. Dec. 7Tucson 3at Fort Worth 1<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Mon. Dec. 8Tulsa at Salt Lake.Wed. Dec. 10Tucson at Dallas. Fort Worth.Fri. Dec. 12Oklahoma City at Dallas; Fort Worth at Salt Lake; Tucson at Tulsa.Sat. Dec. 13Fort Worth of Oklahoma City; Dallas at Tulsa.Tue. Dec. 16Fort Worth at Tulsa.Wed. Dec. 17Tulsa at Dallas; Salt Lake at Tucson.Fri. Dec. 19Tulsa at Fort Worth; Dallas at Oklahoma City; Salt Lake at Tucson.<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Dec. 10)<h3>NORTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0588/3544548-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="587" height="156"></div><h3>SOUTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0665/3544541-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="591" height="131"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Dec. 3Port Huron 2 at Fort Wayne 6; Muskegon 1 at Dayton 3; Flint 6 at Columbus 4; Saginaw 9at Kalamazoo 3Fri. Dec. 5Fort Wayne 0 at Muskegon 3; Kalamazoo 3 at Flint 9, Port Huron 7 at Saginaw 3; Dayton 5 at Toledo 3.Sat. Dec. 6Columbus 5 at Fort Wayne 3; Toledo 3 at Muskegon 5; Dayton3 at Port Huron 9; Flint at Saginaw 7Sun. Dec. 7Fort Wayne 4 at Dayton 9, Saginaw 2 at Flint 1, Toledo 5 at Columbus 3; Port Huron 4 at Kalamazoo 3<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Wed. Dec. 10Muskegon at Fort Wayne.Fri. Dec 12Kalamazoo at Muskegon; Flint at Port Huron; Toledo at Saginaw; Fort Wayne at Columbus.Sat. Dec. 13Flint at Fort Wayne; Muskegon at Port Huron, Columbus at Dayton, Saginaw at Toledo.Sun. Dec. 14Fort Wayne at Flint; Muskegon at Columbus; Dayton at Saginaw, Toledo at Kalamazoo.Wed. Dec. 17Saginaw at Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo at Dayton; Flint at Columbus; Port Huron at Toledo.Fri. Dec. 19Muskegon at Flint; Dayton at Columbus, Saginaw at Kalamazoo; Fort Wayne at Toledo<h2>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Dec. 8)<h3>EAST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0753/3544534-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="596" height="157"></div><h3>WEST DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0847/3544527-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="597" height="156"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Dec. 3Cape Codders 4 at Beauce 5, Johnstown 7 at Syracuse 2, Binghamton 7 at Buffalo 4; Erie 2 at Philadelphia 3; Mohawk Valley 5 at Maine 6.Thu. Dec. 4Mame 3 at Mohawk Volley 5.Fri. Dec. 5Erie 5 at Binghamton 2; Maine 6 at Cope Codders 3; Buffalo 5 at Beauce 7; Johnstown 6 at Philadelphia 10Sat. Dec. 6Binghamton 3 at Mohawk Volley 5; Johnstown 3 at Erie 5; Buffalo 5 at Maine 4; Philadelphia 1 at Syracuse 3.Sun. Dec. 7Buffalo 3 at Cape Codders 11, Philadelphia 5 at Erie 3; Mohawk Valley 2 at Binghamton 3<h3>GAMESTO COME</h3>Mon. Dec. 8Johnstown at BeauceTue. Dec. 9Johnstown at MaineWed. Dec. 10Johnstown at Cape Codders, Maine at Buffalo; Syracuse at Erie, Philadelphia at BinghamtonThu. Dec.11Maine at Syracuse; Cape Codders at Mohawk Valley; Johnstown at Beauce.Fri. Dee.12Bingham at Philadelphia; Syracuse at Buffalo.Sat. Dec. 13Erie at Mohawk Valley, Buffalo at Syracuse; Cape Codders at Johnstown, Beauce at MaineSun. Dec. 14Capo Codders at Johnstown, Beauce at Binghamton; Maine at Erie.Tue. Dec. 16Beauce at Cape Codders; Maine at Buffalo.Wed. Dec. 17Maine at Syracuse; Johnstown at Erie, Buffalo at Binghamton.Thu. Dec. 18Maine at Mohawk Valley, Beauce at PhiladelphiaFri. Dec. 19Mohawk Valley at Buffalo; Erie at Johnstown; Binghamton at Syracuse; Beauce at Philadelphia.<h2>SOUTHERN LEAGUE</h2>Standings on Tue. Dec. 9)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0936/3544520-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="603" height="177"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3>Hampton 4 at Tidewater 4; Winston-Salem 8 at Greensboro 1; Roanoke 5 at Charlotte 4.Thu. Dec. 4Tidewater 7 at Greensboro 4.Fri. Dec. 5Greensboro 2 at Hampton 2; Tidewater 0 at Charlotte 7; Roanoke 3 at Winston-Salem 6.Sat. Dec. 6Charlotte 2 at Hampton 2; Winston-Salem 3 at RoanokeGreensboro 1 atTidewater6.Sun. Dec. 7Hampton 2 at Winston-Salem 2.<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Tue. Dec. 9Greensboro at CharlotteRoanoke at HamptonThu. Dec. 11Greensboro at Winston-Salem; Roanoke at TidewaterFri. Dec. 12Tidewater at Charlotte; Hampton at Greensboro; Winston-Salem at RoanokeSat. Dec. 13Tidewater at Hampton; Greensboro at Winston-SalemSun. Dec. 14Charlotte at Winston-Salem.Tue Dec. 16Charlotte at TidewaterWed. Dec. 17Charlotte at Hampton; Tidewater at GreensboroFri. Dec. 19Hampton at Tidewater; Greensboro at Charlotte; Roanoke at Winston-Salem.<h2>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Thu. Dec. 4)<h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1030/3544513-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="608" height="140"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1126/3544506-1-eng-US/f0031-112.jpg" title="f0031-11" width="603" height="161"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3>Wed. Nov. 26Milwaukee 7at Sioux City 8Thu. Nov. 27Green Bay 6 at Marquette 3; Milwaukee 4 at Waterloo7.Fri. Nov. 28Sioux City 7 at Milwaukee 5; Central Wisconsin 3 at Traverse City 9. &#9632;

f0031-02

LOOKING AT THE MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

NHL; 1&mdash;Montreal 2&mdash;Detroit. 3&mdash;Boston 4&mdash;NY Rangers 5&mdash;Chicago 6&mdash;Toronto 7&mdash;Los Angeles 8&mdash;Pittsburgh.9&mdash;California 10&mdash;Philadelphia 11&mdash;Minnesota 12&mdash;St. Louis. 13&mdash;Vancouver 14&mdash;N.Y Islanders 16&mdash;Atlanta17&mdash;Kansas City 18&mdash;Washington WHA: 19&mdash;Calgary 20&mdash;Cincinnati 21&mdash;Cleveland 22&mdash;Denver 23 Edmonton24&mdash;Houston. 25&mdash;Indianapolis. 26&mdash;Minnesota 27&mdash;New England. 28&mdash;Phoenix 29&mdash;Quebec 30&mdash;San Diego.31&mdash;Toronto 32&mdash;Winnipeg Inter-League. 33&mdash;N.Y. Pangers NHL & St Louis NHL; 34&mdash;Montreal NHL & Atlanta(NHL) 36&mdash;Pittsburgh (NHL) & Buffalo (NHL). 37&mdash;New England (WHA&gt; & Washington (NHL) 38&mdash;Detroit (NHL) & Minnesota(NHL), 39&mdash;Atlanta (NHL) & Vancouver (NHL; 40&mdash;Phoenix, Houston & San Diego (WHA) 41&mdash;Los Angeles (NHL&rsquo;& N.Y. Islanders NHL 43&mdash;Kansas City (NHL) & N.Y Rangers (NHL; 44&mdash;Boston (NHL) & Washington (NHL; 45&mdash;Minnesata NHL 4 Vancouver NHL 46&mdash;Calgary WHA, Kansas City(NHL) & Minnesota(WHA) 47&mdash;Philadelphia NHL;Washington (NHL), 50&mdash;Boston (NHL). San Diego (WHA). 51&mdash;Buffalo(NHL) & Toronto (WHA) 52&mdash;Montreal (NHL)&Toronto(WHA). 55&mdash;Buffalo (NHL; & Calgary (WHA) 56&mdash;Buffalo (NHL; & Cleveland (WHA). 57&mdash;N.Y. Rangers (NHL) &St-Louis (NHL) 58&mdash;Detrait (NHL) & Edmonton (WHA) &#9632;

Minor League Affiliations

TULSA&mdash;The Oilers of coach Orland Kurtenbach were repulsed in their bid to regain first place from the rival Oklahoma City Blazers, but were only a point off the pace.However, Kurt was down to the minimum of nine forwards. Center Danny Gloor, the club&rsquo;s top scorer, was lost four or more weeks with a knee injury in the Nov. 22 loss at Oklahoma City. Two days later left wing Glen Richardson, part of the productive &ldquo;Jolly Green Giants&rdquo; line, was called by the parent Vancouver Canucks on an emergency basis.A 3-3 tie and a 5-1 victory in Tucson preceded the Oilers&rsquo; loss in Oke City. They came home to repel the Fort Worth Texans, 4-3.Bill Plett (of the &ldquo;Green Giants&rdquo;) scored twice in the second period of the tie in Tucson, and Cam Botting also scored in that frame for a 3-2 advantage spoiled by a former Oiler, Mike Hobin, in the third.In the victory at Tucson Andy Spruce matched an early Maverick goal, then the Oilers went ahead to stay when &ldquo;Green Giants&rdquo; Jim Wiley and Plett scored in the second. Richard Mulhern and Danny Seguin padded the margin in the third&hellip;Brad Gassoff gave the Oilers an early advantage at OC, but it didn&rsquo;t last through one period. Spruce and Richardson kept narrowing the deficit, but the Oilers couldn&rsquo;t catch up.But Oilers put it all together again at home the next night to save second place and abort Fort Worth&rsquo;s six-game unbeaten string. First-period leads provided by Botting and Rick Bowness vanished in the face of the Texans&rsquo; rally in the second period. But Richardson tied the game with 2:30 left in the second, and Mulhern won it with a screamer from 50 feet at 10:18 of the third.Gloor had 24 points, tied for third in the CHL individual scoring, before his injury, and shared the league lead in assists with 19. Oilers Seguin and Wiley were tied for fifth with 21 points.The loss at Oklahoma City raised Curt Ridley&rsquo;s goalie average to 2.30, but he was still the CHL&rsquo;s stingiest net attendant by a wide margin.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02140/3544655-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="254" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Plett</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

