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.

September 1, 1980

The Hockey News September 1, 1980

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSMONTREAL&mdash;While Quebec Major Junior Hockey League president Marcel Robert firmly believes the obligatory institution of protective face guards will protect players in the league, some team governors and a number of players aren&rsquo;t as certain.At league meetings in Hull, Que. in mid-June, the governors approved&mdash;by a six to three margin with one representative absent&mdash;a motion that all QMJHL players would be required to don the protective coverings for the upcoming season.At further league meetings at Cornwall Aug. 9, a move was started to abolish the motion. Eight votes were required to veto the plan and only four governors voted against it.&ldquo;We decided it was time to give the players more protection,&rdquo; Robert explained from his Quebec City office. However, Robert quashed rumors the program was implemented because of a lawsuit former Trois-Rivieres Draveurs&rsquo; star Dino Troini brought against the league last year.Troini lost an eye in 1979 when struck by the errant stick of Sherbrooke Beavers&rsquo; Jimmy Mann, now with the Winnipeg Jets. Troini, 19 at the time of the accident, was deemed an excellent left wing prospect, standing 6-1 and 182 pounds. The suit is still pending.&ldquo;The four governors who voted against the mask,&rdquo; Robert continued, &ldquo;weren&rsquo;t against a mask, but wanted it to be optional. It has to be obligatory for results. Some players aren&rsquo;t in favor of it, especially the older ones who have never used it because they feel it will impede their results. But after five games they&rsquo;ll be used to it.Robert naturally wouldn&rsquo;t admit which governors attempted to nix the idea. However, THE HOCKEY NEWS learned that Georges Guilbeault of the Sherbrooke Beavers was one, ironical since Guilbeault lost an eye himself 10 years ago while with New Haven of the AHL, then a farm team of the St. Louis Blues.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m totally against it,&rdquo; Guilbeault said, getting right to the point. &ldquo;First of all, there have been no studies to my knowledge stating that players can see fully out of the cages and whether they fully protect the player.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see a player between the ages of 16 and 20 giving what is needed in a fast, speedy game like hockey wearing the protection; it&rsquo;s too heavy. If manufacturers come out with something light that has been tested, then I&rsquo;m not against it, but the QMJHL is going too fast.&ldquo;I had one here in my office and I tried working with it on and I couldn&rsquo;t. How will players be able to play at fast speeds with it? Now the players will have an excuse for why they missed the puck or didn&rsquo;t backcheck.&rdquo;Of the players polled by THE HOCKEY NEWS, it was found those who had played midget AAA, where the protective guards have been mandatory for the past few years, felt no concern about the change. But other players are less certain.Constant Priondolo, returning to the Montreal Juniors as their over-age member, best explained the negative feelings that might permeate the league.&ldquo;I will detest playing hockey with that thing on,&rdquo; said Priondolo, who, over the summer, signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. &ldquo;I wore it for one game in Junior B when J hurt my nose and I didn&rsquo;t like that thing between my face and the puck.&ldquo;Sure it&rsquo;s safer, but you can&rsquo;t play real hockey with that.&rdquo;Real hockey, according to Priondolo, means fighting. But that is exactly what Robert is trying to shy away from. While the face mask will increase hitting, which Robert favors, he also believes it will decrease fighting.After all, a guy would have to be a fool to sink his knuckles into a wire cage. And should some players get wise, ripping off their helmets and cages before engaging in combat, Robert warned they will be assessed majors plus aggressor penalties, which carries an automatic ejection and one-game suspension. Three aggressor penalties and the guilty party is suspended for four games and fined.Nonetheless, it&rsquo;s been suggested the cage will increase the amount of stick work to the face now that eye injuries have been reduced.&ldquo;Players don&rsquo;t have the right to use their sticks that way, even though the masks are being worn,&rdquo; Robert said. &ldquo;If they do, regular high sticking or spearing penalties will be called and if there&rsquo;s a deliberate attempt to injure, a five-minute penalty will be assessed.&ldquo;You need to play the body to play good hockey and this will increase body checking. There was more interest in watching midget AAA hockey last year than QMJHL because of the checking and the closeness of their games.&ldquo;The face mask revolutionizes hockey and I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if the NHL also adopts the rule in a few years.&rdquo;Robert added players who refuse to wear the cage will not be allowed on the ice.In other developments, the league has made it difficult to trade players.Now, all players aged 16 and 17 and attending school can only be traded between the periods of June 15 and Aug. 25 and Dec. 20 and, Jan. 9. Such players in question traded-at other times of the year must verbally accept the trade in person in front of QMJHL executive director Paul Dumont.In addition, all players traded can only be exchanged once during each season and overage members cannot be traded&mdash;period.Eighteen and 19-year-olds not attending school (the QMJHL feels all players younger are attending classes) are not afforded the same luxury, although they too can only be traded once each season.Dumont explained the league stresses the importance of education upon its players and has made trading more difficult so fewer players will damage their scholastic standings.&ldquo;This rule will definitely cut down the amount of trades,&rdquo; said Dumont. &ldquo;There were close to 80 trades last year and that&rsquo;s too much.&rdquo;&ldquo;Hopefully now more teams will have more perseverance and wait before trading many players who are sleepers,&rdquo; Robert concluded.Starting with this issue, Herb Zur-kowsky, a reporter for the Montreal Gazette, becomes the QMJHL correspondent for THE HOCKEY NEWS.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01135/4329197-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="581" height="1213"><figcaption class="caption-body">Constant Priondolo, who skates for Montreal as an overage player, is opposed to wearing facemasks.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

QMHL Divided Over Facemask Issue

<div class="byline">FRANK ORR&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011074/4327643-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="312" height="359"></div><h2>Players To Decide OT</h2>I HAD A CHAP IN my office approach me the day after the National Hockey League Players&rsquo; Association said &ldquo;just a minute&rdquo; to a league governors&rsquo; proposal that five minutes of sudden death overtime be employed to settle tie games in the 1980-81 season.It seems the NHL board bulled ahead and approved the overtime&mdash;in a close vote, by the way 12-9&mdash;at its annual meeting in June. They did it without consulting the players and, through their collective bargaining agreement, the workers must approve such a move.NHL president John Ziegler confessed to the governors&rsquo; mistake and now overtime this season hinges on a vote by the players, not an overall plebiscite, but a simple majority of the 21 teams&rsquo; player reps after they poll the men on their clubs.A decision probably won&rsquo;t be reached until the clubs assemble for training camp in mid-September.Anyway, this fellow had a common reaction to the players&rsquo; applying the brakes to the overtime proposal.&ldquo;Can you believe those guys?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re making all that money out of hockey and they&rsquo;re raising hell about having to play a five-minute overtime every now and then, something the fans would really like.&rdquo;What made his comments interesting was the fact that this man is renowned as a worker who &ldquo;goes by the book.&rdquo; He works with the collective bargaining agreement his union has with the company in one hand at all times and is quick and loud in spelling out even the most minute violations of the rules by the employer.When that fact was pointed out to the man, he said: &ldquo;Yeah, but hockey players are different. All that money!&rdquo;That seems to be a common fan viewpoint when hockey players, or any pro athletes, object to a violation of the rules by the owners. Many fans feel that because the players make high salaries (NHL average: $108,000), such simple little things shouldn&rsquo;t bother them.However, Ziegler admitted that the board had goofed in failing to consult the players on overtime.&ldquo;A misunderstanding on our part,&rdquo; Ziegler said. &ldquo;The players had every right to be consulted on overtime and we didn&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;<h2>Divided On Issue</h2>NHLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alan Eagleson isn&rsquo;t overly optimistic about the players agreeing to play overtime.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t appear that the chances of getting a majority on over-time are too good,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;We had five members of our executive committee at a meeting and they were divided evenly on the issue&mdash;two in favor, two opposed and one undecided.&ldquo;The players certainly didn&rsquo;t like the way the NHL board handled the overtime question. The association has the right to approve or turn down overtime through our agreement but we never were consulted.&ldquo;But that&rsquo;s not the reason for the opposition to it.&ldquo;Some player reps don&rsquo;t like the idea of playing the five-minute overtime on ice that hasn&rsquo;t been resurfaced after only a two-minute break at the end of regulation time.&ldquo;They feel that often the ice is chopped up really badly late in the game as it is and would be even worse with overtime.&ldquo;Others feel that a 10-minute overtime with an intermission would be a better way to do it.&rdquo;<h2>Edge To Good</h2>THERE&rsquo;S ALSO A sizeable viewpoint that overtime gives an edge to the top teams.&ldquo;The reps of some teams towards the bottom of the standings feel that the NHL isn&rsquo;t close enough to parity to make overtime realistic,&rdquo; the Eagle continued.&ldquo;For instance, Brett Callighen, the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; rep, said that if his team earned a tie in 60 minutes, say, in Montreal against the Canadiens, it was a sizeable achievement and they wouldn&rsquo;t want to risk losing it in overtime.&ldquo;The reps who think that way feel that overtime would be just another advantage for the strong teams.&rdquo;There was some support for a proposal by the New York Rangers that the winner of a game in overtime receive two points in the standings, the losers, one. In reality, overtime would be for a bonus point. A few owners and some players liked the idea.&ldquo;But I think it&rsquo;s a dumb idea,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;Suppose team A had won five games out of 10 for 10 points and team B had tied 10 games in regulation time for 10 points but lost them all in overtime. Thus, a team with no wins would have the same point total as a club with five wins.&ldquo;It just wouldn&rsquo;t make sense.&rdquo;A few owners won&rsquo;t shed any tears if overtime is killed by the players. After all, nine of them voted against it.&rdquo;The players might not ask for extra money for overtime but our arena staff certainly will,&rdquo; said one NHL owner. &ldquo;It will put our costs up if we have to play too many overtime games.&rdquo; &#9632;

