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.

November 4, 1977

The Hockey News November 4, 1977

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE PENTON</div>REGINA&mdash;Opening night, 1977-78 Western Canada Hockey League season:Brandon 8, Regina 2.A collective sigh was heard around the WCHL precincts when that score clattered over the teletypes. The sigh definitely said &ldquo;oh, no, not again.&rdquo;Not another dismal year for the Pats. Not an automatic two points time after time after time. Not more grey hairs for coach Lome Davis. Not another fatten-your-goal-totals-here-come-the-Pats Season.Six games later, it can be safely said: No, not again.Since that first-game loss, the Pats have reeled off six consecutive victories and boast the best record of the 12 WCHL teams.It&rsquo;s like Cinderella never having the bells of midnight strike. It&rsquo;s the epitome of a rags-to-riches tale.Lorne Davis has provided a winner in Regina and although no one has breathed a word about a championship, there are obviously some wild thoughts in that direction by avid Pats&rsquo; supporters.Three of the six Regina victories came over provincial rival Saskatoon Blades, a trio of defeats that still didn&rsquo;t convince Saskatoon coach Jackie McLeod of the Pats&rsquo; authenticity.&ldquo;I still think it will be a fight between us, Flin Flon and Brandon for first place,&rdquo; McLeod said, unceremoniously leaving the basement for Regina.The Pats owned the basement last year. They hung up a &ldquo;No Vacancy&rdquo; sign in October and didn&rsquo;t once try to advertise its availability. They won eight games all year, a figure they&rsquo;ll probably reach by the end of October this year. They lost 53, nearly a record. Their 36 road games without a win was something only the opposition could love.But there were signs even last year that their dismal performance wouldn&rsquo;t be a long-lasting affair. Most of their players were 18-years-old or less. They had potential stars on the farm.This fall, Davis brought the ingredients together and has mixed them into a contender.He brought returnee Pat Ansell back to guard the net gave him young Greg Dumba for support. Together, they&rsquo;ve strung together a 3.74 goals-against average, a figure bettered only by Portland.The goalies are receiving plenty of help from an experienced defense consisting of captain Kevin Krook. Gord Wappel, Trevor Bowering, Miles Tangedal and the only rookie blueliner, Darren Veitch.Up front, there are only four classified as rookies&mdash;and one of them, 16-year-old Doug Wickenheiser, has been tabbed as a future superstar. Already, he has nine points in the Pats&rsquo; first seven games, a 93-point pace.Veterans Gerry Minor, Gerry Galloway, Ron Parent and Dirk Graham are the Pats&rsquo; main offensive threats, but while they mostly threatened to score last year, they, along with the rest of the Pats, have been carrying out those threats this year.The atmosphere has definitely changed, too. There&rsquo;s a spirit in Regina that can only be described as &ldquo;that winning feeling.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01280/4088768-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="577" height="898"><figcaption class="caption-body">DOUG ROBB&hellip;Powers Bighorns</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We re not really a club loaded with ability,&rdquo; says Davis, &ldquo;but we grind it out to win hockey games. The spirit is great.&rdquo;SASKATOON: Blades sunk to the Eastern Division cellar with losses to Brandon (6-4) and Regina (4-1). Coach Jack McLeod benched defenseman Mel Mewitt for one game as a penalty for taking &ldquo;stupid penalties, the coach said. Defenseman Gord Kimble has been acquired from Medicine Hat, but the Blades must give up a player to Victoria in return for goalie John McKerrow.BRANDON: Bill Derlago ran his consecutive-game point streak to 47 games (counting regular-season and playoff games) with three goals and three assists in a trio of Wheat King games. Two were wins, 6-4 over Saskatoon and 53 over Victoria, but a 4-1 loss to Regina had coach Dune McCallum boiling. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t want the puck,&rdquo; he said, and just 19 shots on goal&mdash;the lowest of a McCallum-coached Wheat King team&mdash;was ample testimony.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02219/4088761-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="578" height="902"><figcaption class="caption-body">DELL CHAPMAN&hellip;Nine Points</figcaption></div>FLIN FLON: With one-quarter of their road schedule complete, the Bombers had a highly-commendable 3-4-2 record, with 12 of their next 18 at home. Bombers concluded their early western swing with a 2-2 tie in Billings, one night after suffering an 8-3 loss to the Bighorns. Hulking defenseman Gregg Rebbutt has joined the Bombers as an over-age. The former Victoria and Regina junior was recently cut by Minnesota North Stars.MEDICINE HAT: Darrell Furmanek posted his first WCHL shutout with a 30-stop effort as the Tigers beat Lethbride 20 to stay close to the Central Division lead. Veterans Jim Nill and Dave Snopek provided the offense in that game. Tigers&rsquo; only other outing of the week was a 6-2 defeat to Victoria.CALGARY: Center Eugene O&rsquo;Sullivan hung onto his league scoring lead with three points in two games, but both were losses, which dampened any would-be festivities. Defenseman Ray Mawhineny sparkled with two goals and three assists in an 8-6 loss to Billings, and Calgary&rsquo;s eighth loss in nine games was a 7-4 decision at home to Lethbridge.LETHBRIDGE: Winger Dean Solheim put together his second seven-point night of the young season, getting two goals and five assists in the Broncos&rsquo; 7-4 victory over Calgary. Veteran Steve Tambellini fired three goals in that game. But the Broncos fell back in the Central standings with 6-1 and 2-0 losses to Billings and Medicine Hat respectively. Solheim had the only goal in the latter two games. Coach Howie Yanosik, despondent over the poor play of his defense, considered saying goodbye to over-age defender Rick Hendricks and bringing in forward Grant Eakin, drafted from the Broncos by Cleveland this past summer.BILLINGS: The Bighorns were dynamic on offense, scoring 24 goals in six games to take over the lead in the Central Division. Leading the charge were veterans Doug Robb and Dell Chapman with three goals and six assists each. Mike Toal, acquired last year from Victoria, had two goals and six assists. Rookie Blake Sullivan popped in three goals as the Bighorns dropped Calgary 8-6 while other wins were 6-1 over Lethbridge and 8-3 over Flin Flon. Bighorns acquired Brent Gogal from Victoria in exchange for rookie defenseman Todd Morton.SEATTLE: After a slow start, the Breakers began to roll, edging Portland 4-3 in Oregon before swamping New Westminster 10-3 in Seattle. Ryan Walter led the charge against the Bruins with three goals and three assists, and linemates Len Dies and Anthony Thomas had four-point nights.PORTLAND: The Winter Hawks&rsquo; main line of Brent Peterson-Wayne Babych-Paul Mulvey connected for two late goals, but Seattle, which once had a 4-0 lead, held on for a 4-3 triumph. The Hawks&rsquo; goaltending duo of Bart Hunter and Jerry Price has the best combined average in the league, 3.40.VICTORIA: The Cougars were 2-2 on the first half of an eastern swing, with victories in New Westminster (5-1) and Medicine Hat (6-2) offsetting losses in Regina (6-3) and Brandon (5-3). Coach Jack Shupe welcomed the return of center Gary Lupul, a 101-point man as a freshman last year, who was injured during training camp and missed the team&rsquo;s first nine games. The win in Medicine Hat, paced by Geordie Robertson&rsquo;s three goals and the four-point effort of rookie Mickey Wilgress, was especially sweet for Shupe, who was axed by the Tigers last spring. &ldquo;The fans gave me a fairly warm welcome,&rdquo; Shupe said. Bob Jansch had his second hat trick of the year in the win over New West.NEW WESTMINSTER: The Bruins thudded back to reality after four straight wins, getting outscored 15-4 in two defeats, one a 10-3 shellacking in Seattle. One bright note was the play of rookie Randy Irving, who was in on three of the four Bruins&rsquo; goals during the week. Coach Ernie McLean was reportedly close to finalizing a deal which would bring 17-year-old Bill Hobbins to his team from Portland. McLean is looking to strengthen his club down the middle, and hopes to get back Ray Creasy from Vancouver Canucks to fill his over-age slot. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Regina Finished With Playing ‘Patsy’ Role

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01374/4087875-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"></div><h2>BIRMINGHAM BULLS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02300/4087868-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="158" height="168"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03257/4087861-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="716" height="537"></div><h2>CINCINNATI STINGERS</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04202/4087854-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="135" height="151"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05165/4087847-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="713" height="479"></div><h2>INDIANAPOLIS RACERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06133/4087840-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="205" height="158"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07121/4087833-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="716" height="638"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND WHALERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-08109/4087826-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="220" height="220"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-09103/4087819-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="716" height="559"></div><h2>EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1098/4087812-1-eng-US/f0026-102.jpg" title="f0026-10" width="198" height="195"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1194/4087805-1-eng-US/f0026-112.jpg" title="f0026-11" width="716" height="586"></div><h2>HOUSTON AEROS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1286/4087798-1-eng-US/f0026-122.jpg" title="f0026-12" width="265" height="122"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1385/4087791-1-eng-US/f0026-132.jpg" title="f0026-13" width="716" height="559"></div><h2>QUEBEC NORDIQUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1477/4087784-1-eng-US/f0026-142.jpg" title="f0026-14" width="190" height="195"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1569/4087777-1-eng-US/f0026-152.jpg" title="f0026-15" width="688" height="586"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1661/4087770-1-eng-US/f0026-162.jpg" title="f0026-16" width="204" height="211"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1757/4087763-1-eng-US/f0026-172.jpg" title="f0026-17" width="685" height="642"></div> &#9632;

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WHA SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

<div class="byline">BY ALAN TRUEX</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02891/4086494-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">WILLI PLETT&hellip;Psyched Himself Up (Photo by Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div>ATLANTA&mdash;A scoring slump is not usually something a hockey player takes lightly. Willi Plett, however, saw no reason to fret when he did not score a single goal during the Atlanta Flames&rsquo; pre-season.Asked if he was concerned about the scoreless streak, Plett, the National Hockey League rookie-of-the-year last season, said, &ldquo;No, not really, I knew that when the first game came I&rsquo;d psyche myself up and say now the joke&rsquo;s over and let&rsquo;s get down to business.&rdquo;And indeed, once the regular season started, Plett got back to the business of scoring goals. He scored both of his team&rsquo;s goals in the 2-2 season-opening tie in Boston Garden.While Plett seemed unconcerned with his poor exhibition record, he was beginning to have people wondering. Word went out that the Calder Trophy had gone to his head, as it had two years earher to another Flame, Eric Vail.But according to Flames coach Fred Creighton, Plett&rsquo;s slow training camp was caused more by a pulled groin muscle than by any lack of effort.At any rate, when the games started counting, Plett clearly was ready and completely recovered from the groin injury.Perhaps he is following the same pattern as last year. Plett came to training camp in 1976 as a strong candidate for a regular position at right wing. But he played so unimpressively in camp that he was beaten out of a job by another rookie, Rick Bowness.So Plett shuffled off to Tulsa, where he proceeded to score 10 goals in 14 games. Soon he was back with the Flames, and Bowness was gone. Plett went on to score 33 goals in 64 games in the NHL, and he was an easy winner in the Calder Trophy voting.Plett is back this year playing on what may be the NHL&rsquo;s biggest line, The Downtown Connectors. Plett, six-foot-three, 215-pounds, plays the right side, with six-foot-two, 210-pound Vail at left wing and six-foot-one, 190-pound Tom Lysiak centering them.Last year this line accounted for 95 goals, and Flames general manager Cliff Fletcher has predicted the Connectors Will score 120 this season.The anticipated improvement is based largely on the players&rsquo; age. Lysiak is just 24, Vail 24 and Plett 22.FLAME NOTES: The Flames&rsquo; final roster cuts produced some surprises&mdash;or disappointments, depending on your point of view.Left wing Bobby Simpson, who scored 13 goals in a part-time basis last year, was expected to improve this season, but he had a mediocre training camp and was farmed out to Tulsa.Simpson took the news hard. &ldquo;I had a feeling I was going to be sent down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Freddy (Creighton) stopped talking to me. But I don&rsquo;t feel I should be going. I&rsquo;m going to talk to my lawyer and see if I can&rsquo;t get out of this. I can play in the NHL. There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind.&rdquo;But there was really nothing Simpson could do. He reported promptly to the Tulsa team and scored a goal in the Central Hockey League season-opener&hellip;Another late cut&mdash;and disappointment&mdash;was defenseman Greg Fox. He had arrived in camp as the favorite to replace the traded Randy Manery on the Atlanta defense. But Fox made so many mistakes during the exhibition games that Creighton and Fletcher felt he had to go&hellip; &#9632;

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Slow Starts Nothing New For Flames’ Plucky Plett

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011032/4086432-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAT BOUTETTE&hellip;Off To Fast Start (Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>TORONTO&mdash;The rush of high expectations which Roger Neilson brought with him when he was hired as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs were tempered by reality rather quickly when the team opened its 1977-78 National Hockey League season.Not that Neilson came in with any boasts of what his team would accomplish. His approach was the exact opposite. He Listed only modest goals for &lsquo;77-78&mdash;an improvement in the Leafs&rsquo; defensive play, a reduction in goals-against from the 285 Leafs surrendered last season.If Neilson had any doubts about what was necessary to achieve that goals plus an improvement in the team&rsquo;s standing, the points were driven home in the Leafs&rsquo; first two games of the season.The Leafs opened the season in Detroit where they held a 3-1 lead heading into the concluding five minutes of the third period. The match ended in a 3-3 tie, a familiar story for the Leafs, who had trouble holding leads last season, notable in losing a playoff series to the Philadelphia Flyers.The Leafs opened at home against Buffalo Sabres, one of their superiors in the Adams Division. The Toronto side held a 41-28 margin in shots on goal but lost, 5-2. Defensive lapses cost them the match. The Sabres pounced on Leaf blunders for their goals.Thus, Neilson faces an up-hill road. He wants his team to play a disciplined, defensive style of hockey. But in the first two games, the Leafs were a circling team, not the straightline, aggressive club Neilson wants.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take a little time to install the defensive system I want this club to play,&rdquo; Neilson said. &ldquo;The cohesion we must have will come slowly. In the first two games, we made too many mistakes in our end of the rink, just little careless errors and the other clubs pounced on them.&ldquo;But we don&rsquo;t have that much time to get started. If a team stumbles out of the gate, it can be in a large hole very quickly if a couple of other teams in its divisions get away to a fast start.&rdquo;Neilson employed almost an allveteran line-up to open the season. Only two rookies&mdash;defenseman Trevor Johansen and penalty-killing specialist Jimmy Jones&mdash;opened the season with the Leafs.However, the rookie coach won&rsquo;t go too far down the road with his Experienced players. If the vets don&rsquo;t do the job, he&rsquo;ll haul in some youngsters from Leafs&rsquo; Central League farm team at Dallas.Neilson gambled on his defense. Borje Salming and Ian Turnbull plus Brian Glennie as a spot worker are the experienced hands. Rookie Johansen and Randy Carlyle, who has less than a half-season of experience, are the others.One Leaf who got his season off to a strong start is winger Pat Boutette. He scored three goals in the first two games, working on the team&rsquo;s best line with center Jack Valiquette and Jim McKenny. &#9632;

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Neilson Gets Early Taste Of What’s Ailing Leafs

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011011/4085870-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="583" height="738"><figcaption class="caption-body">WILLI PLETT Used To Slow Starts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02916/4085863-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="595" height="474"></div><h2>THE NHL&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03688/4085856-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="599" height="706"></div><h2>THE WHA&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04475/4085849-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="601" height="206"></div><h2>OTHER LEAGUES&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05345/4085842-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="591" height="236"></div><h2>COLUMNISTS&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06248/4085835-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg" title="f0002-06" width="589" height="168"></div><h2>OTHER FEATURES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-07157/4085828-1-eng-US/f0002-072.jpg" title="f0002-07" width="587" height="158"></div> &#9632;

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WHERE YOU’LL FIND IT ALL INSIDE

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div>BOSTON&mdash;There are those who feel for the Chicago hockey writers.For 13 years they had Billy Reay, the coach whose idea of public relations was a designated speaker who was proficient in a language that none of his listeners understood.Now they have Bob Pulford, ex of Los Angeles, who once refused to say a nice word about his goaltender for fear people would say he was coaching a one-man team.Boston writers and sportscasters never have that problem with Don Cherry, who possibly rates the highest of any NHL coach in the two things most prized by the media&mdash;accessibility and quotability.Midway through the fall training camp, he raised a storm when he told an itinerant Toronto scribe:&ldquo;The kids coming out of the Boston area are tougher than the Canadian kids are now. They are tougher and they have more desire.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not too popular in Kingston right now,&rdquo; he admitted, referring to his hometown in Ontario. &ldquo;The newspaper boy came crying to the door and he says to my mother. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not true, is it, Mrs. Cherry&rsquo;?&rdquo;Cherry was just basck from the final exhibition game in Montreal, with the opening game of the regular season just around the comer, when he spent two hours fielding questions from fans on a radio talk show conducted by Steve Fredericks. He came up with some provocative thoughts, as usual.On the World Hockey Association:&ldquo;I know some of my friends are making a living in it but I think it&rsquo;s like a disease almost.&ldquo;The Boston Braves used to draw 10 or 12,000. They folded. They couldn&rsquo;t draw because of the WHA. They raided the juniors. It&rsquo;s taken the juniors three of four years to get back now. They put salaries way out of proportion. Salaries are just coming back now.&rdquo;On proposals for a World Series of hockey, including the Russians:&ldquo;I think it would be very poor after a while because if they faced us or the Canadians with a lot on the line it wouldn&rsquo;t be any contest. The Russians have reached their peak. They&rsquo;re not going to get any better.&rdquo;On minor hockey in the Boston area:&ldquo;I really have a complaint about the coaches around here. They pay no attention to individual skills. The defense gets the puck, they move it up to the winger, the winger gets it to the centerman, the centerman&hellip;There&rsquo;s no stickhandling or individual play.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why the Russians have gotten no better in the last six years. Unless you have some individual play, you&rsquo;re not going to get a Bobby Orr; you&rsquo;re not going to get a Guy Lafleur. Throw the puck on the ice and let the kids have some fun.&rdquo;On Derek Sanderson, late of the Vancouver Canucks:&ldquo;His rookie year went to his head and he thought it was going on forever. If you&rsquo;re not dedicated in hockey you&rsquo;re in deep trouble. It&rsquo;s just too bad he got all screwed up because, boy, he had talent.&rdquo;On the current state of hockey:&ldquo;The day of the big star is gone. Actually, the only big star in hockey now is Lafleur. The rest of them are good hockey players. That&rsquo;s the way hockey is right now. Good hard work. That&rsquo;s the way it should be.&rdquo;On the Montreal Canadiens:&ldquo;What&rsquo;s great about that team is they play just as hard against Colorado and Washington as they do against Philadelphia and ourselves. The reason they do that is because they have so much competition down in Nova Scotia. If they have two or three bad games, they&rsquo;re gone.&rdquo;On Bobby Orr:&ldquo;It just ticked me off to see Chicago put him on the draft list for $2,500 when they protect some humpty dumpties. I wouldn&rsquo;t count him out. I think he&rsquo;s going to play again. I really do. I don&rsquo;t count Bobby Orr out of anything.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-0884/4085901-1-eng-US/f0002-082.jpg" title="f0002-08" width="601" height="1290"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON CHERRY&hellip;Says What He Thinks</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Fiery Cherry Raps WHA, Russians, Says Lafleur Only Super Star Left

NEW YORK&mdash;Fans in all 18 National Hockey League cities will get a chance to see touring teams of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia between Dec. 26 and Jan. 12 and if present plans materialize, the event will become a five-year affair with a long-range competition between the European countries and NHL expected to be approved in the very near future.NHL president John Ziegler and Allan Eagleson, executive director of the NHL Player&rsquo;s Association, recently returned from Prague and Moscow where they discussed the possibility of a long-range program between the top European hockey countries and the NHL. Plans call for the exchange of officials and coaches for possible clinics on both sides of the world and a five-year plan that will see the top club teams in both the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia coming to visit all 18 NHL cities for the next five years.An NHL spokesman said the Czechs will send the Kladmo and Pardudice clubs while the Soviets have yet to name their teams. The Europeans will also be permitted to add five players to strengthen their teams.Ziegler said he was favorably impressed with his visit to the European cities and said he was warmly welcomed by the ice hockey federations of both countries. He said the International Ice Hockey Federation is cooperating fully with the NHL on the future hockey program.The NHL will arrange playing dates for the visits of the four club teams and all games will be held between Dec. 26 and Jan.12. &#9632;

All 18 NHL Teams To Face Czechs, Soviets

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-09" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-0954/4085956-1-eng-US/f0002-092.jpg"></div><h2>WHA Teams To Play In Islanders&rsquo; rink</h2>NEW YORK&mdash;The WHA will stage two of its international hockey encounters with visiting Soviet and Czechoslovakian teams in the Nassau Coliseum, the home of the NHL&rsquo;s New York Islanders.The WHA has not set the dates as yet but the games will feature the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques against the touring Europeans, who are playing in part of a 36-game international schedule against WHA opposition. Apparently the games were arranged with the county and not the Islanders, which has strained relations between the two parties.<h2>Nude Hockey Goaler Will Face Charges</h2>PORTLAND&mdash;Hockey goalers running around in the nude isn&rsquo;t something that happens too often but netminder Jim Pettie, a Boston Bruins&rsquo; farmhand playing with Rochester Americans, found himself facing an assault charge for throwing a shoulder block at a policeman during a boisterous night in a Portland hotel.Police were called to the hotel at 2 a.m. in response to complaints that players were causing a distrubance on the third floor of the hotel. After police left the hotel, trouble broke out again and they returned. Pettie is alleged to have flattened patrolman Hosea Carpenter, who required a dozen stitches. The Amerks were in Portland for an AHL game against the new Maine Mariners.<h2>Gassoff&rsquo;s Widow Suing Unger</h2>ST. LOUIS&mdash;In an unprecedented move, the widow of defenseman Bob Gassoff has filed suit seeking $3 million In damages from Blues&rsquo; center Garry Unger, his wife, and a man who was allegedly employed by the Ungers.Gassoff, a St. Louis regular, was killed May 30 when the motorcycle he was driving collided with a car near Villa Ridge, Mo. The car was driven by Douglas Klekamp, who the suit alleges worked for Unger at the time of the accident. Klekamp was running an errand for the Blues&rsquo; hockey star when he collided with Gassoff, who was a house guest of the Ungers. The motorcycle belonged to Unger. The suit also alleges that Mrs. Gassoff has been deprived of her husband&rsquo;s income and her son has been deprived of his father and income for upbringing. &#9632;

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DEADLINE STOPPERS

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011018/4086001-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Canadiens are off to their usual steady start in defense of their Stanley Cup win and depth has played a big part in their early success. Backup goaler Michel Larocque already has a shutout to his credit and defenseman Larry Robinson, top right, had a game-tieing goal that saved Montreal from defeat with 16 seconds left against Detroit. Doug Jarvis (21), lower right, set up the goal and he&rsquo;s been turning in a stellar checking effort in the first few games. (Photos by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>MONTREAL&mdash;They talk about a lot of things when it comes to explaining the reasons behind the success of the Montreal Canadiens. Always mentioned are the shrewd dealings of general manager Sam Pollock and the overabundance of players in the farm system just waiting for a chance in the National Hockey League.But when you come right down to it, success in the NHL is achieved by the 17 skaters and two goaltenders which dress for the games, and it is here that the Montreal Canadiens rise far above the rest of the league.During the exhibition season after losing a pair of games to Montreal, Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; rookie coach Roger Neilson said: &ldquo;We can put five guys out on the ice to match the best five of the Canadiens, but it&rsquo;s the rest of their team, the diggers, who make them what they are.&rdquo;Never was this more evident than in the Canadiens first few games of the 1977-78 schedule. Coach Scotty Bowman dressed 13 forwards and with Pierre Mondou as an extra forward, used a four-line system throughout the game.The results were immediate. All four lines scored in the 7-3 and 5-0 wins over Minnesota and New York Rangers and Mondou, netted his first NHL goal on his third shift of the night late in the first period of game one.Guy Lafleur was the sharpshooter for the Lafleur-Steve Shutt-Jacques Lemaire trio with a pair of markers in each of the first two games, while Yvan Coumoyer, who teams with Rejean Houle and Murray Wilson, and Doug Risebrough, the center for Mario Tremblay and Yvon Lambert, each scored once in both contests. Taking care of the other line were centerman Doug Jarvis, who scored against Minnesota, right winger Rick Chartraw who counted against the Rangers, and Bob Gainey who patrolled the left side like only he can.In the 2-0 victory over the Boston Bruins in the Canadiens third game, Peter Mahovlich made his first regular season appearance of the year. Signed during training camp to a multi-year deal, Mahovlich had lost his spot in the starting line-up, at least against some teams, to Mondou. All big Pete did in his opening night performance was assist on the winning goal by Larry Robinson, who in turn set up Shutt for a powerplay goal, the latter&rsquo;s first score of the season.Prior to the Boston game, Shutt talked about the Canadiens&rsquo; skating game: &ldquo;Against the Rangers we played much better than we did opening night,&rdquo; said last year&rsquo;s goalscoring leader, &ldquo;we skated with our heads up and started making the good passes.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve still got it,&rdquo; chuckled Shutt.Robinson concurred. &ldquo;We have to skate to play our game. It&rsquo;s the key to our winning. It&rsquo;s pretty tough to make plays when the opposition is right on top of you, so we have to be able to skate away and have time to set up our attack.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02875/4085994-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1189" height="1132"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03588/4085987-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="1177" height="1131"></div>Also a key factor in the Canadiens&rsquo; fast start was back-up goaler Michel Larocque who turned in a shutout in his first start.Game four, a surprisingly difficult 5-3 decision over the Washington Capitals, saw three of the four lines contribute goals to the victory. The big line of Lafleur, Shutt and Lemaire was held off the scoresheet, but Houle made up for it with two goals, Risebrough benefited from some nice work by Tremblay for another score and Bob Gainey wrapped things up with an empty-net marker.Canadiens&rsquo; four-game win streak came to an end when they were held to a 2-2 tie by the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, it took a Robinson goal on a backhand shot following a faceoff won by Jarvis to knot the contest with just 16 seconds remaining, spoiling an exceptional evening of work by Eddie Giacomin and his Detroit mates. Guy Lapointe scored the other Montreal goal, picking up the slack for the Canadiens&rsquo; forwards who were held in check by a determined Red Wings&rsquo; effort.Bowman who likes to divide the schedule into eight 10-game segments has said all along that his team will simply have to forget about last season and the team&rsquo;s 60-8-12 regularseason record. However, for those of you keeping track the Canadiens were 4-1 after five games last year and 8-2 after 10.FORUM REBOUNDS: During the Washington game Yvon Lambert was mistakenly credited with two assists (later taken away), one on a play where Tremblay did all the work before Risebrough scored, the other when Lambert wasn&rsquo;t even on the ice. Defenseman Bill Nyrop, who was in the press box resting a muscle strain said to one media type: &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going out for awhile, but let me know if they give me an assist while I&rsquo;m gone.&rsquo; &#9632;

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Canadiens’ Incredible Depth Already Showing

