The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

October 28, 1977

The Hockey News October 28, 1977

<div class="byline">BY GREG NOBLE</div>INDIANAPOLIS&mdash;While vendors at every arena and stadium insist that you can&rsquo;t tell the players without a program, the hawkers at Market Square Arena are not to be disbelieved.The Indianapolis Racers have taken on a completely different look from the team that advanced to the Eastern Division finals last year. The club has a new coach in Ron Ingram and more than a dozen new players.And that being the case, nobody knows quite what to expect of the Racers this season.Ingram, who had to rebuild the club in a month&rsquo;s time and then only got to look at the team in one exhibition game, was nevertheless optimistic.&ldquo;We have good goaltending. We have fairly strong defense, and I feel we definitely have more scoring punch than last year.&rdquo; said Ingram.Ingram has two new goaltenders in Gary Inness and Peter McDuffe to go along with Jim Park. The coach is especially high on Inness. who was the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; backup last season.&ldquo;I tried to get him for San Diego when I was there.&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question about him being a major league goaltender.&rdquo;Ingram traded Blair MacDonald, the Racers&rsquo; top goal scorer last year, but picked up Kevin Devine (30 goals), Lynn Powis (30). Rusty Patenaude (25) and Don Burgess (20) to go with Hugh Harris and Rosaire Paiement.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve only got three defensemen from last year&mdash;Darryl Maggs, Bryon Baltimore and Ken Block, but I think we&rsquo;ve added strength with Dave Fortier, Kevin Morrison and Barry Wilkins.&rdquo; said Ingram.Asked about Pat Stapleton. Ingram said he didn&rsquo;t know why the veteran defenseman didn&rsquo;t return to the club.&ldquo;You never get to talk to players anymore, only their lawyers,&rdquo; he said.Ingram said he released goaltender Michel Dion at Dion&rsquo;s request. &ldquo;His lawyer put a gun to my head and demanded I make him a free agent, and I agreed with him.&rdquo;For all their problems, short training camp and just one exhibition game, the Racers might not be blamed if they&rsquo;re slow coming out of the gate. Ingram agreed that he would have liked more time to get ready for the opener but said he didn&rsquo;t want to make alibis.&ldquo;We got the best players we could find in the time we had,&rdquo; said Ingram. &ldquo;I think we have a representative team&rdquo;BIRMINGHAM: While a court in Hartford, Conn., considered his petition to be allowed to play, Ken Linseman, a high-scoring but underage forward, had to watch the Bulls&rsquo; action from the stands.Linseman. a Kingston. Ont., junior star, signed a contract with the Bulls in the summer but the WHA, declaring it would not allow underage players, refused to approve the signing. Linseman then asked the court for an injunction to lift the league&rsquo;s ban.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04142/4048886-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="568" height="595"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEN LINSEMAN</figcaption></div>The Bulls used Linseman in their first two exhibition games, then agreed to sit him out while the court considered the case.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t realize the league didn&rsquo;t want him to play in exhibition games. We thought they only meant regular season games,&rdquo; team owner John Bassett said in explaining why the club at first allowed Linseman to play.&ldquo;When we found out, we sat him out of the games and now he only practices with the team. We re hopeful the judge will decide he can play.&rdquo;Hockey Canada reportedly threatened to refuse to sanction the WHA&rsquo;s schedule of international games in Canada this season if Linseman was allowed to play. But Bassett said Hockey Canada has no recourse if a court ruled that Linseman must be allowed to play.&ldquo;If a court in the U.S. says he can play and they blackmail us by interfering, they&rsquo;re opening themselves up to the biggest lawsuit you ever saw,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The judge may decide he can&rsquo;t play&mdash;then we&rsquo;d have to sit down with Ken and see if he wanted to play in the American League or what he wanted to do.&rdquo;The Bulls wound up their exhibition schedule with a 5-4 victory over Quebec and a 4-0 loss to St. Louis to finish with a 3-3 record. Tim Sheehy was the leading scorer in pre-season with two goals and three assists. Goaltender Wayne Wood had a 2-0 record.On the dark side, the Bulls were shut out three times.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05122/4048879-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="562" height="584"><figcaption class="caption-body">GARYINNESS&hellip;Sought By Ingram</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Racer Fans Will Need Scorecard; Bulls Await Linseman Court Case

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Bob Plager is missing from the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; roster for the first time.Until this season Plager was the only player who had been with the Blues continuously since their first game Oct. 11, 1067. For 10 full seasons during high spots and low spots Plager was on defense for the Blues.Now Plager has retired as a player. At age 34 he had played 626 games in the National Hockey League.&ldquo;Retiring is a tough thing to do,&rdquo; Plager said. &ldquo;I went to training camp this year to make the Blues, but if I had made the team, it wouldn&rsquo;t have been for long.&rdquo;Hockey players who have that consuming desire to compete also generally have a consuming desire to avoid retirement. Plager fails into that category. Retiring wasn&rsquo;t his idea, but it was an idea whose time had come. The Blues are stocked with young defensemen who were pressing Plager for his spot on the roster.Plager has accepted a job as a specialassignment scout for Blues. He will scout mostly other NHL teams, as well as some amateur players.&ldquo;Bob Plager and I go back a long way,&rdquo; said St. Louis general manager Emile Francis, who was Plager&rsquo;s coach on the Guelph Royals in junior hockey in 1961.&ldquo;I know retiring is difficult for him because he loved to play. He was in the NHL because of hard work.&rdquo;Francis said he is happy to have Plager in the Blues&rsquo; offices and added. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be learning the business from the bottom up.&rdquo;&ldquo;I always hoped I could do something like this when I retired,&rdquo; Plager said. I&rsquo;m just starting it a little earlier than I thought.&rdquo;Francis emphasized Plager&rsquo;s scouting job was not being created as a method of rewarding long service on the ice. In effect, Plager is taking the job vacated by Leo Boivin, who was a scout last year but this season is the Blues&rsquo; coach. Last season Francis was both coach and general manager.Plager may need some time to become accustomed to the scout&rsquo;s job. more sedate than Plager&rsquo;s methods of playing defense. But Plager promises to throw himself into the new job.&ldquo;The people of St. Louis have been great to me for so many years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Maybe I can do something else to bring St. Louis a winner&rdquo;Plager has been so closely identified with the Blues&rsquo; franchise over the last 10 years that at times he has symbolized the Blues. Adding to the Plager impact on the franchise was the fact that his brother. Barclay, now coach of the Blues&rsquo; farm club at Salt Lake City, for many years also played defense for the Blues. Bare&rsquo;s and Bob&rsquo;s younger brother, Billy, also wore the Blues&rsquo; uniform for parts of three seasons.Asked to name the highlights of his 10year playing career with the Blues, Bob Plager answered &ldquo;making the playoffs the first year,&rdquo; then added with a grin &ldquo;and getting my brothers on the team.&rdquo;Asked whether one game stayed in his memory from the 10 years, Plager said, &ldquo;The game in Philadelphia when we fought in the stands. We were a team after that&rdquo;That game in the 1971-72 season was one of the frolics of Plager&rsquo;s career. There also was the classic fight he had with John Ferguson of the Montreal Canadiens seven years ago. and there was the time he drew a suspension by emphasizing a point so vehemently to Andy Van Hellemond that the referee was pinned to the boards.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06236/4048034-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="566" height="729"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB PLAGER &hellip;Victimized By Youth</figcaption></div>Plager had a career of hip-checking and enforcing and winning and laughing. Plager always had time for a joke or a laugh but he was serious about his dedication to hockey. He even proposed to his wife at rinkside at the St. Louis Arena before a game by casually handing her a puck holding a diamond engagement ring in a slit cut by one of the trainers.As Plager looked toward his new job and perhaps beyond, he said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always be in the game of hockey.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Plager Stays On As ‘Special’ Scout

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01707/4048117-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="599" height="1621"></div> &#9632;

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Looking At NHL Goalers

<div class="byline">BY MIKE GAMBLE</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01263/4049317-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="565" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body">BEHN WILSON&hellip;Solid For Kingston</figcaption></div>PETERBOROUGH&mdash;After one month of play, balance is the byword throughout both divisions of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League.In the Leyden Division, Kingston Canadians are in last place but only four points back of first place Peterborough and Ottawa. And, the Canadians have two games in hand on Petes and three on the 67s.In the Emms Division, Niagara Falls Flyers are the only team with a losing record. Flyers are one and six leaving them four points back of Toronto Marlboros and Hamilton Fincups.Rookie coach and general manager Gary Green has his Pete&rsquo;s off and running. A protege of Maple Leaf coach Roger Neilson. Green believes nothing succeeds like hard work.So Green. 25, has his charges up at 6:30 a m. for endurance skating. &ldquo;Essentially, endurance skating means the guys skate their guts out for 40 minutes,&rdquo; Green said. On alternate mornings, the Petes run three miles instead of skating. Afternoons are devoted to a 90-minute practice of the Petes&rsquo; system. In addition, the players are doing weight training at Peterborough high schools.It&rsquo;s paying off. Petes are undefeated at home. Green plays down the fact his team is tied for first since it&rsquo;s so early in the season. But, he concedes that they&rsquo;re playing well.We were down 3-1 against Windsor going into the third period and scored three goals for the win, so the conditioning is definitely paying off.&rdquo; Green feels that what he must guard against is overtiredness. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t detected any signs of it yet. but, as soon as I do, I ll cut back.&rdquo; Green saidPart of Green s system is to shadow the opposition&rsquo;s big gun with center Mark Kirton. In an upset 5-3 win over London. Kirton was assigned to Steve Stockman and kept the Knights&rsquo; center off the scoresheet.Green sounds as excited about the league&rsquo;s balance as about his own team&rsquo;s lofty position&ldquo;Over the past couple of years, teams knew when Windsor and Niagara Falls came to town it was a sure two points, and so did the fans. But this year, we&rsquo;re no more certain about two points from then as beating Ottawa or London.&rdquo; Peterborough&rsquo;s attendance is averaging 2,300 but Green said the noise and enthusiasrrt sounds like 3,500 fans are there.KINGSTON: Punch Scherer, Canadians&rsquo; general manager, feels his team has been hampered by lack of games.&ldquo;We were pretty thin on early games anyway and then Hamilton had to cancel a game with us Oct. 2 because they couldn&rsquo;t use their building.&rdquo;Canadian are also hurting with injuries to top draft pick Brad Clements, and right wingers Joe Scherer and Kurt Degonne.But Canadians are receiving good goaltending from Jim Lockhurst and captain Tony McKegney and Mike Simurda are carrying the offensive load.Behn Wilson, formerly with Ottawa and Windsor, has been a good defensive addition for Kingston which has 11 rookies on the team. That&rsquo;s two more than they expected because of the departure of Ken Linseman to Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association and Brad Tamblyn to the University of Toronto.Linseman. 18, is still awaiting a United States court decision on whether he can play for the Bulls. If the court rules against him. he has indicated he will return to Canadians.LONDON: In the Emms Division, London has not run off with a big lead because of the surprising Spitfires. Windsor&rsquo;s 49 goals are tops in the league Knights&rsquo; goaltending has not been as good as most observers would have expected. Pat Riggin, who led the league last year with a 2.95 goals-against mark, has an average in excess of 4.00.Although Knights&rsquo; coach Bill Long favors four forward lines, opposing coaches have noticed he&rsquo;s reverting to three lines more frequently. Until some London rookies gain additional experience, that will probably remain the case.KITCHENER: Rangers&rsquo; stellar goaltending took a beating last week. After yielding just six goals in their first three games, Rangers were battered 8-3 by Petes and 9-6 by London.Kitchener coach Mac MacLean claims he has sound balance overall and a stronger team than the club which finished fourth last year. Rangers are strong defensively and MacLean said Mark Fisher has been excellent in goal.&ldquo;Last year, we relied on two guys (Red Laurence and Dwight Foster) to do all our scoring but this year it&rsquo;s being distributed among all three lines.&rdquo; MacLean is still searching for a left winger for the line of Rick Duguay and Tom McLeon. but seems set otherwise.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02201/4049310-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="577" height="600"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAT RIGGIN&hellip;Goaling Below Par</figcaption></div>TORONTO: The Marlies pulled off a two-game northern sweep, defeating Sault Greyhounds 8-5 and edging Sudbury Wolves 5-4. St. Louis Mo. native Stuart Birenbaum&rsquo;s goaltending was the deciding factor in both games. Birenbaum has been in goal for all three Toronto victories and he has yet to lose.After relying on center Gary Dillon for the offense in the first three games, Marlies&rsquo; rookies Stewart Gavin and Bennett Wolf scored their first goals against the Wolves.HAMILTON: The Fincups rebounded after a slow start with three victories last week and a 2-2 tie against London Niagara Falls are having difficulty in goal where Bob Froese has not played back to his last season form. In addition, forwards, Stan Adams and Mike Gartner are slow to get untracked. First draft pick Steve Peters received a 30-stitch gash in the back of his leg and is just returning to form. Coach Paul Emms has brought back overage center Guy Losier and inserted him between Peters and Gartner.SAULT STE. MARIE: Wayne Gretzky of Sault Ste. Marie leads all scorers with 10 goals and 16 assists. The midget-age sensation has had points in all seven games and twice has figured in all the team scoring. In a 6-1 home opener against Oshawa. Gretzky scored three goals and added three assists. The Hounds knocked off Ottawa 7-5 and Gretzky scored an empty net goal to clinch matters but assisted on the other six goals.He is one point ahead of Ottawa center Bob Smith. Windsor defenseman Joel Quenneville is third with 18 points. Spitfires&rsquo; left-winger George Kotsopoulos and Greyhounds&rsquo; Paul Mancini are tied with 17, one point ahead of Sault&rsquo;s Dan Lucas and Ottawa&rsquo;s Tim Higgins. Gretzky centers Mancini and Lucas. &#9632;

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Balance Highlight Of Early Races

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011002/4046538-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="570" height="793"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY HULL Six-Goal Start</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02907/4046531-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="597" height="407"></div><h2>THE NHL&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03680/4046524-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="592" height="714"></div><h2>THE WHA&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04470/4046517-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="600" height="323"></div><h2>OTHER LEAGUES&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05341/4046510-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="594" height="250"></div><h2>COLUMNISTS&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06244/4046503-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg" title="f0002-06" width="594" height="169"></div><h2>OTHER FEATURES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-07153/4046496-1-eng-US/f0002-072.jpg" title="f0002-07" width="608" height="166"></div> &#9632;

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WHERE YOU’LL FIND IT ALL INSIDE

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN</div>MONTREAL&mdash;The National Hockey League&rsquo;s equalization draft was an outright bust and unless the rules of the game are changed quickly, it may take 10 years for the league to realize any possibility of parity.At least that was the general feelings of many hockey people who viewed the 1977 draft as nothing more than a chance for teams to clean out their player lists.&ldquo;It was a waste of time and money,&rdquo; commented Munson Campbell of the Colorado Rockies. Alan Eagleson, the executive director of the NHL Players Association, said &ldquo;in order to have any real effect, the balance of power in the league&rsquo;s protected lists will have to be dropped, there&rsquo;s no question about that&rdquo; Eagleson admitted it has to be the first priority before another draft is held.Harry Sinden, the Bruins&rsquo; GM, agreed with Eagleson. &ldquo;The protected lists should be lessened to a number that will have benefits for the whole league.&rdquo; Sinden suggested 15 skaters and two goalers only should be protected. This year the NHL allowed 18 skaters, two goalers and three preferred minor leaguers with only two years pro experience under their belts.The &lsquo;77 draft yielded only three players. Detroit took center Paul Woods from Montreal, Rangers grabbed goaler Wayne Thomas from Toronto and Washington relieved the Bruins of left winger Dave Forbes.Eagleson was emphatic about one thing. The power clubs in the NHL should stop hiding players. He singled out Peter Lee of the Montreal Canadiens, who is starting his second season in the AHL with Nova Scotia. Lee was not eligible for the recent draft and Eagleson doesn&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s right. &ldquo;The league won&rsquo;t reach its competitive parity unless players like Peter Lee are made available in that draft,&rdquo; he added. Lee was Canada&rsquo;s top junior player in 1976 but has been unable to crack the Canadiens&rsquo; star-studed lineup.Eagleson said the players consented to a waiver draft as a way to improve the brand of hockey in the NHL. Eagleson said he didn&rsquo;t agree with the size of the protected lists. New NHL president John Ziegler, on the other hand, thought they were all right. Ziegler said one of the big reasons only three players were taken was the big salaries many of the unprotected players were carrying. &ldquo;It scared them off,&rdquo; said the president.Ziegler said the NHL was not disheartened by the result of the first draft in four years. He said it is the plan of the league to continue it and he said the NHL looked upon it as a five-year plan.&ldquo;One of the ironies of the draft was the fact three of the six teams that missed the NHL playoffs last spring, passed completely on the players that were available. The draft was intended for just such clubs but the event passed into the books with relatively no action on the part of the league&rsquo;s have not clubs. Ziegler admitted that much of the pre-draft time was spent sifting through salaries of draftable players.For some NHL teams, like the Toronto Leafs, the draft created problems that the club didn&rsquo;t relish. Leafs&rsquo; GM Jim Gregory was stuck with a slew of veterans and no place to put them when they didn&rsquo;t go in the draft. The Leafs left goalie Thomas, Claire Alexander, Mike Pelyk, Scott Garland, Greg Hubick, Stan Weir. Pierre Hamel, Gary MacFayden and Bob Warner all unprotected. Only Thomas was taken.Many NHL teams who left players open for the draft, merely put them back on their roster and they started the season. One direct casualty was left winger Dennis Hull, who retired after 13 NHL seasons when the Hawks left him off their protected list. Pit Martin was another Hawk who was draftable as was Terry Harper of Detroit, and many more. Both players started the 1977-78 season at their regular spot.Out of the 65 players who were left unprotected for the draft, only a dozen remained with their NHL teams. The rest were assigned to minor league clubs or were declared free agents.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-0883/4046576-1-eng-US/f0002-082.jpg" title="f0002-08" width="514" height="588"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALAN EAGLESON&hellip;Stop Hiding Players</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-0953/4046569-1-eng-US/f0002-092.jpg" title="f0002-09" width="513" height="501"><figcaption class="caption-body">PETER LEE&hellip;Should Be In NHL</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0002-08

Teams Want Less Players Protected

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-10" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-1031/4046607-1-eng-US/f0002-102.jpg"></div><h2>Baldwin Enthusiastic As WHA Convincing</h2>HARTFORD&mdash;&ldquo;The World Hockey Association is capable of playing hockey at any level in the world. In the past we have said it. Now again, we have proven it.&rdquo;So claimed WHA president Howard Baldwin while looking at his league&rsquo;s impressive 13 win, six loss, two tie preseason record against National Hockey League opponents.Commented Baldwin on the significance of the exhibition victories, &ldquo;We have pledged to our fans that we would give them an exciting, entertaining brand of hockey, second to none in the world. Our success against the NHL is hard evidence that we can deliver on that promise.&rdquo;The record shows that of the thirteen WHA wins, seven were scored against teams that qualified for last spring&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs, including a 9-0 pounding by New England Whalers of Pittsburgh Penguins, and successive 6-2 and 3-0 pastings by Winnipeg Jets of Smythe Division champion St. Louis Blues.<h2>Lafleur Streak Ended By Boston&rsquo;s Bruins</h2>BOSTON&mdash;The Boston Bruins may have been shutout 2-0 by the Montreal Canadiens Sunday evening but they ended Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s consecutive games scoring streak at 30 by keeping the talented rightwinger off the scoresheet.Lafleur had scored at least one point in the last 28 games of the 1976-77 campaign and had two-goal games to open this season against both the Minnesota North Stars and the New York Rangers.It was the first time the defending NHL scoring champion had been held without a point since Jan. 29, 1977 when he failed to score against the Buffalo Sabres. Lafleur broke Bronco Horvath&rsquo;s previous record of 22 straight games.<h2>Doctors Amputate Gilbertson&rsquo;s Leg</h2>PITTSBURGH&mdash;The major league playing career of left winger Stan Gilbertson came to a tragic end for the 33-year-old member of the Pittsburgh Penguins when doctors were forced to amputate his mangled leg after he was severely injured in a road mishap at the close of training camp.Gilbertson was driving to Rostaver, Pa., to pick up a pair of skates he had left behind when the Penguins broke camp. He was driving a four-wheel jeep that overturned on a dangerous curve outside Pittsburgh injuring Gilbertson badly. He was admitted to hospital in fair condition but doctors were unable to save his left leg during an emergency operation. Gilbertson, a native of Duluth, Minn., also played with Washington Capitals and the Penguins last season.<h2>NHL Rookie Crop Finds Range Quickly</h2>MONTREAL&mdash;This year&rsquo;s crop of rookies was billed as one of the better groups to enter the NHL in years and they showed why in the first week of play, wasting little time getting into the swing of things.No less than four number one draft choices scored goals in the first week of regular season play, including Dwight Foster of the Boston Bruins, who scored in his first NHL game.Also scoring in week one were Dale McCourt of the Detroit Red Wings, who scored in his second NHL contest, and Jere Gillis of Vancouver Canucks and Barry Beck of the Colorado Rockies, who each scored in their third NHL game.In addition, Pierre Mondou, the Canadiens&rsquo; second choice in the 1975 draft and 15th player selected overall, scored in his first regular season NHL game on opening night against Minnesota.<h2>Nine New Captains Start &lsquo;77-78 Season</h2>MONTREAL&mdash;There are nine new coaches in the National Hockey League and nine new captains have also been named to start the 1977-78 season.Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres were the last two teams to designate captains as they announced their choices just before the start of the regular season, with Jean Pronovost succeeding Ron Schock in Pittsburgh and Danny Gare named to replace Jim Schoenfeld of the Sabres. Boston&rsquo;s Wayne Cashman who wore the &ldquo;C&rdquo; last year when former captain Johnny Bucyk was injured, kept the captaincy when Bucyk returned for the playoffs.Other new captains this year are Tom Lysiak, Atlanta, Wilf Paiement, Colorado; Dan Maloney, Detroit, Nick Beverley, Minnesota; Red Berenson (for the third time) St. Louis; and Don Lever, Vancouver. &#9632;

f0002-10

DEADLINE STOPPERS

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;More scoring balance, a stronger defense and renewed spirit seem to be the pluses the Buffalo Sabres will take into the 1977-78 National Hockey League battle to wrest the Adams Division title from the Boston Bruins.System is the key word in hockey these days and Marcel Pronovost, the new coach of the Sabres, has instilled one in his charges that they seem to appreciate and expect to make them a better team.Pronovost. defense star of the Detroit Red Wings in their glory days, spent training camp teaching his players to coordinate their positions with each other and to cover for each other when mistakes are made.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take time,&rdquo; said the new coach, as camp came to a close, &ldquo;but I feel good about things.&ldquo;The guys are beginning to cover for each other and they are talking to each other on the ice. They seem to like what they are doing.&rdquo;Indeed they do. Most of the players said they think this is the best training camp they have worked in and they are eager to get into the season.This has been said before, of course, and the test will come as the long, gruelling campaign goes on.Pronovost, who has been working with juniors the last two years&mdash;with Hull in the Quebec Major A Junior League&mdash;spent a good deal of time on instruction in camp. He, like Philadelphia&rsquo;s Fred Shero. is an admirer of the European style of hockey and he has tried to adapt it to his club&rsquo;s personnel.He also is a believer in tests, of hockey skills and all-around athletic ability, and sent all his charges through many of them during camp.The new coach has reconnected the French Connection, with Gil Perreault centering for Rick Martin and Rene Robert. This line was broken up for much of last season after totalling 128 goals and 131 the two years before.While all three have said they don&rsquo;t care who they play with, they seemed to be happy to be back together.&ldquo;We had some good seasons together,&rdquo; Perreault mentioned, &ldquo;and I don&rsquo;t see why we can&rsquo;t do it the same way. We have good balance on our hockey team. Some games the other team will be able to stop our line but other lines can score. When they don&rsquo;t, we can.&rdquo;Much depends on whether Danny Gare&rsquo;s back holds up. Danny played only 35 games last season and his goal production dropped from 50 to 11. If Danny stays in good shape&mdash;and he looked good in exhibition games&mdash;the Don Luce-Craig Ramsay-Gare line is a scoring threat as well as a fine checking line.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011009/4046652-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="822" height="1805"><figcaption class="caption-body">New Sabres&rsquo; coach Marcel Pronovost, right, has introduced changes to the Buffalo hockey club and one of his first moves was to put the French Connection back together again. That means Richard Martin, left, and Gilbert Perreault, above, will be linemates again along with Rene Robert. They were once the NHL&rsquo;s hottest scoring line. (Photos by Robert Shaver)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02866/4046645-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="828" height="1802"></div>Andre Savard, who fell into a miserable scoring slump in the latter half of last season, appears to have found the scoring range again. He will center the third line.As the season opened. Pronovost had not decided upon Savard&rsquo;s wingmen. Terry Martin, Gary McAdam and Jacques Richard, all of whom have played regularly in the past at one time or another, were vying for the left wing job.Veteran Jim Lorentz, No. 1 draft choice Ric Seiling, a 50-goal scorer for St. Catharines last season, and Alex Tidey, up from Hershey of the American League, were battling for the right wing spot.Six defensemen from last year are back and all looked good in exhibition action. Huge Jerry Korab, playing without the helmet he started wearing late in the 1976-77 season when he suffered a severe nose injury. Was bumping with his old authority.I&rsquo;ve learned a lot about playing defense from Marcel,&rdquo; said the big guy they call King Kong. &ldquo;He teaches all aspects of the game. Everything is coordinated. I&rsquo;m looking forward to this season.&rdquo;The emergence of Don Edwards as a goaltender of NHL caliber when he took over last season after Gerry Desjardins&rsquo; eye injury, helps considerably in the nets.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03582/4046638-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="516" height="1733"></div>Edwards looked in exhibition games as though he was ready to continue the netminding that earned him a 16-7-2 won-lost-tied record and a 2.51 goals-against average in the 25 games he played for Buffalo last season.Desjardins, who had two eye operations during the summer, worked himself into shape slowly during camp but looked sharp at the end. Young Bob Sauve did good work in the exhibitions and Pronovost planned to carry him along with the other two. &#9632;

f0003-01

Sabres Pin Hopes On Pronovost System

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011060/4046711-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="475" height="469"></div>&bull; NEW YORK&mdash;RANGERS won their opening game of the new season in convincing fashion over the Vancouver Canucks, 6-3. The Rangers excelled in the art of forechecking and Jean-Guy Talbot, the new Ranger coach, is convinced that the Rangers must do this if they are to make the playoffs&hellip;Neither Cesare Maniago in the Vancouver goal nor John Davidson in the Ranger nets played like major league goalies. Both netminders looked very ordinary&hellip;The Vancouver defense was horrendous and Jake Milford will have to strengthen this area as fast as possible if the Canucks are to make a good showing this season&hellip;Talbot coaches the Rangers attired in a sweat suit, which is a first for NHL coaches. He says he does this because he sweats a lot and feels more comfortable this way&hellip;There were a number of empty seats at the opener but this was probably due to the World Series&hellip;With the Rangers ahead. 2-0, after only eight minutes of the new season, some wag yelled: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re No. l&rdquo;&hellip;Phil Esposito, by far the best man on the ice, picked up one goal and three assists. His three assists gave him a 740 lifetime record and moved him into fifth place ahead of Norm Ullman&hellip;The crowd chanted: &ldquo;We Want Nick! We Want Nick!&rdquo; throughout the closing minutes of the opener and it&rsquo;s too bad that Talbot didn&rsquo;t play the popular Nick Fotiu. the only New York-born player to ever play for the Rangers. He stayed on the bench throughout the game&hellip;The smiling red-head who does such an excellent job as the Rangers&rsquo; pressbox attendant is Peter Wall&hellip; Bernie Pascal telecast the entire game back to Vancouver. Pascal, who is one of Canada&rsquo;s best all-around announcers, will telecast 16 Wednesday night games of the Canucks over the CTV network in British Columbia and Alberta&hellip;Attending the opener together were Johnny Gagnon former NHL star and a longtime New York scout and Frank Paice, who recently retired as Ranger trainer after 30 years.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021015/4046704-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="300" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nick Fotiu</figcaption></div>&bull; HARRY SINDEN, general manager of the Boston Bruins, recently said this about the World Hockey Association: &ldquo;I hate the WHA. I hate the (New England) Whalers and I wouldn&rsquo;t have played them except they offered us the money and it&rsquo;s a payday for us.&rdquo;&hellip;New York Islanders&rsquo; veteran Eddie Westfall threatened to walk out of the club&rsquo;s training camp when his ice-time was cut, however peace was restored when the Islanders explained that he&rsquo;s needed as a penalty-killer and face-off specialist. It&rsquo;s doubtful whether he&rsquo;ll get a starting assignment though&hellip;Ralph Backstrom, who makes his home in Parker, a suburb east of Denver, has joined the staff of the University of Denver hockey squad. He&rsquo;ll serve as assistant to head coach Marshall Johnston who succeeded the retired Murray Armstrong&hellip;The Philadelphia Flyers will be wearing small patches with the number four on their shoulders as part of their tribute to defenseman Barry Ashbee who died last year from leukemia&hellip;Andre Peloffy, the American Hockey League scoring champion last year will be back with the league for another go-round after failing to crack the line-up of the New England Whalers. Peloffy will be playing with the Springfield Indians<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03910/4046697-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="295" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body">Harry Sinden</figcaption></div>&bull; JACK LYNCH, Washington Capitals&rsquo; defenseman was disappointed not to play the night the Caps faced the New England Whalers in Hartford. Said the rearguard: &ldquo;Here was my one chance to play in a game against Gordie Howe and I didn&rsquo;t suit up&rdquo; &hellip;It looks like Swedish import goalie Goran Hogosta will need a little more seasoning before he&rsquo;s ready for the NHL. That quashes trade rumors involving either Billy Smith or Chico Resch which have circulated&hellip;Kevin McCarthy, the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; No. 1 draft choice impressed the club with his skating, playmaking and hockey instincts. He also played well defensively, the one area where he was considered weak forcing the Flyers to add him to their defense corps&hellip;Toby Wilson, the trainer of the Colorado Rockies, has been attending to professional hockey players in the Denver area since the 1970-71 season when he worked for the Denver Spurs of the Western League. He began his work in pro hockey back in 1965 with the Houston Apollos&hellip;The fastball team of the Montreal Canadiens helped to raise $35,000 for amateur sports in Quebec this summer by playing a dozen exhibition games&hellip;There are nine new captains in the NHL this year, including Tom Lysiak. Atlanta, Wayne Cashman, Boston; Danny Gare Buffalo Wilf Paiement. Colorado; Dan Maloney, Detroit; Nick Beverley, Minnesota; Jean Pronovost, Pittsburgh; Red Berenson, St. Louis; St. Louis, and Don Lever, Vancouver Canucks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04808/4046690-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="297" height="457"><figcaption class="caption-body">Toby Wilson</figcaption></div>&bull; IT&rsquo;S A GOOD THING Gary Dornhoefer is popular with Philadelphia fans. The veteran Flyer right winger revealed during the National League baseball playoffs that he has been a Dodgers&rsquo; fan since he was a child and he was rooting for the Dodgers against the Phillies&hellip;KLZ Radio (560) in Denver will air the Rockies&rsquo; games for the second straight year, with the very able Joe Starkey again calling the play-by-play. This is Joe&rsquo;s sixth season as an NHL broadcaster. He is also the &ldquo;Voice&rdquo; of the Minnesota Vickings&hellip;Canadiens&rsquo; Pete Mahovlich is on the block but nobody seems to want him&hellip;New York Rangers pleased at getting Wayne Thomas from Toronto&hellip;More and more NHL teams are going with four forward lines this year&hellip;Derek Sanderson has probably played his last game in the NHL&hellip;New York Islanders figure if they can stay close to Philadelphia during the first month of the season they&rsquo;ll do well this year&hellip;Minnesota north Stars look for big things from their two Swedish rookies, Per-Olav Brassar and Kent-Erik Andersson, both stars of the Swedish National Team that won the world championship in Vienna last May. They will be playing on the wings with Glenn Sharpley, one of the Stars&rsquo; most promising young players at center&hellip;Brassar was easily noted in past world championships because he wore red skates. This year he&rsquo;s painted the red ones black&hellip;Philadelphia Flyers have retired the No. 4 sweater worn by the late Barry Ashbee. &ldquo;Barry Ashbee meant more to the Flyers than anyone realized. He epitomized what the Flyers are all about,&rdquo; said Ed Snider, the Flyers board chairman.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05669/4046683-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="283" height="397"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Sharpley</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

