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.

May 25, 1979

The Hockey News May 25, 1979

<h2>THE NHL&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06226/3891528-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg" title="f0002-06" width="628" height="756"></div><h2>THE WHA&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02877/3891521-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="608" height="288"></div><h2>OTHER LEAGUES&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03655/3891514-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="616" height="326"></div><h2>COLUMNISTS&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04450/3891507-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="610" height="196"></div><h2>FEATURES&hellip;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05322/3891500-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="604" height="362"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0002-06

IN THIS ISSUE

Where To Find It…

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01518/3892751-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HARRY NEALE&hellip;Looks At Things Differently</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>VANCOUVER&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s most hockey fans around the National Hockey League have become aware, Harry Neale has often an odd, certainly different, way of looking at developments.</p><p>And when he is asked to look back on the last hockey season from his point of view, his first season as a coach in the league, he sees things others don&rsquo;t always think of immediately.</p><p>For instance, he thinks it may have been a good thing that his Vancouver Canucks didn&rsquo;t finish first in the Smythe Division, though certainly they tried all season to overtake the Chicago Black Hawks to do just that.</p><p>Obviously he was thinking that his team would then have had to have played the Islanders, and maybe never gained the experience from winning the playoff game they did against the Philadelphia Flyers and then coming so close at home to winning the series.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe it was a good thing that we. didn&rsquo;t finish first, though I feel confident that if we had not had so many key injuries we would have battled the Hawks all the way,&rdquo; says Neale. &ldquo;I think the playoffs were a positive experience for our guys because they learned the way they or anybody else has to play to go a long way in the playoffs. There were about 15 times during the season that we showed how we felt about each other and about winning, and the series against the Flyers showed us that you have to do that somewhere around 40 or 50 times a season.</p><p>&ldquo;We had some guys doing things I&rsquo;m sure they would rather not have done in the playoffs, but they did them so the team could win or at least have a chance of winning,&rdquo; continued Neale. &ldquo;Against the Islanders, maybe we wouldn&rsquo;t have had that opportunity, because at this stage of our development, they&rsquo;re quite a way ahead of us.&rdquo;</p><p>Neale is optimistic about next year, not so much becuase of the draft or just a new start, but because of the playoff experience and the injury situation.</p><p>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t believe that &lsquo;any team can have as many bad, untimely injuries to key people that we did this year again,&rdquo; said Neale. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s possible.&rdquo;</p><p>A review of the injuries now would be both lengthy and tiresome, not to mention crying over spilled blood. But to a team without much depth, the injuries always hit harder.</p><p>A problem has arisen in terms of the coaching duo of Neale and his assistant Dave Dunn over the past year in that while the two seem to get along well, general manager Jake Milford is not sure whether he wants Dunn back.</p><p>&ldquo;I know Dave was a lot of help to me both on and off the ice,&rdquo; said Neale. &ldquo;If I had any success at all, and that would be difficult to measure, I would say that Dave deserves a lot of credit for the work we were able to get done.</p><p>Milford, it would seem, is less convinced of the merits of the former Canucks&rsquo; defenseman, who was having his first year in the coaching business, not to mention the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I just hope Jake can get him signed and we can start working on next year,&rdquo; said Neale, who is completing the-first of a three-year contract. Dunn, who played with the Avco Cup champion Winnipeg Jets before getting into coaching, was on a one-year contract, the same as Arnie Brown, the first ever assistant coach of the NHL club.</p><p>Milford has other signings on his agenda, particularly Ron Sedlbauer, the big left winger who bagged 40 goals, and defenseman Bob Manno, the left side defenseman who acquitted himself very well in the playoffs.</p><p>Both played out their options, and Sedlbauer is asking in the neighbourhood of $150,000 per season, the Canucks quite likely to be reluctant to go that high. Manno is obviously not asking for those numbers, but his stock did rise for two reasons. One was his fine showing in the playoffs, but another is the fact that Vancouver had a fair finish and they now get fifth draft choice. That virtually eliminates their hopes of getting a solid defenseman, save a deal with one of the other clubs at the last minute.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02378/3892744-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="566" height="814"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVE DUNN&hellip;Deserves Credit</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-01

Vancouver’s Neale Views Playoffs As Positive Learning Experience

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01672/3892713-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAN BOLDUC&hellip;Free Agent Who Stuck</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Steve Babineau)</span></figcaption></div><p>DETROIT&mdash;</p><p>Dennis Polonich and Danny Bolduc, a pair of Detroit right wingers, definitely are going to enjoy the off-season.</p><p>Each went home at the conclusion of the National Hockey League season with a new multi-year contract.</p><p>Polonich returned to Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, while Bolduc, an American, played for Team USA in the world championships in Moscow. Bolduc returned briefly to Detroit before heading for his home in Waterville, Maine, after a successful rookie season in the National Hockey League.</p><p>&ldquo;Four years, plus an option year&mdash;and a nice raise,&rdquo; Polonich said.</p><p>&ldquo;I was surprised, after the year we had, that he (general manager Ted Lindsay) gave me the extra years. But with the other teams coming into the league, it gives me more secutity and eases <i>a</i> guy&rsquo;s mind for the summer. I&rsquo;m very happy.&rdquo;</p><p>Bolduc, formerly of the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s New England Whalers and a product of American college hockey (Harvard), also accepted a new four-year contract. Bolduc produced 16 goals and 13 assists in 56 games in his first National Hockey League season.</p><p>The speedy Bolduc was signed by the Red Wings as a free agent last summer. He began the season in the minor leagues but quickly advanced to the NHL, made an impression and remained with the Wings.</p><p>&ldquo;Ted offered me a new contracct and I&rsquo;m very happy with it,&rdquo; Bolduc said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thrilled to the bone to be able to return to Detroit again. I liked it there very much last season.</p><p>&ldquo;Ted told me last summer, &lsquo;You make the team and we&rsquo;ll sit down and talk about a contract.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s why I respect the man so much&mdash;he&rsquo;s true to his word.&rdquo;</p><p>Polonich, 26, is the Wings&rsquo; smallest (five-foot-six, 166 pounds) but most combative player. He&rsquo;s always been considered a marginal player but keeps bouncing back to earn a spot in the lineup. The 197879 season was his third full NHL campaign, and one he&rsquo;d rather forget. In each of the two previous years he played in 79 games and produced 18 and 16 goals, respectively. Ever since advancing to the NHL, he&rsquo;s been among the league&rsquo;s penalty leaders.</p><p>At the start of the 1978-79 season, he was sidelined by a severe rash, a mysterious affliction of hockey players. He returned, but only briefly, before the Wilf Paiement incident. Polonich suffered a broken nose and an assortment of other severe facial injuries which knocked him out of action once again. Then it was a hip injury late in the season, and a variety of other nagging aches and pains in between.</p><p>He played in 62 games, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points. His penalty minutes total was 203, also down from a career-high of 302 four seasons ago.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the most games I&rsquo;ve ever missed,&rdquo; Polonich said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never missed more than two or three games a year before. This year I missed 18. And when 1 came back from the broken nose, you&rsquo;re playing but you&rsquo;re not 100 percent. I missed eight games but it took me another eight games to get back to par.</p><p>&ldquo;Just by giving the five-year contraci, they must have some use for me on the team, my role must mean something. It&rsquo;s their way of showing me they appreciate what I&rsquo;m doing, even if they don&rsquo;t always pat you on the back.</p><p>&ldquo;This year I was down a lot. I&rsquo;d just get back and then I&rsquo;d get injured again. And a lot of injuries I had, I. didn&rsquo;t say anything about. That hip really bothered me, but 1 didn&rsquo;t want to complain. I thought I&rsquo;d missed enough games already.&rdquo;</p><p>Polonich said the contract negotiations with Lindsay went on most of the season.</p><p>&ldquo;I got really close to Ted over the Paiement thing,&rdquo; Polonich said. &ldquo;When I was in the hospital, he&rsquo;d come visit me twice a day. One thing about Ted, I can really talk to the guy.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to cut down on the penalties. I have to get 20 goals, 4050 points, and I can do it because I&rsquo;ve done it before. I&rsquo;m not going to play differently. I&rsquo;m just going to have a better reason behind my fighting and the penalties.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-01

Wings Fortify Right Side Signing Polonich, Bolduc

<div class="byline">BY DANNY YOUNG</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01252/3893717-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p>Who&rsquo;s gonna&rsquo; get the break?</p><p>That was the prevailing question surrounding the championship final of the Memorial Cup playoffs between the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Peter-borough Petes.</p><p>It was answered by Bob Atwell of the Petes who slid in a rebound two and a half minutes into overtime to give Peterborough a 2-1 victory and its first Memorial Cup win ever. That momentous goal concluded over 45 minutes of scoreless action, and a classic exhbition of junior hockey at its very best.</p><p>The Petes had opened the scoring at 8:12 of the first period on a Tim Trimper deflection, his fifth goal of the Memorial Cup. But eight minutes and 38 seconds later, the Wheaties evened things up on a power play goal by super scorer Brian Propp.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02212/3893710-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="1176" height="1308"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Goaler Bart Hunter of Brandon, left, came out on the losing end in the Memorial Cup final but his sensational performance earned him the Stafford Smythe Trophy as the best player in the tournament. Here he received tropny from Smythe&rsquo;s grandson, Tim, after final game. At right, Peterborough captain Chris Halyk accepts the Memorial Cup after Petes won final game thriller 2-1 in overtime.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photos by Ian MacAlpine)</span></figcaption></div><p>What followed was an intense goaling battle with, as Petes&rsquo; coach Gary Green expressed, &ldquo;two teams giving all that they got.&rdquo; When there were scoring chances, Ken Ellacott of Peterborough and Bart Hunter of Portland were equal to the task. Hunter, the undisputed choice as tournament MVP, stopped 32 of 33 Peterborough shots in regulation time to frustrate the powerful Petes. The ironic twist to Hunter&rsquo;s performance was the fact he was a last-minute pickup from Portland of the WHL, the team Brandon beat out to get to the Memorial Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t discouraged,&rdquo; explained Green in relation to the outstanding performance by the Brandon goaler. &ldquo;We felt that if you&rsquo;re going to get the break, you have to work for it.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;In overtime, we wanted to be on top of them and score as fast as we could.&rdquo;</p><p>The Petes&rsquo; pressure set up the break, a juicy rebound for Atwell off a sensational Hunter save.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a big rebound,&rdquo; described Atwell, a 32-goal scorer during the regular season. &ldquo;No one was around. I took a look and saw a wide open net so 1 just slid it in.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03158/3893703-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="535" height="885"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOB ATTWELL&hellip;Sank Series Winner</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;When I saw it go in,&rdquo; continued the instant hero, &ldquo;it was an unreal feeling. 1 just started jumping.&rdquo; And so did the rest of the Petes and about 1,000 of their fans in attendance at the Verdun Auditorium.</p><p>The Petes paraded around the ice with the Memorial Cup, and then held a traditional champagne-spraying and cigarpu.ffing celebration in their dressing room.</p><p>In sharp contrast, the dejected Wheat Kings retreated as unfortunate victims of the remarkable climax. Alltournament center Laurie Boschman&rsquo;s post-game comments reflected those of the entire team.</p><p>&ldquo;It was just a matter of the break,&rdquo; said the center of Brandon&rsquo;s spectacular line which stars Propp and Ray Allison on the wings. &ldquo;What a tough way to lose. At the end of the third, they should have given the cup to both teams.&rdquo;</p><p>Brandon&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman Brad McCrimmon turned in a miraculous performance in the cup playoffs. He was on the ice for an incredible 55 minutes a game. Though he was visible exhausted, McCrimmon said he &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t tired until the puck went into the net.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so proud to be with these guys,&rdquo; said McCrimmon after the game, trying but failing to hold back the tears. &ldquo;We really showed some guts in coming back. We tried our best. It just wasn&rsquo;t good enough.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wheat Kings did indeed come back to gain a berth into the final. They had lost their first two games of the round robin tournament, to Trois-Rivieres 4-1 and Peterborough 7-6. For their next two games, they put Hunter, who was picked up from the Portland Winter Hawns, in the net and responded by crushing Trois-Rivieres 6-1 and edging the Petes 3-2.</p><p>Brandon coach Dune McCallum praised his rearguard McCrimmon, but pointed out that the huge workload did limit his offensive game which &ldquo;we relied upon so often.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Both teams represented junior hockey very well,&rdquo; said McCallum. &ldquo;Peterborough has a good club. They have four disciplined lines that come at you the same way.&rdquo;</p><p>According to Green, the Petes&rsquo; strength is their balance up front. It&rsquo;s a team with a lot of talent, and as captain Chris Halyk aptly states: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got so much desire.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We base our team on balance,&rdquo; sayd Green. &ldquo;We go with four lines and five defensemen. In overtime, we still had the legs.&rdquo;</p><p>And when those legs belong to players like Trimper, Halyk, and Keith Crowder, you know you&rsquo;re in good shape.</p><p>The Petes can take great pride in being Canadian junior champions. Even for a player like premier defenseman Greg Theberge who has a promising pro career ahead of him, participating in the tournament was a privilege and a tremendous experience.</p><p>&ldquo;No matter where or when 1 go,&rdquo; says Theberge, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always have the Memorial Cup to remember.&rdquo;</p><p>Thanks to the Peterborough Petes and the Brandon Wheat Kings, the memory of the 1979 edition will be a special one.</p><p><b>CUP NOTES:</b> The Memorial Cup All Star Team included: goal-Bart Hunter, Brandon; defense-Normand Rochefort, Trois-Rivieres and Brad McCrimmon, Brandon; center-Laurie Boschman, Brandon; right wing-Ray Allison, Brandon; left wing-Tim Trimper, Peter-borough&hellip;Peterborough&rsquo;s Chris Halyk was chosen as the most sportsmanlike player&hellip;Trois-Rivieres defenseman Pierre Lacroix was selected as Canada&rsquo;s most outstanding junior player for 1978-79, beating out Mike Foligno of the Sudbury Wolves and Brian Propp of Brandon. Propp finished as the top scorer in the three-team Memorial Cup tournament with 10 points. The Propp-Allison-Boschman line scored 12 of Brandon&rsquo;s 17 goals in the week-long competition.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01229/3893696-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="1840" height="1394"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Led by their brilliant young goaler Ken Ellacott, front, the Peterborough Petes go for a victory skate around the ice after winning Memorial Cup from Brandon Wheat Kings.</b></figcaption></div><h2>Memorial Cup Scoreboard</h2><h3>HOUND-ROBIN TOURNAMENT</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04127/3893689-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="602" height="112"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. May 6</b></p><p>Trois-Rivieres 4, Peterborough 3</p><p><b>Mon. May 7</b></p><p>Trois-Rivieres 4, Brandon 1</p><p><b>Tue. May 8</b></p><p>Peterborough 7, Brandon 6</p><p><b>Wed. May 9</b></p><p>Peterborough 3, Trois-Rivieres 2</p><p><b>Thu. May 10</b></p><p>Brandon 6, Trois-Rivieres 1</p><p><b>Fri. May 11</b></p><p>Brandon 3, Peterborough 2</p><p><b>Sun. May 13</b></p><p>Peterborough 2, Brandon 1</p><p>(Peterborough wins championship)</p><h3>Playoff Scoring</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0597/3893682-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="597" height="385"></div><div class="sidebar"><p>Memorial Cup Game Summaries On Page 36<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0035-01

Petes End Brandon’s Title Bid In Overtime

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01656/3894105-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Both Serge Savard of the Canadiens and Boston&rsquo;s Peter McNab show the strain of the Stanley Cup playoffs on their faces. The teams just wound up a scintillating seven-game playoff for the right to take a crack at the red hot Rangers in the Stanley Cup showdown. For details see page 2.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p><b><u>PLAYOFF THRILLER</u>&nbsp;<i>CANADIENS END BRUINS&rsquo; CUP DREAM</i>&mdash;Page 2</b></p><p><b>ISLANDER DEMISE PLAYOFF SHOCKER&mdash;Page 16</b></p><p><b>MAINE NO. 1 AGAIN WINNING AHL TITLE&mdash;Page 30</b></p><p><b><u>OILERS SLIP</u>&nbsp;<i>JETS GRAB COMMANDING FINAL LEAD</i>&mdash;Page 27</b></p><p><b>PETES BRING BACK THE MEMORIAL CUP&mdash;Paqe 35</b></p><p><b>Playoff Intensity</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Cover-01

RANGERS RAGE OF PLAYOFFS—Page 3

<p><b>TORONTO&mdash;</b></p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t may be only a ploy to get their demands, but the possibility of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association calling a strike remains a distinct possibility according to executive director Alan Eagleson.</b></p><p><b>It has occurred in pro football and among the baseball umpires in the major leagues in the past few years but whether the stars of the NHL would resort to striking remains to be seen.</b></p><p><b>The players will sit down with the NHL club owners June 5-6 in the Bahamas to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not totally optimistic,&rdquo; said Eagleson after the two groups held preliminary talks recently in New York.</b></p><p><b>Eagleson says an amicable agreement can be reached but if it doesn&rsquo;t work out, he said he would inform the player representatives to instruct their lawyers to institute anti-trust action, terminate the collective bargaining agreement and vote to strike.</b></p><p><b>The NHLPA contends the recent move by the NHL to expand to accept four WHA teams violated their agreement and they want negotiations reopened. Eagleson says the owners insist it is an expansion move and not a merger. The players&rsquo; association wants the formula for compensation for free agents drastically changed. Their new proposal calls for compensation in the form of draft choices. Eagleson said the structure means that in the case of players earning between $100,000 and $150,000, compensation would be a first-round draft choice. If the player was between $75,000 and $100,000 compensation would be a second-round pick. If he was between $50,000 and $75,000 it would be a third-round draft.</b></p><p><b>The NHL has countered with a proposal whereby clubs signing a free agent for more than $100,000 would be subjected to arbitration. If he was between $80,000 and $100,000, compensation would be a first-round draft choice and $50,000.</b></p><h2>Hull Returning To Black Hawks</h2><p><b>WINNIPEG&mdash;</b></p><p><b>Bobby Hull will return to the Chicago Black Hawks next season in a special deal arranged between the NHL team and Winnipeg GM John Ferguson.</b></p><p><b>The Hawks will claim Hull on June 6 and will give the Winnipeg team compensation in the form of future considerations. Ferguson said the considerations are players that he had talked about with the Chicago team. Ferguson said he was not at liberty to divulge the names of the Hawks&rsquo; players.</b></p><h2>Chicago Eyeing Johnston As Coach</h2><p><b>CHICAGO&mdash;</b></p><p><b>There will be three known coaching changes next season in the NHL. Ed Johnston, the former NHL goaler who is coaching the New Brunswick Hawks of the AHL, will probably sign with Chicago to replace Bob Pulford next season as coach. Pulford will remain as general manager.</b></p><p><b>In the other two moves, Fred Creighton is the No.l candidate to take over the Colorado Rockies after being fired by the Atlanta Flames. Rockies&rsquo; GM Ray Miron admits he has talked with Creighton about the Colorado job.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Will NHL Players Resort To Strike?

<p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he National Hockey League and ABC Sports, Inc. have announced that should the 1979 Stanley Cup finals go seven games, the seventh game would be televised by ABC-TV live and in its entirety. The game would begin at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 26 in Montreal.</p><p>The announcement of the agreement between the NHL and ABC Sports was made by John A. Ziegler, Jr., president of the National Hockey League and Jim Spence, senior vice president of ABC Sports.</p><p>No rights fees were announced.</p><p>Ziegler said, &ldquo;there is no doubt but that the outstanding and exciting semi-final series between the New York Islanders and New York Rangers, and the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, focused added national attention upon the NHL. The NHL is pleased to have this association with ABC.&rdquo;</p><p>Ziegler said the agreement for ABC to televise a seventh game was reached last night and that details, including the selection of the broadcasters, were yet to be determined.</p><p>The 1979 Stanley Cup championship series involves the Montreal Canadiens and the Rangers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

ABC Will Televise 7th Game Of Final

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-01965/3891421-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>YVON LAMBERT&hellip;Dashed Bruins&rsquo; Upset Hopes</b></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>ll of the thrilling, scintillating, precision-perfect, emotion-tinged moments of the, first six games of the Stanley Cup semi-finals between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins were rendered meaningless by the spectre of the seventh, and omnipotent confrontation on a warm May 10th evening at the Montreal Forum.</p><p>Quickly forgotten was the dominance of the home teams as first the Canadiens and then the Bruins managed to demonstrate their superiority in their own arenas, evening the series at two games apiece and then at three with the latter split accomplished with relative ease by the home club, Montreal winning Game Five 5-1 and Boston following with an impressive 5-2 triumph.</p><p>But it all came down to a do-or-die meeting, a final 60 minutes&mdash;or as it turned out 69 minutes and 33 seconds&mdash;of bump and grind, skate and shoot, save upon save in wave after wave of unrelenting pressure.</p><p>So much can be said about the classic end to a blue-chip series where the underdog Bruins hustled and scratched and clawed their way to the brink of dethroning the Stanley Cup champion Canadiens only to be denied by a tying goal by Guy Lafleur just 74 seconds away from a place in the finals beside the New York Rangers. Lafleur&rsquo;s goal sent the game into overtime and on the Canadiens&rsquo; 52nd shot of the evening, their eighth of the additional period, Yvon Lambert&rsquo;s deflection glanced up off the pads of Gilles Gilbert and into the net for a 5-4 victory.</p><p>Pandemonium finally. boiled over as 17,453 fans, witnessing the first sevengame series to be decided in Montreal in 15 years (Toronto defeated Montreal in the 1964 semi-finals) screamed, jumped, danced, smiled and looked on mouths agape at the sudden climax of the proceedings.</p><p>Where to you begin to tell the tale of the seventh game?</p><p>&bull; It has to start with Gilles Gilbert, the Boston goaltender who becomes a free agent on June 1, but unlike his coach Don Cherry, should be welcomed to return to the Bruins&rsquo; fold with open arms.</p><p>Gilbert turned aside 47 scoring chances by the Canadiens, using every conceivable device imaginable&mdash;and then some. His play in winning three of five games after filling in for veteran Gerry Cheevers was reminiscent of the goaltending exploits of Roger Crozier and Glenn Hall when they captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable playoff performers while playing for losing teams.</p><p>&bull; There&rsquo;s Guy Lafleur who suddenly seized control of the game when the Canadiens needed him the most. Down 3-1 entering the final period, seemingly out of the game, Lafleur shifted into overdrive to race past Al Sims and head behind the Boston net. Brad Park heads toward the other side of the net to cut him off, and then Wayne Cashman and Peter McNab arrive on the scene, to present an inpenetrable defense, yet Lafleur spies Mark Napier streaking down the right side, slips a pass among the Boston players and in one motion Napier blasts a shot past Gilbert, cutting the Habs deficit to one&mdash;and igniting the partisan crowd to an outpouring of support which threatens to erase the all-time high decibel-level for the St. Catherine street structure.</p><p>&ldquo;If I had missed that one,&rdquo; Napier told a teammate in the dressing room, &ldquo;I might not have played again until 1984.&rdquo;</p><p>&bull; What more can be said about the work of Canadiens&rsquo; defensemen Larry Robinson and Serge Savard who not only overcame the physical grind of an exhausting series but also withstood the loss of defense partner Guy Lapointe who bruised ligaments in his knee late in regulation time and forced the Canadiens to lean even more heavily upon the broad shoulders of Robinson and Savard.</p><p>Could there have been a more key save than Savard standing guard over an unoccupied crease area and blocking a Stan Jonathan shot with his chest with goaler Ken Dryden taken out of the play?</p><p>&bull; And what about the efforts of Boston&rsquo;s captain Wayne Cashman and the brilliance of Rick Middleton, each of whom provided the Bruins with two goals in the final game. Cashman, stuffing in a shot from the side of the net and then circling out from behind to snap a shot over Dryden&rsquo;s shoulder as the Bruins assumed a two-goal second period lead. And Middleton, who opened the scoring on a Boston power play and then thrust the Bruins into a 4-3 lead with just 3:59 to play and he rolled a backhander under Dryden&rsquo;s glove on yet another play which started behind the net.</p><p>For a minute and a half, the Bruins had a stranglehold on the series. They were moving the puck out cooly and not allowing the Canadiens anything resembling a scoring chance when they were suddenly caught with too many men on the ice.</p><p>As the crescendo of noise rose to engulf the Forum, the Canadiens readied for a final assault. Jacques Lemaire came away with the puck, headed into the Boston zone and then dropped a pass for Lafleur. The shot came from a sharp angle but there was never a doubt. It cleanly beat Gilbert signalling the Canadiens&rsquo; fourth overtime game in 11 starts this year.</p><p>Gilbert continued to amaze, but outside of a brief flurry the Bruins&rsquo; legs appeared to be wilting. Finally Mario Tremblay got an edge on Sims to rifle a pass from along the right wing boards. Lambert, skating for all he is worth, arrived at the puck just before Park and tipped it in.</p><p>Moments before, the pair had nearly duplicated the play but as Lambert explained: &ldquo;I was in a bit too close, it got tangled up in my skates,&rdquo; and Gilbert was able to get back to deflect the puck with his pads.</p><p>&ldquo;This time,&rdquo; said Lambert, &ldquo;Mario game me a perfect pass. I put my head down and skated but 1 didn&rsquo;t care. I just wanted to get to the net. The goalie had no chance and it was over.&rdquo;</p><p>In the Bruins&rsquo; dressing room, Cashman called his club, &ldquo;the best team he has ever player for.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;These guys have just kept reaching down and giving it everything they have.&rdquo;</p><p>Savard later paid a similar compliment to the club saying, &ldquo;They played very, very well. I&rsquo;ve never seen them play better as a team.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-01