Oilers’ First Place Bid Falls Short Of Target

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRAOSBY. LTD Arnold Street Wallaceburg Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaFORT WORTH&mdash;&ldquo;The third period syndrome is hopefully now a thing of the past,&rdquo; proclaimed the Fort Worth Texans&rsquo; news release on their return from a mid-November road trip.Coach Terry Gray may not have used those exact words, but he did express himself as &ldquo;well pleased&rdquo;, especially with a steady defense that &ldquo;showed what it can do.&rdquo;The third-period collapse that had haunted Gray and his Texans through the early games wasn&rsquo;t in evidence when the league-leading Oklahoma City Blazers invaded Will Rogers Coliseum, Nov. 19. Quite the contrary, the Texans scored three goals in the last five minutes of action to hang a 5-3 setback on the Blazers and move within a point of first place, sharing that challenging position with the Tulsa Oilers.But in spite of continued steady play, the third periods didn&rsquo;t come out so well for the Texans the rest of the week. Still at home three nights later they let the Dallas Black Hawks rally for a 3-3 tie, the fourth straight draw in the Texas Turnpike Series. And a trip into Tulsa, Nov. 23, saw a second-period lead vanish, as the Oilers won a 4-3 decision on Richard Mulhern&rsquo;s third-period goal.Veteran center Walt Ledingham was lost &ldquo;indefinitely&rdquo; when he tore knee ligaments in the game against OC. It could mean surgery.The New York Islanders sent down center Bob Bourne and called back Andre St. Laurent, who had been with the Texans less than a week. The Los Angeles Kings, Fort Worth&rsquo;s other parent club, announced they were recalling right wing Dennis Abgrall. then promptly rescinded that order. Right wing Terry Bucyk was sent from the Texans to Fort Wayne in the International League.It was the speedy St. Laurent who had ignited the third-period comeback against Oklahoma City with a goal at 14:58. Jim Peters and Lorne Stamler had scored earlier, with Peters tallying when the game was just 34 seconds old, but the Blazers had pulled ahead, 3-2, in the second.After St. Laurent tied the score, Mike Kennedy took care of the rest, with the winning goal as the clock showed 1:06 to play, and an empty-net shot 15 seconds before the end.When the Dallas Hawks invaded Fort Worth, Nov. 21, Mike Usitalo and Phil Hoene provided a 2-0 advantage in the first two periods. The Hawks tied it up, but Peters regained the Fort Worth advantage, only to see it slip away in the last period.It was the fifth game of the turnpike rivalry this season and the fourth straight time the two clubs had battled to a tie. Dallas had come from behind to score the equalizer in all four games, twice at home and twice in Fort Worth. But Fort Worth led the series on the basis of winning the season-opener. Oct. 10.DALLAS: Mike Veisor&rsquo;s first shutout of the season was a 7-0 job in Salt Lake, Nov. 20, and gave the Black Hawks a split of their two-game invasion of Utah. They were 4-2 victims of the Eagles two nights earlier. They came home to drop a 2-1 decision to Oklahoma City, a brilliant goaltending duel between Veisor and Pierre Hamel.Blanked for two periods at Fort Worth, the Hawks got third-period tallies from Terry Smith, Mike O&rsquo;Connell and Gary Donaldson to pull out a tie for the fourth straight game against their intrastaterivals.Center Jim Koleff tore a knee in the first game at Salt Lake, and underwent surgery, Nov. 21. meaning an absence of at least six weeks. Defenseman Dave Logan went up to the parent Chicago Black Hawks, who returned center Rob Palmer to Dallas.The shutout was Veisor&rsquo;s fifth as a professional. The 23-year-old Toronto product led the CHL with four for Dallasin 1972-73 when he was rookie of the year. He had one with Chicago last season.Dan Hinton gave the Hawks an earlylead on a power play goal in the Tuesday game at Salt Lake, but the Eagles took charge before the first period ended, and Terry Smith&rsquo;s second-period goal only narrowed the deficit.Seven different Hawks scored in the rout that accompanied Veisor&rsquo;s shutout. Gary Donalson, Randy Holt and Michel Archambault made it 3-0 in the first, with Holt scoring on a 90-foot slapper from center ice. Moe L&rsquo;Abbe and Dave Elliott scored in the second, and Greg Vaydik and Duane Wylie in the third.After that scoring spree, the Hawks were blanked for four of their next six periods. All the scoring came in the second period against Oklahoma City, as Hinton again provided a lead that didn&rsquo;t stand up. Dallas&rsquo; only scoring in the game at Fort Worth came in the third stanza, but it was enough to gain a 3-3 tie.Archambault shared fifth place on the CHL scoring chart with 21 points, while Donaldson and Smith were tied for ninth on 19.OKLAHOMA CITY: The Blazers&rsquo; five-game winning streak ended in Fort Worth, 5-3, but they started a new one by winning in Dallas. 2-1. But the biggest game of the week was at home, Nov. 22, when they blunted Tulsa&rsquo;s bid to take over first place, 5-3. That ran the Blazer home string to eight games without defeat.Center Paul Daigle suffered a knee injury in Fort Worth, and surgery was performed Nov. 24. Right wing Alf Handrahan, erstwhile CHL penalty leader. was still sidelined with a back injury suffered in Tulsa. Nov. 14.Defenseman Claire Alexander, moving up to right wing, continued his blazing scoring pace. He had one goal (an empty-netter against Tulsa) and three assists to boost his league-leading total to 32 points in 14 games. Teammate Tom Cassidy was second with 28, and Scott Garland tied for third on 24. Alexander had picked up at least a point in every Blazer game he had played until the 2-1 victory in Dallas.Ken Richardson and Bob Warner provided the second-period goals in a span of 1:16 which won that duel. Pierre Hamel had lost his shutout bid after 29 minutes.The attraction of 15-cent beer brought 7.360 fans to the OC Myriad to see the Blazers and Oilers battle. After yielding an early goal. Cassidy and Les Burgess put the Blazers ahead late in the first period. Jack Valiquette scored in the second and third periods before Alexander clinched it with his empty net tally with 32 seconds left.TUCSON: Luck continued to be all bad for Adam Keller and his Mavericks. They had a 2-0 lead over Tulsa in the first period at home, Nov. 19, but had to rally in the end for a 3-3 tie. Two nights later another early lead vanished, and this time the Oilers prevailed. 5-1. Then came an unhappy trip into Salt Lake and a 9-1 shellacking.Defenseman Jim Clarke, who played for Keller in Tulsa a year ago, was obtained from the parent Phoenix Roadrunners and young goalie Nick Sanza from the Denvers Spurs.Even with Clarke, the Mavs had only five defensemen, as Jamie Bateman was recalled by the San Diego Mariners, and experienced Brian Gibbons announced his voluntary retirement.Mike Hobin got the first and last goals of the tie with Tulsa, posting the equalizer with seven seconds left. That gave Mike nine goals for the season, and with 20 points he held eighth place in the league scoring.Gordie Titcomb made it 2-0 for the Mavs after 12 and a half minutes of that Nov. 19 clash with the Oilers, but the Tulsans struck for three goals in the middle period, before Hobin gained the tie. Grant Erickson&rsquo;s tally at 3:50 of the first was the only thing Tucson could muster in the rematch two nights later.Titcomb again was the only Maverick to score in the nightmare at Salt Lake, spoiling Ernie Miller&rsquo;s shutout at 17:46 of the second period. That ran Tucson&rsquo;s latest winless string to 10 straight. Worse, the Mavs hadn&rsquo;t yet won at home in 11 tries.SALT LAKE: &ldquo;Some dirty crook stole all our sticks Thursday morning and brought them back Saturday,&rdquo; quipped publicist Chuck Schell about the Golden Eagles&rsquo; turnabout from an 0-7 loss to a 9-1 triumph.The Eagles had welcomed Dallas roughly, Nov. 18, with a 4-2 setback. Jim Moxey had scored on a power goal. and Brent Meeke short handed, in the first period, Butch Williams got the winner in the second, and Fred Ahern added insurance in the third.Then came the Thursday disaster, as Dallas goalie Mike Veisor proved unbeatable, even on a penalty shot by Charlie Simmer. It turned out to be Charlie&rsquo;s last game for a long while as he injured a knee in that game, and underwent surgery two days later.John Martin. Ahern and Moxey each tallied twice in the romp over Tucson, and Ernie Miller had a shutout tor almost two periods. Moxey counted the club&rsquo;s fifth short handed goal of the season.Veteran goalie Ray Martynuik, who was stung in the 7-0 loss, was looking far from the form which made him a CHL All Star last season. He was recalled to the California Seals for reassignment, as coach Marv Edwards turned over the Eagle goaltending to Miller. Jim Weaver was brought up from Toledo of the International League for a 10-game pro trial. He split last season between the London and Kingston juniors.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01195/3544624-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="559" height="732"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIM PETERS&hellip; Tallied Early</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