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HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01137/4329166-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><h2>SEPTEMBER</h2><h2>OCTOBER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-0283/4329159-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="1089" height="1349"></div> &#9632;

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Exhibition Schedule

<div class="byline">BY STEVE WINTER</div>LANDOVER&mdash;The Washington Capitals will get their first taste of international competition since they played the Moscow Dynamo last January, when they kick off their 1980-81 exhibition season with a one-week tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, featuring two of the top teams from Sweden&rsquo;s powerful first division.The four-team tournament, which runs from September 22 through 26, is sponsored by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, and awards $27,900 to the champion team. The format calls for round-robin play between the Capitals and the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League, and AIK and Djurgarden, of Sweden. For more information on the AIK and Durgarden teams, see Tom Ratchunas&rsquo; column on page 6.This will be Washington&rsquo;s second look at professional international competition abroad. Following their first year in the NHL, the Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts (now Colorado Rockies) toured Japan, playing a four-game mini-series in different venues. The Capitals won that series three games to one. Only two players remain on the club who recall that series personally. Defenseman Yvon Labre, who played in 76 games for the Capitals in 1974-75, and ex-captain Guy Charron. Charron, however, played for the Scouts at the time.The Capitals will return to the states to play three exhibition games in Pennsylvania, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins twice&mdash;once in Johnstown and once in Hershey&mdash;and the Philadelphia Flyers in Hershey. They close out their exhibition season with road games in Toronto and Hartford.Then, lo and behold, the Capitals will enjoy a rare opportunity&mdash;one never afforded them in their brief seven-year history&mdash;as they begin the NHL regular season with a four-game homestand.&ldquo;Historically, we&rsquo;ve had problems at the beginning of the season because we usually start off with an extended road trip,&rdquo; said general manager Max McNab. &ldquo;But being at home for a substantial period of time at the beginning should be a real plus for coach Gary Green and the players. It gives them more access to practice time at home, and it gives the players and their families a chance to permanently and properly settle before the season gets going.&rdquo;The Caps will face Tommy McVie&rsquo;s Winnipeg Jets, the Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders, the always-powerful Montreal Canadiens and division rival New York Rangers, before taking to the road.The Capitals&rsquo; busiest months of the season will be December and March, when they play eight and nine home games, respectively. The club will enjoy its longest homestand of the year in mid-January, playing five games in a 12-day stretch from January 18 through 29.CAPSHOTS: In the minor circuit, the big news is the hiring of Bryan Murray as head coach of the AHL Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears. Murray, 37, replaced Doug Gibson, the Bears&rsquo; player-coach, who guided the team to a 35-39-6 record last year and later the league championship.A native of Shawville, Quebec, Murray joins the Bears after guiding the Regina Pats of the Western Major Junior Hockey League to their best season ever, including a league title and a berth in the Memorial Cup playdowns.&ldquo;Bryan has the ability to instill the winning attitude into his players, and his teams have always had excellent discipline and conditioning,&rdquo; said Caps&rsquo; assistant GM Roger Crozier. &ldquo;He should make a welcome addition to the organization.&rdquo; &#9632;

Capitals Head Overseas For Swedish Tourney

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01707/4329472-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>WOULDN&rsquo;T YOU HIRE THIS MAN TO COACH YOUR HOCKEY TEAM?DON CHERRY AND BLUE &#9632;

Cover-01

Inside: 16-Page Hockey Equipment Supplement

The next issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS will be the first of our weekly editions and it will feature the 1980-81 NHL preview of all 21 teams. Our NHL correspondents will bring you the strong points, weaknesses, new faces and the outlook for each of the 21 NHL clubs. Don&rsquo;t miss this in-depth, team-by-team analysis of what you can expect for the new season.Also in the first weekly issue will be the complete 1980-81 NHL schedule as well as those of the American and Central Leagues. Get the 1980-81 season started off right with the first weekly issue of the all new HOCKEY NEWS! &#9632;

Coming Next Month

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Don Cherry Is Outrageous, Outspoken, And Out Of Hockey