Overtime Marker Needed To Settle Habs-Bruins War

<div class="byline">BY TOM MURRAY</div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-01971/3891566-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="538" height="1496"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Rangers are getting a big playoff performance from the two players many felt at the outset of the NHL season wouldn&rsquo;t possibly be around this year. Phil Esposito, left, was supposedly on his way elsewhere with his hefty contract. He&rsquo;s scored seven</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Robert Shaver)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02836/3891559-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1716" height="1496"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>playoff goals so far. Goaler John Davidson was another question mark. Injuries made his future gloomy. Since the playoffs began he&rsquo;s been No. 1 and has won 11 games in goal for the New Yorkers.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett&rdquo;)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hey&rsquo;ve been compared to everything from a massive tidal wave to a streaking train. No matter what analogy is used to describe this red-hot New York Ranger team, the message is crystal clear: These guys are for real, and they are bowling over any team that stands between them and their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.</p><p>Yeah, that&rsquo;s right, the Stanley Cup. Suddenly the Rangers, who al this time last year were a motley collection of confused, disgruntled losers with no direction, are just three wins away from hockey&rsquo;s most coveted prize.</p><p>They took yet another giant step in that direction by beating the Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, in the first game of the final series. That&rsquo;s the good news. The really good news is that Ulf Nilsson, playing exactly 10 weeks from the day that he broke his ankle (February 25) took several shifts during the game.</p><p>Granted, they were short and he looked a mite winded, but coach Fred Shero was impressed enough by the performance of the man he call&rsquo;s &ldquo;our best player&rdquo; to say that Nilsson would &ldquo;get a lot more work&rdquo; in the rest of the series.</p><p>The fact that Nilsson returned to action and that the Rangers won the game is significant enough in itself. What&rsquo;s even more impressive, however, is the way the Rangers won.</p><p>Montreal goalie Ken Dryden, who up until this game had played every second of all 108 playoff games in which the Canadiens have par ticipated since he joined them in 1971 (excluding 1974, the year he &ldquo;retired&rdquo;) was knocked out at the end of the second period when the score was 4-1.</p><p>Replacing him&mdash;to the rousing cheers of a Montreal Forum crowd that had booed Dryden mercilessly during his stint in the nets&mdash;was Bunny Larocque, ironically enough the man who was in goal when the Rangers eliminated the Canadiens, four games to two, on their way to the Stanley Cup finals in 1974.</p><p>Larocque didn&rsquo;t allow any more Ranger goals in that third period and, perhaps for that reason alone, Montreal coach Scotty Bowman indicated that Larocque would be given the starting nod in the second game.</p><p>While it is true that Dryden wasn&rsquo;t exactly standing on his head with his performance, he didn&rsquo;t get an awful lot of support from what is normally a very strong and steady defense.</p><p>Guy Lapointe missed the game with a severely bruised knee and Larry Robinson and Serge Savard had to each play close to 40 minutes of the game to fill in for the ailing Lapointe.</p><p>Robinson played what he readily admitted was the worst game of his career, losing the puck on three separate occasions&mdash;all of which led to Ranger goals.</p><p>The first came at the 6:28 mark of the opening period, when Robinson tried to backhand a clearing pass from behind his own net. The puck hit Anders Hedberg high on his chest and bounced on the ice, whereupon Hedberg immediately passed the puck over to Steve Vickers parked at the crease. Bingo. Vickers converted the pass and notched one more of his patented &ldquo;18-inch&rdquo; goals.</p><p>About eight minutes later, Hedberg and Robinson tangled again, this time in the corner to the right of Dryden. The puck squirted out to defenseman Ron Greschner, standing about 25 feet in front of the net. Greschner pounced on the loose disc, walked in and blasted it past Dryden for the second Ranger goal. Although Greschner was credited with an unassisted goal, Hedberg was the man who made the play with his hustle and courage in the corner.</p><p>From that point on, the Rangers were very much in control of the game. They suffered a momentary lapse early in the second period when Don Maloney and Eddie Johnstone both missed on breakaways and Guy Lafleur (who else?) cut the score to 2-1 at the 7:07 mark with one of his devastating drives. But just two and a. half minutes later, with the Rangers on the power play, Phil Esposito took a. pass from Mike McEwen&mdash;after &ldquo;Q&rdquo; had intercepted yet another Robinson clearing attempt&mdash;and put his 56th career playoff goal behind Dryden.</p><p>The icing on the cake came at the 12:32 mark, when Dave Maloney completed a beautiful play started by Hedberg (again) and Tkaczuk and shot one over Dryden&rsquo;s shoulder. To add insult to injury, the goal came while the Rangers were shorthanded and it was the team&rsquo;s sixth man-down goal of the playoffs&mdash;a Stanley Cup record. Maloney&rsquo;s goal made the score 4-1, and that&rsquo;s the way the game ended.</p><p>The win looked very easy from the stands and the next day the writers from the local papers were using words like &ldquo;routine&rdquo; and &ldquo;boring&rdquo; to describe the Ranger triumph. But every Ranger player was wary of such an analysis and Ron Greschner seemed to be speaking for all of his teammates when he said, &ldquo;They&rsquo;re gonna be a lot better in the next game. There&rsquo;s no way we&rsquo;re going to beat the Canadiens 4-1 again.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0003-01

Sizzling Rangers Prove They’re For Real Stun Islanders, Canadiens In Cup Play

<div class="byline">BY TOM MURRAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03562/3891597-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Defense has played a big part in the Rangers&rsquo; success. Captain Dave Maloney, left, and Carol Vadnais have been tremendous in the post-season round.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>How did the Rangers pull off what many hockey people considered an impossible task before the series started?</p><p>The theories and explanations are varied and plentiful, but in this observer&rsquo;s opinion, there were several key reasons that stood out among all the others. They are, in order of importance:</p><p>&bull; <b>Goaltending:</b> Fred Shero, like all knowledgable hockey coaches, knew that in order for the Rangers to get anywhere in the playoffs they&rsquo;d have to get exceptional goaltending&mdash;and from one man. So, of the three goalies from which he had to choose, Shero picked his favorite, John Davidson, and played him in every one of the Rangers&rsquo; games during the final two weeks of the regular season.</p><p>This strategy was endlessly questioned, since J.D. was just coming off a sciatic nerve injury in his leg which had sidelined him for over a month. This situation, coupled with the fact that he didn&rsquo;t look exactly sensational in those last games (he gave up an average of five goals per game) led many people to believe that Shero was making a horrible mistake.</p><p>By the time the playoffs started, the Rangers may have sacrificed a second-place finish in the Patrick Division, but J.D. was in the groove, confident&mdash;that is so very, very. important&mdash;that Shero had stood behind him and designated him as No. I.</p><p>As the Rangers progressed through the playoffs, gaining momentum with every game they played, Davidson became sharper and more confident with every game, every victory. And by the time the Rangers had defeated the Islanders in that first game, J.D.&rsquo;s goals-against average was way below the exemplary 2.00 mark&mdash;and he was, to the Isles, anyway, practically invincible.</p><p>&bull; <b>Penalty-Killing:</b> Throughout the six-game series, the Rangers held the Islanders to one power play goal in 21 opportunities&mdash;an incredible statistic, considering the Islanders had the No. I power play during the regular season and the Rangers only the 13th-best penalty-killing unit.</p><p>How did the Rangers do it?</p><p>Two reasons. First, the penalty-killing units were unbelievably aggressive. Instead of settling back into a traditional &ldquo;box&rdquo; and allowing the Islanders&rsquo; defensemen to control the puck and thus the play, the Rangers cramped Denis Potvin and Stefan Persson, harrassing them into either taking hurried, ineffective shots or making uncharacteristic errors.</p><p>Second, during the season Shero made sure that he had two complete units of competent penalty-killers. Back then, this strategy raised some eyebrows when someone like Walter Tkaczuk or Ron Duguay was kept on the bench during a crucial mandown situation in favor of Pierre Plante or Eddie Johnstone.</p><p>But once the Islander series came around, Shero&rsquo;s faith and confidence in his lesser players paid awesome dividends. The Rangers were more than ready to take on the Islanders&rsquo; power play&mdash;basically a one-unit operation consisting of Potvin, Persson and the Trio Grande.</p><p>&bull; <b>Depth:</b> Quick, after Gillies, Trottier and Bossy, name the Islanders&rsquo; second line. Their third? How about their fourth? Chances are, you can&rsquo;t, because the Islanders really don&rsquo;t have a solid second line behind the Trio Grande. And, except for the power play, even they didn&rsquo;t play together that often during the series.</p><p>The Rangers, on the other hand, had the &ldquo;Mafia&rdquo; line of &ldquo;Godfather&rdquo; Esposito and the two &ldquo;Dons,&rdquo; Maloney and Murdoch. Then there was Duguay, Bobby Sheehan and Pat Hickey and Steve. Vickers, Tkaczuk and Hedberg.</p><p>Want more? How about the &ldquo;Donut. Line&rdquo;&mdash;composed of Johnstone and Plante, two wings in search of any center.</p><p>This depth ultimately was what plumb wore the Islanders down. The Rangers simply never stopped hitting and this fact, coupled with the ineffective play of Gillies (no goals, no assists), Trottier (one goal) arid Bossy (one goal) spelled doom for the Islanders.</p><p>&bull; <b>Intangibles:</b> Before this season started, Eddie Johnstone was worried that his diminutive size would impede his chances of making the team; Don Maloney was worrying about even making the New Haven team, and Bobby Sheehan wasn&rsquo;t even the property of the Rangers. Now, all three of these players are playing immense roles in the Rangers&rsquo; good fortunes.</p><p>Johnstone&rsquo;s indefatigable hustle and desire garnered him five very importantplayoff goals&mdash;as many as he scored playing in 30 games during the regular season.</p><p>Maloney has been just unbelievable. There&rsquo;s just no other way to describe a 20-year-old kid who handles himself in the corners like a clone of Gordie Howe and Wayne Cashman and who with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) is the second-leading scorer in the playoffs. He also holds the Ranger record for points in a playoff year, breaking Bobby Rousseau&rsquo;s record of 17, set in 1972.</p><p>Sheehan, called up after the first game of the Philadelphia series to contain the Flyers&rsquo; Ken Linseman, did that magnificently. But he has gone on from there and, in the eyes of assistant general manager Mickey Keating, is solely responsible for the Rangers&rsquo; turnaround.</p><p>&ldquo;He was the spark,&rdquo; Keating said, &ldquo;no question about it. He turned the Philly series around for us and from that point on we just couldn&rsquo;t be stopped.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0003-03

Goaltending Top Reason Why Rangers Sank Isles

<div class="byline">Ken McKenzie&#x2019;s</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011022/3891656-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="512" height="489"></div><p>&bull; <b>NEW YORK RANGERS</b> won their opening game against Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals with ease and could be on their way to their first Stanley Cup win since 1940. The Rangers, a young team with plenty of drive and enthusiasm, have the momentum going for them after their outstanding series against the New York Islanders. Canadiens, on the other hand, just finished squeezing past the Boston Bruins in a seven-game playoff which has to rate as one of the best series in recent years. Both clubs played superb hockey and it was a shame that there had to be a loser&hellip;Canadiens, after their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup, are not as powerful a club as in previous years and don&rsquo;t look as hungry as they have in the past&hellip;Between them, Fred Shero and Scotty Bowman have coached the last six Stanley Cup winners&hellip;Bowman four years with Canadiens and Shero twice with Philadelphia&hellip;Canadiens own or share 22 Stanley Cup playoff records&hellip;Tall John Davidson has been sensational in goal for the Rangers during the playoffs and has been one of the most quoted players between games&hellip;When Ken Dryden was yanked at the end of the second period in the opening game and replaced by Michel Larocque it marked the first time Dryden had been pulled in a playoff game or missed any portion of a game since he joined the Canadiens. It was also the first Stanley Cup action for Larocque since 1974, the year Montreal was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Rangers (Dryden was out of hockey that season)&hellip;Rangers also eliminated Canadiens in the quarter-finals in 1972.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-02978/3891649-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="314" height="525"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Scotty Bowman</b></figcaption></div><p>&bull; <b>NEW ENGLAND WHALERS</b> will purchase the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League and make the Indians their No. 1 affiliate&hellip;There&rsquo;s a rumor making the rounds that Jacques Lemaire, 34-year-old veteran forward of the Montreal Canadiens, will play in Switzerland next season with a Division One team. He is supposed to be getting paid a $100,000-plus salary and the teams in Switzerland only play a 28-game schedule with all games on weekends. There is little travelling involved and&mdash;there are supposed to be some attractive tax benefits associated with the arrangement&hellip;Major reasons given by Cliff Fletcher on the firing of Fred Creighton as coach of the Atlanta Flames was that the Flames had only won one of their last nine playoff games and that fans in Atlanta are losing interest in hockey and something had to be done to turn it around&hellip;Gary Dornhoefer, one of the greatest players to ever wear a Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; jersey, has done an outstanding job as a color analyst on the Hockey Night in Canada telecasts throughout this year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs&hellip;Dornhoefer is expected to be back with the Flyers next season as an assistant coach&hellip;John Wensink, the tough guy of the Boston Bruins, becomes a free agent on June 1, and it&rsquo;s figured he will sign with Detroit Red Wings&hellip;Pick Hines, an old-time coach with Baltimore of the Eastern League and the Canadian Navy team during the war years, died recently in Orillia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-03874/3891642-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="296" height="448"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Gary Dornhoefer</b></figcaption></div><p>&bull; <b>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</b> are the first team since Boston in 1971 to end the regular season with the most points and fail to make the Stanley Cup finals&hellip;The last team to reach the cup final with as low as a fifth-place record (where the Rangers finished this season) were the 1942 Detroit Red Wings&hellip;Rangers have allowed only one powerplay goal in 26 attempts and have scored six shorthanded goals, which gives you a good indication of how well the team has played in the playoffs&hellip;Mark Napier has performed brilliantly for Canadiens in the time he&rsquo;s been on the ice&hellip;When Canadiens defeated Boston in the seven-game semi-finals it was the 18th time these teams had met in the playoffs&hellip;Bruins last series win was 1943 but Montreal has won each one since&hellip;George Bergantz, formerly with the Buffalo Sabres, is the new general manager of the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The Americans will be Buffalo&rsquo;s No. 1 development club next season&hellip;John DenHamer, a longtime front office man with Rochester will be with the new Syracuse team. Syracuse is taking over the Philadelphia Firebirds&rsquo; franchise. DenHamer will be director of operations arid assistant to the president&hellip;Congrats to Gary Green and his Peterborough Petes on winning Canada&rsquo;s Memorial Cup as junior champions. The Petes lost out in the final last year. This year the Petes downed the Brandon Wheat Kings, 2-1 in overtime.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04772/3891635-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="311" height="502"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Gary Green</b></figcaption></div><p>&bull; <b>MAINE MARINERS</b> with their second straight American Hockey League championship in as many years must rate as one of minor pro hockey&rsquo;s most successful operations. Including playoffs they&rsquo;ve won over 100 games during the two years and 62 at home. They&rsquo;ve also led the league in attendance both years as well as finishing in first place with the highest number of points during the regular schedule both years&hellip;Mike Emrick, young publicist of the Mariners, reports that Gordie Clark proved to be a real bonanza for the club. Clark was acquired from Cincinnati of the WHA towards the tail-end of the schedule and in the last 13 games of the schedule he scored seven goals and had 11 assists for 18 points. In his first five playoff games he racked up 11 points&hellip;Edmonton Oilers sold 13,000 season tickets for next season in 10 days, which indeed is a phenomenal performance. No fan could buy more than double the number of tickets he on she had this season. Example: if you had four tickets this past season you could buy eight for 1979-80. The Oilers will prove to be one of the attendance leaders in the NHL in &lsquo;79-80. The Oilers plan to hold 1,200 seats for gate sale the day of each game. Mark Hall, assistant marketing director of the Oilers, who played a big hand in the success of the ticket blitz, is a nephew of Glenn Hall, former NHL goaling great&hellip;As a result of all the acclaim the WHA statistician Frank Polnaszek has reaped over the year he has received a number of job offers. Wouldn&rsquo;t it make sense for the NHL to take advantage of his statistical expertise by making a bid for his services?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05633/3891628-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="306" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Gordie Clark</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

PASSING THE PUCK

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div><p>BLOOMINGTON&mdash;</p><p>Riddle.</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hat 1978-79 Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; rookie has his name engraved ON the Stanley Cup? Yes, a North Star rookie from this past season has his name right up there with the Guy Lafleurs, Larry Robinsons, Ken Drydens, etc.</p><p>To end any suspense, or consternation, the answer is Mike Polich.</p><p>True, Polich, a 26-year-old center-left winger from Hibbing, Minn., played five games in the final series with the Canadiens against the New York Islanders two years ago after an emergency recall from the Nova Scotia farm team because of injuries.</p><p>Polich appeared in one regular season game with the Canadiens the next season, became a free agent and signed with the North Stars.</p><p>You won&rsquo;t find his name frequently in the fine print of the scoring summaries of the 73 games he played in the past season, but his performance as a defensive forward earned him recognition and respect of the opposition in many league cities.</p><p>Polich drew all the top forwards in the business and, quite often, shut them down. His finest game of his rookie season, perhaps, came in January on the Forum ice in Montreal when he was named the No. 2 star in a 3-1 Minnesota loss for his efforts in shadowing Guy Lafleur. The little center scored the North Stars&rsquo; only goal, too.</p><p>Polich, all five-foot-eight, 175-pounds of him, apparently learned his lesson well in the Montreal system. He came out of the University of Minnesota, known more for his offense&mdash;he scored the winning goal on a NCAA championship team.</p><p>After his performance in that Jan. 8 game in Montreal, Polich wanted to pay a special thanks to his Nova Scotia coach, Al MacNeil now in the Canadiens&rsquo; front office.</p><p>&ldquo;I have no animosity whatsoever toward the Montreal organization,&rdquo; Polich said then, &ldquo;In fact, I wanted to show them that I didn&rsquo;t forget all that the Montreal system had taught me about defensive hockey, I spent three years in their organization and Al MacNeil was like a father to me. He deserves most of the credit.&rdquo;</p><p>Polich finished his first year with the North Stars with a mere six goals and 10 assists, but earned his salary with his defensive work from the checking line.</p><p>&ldquo;When it comes to the defensive end of the game,&rdquo; said coach Glen Sonmor, &ldquo;Michael did everything we asked of him. And there were many times when we asked an awful lot. He sacrificed himself completely on offense to get the job done defensively.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s probably why Polich wanted to check out the official stats&rsquo; sheet after each game&mdash;not to see how many chances he had to score, but how many shots his shadow game up. Many times it was none, sometimes two or three and hardly ever more than that.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to score goals,&rdquo; says Polich, &ldquo;but in most games, winning depends on defensive play.&rdquo;</p><p>Maybe it wasn&rsquo;t such a riddle why the Canadiens called him up to play in the Stanley Cup final.</p><p><b>STAR DUST:</b> The North Stars hope to add Bill Nyrop, another Minnesotan whose name is on the Stanley Cup, to their roster for next season, Nyrop, a regular on the Canadiens defense for two seasons, left the Montreal organization before the past season to enter the insurance business in Minnesota. The North Stars have the right to negotiate with the ex-Notre Dame player and have made Montreal a trade offer which is being considered&hellip;The North Stars also are trying to sign Joe Mullen, a standout performer for the U.S. team which played in this spring&rsquo;s world tournament in Moscow&hellip;Steve Christoff and Phil Verchota, two other members of the U.S. team, are previous North Star draft choices who played on the national collegiate championship Minnesota team this year.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>THE LAST WEEKLY ISSUE</b></p><p>The May 25 issue constitutes the 33rd and final weekly publication of THE HOCKEY NEWS for this season. However, we will be right back with the Stanley Cup wrapup in two weeks time in the June issue, the first of our four off-season summer editions. Be watching for it !<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

Polich Thankful For Education In Habs’ System

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01891/3891742-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CRAIG RAMSAY&hellip;All-Around Job For Sabres</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Robert Shaver)</span></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02725/3891735-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="1190" height="1180"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RICK MIDDLETON&hellip;Enjoyed Finest NHL Campaign</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Steve Babineau)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>ow that the Stanley Cup playoffs have been pared to the two finalists, and the issue will be resolved entirely no later than May 26, the only guessing game remaining for hockey enthusiasts&mdash;besides the identities and locations of a few coaches around the league&mdash;is who will win the National Hockey League&rsquo;s individual awards to be distributed at next month&rsquo;s NHL summer meetings in this city.</p><p>The Hart, Calder, Norris, Lady Byng, Selke and Masterton Trophies, as voted upon by the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association, will be announced at the summer meetings, while the Ross and Vezina Trophies have already been determined and the Smythe Trophy will be selected at the end of the playoffs.</p><p>New York Islanders&rsquo; center Bryan Trottier collected $1,000 as he wrested the Art Ross Trophy away from Montreal&rsquo;s Guy Lafleur, who had claimed it in each of the past three seasons, by leading the NHL in scoring points with 134. Actually Marcel Dionne of Los Angeles Kings was the Ross Trophy runner-up with 130 points, one more than Lafleur, and received $500.</p><p>The Vezina Trophy, awarded to the goalie(s) whose team allows the least goals, was shared for the third consecutive season by Ken Dryden and Michel Larocque of Montreal. They split $1,500 while Glen Resch and Billy Smith of the Islanders divided $750 as second-place finishers. Dryden has now won the award five times, including the past four seasons and in 1972-73.</p><p>Following is a preview of the major contenders for the six individual awards, plus THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; crystal ball selections of the winners:</p><p><b>Calder Trophy:</b> For the player most proficient in his first year in the National Hockey League. Basically it&rsquo;s a three-way race between the top trio of rookie scorers, Bob Smith of Minnesota, Wayne Babych of St. Louis and Ryan Walter of the Washington Caps. Strong arguments can also be made for defenseman Behn Wilson of Philadelphia and goaltenders Glen Hanlon of Vancouver and Mario Lessard of Los Angeles. They each had solid seasons but won&rsquo;t be a factor in the voting.</p><p>Smith, with the pressure of being the first player selected in last summer&rsquo;s amateur draft, was the number one rookie in goals (30, Walter had 28), assists (44, Babych, Wilson had 36) and points (74, Babych had 63). He&rsquo;s the cornerstone of the North Stars.</p><p>Winner: Smith ($1,500 prize, $750 to runnerup).</p><p><b>Hart Trophy:</b> To the player ajudged most valuable to his team. It&rsquo;s a two-man race here between Trottier and Lafleur with three-time winner Bobby Clarke of Philadelphia a sentimental third. Lafleur has won the past two seasons and it&rsquo;s no coincidence that when he had his worst slump in four years, so did the Canadiens. Trottier won his first scoring championship, led the league in assists while setting up Mike Bossy who led the league in goals, and was the key figure in the Isles&rsquo; rise&mdash;to the top of the NHL standings.</p><p>Winner: Trottier ($1,500 prize, $750 for runnerup).</p><p><b>Norris Trophy:</b> To the defenseman displaying the greatest all-around ability at his position. Another two-man battle here between the two players who have won the award the past three seasons, Denis Potvin of the Islanders, who captured the award in 1976 and 1978 and Larry Robinson of the Canadiens who won in 1977.</p><p>Potvin became only the second defenseman (after Bobby Orr) to score 100 points in a season when he collected 101 points, including 31 goals (he and Orr are the only defensemen to ever score 30 goals in a season as well). Potvin controls the tempo of a game from his defense post.</p><p>Robinson didn&rsquo;t score as many points (61) as he has in other years, but he&rsquo;s always at his best against the toughest teams. Undoubtedly the finest skater for a big man (six-foot-three, 210 pounds) he is one of the classiest performers in the game.</p><p>Winner: Potvin ($1,500 prize, $750 for runnerup).</p><p><b>Lady Byng Trophy:</b> To the player best showing sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with playing ability. There are three former winners of this competition in the running, last year&rsquo;s recipient Butch Goring of the Kings, Marcel Dionne also of the Kings who won in 1975 and &lsquo;77, and Jean Ratelie of Boston, who won in 1972 and &lsquo;76.</p><p>Atlanta Flames boast a pair of contenders in Bob MacMillan and Guy Chouinard who had only 14 penalty minutes each while scoring 108 and 107 points, respectively. Boston&rsquo;s scoring leader Rick Middleton, though, collected only seven penalty minutes (five in a rare fight the first game of the season) and had 86 points, despite missing nine games.</p><p>Winner: Middleton, $1,500 prize, $750 to runnerup).</p><p><b>Selke Trophy:</b> To the forward excelling in the defensive aspects of play. Last year, Bob Gainey of Montreal became the first winner of the Selke Trophy with Buffalo&rsquo;s Craig Ramsay second and Don Marcotte of the Bruins third. All three will once again contend.</p><p>Montreal coach Scotty Bowman thought so much of Gainey&rsquo;s defensive talents that he used him as a defenseman on several occasions during the season. Ramsay was the steadiest of all Buffalo players and the first on the club to hit 20-goals despite his playing on the checking line. Marcotte turned in another 20-goal season (his sixth) and was probably the most effective player to guard Guy Lafleur.</p><p>Winner: Ramsay ($1,500 prize, $750 to runnerup).</p><p><b>Masterton Trophy:</b> To the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Each club nominated a player for this award and the PHWA then reduced the field to five finalists.</p><p>They were Ramsay, MacMillan of Atlanta, Mike Polich of Minnesota, Serge Savard of Montreal and Nick Libett of Detroit. Last year&rsquo;s winner was Goring of the Kings.</p><p>Savard has never made an NHL All Star team despite more than a decade of being recognized as perhaps the steadiest player in the league. He&rsquo;s long overdue for an award, and has been an outspoken critic of violence at both the major league and junior level.</p><p>Winner: Savard ($ 1,000 prize).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

Smith, Trottier, Potvin Likely To Lead Field

<div class="byline">&#x2014;BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011054/3891773-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="353" height="481"></div><h2>Taking Things Easily</h2><p><b>MIKE BOSSY, WHO NEVER</b> looks at the net, wasn&rsquo;t looking at Bryan Trottier now.</p><p>So, while conducting just one more interview the other day, Bossy didn&rsquo;t see his New York Islanders&rsquo; linemate and bathhouse neighbor latch onto a can of Foamy.</p><p>Bossy&rsquo;s shoes are big shoes to fill, but Trottier filled &lsquo;em, all right. Only when it was time to go did Bossy brake and save his socks from a sea of menthol gook.</p><p>&ldquo;Trots,&rdquo; he intoned, &ldquo;look what somebody did to me. Somebody like you. Don&rsquo;t you know the difference between foot powder and shaving cream?&rdquo;</p><p>Suffice it to say, Mike Bossy takes things real easy. But give him the puck and a needle to thread, and he becomes what he has become at the frightfully young age of 22&mdash;the most prolific scorer in the National Hockey League.</p><p>A right wing with radar range, Bossy clicked 53 times last season, his rookie season. Then he teed up for his sophomore jinx season and shot holes in that phrase&mdash;69 goals. Indeed Chico Resch had reason recently to wax poetic as only he can wax.</p><p>&ldquo;He is the epitome of the capitalistic system,&rdquo; the goalie mentioned. &ldquo;Give him a chance and he seizes upon it. You just wonder, with all the success he&rsquo;s had, what Boss could possibly do for an encore.&rdquo;</p><p>Bossy thought about that topic&mdash;whether boredom might ever overtake him&mdash;for about three seconds.</p><p>&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; he said, toweling off his loafers, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really worry about something like that. If I were to drop from 69 goals to 59, 1 would not be worried. But if I were to drop from 69 to 40, I would be concerned.</p><h2>Has Sixth Sense</h2><p><b>&ldquo;I DON&rsquo;T FEEL</b> that will happen. At least 1 hope it won&rsquo;t. I feel like I can keep the pace of getting 50 or so a year. You see, I&rsquo;ve always been able to score goals. I don&rsquo;t ever remember going more than five, six games in a row without scoring. But the word on me in junior hockey was that I couldn&rsquo;t check my hat.&rdquo;</p><p>Because of that, a dozen different teams passed on Bossy before the Islanders, picking 15th, snared him in the 1977 draft. And like a glove he has fit in with the off-Broadway gang, an enviable amalgam of skills, a team that can bump and freewheel and play it tight and play it bright all within the confines of a 60-minute game.</p><p>Bossy&rsquo;s premier asset, as is the case with so many of the great ones, it that sixth sense which permits him to react instinctively, correctly. While lesser players are thinking about it, Bossy is doing it. The head tells the hands and it&rsquo;s bang, bang. He&rsquo;s like a diamond cutter, a surgeon.</p><p>&ldquo;Of all the goals I scored this season, 1 don&rsquo;t think I got more than five or six by looking at the net to find an opening,&rdquo; said this gunslinger from just outside Montreal, a six-foot, 5-pounder who is built like a Jack Brickhouse with well-defined musculature.</p><p>&ldquo;By getting the shot away as fast as I can, I can maybe catch the goalie when he&rsquo;s not ready. I consider myself lucky on a lot of my goals, but even if the puck doesn&rsquo;t go exactly where I want it to, I have the advantage if the goalie isn&rsquo;t ready.&rdquo;</p><h2>Expects Rough Play</h2><p><b>ON AN ISLANDER FAMILY</b> which is interesting and diverse and talkative, Bossy leans to the quiet side.</p><p>&ldquo;I like to spend a lot of time at home when I can,&rdquo; said Bossy, who is pure English but speaks French and married a French girl, Lucie. &ldquo;She is five months&rsquo; pregnant with our first one, and I live on a place out on Long Island where I can hide if I want.</p><p>&ldquo;The last half of the season was hectic, but still I am able to relax when I want. People ask me whether other teams will get rougher with me if I continue to score, whether other teams will run me. Well, I&rsquo;ve been hit quite a bit already, and taken my share of elbows and checks. You expect that.</p><p>&ldquo;When you talk about another team running you, I think primarily of sticks and spearing. The thought has occurred to me&hellip;and I could be injured. It hasn&rsquo;t happened yet, and hopefully it won&rsquo;t. But when you start thinking defensively, that&rsquo;s when you get hurt.</p><p>&ldquo;There have been a lot of interviews, but they don&rsquo;t bother me. I try to accommodate as many people as possible. I&rsquo;m happy people consider me worthwhile enough to write about. The press is helping me as much as I&rsquo;m helping them.&rdquo;</p><p>Give that man a cigar.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