Gray “Well Pleased” By Texans’ Steady Defense

<div class="byline">BY JACK GATECUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01173/3544742-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="563" height="850"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE KASYCKI&hellip;OHA Point Leader</figcaption></div>TORONTO&mdash;Year in and year out there has not been as steadily a successful hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association Major Junior A League.The Marlies have won the Ontario and Canadian titles two of the last three springs and it would take someone with a longer memory than yours truly to recall the last time they missed the playoffs.However this year just nothing has gone right.For the second straight season they have been partially evicted from their home ice, Maple Leaf Gardens, because of the heavy booking by the NHL Leafs and WHA Toros.They couldn&rsquo;t come to an agreement with Brantford, where they played a part of their 1974-75 schedule and had to go to Markham for 13 of their 33 home starts.It would be wrong to say they have been welcomed with open arms by the folk in Markham who already have a junior B and Tier Two junior A team to support.Average attendance has been little more than 500 and it took them more than two months before they finally won a game in their part-time home.Then of course the World Hockey Association moved in and took Mark Napier and John Tonelli from their 1975 Memorial Club squad and another of the stars of that team, John Anderson, suffered a shoulder separation and may not play the balance of the season.Just to add to their miseries Steve Bosco, a goalie with the Marlboros three years, suffered a leg injury his first day at training camp, finally got back in uniform but after three games decided to quit hockey.&ldquo;It was a tough decision,&rsquo;&rsquo; said the 19-year-old. &ldquo;But pro hockey is so uncertain these days that I just thought I should get back to school and look for another career.&rdquo;He returned to Oshawa and has enrolled at G.I. Roberts High School where, he said, he&rsquo;ll have &ldquo;a little freedom from worrying about hockey.&rdquo;Goaltending has been a major Mar-lie problem and their manager Frank Bonello said he was sorry to see him go &ldquo;because we hoped Steve could do the job for us once he got over his injury.&rdquo;But he is gone and the Marlboros must now pick between inexperienced Steve Weeks, Doug Cardy and Dave Hillier for their regular in the nets.And immediately after losing Bosco, the Marlies were defeated 4-1 in Peterborough by the Petes who are deep in the basement of the Leyden Division.They salvaged a 3-3 tie with Ottawa when the 67s scored, twice in the third period and the point moved them into fourth place, one point above St. Catharines Black Hawks.However they just aren&rsquo;t the same old Marlboros as the season approaches the mid-way mark.HAMILTON: Fincups and London Knights still waging a two-team battle for first place with the other four clubs well behind&hellip; Hamilton took two of three games during the week, beating Ottawa 6-2 and 6-3 in a home-and-home series before being edged 4-3 by Oshawa&hellip; Danny Shearer still playing well and scoring regularly for Hamilton as is captain and three-year man Dale McCourt&hellip; The two are ranked among the top candidates from Ontario in the professional drafts next spring&hellip; However most scouts feel that the junior pickings this year are leaner than usual&hellip; Attendance picking up again in Hamilton after poor start and club playing winning hockey as anticipated.LONDON: Knights kept right in step with Fincups winning twice and losing once&hellip; The 4-1 win in Windsor was especially satisfying for coach Bill Long and his club as it was only their third on the road this year&hellip; They have, however, been almost invincible at home even though they suffered one of their rare setbacks there, 4-3 to Kingston Canadians&hellip; It was their first defeat before their own fans in 13 games even though rookie Jim MacRae had two goals&hellip; Their other win was at home (where else?) with Windsor, a one-sided 9-1 victory as Vern Stenlund and Rick Doyle picked up two each&hellip; Knights outshot Windsor 48-21 in that one.KITCHENER: Back-to-back wins by 11-3 and 8-5 over St. Catharines solidified the Rangers&rsquo; hold on third place, a great improvement over their cellar position a year ago&hellip; Dan Djaka-lovic playing extremely well with two goals in both game* but goaltending still not settled as coach Mac McLean is trying guardians from the Kitchener Bees and Wexford Raiders.ST. CATHARINES: Black Hawks attracted their largest paid crowd of the season, slightly over 1,500, for the 8-5 loss to Kitchener&hellip; Increase was the result of a promotion among the minor hockey players but attendance still of deep concern&hellip; Team has not played consistently which is one reason that the once-strong junior A city has slid to last place in ticket sales&hellip; St. Catharines-born rookie defenceman Peter Hookings showing promise but not enough goals being scored by veterans such as Greg Craig. Kevin Kennery and Doug Caines.WINDSOR: Spitfires getting their lumps regularly as is to be expected of new team but because they are in a weaker division they still could make the playoffs with any sort of improvement in second half of schedule&hellip; It was a particularly bad week for the Spits as they lost three in succession 41 to London and 7-4 to Kingston at home and 9-1 in London&hellip; Guy Losier has been one of the brighter spots on the team and had three goals in defeat to Kingston.SUDBURY: Still too early to concede but Wolves appear to have all but wrapped up the pennant in the Leyden Division&hellip;Only a complete collapse would have them finish anywhere but in the top spot&hellip; They won and tied in their only two games of the week. 10-1 over Oshawa and 4-4 with Kingston both in front of large home crowds&hellip; Against Oshawa they fired a season&rsquo;s record number of shots (76) at Generals&rsquo; goaltenders Greg Redquest and Al MacSlorley.KINGSTON: Canadians are second but well back of the Wolves despite batting 1.000 in the week with wins over Windsor (7-4), London (4-3) and Sault Ste. Marie (8-5)&hellip; Even more impressive was that all three wins were on the road&hellip; The next week they tied Sudbury 4-4, also playing away giving them seven of a possible eight points without one game on home ice.SAULT: Greyhounds having their best season ever and fans responding with large crowds&hellip; However they still have difficulty winning the crucial game&hellip; Loss by 8-5 at home to Kingston is typical example&hellip; Win would have moved them into second place tie with the Canadians&hellip; Canadians were far back going into last period but scored five times on eight shots to beat the &lsquo;Hounds as Rhiness scored three and Linseman two&hellip; Mike Kasycki still leading league in points, adding three goals against Canadians in losing cause.OSHAWA: Generals are still sticking close to second and third place despite some horrible defeats&hellip; Sudbury trounced them 10-1 but coach Gus Bodnar brought them back to Oshawa and just 48 hours later they upset Hamilton 4-3, with standing a third period Fincup rally&hellip; Bob Gladney. Glenn Knight. Glenn Kirkham and Paul Gardner were the Generals&rsquo; marksmen in win over Hamilton&hellip; Brian Drumm counted only goal in Sudbury.OTTAWA: Coach Brian Kilrea has Ottawa still a contender for second to fourth positions but they must start winning regularly or miss the playoffs&hellip; Their 3-3 tie in Toronto helped as Larry Skinner and Steve Marengere scored in the third period to earn the draw.PETERBOROUGH: As mentioned here previously the Petes have the misfortune of being in the stronger of the two divisions and will almost certainly by looking on when the playoffs start&hellip; If they were in the Emms Division they would still have their work cut out but retain some hope&hellip; They&rsquo;re still last, well behind Ottawa despite winning their only game of the week 4-1 against the Marlboros.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0930/3544735-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="281" height="422"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Doyle</figcaption></div><h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2><h3>NEW ENGLAND JUNIOR</h3>(Standing on Mon. Dec. 1)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02131/3544728-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="602" height="206"></div><h3>Leading Scorers</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0397/3544721-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="606" height="283"></div><h2>WESTERN INTERNATIONAL</h2>(Standings on Mon. Dec. 1)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0479/3544714-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="597" height="178"></div><h2>GREAT LAKES JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Mon. Nov. 24)<h3>&lsquo;A&rsquo;DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0566/3544707-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="601" height="207"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0652/3544700-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="623" height="438"></div><h3>&lsquo;B&rsquo; DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0744/3544693-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="592" height="171"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0838/3544686-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="604" height="466"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