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011132/4327729-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="311" height="360"></div><h2>No Off-Season For Nanne</h2>RAN INTO LOU NANNE the other day. At the airport, naturally. He was going from Minneapolis to Oklahoma City to check out his farm club in the Central Hockey League.&ldquo;Lou,&rdquo; I said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to talk to you about the North Stars for next year.&rdquo;&ldquo;Fine,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back home in two days. I have to play golf Thursday morning in a tournament.&rdquo;&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; I said. &ldquo;Then I&rsquo;ll get ahold of you Friday.&rdquo;&ldquo;Oh, no,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be in the office at three on Thursday. Early tee time.&rdquo;Early tee time. I don&rsquo;t know how many professional sports executives, in the middle of their off-season, would schedule their golf around their work. It&rsquo;s supposed to be the other way around, isn&rsquo;t it?But in Lou Nanne of the Minnesota North Stars, we have a unique human being. With large amounts of energy and street smarts, but with no formal training in the arts and crafts of generally managing a hockey club, he has helped put the North Stars back on the map.A couple years ago, the North Stars were, at best, comical. They were nicknamed the &ldquo;No Stars&rdquo; and whenever Don Cherry brought his Boston Bruins to the Twin Cities, he wouldn&rsquo;t eat lunch because he knew that he&rsquo;d be having a chicken dinner that evening at The Met Sports Center.But this year, the North Stars are spoken of in reverent terms around the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup, many savants feel, is not beyond their grasp.Lou Nanne, of course, is right in there rooting.&ldquo;We have a lot of depth, and, more importantly, we have a lot of maturity,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This team grew up a lot last year I think our playoff victory over the Montreal Canadiens was the most significant thing that ever happened to this franchise. And even though we lost to Philadelphia in the next round, I think our guys felt that they are as good as the Flyers, and that the Flyers got all the breaks.<h2>Viewed Opponents&rsquo; Pride</h2>&ldquo;THE GREAT THING about playing those clubs, though, is that we got to experience the pride that Montreal and Philadelphia have. Those two clubs have tremendous talent, but they also have tremendous desire. You look at Bobby Clarke. He just won&rsquo;t allow the rest of the Flyers to be satisfied. Be the best there is, not just the best you can be.&rdquo;When Nanne gained his portfolio some two and a half years ago, he recalls the North Stars&rsquo; situation as being distinctly &ldquo;flat.&rdquo; Feint pulse rate. In dire need of a heart transplant. What&rsquo;s more, perhaps the finest hockey area in the United States had detected that these professional athletes, or at least some of them, were professional in label only.&ldquo;Our crowds were down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had maybe only 7,500 tickets sold for each game. But the worst part of that was we had maybe 2,000 no-shows. The number of people in the building was really only 5,500 or 5,000. When that happens, the fans are trying to give you a message. They have the tickets in their hands, and they still don&rsquo;t want to go see you play. The most common complaint I heard was not that we weren&rsquo;t winning, but that we weren&rsquo;t entertaining. We weren&rsquo;t putting out.&rdquo;When the Cleveland Barons became part of the North Stars beginning with the 1978-79 season&mdash;a merger, it was called&mdash;the new players not only filled some gaping holes in the Minnesota lineup, but some vacancies in the fans&rsquo; hearts. All of a sudden competition had been restored to the picture.&ldquo;I could go on the air with an ad saying we now have 63 players fighting for 19 jobs,&rdquo; recalled Nanne. &ldquo;We could also promise that, while we might not win right away, we would be interesting right away.&rdquo;<h2>North Stars Won Gamble</h2>NANNE WAS CORRECT on both counts. In his first full season, the North Stars still finished last with a 28-40-12 record in the difficult Adams Division. But attendance was up markedly, and you sort of had the feeling that with the near complete upheaval, that the North Stars were back on the tracks.That premise became a triusm last winter, when the North Stars became one of the best clubs in the NHL. And most entertaining. And most progressive. The North Stars melded youth with some experience to knock off the high and mighty.&ldquo;We still could use a Terry O&rsquo;Reilly type or a Darryl Sittler but I like what we have,&rdquo; said Nanne. &ldquo;I think the people do, too. I never believed that having great college hockey in our area was a problem for us. They&rsquo;re not in competition with us. The University of Minnesota just builds up interest in hockey.&rdquo;And so has Lou Nanne, the most visible man in the state when it comes to ice. When it came time for the North Stars&rsquo; top brass to look for a new image, they didn&rsquo;t look around for an old hand. They took a gamble on the guy who made up for what he may have lacked in experience with elbow grease. The gamble, obviously, won. &#9632;

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HOCKEY TALK

<div class="byline">BY ARNOLD IRISH</div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Emile Francis&rsquo; track record is not that of one who stands pat in the off-season, and for that reason it seems unlikely that the St. Louis Blues will head into next season without making a major trade.&ldquo;We have enough depth now that, if the right person were to become available, we could put a pretty attractive package together,&rdquo; concedes Francis, the Blues&rsquo; president and general manager.Best guess is that Francis would go for firepower, giving up several NHL-caliber players in exchange for one established goal-scorer, preferably young. Money isn&rsquo;t likely to figure in the transaction. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t put a dollar bill out there on the ice,&rdquo; Francis says.If a blockbuster trade involving the Blues hasn&rsquo;t materialized by the time you read this, don&rsquo;t expect it to happen tonight.&ldquo;Normally, teams like to go to camp and see what they&rsquo;ve got, then make changes before the waiver draft,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;You can protect two goalies and 18 players, and first-year pros are exempt. Nobody wants to lose players in the draft&mdash;we can&rsquo;t lose a goalie, incidentally&mdash;so you can usu-ally expect movement near the end of September.&rdquo;Last season the Blues were the NHL&rsquo;s most improved team, climbing from the dank dungeons to the. 500 level. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t rest on our laurels,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;We want to finish in the top eight so we can get that playoff advantage.&rdquo;Mike Liut represents the proverbial tower of strength in goal. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t trade Mike for any goalie in the league,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;Now that he&rsquo;s been around once, and knows other teams&rsquo; players better, he can only improve. We cut back on our goals-against last season, and we&rsquo;d like to improve our production to give him some leads to work with.&rdquo;Possible backups for Liut include veterans Ed Staniowski and Doug Grant and a pair of youngsters, Rick Heinz, who did eye-popping work at Salt Lake City, and Paul Skidmore. Realistically, one member of that quartet is likely to figure in a trade.St. Louis&rsquo; backliners aren&rsquo;t flashy, but they&rsquo;re a very utilitarian group. The most reliable defenseman last year was Ed Kea, who made the Garry Unger trade look good.&ldquo;Kea was really the glue for us,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve got other good people back there. &ldquo;Joe Micheletti is recovered from knee surgery. We missed his mobility when we lost him with torn knee ligaments late last season.&ldquo;Rick LaPointe should be more effective after off-season surgery for a thumb injury that bothered him last season. Jack Brownschidle is a young guy who played well [setting club records for a defenseman with 44 points and 32 assists), Bryan Maxwell is a big, tough guy we picked up Craig Norwich from Winnipeg [for expendable Rick Bowness] and Norwich is a righthanded shot who can play the point on the power play.&ldquo;Neil Komadoski is another veteran back, Dick Lamby is a big kid we still have hope for and Bob Hess is back for another try.&rdquo;What about the Blues&rsquo; No. 1 draft choice, backliner Rick Wilson? &ldquo;I&rsquo;m coming to him,&rdquo; Francis said cheerfully. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a youngster, only 18 with two years of junior eligibility. He can be returned or recalled. If he could step in this year, that would be a bonus. But I don&rsquo;t like to rush a youngster if I don&rsquo;t have to. He&rsquo;ll find his level.&ldquo;I feel good about our defense. We finished 10th overall in goals-against, and that&rsquo;s a direct result of our defensemen&rsquo;s work&mdash;and [goaltender Mike] Liut, of course. We could use a Larry Robinson or a Denis Potvin&mdash;who couldn&rsquo;t?&mdash;but if we keep our defensemen healthy and pick up a few more goals, we&rsquo;ll be OK.&rdquo;Up front, the Blues are strong without being overpowering.Bernie Federko, the team scoring leader last season with 94 points, leads the Blues&rsquo; center corps. &ldquo;Bernie fits right in with the league&rsquo;s top five or six centermen,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s uncanny with the puck, important on the power play, always going to score around 100 points and may still be getting better.&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to have four center icemen, though. Mike Zuke plays well both ways. He spent a good part of his time early last season on the checking line, then later scored a lot (26 goals, 61 points), kills penalties and plays the point on the power play. Larry Patey probably had his best year with the Blues last year&mdash;penalty-killing, playing defense and scoring some key goals. He was very valuable. It took Blake Dunlop awhile to adjust, but the last few months he played real well. And we&rsquo;ve got to give little Doug Palazzari a long look [he was Central League all-everything with Salt Lake],St. Louis&rsquo; premier left wing is Captain Brian Sutter. &ldquo;We need four like that,&rdquo; Francis said of the Blues&rsquo; scrapiron leader. &ldquo;Perry Turnbull got off to a typical rookie start, but he really came on at the end and he&rsquo;s going to be a good one. If there was a better penalty-killer than Ralph Klassen, I didn&rsquo;t see him. We&rsquo;ve signed this big Swede [Jorgen Petterson] who can play center, too. He&rsquo;s heady, can skate and handle the puck. Then there&rsquo;s Tony Currie [19 goals in 40 games], who can play either wing but may wind up on the left side.Right wing, by all odds, is the Blues strongest position.&ldquo;With both Wayne Babych and Blair Chapman on the right wing, we can distribute our scoring,&rdquo; Francis said.&ldquo;Mike Crombeen did a good job killing penalties and defensively, but this year he&rsquo;s going to score more goals. With his feet on the ground, he&rsquo;ll be more productive.&rdquo; &#9632;