HOUSTON&mdash;One of the worst things which an athlete can do is to stay in his game past his time, and that&rsquo;s exactly what some of Gordie Howe&rsquo;s former teammates with the Houston Aeros feel he is doing as he entered his 30th season of professional hockey at the age of 49 with his new team, the New England Whalers.&ldquo;I think Gordie is ruining his image as a great hockey player,&rdquo; said Houston Aeros&rsquo; winger Terry Ruskowski, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d wish he would retire. To call Gordie a super star is to degrade him. He is more than that. He made this league and without him I&rsquo;m sure that I wouldn&rsquo;t be here talking,&rdquo; added Ruskowski.Ruskowski says that during Howe&rsquo;s days with Houston that he served as many things to many people. He was a father-figure for many players, not just his sons, Mark, 22, and Marty, 23, who played out their options last season and also moved to the Whalers. Howe was a practical joker, a fun-loving guy and most of all&mdash;a nice person who was held in reverence by all of the Aeros.However, the elder Howe did not score a goal in any of the Whalers&rsquo; pre-season games and though he did assist on two goals in the Whalers&rsquo; 3-0 season opening confrontation with Houston, many of the players in the WHA feel that he is lessening his stature by remaining in the game when it and the younger players in the league are passing him by.Wayne Rutledge, goaltender for the Aeros, sees a change in the opposition&rsquo;s attitude toward Howe.&ldquo;When he first came into the league, the younger players didn&rsquo;t mess with him much. They left him pretty much alone. Now, however,&rdquo; says Rutledge, &ldquo;you see them taking him into the corners pretty rough, and then they just skate away. That means that Gordie has to go after them on 50-year-old legs and at that age it isn&rsquo;t as easy to catch anyone.&rdquo;Considered a living and playing legend with goal-scoring and assist records which will more than likely never be broken, Gordie now holds a kind of dread for many opposition players who don&rsquo;t want to do anything to tarnish the Howe image in front of his adoring fans, whose legions stretch all the way from Detroit, where he started his professional career in the 1940&rsquo;s to Houston his first stop in the World Hockey Association to New England, where he now takes a regular shift on the club&rsquo;s second line between son Mark and Tom Webster. Webster, among the older portion of the Whalers at 29 is some 20 years younger than Howe.What would happen if he went into the corner with Gordie Howe and he dropped his gloves for a fight, Ruskowski was asked. His reply: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one thing I&rsquo;d never do. To do that is too low. You can&rsquo;t imagine how low that would be. Even if he knocked me down. I just couldn&rsquo;t hit him back.&rdquo;Ruskowski conceded, though, that hitting the Howe sons would be a different story, &ldquo;They&rsquo;re young and agile so I wouldn&rsquo;t hesitate a minute.&rdquo; said the Houston player.What the situation comes down to is this: an aging super star, a living legend playing out the string while his adversaries skate out of the way or take cheap shots in trying to build a reputation. Gordie Howe has realized his ambition to play professional hockey with his sons, but now he can&rsquo;t seem to get hockey out of his system.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06399/4046742-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="533" height="770"><figcaption class="caption-body">GORDIE HOWE &hellip;Starts 30th Year</figcaption></div>The Hockey NewsOFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLYFOUNDED 1947VOLUME 31 NUMBER 4OCTOBER 28, 1977Kenneth W, McKenzie&nbsp;President and PublisherTom Murray&nbsp;Assistant PublisherCharlie Halpin&nbsp;Editorial DirectorPat Beale&nbsp;Advertising CoordinatorAdvertising Representatives:Toronto:Graham Campbell11 Lotus Court Toronto, Ont, M2H 1J6 (416) 492-9191MontrealPat Beale1434 St. Catherine Street West. Suite 217 Montreat. Can. &bull; H3G 1R7 (514) 866-4841New York:Tom Murray150 East 58th StreetNew York. N.Y. 10022 &bull; (212) 593-2100Chicago:Hooper & Jones Associates3322 W. Peterson AvenueChicago, III. 60659 &bull; (312) 478-5544Published weekly except monthly June through September by W. C. C. Publishing Ltd., 1434 St. Catherine Street West, Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7 &bull; (514) 8664841. U.S.: c/o W. C. C. Publishing Corp., 150 E, 58th Street, New York, N.Y, 10022, (212) 593-2100.YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $11.95 In Canada, $12.95 In the U.S.A, and $17.25 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;

f0004-06

Ex-Houston Mates Think ‘Mr. Hockey’ Tarnishing Image

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;One of the many encouraging developments in the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; tune up season was the emergence of the Mel Bridgeman-Barry Dean-Paul Holmgren line.Coach Fred Shero matched them opening day of training camp. By the end of a 4-3-3 exhibition schedule. Shero was calling the Bridgman line the Flyers&rsquo; most effective.The rugged Holmgren was the club&rsquo;s leading pre-season goal scorer, with seven. Dean, acquired from Colorado during the summer, compiled 3-5-8 scoring figures and, like Holmgren, worked with familiar Flyers&rsquo; fury in the corners.While Flyers&rsquo; officials were closely watching Dean for proof he can help the club on a regular basis, Bridgman was also attracting scrutiny. This is a critical season for the 1975 amateur draft&rsquo;s No. 1 selection.His first two NHL seasons haven&rsquo;t exactly been disappointments. Filling in for injured Rick MacLeish in mid-season of his rookie year, Bridgman compiled impressive 23-27-50 statistics. Last year, however, the six-foot. 185-pound Victoria, B.C., product was inconsistent&mdash;and injured. Bridgman&rsquo;s 19-38-57 scoring read-out was far from shabby, but prior to a late-season thigh injury there was grumbling that he should start playing like a No. 1 draft pick.No one expects Bridgman to imitate other No. l&rsquo;s such as Guy Lafleur or Gil Perreault. What the Flyers want is a bigger, more rugged version of Gregg Sheppard: decent scoring, slick playmaking, good checking.&ldquo;Mel just has to be himself and start producing like the credentials he came here with.&rdquo; said Terry Crisp, the Flyers&rsquo; new assistant coach in charge of forwards&rsquo; progress. &ldquo;He can be a good, solid two-way hockey player. He doesn&rsquo;t have to score a bundle of goals.&ldquo;If I had to mention someone he should play like, it would be Roscoe (Ross Lonsberry). Mel just has to be a little more aggressive at the right time.&rdquo;Bridgman realizes the Flyers are expecting more from him this season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to have one good, whole season,&rdquo; said the young man who spent part of his summer taking a math course at Villanova University. &ldquo;Last year I had a good first half, then went downhill. My rookie year, I didn&rsquo;t play much until Ricky got hurt. We have so many good players here now that if I don&rsquo;t start producing. I won&rsquo;t play.&rdquo;This season Bridgman will play where he belongs, at center. Attempting to benefit from the talents of Bridgman and Orest Kindrachuk, Shero last season installed Bridgman at left wing on a line with Kindrachuk at center and Don Saleski at right wing. By mid-season it was clear Bridgman wasn&rsquo;t comfortable on the wing.As the new season begins, Shero insists Bridgman&rsquo;s second NHL tour wasn&rsquo;t wasted.&ldquo;He learned a lot on the wing that should make him a better center,&rdquo; said Shero. &ldquo;Now he knows what the wingers need&mdash;when they like to get the puck. His big asset is his toughness. He&rsquo;s got to use it consistently If he plays the way he&rsquo;s supposed to, what a hockey player he can be.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01919/4046804-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="906" height="1428"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Flyers have a new forward line going, the result of some outstanding hockey in training camp. Mel Bridgman, left, and Paul Holmgren, right, form two-thirds of the unit along with newcomer Barry Dean. Coach Fred Shero is so enthused he plans to start the season with the three playing together. (Photo by Steve Babineau)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02731/4046797-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="900" height="1422"></div>At 22 Bridgman seems to have the maturity required to produce up to Flyers&rsquo; standards. Whenever he feels too frisky, Flyers&rsquo; veterans remind him they won two Stanley Cups while he was playing for Victoria in the Western Canada League.Bridgman wants to be a vital part of the Flyers&rsquo; comeback climb. If he produces, the climb will be much easier.FLYERS&rsquo; FACTS: Exhibition game with Boston at the Spectrum ran up 311 penalty minutes. The night&rsquo;s antics included a stick-swinging battle between Boston&rsquo;s Wayne Cashman and, of all people. Jimmy Watson. Paul Holmgren and Cashman later squared off near the Boston dressing room. Bruins accused Holmgren of kicking Cashman, Holmgren accused the Bruins&rsquo; captain of threatening him with a stick. Cashman, Holmgren and Watson each received match penalties. Later, both benches emptied. When peace was restored following at least six separate fights, Wally Harris assessed a world-record 15-game misconducts (eight to Flyers, seven to Boston). Flyers had nine skaters to finish the remaining 32 minutes, Bruins had only eight, then lost Bobby Schmautz with a knee injury&hellip;With Bridgman and Bob Kelly serving automatic one-game suspension for leading charges off the bench during exhibition games, Flyers kept several extra players (Dave Hoyda, Al Hill) for the first few games. &#9632;

f0005-01

Shero Raves Over Exhibition Play As Bridgman, Dean, Holmgren Click

Following are the latest player movements in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>ATLANTA&mdash;Miles Zaharko, D, recalled from Tulsa of CHL. Greg Fox, D, assigned to Nova Scotia of AHL. Pierre Roy, D, offered contract with Nova Scotia. Roy is free agent. Bob Simpson, LW, sent to Tulsa.BOSTON&mdash;Darryl Edestrand, D, Ray Maluta, D, Earl Anderson, RW, and Sean Shanahan, C, assigned to Rochester of AHL.BUFFALO&mdash;Ken Breitenbach, D, placed on disabled list for possibly rest of season after suffering broken leg.CHICAGO&mdash;Dennis Hull, LW, placed on waivers for purpose of granting him voluntary retirement. Ted Bulley, LW, recalled from Dallas of CHL. Mike O&rsquo;Connell, D, assigned to Dallas.CLEVELAND&mdash;John Baby, D, and Daniel Chicoine, RW, assigned to Phoenix of CHL. Jim McCabe, RW, and Paul Tantardini, RW, assigned to Toledo of IHL.COLORADO&mdash;Terry McDonald, D, and Roger Lemelin, D, assigned to Phoenix of CHL.DETROIT&mdash;Jim Nahrgang, D, and Dave Kelly, RW, assigned to Kansas City of CHL.LOS ANGELES&mdash;Sheldon Kannegiesser, Per Karlsson and Steve Short, all defensemen, assigned to Springfield of AHL. Mario Lessard, G, Brian Petrovek, G, Lindsay Thomson, Dave Miglia and Jim Witherspoon, all defensemen, Paul Evans, Warren Holmes, Dan Bonar, Tom Goddard, Mike Flynn and Randy Rudynyk, all forwards, assigned to Springfield. It was erroneously reported they had been assigned to Fort Worth of the CHL.MINNESOTA&mdash;Ron Zanussi, RW, and Tom Youghans, RW, assigned to Fort Worth of CHL. Kevin McCloskey, D, and Jamie Gallimore, RW, assigned to Fort Wayne of IHL.MONTREAL&mdash;Maurice Barrette, G, returned to Nova Scotia of AHL.N.Y. ISLANDERS&mdash;Joey Girardin, D, Brad Anderson, Mike Sleep, Ed Pizunski and Neil Hawryliw, all forwards, assigned to Rochester of AHL.N.Y. RANGERS&mdash;Lindsay Middlebrook, G, signed to pro contract and sent to New Haven of AHL. Mario Marois, D, Mike Keating, LW, and Ed Johnstone, RW, assigned to New Haven.PITTSBURGH&mdash;Hartland Monahan, RW, purchased from Washington in exchange for Penguins&rsquo; No. 1 draft pick in 1979. Al Hillier, C, Kim Davis, C, and Stu Younger, LW, assigned to Dayton of IHL.ST. LOUIS&mdash;Chuck Lefley, RW, announced retirement from hockey. Jamie Masters, D, assigned to Salt Lake of CHL.TORONTO&mdash;Mike Pelyk, D, and Stan Weir, C, assigned to Tulsa of CHL. Bob Warner, D, and Greg Hubick, RW, assigned to Dallas of CHL. Jim Jones, RW, signed to NHL contract. Scott Garland, RW, placed on disabled list with broken collarbone.<h2>WORLD HOCKEY ASSN.</h2>BIRMINGHAM&mdash;Eddie Mio, G, Terry Ball, D, Tim Jacobs, D, Steve Alley, Danny Arndt, Cary Farelli, Gord Gallant and Peter Laframboise, all forwards, sent to Hampton of AHL.CINCINNATI&mdash;Gene Sobchuk, Lloyd Lahache and Bill Gilligan, forwards, sent to Hampton of AHL.EDMONTON&mdash;Peter Donnely, G, and Greg Boddy, D, released.NEW ENGLAND&mdash;Cap Raeder, G, returned by Springfield of AHL, reassigned to Philadelphia. Bryan Maxwell, D, returned by Springfield, reassigned to Binghamton of AHL. Jim Mayer, RW, assigned to Springfield.QUEBEC&mdash;Jim Corsi, G, signed to two-year contract. Richard Sevigny, G, Jean Gagnon, D, Pierre Lagace and Alain Cote, forwards, dropped from roster.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>MAINE&mdash;Peter Peeters and Yves Guillemette, goalers, Danny Nelson and Peter MacKenzie, defensemen, Clint Eccles, RW, and Dan Kennedy, RW, all assigned to Milwaukee of IHL.<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>TOLEDO&mdash;Larry Gould and Dan O&rsquo;Driscoll, forwards, traded to Port Huron in exchange for Len Fontaine, forward. Fontaine will also be asst, coach with Goaldiggers. &#9632;

Hockey Players On The Move

<div class="byline">&#x2014; BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011091/4046835-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="349" height="469"></div><h2>Running Out Of Challenges</h2>NEWS: Sam Pollock, general manager in charge of future considerations. is cleaning up his desk at the Montreal Forum.VIEWS: Just after trading a rowboat for a battleship one day last year, &lsquo;The Godfather&rsquo; mentioned casually that he soon would be shedding the day-to-day responsibilities of running Les Canadiens. He has nothing to prove anymore. He&rsquo;s the shrewdest front office executive in sports, and the conglomerate which owns the Canadiens&mdash;and may want to sell them&mdash;is apparently offering Pollock a new venue for his talents. One thing&rsquo;s for sure: when Sammy leaves his hockey desk for good, it will be in good order. All sorts of IOU&rsquo;s in those drawers.NEWS: National Hockey League rejects merger with World Hockey Association. Or consolidation or amalgamation or whatever you want to call it.VIEWS: After courting all summer, these two parties split. The WHA says it was all a charade, that the NHL led it down the garden path. &ldquo;If I were the WHA, I&rsquo;d be insulted,&rdquo; said Alan Eagleson, most powerful man on the ice. What also happened is that the NHL took a glance at the financial statements of WHA clubs and blanched. Why throw a life saver when the end is near? &ldquo;We wound up knowing more about the WHA teams&rsquo; status than other WHA teams did about their own partners,&rdquo; said one NHL brassy type. &ldquo;And what we found out was not good.&rdquo;NEWS: Derek Sanderson shipped to the minor leagues by the Vancouver Canucks.VIEWS: To think of all the players making so much out of so little talent these days. And, then, to think of a Derek Sanderson making so little out of so much.<h2>No Boobs On The Tube</h2>NEWS: NHL plans Monday night Game of the Week series again on United States television.VIEWS: The first year was not bad, but it lacked polish. This year, let&rsquo;s hope that when Guy Lafleur starts talking about his child, the announcer doesn&rsquo;t congratulate &lsquo;The Flower&rsquo; on his continuing bachelorhood. And let&rsquo;s hope that since John Ziegler has been in office three months, that he isn&rsquo;t asked how he&rsquo;s enjoyed the last three years as NHL president. And let&rsquo;s hope that if Bobby Orr is asked to be color commentator on a game from Boston, that nobody will try to keep him out of the building.NEWS: For the second straight season, no Black Hawks&rsquo; games are scheduled for TV in Chicago.VIEWS: At times, that is considered the best news for the eyes since Murine. But in the nation&rsquo;s second largest market, such a blackout is incredible, is it not? You don&rsquo;t suppose there&rsquo;s a lack of promotion in Chicago, do you?NEWS: Al MacNeil refuses four-year, $400,000 pact to coach the Buffalo Sabres.VIEWS: It&rsquo;s fairly evident now that, despite several efforts to lure MacNeil away from the Montreal organization, that his future is there, and it will be a good future. A half dozen clubs have expressed genuine interest in MacNeil within the last year, and he hasn&rsquo;t moved yet.<h2>More Abuse For Officials</h2>NEWS: Officials in the NHL start wearing names on the backs of their jerseys.VIEWS: Bad idea. These guys take enough abuse. If Sheldon Kannegiesser or Pekka Rautakallio would only become refs, that would kill it.NEWS: NHL institutes new draft to take from the rich and give to the poor.VIEWS: The concept has merit, but any team which thinks that this will be the beginning of the end of Montreal&rsquo;s mastery is sniffing glue. If protected lists were limited to three players, Les Canadiens still would have the best three because their organization is matchless. They have worked for what they&rsquo;ve received as have some newer clubs&mdash;Philadelphia, New York Islanders&mdash;which have outworked, the establishment.NEWS: George Plimpton tries out as goalie for the Boston Bruins.VIEWS:Oh! &#9632;

f0006-01

HOCKEY TALK

<div class="byline">BY LARRY BORTSTEIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02837/4046866-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAUL GARDNER&hellip;Felt He Deserved Better Deal (Photo by Bruce Bennet)</figcaption></div>DENVER&mdash;Willi Plett. Don Murdoch. Roland Eriksson. Mike Palmateer. Glen Sharpley.All five of these players finished ahead of Paul Gardner in the Calder Trophy balloting last season, and even after a lapse of several months, the temptation to wonder at and question the voting is strong.Gardner scored 30 goals and 29 assists in 60 games as a fledgling pro with the Colorado Rockies. Only Plett and Murdoch scored more goals among first-year men, and only Eriksson scored more points among NHL rookies, 69 in a full 80-game schedule.&ldquo;Every now and then it still bothers me,&rdquo; Gardner, the 21-year-old Colorado centerman admits. &ldquo;I think all these awards should be voted on by the players, anyway. It&rsquo;s over now and it&rsquo;ll be forgotten in a few years who was the rookie of the year. A lot of top players never were rookie of the year. But I really feel that the Eastern players have an advantage in these awards. They get more exposure. When Marcel Dionne got the Byng last year, I think he was the first Western player to win one of the big awards.&rdquo;Gardner doesn&rsquo;t necessarily feel that he had a clear-cut lock on the 1977 Calder, but he feels he rated higher than sixth in the league-wide balloting by hockey writers. Among his 30 goals were 11 on the power play, and that tied him with Vancouver&rsquo;s Rick Blight for most power play goals in the Smythe Division. Phil Esposito, with 15 power play scores for the Rangers, was the only other player in the league last season with 11 or more power play goals who didn&rsquo;t perform for a playoff team.Still, despite the lack of national attention, considering that he was one of the first Rockies demoted to the minors in training camp in Sept., 1976, and now is one of the club&rsquo;s ranking stars, Gardner is quite happy with the progress he&rsquo;s made as a hockey big leaguer.He was Colorado&rsquo;s first draft choice the summer before last, and being sent down to Rhode Island after 10 days in his first NHL training camp wasn&rsquo;t a pleasant experience.&ldquo;But I have to admit, the people here were right when they said my skating and forechecking needed improving,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t a strong or quick enough skater, and I went down to Rhode Island to work on it, and I got called up after the club saw I had improved.&rdquo;Ray Miron, the Rockies&rsquo; vicepresident-general manager, recalls, &ldquo;Larry Skinner had a better camp than Paul did, so we kept him and sent Paul down. It surprised people that we did send him down, our first draft choice and all. but he knows it did him a lot of good that we kept him down for a while. He has the ability to handle himself out there, which we like, and he has that real good touch around the net.&rdquo;Fifteen pounds heavier at 192 than he was when he reported in the fall of &lsquo;76, Paul feels his defense will be the area he&rsquo;ll shore up this year. &ldquo;I was really good on offense last year, better than I expected, but poor on defense,&rdquo; he confesses. &ldquo;I never expected to score 30 goals. I would have been happy with maybe 10, especially since I was in the minors when the season started. But too many goals were scored against me. I realize that, and I want to cut down that number.&rdquo;Basically, Gardner is a very confident and articulate young man. He&rsquo;s glad that he has a secure position with the Rockies and in the NHL, and is also glad to see that his older brother Dave, a free agent at the end of last season, has signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Barons.&ldquo;I thought we might get him here,&rdquo; Paul says. &ldquo;There was some talk about that during the summer. I know Dave wasn&rsquo;t sure what was gonna happen with the team in Cleveland. But the situation looks settled now, and he&rsquo;s happy to be back there. I am too, even though it really would have been nice to have him here.&rdquo;The Rockies&rsquo; Gardner says he has no goal-scoring goals for this season, though he admits he would like another 30-goal season. He reached the 30 mark with a pair in Colorado&rsquo;s season finale against Los Angeles last spring, and led the Rockies in all with multiple-goal games, eight two-goal games and a hat trick, the first-ever in Rockies&rsquo; history during a 6-4 loss at Toronto last January 5.ICE PEBBLES: Rick Jodzio signed with the Rockies after his contract with the WHA expired on Oct. 1. He was involved in the controversial incident with Marc Tardif of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1976 Avco playoffs and was fined after pleading guilty to a lesser charge than intent to injure. A lefthanded shot who played right wing for the Calgary Cowboys, Jodzio is a muscular six-foot-one. 190-pounder. 23-years-old. He turned pro with the Charlotte Checkers of the Southern League in 1974-75, where his coach was Pat Kelly, now Colorado&rsquo;s bench boss. &#9632;

f0006-02

Rockies’ Gardner Says Let Players Pick Winner

<div class="byline">BY ALAN TRUEX</div>ATLANTA&mdash;The pre-season is a time for working out mistakes, and for the Atlanta Flames, the pre-season did not end too soon.&ldquo;We have no place to go but up,&rdquo; coach Fred Creighton summarized as his team lost its first exhibition game, 10-3 to St. Louis, in Atlanta.Indeed, the Flames did go up from there, but it was not a rapid rise. They started out the pre-season 1-3, before they finatly began to come together, beating the Houston Aeros and then tying the New York Islanders twice.The Flames&rsquo; main problems occurred on defense, where the team was clearly missing one of its regulars of five seasons, Randy Manery.In Atlanta&rsquo;s only significant off-season transaction, Manery was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Ab DeMarco.It turned out to be, as many thought it would be, a trade of most uneven proportions. DeMarco was one of the Flames&rsquo; early cuts. So by shipping off Manery, general manager Cliff Fletcher did nothing but save salary money, something the franchise needed to do.Fletcher thought he could get away with the trade if DeMarco or either of rookies Greg Fox of Miles Zaharko developed into an adequate replacement.As it turned out, DeMarco was found lacking and Fox and Zaharko were mistake-prone.By the end of the pre-season, however, the defense appeared to be rounding into shape anyway.Four players looked solid&mdash;Dave Shand, Richard Mulhern, Ed Kea and Barry Gibbs. Shand and Mulhern played well as rookies last year, and although they did not distinguish themselves in the exhibition games, they caused no real worries.Meanwhile, Gibbs, who was slowed by mononucleosis last year, and Kea, who was nagged by assorted injuries, have been playing back to their best levels.And Pat Ribble, a fill-in last year, showed considerable improvement in moving the puck from his end.Elsewhere, the Flames also appeared to be settling some problems.Primary concern was right winger John Gould, who scored just 14 goals last season and reported to training camp about 20 pounds overweight. But Gould quickly worked himself into shape, professed a new attitude and began shooting the puck with much more speed and accuracy than he dispiayed last year.An intelligent positional right winger, Gould showed indications that he can regain his 30-goal form of prior seasons.Also encouraging was the play of a couple of new Flames, rookie left wing Harold Phillipoff and ex-Vancouver Canuck Bobby Lalonde.Although Phillipoff was not expected to play in the NHL this season, he surprised Fletcher with his improved skating and shooting and scored five points in six pre-season games. And as expected, he was using his six-foot-three, 220-pound body effectively in the slot and comers.Lalonde, five-foot-five, 157 pounds, was trying to land a spot as the No. 4 right winger and had a good framing camp, assuring the Flames of depth in the forward lines.As camp was about to close, Fletcher actually had a surplus of capable forwards, particularly with Ribble showing he could switch back and forth between defense and left wing.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01974/4046897-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="582" height="709"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN GOULD &hellip; Weight A Problem</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0007-01