Marlies Having Problems On And Off Ice; Knights Still Crowding Leading Fincups

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaPORT HURON&mdash;With the season into its second quarter, there are four surprise teams engaged in the trophy hunt in the nine-team International Hockey League. Half the surprise package rates such recognition for inefficiency and the other half for efficiency.The biggest surprise, probably, at this point in time are the Port Huron Flags. A solid fourth last season with a 3538-3 record and 26 points back of North Division winner Muskegon, the Flags currently are setting the pace in the North under manager-coach Bob McCammon.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01188/3544773-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="278" height="406"><figcaption class="caption-body">Don Perry</figcaption></div>Sporting the only spotless home record in the circuit (10-0-10) the Flags are two games over the .500 level and have taken the No. 1 spot, even of the margin is a slim one point. Balance is the feature of the North Division where a mod3st winning streak can elevate you to the head of the class or a modest-reverse trend can plant you in the cellar.The Kalamazoo K&rsquo;Wings are another team which has been performing above its pre-season potential. The Wings, who won just 17 games in their initial season a year ago, have proven to be bonafide contenders in the North. Currently last in the North, the Wings are still just five points behing Port Huron and have already won eight games&mdash;more than half last season&rsquo;s total production.The two disappointing units are the Muskegon Mohawks defending North Division champions and perennial contenders for league laurels. The Mohawks currently share the North Division cellar with Kalamazoo and are skating below .500 with an 8-9-4 mark. A year ago the Mohawks lost just 24 games while sprinting to the North Division title.Lack of a consistent offense has been Moose Lallo&rsquo;s major concern. The Mohawks have had just 52 goals through the first 21 games, second lowest offensive output in the loop. The continued slump of defending scoring champion Gary Ford is one of the keys to the Mohawk lack of punch. Ford had just three goals in the first 18 games. Bob Tombardi, another potent offensive weapon in previous years, has scored just seven thus far.Fourth member of the surprise club are he Columbus Owls. Moe Bartoli is suffering through his worst start since being the head schoolmaster in the Ohio City. The Owls have won just three games and have scored just 51 goals in 23 games. Last season the Owls chased Dayton most of the season in the South Division before finally settling for second place.Speaking of the South Division, things are normal with the exception of the struggling Owls. Dayton&rsquo;s defendning champions are skating ahead of the pack with a 14-6-2 record, including 12 straight wins at home. Toledo&rsquo;s defending Turner Cup champions are in a challenging position just four points back.Fort Wayne&rsquo;s young Komets are giving evidence they will be a team to reckon with before the season is much older. Stocked with rookies, the Komets have jelled recently offensively and lead the league in goals with 89 through 22 games. The K&rsquo;s are a solid third now in the south and are within striking distance of both Toledo (five points) and Dayton (nine).SAGINAW: Disturbed over the lackadaisical play of his Gears, Don Perry has issued an ultimatum. And if the club doesn&rsquo;t respond with some hustle it&rsquo;s going to be expensive Perry has informed the Gents they will either play or pay. &ldquo;Mistakes? I don&rsquo;t either play or pay. &ldquo;Mistakes? I don&rsquo;t mind them. But I won&rsquo;t tolerate lackadaisical play.&rdquo;In losing successive games to Port Huron and Kalamazoo, the Gears gave up a total of 15 goals. The Wings bombed the Gears, 8-3, before 3.870 home fans in the Civic Center. But the trend changed in a subsequent road trip to Kalamazoo where the Gears rebounded for an 8-3 verdict.PORT HURON: Port Huron&rsquo;s success at home is starting to pay off at the box office. The Flags have drawn crowds in excell of 2,300 for the last three home games and were anticipating the season&rsquo;s largest crowd for the next home attraction&mdash;a visit by South Division leader Dayton.The 10th straight home triumph was a 7-2 romp over North Division rival Saginaw which was followed by a 1-1 tie at Flint. The Flags then suffered a 6-2 whipping in Fort Wayne.FLINT: While attendance is below normal, the Flint Generals welcomed their one-millionth fan on Sunday, Nov. 30. The winner of two season tickets of her choice for the 1976-77 season was Mrs. Dan Merry of Flint. The milestone was marred by a goal by Port Huron in the final two minutes which forced a 1-1 tie. The Generals also dropped a 3-1 decision at Muskegon before winning at Columbus, 6-4. The victory at Columbus was only the second road triumph of the season for the Generals who have lost eight and tied one.MUSKEGON: The Mohawks, who haven&rsquo;t fared very well in the North, are hoping an upcoming diet of Southern Division clubs may improve their lot. The Mohawks launched the Souther schedule with a 3-1 loss at Dayton but have home dates next with Fort Wayne and Toledo.Contributing to Lallo&rsquo;s problems was an injury to Bert Scott, one of the few successful performers in the early portion of the season. Scott is suffering from a painful neck strain and had missed four games.KALAMAZOO: The Wing defense has sprung some leaks and the result has been a tailspin. In two home games the Wings gave up a total of 17 goals, losing to Toledo, 8-4, and being bombed by Saginaw, 9-3. In addition, the Wings dropped a 6-3 verdict at Fort Wayne.Ironically, the best performance was on the road where Kalamazoo snapped a five-game losing streak stretching over two seasons with the 8-3 victory in Saginaw. It was the first time the K-Wings had won a game in Saginaw since joining the league.DAYTON: Coach Tom McVie may be a little concerned about his goalie situation. Despite the best defensive average in the league, a pair of Gem goalies gave up 10 goals in a recent game at Fort Wayne. And as the Gems chalked up their 10th straight home victory over hapless Columbus, McVie saw a goalie knocked out of the box again.Rookie Gary Carr started the game and was quickly given a 3-0 lead. Columbus bounced back with two goals in just 17 seconds and McVie yanked the rookie in favor of Garth Malarchuk. Malarchuk blanked the Owls the rest of the way as the Gems went on to a 7-2 victory.TOLEDO: The Goaldiggers are riding a three-game winning streak, including two straight at home where Ted Garvin&rsquo;s defending champions have been having the most difficulty. A crucial home date with Dayton will offer the Diggers an opportunity to close in on the front runners.FORT WAYNE: A potent power play is powering the Komets into a contending role in the South. Over the last 10 games the Komets have scored no less than 16 power goals. They have scored at least one power goal in eight of the last 10 games and have gone through four games without yielding a power goal.Coach Ralph Keller has had to juggle his lineup somewhat because of several injuries, the latest to veteran Terry Pembroke. Pembroke suffered a knee injury and will be out for at least 10 gams&hellip;COLUMBUS: The Columbus losing streak grew to seven with a 6-4 reverse to Flint on home ice. The disappointing home-coming followed a pair of one-sided road losses (7-1 at Toledo and 7-2 at Dayton) and coach Moe Bartoli can&rsquo;t see any help in the immediate future. Compaunding he Owl problems was the fact former Colum-bus star Mike Powers, traded away to Dayton, scored a pair of goals against his former mates. &#9632;

f0034-01

Surprising Flags Setting Pace Under McCammon

SAULTSTE-MARIE&mdash;The United States Hockey League has been reduced to seven teams after Copper Country Chiefs, a 4th year franchise, folded operations during the past week. League governors will meet in Milwaukee for the purpose of re-scheduling make-up games, player draft, etc.Traverse City forward Greg Doyle, the USHL&rsquo;s penalty leader, has been suspended for 30 days. Doyle&rsquo;s match miscounduct penalty, received after a stick-swinging affair with Central Wisconsin&rsquo;s Rick Dramp during a Nov. 28 game, will include at least the team&rsquo;s next six games. Before returning, the Bay&rsquo;s winger must appear before the league regarding his future status in USHL.Coach Gen. mgr Joe Kiss of Traverse City also received season&rsquo;s greetings from league executive director Morley Howe, over harassment of minor-game officials during weekend home games.Meanwhite, the Sioux City Musketeers moved into first place in the tight Southern Division race by winning three of their games, including both ends of home and home set against Milwaukee. Musketeers&rsquo; 7-5 win was played before 8,166 Admiral fans.The best individual performance of the week was turned in by veteran Goalie John Anderson of Central Wisconsin, who stopped 56 shots as Flyers scored 3-2 overtime win at Traverse City. New addition Bill Ciraulo&rsquo;s third period marker tied score and with Ciraulo scoring again at 4:58 in sudden-death, snapped Bay&rsquo;s winning streak at three.<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02138/3544804-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="524" height="435"></div> &#9632;

f0034-02

Withdrawal Cuts USHL To 7 Teams

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE PENTON</div>WINNIPEG&mdash;Something&rsquo;s got to give with Winnipeg Clubs. Somebody&rsquo;s going to have to go&mdash;either owner-general manager, Gerry Brisson, or coach George Dorman.The friction between the two of late has been electric. When they do speak&mdash;rarely, at that&mdash;you need anti-freeze in the air to figure out what they&rsquo;re saying. But everybody knows that the time bomb which has been the Winnipeg Clubs of late is going to explode some day soon, and it won&rsquo;t be pretty.The troubles all started around the first of November, when the Clubs mysteriously began blowing big leads and watching their first-place throne melt. When the losing streak reached seven, Brisson hit the panic button. Dorman didn&rsquo;t, and perhaps that is the reason Brisson became inwardly enraged with his coach.The crisis came to a head Nov.25, when at the end of the second period, with Clubs trailing Flin Flon 4-1, Brisson ordered his coach to watch the third period from the stands. Clubs lost 5-2.&ldquo;I did it for shock value,&rdquo; Brisson said. &ldquo;I think this game clearly showed that other teams in the league are improving while we&rsquo;re not. It was time somthing was done.&rdquo;Pat Doyle, in the Winnipeg Tribune, said Brisson felt Dorman was coaching a Tier Two brand of hockey, which wouldn&rsquo;t suffice in the WCHL.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been telling him that all along,&rdquo; Brisson said, &ldquo;but he wouldn&rsquo;t believe me.&rdquo;The next day, the two combatants met and Brisson said the problem was &ldquo;cleared up.&rdquo; But that night, the Clubs blew a 4-0 lead against Regina, losing 7-6, and it was obvious the troubles were far from settled.It was then time for the players to be heard. Some complained about Brisson&rsquo;s constant criticism of themselves and Dorman; somebody mentioned harassment over contract signings during a road trip; one said Brisson isn&rsquo;t letting Dorman do the coaching, that he interferes and says who should and shouldn&rsquo;t play.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s obvious George is teaching us the right things when we go out and whip those guys (Pats) for a period and a half,&rdquo; said one player. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re with George.&rdquo;Dorman, through it all, kept a fairly low profile. He said he would not quit; that he would have to be fired. &ldquo;I think I have a fairly good reputation as a junior hockey coach (Centennial Cup with Selkirk Steelers in 1973-74) and quitting wouldn&rsquo;t do that reputation much good.&rdquo;Three days after the original outbreak of sending Dorman to the stands, Brisson said he denied &ldquo;all charges that were made against me,&rdquo; by the players.Brisson met with the players after denying the charges and said he had cleared the air with them. &ldquo;Our minds are clear now and we&rsquo;ll be winning hockey games again. The players realize the way the way this business goes now.&rdquo;Their next game was against Regina. Winnipeg led 2-0 early, but lost 7-5. Something&rsquo;s gotta give. And soon.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01176/3544849-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="286" height="458"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stan Gulutzan</figcaption></div>FLIN FLON: The Bombers, labelled a one-line hockey club (Mark Davidson, Rich Gosselin, Kim Davis) concluded a mid-Westem swing by getting bombed 10-1 by Saskatoon. It was Bombers&rsquo; third straight double-figure loss to the Blades.But they got back on the winning track by beating Winnipeg 5-2 as Davidson got two goals and two assists.BRANDON: The Wheaties lost twice in Edmonton but then wrapped up a three-game Alberta trip by outlasting Calgary 11-9 as Dale McMullin took over the team scoring lead with three goals and three assists. Gerry Stoughton, normally just a penalty killer, got time on the power play and responded with four points, as did slump-ridden Mike Bradbury, who broke it.REGINA: The Pats, who all of a sudden got hot, hadn&rsquo;t won in more than a month before tying Saskatoon 4-4 on Blades home ice. Then, they Clubs twice in Winnipeg, coming back from deficits each time. Rookie Keith Downton got the hat trick in a 7-5 Pats&rsquo; win and Drew Callander scored with 16 seconds left as the Pats beat Winnipeg 7-6 in a game they once trailed 4-0.SASKATOON: Bernie Federko and Neil Hawryliw scored in the last minute to salvage Blades a 4-4 tie with Regina, Keeping intact their unbeaten home-ice streak Their other two wins were laughers&mdash;10-1 over Flin Flon and 11-1 against Lethbridge. Stan Gulutzan scored five goals in the latter two games, but Federko and Blair Chapman still are one and three in the league scoring derby.LETHBRIDGE: Broncos found the sure cure for a slump&mdash;play Winnipeg. They did just that, whipping the poor Clubs 8-5 as Mike Fynn, recently-acquired from Calgary, scored twice and got four assists. High-scoring Steve I ambellini and Brian Sutter each had four points in the game.MEDICINE HAT: Like most teams which journey into B.C., the Tigers found the going rough&mdash;five straight losses to be exact. But they were respectable de-feats&mdash;four by two goals and one by just three. As a result, Jack Shupe&rsquo;s Tigers have fallen from pennant contention as Kamloops pulls away.CALGARY: The Cents stayed in the West Division cellar by losing their only game of the week, 11-9 to visiting Brandon. But they were active on the trading market, acquiring defencemen Craig Topolnisky and Tom Williamson from Kamloops for Don Bliault and sending goalie Dan Shearer and defenseman Doug Johnston to Calgary for winger Gary Rissling.EDMONTON: New general manager Brian Shaw vowed he would shake up the Oil Kings, and he did, making three trades. Besides the one with Calgary (above), he sent Mike Will to Victoria for Rick Martin in an over-age transaction and acquired Ken Burdon from Regina for Keith Hertz in a rookie trade. The moves obviously worked, as Oil Kings won twice over Brandon.KAMLOOPS: The Chiefs may have set a league record by going seven games on the road without a defeat. They capped their eastern sojourn with an 8-4 triumph over Edmonton, as Ryan Walter scored once on a penalty shot. Chiefs have lost just four of 25 games, and they&rsquo;ve only played 40 per cent of those games at home, where they rarely lose.NEW WESTMINSTER: The Bruins beat Medicine Hat twice and then tied with Victoria when Stan Smyl scored with 29 seconds to go to stay within range of Kamloops in the chase for the Western flag. In the tie with provincial rival Victoria, the Bruins trailed 5-2 mid-way through the third period, only to bounce back.VICTORIA: Cougars&rsquo; 20-year-old center, Jim Gustafson, set a WCHL record by scoring at least a point in 24 straight games. The former record of 23 was held by Bobby Clarke, then with Flin Flon Bombers in 1967-68 and Danny Gare, of the 1972-73 Calgary Centennials. Victoria had an unbeaten week, moving over .500, by beating Medicine Hat twice and tying in New Westminster.<h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2>(Standings on Sat. Nov. 29)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02147/3544842-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="598" height="243"></div><h2>WESTERN DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03110/3544835-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="597" height="247"></div><h3>GAMESCOMPLETED</h3>Sat. Nov. 22Medicine Hat 4 at Victoria 6.Sun. Nov. 23Medicine Hat 2 at New Westminster 5; Lethbridge 8 at Winnipeg 5; Flin Flon 1 at Saskatoon 10; Kamloops 8 at Edmonton 4.Tue. Nov. 25Brandon 3 at Edmonton 5; Flin Flon 5 at Winnipeg 2; Regina 4 at Saskatoon 4; Medicine Hat 3 at Victoria 5.Wed. Nov. 26Medicine Hat 2 at New Westminster 4; Regina 7 at Winnipeg 6.Thu. Nov. 27Brandon 2 at Edmonton 6; Medicine Hat 3 at Kamloops 5.Fri. Nov. 28Lethbridge 1 at Saskatoon 11; Regina 7 at Winnipeg 5; Brandon 11 at Calgary 9; Victoria 5 at New Westminster 5. &#9632;