Blues Considering Trades For Increased Firepower

<div class="byline">BY RICHARD FRIEDMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01983/4327808-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Patrick, speaking at his inaugural press conference, feels that the Rangers are not that far away from being a strong Stanley Cup contender.</figcaption></div>NEW YORK&mdash;Craig Patrick was unwinding in his borrowed Connecticut home at the end of another long day in three weeks of long days as his three children&mdash;aged six, three years, and 11 months&mdash;scurried off to bed.Like the rest of the Rangers&rsquo; staff, the team&rsquo;s new Director of Operations had been evicted from Madison Square Garden by the Democratic Convention, but that was no guarantee of a vacation.&ldquo;When I haven&rsquo;t been in the office, I&rsquo;ve been looking for a house.&rdquo; said the 34-year-old former assistant coach of the United States Olympic Hockey team, the squad that won the gold medal last winter at Lake Placid. &ldquo;People ask me how I like living in New York, and I tell them I haven&rsquo;t had time to see the town, go out to dinner, or take in a show.&ldquo;I wake up in the morning anxious to get to the office and get things done.&rdquo;As of mid-August, Patrick had met with exactly one player&mdash;Phil Esposito&mdash;although he had played against others in an eight-year majorleague career with the California Seals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Scouts, WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints, and Washington Capitals.John Davidson was Patrick&rsquo;s teammate in St. Louis, he played with Dean Talafous on the 1976 Canada Cup squad, and he knows Carol Vadnais from the Seals. The rest are new faces.When Patrick was introduced at a press conference here on July 22, many observers viewed his appointment as another bold stroke of hand-writing-on-the-wall for GM-coach Fred Shero, and as a reduction in Shero&rsquo;s power. Patrick will be concerned with virtually all operational matters and GM-functions, including trades and the negotiation of contracts, other than the selection, training and coaching of players. But Patrick describes himself and Shero as &ldquo;a team,&rdquo; equals in the Rangers&rsquo; hierarchy. Together, they report to Garden boss Sonny Werblin, his right-hand man, Jack Krumpe, and Rangers&rsquo; President William Jennings.Patrick&rsquo;s first big meetings were with his staff&mdash;chief scout Dan Summers, scout Lou Jankowski, assistant coach Andre Beaulieu, Shero, and scout Mickey Keating, Shero&rsquo;s hand-picked aide (and at one time heir-apparent) who lost his assistant GM job in the Rangers&rsquo; shake-up.&ldquo;This year will be a learningprocess for me,&rdquo; said Patrick. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen many of our players, and I expect to travel with the team and visit New Haven and Richmond.&rdquo;Patrick is well aware of the Rangers&rsquo; over-abundance of goaltenders. He could lose one in the waiver draft on October 8th&mdash;or make a deal.&ldquo;Right now, I&rsquo;m finding out who is available and who can help us.&rdquo;Patrick, who was born in Detroit and took a degree in Business Administration from Denver University, is the Rangers&rsquo; first American-born administrator, and is the third generation of the Rangers&rsquo; First Family. His grandfather, Lester, &ldquo;The Silver Fox,&rdquo; coached the Rangers from 1926 to 1939 and guided them to two Stanley Cups. His father, Lynn, and uncle, Muzz, are also former Rangers coaches, and both played for the 1940 Rangers, the last Ranger team to win the Stanley Cup.&ldquo;My dad always taught me to build a team from the goal out,&rdquo; said Patrick. &ldquo;We have a strong defense and a lot of depth and our top four are tough to beat anywhere in the league. Our wings are strong, but at center, we might have a problem if we have injuries.&rdquo;As for Shero, he is, as Werblin put it, &ldquo;free to do what he likes best and what he does best, and that&rsquo;s coaching.&rdquo; He is not in an enviable position because he must establish the rapport with the players that was absent last year, when the now-departed assistant coach Mike Nykoluk ran the team, and must answer to an increasingly involved ownership. He comes in at a disadvantage with very little time to set the Good Ship Rangers on a steady course. And although Shero is GM in title, Patrick will serve that function in actuality; his first job was to re-establish the Rangers&rsquo; credibility with the rest of the league, something that deteriorated when Keating was running the front office.Patrick considers this anything but a rebuilding-year; he says, he is &ldquo;looking to fill a few small gaps. With the team we have, we are capable of winning the Stanley Cup with some key efforts.&rdquo;And who are the team-leaders?&ldquo;That is something I will have to find out this year.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0005-01

Patrick Looks To Plug Ranger Player Gaps

<div class="byline">KEN MCKENZIE&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02759/4327860-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="304" height="355"></div>&bull; GERRY CHEEVERS is Boston&rsquo;s fourth coach in the past 14 months and the most popular to hold the post. Cheevers possesses all the talents necessary to make a successful major league coach&hellip;There is said to be a wide range of opinion among NHL players on the over-time issue. Some are opposed to it entirely, some favor the five-minute overtime proposed by the NHL Board of Governors, others like a 10-minute session. Obviously compromises will have to be made&hellip;The Montreal Canadiens will not have an extra coach behind the bench this year. Claude Ruel will remain as the sole bench boss during games&hellip;Bryan Murray, recently appointed coach of the Hershey Bears, becomes the 10th coach in the Bears&rsquo; 42-year club history. Murray takes over the Calder Cup champions after a highly successful junior coaching career. He replaces Doug Gibson who left the Bears to accept a hockey playing position in Europe&hellip;When the New York Rangers failed to rehire Vic Hadfield as a scout, he immediately signed on with Edmonton Oilers&hellip;Fans interested in attending the September 23 dinner-dance in Springfield honoring Jack Butterfield&rsquo;s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame should contact Gordon Anziano at the American Hockey League, 31 Elm St., Springfield, Mass. 01103&hellip;The American Hockey League will stay at least one more year in Syracuse. The franchise was nearly shifted to St. John, N.B., but it will likely eventually move to Fredericton, N.B. The AHL would like to have three clubs located in Canada&rsquo;s Maritime provinces&hellip;Forwards should be wary of Washington Capitals&rsquo; goalie Mike Palmateer who recently received his brown belt in judo. A black belt is the last level which can be attained&hellip;The Washington Capitals missed 410 man-games last season, while the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; figure was only 45 man-games. This means that more than five Capitals missed every game because of assorted injuries&hellip;Lorne Davis, a former NHL player and longtime scout and amateur coach, will be the new chief western scout for the Edmonton Oilers&hellip;Two of the NHL&rsquo;s better young players, Quebec right winger Real Cloutier and Montreal center Pierre Mondou will both miss training camp because of injuries.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03522/4327853-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="258" height="342"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vic Hadfield</figcaption></div>&bull; SIX MEMBERS of the Sutter family were on the ice at the same time last month in an exhibition game played at Sylvan Lake, Alta., between the Red Deer Rustlers, Canada&rsquo;s Centennial Cup champions and monarchs of Tier 2 junior hockey, and the Rustlers&rsquo; alumni. Graham Parsons, dynamic general manager of the Rustlers, tells us that Brent, Ron and Rrek Sutter played for the Centennial Cup champions while Brian of St. Louis Blues, Duane of the New York Islanders and Darryl of the Chicago Black Hawks performed for the alumni. From all reports it was quite a game&hellip;Dianne Holum, who coached the United States Olympic speed skating team in 1976 and 1980, has been hired by Colorado Rockies as a consultant in development skating. &ldquo;There are many similarities between speed skating and skating in hockey,&rdquo; said Ms. Holum, &ldquo;and I feel that the program the athletes utilized in the U.S. Olympic speed skating program will help the Rockies in the long run&rdquo;&hellip;Elmer Lach, one of the Canadiens&rsquo; outstanding centers and the pivot on the famed &ldquo;Punch Line&rdquo; with Maurice Richard and Toe Blake, is recovering from a minor heart attack and gall bladder operation in Montreal&hellip;In hiring Ralph Backstrom and Parker MacDonald to important front office jobs, the Los Angeles Kings are showing that they mean business and are determined to improve their team. This year&rsquo;s NHL All Star Game will be played in Los Angeles early in 1981&hellip;The St. Louis Blues signed John Taft, a free-agent defenseman who captained the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, to a contract&hellip;The trade in which Pittsburgh and Quebec City traded defensemen, Kim Clackson from the Penguins to the Nordiques in exchange for Paul Baxter, will hopefully help both clubs. Clackson has been a disappointment to date and Baxter still hasn&rsquo;t displayed all the promise he showed when he broke into the WHA in 1975&hellip;University of North Dakota center Mark Taylor, named by THE HOCKEY NEWS as the 1980 College Player of the Year has been signed to a multi-year contract by the Philadelphia Flyers. He will most likely start the 1980-81 season with the American League Maine Mariners.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04345/4327846-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="258" height="342"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Sutter</figcaption></div>&bull; THE CALGARY FLAMES expect to move into their new 18,000-seat arena in time for the start of the 1982-83 season. They&rsquo;ll play in the 6,500-seat Corral during 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons&hellip;Peter Maher, who was the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; announcer on CKO will take over as play-by-play announcer for the Flames&rsquo; games&hellip;&ldquo;Jiggs&rdquo; McDonald, who was &ldquo;The Voice&rdquo; of the Flames since the club started in Atlanta, will not move to Calgary. McDonald is expected to take over as play-by-play announcer of the Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders this season&hellip;Steve Shutt and Brian Engblom have both grown beards this summer and the beards are most becoming to both members of the Canadiens. Along with star defenseman Larry Robinson the Canadiens have a trio of bearded wonders&hellip;The Minnesota North Stars will open the 1980-81 season against the Hartford Whalers. Big things are expected from the North Stars this season by their enthusiastic fans&hellip;The New Haven Nighthawks have a big pair of shoes to fill with the departure of Parker MacDonald to the Los Angeles Kings. MacDonald accomplished a great deal during his tenure in New Haven. He was the AHL Dean of Coaches, with more victories, playoff appearances and the impressive distinction of putting more players into the NHL than any of his counterparts. He served in the dual capacity of general manager and coach and led his club to back to back division titles in 1978-79 and 1979-80, with the latter season seeing the Hawks win the regular season AHL crown&hellip;Sid Watson of Bowdoin College, one of the nation&rsquo;s leading hockey coaches, is one of 14 prominent collegiate sports figures who have been nominated as &ldquo;Boston Sports Legends&rdquo;. Watson has had only four losing years in his 21 seasons as head coach at Bowdoin&hellip;Max McNab, general manager of the Washington Capitals and one of hockey&rsquo;s genuine nice guys, was honored by his home town of Watson, Sask., recently. The people in Watson have named a regional park after him&hellip;Elaine Ell, public relations assistant of the Edmonton Oilers, recently returned from Holland where she was a member of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team for the physically disabled. She placed fifth in the javelin event and broke the Canadian record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05223/4327839-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="256" height="342"><figcaption class="caption-body">Max McNab</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0005-02