Defense Remains Question Mark

<div class="byline">-BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011082/4046935-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="418" height="461"></div><h2>Hockey&rsquo;s Huck Finn&hellip;</h2>TIM YOUNG LOOKS like he was written by Mark Twain. You picture him floating on a raft down the Mississippi. Or, at least, the St. Lawrence. He has a lot more and longer hair than lads wore in days gone by, but he has a boyish face and crooked grin, looks a little like Huck Finn might look, has a little devil in him, and an impish sense of humor.The Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; young star was, at the age of 22, supposed to get married to his lady Jennifer this summer and even bought a house in the suburbs, but as the season started he was still single. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s a great girl and good for me, but we decided it would be wise to have a trial separation,&rdquo; he grins.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02973/4046928-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="818" height="1060"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tim Young was convinced the L.A. Kings would sign him to a good contract. When they dealt for Marcel Dionne, Young reveals the Kings couldn&rsquo;t afford both of them. He was peddled to the Minnesota North Stars, a mistake the Kings have regretted today.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s all right, we&rsquo;re young yet. And she still comes in to clean up the place for me.&rdquo;This engaging guy was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in February of 1955, and reared in and around Toronto in comfortable circumstances. His father, Thomas, heads the TDF advertising agency and has been for years one of Canada&rsquo;s leading ad men, whose commercials for cars, beer, and such are prominent on television and in print. Tim&rsquo;s mother, Helen, works for Eaton&rsquo;s, the department store chain.&ldquo;Pressure in hockey doesn&rsquo;t bother me because I grew up watching my father feel the pressure of big business,&rdquo; Tim says. &ldquo;He always did well, but there was always this contract he didn&rsquo;t want to lose and that one he wanted to win. He put in long hours and I seldom saw him before nine or 10 at night. We&rsquo;d be together as a family on the odd day off.&rdquo;TIM HAS AN OLDER BROTHER, Ted, who played minor amateur hockey, but now is at York University seeking his masters in biochemistry. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the one with brains,&rdquo; Tim laughs. A younger brother, Mike, and sister, Morgan, are in lower schools. Tim wasn&rsquo;t as interested in school as he was in hockey.A husky kid and dandy with the puck, he scored 41 goals and 40 assists at the age of 17 with the Pembroke Lumber Kings, then moved up to the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s where he scored 45 goals and 106 points one season and 56 goals and 163 points the next. That last season as an amateur he led the Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; Ontario Hockey Association with 107 assists.The Los Angeles Kings, who usually have traded away their first-round draft-picks, had one in the summer of 1975 and went for Young, but then didn&rsquo;t sign him. They had just signed Marcel Dionne for a fat fee and didn&rsquo;t want to pay a rookie what Tim wanted. Minnesota had lost its first-round choice, Brad Maxwell, to the WHA, and wanted Young at almost any price. L.A. let the Stars have him. It was a mistake for L.A., but teams make mistakes.&ldquo;Until they signed Dionne I thought I was set with the Kings,&rdquo; Tim comments. &ldquo;I almost signed, but there was a snag. Then the Dionne deal came through and our deal fell through. I asked Jake Milford, who was managing the Kings, to move me as soon as possible. He did, and I&rsquo;m really grateful. The thing was to make the majors and Minnesota gave me my chance fast.&rdquo;Young was sent to New Haven of the American League, scored seven goals and set up 13 in 13 games. Early in the National League season he was brought up to Minnesota and scored 18 goals and assisted on 33 in 63 games. He wound up the team&rsquo;s top scorer and top rookie and received some support for rookie laurels in the league, though the Islanders&rsquo; Bryan Trottier was a standout.LAST SEASON TIM got off to a slow start and it seemed to take some of the enthusiasm out of him. He wasn&rsquo;t a hard worker on defense, anyway. The Stars still were struggling to get going and weren&rsquo;t so sure Young was such a bargain. Ted Harris, the coach, who has benched the youngster for lack of effort at times, yanked him off the ice for not following orders one day in practice and Tim changed and charged away from the arena in anger.A few hours later, he returned to talk to Ted. He says he got a clearer idea of what was expected of him. He says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d always gotten off to a good start before. I&rsquo;d never been down on myself before. This was the first time I was struggling. I let it get to me. I think I grew up a little, though. I saw that I owe it to the team to play hard no matter how I&rsquo;m doing personally. I saw that it wasn&rsquo;t always going to be easy. And that I had to do more than create goals to be the best I could be.&rdquo;In the next game he gave away a couple of goals, but then scored a couple in the last minutes to tie it. And he was on his way. He wound up with 29 goals, third in the league with 66 assists and sixth with 95 points. Philadelphia&rsquo;s Fred Shero went out of his way to point to Tim as a &ldquo;one-way player&rdquo; who couldn&rsquo;t play for him, but Tim played well enough for the North Stars to be voted team MVP.He is a lanky kid at six-foot-two, and 180-pounds and he hits hard at times. He skates well and shoots well and is superb with the puck. He makes marvellous passes like a magician&mdash;behind the back and through his legs. He is exciting to watch. Sometimes these nights you even see him in his defensive zone. He is just a kid who is coming of age, who has had his troubles on a troubled team, and sometimes may wish he was simply floating down the Mississippi. Or the St. Lawrence. &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY HARRY KLAFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03823/4046966-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVE LEWIS&hellip;Does The Job Without Fanfare (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>LONG ISLAND&mdash;As far as most Islander observers were concerned, the only rookie defenseman to watch at training camp back in 1973 was Denis Potvin, the man heralded at the time as &ldquo;the next Bobby Orr.&rdquo;Consequently, the press went wherever Denis went, and dutifully chronicled every one of his stiff checks and slap shots. Yet every time Denis would satisfy the onlookers, rookie coach Al Arbour made it clear that Potvin wasn&rsquo;t the only newcomer on the blue line.&ldquo;Keep your eyes on Dave Lewis,&rdquo; said Arbour. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not flashy, but he&rsquo;s going to be a good, solid defenseman in this league.As it turned out. Arbour&rsquo;s prophecy became true sooner than expected. Big Lewie immediately stepped into a starting berth playing alongside Bert Marshall, and as if that wasn&rsquo;t a big enough accomplishment, then went on to win himself a new watch as the club&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player in the first month of the season.Since then, the six-foot-two, 205-pound Kindersley, Sask., product has quietly gone about the business of learning his trade. Put the emphasis on quietly; even underline it a few times.By last year, Dave had become one of the best &ldquo;defensive&rdquo; defensemen in the league. If you ask Arbour or any of the Islanders, they might tell you he&rsquo;s the best. But don&rsquo;t look for him near the top of the scoring sheets; that&rsquo;s not what they pay him for.What the Islanders do pay him for is the timely blocked shot, the deft stick check, playing the body behind the net. These are the things that show up in the other column&mdash;the goals-against.&ldquo;I never stop learning. This is what the game is all about,&rdquo; says Lewis. &ldquo;When I first came up, it was a matter of learning what to do with the puck. Now that I&rsquo;ve accomplished that, the playing more attention to the moves of your opponent. You begin to pick up little things.&rdquo;Lewie was an apt pupil from the very beginning, probably because he had an excellent teacher. From the first day of camp in &lsquo;73, Dave was paired with the veteran Marshall, a union that lasted until late last season when Bert went out with a knee injury.&ldquo;Probably the one thing that Bert taught me back then was to always take the best possible ice available, giving your opponent the worst. It sounds like a simple philosophy, but he taught me how to pick my spot. There&rsquo;s always an alternative-move the puck out. pass it, carry it, but if worse comes to worse, freeze it. Never give it away.&rdquo;Perhaps the greatest weapon that Marshall has taught Lewis&mdash;and other Islander defensemen for that matter&mdash;is the art of blocking shots, something that was a trade mark of a pretty fair defenseman by the name of Arbour a decade ago.&ldquo;At first, going down to block a shot seemed like the last alternative,&rdquo; continued Lewis. &ldquo;I would watch Bert, and also Gerry Hart and Jean Potvin, and then I would start going down on almost everything. Next thing you know they would be slipping right around you for a two-on-one and the puck was in the net.&ldquo;Now I try to use it to my advantage by going down on one knee. This way your not totally committed. You don&rsquo;t want to go down too soon, but it&rsquo;s a great tactic if you do it at the right time, and only when needed.&rdquo;As might be expected, a good deal of Lewis&rsquo; improvement over the last few years could be attributed to experience. Once the shock of playing in the National League has finally subsided, a player can then settle back to learning the game, especially if he is one of the increasing numbers who make the immediate jump straight from the junior ranks.&ldquo;I would say that right now the strongest part of my game is being able to do what I want to do with the puck. I keep telling myself, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t cough it up.&rsquo; I would have been scared as a rookie if I saw someone coming in trying to steal it from me. Now, as I said earlier, I look for another alternative.&rdquo;Goal scoring is merely passe for Lewis, but he has had his moments. A booming blast (&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t believe it&rdquo;) beat Colorado in an important late-season game last year, and another helped down the Sabres in the playoff quarter-finals. It was his shot that clanked off the post to the left of Ken Dryden in overtime of game five of the semi&rsquo;s that Billy Harris nudged in for the winner.Dave usually treats his rare goals like a little kid&rsquo;s birthday party. They&rsquo;re fun, but he knows he has a greater job to do. The Islanders win with defense, and Big Lewie&rsquo;s the guy who keeps it that wayISLAND SOUNDS: Arbour is seriously thinking about moving Bill Harris into Ed Westfall&rsquo;s old permanent spot with Jude Drouin and J.P. Parise, with rookie Mike Bossy working with Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier. The first time it was used, the Harris-Parise-Drouin combo provided all three goals in a 6-3 loss to the Rangers Oct. 4&hellip;Isles have 25 road games scheduled for WOR-TV Channel 9, the most ever in the club&rsquo;s history. Tim Ryan and Stan Fischler will handle the&rsquo; mike. &#9632;

f0008-03

Isles’ ‘Big Lewie’ Finally Attracting Attention In NHL

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div>NEW YORK&mdash;The Rangers Youth Movement stepped aside as 34-year-old Don Awrey, the nomadic defensive defenseman and 36-year-old Rod Gilbert, the legendary right winger, were taken aboard for the 1977-78 season.Awrey might be the more important of the two, although Gilbert&rsquo;s impact on the New York scene is vital to the Rangers image.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been looking for an experienced defensive defenseman like Don for a year and a half,&rdquo; analyzed John Ferguson, the Rangers general manager. &ldquo;Jean Guy (coach Talbot) wants to start with six defensemen. Awrey will help our young defensemen.&rdquo;That defense will include Dave Maloney, Ron Greschner. Mike McEwen and Dave Farrish, all members of the Kiddie Korps. plus 32-year-old Carol Vadnais, an offensive blueliner from day one. Only Farrish. a good body checker, is defense oriented.Awrey has played for Boston. St. Louis, Montreal and Pittsburgh in his 845-game NHL career. He signed a one year contract for just under the $100,000 mark. In the last five years Don has moved from team to team and developed a reputation as a clubhouse lawyer. However, examination usually revealed that he had more right on his side than wrong.For example, he took a regular turn on the Montreal Canadiens defense until late March two seasons back, then was benched and not even dressed in the ensuing Stanley Cup playoffs. His castigation of Montreal GM Sam Pollock wasn&rsquo;t subtle&mdash;nor were his comments about the flap over whether his name should be on the Stanley Cup that season when Montreal swept to the championship.On the ice Awrey should lend stability to the blueline corps and also help goalies John Davidson and rookie Hardy Aastrom. Aastrom hasn&rsquo;t impressed in pre-season but Ferguson is carrying him as number two.Doug Soetaert. who deserves a shot, was farmed to New Haven of the AHL, along with Gilles Gratton, last year&rsquo;s backup. Soetaert is rated as inexperienced by Ferguson, who seems determined to force feed Aastrom to the NHL.Amongst the higher drafts left wing Mike Keating was also farmed to the Connecticut outpost.The return of Gilbert, who walked out of training camp Sept. 23. was big news on Broadway.Rod. 16-years a Ranger, met with Bill Jennings, the president of the team and Ferguson in Madison Square Garden Oct. 3. Amazingly, Bill Wirtz, the headman of the Chicago Black Hawks happened to be in the Room 200 conference also Wirtz was working with Jennings on NHL business, but he helped calm the emotions of both Ferguson and Gilbert.&ldquo;We apologized to each other,&rdquo; said Rod. &ldquo;I told Fergy that next to my family the welfare of the Rangers came first. Hell, I&rsquo;ve been married three years and with the Rangers 16 years. The Rangers are like family to me, too.&rdquo;Gilbert wanted his Ranger family to extend the one-year remaining on his contract, but this didn&rsquo;t happen.&ldquo;At this time I&rsquo;m not concerned about next year. I can now say that I feel I&rsquo;m wanted here which was not the case before. I&rsquo;ve said all along that my problems weren&rsquo;t contractual. I was made to feel part of the Rangers, this year and next. It took a long time to come to this understanding, too long, but now I have it,&rdquo; said Gilbert, speaking emotionally.Rod will be fined $250.00 per day from Sept. 23, in accordance with the terms of the agreement with the NHL Players Association. Gilbert&rsquo;s first pre-season game was in Quebec on Oct. 8 when the Rangers tied the Nordiques, last year&rsquo;s Avco Cup winners, 5-5. Gilbert&rsquo;s fine stems from leaving training camp after a contract disagreement with Ferguson.Gilbert&rsquo;s wanting to be wanted is understandable. but his high salary makes it hard for management to understand.&ldquo;I want the kids, the veterans, the management and the fans to feel that they&rsquo;re part of this team. That New York is the place to be playing hockey. That everyone is working to make us a winning club.You look at Philadelphia, Boston and Montreal. They have that feeling throughout their organizations. There is room for everyone who does their best. Look at the support it generates throughout the players and the fans. Everyone gives of himself. This is the way we have to do it and management has to back this kind of feeling. I discussed this with John Ferguson and he understands it.&rdquo; finished Gilbert.One suggestion is that when Gilbert&rsquo;s playing days are over, he be given a $200,000 contract over five years and made part of Rangers public relations set up. His first assignment would be the color job on television. Bill Chadwick, the incumbent is close to retirement, so no one would get hurt this way&mdash;and Rodrique&rsquo;s charisma would come across neatly from the broadcast booth.BLUE CHIPS: The acquisition of Awrey was bad news for John Bednarski, who might have hung on as the sixth defenseman otherwise&hellip;Wayne Dillon, Gilbert&rsquo;s center last year is still out with stretched ligaments of the left knee.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011045/4046997-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="576" height="678"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON AWREY&hellip;Still Going At 34</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

Awrey, Gilbert Become Regulars

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011069/4047028-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div>DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ON HOCKEY?Write to: FAN FORUM, The Hockey News, 1434 St. Catherine St., W., Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7<h2>Merger Fuss Waste Of Time</h2>I think all this fuss about a merger between the NHL and WHA is a waste of time.If the WHA wants to expand and adopt a better rivalry with the NHL, why doesn&rsquo;t the NHL take away the weaker teams&mdash;Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Cleveland, Washington, Minnesota&mdash;these teams should be disbanded from the league.The WHA should include teams like: Quebec. Houston, New England, Cincinnati, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Indianapolis&mdash;and these teams should take the place of the disbanded teams.Furthermore, you would see more Canadian teams and a better brand of hockey for all fans and viewers.WILLIAM RIGA, Montreal, Que.<h2>Too Much Dependence On Gare By Sabres</h2>I can&rsquo;t help thinking that the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; management is depending on Danny Gare&rsquo;s return to win every game they play.The Sabres did not exactly slump down into non-existence after losing Gare to a back injury. They make Gare sound like he&rsquo;s a one-man team, when really he needs his center and left wing to get the goals he has scored in the past.It would be great to have Danny Gare back, playing healthy again, but he&rsquo;s not indispensable.JENNIFER MEEK, Oswego, N.Y.<h2>Canada Should Keep The Cup</h2>This is written in response to Bill McCloy of Hamilton. I, too, believe that the Canada Cup belongs to Canada. I&rsquo;ve had enough of the U.S. taking over our game.We should stick together and hold our great Canadian Tournament in Canada where it belongs.JOEL McGRORY, Windsor, Ont.<h2>NHL vs. WHA: Playoff Series</h2>I think the WHA and the NHL should have a championship. The Avco Cup winner and the Stanley Cup winner should play a Best-of-Seven series. That might end the war between the two.I think that the WHA and the NHL are created equal. I also believe that there should be a, three-game suspension for fighting.BRAD LAWSON, Toronto, Ont.<h2>Hull, Howe Not WHA&rsquo;s Only Stars</h2>Although I&rsquo;m not a strong supporter of the WHA, I must disagree with Mr. Zarzula&rsquo;s comments which appeared in the Oct. 7 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS.He stated that once (Bobby) Hull and (Gordie) Howe are gone, that the WHA will falter. However, there are more than these two who would be quick favorites of NHL fans.How about Marc Tardif, Mark Napier, Real Cloutier, Robbie Ftorek, Anders Hedberg, Rick Dudley, Blaine Stoughton and Ulf Nilsson? It&rsquo;s a shame so many fans will have to wait awhile to see these stars, all because of a mistake by some usually wise and great men.BILL WESTERMAN, Muskegon, Mich.<h2>Can&rsquo;t Afford L.A. Kings Tickets</h2>I was recently apprised of the fact that Jack Kent Cooke, the owner of the Los Angeles Kings, was instrumental in preventing the merger between the NHL and the WHA.Mr. Cooke then has the unmitigated audacity to raise his prices totally out of reach for the average wage earner such as myself. Cooke states that spiralling costs have predicated the increases in ticket prices.Does he sincerely believe that his opposition to a merger that almost all fans want is a method of keeping prices down?Until this season I attended between six and 12 games yearly. There is no conceivable way that I can ever attend a Kings&rsquo; game again.EPHRAIM MOXSON, Los Angeles, Cal.<h2>NHL Office Should Promote Game</h2>Well hockey fans, another season is here again, or that&rsquo;s what I read in my &ldquo;HOCKEY NEWS Subscription&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s too bad the NHL office and other offices don&rsquo;t back their product. Seems like all other major sports in the country are prospering and getting the needed publicity and the almighty dollar. But the hockey fan has to be content to get a few games each year on TV and that&rsquo;s about it.I feel in the near future, if something in the line of promotion on the great game of hockey is not brought before the fan. hockey will be a sporting event of the past.I think the hockey fans across the nation have paid their dues and deserve better coverage of the game of hockey on TV and news media. Seems to me lately the hockey scores and the write-ups get closer to the obituary page each year. That alone should tell the &ldquo;powers of hockey&rdquo; something.Sure would be great to see some NHL commercials on TV, games, and promotional information on the game, instead of watching the &ldquo;Tidy Bowl Man&rdquo; floating around in a toilet.If the front office of the NHL cannot come out with something better than &ldquo;Peter Puck&rdquo; and &ldquo;Slap Shot&rdquo;, they better get a boat built and name it: &ldquo;H.M.S. The No Hockey Left,&rdquo; and join the &ldquo;Tidy Bowl Man.&rdquo;JIM BRETT, Wasilla, Alaska<h2>Hockey Missing From Chicago TV</h2>Originally from Chicago, hockey has always been an October to April holiday for me. A fanatic of the sport since 13. watching the Black Hawks came before anything that came up. And I coped with the funny, incredulous stares I got from friends when they found out I thought hockey was more exciting than football&mdash;to me. football is useless.fn the past six years. I have lived in Californi, Colorado and Montana. In all four cities, hockey was telecast on TV and could be heard on radio. And going to a game was a routine thing, easily affordable.Well, I&rsquo;m back in Chicago, now. And what is my greeting after a two year absense? The Hawks, a team in a city of some seven or eight million, will not&mdash;for the second year in a row&mdash;be on any of the cities&rsquo; eight TV stations.Radio? Looks promising. In person at the stadium? Hah! Mr. Wirtz is asking, for rinkside seats, an incredible $12.50, averaging $10.50 and $8.50 for good and $4.50 for a view of the top of the scoreboard. What is happening to hockey? I wish I knew. I&rsquo;ve written letters to the three major U.S. TV stations, protesting. Low ratings were the reason it wouldn&rsquo;t be carried. But tennis, boxing, horse racing, car racing and bowling are drawing!I suppose my complaints are really directed to Wirtz. What is wrong with him? Why is he killing the Hawks? Can&rsquo;t the NHL do something? The only ammunition I have is a novel I have written about hockey&mdash;a player, his life and his team. I&rsquo;m in the process of contacting Canadian publishers and I will get it published!As soon as I do, I&rsquo;m moving to Canada&mdash;Montreal, no doubt, where the sport is appreciated and the majority of money I make off my book will go to teams&mdash;to keep them going!PHYLLIS ANDERSON, Chicago, Ill.<h2>LETTER OF THE WEEK</h2><h3>An Apology For Atlanta Fans</h3>I recently attended my first hockey game on Sept. 24 at the Omni in Atlanta. However, there was more action in the stands than on the ice. There was a young man about 20-years-of-age at the game who came all the way from St. Louis to see his Blues bury Atlanta 10-3.However, he spent more time dodging paper cups and combing pop corn and beer out of his hair.Every time he would stand and cheer a Blues&rsquo; goal (and he was standing very often) he was the target for debris.If THE HOCKEY NEWS would print this letter I would like to offer my apology for the type of conduct the Atlanta Fans displayed. You must be some kind of hockey fan to drive 600 miles for an exhibition game and take that kind of abuse.And for the 8,000 of us that were there, how many of you would travel 600 miles for an exhibition game? We need to get our heads on straight because we&rsquo;ve finally got a winner in Atlanta and giving ourselves a bad name isn&rsquo;t going to help matters any.DANNY DAUGHERTY Lafayette, Ga. &#9632;

f0010-01

FAN FORUM

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02868/4047059-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">GILLES GILBERT&hellip;Traded Daily By The Media (Photo by Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div>BOSTON&mdash;The Boston Bruins may solve their pleasant goaltending dilemma by keeping all three of them, Gerry Cheevers, Gilles Gilbert and Ron Grahame, on the roster all season.And don&rsquo;t be surprised if coach Don Cherry uses two goalies a game on a regular basis, perhaps starting Cheevers for a period or two and finishing up with Gilbert or Grahame.The Bruins did that through the exhibition season with a rotation that included occasionally rookies Dave Parro and Jim Pettie. Only Parro was in the net for a complete game.The results were spectacular&mdash;five wins, four ties and one loss and a 2.30 goals-against average&mdash;so spectacular in fact that it set Cherry to thinking.&ldquo;For the past 50 years they&rsquo;ve been saying that goaltenders can&rsquo;t come into a game cold,&rdquo; said Cherry.&ldquo;Well, it&rsquo;s been proven to me over the past 10 games that they can do it and thrive on it.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m thinking seriously of starting one guy and switching to another halfway through the game in the regular season.&ldquo;Sometimes near the end of a game you see a goaltender get tired. This way one guy goes in and he says, &lsquo;Hey, all I got is one period to go.&rsquo; He doesn&rsquo;t worry about getting tired.&rdquo;The use of two goalies in a game would also solve Cherry&rsquo;s obvious problem of trying to keep three quality goaltenders happy with one net.&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be tough.&rdquo; Cherry admits. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s unique. I don&rsquo;t think anybody ever had three good goalies at one time like we have. Fortunately, they all have personalities that get along.&rdquo;The possibility still exists, of course, that the Bruins will trade a goalie for a quality defenseman but they appear to be willing to wait for another team to come to them in desperation.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to make a trade just for the sake of trading,&rdquo; says Cherry. &ldquo;If you go around asking people, &lsquo;Hey, wanna trade for a quality goaltender?&rsquo; you&rsquo;re not going to get very much &ldquo;The Bruins&rsquo; goaltending situation has been the toughest on Gilbert, who has been traded almost daily on paper ever since Grahame signed with the Bruins in July.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a tough summer.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;People were telling me, &lsquo;Hey, you&rsquo;ve been traded to Buffalo!&rsquo; Or You&rsquo;re going to Washington!&rsquo; It was hard to get ready for training camp and for the new season.&ldquo;I love to be with the Bruins and I think I have proved what I can do in the four years I&rsquo;ve been here. But Bobby Orr left, Phil Esposito left, so it&rsquo;s not a dishonor to be traded.&rdquo;Grahame, a refugee from Houston where he was acclaimed the WHA&rsquo;s best goalie, turned in what Cherry called his best game as a Bruin in the next to last exhibition game against Montreal. Canadiens impressed Grahame, too.&ldquo;I was in awe of them, to be honest,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They control the game so well and their speed&hellip;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the big difference between the WHA and the NHL, the overall speed. Everything is a step up. The speed, the shooting, the size of the players, any aspect of the game that you look at, it&rsquo;s a step better.&rdquo;In spite of the rivalry. Cheevers and Gilbert have been helping Grahame by opening their books on the NHL shooters to him. And what did they tell him about Guy Lafleur?&ldquo;I said he doesn&rsquo;t look overpowering,&rdquo; said Grahame, &ldquo;and Gerry said he&rsquo;s really deceptive. He said he&rsquo;s really quick and he&rsquo;ll put it anywhere he wants to so you gotta be ready and on your toes all the time.&rdquo;Hell, any fan in Section 101 could have told him that.BRUINS BITS: With the Bruins short of wings through injury, defenseman Mike Milbury was pressed into service up front in the exhibition against Montreal. His checks? Lafleur and Yvan Cournoyer.&ldquo;Usually a winger is supposed to stay about a step ahead of his check.&rdquo; said Milbury. &ldquo;I just made sure I was two or three strides ahead of those guys&rdquo;Milbury feels that all defensemen could benefit from a few shifts at wing.&ldquo;It gives you a much more balanced perspective,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You know what the forwards have to go through trying to check a guy like Serge Savard. He wheels with the puck so well.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s awful easy for someone sitting on the bench to say, &lsquo;Come on, you gotta go harder! You&rsquo;re not getting on him quick enough!&rsquo; But sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t matter how hard or how quick you get on him.&rdquo;Cherry, who probably will keep six defensemen, was toying with the idea that one of them might be Mike Forbes, the third round draft choice from St. Catharines, whose play has been impressive.&ldquo;There could be three rookies break in with our club,&rdquo; said Cherry, thinking of Forbes, Dwight Foster and Bob Miller.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not standing still. We weren&rsquo;t good enough last year so we&rsquo;ve got to take a chance.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-02

Will Gilbert Be The Third Man Out In Bruins’ Goaling?