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011069/4086060-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="481" height="488"></div>&bull; PORTLAND, MAINE&mdash;A sellout crowd of 6,570 watched the Maine Mariners down the Binghamton Dusters, 6-3, in the first American Hockey League game played here. It also marked the first AHL win for the No. 1 farm club of the Philadelphia Flyers and provided as many thrills an any opener could provide&hellip;Drew Callander scored the first goal for the Mariners in their new home. He also had three assists&hellip; Among those in attendance at the opener were governor James Longley of Maine, Ed Snider, board chairman of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Maine Mariners, Joe Scott, vice-chairman of both clubs, Keith Allen, general manager of both the Flyers and Mariners and Gil Stein, secretary and general counsel of the Flyers and president of the Mariners&hellip;Jack Butterfield, president of the American Hockey League participated in pre-game ceremonies when Dwight Evans, popular outfielder of the Boston Red Sox, dropped the puck&hellip;The Mariners&rsquo; uniforms are exactly the same color as the Flyers and it&rsquo;s reported the Flyers spent a half-million dollars to establish the club in Portland&hellip;Snider is a summertime resident. of Maine and has wanted to ice a team in Portland for a long time&hellip;The Mariners will serve as the No. 1 development team for the Flyers with the top players automatically moving up to the Flyers&hellip;The opening game was televised in its entirety&hellip;Rick St. Croix, who played extremely well in the Maine nets, is ticketed as the next goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers&hellip;The American Hockey League is looking forward to its best season in years&hellip;Jack Butterfield is starting his 12th season as league president&hellip;Mike Emrick, play-by-play announcer of the Mariners, also doubles as program editor and public relations director. He spent the last four seasons with the Port Huron Flags of the IHL. He&rsquo;s a good one and will undoubtedly move up the hockey ladder&hellip;Bob McCammon, coach of the Mariners, is also a graduate of Port Huron and made his reputation as a first-class coach with that organization.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021024/4086053-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="285" height="468"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McCammon</figcaption></div>&bull; CINCINNATI STINGERS will have two players on their roster this season wearing number eight. The reason that this is being done is because Claude Larose, the Stingers&rsquo; No. one draft choice two years ago and a star with the club right from the start has been wearing No. 8, but when Cincinnati acquired Robbie Ftorek from Phoenix Roadrunners for this season, Robbie also wore No. 8 with pride and distinction and it&rsquo;s pretty tough to ask the player voted most valuable in the WHA to wear another number. The Stingers received special permission from the WHA office before both players could don No 8&hellip;Bill Smith, New York Islanders&rsquo; controversial goalkeeper, is 20 pounds lighter this year. He is also much quicker than in the past and his goals-against average in preseason play hovered right around the 2,00 mark. He still swings his stick, however, whenever he&rsquo;s provoked&hellip; Ho ward Baldwin, managing general partner of the New England Whalers, resented Harry Sinden&rsquo;s remarks in last week&rsquo;s Passing the Puck. &ldquo;His remarks aren&rsquo;t worth commenting on,&rdquo; Baldwin told us. &ldquo;Sinden is so busy hating the WHA that he hasn&rsquo;t time to improve his own product&rdquo;&hellip;Pittsburgh Penguins were turned down in an earlier attempt to get Nick Libett from Detroit. Libett is one of the Red Wings&rsquo; few proven stars &hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03919/4086046-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="289" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nick Libett</figcaption></div>&bull; NO ONE has worn Bobby Orr&rsquo;s No. 4 or Phil Esposito&rsquo;s No. 7 since they left Boston but the Bruins have not made any move or indicated that they will retire the numbers worn by the former Bruin super stars. In more than 50 years, the Bruins have retired but four numbers. They were Eddie Shore&rsquo;s No. 2, Lionel Hitchman&rsquo;s No. 3, Dit Clapper&rsquo;s No. 5 and Milt Schmidt&rsquo;s No. 15&hellip;Schmidt, the former star player and captain, coach and general manager of the Bruins, is back with the team working on season ticket sales and promotions and publicity&hellip;Lyle Steig is the new television voice of the Washington Capitals on WDCA, Channel 20. He is 38 and has lots of hockey broadcasting experience behind him&hellip;The Caps have made a left wing out of center Ron Lalonde, the team&rsquo;s top penalty killer and faceoff man. Lalonde has been nicknamed Newsy after the former hockey great and member of Hockey&rsquo;s Hall of Fame&hellip; Washington played one of their finest games before bowing to the Montreal Canadiens the other night&hellip;Feeling around the NHL is that the Caps are the most improved team in the league and should be right in the thick of it this season&hellip;Joe Vargo, well-liked former publicist with Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis and latterly the Colorado Rockies, is back in his home state of Ohio and director of operations for the new Dayton Owls of the International Hockey League. The Owls, owned by Al Savil, who also owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, replaced the old Gems franchise in Dayton, and the Owls were previously based in Columbus&hellip;Swedish defenseman Stefan Persson has made a big impression with the New York Islanders. He&rsquo;s a smooth skater and stickhandler and more important, gives back everything thrown at him by the roughnecks&hellip;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04817/4086039-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="291" height="489"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Lalonde</figcaption></div>&bull; DETROIT RED WINGS should have beaten Canadiens in their first meeting of the season. The Montrealers were fortunate to gain a 2-2 tie when Larry Robinson scored with 16 seconds remaining in the game&hellip;The Red Wings are another team that appears to have improved greatly over last season&hellip;Rick Chartraw welcomes the chance to play forward regularly for Canadiens. He seems to have inherited Jimmy Roberts&rsquo; old job and is doing everything he can to fit into Montreal&rsquo;s system. &ldquo;As a forward I find things happen faster. You&rsquo;re always in the play. On defense you get that break once in awhile to take a look at the situation, and the play is in front of you most times&rdquo;&hellip;Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 14 times during the last 25 years&hellip;World Hockey Association executives very proud of the fact their clubs defeated NHL teams in 13 of 21 exhibition games between the leagues in pre-season play&hellip;The NHL teams won six games and two were ties&hellip;Dennis Abgrall of the Cincinnati Stingers was put in jail for three hours while the Stingers were in Czechoslovakia. The offense was taking a picture of a Czech police station. Abgrall was dressed in a white trench coat and was wearing sun glasses at the time which made him really look like a secret service agent&hellip;Everyone in hockey saddened by Stan Gilbertson&rsquo;s tragic accident in which he lost his left leg. The Pittsburgh forward who is married and the father of a four-year-old daughter, plans to go into real estate in California. He passed his state exam this past summer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05678/4086032-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="303" height="466"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dennis Abgrall</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PASSING THE PUCK

TORONTO&mdash;Bill White was removed as coach of the Chicago Black Hawks after last season and the decision has put the former National Hockey League defenseman on the outside looking in on a sport to which he has devoted his life. In a sense, White is a man without a job and he has decided to take a year off to debate his future, even if it&rsquo;s not in hockey.White, who had his major league playing career ended by a serious arm injury after the 1976 playoffs, became the Hawks&rsquo; interim coach last year when Billy Reay was fired with four months to go in the schedule. This year he says he really never was in the running as Chicago brought in Bob Pulford for the coaching job.White was offered the Dallas coaching position by Chicago and was sought as an assistant coach by Vancouver. He turned down both. As he explained it, he had put in seven long, hard years in the minors and felt it was enough.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed to see my hockey career end so abruptly after 20 years of doing nothing else,&rdquo; says White who is not angry despite the sudden turn of events that have put him in the ranks of the unemployed. White has financial solvency for the moment but he wants to get back into hockey.He says he&rsquo;ll take some time to ponder his future and see exactly what he wants to do with the rest of his life. The 37-year-old White, a former NHL All Star defenseman, says he would like to end up in hockey, but only if he thinks that it&rsquo;s the best thing.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m trying to figure out,&rdquo; said White as he sits at home in Toronto pondering the future&mdash;in or out of hockey.The Hockey NewsOFFICIAL NATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY FOUNDED 1947VOLUME 31 NUMBER 5 NOVEMBER 4,1977Kenneth 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 Montreal, Can. &bull; H3G 1R7 (514) 866-4841New York:Tom Murray150 East 58th Street New York. N.Y. 10022 &bull; (212) 593-2100Chicago:Hooper & Jones Associates3322 W. Peterson Avenue Chicago. 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 $ (514) 866-4841. 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 tha 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 pertelnlng to subscriptions should be addressed to Subscription Dept., The Hockey Newe, 1434 St. Catherlne St. W., Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7. Printed in Caneda. &#9632;

Former Coach White Without Job

Following are the latest player movements in hockey:<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>BOSTON&mdash;Doug Halward, D, and Al Sims, D, assigned to Rochester of AHL.BUFFALO&mdash;Joe Kowal, LW, and Morris Titanic, LW; assigned to Hershey of AHL.CLEVELAND&mdash;Bjorn Johansson, D, sent to Phoenix of CHL.COLORADO&mdash;Bill Oleschuk and Bill McKenzie, goalers, Jim McElmury, D, Larry Skinner, C, and Joe Contini, C, assigned to Phoenix of CHL.DETROIT&mdash;Larry Giroux, D, Danny Gruen, LW, and Roland Cloutier, C, assigned to Kansas City of CHL. Michel Bergeron, RW, traded to the N.Y. Islanders in exchange for Andre St. Laurent, C. Larry Wright, LW, signed as free agent after playing in Europe last year.LOS ANGELES&mdash;Jim Moxey, RW. assigned to Springfield of AHL.MONTREAL&mdash;Gilles Lupien, D. sent to Nova Scotia of AHL and will return to Canadiens in 14 days. Dave Elenbaas, G, recalled from Nova Scotia and sent to Dallas of CHL on loan.ISLANDERS&mdash;Dave Salvian, LW, sent to Fort Worth of CHL. Walt Ledingham, RW, assigned to Rochester of AHL.RANGERS&mdash;Paul Stewart, D, assigned to Binghamton of AHL.PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Larry Romanchych, RW, assigned to Maine of AHL.PITTSBURGH&mdash;Tom Price, D, sent to Binghamton of AHL.TORONTO&mdash;Pierre Hamel, G, assigned to Dallas of CHL. Claire Alexander, D, sent to Tulsa of CHL.VANCOUVER&mdash;Rob Tudor, C, assigned to Tulsa of CHL.WASHINGTON&mdash;Jean Lemieux, D, Pete Scamurra, D. Mark Lofthouse, RW, Dave Bragnalo, C, Mike Marson, LW, Doug Gibson, C, Tony White, LW. Eddy Godin, RW, assigned to Hershey of AHL.<h2>WORLD HOCKEY ASSN.</h2>HOUSTON&mdash;Clay Hebenton, G. Jim Chicoyne, D, Glen Irwin, D, assigned to Binghamton of AHL.NEW ENGLAND&mdash;Jim Mayer, RW, recalled from Springfield of AHL as replacement for Greg Carroll, C, who is on disabled list for two weeks with strained back.QUEBEC&mdash;Richard Sevigny, G, sent to Kalamazoo of IHL. Pierre Lagace and Alain Cote, forwards, sent to Hampton of AHL. Jean Gagnon, D, released.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Alf Handrahan, RW, signed as free agent.MAINE&mdash;Dave Hynek, LW, and Rene Hamelin, LW, assigned to Milwaukee of IHL.<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>FORT WORTH&mdash;Andre Lepage, G, and Hector Marini and Bruce Andres, forwards, sent to Muskegon of IHL. &#9632;

Hockey Players On The Move

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;Danny Gare, who had the worst interval in his young life from August, 1976, to May, 1977, hopes that the 1977-78 National Hockey League season is much better.It didn&rsquo;t have such a hot start, however.The day that Danny was named captain of the Buffalo Sabres, he was slapped by the league with a one-game suspension that kept him out of the Sabres&rsquo; opener against the New York Islanders the next day.Danny did so want to play in that game. Not only would it be his first, before the Buffalo fans, of his captaincy, but it was against the team that knocked the Sabres out of the Stanley Cup playoffs the last two years.Gare couldn&rsquo;t do much about the Sabres&rsquo; defeat last spring. He had spent the season in and out of the lineup because of back trouble and his back was bothering him mightily as the year&rsquo;s hockey drew to a close.He played in only 35 regular-season games and four of six playoff contests. His goal production fell from 50 to 11.His back had a good rest, plus therapy and whirlpool treatments, during the summer and he reported to training camp in good shape.He still did stretching excercises before he went on the ice and took whirlpool baths after to relax his muscles but he appeared to be playing as well as he had two years ago.In his first exhibition appearance he scored the first goal of the game, just as he had scored the first goal in his first NHL game three years before.He was just as rambunctious as ever and in an exhibition game against Boston, when he was serving a penalty for fighting, he jumped out of the penalty box to help the Buffalo rookie, Ric Seiling, who was being belabored by Boston&rsquo;s John Wensink.And that&rsquo;s what kept Gare out of the opening game of the regular season. The league suspended Danny for being the first to leave the bench in what turned into a brawl involving the players from both benches.The Sabres appealed the suspension because Gare actually left the penalty box. not the players&rsquo; bench, but the suspension held and Danny sat out the game against the Islanders.His appointment as captain by new coach Marcel Pronovost seemed to be a very popular one with his teammates.Jim Schoenfeld, who had been asked to resign the captaincy during the summer so that Pronovost could name his own captain, introduced Danny to the club as the new captain and asked the players to give him all their best.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01927/4086146-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="568" height="820"><figcaption class="caption-body">JIM SCHOENFELD</figcaption></div>Schoeny had spoken bitter words when asked to resign the captaincy and said he figured the move was just another step toward his being traded.But discussing Gare being named captain after practice the day before the opener, he said, &ldquo;Danny is an excellent choice. He plays with his heart. Everybody is behind him and we all have to do it together.&rdquo;The big, redheaded defenseman added that he doesn&rsquo;t &ldquo;even think about that (the trade talk) any more. That&rsquo;s all behind now, yesterday&rsquo;s news. I&rsquo;m just thinking about the new season.&rdquo;Twenty-three years old, in his fourth season as a professional hockey player, Gare is one of the smallest Sabres at five-foot-nine and 175-pounds but one of the most combative. And he appears able to fire up his teammates to follow his lead.With Gare watching from the pressbox of Buffalo&rsquo;s Memorial Auditorium, the Sabres defeated the New York Islanders, 3-2, in their opener. The victory, which made Pronovost&rsquo;s debut as an NHL coach a successful one, equalled the victory total of the Sabres against the Islanders in nine tries last season, on the regular schedule and in the playoffs.Rene Robert, who scored only one goal against the Islanders in 1976-77, got two in this game.ICE CHIPS: Schoenfeld, who underwent a back operation four years ago, missed much of the exhibition schedule but he was back in action in the opener.Ken Breitenbach, who spent part of the season with the Sabres and the rest with Hershey in the American League in 1976-77, suffered a broken leg during the exhibition schedule.Seiling, the Sabres&rsquo; No. 1 draft choice, from the St. Catharines Fincups, played regular right wing in the opener.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02734/4086139-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="1198" height="1486"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANNY GARE&hellip;Solid in Pre-Season Play (Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Gare Hopes Being Sabre Captain Will Be Step Towards Better Year

<div class="byline">&#x2014; BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011100/4086177-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="328" height="457"></div><h2>A Letter From The WHA</h2>LETTERS, LETTERS, we get lots of no love letters.Dear Mr. Verdi:I read, with interest, your column in THE HOCKEY NEWS, Oct. 14, 1977, in which you make certain references to the World Hockey Association. Needless to say, your references to the WHA are most disparaging, to say the least.I have read your columns from time to time, not only because of my enthusiasm for the sport, but also as one with a financial interest in a WHA team. I would be remiss if, at this point, I did not make it clear to you that I have much respect for you as a writer and, objectively speaking, I enjoy your columns.However, and this is the point of my letter, I take strong exception to your references with the WHA. It seems you are obsessed with putting the league down. You continously highlight our mistakes and weaknesses, and I agree there have been many, but have we done nothing right?In THE HOCKEY NEWS, you refer to the inadequate financial statements as the reason for the failure of the merger. I would be happy to discuss these statements with you and the merger with you and then, if you still say the merger failed because of inadequate financing, I might better accept it.I think you will find that I will be candid and honest with you, fully recognizing that we have many problems.Howard Baldwin, President, World Hockey Association.Mr. Baldwin:Nobody said no merger necessarily was a mistake. It&rsquo;s just that the WHA made it sound like a must rather than a maybe. After all, the war is over.<h2>Black Hawks Capable</h2>YOUR PICK OF CHICAGO to win the Conn Smythe Division was strictly hometown. Your pick of the New York Islanders to beat Philadelphia was strictly ridiculous.Barry Fedders, Norristown, Pa.And both picks were strictly opinion, so don&rsquo;t get too excited. The Smythe Division is anybody&rsquo;s race, except that usually nobody wants it. Any club that plays. 500 should win, and the belief here is that the Black Hawks are capable. As for the Islanders, everything will have to break right for them to outdistance the Flyers. Philadelphia is a great club, and the fact that they have disappointed in the playoffs the last two years cannot erase 99 regular season wins during that span. It&rsquo;s quite likely, too, that the Flyers will be anxious to avenge this season. Watch out.THERE HAVE BEEN lots of stories written about Bobby Orr in the last 10 years, but the one you did last summer (July) in THE HOCKEY NEWS captured him as he has never been captured. I appreciate him more than ever now, and I only wish he was back. Again, it was a classic.Marty MacKanin, Worcester, Mass.Many thanks, but Orr hasn&rsquo;t left yet. He promises to try one more time. Fans can only hope; the game needs him.<h2>Lost Interest In Hull</h2>HOW, IN YOUR right mind, can you write that Scotty Bowman did a great job coaching the Montreal Canadiens? With that talent, all that&rsquo;s needed is a guy to open and close the gate. Come on!Al Ackerman, Detroit, Mich.It is a difficult and thankless job because in Montreal, you are expected to win with all that talent. Egos are considerable, tensions are great, undercurrent is strong. Put it this way&mdash;do you think anybody could have done a better job than Scotty Bowman?YOU&rsquo;VE WRITTEN for five straight years that Bobby Hull is returning to Chicago and for five straight years you&rsquo;ve been wrong. What&rsquo;s the problem this time?Joseph Scott, Toronto, Ont.There&rsquo;s a gray area about whether Hull could have left Winnipeg this season&mdash;if the Hawks had wanted him. Hull&rsquo;s corner thinks so, but it sees that the Chicago brass, which once mulled over possibilities of a reverse jump by Hull for one last hurrah, has lost interest. Which doesn&rsquo;t mean it can&rsquo;t or won&rsquo;t happen. Hull could be returning to Chicago next year. For the sixth straight time. &#9632;

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HOCKEY TALK

<div class="byline">BY HARRY KLAFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02846/4086208-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILLY HARRIS&hellip;Defense Not Everything</figcaption></div>LONG ISLAND&mdash;It was quite some time ago that the soothsayer first came up with the idea that time waits for no man. The guy hit the nail right on the head, and he must have been a hockey fan to boot.Think &ldquo;1972&rdquo;. Wasn&rsquo;t so long ago was it? Only yesterday. But it was five full years ago that the National Hockey League expanded again, and the fledgling New York Islanders first tried out their baby wings on the frozen pond at the Nassau Coliseum.Denis Potvin was starting his last year with the OHA&rsquo;s Ottawa 67&rsquo;s in 1972. Glenn Resch&mdash;bald as a cueball&mdash;was set for his first season of pro hockey with the New Haven Nighthawks. Clark Gillies&rsquo; &ldquo;world&rdquo; in those days consisted of the wilds of Sasketchewan.Everyone knows that the Isles didn&rsquo;t exactly set the league on fire their first year. For stability, the club looked to its captain, veteran Eddie Westfall. For goaltending, it was rookie Bill Smith and Gerry Desjardins. And for goals, all eyes were on the 20-year-old kid from Toronto, Billy Harris.Harris was the NHL&rsquo;s number one amateur draft pick in &lsquo;72, following in the footsteps of Guy Lafleur and Gilbert Perreault before him. He was chosen first for one reason&mdash;his uncanny ability to put the puck in the net.Billy started out like a house on fire as a rookie, nearly scoring a hat trick in the first week of the campaign. When he finished at 28 goals, many observers felt it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to the 40 and 50 goal barriers.But Bill never became the big scorer. He slipped a bit to 23 as a sophomore, while the last three years have produced rounds of 25, 32, and 24. 132 goals in five seasons is hardly what one would call spotty. But many people felt Harris should have notched more.Although Bill&rsquo;s figures never put him in contention for the Ross Trophy, he did develop into a solid two-way hockey player. By his own admission, defense and checking were the weakest parts of his game when he first broke in. By 1975&mdash;working under Al Arbour&rsquo;s tutelage&mdash;he became one of the best checking forwards in the league.Last January and February was probably the worst period Harris had gone through as an Islander. He had suffered through goal droughts before, but this one was especially noticed by the Coliseum fans. They began to get on him, totally ignoring his defensive efforts.&ldquo;It was at about that time that I changed my philosophy a bit,&rdquo; reveals the handsome bachelor. &ldquo;For the first time in a while, I started looking a little bit more for goals. I wouldn&rsquo;t hurt the team defensively, but if I saw I had a decent chance, I would go in.&rdquo;Bill&rsquo;s new outlook continued into the playoffs, where he banged seven goals in 12 games, a personal high. Included in the seven was his dramatic overtime tally at the Forum in game five of the semifinals.Harris had intended to follow through this season, but training camp presented a bit of a puzzle. Instead of working mostly with Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier. Bill was placed with Jude Drouin and J.P. Parise, as rookie Mike Bossy moved to right wing on theLong Island Lightning Company.&ldquo;No, Al hasn&rsquo;t told me anything, but it&rsquo;s only training camp,&rdquo; said Harris when asked if the move had been explained. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t call it a problem, but it&rsquo;s something that I would want worked out.&ldquo;I want to score more goals this year.&rdquo; he continued. Even if I have to sacrifice some defense. But like I said, I wouldn&rsquo;t hurt the club defensively as a whole. It&rsquo;s just that I&rsquo;ll have to be more aggressive, especially when we get the puck in the offensive zone. Instead of waiting around for something to happen, I&rsquo;ll try to go in there and make it happen myself.&rdquo;Arbour was mum on his line commitments, even right up to opening night. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trying all kinds of combinations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I certainly wouldn&rsquo;t rule out the possibility of starting the season with the same lines that we had last year.&rdquo;There is no question that such an arrangement would suit Harris to a tee. At the ripe old age of 25, he&rsquo;s ready to show one and all that he can be the big scorer that he was predicted to be. It could be the one link between the Islanders and first place.ISLAND SOUNDS: Islanders finished the exhibition slate with a mediocre 3-4-3 slate. Harris was the leading scorer with 1-5-6&hellip; Isles kept 23 players through opening day, including goaltender Goran Hogosta, defenseman Stefan Persson, center Mike Kaszycki, and right wing Mike Bossy&hellip;The Islanders will go with the new &ldquo;fish-net&rdquo; uniforms they used in last year&rsquo;s playoffs&hellip;Jean Potvin will probably see action almost exclusively as either a winger or a defenseman. He won&rsquo;t be switched up and back as he was last season&hellip;Bob Bourne has been seeing more action at left wing than his accustomed center ice position. &#9632;

f0006-02

Harris Has New Outlook And Islanders Like It

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01982/4086239-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHUCK LEFLEY&hellip;Walked Out On Big Contrac</figcaption></div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Chuck Lefley, reaching the prime of his hockey life at age 27, has walked out of hockey and left behind some puzzled teammates.Lefley, blessed with lightning-quick feet in a game that maximizes speed, decided the life of a professional hockey player no longer was enjoyable. He offered no other explanation for leaving the St. Louis Blues about one month after he signed a lucrative three-year contract.&ldquo;I know this will be difficult for many to understand,&rdquo; Lefley said, &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s hard for me to explain. The only thing I can say is that I no longer was content with what I was doing. My mental attitude toward the game had changed. My heart no longer was in it.&rdquo;Lefley had been in professional hockey seven years, including the last five full seasons in the National Hockey League. He played for the Canadian National Team and was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1970. He was traded to the Blues for Don Awrey in November 1974.&ldquo;In the seven years I&rsquo;ve played I&rsquo;ve had my fill,&rdquo; Lefley said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see anyone doing anything for a living if he isn&rsquo;t happy doing it.&rdquo;Lefley&rsquo;s surprise announcement of his retirement was a bombshell for the Blues&rsquo; players and officials.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m dumbfounded,&rdquo; said coach Leo Boivin. &ldquo;This leaves a hole that we just can&rsquo;t fill tomorrow. But this is his decision; we&rsquo;ll carry on.&rdquo;General manager Emile Francis, comparing the end of his own playing career with Lefley&rsquo;s, said, &ldquo;I had both arms wrapped up and was trying to play goal for $6,000 a season when they hauled me off the ice and into retirement. But everybody is different, and every man has his own values.&rdquo;&ldquo;If he should change his mind and want to play hockey,&rdquo; Francis said, &ldquo;he&rsquo;ll be with the St. Louis Blues.&rdquo;Lefley, however, gave no indication his decision had been reached in haste and a change of mind could be expected.&ldquo;If this were a spur-of-the-moment decision. I could be talked out of it,&rdquo; Lefley said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve thought about this a long time. I&rsquo;m not going to change my mind.&rdquo;Several of the Blues&rsquo; players think Lefley&rsquo;s decision may have been brought about partially because the high-scoring left wing&rsquo;s production had fallen. And Lefley gave some weight to this thinking when he said, &ldquo;I no longer was pleased with my performance.&rdquo;Lefley&rsquo;s best season was 1975-76 when he had 43 goals and 42 assists while playing on a line with Derek Sanderson and Claude Larose. Last season while playing with a variety of combinations Lefley had 11 goals and 30 assists.Garry Unger said, &ldquo;Charlie has a tendency to get down on himself. He&rsquo;s looking for happiness and he has to go someplace else to find it. Maybe he needs to get away a bit; I hope he&rsquo;ll come back.&rdquo;Red Berenson, the Blues&rsquo; captain, said, &ldquo;There are a lot of ups and downs in our game, and some guys get lower than others. He&rsquo;s not the first hockey player to walk out in the middle of his career. If it&rsquo;s permanent, I feel real bad.&rdquo;Bob MacMillan, probably Lefley&rsquo;s best friend on the team, said, &ldquo;We spent a lot of hours together, and I was surprised by his decision. He wasn&rsquo;t playing as well as he thought he should be, but when you&rsquo;re as good as he is, it&rsquo;s bound to come back for you.&rdquo;MacMillan said, &ldquo;Nobody can help you make a decision like he made, and I respect him for it. You don&rsquo;t easily reverse a decision like that.&rdquo;Lefley acknowledged he had been thinking about retirement for as long as 18 months, a time span that would have dated to his big scoring season. But Lefley is an introverted person who does not discuss his hopes or problems with others.Jim Roberts, who was in Montreal when Lefley was with the Canadiens, said, &ldquo;I think he was having problems adjusting to the game even then. Hockey is a tough mental game. I&rsquo;m sure this decision wasn&rsquo;t easy for him and I hope everything works out for him.&rdquo;Former linemate Larose, who has an intense personal dedication to hockey, was philosophical about Lefley&rsquo;s decision when he said, &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not happy, you&rsquo;re cheating yourself. Playing hockey is not the only thing to do, and if you&rsquo;re not happy in a hockey life, you should get out of it.&rdquo;Lefley plans to return to his family&rsquo;s farm in Grosse Isle, Man., and become a full-time farmer.&ldquo;The more I think about getting back to farming,&rdquo; Lefley said as he left the Blues, &ldquo;the more I smile.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0007-01