HOCKEY TALK

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02812/3891804-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RICK MacLEISH&hellip;Just One Playoff Point</b></figcaption></div><p>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>nto each NHL franchise, this side of Montreal, a little disappointment must fall. In the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; case, gloom arrived in a torrential downpour.</p><p>Ousted in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals by the New York Rangers? What in the name of Fred Shero is going on here?</p><p>First, anyone who saw the series knows the Rangers deserved to win. Any team that outscores the other 26-5 over four games is clearly the better team at the time. Lose by 7-1, 5-1, 6-0, and 8-3 and, as a worried Keith Allen will tell you, once the haunting memory of red lights flashing behind the Philadelphia goaltenders fades from his mind, a team has troubles.</p><p>The Flyers&rsquo; troubles start in goal, move out to defense, and then drift over to left wing. Forget any problems with coaching. Although Pat Quinn was almost out-coached by Vancouver&rsquo;s Harry Neale in the preliminary round, and then was confronted with the experienced Rangers&rsquo; dynamic duo of Shero and Mike Nykoluk, Quinn will be a solid NHL coach. After both series, Quinn, a bright, classy gentleman, wondered if he could have done more to have the Flyers better prepared.</p><p>Quinn should know that no Philadelphia player was hinting that the ego-crushing trouncing by the Rangers was the coach&rsquo;s fault. Any player who even considered such thoughts should be banished to riding the New York subway at midnight.</p><p>Quinn couldn&rsquo;t stop shots, or check, or score goals against John (Man Mountain) Davidson. The Flyers are highly paid to perform these functions. They didn&rsquo;t, failing to the point of humiliation, and now the club is prepared for more personnel changes.</p><p>GM Keith Allen was hoping to arrange another deal for a high draft choice, but he wasn&rsquo;t too optimistic.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not too, sure we&rsquo;re going to be able to do business with Colorado,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had some preliminary discussions with Ray (Miron, Rockies&rsquo; GM) and I don&rsquo;t think we have what he wants.&rdquo;</p><p>Presumably, Montreal does have what Miron wants, which means that Miron believes a Pierre Larouche and a Brian Engblom or Gilles Lupien would look better in a Colorado uniform than Rick MacLeish and Andre Dupont or Rick Lapointe.</p><p>The avalanche of criticism following the Flyers&rsquo; elimination fell on MacLeish more than any other Philadelphia player. The man who led all playoff scorers when the Flyers won their Stanley Cups managed just one assist in the playoffs&rsquo; of &lsquo;79. MacLeish, 29, has suffered some serious injuries the past few seasons, but all indications were he was healthy for the playoffs.</p><p>One typically concise and accurate analysis of MacLeish came from his former coach.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t notice him,&rdquo; Shero said after the series. Then he added, &ldquo;Maybe this proves he&rsquo;s best playing in the middle.&rdquo;</p><p>With Bobby Clarke, Mel Bridgman (who also had a disappointing playoff) and Ken Linseman entrenched as the Flyers&rsquo; centers, and MacLeish unable to play effectively on the wing, the solution is clear: MacLeish must go. Finding the right deal is Allen&rsquo;s biggest assignment&mdash;before the amateur draft.</p><p>After the draft, Allen&rsquo;s biggest worry will be finding a No. 1 goaltender. This task is certain to add a few more silver streaks to his mane. Allen and Quinn have four goalies to choose from&mdash;Wayne Stephenson, Robbie Moore. Pete Peeters and Rick St. Croix. The problem is, none has proven he can be a Davidson-style stopper.</p><p>Press-box guessing had the Flyers protecting Peeters and St. Croix. As a first-year pro, Moore isn&rsquo;t eligible for the draft. Allen wouldn&rsquo;t say it, but the suspicion is he hopes a WHA club will claim Stephenson. Winnipeg, which is the veteran goalie&rsquo;s home down, would be nice for all concerned.</p><p>Bernie Parent isn&rsquo;t included in the goaltending picture because all indications are the eye injury he suffered in February will force him to retire. One Philadelphia newspaper has already announced Parent&rsquo;s retirement, prompting the former award-winning goalie to angrily say, &ldquo;What the hell is going on? He (the writer) never even talked to me. I&rsquo;ve said to everyone I&rsquo;m just waiting to see what the doctors tell me.&rdquo;</p><p>Team physicians insisted no decision on Parent has been reached.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-02

Flyers’ Shocking Demise Illustrated Weak Points

<div class="byline">BY TOM MURRAY</div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-01941/3891835-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="568" height="602"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HERB BROOKS&hellip;At Minneapolis Clinic</b></figcaption></div><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS, in conjunction with the CAN/AM Hockey Group of Guelph, Ont., is sponsoring three advanced level coaches clinics, which will be conducted during the month of June on three separate weekends.</p><p>The dates and locations of the clinics, especially tailored for coaches of college, junior college, high school, advanced amateur and 14-16-year-old travel teams, are as follows:</p><p>&bull; June 8-10: <b>Minneapolis, Minnesota.</b> The clinic will be conducted at the Richfield Ice Arena and the instructors include several of the most respected and knowledgeable experts in the game today. The CAN/AM group itself will be represented by Roly Thompson, the director of CAN/AM and the author of several widely-read coaches&rsquo; books, and Doug Hearns, a former pro hockey player who now serves as the operations manager for CAN/AM.</p><p>Also on hand will be Glen Sonmor, the head coach of the Minnesota North Stars, and a man who is credited with turning the fortunes of that team completely around when he took over the head coaching job during this past season.</p><p>Herb Brooks, the head coach at the University of Minnesota and the coach of the United States team which will play in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, will also be present, along with Alex Andjelic, the coach of a pro team in Nijmegen, Holland and an individual who is very well versed in the European training and skating techniques which were put on display by the Soviets during the Challenge Cup series last February.</p><p>&bull; June 15-17: <b>Katonah, New York.</b> The clinic will be conducted at the Harvey School in Katonah and, once again, the personnel on hand is un-paralleled in the hockey world.</p><p>Mike Nykoluk, the assistant coach of the New York Rangers, is universally regarded as one of the finest students and instructors of hockey. If Fred Shero was the guiding genius behind the Rangers&rsquo; surge into the Stanley Cup finals this season, it was Nykoluk who so brilliantly articulated the enigmatic Shero&rsquo;s vaunted system to the team. No one knows more about hockey&mdash;and how to teach it&mdash;than Nykoluk, whom Shero himself calls, &ldquo;the coach of the Rangers.&rdquo;</p><p>Joining Mike in Katonah will be Ron Ivany, a CAN/AM supervisor and a former college coach and Gary Green, the coach and general manager of the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Major Hockey. League&mdash;champions of that league in 1978 and &lsquo;79. And rounding out the list of instructors will be Dan Farrell, the head coach of the University of Michigan and Alex Andjelic, who will be making his second of three appearances at the clinics.</p><p>&bull;June 22-24: <b>Danvers, Massachusetts:</b> The Clinic will be conducted at the Danvers Twin Rink and the lineup of instructors for this, the last of the CAN/AM clinics, is just as impressive as the first two.</p><p>Roger Neilson, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is an expert when it comes to breaking down the game of hockey into components and thoroughly analyzing each aspect via video tapes, films, isolated cameras, etc. Neilson is a strong believer in drills and in teaching through repetition, and his success with this method was reflected in the Leafs&rsquo; finishing as the fourth-best defensive team in the NHL in 1978-79. Neilson will expound on all of his theories during the clinic sessions&mdash;both on and off the ice.</p><p>Ron Ivany, Gary Green and Alex Andjelic will also be present at this session, as will one new addition to the cast. That will be Jack Parker, the coach of the Boston University Terriers, the NCAA champions in 1978 and always one of the top teams in the country for the last decade.</p><p>No matter which one of the clinics you decide to attend, the emphasis and schedule of each one will be essentially the same. They will run from Friday at 7 p.m. to Sunday at 4 p.m. and will include ten and one-half hours of lectures and chalk talks as well as four hours of on-ice workshops. The topics which will be covered include the following:</p><p>&bull; <b>European Flow Drills:</b> a detailed analysis of the drills employed by the teams in Europe&mdash;the emphasis will be on the famous Czech methods&mdash;and the purpose and methodologies behind them.</p><p>&bull; <b>Effective Use Of The Neutral</b> Zone: instruction on various strategies and drills on how to most efficiently use the bluelines to your advantage.</p><p>&bull; <b>Systems:</b> how to alternate and best use techniques which will take advantage of your team&rsquo;s strengths and your opponent&rsquo;s weaknesses.</p><p>&bull; <b>Innovative Training Methods: will</b> include various &ldquo;dryland&rdquo; drills and techniques, as well as on-ice instruction on rest ratios, anticipation, etc.</p><p>&bull; <b>Motivation:</b> &ldquo;The Athletic Motivation Questionnaire,&rdquo; and how to use it most effectively.</p><p>&bull; <b>Bench Strategy:</b> detailed instruction on how to best handle changing players, making game adjustments, talking between periods, designing special plays, etc.</p><p>&bull; <b>Pre-Game Preparation:</b> warm-ups, strategies and game plans will all be detailed.</p><p>&bull; <b>Post-Game Analysis:</b> how to use video tape, stats, team meetings and talks.</p><p>&bull; <b>The Goaltender:</b> innovative training methods and development techniques.</p><p>If you&rsquo;re interested in signing up for any one of these three clinics, please fill in the coupon and send it off today. Attendance is limited and applications are being accepted only on a first come, first served basis.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

Top-Flight Coaches Conduct Clinics

<div class="byline">&#x2014;BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011044/3891873-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="423" height="474"></div><h2><i>Finally Making It&hellip;</i></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T IS NOT EASY</b> to make it with mighty Montreal. Even Guy Lafleur took four seasons to soar to stardom. Others such as Peter Lee never break into the star-studded lineup and have to be traded to get the opportunity to shine. Mario Tremblay was the 12th choice of the 1974 amateur draft and it is only now, in his fifth season, that he established himself as a regular with the classy Canadiens.</p><p>An underage pick off the Junior Canadiens of the Quebec League, with whom he scored 92 goals his last two seasons, Mario scored 21 goals at the tender age of 18 after jumping from Nova Scotia right to the National League his first season as a pro, but it was felt he didn&rsquo;t play the game the way it should be played and his chances came few and far between the following seasons.</p><p>Last season, he didn&rsquo;t even dress for 24 games and managed only 10 goals in the 56 games for which he did dress and make occasional appearances. So, this season, it came as something of a surprise when he was handed the bleu, blanc, and rouge from the opener on, missed only four games, and fired in 30 goals in 76 games, fourth high on the club.</p><p>He, Yvon Lambert, and Doug Risebrough, &ldquo;The Kid Line,&rdquo; as they have been called, had been together since 1975, but had been asked to do a job on defense, not offense, until last season, when they were not asked to do much of anything at all. This season coach Scotty Bowman reunited them at training camp and turned them loose. Later, Risebrough fell off, missing 32 games. But Lambert also had a good season.</p><p><b>AS FOR TREMBLAY,</b> Bowman says, simply, &ldquo;I thought he was ready.&rdquo; Tremblay says, &ldquo;1 think I was ready before this year, but 1 guess a young player always thinks that. I&rsquo;m sure I would have been ready with most teams, but maybe I wasn&rsquo;t with this team. You always have to wait here. You don&rsquo;t believe it when you come up, thinking like a hot-shot, but you find it out soon enough. You see it. You&rsquo;re not the only one.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to wait for your turn. You have to take your pills. It&rsquo;s not always easy. You do get discouraged. But when the team is winning games and winning championships you can&rsquo;t say hey, they&rsquo;re wrong, they need you. You have to do what you&rsquo;re asked to do. You try not to make mistakes. You try to make the most of every shift you get. If not, how, it&rsquo;s back to the bench. Or the stands. 1 watched a lot of games from the stands.</p><p>&ldquo;You hear you&rsquo;re going to be traded. After awhile, maybe you want to be traded. Some guys ask to be traded. 1 think if I hadn&rsquo;t played a lot this season, my fifth in the majors, I might have asked to be traded. But I didn&rsquo;t want to be traded. I wanted to play. Here. With the best team. With my team. I&rsquo;m from Quebec. I&rsquo;m happy I&rsquo;m still here. And playing. A part of the team.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to win, but it&rsquo;s not so nice if you don&rsquo;t feel a part of it. This season I felt like 1 helped us win. 1 played well. The more I played, the better I played. I began to feel comfortable, to gain confidence, and to relax. When 1 took the puck into the other team&rsquo;s zone 1 used to just throw it in a corner and let the other guys go in after it. Now 1 looked to make a play with it. Or I went in for a shot. I shot faster.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-02939/3891866-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="817" height="1012"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Cracking the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; lineup at any time is difficult, and even more so if you&rsquo;re an underage player. But Mario Tremblay who joined the club at 18, now has five years under his belt and became an established contributor at the age of <i>22.</i></b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>HE NOT ONLY SCORED</b> 30 goals, but assisted on 29 for 59 points, sixth high on the team. He forechecked very well and did a bit of backchecking, too. The six-foot, 185-pound right-winger played a good all-around game. Some of the writers travelling with the team thought he was the most underrated player on the team.</p><p>Going into the playoffs, Bowman said, &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t as publicised as some of our stars, but he was an important player for us this season. He was a big guy for us in the playoffs last season and he&rsquo;s one of the ones who&rsquo;s going to have to do a job if we&rsquo;re going to hang on to the cup this time, too.&rdquo;</p><p>Tremblay actually played in only five playoff games last season, and he only scored two goals, but both came in the last, winning game, and it may be that which stuck in Scotty&rsquo;s mind and boosted Tremblay into greater opportunity this season. You just have to make the most of your chances.</p><p>Mario was born in September of 1956 in the Alma area. His father is a furniture mover. A brother, Michel, has played senior hockey in New-Brunswick. One sister, Sandra, is a secretary, another, Natalie, still a schoolgirl. A dark, handsome dude, Mario married stunning Colette Germain last July and they expect their first baby this month. They expect to spend a lot of the summer in Kirkland Lake where Mario plays softball, fishes, and hunts. If he can get away, he&rsquo;ll go by jeep into the bush country north of Quebec City to rough it in the wilds.</p><p>But, as this is written, this talented 22-year-old was still busy helping to carry the Canadiens along a somewhat rocky road to the end of the playoffs, and hoped for a sip of champagne from the Stanley Cup that awaits the winners and tastes so much better when mixed with the sweat from one&rsquo;s brow. He&rsquo;s no Guy Lafleur, but then neither was Guy Lafleur at 22.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

Hockey Ad Lib

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03792/3891904-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JERRY KORAB&hellip;Worked Overtime For Sabres</b></figcaption></div><p>BUFFALO&mdash;</p><p>Jim Schoenfeld receives the recognition, Jerry Korab gets the boos.</p><p>But, when the entire season is weighed, the tall guy they call King Kong Korab probably was the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; most valuable defenseman during the 1978-79 season.</p><p>The Sabres were fortunate to have Korab. He must have logged a good deal more ice time than any other Buffalo Player. Not only did Korab play a regular shift on defense, often double-shifting, but he killed penalties and usually was out on the power play, too.</p><p>Schony did the same, but he didn&rsquo;t work on the power play as often as Korab. And Schoenfeld twice missed a long stretch of games because of injury. The big redhead has missed good portions of every season he has been with the Sabres because of illness or injury.</p><p>Korab, on the other hand, seldom misses a game. When Schony was out, Kong took over as the anchor of the Sabre defense. That&rsquo;s when he really put in the long tours of duty on the ice. And those two times Schony was out, Kong played his best hockey. He had to be one of the better defensemen in the National Hockey League.</p><p>Korab&rsquo;s worst stretch of the season came immediately after Schoenfeld returned to action from a separated shoulder. Maybe Kong was trying to do too much; to show that he still was the kingpin of the defense.</p><p>Whatever, he was making those mistakes he is so well-known for among Buffalo hockey fans. And when Korab makes mistakes, they are obvious. Maybe because he is so big-six-foot-three and about 220 pounds&mdash;everything he does is noticed.</p><p>The fans really were on Korab for a while. But when the Sabres turned themselves around under new coach Billy Inglis, and particularly when Schony was hurt again, Korab was one of the brightest stars. He kept going until the end of the season and through the Sabres&rsquo; abbreviated playoff performance.</p><p>The Sabres killed 12 straight penalties in the three-game series against Pittsburgh, without ever being scored on while shorthanded. Korab and Schoenfeld were the defensemen on the ice for the better part of all the penalties.</p><p>It is as an offensive defenseman, however, that Korab really shines. He scored a goal that could have won the third game and the series for the Sabres. It came in the closing minutes of the second period and gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead.</p><p>For the fourth time in his six seasons with the Sabres, Korab led the defensemen in goals, assists and points. He led in goals all six seasons. He holds the club season records for most goals (14), most assists (44) and most points (56).</p><p>In his earlier NHL days, with Chicago and Vancouver, the 30-year-old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., divided his time between defense and left wing. In 1978 training camp, Marcel Pronovost, then coach of the Sabres, had Korab briefly at forward.</p><p>The towering defenseman really can skate. His long legs&mdash;he is built like a basketball player, with legs seemingly reaching to his chest&mdash;give him one of the longest skating strides in the National Hockey League.</p><p>But Jerry plays defense much better than forward and that&rsquo;s where King Kong Korab wants to remain. His contract with the Sabres runs out at the end of this season but he wants to remain in Buffalo, too, where he and wife Mary Jane have bought a home in the suburbs.</p><p>That King Kong nickname, incidentally, is one Korab says he doesn&rsquo;t like. But when the Korabs&rsquo; first child was born, Jerry hung a sign on his garage door pointing out that &ldquo;Kong is a (proud) father.&rdquo;</p><p>Whoever runs the Sabre hockey operation next season&mdash;club president Seymour H. Knox III has said he hasn&rsquo;t decided yet who will be general manager and coach&mdash;will have to make some weighty decisions about the defense.</p><p>Nine defensemen played for Buffalo during the 1978-79 season&mdash;Korab, Schoenfeld, Lee Fogolin, Bill Hajt, Bill Stewart, Ken Breiten-back, Mike Boland, Larry Playfair and Richie Dunn.</p><p>Billy Inglis, who took over as coach when Pronovost was fired, has a contract reaching only to the end of the year. No general manager was appointed after Punch Imlach was fired that same December day that Pronovost got the pink slip.</p><p>John Andersen, director of scouting, was upped to director of player personnel and acted as GM the rest of the season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

Korab Reigned As Sabre King At The Blueline

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011009/3891949-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02878/3891942-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="1104" height="1266"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Eaves of the Oklahoma City Stars, left, and John Muckier of Dallas, were the pick of THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; editors this season as top figures in the minor leagues. Eaves, who also won the CHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year award, was named best player of 1978-79 while Muckler&rsquo;s feat in leading Dallas from last place to the Adams Cup, also in the CHL, earned him coach of the year honors.</b></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Minnesota North Stars are busily shaping their future in the National Hockey League with refreshing new, young faces. One player who fits their quest for success in Mike Eaves, the talented 22-year-old who nearly stole the Central Hockey League scoring championship in his first pro season.</p><p>Eaves has been selected by the editors of THE HOCKEY NEWS as the minor league player of the year for 1978-79 in tribute to his sensational freshman year as a pro with the Oklahoma City Stars of the CHL.</p><p>Born in Denver, Colorado, Eaves climaxed a brilliant first season by winning the CHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year award and being named second team All Star center while finishing with 87 scoring points in 68 games for a team that failed to make the playoffs.</p><p>In addition to Eaves, John Muckier of Dallas was chosen as coach of year giving the CHL a sweep of the two major minor league awards for the second straight year. Doug Palazzari of Salt Lake and Fort Worth coach Billy MacMillan were recipients of THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; awards last season.</p><p>A third award was the selection of Ed Anderson, president of the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League, as THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; executive of the year. Last year&rsquo;s winner was Ken Ullyot of Fort Wayne of the International League.</p><p>Minnesota hockey brass are high on Eaves&rsquo; chances of making the NHL next season, a year the North Stars hope will see them transformed into a legitimate playoff contender for the first time in four seasons. Eaves could very well be part of the Minnesota rejuvenation program judging by his performance this past season with Oke City. He narrowly missed winning the CHL scoring title from Rick Shinske of Salt Lake by a single point.</p><p>Slowed down by two injuries that forced him out of 12 league games, Eaves was well on his way to a 100-point season when he became sidelined late in the year. The five-foot-10, 180-pounder stepped into the pros this season after a spectacular college hockey career that saw him rewrite the scoring book at the University of Wisconsin.</p><p>A perennial All Star and All American choice the past few years, Eaves left behind some imposing scoring records with the Badgers that still remain untouched. He departed Wisconsin with a career total of 267 points, a mark that was threatened this season by another Winconsin great, Mark Johnson, but who fell short of surpassing Eaves&rsquo; college record. Eaves led Wisconsin in two of his four years in point scoring and assists and held a handful of individual marks when he graduated last season.</p><p>One of the oddities of Eaves&rsquo; hockey career is the fact he was actually drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1976 and later found his way to the Cleveland Barons without even playing an NHL game. His NHL rights were transferred to the Barons in exchange for defenseman Len Frig on Aug. 15, 1977. One year later when the Cleveland franchise merged with Minnesota, Eaves became the property of the North Stars, a move he hopes will eventually propel him into a regular berth in the NHL.</p><p>Eaves was one of several top prospects in the minors who were considered by THE HOCKEY NEWS for the player of the year award. Others included Rocky Saganiuk and goaler Murray Bannerman of New Brunswick, Maine&rsquo;s Bernie Johnston, Terry Richardson of Salt Lake, also a netminder, and Fort Wayne&rsquo;s Terry McDougall, the IHL&rsquo;s most valuable player and leading point scorer.</p><p>The naming of Muckler as the outstanding minor league coach this year was attributed to his brilliant handling of the Dallas Black Hawks where he filled the dual role of general manager and coach and wound up bringing back the Adams Cup as league champions.</p><p>Muckier&rsquo;s Hawks turned a hot hand in the closing weeks of the hockey season. They won 25 of their last 27 league games and captured eight of nine playoff games in disposing of the cup favorites, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, by winning four of five from the St. Louis farmhands. The ironic twist to Muckler&rsquo;s success story and the Hawks for that matter was the fact Dallas was resting in last place in the six-team CHL race as late as Dec. 9. But Muckier motivated his team to turn it around and the drive culminated in winning the championship, the first for Dallas since 1974.</p><p>Muckier has been a long-time minor league coach. He was both coach and GM with Providence teams for many years and had a brief whirl in the NHL with Minnesota in 1968-69 before returning to the AHL. This season he was a late choice by the Dallas team president John Cheney and the fact he was compelled to pacify three major league teams&mdash;Vancouver, Los Angeles and Edmonton Oilers, who all contributed players to Dallas&mdash;made his job all the more creditable.</p><p>Muckler&rsquo;s selection wasn&rsquo;t without much deliberation. The minors produced several top coaching candidates including Jack Evans of Salt Lake, first year coach Ed Johnston of New Brunswick, Parker MacDonald of New Haven, Moe Bartoli of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo&rsquo;s newcomer Bill Purcell.</p><h2>News&rsquo; Awards Winners</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04512/3891935-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="1092" height="472"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

Oke City’s Eaves Minors’ Player Of The Year

<p>PORTLAND&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03638/3891980-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="522" height="680"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ED ANDERSON&hellip;Youngest Executive</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Maine Mariners have become one of the most successful operations in minor professional hockey despite their late arrival on the scene and the man behind their whirlwind success story is the club&rsquo;s president Ed Anderson.</p><p>The 33-year-old Anderson, who is the youngest club president in pro hockey, has been selected by THE HOCKEY NEWS as the outstanding executive in minor hockey for the 1978-79 season.</p><p>Anderson has been the architect behind the Mariners and his direction of the American Hockey League&rsquo;s top hockey club has helped make Maine the No. 1 box office draw in the league. Including playoffs and league play the past two years, the Mariners have attracted close to 490,000 fans.</p><p>Anderson has done a tremendous job promoting hockey in Portland. The Mariners are a constant sellout and the fact they won it all last season and are on the threshold of doing it again this year, has given Anderson much leverage to operate.</p><p>A native of Waterbury, Conn., and a graduate of Rutgers University, Anderson was hand picked by the parent Philadelphia Flyers to direct the&rsquo;Mariners&rsquo; entry into the AHL. When the AHL granted Maine a franchise in May of 1977, Anderson was on hand for the event. He was a newspaperman covering for the Portland Press-Herald. Ed Snider, the chairman of the board of the Flyers, was enthused with Anderson&rsquo;s approach and hired him as business manager.</p><p>When Gil Stein, then the club president left the Flyers to join the NHL, Anderson stepped up and was installed as president and governor. That was December of 1977 and he&rsquo;s been there ever since promoting and selling the Mariners to Maine hockey fans.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