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Clubs’ Time Bomb Ready To Explode; Blades’ Home Unbeaten Streak Intact

UTICA&mdash;He had claimed for nearly two and one half years that it would never happen, but on the night of November 30 at the Utica Memorial Auditrium Mohawk Valley Comet general manager Brian Conacher made his regular season NAHL debut as a player.Not that Conacher did so by choice, or that he is planning on a second comeback (he returned to the National League once before after a three-year retirement). But the Comets had been hit so hard by injuries, callups, and the contract wranglings of the Indianapolis Racers, that the &ldquo;Train&rdquo; had little choice.&ldquo;It was either him or me,&rdquo; said 39-year-old coach Ted McCaskill of the 34-year-old general manager, &ldquo;and it sure as heck wasn&rsquo;t going to be me.&rdquo;Conacher centered for John Cook and local semi-pro player Don Dawes, also brought in during the emergency, on a makeshift line. While he did not score he played tenacious two-way hockey and clearly inspired both his teammates and the fans. The Comets had not won in their previous four home games, but they beat Buffalo 6-4 on the night of Canacher&rsquo;s debut. By the third period the fans were giving Conacher and his line an ovation every time that they stepped on or off the ice.Nothing could top that, right? Wrong. Four nights later Train made another unexpected start against Maine, and scored two goals, including the game-winner, in a 5-3 vittory.Says Conacher, &ldquo;At five-thirty I was sitting home eating ham and rice and thinking that Kerry Bond was going to be back from Indy. At seven I was on the ice taking warmups.&rdquo;Nonetheless he proceeded to entertain the Utica fans with a sterling display of on-ice mastery. Binghamton Evening Press reporter Charlie Jaworski, who was on hand to do a McCaskill interview, said simply, &ldquo;Brian was far and away the best player on the ice.&rdquo;As well he might be expected to be considering his background. It was not that long ago that Conacher was scoring the winning goal in a Stanley Cup semi-final series against Chicago to pave the way for an eventual Maple Leafs Cup triumph.Asked how he felt about his return and his success Conacher offered a one-word reply. &ldquo;Sore.&rdquo;Should he play any more games and perform any more heroics, he might prove so valuable and so popular that it would be hard to quit again. Asked about the possibility that he might play any more Conacher responded, &ldquo;Yes I suppose it is a possibility. Bond should be here by the weekend. But you never know, I might play in a few more home games. It was fun.&rdquo;That would be all right with both McCaskill and the players. McCaskill has already collected fines from player Conacher for being late for practice and late in the team room prior to a game. And goaltender Michel Dion told Brian that he ought to keep playing at home because he would be a good drawing card.But Brian can&rsquo;t help but think of what it feels like to push a 34-year-old body used to three years of retirement. Sympathized McCaskill, &ldquo;With Train going for his hat trick I put him out for the last two minutes. Fifteen seconds later he was back at the bench again. I guess the old boy just can&rsquo;t take it;&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01156/3544904-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="284" height="347"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Conacher</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Injuries, Callups Force Conacher To Suit Up

<div class="byline">BY GARY CLARK</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD. Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaJOHNSTOWN&mdash;In 1974-75 a seven-game winning streak which was started at the Cambria County War Memorial against the Cape Codders propelled the Jets on their way to the Lockhart Cup.The current Jets are firing up their bid to repeat as champions and strangely enough are doing it via a winning streak started in the same building against the same team.As of December 3 the Jets had strung together nine consecutive wins and were showing no signs of letting up. On November 14 the Jets returned home from a two-game trip to Binghamton and Mohawk Valley (where they won and then lost) to face the red hot Codders. That night they outscored the Codders 6-4 and they have not looked back since. In nine games they have rolled over their opponents by a cumulative score of 50 to 22. The closest calls they had came at the beginning of the streak when they had back-to-back one-goal wins on the road. Most recently they drubbed Syracuse on the Blazers own rink, 7-2, by scoring five unanswered goals in the third period.On the morning that the Jets began their skein, they were in second place in the NAHL West, one point behind Buffalo and the same margin ahead of Erie. They now lead the Blades by nine points and the Norsemen by eleven, resting comfortably in the top rung of the division.What is the key to the Jets, continued success. &ldquo;Total team harmony, balance, and a great desire to win.&rdquo; That according to Jet Executive Director John Mitchell. &ldquo;Our team has no super stars. We just have fine hockey players who want to win and who have molded themselves into a great combination.&rdquo;A great combination it seems to be. To date the Jets leading scorer ranks no higher than twenty second on the league list. But conversely every Jet regular save one has scored at least ten points thus far. Says Mitchell, &ldquo;We have three good lines. Each of them is an offensive threat.&rdquo; Currently the Jet line combinations are John Gofton-Vern Campigotto-Galen Head, Wynne Dempster-Steve Carlson-Henry Taylor, and Jean Tetreault-Reg Bechtold-Jeff Carlson.It is the first time that Jeff and Steve Carlson have played on different lines since the start of their hockey careers. When asked why the decision was made to split them up the ageless Mitchell impishly replied, &ldquo;the only thing better than having one Carlson line is having two.&rdquo;It is hard to fault John&rsquo;s logic. When the Carlsons were first sent down by Minnesota Ray DeLorenzi was on the right side of Steve&rsquo;s line and they were very hot until DeLorenzi&rsquo;s recall by Calgary.The one thing that Johnstown has not had to cope with so far has been injuries. Dave Birch was hurt for awhile but that has been about it. No one could be more thankful for that than Mitchell. &ldquo;No doubt about it, we have been very lucky not to have lost any of our gentlemen,&rdquo; as Mitchell calls his players. In fact he feels that the lack of injuries has been the big difference between this season and last, when the Jets got off to a woeful start. The Jets lost Gofton, Tetreault, and Head each for about twenty games early last year. When they came back the Jets got rolling.Gofton and Head form two-thirds of the line that one must imagine is very dear to Mitchell&rsquo;s heart. Galen and Campy Campigotto have been with the Sage of the Friendly City now for a number of years. Gofton returned last year after starring for Mitchell&rsquo;s Jet teams of the mid-sixties.Don&rsquo;t get the idea that that trio is around just for pleasant memories. Gofton and Head lead the team in scoring. Head in particular is making a big rebound after suffering his worst year in a seven-year Jet career. He had never scored less than thrity goals until he fell to eighteen in 1974-75. But that off season should be discounted according to Mitchell.&ldquo;Galen missed all those games early in the year and when he came back he was a step behind everyone else. He is just as good as he ever was.&rdquo;Mitchell is also quick to point out the contributions of player-coach Jim Cardiff. Says John. &ldquo;Cardiff has been a big asset to us, as we knew he would be. Hie is a solid hockey man.&rdquo;The most solid hockey man of them all is probably John Mitchell himself. Only because he has been with Johnstown for so long do people forget the contributions he has made over the years in all phases of hockey, including as an NHL referee. To which John Mitchell characteristically replies, &ldquo;Son, if you are good to hockey, it will be good to you.&rdquo; &#9632;