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div>CHICAGO&mdash;If ever there was any doubt that a new era has begun in Chicago, then it was erased one October day when the National Hockey League introduced a new animal called the equalization draft.Dennis Hull and Pit Martin, two venerable veterans whose salaries and ages are more equal then others, were left unprotected by the Black Hawks, leading one to believe once and for all that general managercoach Bob Pulford not only brought new ideas to Chicago, but a new broom.&ldquo;What can I say,&rdquo; said Hull, a 32-year-old left wing who had scored all of his 298 National Hockey League goals with the Black Hawks. &ldquo;If somebody is interested in me. I&rsquo;m gone.&rdquo;Martin, who once teamed with Hull and the departed Jim Pappin to form one of the leagues most formidable lines, was philosophical, if not overjoyed at the exclusion from the elite.&ldquo;I had a feeling that, with my age and my salary, I might not be protected.&rdquo; said the doughty center who scored 17 times last season midst a compendium of injuries which did nothing to help his continuity.Partly because of their age and salary, neither veteran was picked up by any other NHL club. Which did nothing to solve the overall questions: Where do Hull and Martin fit in the Black Hawk team picture? Perhaps in the back row.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011023/4047097-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="515" height="742"><figcaption class="caption-body">PIT MARTIN &hellip;He Expected It</figcaption></div>In an aftermath to the Montreal draft, the Hawks announced that they had called for waivers on Hull for the purpose of giving him his voluntary retirement. No mention was made of Martin&rsquo;s status but it was apparent the Hawks wanted to make sure they protected their younger players, a move that forced them to leave Hull and Martin unprotected in the NHL draft.Among those youths who were making a dent in the roster of the Hawks were Doug Wilson, the team&rsquo;s No. 1 draft choice and a defensemen of some promise; Jean Savard, a rookie forward who was drafted second by the club and scored 84 goals in junior hockey last season; plus Ted Bulley, a bullish left wing who scored 46 times with Flint of the International League in 1976-77.All were designated to at least start the season with the Hawks, who also acquired two other new forwards in the off-season&mdash;Pierre Plante from the St. Louis Blues and J. Bob Kelly from the Pittsburgh Penguins.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02857/4047090-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="1119" height="1090"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENNIS HULL&hellip; Decides To Hang Them Up</figcaption></div>Pulford is preaching a more involved, physical existence, which isanother reason why Martin and Hul could be odd men out. That is, if Kelly scored 20 goals and bumps a few people, Pulford might be inclined to forget a man such as Hull, who can score 30, but is not a hitter. Likewise, Martin.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve changed a few minds around here about how to play hockey,&rdquo; said Pulford, who was not saddened when the Hawks emptied their bench to slug it out with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the last exhibition game of the season.The brawl lasted all of 20 minutes, expulsions abounded and 68 minutes in penalties were assessed before the gloves were picked up.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m proud of the way this team stood up and was counted.&rdquo; said Pulford.&ldquo;People have been running at Chicago for years,&rdquo; added defenseman Randy Holt. &ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s going to be the other way around.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s important for our spirit what happened in that game.&rdquo; said Kelly. &ldquo;It brings a team together.&rdquo;HAWK TALK: The Black Hawks finished their pre-season with a record of 1-3-3. Leading scorer and leading performer in many respects was center Ivan Boldirev. who had six goals and two assists. Savard was second with six points&hellip; WCFL is the new Hawk radio station. It willl carry all 80 games, home and road, and the new voice is Ron Oakes, a 43-year-old veteran of hockey broadcasting from the West Coast. He&rsquo;s worked in San Diego, Los Angeles and Vancouver&hellip;As of the start of the season, there were no plans for TV hockey in Chicago. Only hopes&hellip;Bobby Orr, a member of the Hawk front office, was among others left on the available list during the equalization draft. His knee will keep him from playing for at least another season. &#9632;

f0011-01

Hawk Vets Unprotected As New Era Dawns

<h2>This Could Be Wrong But&hellip;</h2>THESE ARE SIMPLY SOME observations on the eve of the opening of the 1977-78 hockey season. They could be all wrong but it seems&hellip;&bull; That the NHL&rsquo;s waiver-draft was a big waste of time, merely window-dressing to make it appear that the league is interested in parity. Some NHL people talked about it as if the have-nots were being offered considerable aid by the haves. In reality, it seems the draft was the chance for some teams to place their worn out laundry on the line in the hope that somebody would steal it.&bull; That the nuts are back in full bloom in the NHL. Throughout the pre-season games, there were frequent reports of brawls and incidents of lunacy. It will be interesting to see what the league hierarchy does about it or if that strange notion that U.S. hockey fans want to see fights still&rsquo;persists.&bull; That the NHL&rsquo;s try at a rule to cut down on the ridiculous pairing-off which surrounds altercations was &lsquo;merely a laugh. A rule tested in training camp forced the other players on the ice to go to a neutral zone or the area of their benches when a fight broke out. A good rule that has worked everywhere it&rsquo;s been tried, but only when the penalty was stiff. The NHL granted a bench minor to each team for violations. A joke!<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011043/4047128-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="492" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBYORR</figcaption></div><h2>Give &lsquo;Em The Titles</h2>&bull; That perhaps the NHL was wise not to have anything to do with the WHA, which they regarded as an inferior league. The showing by two WHA teams, New England Whalers and Winnipeg Jets, in intraleague exhibition games demonstrated that the NHL&rsquo;s edge on the other league perhaps is non-existent. For instance, Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; 9-0 loss to Whalers will do the Pens a great deal of good in trying to sell the game in that city.&bull; The NHL should award the Stanley Cup to Montreal Canadiens and the scoring championship to Guy Lafleur now and have the others compete for &ldquo;first in class.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s doubtful if any team ever has been favored as heavily as Canadiens are this season.&bull; That expansion of hockey and the increased opportunity hasn&rsquo;t upgraded the calibre of goaltending in big league hockey. For instance, back in the &lsquo;62-63 season, the No. 1 goalie list includes Jacques Plante, Johnny Bower, Glenn Hall, Gump Worsley and Terry Sawchuk. Are there two goalies today who qualify for that list? Is there one?&bull; That the &ldquo;wild-card&rdquo; playoff qualification system is a rather wise move on the NHL&rsquo;s part. It gives the strong fourth-place teams, such as New York Rangers and Cleveland Barons, something to shoot at instead of being out of the picture early.<h2>Orr Finished As a Player?</h2>&bull; That Bobby Orr&rsquo;s acceptance of a heavy workload in the front office of the Chicago Black Hawks and his eagerness to learn the intricacies of hockey administration indicates he&rsquo;s resigned to the fact that his career as a player is over. Orr even plans to close down the Ontario hockey camp he has operated in partnership with Mike Walton to be available for duty in the summer months.&bull; That the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association should accept the fact that it&rsquo;s being shunted aside where international hockey is concerned, an ear which will become the property of the NHL, the WHA and the NHL Players&rsquo; Association and concentrate on the game at the domestic level. &#9632;

f0012-01

Some Sage Observations On The Pro Hockey Scene

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02882/4047159-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACK MclLHARGEY&hellip;Can&rsquo;t Do It Alone (Photo by Bruce Bennet)</figcaption></div>VANCOUVER&mdash;Jake Milford explains that when he was still the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings, he arranged to schedule four exhibition games with the Vancouver Canucks, for obvious reasons.&ldquo;We people on the West Coast have a hard time getting those other clubs-to come out for economic reasons so I arranged with Phil (then Vancouver general manager Maloney) to play these games.&rdquo;The games they arranged were four consecutive encounters, one in Los Angeles, one in San Diego, one in Victoria and the fourth at the Pacific Coliseum.By the time they got to Vancouver, tempers were a little out of sorts, what with rookies taking the occasional run at people to make an impression on the coach.It was in this fourth game that the Canucks may have discovered they have a weakness they thought had been rectified last year. They got leaned on pretty good.In the second period of the Vancouver game, which ended in a spirited 5-5 tie, Dave Hutchison speared Vancouver rookie Rob Flockhart in the ribs, felling him like a tree.The referee Charles Banfield&mdash;didn&rsquo;t even see the incident and there was no penalty assessed.The problem was the Canucks did see it, but didn&rsquo;t do anything about it, what with their hammer Harold Snepsts out with pnemonia and Jack Mcllhargey having to worry about Hutchison and his L.A. cohort in rough stuff, Dave Schultz.So Hutchison, a Vancouver Blazer in years gone by, wasn&rsquo;t significantly challenged, and the Canucks are going to have to do something about that area of their game. With clubs like Detroit and the Colorado Rockies, who hired Rick Jodgio around, that area of the game (?) could use some attention.The Canucks are obviously figuring that the return of Snepsts will give Mcllhargey some more freedom for policework and also make the other guys a little tougher, in the knowlege that there is someone around to back them up.That is just one of the problems the Canucks have been experiencing, the other being a rash of injuries and a troublesome inconsistency on the defense.In the final game against the Kings. Butch Goring alone had four breakaways, including one in the first minute. The Canucks were quite prepared to accept a few shots on goal when they had their four veterans out of the lineup at one time, but when all but Snepsts had returned, the opposition was still getting through with ease.Rot Milford, although admitting he is on the lookout for a defenseman. isn&rsquo;t ready to panic.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not in any rush to make a trade, says Milford. &ldquo;When you do that you&rsquo;re going to make a mistake. We don&rsquo;t really want to give away any of our better hockey players until they have been given a full shot. I don&rsquo;t believe in making changes for the sake of making changes, that doesn&rsquo;t help anyone.&rdquo;Milford says he has spoken with Capitals general manager Max McNab about the possibility of getting right side defenseman Jack Lynch, but he said Lynch &ldquo;isn&rsquo;t available.&rdquo;Milford said that the club was disappointed in the training camp performance of their second round pick in the amateur draft. Jeff Bandura. It wasn&rsquo;t that they expected him to be a star in his first year, but they felt he should have been closer to making the club than he was. He has since been shipped to Tulsa, where he will likely remain for a full season barring another rash of injuries.Meanwhile, coach Orland Kurtenbach has constructed the line of Don Lever between Dennis Ververgaert and Ron Sedlbauer and the trio has easily been the team&rsquo;s best through the exhibition schedule.The club&rsquo;s record has been of considerable concern as in its nine exhibition games they have only two wins and three ties. But what has pleased Kurtenbach is that the overall performance of his club has been better each time out.&ldquo;We re working to try and get ready for the season rather than trying to win. Sure we want to win games, but now establishing a work pattern and getting into shape is far more important.&rdquo;The Canucks open on Broadway, against the Rangers. &#9632;

f0012-02

Milford Discovers Canucks Lacking In Blueline Muscle

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011002/4047190-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ED GIACOMIN&hellip;Management Change Didn&rsquo;t Help (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>DETROIT&mdash;The Red Wings had a surplus of goalies when the National Hockey League season began and, since nobody expected the club to retain all three through the campaign, there was considerable speculation as to what would happen.All three goalies&mdash;Eddie Giacomin, Jimmy Rutherford and Ron Low&mdash;said they were ready for the season and each preferred to play in Detroit.For Giacomin, this will be his 13th season in the NHL.&ldquo;Sure, I&rsquo;m ready,&rdquo; Giacomin said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s not the question. The question is whether I will still be here.&rdquo;General manager Ted Lindsay expects to carry the three goalies until another team finds itself in need of one.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s our strength, goaltending,&rdquo; Lindsay said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re not going to give one away for nothing. If somebody wants one of our goalies, they&rsquo;ll come to us.&rdquo;Off the exhibition performances, Rutherford, 28, earned the designation as No. 1. Low, 27. acquired during the summer from Washington, is the No. 2 man.Giacomin, 38, is the most expendable, even though his contributions to the team cannot be minimized. He&rsquo;s a dedicated athlete, continues to work hard and is a positive influence on the younger players.The problem is that carrying three goalies is unwieldy and very few NHL teams have had success with it.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t want to leave,&rdquo; Giacomin said. &ldquo;I got a three-year contract when I came here and hoped that I would stay here through that period. I&rsquo;m sure I would have had there not been a change in management. As the situation is, I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;Eddie said he hasn&rsquo;t thought too much about what might happen should he be drafted or traded.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d certainly have to give it an awful lot of thought,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like to think I can still play but it would be difficult to uproot the family again. I&rsquo;d probably have to sit down a few days and think about it. I don&rsquo;t like to think of this as my last year.&rdquo;Rutherford has enjoyed an outstanding training camp. He&rsquo;s been by far the most effective Detroit goalie. Jimmy said he can&rsquo;t explain the fast start.&ldquo;If I knew why, I&rsquo;d do it all the time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know that I tried my best. I went to camp knowing we had three goalies and that if I didn&rsquo;t play as well as I&rsquo;m capable. I would be going someplace else. That possibility always exists but even more so if you don&rsquo;t play up to your capabilities. I want to play here.But that&rsquo;s not the only thing. When you&rsquo;re coming off a bad year, like we are, you want to better yourself. You want to avoid getting into the same rut.&rdquo;Low said the training camp went by very quickly but nevertheless is happy that it&rsquo;s over.&ldquo;The best thing about camp is when it ends,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t usually perform too well in these games. It seems like you&rsquo;re just playing half a game and it seems you&rsquo;re just waiting for your half to end. It&rsquo;s hard to get in the game.&rdquo;Low said competition between the goalies makes each of them more effective.&ldquo;If I play well, it makes the other guy play better, too,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I really think competition brings out the best in an athlete. In most respects, it helps.&rdquo;MOTOR CITY SHORTS: No. 1 draft choice Dale McCourt easily earned a job with the Wings and several other draftees were making it extremely difficult for the club to cut them.They were centers Rob Plumb (12th round), younger brother of WHA star defenseman Ron Plumb. Roland Cloutier (14th round), and defenseman John Hilworth. a six-foot-four, 210-pounder who was the fourth round choice out of Medicine Hat.&ldquo;I feel a lot better here than I did playing in junior,&rdquo; Hilworth said. &ldquo;A lot of the guys have told me I look in place. I feel that way myself.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0013-01

Giacomin Wonders About Hockey Future

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011024/4047473-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="344" height="779"></div><h2>ATLANTA FLAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02848/4047466-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="207" height="180"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03632/4047459-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="714" height="515"></div><h2>BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04441/4047452-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="201" height="200"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05309/4047445-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="729" height="624"></div><h2>BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06256/4047438-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="221" height="219"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07208/4047431-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="725" height="566"></div><h2>CHICAGO HAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08178/4047424-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="252" height="227"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09162/4047417-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="717" height="598"></div><h2>CLEVELAND BARONS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-10146/4047410-1-eng-US/f0014-102.jpg" title="f0014-10" width="212" height="199"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-11130/4047403-1-eng-US/f0014-112.jpg" title="f0014-11" width="712" height="542"></div><h2>COLORADO ROCKIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-12119/4047396-1-eng-US/f0014-122.jpg" title="f0014-12" width="180" height="168"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-13101/4047389-1-eng-US/f0014-132.jpg" title="f0014-13" width="703" height="554"></div><h2>DETROIT RED WINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1482/4047382-1-eng-US/f0014-142.jpg" title="f0014-14" width="239" height="135"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1573/4047375-1-eng-US/f0014-152.jpg" title="f0014-15" width="715" height="581"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1661/4047368-1-eng-US/f0014-162.jpg" title="f0014-16" width="159" height="166"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1759/4047361-1-eng-US/f0014-172.jpg" title="f0014-17" width="715" height="603"></div><h2>MINNESOTA STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1840/4047354-1-eng-US/f0014-182.jpg" title="f0014-18" width="242" height="211"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1937/4047347-1-eng-US/f0014-192.jpg" title="f0014-19" width="703" height="534"></div><h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2035/4047340-1-eng-US/f0014-202.jpg" title="f0014-20" width="237" height="182"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2131/4047333-1-eng-US/f0014-212.jpg" title="f0014-21" width="714" height="572"></div><h2>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2228/4047326-1-eng-US/f0014-222.jpg" title="f0014-22" width="214" height="197"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2322/4047319-1-eng-US/f0014-232.jpg" title="f0014-23" width="182" height="187"></div><h2>NEW YORK RANGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2420/4047312-1-eng-US/f0014-242.jpg" title="f0014-24" width="182" height="187"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2516/4047305-1-eng-US/f0014-252.jpg" title="f0014-25" width="710" height="536"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2616/4047298-1-eng-US/f0014-262.jpg" title="f0014-26" width="246" height="167"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2715/4047291-1-eng-US/f0014-272.jpg" title="f0014-27" width="712" height="626"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2815/4047284-1-eng-US/f0014-282.jpg" title="f0014-28" width="227" height="211"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2914/4047277-1-eng-US/f0014-292.jpg" title="f0014-29" width="712" height="567"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3012/4047270-1-eng-US/f0014-302.jpg" title="f0014-30" width="155" height="131"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3110/4047263-1-eng-US/f0014-312.jpg" title="f0014-31" width="710" height="568"></div><h2>TORONTO LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-329/4047256-1-eng-US/f0014-322.jpg" title="f0014-32" width="196" height="198"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-338/4047249-1-eng-US/f0014-332.jpg" title="f0014-33" width="711" height="566"></div><h2>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-347/4047242-1-eng-US/f0014-342.jpg" title="f0014-34" width="170" height="128"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-353/4047235-1-eng-US/f0014-352.jpg" title="f0014-35" width="713" height="627"></div><h2>WASHINGTON CAPS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-363/4047228-1-eng-US/f0014-362.jpg" title="f0014-36" width="168" height="96"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-372/4047221-1-eng-US/f0014-372.jpg" title="f0014-37" width="714" height="547"></div> &#9632;

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NHL SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

MONTREAL&mdash;Many familiar names dot the list of leading scorers after the first week of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s 1977-78 regular season but a player who is not familiar with such a lofty position is the over-all points leader. Don Saleski of Philadelphia Flyers, known more for his defensive play, leads with eight points, including a leagueleading five goals.Saleski was the only player last week to score three goals in a game. He scored them during Flyers&rsquo; 7-0 win against St. Louis Blues. It was his second three-goal game of his career, the other also being in a Flyers&rsquo; shutout&mdash;last March 13 when Philadelphia defeated Pittsburgh 4-0. The 27-year-old right winger also scored twice in Flyers&rsquo; opening game, a 5-1 victory against Chicago Black Hawks.Saleski. a six-foot-three, 205-pound native of Moose Jaw, Sask., was Flyers&rsquo; sixth choice and 64th over-all in the 1969 amateur draft. Prior to this season, he had scored 80 goals in 371 games and last season did not score his fifth goal until his 28th game. He finished the season with 22 goals and 38 points in 74 games.Phil Esposito of New York Rangers, winner of the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer five times in six seasons with Boston before being traded to New York two years ago, is second with seven points, including six assists which ties him with Orest Kindrachuk of Philadelphia for the lead in that department. Two other Flyers are tied with Kindrachuk for third place, all with six points&mdash;Bob Dailey, four goals and two assists, and Bobby Clarke, one goal and five assists. Five of Clarke&rsquo;s points were picked up Saturday at Pittsburgh during an 8-2 victory.Other names among the leading scorers include the scoring champion of the last two seasons, Guy Lafleur of Montreal Canadiens with four goals and a share of 11th place; Reg Leach of Philadelphia, the NHL&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer two seasons ago when he had 61; Larry Robinson of Montreal, the leading pointman among defensemen last season; and Willi Plett of Atlanta, the 1976-77 rookie-of-the-year. Leach and Robinson have five points each and Plett four points.Goaltenders shared some of the accolades during the first week, in 23 games, there were five shutouts, including one each by Canadiens&rsquo; Michel Larocque and Ken Dryden. The 18 teams scored 132 goals, 28 fewer than in the same number of games a year ago. The Montreal duo share the lead in average with Philadelphia&rsquo;s Wayne Stephenson and Bernie Parent and Rogie Vachon of Los Angeles Kings, each of the three teams having 1.00 goals-against averages. &#9632;

NHL WEEK …In Review

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01985/4047528-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Second effort makes Doug Jarvis valuable to Canadiens. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>MONTREAL&mdash;Who says that you don&rsquo;t learn anything from the hockey exhibition season? That it&rsquo;s only the time to ease into shape and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the 80-game grind ahead.Certainly not Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman who saw his troops finish the pre-season with a pair of ties against the Boston Bruins to conclude the exhibition slate with a record of three wins, two losses and five ties.And many of those ties, according to Bowman, should have been wins, which goes to show that even Stanley Cup champions have something to learn from preseason.&ldquo;What we learned,&rdquo; said Bowman, &ldquo;is that when you only have a one-goal lead, strange things can happen. Flukey goals can go in and even though you&rsquo;ve outplayed the other team by a wide margin, the game may well end up in a tie.&ldquo;Take our third periods during the exhibition season,&rdquo; offered Bowman, &ldquo;while we&rsquo;ve usually outplayed the opposition. we&rsquo;ve had a few games where we&rsquo;ve blown 3-1 leads (four to be exact-three games ended in ties, one in a loss). I&rsquo;d say that often our third period was our best of the game. This club has a history of strong third periods, but I&rsquo;d say that we&rsquo;ve been badly outscored in the third periods of the pre-season games. The other team stays close, gets a break and ends up tieing the game.&rdquo;Case in point was the Canadiens&rsquo; final tune-up in the Forum against the Boston Bruins. The Habs were holding their &ldquo;customary&rdquo; 3-1 lead with less than five minutes to play, and then it happened.Bruins&rsquo; winger Don Marcotte cuts through the crease, a drive from the point hits his skate then a Montreal defenseman&rsquo;s skate and it&rsquo;s 3-2.Less than a minute later, Boston shoots the puck into the Canadiens&rsquo; end. The puck hits a seam in the plexi-glass to the right of the net and pops out right in front of the net to Rick Middleton for a gift goal.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s an example of what can happen if the other team stays close,&rdquo; said Bowman.An example of what can happen when the Canadiens learn their lessons was the season-opener with the much-improved Minnesota North Stars, won by Montreal 7-3.Just 40 seconds after the North Stars took a 1-0 lead, Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Larry Robinson sent Doug Risebrough away on a long pass up the middle which crossed both the blue and the red lines. But the new league rules this year allow such a pass to be considered onside if the puck precedes the player across the red line, which it did. Risebrough, obviously practiced his shooting during the pre-season because he picked the far comer with a blistering wrist shot to tie the game.It will take a while to get used to that pass,&rdquo; said Bowman, &ldquo;but we re working on it.&rdquo;Into the second period the Canadiens found themselves with another 3-1 lead, but when the North Stars closed the gap to one by the end of the second frame, the Canadiens were ready to turn or, the firepower to make sure that they weren&rsquo;t tied by any strange goals.One minute and 41 seconds into the final period, Guy Lafleur was on the receiving end of passes from Jacques Lemaire and Steve Shutt. He crossed the blueline, wound up and seared a rising shot off the glove of Minnesota&rsquo;s Pete Lopresti and into the net, his second goal of the night and a two-goal bulge for the Canadiens.When the pesky North Stars once more climbed to within a goal, centerman Doug Jarvis put the game out of reach with a concentrated effort just 15 seconds after the Canadiens had successfully killed off a penalty.Jarvis swooped in on the right side, partially fanned on a shot, took another swipe which bounced off a Minnesota defender&rsquo;s skate and finally directed it into the net as he swung past.It hit the defenseman&rsquo;s skate and came back.&rdquo; Jarvis explained. &ldquo;I just swiped at it again.&rdquo; Then he added. &ldquo;It was a tough game. Minnesota can skate and it was close until the middle of the third period, but Kenny (Dryden) made a couple of big saves to keep us ahead.&rdquo; Then Jarvis sewed it up.FORUM REBOUNDS: Another benefit from the exhibition season was the chance for Bowman to measure the progress of Rick Chartraw on right wing. Said Bowman: He&rsquo;s looking better every, time out. Rick&rsquo;s skating easily and with his size and strength he gives us another big winger like (Bob) Gainey&hellip;Rookie Pierre Mondou. the only Canadiens&rsquo; newcomer to dress for the first game (Gilles Lupien and Brian Engblom are also new to the team), scored on his third shift on the night. He started the game between Lafleur and Shutt and was on right wing with Risebrough and Yvon Lambert when he scored&hellip;Ken Dryden made one of the most rapid recoveries in medical history, when he went from out of the line-up (Monday) to back-up goalie status (Tuesday) to a starting assignment (Wednesday) after having back spasms&hellip;Bowman says he&rsquo;ll juggle the players dressed according to the opposition. For Minnesota he used his speedy alignment, leaving big forward Peter Mahovlich on the sidelines&hellip;Guy Lafleur has now scored in 30 consecutive regular season games. &#9632;

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Canadiens Learn While Winning

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue. 18 Los Angeles at N.Y. IslandersDetroit at VancouverWed. 19 Pittsburgh at N.Y. RangersMinnesota at AtlantaMontreal at WashingtonLos Angeles at ClevelandBuffalo at ChicagoBoston at St. LouisColorado at TorontoThu. 20 Pittsburgh at PhiladelphiaMontreal at DetroitCleveland at MinnesotaColorado at BuffaloFri. 21 N.Y. Islanders at AtlantaSat. 22 N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. IslandersPhiladelphia at TorontoAtlanta at PittsburghDetroit at MinnesotaBoston at Los AngelesChicago at ColoradoCleveland at St. LouisSun. 23 Montreal at N.Y. RangersToronto at PhiladelphiaPittsburgh at ClevelandBoston at VancouverSt. Louis at ChicagoMinnesota at BuffaloMon. 24 Washington at MontrealTue. 25 N.Y. Rangers at ClevelandAtlanta at St. LouisLos Angeles at VancouverBoston at ColoradoWed. 26 St. Louis at N.Y. RangersN.Y. Islanders at Los AngelesPhiladelphia at ChicagoWashington at AtlantaMontreal at TorontoDetroit at PittsburghBoston at MinnesotaThu. 27 N.Y. Islanders at VancouverMinnesota at DetroitFri. 28 Washington at ColoradoChicago at ClevelandSat. 29 N.Y. Rangers at AtlantaBuffalo at N.Y. IslandersPhiladelphia at St. LouisoLos Angeles at MontrealWashington at MinnesotaBoston at PittsburghDetroit at TorontoColorado at Vancouver &#9632;

Where NHL Teams Play

(Standings on Tue. Oct. 18)<h2>NORRIS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2265/4047838-1-eng-US/f0016-222.jpg" title="f0016-22" width="594" height="162"></div><h2>ADAMS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2363/4047831-1-eng-US/f0016-232.jpg" title="f0016-23" width="597" height="137"></div><h2>PATRICK DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2461/4047824-1-eng-US/f0016-242.jpg" title="f0016-24" width="593" height="138"></div><h2>SMYTHE DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2556/4047817-1-eng-US/f0016-252.jpg" title="f0016-25" width="600" height="164"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Oct. 12Vancouver 3 at N.Y. Rangers 6Minnesota 3 at Montreal 7St.Louis 2 at Pittsburgh 4Cleveland 0 at Los Angeles 2Thu. Oct. 13N.Y. Islanders 2 at Buffalo 3Chicago 1 at Philadelphia 5Atlanta 2 at Boston 2Toronto 3 at Detroit 3Fri. Oct. 14Pittsburgh 1 at Washington 2Vancouver 4 at Colorado 4Sat. Oct. 15N.Y. Rangers 0 at Montreal 5Boston 1 at N.Y. Islanders 3Philadelphia 8 at Pittsburgh 2St.Louis 1 at Atlanta 3Washington 2 at Cleveland 4Detroit 2 at Los Angeles 4Vancouver 5 at Minnesota 3Colorado 3 at Chicago 3Buffalo 5 at Toronto 2Sun. Oct. 16N.Y. Islanders 2 at N.Y. Rangers 4St.Louis 0 at Philadelphia 7Montreal 2 atBoston 0Chicago 0 at Buffalo 2 &#9632;

f0016-22

The NHL Scoreboard

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2653/4047869-1-eng-US/f0016-262.jpg" title="f0016-26" width="591" height="532"></div> &#9632;

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NHL Leaders

<h2>Wed. Oct. 12</h2>VANCOUVER 3, RANGERS 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01830/4047762-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="611" height="647"></div>MINNESOTA 3, MONTREAL 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02700/4047755-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="605" height="567"></div>ST-LOUIS 2, PITTSBURGH 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03559/4047748-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="605" height="565"></div>CLEVELAND 0, LOS ANGELES 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04438/4047741-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="595" height="510"></div><h2>Thu. Oct. 13</h2>ISLANDERS 2, BUFFALO 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05332/4047734-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="611" height="512"></div>CHICAGO 1, PHILADELPHIA 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06270/4047727-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="603" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07244/4047720-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="597" height="246"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08224/4047713-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="1196" height="1194"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rookie winner Willi Plett had three-goal start for Atlanta.</figcaption></div>ATLANTA 2, BOSTON 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-09201/4047706-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="603" height="142"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-10179/4047699-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="597" height="354"></div>TORONTO 3, DETROIT 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-11165/4047692-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="613" height="509"></div><h2>Fri. Oct. 14</h2>PITTSBURGH 1, WASHINGTON 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-12148/4047685-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="613" height="462"></div>VANCOUVER 4, COLORADO 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-13134/4047678-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="601" height="596"></div><h2>Sat. Oct. 15</h2>RANGERS 0, MONTREAL 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-14127/4047671-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="602" height="510"></div>BOSTON 1, ISLANDERS 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-15117/4047664-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="596" height="403"></div>PHILADELPHIA 8, PITTSBURGH 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-16113/4047657-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="611" height="642"></div>ST.LOUIS 1, ATLANTA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-17105/4047650-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="591" height="456"></div>WASHINGTON 2, CLEVELAND 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1898/4047643-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="604" height="463"></div>DETROIT 2, LOS ANGELES 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1991/4047636-1-eng-US/f0016-192.jpg" title="f0016-19" width="594" height="575"></div>VANCOUVER 5,MINNESOTA 3FIRST PERIODMinnesota. 1&mdash;Eriksson (Maxwell. Fairbarin)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2072/4047629-1-eng-US/f0016-202.jpg" title="f0016-20" width="605" height="510"></div>COLORADO 3, CHICAGO 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2167/4047622-1-eng-US/f0016-212.jpg" title="f0016-21" width="596" height="351"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01721/4047615-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="590" height="166"></div>BUFFALO 5, TORONTO 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02612/4047608-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="635" height="507"></div><h2>Sun. Oct. 16</h2>ISLANDERS 2, RANGERS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03486/4047601-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="616" height="457"></div>ST.LOUIS 0, PHILADELPHIA 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04373/4047594-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="613" height="621"></div>MONTREAL 2, BOSTON 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05292/4047587-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="593" height="303"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06244/4047580-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="595" height="168"></div>CHICAGO 2, BUFFALO 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07213/4047573-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="579" height="130"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08179/4047566-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="585" height="170"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09161/4047559-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="592" height="162"></div> &#9632;