Anderson’s Selling Job Made Maine No. 1 Again

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011031/3892011-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div><p><b>Write to:</b></p><p><b>FAN FORUM, The Hockey News, 1434 St. Catherine St., W., Montreal, Canada H3G 1R7</b></p><h2>Blues&rsquo; Federko Deserves Byng Trophy</h2><p>The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship and talent during the season. Well St. Louis&rsquo; Bernie Federko should be a major contender for this award.</p><p>Not only did Federko lead the Blues in scoring, but he also remained in the Top Ten for the majority of the season. And was one of the plus-minus leaders for the season.</p><p>During the past three seasons, his entire professional career, he has yet to produce a major penalty for fighting. He is the cornerstone of the Blues, who as second to last place finishers didn&rsquo;t receive the ink that the Islanders and Canadiens get.</p><p>Federko should deserve a lot of consideration and watch out for him next season.</p><p><b>BILL KARIDES,</b><br><b>St. Louis, MO.</b></p><h2>Flak Vest Could Aid Goalers</h2><p>I have noticed recently that many goalies are visibly shaken up when hit on the check protector by a slap shot.</p><p>There&rsquo;s a new lightweight, very flexible type flak vest that was used by Dan Pastorini, quarterback for Houston in the recent NFL playoffs, to protect his broken ribs. He was not restricted in his movement nor was he hurt from the many brutal shots he took. The vest is designed to distribute the shock throughout and it may prove very worthwhile and safer than the present chest protector.</p><p>One other point: to reduce the number of whistles and open the game up, referees should start making the interference call when the puck is dumped by one player and his teammate is going for it and he clearly has the opposing defenseman beaten. 99 percent of the time his teammate, who has not touched the puck, is held, hooked or skated off the play by a defenseman. The defenseman is not standing his ground but actually going out of his way to interfere with the man. This happens many, many times during each game and 1 think of how much more exciting the game would be if that forward were allowed to pursue the puck, set up a play for a score or just to eliminate an icing whistle.</p><p><b>A.TIPALDI,</b><br><b>Vernon, CT.</b></p><h2>Salming&rsquo;s Skills Taken For Granted</h2><p>I would like to remind hockey fans that take Borje Salming of Toronto for granted about his hockey skills.</p><p>He is a brilliant goaltender when (Mike) Palmateer is out of position. He is the ultimate defenseman, checking the passing and not taking any unnecessary penalties. He&rsquo;s also a forward, getting excellent scoring opportunities and countless assists on good plays.</p><p>He sets up housekeeping in front of his net when the opposing team is on a power play, constantly battling for the puck. When he gets a goal he doesn&rsquo;t gloat. He is always cool, calm and collected. He never fights, which is very admirable in a defenseman.</p><p>A gentleman in every respect, his game is based on finesse and 1 think junior hockey players should model their play after him. To fans all across the country, Salming is a study in perfection.</p><p><b>LAURA ACHTEMICHUK,</b><br><b>Calmar, Alta.</b></p><h2>Hockey&rsquo;s Rules Should Be Standard</h2><p>Throughout the hockey season, and into the playoffs the referees call penalties on players resorting to infractions against the rules of the game, but overlook obvious penalties in important games reciprocal to seasonal play. In the final game between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, Williams was the goat which resulted in the loss of the game for a team which fought back from a four goal-deficit, only to lose on an infraction similar to many not called in both overtime games.</p><p>My belief in this situation is that the referees should continue to call penalties as they see them whether the game is meaningless or crucial; if they hold back on penalties on the important games, players tend to take advantages against the rules of the game knowing that they are going to get away with it, much to the dissatisfaction of the fans.</p><p><b>MIKE BARANOWSKI,</b><br><b>Nestor Falls, Ont.</b></p><h2>Leafs&rsquo; Williams Target Of Officials</h2><p>Something has to be done about the penalty situation during key times of a game. Such as the fourh game of the playoffs between the Canadiens and the Leafs. Officiating was O.K. through most of the series until the high sticking call was signaled against Dave Williams of the Leafs.</p><p>First of all, I&rsquo;m not sure it was a penalty, (Larry) Robinson appears to have ducked into it, but even if it was why does such a borderline penalty have to be the deciding factor for a team that has gone an entire season to get where they are. It&rsquo;s been said, no one calls a penalty in that situation unless it&rsquo;s of a flagrant nature, then an announcer for Hockey Night in Canada comes on and says if it&rsquo;s a penalty, call it no matter when it occurs.</p><p>I can live with either decision, but if you&rsquo;re going to call the penalties call them all, if not, don&rsquo;t call them unless they are flagrant. Anyone could see the officials were letting elbows and the like go throughout the entire match. I also wonder if some one like Ron Ellis, Walt McKechnie, or Guy Lafleur would have been the one with the stick up a little too high if the penalty would have been called.</p><p><b>THOMAS NOTTE,</b><br><b>Conneaut, OH.</b></p><h2>Penguins Fine Their Fans Terrible</h2><p>I am a Boston Bruins&rsquo; fan writing to congratulate the Pittsburgh Penguins on a fine season. It&rsquo;s too bad they have to play in front of such poor fans.</p><p>During the series against Boston, they constantly threw bottles and other objects at the Bruins&rsquo; players, hitting and cutting Wayne Cashman on the nose. It just as easily could have been one of his eyes.</p><p>Sometimes the mentality of the players is questioned. I think it is the fans like the ones in Pittsburgh who need help. They should appreciate not embarrass such class players as Pete Mahovlich, Gregg Sheppard, Orest Kindrachuk and their fine young team. Not to mention the great job done by John Wilson and Baz Bastien.</p><p>The fans in Pittsburgh should hang their heads, not the players.</p><p><b>TOM MARTIN,</b><br><b>Lowell, MA.</b></p><h2>Richardson Slighted In CHL All Star Choices</h2><p>An incredible injustice has taken place in the CHL All Star selections. Salt Lake Golden Eagle Terry Richardson was relegated to the second team in favor of Ron Low of the Kansas City Red Wings.</p><p>Witness the following facts on T.R. (Richardson):</p><p>1) He had the best GAA in the league, 2.53 as compared to Low&rsquo;s 3.86.</p><p>2) Terry&rsquo;s won-lost-tied record was 30-7-3 (.787 percentage) as compared to 32-28-2 for Low.</p><p>3) T.R. also led the league in shutouts with five. Low had none.</p><p>4) Terry also set a new CHL record for longest shutout sequence of 239 minutes, 48 seconds. The old record of 192:56 had stood for 12 years.</p><p>If the other coaches in this league are this blind as to who is the best goaltender, it&rsquo;s easy to see why Salt Lake finished as much as 55 points ahead of them.</p><p><b>KEITH KENDALL,</b><br><b>Salt Lake City, UT.</b></p><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><h3>Refs Punishing Hockey&rsquo;s Offenders</h3><p><b>Anders Hedberg stated after the Rangers beat the Flyers, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad this series is over, so we can gel back to playing hockey.&rdquo; I am hopeful that we are witnessing the end of Philadelphia&rsquo;s goon era. There has been one significant change that is causing this breath of fresh air, and that is when teams are brutalizing opponents, they are paying the price in the form of penalties. To their credit, the referees are not evening up penalties as in previous years and the shorthanded situations have cost teams dearly in both goals against and in physical exhaustion.</b></p><p><b>I was particularly pleased to see Walt Tkaczuk completely dominate the talented but aggressive Bobby Clarks. He, more than anyone, has symbolized the Broad Street Bullies.</b></p><p><b>On the minor league scene it was sad but also gratifying to see that Kitchener coach (Bill Ertel) resigned because he couldn&rsquo;t stomach the goon tactics being taught on that level.</b></p><p><b>Perhaps the solution to the whole problem would be to adopt the European-sized rinks rather than the more confining North American ones. Then the game could get back to artistic skating, passing and checking of yore and the goons could pay their way in to watch. I can dream can&rsquo;t I?</b></p><p><b>TOM UNGER,</b><br><b>Pelham, N.Y.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

FAN FORUM

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02835/3892063-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>eader Gerry Dorais of Winnipeg, Man. has some definite ideas about restructuring the National Hockey League to 18 teams, each with an affiliate in the American Hockey League. He also makes proposals for junior hockey teams as well as several rule changes.</p><p>WINNIPEG&mdash;</p><p>Here is a list of the proposed leagues:</p><h2>NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2><h2>AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03632/3892056-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="1010" height="264"></div><p>Each NHL team shall play three homes games and three away games against clubs of their own division and two home and two away games against clubs of other divisions which totals 78 games per season. The proposed schedule can be applied also to the American Hockey League.</p><p>The proposed schedule must be played in a period of time starting around October, second Wednesday, and ending season March 3. Sunday playoffs may start writh in a week after the season ends and going back to the old system, the first team meets the fourth and second and third teams meet in the other series, with the fifth and sixth being automatically eliminated.</p><p>First and second series must be best of five.</p><p>Final series must be best of seven.</p><p>Concerning Junior Hockey Leagues, they shall be divided into three regions&mdash;Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada. They shall play a 66 game schedule.</p><p>Here are the proposed leagues:</p><h2>JUNIOR &ldquo;A&rdquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04475/3892049-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="1044" height="608"></div><h2>JUNIOR &ldquo;B&rdquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05362/3892042-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="918" height="230"></div><p>Concerning the draft choice I believe that each NHL team must have and support a Junior team in either two Junior A Leagues and one team in Junior B League.</p><p>Each NHL team will have the right to lose their first star player but have the right to protect their second star player and lose their third and protect their fourth and so on.</p><p>Concerning penalties, they shall give an example to the TV viewers and Junior Players, therefore there shall be stiffer and more heavier fines and heavier suspensions. Therefore, anyone engaging in a fight in the first two periods shall be punished for the rest of the game and those engaging in fighting in the third period shall be punished for the remainder of the game plus a fine, plus one more game suspension.</p><p>Each NHL team must protect a total of 16 players after each season. Only one goalie, five defensemen, nine forwards and one utility shall be protected.</p><p>Each AHL or minor league player who has played more than 25&rsquo; games in the NHL shall be eligible for draft choice.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

Restructuring NHL, Top Junior Leagues Dream Of Hockey Fan

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-01988/3892094-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Gilles Gilbert stopped nearly everything the Canadiens could offer, but after close to 10 minutes of overtime, Yvon Lambert deflected this shot past the Bruin netminder to end Boston&rsquo;s cup hopes and allow Montreal to defend their title.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Ian MacAlpine)</span></figcaption></div><p>BOSTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>here are many overworked cliches in professional sports and they receive most of their popularity during a playoff time when the pressure and the results of each confrontation are magnified by the realization that the end of the season for one of the combatants may be only moments away. But the Boston Bruins used one of those storied expressions&mdash;the old &lsquo;you need a hot goaltender in the playoffs&rsquo;&mdash;to nearly upset the defending champion Montreal Canadiens.</p><p>In the space of five games, Gilles Gilbert, who used to fear each phone call would be the one telling him that he had been traded from Boston, and then went through the second half of the season suffering from an acute case of &ldquo;the coach doesn&rsquo;t like me&rdquo; syndrome, made a lot of people&mdash;most notably the Bruins&mdash;realize that he is their goaltender of the immediate future.</p><p>With the Bruins trailing two games to none with Gerry Cheevers in goal, Bruins&rsquo; coach Don Cherry figured the time was ripe to give Gilbert a try. The 30-year-old native of St. Esprit, Que. had started the season in impressive fashion for the Bruins, then had a couple of bad games when Cheevers returned from an injury, and then was injured himself. Twice when he was ready to come back to the lineup, he was reinjured, but he finally received a little work in the closing stages of the season as a playoff precaution.</p><p>Gilbert was the difference as he constantly came up with big saves as the Bruins took a pair of one-goal victories at home, 2-1 and 4-3 in overtime, to tie the series. After the Canadiens dominated the fifth game for a 3-2 edge, Gilbert was sharp once again in a 5-2 Boston win.</p><p>He was at his best, however, in the seventh game of the series, even though the Canadiens managed to rally from a two-goal deficit, tie the game and then eventually win it in overtime. Gilbert stopped 47 of 52 shots hurled at him by the Canadiens, beating them with lightning reflexes and outstanding positional play.</p><p>Gilbert becomes a free agent on June 1, but his playoff performance should have convinced the Boston brass that he is the player who should be handling the bulk of their goaltending assignments.</p><p>Just before the Bruns met the Canadiens in the semi-final round general manager Harry Sinden sat down and analyzed what his Bruins had to do to win.</p><p>Gifted with a little hindsight now, let&rsquo;s see how his game plan worked out.</p><p>&ldquo;First of all,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;you don&rsquo;t intimidate the Montreal Canadiens. On the other hand, you&rsquo;ve got to play the body against them because if you try to play a finesse game, you&rsquo;re beat there, too.</p><p>&ldquo;What you&rsquo;ve got to do it play a good sound game where you take the body without taking penalties. When you take people out you can&rsquo;t have your arms high; you can&rsquo;t have your stick high; you can&rsquo;t retaliate if they hit you.</p><p>&ldquo;This group of Boston Bruins does not have to prove how tough they are to anybody. They&rsquo;ve already done that. They have to be smart and stay away from cheap penalties. To me that is the first objective of this club.</p><p>Canadiens, said Sinden, &ldquo;do not have an overwhelming power play. Unfortunately, if you give them an opportunity, they don&rsquo;t give it back. If they have six power plays to your one, they may get only one goal but you don&rsquo;t get any.&rdquo;</p><p>Sinden said he has never seen Canadiens&rsquo; goalie Ken Dryden have a bad game or series against the Bruins, but this time he was hopeful.</p><p>&ldquo;Our people saw him against Toronto in the quarter-final series and they tell us he seemed to be vulnerable in one area where he wasn&rsquo;t vulnerable in the past,&rdquo; said Sinden. &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t catching the puck too well. We&rsquo;ll be watching for it.&rdquo;</p><p>Dryden, incidentally, did have one bad game against the Bruins but it was the Brown University Bruins, who beat him 6-3 for one of only four losses he suffered in three years in the nets at Cornell.</p><p>The last time the Bruins beat the Canadiens in a Stanley Cup playoff was 36 years and 13 series ago.</p><p>Larry Claflin and Clif Keane, who conduct a Boston radio sports talk show, set out to find a member of that 1942-43 Bruins team and tracked down Bill Cowley, the noted Ottawa hotel impresario, its top centerman.</p><p>Cowley didn&rsquo;t remember much about that wartime team, except that he centered a line with Herbie Cain and Frank (Buzz) Boll.</p><p>&ldquo;Buzz was the smartest wingman I ever had,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He played one night with a broken knee cap. He shouldn&rsquo;t have been playing but he got four goals. He had enough brains to skate into one position and stood there and I put the puck on his stick.&rdquo;</p><p>Today&rsquo;s big hockey salaries?</p><p>&ldquo;My top was $6,000. Then, with the Stanley Cup, the Hart Trophy, the All Star team and the scoring and everything else, 1 think I made $11,000 at the most.&rdquo;</p><p>Guy Lafleur?</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;d be nearly as good as Milt Schmidt. All around, I&rsquo;d take Schmidt over anybody. He covered the whole ice like Lafleur and he hit harder than most defensemen.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t skated in nearly 15 years,&rdquo; said Cowley, who&rsquo;ll be 67 on June 12. &ldquo;When I was 55 we played an oldtimers&rsquo; game against Canadiens in Boston. We beat &lsquo;em.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I see by the papers,&rdquo; said Bruins&rsquo; coach Don Cherry, &ldquo;that my friend Guy Lapointe is working to get me a new contract, telling them how great I am.</p><p>&ldquo;I got to be good friends with Lapointe and Robinson and Savard because I like to go out and have a few beers and so&rsquo; do they. When I was coaching with Team Canada in &lsquo;76 we always used to be in the same steam room trying to sweat it out.</p><p>&ldquo;We developed a very warm friendship.&rdquo;</p><p>When Canadiens&rsquo; Jacuqes Lemaire scored the first goal in the opening Bruins-Canadiens game, the Boston bench surprised everyone by coming out on the ice en masse to console goalie Gerry Cheevers.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a stroke of genius,&rsquo;&rsquo;said Mike Milbury. &ldquo;Canadiens had been sending everybody off the bench to congratulate their goal-scorer in the Toronto series. Coach&rsquo;s brother (Dick Cherry) scouted the series and suggested that we do it.</p><p>&ldquo;Canadiens seem to thrive on the first goal. It seems to give them momentum. Us jumping off the bench to go to Gerry kinda broke the momentum.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a terrific show of gamesmanship. And that&rsquo;s the way Don Cherry operates.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

Gilbert Forcing Change In Bruins’ Thinking

<h2>The Don Cherry Show</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011005/3892125-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="508" height="654"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Don Cherry</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>OW THAT THERE APPEARS</b> to be no way that Don Cherry will return as coach of Boston Bruins in the 1979-80 National Hockey League season, perhaps the league will find a use for one of its best natural resources.</p><p>Perhaps the NHL could hire Cherry to release a weekly, or even daily, state of the union report on what&rsquo;s happening around the circuit. The NHL desperately needs to attract publicity and no one does it better than &ldquo;Grapes.&rdquo;</p><p>Or maybe the NHL should transform Cherry into a travelling coach and assign him to spend a month with each of the teams which is having attendance problems and needs a little interest whipped up for it.</p><p>It also wouldn&rsquo;t hurt to have Grapes work with the club&rsquo;s players, too, because he&rsquo;s one of the best coaches in the business in addition to being an enormously likeable, downright funny man.</p><p>In a profession filled with men who are, for the most, about as funny as a flood, Cherry stands out like a skunk at a garden party. He&rsquo;s one coach who has some idea of the real business he&rsquo;s in&mdash;and that&rsquo;s entertainment. Now, producing a good hockey team, of course, is an important part of the coach&rsquo;s act. But generating publicity for the team and the game has to count for something, too.</p><p>Because of the feud Cherry and Bruin general manager Harry Sinden have had, Grapes undoubtedly will move his act to a new town next season. He shouldn&rsquo;t be out of work for very long because good hockey coaches are scarce, especially those who can earn headlines when they&rsquo;re not even trying to earn them.</p><p>&ldquo;Look, I&rsquo;m damned serious about coaching and winning because that&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about,&rdquo; Cherry said. &ldquo;But where&rsquo;s it say you can&rsquo;t have a little fun along the way.&rdquo;</p><h2>An Incurable Ham</h2><p><b>CHERRY IS AN UNCURABLE</b> ham, a man who loves the spotlight and controversy. He&rsquo;s made his bull terrier, Blue, into a superstar with her own fan club.</p><p>Comedians say that the two best subjects for gags are your mother and your dog and Cherry uses both Blue and his mother in many of his anecdotes.</p><p>His calls to his mother in Kingston, Ont., must be hilarious, at least the way Grapes reports them, anyway. His mother is always correcting his behavior behind the bench, chiding him for what seems to be bad language and criticizing his clothes. Cherry is the NHL&rsquo;s best-dressed coach by a large margin.</p><p>&ldquo;Can you believe this?&rdquo; Cherry said. &ldquo;I called my mother early the morning after we lost the first game of the series to Montreal Canadiens (Stanley Cup semi-final) and she told me I shouldn&rsquo;t wear a red tie like I had on the night before. She&rsquo;d watched on television.</p><p>&ldquo;She said red was the wrong color for a guy with my build. She said it made me look bigger&mdash;and I don&rsquo;t need that.&rdquo;</p><h2>His Faithful Dog</h2><p><b>ACCORDING TO GRAPES,</b> Blue is somewhere between Lassie and John Wensink, the belligerent Bruin winger. After the Bruins had swept aside Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarter-finals, Blue and Grapes went for a walk in the huge state forest near his home in a Boston suburb, they both fell asleep beside a stream and then walked in the wrong direction.</p><p>&ldquo;We were lost and after four hours, I started to get worried,&rdquo; Cherry said. &ldquo;We finally wandered out to the highway, a distance of 15 miles from where we&rsquo;d started and you know what? Two kids went past in a car, recognized Blue and gave us a ride home.&rdquo;</p><p>A boy, his dog and his mother. It&rsquo;s all too much.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MOODY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02849/3892156-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>OREST KINDRACHUK&hellip;Disappointed By Bruins&rsquo; Sweep</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Pittsburgh Penguins power play goal record of two-for-29 in their Stanley Cup playoff games was a key factor in their four-game sweep by the Boston Bruins in the quarter-finals.</p><p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re playing a team like Boston,&rdquo; said Penguin captain Orest Kindrachuk, &ldquo;you have to score on the power play. They play a physical game and are willing to take a few penalties for it. When you&rsquo;re unable to score during those penalty situations, then they&rsquo;ve effectively made you play their game.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite being swept in four straight games by the Bruins, the Penguins played well in every game but the first, which Boston won 6-2. The Penguins had just come off an emotional high by beating the Buffalo Sabres in overtime of the third and deciding game of the preliminary round of the playoffs.</p><p>The Bruins won the second game of the series in Boston, 4-3,and took the last two games in Pittsburgh by scores of 2-1 and 4-1.</p><p>In the third and fourth games Penguin right wing Peter Lee thought he had scored a goal in each game, but referees Wally Harris and Ron Wicks disallowed both goals. If Lee&rsquo;s goal would have counted, they would have effected the outcome of both games.</p><p>&ldquo;It was disappointing to lose the series in four straight games,&rdquo; said Kindrachuk, &ldquo;even though two of them were decided by a one-goal margin and only one of them was lopsided.</p><p>&ldquo;But if we had been able to extend it another game there&rsquo;s always the possibility that a few of the breaks which are part of hockey would have come our way and it could have been a tight series.&rdquo;</p><p>Penguin coach Johnny Wilson wasn&rsquo;t so sure that the Penguins inability to capitalize on power play advantages was that much of a problem.</p><p>&ldquo;I look at a team like Detroit, which had one of the most effective power plays in the National Hockey League,&rdquo; Wilson said, &ldquo;yet they didn&rsquo;t even make the playoffs. What does that say?&rdquo;</p><p>Pittsburgh was 0-14 in manadvantage, situations against Buffalo and still managed to defeat the Sabres two-games-to-one. But their 2-15 performance on the power play against Boston, including 0-5 in the fourth and final game, caught up to them.</p><p>&ldquo;There were a number of things which hurt the Penguins,&rdquo; said Boston coach Don Cherry.&rdquo;They came off a tough series with Buffalo, while we had a week to rest.</p><p>&ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t get to use people like Pete Mahovlich and Russ Anderson until the final two games, and it was obvious the long layoff each of those guys had made them less effective.&rdquo;</p><p>Mahovlich had been out with a separated shoulder and Anderson had a face injury after being struck with a slapshot.</p><p>&ldquo;Pittsburgh ran into a very good goaltender in Gerry Cheevers,&rdquo; Cherry added. &ldquo;He played up to his typical playoff potential and that was enough to provide a big difference.&rdquo;</p><p>When asked about the Penguins&rsquo; ineffective power play Cherry said, &ldquo;1 guess it didn&rsquo;t work.&rdquo;</p><p>And because of that ineffective power play, neither will the Penquins until training camp in September.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

Ineffective Power Play Led To Penguins’ Ouster

<div class="byline">BY RUSS WHITE</div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;</p><p>The Rangers-Islanders series was more than a mere &ldquo;Battle for New York.&rdquo; It was also a battle for National Hockey League recognition, a test pattern for a major television contract for the NHL.</p><p>With millions of people in this area really into the RangersIslanders competition, network TV executives were taking notes.</p><p>Carl Lindemann, former NBC sports head now with CBS and a hockey fan, went to every game of the Rangers-Islanders series, one of the best in hockey history.</p><p>It was Lindemann who coaxed CBS to carry part of one of the NHL-Soviet Challenge Cup games on Sports Spectacular earlier this year.</p><p>The NHL has had to scrape and put together its own modest hockey package the past couple of years. The other night rather than carry the New York-New York games, the NHL network televised Montreal&rsquo;s 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins from Montreal.</p><p>This upset New York fans. The Rangers-Islanders game was on cable TV only, going into a few thousand homes rather than a few million.</p><p>The Rangers-Islanders series is the biggest hockey event in New York&rsquo;s history. The big TV dollars are here and the NHL is closer than a slap shot from a big payoff.</p><p>Naturally, the network which might take a flyer on hockey, should consult the people who really know how to televise this fine game, the Hockey Night in Canada team.</p><p>Ralph Mellanby, executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada, heads a unit that is unmatched in presentation of sport. You can take the great NBC baseball telecasts of the past and the fine National Football League telecasts on all three U.S. networks and not come up with the excellence of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcasting the past few years.</p><p>Hockey will work in the U.S. if the network most willing to take a plunge figures out how to present the sport correctly. Hockey Night in Canada is the place to start.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Islanders, Ranger Set May Revive TV Bidding

<div class="byline">BY FRANK ORR</div><p>TORONTO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>arold Ballard, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was telling the world that his club planned to switch its emphasis to speed in the 1979-80 National Hockey League season.</p><p>General manager Jim Gregory said that the club&rsquo;s management was concentrating on business as usual preparing for the expansion and amateur drafts.</p><p>Coach Roger Neilson, whose contract expires June 1 and whose job appears in jeopardy, was conducting his life as normal&mdash;attending hockey games just about every night in some corner of North America.</p><p>&ldquo;We want to get the past season wrapped up and everything ready for the drafts, then we&rsquo;ll sit down and discuss our plans for next season,&rdquo; said Gregory.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a great deal of speculation about what&rsquo;s going to happen in our organization but, really, we haven&rsquo;t finalized any plans.&rdquo;</p><p>Ballard and his permanent sidekick, vice president King Clancy, attended several games in other playoff series. Ballard told a Boston writer that he was looking closely at the operation of other teams in an effort to discover what&rsquo;s wrong with the Leafs, who are treading water&mdash;and even sinking a little&mdash;on the NHL ladder.</p><p>He said that he felt the Leafs lacked skating speed this season and that was one area where the club need some improvement. The Leafs had sacrificed most of their fast skaters in the past two years, speedsters such as Errol Thompson and Inge Hammarstrom to add slower but more belligerent workers.</p><p>Leafs don&rsquo;t have a first-round pick in this year&rsquo;s amateur draft. They sacrificed that selection to Detroit Red Wings, along with last year&rsquo;s first-round selection plus winger Errol Thompson in exchange for winger Dan Maloney and Detroit&rsquo;s second round choice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-01966/3892218-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="562" height="692"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE PALMATEER&hellip;Facing Therapy</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;We have to scout very carefully to make certain we get a player on the second round who can have a shot at making our team,&rdquo; Gregory said.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year, we were fortunate in that we picked Joel Quenneville on the second round and he became a regular on our defense.&rdquo;</p><p>The big Leaf concern, however, has been the condition of goaltender Mike Palmateer&rsquo;s left arm. Palmateer&rsquo;s arm was injured in game three of the Leafs&rsquo; quarter-final Stanley Cup playoff series against Montreal Canadiens.</p><p>Palmateer sprawled to stop a breakaway attempt by Canadiens&rsquo; Mark Napier and the boot of Napier&rsquo;s skate struck Palmateer&rsquo;s arm, inflicting a large bruise. Surgery was required to relieve the pressure on the muscle in the forearm and to guarantee that Palmateer would retain the use of his left hand.</p><p>The little goalie, one of the team&rsquo;s mainstays, spent two weeks in hospital, first to allow drainage of arm, then to have plastic surgery, including&rsquo;s skin graft, to repair the incision.</p><p>Although he was discharged from hospital, extensive therapy will be required to strengthen his hand.</p><p>&ldquo;The doctors are confident that Palmateer will regain complete use of the hand but he has a great deal of work ahead on a therapy program,&rdquo; Gregory said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02805/3892211-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="566" height="692"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JIM GREGORY&hellip;Plans Not Finalized</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-01

Leafs Seeking More Speed On Club; Hopes Lie With 2nd Round Choices

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-01986/3892270-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><h2><i>Brightest Vancouver Star</i></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>oaler Glen Hanlon of the Vancouver Canucks receives the Molson Trophy from Hal Moran, right; president of Molson Brewery (B.C.) Ltd., after he won the Vancouver segment of the Molson&rsquo;s three-star award. Hanlon, who had a great first half of the season, was a rookie with the Canucks.</b></p><h2><i>Super Swede Top Leaf</i></h2><p><b>Defenseman Borje Salming of the Maple Leafs was the winner of the Toronto segment of the Molson&rsquo;s three-star award this season. Here he accepts the Molson Trophy from John Rogers, right, president of Molson Brewery (Ontario) Ltd. It marked third time in his six-year NHL career that Salming has captured the award.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02823/3892263-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="1500" height="1316"></div><h2><i>The Jet Set</i></h2><p><b>Diane Jones Konihowski, Canada&rsquo;s female athlete of the year, is shown leaving the ice on the arm of Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; president Michael Gobuty after she appeared at pre-game ceremonies of recent WHA contest. Jets presented her with a special jersey after she dropped puck at opening faceoff.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03623/3892256-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="1200" height="1598"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Gary Olinkin)</span></figcaption></div><h2><i>Capping A Big Year</i></h2><p><b>Washington Caps&rsquo; young star Ryan Walter, left, receives the team&rsquo;s rookie of the year award from club captain Guy Charron while public address announcer Marv Brooks looks on at the Capital Center in Landover, Md. Walter set new team record by scoring 28 goals in his first year in the NHL erasing Nelson Pyatt&rsquo;s old mark of 26 set in 1974-75.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04436/3892249-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="1812" height="1600"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Gary Fine)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-01

HOCKEY PEOPLE

<div class="byline">&#x2026;By Mary Kay Davis</div><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>egardless of the outcome of the hockey season, about 500 NHL booster club members will meet and celebrate at the ninth annual NHL booster clubs convention. Site of this year&rsquo;s hilarity will be Atlanta, Georgia, with host club to be the <b>ATLANTA FLAMES FAN CLUB.</b></p><p>All that Southern hospitality won&rsquo;t be wasted on this hockey group, and everybody is looking forward not only to spending the second weekend in August catching up on hockey with their friends from other booster clubs, but also to planning their vacations around the fun weekend.</p><p>Famed Peachtree Street will become the hub of all festivities, as hockey fans check in at the fabulous Hyatt Regency Atlanta. There will be business conducted. It&rsquo;s not all fun and games. Two delegates from each of the 16 official member booster clubs (with all NHL cities represented except Mon-treal) will conduct official business on Saturday afternoon while everyone else tours Atlanta and its environs.</p><p>Booster club members will also welcome their friends from the former Cleveland Barons, Kansas City Scouts, and California Seals&mdash;(remember them?)&mdash;booster clubs. It will be the first convention for folks from the <b>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS FAN CLUB</b> and only the second one for the <b>BOSTON BRUINS FAN CLUB</b> who, after meeting their fellow fans last year in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, vowed to be with them every year.</p><p>Four special workshops on Saturday morning, to which all conventioneers are invited, will feature tips on fund raising, an exchange of ideas on making club newsletters and trips more effective, and a brand-new &ldquo;troubleshooting&rdquo; workshop dealing with how to handle press coverage on club events, management relations, membership recruitment, etc. Each workshop will be conducted by a knowledgeable expert in a related field and will be of inestimable value to booster club members. Everyone is urged to attend these workshops.</p><p>Each year, members look forward to the Friday and Saturday night parties when they have the opportunity of mingling socially with their counterparts from the booster clubs in other NHL cities. This year, Friday night will feature a real foot-stompin&rsquo; country hoedown, complete with prizes for the best &ldquo;country cousin&rdquo; costumes.</p><p>Then on Saturday night they&rsquo;ll really dress up for an authentic Scarlett O&rsquo;Hara-type cotillion in an old south setting, with the men attired in their white ice cream suits or in Confederate uniforms. No doubt there&rsquo;ll be a smattering of the Union Blue, just to make things interesting.</p><p>Four special awards will be given out on Saturday night:</p><p>&bull; The attendance award, presented to the visiting fan club with the largest contingent. Last year this honor was won by the <b>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BOOSTER CLUB</b>. The award will be presented to the top club by <b>THE HOCKEY NEWS</b>.</p><p>&bull; The convention chairman award, given to the chairman of the 1978 convention to honor him for all his hard work. Mark Friedman of the <b>NEW YORK RANGERS FAN CLUB</b>, last year&rsquo;s host club, will be on hand to accept this award.</p><p>&bull; The newly-instituted community service award and hockey fan of the year award, which will be presented to the booster club and to the individual, respectively, chosen by an impartial panel based on entries submitted by the member fan clubs. The first of these will give credit to the fan club contributing the most in its community, while the second will honor the most outstanding individual club member.</p><p>Totally committed to showing their fellow hockey fans a great time at the convention in Atlanta are committed chairperson Sharon Pierce and her fellow workers, including Bobbie Morris, Dawn Moser, Bob Belcher, Rick Gunter, Virginia Kornegay, Eddie Robinson, Elaine Pierce, and Betty Nyhof, to mention but a few.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NHL Booster Club News…