Nine-Game Streak Lifts Jets To Lead

<div class="byline">BY RALPH BRIDGLAND</div>SHAWINIGAN&mdash;Could it be Shawinigan Dynamos are staging a comeback?It&rsquo;s not what most people consider a turnaround of tremendous proportions but to the Dynamos a tie is an accomplishment in itself..Following a 1974-75 season which saw them win only 16 games out of 72, the Dynamos got off to a much better start with a .500 record after nine games of the present campaign.Then on Oct. 19 Shawinigan&rsquo;s leading scorer Benoit Plouffe was injured in a tragic on-ice accident in Sherbrooke and the Dynamos&rsquo; went into a tailspin which has all but eliminated them from any hopes of reaching the post-season action.The Dynamos were credited with a win in their next outing, which was really a gift as the Beavers refused to report for the game in Shawinigan for fear of violence from the home town fans infuriated by the mishap in Sherbrooke.From that stage on the Dynamos came up empty-handed in their next 15 contests. And except for a couple of close ones, opponents went on a scoring rampage against the disheartened Shawinigan crew. During that 15-game period the Dynamos were outscored by an astounding margin of 12856 and dropped decisions by scores of 20-2,10-1,10-4 and 11-3 in the process.But in two of their last three games the Dynamos have shown the desire which a club garnering a record of 5-191 isn&rsquo;t supposed to exhibit.First of all they knocked off Laval 5-4 at home for their first two-pointer in 16 games. Then Quebec came to town and it looked like the Dynamos&rsquo; brief moment of glory was going to be exactly that, brief, as the Remparts skated to an 8-1 decision However, three nights later Shawinigan walked into Sorel and surprised the Black Hawks by emerging with a point thanks to a 4-4 draw.Mind you, three points in three games doesn&rsquo;t put the Dynamos back into the playoff picture by any means, but it still shows the kind of determination that all sports teams should take a lesson from.Odds are the Dynamos won&rsquo;t come too close to the Quebec League post-season playdowns, but you can bet your bottom dollar they&rsquo;ll be going all out until the final buzzer in the 72nd game of the regular season.TROIS-RIVIERES: Draveurs ap pear headed for a repeat performance of 1974-75 when they battled the Quebee Remparts right down to the wire for the East Division title&hellip;A pair of lopsided victories lifted the Draveurs past the Remparts into a slim one-point margin atop their division&hellip;Opened week with 9-3 pasting of Sagueneens in Chicoutimi and then returned home to humiliate Sorel 9I&hellip; Claude Periard counted four goals and added a pair of assists in drubbing of Black Hawks, who were outshot 61-22&hellip; Gaetan Boucher (26-30&mdash;56) and Richard Dalpe (23-29&mdash;52) rank three-four in league points race.QUEBEC: Remparts continued to impress after early-season troubles&hellip;Moved into Shawinigan and dumped Dynamos 8-1 to get week oft on right foot but then stumbled in Laval as Nationals came up with 6-2 verdict&hellip;Mario Marois and Jean Chouinard were the only Quebec marksmen in Laval as the Remparts were outshot 44-27&hellip; Defensively Remparts rank fourth in the league but experiencing problems on offense as eighth-place standing testifies.SOREL: Success in early going has left Black Hawks in East Division race but as of late they have been falling off the pace set by Quebec and Trois-Rivieres&hellip;Played .500 hockey during week, winning 5-2 over Laval at home, losing 9-1 in Trois-Rivieres and then drawing with Dynamos 4-4&hellip;Lucien Deblois was lone trigger man in Trois-Rivieres&hellip;Hawks own second worst defensive rating in league.CHICOUTIMI: Same fate which has befallen Sorel, has kept Sagueneens from moving up in the East&hellip;After moving into lead early Sags have also fallen off the pace and are battling Black Hawks for third place&hellip;Sags would just as soon forget past three outings as they dropped the trio and were outscored 25-6 in the pro-cess&hellip;Sylvain Locas has fallen out of top scoring rung for first time in several weeks as his 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists) are good for the runnerup spot.SHERBROOKE: Any doubts about the Beavers appear to have been erased as they moved back into the lead in the West Division&hellip;Trounced Montreal 8-2 on home ice and then repeated performance with 7-3 verdict over Chicoutimi&hellip;Beavers are now a six points ahead of Cornwall&hellip;Peter Marsh is QMJHL&rsquo;s new scoring leader as his league leading 30 goals plus 29 assists leave him two points ahead of Sags&rsquo; Locas.CORNWALL: Orval Tessier&rsquo;s crew seems to be running out of steam as the New Year approaches&hellip;Tessier has to be wondering about his club as it held onto second place for most of last season before fading near the end and winding up third&hellip; Only game was 4-2 loss to Festivals in Hull&hellip;Dan Geoffrion and Pierre Brassard still Royals&rsquo; top point-getters with 49 and 48 respectively.MONTREAL: After blanking Cornwall 8-0 it appeared the Juniors were ready to make a charge at first place. But visit to Sherbrooke two nights later changed the momentum as the Beavers romped to an8-2 decision&hellip;Juniors now trail leading Beavers by 12 points but do have three games in hand&hellip;Coach Jacques Laperriere has his charges playing sound defensive hockey as Montreal leads league in the goals-against department.HULL: Marcel Pronovost may finally have his Festivals playing the kind of hockey he wants&hellip;Wins over Cornwall, 4-2, and Chicoutimi, 9-0, have moved the Festivals to within four points of Montreal but Juniors have four games in hand&hellip;Glen Sharp-ley had four goals in blanking of Sagueneens&hellip;Worst offensive mark and second worst goals-against figure in the West are indications of troubles Festivals have been having&hellip;However with Pronovost now at the helm club could become a factor to be dealt with as the season progresses.Laval: Just when you think the Nationals are about to fall apart they come back. And just when you think they&rsquo;re about to get something going they fall flat on their faces. All of this adds up to a very mediocre season for coach Jacques St. Jean and his club&hellip; Opened week with 5-2 loss in Sorel but then bounced back to down Quebec 6-2&hellip;Philippe Bellemare led attack against Remparts with a goal and two assists&hellip;Michel Bossy in top ten scorers with 48 points including 23 goals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02111/3545018-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="259" height="420"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gaetan Boucher</figcaption></div><h2>HOW THEY STAND</h2><h3>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h3>(Standings on Mon. Dec. 8)East Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0381/3545011-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="593" height="176"></div>West Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0465/3545004-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="596" height="150"></div><h3>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</h3>(Standings on Tue. Dec. 9)Emms Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0549/3544997-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="596" height="199"></div>Leyden Division<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0640/3544990-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="599" height="168"></div> &#9632;

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Dynamos Hustling Despite Poor Record; Remparts, Draveurs On Collision Course

<div class="byline">BY HOWIE STALWICK</div>SPOKANE&mdash;The Western International League All Stars edged the defending champion Spokane Flyers 3-2 in the first annual benefit contest played here Nov. 27.Trail&rsquo;s Doug Bentley highlighted his red hot scoring ways of late by notching what proved the game&rsquo;s winning tally mid-way through the third period to help quiet a disappointing turnout of just 2,613.Both teams overcame an extremely sluggish opening stanza to play impressively the final 40 minutes, as All Star netminders Leo Karchie of Cranbrook and Kimberley&rsquo;s Barrie MacKay combined to turn aside 38 Spokane shots compared to the 28 saves of Flyer goaltenders Frank Turnbull and Henry Durkin.Trail teammate Brian Debiasio and Glen Walton of Kimberley joined Bentley in the scoring column for the winners while lanky Bill Laing netted both Spokane tallies. League leading Cranbrook coach Gerry Goyer guided the All Stars to their win.TRAIL: The Royals of Cranbrook may be leading the league as of last look, but that soon may not be the case if the youthful Smokies keep up their impressive recent pace.The Smokeaters shocked Cranbrook 4-2 and 7-3 on consecutive nights recently to increase their winning streak to four and pull within that same number of points from the Royals, who had appeared ready to make a runaway of the league race.CRANBROOK: The Royals simply couldn&rsquo;t handle the non stop forechecking of the enthusiastic Trail skaters, but still figure as the favorites for regular season honors this winter. Leo Karchie finally gave way to Wayne Doll after 16 straight starts in goal in the second loss to Trail.SPOKANE: Coach 1&rsquo;om Hodges&rsquo; troops have been hit by an overwhelming string of player losses at forward. Right winger John Rogers was been called back at least temporarily by parent Edmonton of the World Association, right after team scoring leader Bob Trembecky went to the sidelines with shoulder injuries. Replacement Craig Butz, a local product, has been nursing an injured hand, Jim Stanfield continues to have back problems, Ernie Care was already on the sidelines after knee surgery, and defenseman Larry Palanio is just recovering from broken ribs.NELSON: The Maple Leafs fell to Spokane 5-3 in new coach Mike Laughton&rsquo;s debut. That game marked the club&rsquo;s eighth road loss in nine outings, the league&rsquo;s worst traveling record. Ron Filyk is feared lost for at least one week with a strained knee.KIMBERLEY: Trail&rsquo;s double win over Cranbrook and the Dynamiters&rsquo; own 7-2 whipping of Spokane the same weekend helped keep the Dynos within catch up distance of all three clubs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01145/3545049-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="241" height="369"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Laughton</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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The WIHL Scene