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NATIONAL LEAGUE SUMMARIES

C&mdash;Captain*&mdash;Rookie<h2>ATLANTA</h2>GOALDan BouchardPhil MyreDEFENSEBarry GibbsEd KeaRichard Mulhern*Pat RibbleDave Shand*Miles ZaharkoCENTERSGuy ChouinardRey ComeauBill ClementBobby LalondeTom Lysiak CR. WINGSJohn GouldKen HoustonWilli PlettL. WINGSCurt BennettTim Ecclestone*Harold PhillipoffEric VailINJUREDNone.<h2>BOSTON</h2>GOALGerry CheeversGilles Gilbert*Ron GrahameDEFENSEGary Doak*Mike ForbesDoug HalwardMike MilburyBrad ParkAl SimsRick SmithCENTERSMatti Hagman*Bob MillerPete McNabJean RatelieGregg SheppardR. WINGS*Dwight FosterRick MiddletonTerry O&rsquo;ReillyBobby SchmautzL. WINGSJohn BucykWayne Cashman CStan JonathanDon MarcotteJohn WensinkINJUREDNone.<h2>BUFFALO</h2>GOALGerry DesjardinsDon Edwards*Robert SauveDEFENSELee FogolinJ. GuevremontBill HajtJerry KorabJim SchoenfeldCENTERSDon LuceGilles PerreaultAndre SavardRon Shock*Derek SmithFred StanfieldR. WINGSDanny Gare CJim LorentzGary McAdamJacques RichardRene Robert*Ric Seiling*Alex TideyL. WINGS*Joe KowalRichard MartinTerry MartinCraig RamsayINJUREDKen Breitenbach<h2>CHICAGO</h2>GOALTony EspositoMike VeisorDEFENSERandy HoltDave LoganKeith Magnuson CBob MurrayPhil RussellDale Tallon*Doug WilsonCENTERSIvan BoldirevJim HarrisonPit MartinStan Mikita*Jean SavardR. WINGSJ.P. BordeleauAlain DaigleCliff KorollGrant MulveyPierre PlanteL. WINGS*Ted BulleyBob KellyJohn MarksDarcy RotaINJUREDNone.<h2>CLEVELAND</h2>GOALGary EdwardsGilles MelocheDEFENSEMike ChristieRick Hampton*Bjorn JohanssonJim NeilsonGreg SmithBob Stewart CCENTERSDave Gardner*Kris ManeryDennis MarukWayne MerrickR. WINGSFred Ahern*Mike CrombeenBob MurdochGary SabourinL. WINGSMike FidlerBob GirardRalph Kalssen*Reg KerrAl MacAdamINJUREDNone.<h2>COLORADO</h2>GOALDoug Favell*Bill OleschukMichel PlasseDEFENSE*Barry BeckTom EdurMike KitchenBryan LefleyJim McElmuryJohn Van Boxmeer*Mark SuzorCENTERSChuck ArnasonPaul GardnerDave HudsonNelson PyattLarry SkinnerR. WINGSRon Andruff*Joe ContiniRon DelormeWilf Paiement CL. WINGSGary CroteauDenis Dupere*Rick JodzioAndy SpruceINJUREDNone.<h2>DETROIT</h2>GOALEd GiacominRon LowJim RutherfordDEFENSEAl CameronSteve DurbanoLarry GirouxJean HamelTerry HarperGreg Joly*Reed Larson*Perry MillerCENTERSDennis HextaliJ.P. Leblanc*Dale McCourt*Paul WoodsR. WINGSMichel BergeronRick BownessAl McDonoughDennis PolonichL. WINGSDanny GrantDanny Gruen*Clark HamiltonNick LibettDan Maloney CBob RitchieINJUREDNone.<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>GOALGary SimmonsRogie VachonDEFENSELarry BrownDave HutchisonNeil KomakoskiRandy ManeryBob MurdochGary SargentCENTERSGene CarrMarcel DionneButch GoringPete StemkowjkiVic VenaskyR. WINGSGlen GoldupDon KozakJim MoxeyMike Murphy C*Dave TaylorL. WINGSErnie HickeDave Schultz*Lorne StamlerRuss WalkerTom WilliamsINJUREDNone.<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GOAL*Paul HarrisonPete LoPrestiDEFENSEFred BarrettNick Beverley CJerry EngeleDoug Hicks*Brad MaxwellLou NanneDennis O&rsquo;BrienTom ReidCENTERSRoland ErikssonBill HogaboamGlen SharpleyTim YoungR. WINGS*Kent-Erik AnderssonBill FairbairnAlex PirusDean TalafousL. WINGS*Per-Olov BarsarPierre JarrySteve JensenJim RobertsINJUREDNone.<h2>MONTREAL</h2>GOALKen DrydenMichel LarocqueDEFENSEPierre BouchardRick Chartraw*Brian EngblomGuy Lapointe*Gilles LupienBill NyropLarry RobinsonSerge SavardCENTERSDoug JarvisJacques LemairePeter Mahovlich*Pierre MondouDoug RisebroughR. WINGSYvan Cournoyer CGuy LafleurMario TemblayL. WINGSBob GaineyRejean HouleSteve ShuttMurray WilsonINJUREDNone.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>GOAL*Goran HogastaChico ReschBilly SmithDEFENSEGarry HartDave LewisBert Marshall*Stefan PerssonDenis PotvinJean PotvinPat PriceCENTERSBob BourneJude DrouinLorne Henning*Mike KaszyckiAndre St. LaurentBryan TrottierR. WINGS*Mike BossyBilly HarrisBob NystromEd WestfallL. WINGSClark Gillies CGarry HowattJ.P. Parise*Dave SalvianINJUREDNone.<h2>RANGERS</h2>GOAL*Hardy AastromJohn DavidsonWayne ThomasDEFENSEDon AwreyDave FarrishRon GreschnerDave MaloneyMike McEwenCarol VadnaisCENTERS*Ron DuguayPhil Esposito C*Greg HolstWalter TkaczukR. WINGS*Lucien DeBloisRob GilbertBill GoldsworthyKen HodgeDon MurdochL. WINGSNick FotiuPat HickeyDan NewmanGreg PolisSteve VickersINJUREDWayne Dillon<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>GOALBernie ParentWayne StephensonDEFENSETom BladonBob DaileyAndre DupontRick Lapointe*Kevin McCarthyJim WatsonJoe WatsonCENTERSHarvey BennettMel BridgmanBobby Clarke COrest KindrachukRick MacLeishR. WINGSBarry DeanGary DornhoeferPaul HolmgrenReg LeachDon SaleskiL. WINGSBill BarberBob KellyRoss LonsberryINJUREDNone.<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>GOALDennis HerronGordon LaxtonDune WilsonDEFENSERuss AndersonDave BurrowsColin CampbellDennis OwcharBob ParadiseTom PriceRon StackhouseCENTERSSyl Apps*Torn CassidyPierre LaroucheGreg MaloneR. WINGSMike Corrigan*Jacques CossetteHartland MonahanJean Pronovost CL. WINGSBlair Chapman*Jim HamiltonBrian SpencerINJUREDWayne BianchinMario FaubertRick KehoeLowell MacDonald<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>GOALYves BelangerEd JohnstonEd StaniowskiDEFENSEBruce Affleck*Jack BrownschildeLen FrigBob HessDick RedmondJim RobertsRod SeilingCENTERSRed Berenson CBernie FederkoGarry UngerR. WINGSRick BourbonnaisLarry ButlerClaude LaroseLarry PateyL. WINGSBob MacMillan*John SmrkeBrian SutterINJUREDNone.<h2>TORONTO</h2>GOALMike PalmateerGordon McRaeDEFENSERandy CarlyleBrian Glennie*Trevor JohansenJim McKennyBorje SalmingIan TurnbullCENTERSDon AshbyGeorge FergusonDarryl Sittier CJack ValiquetteR. WINGSPat BoutetteRon Ellis*Jimmy JonesLanny McDonaldKurt WalkerL. WINGSInge HammarstronBob NeelyErrol ThompsonDave WilliamsINJUREDNone.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2>GOALCesare ManiagoCurt RidleyDEFENSELarry CarriereLarry GoodenoughJohn GrisdaleDennis Kearns*Bob MannoJack MclLhargeyHarold SnepstsCENTERS*Dave MorrowChris Oddleifson*Rod Tudor*Syd VeyseyMike WaltonR. WINGSRick BlightHilliard GravesGerry O&rsquo;FlahertyDennis Ververgaertm L. WINGS*Rob FlockhartBrad Gassoff*Jere GillisDon Lever CGarry MonahanRon SedlbauerINJUREDNone.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2>GOAL*Dale RideoutGarry SmithBernie WolfeDEFENSERick GreenYvon LabreGordie LaneJack Lynch*Robert PicardPete ScamurraGord SmithBryan WatsonCENTERSGuy CharronDoug GibsonWalt McKechnieGarry MeehanR. WINGSGarnet BaileyBill Collins*Mark LofthouseBill RileyBob SiroisL. WINGS*Nelson BurtonDave ForbesRon LalondeMike MarsonTony WhiteINJUREDCraig PatrickRick Green &#9632;

NHL Team Rosters

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaBLOOMINGTON&mdash;Sometime during the 1976-77 season, a prankster pinned a miniature rubber skeleton by Tim Young&rsquo;s sweater in the dressing room of the Minnesota North Stars.Why, trainer Doc Rose was asked, was that symbolic. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you know about Mr. Bones,&rdquo; came the reply. &ldquo;Take a look at his body. He&rsquo;s all bones.&rdquo;Tim Young began his third National Hockey League season this month, as lean as ever, without much evidence of wear and tear on his six-foot-two, 175-pound frame.&ldquo;These were good enough to carry me last year and they&rsquo;ll be good enough again this year,&rdquo; Young answered a question about his rod-like legs which propelled him to 29 goals and 66 assists last season.Those totals ranked fifth in NHL scoring and set a North Star scoring record.Young, by the end of this fall&rsquo;s training camp, showed no signs of slowing down, although he did have a slow start when he reported in at 184 pounds.&ldquo;I felt sluggish for quite a while,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It seems when my weight goes over 180, I lose some of my quickness. It took me a couple weeks to get going, but once I was back down to 175 I started feeling pretty good again.&rdquo;With the size of today&rsquo;s players in the NHL. one might think that Young would spend a lot of time in the training room tending to bumps and bruises.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t missed a game in two seasons in the NHL and I don&rsquo;t plan on missing any this year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not worried about my weight. I can take a check and I&rsquo;ve been hit quite a few times, that is, if I don&rsquo;t see &lsquo;em coming in time. Playing center is not a physically demanding as wing, which requires you to go into the boards more often.&rdquo;In other words, if you can&rsquo;t catch him, you can&rsquo;t hit him.Young&rsquo;s Minnesota teammates take his slender build for granted these days, without much chastising.&ldquo;My first year with the North Stars the fellows ribbed me pretty good,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;All I told &lsquo;em was that if I was any heavier, I&rsquo;d slow up. That seemed to quiet them up.&rdquo;Skate softly and carry a big stick, he implied. Young&rsquo;s quickness and scoring ability orginally attracted the North Stars from his junior days in Ottawa, where he scored 56 goals and 107 points in 1974-75.Young was drafted on the first round by the Los Angeles Kings and the Stars obtained him in a trade during the summer before the 1975-76 season. Minnesota sent him to New Haven to polish his defensive play early that season, but called him up to shore up a struggling offensive team.Young responded with 18 goals and 33 assists in his 63 games, and led the Stars in scoring So in two seasons, the 22-year-old center has scored 47 goals and 99 assists in the NHL.That season, coach Ted Harris formed a line with Pierre Jarry on Young&rsquo;s left and Dean Talafous on the right side. When Jarry went out with knee surgery last season. Ernie Hicke became the left winger and scored a team high 30 goals, thanks to Young&rsquo;s playmaking.With Hicke signing with the Kings in the off-season and Jarry recovering from the knee injury, the old line was back together for this season.Harris toyed with several combinations early in training camp before putting the trio back together, about the time Young was slimming down to 175 pounds. Net result: Young scored three goals in a 3-1 exhibition victory over Colorado.&ldquo;Timmy&rsquo;s got his jets back,&rdquo; stated Harris.And his playing weight, too&mdash;all 175 pounds.STAR DUST: The Stars made theirfirst major roster cut by shipping out a dozen players with at least six more due to be sent down&hellip;Sent to Fort Worth were goalie Bill Hughes, defensemen Chris Ahrens and Dwight Bialowas and forwards Richard Nantais. Blake Dunlop, Doug Rombough&hellip;Headed for Muskegon was rookie goalie Jean-Pierre Sanvido&hellip;Also cut were defensemen Mike Fedorko, and Bob Parent, goalies David Legree and Brian Holderness and forward Mike Thomas&hellip;Defenseman Kevin McCloskey, a fourth round draft choice, was only the second draft choice to be awarded a contract during training camp&mdash;No. 1 choice Brad Maxwell, who will be a regular, was the other&hellip;The Stars turned in one of their best preseason records in their 11 NHL exhibition schedules &hellip;Goalie Paul Harrison continues to impress, winning two and tying one of his first three assignments&hellip;The NHL stars split their home-and-home series with the WHA Winnipeg Jets, winning 2-1 in OT in Winnipeg and losing 4-3 at home&hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01738/4047924-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="576" height="781"><figcaption class="caption-body">TIM YOUNG &hellip;Weight No Problem</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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North Stars’ ‘Thin Man’ Ace Young Expects To Fatten Up On Scoring

TORONTO&mdash;Three European First Division hockey clubs, two from Czechoslovakia and one from the Soviet Union will meet National Hockey League opposition in December and January of this year, according to Alan Eagleson, executive-director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.The three clubs, Kladno and Pardubice of Czechoslovakia and Moscow Spartak, will play between 13 and 16 games between Dec. 20 and Jan. 20 against NHL teams which have not yet been announced. The two Czech clubs will be competing in from eight to 10 games between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5, while the Soviets will play five or six games between Jan. 10 and 20.The European opposition, strengthened by up to five players per team, will appear in both Canada and the United States.Eagleson met in Prague on Oct 17 along with NHL president John Ziegler with Czechoslovakian officials to confirm the North American playing dates, and talked with the Soviets the following day to settle the issues. &#9632;

Soviet, Czech Teams Will Play NHL Clubs In December, January

Don Saleski, Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; rugged right-winger has always been known for his aggressiveness when he teamed with Dave Schultz to lead the team&rsquo;s rock-&rsquo;em-sock-&rsquo;em style which resulted in two Stanley Cups for the Flyers. But he was never noted as a goalscorer.However things have changed with the start of the 1977-78 season as Saleski became the first NHL player to net a hat trick and finished the first three games with five goals and three assists.In the season&rsquo;s opener against Chicago, Saleski netted a pair of goals helping the Flyers to a 5-1 triumph, and he scored three times, including two in a five-goal second period to help the Flyers erase St. Louis Sunday evening 70.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02592/4047979-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="521" height="817"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON SALESKI &hellip; Philadelphia Flyers</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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NHL’S… Player of the Week

<h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Thu. Sept. 22Toronto 6, Detroit 4Fri. Sept. 23Buffalo 3, Montreal 3Colorado 3, Vancouver 3Rangers 3, Washington 2Sat. Sept. 24Toronto 2, Buffalo 1Montreal 3, Chicago 3Philadelphia 3, Islanders 1St. Louis 10, Atlanta 3Pittsburgh 2, Washington 1Colorado 4, Vancouver 3Sun. Sept. 25Boston 4, Rangers 2Chicago 2, New England (WHA) 2Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 3Minnesota 3, Los Angeles 3Buffalo 4, Montreal 3Islanders 4, Philadelphia 3Mon. Sept. 26Philadelphia 4, Boston 4Tue. Sept. 27Chicago 6, Montreal 4Cleveland 5, Detroit 2Philadelphia 5, Rangers 2Vancouver 5, Islanders 1Wed. Sept. 28Boston 2, Buffalo 2St. Louis 7, Cleveland 6Los Angeles 6, Colorado 4Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 4Montreal 3, Toronto 0Minnesota 2, Winnipeg (WHA) 1Islanders 8, Vancouver 2(WHA) New England 5, Washington 4Thu. Sept. 29Cleveland 5, Pittsburgh 4Rangers 4, Philadelphia 2Washington 6, Toronto 2Fri. Sept. 30Boston 5, Buffalo 2Minnesota 8, Colorado 4Toronto 4, Detroit 4Los Angeles 3, Vancouver 1(WHA) New England 7, Rangers 4Atlanta 3, Birmingham (WHA) 0Sat. Oct. 1Boston 5, New England (WHA) 0Buffalo 4, Islanders 4Toronto 5, Chicago 1Pittsburgh 9, Cleveland 4Washington 3, Detroit 3Los Angeles 7, Vancouver 4(WHA) Winnipeg 4, Minnesota 3St. Louis 4, Atlanta 2Sun. Oct. 2Boston 4, Chicago 1Buffalo 5, islanders 0Minnesota 3, Detroit 3Montreal 2, Philadelphia 2Mont. Oct. 3Montreal 4, Toronto 2Islanders 5, Rangers 1Edmonton (WHA) 3, St.Louis 2Tue. Oct. 4Los Angeles 2, Vancouver 2Rangers 6, Islanders 3New England (WHA) 5, Atlanta 4Wed. Oct. 5Boston 5, Rangers 1Buffalo 3, Toronto 1Detroit 5, Cleveland 2Minnesota 3, Colorado 1Los Angeles 5, Vancouver 5Montreal 6, Philadelphia 2Atlanta 5, Houston (WHA) 3Winnipeg (WHA) 6, St.Louis 2Thu. Oct. 6Philadelphia 6, Boston 2Cincinnati (WHA) 4, Washington 2Winnipeg (WHA) 3, St.Louis 0Toronto 4, Nova Scotia (AHL) 2Fri. Oct. 7Islanders 3, Atlanta 3Montreal 2, Boston 2Los Angeles 5, Colorado 3Minnesota 5, Detroit 4New England (WHA) 9, Pittsburgh 0St.Louis 4, Birmingham (WHA) 0Sat. Oct. 8Boston 3, Montreal 3Philadelphia 6, Buffalo 3St.Louis 7, Chicago 5Cleveland 5, Salt Lake (CHL) 3Vancouver 6, Colorado 4Edmonton (WHA) 5, Detroit 4Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 2Rangers 5, Quebec (WHA) 5Washington 4, Pittsburgh 2Atlanta 1, Islanders 1Sun. Oct. 9Philadelphia 1, Buffalo 1Toronto 4, Chicago 4Winnipeg (WHA) 1, Detroit 0New England (WHA) 4, Atlanta 3Cleveland 4, Edmonton (WHA) 2Mon. Oct. 10Quebec (WHA) 5, Washington 4Rangers 4, New Haven (AHL) 3Tue. Oct. 11Washington 5, Hershey (AHL) 3 &#9632;

Exhibition Scoreboard

(Standings on Mon. Oct. 10)<h2>NORRIS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02574/4048086-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="533" height="202"></div><h2>ADAMS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03441/4048079-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="537" height="171"></div><h2>PATRICK DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04371/4048072-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="538" height="174"></div><h2>SMYTHE DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05307/4048065-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="554" height="213"></div>(Games against minor league teams not included in standings.) &#9632;

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Final Standings

<div class="byline">BY RICH PASSAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01548/4048148-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK HAMPTON&hellip; Returned To The Defense (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>CLEVELAND&mdash;When Barons&rsquo; general manager Harry Howell went to the draft table last June, it was with one thing in mind. He wanted toughness.The Barons last season had to be the most pushed&mdash;around club in the National Hockey League. For the most part, when push came to shove, the Cleveland icers backed off.Howell, who took over as GM midway through the season, was witness to everything since he was serving as the club&rsquo;s color analyst on radio at the time.So he went into the draft with one thing in mind. And he came away with what he thought was that toughness.The ex-New York Rangers&rsquo; great defenseman was hopeful some of the new-found truculence would spill over to the veterans, most of whom concentrated on the puck and not the man.In the first exhibition game, a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, the Barons held their own when pucks were not flying past goaltenders. The Wings tried to intimidate them and it failed.Howell, naturally was happy. His goal had been accomplished.But it takes more than one such game to carve out a reputation. And the Barons have failed to a large extent to follow up on that openinggame toughness.The Pittsburgh Penguins, not exactly the Philadelphia Flyers in the meanness department, bruised the Barons in Pittsburgh in an 8-4 victory much in the same manner as the Clevelanders took and did not retaliate last season.Then the Red Wings paid a visit to the Barons&rsquo; Kent State University training camp site for a return match. They proceeded to pound the Barons silly in a 5-2 triumph. No retaliation.&ldquo;If we hope to make the playoffs, we can&rsquo;t lost games to Detroit through intimidation,&rdquo; said Cleveland coach Jack Evans, clearly displeased with his troops. &ldquo;We are becoming less physical. We should be getting sharper, I can&rsquo;t put my finger on it.&rdquo;Howell, too, is puzzled. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing I can do about it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I certainly don&rsquo;t want to see it continue. They just have to become a little more muscular.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want them to become goons. I just want them to dish it out a little instead of taking it all the time.&rdquo; continued the silver-haired GM, pointing a guilty finger at some of the veteran members of the club.&ldquo;The draft choices aren&rsquo;t the ones being pushed around. They have handled themselves well.&rdquo;Howell wants to trade, but is finding his fellow GMs most reluctant. &ldquo;They want too much,&rdquo; he said. The Barons have several quality skaters and are unwilling to part with them.What he&rsquo;s trying to do is build around these key performers without having to sacrifice them in doing so. The task will not be easy unless another GM makes a mistake.For sure, Howell needs help on defense and one big gunner up front. If he can swindle someone for those areas, the Barons might just become the contending team Howell and Evans believe it to be now.BARONS&rsquo; BITS: Sent to the Barons&rsquo; Central Hockey League farm club in Phoenix were goaltender Jim Warden, defensemen Darcy Regier, Owen Lloyd and Dave Syvret and forwards Angie Moretto, Rick Shinske, Vern Stenlund, Ken Kuzyk, Guy Lash and Grant Eakin. Dispatched to Toledo of the International League were forwards Paul Tantardini, Dewayne Endicott, Greg Agar and Jim McCabe and defensemen Mark Toffolo, Gary Soetart and Tom Anderson. Goaltender Larry Hendrick remained with the parent club pending assignment. Breakdown of the final roster shows 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies&hellip;Experimentation of Rick Hampton on the left wing appears over. Hampton started the season back at his familiar defense post. &#9632;

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Howell’s Ultimatum Outmuscled Barons Told To Get Physical Or Else

<div class="byline">BY RUSS WHITE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01391/4048186-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="525" height="2272"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRYAN WATSON &hellip; Still Going Strong</figcaption></div>WASHINGTON&mdash;At his 15th major league training camp, Bryan (Bugsy) Watson was admittedly in the September of his love affair with hockey, enjoying every minute of what he was doing but aching for the regular season to open for the Washington Capitals.The best days of Watson&rsquo;s training camp are the first, when he is reacquainted with his teammates, and, the last when he can get reacquainted with the league.Watson, who&rsquo;ll be 35 in November, may be at the same time the best liked or least liked but the most admired player in the National Hockey League.There aren&rsquo;t too many of the NHL&rsquo;s old-liners who haven&rsquo;t beaten the dickens out of Watson somewhere along the line and admired the way he took his medicine and stuck his nose out for more.Last year in Philadelphia, shortly after Watson had joined the Capitals, he singlehandedly tried to take on all the Broad Street Bullies, and barely escaped the Spectrum alive. Bloodied but unbowed. Watson was a winner that night in defeat.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got courage,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; coach Fred Shero, &ldquo;more courage than just about anyone in the league. Bryan Watson could play for my team any day.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s best to go back 15 years, to the first camp Watson attended, to appreciate the spirit of the man. He was just a teenager, a graduate of junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association with the Peterborough Petes.Young Watson stood almost five-foot-10 and weighed a little less than 160 when he came to Montreal to try out for the famous Montreal Canadiens, a team composed of hockey&rsquo;s Hall of Famers, the game&rsquo;s biggest names: Jean Beliveau. Boom Boom Geoffrion, Henri Richard, coach Hector (Toe) Blake.Watson, proudly wearing his navy blue Peterborough Petes&rsquo; blazer with appropriate crest, gray slacks, white socks and pointed black shoes, was ready to break up the old gang in Montreal. &ldquo;I shudder to think what those guys were saying about me,&rdquo; Watson said.&ldquo;I know that I was totally awed, almost afraid to say anything. Not too many of the Canadiens said much to me either. Toe Blake didn&rsquo;t talk to me for over a month. Jean Beliveau told me not to worry about that, that Blake didn&rsquo;t even say much to him and he had been there for over 12 years.&rdquo;Watson&rsquo;s aggressiveness and determination&mdash;not his clothes&mdash;impressed the Canadiens enough that he played 29 games that rookie season and six more in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Soon, Bryan Watson became someone special in the NHL.In time, it was Watson who bugged super star Bobby Hull so feverishly in a Detroit-Chicago Stanley Cup series that Hull lost his composure and went after Watson, whom he called the biggest &ldquo;Pest&rdquo; in hockey.Watson is still a pest of sorts today with the Capitals but that isn&rsquo;t all he means to Washington. &ldquo;There was a change in our hockey team the day Bryan arrived.&rdquo; said coach Tom McVie. &ldquo;He has a way of making everyone feel young again.&ldquo;And,&rdquo; said McVie, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t sell Watson short as a player. He&rsquo;s skated well for us, playing as well as he ever did, maybe better.&rdquo;McVie thinks so much of Watson&rsquo;s game that he has assigned the club&rsquo;s budding superstar Robert Picard to Watson for tutoring. Picard and Watson are defensive partners for the Caps.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting to know all about each other,&rdquo; Picard said, &ldquo;I think I know pretty much what Bryan is always going to do and he knows what I&rsquo;m up to. He&rsquo;s made things a lot more comfortable for me.&rdquo;The Caps were extremely pleased last year the way Watson helped Rick Green in the short time they played before a hand injury forced Green off the ice.Watson, though looking quite young this fall at the Capital&rsquo;s camp in Hershey, Pa.&mdash;he wears rugby shirts and prewashed jeans just like the kids&mdash;was held in awe by most of the players.&ldquo;Most of these guys here were in grade school, just kids, when I came up to the NHL.&rdquo; Watson said. &ldquo;Doug Gibson told me the other day about the night his father took him to a game to see me play.&ldquo;Gibson told me that I was the guy that he would always get when he bought a pack of bubblegum cards. He told me he once tried to trade five Bugsy Watson cards to get one Henri Richard.&rdquo;In time, maybe this year, the value of Watson&rsquo;s bubblegum card will rise. Here&rsquo;s the fellow who has 2,000 minutes in the NHL penalty box, more than anyone in the game. Kids ought to be able to get one Guy Lafleur card for only two or three Bryan Watsons.NOTES: Caps are worried that achilles injury to left wing Craig Patrick will cost the veteran what promised to be a rewarding start of the season&hellip; Patrick, enjoying a tremendous training camp, was injured shortly after scoring a goal in a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the London Gardens&hellip;Center Guy Charron is playing again after being sidelined early in camp with a bum left knee but defenseman Rick Green still needs daily therapy on his right hand and wrist and may not be available the first week or so of the season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02259/4048179-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="537" height="722"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK GREEN&hellip;Taking Therapy</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0021-01

Younger Capitals ‘Awed’ By Watson

<div class="byline">BY DAN DONOVAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01428/4048224-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="567" height="1248"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB PARADISE&hellip;Newest Penguin</figcaption></div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;Although the last Penguin season was crammed full of disappointments, Blair Chapman&rsquo;s still sticks out. The first forward taken in the 1976 Amateur draft, Chapman scored only 14 goals and 23 assists last season.And not because he didn&rsquo;t have enough ice time, as the right wing was rarely benched. And not because he didn&rsquo;t have talent, as any observer could see Chapman was strong, a fast skater with a quick wrist shot.The one thing he lacked was confidence, as his whole bag of it was shattered by the Montreal Canadiens. Chapman was on the ice for a pile of goals against when the Penguins dropped 10-1 and 9-1 decisions to Montreal early in the season.Between those two games and a bad night in Toronto, he was minus 10 in three games, and was minus 13 by the time the season was two weeks old. He plunged straight down to minus 18 before the season was 20 games old.Chapman began to master the defensive end of hockey but lacked the confidence to assert himself offensively, thus his efficiency rating stayed at minus 18 until late in the season. Then, teaming with fellow young players Greg Malone and Wayne Bianchin. was plus the last eight games finishing a respectable&mdash;for the Penguins&mdash;minus 10 for the season.In the playoffs, the Malone-Chapman-Bianchin line was the Penguins&rsquo; best.&ldquo;As a line, Greg, Wayne and I had a good playoff,&rdquo; Chapman said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s the time everybody&rsquo;s playing for the money. It helped my confidence a lot.&rdquo;After a few days of training camp this year, Chapman showed some vim on offense that was missing all last year.&ldquo;I feel good, my mind&rsquo;s clear. I&rsquo;m ready for this season,&rdquo; Chapman said.In order to get him a little more involved on offense, coach Johnny Wilson inserted Chapman at center during a few exhibition games. Forced to carry the puck more, Chapman did a good job and Wilson announced: &ldquo;Chapman can carry the puck as well as anybody.&rdquo;So he had another switch for Chapman&mdash;to left wing. Though Wilson wouldn&rsquo;t say the move was permanent. Chapman quickly looked at home.&ldquo;We were looking for some help on the left side (because of injuries).&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It looks as though Chapman could help us. I do know one thing&mdash;he&rsquo;s going to play good hockey for a long time. He&rsquo;s got a lot of moves&rdquo;So many moves that Wilson put Chapman with his top line, taking Lowell MacDonald&rsquo;s place as a right-handed left winger accompanying Syl Apps and Jean Pronovost when MacDonald&rsquo;s much-probed knee acted up again.Wilson paired Pierre Larouche with his junior linemate, Jacques Cossette, and left wing Spinner Spencer.&ldquo;I hope Spencer can spring some pucks loose for Pierre, and Cossette showed in training camp he can score,&rdquo; Wilson said.Malone was centering Rick Kehoe, whom he paired well with in training camp, and rookie Jim Hamilton as training camp broke.The acquistion of defenseman Bob Paradise gave the Penguins &ldquo;a hardworking team player, who will give our young players support in places like Philadelphia and Long Island,&rdquo; according to Wilson.The Penguin coach planned to carry six defensemen at the start of the season and had Paradise paired with Colin Campbell, Dave Burrows with Dennis Owchar and Ron Stackhouse with Russ Anderson.Goaltender Dune Wilson suffered a groin injury late in training camp, giving Denis Herron a shot at opening the season.PENGUIN NOTES: The Penguins had only 25 pros under contract, even after they picked up Paradise, although they have a couple of amateurs they could turn pro to reach the 27 minimum. Of those 25, four were out with injuries. Left wing Stan Gilbertson of course is out of the picture following his tragic leg amputation. left wing MacDonald had recuring knee problems, left wing Wayne Bianchin underwent disc surgery and defenseman Mario Faubert underwent knee surgery.&ldquo;The doctors are doing all our cutting for us,&rdquo; said Penguin general manager Baz Bastien, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad I didn&rsquo;t sign a minor league agreement saying I had to send seven or eight players to a team. We might have had to send them some secretaries.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02332/4048217-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="551" height="1076"><figcaption class="caption-body">BLAIR CHAPMAN&hellip;Goes To Left Side</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-01

