Cournovyer Out For Rest Of Season

MONTREAL— A series of tests on the back of Montreal Canadiens’ captain Yvan Cournoyer revealed what those close to the team suspected—that a second disc operation was necessary and the speedy right winger would be finished for the season—and undoubtedly at the end of the road in his starry career. And it came at the worst possible time for coach Scotty Bowman and the Canadiens, during a month-long siege which has knocked as many as seven players out of the lineup for varying lengths of time. Cournoyer, who could not be reached for comment, had stated previously that he would retire from the game if a second back operation were necessary. The first occurred in the spring of 1977 and he missed the latter portion of the regular season and the playoffs. He…

Atlanta’s Offense Comes Up Flat

ATLANTA— The $64 question around the National Hockey League is what has happened to the ‘Cinderella’ Atlanta Flames? After leaping out of the NHL starting gate with an imposing 14-2-2 record in the first six weeks of the schedule, the Flames have suddenly lost their touch and the fire they displayed in those early games has lost its sparks. In their last nine starts, the Flames have won only twice and have fallen from first place where they now trail the New York Islanders by five points and they’ve played more games than the New Yorkers. One reason the Flames are not the overpowering hockey club they were at the beginning of the NHL season is that the team has stopped scoring. Defensively, the Flames haven’t been all that bad but they just haven’t…

Whalers’ Western Swing Less Than Spectacular

HARTFORD— The 1978-79 edition of the New England Whalers seems to have the ability to handle any team in the World Hockey Association when they make up their minds to do just that. At the beginning of one of their longest road trips of the year, however, the Whalers headed into Western Canada and ran into top efforts by both the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers. Local observers in each city agreed that their teams performed as well as at any time this season. On the other hand the Whalers played in somewhat less than spectacular fashion. It was “John Ferguson night” in Winnipeg and the Jets were out to show their newly appointed GM that they could play the type of game Fergie was noted for in his National Hockey League…

Looking At The Minor League Scoreboard