Lefley Stunned Blues With Retirement

<div class="byline">&#x2014;BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011091/4086277-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="409" height="460"></div><h2>The Shadowed Star&hellip;</h2>MARCEL DIONNE AND BUTCH GORING are both small centers on the Los Angeles Kings. While Marcel is selected as first All Star and wins the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanlike excellence, Butch is overlooked. It is sad because Butch is one of the best in the business, one of the great hustlers in hockey, and there is not a team he could not play regularly for, even Montreal.Watch him when he comes to town. Active and aggressive, he is something to see. Quick-starting and agile, he bounces about with choppy strides. A furious forechecker, he puts mistake-making pressure on opponents. He steals the puck more than most, carries it better than most. He makes a good pass and has a good shot.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02982/4086270-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="813" height="1192"><figcaption class="caption-body">Butch Goring is a rare type hockey player. He loves to play the game and he&rsquo;s the most overlooked. No one tackles the game with more tenacity than Goring, who is probably the NHL&rsquo;s best penalty killer.</figcaption></div>He centered the top power-play in the league last season and he may be the top penalty-killer in the league. He just loves to play and it shows in his play. He is the Pete Rose of his sport, a scrappy singles hitter who beats you many ways.It seems like yesterday that Butch was a baby, bom into the league with more desire than polish, but this now is his ninth year and he turned 28 in October. An explosive soloist, he used to try to dipsydoodle through defenses all the time, but he has settled down and picks his spots now.&ldquo;I guess I grew up thinking I could do it all by myself. It came easy to me as a kid,&rdquo; comments Butch, who at the age of 12 scored 150 goals in 50 games for the Glenwood, Manitoba, Bears. &ldquo;I found out otherwise. I found out others have more raw ability and I had to have help, I had to pass more and look for passes more in the majors. I&rsquo;m smarter now than I was, play my position more, and don&rsquo;t waste my energy as much.&rdquo;He has been with the Kings all along, but his first two seasons he spent time in the minors. Then shoulder injuries leading to several operations and an eye injury when a skate shattered an orbit bone held him back, but he tallied 20 or more goals four straight seasons, 30 or more the last two seasons. His assists have been improving and he set up 55 goals to total 85 points last season, his best statistically.However, the only numbers that are meaningful for him are his seasonal penalty minutes. He had only three penalties in three seasons&mdash;one two-minute minor at the end of each season. He&rsquo;s had six or eight minutes a season the last three seasons. He should have won the Lady Byng by now, but Dionne has won it twice.He says, &ldquo;I wish I could do what Dionne can do, but all I can do is my best. I&rsquo;m not jealous of him. He puts money in my pocket. But maybe I might win that award one year. It&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m going for it,&rdquo; he grins, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m a lover, not a fighter.&rdquo;AT FIVE-FOOT-NINE AND 170-POUNDS, it is just as well. But he is tough, this daring, driving guy with the long, straight brownish-reddish hair flowing from beneath his helmet as he flies around rinks, who sometimes grows a bushy mustache.He was bom in St. Boniface, Manitoba, in October of 1949, along with a twin sister. There are two younger brothers who played a bit. Dad, Robert Goring, Sr., played, coached his son, has scouted for the Kings, and sees his son play fairly often. His last year as an amateur, Butch scored 42 goals in 36 games with the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canada League and he&rsquo;d played for the Canadian National team, but he wasn&rsquo;t highly regarded when a steal from the fifth round of the draft the summer of 1969 by scout George Maguire, now King manager.Few know his first name, Robert. He&rsquo;s not called Bob. He&rsquo;s Butch. He acted like the cocky kid on the block when he came up. He didn&rsquo;t talk too well. He didn&rsquo;t dress too well. He borrowed Bob Berry&rsquo;s overcoat one winter trip and didn&rsquo;t give it back. It was too big for him so he wore it without his arms in the sleeves, like a cape. He was a flake who played golf in his bare feet. Things like that. He may not be Robert Redford now, but he&rsquo;s smoothed out and is an excellent talker. &ldquo;I guess I&rsquo;ve grown up,&rdquo; he says.HE WAS ONLY 22 and Cathy Love was only 17 when they wed in June of 1971 and marriage has matured him. Still, he hasn&rsquo;t totally changed. Talking recently to new fathers in hockey I&rsquo;ve found almost all took part in or witnessed the birth and were thrilled by it. After Shannon Goring was born in March of 1975, I asked Butch if he was there. &ldquo;Naw, that&rsquo;s woman&rsquo;s work,&rdquo; he said.However, he adores his daughter. &ldquo;I used to run around a lot, but now I go in for quiet family life,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Except for the horses.&rdquo; With a partner, he owns three racing thoroughbreds&mdash;a five-year-old mare, Gail Roussell, who is in Canada, and a five-year-old filly, Manilla Square, and a three-year-old colt, Ack Ack&rsquo;s Back, who are in California.&ldquo;It costs a lot to buy them and keep them, but we&rsquo;ve won $60,000 or so in purses this year and we&rsquo;re ahead six to eight grand over the years,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I have help so it doesn&rsquo;t distract me from my hockey. I really like racing, especially when I&rsquo;m winning, and maybe it&rsquo;ll be something for me when I&rsquo;m out of hockey.&rdquo;He is a winner and we&rsquo;re happy to say he has a way to go yet in hockey. &#9632;

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03832/4086308-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICK BEVERLEY&hellip;Experience Will Help The Kids</figcaption></div>BLOOMINGTON&mdash;When the North Stars cracked the playoff barrier last spring for the first time in four seasons, a lot of the praise went to defenseman Nick Beverley. Justly so.The 30-year-old Toronto native was given the credit by coaches and officials for steadying Minnesota&rsquo;s defensive corps with his heady play.The reward came two days before the North Stars opened the 1977-78 season. Beverley was bestowed with the honor of team captain.&ldquo;I have served as a team captain once before,&rdquo; said the six-foot-two, 192-pound defender. &ldquo;My last year in junior in Oshawa. I never envisioned being captain of the North Stars and I never had any aspirations for it. But it is an honor on which I will look back with fondness some day.&rdquo;Coach Ted Harris had not named an official team captain of the North Stars since Bill Goldsworthy resigned that position in the summer of 1976. Ironically, the Stars traded Goldy to the New York Rangers last November for one Nick Beverley and right winger Bill Fairbairn. In the interim, center Bill Hogaboam served as designated captain.&ldquo;We had eight rookies last season and four more have moved in this year,&rdquo; said Harris. &ldquo;We wanted to name a veteran player to lead all these young fellows and Nick fits the role perfectly. He is competent on the ice, very intelligent and a player the others will follow.&rdquo;Beverley, before accepting the post, asked if Harris had considered two or three other players who might qualify as the Minnesota ring leader. Yes, responded Harris, and you&rsquo;re the man I want.Beverley becomes Minnesota&rsquo;s seventh captain, which might be a dubious distinction. Every captain before him, including Harris when he was playing with the Stars, ended up on the trading block.That sort of reminder does not bother Beverley. He set one groundrule for his new role.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to change my style or the type of person I am because I&rsquo;m captain,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think the key to being captain is to just be myself.&rdquo;Beverley, who early in his junior days played on the shift as did Bobby Orr, originally signed with the Boston Bruins. After working his way into a regular&rsquo;s role for two seasons, the Bruins sent him to Pittsburgh for a season and from there he wound up with the Rangers for two more years. His best year, scoring-wise, was last year, when he scored two goals and 17 assists in 52 games for the Stars.The North Stars, however, don&rsquo;t consider him a point maker. They value his ability to clear the puck out of the Minnesota zone more.Beverley did, however, open this season with a goal and an assist in the first-night loss to the defending champion Montreal Canadiens. And he sounded like a team leader after that 7-3 setback. &ldquo;Montreal has an excellent, well-disciplined club,&rdquo; he granted. &ldquo;But mark my words, we&rsquo;re going to have one, too.&rdquo;The Stars began the season with four members of last season&rsquo;s team back in Minnesota. One, forward Tom Younghans, was sent soon after to Fort Worth in the Central League.Also sitting out the opener were veteran defensemen Lou Nanne, Dennis O&rsquo;Brien and Doug Hicks. The Stars explained that the trio had not been cut, just that the three did not make the trip to Montreal. But somebody has to go.Nanne was the ranking veteran on the team, having seen service in each of the club&rsquo;s 10 years in the NHL, and is Minnesota&rsquo;s oldest player at 36.Nanne said he was not going to retire this year, because he still has a contract with the team and, &ldquo;I intend for it to be honored.&rdquo; Nanne, who has played defense and right wing, voiced disappointment that he suited up for only one of the team&rsquo;s eight exhibition games.Rookies on the 1977-78 team are listed as defenseman Brad Maxwell, the team&rsquo;s No. 1 draft choice, goalie Paul Harrison, who has seen some service with the Stars but not enough to rank as a veteran, and 26-year-old Swedish forwards Kent Andersson and Ollie Brasar.STAR DUST: The Stars turned in one of their best training camps ever with a 42-2 record. Tim Young, five goals and six assists, was the top exhibition scorer&hellip;Fairbairn had five goals in five games&hellip;Brasar was lost to the team for an indefinite period from a knee injury suffered in the Montreal game&hellip;Right winger Ron Zanussi was one of the last players cut after training camp and headed for Fort Worth&hellip;Earlier, defenseman Kevin McCloskey and right winger Jamie Gallimore earned themselves pro contracts and headed for Fort Wayne in the International League&hellip;Before the injury to Brasar, it was Harris&rsquo; plan to go with 12 forwards, five defensemen and goalies Pete LoPresti and Harrison, who had a 2.10 goals-against average in the pre-season games and record of 2-0-1&hellip;If those figures resemble his stats after three games in the regular season, he could be seeing more work than fourth-year veteran LoPresti&hellip; &#9632;

f0008-03

North Stars Feel Beverley Qualified To Be Team Captain

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div>NEW YORK&mdash;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my own year now,&rdquo; quipped Wayne Thomas, the 30-year-old former Toronto Maple Leaf goaltender acquired by the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League&rsquo;s waiver draft which preceeded the opening of the regular season.Thomas was talking about his checkered career, which has been in and out in each of the last four seasons. In 1973-74 when Ken Dryden sat out the season because the Montreal Canadiens wouldn&rsquo;t renegotiate his contract, Thomas played 42 games in goal, finishing with 2.76 goals-against average and sharing the job with Bunny Larocque. The next year Dryden returned, Larocque became the backup and the former Wisconsin netminder sat in the press box the entire season without playing a minute.&ldquo;I collected a full check and also got my playoff money, but it was hell,&rdquo; grimly remembers Thomas.In the summer of 1975 Montreal and Toronto arranged a swap in which Thomas wound up with the Maple Leafs in exchange for Leafs&rsquo; first round draft choice. The move helped both teams. Canadiens drafted the best junior in the country, Peter Lee, and Thomas took over as the regular Leaf goaltender. He played in 64 games, allowed 196 goals for a 3.19 goals-against.Last year he got off slowly and eventually lost his job to rookie Mike Palmateer. In 33 games he allowed 116 goals, a 3.86 average. When Palmateer faltered in the playoffs Thomas played well in the final four games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy,&rdquo; said Thomas. &ldquo;At least somebody wants me. The four other goalies with Toronto had good training camps. Last year I didn&rsquo;t live up to expectations and was either hot or cold. Mike played well last year and he had a good camp this season. It made me expendable.&rdquo;Thomas started the season as the backup to John Davidson on general manager John Ferguson&rsquo;s depth chart in the Ranger office. That left Hardy Aastrom, the Swedish import and Lindsey Middlebrook, the undrafted free agent from St. Louis University. The Rangers sent Middlebrook down to New Haven after he signed his first professional contract.&ldquo;Middlebrook played well enough to earn a contract,&rdquo; said Ferguson.That means the Rangers are opening with three goalies, with Aastrom, the Swede being the least experienced. He has a $50,000 per annum deal, but it is not known how he would react to be farmed out.In order to farm Middlebrook to New Haven, Ferguson had to sell or trade Gil Gratton, which hadn&rsquo;t happened at press time. The other New Haven goalie is Doug Soetaert, whom the Rangers still feel has a future when he gains more experience.The addition of Thomas in goal, and veteran Don Awrey on the blueline will help the young Rangers enormously. They are the type of moves which should have been made last season. However, the right people are not always available when they are desperately needed.&ldquo;We were totally surprised when Thomas name was still on the available list in the waiver draft,&rdquo; revealed Ferguson. &ldquo;We picked eight and didn&rsquo;t really think he would still be there when our turn came. It took us thirty seconds to make up our minds.&rdquo;Although Eddie Giacomin appeared on the Detroit Red Wings list of unprotected players, at no time did the Rangers seriously consider bringing fast Eddie back to New York.Thus the Rangers open their 51st season and new coach Jean Guy Talbot&rsquo;s first on an optimistic note. With the NHL&rsquo;s new playoff format they can hope to squeeze into the playoffs, via a wild card spot in spite of the tough competition in the Philadelphia-Islanders-Atlanta dominated Patrick Division.&ldquo;If we can get in the playoffs it will help the kids tremendously,&rdquo; opined Fergy. &ldquo;Just like it did with the Islanders. The second year in we can be real dangerous.&rdquo;The Rangers opened with a massive 25 man squad, including Middlebrook. Wayne Dillon, the high priced center is out with a knee and will miss most of the first three weeks. Bill Goldsworthy, a right wing acquired from Minnesota last year also started the year on the injury list with a bad thumb.One Ranger who seemed to be glad to be on hand on opening night was captain Phil Esposito.He said, &ldquo;It really has taken me all this time to realize I&rsquo;m a Ranger. But I do realize it now and I&rsquo;ll give my best to getting this team into the playoffs.&rdquo;BLUECHIPS: Rod Gilbert made his debut Oct. 8 against Quebec in Le Colisee and claimed he was ready for the opener&hellip;Goalie coach Les Binkley work ed overtime with both Middlebrook and Aastrom on playing the angles and protecting the posts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011053/4086339-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="562" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE THOMAS &hellip;Up And Down Career</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

Ranger Goaler Hopes For New Start

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011078/4086370-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div>Write to: FAN FORUM, The Hockey News, 1434 St. Catherine St., W., Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7<h2>Dryden Ready When Called Upon</h2>I am writing this letter in defense of Ken Dryden for. what I felt was an unjustified attack by Bill Lloyd in the Oct. 7 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS.It is one thing to claim that &ldquo;he is not the great goaltender that many experts proclaim him to be.&rdquo; However, to declare his talents to be only &ldquo;very average&rdquo; is surely an exageration in the fullest sense.I will grant you, Bill, that a goaler&rsquo;s goals-against average is, for the most part, indicative of the defense in front of him. But by the same token when the Habs defense lapsed (and it did happen on the rare occasion) Dryden, or my favorite goalie, Bunny Laroque were prepared to produce magnificent performances ample enough to make even Jacques Plante blush. Such was the case in last year&rsquo;s finals in the fourth game between Boston and Montreal.It was when the Canadiens had irreversible leads over their so-called combatants that Dryden would let the occasional puck drift by him as he slumbered due to utter boredom. But when his prowess was truly needed, it was there.LORNE BLUMER, Montreal, Que.<h2>WCHL Building On Shaky Foundation</h2>While greedily packing their bags and heading for more affluent markets south of the border, the govemoring body of The Western Canada Hockey League did have a chance to meet this summer, long enough to reject a proposed name change that would have confirmed the fact that Portland, Seattle and Billings were located in The United States.Holding out one hand to accept money while using the other to slap the customer in the face is not necessarily the best of business practices, nor does it do much to promote good will amongst nations. It has also kept me from supporting what otherwise would have been a welcome addition to the Seattle sports scene.The error of omission is one thing, but acknowledgement of a situation and rejection of the proper and simple solution is quite another. The WCHL is building their house on a very shaky foundation, and I, for one, hope it comes tumbling down when they are all inside, busily figuring up the nine percent exchange.SANDY NAKAMURA Seattle, Wash.<h2>WHA Concerned With Fans, Cities</h2>It&rsquo;s been absolutely delightful reading letters from readers who were disappointed at the failure of merger, and even more upset with the attitude of the NHL bigshots.What a lot of people, especially NHL brass, forget is the original purpose of the WHA. Contrary to popular belief, its purpose was not to put the NHL out of business. The desire of WHA owners was to give some cities a chance to have pro hockey which could not afford to pay a six million dollar entry fee. They gave cities a chance for the comparatively small fee of two million dollars to prove that they can support a franchise. To even get NHL brass to look at an application it costs $25,000.Some cities-those that applied for merger-have proved they can support a franchise and provide good hockey at the same time.We&rsquo;ve all suffered a great loss at the failure of merger and I hope the public continues to let the NHL know that.As for Harold Ballard, he claims he&rsquo;s interested in the welfare of hockey. He claims the WHA stole most of his good players. No way. Those players he talks about are nowhere today.He revealed the real reason after merger was voted down. He said he relies on television revenue, and with three more Canadian teams in the league the revenue would have to be divided more ways. Ballard also claims people were threatening not to renew their season tickets if there was merger. Does he really think he wouldn&rsquo;t sell them again thirty seconds after they went on the market?Keep at it WHA; you&rsquo;re a credit to yourselves and are concerned with your customers. All the best for the future.JOHN WOODCOCK, Bradford, Ont.<h2>Should Success Be Tampered With?</h2>When I think of hockey, Montreal is first in my thoughts, whether they win a Stanley Cup or not. Since I have been following the sport for the past 20 years, the Forum has been the home for some of the greatest names in hockey.So, when I hear talk of&mdash;let&rsquo;s break up the mighty Canadiens of today. I shudder at the thought. In all team and individual sports, Canadiens are the closest to perfection in sports today.The organization has brought some great people to their club, the coaching staff has molded them together, which combined makes for the great team they are today. I give a hats off tribute to Sam Pollock. I know of no laws he has broken in obtaining high draft choices from other teams. If he gets the better of the deal, and it does seem that way. then maybe he is just smarter than the other guys.Win, lose or tie, when Montreal plays you have seen hockey played at its very best, especially when they lose, because it takes another team playing brilliantly to beat Montreal and that in itself makes for better hockey.EDWARD A. KEEFE, Beachwood, N.J.<h2>Smythe Division Being Treated Unjustly</h2>It seems to me that THE HOCKEY NEWS and many other hockey people in North America seem to think that the NHL&rsquo;s Smythe Division consists of nothing but doormats, and to me this is a great injustice to a very good division.Just because it does not have a superpower such as Montreal, Philadelphia, and Boston, people consider them a weak division. Nobody seems to want to give credit to their talent.Face the facts. St. Louis is a good and established team with plenty of youth and veterans to send them to the Stanley Cup finals. Chicago, with or without Bobby Orr, is a team of veterans that know how to win a great percentage of their games. Minnesota had a great draft and with their playoff team from last year will be tough for anyone. Vancouver&rsquo;s problems last year were in the front office and in coaching; with that cleared up they will be good. Colorado is young but on their way up.Experts today say that the game of hockey is not as exciting as it was, but here we have a very tough race for two playoff spots.Why put down the most even division in the NHL? At least there won&rsquo;t be a team like Montreal that will have 120 points at season&rsquo;s end and win the division by 30 points.PAUL HOFFMAN, Newport, Ky.<h2>LETTER OF THE WEEK</h2><h3>Rangers Right In Gilbert Affair</h3>I have just read a letter in the Oct. 21 edition of THE HOCKEY NEWS and I am, quite frankly, confused by a lack of logic. I am referring to Mr. Phil Foreman&rsquo;s letter concerning the Rod Gilbert-N. Y. Rangers incident.To begin with, it is ridiculous to assume that holding on to old players will guarantee a Stanley Cup. Only a team that keeps a steady supply of young players coming up from the farm system can remain in contention. Secondly, the main reason the Rangers haven&rsquo;t won the Stanley Cup in over 35 years is because they have never had all the players.When the Rangers appeared to be on the brink of a championship a few years back, they stood pat where they needed to make a few deals to put them over the top. And when they did make deals, they were exceptionally poor. To wit: Syl Apps for Glen Sather, Mike Murphy, Tom Williams, and Sheldon Kannegeisser for Gilles Marotte, and Jean Ratelie, Brad Park, and Joe Zanussi for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. The list goes on and on.Finally, what Rod Gilbert wanted was to renegotiate his contract, a fact I don&rsquo;t think has been emphasized enough. Aside from the many questions that arise over the topic of renegotiation (such as &ldquo;would a player ever be willing to renegotiate his contract downward at the request of management?&rdquo;), it should be pointed out that Gilbert, admittedly a fine player, was asking management to allow sentimentality to outweigh business.Let&rsquo;s not forget that it is the players in their approach to salary negotiations and the like, who have said that sports is a business and should be treated as such. The players argued that sentiment was a tool of management and should be disregarded. And so the Rangers, interested in rebuilding with youth in order that they may capture that elusive Stanley Cup, have said, &lsquo;No, Rod. Let&rsquo;s see how you do this year.&rsquo; Before they take any chances on having an aging player collecting a huge salary while producing very little on the ice.The Rangers did the right thing in L&rsquo;Affair Gilbert. The right thing for the team, for the fans, and for business ethics.EDWARD J. LEAHY, Floral Park, N.Y. &#9632;

f0010-01

FAN FORUM

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02874/4086401-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Boston Bruins are breaking in some new blood this season and one of their rookie starters for 1977-78 Is Mike Forbes, a rugged young man who plays defense so convincingly that the Bruins sent out Doug Halward and Al Sims and retained Forbes on the varsity roster. Forbes, the Bruins&rsquo; 6&rsquo;2&rdquo;, 200-pound third draft pick this year, wasn&rsquo;t expected to stick with the NHL club. So much so the Bruins didn&rsquo;t even to bother putting his biography in their yearbook. He may still find his way to Rochester but for now he&rsquo;s on the NHL club.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-02

Bruins Surprised By Forbes’ Play

<div class="byline">Bill Fleischman&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011052/4086463-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="277" height="460"></div><h2>O&rsquo;Neill Disciplinarian</h2>ONE OF THE MOST obvious changes in the John Ziegler-directed National Hockey League is Brian O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s role as disciplinarian.Reporters calling the NHL&rsquo;s Montreal headquarters to check on decisions in brawls or match penalties were accustomed to the familiar &ldquo;Campbell here&rdquo; replay. Then the revered former NHL president would explain his rulings, often in earthy phrases. Now Ziegler has replaced Campbell, and O&rsquo;Neill has been assigned Campbell&rsquo;s judical robe.Answering inquiries about his decisions in the Philadelphia-Boston exhibition game brawls, O&rsquo;Neill didn&rsquo;t use any earthy phrases, but he was honest. Which is all anyone asks.O&rsquo;Neill, the league&rsquo;s executive vice-president, has always been considered an able administrator. He was a leading contender to succeed Campbell as league president, because, other than Campbell, no one knows how the NHL functions better than O&rsquo;Neill. However, many owners evidently decided O&rsquo;Neill wasn&rsquo;t forceful enough.O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s handling of the Philadelphia-Boston case indicates players and coaches will find justice in his office. The defendants may not like O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s rulings, but he&rsquo;ll be fair.<h2>Someone Has To Do It</h2>DISCUSSING HIS NEW DUTIES, O&rsquo;Neill said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a responsibility that&rsquo;s never any fun, but somebody has to do it. There are a lot of other things I&rsquo;d rather be doing, but this is crucial to the operation of the league.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not doing this because I have more experience with it than John Ziegler. I guess they feel I do have some experience in these matters, but he&rsquo;ll be busy in other areas of responsibility. He&rsquo;ll be around the circuit more, he&rsquo;ll be working more with our New York office, on things like television contracts. If he did this work, it would inhibit him.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Neill guarantees he&rsquo;ll be fair in his decisions. He&rsquo;ll also have a sense of humor. Example:&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a law degree, but with the experience I have accumulated in 12 years on this job, I feel I&rsquo;m ready to pass a bar exam.&rdquo;The Philadelphia-Boston exhibition brawls attracted the omniscient eye of Sports Illustrated. Pardon this provincial pitch, but I thought writer Peter Gammons&rsquo; Boston background was showing when he wrote:&ldquo;So now they (Flyers) will be the Broad St. Bullies once again, led by pugilistic Paul Holmgren, a right wing whose best shot seems to be an overhand right from the blind side. The Flyers initiated several bench-clearing brawls during the exhibition season, including a disgraceful donnybrook against Boston that spread to the corridors of the Spectrum.&rdquo;<h2>Takes Two To Tango</h2>HOLMGREN DID BLIND-SIDE Boston&rsquo;s Terry O&rsquo;Reilly during a game last season in Boston. Holmgren paid the price for his indiscretion. The Flyers&rsquo; forward also admitted kicking Boston&rsquo;s Wayne Cashman in the corridor after Holmgren had grabbed Cashman during his blossoming stick fight on the ice with Jimmy Watson.The question is: didn&rsquo;t Cashman have something to do with initiating the brawls? Was the Bruins&rsquo; captain swinging his stick to merely help comb Watson&rsquo;s hair? And wasn&rsquo;t Cashman yelling something more gentle than &ldquo;how&rsquo;s the family&rdquo; remarks at Holmgrem in the corridor? Holmgren insisted he kicked when he saw Cashman grab a stick.Holmgren admits he must show more restraint, but here&rsquo;s a courageous, good-humored young man who overcame delicate eye surgery and near death to continue playing hockey. If Holmgren played for the Bruins, I have a feeling Gammons would have the same admiration for him that he has for O&rsquo;Reilly.In case NHL fans aren&rsquo;t aware, Mark Mulvoy, Gammons&rsquo; predecessor on the Sports Illustrated hockey beat, is also Boston bred. Mulvoy, now an SI editor, was at the Spectrum on brawl night directing the &ldquo;George Plimpton, Goalie&rdquo; production. Someone told me Mulvoy &ldquo;suggested&rdquo; the Holmgren criticism because the brawls swept attention in the daily press away from Mulvoy&rsquo;s Plimpton&rsquo;s promotion. But I refuse to believe SI would stoop to the cheap-shot depths that they accuse Holmgren of following. &#9632;

f0012-01

HOCKEY WORLD

<div class="byline">BY LARRY BORTSTEIN</div>DENVER&mdash;It was an unusual week for two hockeyplaying brothers of the farming Lefley family of Grosse Isle, Manitoba.The first week of October saw 29-year-old Bryan, oldest of the seven Lefley children, signing a one-year contract with the Colorado Rockies, climaxing an uphill fight to remain in the National Hockey League after coming to training camp as a free agent on a look-see basis.At the end of the same week, 27-year-old Chuck, second oldest of the Lefley clan, made the surprising announcement that he was leaving the St. Louis Blues, turning his back on six years in the NHL and returning to the family farm.While delighted at having earned a contract with the Rockies. Bryan admits he has had mixed feelings over the strange twists his and Chuck&rsquo;s life have taken.&ldquo;I was told last spring that I would have to play my way onto this team, and I came to camp knowing there was a chance I might not make it,&rdquo; Bryan admits. I&rsquo;m very superstitious about this and don&rsquo;t want to talk about it much because it might all go bad for me, but I worked as hard as I could and finally Ray Miron told me at the hotel after practice one day that he had a contract offer for me. It was a great thing. I had turned down a couple other offers during the summer to try and make this team, and I was happy that I did.&rdquo;How did he react to brother Chuck&rsquo;s decision to leave the Blues and apparently quit hockey?&ldquo;I sure was surprised,&rdquo; Bryan admits. &ldquo;He seemed happy when training camp started. But I know Chuck. He would never make a decision like that without giving it a lot of serious thought and doing a lot of soul-searching. This had to be a tough decision for him to make, and I&rsquo;m sure he made the best decision for him.&rdquo;A product of the Rangers&rsquo; organization who spent the 1970 through 1972 seasons with the Rangers&rsquo; Omaha Knights farm in the Central League, Bryan has been in the hockey business long enough to know that things have a way of changing rapidly. He knows that Chuck could make a sudden turnabout and return to the Blues or end up with another big league club, and he knows that simply signing a contract doesn&rsquo;t assure him a permanent spot on the Colorado roster.Miron, the club&rsquo;s vice presidentgeneral manager, feels that Lefley&rsquo;s chief asset on the second-year Rockies is his ability to switch between defense and left wing. I told him to be ready to play both positions when he came to camp,&rdquo; Miron says, &ldquo;and he came in willing to work hard and showed us good hustle and effort. He&rsquo;s in excellent shape, too, and seems to have gotten over all of his injuries from last year.&rdquo;Lefley missed nearly two months of the 1976-77 campaign with stretched ligaments in the left knee, a severely bruised right shoulder, and two broken ribs in his left side. He got into 58 games in all for the Rockies, and at the end of the Rockies&rsquo; long last-place season was working at left wing on a line which also saw John Van Boxmeer operating on the right side.Van Boxmeer, always known for his blistering shot, was the Rockies&rsquo; top scorer during the 1977 pre-season. He scored three goals and five assists as the Rockies compiled an unimpressive 1-5-1 log, the losses coming in the succession in Colorado&rsquo;s last five exhibition game outings.In one pre-season loss at Minnesota, Lefley scored a goal. Bryan hopes that goal was an omen that he&rsquo;ll get off the NHL scoring schneid during the regular season. He hasn&rsquo;t scored a regular-season goal in the NHL since his rookie year with the 1972-73 New York Islanders, when he scored three. More than a hundred NHL games have since elapsed for Bryan.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny,&rdquo; he says, though not smiling. &ldquo;I could always score pretty well in juniors and in the CHL. I have a pretty good shot, and always got my share of good attempts. But I just haven&rsquo;t been able to get a goal. Actually, one of the three goals I got when I was with the Islanders that first year wasn&rsquo;t exactly too classy. I shot from center ice and the puck banged off the post and went past Gilles Meloche.&rdquo;Bryan admits, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what I would have done if I hadn&rsquo;t gotten this contract offer from the Rockies. I didn&rsquo;t even want to think about it.&rdquo; He had extra incentive to make good this year, he says, because Marianne, his wife of four years, is expecting the couple&rsquo;s first child next March. (Chuck Lefley, by the way, is still a bachelor).&ldquo;A lot can happen between now and then,&rdquo; Bryan concedes. &ldquo;But for the time being, I&rsquo;m satisfied the way things are going. Now I&rsquo;ve got to go out and do my job. I know I&rsquo;m a utility guy who won&rsquo;t play all that much or play in spots, so I&rsquo;ve got to take advantage of whatever ice time I get to do everything I can.&rdquo;ICE PEBBLES: Terry Erei, young hockey writer in his first year on the beat for the Denver Post, authored an interesting column recently in which he addressed himself to the question: is Denver a hockey city? Several Rockies&rsquo; officials have wondered aloud whether or not the Mile High City can support an NHL franchise. Frei-makes the point that a winning team generally has turned a city which might have been considered questionable as far as big league hockey was concerned into a so-called hockey city. He could have added that a team which at least gives the impression of aspiring to be a winner can do the same&hellip;Dissatisfied with the arrangement their teams have with the city of Denver regarding the rental of city-owned McNichols Sports Arena and the fact they receive zero revenue from parking and concessions sales, Carl Scheer, the major domo of the National Basketball Association Nuggets and Jack Vickers, majority owner of the Rockies, have met with Mayor Bill McNichols, after whom the arena is named, in an attempt to work out different financial deals. The point made by the club bosses regarding the parking and concessions is that it is their sports attractions which bring the people to the building, and that they deserve a percentage&mdash;they&rsquo;re asking 50 percent&mdash;of the income these sports attractions generate. The Rockies&rsquo; and Nuggets&rsquo; chiefs also claim the city is not pursuing non-sporting attractions strongly enough. These other events&mdash;concerts, circuses, conventions, and the like &mdash; would bring considerable revenue to the city&rsquo;s cowers and thereby lessen the need for the NHL and NBA clubs to turn over their proceeds from parking and the sale of souvenir items and food and drink&hellip; Both Vickers and Scheer have suggested that they will seek to build their own arena if the city doesn&rsquo;t comply with their requests. The reality of this suggestion seems incredibly far-fetched. Bart Mitchell, one of Denver&rsquo;s leading financial officers, estimates ti would cost at least $25 million to build a workable sports facility, probably much more, and this isn&rsquo;t even taking a suitable site, the time required to construct such a building, and so forth.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011011/4086525-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="579" height="958"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRYAN LEFLEY &hellip;Fate Worked For Him</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-01