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-01950/3892301-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TONY ESPOSITO&hellip;Says It&rsquo;s Business Situation.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>CHICAGO&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he last whistle of winter sounded with 20 seconds remaining in the game. Play stopped. Suddenly, what was left of another disappointing and disappointed Chicago Stadium crowd turned toward the Black Hawks&rsquo; cage and stood.</p><p>&ldquo;To-ny, To-ny, To-ny.&rdquo;</p><p>Tony Esposito, who wouldn&rsquo;t hear a babe&rsquo;s cry when the game is on, heard this. In a rare bit of animation, he wielded his bulky goalkeeper&rsquo;s stick and waved thanks. First to one side of the stands, then the other.</p><p>And with that, the Black Hawks&rsquo; season, a bland one, ceased and desisted. They had lost their fourth straight Stanley Cup quarter-final match to the New York Islanders, and their 16th straight&mdash;a National Hockey League record, and counting&mdash;since 1975.</p><p>The summer in Chicago will be interesting for hockey, perhaps more interesting than the winter. Of most interest will be Esposito&rsquo;s status. Will he or won&rsquo;t he sign? Or will this free agent masked man, who has saved his team from so many embarrassments this last decade, choose another team?</p><p>&ldquo;Was 1 waving good-by?&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;Oh, no, no. I want very much to stay in Chicago and continue to play for these fans. They have been super to me the last 10 years. Super. I was just saying thanks to them. I like them and they seem to like me, I guess.</p><p>&ldquo;My situation is a business situation. They want to hold the payroll down, and 1 want to make money. I imagine that something will happen soon.&rdquo;</p><p>Ah, and there are other questions. Such as the status of general managercoach Bob Pulford.</p><p>&ldquo;Will I be back?&rdquo; he mused. &ldquo;Well, nothing has been said yet by the Wirtzes. If they don&rsquo;t want me, that&rsquo;s fine. If they decide that they do want me back, I would think I&rsquo;ll almost definitely be back as general manager only, that a new coach would be brought in.</p><p>&ldquo;Who will the new coach be? Well, Eddie Johnston&rsquo;s name has been mentioned, and certainly he did a fine job of coaching for our farm club in Moncton (New Brunswick Hawks of the American Hockey League).</p><p>By way of confirming as much, Black Hawk president Billy Wirtz said on The Night Chicago Died that Pulford would indeed to back here as general manager next season, and that Johnston would indeed be brought here as coach.</p><p>One must be careful, however, not to carve those words in marble. Promises have been made the Black Hawks before. Right, Bobby Kromm, Billy Reay and Jack Davison?</p><p>And what about Bobby Hull, Bob Pulford? Didn&rsquo;t he say that he couldn&rsquo;t play for you because your idea of an ideal hockey game is 0-0?</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care what Bobby Hull says,&rdquo; Pulford huffed. &ldquo;There are a lot of people in this league who think that you have to play strong defensively to win. The man who beat us in this series (Al Arbour); Scotty Bowman in Montreal.</p><p>&ldquo;If Hull is right, then the rest of us must be all wrong. And I&rsquo;d like to know one other thing. If Hull is so good, and if he&rsquo;s healthy, why isn&rsquo;t he playing for the Winnipeg Jets right now?&rdquo;</p><p>Hmm. The summer hockey season is getting interesting already.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-01

Stadium Fans Salute Tony; Was It Farewell Gesture?

<div class="byline">BY NORM MacLEAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01792/3892363-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="560" height="1560"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRYAN TROTTIER&hellip;Look Of Frustration</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>LONG ISLAND&mdash;</p><p>Ah well, it&rsquo;s good for hockey. The final between the New York Rangers_ and the Montreal Canadiens may accomplish for the National Hockey League what the NHL Challenge Cup Series did not. The Rangers&rsquo; Cinderella march on the Cup has attracted an outpouring of media types never before seen in NHL history&mdash;and a seventh game contract with ABC-TV.</p><p>Sadly, a final between the suburban based New York Islanders and Montreal wouldn&rsquo;t have had the same impact. But the impact of the Rangers&rsquo; six-game slaughter of the favored Islanders will be far reaching.</p><p>A generous estimate gives the Rangers 16 of the 18 regulation time periods played&mdash;and the Islanders two. Even those two are somewhat in doubt.</p><p>Coach Al Arbour, very much in shock, stressed, &ldquo;the big edge was that they outworked us. That was the secret, plus they played loose and we didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p><p>There is no question Arbour is right on both counts. The Islanders, knowing what was at stake, didn&rsquo;t put as much into their effort as did the Rangers. And the Rangers, with nothing to lose, were supremely confident. The Islanders felt they had to win and a pervasive fear of making a mistake gripped the bench during much of the series.</p><p>&ldquo;I will always remember this series for that feeling of fear on our bench,&rdquo; admitted defenseman Denis Potvin. &ldquo;There was too much fear of making mistakes. I am not embarrassed about losing to the Rangers, however, like I was when we lost to Toronto. In fact, I&rsquo;m rooting for the Rangers in the finals. Why not? They&rsquo;re still New York.&rdquo;</p><p>Bob Bourne, his face ashen, at first declined to comment, but then said, &ldquo;It took me two games to realize we could lose this thing, but we didn&rsquo;t have 19 or 20 guys going on any one night. Usually it was about 10. They were all going. And we had no enthusiasm and that&rsquo;s hard to believe.&rdquo;</p><p>Garry Howatt and Gerry Hart, both honest workmen, seemed worried about changes.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty bitter about it,&rdquo; said Howatt. &ldquo;They were pretty fired up. 1 think they outworked us. We worked hard, but they worked harder. 1 think there will be changes around here.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We were the team to beat, right,&rdquo; said Hart. &ldquo;We were expected to perform on a certain level. When you don&rsquo;t do that it can be frustrating and demoralizing.&rdquo;</p><p>Goalie Chico Resch, usually outspoken, said, &ldquo;1 think our reputation in the playoffs was a little bit suspect before this, and what happened will reinforce it.&rdquo;</p><p>There have to be changes. One rumor had a multi-player deal with two NHL clubs already in the mill. Another even had Arbour in trouble despite his having signed a multi-year contract during the season. There was one school of thought that felt Al had been out coached two years in a row, by Toronto&rsquo;s Roger Neilson in 1978 and the tandem of Fred Shero and Mike Nykoluk in the Ranger series.</p><p>Most likely, Arbour will be behind the Islander bench next year, but some of his players will be gone.</p><p>Bill Torrey, the genial general manager, who so painstakingly built the Isles from the ground up, did not react with panic, but he did show emotion.</p><p>&ldquo;I have varying emotions, like disgust and outrage,&rdquo; admitted Bill. &ldquo;But I want to take time to think things over. There were positive signs, and overall, it. was a good season. Losing was a big blow, I know. I told the players not to be too harsh on themselves. There&rsquo;s a lot of emotion around here right now and that affects judgment.&rdquo;</p><p>Trying to obtain quality players in trade situations isn&rsquo;t that easy. There is also the feeling that the BTG line of Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy may never work together in a playoff again. In two straight seasons, they have come up on the short side when it counted. In addition, they don&rsquo;t seem to have a leader around whom they rally.</p><p>Denis Potvin did his best, but the Rangers negated his efforts by throwing the puck at him, forechecking him tirelessly, and exhausting him.</p><p>The Islanders didn&rsquo;t get up, which is to their discredit and that of Arbour. The Rangers played with an abandon and enjoyment the Islanders didn&rsquo;t have.</p><p>&ldquo;They were possessed and looked like the early Islander playoff teams,&rdquo; said Hart. &ldquo;They played well because they wanted to. We tried to play well because we had to.&rdquo;</p><p>Potvin felt that the Rangers&rsquo; first-game victory at the Nassau Coliseum was the key.</p><p>&ldquo;They established themselves in the first game and we never changed the psychological pattern after that. We couldn&rsquo;t take charge at any time,&rdquo; said Potvin.</p><p>Many Islander fans feel the Isles are now well established as the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Royals of hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot depends upon the public and media right now,&rdquo; says Torrey. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it, the Rangers are the darlings and they have earned it. I don&rsquo;t know how we are going to be judged. It depends upon how the fans react, how the media reacts, and how our own players react next season.&rdquo; &lsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;There will be a next season,&rdquo; says Resch. &ldquo;Right now, though I wouldn&rsquo;t want to take a poll on our popularity.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02679/3892356-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="512" height="670"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STANLEY CUP 1979</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

Islanders Failed To Take Charge; Outworked In Semi-Final Upset

<div class="byline">&#x2014;DENNIS</div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;</p><p>Score Round One to Phil Esposito.</p><p>When the Ranger veteran headed for the penalty box after being whistled off along with defenseman Rod Langway of the Canadiens for slashing at 7:25 of the first period of Game One of the Stanley Cup finals in Montreal, Canadiens&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman leaned over the boards and yelled a few epithets in Phil&rsquo;s direction.</p><p>Whether it was because of Bowman&rsquo;s outburst or because the linesman was pushing him, Esposito hopped into the wrong penalty box, although he didn&rsquo;t have a chance to settle before the other linesman approached with Langway in tow. Esposito noisily departed for the other &ldquo;cooler.&rdquo;</p><p>And what did Mr. Bowman have to say?</p><p>&ldquo;I was just trying to get him upset,&rdquo; explained the Canadiens&rsquo; coach. &ldquo;You know how Phil likes to talk to the other players, to the referee. I didn&rsquo;t want him to get his pattern started.&rdquo;</p><p>The only pattern Esposito established in the first period was to keep up his battle with Langway as the pair returned to the penalty box at 11:52 when they were caught roughing in front of the Canadiens&rsquo; net. But Esposito later reaped his revenge.</p><p>After the Canadiens had halved the Rangers lead to 2-1 at 7:07 of the second period Pierre Mondou of the Canadiens was sent off for hooking Esposito at 8:32. With the puck in the Canadiens&rsquo; zone, Larry Robinson tried to clear it along the boards, but Mike McEwen kept it in, then relayed a pass to Esposito who slipped in a 30-foot shot with a low wrist shot through a screen. The goal restored the Rangers&rsquo; two-goal advantage and from then on the Canadiens were never in the game.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Round I To Espo As Ruse Misfires

<h2>SERIES &lsquo;I&rsquo;</h2><h3><b>Tue. May 1 ISLANDERS 1, RANGERS 3</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01684/3892488-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="596" height="601"></div><h3><b>Thu. May 3 ISLANDERS 3, RANGERS <i>2</i></b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02591/3892481-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="602" height="735"></div><h3><b>Sat. May 5 RANGERS 4, ISLANDERS 3</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03476/3892474-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="593" height="708"></div><h3><b>Tue. May 8 ISLANDERS 1, RANGERS 2</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04365/3892467-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="593" height="575"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;J&rsquo;</h2><h3><b>Tue. May 1 MONTREAL 1, BOSTON 2</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05287/3892460-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="596" height="587"></div><h3><b>Thu. May 3 MONTREAL 3, BOSTON 4</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06239/3892453-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="606" height="656"></div><h3><b>Sat. May 5 BOSTON 1, MONTREAL 5</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07208/3892446-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="596" height="652"></div><h3><b>Tue. May 8 MONTREAL 2, BOSTON 5</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08175/3892439-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="599" height="599"></div><h3><b>Thu. May 10 BOSTON 4, MONTREAL 5</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09157/3892432-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="627" height="821"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10145/3892425-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="575" height="823"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOBBY SHEEHAN&hellip;Four Playoff Goals</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;K&rsquo;</h2><h3>Sun. May 13 RANGERS 4, MONTREAL 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11127/3892418-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="607" height="692"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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STANLEY CUP SUMMARIES

<h2>PRELIMINARY ROUND</h2><h3>SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-12116/3892596-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="611" height="122"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 10</b></p><p>Vancouver 3 at Philadelphia 2</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Philadelphia 6 at Vancouver 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Vancouver 2 at Philadelphia 7</p><h3>SERIES B&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1396/3892589-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="610" height="135"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 10</b></p><p>Los Angeles 1 at Rangers 7</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Rangers 2 at Los Angeles 1</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1484/3892582-1-eng-US/f0017-142.jpg" title="f0017-14" width="593" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 10</b></p><p>Toronto 2 at Atlanta 1</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Atlanta 4 at Toronto 7</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1568/3892575-1-eng-US/f0017-152.jpg" title="f0017-15" width="596" height="130"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 10</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 4 at Buffalo 3</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Buffalo 3 at Pittsburgh 1</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 4 at Buffalo 3</p><h2>QUARTER-FINAL ROUND</h2><h3>SERIES&rsquo;E&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1665/3892568-1-eng-US/f0017-162.jpg" title="f0017-16" width="611" height="93"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Mon. Apr. 16</b></p><p>Chicago 2 at Islanders 6</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Chicago 0 at Islanders 1</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20.</b></p><p>Islanders 4 at Chicago 0</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Islanders 3 at Chicago 1</p><p><b>(Islanders win best-of-seven series 4-0)</b></p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;F&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1756/3892561-1-eng-US/f0017-172.jpg" title="f0017-17" width="602" height="89"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Mon. Apr. 16</b></p><p>Toronto 2 at Montreal 5</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Toronto 1 at Montreal 5</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 21</b></p><p>Montreal 4 at Toronto 3</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Montreal 5 at Toronto 4</p><p>(Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-0)</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;G&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1848/3892554-1-eng-US/f0017-182.jpg" title="f0017-18" width="617" height="130"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Mon. Apr. 16</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 2 at Boston 6</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Pittsburgh 3 at Boston 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 21</b></p><p>Boston 2 at Pittsburgh 1</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Boston 4 at Pittsburgh 1</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;H&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1939/3892547-1-eng-US/f0017-192.jpg" title="f0017-19" width="603" height="125"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Mon. Apr. 16</b></p><p>Rangers 2 at Philadelphia 3</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Rangers 7 at Philadelphia 1</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>Philadelphia 1 at Rangers 5</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Philadelphia 0 at Rangers 6</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 24</b></p><p>Rangers 8 at Philadelphia 3</p><h2>SEMI-FINAL ROUND</h2><h3>SERIES &lsquo;I&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-2028/3892540-1-eng-US/f0017-202.jpg" title="f0017-20" width="613" height="117"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. Apr. 26</b></p><p>Rangers 4 at Islanders 1</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Rangers 3 at Islanders 4</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Islanders 1 at Rangers 3</p><p><b>Thu. May 3</b></p><p>Islanders 3 at Rangers 2</p><p><b>Sat. May 5</b></p><p>Rangers 4 at Islanders 3</p><p><b>Tue. May 8</b></p><p>Islanders 1 at Rangers 2</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;J&rsquo;</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-2117/3892533-1-eng-US/f0017-212.jpg" title="f0017-21" width="595" height="110"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Thu. Apr. 26</b></p><p>Boston 2 at Montreal 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Boston 2 at Montreal 5</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Montreal 1 at Boston 2</p><p><b>Thu. May 3</b></p><p>Montreal 3 at Boston 4</p><p><b>Sat. May 5</b></p><p>Boston 1 at Montreal 5</p><p><b>Tue. May 8</b></p><p>Montreal 2 at Boston 5</p><p><b>Thu. May 10</b></p><p>Boston 4 at Montreal 5</p><h3>SERIES &lsquo;K&rsquo;</h3><p><b>FINALS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-2215/3892526-1-eng-US/f0017-222.jpg" title="f0017-22" width="611" height="120"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Sun. May 13</b></p><p>Rangers 4 at Montreal 1</p><p>GAMESTO COME</p><p><b>Tue. May 15</b></p><p>Rangers at Montreal</p><p><b>Thu. May 17</b></p><p>Montreal at Rangers</p><p><b>Sat. May 19</b></p><p><b>Mon. May 21</b></p><p>Rangers at Montreal</p><p><b>Thu. May 24</b></p><p>Montreal at Rangers</p><p><b>Sat. May 26</b></p><p>Rangers at Montreal</p><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-2314/3892519-1-eng-US/f0017-232.jpg" title="f0017-23" width="614" height="2319"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-12

Stanley Cup Scoreboard

<div class="byline">BY DONALD BERNS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01701/3892627-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="579" height="928"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BOB PLAGER&hellip;Played With Zest</b></figcaption></div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>ST. LOUIS&mdash;</p><p>Bob Plager this past season moved faster as a special-assignment scout than he moved on the ice as a player.</p><p>Plager, the former lumbering defenseman of the St. Louis Blues, fits into the organization nicely in his scouting job. The Blues this year needed all the help they could get, and Plager&rsquo;s pace was hectic.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in more airports than O.J. Simpson,&rdquo; Plager quipped. &ldquo;But he runs through the airports, and I drag my bag.&rdquo;</p><p>Plager scouted other major-league teams in preparation for the Blues&rsquo; games and in anticipation of potential trades. He also worked with the Blues&rsquo; minor-league players and has scouted some amateur players who could be drafted by the Blues.</p><p>During one stretch this past season Plager saw 13 games in 13 cities in 12 days. In St. Louis, Plager spends time in the Blues&rsquo; offices and tries to pick up some of the hockey knowledge of men such as Emile Francis and Denis Ball.</p><p>&ldquo;As a player I didn&rsquo;t realize all the other work involved in hockey,&rdquo; Plager said. &ldquo;I sometimes wish I were playing, but I&rsquo;m still in hockey, and that&rsquo;s the main thing.&rdquo;</p><p>At the end of the 1977-78 season Plager&rsquo;was, for a short time, the Blues&rsquo; coach in Salt Lake City. He could have kept that job but he preferred to live in St. Louis, so the scouting job has been good. Many of his reports are given to his brother, Barclay, the Blues&rsquo; coach.</p><p>The two brothers, who played together on the Blues&rsquo; defensive corps nine seasons, often reminisce about their years on the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;Bare and I remember games and scores and goals,&rdquo; Bob said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t forget too much, and sometimes we&rsquo;ll talk for hours.&rdquo;</p><p>Bob Plager always played hockey with a remarkable zest. Those who ran afoul of Plager on NHL rinks always were more agitated by the experience than Plager. He laughed his way through the opposition.</p><p>&ldquo;I missed remembering my last bodycheck,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In fact, I didn&rsquo;t even know at the time what my last game was. I remember 500 other games, but I don&rsquo;t have very good recollection of the last one.&rdquo;</p><p>Plager played in the NHL until he was named coach at Salt Lake City with 26 games left in the 1977-78 season. Bare, who had been coaching in Salt Lake City, was promoted to coach of the Blues to succeed Leo Boivin.</p><p>But Bob Plager was not shortchanged on his career. It was rich and full, and several times he escaped forced retirement or waivers through luck and his own determination. Plager cut a wide swath through the NHL and those who watched him or played with or against him have no difficulty in remembering the fellow who wore No. 5 on his broad back.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d do it all over again the same way,&rdquo; Plager said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d even take the injuries.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t skate and couldn&rsquo;t shoot,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I was with one team for my whole career. 1 must have had some value.&rdquo;</p><p>Plager is particularly proud of the Blues&rsquo; defense in 1968-69 when the opposition was held to 157 goals&mdash;a team record. The figure is only 26 goals off the league record for a season of 70 games or more. The Toronto Maple Leafs of 1953-54 and the Montreal Canadiens of 1955-56 allowed 131 goals each in 70-game seasons. In contrast, the Canadiens won the Vezina Trophy this past season with 204 goals against in 80 games, four more than the Blues played in allowing 157.</p><p>The Blues&rsquo; defense in 1968-69 consisted of the two Plagers, Al Arbour, Doug Harvey, Noel Picard, Jimmy Roberts and Jean Guy Talbot.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

Bob Plager Happy As Blues’Scout But Admits Travel Can Be Hectic

<p><b>NEW YORK&mdash;</b></p><p><b>WEHAVE A WINNER:</b></p><p><b>Dave Fernaid, a resident of Bolton, Ct., is the winner of THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; &ldquo;Second Early Bird&rdquo; Sweepstakes. His prize will be a trip for himself and his wife to either Montreal or New York to see the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh game of the current Stanley Cup final playoffs. Whichever game is pivotal. Fernaid will be there. The Rangers currently hold a 1-0 edge in games over the Canadiens in that series.</b></p><p><b>Fernaid, 36 years old, is a subscriber to THE HOCKEY NEWS, an employee of the Hartford Insurance Group and a season ticket-holder of the New England Whalers.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Connecticut Man Winner Of Hockey News Contest

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he New York Rangers felt that John Davidson could become a top-flight goaltender and devoted the end of the regular schedule to getting the six-foot-three, 205-pound net-minder ready for the playoffs. Now they&rsquo;re glad they did.</b></p><p><b>Davidson has been first-rate all the way, combining outstanding puckstopping ability with a consistency the Rangers could only dream about. His 1.67 goals against average is by far the best playoff mark since Rogie Vachon turned in a 1.42 average for the Montreal Canadiens 10 years ago.</b></p><p><b>In the Rangers&rsquo; first 14 playoff games, Davidson has fashioned 11 wins, with all three setbacks occurring in overtime.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02562/3892682-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="586" height="792"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHN DAVIDSON&hellip;New York Rangers</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-02

NHL’s…Player of the Week

<div class="byline">BY RUSS WHITE</div><p>WASHINGTON&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01391/3892782-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="580" height="1090"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROLF EDBERG&hellip;Caps&rsquo; Big Plus</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he recent National Hockey LeagueWorld Hockey Association expansion agreement will be put to test shortly in the tug-of-war over rights to Swedish right winger Bengt Gustafsson.</p><p>Gustafsson was Washington&rsquo;s fourth draft pick, the 55th player overall in the 1978 amateur pool. He decided to play a year of Elite hockey in Sweden before coming to North America.</p><p>Since being drafted by the Capitals, Gustafsson was wooed and signed by the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll play for the Oilers next season,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; coach Glen Sather.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll play for Washington,&rdquo; said Capitals&rsquo; legal counsel Peter O&rsquo;Malley.</p><p>&ldquo;It is a decision for NHL president John Ziegler,&rdquo; said Caps&rsquo; general manager Max McNab, who has big plans for Gustafsson, who would join Swedish recruits Leif Svensson and Rolf Edberg in Washington.</p><p>The Oilers will make a plea that they had Gustafsson signed before the NHL-WHA agreement and that he is not subject to what has happened. There is even talk that the Oilers would protect Gustafsson as one of their two protected players if need be. Their No. 1 protected man being, of course, Wayne Gretzky.</p><p>O&rsquo;Malley, who drew up the expansion legal papers, wasn&rsquo;t at all worried that the Washington team would get Gustafsson a 21-year-old from Karlskoga, Sweden.</p><p>Arne Stromberg, the Capitals&rsquo; European representative, claims that Gustafsson is &ldquo;ready for NHL competition.&rdquo; Stromberg told McNab that Gustafsson is bigger and stronger than Rolf Edberg and possesses the same skills. Edberg was Washington&rsquo;s unsung hero this past season, finishing with a plus 16 rating, the best in the club&rsquo;s five-year history.</p><p>McNab is already making predictions that Edberg will score 25 goals and come close to doubling his point total when he plays his second year in the NHL.</p><p>Naturally, McNab is anxious to have Gustafsson aboard. The Swede would feel comfortable, too, with Svensson and Edberg to show him about.</p><p>The Oilers made a stab in the last couple of weeks to bring Gustafsson into Edmonton to play for them in the WHA&rsquo;s last playoffs. He had played for Sweden in the world championships at Moscow. McNab knew about the Oilers&rsquo; plan, which went for naught as Gustafsson apparently suffered a shoulder injury at Moscow and could not play any more hockey this year.</p><p>Guy Charron of the Caps was also injured in the world championships and upon return to Washington underwent surgery on his left knee for the removal of torn cartilage. The surgery was performed by Caps&rsquo; team physician Pat Palumbo, who said Charron would be ready for training camp in September.</p><p>Palumbo also found a slight cartilage tear on Charron&rsquo;s right knee but no surgery was needed there.</p><p>Charron, 30, has played in 240 consecutive games as a Capital, is the club&rsquo;s all time goal scorer and point producer and was named the fans&rsquo; favorite player this past year.</p><p>Over half of the Caps&rsquo; season ticket holders, who were promised a 20 percent rebate if they were not satisfied with the team this past season, actually applied for the money back from owner Abe Pollin.</p><p>Pollin hasn&rsquo;t announced his season ticket plan for next season but it was expected he&rsquo;d give season ticket holders another offer, perhaps <i>a</i> dollar off on the $9.50 seats and a dollar off the $2 parking charge at Capital Center.</p><p>Pollin named Tom Hipp from his Capital Center staff to a new job in marketing for the hockey team. Caps&rsquo; attendance dipped under 10,000 a game last year but with hopes for a better year, Pollin is counting on more ticket sales for 1979-80.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

Capitals Claim Swede Gustafsson Despite Prior Pact With Edmonton

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01367/3892813-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RANDY MANERY&hellip;Needs Help From Teammates</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>LOS ANGELES&mdash;</p><p>Prior to this season, I predicted the Kings would set a team scoring record, but might give up more goals than they got. I was right on both counts. Their 292 goals was a new club mark, but they surrendered 286. Throw in the two playoff games and they wound up dead even, 294-294.</p><p>They finished with the sixth best offensive record, but only the 10th best defensive record of the 17 teams in the league.</p><p>At 34-34-15, they finished with the 10th best overall record in the league. Clearly, defensive failures can drag you down. And if this is going to be better than a. 500 club and become a contender which can get past the first round of the playoffs, it is going to have to get a lot tougher.</p><p>The Kings used nine different defensemen this season. None were All Stars. Some do certain things very well, but none are outstanding all-around players. Most are good skaters, but too few are hard hitters. The heaviest hitter, Brian Glennie, was slowed by injuries all season, and sidelined by a back operation the last part of the season.</p><p>The Kings have a very young defensive group. Glennie and Darryl Edestrand are among the tougher defensemen, but also among the older ones and so maybe&mdash;but only maybe&mdash;among the less likely to be back. At 26, Randy Holt has a good chance to return. He led the team in penalty minutes with 282, but he was less a goon than anyone thought. He is tough, and he played better than anyone expected after joining the team at mid-season from Vancouver.</p><p>Doug Halward, Rob Palmer, Rick Hampton, and Rich Mulhern all are young players who skate well. Halward played only 27 games after being obtained from Boston and later recalled from the minors. He was sick a lot of the time and never at full strength, but he impressed with the way he moved the puck. Second-year pro Palmer set a record for King defensemen with 41 assists, but his defense did not improve as much as his offense.</p><p>Hampton and Mulhern are borderline cases who did not establish themselves this season. Hampton was slowed by injuries much of the season, while Mulhern got a lot of chances late in the season. Mulhern, Halward, and Palmer have just signed new multi-year King contracts. Also forward Vic Venasky. Forwards Mike Murphy and Dave Taylor are not yet signed, by the way.</p><p>At 30, Randy Manery has become the old pro on the back line for this club. He is the team&rsquo;s best all-around defenseman. But he has to have help. Two or three of the present cast are capable of developing into dependable defensemen, but the team needs at least one or two more solid defensemen, preferrably defensively oriented hitters.</p><p>These, of course, are not easy to come up with.</p><p>A deal could develop. Much depends on the long-awaited court decision in the Dale McCourt compensation case. If the Kings are awarded McCourt, they may decide they need a talented defenseman more than they need a talented center and could deal him for one. If they are awarded no compensation, the Kings like everyone else will feel free to go after any attractive free agent. In fact, Detroit has a dandy one on the open market in young Reed Larson. Larson is a terrific offensive defenseman, and a large lad with defensive potential. And he has said he&rsquo;d like to play in L.A., though he&rsquo;s supposed to be headed home to Minnesota. Toronto&rsquo;s Borje Salming also is a free agent.</p><p>It is possible the Kings could reclaim high-scoring power-play specialist Serge Bernier or big center Steve Carlson from the WHA in the merger, but Barry Long no longer is their property and they own rights to only one defenseman, Byron Baltimore, from that circuit. In the amateur draft, they do own Montreal&rsquo;s first, Toronto&rsquo;s second, and their own second, but it is doubtful they could get a rookie who is ready at that level.</p><p>All of the team&rsquo;s defensive problems cannot be blamed on the defensemen. The forwards could have helped more than they did. Dave Taylor was the only regular who played rugged defense while part-timers Bert Wilson and Mark Heaslip pitched in when possible.</p><p>Frankly, flush with a new five-year contract, Butch Goring, had his finest year offensively, but his worst year defensively. He simply did not bedevil foes with his usual aggressiveness. And Mike Murphy, finishing out his contract, was not as aggressive as in the past, though injuries may have been responsible in part.</p><p>The loss of Rogie Vachon in goal did not hurt as much as feared. He had a bad year in Detroit. His replacement, Ron Grahame, had a bad year here. But Ron is better than his 4.21 goals-against average and 11-19-2 won-lost-tied record shows and he can bounce back. And rookie Mario Lessard looked like a rising star with his 3.10 and 23-15-10.</p><p>More defensive support would have helped.</p><p><b>KINGS THINGS:</b> Kings home attendance after popular Vachon, Gary Sargent, and Dave Hutchison were allowed to leave last summer declined drastically from 471,856 to 399,696, for an average of 11,796 to 9,992, a loss of around 1,800 a game, more than a halfmillion dollars in ticket sales on the season alone. With the one playoff game the average attendance does rise to 10,042.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