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaHAMPTON&mdash;The Hampton Gulls aren&rsquo;t proud. They&rsquo;ll take their points in dribs and drabs if need be as long as they can keep within hailing distance of the leading Charlotte Checkers in the close Southern Hockey League race.The Gulls are chasing the Checkers for the top spot with the onrushing Roanoke Rebels looming in the background in the three-corner struggle. The Rebels, too, have come alive and now only five points represent the difference between Charlotte, Hampton and Roanoke as the race nears the halfway mark in the schedule.The Rebels pulled off a big victory when they defeated Charlotte 5-4 even though they lost a 6-3 decision to lowly Winston-Salem, a defeat they came back to avenge the following night at home by the same score.While the race at the top has provided the major early-season excitement, there is another struggle going on below the third spot with Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Tidewater locked in a three-way fight to keep out of the SHL cellar. Here again only two points divide three clubs and it can only augur well for the league&rsquo;s box offices.An amazing twist to the success of the Hampton Gulls is that they are getting the job done without the SHL&rsquo;s leading scorer, Pat Donnelly.The parent Cincinnati Stingers have dipped into the ranks of the Gulls to halt their losing ways in the WHA and last week both Donnelly and goaler John Kiely were yanked up top to bail the Stingers out.Donnelly lost his individual scoring lead to Wally Sprange of Greensboro, who went on top with 34 points, two more than Donnelly and John Raynak of Roanoke. Yvon Dupuis of Charlotte remains the league&rsquo;s premier goal sniper with 19.The Charlotte Checkers continued to dominate the SHL and the addition of goaler Robert Sauve from Buffalo Sabres is certain to make the defending league champions all the more difficult to handle. Sauve had a 1.67 goals-average for his first three SHL starts allowing five goals. He blanked Tidewater 7-0 to put his mark even lower after taking over the No. 1 goaling job with the Checkers.The arrival of Sauve allowed the Checks to send goaler Brian Cousineau to Tidewater on loan. In other player developments, Greensboro added KenGibb to its roster while Hampton picked up Michel Boudreau from Tidewater and Tom Dahlheim was obtained from Roanoke on loan. Roanoke filled its roster by adding Brad Winton, a former draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings.<h2>SHL Leaders</h2><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01170/3545087-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="587" height="710"></div><h3>LEADING GOALERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02124/3545080-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="583" height="337"></div> &#9632;

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Four Ties Help Hampton Close Gap On Charlotte

<h2>CHARLOTTE CHECKERS</h2>Goal&mdash;Gaye Cooley, Robert Sauve.Defense&mdash;Grant Rowe, Mike Keeler, Barry Burnet, Gary Wood, Jean Landry.Wingers&mdash;Grank Golembrosky, Bob Smulders, Yvon Dupuis, Dave Givens, John Morrison, Neil Korzack. Wayne Chrysler, Jack Wells.Centers&mdash;Guy Burrowes, Dave Gilmour, Jack Surbey.Coach&mdash;Pat Kelly.<h2>GREENSBORO GENERALS</h2>Goal&mdash;John Voss, Kevin Neville, Mike Corcoran.Defense&mdash;Virgil Gates, Chris Leach, Vic Stanfield, Dan Helm, Ken Reid, Ray Bibeau.Wingers&mdash;Alvin White, Mike Jakubo, Howie Reggedal, Dennis Johnson, Cam Colborne, Doug Kerslake, Allie Sutherland.Coach&mdash;Gary MacMillan.<h2>TIDEWATER SHARKS</h2>Goal&mdash;Jim Watt, Bryan Cousineau.Defense&mdash;Derek Harker, Roy Carmichael, Dave Roberts, Ron Anderson, Jim Edgeworth.Wingers&mdash;Jim Minor, Cam Fryer, Doug Hearns. Bob Wright, John Tweedie, Billy Steele, Frank Werner, Mike Fryia.Center&mdash;Camille Lapierre, Steve Dolloff, Walter Johnson, Michel Boudreau.Coach&mdash;John Hanna.<h2>ROANOKE VALLEY REBELS</h2>Goal&mdash;Joe Junkin, Eddie Humphreys.Defense&mdash;John Huber, Wayne Mosdell, John Held, Billy Orr, Morley Johnson.Wingers&mdash;Tom Dahlheim, John Raynak, Ted Hodgson, Randy Kozar, Howie Colborne, Ray Woit, Brian Bye, Randy Andreachuk.Centers&mdash;Brian Bradley, Dale MacLeish, Jerry Butler.Coach&mdash;Jack Chipchase.<h2>WINSTON-SALEM POLAR TWINS</h2>Goal&mdash;Bob Champoux, Bob Smith.Defense&mdash;Brian Molvik, Wayne Morusyk, Peter Williams, Don Wheldon, Wayne Spooner.Wingers&mdash;Billy Morris, Ron Hindson, Jamie Kennedy, Bobby Miller, Bobby Geoffrion, Dan MacPherson.Centers&mdash;John Campbell, Ken Gassoff, Angus Beck.Coach&mdash;Forbes Kennedy.<h2>HAMPTON GULLS</h2>Goal Rich Coutu, John Kiely.Defense&mdash;Dick Spannbauer, Norm Schmitz, Norm Martel, Ken Southwick, Bill Fraser.Wingers&mdash;Murray Myers, Frank Beaton, Lorne Rombough, Ron Morgan, Larry Billows, Bobby Gerrard, Mike Sauter.Centers&mdash;Pat Donnelly, Claude Chartre, An Stratton.Coach&mdash;John Brophy. &#9632;

SHL Team Rosters

<div class="byline">BY JOHN ARNOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0390/3545142-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="946" height="1264"></div><h2>SOLUTION IN DECEMBER 26 ISSUE</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1. An Indianapolis defenseman.8. One of the Canadiens.9. A Bruin forward (init)10. Pictured player.13. An NHL captain.14. 9th and 18h letters of the alphabet.15. Bernie Parent was born in this month, (abbr)18. To make mistakes.20. One of the Capitals answers to this.22. A.U.S. State, (abbr.)23. Former Chicago defenseman.27. 22nd and 7th letters of the alphabet.29. Former Toronto defenseman.30. Each (abbr.)31. City in Norway.32. Former defenseman Brewer answers to this.34.&mdash;Louis Blues.35. Boston is here.<h3>DOWN</h3>1. John Van Boxmeer was born here.2. Number worn by Van Impe.3. An NHL coach.4. Errol Thompson of Toronto was born here (abbr)5. One of the Patricks answers to this.6. Jack Kent Cooke is one.7. A U.S. State, (abbr.)11. Meloche registered one Nov. 21st. (abbr)12. Recently retired Minnesota forward.16. Norm Ullman was born here.17. Initials of Richard.21. Usually used when hockey is played on the street.24. A goaltender averages about 30 per game. (S)25. Boxing term.26. Number of times Jean Beliveau won Art Ross trophy.28. Jim Schoenfeld hails from here.29. 1971-72 Stanley Cup champs, (abbr.)33. Initials of an NHL coach.<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S ANSWERS</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1. GIACOMIN7. TOMMY9. E G.11. BELIVEAU14. L.S.15.C.B.C.16. E.P.17. H.R.18 O.M20. S.C.2L LAB.23. PICARD25. C.R26 TON27. TO28. HORTON31. DETROIT<h3>DOWN</h3>1. GAMBLE2. ABEL3. O.T.4. M.O.5. IMLACH6. N.M.8. Y.C.10. GI.12. ESPOSITO13. UBRIACO19. McCORD22. BRENT24. ANTE28 H.H.29. O.T.30. N.R. &#9632;

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HOCKEY CROSSWORD

Kerry Seman of the Brandon Travellers made Manitoba Junior Hockey League (Tier Two) history here recently by scoring a goal.Seman is a goaltender.The weird play occurred in the second period, with Brandon ahead 3-1 over Ab McDonald&rsquo;s Portage Terriers. The referee was signalling a minor penalty against Brandon, and Portage goalie Ralph Bradbury raced to the bench infavor of an extra attacker.Terriers&rsquo; Brad Harding, from the Traveller blueline, rifled a slap shot which grazed the Brandon crease, ticking Seman&rsquo;s stick ever-so-slightly. The puck caromed off the backboards, up against the sideboards, and down the middle of the ice&hellip; right into the yawning Portage cage.Since Seman was the last Traveller to touch it, without gaining possession and control (which would have caused a stoppage), the goal counted and the 19-year-old Winnipeg native got credit for it.McDonald, a former star in the NHL and WHA, didn&rsquo;t argue the referee&rsquo;s decision. &ldquo;What could I say?&rdquo; said McDonald. &ldquo;It was legal all the way.&rdquo;What really hurt the Terriers is that the score finished up 4-3 for Brandon. Which meant, of course, that Seman&rsquo;s &ldquo;goal&rdquo; was the winner.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01153/3545173-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="549" height="686"><figcaption class="caption-body">KERRY SEMAN&hellip; Weird Play</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Brandon Junior Goaler Scores Winning Goal

LASVEGAS&mdash;After a two-day meeting of individual team representatives, the Southwest Hockey League has announced a new scheduleThe scheduling switch, necessitated when the Reno Broncos dropped from the league, will see a return to the full 72-game format originally envisioned by the SHL.With five teams remaining in the pro development loop, each team will play 18 games against every other club in the league. That format will follow a nine games at home/nine games away pattern. Teams still in the SHL include Al-buquerque, Amarillo, Billings, Butte and El Paso.Because of previous scheduling problems, many of them associated with the Reno franchise, the original schedule had teams playing an unequal number of games against one another.Under the new set-up announced this week, the five teams will count games previously played against one another this year, and those will be a part of the 72-game schedule. But all games involving the defunct Reno squad will be eliminated from both team standings and individual statistics.In addition to a new schedule, the South west League also decided on a playoff format for the end of the regular season. The last regular season game will be played April 6, with playoffs beginning approximately April 9.)The SWHL playoff format will go as follows: 1st place team draws a bye: 2nd and 3rd place teams play a best-of-seven series; 4th and 5th place teams play a best-of-7 series.First place team plays the winner of the 4th-5th series in a best-of-seven series.The winner of the 1st place/4th-5th place series meets the winner of the 2nd-3rd place series in a best-of-seven finale for the league championship. &#9632;