Chapman Brightens Gloomy Player Picture

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div>TORONTO&mdash;The expected shake-up in the roster of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 1977-78 National Hockey League season didn&rsquo;t happen and the Leafs will open the schedule with almost an all-veteran line-up.Only two rookies made the team&mdash;defenseman Trevor Johansen, a first round draft pick from Toronto Marlboros and penalty-killer Jimmy Jones, who was with Rochester in the American League last season.However, new coach Roger Neilson stated strongly that the veterans would have to do the job or he would make big changes early in the season.&ldquo;We retained the guys who have NHL experience but we&rsquo;re not going to go with them for too long if they aren&rsquo;t doing the jobs,&rdquo; Neilson said.&ldquo;We have enough talent with the Dallas Black Hawks that we don&rsquo;t have to stand still.&rdquo;In a surprise move, the Leafs picked Mike Palmateer and Gord McRae as their goalies, making Wayne Thomas available in the NHL&rsquo;s waiver-draft.&ldquo;We felt that the other goalies could do the job,&rdquo; said Leaf general manager Jim Gregory. &ldquo;It was a very difficult decision to make.&rdquo;Palmateer played well for the Leafs last season following his early recall from Dallas. But his retention as the No. 1 goalie means that the Leafs are staking their season on a netminder with 56 games of NHL experience.Thomas was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in 1975 and had a strong season in &lsquo;75-76. But he floundered slightly last year.Johansen&rsquo;s strong training camp work earned him a starting defense berth. He maintained a consistent level of performance throughout the pre-season series.Johansen is stocky at five-foot-nine and 200 pounds but he&rsquo;s extremely strong. He plays with a style reminiscent of the late Tim Horton, using his upper body strength to good advantage.The other Leaf defensemen are Borje Salming, Ian Turnbull, Randy Carlyle and Brian Glennie. Rookie Kevin Campbell from St. Lawrence University had a strong training camp but Neilson feels he&rsquo;ll benefit more from heavy work in the minors than spot play with the Leafs. Jim McKenny is available for spot defense duty plus work as a winger.Darryl Sittier leads the Leaf centers. George Ferguson, Jack Valiquette and Don Ashby are the others. Bruce Boudreau was dispatched to Dallas but will be back if the Leaf pivots falter.Tiger Williams, Errol Thompson. Bob Neely and Inge Hammarstrom are the left wings. Lanny McDonald, Ron Ellis. Pat Boutette and Kurt Walker, retained only for his muscle, are the right wingers with Jones and McKenny as utility men.The Leafs flaws are many. Palmateer has played 56 games of goal in the NHL, McRae 59. Behind Salming and Turnbull, the defense is Carlyle, with two months as a regular, and raw rookie Johansen plus the often-injured Glennie.Of the centers, only Sittier has had one good, solid, consistent season and several wingers don&rsquo;t exactly cause shivers in opponents with their muscle in the comers of the rink.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03273/4048255-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="457" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIMMY JONES&hellip;A New Leaf</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-03

Neilson Warns Leaf Vets-Do Job Or Move Out

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Of the 41 players who reported to preseason training camp with the Kings. 25 were forwards. It appeared several new regulars might move inThe openings were there. Although the team&rsquo;s 271 goals last season were a club record, it was only eighth in the league, and a mere four players scored half of the goals.Marcel Dionne carried one line almost alone with 53. Tom Williams with 35. Butch Goring with 30. and Mike Murphy with 25 totalled 90 to set a team record for one line.The third line of Vic Cenasky, Don Kozak, and Dave Schultz was ineffictive with a mere 39 goals.Going into camp, manager George Maguire briefed new coach Ron Stewart on the lines former coach Bob Pulford used last season. Naturally, Stewart tried these first. However, with one exception, he was still sticking to the same as the pre-season neared an end.Even the third line remained intact.Newcomers Pete Stemkowski, Lome Stamler, and Jim Moxey and veteran Gene Carr remained on the roster pending final cuts, but were irregulars. Moxey was filling in on the first line, but only until Murphy returns from a back injury.Moxey and Steve Clippingdale tallied hat tricks in one game, but Clipper was sent out a few days later. Veteran Bob Berry was sent out after getting into only one game.So much for the value of exhibition games.It is unusual for a team&rsquo;s No. 1 forward to be playing on its No. 2 line, but Dionne didn&rsquo;t get much help most of last season. He made his own scoring plays and wasted plays others should have scored on.When Glenn Goldup returned from a knee injury, he took over right wing, showed promise, and starts there again. Now, Ernie Hicke. signed as a free agent, takes over left wing and looks like he could provide the major improvement in the team&rsquo;s regular lines.Hicke will be 30 in November. He has 10 seasons of pro play behind him. Originally owned by Montreal, he was traded to the Seals for a first draft choice the following year, who turned out to be Guy Lafleur.A strong scorer as an amateur, he broke in with 22 goals as a rookie with the Seals. However, after that he averaged only 12 goals for four seasons as he bounced around with the Seals. Flames. Islanders, and North Stars.He feels injuries and illness, including spinal meningitis, a cracked vertabrae. and torn knee ligaments, held him back in the middle years of his career. He bounced back the last two seasons to score 23 and 30 goals for the Stars.However, he has been considered bad defensively and Minnesota general manager Jack Gordon branded him as &ldquo;selfish&rdquo; before breaking off contract negotiations this summer. Still, several clubs sought him and he almost went to Vancouver before signing with the Kings.If he is as selfish as Diopne was supposed to be, the Kings have made a steal. Players who do good on bad teams often are regarded as selfish. Hicke says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll play anywhere and any way the team wants me to play. I am a shooter, but I&rsquo;m willing to work at checking.I believe I got a bum rap in Minnesota. They wanted to go with the kids. I was on the bench last season and scoreless the first 20 games before an injury gave me my chance. I made the most of it. I hope to make the most of my chance here. The money being close, the Kings were my first choice.&rdquo;He has family in California. His sister and her husband live in Anaheim. His wife&rsquo;s parents live in Sacramento. He and his wife, Barbar, who lived two years in Oakland, have a six-year-old son, Shane, who has been skating at his hockey school several summers already, and a seven-month-old daughter. Tiffany, who hasn&rsquo;t started to skate yet.Ernie comes from a hockey family. He followed in the skate-steps of his brother Billy, 11 years his senior, who had a big league career before retiring to a sporting goods store in their home town of Regina, Saskatchewan. An attractive and personable fellow, Ernie hopes he has settled down to prolong his career here.&ldquo;You get discouraged getting moved around and I lost a little confidence.&rdquo; he admits, &ldquo;but I believe I matured the last two seasons and am just approaching my peak now.&rdquo; The Kings are counting on it. A five-foot-11, 185-pound left-hander. Ernie is a fast skater and quick shooter who could do well with the dynamic Dionne. He seems to be the team&rsquo;s main hope for an improved offense.KINGS THINGS: The second major cut of camp sent forwards Berry, Clippingdale. Charlie Simmer, and Russ Walker, and defensemen Per Karlsson and Steve Short to Springfield Stewart talked management into paying the Swedish Hockey Federation $40,000 for the right to develop big Karlsson, provided he makes the AHL. He tried out last season, too&hellip;Veteran defenseman Shelly Kannegiesser went there without a King trial&hellip;Ab DeMarco, traded in the Randy Manery deal, was dropped by Atlanta.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01402/4048286-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="578" height="990"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERNIE HICKE&hellip;Could Be A Steal</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

Kings Looking For Scoring Power, Hope Hicke Will Be Key To Offense

It took Rich Leduc of the Cincinnati Stingers three games to figure it out, but he finally found out that when he stopped scoring goals and assisted on his teammates&rsquo; scores that the club could play winning hockey.In the team&rsquo;s first two games, both 5-4 losses to Indianapolis and Winnipeg, Leduc netted six goals and had one assist, but the Stingers lost. In the seasonopener with Indianapolis, Leduc scored all four of his team&rsquo;s goals, but it didn&rsquo;t help.So in game three, against the New England Whalers, Leduc turned passer instead, setting up each of the Stingers&rsquo; first three goals en route to a 6-2 victory. For the week Leduc finished with six goals and four assists and Cincinnati finally had a win.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04167/4048362-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="444" height="567"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICH LEDUC &hellip; Cincinnati Stingers</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-04

WHA’S… Player of the Week

<div class="byline">BY GREG NOBLE</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTDArnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTDArnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaCINCINNATI&mdash;As a hockey coach Jacques Demers believes in playing a defensive-minded, tight-checking, controlled system. He calls it a disciplined system.Likewise, as an individual, the Cincinnati Stingers coach believes in keeping a disciplined lifestyle. Demers believes that his players&rsquo; practicing discipline off the ice will help develop a disciplined team on the ice.That is why, in line with the Cincinnati Reds. Demers has instituted a dress and grooming code for the Stingers. Mindful of the players&rsquo; lack of discipline on and off the ice last season, the new coach is looking for the team to improve its image (Demers says it was &ldquo;tarnished&rdquo; last year) along with its performance.What Demers&rsquo; new code means to the players is this: There will be no beards, hair has to kept neat, and coats and ties will be worn when traveling. No jeans. Team captain Rick Dudley shaved his beard in compliance and Demers asked three players to cut their hair.&ldquo;I think a disciplined hockey club is a winning hockey club, and if a player is disciplined off the ice, he&rsquo;d certainly be able to discipline himself on the ice,&rdquo; Demers said in explaining why he instituted the code.The coach believes conversely that an undisciplined player may not respond as well. Put it this way: A guy who drinks the night before a game won&rsquo;t be able to play up to par,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m saying doesn&rsquo;t mean that a guy with long hair can&rsquo;t stop a goal, but when a coach asks a player to do something, if he doesn&rsquo;t want to do it, it&rsquo;s hard to ask him to perform the system on the ice.&rdquo;Another reason for the code is Demers&rsquo; concern that the Stingers project a favorable image. He thinks the team&rsquo;s image around the league needs polishing.&ldquo;Last year, being an opposing coach and hearing things about the Stingers. I thought that the team&rsquo;s image was tarnished.&rdquo; he said &ldquo;People said it didn&rsquo;t look like a pro team, that it had a junior look. But I want this team to be major league all the way. I want us to represent Cincinnati the way the Reds do, not only by victories, but also by looking like a disciplined hockey club.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01416/4048331-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="540" height="727"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROBBIE FTOREK&hellip;Won&rsquo;t Cause Problems</figcaption></div>Demers himself has a disciplined look&mdash;he wears his hair cut above the ears, although he does allow for a mustache. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a disciplined person,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to get too much into the private life of my players, but there are certain things I like to see. I&rsquo;m for long hair, but not for long hair that doesn&rsquo;t look neat.&ldquo;One way or another, all of our players have good discipline in themselves,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;They just need adjustment sometimes.&rdquo;Demers said he did not actually command Dudley to shave or the three players to cut their hair.&ldquo;I would not tell a player, &lsquo;Get you hair cut or you&rsquo;ll be in trouble,&rdquo;he said.You have to approach it in a polite way. In Dudley&rsquo;s case. I asked him to shave because he is the captain, I said &ldquo;You think about it and decide if I&rsquo;m right,&rsquo; and he shaved the same night. I think all the players responded well.&rdquo;For the players&rsquo; part, Dudley said he gladly agreed to conform, but he also noted that at first all the players may not accept the code so graciously.&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have to ask me (to shave). We talked about discipline and appearances and I had to agree with him.&rdquo; said Dudley. &ldquo;I looked like something out of the north country with that beard. I have to agree with him that I look better without it. I&rsquo;d like to see all the guys dressed up. It&rsquo;d feel like class.&rdquo;Dudley said the fact that the players respect Demers will make it easier or him to get them to go along with the code. Some guys will balk, he said, &ldquo;but the guys who don&rsquo;t like to conform off the ice are generally the same guys who have problems on the ice. I think eventually everyone will respond to it.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03232/4048324-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="1202" height="1162"><figcaption class="caption-body">Captain Rick Dudley quickly shaved his beard.</figcaption></div>Another of Demers&rsquo; ideas is to have the players eat meals together when they&rsquo;re on the road. But so far, he said, he does not plan to have a curfew. The club had discipline problems on the road last year with some players drinking and staying out late.&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll depend on how the players perform. I never had a curfew at Indy.&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;I talked to the guys and I told them I hope I don&rsquo;t have to have one here.&rdquo;Dudley said he doesn&rsquo;t expect the Stingers to have that kind of problem on the road this season.&ldquo;This is a different team,&rdquo; he noted. &ldquo;The younger players have matured. Some guys have been added and other guys have been deleted. We have a few more veterans than last year. You know you&rsquo;re not going to have problems with guys like Ernie Wakely and Robbie Ftorek. This team has a different attitude than last year. This team wants to win.&rdquo;<h2>WHA Leaders</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02326/4048317-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="600" height="674"></div> &#9632;

f0024-01

Stingers Add Dress Code To Strengthen Discipline

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE WARRINER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01354/4048428-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="575" height="1192"><figcaption class="caption-body">Whaler coach Harry Neale is counting heavily on returning players George Lyle, center, and defender Rick Ley to make team title threat. (Photo by Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02257/4048421-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="1207" height="1196"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03177/4048414-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="1207" height="1184"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04131/4048407-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="577" height="588"><figcaption class="caption-body">AL SMITH&hellip;Blanked Penguins</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05111/4048400-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="529" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM WEBSTER&hellip;Wins His Job</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-0691/4048393-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="515" height="672"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARTY HOWE</figcaption></div>HARTFORD&mdash;Coming off a very successful preseason exhibition game schedule the New England Whalers are hoping to carry their momentum right into the beginning of the 1977-78 WHA schedule.Encountering six National Hockey League teams, the Whalers beat the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Atlanta Flames, and the Pittsburgh Penguins (a 9-0 whitewashing). In addition they tied the Chicago Black Hawks and lost to the Boston Bruins.The loss to the Bruins was a disappointing one for the packed house at the Hartford Civic Center which was all primed for a showdown battle between the Whalers and their chief detractors in the NHL. It was a confrontation that merger advocates had hoped would turn into an ongoing rivalry. Both teams seemed to be making more significance of the game than a mere tuneup for the regular season.But the game was virtually over 15 minutes after it started. The Bruins scored an easy goal when goalie Cap Raeder juggled the puck into his net at the five-minute mark and the B&rsquo;s went on to score three more on their next five shots. The period ended 5-0&mdash;and that was the final score. The Whalers had many good opportunities but were repelled by the stellar goaltending of Gerry Cheevers and Gilles GilbertA week later the Whalers were on the other end of things as they lambasted the Pittsburgh Penguins 9-0 with goalie Al Smith going the distance and making some sparkling saves.It was the loss to the Bruins that proved to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise, however, After the game the three-man race for the goaltender&rsquo;s position was settled with 24-year-old Raeder being dispatched to Springfield in the AHL. In addition coach Harry Neale used the opportunity to make some changes in the structure of three of his four lines.Neale moved Gordie Howe to center pointing out that whenever Gordie is on the ice, &ldquo;he&rsquo;s our quarterback&rdquo; and that he&rsquo;d be able to operate better at that position. On the wings he put Mark Howe and Tom Webster.With Gordie at center coach Neale dealt with his abundance of. centermen by sending Steve Carlson and Andre Peloffy to Springfield. Young Greg Carroll moved between Larry Pleau and Jack Carlson while Mike Rogers and left wing George Lyle were assigned Jim Mayer as their right winger The Dave Keon-Mike Antonovich-Johnny McKenzie line stayed intact.The new combinations proved effective as the balanced scoring continues, and the Whalers racked up 22 goals in their next three games. With Gordie moving from the right side to center, a suspected depth problem became even more evident. Right wing is a cause for some concern. John McKenzie and Webster have their jobs nailed down, and converted left winger Jack Carlson has performed quite adequately. He&rsquo;s also a good one to have around when the going gets tough.But Jim Mayer, obtained from Calgary when the Cowboys folded, is unproven. Danny Bolduc is in Springfield trying to find his scoring touch. It seems likely that the Whalers will be going to the market for help.Defense pairings have Rick Ley with Gordie Roberts, and Marty Howe with Brad Selwood. Although coach Neale has been giving a third pair a regular turn during the exhibition games, it doesn&rsquo;t seem likely that he&rsquo;ll stick with that format when the season begins. Things sometimes get a little &ldquo;scary&rdquo; when the third pair&mdash;Al Hangsleben and Bill Butters&mdash;are on the ice, but Neale says each realizes he has to work harder to cover the lapses of his partner. He has shown confidence in them by putting them on the ice in difficult situations occasionally.The goaltending situation is beginning to jell. Since Raeder&rsquo;s departure Al Smith has taken over the number one position. His goals-against average is just a shade over 1.0, and Smitty appears quite confident now. Louie Levasseur is off to a little slower start but has looked very sharp on several occasions.Neale&rsquo;s intended philosophy is to go with the hot goaltender spelling him only when the schedule dictates&hellip;Last year&rsquo;s rookie of the year, George Lyle, showed signs of improving his worth considerably by being more aggressive in the last few exhibition games. According to Neale, &ldquo;Somebody has to get him going&mdash;sometimes I wish someone would belt him early to get him going!&rdquo;&hellip;Words of wisdom from Harry Neale after the 9-0 demolition of Pittsburgh Penguins: &ldquo;You&rsquo;re never as good as you are when you&rsquo;re great, and never as bad as you are when you&rsquo;re lousy!&rdquo;&hellip;QUEBEC: After dumping the Birmingham Bulls (5-0) in the first exhibition game of the pre-season, the Nordiques were somewhat humbled by the Bulls, losing 1-3 and 4-5&hellip;The Nords picked up a second preseason game with a National Hockey League team when they accepted a &ldquo;challenge&rdquo; from the Washington Caps for a game at the Colisee&hellip;and didn&rsquo;t disappoint their fans as they nipped the Caps, 4-3.General manager Maurice Filion has been busy looking for a team where he can place Quebec farmhands who were displaced by the dissolution of the North American Hockey League&mdash;and the Maine Nordiques&hellip; &#9632;

f0025-01

Whalers Turn It On Against NHL Foes

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02292/4048557-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="667" height="506"></div><h2>BIRMINGHAM BULLS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01366/4048564-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="160" height="166"></div><h2>CINCINNATI STINGERS</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03250/4048550-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="131" height="152"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04195/4048543-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="669" height="486"></div><h2>EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05158/4048536-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="195" height="190"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06127/4048529-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="667" height="539"></div><h2>HOUSTON AEROS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07115/4048522-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="253" height="111"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-08104/4048515-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="673" height="539"></div><h2>INDIANAPOLIS RACERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0998/4048508-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="207" height="155"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1093/4048501-1-eng-US/f0026-102.jpg" title="f0026-10" width="679" height="564"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND WHALERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1189/4048494-1-eng-US/f0026-112.jpg" title="f0026-11" width="229" height="216"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1281/4048487-1-eng-US/f0026-122.jpg" title="f0026-12" width="687" height="551"></div><h2>QUEBEC NORDIQUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1380/4048480-1-eng-US/f0026-132.jpg" title="f0026-13" width="199" height="190"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1472/4048473-1-eng-US/f0026-142.jpg" title="f0026-14" width="675" height="565"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1566/4048466-1-eng-US/f0026-152.jpg" title="f0026-15" width="201" height="207"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1658/4048459-1-eng-US/f0026-162.jpg" title="f0026-16" width="675" height="632"></div> &#9632;

f0026-02

WHA SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

HARTFORD&mdash;The World Hockey Association has finalized plans for its 36-game meeting with European hockey teams during the 1977-78 season.Larry Gordon, executive vice-president of the WHA, visited Moscow, Helsinki and Prague, to sign the necessary agreements to promote the forthcoming series in which WHA teams will play host to four major European hockey powers &mdash; the Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland - with points acquired in 16 of the games counting in the regular WHA league standings.Gordon also completed arrangements for the Soviet visit of the Quebec Nordiques, who will represent the WHA as league champions in the Izvestia Tournament starting Dec. 16. The Winnipeg Jets played in Moscow last year.The Nordiques will play four games in the Izvestia Tournament. Gordon revealed that he successfully arranged for WHA referees to work some of the games in the Moscow event, which will be an unprecedented move. Strict use of European referees in the tourney has brought considerable criticism from North American teams in the past.The WHA has also finalized plans for the Winnipeg Jets to play a three-game series in Tokyo against the Soviet National team Dec. 29, 30 and Jan. 1 as part of a world hockey program to familiarize the Japanese with the finer aspects of the professional game Ben Hatskin, the chairman of the board of the WHA, visited Tokyo recently to arrange the series with the help of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hatskin said WHA. Soviet and Japanese officials will referee the games.Gordon said the WHA is looking forward to its first confrontation with the best teams from Europe. &ldquo;It will be a real challenge for our league and will give our fans a chance to see the highly popular international brand of hockey.&rdquo;The 36-game series will be played in three segments. The first will be staged before Christmas, the second in early January and the third in mid March. The Czechoslovakian National team will open the tour Sun. Dec. 11 against Quebec Nordiques, play Dec. 13 at Winnipeg, Dec. 14 at Edmonton, Dec. 16 at Houston, Dec. 18 at Indianapolis, Dec. 20 at Cincinnati, Dec. 21 at Birmingham, Dec. 23 at Houston and closing Dec. 27 at Hartford against the New England Whalers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1754/4048595-1-eng-US/f0026-172.jpg" title="f0026-17" width="587" height="850"><figcaption class="caption-body">LARRY GORDON&hellip;Negotiated Pact</figcaption></div>The Soviets will send two teams, the Stars and the Nationals, to play the WHA. The Russians&rsquo; first game will be Dec. 14 when the Stars oppose the Whalers in Hartford. The Stars play Winnipeg Dec 16, in Cincinnati Dec. 17. in Indianapolis Dec. 20, meet Edmonton Dec. 22, visit Birmingham Dec. 23 and 26. play in Houston Dec. 28 and close Dec. 30 against the Quebec Nordiques.Gordon said the WHA still has to announce sites for the Dec. 16. 22 and 30 games. There is speculation all three may be played in New York city and possibly one game in Seattle.The Soviet Nationals will visit in January and will play six games against WHA clubs. The opener will Jan. 4 at Edmonton. Subsequent games will be held Jan. 5 at Winnipeg, Jan. 7 at Quebec City. Jan. 8 at Cincinnati, Jan. 10 at Indianapolis. Jan. 11 at Hartford and finally Jan. 13 at Hartford.The Swedes and Finns will face up to the WHA teams beginning March 12 when Sweden&rsquo;s National team plays the first of six games against Cincinnati. The Finns will follow on March 18 and will open in Birmingham.After their 36-game test with the Europeans, the WHA will have a pretty good idea how their teams stand on the world hockey market. &#9632;

f0026-17

WHA Closes Deal For 36 - Game Test With Europeans

<h2>Fri. Dec. 16</h2>Czechs vs Quebec, 4 pmSoviets vs Sweden, 8 pm<h2>Sat. Dec. 17</h2>Sweden vs Quebec, 2 pmFinland vs Soviets, 8 pm<h2>Sun. Dec. 18</h2>Czechs vs Finland, 8 pm<h2>Mon. Dec. 19</h2>Sweden vs Czechs, 4 pmQuebec vs Soviets, 8 pm<h2>Tue. Dec. 20</h2>Finland vs Sweden, 8 pm<h2>Wed. Dec. 21</h2>Quebec vs Finland, 4 pmSoviets vs Czechs, 8 pm &#9632;

Dates Set For Izvestia Tournament

<h2>Wed. Oct. 12</h2>NEW ENGLAND 3, HOUSTON 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01346/4048755-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="591" height="485"></div>WINNIPEG 7, EDMONTON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02264/4048748-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="594" height="692"></div>INDIANAPOLIS 5, CINCINNATI 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03185/4048741-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="594" height="622"></div><h2>Thu. Oct. 13</h2>QUEBEC 2, WINNIPEG 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04139/4048734-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="597" height="241"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05106/4048727-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="590" height="328"></div><h2>Fri. Oct. 14</h2>HOUSTON 3, BIRMINGHAM 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0686/4048720-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="595" height="620"></div>QUEBEC 2, EDMONTON 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0771/4048713-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="581" height="538"></div><h2>Sat. Oct. 15</h2>WINNIPEG 5, CINCINNATI 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0867/4048706-1-eng-US/f0027-082.jpg" title="f0027-08" width="593" height="590"></div>INDIANAPOLIS 1, HOUSTON 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0966/4048699-1-eng-US/f0027-092.jpg" title="f0027-09" width="594" height="634"></div>EDMONTON 2, QUEBEC 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1062/4048692-1-eng-US/f0027-102.jpg" title="f0027-10" width="592" height="431"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1153/4048685-1-eng-US/f0027-112.jpg" title="f0027-11" width="586" height="180"></div>BIRMINGHAM 2, NEW ENGLAND 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1246/4048678-1-eng-US/f0027-122.jpg" title="f0027-12" width="598" height="574"></div><h2>Sun. Oct. 16</h2>INDIANAPOLIS 1, WINNIPEG 9<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1340/4048671-1-eng-US/f0027-132.jpg" title="f0027-13" width="599" height="638"></div>NEW ENGLAND 2 CINCINNATI 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1436/4048664-1-eng-US/f0027-142.jpg" title="f0027-14" width="604" height="244"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1530/4048657-1-eng-US/f0027-152.jpg" title="f0027-15" width="598" height="302"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-1624/4048650-1-eng-US/f0027-162.jpg" title="f0027-16" width="1201" height="1130"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jets&rsquo; Bobby Hull scored 6 times in first four WHA games.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-01

WORLD HOCKEY ASSN. SUMMARIES

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue 18 New England at IndianapolisCincinnati at QuebecWed 19 New England at EdmontonFri 21 Quebec at IndianapolisCincinnati at HoustonNew England at WinnipegSat. 22 Birmingham at QuebecSun 23 Birmingham at WinnipegTue. 25 Indianapolis. at BirminghamWed 26 Winnipeg at IndianapolisEdmonton at HoustonQuebec at New EnglandFri 28 Edmonton at BirminghamCincinnati at WinnipegSat 29 Birmingham at IndianapolisHouston at New EnglandSun. 20 Houston at QuebecEdmonton at Winnipeg<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue 1 Houston at IndianapolisNew England at QuebecWed 2 Winnipeg at EdmontonBirmingham at HoustonFri 4 Winnipeg at BirminghamQuebec at HoustonCincinnati at New EnglandIndianapolis at EdmontonSal 5 Quebec at BirminghamWinnipeg at CincinnatiSun 6 New England at CincinnatiHouston at Edmonton &#9632;