PASSING THE PUCK

<div class="byline">BY TOM RATSCHUNAS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011163/4327891-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="303" height="358"></div><h2>SWEDEN</h2>Here&rsquo;s a look at the two Swedish clubs&mdash;AIK and Djurgardens IF&mdash;who will host the DN-Cup tournament in September. The other participants in the tournament are the National Hockey League&rsquo;s Washington Capitals and the Minnesota North Stars.<h2>AIK The &ldquo;Rangers Of Sweden&rdquo;</h2>The AIK (Allmanna Idrottsklubben, Soina) Club was founded in 1891 and the hockey section was started in 1921. Since then, the club has won five Swedish championship titles&mdash;in 1934, 1935, 1938, 1946 and 1947. Like its local rival, Djurgardens, AIK&mdash;which is located in Solna, just outside the city limits of Stockholm&mdash;plays its home games at the Johanneshov Ice Stadium. The club is more famous for its success in soccer, having produced such legendary world stars as Nacka Skoglund and Kurt Hanrin, both of whom were distinguished performers in Italy. Hanrin also played hockey while with AIK and made two appearances for the Swedish national team before concentrating on soccer.In Sweden, AIK is the equivalent of the NHL&rsquo;s New York Rangers: They&rsquo;ve had solid teams almost every year but like the Rangers, who haven&rsquo;t won the Stanley Cup since the 1939-40 season, AIK hasn&rsquo;t won a Swedish title since 1947. Also like the Rangers, their most recent success came in 1979, when they were runners-up to Skelleftea AIK in the finals, losing the best-of-three series in two straight. That was the same year the Rangers were runners-up to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals.As for players who have performed over the years for AIK, two of the most famous are goalie Leif &ldquo;Honken&rdquo; Holmqvist (he also played for the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s Indianapolis Racers in 1975-76) and defenseman Bert-Ole Nordlunder. Players who have more recently made the jump from AIK to the NHL and earned acclaim are Rolf Edberg (Washington Capitals), Thomas Gradin (Vancouver Canucks) and Ulf Nilsson (New York Rangers). The latest to make the jump is goaltender Pelle Lindbergh, also the goalie on the 1980 Swedish Olympic team, who signed with the Philadelphia Flyers this past summer. In addition to Lindbergh, AIK had two other players on that team which won a bronze medal at Lake Placid&mdash;forwards Leif Holmgren and Bengt Lundholm.For the 1980-81 season, AIK has lost Hannu Jortikka, Anders Olsson, Christer Lowdahl and Par Marts from last year&rsquo;s roster. They will be replaced by forwards Roger Lindstrom and Leif Carlsson from the MoDo AIK club and Mike Cerrone, a defenseman who last year played for Vasby, a minor league club in Sweden, and who once played for Yale University.<h2>Djurgardens A Hockey Dynasty</h2>The Djurgardens IF club of Stockholm was founded in 1891 and its hockey section was started in 1921, the same year as AIK. Since that time, however, Djurgardens has enjoyed twice as much success as AIK: The club has a record 10 Swedish titles&mdash;in 1926, 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1958-1963. Until this year, Djurgardens&rsquo; nine titles in 14 years (1950-1963) was a record the team held by itself. But when the Brynas IF club won the 1980 Swedish championship, it meant that they too had captured nine titles in the 14 years running from 1964-1980.With 10 championships to its credit, there are obviously far too many star players to list in this space. But there were three players who could certainly be considered the &ldquo;giants&rdquo; of the dynasty. They are forward Sven &ldquo;Tumba&rsquo; Johansson and defensemen Lasse Bjorn and Roland Stoltz. Bjorn was a member of all nine title-winning teams from 1950 to 1963; Stoltz played on all six from 1958 to 1963, and Johansson, who played on his first championship team in 1954, enjoyed seven more before his career ended. By the time he had retired, Johansson&mdash;who ultimately changed his surname to Tumba, the name of a small town south of Stockholm where he was born&mdash;had become a legend as the most prolific scorer in world tournaments and a member of Sweden&rsquo;s three world title-winning teams.In more recent years, Lars-Erik Sjoberg (Winnipeg Jets), Anders Hedberg (New York Rangers), Anders Kallur (New York Islanders) and Leif Svensson (Washington Capitals) have all made their way into the NHL from the Djurgardens lineup.The current standout on the team is its captain, defenseman Mats Waltin, who was 12-14-26 in 32 games last season. The club has lost three players from last year&rsquo;s roster&mdash;Claes Norstrom, Glenn Johansson and defenseman Thomas Eriksson, who, like goalie Lindbergh from AIK, signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last summer. At this writing, Djurgardens had not made any trades to replace these players as they hope to fill any holes in their roster with talent from their strong junior ranks&mdash;like defenseman Mikael Thelven, forward Jens Ohling (both draftees of the Boston Bruins), defenseman Lennart Dahlberg and forward Roland Nyman.<h2>SWITZERLAND Players Flocking To Alps</h2>The Swiss Alps hold many favorite sites for skiers but these days those hills are crawling with North American hockey players. Additions to the list in the last issue are Warren Anderson, who goes from the Canadian Olympic team to Ziircher SC. Anderson&rsquo;s previous European experience is with MalmO IF, in the land of his Swedish ancestors&hellip;HC Villars has signed Quebec Remparts graduate defenseman Gaston Therrien&hellip;HC Ambri-Piotta has added Dave Gardner, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers (2 games), Maine and Binghamton last year, to its roster as a replacement for Ab DeMarco&hellip;American Fred Ahern will join Canadian Rick Jordon at Young Sprinters; Neuchatel&hellip;Major league club Lausanne HC has come to terms with Bob Sirois of the Washington Capitals&hellip;Wayne Dillon, who like Gardner played on the Canadian team at the Izvestia tournament last year, will join SC Rapperswil-Jona after failing to make the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; lineup last season.<h2>New System For A-League</h2>The Swiss A national league, comprised of eight teams, opens play on September 27 and the 28-game season will run to January 17, 1981. Following this, the top six teams will play 10 games on a home and away basis with previously earned points included in the final total for the 38-game season. The seventh and eighth place teams in the A-league will form a promotion pool to determine the last two places in the A-league for the following season together with the top two teams from the East and West Divisions of the B-league. These six teams will also play 10 games on a home and away basis but point totals from previous play will not count.<h2>WEST GERMANY Kehle Retires After 15 Years</h2>Following last year&rsquo;s disastrous playing format, Germany will have a most promising new system of play. The 12 major league clubs will play 44 regular season games from September 8 to February 15, 1981. The top eight will qualify for the playoffs, which comprise quarter, semi and final rounds, all based on a best-of-three series, with seeding and home ice advantage depending on regular season points earned&hellip;German goaltending hero Tony Kehle, 32, a member of the Olympic bronze medal-winning team at Innsbruck in 1976, has retired after 15 years in the big time and 115 appearances for the national team. He started his career in 1965 with EV Fussen and played for the same club until he retired&hellip;In the last column it was erroneously reported that Dr. Wolf-Dieter Montag is the new president of the German Hockey Federation. In fact, Otto Wanner remains as president while Montag becomes the new head of the Ice Sports Union, of which the Hockey Federation is a member&hellip;AHL star Doug Gibson has signed with SC Riessersee and Bill Lochead, MVP of the AHL last season with New Haven, will join Kolner EC&hellip;Bob Girard, who played with Hershey last year, is going to Vfl Bad Nauheim.<h2>&ldquo;Worlds&rdquo; Attract Advertisers</h2>DUSSELFORT&mdash;Judging by the applications it has already received, the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) assumes that advertising space will be sold out completely in the Goteborg and Stockholm ice stadia at the World Ice Hockey Championships in 1981. The Caesar W. Luethi advertising agency, with which the IIHF has a long-term contract, is preparing agreements with such well known firms as Volvo, SFK (Ball-bearing), Ceresit (building material), Elektrolux, Carlsberg and Canon.At the request of the IIHF, the Luethi agency has also created a little mascot of the championships which is already a popular emblem, adorning T-shirts and keyrings. Half-a-million T-shirts have already been ordered in the USA. The mascot is a hockey player similar to the &ldquo;Billy&rdquo; figure introduced by the International Football Federation (FIFA). In addition, Luethi is involved in negotiations on the sale of television rights worldwide, with the exception of Europe, which is covered by Eurovision and Inter-vision. Firm agreements for the 1981 World Champtionship have been made so far for television transmission to Japan, Hong Kong, 16 South American countries, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. The American company NBC is also apparently interested in a long-term contract. &#9632;

