North Star Hot Again Without Gimmicks

TWIN CITIES— Things were going so badly for Ernie Hicke earlier this season that the left winger of the Minnesota North Stars thought of trying some superstition. “Impossible, “declared trainer Doc Rose. “Erine Hicke is the least superstitious guy on the team…mainly because he never does the same thing twice. Never.” The trouble was that Hicke was not doing the thing (score goals) he was being paid to do, not once. How could he do it twice? Anyway, Hicke tried a few things to break out of a horrendous goal-scoring slump that started last season and stretched into his first 20 games this season. He even went his first 18 games without getting an assist. “I was talking to myself.” he admitted. “What was really getting me down was that l was getting good chances…

Cleveland’s Problems Felt In Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY– As the expression on the stock market goes, “trading was very active this week.” Well, two Central Hockey League teams were very active in their recent player movements. One of those teams, the Kansas City Blues, continues to undergo personnel changes but the Blues still remain a solid hockey club under the astute leadership of Barclay Plager. The other team undergoing player changes in large numbers was the Salt Lake City Golden Eagles who finally felt the effect of the financial difficulties that have plagued the parent Cleveland Barons in recent weeks. After several weeks of unrest, the Golden Eagles saw five key performers “throw in the towel” and quit the team in lieu of their release by Cleveland. Owner Art Teece of Salt Lake City had made an offer…

Hockey Has A Future In Phoenix, All That’s Needed Is Some Money

PHOENIX- The “good old days” were never as good as you remember them and Phoenix Roadrunner president Brian O’Neill says there never really were any for hockey in Phoenix. The best year the Roadrunners had of the seven they spent in the Western Hockey League resulted in a $350,000 loss. Add the losses in the WHL years and the $1 million and $1.7 million the first two years in the World Hockey Association and approximately another $1 million this season. The total is over $7 million poured into pro hockey’s operation in Phoenix. Yet, O’Neill believes there is a future for the game here. “The timing is right for somebody with dough and who would say. I’d give this thing another year or two."said O’Neill, “somebody willing to put the money into it that Karl Eller…

OHA Major League Team Scoring