Where WHA Teams Play

(Standings on Tue. Oct. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01332/4048810-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="542" height="245"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Wed. Oct. 12New England 3 at Houston 0Winnipeg 7 at Edmonton 3Indianapolis 5 at Cincinnati 4Thue. Oct. 13Quebec 2 at Winnipeg 5Fir. Oct. 14Houston 3 at Birmingham 5Quebec 2 at Edmonton 4Sat. Oct. 15Winnipeg 5 at Cincinnati 4Indianapolis 1 at Houston 5Edmonton 2 at Quebec 6Birmingham 2 at New England 5Sun. Oct. 16Indianapolis 1 at Winnipeg 9New England 2 at Cincinnati 6 &#9632;

f0028-01

The WHA Scoreboard

Thu. Sept. 8Winnipeg 4, Sundsvall 1Fri. Sept. 9Winnipeg 7, Skellefta 2Fun. Sept. 11Winnipeg 6, Ornskoldsvik 2Thu. Sept. 15Winnipeg 6, Helsinki 6VOLKSWAGEN TOURNAMENTLeksand 3, Winnipeg 2Sodertalje 5, Winnipeg 2Winnipeg 9, Orebro 2AIK Stockholm 7, Winnipeg 5Winnipeg 6, Modo 2PRAGUE TOURNAMENTCzechoslovakia 8, Cincinnati 2Czechoslovakia 12. Cincinnati 3Soviet Union 11, Cincinnati 4Soviet Union 5, Cincinnati 2Sun. Sept. 25Chicago (NHL) 2, New England 2Turku, Finland 6, Cincinnati 1Tue. Sept. 27Cincinnati 8, Pori, Finland 2Wed Sept. 28New England 5, Washington (NHL) 4Minnestoa (NHL) 2, Winnipeg 1Trail (WCHL) 2, Edmonton 0Fri. Sept. 30New England 7, Rangers (NHL) 4Atlanta (NHL) 4, Birmingham 0Sat. Oct. 1Boston (NHL) 5, New England 0Winnipeg 4, Minnesota (NHL) 3Edmonton 7, Spokane (WIHL) 0Sun. Oct. 2Quebec 5, Birmingham 0Mon. Oct. 3Edmonton 3, St.Louis (NHL) 2Birmingham 3, Quebec 1Tue. Oct. 4New England 5, Atlanta (NHL) 4Birmingham 4, Indianapolis 2Wed. Oct. 5Atlanta (NHL) 5, Houston 3Winnipeg 6, St.Louis (NHL) 2Birmingham 5, Quebec 4Thu. Oct. 6New England 8, Springfield (AHL) 0Cincinnati 4, Washington (NHL) 2Winnipeg 3, St.Louis (NHL) 0Fri. Oct. 7New England 9, Pittsburgh (NHL) 0St.Louis (NHL) 4, Birmingham 0Chicoutimi (OMHL) 9, Quebec 8Sat. Oct. 8Rangers (NHL) 5, Quebec 5Edmonton 5, Detroit (NHL) 4Sun, Oct. 9New England 4, Atlanta(NHL) 3Winnipeg 1, Detroit (NHL) 0Cleveland (NHL) 4, Edmonton 2Mon. Oct. 10Quebec 4, Washington (NHL) 3<h2>EXHIBITION STANDINGS</h2>Against NHL Teams<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02240/4048848-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="553" height="250"></div><h2>OVERALL RECORD</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03181/4048841-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="544" height="241"></div> &#9632;

f0028-02

<h2>BIRMINGHAM</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>GARRETT, JohnWOOD, Wayne<h3>Defense</h3>EVANS, ChrisHOGANSON, DaleHUGHES, BrentLAGACE, Jean-GuyLANGWAY, RodTERBENCHE, PaulTURKIEWWICZ, JimWESTRUM, Pat<h3>Forwards</h3>BILODEAU, GillesCASSOLATO, TonyGORMAN, DaveHENDERSON, PaulLINSEMAN, KenMARRIN, PeterNAPIER, MarkNEDOMANSKY, VaclavNORIS, JoeSHEEHY, Tim<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>BRODERICK, KenDRYDEN, DaveTURNBULL, Frank<h3>Defense</h3>BUSNIUK, RonHAMILTON, AlINKPEN, DaveLANGEVIN, DaveSHMYR, Paul<h3>Forwards</h3>BAIRD, KenCALLIGHEN, BrettCAMPBELL, BryanCHIPPERFIELD, RonDEADMARSH, ButchFERGUSON, NormFLETT, BillMacDONALD, BlairMacGREGOR, GaryMORRIS, RickNISTICO, LouROTA, RandyWIDING, JuhaZUKE, Mike<h2>INDIANAPOLIS</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>INNESS, GaryPARK, Jim<h3>Defense</h3>BALTIMORE, BryonBLOCK, KenFORTIER, DaveMAGGS, DarrylMORRISON, KevinWILKINS, Barry<h3>Forwards</h3>BURGESS, DonDEVINE, KevinFRENCH, JohnHARRIS, HughLECLERC.RenePAIEMENT, RosairePARIZEAU, MichelPATENAUDE, RustyPOWIS, LynnRHINESS, BradST, SAUVEUR, ClaudeSHEEHAN, BobbySHERIDAN, JohnSMEDSMO, DaleSPRING, FrankTHOMAS, Reg<h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>BRODEUR, RichardMcLEOD, Don<h3>Defense</h3>BAXTER, PaulBERNIER, JeanDOREY, JimLACOMBE, FrancoisLARIVIERE, GarryTREMBLAY, J.C.WEIR, Wally<h3>Forwards</h3>BERNIER, SergeBORDELEAU, ChristianBORDELEAU, PaulinBOUDRIAS, AndreBRACKENBURY, CurtCLOUTIER, RealCONSTANTIN, CharlesDUBE, NormFITCHNER, BobGUITE, PierreSUTHERLAND, SteveTARDIF, Marc<h2>CINCINNATI</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>LAPOINTE, NormLIUT, MikeWAKELY, Ernie<h3>Defense</h3>BEAUDOIN, SergeLEGGE, BarryMAROTTE, GillesMELROSE, BarryNOPWICH, CraigPLUMB, Ron<h3>Forwards</h3>ABGRALL, DennisDUDLEY, RickFTOREK, RobbieHALL, DelHISLOP, JamieLAROSE, ClaudeLEDUC, RichLOCAS, JacquesMARSH, PeterSOBCHUK, DennisSTOUGHTON, Blaine<h2>HOUSTON</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>HEBENTON, ClayRUTLEDGE, WayneZIMMERMAN, Lynn<h3>Defense</h3>CAMPBELL, ScottHALE, LarryHUGHES, JohnIRWIN, GlenMCLEOD, AlPOPIEL, PoulSCHELLA, John<h3>Forwards</h3>CONNOR, CamGRAY, JohnHANSIS, RonHINSE, AndreHUGHES, FrankLACROIX, AndreLARWAY, DonLUKOWICH, MorrisLUND, LarryPRESTON, RichRUSKOWSKI, TerryTONELLI, JohnWEST, Steve<h2>NEW ENGLAND</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>LEVASSEUR, LouSMITH, Al<h3>Defense</h3>BUTTERS, BillHANGSLEBEN, AlanHOWE, MartyLEY, RickROBERTS, GordieSELWOOD, Brad<h3>Forwards</h3>ANTONOVICH, MikeCARLSON, JackHOWE, GordieHOWE, MarkKEON, DaveLYLE, GeorgeMcKENZIE, JohnPLEAU, LarryROGERS, MikeWEBSTER, Tom<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>BROMLEY, GaryDALEY, JoeMATTSSON, Markus<h3>Defense</h3>BERGMAN, ThommieCLACKSON, KirrrDUNN, DaveGREEN, TedHORNUNG, LarryLONG, BarryMICHELETTI, JoeSJOBERG, Lars-Erik<h3>Forwards</h3>GUINDON, BobbyHEDBERG, AndersHUCK, FranHULL, BobbyLABRAATEN, DannyLESUK, BillLINDSTROM, WillyMOFFAT, LyleNILSSON, KentNILSSON, UlfRUHNKE, KentSULLIVAN, Pete &#9632;

WHA Team Rosters

WINNIPEG&mdash;&ldquo;There is no comparison between Kent Nilsson and a kid like Dale McCourt.&rdquo;So says Winnipeg Jets top scout Bill Robinson while bragging about his club&rsquo;s latest sensation from Sweden. And the proof of that bold statement may lie in the Jets glittering season opening record.Jets were considered by virtually all World Hockey Association forecasters to be one of the more powerful teams in the much strengthened league.But with Avco Champion Quebec, much improved New England, similarly butressed Cincinnati, and perenniel winner Houston all vying for position in the single division WHA, few predicted the runaway getaway at season&rsquo;s start forged by the Jets.Runaway? No other description would do. Jets followed a 7-3 opening night win &ldquo;at Edmonton with 5-2 and 5-4 victories over Quebec and Cincinnati, and then exploded for a 9-1 thrashing of Indianapolis, their fourth successive win in the five nights of the season&rsquo;s first week.As always, a ready explanation for the Winnipeg onslaught would be the play of the big line, Bobby Hull-Ulf Nilsson-Anders Hedberg.Each member of the Jets top trio collected eight points during the opening week massacre. Hull served notice that he is ready to erase any doubts as to his ability to come back from any injury plagued 1976-77 season and to re-establish himself as hockey&rsquo;s premier goalscorer. The still-Golden Jet scored six times.But the most obvious explanation has to be the play of Kent (no relation) Nilsson, the newly imported Swedish center iceman.The highly touted rookie has supplanted Peter Sullivan on Winnipeg&rsquo;s high scoring second line, a unit that features Willy Lindstrom and Danny Lebraaten on the flanks.Nilsson totalled nine points (three goals, six assists) during the four game burst, establishing himself as the club&rsquo;s early season scoring leader.All of which has come as no surprise to the Winnipeg braintrust, who knew they had a jewel in the 21-year-old.In support of his claim that there is no comparison between Nilsson and McCourt, Jets birddog Robinson says, &ldquo;Kent is simply an exceptional hockey player.&ldquo;We knew that he had all of the skills playmaking, checking, all of the skills. And that is the difference between him and a kid like McCourt. The Europeans are so much better grounded in the fundamentals.&rdquo;What of the fabled &ldquo;adjustment&rdquo; that European players must make to the North American style of the game?Says Robinson, &ldquo;This kid has quite an advantage over say, Ulfie (the &ldquo;other&rdquo; Nilsson) or Anders. He is bigger (six-foot-one, 185) and stronger, and already is a hitter so the adjustment will come more quickly for him.&ldquo;By Christmas, we think he will be simply sensational.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01289/4048948-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="559" height="549"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE ZUKE</figcaption></div>Which is not to say that he has not been sensational already. When Lindstrom damaged his knee ligaments, an injury expected to sideline for only a few games. Kent Ruhnke took his spot on Nilsson&rsquo;s right side and scored three goals in two games. Note that last season, Ruhnke scored only 11 times in 51 games.Chortles Robinson, &ldquo;Kent is making a player of Kent Ruhnke. who is playing so well that he could keep Lindstrom&rsquo;s spot permanently.&rdquo;Were that to happen, it could free Lindstrom to rejoin Sullivan on still a third potent Winnipeg line. Instead of being merely overwhelming, the Jets could be devastating. Look out WHA!EDMONTON: The player turnover in Edmonton continues as Oiler general manager Brian Conacher and coach Glen Sather attempt to restructure their club. Latest to walk the Edmonton plank were veteran Gregg Boddy, a defenseman with five seasons of NHL experience, and Lou Nistico, a left winger recently acquired from Birmingham where he had been a crowd favorite.The Conacher-Sather team negotiated releases with both players, whom the Oilers had been obligated to by 1977-78 contracts.Only four Oilers from the team&rsquo;s season opening roster were with the team for its 1976-77 opener, including Ken Baird, an unsigned left winger who is making a comeback from knee problems and is trying to prove that he is deserving of a contract.Such turnover does not bother Conacher or Sather, who feel it merely proves that the Oilers are at the very least keeping pace with the much tougher WHA.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02231/4048941-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="574" height="744"><figcaption class="caption-body">BLAIR MacDONALD</figcaption></div>Several players who were 20 goal scorers in last year&rsquo;s league have been unable to keep jobs in this year&rsquo;s version, and Nistico is just one example of that group.The reason is simple. When the best players from 11 teams are distributed over only eight teams, others fall by the wayside.Edmonton benefitted more than most, picking up several potentially strong contributors along the way. In fact, every one of the Oilers first six goals during the regular season were scored by players added since Edmonton&rsquo;s 1977 playoff demise at the hands of Houston. Norm Ferguson and Blair MacDonald with two each, and Mike Zuke and Warren Miller with one each, were the first Oilers to light the red light this season.Miller, a holdout throughout most of training camp, netted the game winner in the Oilers&rsquo; first win of the young season, 4-2 over Quebec.Conacher, for one, is convinced that Oilers have made a very real improvement. Whether or not they have improved enough to advance in the faster-paced WHA remains an unanswered question.&ldquo;We unquestionably have a better team than last year. For example, Paul Shmyr has demonstrated genuine leadership, and our entire defense is stronger.&rdquo; says Edmonton&rsquo;s first year - GM.&ldquo;The line of Mike Zuke-Brett Callighen-Blair MacDonald has been a real producer. And while our goaltending has been steady, when Dave Dryden (sidelined for about four weeks with a hand injury) returns, we will be that much stronger.&ldquo;But only after we have played every team at least once, and maybe twice, will we have an idea where we stand. The WHA has improved by at least 30 percent. That means we have to improve by 50 to 75 percent.&rdquo;With the additions of Ron Chipperfield. Juha Widing, and Butch Deadmarsh, as well as Shmyr, Ferguson, Zuke. MacDonald, and Miller, to name a few of the Oilers acquisitions, the potential for that kind of improvement is at hand. &#9632;

f0029-01

Jets’ New Nilsson Drawing Raves

<div class="byline">BY JIM LEAHY</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTDArnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTDArnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01327/4048986-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="562" height="726"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB COLLYARD&hellip; Starts With Philly</figcaption></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;The Philadelphia Firebirds became the ninth member of the American Hockey League recently and they immediately were faced with a big problem&mdash;how to come up with a professional hockey team in just two weeks. When the North American Hockey League folded, the Firebirds were allowed to join the AHL however, they only had a few players under contract and no major league affiliation.Firebird business manager Bob Wahlquist is still optimistic. Since joining the AHL. Firebird season ticket sales increased by 25 percent in only one week.Wahlquist said that &ldquo;the club averaged about 3,000 per game last year in the NAHL and the owners are looking for at least 4.000 per game this year.&rdquo; The 8.115 seat Civic Center is more than adequate for AHL crowds. In face, it is now the second largest building in the league. Only New Haven&rsquo;s Veterans Memorial Coliseum with 8.800 seats has a larger capacity.The club has several ex-Firebirds in camp including Reggie Lemelin, Bob Collyard, Gordie Books, Randy Osburn and Mike Penasse. From Syracuse they have Tim Sanche, Terry West, Jim Cowell, Gary Sittier, Reg Krezanski and Norm Tesluck.It remains to be seen if these NAHL players can make the big jump into the American Hockey League. If not, it will be a long season for the Firebirds. Even if they are not a winner, this collection of players should provide lots of entertainment for the fans in Philly.HAMPTON: PR Director Eli Gold stated that the &ldquo;Gulls should have 1,000 season tickets sold by opening night. It&rsquo;s about what we wanted&rdquo; said the versatile Gold who also doubles as the radio announcer.The Gulls brought 26 free agents to camp including ex-WHA performers Paul Hoganson, Keith Kokkola and Francois Ouimet. The parent Cincinnati Stingers have also sent Gene Sobchuk. Bill Gilligan and Floyd Lahache.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02259/4048979-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="1187" height="1178"><figcaption class="caption-body">GILLES GRATTON&hellip; Starts in New Haven Goal</figcaption></div>SPRINGFIELD: The New England Whalers had assigned goalie Cap Raeder, defenseman John Glynne and centers Andre Peloffy along with Steve Carlson to the Indians. Peloffy is the defending AHL scoring champion and Carlson skated for the Charlestown Chifes in the movie &ldquo;Slap Shot&rdquo;. Raeder was later returned to New England. The Whalers reassigned him to the Philadelphia Firebirds.ROCHESTER: In a surprise move, the Amerks have signed a working agreement with the N.Y. Islanders. As a direct result of the new pact, the Islanders sent Brad Anderson. Joe Girardin, Mike Sleep, Ed Pizunski and Neil Hawryliw to Rochester. In addition, the Amerks should get AHL veteran forward Sean Shanahan who has been purchased by the Boston Bruins.MAINE: The Bruins and Flyers played to a thrilling 4-4 tie in a pre-season contest in Portland. A capacity crowd of 6,570 watched the action in the luxurious new Cumberland County Civic Center. The Mariners had already sold 5,500 tickets two weeks prior to their home opener on Oct. 15 against the Broome Dusters.The Mariners have added veteran defenseman Mike Korney to a talented lineup which is expected to challenge Nova Scotia for the Northern Division title.NEW HAVEN: The parent N.Y. Rangers have sent goalies Gilles Gratton and Doug Soetaert to the Nighthawks. Also returning are Larry Sacharuk, Mark Heaslip, Jerry Byers, Eddie Johnstone and Dale Lewis. Rookies Mario Marois and Mike Keating are also in New Haven.Ex-Boston College linebacker Jim Troy has been impressive in the Ranger camp and could be sent to the Nighthawks, which would be a rather interesting addition to the AHL club&rsquo;s lineup.WNHC radio will broadcast a record 65 Nighthawk contests this year with Nick Nickson taking over as the new &ldquo;voice of the Nighthawks&rdquo;.NOVA SCOTIA: The long delayed new sports arena in Halifax is nearing completion and should be ready by February. AHL fans were beginning to think that the new building was just a hoax since rumors of its existence have been around for a long time.The Montreal Canadiens have sent a host of players to the Voyageurs including Kelly Greenbank, Ron Wilson, goalie Maurice Barrette and number two draft choice Normand Dupont. Since the Canadiens didn&rsquo;t get picked apart in the equalization draft, the Vees should be in good shape to roll towards yet another AHL title.HERSHEY: The Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres were still not sure which players would be with the Bears this season although president-general manager Frank Mathers had plenty of ideas. The club will have to jell in a hurry since Hershey opens at home against the Voyageurs on Oct. 15. &#9632;

f0030-01

Philly To Test NAHL Products In AHL Bow

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Wed. 19 Springfield at BingnamtonNova Scotia at HamptonRochester at MaineNew Haven at PhiladelphiaFri. 21 Binghamton at Hampton Maine at New HavenRochester at Nova ScotiaHershey at SpringfieldSat 22 Binghamton at HersheyNew Haven at MaineHampton at SpringfieldSun. 23 Hershey at HamptonPhiladelphia at MaineBinghamton at New HavenRochester at Nova ScotiaWed 26 Nova Scotia at BinghamtonSpringfield at HamptonNew Haven at PhiladelphiaFri. 28 Springfield at PhiladelphiaNova Scotia at RochesterSat. 29 New Haven at HamptonMaine at PhiladelphiaNova Scotia at SpringfieldSun. 30 Maine at BinghamtonNova Scotia at New HavenHershey at Rochester &#9632;

Where AHL Teams Play

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01301/4049048-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02230/4049041-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="1801" height="1108"><figcaption class="caption-body">Two of the shining new faces to hit the NHL this season belong to Mike Bossy, above, of the New York Islanders, and Ric Seiling of the Buffalo Sabres. Both players are first round draft picks of their respective NHL teams in 1977 and they are expected to make it big in the pro ranks.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

Meet The NHL Rookies

<h2>AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Oc.t 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03180/4049086-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="577" height="417"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. Oct. 14Maine 1 at Philadelphia 5Nova Scotia 2 at Rochester 4New Haven 3 at BinghamptonSat. Oct. 15Nova Scotia 2 at Hershey 3Binghamton 3 at Maine 6Rochester 6 at Springfield 8Sun. Oct 16Nova Scotia 6 at Hampton 4Rochester 2 at New Haven 1Binghamton 1 at Philadelphia 7<h2>CENTRAL HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tues., Oct. 18)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04141/4049079-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="579" height="191"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Oct. 12Fort Worth 3 at Kansas City 1Dallas 3 atPhoenix 2Tulsa 4 at Salt Lake 1Fri. Oct. 14Kansas City 3 at Fort Worth 4Dallas 3 at Phoenix 6Tulsa 3 at Salt Lake 4Sat. Oct. 15Dallas 5 at Kansas City 4Forth Worth 4 at Tulsa 3Sun. Oct. 16Tulsa 1 at Fort Worth 3Salt Lake 4 at Phoenix 4 &#9632;

f0031-03

Looking At The Races

<div class="byline">BY DOUG McCONNELL</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGER HOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and CanadaSALT LAKE CITY&mdash;The name and the location are different but the Central Hockey League championship team is largely the same.Barclay Plager, who guided this team, under the sponsorship of the St. Louis Blues and the banner of the Kansas City Blues, to the CHL title last season, is back for his 17th season as a defenseman and his second as a coach. Joining him on the blueline are veterans Joe Zanussi, Gordon Buynak and Larry Huras.Huras is one of three players shipped in most recently from Edmonton of the WHA.Neil Labatte, St. Louis&rsquo; second round draft pick, is expected to hold down one defensive position.Brent Meeke, along with former Golden Eagles from the California-Cleveland sponsorship, Lyle Bradley, Gary Holt and Tom Sundberg, are attempting to land berths with the CHL team.Jerry Holland, who scored 28 goals for New Haven last season, and Don Tannahill, late of the defunct Calgary Cowboys of the WHA, are the others sent by Edmonton and join a clutch of veterans up front, including Doug Palazzari, Mitch Babin, Ken Richardson. Floyd Thomson and Brian Ogilvie.Outstanding rookies include third and fourth round draft choices Tom Roulston, a center from Winnipeg who had 56 goals and 53 assists last season, and Tony Currie, who was fifth in the Western Canada Hockey League last year with 73 goals and 52 assists for Portland.Yves Belanger, who shared the first team All Star berth last season, hasn&rsquo;t returned from St. Louis so Rocky Menard, who had a 3.72 goals-against average for Port Huron in the International Hockey League last season, was sent in as backup to Doug Grant.DALLAS: Black Hawks, who have missed the playoffs only once in their 10-year history, have a rookie coach but a lot of experience.Gerry McNamara, a long-time Toronto organization man as a goaltender then as a scout, is the new coach.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01305/4049138-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="581" height="588"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRENT MEEKE &hellip; Seeks Defense Post</figcaption></div>Gord McRae, who shared the CHL&rsquo;s first team goaltending with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mike Veisor with the Chicago Black Hawks, but the Hawks still have the capable Pierre Hamel, who had been loaned to Oklahoma City last season. Randy Ireland was signed to a 15-game tryout as Hamel&rsquo;s backup.The defense looks solid with the return of the CHL&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman Mike O&rsquo;Connell, the return to good health of Blair Mackasey, after back surgery, and an impressive rookie, Ron Wilson.Wilson, son of Kansas City coach Larry Wilson, was a two-time All American at Providence College, and impressed everyone with a short tour of duty with Dallas at last season&rsquo;s end.The other returnees include Bruce Boudreau, who was second in team scoring with 37 goals and 71 points although he missed 18 games on a callup to the Leafs; Greg Vaydik, who had 61 points, including 29 goals; Paul Evans, who had 18 goals and 46 assists and was third in left wing All Star balloting, and the most popular Dallas player, Alain (Bam Bam) Belanger.Belanger was limited to 30 games by a knee injury in his rookie season but left an impression on the CHL and many of its players. He scored 16 goals and 10 assists but piled up 149 penalty minutes and led the CHL in majors with 13.KANSAS CITY: The season hadn&rsquo;t started and the expected shuttle between Detroit and Kansas City was in full operation.The parent Red Wings recalled defenseman Terry Murray and Rick Wilson, forwards Buster Harvey. Dave Kelly, Bob Kreiger and Mike Wong.Sent to Kansas City were Larry Giroux, Danny Gruen, Mike Bloom and Roland Cloutier.Otherwise, Larry Wilson will have four-year veteran Terry Richardson in goal and veteran Jim Nahrgarg with Jerry Rollins from Phoenix of the WHA and former University of Wisconsin star John Taft among his defensemen.Experience up front is provided by Fred Williams, Steve Coates, Brian McCutcheon, Don Martineau, Jean Paul Leblanc and Rick Bowness, the latter acquired by the Red Wings from the Atlanta Flames in the off-season.PHOENIX: With both the Cleveland Barons and Colorado Rockies holding off before making cuts, Sandy Hucul had his Roadrunners together for three practices before the Phoenix debut in the Central Hockey League.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02234/4049131-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="584" height="585"><figcaption class="caption-body">MICHEL BELHUMEUR &hellip; Tulsa Backstop</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased with the way they&rsquo;re working,&rdquo; said Hucul. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re coming fast. Their attitude is good. They all have a desire to make it to the NHL one of these days and they&rsquo;re really working at it.&rdquo;Phoenix has two of the taller goaltenders in hockey in Jim Warden and Bill Oleschuk. both six-foot-three and both of whom had excellent training camps.Darcy Regier improved rapidly as a rookie last season and the Barons believe they have another prime prospect in Owen Lloyd, who has a reputation for hard hitting but whose positional play has also impressed Hucul.Roger Lemelin, 23, who played most of last season at Providence, Dave Syvret, 23, who played with Toronto and Birmingham in the WHA, and Monte Miron, 25, who played in Sweden last year, are the veterans of the defense.Up front the Runners are led by Rick Shinske, the scoring leader at Salt Lake City last season with 70 points, and Ken Kuzyk, who led Salt Lake in goals with 33 and earned a second team All Star berth, and Larry Skinner, who had 56 points in 46 games for Providence in the AHL. Skinner, a center, has been switched to right wing by Hucul.FORT WORTH: Goaltender Bill Hughes was sold by the New York Islanders to the Minnesota North Stars but will be back in Fort Worth.The North Stars joined the Islanders in supplying talent to the Texans and assigned Hughes back there.It is one of two major changes. The other puts Billy MacMillan in a playercoach roll, replacing former bench boss John Choyce, who is in Tulsa.On defense, Bob Lorimer has recovered from a serious kidney injury last season and appears ready to resume what promised to be a brilliant career.Neil Nicholson, another veteran on defense, has been joined by North Star veterans Dwight Bialowas and Chris Aherns.Doug Rombough, who played for Dallas last season, and Blake Dunlop join two promising rookies, Garth MacGuigan and Yvon Vatour at center ice. MacGuigan was co-rookie-of-the-year at Muskegon in the IHL last season.Other forwards include MacMillan. Richard Nantais, Dave Salvian (who scored 74 goals in his first two seasons with the Texans), the Islanders&rsquo; top draft selection of two years ago, Alex McKendry, who started slow but came on strong in the Texans&rsquo; stretch drive to the playoffs last season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03162/4049124-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="573" height="599"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICHARD NANTAIS&hellip;Joins Fort Worth</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0499/4049117-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="505" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIM NAHRGANG &hellip; K.C. Veteran</figcaption></div>TULSA: John Choyce, who won coach of-the-year honors for guiding a young Fort Worth team to their first playoff berth in four years, is the new coach of a rookie-laden Tulsa team.Nine of the first 14 players assigned by Atlanta and Vancouver were rookies but the veterans included the much-traveled Derek Sanderson, who has been slowed by a rash of ailments.Five season NHL veteran Stan Weir and defenseman Mike Pelyk were sent by Toronto. &#9632;

f0032-01

Familiar Faces Surfacing In CHL Lineups

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Thu. 20 Salt Lake at Kansas CityFri. 21 Phoenix at Ft. WorthDallas at TulsaSat. 22 Dallas at Ft. WorthSalt Lake at Kansas CityPhoenix at TulsaWed. 26 Phoenix at Kansas CityFri. 28 Phoenix at Kansas CityFt. Worth at Salt LakeDallas at TulsaSat. 29 Phoenix at DallasFt. Worth at Salt LakeKansas City at TulsaSun. 30 Tulsa at Kansas City<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue. 1 Ft. Worth at Kansas CityThu. 3 Dallas at Kansas CityPhoenix at Salt LakeFri. 4 Kansas City at DallasFt. Worth at TulsaSat. 5 Ft. Worth at DallasPhoenix at Salt LakeKansas City at Tulsa &#9632;

Where CHL Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY DOUG McCONNELL</div>PHONENIX&mdash;Bud Poile sees nothing but fair skies and clear sailing ahead for the Central Hockey League.&ldquo;I may be optimistic,&rdquo; said the CHL president, in predicting an attendance increase of 30 percent, &ldquo;but I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m far wrong. We did just a shade under $2 million gross last year and I&rsquo;m predicting we&rsquo;ll do about $2.6 million this year.&ldquo;I have to think Phoenix will have a big increase over Oklahoma City and I think Kansas City will do 40-50 percent over last year with a better operation.&ldquo;Salt Lake will be up a bit. I&rsquo;m counting on Fort Worth being up a little and Dallas and Tulsa holding their own, possibly up a little bit.&rdquo;Poile said the average paid attendance for all CHL games last year was 3,337 compared to 3,064 in the American League. The average ticket price in the CHL was $2.98 last season, said Poile, and $3.71 in the AHL.&ldquo;I think the price is right in the CHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve tried to keep them in line.&rdquo;Dallas, Salt Lake City, Kansas City and Phoenix have a top of $5.50 with Tulsa&rsquo;s best costing $5 and Fort Worth&rsquo;s $4 according to the CHL president. He said Phoenix&rsquo; $2 seat was the lowest priced in the CHL with all others having a low of $2.50.Looking ahead, Poile would like to include San Diego, San Francisco and Portland in the CHL.&ldquo;I would hope we can have eight or 10 teams in our league in another year or two, East and West Divisions,&rdquo; said Poile.&ldquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t hurt Salt Lake and Phoenix and would be beneficial to Tulsa and Fort Worth and the others.&rdquo;The calibre and style of hockey played in the National Hockey League is superior and different from that played in the World Hockey Association, says Poile, and the CHL brand is more exciting than either.Poile is and has been in a position to know.He played in the NHL in the &lsquo;40s, was general manager of Western League teams in Edmonton and San Francisco before holding the GM posts in Philadelphia and Vancouver in the NHL.He was executive vice-president of the WHA and has been the president of the CHL for just over a year.&ldquo;The checking is much heavier in the NHL than the WHA,&rdquo; Poile explained the difference in style.&ldquo;There are more better than average players in the NHL. The WHA has some very fine hockey players, but they are in the minority.&ldquo;You might see a lot more mistakes in the Central League than you would in the NHL, but to me it makes for more interesting hockey. They shoot the puck as well as they do in the NHL and they skate as well.&ldquo;The CHL is a development league and the accent is on giving the younger players as much ice time as possible.&ldquo;We do not now have the luxury of having four of five of a nucleus on a club because of the WHA and expansion,&rdquo; said Poile. &ldquo;I think you&rsquo;ll see in a year or two some borderline players putting down roots in CHL cities.&ldquo;The beauty of this league right now is that the coaches, like the players, all want to improve themselves. They all want to make a career out of it.Billy MacMillan (Fort Worth&rsquo;s player-coach) was the choice of Al Arbour (New York Islanders&rsquo; coach).&ldquo;John Choyce, the league&rsquo;s coach-of-the-year at Fort Worth last season (now at Tulsa), almost got the NHL job in Los Angeles.&ldquo;Larry Wilson by fate, ended up in Kansas City, but was in Detroit and wants to get back to the NHL and Sandy Hucul wants to make it his career.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01273/4049193-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="505" height="888"><figcaption class="caption-body">BUD POILE&hellip;The Price Is Right</figcaption></div>&ldquo;All along, the CHL has concentrated on the players, but the ability is there in all phases.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0033-01

Poile Predicts Larger Crowds, Hopes for Future CHL Expansion

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Fri. 21 Ft. Wayne at MuskegonFlint at MilwaukeePt. Huron at SaginawDayton at ToledoSat. 22 Kalamazoo at Ft. WayneSaginaw at MuskegonMilwaukee at Pt. HuronToledo at DaytonSun. 23 Pt. Huron at FlintFt. Wayne at SaginawMilwaukee at KalamazooMuskegon at ToledoWed. 26 Muskegon at Ft. WayneFlint, at DaytonPt. Huron at MilwaukeeFri 28 Toledo at MuskegonFt Wayne at FlintDayton at SaginawKalamazoo at MilwaukeeSat. 29 Saginaw at Ft. WayneFlint at MuskegonDayton at Pt. HuronKalamazoo at MilwaukeeSun. 30 Muskegon at Pt. HuronFt. Wayne at DaytonSaginaw at KalamazooToledo at Flint &#9632;