Lefley Played Way Onto Rockies

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011033/4086808-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="347" height="780"></div><h2>ATLANTA FLAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02856/4086801-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="225" height="197"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03635/4086794-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="713" height="545"></div><h2>BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04443/4086787-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="213" height="211"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05310/4086780-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="712" height="592"></div><h2>BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06257/4086773-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="225" height="223"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07209/4086766-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="712" height="564"></div><h2>CHICAGO HAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08179/4086759-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="258" height="237"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09163/4086752-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="706" height="616"></div><h2>CLEVELAND BARONS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-10147/4086745-1-eng-US/f0014-102.jpg" title="f0014-10" width="202" height="207"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-11131/4086738-1-eng-US/f0014-112.jpg" title="f0014-11" width="706" height="482"></div><h2>COLORADO ROCKIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-12120/4086731-1-eng-US/f0014-122.jpg" title="f0014-12" width="195" height="181"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-13102/4086724-1-eng-US/f0014-132.jpg" title="f0014-13" width="711" height="513"></div><h2>DETROIT RED WINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1483/4086717-1-eng-US/f0014-142.jpg" title="f0014-14" width="250" height="124"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1574/4086710-1-eng-US/f0014-152.jpg" title="f0014-15" width="710" height="615"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1662/4086703-1-eng-US/f0014-162.jpg" title="f0014-16" width="164" height="170"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1760/4086696-1-eng-US/f0014-172.jpg" title="f0014-17" width="710" height="639"></div><h2>MINNESOTA STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1841/4086689-1-eng-US/f0014-182.jpg" title="f0014-18" width="241" height="214"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1938/4086682-1-eng-US/f0014-192.jpg" title="f0014-19" width="712" height="577"></div><h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2036/4086675-1-eng-US/f0014-202.jpg" title="f0014-20" width="237" height="186"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2132/4086668-1-eng-US/f0014-212.jpg" title="f0014-21" width="710" height="568"></div><h2>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2229/4086661-1-eng-US/f0014-222.jpg" title="f0014-22" width="218" height="207"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2323/4086654-1-eng-US/f0014-232.jpg" title="f0014-23" width="712" height="539"></div><h2>NEW YORK RANGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2421/4086647-1-eng-US/f0014-242.jpg" title="f0014-24" width="210" height="202"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2517/4086640-1-eng-US/f0014-252.jpg" title="f0014-25" width="711" height="535"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2617/4086633-1-eng-US/f0014-262.jpg" title="f0014-26" width="246" height="171"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2716/4086626-1-eng-US/f0014-272.jpg" title="f0014-27" width="712" height="564"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2816/4086619-1-eng-US/f0014-282.jpg" title="f0014-28" width="225" height="220"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2915/4086612-1-eng-US/f0014-292.jpg" title="f0014-29" width="712" height="571"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3013/4086605-1-eng-US/f0014-302.jpg" title="f0014-30" width="164" height="136"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3111/4086598-1-eng-US/f0014-312.jpg" title="f0014-31" width="709" height="568"></div><h2>TORONTO LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3210/4086591-1-eng-US/f0014-322.jpg" title="f0014-32" width="199" height="202"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-339/4086584-1-eng-US/f0014-332.jpg" title="f0014-33" width="712" height="564"></div><h2>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-348/4086577-1-eng-US/f0014-342.jpg" title="f0014-34" width="177" height="122"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-354/4086570-1-eng-US/f0014-352.jpg" title="f0014-35" width="710" height="586"></div><h2>WASHINGTON CAPS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-364/4086563-1-eng-US/f0014-362.jpg" title="f0014-36" width="177" height="99"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-373/4086556-1-eng-US/f0014-372.jpg" title="f0014-37" width="712" height="536"></div> &#9632;

f0014-01

NHL SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

MONTREAL&mdash;A pair of Toronto Maple Leaf defensemen and Buffalo Sabres &ldquo;checking&rdquo; line of Danny Gare, Craig Ramsay and Don Luce highlighted the National Hockey League&rsquo;s second week of its 1977-78 season.Borje Salming of Leafs had seven points to boost his season&rsquo;s total to 10 in five games, the only player among the leading 21 pointgetters to average two points a game. His defense-mate, Ian Turnbull, also picked up seven points as Toronto won all three starts, including back-to-back games with Philadelphia Flyers. It was the first time since 1969-70 that Toronto won two straight regular-season games against the Flyers.Salming, tied with Bobby Clarke and Orest Kindrachuk of Philadelphia for second place in the scoring parade, one point behind leader Don Saleski of the Flyers, has spearheaded Leafs&rsquo; power-play. The unit has scored an amazing 11 goals on 23 opportunities for 47.8 percent. In the three wins last week, Leafs scored nine power-play goals on 17 chances, including five on 11 advantages against Flyers. Salming has one power-play goal and eight assists off the power-play for nine points while Leafs had an advantage.Although Leafs won their three games last week, they are third in their division, trailing leading Buffalo by two points and the surprising Cleveland Barons by one. Boston Bruins are fourth with six points in the Adams Division, the only one in which all teams have a record of at least .500.Sabres maintained their lead atop the Adams Division by winning two games and tying the other. Of the 13 goals scored by the team, the line of Gare, Luce and Ramsay scored 10, collecting another 10 assists for 20 points. Gare led all point scorers during the week with five goals and eight points. Ramsay had three goals and three assists while Luce had two goals and four assists. Gare and Ramsay each scored three goals in Sabres&rsquo; 7-5 win against Colorado to join Leafs&rsquo; Darryl Sittler as the only players to score three goals in a game during the week.Meanwhile, Saleski held on to his lead atop the scoring parade by increasing his goal-total to eight, most in the league, and collecting three points in Flyers&rsquo; three games. Kindrachuk had four assists, making his point-total all assists and giving him the league lead in that department.Four players share fifth place with nine points each&mdash;Reg Leach, Philadelphia; Jack Valiquette, Toronto; Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders; and Phil Esposito, New York Rangers.The Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; goaltending team of Michel Larocque and Ken Dryden are the NHL leaders with a combined average of 1.67 as Canadiens are the only team which has not lost a game. They have five wins and a tie. Rogie Vachon of Los Angeles is the shutout leader with two. &#9632;

Salming On Hot Scoring Streak

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Prior to the pre-season, new Kings coach Ron Stewart said he wanted to carry only the playing limit of 19 players because he did not want any players embarrassed by having to sit in the stands in civvies even as a hedge against injuries. He said he wanted to carry only five defensemen and alternate two duos instead of three.Entering the season, he still had 24 players left from the 41 who had reported to camp, had five sitting in the stands, two with injuries, and seven defensemen alternating in three duos. &ldquo;I need more time to evaluate some of my players before I decide who to send out,&rdquo; he explained.New manager George Maguire had brought in so many new players of promise the depth was better than the franchise ever had before and it appeared a few more new players than expected might survive the final cut whenever it came. For instance, fresh from the University of Michigan, Rob Palmer was, at least temporarily, teaming with veteran Larry Brown on the third defense duo.However, the main newcomer on defense was Randy Manery, who was teamed on the second unit with Dave Hutchison. A trigger-tempered brawler, Hutch has yet to harness his natural ability. A cool customer, Manery provides a steadying influence. A badly-needed right-handed defenseman, Manery has freed the return of arriving star Gary Sargent to his natural left side as partner to right-handed Bob Murdoch on the first team.At six-feet and 180-pounds, Manery is slender. He&rsquo;s not a hitter. But he&rsquo;s a good skater and he can move the puck, which has been a problem for the Kings in the past. He doesn&rsquo;t seem to panic under pressure. He doesn&rsquo;t rush up ice, but does have a strong shot from the point when he is in the offensive zone.He&rsquo;s experienced. He&rsquo;ll be 29 in January and is in his ninth pro season and sixth in the majors. Originally Red Wing property, he didn&rsquo;t make Detroit but spent three seasons with Fort Worth of the Central League before being drafted by Atlanta when the Flames came into the league. He developed into a regular there, but the financially-troubled Flames couldn&rsquo;t afford his salary and made him available to the Kings.&ldquo;I liked Atlanta and thought I was set with the Flames even though I didn&rsquo;t have a real good year last year,&rdquo; Randy remarks. &ldquo;I was upset when I found out I&rsquo;d been moved, but when I looked at things realistically I saw I was coming to a better team and a more stable franchise. I left behind a business, a travel agency&mdash;Compass Travel&mdash;but I have a partner, Eddie Robinson, to run it. My wife and I have no children as yet. The move has proven painless.&rdquo;An avid reader, Randy is an unusually bright fellow. He&rsquo;s well educated and speaks well. Out of Leamington, Ontario, he went to the University of Hamilton while playing junior hockey in that city and graduated with a degree in English and Geography. He may want to teach later and is interested in urban planning, in working for changes for the better in cities.His wife, the former Linda Heinz, is also a college graduate with a degree in business. But since their marriage in June of 1976, she has been developing her talents in knitting, weaving, and pottery making. Randy does string-art.Randy&rsquo;s younger brother, Kris, a forward, was a teammate of Rob Palmer and captain of the Michigan NCAA hockey runnersup last season, and has broken into the majors with the Cleveland Barons this season. Ideally, the brotners opposed each other in the season opener and the proud parents flew into L.A. to see them in action.KINGS THINGS: The Kings won that opener, 2-0, on goals by Marcel Dionne and his newcomer linemate Ernie Hicke and goaltending by Rogie Vachon. The turnout of 11,643 was surprisingly good considering it was directly opposite a Dodger World Series telecast from New York. Season sales stood at between 6,000 and 7,000 seats&hellip;Stewart switched righthanded Hicke to right wing and lefthanded Glenn Goldup to left wing on the Dionne line. They had been playing the off sides several seasons&hellip;With regulars Mike Murphy and Tom Williams sidelined from the Butch Goring line by back injuries, Russ Walker was recalled although the roster was loaded with extra forwards&hellip; The Kings finished their first undefeated pre-season at 5-0-3 against ordinary opposition. Goring and Dionne led with five goals each. Jim Moxey, who was sent down, had four&hellip;Frant St. Marseille has landed as player-coach of Montreal&rsquo;s main minor league team, the AHL Nova Scotia Voyageurs&hellip;Former Blades&rsquo; trainer Jack Curran came to town as Cleveland trainer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02796/4086863-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="562" height="988"><figcaption class="caption-body">RANDY MANERY&hellip;Lends Experience</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Newest King Manery Seen Key To Improving Delense In L.A.

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01993/4086894-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="589" height="766"></div> &#9632;

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NHL Leaders

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Mon. 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. LouisLos Angeles at MontrealWashington at MinnesotaBoston at PittsburghDetroit at TorontoColorado at VancouverSun. 30 Los Angeles at N.Y. RangersBuffalo at MontrealCleveland at Chicago<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Tue. 1 Atlanta at N.Y. IslandersLos Angeles at St. LouisWed. 2 N.Y. Rangers at ColoradoN.Y. islanders at MinnesotaAtlanta at MontrealChicago at WashingtonPittsburgh at DetroitToronto at VancouverSt. Louis at ClevelandThu. 3 Washington at PhiladelphiaToronto at Los AngelesBuffalo at BostonFri. 4 N.Y. Rangers at VancouverPittsburgh at AtlantaSat. 5 N.Y. Rangers at Los AngelesPittsburgh at N.Y. IslandersPhiladelphia at WashingtonBoston at MontrealCleveland at DetroitChicago at MinnesotaBuffalo at St. LouisToronto at ColoradoSun. 6 N.Y. Islanders at BostonVancouver at PhiladelphiaAtlanta at ChicagoDetroit at ClevelandSt. Louis at BuffaloMon. 7 Minnesota at MontrealTue. 8 Los Angeles at WashingtonVancouver at ColoradoWed. 9 Buffalo at N.Y. RangersToronto at AtlantaWashington at DetroitCleveland at PittsburghVancouver at St. LouisMinnesota at ChicagoThu. 10 Montreal at N.Y. IslandersBuffalo at PhiladelphiaLos Angeles at BostonFri. 11 Toronto at WashingtonMinnesota at VancouverSt. Louis at ColoradoSat. 12 N.Y. Rangers at DetroitPhiladelphia at N.Y. IslandersBoston at AtlantaToronto at MontrealChicago at PittsburghMinnesota at Los AngelesColorado at St. LouisSun. 13 Atlanta at N.Y. RangersN.Y. Islanders at WashingtonDetroit at PhiladelphiaMontreal at ChicagoPittsburgh at BuffaloCleveland at Boston &#9632;

Where NHL Teams Play

(Standings on Mon. Oct. 24)<h2>NORRIS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-1996/4087232-1-eng-US/f0016-192.jpg" title="f0016-19" width="579" height="160"></div><h2>ADAMS DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2077/4087225-1-eng-US/f0016-202.jpg" title="f0016-20" width="582" height="134"></div><h2>PATRICK DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2171/4087218-1-eng-US/f0016-212.jpg" title="f0016-21" width="580" height="136"></div><h2>SMYTHE DIVISION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-2269/4087211-1-eng-US/f0016-222.jpg" title="f0016-22" width="582" height="162"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. Oct 18Loa Angeles 0 at N.Y. Islanders 0Detroit 2 at Vancouver 3Wed. Oct. 19Pittsburgh 3 at N.Y. Rangers 3Minnesota 1 at Atlanta 5Montreal 5 at Washington 3Los Angeles 1 at Cleveland 3Buffalo 2 at Chicago 2Boston 7 at St. Louis 3Colorado 4 at Toronto 5Thu. Oct. 20Pittsburgh 0 at Philadelphia 11Montreal 2 at Detroit 2Cleveland 7 at Minnesota 4Colorado 5 at Buffalo 7Fri. Oct 21N.Y. Islanders 3 at Atlanta 3Sat. Oct. 22N.Y. Rangers 2 at N.Y. Islanders 7Philadelphia 1 at Toronto 5Atlanta 2 at Pittsburgh 5Detroit 4 at Minnesota 1Boston 4 at Los Angeles 3Chicago 0 at Colorado 3Cleveland 3 at St. Louis 2Sun. Oct 23Montreal 6 at N.Y. Rangers 2Toronto 6 at Philadelphia 3Pittsburgh 3 at Cleveland 2Boston 3 at Vancouver 3St. Louis 0 at Chicago 2Minnesota 1 at Buffalo 4 &#9632;

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The NHL Scoreboard

ATLANTA &mdash; Plett, Gould 3, Houston 1, Bennett 1, Vail 1, Clement 1, Gibbs 1, Ribbie 1, Mulhern 1.BOSTON &mdash; Wensink 1, 2, 3. McNab 1, 2, 3, Marcotte 1, 2, O&rsquo;Reilly 1, 2, Schmautz 2, Jonathan 1, Cashman 1, Miller 1.BUFFALO &mdash; R. Martin, 2, Gare, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Ram say, 2, 3, 4, Luce 2, 3, Guevremont 1, Korab, 1.CHICAGO &mdash; Wilson, 2, Savard, 2, 3, Plante 2.CLEVELAND &mdash; Ahern 2, Maruk 1, 2, 3, 4, Murdoch 1, 2, 3, Merrick 1, Crombeen 1, Mac Adam 1, Gardner 2, 3, Klassen 2, Smith 1.COLORADO &mdash; Gardner 2, 3, 4, 5, Paiment 2, 3, Edur 1, 2, 3, Andruff 2, Spruce 1, Hudson 1.DETROIT &mdash; Polonich 1, Bowness 2, Libett 1, Plumb1, Lochead 1, 2, Woods 2, 3.LOS ANGELES &mdash; Hicke 2, Murphy 1, 2, Taylor 2.MINNESOTA &mdash; jarry 2, Erieksson 3, 4, Beverley 3, Talafous 1, Jensen 1, Sharplev 1, Maxwell 1.MONTREAL &mdash; Lapointe 2, 3, Risebrough 3. Houle 1, 2, Gainey 1, Robinson 2, 3, Mahovlich 1, 2, Lemaire 1, 2, Shutt 2.N.Y. ISLANDERS &mdash; Parise 1, 2, Bossy 3, Westfall 1, Lewis 1, Bergeron 2, 3, Nvstrom 5, 6, Trottier 2.N.Y. RANGERS &mdash; Esposito 2, Murdoch 2, Polis 1, 2, Greschner 2, Hickey 3, McEwen 1.PHILADELPHIA &mdash; Lonsberry 1, Clarke 2, Leach 2, 3, 4, Jim Watson 1, Saieski 6, 7, 8, Bridgman 1, Barber 3, 4, Kelly 3, 4, Dean 1.PITTSBURGH &mdash; Larouche 1, Stackhouse, 1, 2, 3, MacDonald 1, Owchar 1, Corrigan 2, Malone 4, Monahan 1, Spencer 2.ST. LOUIS &mdash; Larose 1, 2, 3, Redmond 2, Smrke 1.TORONTO &mdash; Valiquette 1, 2, Hammarstrom 1, Williams 1, McDonald 1, Turnbull 1, 2, 3, Sittier 2, 3, 4, Thompson 1, 2, 3, Walker 1, Salming 1, Boulette 4.VANCOUVER &mdash; Sedlbauer 3, Ververgaert 1, Gillis 2, Oddlcifson 2, Gassoff 1, Walton 4.WASHINGTON &mdash; Forbes 1, Rowe 1, Sirois 3. &#9632;

NHL’s Scorers …This Week

<h2>Tue. Oct. 18</h2>LOS ANGELES 0. ISLANDERS 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01839/4087156-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="588" height="456"></div>DETROIT 2, VANCOUVER 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02709/4087149-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="592" height="625"></div><h2>Wed. Oct. 19</h2>PITTSBURGH 3, RANGERS 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03567/4087142-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="588" height="568"></div>MINNESOTA 1, ATLANTA 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04444/4087135-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="583" height="111"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05338/4087128-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="593" height="409"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06275/4087121-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="1198" height="1221"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROGIE VACHON&hellip;Records Two Shutouts</figcaption></div>MONTREAL 5, WASHINGTON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07249/4087114-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="587" height="268"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08229/4087107-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="589" height="252"></div>LOS ANGELES 1, CLEVELAND 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-09206/4087100-1-eng-US/f0016-092.jpg" title="f0016-09" width="582" height="458"></div>BUFFALO 2, CHICAGO 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-10184/4087093-1-eng-US/f0016-102.jpg" title="f0016-10" width="587" height="460"></div>BOSTON 7, ST. LOUIS 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-11170/4087086-1-eng-US/f0016-112.jpg" title="f0016-11" width="590" height="590"></div>COLORADO 4, TORONTO 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-12153/4087079-1-eng-US/f0016-122.jpg" title="f0016-12" width="581" height="163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-13139/4087072-1-eng-US/f0016-132.jpg" title="f0016-13" width="583" height="488"></div><h2>Thu. Oct. 21</h2>PITTSBURGH 0, PHILADELPHIA 11<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-14132/4087065-1-eng-US/f0016-142.jpg" title="f0016-14" width="586" height="586"></div>MONTREAL 2, DETROIT 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-15122/4087058-1-eng-US/f0016-152.jpg" title="f0016-15" width="591" height="393"></div>CLEVELAND 7, MINNESOTA 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-16118/4087051-1-eng-US/f0016-162.jpg" title="f0016-16" width="588" height="746"></div>COLORADO 5, BUFFALO 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-17110/4087044-1-eng-US/f0016-172.jpg" title="f0016-17" width="587" height="689"></div><h2>Fri. Oct. 21</h2>ISLANDERS 3, ATLANTA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-18103/4087037-1-eng-US/f0016-182.jpg" title="f0016-18" width="585" height="214"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01730/4087030-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="587" height="272"></div><h2>Sat. Oct. 22</h2>RANGERS 2, ISLANDERS 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02619/4087023-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="592" height="612"></div>PHILADELPHIA 1, TORONTO 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03490/4087016-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="586" height="716"></div>ATLANTA 2, PITTSBURGH 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04376/4087009-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="591" height="586"></div>DETROIT 4, MINNESOTA 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05295/4087002-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="583" height="556"></div>BOSTON 4, LOS ANGELES 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06247/4086995-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="588" height="529"></div>CHICAGO 0, COLORADO 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07216/4086988-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="587" height="450"></div>CLEVELAND 3, ST. LOUIS 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08182/4086981-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="586" height="478"></div><h2>Sun. Oct. 23</h2>MONTREAL 6, RANGERS 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09163/4086974-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="579" height="242"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10150/4086967-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="586" height="238"></div>TORONTO 6, PHILADELPHIA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11131/4086960-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="583" height="738"></div>PITTSBURGH 3, CLEVELAND 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-12120/4086953-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="586" height="292"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-13100/4086946-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="585" height="168"></div>BOSTON 3, VANCOUVER 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1488/4086939-1-eng-US/f0017-142.jpg" title="f0017-14" width="586" height="507"></div>ST. LOUIS 0, CHICAGO 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1572/4086932-1-eng-US/f0017-152.jpg" title="f0017-15" width="580" height="554"></div>MINNESOTA 1, BUFFALO 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1669/4086925-1-eng-US/f0017-162.jpg" title="f0017-16" width="575" height="426"></div> &#9632;

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NATIONAL LEAGUE SUMMARIES

C&mdash;Captain*&mdash;Rookie<h2>ATLANTA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Dan BouchardPhil Myre<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Barry GibbsEd KeaRichard Mulhern*Pat RibbleDave Shand*Miles Zaharko<h3>CENTERS</h3>Guy ChouinardRey ComeauBill ClementBobby LalondeTom Lysiak C<h3>R. WINGS</h3>John GouldKen HoustonWilli Plett<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Curt BennettTim Ecclestone*Harold PhillipoffEric Vail<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Gerry CheeversGilles Gilbert*Ron Grahame<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Gary Doak*Mike ForbesMike MilburyBrad ParkRick Smith<h3>CENTERS</h3>Matti Hagman*Bob MillerPete McNabJean RatelieGregg Sheppard<h3>R. WINGS</h3>*Dwight FosterRick MiddletonTerry O&rsquo;ReillyBobby Schmautz<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Wayne Cashman CStan JonathanDon MarcotteJohn Wensink<h3>INJURED</h3>John Bucyk<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Gerry DesjardinsDon Edwards*Robert Sauve<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Lee FogolinJ. GuevremontBill HajtJerry KorabJim Schoenfeld<h3>CENTERS</h3>Don LuceGilles PerreaultAndre SavardRon Shock*Derek SmithFred Stanfield<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Danny Gare CJim LorentzGary McAdamJacques RichardRene Robert*Ric Seiling*Alex Tidey<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Richard MartinTerry MartinCraig Ramsay<h3>INJURED</h3>Ken Breitenbach<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Tony EspositoMike Veisor<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Randy HoltDave LoganKeith Magnuson CBob MurrayPhil RussellDale Tallon*Doug Wilson<h3>CENTERS</h3>Ivan BoldirevJim HarrisonPit MartinStan Mikita*Jean Savard<h3>R. WINGS</h3>J.P. BordeleauAlain DaigleCliff KorollGrant MulveyPierre Plante<h3>L. WINGS</h3>*Ted BulleyBob KellyJohn MarksDarcy Rota<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>CLEVELAND</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Gary EdwardsGilles Meloche<h3>DEFENSE</h3>*John BabyMike ChristieRick HamptonJim NeilsonGreg SmithBob Stewart<h3>CENTERS</h3>Dave Gardner*Kris ManeryDennis MarukWayne Merrick<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Fred Ahern*Mike CrombeenBob Murdoch<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Mike FidlerBob GirardRalph Kaissen*Reg KerrAl MacAdam C<h3>INJURED</h3>Gary Sabourin<h2>COLORADO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Doug FavellMichel Plasse<h3>DEFENSE</h3>*Barry BeckTom EdurMike KitchenBryan LefleyJohn Van Boxmeer*Mark Suzor<h3>CENTERS</h3>Chuck ArnasonPaul GardnerDave HudsonNelson Pyatt<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Ron AndruffRon DelormeWilf Paiement C<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Gary CroteauDenis Dupere*Rick JodzioAndy Spruce<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Ed GiacominRon LowJim Rutherford<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Al CameronSteve DurbanoJean HamelTerry HarperGreg Joly*Reed Larson*Perry Miller<h3>CENTERS</h3>Dennis HextaliJ.P. Leblanc*Dale McCourtAndre St. Laurent*Paul Woods<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Rick BownessBill LocheadAl McDonoughDennis Polonich*Rob Plumb<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Danny Grant*Clark HamiltonNick LibettDan Maloney CBob Ritchie<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>LOS ANGELLS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Gary SimmonsRogie Vachon<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Larry BrownDave HutchisorNeil KomadoskRandy ManeryBob MurdochGary Sargent<h3>CENTERS</h3>Gene CarrMarcel DionneButch Goring*Rob PalmerPeto StomkowsVic Venasky<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Glen GoldupDon Kozak*Dave Taylor<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Ernie HickeDave Schultz*Lorne StamlorRuss WalkerTom WilliamsBort Wilson<h3>INJURED</h3>Mike Murphy C<h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>*Paul HarrisonPete LoPresti<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Fred BarrettNick Beverley CJerry EngeleDoug Hicks*Brad MaxwellTom Reid<h3>CENTERS</h3>Roland ErikssonBill HogaboamGlen SharpleyTim Young<h3>R. WINGS</h3>*Kent-Erik AnderssonBill FairbairnAlex PirusDean Talafous<h3>L. WINGS</h3>*Per-Olov BrasarPierre JerrySteve JeanseJim Roberts<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Ken DrydenMichel Larocque<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Pierre Bouchard*Brian EngblomGuy LapointeBill NyropLarry RobinsonSerge Savard<h3>CENTERS</h3>Doug JarvisJacques LemairePeter Mahovlich*Pierre MondouDoug Risebrough<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Rick ChartrawYvan Cournoyer CGuy LafleurMario Temblay<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Bob GaineyRejean HouleYvon LambertSteve ShuttMurray Wilson<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>*Goran HogastaChico ReschBilly Smith<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Garry HartDave Lewis*Stefan PerssonDenis PotvinJean PotvinPat Price<h3>CENTERS</h3>Bob BourneJude DrouinLorne Henning*Mike KaszyckiBryan Trottier<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Michel Bergeron*Mike BossyBilly HarrisBob NystromEd Westfall<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Clark Gillies CGarry HowattJ.P. Parise<h3>INJURED</h3>Bert Marshall<h2>RANGERS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>*Hardy AastromJohn DavidsonWayne Thomas<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Don AwreyDave FarrishRon GreschnerDave MaloneyMike McEwenCarol Vadnais<h3>CENTERS</h3>*Ron DuguayPhil Esposito C*Greg HolstWalter Tkaczuk<h3>R. WINGS</h3>*Lucien DeBloisRob GilbertBill GoldsworthyKen HodgeDon Murdoch<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Nick FotiuPat HickeyDan NewmanGreg PolisSteve Vickers<h3>INJURED</h3>Wayne Dillon<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Bernie ParentWayne Stephensor<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Tom BladonBob DaileyAndre DupontRick Lapointe*Kevin McCarthyJim WatsonJoe Watson<h3>CENTERS</h3>Harvey BennettMel BridgmanBobby Clarke COrest KindrachukRick MacLeish<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Barry DeanGary DornhoeferPaul HolmgrenReg LeachDon Saleski<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Bill BarberBob KellyRoss Lonsberry<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Dennis HerronGordon LaxtonDune Wilson<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Russ AndersonDave BurrowsColin CampbellDennis OwcharBob ParadiseRon Stackhouse<h3>CENTERS</h3>Syl App*Tom CassidyPierre LaroucheGreg Malone<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Mike Corrigan*Jacques CossetteHartland MonahanLew MorrisonJean Pronovost C<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Blair Chapman*Jim HamiltonLowell MacDonaldBrian Spencer<h3>INJURED</h3>Wayne BianchinMario FaubertRick Kehoe<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Yves BelangerEd JohnstonEd Staniowski<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Bruce Affleck*Jack BrownschiideLen FrigBob HessDick RedmondJim RobertsRod Seiling<h3>CENTERS</h3>Red Berenson CBernie FederkoGarry Unger<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Rick BourbonnaisLarry ButlerClaude LaroseLarry Patey<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Bob MacMillan*John SmrkeBrian Sutter<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Mike PalmateerGordon McRae<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Randy CarlyleBrian Glennie*Trevor JohansenJim McKennyBorje SalmingIan Turnbull<h3>CENTERS</h3>Don AshbyGeorge FergusonDarryl Sittler CJack Valiquette<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Pat BoutetteRon Ellis*Jimmy JonesLenny McDonaldKurt Walker<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Inge HammarstromBob NeelyErrol ThompsonDave Williams<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>Cesare ManiagoCurt Ridley<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Larry CarriereLarry GoodenoughJohn GrisdaleDennis Kearns*Bob MannoJack MclLhargeyHarold Snopsts<h3>CENTERS</h3>Chris Oddleifson*Syd VoyseyMike Walton<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Rick BlightHilliard GravesGerry O&rsquo;FlahortyDennis Vorvorgaert<h3>L. WINGS</h3>*Rob FlockhartBrad Gassoff*Jere GillisDon Lever CGarry MonahanRon Sedlbauer<h3>INJURED</h3>None.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>GOAL</h3>*Dale RideoutGarry SmithBernie Wolfe<h3>DEFENSE</h3>Rick GreenYvon LabreGordie LaneJack Lynch*Robert PicardGord SmithBryan Watson<h3>CENTERS</h3>Guy CharronWalt McKechnieGarry Meehan<h3>R. WINGS</h3>Garnet BaileyBill CollinsBill Riley*Tom RoweBob Sirois<h3>L. WINGS</h3>Dave ForbesRon LalondeCraig Patrick<h3>INJURED</h3>Blair Stewart &#9632;