Southwest Loop Drops Reno Entry

<div class="byline">BY BILL HILTS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02110/3545228-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="337" height="423"></div><h2>New York-Penn League</h2>The Amherst Knights and Southtown Cougars continue to fight it out for the league lead with the Rochester Monarchs right on their heels. The Niagara Falls Mangs Sharks hold down&rsquo;t the fourth spot, but are starting to move, being undefeated in their last five games.Last week the Cougars and Sharks played an exciting 3-3 tie. Mike Brigante led the Sharks scoring with two goals and Jay Boudreau of the Cougars also dented the mesh two times. Goaltending on both ends was outstanding with the Sharks Mike Bagocus turning back 42 Cougar shots, while Brian Smaszcz, also an All Star soccer player, stopping 32 Shark attempts. Cougar forward Dave Greune and Shark center Lou Rosetti, each collected a pair of assists.The Syracuse Stars dropped a 5-3 game to the Sharks on the latter&rsquo;s home ice. Rich Connette was the Sharks big scorer for the night, netting a picture goal to open the scoring for the home team after the Stars had taken a one goal lead. Then Rich came back with 6:58 left in the game to score the winner. Rosetti collected 3 assists in this game, setting up both of Connette&rsquo;s markers. Steve Eccles, the Stars high scorer, notched his 15th goal in this game, raising his point total to 22 in just 8 games. The classy center has had three four-goal games so far this young season. Winger Jim MacCollumis his closest rival with four goals and six assists. Even in losing. Stars netminder Mike Frenze played a strong game with 26 saves.Cougar coach Grant Nicholson informs us that his N.Y.-Penn. All Star center Tom Metzger, the N.Y. Penn scoring champ last season, has been selected the outstanding amateur athlete for hockey on the Niagara Frontier by the prestigious Buffalo Athletic Club. This marks the first time the BAC has selected a hockey player for the award.<h2>New York Metropolitan</h2>The Suffolk Royals moved four points ahead of second place BergenRockland with three wins for the week. Dave Drew scored twice and Mike LaBianca added one goal and one assist as the Royals downed New Hyde Park 7-4 at Madison Square Garden. The Royals completed the week with back to back victories over the Essex Jr. Rockets.Mike LaBianca was selected the MJHA player of the week, scoring two goals in a 6-4 win over Essex. John Sheeran had two goals and two assists in a losing cause.Bob Mancini took over the scoring lead in the MJHA scoring his fifth hat trick of the season while LIAC defeated the New York Westsiders 5-3. Westsider Mike Formanek had two goals nad Matt Senk had two assists for New York as last year&rsquo;s champions dropped their eighth game of the season.Two goals each by Jeff Bloom and Matty Byrne led the New York Americans to a 10-4 victory over New Hyde Park. Pat Glennon saw action between the pipes for the first time this season as the golatender for the Americans.<h2>Midwest Hockey League</h2>Russ Welch of St. Paul had a six point week and took over MJHL scoring leadership with 32 points. Teammate Paul Klasinski moved up to the second spot with 31 points after scoring three goals and four assists the same week. Captain Jim Cunningham returned to familiar territory at center ice after helping out with the defensive effort to date.Kim Mikkelson and Don Olund got two goals apiece against the national senior champion Kosta team, while goalie Keith Johnson stopped 46 Kosta shots. Johnson, all-conference goalie from Cooper. just joined the club. Nordiques outshot the Stars 39-25. but could not get past-Stars&rsquo; Chuck Holman.Lou Vairo&rsquo;s Mavericks continue to hang onto a two-point lead over second place Bloomington. Outshot by St. Paul 44-43, Austin managed three power play goals and a shorthanded tally, paced by Keith Biancalana&rsquo;s pair. The top-scoring club has the best goal-against record&mdash;4.7, while taking the fewest penalty minutes, an average of 15.6 per game.<h2>New England League</h2>Goalie Don Leger kicked out an incredible 68 shots as Fitchburg trimmed the Squires while two goals each by Chuck Pappas, Jim Wisniewski and Steve Leger backed him up. Scott Huna and Joel Procaccini each scored twice for the Squires. The Wallopers then slipped past the Braves as Brian Fitzpatrick and Kevin Lawler each scored twice. Paul Sances and Jim Quirk had two goals apiece for the Braves.Dean Lombardi&rsquo;s goal late in the final period broke a 5-5 tie and lifted Springfield past Tyngsboro. Bernie Croteau had two goals for the Olympics, while Jack Stein and Kevin Girouard each tallied twice for the Huskies. The Olympics then got three goals from Lombardi to whip the Vikings while Gary Wojick chipped in with a pair. Rich Campisi. a native of Hauppauge. N.Y., netted his 26th and 27th goals to raise his league-leading point total to 50.The Berlin Maroons got back into the win column by shading luckless Huskies 7-6 as Bob Dupuis rammed in three goals. The Huskies have now lost six of their last eight games, but five of the defeats have come by the margin of just one goal. Jerry Fortier and Jim Collins each fired two goals for the Huskies.<h2>Great Lakes League</h2>The Flint Icelanders ended a nine game winless drought by whipping the Fraser Highlanders 6-5. Dave Bush and Doug Shelley each scored three goals and two assists and Randy Ollila collected four assists in Flint&rsquo;s winning effort. Bob Voakes accounted for two of Fraser&rsquo;s five goals.Bob McGinlay and Russ Baltazar each notched two goals as the league leading Wayne Americans dropped the Berkley Bruins 7-4. Baltazar&rsquo;s two goals came within 24 seconds of each other in the first period. Bob Racz scored two goals in a span of 10 seconds for Berkley.Dennis Austin and Racz each scored hat tricks to pace the Bruins to a 10-6 decision over the Waterford Lakers. Austin also had two assists to go along with his hat trick, while George Mimikos had four assists and Jeff Price and Kurt Gruebner added three assists apiece. &#9632;

f0039-02

JUNIOR JOTTINGS

<div class="byline">BY ALAN TRUEX</div>ATLANTA&mdash;Tom Lysiak has been getting a whole new perspective on hockey. He looks at it from a different angle, left wing instead of center.Lysiak has been a center since he was about seven years old. He was good enough at that position to play in the National Hockey League All Star game last season.But in mid-November he was shifted to left wing in a move which coach Fred Creighton said wasn&rsquo;t necessarily temporary.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not all that different,&rdquo; Lysiak said, &ldquo;but now I know how a winger feels when he&rsquo;s breaking for the net and the centerman won&rsquo;t give him the puck.&rdquo;Lysiak went from puck-passer to receiver. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t carry the puck near as much now&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The only time I get the puck is when I shoot it or when I carry it out of our end.&rdquo;One advantage to playing left wing, he points out, is &ldquo;you get more shots. The centerman tries to bring out the two defensemen and then pass to a winger. About the only time the center gets to shoot is on rebounds or on a pass from a winger when he goes in too far.&rdquo;Flames coach Fred Creighton shifted Lysiak to left wing on a line with Gerry Meehan at center and Larry Romanchych at right wing.&ldquo;The main thing is to get Gerry producing like he did last year,&rdquo; Creighton said in announcing the switch. Meehan was one of the Flames&rsquo; most effective players in the pressure games late last season. But he started out this year scoring no goals in his first 20 games.Since the Flames were overstocked at center, with five playing that position, and since they were thin at left wing with Eric Vail injured, Creighton tried playing Meehan at left wing.That didn&rsquo;t work. So next it was Lysiak&rsquo;s turn. Lysiak appeared to adapt much better to wing than Meehan did. But neither player was performing anywhere close to his standards last year.Creighton said one reason for the switch of Lysiak was that &ldquo;without Eric our production at the left side was very limited. I want to get more balance.&rdquo;Actually, the Flames were showing plenty of balance. Nobody was scoring many points.Vail, the team&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer last season, was listed out &ldquo;indefinitely&rdquo; with a reinjured left collarbone. He broke the collarbone in training camp. He missed the first eight games before he hurt the shoulder again.Doctors were having difficulty determining whether the collarbone was rebroken or whether it had never healed fully in the first place.The absence of Vail was having a devastating effect on the Flames&rsquo; scoring. However, that can&rsquo;t account for the extraordinarily inaccurate shooting by everyone on the team except Curt Bennett.General manager Cliff Fletcher was highly concerned about the Flames&rsquo; lack of offensive production, and he threatened &ldquo;a shakeup&rdquo; if the players on hand didn&rsquo;t start scoring more goals.While the Flames have played fairly well on the road, they haven&rsquo;t done at all well at home.&ldquo;On the road,&rdquo; Lysiak said, &ldquo;we relax and think about just getting a point out of it. At home, we get nervous about having to win, and we try to put on a little show.&rdquo;It was the kind of show that was about to get booed off the stage.The Flames were 3-6-2 to start this season at home. At this time last year, their Omni record was 80-3.The Atlanta fans, who in the past have been most polite to the Flames, are much more hostile this season. They have booed the ties almost as much as the losses.FLAMES NOTES: Main target of the fans&rsquo; verbal abuse has been captain Pat Quinn, who two years ago was one of the most popular players&hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c4-01200/3545259-1-eng-US/c4-012.jpg" title="C4-01" width="550" height="702"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM LYSIAK&hellip; Shooting More</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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December 19, 1975

NAHL Leaders

Lou Levasseur… Johnstown Jets

WHA Team Rosters

RANGERS STRUGGLE FOR CONSISTENCY