Where IHL Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div>TOLEDO&mdash;The International Hockey League is recognized as the most stable minor league in existence&mdash;if not the most stable in all hockey. The league will launch its 33rd consecutive season this month with nine teams. And the league&rsquo;s board of governors recently took steps which they hope will assure the league&rsquo;s operation for many more years.In the meeting, the board voted unanimously to put a ceiling on player salaries. The IHL has been a victim&mdash;like all professional leagues&mdash;of escalating prices and salaries are about the only expense they feel they can control.General manager Ted Garvin of Toledo. Saginaw general manager Wren Blair and John Snider, Muskegon general manager were instrumental in setting the guidelines for the new regulation.&ldquo;Cutting salaries is the only thing that is going to save hockey,&rdquo; said Garvin. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to quit fooling ourselves. We&rsquo;ve got to also get the lawyers and agents out of the game.&rdquo;Continuing, Garvin said, &ldquo;Only three of 18 teams in the National Hockey League made money last season. Professional hockey is second only to pro basketball in the amount of money spent annually for player salaries.&rdquo;Garvin sounded a warning for other leagues. &ldquo;The Southern League went broke last season. The North American League has folded doing the same thing. The American Hockey League was saved last season by the grace of God and the NHL. The IHL is fhe most solid league in hockey. That&rsquo;s why we made the stand and others in trouble should do the same thing.&rdquo;The league would not say just what the new salary limit is. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a substantial cut, somewhere between $120,000 and $135,000,&rdquo; a league spokesman said. Toledo reportedly had a payroll in excess of $190,000 last season. The new limit reportedly is around $125,000. A fine of $10,000 will be imposed on any team which exceeds the limit.The league pointed out that players may feel they will be hurt by the salary reductions. But, as they point out. it will actually &ldquo;help them in the long run as we&rsquo;re still going to be operating where others are not going to be.&rdquo;The average salary in the IHL is said to be around $8,500 for a 24-week season. Each IHL club must carry at least four junior players on its roster. The salary the league has stipulated for each unmarried junior is $6,000 and $6,500 for married juniors. The NHL has to supply four professionals to each IHL club but the IHL team has to pay only $5,000 toward each NHL player&rsquo;s salary. The NHL pays the difference. This amounts to around $44,000. leaving $80,000 to spend on eight remaining players that complete the 16-man rosters.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01300/4049231-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="576" height="865"><figcaption class="caption-body">PETER PEETERS&hellip;Becomes An Admiral</figcaption></div>Training camp for all IHL clubs got underway on Oct. 10 but final rosters won&rsquo;t be fixed until the regular season opens&mdash;or later. A good crop of veterans grace each roster but the difference for most could be the young talent assigned by the National Hockey League affiliates.Toledo and Port Huron were involved in a major trade just before camps opened. Len Fontaine, an All Star performer during his career at Port Huron, was obtained by the Goaldiggers for Larry Gould and Dan O&rsquo;Driscoll. Fontaine was one of the Port Huron stars when Garvin led the team to its last Turner Cup championship. Garvin has been negotiating with Port Huron for two years in an attempt to put him under his wing again. He was finally successful. Fontaine will also assist Garvin in the coaching duties for the Diggers.KALAMAZOO: K-Wings got some good news when the Detroit Red Wings broke up camp. Left behind with the young Wings were veteran Len Ircandia and the popular and effective &ldquo;Kid Line&rdquo; of last season. Fred Berry. Fern Leblanc and Kevin Schamehorn. The K-Wings star goalie of last season. Terry Richardson. was sent to Kansas City of the Central League. Also assigned to Kalamazoo was defenseman Dwight Schofield.Manager-coach Bob Lemieux announced he had signed center Al Genovy, defenseman Ron Wilson and newcomer Ton Milani, who was a 56-goal scorer last season with Syracuse of the NAHL. Milani, who is a former All American from University of Minnesota at Duluth, was assigned by the parent Detroit Red Wings when training camp broke up.Wilson, one of the elder statesmen on the club, gives the Wings stability on the blueline with his fine play-making ability. Ron. voted the team&rsquo;s best defenseman in his two seasons in Kalamazoo, compiled eight goals, 29 assists for 37 points and 100 minutes in penalties last season. He missed 21 games due to an injury.At the time Genovy&rsquo;s 1976-77 season ended, he was enjoying his finest year with the Wings since he joined the club three years ago. Centering Mike Wanchuk and Yvon Dupuis. Genovy managed 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points.FLINT: Familiar faces in the Flint camp included forwards Clyde Simon and Jimmy Johnston along with defensemen John Beloio, Mike St. Cyr and Doug Towler.SAGINAW: Defending league and playoff champion Saginaw lost veteran center Wayne Zuk to retirement. Zuk, who played eight years in the IHL, performed the last two for the Gears. He started with Toledo in the 1969-70 season. During his two seasons with the Gears Zuk scored 65 goals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02240/4049224-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="576" height="854"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM MILANI&hellip;Joins K-Wings</figcaption></div>Veterans expected back with the Gears include Greg Hotham. Marc Gaudreault, John Gravel, Gary Sittler, Rick Chinnick. Dave Westner, Stu Irving. Marcel Comeau. Denis Desrosiers and possibly Kevin Kemp, who was still hanging on in the Toronto Maple Leaf camp when the Gears opened training.FORT WAYNE: The Komets have a pretty sound nucleus of vets also&mdash;Terry McDougall, D&rsquo;Arcy Keating, Terry Pembroke, Robbie Irons, Robbie Laird, Bob McNeece and Dave Faulkner. Last year&rsquo;s co-rookie of the year, Ron Zanussi, was recently sent by the Minnesota North Stars to Fort Worth of the Central League.At the same time, the North Stars sent defenseman Kevin McCloskey and right winger Jamie Gallimore to the Komets.MILWAUKEE: Coach Gene Ubriaco welcomed 28 candidates when he opened camp at Wilson Park Arena. He must cut to 25 by opening day and then down to 16. the established IHL player limit, by Nov. 8.With prospects coming from both Buffalo and Philadelphia, Ubriaco had the following players on hand, goal, Guy Bouchard, Yves Guillemette, Daniel Pepin, Peter Peeters and Richard Sirois; defense, Pierre Allard, Michel Lachance, Pierre Langlois, Dan Lemieux, Tom Machowski, Dave Matherson, Al McKenzie, Gilles Quintal and Ron Roscoe; forwards include Chick Balon, Bill Beauchamp, Terry Christensen, Barry Duench, Clint Eccles, Rene Hamelin, Ray Kurpis, Daniel Lecours, Don Madson, Gary Morrison, Randy Osburn, Yves Preston, Jean Trottier and Greg Wymer.Peeters, who backstopped Medicine Hat in the Western Canada League last year, is considered a fine goaling product. He was drafted by Philadelphia in the eighth round. Guillemette, was chosen in the fourth round, is another bright goaling prospect. He played with Shawinigan of the Quebec Junior League.Other Admirals who were drafted by the Flyers are Hamelin, Eccles and Duench. &#9632;

f0034-01

IHL Moves To Protect Its Future By Slapping Ceiling On Salaries

LONG BEACH&mdash;The new Pacific Hockey League will get off the ground with an unprecedented opening game&mdash;Christmas night in San Diego.Walt Marlow, publicist for the PHL, said that the four team league, comprised of San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco and Los Angeles&mdash;will begin its 40-game per team schedule Dec. 25 when Los Angeles visits San Diego.Marlow revealed the new league will conduct a player draft Oct. 18 in Long Beach. Chuck Catto of Montreal, who is the loop&rsquo;s director of player personnel, has been lining up the talent for the draft.Commissioner Jim Browitt will preside over the draft. Other league officers who will be in attendance are Peter Graham, PHL president, Don Dyer of Long Beach and Gerry Saperstein of San Francisco, who are vice-presidents.The PHL is currently lining up coaches for the four-team league. Former minor pro defenseman Butch Barber will coach the San Diego Mariners. &#9632;

New Pacific Hockey League To Open On Christmas Night

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Mon 17 London at SudburyTue 18 Oshawa at HamiltonThu 20 Hamilton at Sault Ste.MarieLondon at WindsorKingston at OshawaNiagara Falls at PeterboroughFri 21 Hamilton at SudburyWindsor at KitchenerSault Ste. Marie at OttawaPeterborough at LondonOshawa at KingstonNiagara Falls at TorontoSal 22 Sault Ste Marie at PeterboroughKingston at TorontoSun 23 Ottawa at OshawaWindsor at Niagara FallsLondon at KitchenerSudbury at HamiltonTue 25 Kitchener at HamiltonOttawa at KingstonThu 27 Kingston at Sault Ste. MarieNiagara Falls at WindsorOshawa at PeterboroughFri 28 Kingston at SudburyToronto at OttawaHamilton at KitchenerWindsor at LondonSault Ste Marie at Niagara FallsSat 29 Sudbury at PeterboroughSun 30 Toronto at WindsorPeterborough at OshawaSault Ste. Marie at KingstonSudbury at Ottawa<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue 1 Peterborough at HamiltonThu 3 Toronto at Sault Ste. MarieKitchener at WindsorHamilton at PeterboroughNiagara Falls at OshawaFri 4 Toronto at SudburyPeterborough at OttawaOshawa at KitchenerHamilton at KingstonNiagara Falls at LondonSat 5 Sudbury at Niagara FallsSun 6 Windsor at Sault Ste. MarieLondon at KingstonToronto at OttawaSudbury at KitchenerHamilton at Oshawa &#9632;

Where OHA Teams Play

(Standings on Fri. Oct. 14)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03150/4049379-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="595" height="436"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Sat. Oct. 8Windsor 3, Peterborough 4Sun. Oct. 9Toronto 5, Sudbury 4S.Ste. Marie 7, Ottawa 5Windsor 5, Oshawa 4Hamilton 4, Kingston 2Kitchener 4, Niagara Falls 3Tue. Oct. 11London 2, Hamilton 2Thu. Oct. 13Kitchener 3, Sault Ste. Marie 4Oshawa 3, Windsor 7Ottawa 5, Peterborough 2<h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Oct. 14)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0494/4049372-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="585" height="226"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun. Oct. 9Orrilia 8, Whitby 7Cambridge 6, Thunder Bay 1Mon. Oct. 10Brantford 5, Mississauga 4 &#9632;

f0036-03

HOW THEY STAND

<div class="byline">BY DANNY YOUNG</div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;With the graduation last year of guys ke Jean Savard, Eddy Godin, Mario larois. and Francois Vachon, the uebec Remparts began the season with young team lacking experience and a ader.Coach Ron Racette had to make a love and he couldn&rsquo;t have made a better ne than acquiring Denis Halle from the herbrooke Beavers.&ldquo;We needed help. We have a young earn without much experience and I felt hat Denis could help.&rdquo;The Remparts sent Yvan Boudreau to herbrooke for Halle and Mark Semertgakis in a three-player deal three veeks ago.Halle played two seasons with Sherbrooke. Last year he was sidelined or two months with a fractured vrtebrae and only played 49 contests, Still he managed to score 21 goals and 37 issists.The 19-year-old center was quite happy jbout the trade. &ldquo;I like the players and he organization. Coach Racette is the opposite of my old coach (Ghislain Delage) and I think he will help me.&rdquo;Denis has been spectacular for Quebec. In 10 games he has nine goals and six issists and has made many contributions hat don&rsquo;t show up in the boxscore.Coach Racette is ecstatic with Halle&rsquo;s performance.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01231/4049417-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="564" height="476"><figcaption class="caption-body">RON CARTER</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I expected a lot from Denis but not this much. Denis is playing very well. He uses his head on the ice and doesn&rsquo;t panic. He has been a good influence for our young guys, particularly linemates Beauchamp (Yvon) and Richard (Daniel). Denis is now our leader on the ice.&rdquo;The new Rempart is very pleased with his new linemates. &ldquo;Last year I played on a top line and linemate Dan Chicoine would always set me up. Now I have to make the play. The added responsibility will help my game.&rdquo;Halle is seeing lots of ice time with Quebec. In addition to his regular shifts, he is playing on power plays and killing penalties.Denis has only spent four minutes in the penalty box but he is not the kind of hockey player who shys away when the going gets tough.Giving 100 percent all the time, Halle has an attitude that coaches dream about.&ldquo;You have to do your best. Just work and work to win.&rdquo;Coach Racette is hoping that this kind of thinking will rub off on the younger players.Denis says that his new teammates have been great to him. He now lives in an apartment with two other players, a setup he prefers to the one at Sherbrooke where all the players live in one house. &ldquo;I like it. I can concentrate on hockey better.&rdquo;Though the Remparts are now 4-4-1. Denis thinks the club will improve as the season, his last in junior hockey, goes on.&ldquo;When I first got here, there was not much chance of winning, no positioning, but now we&rsquo;re starting to play positional hockey and I think we can win.&rdquo;SHAWINIGAN: The Dynamos dropped two games to Chicoutimi, 9-6 and 12-7 and are now without a win or tie in 10 games. Although management does not intend to fire coach Marc Picard at the present time, it is likely that the club could be forced to release the coach if the Dynamos continue in their losing ways.HULL: 4.559 Hull supporters came to see Hull battle Trois Rivieres and they got there money&rsquo;s worth. The Olympics took a 2-0 lead on goals by Jean Poulin and Andre Dore but were outlasted by powerful Trois Rivieres and lost 4-3. Shots on goal were 38-37 in favor of T.R. In their next contest. Hull outshot Verdun by a 49-33 count but had to settle with a 6-6 tie. Benoit Laporte had two goals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02170/4049410-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="567" height="754"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENIS HALLE &hellip; Happy In Quebec</figcaption></div>TROIS RIVIERES: The Draveurs continue to play winning hockey and have the league&rsquo;s best record. The new line of Jean-Gaston Douville. Jean Marc Bonamie and Normand Lahaie accounted for four goals in a 9-2 victory over Montreal and two goals as the Draveurs edged Hull 4-3. Lahaie had a hat trick in the 9-2 contest.LAVAL: Patrick Daley scored three goals but it was not enough as the Nationals lost to Sherbrooke 11-8. Glen Currie, who could be filling in the shoes of Mike Bossy, scored two goals, one of which was a penalty shot, to lead Laval to a 4-2 victory over Quebec.VERDUN: The Black Hawks scored a stunning upset as they triumphed over Cornwall 4-2. Jean-Francois Boutin scored the winner at 16:24 of the third period. The Hawks second goal was spectacular as Normand Aubin beat two defenseman and faked out goalie Bernhardt for the score. Verdun was outshot by Hull 49-33 but came away with a 6-6 tie.MONTREAL: The Juniors had a tough week dropping three games. In their first home game, they were clobbered by Cornwall. Star forward Richard Suwek injured his neck in an encounter with Cornwall&rsquo;s Dan Geoffrion. The Juniors blew a 3-2 lead over Quebec losing 4-3 and then got blown out by Trois Rivieres. 9-2.SHERBROOKE: The Castors have played steady hockey and jumped into second place. Rick Vaive, Jim Mann, Ron Carter, Mark Green and Sylvain Locas each had two goals as Sherbrooke defeated Laval 11-8. Yvon Boudreau, acquired from Quebec, scored the other goal.CORNWALL: The Royals winning streak was extended to seven as they beat Montreal but then ended in a 4-2 loss to Verdun. The team played well and received good goaltending from Tim Bernhardt but could not hold off Verdun after taking a 2-0 first period lead.QUEBEC Michel Goulet scored two goals as Quebec edged Montreal 4-3. First draft choice Gaston Therrien had two assists as he played his first QMJHL game in his home town of Montreal. The Remparts then traveled to Laval where they lost 4-2. Goalie Vincent Tremblay stopped a penalty shot attempt by Montreal&rsquo;s Kevin Reeves, but was beaten by a Glen Currie penalty shot in the game against Laval.CHICOUTIMI: The Sagueneens scored four third period goals to defeat Shawinigan 9-6. Louis Sleighe. and Serge Dubois had two goals each. Then Chicoutimi played Shawinigan at home and won 12-7. Chicoutimi will have a chance to move up in the standings when they play Sherbrooke and Quebec next week. &#9632;

f0037-01

Halle Filling Needs For Remparts; Draveurs Continue Winning Ways

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Mon. 17 Shawinigan at LavalTue. 18 Montreal at HullVerdun at Trois-RivieresWed. 19 Chicoutimi at QuebecThu. 20 Trois-Rivieres at CornwallFri. 21 Cornwall at QuebecMontreal at ShawiniganHull at SherbrookeChicoutimi at VerdunSun. 23 Cornwall at ChicoutimiLaval at HullVerdun at MontrealQuebec at SherbrookeShawinigan at Trois-RivieresMon. 24 Montreal at LavalTue. 25 Quebec at HullSherbrooke at Trois-RivieresWed. 26 Shawinigan at VerdunThu. 27 Chicoutimi at CornwallFri. 28 Chicoutimi at MontrealLaval at QuebecTrois-Rivieres at ShawiniganSun. 30 Cornwall at HullTrois-Rivieres at MontrealQuebec at ShawiniganChicoutimi at SherbrookeLaval at VerdunMon. 31 Sherbrooke at Laval<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue. 1 Sherbrooke at HullCornwall at Trois-RivieresWed. 2 Verdun at LavalThu. 3 Verdun at CornwallShawinigan at MontrealFri 4 Laval at ChicoutimiMontreal at QuebecHull at ShawiniganTrois-Rivieres at SherbrookeSun 6 Shawinigan at ChicoutimiCornwall at HullSherbrooke at MontrealLaval at Trois-RivieresQuebec at Verdun &#9632;

Where QML Teams Play

<h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 17)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03123/4049472-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="590" height="402"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. Oct. 10Quebec 2, Laval 4Tue. Oct. 11Montreal 2, Troia Rivieres 9Shawinigan 7, Chicoutimi 12Verdun 6, Hull 6Thu. Oct. 13Trois Rivieres 5, Quebec 3Fri. Oct. 14Sherbrooke 6, Cornwall 3Montreal 6, Laval 3Shawinigan 4, Quebec 2Chicoutimi 6, Verdun 4Sun. Oct. 16Sherbrooke 3, Chicoutimi 9Quebec 5, Cornwall 10Hull 4, Montreal 7Laval 11, Shawinigan 5Trois Rivieres 7, Verdun 5 &#9632;

f0037-03

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE PENTON</div>LOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTDArnold Street, Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and CanadaLOUISVILLE SLUGGERHOCKEY STICKSMade in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTDArnold Street, Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01272/4049510-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="569" height="740"><figcaption class="caption-body">GLENN HICKS &hellip; Nets Nine Goals</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02212/4049503-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="569" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body">JORDYDOUGLAS &hellip; Offensive Leader</figcaption></div>FLIN FLON&mdash;It has been easy, and apt, to label Flin Flon Bombers a hapless team in the past three years. And after three seasons of haplessness, it makes it difficult to remember when the maroon-and-white jerseyed club was the No. 1 power in the Western Canada Hockey League.But early in the 1977-78 campaign, with the Bombers off and running to their best start in four years, the power-packed clubs of yesteryear return to memory. Those three out-of-the-playoff seasons, could be construed as a valley the club was in while rebuilding.Mickey Keating, coach of the Bombers and one of the true gentlemen in WCHL coaching circles, wants to shake off the &ldquo;nice guy&rdquo; tag, because, as he says &ldquo;we&rsquo;re not going to finish last this year. I&rsquo;m through being a nice guy.&rdquo;He&rsquo;s just joking when he says that, but with the club he has built in Flin Flon, he can afford the odd joke. The past few seasons, though, certainly weren&rsquo;t laughing matters. The Bombers had a pair of last-place finishes after Patty Ginnell packed up and left for Victoria and Keating guided his team to a third-place, albeit out of the playoffs, finish last year.Starting with nine consecutive road games, the Bombers posted a 3-3-1 record in their first seven, a record not even approached by Bomber teams of the past three seasons.Returning forwards Jordy Douglas (seven goals and four assists) and Glenn Hicks (nine goals, one assist) are carrying the bulk of the offense, while rookie defenseman Craig Levie has been a major find for the northerners.Keating almost starts giggling when he thinks of what will happen when big Ray Markham, one of his major offensive guns, starts to find the range. After seven games, Markham had just two goals. When he starts scoring with the regularity of which he&rsquo;s capable, the Bombers just might put together a lengthy winning streak.After opening with a 6-4 win in Saskatoon, the Bombers blew a 4-2 lead the next night and fell 7-4 to Lethbridge. Continuing with their travels, they edged Medicine Hat 3-2 and lost to New Westminster 7-1, with a 5-5 tie with Calgary squeezed in between. In Victoria, Flin Flon overcame a 5-1 deficit to beat the Cougars 7-6, as Hicks tallied with less than two minutes to go for the winner. Later, Bombers lost to Portland Winter Hawks 7-4 in a game highlighted by a penalty-shot goal by Douglas, who could get 60 goals this year, Keating predicts.The results left the Bombers in the unfamiliar position of leading the Eastern Division. And as one-quarter of their road schedule will be completed by the time they return home, the people of Flin Flon are thinking thoughts of first place, a position which used to be owned by the Bombers in the eras of Clarke, Leach, Arnason, Carr, etc., etc&hellip;But really, though, it couldn&rsquo;t happen to a nicer coach.BRANDON: Attempting to regroup after an 8-6 loss to Saskatoon, the Wheat Kings had a nine-day layoff. The only noteworthy accomplishment during that time was the Wheaties&rsquo; success at getting highly-rated defenseman Steve Harris, 18, into camp from his home in Calgary.REGINA: How times have changed! Last year, Saskatoon owned the Regina Pats, just like everyone else owned the Pats. This year, Pats have rung up back-to-back regular-season wins over the Blades, 8-4 at home and 7-6 in Saskatoon. Defenseman Kevin Krook had a goal and three assists in the 8-4 triumph, and Gerry Minor had two goals and two assists in the 7-6 win. Rookie Gary Slezak was Regina&rsquo;s hero in the tight win, though, scoring with just 30 seconds left to snap a tie. Pats were 3-1 on the season, just five wins short of their total of last year.SASKATOON: Veteran Wes George drew praise from coach Jack McLeod after his fine play, and the Blades were getting good mileage from rookies Lindsay Carson. Frank Discilio and Rick Carriere, but a 1-2 week left the Blades with the worst record in the East Division. The only bright note was an 8-5 win over Lethbridge, as Disciglio and Darryl Erickson scored twice each. Two losses to provincial rival Regina was the bad news.MEDICINE HAT: Merline Malinowski held second place in the league scoring race with 18 points in the Tigers&rsquo; five games. His two goals and two assists propelled the Tigers to an 8-5 road win over Calgary Wranglers, an outing that was preceded by a two-goal, three-assist effort in a 6-6 tie at home against the Wranglers. Linemates Jim Nill and Dave Ross also held positions in the top 20 scorers.CALGARY: The Wranglers had the busiest week of anyone, playing five games. They also had one of the worst weeks, getting only four of 10 possible points. Eugene O&rsquo;Sullivan took over the scoring derby lead with seven goals and eight assists in the five contests. Rookie Larry Roberts fired the hat trick in Calgary&rsquo;s only win, 6-4 over Billings. Rumblings of discontent surfaced, with reports that five players, including overage defenseman Greg McPhee and high-scoring winger Jim Malazdrewicz (39 goals last season) had left the club and returned to Winnipeg.BILLINGS: The Bighorns sent their fans home in an ecstatic mood by firing nine third-period goals for an 11-3 thrashing of Calgary Wranglers. Mike Toal had three goals, getting his second hat trick in the space of three games. He also hit for three in a 6-4 win over Lethbridge. Over-age center Dell Chapman scored three times as well in the 11-3 win and veteran Doug Robb had four assists.LETHBRIDGE: Broncos had just one tie in three games, that a 3-3 deadlock vs. Calgary as 17-year-old Doug Morrison got the tying goal in the third period. Elsewhere: Mike Schneider&rsquo;s two goals went for naught in a 6-4 loss at Billings, and Broncos blew a 4-0 lead in Saskatoon and lost 8-5 to the Blades.NEW WESTMINSTER: Bruins were the only undefeated team in the league, stretching their record to 4-0 with a 7-1 win over touring Flin Flon. Defenseman Carl Van Harrewyn and rookie forward Terry Kirkham had three assists each, and veteran John Ogrodnick tallied two goals. Coach Ernie McLean added 17-year-old Boris Fistric, a six-foot-four, 215-pounder, to his roster and said he would be used as the team&rsquo;s fifth defenseman until he built enough confidence to play in the WCHL on a regular basis.VICTORIA: Steve Amiss only a-missed one, backstopping the Cougars to their only triumph of the week, a 3-1 win at home over Portland. Amiss blocked 43 shots as the Winter Hawks outshot Victoria 44-26. Bob Jansch fired three goals as the Cougars took a 5-1 lead over Flin Flon before the Bombers bounced back for a 7-6 win and things were even more bleak in Portland, where Jack Shupe&rsquo;s team was pummelled 10-4.SEATTLE: The greyest skies you&rsquo;ve ever seen are in Seattle. At least that&rsquo;s that view of the Breakers, the WCHL&rsquo;s only winless, pointless club. Three straight losses to open the season brought only headaches to coach Les Calder, who had a week-long layoff to reassess his club and hope to regroup it for a run at the playoffs in the tough Western Division.PORTLAND: Fifteen players shared in the scoring, including goalie Jerry Price, as the Winter Hawks frolicked 10-4 over Victoria. Only one player, 19-year-old left-winger Paul Mulvey (one goal, two assists) had more than two points in the balanced attack. Starry forwards Wayne Babych and Brent Peterson picked up four points each in a 7-4 win over Flin Flon, but the Hawks picked up nothing but a lot of frustration in a 3-1 loss to the Cougars, a team they outshot 44-26. &#9632;

f0038-01

Flin Flon Sheds Hapless Image, Make Best Start In Four Years

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue. 18 Victoria at BrandonBillings at Med. HatWed. 19 Victoria at LethbridgeRegina at Flin FlonThu. 20 Billings at SeattleRegina at Flin FlonN. Westminster at PortlandFri. 21 Billings at N. WestminsterCalgary at LethbridgeMed. Hat at SaskatoonSat. 22 Billjngs at VictoriaRegina at Med. HatSaskatoon at Flin FlonSun. 23 Billings at PortlandRegina at LethbridgeSeattle at N. WestminsterSaskatoon at Flin FlonTue. 25 Seattle at VictoriaWed. 26 Seattle at PortlandCalgary at ReginaThu. 27 N. Westminster at SeattleFlin Flon at BrandonFri. 28 Med. Hat at LethbridgeFlin Flon at ReginaCalgary at SaskatoonSat. 29 N. Westminster at PortlandBrandon at BillingsSun 30 Calgary at Med. HatBrandon at BillingsVictoria at N. WestminsterFlin Flon at Saskatoon<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue. 1 Billings at CalgaryWed. 2 Brandon at PortlandBillings at LethbridgeThu. 3 Brandon at SeattleBillings at Med. HatFri. 4 Lethbridge at ReginaBillings at SaskatoonSat. 5 Brandon at VictoriaCalgary at Med. HatLethbridge at Flin FlonSun. 6 Brandon at N. WestminsterMed. Hat at CalgaryLethbridge at Flin FlonBillings at Regina &#9632;

Where WCHL Teams Play

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01255/4049579-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="349" height="748"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ab DeMarco</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02187/4049572-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="345" height="761"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pete Palangio</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03143/4049565-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="340" height="766"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pep Kelly</figcaption></div>NORTH BAY&mdash;A roast for three veteran North Bay-born hockey stars of the past on Nov. 19 will also see their induction as the first members of a North Bay Sports Hall of Fame.Pete Palangio, Regis (Pep) Kelly and Ab DeMarco Sr. will be the honorees.All three made it to the National Hockey League and Palangio had the honor of being a member of the 1938 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Black Hawks. Kelly was an outstanding penalty-killer with Toronto Maple Leafs for several seasons while DeMarco was a leading scorer for New York Rangers and one of the NHL&rsquo;s all-time top stickhandlers.All three men also had excellent minor pro careers, with DeMarco starring for Calder Cup champs (Cleveland Barons and Buffalo Bisons) and Palangio leading the old St. Louis Flyers in scoring for many seasons. Kelly did not play as many seasons in minor pro ranks, but was a solid performer after his NHL career was over.A committee is hard at work teeing up the roast which will take place at the Pinewood Park Motor Inn.Many ex-teammates of Palangio, Kelly and DeMarco are expected to attend the event.Heading up the Hall of Fame committee, which is a separate entity, is Mort Fellman. retired executive editor of The North Bay Nugget and long-time sports editor of that paper.It is planned to induct several persons into the Hall of Fame every year at a similar type banquet. &#9632;

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October 28, 1977

Racer Fans Will Need Scorecard; Bulls Await Linseman Court Case

Plager Stays On As ‘Special’ Scout

Looking At NHL Goalers

Balance Highlight Of Early Races