NHL Team Rosters

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1760/4087311-1-eng-US/f0017-172.jpg" title="f0017-17" width="586" height="658"></div> &#9632;

f0017-17

Team Penalties

<div class="byline">BY RUSS WHITE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01747/4087349-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK GREEN&hellip; Fully Recovered On Defense</figcaption></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 CanadaWASHINGTON&mdash;As each hockey season opens, all teams have a new face or two&mdash;a promising rookie or a veteran with a new lease on life. The Washington Capitals are no exception.Caps coach Tom McVie has such a rookie in first draft choice Robert Picard and he has two or three veterans in the new-lease-on-life category, including center Walt McKechnie.This is a special season for McKechnie, 30, the former Red Wing who evidently wore out his welcome in Detroit despite the fact he was the team&rsquo;s leading scorer the last two seasons.McKechnie is pleased to be a Capital and to be back with an old friend, McVie.McKechnie met McVie 10 years ago at Phoenix, where McVie was a grizzled minor league hockey player much like the one Paul Newman played in the movie, &ldquo;Slap Shot&rdquo;. McVie was trying to survive, to squeeze in a few more seasons and lying to himself that he was going to make it to the National Hockey League.At the time, McVie didn&rsquo;t have much left in his game except an overdose of desire. McKechnie, though, had youth, skill and size. He was going to be a big leaguer. It would be a matter of time, and time was opening all the doors that had always closed in McVie&rsquo;s face. McVie couldn&rsquo;t crack the old six-team NHL despite burning up minor league record books.That season in Phoenix, however, was when the vet and the rookie&mdash;McVie and McKechnie&mdash;roughed it out together in the bush leagues and became friends. There&rsquo;s a tale about a lot of motel furniture going into a swimming pool one night. It&rsquo;s only a mild reminder of yesterday.Today, McVie is maestro of the Capitals, the hardest-working, most gung-ho team in hockey, and McKechnie is an old pro who&rsquo;s been asked to teach some of the younger Washington players a trick or two.McKechnie can dazzle you with way he skates and stick handles, the way he passes the puck and the way he lifts a shot past a goalie. He centers for the Caps&rsquo; most enthusiastic line with second-year pro Tom Rowe at right wing and former Boston Bruin Dave Forbes on the left.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re coming off a hard but great training camp,&rdquo; McKechnie said as the regular season opened in Washington. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seldom seen so much spirit on any hockey team. The kids want to play and so do the older guys. We&rsquo;re all extremely anxious.&ldquo;Dave Forbes just joined the team but I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;ll have any problem clicking with Dave on our line. He&rsquo;s been with Boston and he&rsquo;s a hard worker. He&rsquo;s played pressure hockey and we&rsquo;re fortunate to have him with the Caps.&ldquo;Tom Rowe is a great kid who can skate well and who has a terrific shot. We&rsquo;ve gotten together often since training camp began and we&rsquo;re both realizing now just what to expect from each other. The kid is going to be a good hockey player.&rdquo;The McKechnie-Rowe-Forbes line didn&rsquo;t come up with any points in Washington&rsquo;s 2-1 opening night victory over Pittsburgh but all three played well and applied pressure throughout the evening. McKechnie, frustrated he didn&rsquo;t score after a fine feed by Rowe against Pittsbrugh, came back the next night to score his first Capitals&rsquo; goal in a game at Cleveland.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s becoming a know fact that anyone who comes to Washington from another team is bom again,&rdquo; Caps&rsquo; assistant coach and emergency goalie Roger Crozier said last week. &ldquo;Gary Smith is being bom again as a Capital and there&rsquo;s new life in McKechnie, too. But he&rsquo;s been a great player all along, as was Gary.&rdquo;Smith, though a loser in his first game (4-2 to the Barons, the last goal into an empty net) has taken Oakland, Chicago, Vancouver and Minnesota to the playoffs with his goaltending. And, maybe this is the year he can do the same for the Caps.It&rsquo;s been 10 years since Walt McKechnie skated in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was the same year he came up from Phoenix, to join the Minnesota North Stars for their last four regular season games. He had three goals in nine playoff appearances. The Caps would settle for the same kind of result come April 1978.NOTES: Rick Green, recovered from a broken right wrist, was spectacular on defense the first two games for the Caps. &ldquo;It takes most guys eight or nine years to learn and do the thing Green did for us on opening night,&rdquo; raved coach McVie&hellip;Caps were 17-15-8 at home a year ago but 7-27-6 on the road. One of the toughest spots was Richfield Arena, where the Caps dropped 6-3 and 7-1 games to the Barons, who were 5-0 against them. Gilles Meloche made it tough this year, too, in the Barons&rsquo; 4-2 victory over the Caps. But McVie praised his club for its effort. &ldquo;This wasn&rsquo;t anywhere near the disasters of last year,&rdquo; McVie said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02600/4087342-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="577" height="877"><figcaption class="caption-body">WALT McKECHNIE &hellip;Back With McVie</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0018-01

McKechnie Shows Caps New Tricks

Rightwinger Danny Gare was responsible for a collective sigh of relief from Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; management when the former 50 goal scorer broke loose for five goals last week, a return to top form after last season&rsquo;s back miseries.Gare connected for his first goal of the season late in the third period to give the Sabres a 2-2 tie with Chicago to begin the week and following a chat with linemates Don Luce and Craig Ramsey, played an aggressive style in his next outing, hitting for three goals in a 7-5 triumph over the Colorado Rockies.He capped his fine week with his fifth goal of the young season in the Sabres&rsquo; 4-1 verdict against the Minnesota North Stars, helping the Buffalo club maintain their first-place standing in the Adams Division, with a 4-1-1 record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03448/4087380-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="544" height="570"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANNY GARE&hellip; Buffalo Sabres</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0018-03

NHL’s… Player of the Week

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01715/4087442-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="598" height="1820"></div> &#9632;

f0019-01

Looking At NHL Goalers

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>VANCOUVER&mdash;The Vancouver Canucks opening on Broadway was distinctly unlike a Broadway play.If the play had gone as badly as the Canucks played, it would surely have been closed down after one night. Alas the Canucks have 79 more games to go.While full marks must be given to the Rangers for pouncing on the Canucks in the first 10 minutes of the game, Vancouver&rsquo;s lax play on defense had general manager Jake Milford on the phone again, looking for a defenseman.They&rsquo;re not easy to find either. He&rsquo;s been looking around, but a good right side defenseman is hard to get your mitts on without selling out the franchise.&ldquo;Sure we were disappointed over the performance in the opener,&rdquo; said Milford, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re not going to hang ourselves yet. I remember last year in Los Angeles we lost our first two games badly and came back. But sure, performance like that always puts the pressure on you a little more.&rdquo;The display that had everyone in the Vancouver camp so despondent was a 6-3 loss to the Rangers, a score that clearly flattered the losers.The game was actually all but over in the first 10 minutes of the game when the Canucks defense littered pucks all over their zone and the Rangers just stormed in to knock them past Cesare Maniago.Then Rick Blight scored a power play goal in order to draw the Canucks within two and give them some hope, but only 15 seconds later Maniago booted one and it was 4-1.&ldquo;We dug ourselves a hole with those mistakes and we couldn&rsquo;t get out of them,&rdquo; said coach Orland Kurtenbach. &ldquo;You have to play error free hockey when you come on the road and you could certainly tell we didn&rsquo;t come anywhere near that.The Canucks got all their goals on power play attempts, something which augurs well in the future for a team that needs to capitalize on its chances with the man advantage.&ldquo;Sure the power play goals are nice, but what good are they when you&rsquo;re three or four goals down. We didn&rsquo;t muster anything serious in the way of a consistent attack when we were even.&rdquo;Therein lies the problems the Canucks had all throughout the pre-season, problems which seem to be dragging right into the regular season play.Jere Gillis, the man who John Ferguson figures was the best junior available in the draft, was supposed to be the man to help eradicate some of the Canucks scoring blues, and he may yet. But he has been bothered by a shoulder injury picked up in the first few days of training camp and he hasn&rsquo;t been fit yet.The last thing the Canucks want to do is rush him in too soon and ruin his confidence.The six-foot-two, 190-pound left winger made the team&rsquo;s first road trip, mostly for a look around the league and to get him accustomed to the team&rsquo;s gruelling road schedule which sees them log 72,000 miles per year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02581/4087411-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="559" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE WALTON&hellip;Early Scoring Burst</figcaption></div>And the loss of Derek Sanderson, while the team does not like to admit it, was a crucial blow to the forward lines. It means Don Lever has to play center, and he plain just doesn&rsquo;t handle the puck well enough to play center, and he knows it.The Canucks hopes are clearly that Gillis can make a serious contribution by Christmas time and that the colitis ridden body of Derek Sanderson can rejuvenate itself and return from Tulsa of the Central League. Otherwise, the prospect of scoring enough goals to make a run at the playoffs are indeed dim despite the fact that Mike Walton appears to be in the best shape he&rsquo;s been in since joining Vancouver from the Minnesota Fighting Saints two years ago.Walton scored Vancouver&rsquo;s other two goals against the Rangers on the power play with accurate high shots, and he is skating very &ldquo;well, having recovered completely from the knee injury which took him out on New Year&rsquo;s Day last year.What Milford may be able to come up with in the way of a defenseman remains to be seen, but if things don&rsquo;t start improving soon, he may have to ask assistant coach Arnie Brown to make a comeback. And come to think of it, maybe Kurtenbach could lace them up and try his hand behind the blueline. &#9632;

f0019-02

Canucks Hunt Top Defenseman

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01554/4087487-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">WORD FROM THE WISE: Six-time Vezina Trophy winner Jacques Plante is now a Philadelphia goaling coach and here he passes along a few tips to goaler Wayne Stephenson as he goes about his job of instructing the Flyer netmmders in the finer arts of goalkeeping.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02398/4087480-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="1545" height="1198"><figcaption class="caption-body">FALLING FOR THE FLYERS: Actress Susan Saint James takes a little good natured ribbing from Flyer captain Bobby Clarke, left, and sharpshooter Reg Leach as she attempts to manoeuvre on figure skates while taking a whirl on the ice. She has become a Flyer fan. (Photos by Bernie Moser)</figcaption></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Back in mid-June, after an elated Keith Allen announced that the Flyers had drafted Kevin McCarthy, Allen said, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an exciting guy who has a chance to make our team right away.&rdquo;By the time the NHL season opened, McCarthy, the defenseman with Bobby Orr-type junior hockey statistics, was with the Flyers.As one of the Flyers&rsquo; leading scorers in exhibition games (2-5-7 in nine games), he would ordinarily be guaranteed a Flyers&rsquo; uniform. However, with five proven NHL defenseman and Rick Lapointe returning, the debate continued into the regular season: would Fred Shero keep seven defensemen? Would McCarthy be dispatched to the AHL Maine Mariners when Moose Dupont, who missed all the pre-season outings with an injured knee, was pronounced healthy? publicized American college product, he would have asked his own question&mdash;something like, what do I have to do to prove I belong here? Now. Instead, like most Canadian-bred youngsters, he chose to tread lightly and accept whatever fate the Flyers&rsquo; decided.&ldquo;Playing in Philadelphia this season is my goal,&rdquo; the Winnipeg native said dialing training camp. &ldquo;But if I do get sent down, it probably win be tor my own good.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03317/4087473-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="559" height="760"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEVIN MCCARTHY&hellip;Convinces Shero</figcaption></div>After watching McCarthy through the exhibitions and the first couple regularseason games, objective viewers were wondering how Keith Allen and his staff could even be thinking of demoting the versatile young defenseman. Only All Star candidate Bob Dailey had a better all-around pre-season among Flyers&rsquo; defenseman.Allen was right&mdash;McCarthy is an exciting offensive player. He is a strong skater who moves the puck quickly and instinctively. If the situation calls for a quick shot, McCarthy obliges rather than winding up for a slapshot.Among many correct moves McCarthy made during exhibition games, one sticks in the memory: breaking into the offensive zone, McCarthy accepted a pass and without hesitating shot in one motion. He didn&rsquo;t score, but Boston goaltender Gilles Gilbert had to file away No. 25 as a player to watch closely.The biggest pre-draft criticism of McCarthy, the reason teams such as St. Louis and Minnesota, skipped his name was his suspect defensive skills. The Blues and North Stars should see him now.Playing with veteran Joe Watson and a team that knows what everyone is supposed to do helps, of course, but McCarthy has made some veteran-like plays. Example: on opening night Chicago&rsquo;s shrewd Stan Mikita carried the puck in against the five-foot-11, 190-pound rookie. A few strides inside the blue line, Mikita was suddenly on the ice and the Flyers were counter-attacking. McCarthy had cleanly stripped Mikita of the puck.&ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t hit me until I was back on the bench&mdash;I was with Mikita and I stopped him,&rdquo; said the pleasant young man. &ldquo;I used to watch him on TV as a kid He was my hero and to play up against him is a big thrill.&rdquo;Like others, Fred Shero was skeptical at first about McCarthy. The Flyers&rsquo; coach has been around long enough not to believe press clippings and junior hockey scoring figures. However, Shero does have faith in the judgment of Philadelphia&rsquo;s scouts.As each exhibition and early season game passed, Shero would say, &ldquo;The more I see of him (McCarthy), the more I like him.&rdquo;After the 5-1 victory over Chicago on opening night, Shero said, &ldquo;I thought McCarthy was our best defenseman moving the puck.&rdquo;The only complaint Shero had about McCarthy was over his positioning killing penalties.&ldquo;He was rushing out to challenge the puck instead of setting up in the box,&rdquo; said Shero. &ldquo;But that could be inexperience or nervousness.&rdquo;During pre-season people surveyed the Flyers&rsquo; defense and wondered where McCarthy could fit in. Dailey, the Watson brothers and Dupont were solid. Most observers chose Tom Bladon as the club&rsquo;s most vulnerable defenseman, despite his five NHL seasons, but as the season began Lapointe emerged as the shakiest blueliner. Detroit&rsquo;s No. 1 draft pick in 1975 was continually struggling on defense, as his numerous giveaways proved.Anyway, someone should tell McCarthy to relax and forget about apartment hunting in Portland, Me. He fits in fine in Philadelphia. &#9632;

f0020-01

Rookie McCarthy Plays Way Onto Flyer Defense

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01398/4087518-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE VEISOR&hellip;Solidifies Backup Role</figcaption></div>CHICAGO&mdash;They call him The Worm, and for so long he has lived down under.He is Mike Veisor, who weighs 158 pounds, wringing wet, after dinner, fully clothed, carrying his duffel bag, chewing tobacco. Slim but not forgotten, he is.And on the evening of Oct. 16, the diminutive goalie for the Chicago Black Hawks did something very, very big. He blanked the Sabres in Buffalo 2-0, giving the Chicagoans their first victory in The Aud (pronounced Awed) since Dec. 3, 1971, or 12 games ago, or six losses, six ties and no victories ago.The triumph not only was highly medicinal for Veisor, who is trying to solidify his position as Tony Esposito&rsquo;s shadow but it marked the initial triumph in the coaching and general managing career of Bob Pulford at Chicago.&ldquo;It was a team shutout,&rdquo; said Veisor, who leaped rather high into the air when the game was over, having handled 34 shots to complete his second National Hockey League shutout.&ldquo;It was super,&rdquo; added Esposito. &ldquo;I loved every minute of it. I hope there are more nights like it.&rdquo;The Worm has had some unfortunate nights in Black Hawk flannels. In 1973-74, he performed in 10 games for Chicago, going undefeated and carving a 2.23 goals-against mark. But a year later, the numbers were not so good, and one cannot forget a game he endured in Montreal&mdash;the Canadiens beat him 12-3, and though several Hawks might have earned a ticket to the minor leagues the next day, only he flew away.Then in 1975-76, the next year, he recovered his confidence in Dallas, where he played 62 games, recorded five shutouts and penned a 2.93 goals-against average.He has survived other left handed slaps in the proboscis: The Hawks in 1975 acquired Gilles Villemure as an experienced backup for Esposito, only to release the veteran roundman after his tour with the Hawks was one misfortune after another.After Villemure became injured, the Hawks opted for Michel Dumas, for many winter nights the cohort of Veisor&rsquo;s in Dallas. But Dumas incurred misfortune himself: at a practice around Christmas last season in Chicago, he took a puck in the eye, and his career has been closed prematurely. The Black Hawks have hired him as a scout in Quebec.So, come training camp 1977, the Hawks looked to Veisor as an understudy to Esposito, the 33-year-old ironman who works almost all the time.&ldquo;He was the best goaltender in the Central League,&rdquo; said Pulford. &ldquo;We have to find out whether he can play in the National League. Now is the time.&rdquo;Veisor, who played only three games for last year&rsquo;s Hawks under interim coach Bill White, then got his first start at Buffalo and performed what for six seasons had been a mission impossible. The Hawks won in the smallish confines of The Aud.&ldquo;I was happy,&rdquo; said Pulford. &ldquo;We did not back away in that building. I&rsquo;d been told that previous Chicago teams did.&rdquo;And in Pulford&rsquo;s first three games&mdash;a 5-1 loss at Philadelphia a 3-3 tie vs. Colorado at Chicago, and that Buffalo encounter, the Hawks were winning raves.&ldquo;They are working harder than they did last season,&rdquo; said Flyer Capt. Bobby Clarke.&ldquo;Different team, Chicago,&rdquo; said Colorado Capt. Wilf Paiement. &ldquo;More aggressive.&rdquo;&ldquo;It will take time,&rdquo; said Pulford, &ldquo;before they do it my way. Before they do it my way, they have to decide my way is the right way.&rdquo;HAWK TALK: Jean Savard, the Hawks&rsquo; No. 2 draft choice in last spring&rsquo;s amateur market, scored his first NHL goal in the 3-3 tie against the Rockies&hellip;Doug Wilson, the No. 1 selection who has impressed everybody, scored his first in the triumph over Buffalo&hellip; Opening night crowd in Chicago vs. Colorado was a disappointment: an estimated 8,000, and no more. &#9632;

f0021-01

Hawk Bench Sitter, Veisor Surprises With NHL Shutout

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01436/4087549-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAN MALONEY&hellip;He Leads With Action</figcaption></div>DETROIT&mdash;The Red Wings proved you can play aggressive hockey without precipitating a brawl when they battled from a two-goal deficit to tie the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-3, in their season opener.&ldquo;This was a very good example of what we mean by aggressive hockey,&rdquo; said Bobby Kromm, who made his Detroit coaching debut. &ldquo;Forechecking, backchecking, forcing the play, playing the body.&ldquo;I was especially proud of the way they came back. It was the same as a victory. We played a tremendous first period. Our young defense had a little trouble but the forwards played exceptionally well.&rdquo;Dan Maloney scored the tying goal with just 1:36 left in the game after Rick Bowness had made it 3-2 at the 15:31 mark of the third period.&ldquo;This is a morale booster,&rdquo; team captain Maloney said.Dale McCourt, one of three rookie centers who have done a fine job for the Wings, made the play on Maloney&rsquo;s goal to gain his first NHL assist. In a later game, McCourt scored his first NHL goal.Newcomer Paul Woods, drafted out of the Montreal Canadiens system for $50,000 just three days before the opener, has played a key role for Detroit and has impressed club officials and his teammates.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a star in the NHL,&rdquo; Kromm said. He&rsquo;s the typical Montreal type of player. A kid who can handle the puck, skate and has hockey sense. He&rsquo;s always moving, hustling, using his head.&rdquo; General manager Ted Lindsay said the $50,000 he paid for Woods was the best investment he&rsquo;s made with owner Bruce Norris&rsquo; dollars.Lindsay also touched on a wide variety of other matters early in the season.On the rebuilding job he did during the summer:&ldquo;What I&rsquo;m most concerned about is: Do we have the ingredients to be respectable, like I promised the people? We think we have but won&rsquo;t know for sure until we get right down to the actual competition.&rdquo;On goaltending and goalies&mdash;the Wings are carrying three:&ldquo;Our goaltending is very strong with Jimmy Rutherford, Ron Low and Eddie Giacomin&mdash;as strong as anyone&rsquo;s in the NHL. It&rsquo;s hard to carry three but we&rsquo;re not going to give one away. We ll keep them all and see what happens. Maybe somebody will need one somewhere along the line and we can make a deal.&rdquo;On defense:&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve improved our defense. John Hilworth a fourthround draft choice, has been a very pleasant surprise. Perry Miller and Greg Joly have played well on defense and still are learning. Reed Larson is an American kid who I think is going to be a very fine player in this league.On offense:&ldquo;Down the middle&mdash;and this is our problem&mdash;we had two very pleasant surprises. Rob Plumb and Roland Cloutier. These are 12th and 14th round draft choices and you don&rsquo;t expect them to compete for jobs on the big club. Plumb has great hockey sense. Cloutier has a language barrier and I think this is a handicap as far as confidence is concerned. A little bit of experience down at Kansas City will help him. I think he&rsquo;s going to become an outstanding player. I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if he showed up here during the winter.&rdquo;On Detroit&rsquo;s very successful draft, and getting Plumb and Cloutier so far down the list:&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been lucky all my life and I hope my luck doesn&rsquo;t leave me now. Maybe that&rsquo;s some of the luck.&rdquo;On No. 1 pick McCourt:&ldquo;Through training camp, he&rsquo;s had good games and bad games. I think this is natural. Bobby (Kromm) and I both have told him to be himself, play his own game. We figure it&rsquo;s going to take him a couple of months, a couple of trips around the league. Everywhere we go it&rsquo;s going to be: Dale McCourt the most publicized junior in Canada, the best junior in Canada. He&rsquo;s intelligent and will learn and I believe that after a couple of times around the league he&rsquo;ll start to find himself. We&rsquo;ve told him, and I&rsquo;ll say it again&mdash;he&rsquo;s not the salvation of this franchise, but he&rsquo;s a very important part of it. If he does develop sooner, that&rsquo;s another bonus for us. There are no second thoughts about making him the top choice.&rdquo;On new coach Kromm:&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be more pleased. He keeps his practices interesting, to me that&rsquo;s the secret to success for a coach. He keeps his players stimulated. I am very pleased. I know darn well that I said when I took over this job that I wanted to give Larry Wilson the opportunity he deserved to coach. But I&rsquo;m glad Bobby Kromm is coach here.&rdquo;On the 1977-78 Red Wings:I think we will be an exciting hockey club, an interesting club to watch. I say that only because the player who doesn&rsquo;t work won&rsquo;t be here. I&rsquo;m hoping that we&rsquo;ll have very few changes once the season starts but that depends on the players.MOTOR CITY SHORTS: Danny Grant and Nick Libett, both veteran left wingers, have seen action on right wing&hellip;Kromm continued to juggle his forward lines seeking the right combinations&hellip;The Wings still had 25 players in Detroit and another cut was due any day, with five players expected to leave. &#9632;

f0022-01

New Look Red Wings Show They Can Temper Toughness

<div class="byline">BY DAN DONOVAN</div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;The Pittsburgh radio talk show host thought someone was making a bad joke. There on his desk was a message saying Stan Gilbertson called him, less than 24 hours after the Penguin forward had his leg amputated below the knee.With doubts, the host, Stan Savran, called the hospital but was told Gilbertson couldn&rsquo;t take calls. He left a message, but Gilbertson called again when Savran was out. Savran left another message to call after his evening talk show, when he was sure to be at his desk.But during the show, Savran&rsquo;s engineer told him Gilbertson was on the line and wanted to talk. A surprised Savran put him on.He just wanted to thank people, Gilbertson said, people like Savran who were saying good things about him. He felt lucky, Gilbertson said, lucky to be alive.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02339/4087580-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="568" height="844"><figcaption class="caption-body">STAN GILBERTSON&hellip;Doesn&rsquo;t Want Pity</figcaption></div>Gilbertson felt lucky because he almost died when the jeep he was driving near the Penguins&rsquo; Rostraver, Pa., training camp overturned and pinned his right leg. And he almost died when his body heated up on the hospital operating table.He felt lucky, Gilbertson said, because he was better off than many people in the same hospital. He just wanted to thank all the people who sent him good wishes.The short visit surprised people. Gilbertson, an active athlete since a boy in Duluth, Minnesota, would be an athlete no longer. Yet Gilbertson hardly sounded crushed.He doesn&rsquo;t want pity. He has life, he has his family. Hockey helped him buy a nice California home. He didn&rsquo;t need Pity.Gilbertson has always been a realist&mdash;realistic about his talent, realistic about the teams he played on. He knew he wasn&rsquo;t the greatest skater, hardest hitter or best shot, he just wanted to display the talent he had.During a career that ranged from Jacksonville, Fla., to Vancouver, B.C., it was Gilbertson&rsquo;s fate to be on some of the most dispirited teams in hockey&mdash;the controversial California Golden Seals, the Washington Capitals who lost 17 straight, and last year the disappointing Pittsburgh Penguins.At times it bothered him, especially when the current general manager or coach wouldn&rsquo;t give Gilbertson a chance to do his best. And he got himself in trouble a couple of times for expressing his opinion. But he didn&rsquo;t let it ruin his life.There are other things besides hockey and Gilbertson enjoys them. Perhaps that&rsquo;s why when his hockey career ended suddenly at age 32, his world didn&rsquo;t end.The loss of a leg would destroy some men&mdash;especially athletes used to the active life. But it didn&rsquo;t ruin Gilbertson.PENGUIN NOTES: The Penguins began the season with an unusual malady&mdash;sick shooting. The Penguins blew scoring chances galore while going 1-2 in their first three games and were particularly ineffective on the power play. In fact, they did not score on their first 12 times with a man advantage.The lone exception was gritty sophomore center Greg Malone, who scored a goal in each of the three games. All three were from in the slot with someone hanging on his shoulders.To bolster their scoring power, the Penguins obtained right wing Hartland Monahan from the Washington Capitals. But they paid dearly for the 26-year-old&mdash;a No. 1 draft choice in 1979.The Monahan deal probably has set the stage for another trade as the Penguins will have six right wings when Rick Kehoe returns from a broken elbow. &#9632;