f0006-01

THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE

<div class="byline">BY PAT CALABRIA</div>UNIONDALE&mdash;When the Stanley Cup champioh New York Islanders open their training camp the team will be largely unchanged from the crew which bolted through the playoffs last season&mdash;but there still will be several significant differences.General manager Bill Torrey constructed no major summer deals, a departure from the furious activity of the previous six months in which he added Gord Lane, Ken Morrow and Butch Goring. While the club has been quiet on the outside, however, some changes could be brewing internally.For one thing, there has yet been no decision on where to play Anders Kallur, the superb right wing and penalty killer. The emergence of Duane Sutter as a steady and dependable player in the playoffs keeps the Islanders stockpiled on the right side. Sutter will again join Mike Bossy and Bobby Nystrom.Kallur, who missed all of the playoffs with a separated right shoulder, enjoys right wing most of all, but his versatility allows him to play left wing and center. The trouble is, the Islanders are deep in those positions also.&ldquo;The only thing I can say as of now is that Anders had indicated his preferences for position,&rdquo; Torrey said. &ldquo;In order, they are right wing, left wing and center. Of course, we will find a place for him.&rdquo;Kallur may be forced to throw his preferences aside if coach Al Arbour remains happy with his strong left side as well. Clark Gillies is the gem of a star-studded platoon which also includes Bob Bourne, John Tonelli and Garry Howatt. All played exceptionally well in the playoffs and the consistent bodychecking displayed by Howatt was of particular note.Howatt&rsquo;s job was thought to be in jeopardy, but his performance against Boston in the quarterfinals and again against Philadelphia in the finals may have earned him another chance. &ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going on,&rdquo; Howatt said, &ldquo;bu.t if you count the wings we&rsquo;ve got, you can see we have too many.&rdquo;With Wayne Merrick apparently entrenched at center behind Bryan Trottier and Goring, the dilemma of where Kallur plays becomes an intriguing, if not entirely unwelcome, problem. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure a lot of teams would like to have our problems,&rdquo; Torrey said.Other such problems include whether or not Lorne Henning will elect to stay in a fourth-line role or seek a trade. Henning was outstanding in the playoffs, tying the NHL record with three shorthanded goals&mdash;two of them in one game. Besides that, Lane was tendering offers from other clubs&mdash;including the rival Rangers&mdash;after becoming a free agent. Torrey, however, remained confident of signing Lane.So far, the only other point of interest has been the return of Glenn Resch. He had asked to be traded after starting only two of the team&rsquo;s 21 playoff games while Bill Smith carried a yeoman workload. Resch has mellowed only slightly in his wish to leave but Torrey appears firm in his refusal to oblige Resch.After years of Arbour exclaiming that he has &ldquo;two No. 1 goalies&rdquo; it appears that Smith will enter camp with that sole designation. Resch will have to fight for an equal share of the job&mdash;something that neither Resch nor Smith has been confronted with before.After the playoffs ended, Torrey said: &ldquo;Just because Smitty played most of the time is no reason to think things won&rsquo;t change next year. Maybe it will be Chico&rsquo;s turn to get hot and Smitty&rsquo;s turn to sit.&rdquo;But right now. Smith is No. 1 and Resch isn&rsquo;t.How the two goalies approach the season, therefore, will be worth watching. Resch could still play out his option and become a free agent at the end of the season. Or Torrey could arrange a trade for Resch before then instead of taking his chances in a compensation case. Or Resch could again take a share of the goaltending duties.That&rsquo;s the problem in having two All Star caliber goalies. It&rsquo;s another problem a lot more teams would like to have. &#9632;