Solid Defensemen Needed To Make Kings Contender

<div class="byline">BY FRED PIETILA</div><p>DENVER&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01379/3892844-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="574" height="1646"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MICHEL PLASSE&hellip;He&rsquo;ll Be Ready</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Ian MacAlpine)</span></figcaption></div><p>Wait &lsquo;til next year.</p><p>That&rsquo;s the basic rallying cry of people connected with the Colorado Rockies&rsquo; National Hockey League franchise and even though it&rsquo;s trite and overused, it really is true this time around.</p><p>The Rockies have nowhere to go but up after their dismal 1978-79 season. And nowhere to go but up is encouraging in one major sense.</p><p>The last three seasons the Rockies have been in the news almost as much during the summer months as they have during the season because of talk of a shifting, or folding, or the franchise to another city.</p><p>This summer, the Rockies have four months to work on a good promotional effort at selling season tickets.</p><p>The only uncertainties at this point are a coach and what the team was going to do with its No. 1 draft pick, the No. 1 choice in the entire NHL.</p><p>And while those uncertainties might be cause for concern in some cities, they are relatively minor here after what this troubled franchise has gone through.</p><p>Most records the Rockies established the past season were negative, but there were some promising individual efforts that are reason for optimism.</p><p>Jack Valiquette, despite a horrendous late-season goal-scoring slump, had the best NHL season in four full years with 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points after being acquired from Toronto.</p><p>Merlin &ldquo;The Magician&rdquo; Malinowski, the team&rsquo;s No. 2 1978 draft choice, came on strongly at the season&rsquo;s end with nine points in the last four games and should give the Rockies much-needed help at center on a full-time basis next season.</p><p>Trevor Johansen, the young defenseman acquired from Toronto March 13, played well down the stretch and joined Wilf Paiement as Colorado representatives on Team Canada in the World Hockey Championships in Moscow. Johansen, not known as a goal-scorer, scored twice in the championships.</p><p>Paiement, after sitting out his 15-game suspension early in the season, played extremely well, winning his third straight team scoring title by averaging almost a point a game.</p><p>Veteran defenseman Nick Beverley played steady hockey the last month of the season, as did John Van Boxmeer and Mike Christie. Christie, for that matter, admitted he thought he was playing the best he&rsquo;d played in a five-year NHL career before being sidelined with a shoulder separation with about three weeks left in the season.</p><p>Barry Beck, the big 21-year-old defenseman around whom many feel a franchise could solidly be built, was bothered by injuries and some &ldquo;personal problems&rdquo; and never really put together a stretch of games resembling his incredible 22-goal rookie season. But with pride as a motivator, Beck will be back and should be as good as ever next season.</p><p>Offensively, Gary Croteau started fast and then cooled off as he attempted to top his single-season high of 24-goals. He finished with 23.</p><p>Ron &ldquo;The Chief&rdquo; Delorme doubled his 1978 goal production with 20 goals and second-year winger Randy Pierce increased his production from nine to 19</p><p>Other than that, there was little offensive production or promise.</p><p>In goal, Michel Plasse had his ups and downs after a bad start in which he reported to camp out of shape. And rookie Bill Oleschuk similarly was hot and cold with a 3.85 goals-against average.</p><p>Plasse might be the best example of the Rockies&rsquo; attitude. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to camp in shape next year,&rdquo; he said more than once this past season.</p><p>And for once, the Rockies really mean it when they say &ldquo;Wait &lsquo;til next year.&rdquo; At least they know for sure there will be one&mdash;in Denver.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

‘Wait ‘Til Next Year’Rockies’ Cry But Future Now Certain In Denver

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01321/3892875-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FRED CREIGHTON&hellip;Couldn&rsquo;t Improve Playoff Record</b></figcaption></div><p>ATLANTA&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>tlanta Flames&rsquo; general manager Cliff Fletcher recently announced that the contract of coach Fred Creighton would not be renewed for the 1979-80 season. The decision was made 20 days after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by Toronto. Creighton will not be offered another position within the organization.</p><p>&ldquo;It was strictly a case of disappointment in not being able to advance in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in the playoffs on five occasions now and have won but one game. The aspect of the season ticket holders was not taken into consideration. It was a committee decision between principal owner Tom Cousins, president Bob Kent and myself. We just felt it would be better to start next season with a new coach.&rdquo;</p><p>Creighton, 45, had been the team&rsquo;s coach since Feb. 3, 1975 when he took over following the resignation of Bernie &ldquo;Boom Boom&rdquo; Geoffrion. In four and one half seasons he compiled a record of 156 wins, 136 losses and 56 ties and led the Flames into the post-season playoffs four consecutive times. He was a highly successful minor league coach with both Charlotte and New Haven of the Eastern League and Omaha of the Central League. While with Charlotte, he was named minor league coach of the year following the 1970-71 season. In 16 years of coaching, his teams have never compiled a losing record.</p><p>Fletcher indicated that no time table had been established to name a successor.</p><p>&ldquo;We are in no hurry whatsoever,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and will take our time to make sure that we select the best man available. The new coach will definitely not come from within the Flames&rsquo; organization. We feel that we have a lot to offer. Atlanta is a great place to live and we&rsquo;ve got a pretty good hockey club.&rdquo;</p><p>The Flames compiled the league&rsquo;s sixth best record during the past season, accumulating 90 points on 41 victories and eight ties. In post season competition, however, they have won just one of their 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games and have been swept in each of their last two series.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

Flames Remove Creighton After Post—Season Flop

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE WARRINER</div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEYN STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEYN STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>SPRINGFIELD&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01330/3892906-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="531" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DON BLACKBURN&hellip;Staying As Coach</b></figcaption></div><p>Although the New England Whalers gave it everything they had&mdash;in the end&mdash;they could not contend with the home-ice advantage and the healthy, deep Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; lineup. The Whalers extended their semi-final series against the first-place Oilers to seven games by winning all three of their home contests, but the Oilers advanced to the finals against the Winnipeg Jets by virtue of a 6-3 decision in Game Seven in Edmonton.</p><p>Faced with a 2-0 deficit in the series, the Whalers without the services of team scoring leader Mark Howe, battled back to even terms with consecutive wins in Springfield, bouncing the Oilers 4-1 and then shading them 5-4.</p><p>The Whalers matched Edmonton&rsquo;s 52 fifth game victory with the 8-4 triumph of their own, paced by two-goal efforts by Dave Keon and Mike Antonovich, to set up the rubber match of the series before 13,385 Edmonton fans.</p><p>Though the Whalers managed to stay close through the first period, trailing only 2-1, the Oilers exploded for four unanswered goals in the second frame for a five-goal bulge. Wayne Gretzky, the playoff&rsquo;s leading scorer with eight goals and seven assists, did the principle damage for the Oilers with a pair of goals with singles to Blair MacDonald, Dennis Sobchuk, Ron Chipperfield, and Bill Flett.</p><p>Andre Lacroix, Blaine Stoughton and Antonovich replied for the Whalers who announced before the final contest that interim coach Don Blackburn had been hired as head coach.</p><p>Another of the bright spots for the Whalers was the play of rookie Jordy Douglas who came up with four goals after spending a great deal of the season with the Whalers&rsquo; Springfield farm club.</p><p>New England nipped Cincinnati&rsquo;s Stingers in the splendidly played finale of a two-out-of-three mini-series and then hopped a plane for the long trip to Edmonton. To many, the task at hand seemed hopeless.</p><p>Coming off a hard fought series with the Stingers, the Whalers had to tangle with first place Edmonton, a team they had been unable to master in the previous 10 contests (0-9-1). And the Oilers were rested, having drawn a bye until the qualifying series was over. New England preferred looking back at the early part of the season when they dominated the Oilers in the first five games (4-0-1) between the two teams.</p><p>In the first period of the series opener, Gordie Howe showed the way by getting a power play goal. But his teammates failed to follow his lead. Ed-monton banged in five unanswered tallies to salt the game away.</p><p>In Game Two, it was all Oilers as they lambasted the Whalers in a sloppily played (9-5) contest. Oilers coach Glen Sather commented after the game&mdash;&ldquo;&hellip;Our guys toyed with them tonight. We turned it on for a few minutes. Then we played around. We turned it on for a few more, and then played around again.&rdquo;</p><p>In the other dressing room Whaler coach Don Blackburn was fuming. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve only got about six pros on this team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After the second period when it was 6-3, 1 told them that unless things changed pretty fast, they&rsquo;d better contact their real estate agents. So what happens? They go out and it&rsquo;s 8-3 before you can blink your eyes.&rdquo; Blackie went on to say, &ldquo;A lot of guys on our team are playing themselves right off next year&rsquo;s team and right out of hockey 1&rdquo;</p><p>Those remarks must have shaken up some of the troops because when the two teams returned to Springfield the Whalers jumped into a 2-1 lead in a well-played first period. In the second stanza, however, they crawled into a defensive shell, failing to get a shot on the Edmonton net in the entire 20 minutes&mdash;but they did hold the fort at the other end.</p><p>Late in the third period Andre Lacroix took advantage of the pressing Oiler offense to sneak a nifty pass through to a breaking George Lyle for an insurance marker&mdash;the second time in the game the two had combined for a pretty goal. It was a big win for the Whalers, not only because it got them back in the series, but also because it was the first win in 13 games against the favorites from Western Canada. Dave Keon added an empty net goal for a 4-1 victory.</p><p>Mark Howe suffered fractured ribs on a hard check by Brett Callighen in the third game of the series. The young super star joined captain Rick Ley (pulled groin) and goalie Al Smith (groin) on the sidelines. Mark was two shy of tying the WHA record in playoff goals scored and also in playoff assists. For this year&rsquo;s playoffs Mark and Mike Rogers were tied for the team lead in points.</p><p><b>QUEBEC:</b> Thud ! It was a week to forget ! Although the Nordiques had split 14 regular season games with the Winnipeg Jets, the playoff series between the two teams turned out to be a disaster&mdash;at least from the Quebecers point of view.</p><p>When the dust settled, the Nordiques had been outscored 30 to 12 and were thereby eliminated from the playoffs and their quest for that final Avco Cup. Coach Jacques Demers tried every goaltending combination available, but it didn&rsquo;t stem the tide as his team totally broke down. Richard Brodeur, Jim Corsi, and little-used Louis Levasseur all were victimized.</p><p>The Jets output handily broke the WHA record for most goals scored by one team in a four-game series. One of the few shining lights for Quebec was captain Marc Tardif who continued his late-season surge by notching six goals&mdash;half of the Nordiques&rsquo; series output.</p><p>Real Cloutier, hampered by a back injury incurred in the final weeks of the season managed only a pair of goals including the Nordiques&rsquo; final score Of the 1978-79 campaign in the 6-2 finale. Tardif had opened the game with number six as the Quebecers made one last bid to get back in the series.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Stubborn Whalers Wouldn’t Quit; But Nordiques No Match For Jets

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s too bad for the Winnipeg Jets that Rich Preston won&rsquo;t be around next year. That&rsquo;s because the 27-year-old right winger will be wearing a Chicago Black Hawks&rsquo; sweater, but at least he&rsquo;s finishing up his World Hockey Association days in style.</b></p><p><b>Preston gave the Jets an important jump in their final series against Edmonton with a two-goal performance which spelled the difference in Jets&rsquo; 3-1 Game One win in the Edmonton Coliseum.</b></p><p><b>The goals were Preston&rsquo;s fifth and sixth of the playoffs and with five assists, he&rsquo;s tied for the team lead in scoring with Willy Lindstrom as the Jets went through their first six games of the post-season without a loss after finishing in third place in the regular season.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02272/3892937-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="581" height="768"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RICH PRESTON&hellip;Winnipeg Jets</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-02

WHA’S…Player of the Week

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01310/3892968-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WILLY LINDSTROM&hellip;Set Series Point Record</b></figcaption></div><p>WINNIPEG&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Winnipeg Jets took a stranglehold on the Avco Trophy in their showdown final series with the Edmonton Oilers by winning the first two games of the best-of-seven series on Edmonton Coliseum ice.</p><p>The Jets, who went into the series as slight underdogs, won game one 3-1 and game two 3-2 in Edmonton sending the series back to Winnipeg for games three and four.</p><p>The surprise double win by the streaking Jets also raised their playoff record to six straight victories. They entered the cup final series by sweeping the Quebec Nordiques four straight.</p><p>By winning twice in Edmonton the Jets have taken the home ice advantage away from the Oilers, who had just beaten the New England Whalers in a dragged out best-of-seven series which went the distance before Edmonton won.</p><p>Now with three of the last five games in Winnipeg, should the series go all the way, the Jets were definitely sitting in the driver&rsquo;s seat.</p><p>Willy Lindstrom has had more productive seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. There was 1976-77 when he rifled home 44 goals. There was last year, when on 30 different occasions the four-year veteran lit the lamp behind opposing goaltenders.</p><p>So, when the curtains fell on this, the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s last regular season, some people were somewhat disappointed number 26 was registered. That figure was certainly lower than expected but by no means indicative of the way the slick Swede has been playing.</p><p>As if to prove that point Lindstrom exploded for six goals and four assists as he led the Jets to what will be their fifth Avco Cup Final appearance by way of a four-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques. While rumors of dissension cut through the Nordiques camp, Winnipeg put together their best efforts of the season to push aside the Nordiques by scores of 6-3, 9-2, 9-5 and 6-2. Lindstrom picked up at least one point in each of those games.</p><p>En route to the onslaught the Jets tied or broke 13 different WHA team and individual records but none stood out more than that of Lindstrom. His 10 points in a four-game series broke one record and his six goals tied another.</p><p>&ldquo;Willy is one of the quickest and most dedicated players in hockey today,&rdquo; said Jets&rsquo; coach Tom McVie. &ldquo;The guy just works his tail off in practices and 1 am really happy for him and the team.&rdquo;</p><p>McVie believes Lindstrom is one of the premier left-handed shooters in the game&mdash;especially from the right side. &ldquo;He just gives goalies fits from over there,&rdquo; a smiling McVie said.</p><p>McVies&rsquo; smile was an indication of just how happy he is with his team&rsquo;s play. In fact, putting it simply, Tom McVie is having a love affair with his hockey players and there is no doubt that the feeling is mutual. McVie has earned the respect and admiration of every member of the Jets&rsquo; squad. He would never admit to it, but it is well understood that it has been Tom McVie who has turned around the Jets&rsquo; fortunes.</p><p>&ldquo;There are three things that have contributed to our success,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Obviously, motivation is a factor&mdash;our guys want to win. Secondly, there is complete togetherness. When I first came here, there were stories about two factions (referring to the new Houston players and the remnants from last year&rsquo;s Jets club. 1 talked with the guys individually and every one of them couldn&rsquo;t figure out how that story got started. Maybe it&rsquo;s becuase they weren&rsquo;t winning and people were looking for excuses. In any case, the stories were totally unfounded. This team is so tightly bound that you couldn&rsquo;t do anything to pry them apart. That all kind of leads into the third factor. Here we have hockey discipline and 1 am not simply referring to our play on the ice. Everyone here is working toward the same goal. Our ultimate goal is winning as a team and personal achievement means nothing. We are all just doing what we do best to help in a common cause.&rdquo;</p><p>McVie wouldn&rsquo;t say it but the intensity in his voice makes one realize that&rsquo;to instill that type of discipline is so easy to put down on paper. It&rsquo;s another story trying to institute it. The extent to which McVie has succeeded in doing this was reflected by Lindstrom himself. With just minutes left in the fourth game Lindstrom slammed home his sixth goal and record-breaking 10th point of the series. He took his place on the bench and the P.A. announcer informed the 10,000 plus fans of Lindstrom&rsquo;s accomplishments. Bewilderment fell across Lindstrom&rsquo;s face. &ldquo;What did he say,&rdquo; the Swede asked the teammate beside him as he accepted congratulations for reasons that were still beyond him.</p><p>Center Peter Sullivan and goaltender Gary Smith have signed contracts that will see them both play in a Winnipeg Jets uniform next year. The announcement was made by Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; vicepresident and general manager, John Ferguson.</p><p>&ldquo;Both players have proved to be important contributors to the success of this hockey club and I am certain that their signings will ensure us of a solid base in our preparations for next year,&rdquo; said Ferguson.</p><p>Sullivan, 28, is coming off his most successful season since joining the Jets in 1975. One of only three Jets to play in every game this year, he scored 46 goals and assisted on 40 others to end the season as Winnipeg&rsquo;s third leading point getter and tied for ninth place overall in the WHA.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

McVie’s Motivation, Discipline Unites Jets

<p>EDMONTON&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>teve Carlson, almost overlooked outside of Edmonton before this season, and Dave Dryden, considered by many to be past his best, have been pleasant surprises for Edmonton Oilers throughout the World Hockey Association season.</p><p>Carlson wound up with 18 goals although used primarily in spots and as a penalty-killing and defensive specialist. Dryden led the league&rsquo;s goal tenders in most important categories and was named Edmonton&rsquo;s most valuable player ahead of such luminaries as Wayne Gretzky, Blair MacDonald and Paul Shmyr in a vote of fans.</p><p>Carlson and Dryden are continuing their brilliance in the playoffs. Most emphatically, they made their presence known in the vital fifth game of the Oilers&rsquo; best-of-seven semi-final with New England Whalers. Carlson, outweighed by about 35 pounds, gave his mates a lift in the first period when he scuffled with New England winger George Lyle. Dryden helped save the game in the third period when he made a series of outstanding stops with the Oilers leading 3-1.</p><p>Edmonton wound up with a 5-2 victory (Gretzky scored three goals to boost his lead as the team&rsquo;s top playoff point-getter) that could have been much different. The win gave Edmonton a 3-2 edge in the series and a big boost toward their first-ever berth in the WHA finals.</p><p>Coach Glen Sather said his Oilers were not looking past New England to an anticipated showdown with Winnipeg Jets for the last-ever Avco Cup. Sather gave credit to the Whalers for rebounding strongly to win the third game 4-1 and the fourth game 5-4, both at home, after resounding whippings in the first two games at Edmonton.</p><p>&ldquo;These guys beat us in the fourth game with Mark Howe and Al Smith out of &lsquo;the lineup,&rdquo; Sather said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way we can take them for granted.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had to do things the hard way all season. Sometimes, we make it hard on ourselves, but we know we can&rsquo;t overlook anybody.&rdquo; &lsquo;</p><p>The Oilers, who had reached a state of unprecedented good health, still had a few physical setbacks in the first five games against the Whalers.</p><p>Rookie defenseman Risto Siltanen suffered a hairline fracture of his thumb during a workout after the fourth game and was declared out of action for at least a few games. Right winger Bill Goldsworthy, who lost most of the, year with a separated shoulder, was placed in uniform when Siltanen went out but the feisty veteran did not finish the game.</p><p>Goldsworthy sprained a knee. He was scheduled to stay home from Springfield, site of the sixth game, but vowed he would make the trip and hope for a quick recovery.</p><p>The series, which started slowly, gained in intensity when New England writers accused Sather of insulting Whalers&rsquo; general manager Jack Kelly and managing general partner Howard Baldwin. Sather was quoted as saying Kelly and/or Baldwin should have been fired instead of Bill Dineen when the veteran coach was let go.</p><p>Without disguising his distaste for the treatment of Dineen, Sather said he did not say flatly that Kelly and/or Baldwin should have been fired.</p><p>&ldquo;All I said was &lsquo;maybe&rsquo; that should have been done,&rdquo; Sather insisted. &ldquo;I have no way to tell whether they were right or wrong, but I know Bill Dineen is a good guy and an excellent coach.&rdquo;</p><p>Edmonton general manager Larry Gordon began pressing for a meeting of WHA trustees with their National Hockey League counterparts after learning that the NHL was preparing to back down on what Gordon considered a commitment not to juggle NHL rosters in advance of the June expansion draft when the WHA&rsquo;s four surviving teams&mdash;Edmonton, New England, Quebec and Winnipeg&mdash;are finally admitted to the NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01294/3892999-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="570" height="670"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE CARLSON&hellip;Picked Up Oilers</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

Pleasant Surprises Propel Oilers Into Initial WHA A vco Trophy Final

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03160/3893100-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="602" height="800"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02215/3893107-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="120" height="349"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><h3><b>Tue. May 1 EDMONTON 4, NEW ENGLAND 5</b></h3><h3><b>Thu. May 3 NEW ENGLAND 2, EDMONTON 5</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04127/3893093-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="606" height="686"></div><h3><b>Sat. May 5 EDMONTON 4, NEW ENGLAND 8</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05109/3893086-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="613" height="816"></div><h3><b>Tue. May 8 NEW ENGLAND 3, EDMONTON 6</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0692/3893079-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="610" height="768"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo;</h2><h3><b>Fri. May 11 WINNIPEG 3, EDMONTON 1</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0782/3893072-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="608" height="554"></div><h3><b>Sun. May 13 WINNIPEG 3, EDMONDON 2</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0874/3893065-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="621" height="627"></div><p><b>Quarter-Finals</b></p><h2>SERIES &lsquo;A&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0968/3893058-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="606" height="140"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1065/3893051-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="617" height="117"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;C&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1158/3893044-1-eng-US/f0028-112.jpg" title="f0028-11" width="605" height="126"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;D&rsquo; FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1254/3893037-1-eng-US/f0028-122.jpg" title="f0028-12" width="608" height="149"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. May 11.</b></p><p>Winnipeg 3 at Edmontonl</p><p><b>Sun. May 13</b></p><p>Winnipeg 3 at Edmonton 2</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. May 15</b></p><p>Edmonton at Winnipeg</p><p><b>Wed. May 16</b></p><p>Edmonton at Winnipeg</p><p><b>Fri. May 18</b></p><p>Winnipeg at Edmonton</p><p><b>Sun. May 20</b></p><p>Edmonton at Winnipeg</p><p><b>Tue. May 22</b></p><p>Winnipeg at Edmonton</p><h2>LEADING PLAYOFF SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1349/3893030-1-eng-US/f0028-132.jpg" title="f0028-13" width="612" height="635"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-03

AVCO TROPHY SCOREBOARD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02206/3893211-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="244" height="241"></div><h2>BIRMINGHAM BULLS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03137/3893204-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="744" height="841"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND WHALERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04103/3893197-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="768" height="891"></div><h2>CINCINNATI STINGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0594/3893190-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="735" height="886"></div><h2>QUEBEC NORDIQUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0673/3893183-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="759" height="886"></div><h2>EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0758/3893176-1-eng-US/f0029-072.jpg" title="f0029-07" width="738" height="895"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0851/3893169-1-eng-US/f0029-082.jpg" title="f0029-08" width="732" height="934"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-02

WHA’S FINAL PLUS-MINUS STATISTICS

<p>HARTFORD&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>orris Lukowich of the Winnipeg Jets, who had been the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s premier plus player for most of the season, finished up with the best plus percentage following the windup of the 1978-79 season.</p><p>The Jets&rsquo; 22-year-old left winger, who scored a career high 65 goals this year, ended the WHA&rsquo;s final hockey season with a plus 12 playing percentage based on even strength performance.</p><p>Lukowicn barely edged out little Robbie Ftorek of Cincinnati Stingers, who was a plus 11. Others in the top 10 included Jamie Hislop, also of Cincinnati, a plus nine; three with plus eights, Rick Vaive of Birmingham, Dave Inkpen of New England and Marc Tardif of Quebec, and four others with plus seven marks, Reg Thomas and Chuck Luksa of Cincinnati, Blair MacDonald of Edmonton and New England&rsquo;s George Lyle.</p><p>Lukowich played in all 80 Winnipeg games this past season, scored 65 goals and 99 points, had 278 shots on goal, fifth best in the WHA, led the league in first goals of the game, 12, most lead-producing goals, 23, ended fourth in shooting accuracy with a 23.4 percentage and ended in third spot in power play goals with 16.</p><p>To attain his top plus rating, Lukowich was on the ice for a total of 140 goals by the Jets and 85 against them, giving him an overall plus 55. His even strength percentage was a plus 45 and a minus 33 giving him a final plus 12 and first place in the league.</p><p>Inkpen, the New England Whalers&rsquo; defenseman, has the best percentage among the blueliners with a plus eight. Paul Shmyr of Edmonton, also a defenseman, had the highest even plus-minus figure, a plus 37 but finished with a plus five on even strength ratings.</p><p>In the team ratings, Edmonton Oilers had the leading plus mark with a 63 followed by Quebec with a 16 and New England with an 11. The other three WHA clubs had minus figures on even strength performance. Birmingham played with a minus five, Winnipeg a minus seven and Cincinnati ballooned to a minus 28.</p><h2>Top Ten In WHA&rsquo;s Plus/Minus</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0946/3893242-1-eng-US/f0029-092.jpg" title="f0029-09" width="550" height="458"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-09