f0022-02

Realist Gilbertson Feels Leg Amputation Not The End Of Life

<div class="byline">BY RICH PASSAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01410/4087618-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">New Cleveland captain Al MacAdam will have his hands full with club&rsquo;s responsibilities.</figcaption></div>CLEVELAND&mdash;Ladies and gentlemen&hellip;introducing the new Wayne Merrick. Not the one you saw skating and not producing last season with the Cleveland Barons.But the one you saw the previous five years, scoring goals and making the good plays from his center ice position.The 1976-77 National Hockey League season was one huge nightmare for Merrick, a worrywart to begin with. The constant financial problem affected his play more than he is willing to admit.But this is a new season and what&rsquo;s past is past as far as Merrick is concerned.&ldquo;I had a hard summer to think about things,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Last year was very tough on me. But I stuck it out and played 80 games.&rdquo;Assuaging the hurts and disappointments of the regular season was a tour of Europe with Team Canada and competition in the World Tournament in Vienna, Austria. An education was gleaned from that sojourn.&ldquo;The basic thing I learned was playing as a unit,&rdquo; Merrick said. &ldquo;The Russians and Czechs are especially good at this. Everybody works for each other. It&rsquo;s a more scientific approach.&rdquo;Confidence is another large factor in the success of a forward line, according to Merrick. &ldquo;You have to have confidence in each other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Look at the (Dennis) Maruk line. It moves the puck quickly and plays well together. They have confidence in one another.&rdquo;Merrick this season is skating between a pair of Mikes&hellip;Fidler on the left and Crombeen on the right.&ldquo;Both are very good shooters and I&rsquo;m going to try to get them the puck as much as I can,&rdquo; Merrick promised. Then again, he is also expecting a few pucks in the slot, his favorite area on the ice. &ldquo;If I can get the puck in the slot, I can put it into the net,&rdquo; he declared.Merrick has set some modest goals for himself this season. &ldquo;No. 1, I want to make the playoffs,&rdquo; he began. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been there and know what it means. No. 2, I want to score 25 goals. If I get more, fine. Also, I&rsquo;d like to get 50 assists.&ldquo;No. 3, I&rsquo;d like to be a plus player. I&rsquo;ve got to cut down on my goals-against. It takes work and communication with my teammates to cover up,&rdquo; he explained.&ldquo;If I can do those things, it will help the team. One more thing,&rdquo; he said in afterthought. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to see my two wingers come along.&rdquo;If all of the above comes to fruition, there is no way Merrick can get down on himself. The losing will stop and that also means a lot to him.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sick and tired of losing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sick of playing against the (Darryl) Sittiers and (Bobby) Clarkes and losing. I want to beat them.&rdquo;Now that the Barons&rsquo; financial situation has stabilized and figures to stay that way for a long time, Merrick can concentrate on becoming one of the best pivotmen in the NHL.For many seasons, stardom has been predicted for this young man from Sarnia, Ont. This could be the season he finally erases through.BARONS&rsquo; BITS: Al MacAdam has been named captain of the Barons, succeeding veteran defenseman Jim Neilson. Neilson resigned his &ldquo;C&rdquo; to concentrate on playing&hellip;After dropping a 2-0 decision to Rogie Vachon and the Kings in Los Angeles in the season opener, the Barons returned home and handed the Washington Capitals a 4-2 setback before 10,253 Coliseum fans&hellip;The Barons scored just two short-handed goals last season. Ralph Klassen scored 50 percent of that total in the Caps&rsquo; triumph&hellip;Rookie right winger Danny (Chico) Chicoine, the club&rsquo;s second pick in the amateur draft, was shipped out to Phoenix of the Central Hockey League for more seasoning&hellip;Goaltender Gilles Meloche was strong in his first two outings, permitting just four goals.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02310/4087611-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="1171" height="1189"><figcaption class="caption-body">Speedy center Wayne Merrick hopes to put experience gained in World Championships to use. (Photos by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

Greater Teamwork Goal Of Barons’ Merrick

New England Whalers&rsquo; centerman Tom Webster contributed another four-goal week, his second of the young campaign to help the Whalers to five of a possible six points on the week.Webster scored three goals in the club&rsquo;s 6-3 victory against Edmonton and also added a goal in a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The four goals, plus one assist, brought Webster&rsquo;s points total to 11 on the season&mdash;eight goals and three assists&mdash;to rank second in the World Hockey Association.The 29-year-old Webster has been centering for the two Howe forwards, Mark and Gordie, and helping the Whalers get off to a 41-1 start in the WHA race.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03238/4087687-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="502" height="553"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM WEBSTER&hellip;New England Whalers</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-03

WHA’S… Player of the Week

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE WARRINER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01424/4087656-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAULIN BORDELEAU&hellip;Back On Firing Line</figcaption></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 CanadaHARTFORD&mdash;The New England Whalers carried their pre-season momentum right into the regular season. Last year the Whalers were unable to win until their fifth game of the season. This year they opened in Houston, where historically they have had difficulty. With Al Smith in the nets following up his big shutout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in his last appearance of the exhibition season, the Whalers whitewashed the Aeros, 3-0. That extended Smitty&rsquo;s shutout string to 151 minutes.Smith&rsquo;s hot hand forced coach Neale to alternate goalies at the start of the season. So Smitty stopped 28 shots as the Whalers turned back the Birmingham Bulls, 5-2, in the Civic Center opener in Hartford. Louis Levasseur jumped right into the rotation the next night when the Whalers began a four-game road trip in Cincinnati.The return to Houston by the Howe clan was marked by a standing ovation for Gordie after they showed a replay of his 900th career goal picked up last year while he was wearing an Aeros&rsquo; jersey. The boys, Mark and Marty, didn&rsquo;t fare quite as well as they got their share of boos. In the end, though, it was the score that counted. And the Howe family contributed three assists (Gordie two. and Mark one) as Tom Webster (two) and Dave Keon scored for the Whalers in their shutout victory.Hawkeye&rdquo; Webster continued where he left off in&rsquo; the exhibition season, getting three goals and two assists in the first two contests. But the early going shows the balanced scoring is still there, with 11 players sharing the honors in those first two games.The move to skate Webster with Gordie and Mark Howe looks like a good one, but it has presented coach Neale with a problem. Last year Webby worked very successfully with Mike Rogers and George Lyle. The line racked up a bundle of points. In training camp young Jim Mayer took Webster&rsquo;s place on the right side, but he was recently demoted to Springfield in order to get the roster down to 19. With the other lines being so successful and balanced scoring being the result, Neale is reluctant to make any changes.So Rogers and Lyle&mdash;at least at the outset&mdash;were without a right winger. Coach Neale is trying to emulate Montreal&rsquo;s Scotty Bowman to some degree, as he spots the two players here and there, as well as double-shifting Webster, Jack Carlson, and Mark Howe as their right winger occasionally. With talent like Rogers and Lyle not getting a regular turn, it&rsquo;s difficult&mdash;but not a bad problem for Neale to have.The so-called &lsquo;third line&rsquo;&mdash;Greg Carroll centering for Larry Pleau and Carlson&mdash;was cited by Neale as &ldquo;our best line&rdquo; during the last few exhibition games and into the opener at Houston. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen Pleau play any better than he has been playing of late,&rdquo; said Harry.On defense the duo of Al Hangsleben and Bill Butters has surprised a lot of people with some improved work. They apparently forced Neale to send a forward down to Springfield when most felt that Neale would go with only five defensemen. Hangsleben in particular seems to have regained his confidence, and earned the plaudits of his coach and teammates in the home opener.Goalie Cap Raeder and defenseman Bryan Maxwell were returned to the Whalers by Springfield and they have been reassigned&mdash;Raeder to Philadelphia Firebirds and Maxwell to Binghamton, both in the AHL.Whalers fans are still relishing the words of Bob Whitley, sportswriter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who expressed his feelings about the WHA/NHL rivalry. The first three paragraphs of a story he filed from Hartford after the Whalers wiped out the Penguins, 9-0, on Friday Oct. 7, went this way:&ldquo;Let it be said that the National Hockey League, in its infinite wisdom, did itself a favor with last summer&rsquo;s 11th hour decision to drop plans to merge with the rival World Hockey Association.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02334/4087649-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="568" height="610"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRANCOIS LACOMBE&hellip;Hot Nordique</figcaption></div>&ldquo;If last night&rsquo;s exhibition is any indication, some NHL clubs are not yet ready for the WHA. The WHA New England Whalers dealt a severe blow to NHL pride, polishing off the Penguins, 90, at the Hartford Civic Center.&ldquo;In their next to last exhibition before the start of the regular season, the Penguins appeared to be rank amateurs. New England peppered the Pittsburgh goal with 17 first period shots, scoring six times as the Penguin defense caved in around goaltender Denis Herron&rdquo;&hellip;QUEBEC: The defending Avco Cup champion Nordiques had their difficulties getting off the mark when the season began. After laboring through a mediocre pre-season schedule with two wins, two losses and two ties, the Nords opened the season with a 5-2 loss in Winnipeg. The next night they were bopped by Edmonton 4-2, and then they brought the Oilers home with them for the opener at the friendly Colisee. There they got themselves untracked and drilled the Oilers 6-2. The big guns produced, as goals came from Real Cloutier, Marc Tardif, Serge Bernier, and Paulin Bordeleau.Coach Marc Boileau went into the opener with two good scoring lines and a big, tough checking line. Christian Bordeleau centered Buddy Cloutier and Marc Tardif while Serge Bernier was between Paulin Bordeleau and Normand Dube. The thumpers were centers by Bob Fitchner while Curt Brackenbury and Calgary transplant, Peter Driscoll manned the wings.Back at the blueline Boileau used Paul Baxter and Jean Bernier with Francois Lacombe The other pairing was one of age and experience with youth, as J.C. Tremblay lined up with Garry Lariviere&hellip;Conspicuous by their absence from the line-up were defensemen Jim Dorey and Wally Weir. There had been no reports of injuries.The Nordiques still had 23 on their playing roster when the season opened. An adjustment in the spare goaltender department saw the release of Richard Sevigny, seventh-round draft choice who had defected from the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; camp. He went to Kalamazoo in the International League where the Nordiques will apparently still keep an eye on him. Signed to a two-year contract to take his place was Jim Corsi, former Concordia University netminder who played in the Colorado Rockies&rsquo; chain.Also cut was defenseman Jean Gagnon. Pierre Lagace and Alain Cote, rookies fresh out of the QJMHL, were assigned to Hampton of the American Hockey League.An oddity: The only Nordique among the WHA&rsquo;s top 10 scorers after the first two games was defenseman Lacombe With a goal and two assists he was tied for fifth. Last year in 81 games the defensive stalwart managed only 27 points and ranked 14th in scoring among Nordique sharpshooters&hellip; &#9632;

f0024-01

Whalers’ Pre-Season ‘Momentum’ Gets Club Rolling Early In Race

<div class="byline">BY GREG NOBLE</div>CINCINNATI&mdash;Stingers&rsquo; coach Jacques Demers considered Mike Liut&rsquo;s performance in his first major league game as the young goaltender&rsquo;s first step toward greatness.&ldquo;Liut is bound to be a great goaltender,&rdquo; Demers pronounced after the rookie stopped the Stingers&rsquo; two-game losing streak and led them to their first victory of the season, a 6-2 decision over New England.&ldquo;Getting Liut was one of the best moves the Stingers ever made,&rdquo; said Demers. &ldquo;He has everything&mdash;size (he&rsquo;s six-foot-two, 181), reflexes, a good attitude. And the biggest thing is he has great confidence. He&rsquo;s cocky. If you told him he&rsquo;d be playing the Montreal Canadiens, he&rsquo;d be thinking he was going to shut them out. I like a guy like that.&rdquo;Liut, who was playing at Bowling Green University last year, beat out Norm Lapointe for the No. 2 goaltending spot behind Ernie Wakely. Liut had an outstanding training camp, winning most valuable goaltender honors over Vladimir Tretiak and Jiri Holocek in the Rude Pravo Cup tournament in Prague.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01361/4087732-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="565" height="1194"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICH LEDUC&hellip;Hot Scorer</figcaption></div>The 21-year-old Liut said that even before training camp he was confident he&rsquo;d make the team. &ldquo;I wanted it to turn out like this,&rdquo; he said, smiling after his first victory.&ldquo;I have a lot of confidence in myself Am I cocky? Not in the sense everybody refers to it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m outspoken. I&rsquo;m not afraid to express myself. I feel I have to have a certain amount of arrogance if I&rsquo;m going to go out and play with these guys (pros). I have to feel I&rsquo;m good enough.&rdquo;Still, Liut admitted he was nervous in his first game.&ldquo;I shouldn&rsquo;t have been nervous, but I was. I don&rsquo;t know why,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had a bad warmup and I started thinking about it too much. I didn&rsquo;t settle down until the second period. The other guys held me in in the first period and then I did my job in the second period.&rdquo;The Stingers raced to a 5-0 lead in the first period, and when they relaxed in the second period and the Whalers threatened to come back, Liut turned back their challenge by stopping 15 of 16 shots.For the game he made 32 saves.Liut started unexpectedly in place of Ernie Wakely, the veteran who played in the Stingers&rsquo; first two games&mdash;both 5-4 defeats. Demers had not planned to use Liut until the team went on the road but Wakely had not been sharp and Demers felt he had to make a change.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to do it,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but sometimes when you lose two games you have to make a change. And it helps. Liut came up big. I&rsquo;m not worried about Ernie, though. He&rsquo;s proven himseU over 17 years.&rdquo;Richie Leduc, the Stingers&rsquo; leading scorer last season with 52 goals and 55 assists, got off to a blistering start with four goals in the first game and two goals and one assist in the second. He got three assists in the third game&mdash;10 points in three games&rsquo;&ldquo;Ten points in three games&mdash;that takes a lot of luck, a lot of hard work and maybe a little bit of talent,&rdquo; Leduc said modestly. &ldquo;I try to work hard game in and game out all season.&rdquo;After struggling with playing Demers&rsquo; system in the opening game, the Stingers made good progress in the next two games.&ldquo;The system&rsquo;s going to get better every game,&rdquo; Demers said after the victory over New England. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take time. But in these last two games we&rsquo;ve proved the system is going to be hard to beat.&rdquo;The Stingers signed former Indianapolis goaltender Michel Dion to a one-year contract. Dion became a free agent after turning down a contract from the Racers in the summer. The club assigned him to Hampton in the American League.BIRMINGHAM: Frank Mahovlich, recovering from knee surgery, returned to the lineup for the first time in 11 months and contributed two assists in the Bulls&rsquo; opening game victory over Houston.Mahovlich reported that the knee was about three-quarters of its strength on opening day. The 39-year-old all-time great worked long and hard to get ready for the first game after suffering a setback in his recovery over the summer.Coach Glen Sonmor teamed left winger Mahovlich with right winger Mark Napier and newcomer center Joe Noris, and Noris scored two goals in the 5-3 victory over the Aeros.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03182/4087725-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="1806" height="1164"><figcaption class="caption-body">A PAIR OF EIGHTS: When newcomer Robbie Ftorek, left, showed up in the Cincinnati Stingers&rsquo; camp this year after his trade from Phoenix he encountered a problem of getting his favorite number to wear on his jersey. It seems Claude Larose, right, had No. 8 from last year. It was Ftorek&rsquo;s favorite number, too. Stinger coach Jacques Demers, in center, gave both players the same number with the approval of the WHA. It&rsquo;s a first for professional hockey.</figcaption></div>Sonmor&rsquo;s other lines matched center Vaclav Nedomansky with Tom Gorman and Tim Sheehy and center Peter Marrin with Paul Henderson and Tony Cassolato. Henderson scored the Bulls&rsquo; only two goals in a 5-2 loss at New England.Club owner John Bassett denied a widespread rumor that the Bulls would sign veteran defenseman Pat Stapleton. Defenseman Jean-Guy Lagace was expected to miss the first six weeks of the season with a shoulder injury.INDIANAPOLIS: Cincinnati coach Jacques Demers wanted to take exception with the &ldquo;experts&rdquo; who predicted a poor finish for the Racers this season.Demers was impressed by coach Ron Ingram&rsquo;s patchwork team after the Racers beat the Stingers, 5-4, in the season opener at Cincinnati.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re a surprising team,&rdquo; said Demers, who coached at Indianapolis the last two seasons. &ldquo;They have a good defense&mdash;much better than last year. They&rsquo;re younger, quicker. Some people picked them to finish in last place but they&rsquo;re going to surprise a lot of people.&rdquo;Ingram was proud of his club, and rightfully so. &ldquo;We worked hard,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We deserved to win.&rdquo;Rusty Patenaude was the first star with two goals and Kevin Devine was the second star with two assists.But after the first game the Racers fell on hard times. They got bombed by Houston, 5-1, and Winnipeg, 9-1, before tying New England, 2-2.Ingram, hurried in putting the team together, was carrying 23 players at the start of the season. He planned to play some alternately until he was certain which players he wanted to keep.<h2>WHA Leaders</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02262/4087718-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="577" height="771"></div> &#9632;

f0025-01

‘Kid’ Goaler Liut Plays Major Role In Stinger’ Win

<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1849/4087913-1-eng-US/f0026-182.jpg" title="f0026-18" width="578" height="564"></div><h2>GOALING RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-1942/4087906-1-eng-US/f0026-192.jpg" title="f0026-19" width="574" height="460"></div> &#9632;

f0026-18

AHL Leaders

MONTREAL&mdash;Guy Lafleur picked up right where he left off last season earning a first star selection in the Canadiens opening game, a 7-3 victory, against the Minnesota North Stars, and a third star status in the second game of the season to grab an early lead in the Molson three-star competition.Actually he&rsquo;s tied in points with defenseman Larry Robinson, the 1976-77 Norris Trophy winner, who earned first star plaudits in both the 5-0 victory over the N.Y. Rangers (game two) and the following night in Boston which the Canadiens won 2-0. In case of a tie, the player with the most first star selections will be the leader.Each star selection is worth five points, whether the player is chosen as first, second or third star of the game. Thus Lafleur and Robinson each have 10 points on the season, while three other players each have five points because of one star selection. &#9632;

Lafleur, Robinson Share Molson Cup Lead

<h2>Tue. Oct. 18</h2>NEW ENGLAND 2, INDIANAPOLIS 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01340/4088045-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="588" height="623"></div>CINCINNAT11, QUEBEC 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02248/4088038-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="584" height="513"></div><h2>Wed. Oct. 19</h2>NEW ENGLAND 6, EDMONTON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03188/4088031-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="587" height="267"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04148/4088024-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="589" height="295"></div><h2>Fri. Oct. 21</h2>QUEBEC 4, INDIANAPOLIS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06110/4088017-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="581" height="172"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07100/4088010-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="584" height="483"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0891/4088003-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="566" height="601"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOBBY HULL</figcaption></div>NEW ENGLAND 5, WINNIPEG 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0985/4087996-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="582" height="505"></div>CINCINNATI 5, HOUSTON 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1082/4087989-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="583" height="619"></div><h2>Sat. Oct. 22</h2>BIRMINGHAM 5, QUEBEC 8FIRST PERIODQuebec. 1&mdash;Dube (S. Bernier) 3:23, Bir-<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1174/4087982-1-eng-US/f0028-112.jpg" title="f0028-11" width="589" height="622"></div><h2>Sun. Oct. 23</h2>BIRMINGHAM 3, WINNIPEG 10<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1270/4087975-1-eng-US/f0028-122.jpg" title="f0028-12" width="588" height="373"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1364/4087968-1-eng-US/f0028-132.jpg" title="f0028-13" width="591" height="351"></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

WORLD HOCKEY ASSN. SUMMARIES

(Standings on Tue. Oct. 25)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05128/4088076-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="585" height="244"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tue. Oct. 18New England 2 at Indianapolis 2Cincinnati 1 at Quebec 5Wed. Oct. 19New England 6 at Edmonton 3Fri. Oct. 21Quebec 4 at Indianapolis 4Cincinnati 5 at Houston 6New England 5 at Winnipeg 2Sat Oct. 22Birmingham 5 at Quebec 8Sun. Oct. 23Birmingham 3 at Winnipeg 10 &#9632;

f0028-05

The WHA Scoreboard

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue. 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 EdmontonSat. 5 Quebec at Birmingham,Winnipeg at CincinnatiSun 6 New England at CincinnatiHouston at EdmontonTue. 8 New England at BirminghamEdmonton at QuebecWed. 9 Birmingham at CincinnatiHouston at WinnipegThu. 10 Edmonton at New EnglandFri. 11 Edmonton at CincinnatiIndianapolis at HoustonQuebec at WinnipegSat. 12 Edmonton at BirminghamIndianapolis at New EnglandCincinnati at QuebecSun. 13 Cincinnati at WinnipegTue. 15 New England at IndianapolisWinnipeg at QuebecWed 16 Cincinnati at EdmontonBirmingham at WinnipegFri. 18 Cincinnati at EdmontonQuebec at HoustonBirmingham at IndianapolisWinnipeg at New EnglandSat. 19 Houston at BirminghamWinnipeg at IndianapolisSun. 20 New England at EdmontonIndianapolis at QuebecCincinnati at Winnipeg &#9632;

Where WHA Teams Play

NEW ENGLAND &mdash; McKenzie 1, Ley 1, Rogers 1, 2, 3, Webster 5, 6, 7, 8, Mark Howe 1, Pleau 1, 2, Carlson 2.INDIANAPOLIS &mdash; Thomas 1, 2, St, Sauveur 2, Burgess 2, Paiement 2, Devine 1.CINCINNATI &mdash; Ftorek 4, 5, 6, Leduc 7, 8, Hall 1.QUEBEC &mdash; Filchner 1, Cloutier 2, 3, 4, 5, Bernier 2, 3, Dube 1, 2, Tardif 3, 4, Sutherland 2, P. Bordeleau 2, 3, 4, Brackenbury 3, Constantin 1, Baxter 1.EDMONTON &mdash; Callighen 2, Baird 2, MacDonald 3.WINNIPEG &mdash; K, Nilsson 4, 5, 5, Hedberg 4, Hull 7, 8, 9, Sullivan 1, 2, Labraaten 3, U. Nilsson 2, Ruhnke 4.HOUSTON &mdash; F, Hughes 1, 2, Gray 1, Lund 2, Lacrox 1, Connor 2.BIRMINGHAM &mdash; Noris 3, 4, 5, B, Hughes 1, Napier 1, 2, Gorman 1, Henderson 3. &#9632;

WHA’s Scorers …This Week

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01297/4088155-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE ANTONOVICH&hellip; Key ingredient of Whalers&rsquo; line.</figcaption></div>HARTFORD&mdash;Many people have theories on what ingredients make a hockey line productive. One of the best examples toils night after night at both ends of the Hartford Civic Center rink.Precision, skill, work and luck make a trio successful. The New England Whalers are fortunate to have Dave Keon, John McKenzie and Mike Antonovich among their 1977-78 crew. The threesome is what hockey&rsquo;s all about.&ldquo;Basically, we play a similar style of game,&rdquo; says Keon about the line he centers. &ldquo;We work for one another.&ldquo;One guy can&rsquo;t make a line and by the same token, one guy can&rsquo;t mess up a line. You have to help one another and work at both ends of the rink. That basically is a big part of our success.&rdquo;Keon, a master of the forechecking game, enjoyed his best scoring season in 17 years of hockey last year. He led the Harpoonists with 27 goals. 63 assists and 90 points. He also ranked seventh in the league&rsquo;s plus-minus statistics, a part of hockey he stresses.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to make the scoring plays or the play that results in a goal,&rdquo; offers the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain. &ldquo;But when you don&rsquo;t have the puck, you have to keep the other team from scoring. Forechecking is part of the game, too.&rdquo;Forechecking, applying pressure to the enemy deep in its own zone when they have the puck, is a skill hockey teams like the Bruins and Canadiens build around. The idea is to &ldquo;create situations and opponents&rsquo; mistakes so the other team coughs up the puck and we get on offense,&rdquo; adds Keon.Coach Harry Neale of the Whalers advocates the forechecking game. The current cast of Whaler characters can play Neale&rsquo;s &ldquo;check-and-skate&rdquo; brand of hockey. Neale knows the value of having a line like Keon&rsquo;s on hand.&ldquo;They compliment each other well and they can surely manufacture the points.&rdquo; says the Whalers&rsquo; skipper. &ldquo;But I also gauge a line on how effective it is stopping the opposition.&rdquo;McKenzie, the eldest member of the line, shares the same thoughts. &ldquo;All of us will get our share of points, but it&rsquo;s the plus-minus figure we take pride in. We always have a high plus on our side of the ledger.&rdquo;The plus-minus rating is a barometer that computes a skater&rsquo;s defensive effectiveness. To compute the rating, one sums the number of home goals scored while a player is on the ice with the number of enemy goals when he&rsquo;s on the rink, not including power play and short-handed situations.The past two years, the Keon line has pooled 166 goals, 208 assists for a total of 376 points. In 34 games with New England last season, the Keon-McKenzie-Antonovich threesome knocked home 37 goals on its way to 90 points, almost three markers a game. The line also had a plusminus rating of 90, one of the best in the WHA.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be afraid to skate them against anyone&rsquo;s top line,&rdquo; adds Neale. &ldquo;They are able to stop the opposition from scoring, if that&rsquo;s the game plan.&rdquo;Neale, who handled the controls in Minnesota before joining the Whalers, helped architect a line that sometimes has been called the &ldquo;Capital City Lightning Company&rdquo; since its arrival in Hartford. Keon and McKenzie skated for parts of the season with Mike Walton and Henry Boucha on the left wing.But at mid-streak two years ago, Antonovich was inserted and bingo, the enemy&rsquo;s red light began to light up on a regular basis.&ldquo;We just started to click,&rdquo; says Antonovich about the fusion of the Whalers&rsquo; high-octane line. &ldquo;Both Davey and John are good teachers and we work well together. I&rsquo;m fortunate to be skating with them.&rdquo;So are the Whalers. When the Minnesota Fighting Saints went out of business last January, Keon and McKenzie found the bus to Hartford. Within two weeks, Antonovich grabbed the same express and the Whalers gained one of the premier two-way trios in professional hockey. &#9632;

f0029-01

Antonovich Adds Finishing Touch To Line

<h2>CINCINNATI</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>DION, MichelLIUT, MikeWAKELY, Ernie<h3>Defense</h3>BEAUDOIN, SergeLEGGE, BarryMAROTTE, GillesMELROSE, BarryNORWICH, CraigPLUMB, Ron<h3>Forwards</h3>ABGRALL, DennisDUDLEY, RickFTOREK, RobbieHALL, DelHISLOP, JamieLAROSE, ClaudeLEDUC, RichLOCAS, JacquesMARSH, PeterSOBCHUK, DennisSTOUGHTON, Blain<h2>HOUSTON</h2><h3>Goalers</h3>RUTLEDGE, 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, KimDUNN, DaveGREEN, TedHORNUNG, LarryLONG, BarryMICHELETTI, JoeSJOBERG, Lars-Erik<h3>Forwards</h3>GUINDON, BobbyHEDBERG, AndersHUCK, FranHULL, BobbyLABRAATEN, DannyLESUK, BillLINDSTROM, WillyMOFFAT, LyleNILSSON, KentNILSSON, UlfRUHNKE, KentSULLIVAN, Peter<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, RichardCORSI, JimMcLEOD, 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 &#9632;