Finding Spot For Kallur Isles’ Happy Problem

<div class="byline">BY BILL LIBBY</div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Marcel Dionne became the highest-paid player in the history of the National Hockey League when he recently signed a multi-year contract that is reported to be worth $3.6 million over the next six years.Although Dionne would not reveal the exact amount he is to be paid, sources close to the Los Angeles Kings confided that it would be in excess of $600,000 a year&mdash;about double what the veteran center made in each of his last five years with the Kings.Dionne won the Art Ross trophy last season as the NHL&rsquo;s leading scorer, with 53 goals and 84 assists for 137 points. Despite enjoying that great individual success, however, Dionne has made no bones about his desire to finish out his career with a winning team. A key factor in Dionne&rsquo;s decision to remain with the Kings, who have not exactly been what you&rsquo;d call a winning team in the last decade, was owner Jerry Buss, who bought the Kings prior to the 1979-80 season.&ldquo;If he hadn&rsquo;t shown any interest in the team, I wouldn&rsquo;t be here,&rdquo; Dionne said. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s shown me he wants to build a winner and he wants me to be a part of it. At this stage of my career, I&rsquo;d like nothing more than to give him. the winner Jie wants.&rdquo;After the announcement of Dionne&rsquo;s signing was made at a press conference at the Forum, home of the Kings, Buss, an entrepreneur who made his millions in real estate, jokingly handed his wallet over to Dionne.So much for the good news. The bad news is that unless the Kings get off to a good start this season, coach Bob Berry may be replaced by recently hired assistant Parker MacDonald.The team will deny this, but it is a reality which must be reported, despite any controversy it may cause.The Kings have not progressed in two season under Berry. MacDonald has an excellent minor league coaching record.General-manager George Maguire and Berry have had disagreements. Owner Jerry Buss has given Maguire a lot of authority to reshape the organization.Recently Maguire not only brought in longtime ally Wren Blair as his chief aide, but also MacDonald, whom Blair introduced to coaching.At this writing, Maguire was on vacation and unavailable for comment, but Berry was willing to be frank:&ldquo;I knew when I was hired that coaches are fired as fast as they are hired. I&rsquo;ve had two years to produce and if I don&rsquo;t in my third season I expect that will be it. That&rsquo;s show business.&ldquo;I only had brief minor league experience as a coach before taking the job and I&rsquo;ve been learning on the job. I&rsquo;ve made mistakes, but I think I have learned and am a better coach than I was. But I have to show it.&ldquo;I think I can coach in this league and I think I&rsquo;d get-another chance elsewhere, but I&rsquo;d like to stay here. I played here. I have my home here.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not responsible for everything that&rsquo;s gone wrong, but I have a share in it.&ldquo;George and I haven&rsquo;t seen eye to eye on everything. No two men would. But we can work together.&ldquo;George and I haven&rsquo;t seen eye to eye on everything. No two men would. But we can work together.&ldquo;George and I and Jerry Buss have had some excellent meetings this summer.&ldquo;With Dr. Buss behind him, George has built a first-class management team here for the first time. I have been given good assistants. I&rsquo;m not going to worry about one of them looking over my shoulder. If I&rsquo;m replaced it won&rsquo;t be because of an assistant.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve kept our draft choices, have gotten some promising young players, and have our own farm team now so we can develop players in our own way. George traded for experienced defensive help.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been given the base on which to build a winner, so it&rsquo;s up to me.&rdquo;Berry could keep as many as seven first or second-year players. Asked if he feels free to develop players like this, or will feel a need to keep experienced players to win early, he replied:&ldquo;That could be a problem. Our young players will have to beat out our older players at training camp. I think many will. If not, they&rsquo;ll go to our own farm club to be trained in our system.&ldquo;All other things being equal, I&rsquo;ll probably take a chance on the younger player. I think one of my jobs on this team is to build for the future. But it is also my job to show that the building is beginning to pay off.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t do it last fall as I promised, but I&rsquo;m determined to cut to a tight roster by the opening of the season. 1 have to make the hard decisions on players. I want my players to know their roles.&ldquo;I thought 1 had installed my system of play my first season, but I should have emphasized it more my second season. I will this season. We&rsquo;re going back to the basics. We&rsquo;re going to all pull in the same direction.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to emphasize a tight style of play. It&rsquo;s nice to win high-scoring games, but I prefer being in every game, as we were late last season after we added defensive strength. We have to learn to win without our stars when necessary.&rdquo;Accordingly, he was asked if he was concerned with his goaltending, which is in the hands of unproven players. &ldquo;All I&rsquo;ll say is, yes,&rdquo; he said. Clearly, he has his problems. But he is a bright young man who could become an outstanding coach. He may need time he may not get.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011035/4327946-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="584" height="968"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marcel Dionne signed the most lucrative contract in NHL history&mdash;over $600,000 per season.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Dionne’s Signing Draws Kings’ Ransom

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div>BUFFALO&mdash;A rookie is going to have a difficult time breaking into the lineup of the team that finished second in the National &lsquo;Hockey League and lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion in the semifinals of the playoffs.Especially a team like Buffalo, which was operating with two players over the limit in the latter stages of 1979-80 season and has only two players over 30 years of age.The Sabres, however, have some promising newcomers who will have to be considered contenders fqr jobs with the big club when Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s team starts training camp at their new site in Lake Placid.The Sabres, with Roger Neilson taking over as coach and Bowman confining himself to the general manager&rsquo;s duties, will work for six days at the site of the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid before returning to Buffalo&rsquo;s Memorial Auditorium to finish their camp.Jim Roberts will again be assistant coach, with Ron Smith becoming the third member of the staff. Smith, technical director of the Ontario Hockey Association for the last eight years, assisted Neilson when Roger coached the Toronto Maple Leafs.It&rsquo;s natural to figure some changes in the Buffalo linkup this season because after the Sabres were eliminated by the New York Islanders last spring, Bowman said he felt his club had done about as well as it could.Second is good but not good enough for the man who coached the Montreal Canadiens to five Stanley Cups.Rumors abounded during the offseason about trades Bowman was going to make. He made none, however, so it&rsquo;s likely that promising young players who might be able to improve the club will be given a good look in camp.The Sabres had five centers on the traveling squad for the playoffs, with goalie Bob Sauve&rsquo;s high-scoring brother, Jean Francois, as a standby.Young Sauve, signed in 1979 as an underage free agent, scored 63 goals and assisted on 124 for 187 points playing for Trois Rivieres in the Quebec Major Junior League.Ahead of Sauve at the pivot position are veterans Gil Perreault, Don Luce, Derek Smith and Andre Savard, plus Bobby Mongrain, who came up from the Rochester farm club to play regularly in the playoffs.Veterans Rick Martin. Craig Ramsay and Tony McKegney have two newcomers, Gilles Hamel and Alan Haworth, trying for jobs at left wing, along with Rob McCanahan, who joined the Sabres from the U.S. Olympic team.Haworth looked as though he might make the club a year ago but he suffered a broken leg in training camp. He returned to junior hockey but he missed much of the season. He got more than a point a game during the time he played. Hamel had 156 points, 86 goals and 70 assists, for Chicoutimi.The Sabres picked three right wings among their first five 1980 draft choices and think one of the three has a chance of moving right in. The three are Steve Patrick from Brandon, Mike Moller from Lethbridge and Jim Wiemer from Peterborough, all 6-0 or taller and around 200 pounds.Geordie Robertson, Rochester&rsquo;s top scorer, is another right winger trying to beat out one of the incumbents&mdash;Danny Gare, Ric Seiling and Rick Dudley.The Sabres used six defensemen in the playoffs, three veterans (Jim Schonfeld, Bill Hajt, and John Van Boxmeer) and three rookies (Richie Dunn, Larry Playfair and Olympian Mike Ramsey).They will be hard to dislodge. But Lindy Ruff, a backliner who played right wing after Craig Ramsay was hurt in the first game of the semifinals, is highly regarded by the coaching staff. He is one of those fellows Bowman likes to have around, who can play both forward and defense (as can Van Boxmeer). Ruff has good size and can play the way his name sounds.Bill Stewart and Mike Boland, who played for Rochester last season after being Buffalo regulars the year before, will try to come back and Dave Fenvyes, selected by league coaches as the best defensive defenseman in the Ontario Major Junior League is another prospect.Don Edwards and Sauve, winners of the Vezina Trophy, aren&rsquo;t likely to be knocked out of the goaltending jobs by anything but injury. Jacques Cloutier, from Trois Rivieres, appears to be the best bet for third on the list and the top netminder&rsquo;s job in Rochester. &#9632;