Lukowich Best WHA Plus Performer

<p>CINCINNATI&mdash;</p><p>The Cincinnati Stingers will be playing professional hockey next year in the Central Hockey League, according to published reports.</p><p>In a story in its May 2 edition, The Cincinnati Post reported that the admission of the Stingers into the CHL is all but official and will become a reality in a very short time, possibly by press time.</p><p>A report from Birmingham indicated the CHL had already voted to admit Cincinnati, Birmingham, Indianapolis and Houston, but Bill DeWitt Jr., executive vice president of the Stingers, said nothing was final yet.</p><p>DeWitt said the only obstacle is that the minor league teams, including Cincinnati, have not determined which National Hockey League teams they would affiliate with.</p><p>The Boston Bruins have dropped their AHL franchise, making one possible affiliate for Cincinnati. However, it is more probable that the affiliate will be associated with one of the four former World Hockey Association teams which have been admitted to the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve talked to Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec City and New England,&rdquo; said DeWitt, &ldquo;and it (the Cincinnati affiliate) will probably come from them. We&rsquo;ll most likely be affiliated with one or more of the WHA teams that are going (into the NHL).&rdquo;</p><p>Cincinnati was left without a hockey team when those four WHA teams were admitted to the NHL on March 30. The Stingers and the Birmingham Bulls will be paid indemnification from the four WHA teams going into the NHL.</p><p>Many of the Stingers&rsquo; rights are owned by NHL teams which will exercise their options and they will likely go with those teams, but it is possible, though, some of the old Stingers will return to Cincinnati or other minor league teams, since not all of them will make the NHL club rosters next season.</p><p>&ldquo;There will be a lot of players squeezed into the CHL and AHL (American Hockey League),&rdquo; said DeWitt, &ldquo;because there won&rsquo;t be room for all of them in the National Hockey League, and that should make for improved hockey in both leagues (the CHL and AHL).&rdquo;</p><p>DeWitt also said that as a Central Hockey League team, Cincinnati would probably reduce its ticket prices at Riverfront Coliseum. The lowest-priced ticket this past season at the Coliseum was $3.50, the highest $8.25, and it is likely prices would be dropped at both ends.</p><p>The Stinger executive, who said he would definitely be involved in the operation of any Central Hockey league team in Cincinnati, indicated it would probably be a week or two before Cincinnati is officially granted a franchise.</p><p>Cincinnati would certainly be able to cut down its travel costs, since all other CHL teams&mdash;Salt Lake City, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Tulsa&mdash;are mere hours away by plane.</p><p>If Indianapolis were granted a CHL franchise, it is likely the Stingers would bus there for a game.</p><p>DeWitt also said it is likely Cincinnati will maintain the Stinger nickname inasmuch as there is already a built-in identification with hockey and the Stingers.</p><p>Meanwhile, many of the Stingers have already left Cincinnati for the summer, waiting for the expansion draft in June.</p><p>Barry Melrose, Stinger defenseman whose rights are owned by the Montreal Canadiens, has gone home to his farm in Saskatchewan, where he will work during the summer.</p><p>Melrose will also take time out to play fastball with the Kelvington Bluebirds, for whom he played last summer.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01254/3893138-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="568" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BARRY MELROSE&hellip;Playing Fastball</b></figcaption></div><p>Robbie Ftorek, the Stingers&rsquo; All Star captain, is still in Cincinnati but will be leaving with his family shortly for his home in Phoenix, where he will spend a few months relaxing.</p><p>He will return to Cincinnati in midAugust to work with youngsters in a hockey school at a local rink.</p><p>For three of the Stingers, the future includes wedding bells. Netminder Mike Liut will be married in August and the other goalie, Michel Dion, will tie the knot in June. Right winger Peter Marsh is also getting married but no date has been set.</p><p>Defenseman Craig Norwich, who wound up the season in a tie with New England&rsquo;s Gordie Roberts for top scoring defenseman honors, will take time to catch the Indianapolis 500 at the end of the month, as will a number of other Stingers, then take a trip to Florida for some sun and golf.</p><p>Stinger coach Floyd Smith has already returned to his home in Buffalo, where he will relax and undoubtedly play golf. It is thought that Smith will be returning to the National Hockey League next season, although he has not announced his plans yet.</p><p>The Stingers met for the last time Thursday, April 26 in their dressing room. They discussed old times, what the future holds for them and wished each other good luck.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-01

Cincinnati Planning To Enter CHL

<div class="byline">BY JIM LEAHY</div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>NEW HAVEN&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01290/3893273-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="591" height="777"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHN PADDOCK&hellip;Four-Goal Game</b></figcaption></div><p>The Maine Mariners did it again winning the Calder Cup in much the same way they have dominated the American Hockey League both this and last season.</p><p>Bob McCammon&rsquo;s Northern Division champions bested the Southern Division titleholders, New Haven Nighthawks, for the cup and as it turned out, the Mariners were far and away the best hockey club. They swept the best-of-seven series winning twice in Portland and twice in New Haven where they clinched their second straight Calder Cup victory in their short two year existence in the AHL.</p><p>The 1979 Calder Cup script was almost a replay of last season except the Mariners obliged their fans by winning the cup at home. In 1978 they lost the first game in Portland to New Haven but came back to sweep the next four to eliminate the Nighthawks in five games.</p><p>This season the powerful Mariners took the short route to the cup winning four straight. In all Maine played 20 playoff games and won eight of them.</p><p>In outscoring the Nighthawks 22-12 in the cup final, the Mariners monopolized the series from the start. During their 8-4 wrapup game at New Haven, John Paddock became a one-man show with four goals. Paddock, who had only three scoring points in the first eight playoff games, broke out to spark Maine in the series clincher. Three of Paddock&rsquo;s goals came within the span of three minutes and 18 seconds of the second period.</p><p>The Mariners reached the final by virtue of eliminating Nova Scotia 4-2 in the Northern Division finals while New Haven ousted Binghamton Dusters 4-2 in the last Southern playdown</p><p><b>NEW HAVEN:</b> Binghamton goaltenders Ken Holland and Larry Hendrick had some good news and some bad news for Duster coach Joe Hardy after their performance in New Haven during the quarter-finals. First the good news. Together, they had combined to make 49 saves against the high-powered New Haven Nighthawks. Now for the bad news. New Haven took a record-setting 64 shots on net and 15 went in.</p><p>Their incredible 15-1 pulverizing of the Dusters set all kinds of AHL playoff records. The records for most goals (15), most assists (26), most points (41), most shots on goal (64), largest winning margin (14) and most goals in the first period (6) were set. The 15 goals easily broke the mark set in 1944 when Buffalo beat Cleveland 12-2. Just about every one of New Haven&rsquo;s 15 goals were so-called &ldquo;good goals,&rdquo; scored as a result of a blistering shot or some great playmaking. Binghamton was not shorthanded or outclassed, they were the unfortunate victims of a massacre.</p><p>The game was one of the most onesided contests in the long history of New Haven hockey. It was topped only be a 20-0 whitewash the now defunct New Haven Blades of the Eastern Hockey League inflicted on a hapless Syracuse Blazer team more than 10 years ago.</p><p>Prior to the start of the Nighthawk blitz, the team looked almost lethargic in the warmups, but once the first puck was dropped, it seemed as if every New Haven shot went in. Holland, the starting goaltender, was pulled after allowing six goals before the first period was even over. His replacement, Larry Hendrick, saw six more go by him during his brief stint in the nets, so Duster mentor Joe Hardy made one of the strangest moves this reporter has ever seen&mdash;he put Holland back in the nets to start the third period even though the Dusters trailed 12-0.</p><p>When Mario Faubert scored for Binghamton to make it a 13-1 contest, the entire Duster bench emptied to congratulate him, apparently to mock the Nighthawks who had already emptied their bench on 13 previous occasions and were getting a little tired.</p><p>The game became almost laughable as the 4,034 were almost worn out cheering the avalanche of Nighthawk goals. Official scorers were working overtime as the seemingly unstoppable Nighthawks were scoring at will. It got so bad for the Dusters that the New Haven fans would cheer wildly whenever Holland or Hendrick made a save.</p><p>With five players looking for the hat trick, Jeff McDill scored the 15th Nighthawk goal late in the game to close out the scoring binge and end a long, long night for the visiting Binghamton Dusters. Perhaps the most amazing fact about New Haven&rsquo;s performance was that all of the goals, were scored without the help of New Haven&rsquo;s two best players. Bobby Sheehan and Don Maloney were with the New York Rangers.</p><p>It took a sixth game in Binghamton, but the Nighthawks finally eliminated the Dusters after skating to a 7-3 win on the strength of two goals by Dale Lewis and Ron Andruff. New Haven advanced to the Calder Cup finals for the second year in a row after beating the Dusters 4-3 and 15-1 in New Haven and by scores of 6-1 and 7-3 up in Binghamton.</p><p><b>NOVA SCOTIA:</b> After a great late-season drive, the Voyageurs were eliminated from Calder Cup contention on their home ice. The Vees prolonged their playoff exit in game five when they went into the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland and dumped the Mariners 3-2. But the reprieve was shortlived. Two nights later the Voyageurs couldn&rsquo;t put it all together and were beaten in game six 5-3 sending them packing for the summer.</p><p>The Vees dropped the first two games in Maine, 7-2 and 4-1, but bounced back to win game three 7-5. Maine won the fourth 5-2 setting the stage for the series clincher in Portland. But the Voyageurs had other ideas and the series went an extra game before the Mariners won the best-of-seven playoff 4-2 outscoring the Vees 28-18.</p><p>Dave Lumley was one of the Nova Scotia stars scoring 14 points in 11 playoff games to lead the team. Norm Dupont paced all goal-getters through the semi-final round with seven in 11 games. Both Dupont and Lumley are the property of the Montreal Canadiens and will be up for grabs in the NHL summer drafts unless the Canadiens make a deal for them or protect the pair.</p><p><b>BINGHAMTON:</b> Even though the Dusters were bolstered by the return of Jim Hamilton from Pittsburgh, they succumbed in six games to the Southern Division champion New Haven Nighthawks. The season ended for the Dusters after they had pulled a tremendous upset by beating Hershey in the preliminary round.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

Mariners Maintain No. 1 Billing Sweep Hawks In Calder Cup Final

<p>NEW HAVEN&mdash;</p><p>Roy Mlakar, executive director of public relations and marketing for the New Haven Nighthawks, is the 1979 recipient of the Ken McKenzie Trophy as the American Hockey League&rsquo;s best publicist this season.</p><p>The 29-year-old Mlakar, in his second year with the Nighthawks, is a native of Cleveland, Ohio with an extensive background of service in the AHL.</p><p>He began at the age of 19 with the Cleveland Barons under Nick Mileti.</p><p>In 1970 Mlakar was named director of merchandising for the Barons before moving on to the Providence Reds where. he remained for four years in the public relations department.</p><p>Mlakar will receive the award for his role as the team publicity director who &ldquo;makes the greatest contribution in publicizing and promoting hockey in his particular city.&rdquo; Last year, Maine Mariners&rsquo; publicist and play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick was selected as the inaugural winner of the award.</p><p>Nighthawks&rsquo; News, the weekly release of Mlakar&rsquo;s publicity department, painted a concise, lively account of the tremendously successful season enjoyed by the Nighthawks as they proceeded to capture the Southern Division title, their first ever.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02229/3893304-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="522" height="792"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROY MLAKAR</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0030-02

Nighthawks’ Publicist Mlakar Wins AHL Award

<p>ROCHESTER&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Rochester Americans, one of the oldest franchises in minor professional hockey, will be back doing business at the same old stand next year.</p><p>New Rochester general manager George Bergantz announced emphatically that there was never any thought of the Americans pulling up stakes and transferring to another city&mdash;reportedly Providence.</p><p>Bergantz said the Amerks will remain in Rochester and will launch the 1979-80 AHL campaign with a brand new major hockey league affiliation.</p><p>The Americans recently announced the signing of a two-year working agreement with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.</p><p>The agreement calls for the Sabres to supply up to 20 players to Rochester each of the next two seasons. The Amerks can suggest the invitation of five players to the Sabres training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;I can assure you we&rsquo;ll be doing everything in our power to provide players who will soon bring Rochester back to its usual position in hockey&mdash;at the top of the American League,&rdquo; Sabre chairman of the board and president Seymour Knox said.</p><p>Both clubs are well-known for their winning traditions. Since their inception in 1970-71, the Sabres have made the Stanley Cup playoffs six times in nine years, including five straight years beginning in 1974-75 when Buffalo marched to the finals after a first-place regular-season finish. In those five seasons, the Sabres won 223 games, lost 108 and tied 69.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01266/3893335-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="555" height="650"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GEORGE BERGANTZ&hellip;Amerks&rsquo; New GM</b></figcaption></div><p>Prior to last season, the Amerks had five seasons in a row of 42 wins or more, and have brought home three Calder Cups and five divisional championships in their history.</p><p>&ldquo;We look at our new association as a hockey rebirth in Rochester,&rdquo; said Amerk president Bruce Davey. &ldquo;We look forward to it with great pride, anticipation and confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We think our fans will come to some of your games. And we&rsquo;re looking into the possibility of an exhibition game,&rdquo; Knox said.</p><p>The Sabre-Amerk hook-up is the fifth affiliation in Rochester hockey history. The Amerks had previously worked with Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and have just ended a five-year affiliation with the Boston Bruins.</p><p>&ldquo;The hope of all of us in the Sabres&rsquo; organization is that this agreement will lead to upstate New York soon becoming the home of the best professional hockey teams in North America&mdash;with a Stanley Cup in Buffalo and a Calder Cup in Rochester,&rdquo; Knox said.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Americans named Bergantz, formerly director of sales of the Buffalo Sabres, to the newly-created position of general manager. He re-places John DenHamer, who was released as director of operations.</p><p>In accepting the GM position with the Amerks, Bergantz returns to the AHL after five years with the Sabres in the NHL. He was originally assigned dy the Sabres to their Cincinnati Swords franchise for the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. As Cincinnati&rsquo;s director of sales, he was responsible for group sales, box office control and publicity.</p><p>Upon returning to Buffalo in 1974, Bergantz handled the publication of the Buffalo Sabres hockey magazine and promoted numerous Ice Capades engagements and concerts. Other duties included administration of the Sabres&rsquo; season ticket-holder survey, novelty and souvenir marketing and accounting work, and administration of computerized scouting.</p><p>&ldquo;We hired George independently of the new affiliation,&rdquo; Amerk president Davey said. &ldquo;He will have total control of running the club.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

Americans Hook Up With NHL Sabres

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div><p><b>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</b></p><p><b>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY, LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</b></p><p>DALLAS&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01270/3893380-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="569" height="699"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE HAZLETT&hellip;Top Hawk Scorer</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02203/3893373-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="586" height="681"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CURT RIDLEY&hellip;Named Playoff MVP</b></figcaption></div><p>The Dallas Black Hawks, thirsting for a Central Hockey League championship, became the &lsquo;Cinderella&rsquo; team of the 1979 league playoffs as they won eight of nine games to capture the Adams Cup from the team everyone predicted would win it in the first place&mdash;the Salt Lake Golden Eagles.</p><p>John Muckler&rsquo;s Hawks were definitely the class of the CHL playoffs as they upset the Eagles 4-1 in the best-of-seven final series to win their first title since 1974 and only the club&rsquo;s fourth since Dallas came into the CHL back in 1967.</p><p>An ironic twist to the Dallas win was the fact the Hawks won all three games in the final on Salt Lake ice. They had previously swept Kansas City out in a best-of-seven semi-final series while Salt Lake ousted Fort Worth in five games.</p><p>Dave Gardner&rsquo;s power play goal with 2:07 left in the second period proved to be the winning goal, as Dallas clinched the cup with a 6-4 victory in Salt Lake.</p><p>&ldquo;We were the best conditioned team in the league the last part of the season,&rdquo; commented a happy coach John Muckier. &ldquo;Those hour-and-a-half and two-hour workouts really paid off.&rdquo;</p><p>Goalie Curt Ridley, who played all but one period of the Hawks&rsquo; nine playoff games, was voted most valuable player of the post-season action, the 27-year-old Ridley, a Winnipeg native who had spent the last two seasons with Vancouver in the National League, had a 3.00 goals-against average for the playoffs, after posting a 3.69 mark for 33 regular-season appearances.</p><p>While Ridley was making the key saves for the Hawks, Steve Hazlett led the goal-scorers with seven in nine playoff games, Tom Roulston had six, and Gardner five.</p><p>Doug Palazzari of the Eagles was the playoff points leader, notching 14 in 10 games, including 14 assists. Roulston and Gardner had 12 points, matched by Salt Lake&rsquo;s Gordie McTavish. Tied with 10 points were Hawks Jim Mayer and Drew Callender, Eagles Bob Hess and Rick Shinske.</p><p>The Eagles had come from behind three times to tie the score in the cupclinching game before Gardner put the Hawks ahead for keeps. Roulston added insurance at 9:12 of the third, while Ridley was blanking the Birds for the last 20 minutes.</p><p>Third-period scoring in the playoffs gave credence to Muckler&rsquo;s claim that the Hawks were the best-conditioned. In the five-game cup finals, Dallas outscored Salt Lake, 10-1, in third-period action.</p><p>Early in the season, it was an entirely different story, as the Hawks often wilted in the last 20 minutes. Opponents outscored Dallas, 54-37, in the third periods of their first 29 games, while the Hawks were compiling an 11-16-2 record and were languishing in the back of the pack, 15 points out of first place.</p><p>Dallas&rsquo; third-period scoring didn&rsquo;t catch up with the opponents scoring until the 68th game of the 76-game schedule. But, for the season the Hawks compiled a 115-103 advantage in the final 20 minutes.</p><p>The power play had a key role in wrapping up the cup. Dallas scored on three of six power opportunities. Salt Lake couldn&rsquo;t cash in on a power play, and gave up one shorthanded tally.</p><p>Mayer&rsquo;s power play goal gave Dallas an early lead in the decisive game, but Palazzari tied the score for Salt Lake. Claire Alexander got Dallas&rsquo; second power tally before the first stanza ended, and Hazlett made it 3-1 early in the second.</p><p>However, Shinske and Hess scored barely a minute apart for the Eagles, still early in the middle period, and it was 3-3.</p><p>A succession of penalties left Dallas with three skaters to Salt Lake&rsquo;s four, but defenseman Lars Zetterstrom managed a shorthanded goal at 10:31 of the second period, only to see Hess tie the game again with his second goal of the game at 12:41.</p><p>Ron Carter, taking his first shift on the ice for Dallas, made the pass that set up Gardner&rsquo;s winning goal at 17:53.</p><p>The Hawks kept alive their tradition of never clinching the Adams Cup at home. They had previously won the cup three times in Oklahoma, once in Tulsa (1972) and twice in Oklahoma City (1969 and&rsquo;74).</p><p>By winning eight of their nine playoff games, the Hawks continued to be the hottest club in the CHL. They had won 16 of their final 18 games in the regular season, including a record-tying skein of 11 straight victories, Feb. 17-Mar. 23.</p><p>They had won their last three regularseason starts, swept Kansas City in a four-game semi-final series, and beaten Salt Lake twice in the finals before-losing a 7-3 decision at home.</p><p>That string of nine straight victories, combining regular-season and playoff triumphs, fell short of the league mark of 15, set by Tulsa in 1976.</p><p>Central League statistician Bill Adler, in wrapping up the 1978-79 regular season figures, pointed out that Hazlett, who led the CHL in goals with 44, also led in shots on goal with 277. The next two most frequent shooters were from Fort Worth. Steve Tambellini had 253 shots, 25 goals, and Dwayne Lowder-milk 247 shots, 13 goals.</p><p>The best shooting percentages belonged to Dan Bolduc of the Kansas City Red Wings (32.3) and Kurt Walker of the Tulsa Oilers (29.8). Bolduc had 21 goals (on 65 shots) in 23 CHL games before being promoted to the Detroit Red Wings. Walker had 17 goals (on 57 shots) in 54 Tulsa games.</p><p>Steve Short of KC had the most penalty-minutes (216 in 51 games), but Hector Marini of Fort Worth drew the most majors (18), and Rick Hodgson of Tulsa the most minors (61). Hodgson also led the league in the unhappy statistic of goals-against-while serving penalties (19).</p><p>Doug Berry of Dallas had the most game-winning goals, with seven. (Nine players had six.) Mike Eaves of Oklahoma City owned the most game-winning assists, with 10. Salt Lake&rsquo;s Rick Shinske led the league in assists, with 68, while Eaves had 66.</p><p>Floyd Thomson had nine first-goals-of-game, and Jim Maladrewicz of KC eight. Jim Mayer&rsquo;s 14 power play goals for Dallas led that department. Five players tied with three shorthanded, goals each&mdash;Tambellini of Fort Worth, Rob Flockhart of Dallas, Craig Patrick of Tulsa, and Thomson and Brian Ogilvie of Salt Lake.</p><h2>Adams Cup Champions</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03143/3893366-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="504" height="712"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-01

Dallas ‘Cinderalla’ Champs Of CHL As Conditioning Overcomes Eagles

<p><b>DALLAS&mdash;</b></p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he Central Hockey League was temporarily reduced to five teams when the Detroit Red Wings announced they were giving up the Kansas City franchise after suffering heavy financial losses there. Detroit had been the sole parent club for two seasons, after sharing the operation with the St. Louis Blues in 1976-77 (when the KC Blues won the regular season title and the Adams Cup).</b></p><p><b>But league president Bud Poile revealed prospects were bright for a nine-team league next season, with the possible addition of four former World Hockey Association cities&mdash;Birmingham, Cincinnati, Houston and Indianapolis.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Red Wings Quit Kansas City

<h2>AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2><p><b>PLAYOFF GAMES</b></p><h3><b>FINALS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01241/3893582-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="614" height="119"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Sat. May 5</b></p><p>New Haven 3 at Maine 4</p><p><b>Sun. May 6</b></p><p>Maine 5 at New Haven 3</p><p><b>Wed. May 9</b></p><p>New Haven 2 at Maine 5</p><p><b>Fri. May 11</b></p><p>Maine 8 at New Haven 4</p><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02186/3893575-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="611" height="115"></div><p><b>Mon. Apr. 30</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 3 at Maine 2</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><p>Maine 5 at Nova Scotia 3</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03141/3893568-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="603" height="116"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 2 at Maine 7</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 24</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 1 at Maine 4</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 27</b></p><p>Maine 5 at Nova Scotia 7</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Maine 5 at Nova Scotia 2</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Mon. Apr. 30</b></p><p>Nova Scotia at Maine</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><p>Maine at Nova Scotia</p><p><b>Fri. May 4</b></p><p>Nova Scotia at Maine</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04114/3893561-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="626" height="111"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Thu. Apr. 19</b></p><p>Binghamton 2 at New Haven 4</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>New Haven 2 at Binghamton 3</p><p><b>Mon. Apr. 23</b></p><p>Binghamton 1 at New Haven 15</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 25</b></p><p>New Haven 6 at Binghamton 1</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 27</b></p><p>Binghamton 4 at New Haven 3</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 29</b></p><p>New Haven 7 at Binghamton 3</p><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0590/3893554-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="601" height="112"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 4 at New Brunswick 5</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>New Brunswick 4 at Nova Scotia 5</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 3 at New Brunswick 4</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 17</b></p><p>New Brunswick 1 at Nova Scotia 7</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 19</b></p><p>Nova Scotia 4 at New Brunswick 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0671/3893547-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="605" height="112"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Binghamton 3 at Hershey 4</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Hershey 0 at Binghamton 3</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Binghamton 6 at Hershey 2</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 17</b></p><p>Hershey 2 at Binghamton 5</p><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0762/3893540-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="613" height="581"></div><h3>PLAYOFF GOALING RECORDS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0853/3893533-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="620" height="348"></div><h2>CENTRAL HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2><p><b>PLAYOFF GAMES</b></p><h3><b>FINALS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0944/3893526-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="608" height="121"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>Dallas 5 at Salt Lake 2</p><p><b>Mon. Apr. 23</b></p><p>Dallas 5 at Salt Lake 3</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 27</b></p><p>Salt Lake 7 at Dallas 3</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Salt Lake 2 at Dallas 6</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Dallas 6 at Salt Lake 4</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1040/3893519-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg" title="f0033-10" width="607" height="111"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 6</b></p><p>Kansas City 1 at Dallas 2</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 7</b></p><p>Kansas City 3 at Dallas 6</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Dallas 5 at Kansas City 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Dallas 3 at Kansas City 0</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1139/3893512-1-eng-US/f0033-112.jpg" title="f0033-11" width="605" height="112"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 6</b></p><p>Fort Worth 1 at Salt Lake 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 7</b></p><p>Forth Worth 2 at Salt Lake 3</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Salt Lake 2 at Forth Worth 4</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 13</b></p><p>Salt Lake 4 at Forth Worth 3</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Salt Lake 5 at Forth Worth 2</p><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1238/3893505-1-eng-US/f0033-122.jpg" title="f0033-12" width="602" height="500"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p><b>PLAYOFF GAMES</b></p><h3>FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1327/3893498-1-eng-US/f0033-132.jpg" title="f0033-13" width="604" height="122"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. May 11</b></p><p>Kalamazoo 2 at Grand Rapids 4</p><p><b>Sat. May 12</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 1 at Kalamazoo 7</p><h3>GAMES TO COME</h3><p><b>Tue. May 15</b></p><p>Kalamazoo at Grand Rapids</p><p><b>Thu. May 17</b></p><p>Grand Rapids at Kalamazoo</p><p><b>Fri. May 19</b></p><p>Kalamazoo at Grand Rapids</p><p><b>Sun. May 20</b></p><p>Grand Rapids at Kalamazoo</p><p><b>Tue. May 22</b></p><p>Kalamazoo at Grand Rapids</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1424/3893491-1-eng-US/f0033-142.jpg" title="f0033-14" width="600" height="124"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 6 at Grand Rapids 8</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 29</b></p><p>Grands Rapids 4 at Fort Wayne 5</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 5 at Grand Rapids 7</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 1 at Fort Wayne 7</p><p><b>Fri. May 4</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 4 at Grand Rapids 6</p><p><b>Sat. May 5</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 4 at Fort Wayne 8</p><p><b>Mon. May 7</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 2 at Grand Rapids 6</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1520/3893484-1-eng-US/f0033-152.jpg" title="f0033-15" width="614" height="128"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Flint 4 at Kalamazoo 6</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 29</b></p><p>Kalamazoo 5 at Flint 4</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Flint 2 at Kalamazoo 5</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><h2>Quarter-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1615/3893477-1-eng-US/f0033-162.jpg" title="f0033-16" width="614" height="118"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 13</b></p><p>Flint 3 at Port Huron 5</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Port Huron 3 at Flint 4</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 15</b></p><p>Flint 0 at Port Huron 8</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>Port Huron 4 at Flint 6</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 21</b></p><p>Flint 6 at Port Huron 4</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Port Huron 5 at Flint 3</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 25</b></p><p>Flint 7 at Port Huron 4</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1715/3893470-1-eng-US/f0033-172.jpg" title="f0033-17" width="636" height="118"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Milwaukee 4 at Grand Rapids 2</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 12</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 3 at Milwaukee 0</p><p><b>(Game thrown out on Milwaukee protest)</b></p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Milwaukee 3 at Grand Rapids 6</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 3 at Milwaukee 2</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>Milwaukee 6 at Grand Rapids 3</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 21</b></p><p>Grand Rapids 4 at Milwaukee 6</p><p><b>ue. Apr. 24</b></p><p>Milwaukee 3 at Grand Rapids 9</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 25</b></p><p>Milwaukee 1 at Grand Rapids 5</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1813/3893463-1-eng-US/f0033-182.jpg" title="f0033-18" width="610" height="136"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 13</b></p><p>Saginaw 2 at Kamalazoo 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Kalamazoo 5 at Saginaw 3</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 17</b></p><p>Saginaw 3 at Kalamazoo 7</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Kalamazoo 5 at Saginaw 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1911/3893456-1-eng-US/f0033-192.jpg" title="f0033-19" width="612" height="116"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Toledo 2 at Fort Wayne 4</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 13</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 3 at Toledo 1</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Toledo 3 at Fort Wayne 4</p><p><b>Tue. Apr. 17</b></p><p>Fort Wayne 7 at Toledo 8</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Toledo 5 at Fort Wayne 4 Fri. Apr. 20</p><p><b>Fort Wayne 7 at Toledo 2</b></p><h3>LEADING PLAYOFF SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2011/3893449-1-eng-US/f0033-202.jpg" title="f0033-20" width="615" height="459"></div><h2>NORTH EASTERN LEAGUE</h2><p><b>PLAYOFF GAMES</b></p><h3><b>FINALS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2110/3893442-1-eng-US/f0033-212.jpg" title="f0033-21" width="620" height="126"></div><h3><b>GAMES COMPLETED</b></h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 10</b></p><p>Hampton 4 at Erie 5</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 11</b></p><p>Hampton 6 at Erie 5</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 13</b></p><p>Erie 3 at Hampton 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 14</b></p><p>Erie 0 at Hampton 2</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 18</b></p><p>Hampton 1 at Erie 4</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 19</b></p><p>Erie 5 at Hampton 3</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 21</b></p><p>Hampton 3 at Erie 4</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-228/3893435-1-eng-US/f0033-222.jpg" title="f0033-22" width="622" height="244"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0033-01