WHA’s Starting Team Rosters

<div class="byline">BY JIM LEAHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01335/4088210-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="571" height="890"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM COLLEY&hellip;Team Player</figcaption></div>NEW HAVEN&mdash;New Haven Nighthawk fans should be in for a tremendous hockey season this year thanks to the parent New York Rangers and two key acquisitions made by GM-coach Parker MacDonald. The Nighthawk organization has improved the club markedly following a dreadful first season in the American Hockey League.Center Tom Colley, who has scored 265 points in 301 regular season games during past years, is owned by the Nighthawks along with defenseman Ken Murray.The five-foot-nine Colley is considered by many to be an excellent forechecker as well as a totally dedicated team player. The durable Colley holds the club record for consecutive games played, not having missed a Hawk contest in more than three years.Tom normally centers the big Nighthawk scoring line of Colley, Jerry Byers and All Star Eddie Johnstone. Byers has averaged 30 goals a season for the past four years and the scrappy Johnstone lost the AHL scoring title to Springfield&rsquo;s Andre Peloffy by only one point during the 1976-77 campaign.Veteran defenseman Murray is a welcome addition to the blueline corps. He started the season with Colorado last year and ended with the AHL Rhode Island Reds. Before he broke his ankle last November, Murray was Rhode island&rsquo;s most effective defenseman, Ken is expected to be a key contributor to Nighthawk fortunes in the upcoming AHL campaign and he should steady, what has been at time a porous Nighthawk defense.in addition to Murray and Colley, the Nighthawks have All Star defenseman John Bednarski and veteran Larry Sacharuk. &ldquo;Sach&rdquo; has a blazing slap shot which has terrorized AHL netminders in the past, and Bednarski is an excellent AHL defenseman.Coach Parker MacDonald should also have strong goaltending. If the Rangers keep Gilles (The Count) Gratton in New Haven, he could be a big factor in the Nighthawk drive towards the Southern Division title. Now that the Rangers picked up Wayne Thomas in the NHL equalization draft, Doug Soetaert could end up playing behind Gratton in New Haven. Then there&rsquo;s Lindsay Middlebrook, the collegian who recently signed his first professional contract.Rookie defenseman Mario Marois, who had 249 penalty minutes for the Quebec Remparts last season, and rugged Jim Troy, should give the Hawks some much needed muscle.It&rsquo;s possible that Wayne Dillon could also be sent to New Haven. If that happens, the Nighthawks could be hard to beat this year. Dillon is presently on the NHL injury list.NOVA SCOTIA: The awesome Voyageurs only lost winger Paul Woods to the recent NHL equalization draft. Unless some last minute trades change the Nova Scotia roster, All Star goaltender Ed Walsh will be in the nets. Walsh will be No. 1 goaler this year now that Dave Elenbaas has been sent to Dallas of the CHL by Montreal on loan. Combined with the rest of the powerful Voyageur team, they should be able to lead the Vees to an easy Northern Division title.ROCHESTER: Walt Ledingham has been sent to Rochester as part of the new working agreement with the N.Y. Islanders. He should be a welcome addition after scoring 86 points for Rhode Island last season. Defenseman Ray Maluta, Darryl Edestrand, Rod Graham, Joe Rando, and Lorrie Gloekner are also in the Rochester camp. Center Rene Drolet hopes to make the club as a free agent. The Bruins recently dropped down top defenseman Doug Halward and Al Sims, both of whom are on recall to the NHL.HERSHEY: Joe Kowal has been returned to the AHL after being assigned to Hershey by the Buffalo Sabres. GM Frank Mathers also got high scoring center Doug Gibson from the Washington Capitals.BINGHAMTON: GM Paul Brown indicated that &ldquo;over 4,000 season tickets have been sold and the Dusters are looking forward to their first season in the American Hockey League.&rdquo; The Dusters are looking for a capacity crowd for every game since they played 98 percent capacity in the NAHL last year. Joe Hardy, Pete McNamee. Rod Bloomfield, Richard Grenier, Pierre Laganiere and Dave Staffen have been purchased outright. Ken Holland and Clay Hebenton should be in the nets for the Dusters who now have a working agreement with the Houston Aeros to go with the Pittsburgh deal that came with the Rhode Island franchise.PHILADELPHIA: The Firebirds are hoping for an opening night crowd of 4,500 or more. According to Bob Wahlquist, &ldquo;new players may be added depending on major league cuts however, the Firebirds still plan to be an independent team this year.&rdquo; Half page ads have been taken out in local papers in an effort to promote the new AHL club. One recent addition is Alf Handrahan who has had quite a few penalty minutes in his career.SPRINGFIELD: Since Binghamton and Philadelphia were added to the AHL, the Tribe&rsquo;s schedule had to be revamped. All home dates remain the same however, some changes were made to the road schedule. John Paul Dellacamera continues this season as &ldquo;the voice of the fndians&rdquo; on radio station WMAS which will broadcast all 80 home and away games.MAINE: The expansionist Mariners won two of the first three pre-season contest with Nova Scotia. President Gil Stein said that &ldquo;the interest in hockey we felt in our community this past summer, and saw demonstrated once camp opened, is making us even more anxious to show people what we have.&rdquo;HAMPTON: The Gulls have announced that they will play one of the touring Russian teams at the Coliseum on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Gulls&rsquo; president, Charles A. Wornom, commented that &ldquo;Hockey has certainly reached a big time level in Virginia as the Gulls join the AHL and are now stepping into international competition. &#9632;

f0030-01

Hawks Threat With Rangers’ Help; Halward, Sims Beef Up Americans

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Oct. 26)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02266/4088255-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="580" height="349"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Oct. 19Springfield 9 at Binghamton 5Nova Scotia 3 at Hampton 2Rochester 5 at Maine 3New Haven 0 at Philadelphia 3Fri. Oct. 21Binghamton 6 at Hampton 3Maine 3 at New Haven 2Rochester 4 at Nova Scotia 3Hershey 3 at Springfield 5Sat. Oct. 22Binghamton 2 at Hershey 7New Haven 4 at Maine 1Hampton 4 at Springfield 6Sun. Oct. 23Hershey 3 at Hampton 2Philadelphia 6 at Maine 3Binghamton 3 at New Haven 8Rochester 3 at Nova Scotia 5<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Oct. 28)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03199/4088248-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="582" height="189"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Thu. Oct. 20Salt Lake 3 at Kansas City 3Fri. Oct. 21Phoenix 1 at Fort Worth 3Dallas 2 at Tulsa 4Sat. Oct. 22Dallas 2 at Fort Worth 3Salt Lake 2 at Kansas City 3Phoenix 2 at Tulsa 8<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Wed. Oct. 26)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04137/4088241-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="579" height="348"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. Oct. 21Fort Wayne 2 at Muskegon 5Flint 4 at Milwaukee 2Port Huron 3 at Saginaw 3Dayton 4 at Toledo 3Sat. Oct. 22Kalamazoo 3 at Fort Wayne 3Saginaw 2 at Muskegon 3Milwaukee 1 at Port Huron 2Toledo 3 at Dayton 1Sun. Oct. 23Port Huron 2 at Flint 3Fort Wayne 5 at Saginaw 4Milwaukee 5 at Kalamazoo 5Muskegon 2 at Toledo 6 &#9632;

f0030-02

MINOR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

<h2>NHLTEAMS</h2>1&mdash;Montreal2&mdash;Chicago3&mdash;Boston4&mdash;Rangers5&mdash;Detroit6&mdash;Toronto7&mdash;Philadelphia8&mdash;Los Angeles9&mdash;St. Louis10&mdash;Minnesota11&mdash;Pittsburgh12&mdash;Islanders13&mdash;Vancouver14&mdash;Buffalo15&mdash;Atlanta18&mdash;Cleveland17&mdash;Colorado18&mdash;Washington<h2>WHA TEAMS</h2>19&mdash;New England20&mdash;Quebec21&mdash;Winnipeg22&mdash;Houston23&mdash;Indianapolis24&mdash;Edmonton25&mdash;Cincinnati26&mdash;Birmingham<h2>INTER-LEAGUE</h2>27&mdash;Boston (NHL) & St. Louis (NHL)28&mdash;Montreal (NHL) & Atlanta (NHL)29&mdash;Pittsburgh (NHL) & Houston (WHA)30&mdash;Washington (NHL) & Buffalo (NHL)31&mdash;Independent32&mdash;New England. Birmingham, Cincinnati and Quebec (all WHA).33&mdash;Los Angeles (NHL) & New England (WHA)34&mdash;Colorado (NHL) & Cleveland (NHL)35&mdash;Chicago (NHL) & Toronto (NHL)36&mdash;Vancouver (NHL) & Atlanta (NHL)37&mdash;Islanders (NHL) & Minnesota (NHL)40&mdash;Detroit (NHL) & Atlanta (NHL)41&mdash;St. Louis (NHL) & Washington (NHL)42&mdash;Chicago (NHL) & Colorado (NHL)43&mdash;Vancouver (NHL) & Minnesota (NHL)44&mdash;Buffalo (NHL) & Philadelphia (NHL)45&mdash;Islanders (NHL) & Atlanta (NHL)46&mdash;Rangers (NHL) & Cleveland (NHL) &#9632;

Who They’re Affiliated With…

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Wed. 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 Rocheste<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Wed. 2 Springfield at BinghamtonHershey at Nova ScotiaThu. 3 Rochester at HamptonFri. 4 Hershey at New HavenBinghamton at RochesterSat. 5 Philadelphia at SpringfieldSun. 6 Hershey at HamptonBinghamton at Nova ScotiaPhiladelphia at RochesterTue. 8 Springfield at HamptonBinghamton at Nova ScotiaWed. 9 Springfield at HersheyNew Haven at MaineThu. 10 Hampton at BinghamtonFri. 11 Springfield at New HavenNova Scotia at PhiladelphiaMaine at RochesterSat. 12 New Haven at HersheyRochester at MaineNova Scotia at PhiladelphiaHampton at Springfield &#9632;

Where AHL Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY TERRY BALMORE</div>CAMBRIDGE&mdash;After three years of retirement from hockey, Bill Wylie has returned to the helm of the Cambridge Hornets, of the Ontario Hockey Association Senior &lsquo;A&rsquo; loop. And judging from the present record of 7-2-0, one would have to think that his presence hasn&rsquo;t hurt the Hornets.The 49-year-old native of Galt played hockey for the hometown Junior &lsquo;A&rsquo; club, before turning to coaching in neighboring Preston and later Galt. He first coached the then-named Galt Hornets in the 1970-71 season and steered them to the Allan Cup, emblematic of senior hockey supremacy in Canada.Wylie returns this season for his fifth campaign, and sees this year&rsquo;s club as being &ldquo;a good skating team, with good size.&rdquo;&ldquo;All the teams in this league have the ability to score a good number of goals on any given night. Obviously it&rsquo;s the one that can develop the proper balance of offensive and defensive strength that&rsquo;s going to rise to the top. It&rsquo;s the defensive part of our game that we are continually working on,&rdquo; explains Wylie.Their defensive play appears to be the area in which the Hornets have found a great deal of their success as they allowed only 30 goals in their nine games, while tallying 49 themselves.&ldquo;Without solid goaltending, a team just can&rsquo;t be competitive in this league. Bob Dupuis has provided us with the strength needed at that position, and he definitely is another reason for our early success,&rdquo; comments Wylie.The Hornets announced the signing of former Toronto Toro goaltender Dave Tataryn last week to further add to the goaltending strength.Another welcomed addition to the Hornets has been the return of Dave Cressman, a former junior star with the Kitchener Rangers. He is a big local favorite. Cressman played last season for the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re sure glad that Dave decided to remain at home this year&hellip;he leads by example,&rdquo; praises Wylie, &ldquo;and in doing so, provides us with exceptional leadership.&rdquo;Cambridge Hornets are unique in another area of their operation. They are othe only team in the league to play on a &ldquo;share the wealth&rdquo; basis, as opposed to a paid per game arrangement.&ldquo;Who&rsquo;s to say which format is the best,&rdquo; comments Wylie, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ve got good team spirit, so I assume that the players enjoy playing for our operation. The players do alright on the &ldquo;share the wealth&rdquo; basis, as we&rsquo;ve drawn an average of approximately 1,200 fans per game. The players are represented in matters that concern the team&rsquo;s finances and any one of them can see the books at any time.&rdquo;This year there&rsquo;s an added incentive for each of the teams to start well. The two top teams after the first twelve games will play a two-game total-goal series, with the winner receiving a trip to Czechoslovakia for a two-week exhibition tour. When asked about the trip and whether or not he felt that it provided an extra incentive for the players, Wylie answered that &ldquo;he hadn&rsquo;t even mentioned it. The season&rsquo;s still young &hellip;anything can happen. We&rsquo;re just trying to play one game at a time.&rdquo;And one game at a time, the Cambridge Hornets are establishing themselves as strong contenders for top honors in the Ontario Senior League race this season.Meanwhile four veteran forwards have been released by Omilta Terriers.Manager Terry Skelcher said Barry Lutes, John Cook, Colin Gordon and Dave McCullagh were released as the club trimmed its roster to the league limit of 11 forwards. &#9632;

Cambridge Already Looms As Team To Beat

<h2>BINGHAMTON DUSTERS</h2>Goal: Clay Hebenton, Ken Holland.Defense: Jim Chicoyne, Glen Irwin, Jim Marsh, Bryan Maxwell, Peter McNamee, Tom Price, Peter Scamurra, Paul Stewart.Centere: Rod Bloomfield, Joe Hardy, Billy Inglis.Right Wings: Richard Grenier, Pierre Laganiere.Left Wings: Michel Deziel, Bob Liddington, Randy MacGregor, Dave Staffen.<h2>HAMPTON GULLS</h2>Goal: Paul Hoganson, Eddie Mio.Defense: Terry Ballingall, Larry Bolonchuk, Floyd Lahache, Jim McElmur, Francois Ouimet, Bill Prentice.Centers: Pat Donnelly, Bill Gilligan, Pierre Lagace, Don O&rsquo;Donoghue, Kelly Pratt.Right Wings: Paul O&rsquo;Neil, Pat Russell, Billy Steele, Bob Stephenson.Left Wings: Danny Arndt, Brian Coatee, Gene Sobchuk.<h2>HERSHEY BEARS</h2>Goal: Jim Bedard, Jim Weaver.Defense: Bob Bilodeau, Richard Dunn, Al Glendennlng, Jean Lemieux, Wayne Ramsey.Centers: Ron Areehenkoff, Rick Bragnalo, Doug Gibson, Claude Noel.Right Wings: Pat Crowley, Ed Godin, Mark Lofthouse.Left Wings: Nelson Burton, Mike Marson, Morris Titanic, Tony White.<h2>MAINE MARINERS</h2>Goal: Jerome Mrazek, Rick St. Crois.Defense: Norm Barnes, Frank Bathe, Danny Clark, Guy Delparte, Mike Komey, Dennis Patterson, Dave Robinson.Centers: Drew Callander, Bernie Johnston, Wayne Schaab.Right Wings: Brian Burke, Tom Gorance, John Paddock, Larry Romanchych.Left Wings: Al Hill, Dave Hynek, Jeff McDIII.<h2>NEW HAVEN NIGHTHAWKS</h2>Goal: Gilles Gratton, Lindsey Middlebrook, Doug Soetaert.Defense: Ray Clearwater, Mario Marois, Ken Murray, Larry Sacharuk, Dave Tomassonl.Centers: Tom Colley, Randy Mohns, Bud Stefanski, Bob Sullivan.Right Wings: Brad Becker, Mark Heaslip, Ed Johnstone, Jim Troy.Left Wings: Jerry Byers, Greg Hickey, Mike Keating, Dale Lewis.<h2>NOVA SCOTIA VOYAGEURS</h2>Goal: Maurice Barrette, Eddie Waleh.Defense: Tim Burke, Greg Fox, Chuck Luksa, Moe Robinson, Pierre Roy.Centers: Jim Cahoon, Mike Hobln, Frank St. Marseille, Mike Polich.Right Wings: Bruce Baker, Pat Hughes, Peter Lee, Dave Lumley, Gord McTavish.Left Wings: Norm Dupont, Rod Schutt, Ron Wilson. PHILADELPHIA FIREBIRDSGoal: Rejean Lemelin, Cap Reeder.Defense: Bill Davis, Michel Dubois, Mike Haworth, Terry Murray, Mike Penasse, Rick Wilson.Centers: Bob Coilyard, Buster Harvey, Dave Kelly, J.C. Stewart.Right Wings: Gordie Brooks, Gary Coalter, Jim Cowell, AH Handrahan.Left Wings: Gord Cole, Randy Osburn, J.A. Stewart.<h2>ROCHESTER AMERICANS</h2>Goal: Gary Carr, Dave Parro, Jim Pettie.Defense: Daryl Drador, Daryl Edestrand, Rod Graham, Doug Halward, Ray Maluta, Joe Rando, Al Sims.Centers: Rick Adduono, Brad Anderson, Rene Drolet, Barry Smith.Right Wings: Gordie Clark, Brian MacGregor, Sean Shanahan.Left Wings: Bill Bennett, Ron Garwasluk, Steve Langdon, Clayton Pachal.<h2>SPRINGFIELD INDIANS</h2>Goal: Bruce Landon, Marlo Lessard.Defense: Tim Jacobs, Sheldon Kannegiesser, Paul McIntosh, Steve Short, Jim Witherspoon.Centers: Steve Carlson, Paul Evans, Pete Laframbolse, Andre Pekloffy.Right Wings: Danny Bolduc, Jim Mayer, Jim Moxey, Randy Rudnyk.Left Wings: Bob Berry, Stove Clippingdale, Derek Haas, Dave Hynoe. &#9632;

AHL Starting Rosters

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</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/f0032-01313/4088396-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="571" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body">RON WILSON&hellip;Impressive Hawk</figcaption></div>DALLAS&mdash;Gerry McNamara, the rookie coach of the Dallas Black Hawks, has been introducing defenseman Ron Wilson as &ldquo;the Bobby Orr of college hockey.&rdquo;The 22-year-old two-time All American from Providence College is living up to McNamara&rsquo;s advance billing, but shouldn&rsquo;t he show a little respect for his father?Wilson scored two goals in each of the Black Hawks&rsquo; first three games of the season and added an assist on the tying goal which led to an overtime victory against the Kansas City Red Wings, coached by Larry Wilson, Ron&rsquo;s father.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an offensive defenseman,&rdquo; said Wilson before the Hawks&rsquo; opener in Phoenix, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ll play anywhere as long as I get to play. Tonight, the coach told me I might be playing some at wing, depending on how the game went.&rdquo;The game went 3-2 for Dallas, due largely to a 2-0 lead on Wilson&rsquo;s pair of goals.The five-foot-11, 175-pound naturalized American, who was born in Windsor, Ont., added two more in a 6-3 Hawk setback the next night in Phoenix, then scored his fifth and sixth goals and seventh point in a 5-4 victory in Kansas City, decided by Dan Hinten&rsquo;s goal off an errant clearing pass with 45 seconds remaining in sudden-death overtime, the first in CHL regular season history.Wilson, who has two brothers still playing for Providence, scored 17 goals and 42 assists for 59 points in 30 games&mdash;almost two points a game&mdash;last season for Providence.Signed by the Chicago Black Hawks and joining the Dallas club at last season&rsquo;s end, he played four games at center-ice and split the defense for one spectacular goal.Wilson was tied for the scoring lead with another defenseman, Claire Alexander of the Tulsa Oilers after the first weekend of CHL play.Wilson led in goals with six and power play goals with three.Dallas does not open at home until Oct. 29, against Phoenix.McNamara pointed out that Dallas&rsquo; pre-season record of 5-0-2 was not the advantage that it may have seemed over, for instance, Phoenix which had no preseason schedule.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02239/4088389-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="571" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE O&rsquo;CONNELL&hellip;Back With Dallas</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03166/4088382-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="575" height="760"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVEELENBAAS&hellip;Second To Arrive</figcaption></div>&ldquo;The games were played mostly to look at our kids,&rdquo; said McNamara, who was a special assignment scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season and replaces Roger Neilson, who moved up to coach the Leafs. He estimated that four of the 30 players he originally greeted are still with the club.Mike O&rsquo;Connell, the CHL&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman of last season, arrived from the co-parent Black Hawks in time for one practice before the opener.Goaltenders Pierre Hamel and Dave Elenbaas joined the team on the day of the opener. Hamel arrived two hours before Elenbaas and drew the starting assignment.Hamel, driving from Toronto to Dallas, encountered car trouble, Elenbaas flew in from the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; camp.Hamel had been off the ice five days and Elenbaas four.&ldquo;Hamel got here first,&rdquo; reasoned McNamura, &ldquo;so he got the jump as my starting goaltender.&rdquo;Actually, Hamel had arrived in time to skate with the team on the morning of the opener. &#9632;

f0032-01

Former Collegiate Star Wilson Ticketed As Hot Hawks’ Prospect

<h2>DALLAS BLACK HAWKS</h2>Goal: Dave Elenbaas, Pierre Hamel.Defense: Kevin Campbell, Bob Hoffmeyer, Blair Mackasey, Mike O&rsquo;Connell, Ron Wilson.Centers: Bruce Boudreau, Kirk Bowman, Greg Vaydik, Duane Wylie.Right Wings: John Anderson, Alain Belanger, Greg Hubick, Rocky Saganluk, Bob Warner.Left Wings: Paul Evans, Pierre Giroux, Dan Hinton.<h2>FORT WORTH TEXANS</h2>Goal: Don Cutts, Bill Hughes, Andre Lepage.Defense: Chris Ahrens, Dwight Bialowas, Mike Hordy, Bob Lorimer, Neil Nicholson.Centers: Blake Dunlop, Richie Hansen, Garth MacGuigan, Doug Rombough.Right Wings: Billy MacMillan, Hector Marini, Yvon Vautour, Tom Youghans, Ron Zanussi.Left Wings: Bruce Andres, Alex McKendry, Richard Nantais, Dave Salvain.<h2>KANSAS CITY RED WINGS</h2>Goal: Mike Frawley, Terry Richardson.Defense: Larry Giroux, Dave Hanson, Jim Nahrgang, Dwight Schofield, John Taft, Rick Vasko.Centers: Fred Berry, Mike Bloom, Roland Cloutier, Fred Williams.Right Wings: Don Martineau, Brian McCutcheon, Kevin Schamehorn.Left Wings: Steve Coates, Dan Gruen, Clark Hamilton, Fern Leblanc.<h2>PHOENIX ROADRUNNERS</h2>Goal: Bill Oleschuk, Jim Warden.Defense: Roger Lemelin, Owen Lloyd, Monte Miron, Darcy Regier, Dave Syvret.Centers: Joe Contini, Angie Moretto, Rick Shinske, Larry Skinner, Vern Stenlund.Right Wings: Brian Ellacott, Ken Kuzyk, Guy Lash, Randy Pierce.Left Wings: Don Cairns, Mike Dwyer, Grant Eakin, Terry McDonald.<h2>SALT LAKE GOLDEN EAGLES</h2>Goal: Doug Grant, Rocky Menard.Defense: Gordon Buynak, Larry Huras, Neil Labatte, Jamie Masters, Barclay Plager, Joe Zanussi.Centers: Mitch Babin, Doug Palazzari, Tom Roulston, Don Tannehill.Right Wings: Lyle Bradley, Tony Currie, Brian Ogilvie.Left Wings: Jerry Holland, Gary Holt, Ken Richardson, Floyd Thomson.<h2>TULSA OILERS</h2>Goal: Murray Bannerman, Michel Belhumeur, Glen Hanlon.Defense: Claire Alexander, Jeff Bandura, Rick Hodgson, Dave Morrow, Mike Pelyk.Center: Cam Bottlng, Ray Creasey, Ralph Stewart, Rob Tudor, Stan Weir.Right Wings: Brian Hill, Gary McFadyen.Left Wings: Brian Drumm, Steve Hazlett, Glen Richardson, Bob Simpson. &#9632;

CHL Starting Rosters

<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 TulsaWed. 9 Dallas at PhoenixKansas City at Salt LakeThu. 10 Tulsa at Ft. WorthFri. 11 Dallas at PhoenixKansas City at Salt LakeFt. Worth at TulsaSat. 12 Kansas City at Ft. WorthPhoenix at Tulsa &#9632;

Where CHL Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY DOUG MCCONNELL</div>TULSA&mdash;The Tulsa Oilers got off on the right foot, taking a 4-1 victory at Salt Lake City, with Bob Simpson, Stan Weir and Cam Botting, the latter into an empty net, breaking up a 1-1 tie.After that, the ice wasn&rsquo;t as smooth for the Oilers, losing 4-3 to the Golden Eagles in the Salt Palace, then returning to Tulsa to have the home opener spoiled for 6,271 by the Fort Worth Texans, 4-3.They lost 3-1 to Fort Worth in Fort Worth to come out of a rough schedule of four games in four nights with one win and three losses.Claire Alexander, who won the CHL&rsquo;s outstanding rookie award, the leading defenseman award in 1973-74 and set a CHL record for defenseman with 25 goals in 1975-76, both seasons for Okalahoma City, was assigned to the Oilers by the Toronto Maple Leafs in time for the opening.He didn&rsquo;t waste time, producing two goals and five assists to tie Dallas&rsquo; defenseman Ron Wilson for the scoring lead after the first weekend of play.KANSAS CITY: The Kansas City Red Wings are not as inept as their opening weekend record of three straight losses might indicate.In front of the biggest CHL crowd to watch a game in Kansas City, 5,782, Garth MacGuigan spoiled the Red Wings&rsquo; home opener with two goals to break a 11 tie and give Fort Worth a 3-1 victory.The following, night, Richie Hansen scored with 58 seconds remaining to break a 3-3 tie at Fort Worth and another night later, back home in Kansas City, the Red Wings were 5-4 victims in the CHL&rsquo;s first regular season overtime.On the postitive side, Steve Coates scored a goal in each game and Mike Bloom collected five assists to tie Tulsa defenseman Claire Alexander for the league lead in that department. Bloom also collected a match penalty for hitting Rocky Saganuik of Dallas on the back with his stick, narrowly missing his head.FORT WORTH: The Fort Worth Texans had the answer for a tough opening schedule, hanging up four victories in four nights, two at home and two on the road.The co-rookies of the international Hockey League provided the scoring in a 3-1 victory at Kansas City, Garth MacGuigan scoring two, including the tie-breaker, and Ron Zanussi counting the other.The Texans gave 3,685 home fans something to yell about in the home opener as Richie Hansen scored with 58 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 3-3 tie for a 4-3 victory.Tom Younghans scored the CHL&rsquo;s first hat trick of the season, against Tulsa, but it remained for MacGuigan to score the winning goal in a 4-3 decision at Tulsa. MacGuigan&rsquo;s hat trick included the season&rsquo;s first shorthanded goal of the season.Back in Fort Worth, the Texans stopped the Oilers once more, Dave Salvian, the Texans&rsquo; high scorer the past two seasons, breaking the tie and Ron Zanussi adding the insurance.PHOENIX: Coach Sandy Hucul was happy to get an even split of the Phoenix Roadrunners&rsquo; first three games, even if they were at home.And even if they blew a three-goal lead in the third period to wind up with a 4-4 tie with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles.&ldquo;They could have let down after that,&rdquo; said Hucul, &ldquo;but they hung in there.&rdquo;He blamed youth and inexperience for the letdown, but not only the inexperience which comes with youth.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still trying to fit lines together,&rdquo; he said, noting the team only had three days of work together before the league opener.The lineup which has 10 rookies and an average age of 21.4, needed some standout goaltending from Jim Warden when they were outshot 13-3 in the first period of the opening game, a 3-2 loss to Dallas. By the next night, they had turned things around, took a 12-5 first period advantage in shotsand a 6-3 victory.Ken Kuzyk, who was the leading goal scorer at Salt Lake last season with 33, is the Runners&rsquo; leading scorer with two goals and three assists in three games. Terry McDonald, still getting used to the switch from defense to left wing which took place last January, has three goals and one assist.SALT LAKE CITY: Tom Roulston&rsquo;s first professional goal helped the Salt Lake Golden Eagles avenge an opening night loss to Tulsa and pin a 4-3 setback on the Oilers.Jerry Holland, former New York Rangers winger scored two goals in a Golden Eagle third period flurry to overcome a 4-1 deficit and earn a 4-4 overtime tie with the Phoenix Roadrunners.The overtime tie was the first in CHL regular season history.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01281/4088475-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="563" height="1034"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM YOUNGHANS &hellip;Scores Hat Trick</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

Oilers Derricked By Tough Early Schedule

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Wed. 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<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Wed. 2 Pt. Huron at Ft. WayneMuskegon at MilwaukeeFri. 4 Pt. Huron at MuskegonDayton at FlintKalamazoo at SaginawFt. Wayne at ToledoSat. 5 Dayton at Ft. WayneKalamazoo at MuskegonFlint at Pt. HuronToledo at MilwaukeeSun. 6 Saginaw at FlintMuskegon at DaytonFt. Wayne at KalamazooToledo at MilwaukeeWed. 9 Pt. Huron at DaytonSaginaw at KalamazooFlint at ToledoFt. Wayne at MilwaukeeFri. 11 Milwaukee at Ft. WayneMuskegon at SaginawPt. Huron at ToledoSat. 12 Toledo at Ft. WayneMuskegon at Pt. HuronMilwaukee at DaytonFlint at KalamazooSun. 13 Ft. Wayne at Pt. HuronFlint at SaginawDayton at KalamazooMilwaukee at ToledoWed. 16 Muskegon at DaytonKalamazoo at ToledoFri. 18 Dayton at MuskegonKalamazoo at FlintSaginaw at ToledoSat 19 Milwaukee at MuskegonToledo at Pt. HuronFlint at DaytonFt. Wayne at SaginawSun. 20 Muskegon at FlintMilwaukee at SaginawPt. Huron at KalamazooDayton at Toledo &#9632;

Where IHL Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</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 CanadaSAGINAW&mdash;Don Perry, coach of the International Hockey League defending Champion Saginaw Gears, is expecting quite a challenge to duplicate that feat this time out. And, because of new rules in vogue this season, Perry has gone against one of his principles. He invited more players to camp this season than he has ever done. And, it appears it&rsquo;s a good thing he did.Expecting some 40 candidates when camp opened, Perry counted just 27 when he greeted his squad for the first time. And there were some notable absentees.Included among the missing was goaltender Bob Volpe, who played two of the last three seasons with the Flint Generals. Volpe told Perry his &ldquo;heart just wasn&rsquo;t in it.&rdquo;Another goalie prospect, Brian Petrovek, has refused to report because he has yet not been signed to a NHL contract by the Los Angeles Kings. And Petrovek said he won&rsquo;t play any place as a result.In the same category with Petrovek is left winger Jim Vaughan. He too, was turned down by the Kings and has yet to make an appearance in Saginaw.Two members of last year&rsquo;s Turner Cup champions are also missing but Perry isn&rsquo;t complaining. Rick Chinnick and Gary Sittler were still with the Philadelphia Firebirds of the American League and appeared to have a good chance to stick. &ldquo;If they can play there they deserve the chance,&rdquo; said Perry. &ldquo;In the meantime I can look at some other people. I already know what Chinnick and Sittler can do.&rdquo;KALAMAZOO: The K-Wings had 28 players on the roster when Bob Lemieux launched his pre-season drills. Included was a good nucleus from last season&rsquo;s fine club. A couple of plusses included the return from Kansas Qty of Mike Wong and Terry Ryan, who had been playing senior hockey while attending college in Canada.Ryan was one of the keys as the Wings reached the IHL playoffs in their second year of existence. Wong, a six-foot-three, 204-pound winger, was expected to stick at Kansas City but it was pleasant surprise for Lemieux when he showed up.Veterans in camp include Yvon Dupuis, Al White, Al Genovy, Mike Wanchuk, Ron Wilson and Len Ircandia.FLINT: Flint coach Doug Carpenter unveiled a lot of new faces among the 30 players who were at his first session. And he was quite pleased with what he saw.Carpenter is a Uttle short at the center position at this early date but that can be remedied. Veterans Terry Smith and Jim Johnston along with newcomer Jim Montgomery were the only bonafide pivotmen in the group.Most notable&mdash;at least to Flint fans&mdash;was the size of some of the newcomers. Carpenter has announced he plans to add beef to the Generals and try to mold a team with more aggressiveness than has been Flint&rsquo;s image. This group included Gary Platt, Jeff Geiger, and Steve Ough, all draft choices of the Chicago Black Hawks. The three are defensemen.PORT HURON: New coach Ron UUyot numbered 38 players on the roeter as he opened drills for the Flags. Ullyot, who served his rookie season as coach of the Columbus Owls (since transplanted to Dayton) has expressed considerable enthusiasm about his squad.Leading scorer Larry Gould and Port Huron native Mike McDougall are included among the returnees. But Ullyot sounded a warning for the veterans in camp. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not prejudging anybody. This is going to be a wide-open camp.&rdquo;MUSKEGON: Moose Lallo expects his Mohawks to be long on rookies again. The majority of last season&rsquo;s fine rookie crop was given tryouts by the New York Islanders and it appears most will be advanced.Among those coming back Lallo hopes will form a solid foundation are Ed Pizunski, Bob Tombari, Bob Sunderland. Joey Girardin, Neil Hawryliw and Oliver Steward.Some encouraging news for Lallo came from the Islanders who have promised to send him one of two former Mohawk goalis&mdash;Don Cutts (75-76) or Andre Lepage, a talented performer last season.Included among the newcomers is a veteran of the defunct North American League&mdash;Jean Tetreault, who was protected by the Mohawks just prior to the freeze put into effect by the IHL when the NAHL folded. Tetreault was 15th in the league scoring last season.Lallo also greeted two players sent to the Hawks from their new NHL affiliate&mdash;Atlanta. The two are Bernard Harbec, a sixth-round draft pick, and Bill Hamilton.TOLEDO: Toledo coach Ted Garvin was a little concerned about right wing as he prepared to send his troops against Dayton in the first of six exhibition games. He had only one real right winger on the roster&mdash;Joe Nathe. Help could come from Barry Scully, whom Garvin obtained from the New York Rangers by way of New Haven of the American Hockey League.&ldquo;Scully could be the answer at right wing,&rdquo; Garvin said. &ldquo;Now I have a right winger for Len Fontaine and Dave Johnson.&rdquo;FORT WAYNE: New coach Gregg Pilling has probably the smallest camp in Komet history. Just 21 players were on the ice for the opening workouts. But Pilling wasn&rsquo;t concerned. &ldquo;We are expecting some help from Vancouver but right now the players we are expecting are still at Tulsa. Tulsa is short of players but that will change and we should get some more talent.&rdquo;Pilling has been impressed with his squad as a whole. &ldquo;They are working hard. Work won&rsquo;t win you all the games but it will win you some.&rdquo; Jamie Galimore, a right winger, and Kevin McCloskey, a defenseman, have been impressive so far. Both were sent to the Komets from the Minnesota North Stars.MILWAUKEE: Coach Gene Ubriaco had seven former Admirals on his roster as he opened camp in preparation for the debut of the IHL&rsquo;s newest franchise. The group included goalie Dan Pepin, defensemen Pierre Allard and Michel Lachance; and forwards Chick Balon. Dan Lecours, Yves Preston and Jean Trottier.Milwaukee will not have a chance to flex its muscles against IHL competition in the pre-season but will hone up with intra-squad games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01308/4088513-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="575" height="552"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE WONG&hellip;Joins K-Wings</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02248/4088506-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="571" height="568"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE OUGH&hellip;NHL Draft Pick</figcaption></div>DAYTON: Moe Bartoli, who will serve the Owls as both coach and general manager, had a major concern as he launched his first drills. All Star performer Steve Lyon has placed what Bartoli says is too heavy a salary demand. The IHL has a $125,000 ceiling on salaries this season and &ldquo;We just can&rsquo;t afford what Lyon is asking.&rdquo; Bartoli is hopeful Lyon willstill come around.Bartoli also will miss high-scoring Tom Cassidy, who has been turned pro by the parent Pittsburgh Penguins. Steve Self, who played for three seasons with the Dayton Gems and was picked off by the Owls in the draft, has announced his retirement.But Bartoli promises Dayton fans a &ldquo;tough club. I don&rsquo;t want to be pushed around, I want to have teams in a visiting room wondering what&rsquo;s going to happen when they go on the ice.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Gears Encounter Player Problems; IHL Clubs Loaded With New Faces

<div class="byline">BY MIKE LYNCH</div>SPOKANE&mdash;With the five Western International League teams rolling into the second week of the young season, hockey fans had experienced some surprises, disappointments and quite a bit of change.The Spokane Flyers, starting their schedule a week later than the other league members, demonstrated the most change with 10 new players on their roster. This on a club that went to the Allan Cup finals last spring.The Trail Smoke Eaters, hoping for substantial improvement over last season&rsquo;s last place finish, skated well in an exhibition win, 2-0, over Edmonton of the World Hockey Association, but dropped their first four league starts. Certainly a disappointment to new coach Lloyd McLelland.And the Nelson Maple Leafs, with coach Marsh Severyn faced with a rebuilding program, broke away to a 3-2 start, one of the victories snapping a three-game Cranbrook win string. The Leafs may provide a few more surprises with youth and hustle.After winning three straight to start for new playing coach Danny Spring, Cranbrook dropped its next two outings, matching Nelson&rsquo;s early record Defending league champ. Kimberley, with new playing coach Jim McCrimmon. skated to a 3-3 early mark.CRANBROOK: The Royals added defenseman John Migneault on a transfer from Kimberley after paying the accrued travel expenses. Also Cranbrook added Derek Spring, coach Spring&rsquo;s brother, a Cranbrook native also, and a top center. Derek, with Spokane for two seasons, elected not to sign with the Flyers. Veteran Billy Martin, a 300-plus goal-scorer in the WIHL. potted two in a 6-3 win over Kimberley.TRAIL: The rough start must be confusing for coach McLelland after the 2-0 win over Edmonton With strong goaltending in that one. obviously. the Smokies were touched for 21 goals in their first four league games. Incidentally, Edmonton whipped Spokane 7-0 and then nipped St. Louis and Detroit of the National League in exhibition games immediately after.KIMBERLEY: The Dynamiters got the first goaltending shutout of the season from Wayne Bell in a 4-0 victory over nearby Cranbrook. Bell made 28 stops as Ken Ireland potted two goals. Another veteran. Len Hicks, starred on offense as Kimberley won its home opener over Nelson. Kimberley used both Bell and Barrie MacKay in the nets against Spokane.NELSON: The Leafs have a few familiar faces around from last season&rsquo;s team but coach Severyn is putting his hopes on youth and hustle. The returnees include Brad Carefoot, Vern Quaroni, Kim Hilkewich, Pat Severyn, Rick Klassen, Terry Tanrow, Ron Filyk and Gary Gilchrist. &#9632;

Spokane Turnover Biggest In WIHL

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue. 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 OshawaMon. 7 Windsor at SudburyTue. 8 Toronto at HamiltonLondon at Niagara FallsThu. 10 Kitchener at OshawaKingston at WindsorLondon at PeterboroughFri. 11 Peterborough at SudburyNiagara Fal.s at Sault Ste. MarieOshawa at OttawaKingston at KitchenerToronto at LondonSun. 13 Peterborough at SaultSte. Marie Niagara Falls at SudburyKitchener at OttawaWindsor at HamiltonToronto at OshawaKingston at London &#9632;

Where OHA Teams Play

<div class="byline">BY MIKE GAMBLE</div>TORONTO&mdash;TWO imports are proving important to Ottawa 67s and Toronto Marlboros in the Ontario Hockey Association this season.In Toronto, 17-year-old Stuart Birenbaum a native of St. Louis, Mo., has been in goal for all three Marlboro victories, as the Dukes split their first six games&mdash;all of them on the road.Meanwhile, Ottawa coach Brian Kilrea coaxed Bjorn Skaara out of Oslo, Norway last week. The last-year junior made his debut as 67s handed Peterboro Petes their first home-ice defeat of the season. Skaara scored his first goal three nights later in a 6-4 win against Kitchener Rangers as 67s kept their three game win streak alive.Birenbaum, who is a diabetic and gives himself two insulin injections daily, made the Peterboro team last year. However, his father, Aaron, a team physician with the St. Louis Blues, insisted his son return home to complete high school education. Birenbaum took grade 11 and 12 in one year in order to return to Canada this season.With the dismissal of Petes&rsquo; coach and general manager Gary Young, Peterboro management lost track of Birenbaum and Blues&rsquo; scouts tipped off Marlies&rsquo; GM Frank Bonello. At Marlies training camp, Birenbaum beat out nine netminders and has since won the first string job. With Birenbaum in goal, Toronto defeated Hamilton, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury before Kingston crushed them 9-2.Marlies, which play 16 of their first 19 games on the road, finally open at Maple Leaf Gardens against Niagara Falls this week.Birenbaum. who didn&rsquo;t start skating until age 10, is the first American-born netminder in the OHA since Carl Wetzel blocked them for Hamilton Tiger-Cubs from 1957-59.Kilrea first saw Skaara last December in Ottawa when the center asked if he could skate with the 67s for two days during a Canadian visit. &ldquo;Normally, my team doesn&rsquo;t scrimmage during practice but I decided to have some fun that day and Skaara started to embarrass some of my first-stringers with his skating and moves,&rdquo; Kilrea recalled.Although Skaara returned to Europe last winter where played for a Swedish senior team, Kilrea kept in touch. When Skaara where he played for a Swedish senior team, Kilrea kept in touch. When Skaara agreed to return to North America, this fall, 67s owner Harard Darwin settled financial matters with the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation.In his debut, Skaara impressed several NHL scouts with his skating. Because he has a sore shoulder, Kilrea spotted him on left wing on a line with Jimmy Fox and Yvon Joly. However, Kilrea describes the five-foot-11, 170-pound Norwegian as a natural center and will be put in there when his shoulder heals.With the return of another center, high draft choice Sean Simpson, Kilrea is now in a position to talk trade with other OHA teams. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be happy to talk to any other teams who are looking for centers. I&rsquo;ll be looking for future draft picks in return,&rdquo; Kilrea said.OTTAWA: 67s opened up some boro coach Gary Green hoped his checking line could contain the line of Bob Smith, Tim Higgins and Steve Payne. Instead, Higgins scored twice and Smith added a third. With that line, plus Fox and Steve Marengere on defense, Ottawa is already giving the opposition fits with its potent power play. Both teams went into the game tied for first place in their division.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01271/4088599-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="557" height="584"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE GILLIS &hellip; Canadians&rsquo; Marksman</figcaption></div>Ottawa then nipped Hamilton 3-2 and defeated Rangers 6-4.PETERBORO: The forward line of Keith Acton, Tim Trimper and Gerard Cowie are 1-2-3 in team scoring. Rookie netminder Ken Ellacott, a fourth-round draft pick from Hespeler Junior B, has been a pleasant surprise for Green and appears to have nailed down the top job ahead of John Pagetto. Green has moved Jeff Brubaker up to forward line from defense and the move has given Petes&rsquo; additional muscle in the corners. Brubaker, together with Mark Kirton and Keith Crowder is Pete&rsquo;s checking line.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02208/4088592-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="565" height="594"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB PARENT &hellip; Leading Goaler</figcaption></div>After losing to Ottawa, Petes&rsquo; tied Niagara Falls 5-5 and returned home to edge Kingston Canadians 5-3.OWHAWA: Generals continue to surprise and scored their most impressive victory, a 10-3 drubbing of the Niagara Falls Flyers, after losing 6-2 to London Knights&mdash;top team in the Emms Division. Windsor Spitfires also whipped Oshawa 7-3.Despite the losses, Generals are in third place in the Leyden Division with a record of 3-5-1, and netminder Doug Keans is amond the top goaltenders&rsquo; in the league with a GA of 4.0. That&rsquo;s quite a turnaround from last year&rsquo;s team which gave up 444 goals in 66 games.SAULT STE. MARIE: Greyhounds continue to rely on Wayne Gretzky, Dan Lucas and Paul Mancini for their scoring punch but Muzz MacPherson is disappointed with the team&rsquo;s defensive record. Between them Mark Locken and rookie Dave Jennings have given up 53 goals in nine games.Netminding was not one of MacPherson&rsquo;s pre-season concerns after acquiring Locken from Fincups last winter. The Sault defense will improve when Craig Hartsburg returns to the lineup next month from a knee injury.KINGSTON: Although Canadians have played three fewer games than any other team in their division, the team is just one point behind the Generals and Greyhounds, with a record of 3-3. In the team&rsquo;s 9-2 victory over Marlboros, Kingston scored five goals in a six-minute, second period blitz to break up a goaltender&rsquo;s duel between Birenbaum and Jim Lockhurst. Mike Simurda and Mike Gillis paced Canadians with two goals each while big Behn Wilson had a goal and two assists to lead Kingston defensemen.Coach Jim Morrison said while Wilson has always been able to score points, he&rsquo;s now learning some of the finer points of defensive play as well.Wilson, Brian Crombeen and captain Tony McKegney are all tied for team scoring, and Lockhurst has been exceptional in goal.SUDBURY: Wolves have been the biggest disappointment in either division so far this season. The team was crushed 8-1 at home by London for their fifth defeat against two wins and two ties. The team&rsquo;s inability to score looms as their biggest weakness. Wolves are averaging less than four goals a game and have given up an average in excess of five goals. The bulk of the netminding has fallen to Jim Sidwell, a rookie from London Huron East midgets.Center Wayne Gretzky maintains his slim one point lead in scoring ahead of Ottawa&rsquo;s Bob Smith. Gretzky leads the league with 19 assists while Smith has the most goals, 16.Bob Parent of Windsor leads all goalkeepers with an average of 3.23. Hamilton&rsquo;s Al Jensen and Sudbury&rsquo;s Jim Sidwell are tied with 3.8. Oshawa&rsquo;s Doug Keans and London&rsquo;s Pat Riggin are at 4.0. &#9632;

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Imports Shine For Marlies, 67s; ‘Hounds Slowed By Goaling Woes

<div class="byline">BY DANNY YOUNG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01237/4088661-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="572" height="794"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB CRAWFORD &hellip; Nets Pair</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02173/4088654-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="565" height="794"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICHARD SUWEK &hellip; Leading Montreal</figcaption></div>HULL&mdash;Despite the Olympics last place record of 5-8-1, Hull fans continue to fill the seats at the city&rsquo;s Robert-Guertin Arena.The club&rsquo;s principle attraction to get these loyal supporters to come to games on Sunday and Tuesday nights is star right winger Dan Metivier. The 19-year-old native of Montreal is a super playmaker who makes things happen.Dan made his presence felt right from the beginning tallying 13 points in the first six games including a dazzling three goal performance against Chicoutimi before a standing room only crowd in Hull.The Olympic, who scored his 15th goal against Montreal during the team&rsquo;s 14th contest, is now second in league scoring with 35 points. Metivier is pleased with his play so far.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing very well. There&rsquo;s a lot of talk on our line which really helps. I do think I can play better.&rdquo;Nobody is complaining and coach Guy Trottier is no exception. &ldquo;Dan&rsquo;s been doing a great job for us. Larochelle and Laporte (Metivier&rsquo;s linemates) are coming out, too.&rdquo;In the locker room after a 7-4 loss to Montreal, Dan was more concerned with the Olympics poor record than his own personal achievements.&ldquo;We have to start playing three periods and not two or two-and-a-half. We have some good talent and the coach is working with everybody. The spirit and moral is good. Last year&rsquo;s coach Marcel Pronovost was more defensive minded but we could improve defensively.&rdquo;The Olympics have a goals-against average of 5.85, an increase over last year&rsquo;s 4.62. The club won only 26 contests in the 72 game season, so their prospects are not bright.Still Met&rsquo; loves playing in Hull &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got the best support in the league. The treatment I get is super.&rdquo;The Olympic&rsquo;s leading scorer has hopes of a productive season that will lead to a professional career.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made a point of scoring more than 60 goals this season. I don&rsquo;t care which team wants me. I just want to get drafted.&rdquo;If Dan continues at his current pace he will surpass the 60 goal mark. As Hull fans cheer for number seven of the Olympics, they may be watching one of hockey&rsquo;s future greats, Dan Metivier.TROIS RIVIERES: The Draveurs continue to play super hockey. Their goals-against average is 3.34 lead by strong goaltending from Jacques Cloutier. Normand Lefebvre scored four goals to give the Draveurs a 5-3 win over Quebec. They extended their record to 11-2 with back-to-back wins over Verdun. In the two matches, the Draveurs only allowed 53 shots. Robert Mongrain scored four times.QUEBEC: The Remparts lost their fourth straight game, falling to Cornwall 10-5. The team has twelve rookies this year. Many of these players are talented but their inexperience has hurt the team. Denis Halle had two goals in the losing cause. Quebec became the first team to lose to Shawinigan, bowing 4-2.CORNWALL: Orval Tessier&rsquo;s forces remain on top in the Lebel division but the coach feels his team makes too many stupid mistakes. The Royals split a pair with Sherbrooke winning 7-4 and losing 63. Bob Crawford had two goals in the victory. Geoffrion, Paterson and Torrence had two goals each as the Royals crushed Quebec 10-5.CHICOUTIMI: 5,081 spectators came to see Sylvain Locas play his first game for Sherbrooke against Chicoutimi. The Sagueneens rose to the occasion and clobbered Sherbrooke 9-3. Luc Richard had two goals in the game as Chicoutimi outshot Sherbrooke 38-21. Two late third period goals gave the Sagueneens a 6-4 win over Verdun.MONTREAL: The Junior had a very successful week winning three games against conference rivals. They beat Laval 6-3 and won two over Hull by scores of 7-4 and 4-2. The duo of captain Kevin Reeves and Richard Suwek combined for nine goals in the three contests. In the 4-2 win. goalie Marco Baron faced 45 Hull shots.SHAWINIGAN: The Dynamos finally won their first game by defeating Quebec 4-2. Dino Troini set up three of the four goals. Their celebration was not a long one though. Laval destroyed the Dynamos by scores of 13-5 and 11-5. Gilles Hebert had three goals and two assists in the losing causes.HULL: Normand Baril resigned as general manager of Hull, much to the surprise of everyone. The well respected GM will temporarily be replaced by coach Guy Trottier. The Olympics dropped into last place after losing a home-and-home series with Montreal.SHERBROOKE: The Beavers had a disappointing week. They split a pair with Cornwall and got beaten by Chicoutimi. In the 6-3 win over Cornwall, Ron Carter had two goals and an assist and now leads the league in scoring with 20 goals, 16 assists for 36 points.LAVAL: The new line of Montgomery, Hamel, and Pepin sparked the Nationals to 11-5 and 13-5 victories over Shawinigan. In the latter win Gilles Hamel had four goals, three of which were set up by Montgomery. Captain Louis Lavoie has been outstanding on the blue line both offensively and defensively for Laval.VERDUN: The Hawks had a 5-0 lead midway through the second period and lost to Trois Rivieres 7-5, much to the disappointment of 2.842 fans. Jean-Francois Boutin scored once and assisted on three goals in this heartbreaker. The Hawks failed to gain revenge, losing on the road to Trois Rivieres and then lost to Chicoutimi 6-4. &#9632;

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Metivier Drawing Hull’s Crowds; Nationals Unveil Powerful New Line

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Mon. 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 VerdunSun. 2 Montreal at ChicoutimiShawinigan at CornwallHull at LavalQuebec at Trois-RivieresSherbrooke at VerdunMon 3 Cornwall at LavalTue. 4 Sherbrooke at HullChicoutimi at Trois-RivieresWed 5 Verdun at QuebecThu 6 Hull at ChicoutimiFri 7 Cornwall at MontrealHull at QuebecVerdun at ShawiniganTrois-Rivieres at Sherbrooke &#9632;

Where QML Teams Play

<h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 24)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03126/4088730-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="575" height="412"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. Oct 18Shawinigan 5, Laval 13Tue. Oct 19Trois-Rivieree 6, Verdun 1Hull 2, Montreal 4Wed. Oct 20Chicoutimi 6, Quebec 3Thu. Oct. 21Troia-Rivieree 1, Cornwall 7Fri. Oct. 22Cornwall 3, Quebec 5Montreal 4, Shawinigan 3Hull 6, Sherbrooke 10Chicoutimi 4, Verdun 12Sun. Oct. 23Cornwall 5, Chicoutimi 5Laval 4, Hull 8Vordun 9, Montreal 5Quebec 5, Sherbrooke 7Shawinigan 2, Trois-Rlvioree 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04102/4088723-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="580" height="268"></div><h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Oct. 28)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0583/4088716-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="574" height="215"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun. Oct. 16Thunder Bey 10 st Whitby 0Fri. Oct. 21Whitby 7 at Brantford 6Mississauga 2 at Barrio 4Cambridge 5 at Orillia 1Sat. Oct 22Thunder Bay 9 at Mississauga 4Whitby 3 at Cambridge 6Sun. Oct. 23Cambridge 2 at Whitby 5Thunder Bay 3 at Orillia 4 &#9632;

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Looking At QMHL Race

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Tue. 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 Flon ^Sun. 6 Brandon at N. WestminsterMed. Hat at CalgaryLethbridge at Flin FlonBillings at ReginaTue. 8 Brandon at Med. HatSeattle at VictoriaBillings at CalgaryFlin Flon at SaskatoonWed. 9 Brandon at LethbridgeSeattle at PortlandFlin Flon at ReginaFri. 11. Med. Hat at BrandonSaskatoon at BillingsN. Westminster at PortlandFlin Flon at ReginaSat. 2 Lethbridge at VictoriaMed. Hat at Flin FlonSun. 13 Victoria at PortlandLethbridge at N. WestminsterMed. Hat at Flin FlonSaskatoon at BillingsRegina at Brandon &#9632;

Where WCHL Teams Play

<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Oct. 21)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01262/4088837-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="575" height="499"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. Oct. 14Kitchener 6, Sudbury 6London 6, Oshawa 2Ottawa 3, Hamilton 2Kingston 9, Toronto 2Peterborough 5, Niagara Falls 5Sun. Oct. 16London 8, Sault Ste. Mario 5Oshawa 10, Niagara Falls 3Peterborough 5, Niagara Kingston 3Ottawa 6, Kitchener 4Mon. Oct. 17London 8, Sudbury 1Tuo.Oct. 18Hamilton 6, Oshawa 3Thu. Oct. 20Hamilton 3, Sault Ste. Mario 3London 3, Windsor 4Kingston 3, Oshawa 3Niagara Falls 4, Peterborough 5<h2>WESTERN CANADA LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Fri. Oct. 21)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02193/4088830-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="572" height="484"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. Oct. 10Saskatoon 4 at Brandon 6Tua. Oct. 11Victoria 6 at Medicine Hat 2Lethbridge 1 at Billings 6Wed. Oct. 12Victoria 3 at Rogina 6Thu. Oct. 13Victoria 3 at Brnadon 5New Westminster 3 at Seattle 10Fri. Oct. 14Brandon 1 at Regina 4Billings 8 at Calgary 6Sat. Oct. 15Saskatoon 3 at Medicine Hat 4New Westminster 3 at Protland 5Victoria 4 at Flin Flon 7Sun. Oct. 16Portland 4 at New Westminster 4Victoria 5 at Flin Flon 3Billings 0 at Lethbridge 2Saskatoon 5 at Clagary 9Regina 2 at Brandon 5Tue. Oct. 18Victoria 8 at Brandon 7Billings 6 at Medicine Hat 8Wed. Oct. 19Victoria 3 at Lethbridge 5Regina 2 at Flin Flon 4Thu. Oct. 20Billings 1 at Seattle 4Regina 3 at Flin Flon 8New Westminster 5 at Portland 5<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03149/4088823-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="580" height="909"></div> &#9632;

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November 4, 1977

Regina Finished With Playing ‘Patsy’ Role

WHA SCORING AND PENALTY STATISTICS

Slow Starts Nothing New For Flames’ Plucky Plett

Neilson Gets Early Taste Of What’s Ailing Leafs