Looking At The Minor League Scoreboard

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01262/3893620-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mize Eruzione, left, of the Toledo Goaldiggers accepts the Ken McKenzie Trophy from the president and publisher of THE HOCKEY NEWS as the top scoring American-born player in the IHL last season. Eruzione, a product of Boston University, scored 86 points in 76 games while helping the Diggers win the league championship.</b></figcaption></div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>GRAND RAPIDS&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02207/3893613-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="1180" height="1156"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ken Ullyot, left, executive vice-president and general manager of the Fort Wayne Komets, receives THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; award from president and publisher Ken McKenzie, as the outstanding executive in minor league hockey for last season. Ullyot has been governor, executive, coach and GM during his 25-year tenure with Fort Wayne where the Komets have been the top drawing team.</b></figcaption></div><p>Moe Bartoli is confident the Grand Rapids Owls will reign as Turner Cup champions in the International Hockey League. And that would climax the greatest turnaround in the league&rsquo;s history. A year ago the Owls didn&rsquo;t qualify for the post-season party&mdash;the only one of nine teams which didn&rsquo;t get an invitation.</p><p>For Bartoli, the season wasn&rsquo;t as easy as the record-setting 109 points would indicate. Nor was a spot in the Turner Cup finals against Kalamazoo with the &bull; home ice advantage.</p><p>Missing from the Owls&rsquo; stretch run and their 14 (15 if you count the game which wasn&rsquo;t with Milwaukee in the quarter-finals) playoff victories to date was captain Rick Dorman. Out of action for 10 games were John Flesch and Dean Magee. The three received the 10-game and season-long (for Dorman) suspensions because of an incident with referee Tod Larson in a regular season game.</p><p>Still, the Owls prevailed. They won 50 games and finished a good distance in front of runner-up Fort Wayne. The first-place finish was to prove most significant in the playoffs.</p><p>The Owls qualified for the finals by first beating Milwaukee in seven games and then doing the same against Fort Wayne. It was a home-and-home series as the Owls won their four home games and the Komets three.</p><p>It was also a high-scoring series, as the two teams combined for 73 goals. Still the goaltending by Gordie Laxton of the Owls and Robbie Irons of the Komets was superb. Laxton missed one. game, the fourth played in Fort Wayne, because of a bad ankle sprain suffered in the third game. Ray Martyniuk filled in as the Komets won, 7-1. The Komets also won at home by scores of 5-4 and 84.</p><p>Grand Rapids won its games by scores of 8-6, 7-5, 6-4 and the finale, 62. But the last game was closer than the score would indicate. The Owls didn&rsquo;t put it away until halfway through the final period.</p><p>Kalamazoo could prove even a greater challenge. The K-Wings have put together an 11-game winning streak. They&rsquo;ve swept both preliminary series, taking out Saginaw and Flint in four straight. The K-Wings also won their final three games of the regular season. The last team to beat the K-Wings was Fort Wayne on the Wings&rsquo; final visit there during the regular season.</p><p>The victory over Flint was not without controversy, something which has marked the current post-season competition. Flint coach Marc Boileau protested all games (three) in which Wing goalie Al Johnson appeared. The basis of the protests? Boileau claimed Jensen was being paid in excess of the IHL salary limit for pros&mdash;set at $25,000. Jensen reportedly is being paid $30,000. The Wings are a farm club of Detroit and Jensen is under contract to the Red Wings.</p><p>Commissioner Frank Gallagher did not allow the protest and ruled Jensen could continue to play.</p><p>Extending the winning streak against Grand Rapids presents quite a challenge. In order to win the series, the Wings will have to win at least once in Stadium Arena in Grand Rapids&mdash;where they failed to win all season. In fact, the Owls lost just twice during the regular season at home&mdash;to Toledo and Flint.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Home Ice Helps Owls Make Turner Cup Finals

<p>PORT HURON&mdash;</p><p>Wes Jarvis of the Port Huron Flags has been named the 1978-79 rookie-of-the-year and winner of the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy in the International Hockey League.</p><p>The five-foot-ten, 192 pound centerman was the leading pointgetter over the season for the Flags who won the Frank Gallagher Trophy as the top team in the IHL&rsquo;s North Division. In 73 games, Jarvis scored 44 goals and drew 65 assists for 109 points finishing fifth overall in the league scoring.</p><p>The 20-year-old forward, a native of Toronto, Jarvis spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey Association junior ranks. From 1975-77, he was a member of the Sudbury Wolves and wore the uniform of the Windsor Spitfires and Sudbury over the 1977-78 winter before reporting to Port Huron last fall.</p><p>He was a 14th round choice of the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League draft last June.</p><p>Jarvis was an overwhelming favorite of the IHL general managers who voted the honor. Jon Fontas of the Saginaw Gears was runner-up followed by Al Jensen of the Kalamazoo Wings and Fort Wayne Komets&rsquo; Dave Ross.</p><p>Dan Bonar of Fort Wayne won the award for the 1977-78 season and Jarvis is the second player in Port Huron history to be named the IHL&rsquo;s top freshman. Frank Golembrosky was the only previous Port Huron player to capture the Rookie Trophy in 1977.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03158/3893651-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="522" height="490"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WES JARVIS&hellip;Over 100 Points</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-03

IHL Rookie Award Won By Port Huron’s Jarvis

<p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Green Calls Petes Team”With A Lot Of Talent”

<h2><b>Sun. May 6 T. RIVERS 4, PETERBOROUGH 3</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02173/3893814-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="612" height="714"></div><h2><b>Mon. May 7 T. RIVERS 4, BRANDON 1</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03127/3893807-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="614" height="863"></div><h2><b>Tue. May 8 PETERBOROUGH 7, BRANDON 6</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0482/3893800-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="610" height="770"></div><h2><b>Wed. May 9 PETERBOROUGH 3, T. RIVERS 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0551/3893793-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="636" height="672"></div><h2><b>Thu. May 10 BRANDON 6, T. RIVERS 1</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0635/3893786-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="614" height="576"></div><h2><b>Fri. May 11 BRANDON 3, PETERBOROUGH 2</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0731/3893779-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="645" height="742"></div><h2><b>Sun. May 13 PETERBOROUGH 2, BRANDON 1</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0826/3893772-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="638" height="660"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Memorial Cup Summaries

<div class="byline">BY NORM COWLEY</div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street, Wallaceburg, Ontario Sold in U.S. and Canada</p><p>CALGARY&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01202/3893852-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="566" height="896"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRAD McCRIMMON&hellip;First Defense</b></figcaption></div><p>Brandon Wheat Kings have dominated the Western Hockey League to such an extent this year, it&rsquo;s only natural to assume they&rsquo;d do the same in the All Star balloting.</p><p>So it was to nobody&rsquo;s surprise when it was announced that the Wheat Kings placed five players on the first All Star team&mdash;thus becoming the first WHL team to ever to so. The previous best win in 1967-68 when Flin Flon Bombers claimed four of the six berths.</p><p>The Wheat Kings, who set numerous records during the 1978-79 campaign, had their entire first line of left wing Brian Propp, Center Laurie Boschman and right wing Ray Allison selected as the three first-team forwards.</p><p>Propp led the league in scoring for the second consecutive year, Allison was runner-up for the third straight season and Boschman (an 18-year-old sophomore) finished as the highest scoring pivot.</p><p>Rick Knickle, with a league-leading 3.16 goals-against average, was given the nod as the No. 1 goalie and Brad McCrimmon, who led defensemen in scoring for the second year in succession, rounded out Brandon&rsquo;s five first-team members.</p><p>Portland Winter Hawks, second in total points behind the Wheaties during the season, broke Brandon&rsquo;s domination by placing the sixth player on the first team when Keith Brown, who collected 85 assists, was chosen to the right defensive position.</p><p>Brown and Allison were the only unanimous selections as chosen by the 12 league coaches.</p><p>The second team consisted of defenseman Blake Wesley, center Mike Toal and left winger Perry Turnbull of Portland; netminder Warren Skaradenski of Calgary Wranglers; right winger Dirk Graham of Regina Pats; and defenseman Craig Levie of Edmonton Oil Kings.</p><p><b>BRANDON:</b> After taking a 6-1 victory from Lethbridge in the opening game of the three-team double round robin semi-final, the Wheat Kings were blasted 10-0 at Portland for their worst defeat since April 1, 1975, when Saskatoon beat them 13-3. But once safely back at home, Brandon recovered its poise to finish with a 3-1 record and advance to the best-of-seven finals with Portland. Brad McCrimmon and Laurie Boschman scored six seconds apart to set a WHL record for the two quickest goals in a playoff game and Brant Kiessig scored three times as the Wheaties whipped Lethbridge 13-3. The 13 goals also tied another playoff record for most goals in a game by one team. Brian Propp, who had been held to seven goals in his first 15 playoff games this year, exploded for three goals&mdash;including the winner at the 4:04 mark of overtime&mdash;to lead Brandon to a 5-4 decision over Portland in the final game of the round-robin. Tim Lockridge had sent the game into overtime when he scored with 16 seconds remaining in the third period.</p><p><b>PORTLAND:</b> The second largest crowd of the season, 8,112, turned out to witness Bart Hunter record his first ever post-season shutout 10-0 over Brandon in the Winter Hawks&rsquo; first game of the three team double roundrobin semi-final. Perry Turnbull scored two goals in the game for Portland, but the rest of the scoring was shared by eight players. Two-goal outings by Dave Babych and Alvin Szott paced the Winter Hawks to a 7-3 victory over Lethbridge before 5,169 fans and a sweep of their home games in the series. But Portland needed Florent Robidoux&rsquo;s tying goal at 14:19 of the third period and then Mike Toal&rsquo;s winning effort 51 seconds into the second overtime period to edge the same Broncos 5-4 at Lethbridge. Winter Hawks finished the Round-robin unbeaten, despite inserting rookie goaltender Clint Malarchuk in the nets for only the third time this season in the final game, but ended up losing 5-4 in overtime at Brandon.</p><p><b>LETHBRIDGE:</b> After finishing the tough seven-game Central Division final with Calgary in front of an all-time record turnout of 5,507 at the sport-splex, the Broncos found themselves-outclassed in the WHL semi-finals. Lethbridge failed to win even one of their four games in the three-team double round-bobin &lsquo;series, and were outscored 31-11. Lethbridge held a 3-0 first-period advantage in their second game but eventually lost 7-3 to Portland; Gord Williams fired two goals to give him 14 for the playoffs in a 5-4 double-overtime loss at home to Portland, and Doug Morrison picked up a single in the Broncos&rsquo; last game&mdash;a 13-3 defeat at Brandon&mdash;to finish the round-robin leading all scorers with 20 goals and 13 assists in 19 games.</p><h2>WHL All Star Teams</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02156/3893845-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="1138" height="530"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0037-01

Brandon Complements Big Year By Placing Five On All Star Team

<div class="byline">BY DANNY YOUNG</div><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS Made in Canada by HILLERICH & BRADSBY. LTD Arnold Street. Wallaceburg. Ontario Sold in U.S and Canada</p><p>TROIS-RIVIERES&mdash;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01237/3893890-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="566" height="779"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEAN-GASTON DOUVILLE&hellip;Draveurs&rsquo; Digger</b></figcaption></div><p>The difference between this year&rsquo;s and last year&rsquo;s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, according to their coach Michel Bergeron, is their defense.</p><p>&ldquo;(Jacques) Cloutier is the best goalie in the league,&rdquo; says Bergeron, &ldquo;and (Pierre) Lacroix is the best player. (Michel) Leblanc and (Normand) Rochefort play like pros, and so does (Mario) Tardif.&rdquo;</p><p>The league&rsquo;s All Star selections support Bergeron&rsquo;s evaluation. Cloutier was chosen as first team goalie, and Lacroix, the league&rsquo;s MVP, was an unanimous choice for first team defenseman. Team captain Leblanc was on the second team, and Rochefort won a spot on the third.</p><p>Of course, hockey is not played with defensemen alone, but the Draveurs have some excellent players up front. The line centered by Jean Francois Sauve (a second team All Star) with Jean Gaston Douville and Bernard _ Gallant on the wings has been a scoring machine throughout the season. Douville gives the line size and strength, Gallant gives the line great speed, and Sauve makes, everything click.</p><p>Gallant was one of several profitable acquisitions made by Bergeron this season. Though Gallant had been cut from Montreal, Bergeron sent Rene Marchand, then a top ten scorer, to the Juniors to obtain Gallant in a complicated three team deal also involving Laval.</p><p>&ldquo;Gallant is the best skater in the league,&rdquo; claims Bergeron. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why he couldn&rsquo;t play for Montreal If he came to us at the beginning of the season, he would have been an All Star.&rdquo;</p><p>Sauve stole most of the attention by scoring 19 goals and 19 assists in 13 playoff games, but Gallant contributed a solid 10 goals and 18 assists.</p><p>&ldquo;I had seen him (Gallant) play in Laval,&rdquo; said teammate Tardif. &ldquo;I saw he could skate, but I didn&rsquo;t think he could do anything else. He&rsquo;s really helped us a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That line has been able to play against anybody during the year,&rdquo; says Bergeron, &ldquo;and 1 think they will do the same in the Memorial Cup. &ldquo;My boys are ready. I saw Peterborough (Ontario champs) play and they&rsquo;re very good. But we&rsquo;re playing in Quebec so I&rsquo;m confident.&rdquo;</p><p>The Draveurs will be playing without the services of forward Dino Troini. Troini sustained a serious eye injury in the Sherbrooke series.</p><p>The league&rsquo;s All Star selections are as follow: First Team&mdash;Goalie, Jacques Cloutier, Trois-Rivieres; Defense, Raymond Bourque, Verdun, Pierre Lacroix, Trois-Rivieres; Center, Normand Aubin, Verdun; Right Wing, Jimmy Mann, Sherbrooke; Left Wing, Louis Begin, Sherbrooke; Coach, Michel Bergeron, Trois-Rivieres.</p><p>Second Team&mdash;Goalie, Vincent Tremblay, Quebec; Defense, Kevin Lowe, Quebec, Michel Leblanc, Trois-Rivieres; Center, Jean Francois Sauve, Trois-Rivieres; Right Wing, Denis Cyr, Montreal; Left Wing, Gilles Hamel, Laval; Coach, Ron Racette, Shawinigan.</p><p>After a nailbiting 2-1 victory which slowed down the high flying Sherbrooke Beavers, the Draveurs won the next three games by more comfortable margins to keep the President&rsquo;s Cup in their city.</p><p>In game number three played in Trois-Rivieres, the Draveurs took a 3-0 lead in the first period en route to a 6-3 win. Super scorer Sauve paced the Draveurs once again with a goal and three asists.</p><p>The final game in Sherbrooke saw the Draveurs respond to an early 2-0 Beaver advantage by scoring five consecutive goals. In the third period, the Draveurs did not allow their opponents to get even one shot on goal. The 6-3 final gave them the series, the championship, and a trip to the Memorial Cup.</p><p>That trip won&rsquo;t be that far though. Quebec is hosting the tournament, and the Draveurs&rsquo; first two games are in Trois-Rivieres. Their other two games will be played in Sherbrooke and Verdun. Should they make the final, that game will be played at the Montreal Forum.</p><p>Coach and general manager Bergeron is more confident going into the tournament his second time around.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a better club this year,&rdquo; says Bergeron. &ldquo;I have more experience so I know what to expect.&rdquo;</p><p><b>QUEBEC:</b> Les Remparts Restent !! These three French words meaning &ldquo;the Remparts are staying&rdquo; appeared in the Quebec City newspaper Le SoleiL A transfer of the club to the city of Rimouski was never completed and the Remparts will remain in Quebec for at least another season. A team spokesman said that the club will explore opportunities that would allow the Remparts to remain in Quebec permanently.</p><h2>QMJHL All Stars</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-168/3893883-1-eng-US/f0038-162.jpg" title="f0038-16" width="1152" height="654"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-01

Draveurs Place Four On All Stars; Bergeron Coach Of Year After Win

<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</h2><p><b>PLAYOFF GAMES</b></p><h3><b>Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02186/3894012-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="610" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Tue. Apr. 24</b></p><p>Niagara Falls 0 at Peterborough 3</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 25</b></p><p>Peterborough 0 at Niagara Falls 5</p><p><b>Thu. Apr. 26</b></p><p>Niagara Falls 6 at Peterborough 4</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Peterborough 1 at Niagara Falls 3</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 29</b></p><p>Niagara Falla 2 at Peterborough 4</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Peterborough 4 at Niagara Falls 3</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><p>Niagara Falls 2 at Peterborough 5</p><h3><b>Semi-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03138/3894005-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="623" height="352"></div><h3><b>Quarter-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0494/3893998-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="618" height="553"></div><h2>WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2><h3>PLAYOFF GAMES Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0567/3893991-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="604" height="121"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Frl. Apr. 27</b></p><p>Portland 4 at Brandon 2</p><p><b>Sat. Apr. 28</b></p><p>Portland 1 at Brandon 3</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 29</b></p><p>Portland 5 at Brandon 6</p><p><b>Tue. May 1</b></p><p>Brandon 4 at Portland 2</p><p><b>Wed. May 2</b></p><p>Brandon 4 at Portland 3</p><p><b>Thu. May 3</b></p><p>Brandon 6 at Portland 3</p><h3><b>Semi-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0652/3893984-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="616" height="178"></div><h3><b>Quarter-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0746/3893977-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="620" height="422"></div><h2>Preliminary Round-Robin</h2><h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0832/3893970-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="606" height="204"></div><h3>CENTRAL DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0927/3893963-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="612" height="210"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1024/3893956-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="610" height="200"></div><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1122/3893949-1-eng-US/f0038-112.jpg" title="f0038-11" width="606" height="743"></div><h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2><h3>PLAYOFF GAMES Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1220/3893942-1-eng-US/f0038-122.jpg" title="f0038-12" width="614" height="116"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p><b>Fri. Apr. 20</b></p><p>Sherbrooke 1 at Trois-Rivieres 2</p><p><b>Sun. Apr. 22</b></p><p>Trois-Rivieres 7 at Sherbrooke 2</p><p><b>Wed. Apr. 25</b></p><p>Sherbrooke 3 at Trois-Rividres 6</p><p><b>Fri. Apr. 27</b></p><p>Trois-Rivieres 6 at Sherbrooke 4</p><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1315/3893935-1-eng-US/f0038-132.jpg" title="f0038-13" width="614" height="260"></div><h3><b>Quarter-Finals</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1412/3893928-1-eng-US/f0038-142.jpg" title="f0038-14" width="612" height="442"></div><h3>Final Scoring Leaders</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-1510/3893921-1-eng-US/f0038-152.jpg" title="f0038-15" width="624" height="312"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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The Amateur Scoreboard

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK LYON</div><p>ERIE&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen it came time for the first North Eastern League All Star teams to be announced, there was little surprise that Erie Blades and Hampton Aces dominated the voting with the Aces placing four players on the team, the Blades three.</p><p>Erie&rsquo;s Daniel Poulin and Stan Gulutzan were the only unanimous choices on the squad and were joined by first team picks Greg McPhee and Jim Misener of the Aces. Rounding out the first team selections were goaltender Cap Raeder and center John Cunniff of the Cape Cod Freedoms. Raeder was a valuable asset in the nets for the Freedoms, Cunniff the circuit&rsquo;s second leading scorer with 117 points as he enjoyed his best season as a professional.</p><p>Defenseman McPhee saw action in 65 games and scored 65 points while racking up 141 penalty minutes, while right wing Misener just missed the 100-point plateau with 49 goals and 49 assists for 98 points. Poulin was the league&rsquo;s highest scoring defenseman as his thundering slap shot from the blueline netted him 88 points, Gulutzan earning Rookie-of-the-Year honors in addition to being named on the first team. The muscular winger claimed the goal scoring championship with 53 and his 55 assists gave him 108 points.</p><p>Goaltender Michel Belhumeur, who split the season with the Utica Mohawks and the Aces, headed the second team and was joined by a pair of Johnstown defensemen, Harry Shaw and Dan Byers, center Brad Rhiness of the Blades, right wing Cam McGregor of the Mohawks and Aces&rsquo; left winger Brian Coates.</p><p>In 35 games, Belhumeur had a 16-18 record and three shutouts in posting a goals against mark of 3.83. Shaw and Byers helped solidify a Johnstown club which missed the playoffs by a single point. Rhiness earned the scoring championship coming from behind late in the season to pass Cunniff with 120 points. McGregor sparked the Utica offense as their high scorer and Coates was a century pointman for the Aces with 50 goals and 54 assists in only 57 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01218/3894050-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="575" height="812"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GREG McPHEE&hellip;1st Team Defense</b></figcaption></div><p>The Blades were also awarded a trophy for the excellent play of goaltender Carey Walker, who paced all netminders with a scintillating 2.59 goals against mark and a 23-6-2 record in 32 games. Walker was noticeably missing from the All Star team and it was his superior play in the last half of the season that enabled the Blades to have the kind of year they did.</p><p>The league had more All Stars at the center position than anywhere else since Hampton&rsquo;s Larry Billows and Johnstown&rsquo;s rookie center Dave Lundeen couldn&rsquo;t crack the squad. Billows was the fourth best scorer with well over 100 points, Lundeen taking team point honors for the Wings.</p><p>For the Erie Blades the &ldquo;Impossible Dream&rdquo; became a reality.</p><p>The spirited Blades overcame the Aces in the final game 4-3 to reign as champions of the NEHL and lay claim to the coveted John Mitchell Trophy.</p><p>With their back solidly against the wall and the Aces holding all the cards with a seemingly unbeatable three games to one lead, the Blades accomplished one of the most difficult feats in sports by sweeping the final three games of the series to capture the title.</p><p>Following their exciting 5-3 triumph in Hampton that evened the series at 33, over 500 fans greeted the Blades at the airport as the Erie crew returned home for the season finale.</p><p>With four of the seven games being decided by one goal and two othen games by a pair of goals, both MacPherson and Erie coach Nick Polano had no doubt in their minds that this was the best series they were ever in.</p><p>&ldquo;Anytime you&rsquo;re down three to one, your backs are against the wall. My players played with a lot of character coming back to do the job they did,&rdquo; said Polano.</p><p>The Blades were honored by the city of Erie with a parade through the downtown section of the city.</p><p>Polano capped an excellent season when he was named as the NEHL&rsquo;s. coach of the year in a vote among the circuit&rsquo;s coaches.</p><h2>NEHL All Stars</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02161/3894043-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="1144" height="588"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Hampton, Erie Provide Seven NEHL All Stars

<h2>Pro Stars Glitter As Okanagan Instructors</h2><p>OKANAGAN&mdash;</p><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>arry Lund, the former professional defenseman who is deep into the hockey school business, offers some sage advice to young people contemplating going to a summer hockey school</p><p>Lund, who operates the highly successful Okanagan Hockey School in partnership with Nick Lannone at Penticton, B.C., comes out in defense of the name hockey pros who make up the biggest percentage of his instructional staff at Okanagan. Being a long-time prohimself, Lund knows from whence he speaks.</p><p>&ldquo;A misconception with many parents and some hockey school operators is that the All Star NHLer is not a good on-ice instructor. It is true that our Canadian hockey system does not generally produce professionals who are adept at teaching the fundamentals of hockey and therein lies a large weakness of our system.</p><p>There are, however, top professionals who have taken the time and interest to become good instructors. Some examples of outstanding professionals who have been rated as top instructors at Okanagan Hockey School are Bobby Clarke, Cesare Maniago, Rogie Vachon and Mike Murphy. As these players have all demonstrated a sound basis in hockey fundamentals, one would wonder if there is relationship between knowing the fundamentals and on ice performance.&rdquo;</p><p>Lund stands behind his great teaching staff at Okanagan which includes himself, lannone, Bill Dineen, Bill Hogaboam, Greg Fox, Terry O&rsquo;Reilly, John-Grisdale, Bob Murdoch, Harold Snepsts, Gary Bromley, Joe Daley, Glen Irwin, Vachon and power skating expert Laura Stamm.</p><h2>Michigan Tech School, Coaching Clinic Set</h2><p>MICHIGAN TECH&mdash;</p><p>The campus around Michigan Tech University is a bustling place in fall and spring. Judging by the summer program planned for Houghton, Mich., this year by Herb Boxer and his staff, activities are not likely to slow down in the so-called off season.</p><p>Boxer is planning one and two week sessions from June 10 to Aug. 18 at the Michigan Tech summer hockey school. In between he will stage the school&rsquo;s summer hockey coaches&rsquo; clinic from July 11 to July 15.</p><p>The Michigan Tech summer hockey school enters its eighth year of operation. Herb Boxer, and Gerry Sullivan, coordinator of on-ice activities and head hockey coach at Marquette, Mich, senior high school head up an impressive staff of coaches: John Maclnnes, head hockey coach, Michigan Tech, Jim Nahrgang, assistant hockey coach, Michigan Tech, Bill Rowe, assistant hockey coach, Michigan Tech, Glen Weller, head hockey coach, Western Michigan University, Jim Murray, assistant hockey coach, Lake Superior State College, Bob Lorimer of the New York Islanders, Lome Stamler of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bruce Johnson head hockey coach Armstrong High School, Minnesota. Jim Warden, Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; product, Dave Witting, head hockey coach, Jeffers High School, Painesdale, Mich., Dave Joelson, and John Rockwell, both graduates of Michigan Tech, Bruce Abbey, former WHA and European player.</p><p>This program is designed for youths 9 to 17. Each student receives three hours of ice time each day&mdash;including one hour of skating instruction, one hour of individual instruction and one hour of team instruction. There are also three regularly scheduled games per week.</p><p>For the second year the Michigan Tech summer hockey school will offer an All Star camp for ages 15 to 17. This is a program designed for the player who has demonstrated above average individual and team skills.</p><p>Full use of University facilities are available to youths in attendance&mdash;including softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and more.</p><p>The summer hockey coaches&rsquo; Cliryc enters its second year of operation. Coaches will have lectures in the classroom and on-ice instructions of the fundamentals of the game. This program is designed to help all coaches from the mite through the high school level.</p><h2>Culver Puts Hockey On Specialty Program</h2><p><b>SCHOOL SHORTS:</b> Allan Clark, the hockey director at Culver summer schools in Culver, Indiana, sends along word that their summer program is both world famous and unique. Culver offers a woodcraft camp for boys and girls, a school of aviation, a naval school, a school of horsemanship and a family camp and specialty areas. Clark says that hockey will be added in the school&rsquo;s extended program and will come under the specialty category. Culver&rsquo;s summer program has been in existence since 1912.</p><p>Clark says the school will offer quality hockey instruction and that campers will enjoy such diverse activities as dancing, hayrides, picnics, swimming and sailing and hockey, of course.</p><p>John Wild, the eminent power skating instructor, is ready for another summer session. He has been teaching for 17 years and wrote the first book on the subject. Wild&rsquo;s power skating school, in the Vancouver area, has been going strong since 1975. He has both day and evening classes for all ages with special classes for girls, referees, junior players and professionals.</p><p>His three schools in Vancouver, Richmond and New Westminster will accommodate over 700 boys this summer and John teaches every class personally. Among the students attending this summer will be boys from Eastern and Western Canada and the United States.</p><p>Last summer alone saw 18 professional players attending sessions with John. His students were represented on both the WHA and NHL All Star teams this year.&rdquo;Barry Beck of the Colorado Rockies and Morris Lukowich of the Winnipeg Jets were in attendance.</p><p>Dave Wisener writes that the response to his Highland Hockey School in Pictou, N.S., has been tremendous. He said he had received applications from Los Angeles to Bay Bulls, Nfld., and anticipates a great summer hockey school season.</p><p>From Vermillion, Alberta, Herm Hordal, co-ordinator of the summer vacation hockey school, reports that the Vermillion school, which has been in operation for the past six years, is in readiness for the 1979 sessions with the emphasis on fundamental hockey.</p><p>Among his instructors are Dennis Polonich, Ron Chipperfield, Miles Zaharko, Gary Howatt, Larry Sacharuk, Ross Perkins and George Pesut, all of whom have been pros or are active in the NHL and WHA this year.</p><p>Hordal will have two ice sessions going daily at Vermilion as well as a special off ice program.</p><p><b>This is our final hockey school news column for this season.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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May 25, 1979

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