Sabre Lineup Offers Few Openings

<div class="byline">BY LOU LAMORIELLO</div>On June 26, 1980, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released the following statement and sent it to every college hockey coach in the United States and every Major Junior hockey league in Canada:<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011154/4328001-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="368" height="507"></div>&lsquo;Hockey teams in the United States and Canada classified by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association as Major Junior A teams are hereafter, until further notice, deemed to be professional teams. Participation of any individual on a Major A hockey team subsequent to this date shall be considered prima facie evidence that he has participated on a team known to him, or which reasonably should have been known to him, to be a professional team under NCAA legislation and shall render the participant ineligible for intercollegiate athletics in the sport of ice hockey.&rdquo;Translated, that means that until June 26, a youngster could play for a Junior A team under what the NCAA called a &ldquo;specifically deleted contract,&rdquo; maintain his amateur status, and still be eligible to play for a college if he so chose. Now, because of the above ruling, that is no longer possible. And Lou Lamoriello, the hockey coach at Providence College, is concerned that players, coaches and parents in both countries understand all of the new rule&rsquo;s ramifications.The problem that has existed for quite some time now is that no one has grabbed the bull by the horns and simply spelled out to these kids what they can and cannot do if they want to remain eligible to play college hockey.The kids are the ones who are getting hurt, because no one is educating them and no one is trying to help them&mdash;and that&rsquo;s the thing that I think everyone has failed to realize so far.Athletes, especially young athletes, put a tremendous amount of confidence and faith in their coaches. They don&rsquo;t expect to be deceived by them. So when a young kid goes to his coach and asks him a question, he expects to get the correct answer. It doesn&rsquo;t even cross his mind that his coach won&rsquo;t tell him the truth.Unfortunately, what has been happening at a lot of these Junior A programs in both the United States and Canada, is that there has been a total lack of communication between the kid and the coach from Day 1. On the one hand, you&rsquo;ve got the player who approaches his coach and asks him about the various rules governing eligibility. On the other hand, you&rsquo;ve got the coach or general manager of the Junior A team who wants to put the best possible team he can on the ice and does not want to lose any good quality players to a college.So what happens? The boy, on one side of the desk, says: &ldquo;I want to play for you but in a year or two, if I get the right offer from the right college, I want to go to school. Don&rsquo;t let me jeopardize that, please.&rdquo;Up until the NCAA passed that rule, what a lot of general managers or coaches would do was say, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry, son, we&rsquo;ll never keep you from going to college and we won&rsquo;t jeopardize your eligibility.&rdquo; But because of the nature of junior hockey&mdash;jobs changing all of the time, people moving around a lot, whatever&mdash;the team didn&rsquo;t do a very good job of making sure that the boy didn&rsquo;t violate any rules that would jeopardize his chances of going to school. It could have been a perfectly innocent mistake that snowballed into a situation that could not be salvaged unless some cheating was done.All I&rsquo;m saying now is that I think it&rsquo;s vitally important that everyone involved&mdash;the player, the parents, the coach, the general manager, everybody&mdash; realize that as of June 26 of this year no one who has played for&rsquo; a Major Junior team in the U.S. or in Canada is eligible to play for a NCAA-member college team in the U.S.It&rsquo;s essential that everyone realizes that when a youngster is 15, 16 or 17 years old chances are good he is not going to take the time to look into this rule himself because he might not be ready to go to school. So it&rsquo;s up to the parents or whomever has that youngster&rsquo;s best interests at heart to understand that most of the coaches and general managers of these Major Junior teams have the boy&rsquo;s education very far back in their minds. Their first concern is getting the best team they can on the ice&mdash;and they can&rsquo;t be faulted for that. But what happens one or two years down the road, when that boy all of a sudden gets interested in going to a college that&rsquo;s recruiting him and finds out that he can&rsquo;t because he was mislead or misinformed by a team official? That&rsquo;s a tragedy! For a potential student-athlete to be deprived of an education and an opportunity to play U.S. college hockey because of an error he didn&rsquo;t even know about was made when he was in the ninth or 10th grade is not something he should have to live with for the rest of his life.I don&rsquo;t want to see anyone who has previously done this kind of thing to a boy be chastized or dragged through the coals. All I want to do is clear the air and have everyone start off fresh and on equal terms. The important thing is to communicate. Ask questions. Be absolutely positive that the program your son is getting involved in is not going to jeopardize his future as a college hockey player. The rule that the NCAA passed last June is very clear&mdash;even more so than it was before. So make sure you know exactly what it means and what all of its implications are. If one boy&rsquo;s career as a college player is aborted because of a lack of communication&mdash;that&rsquo;s one too many. Remember: The questions you ask and the answers you get today could protect your son&rsquo;s future as a college hockey player tomorrow.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;No one who has played for a major junior team in Canada or the U.S. is eligible to play for an NCAA-member college team&rdquo;</blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Most major junior teams have the boy&rsquo;s education very far back in their minds&rdquo;</blockquote> &#9632;

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“The Kids Are Getting Hurt”

The International Hockey WeeklyFounded in 1947Published by W.C.C. Publishing Ltd.214 King St. West, Suite 314, Toronto, Ont. M5H 1K4<h2>Revise Overtime Format</h2>WITH THE OPENING of the 1980-81 National Hockey League season just over one month away, the topic of overtime during the regular season&mdash;seemingly a fait accompli when approved by the owners in June&mdash;was still unresolved as this issue went to press. Because of what league president John Ziegler called &ldquo;a misunderstanding, a mistake,&rdquo; the NHL Players&rsquo; Association was never consulted on the subject before the owners approved overtime after incorrectly assuming that the players had no objection to it.But the players do have objections to overtime during the regular season&mdash;plenty of them&mdash;and NHLPA executive director Alan Eagleson is now saying that he is &ldquo;extremely dubious&rdquo; about its prospects of being approved when the 21 player representatives poll their respective teams at the opening of training camps in mid-September. All that is needed for overtime to become a reality this season is a simple majority&mdash;or 11 teams in favor.While the hope here is that the players will change their sentiments by then and realize that overtime would provide the game with a much-needed shot in the arm, we strongly urge the owners to reconsider the specifics of their unpopular overtime proposal.At present, the overtime session is supposed to start on ice that has not been resurfaced after only a two-minute break at the end of regulation time. If a goal is scored during the ensuing five-minute sudden death session, the winning team is awarded two points, the loser none. If no goals are scored, the game ends in a tie and each team gets one point.The NHLPA objects to this concept for a bundle of reasons, ranging from an understandable reluctance to perform on choppy, uncleaned ice after only a two-minute breather, to a well-founded fear that the plan strongly favors the superior teams in the league.The belief here is that the owners could drastically improve the chances of overtime being accepted by the players if they adopt the following proposal, conceived by New York Ranger president Bill Jennings and lauded in last month&rsquo;s issue by NHLPA president Phil Esposito. To wit:&bull; Each team receives one point if the game is tied at the end of regulation time.&bull; The ice is resurfaced.&bull; The teams then play a 10-minute sudden death overtime period. The first team to score a goal wins the game and gets a second point; the losers retain the single point they already earned by tying the game during regulation. If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime session, that&rsquo;s the way the game concludes and both teams go home with a point.If this plan cannot be totally adopted by the league, let us at least hope that it will provide enough food for thought for a compromise and that this dilemma will be resolved by opening night.<h2>Publicize Those Trips!</h2>IN THE PAST YEAR, National Hockey league president John Ziegler has made five or six trips abroad to discuss with various hockey officials the NHL&rsquo;s role in the rapidly growing international hockey&rdquo;scene.Unfortunately, however, these trips were given very little, if any, publicity by the league office&mdash;either before they were made by Ziegler or after he returned.While the reason for this may well have been because no earth-shattering news was made, that is really not the issue. When Ziegler, the president of the world&rsquo;s No. 1 hockey league, meets with someone like International Ice Hockey Federation president Gunther Sabetzki&mdash;as he did in Germany earlier this summer&mdash;that is an event in itself. And it, as well as those other trips during the past 12 months, deserved far more attention than it received from the league office. &#9632;

The Hockey News

<div class="byline">BY NEIL MILBERT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011111/4328056-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">While several of the newer Hawks had impressive plus-minus ratings, coach Keith Magnuson contends that Bob Murray, above, who was a minus player, also played a significant role in the club&rsquo;s success. (Photo by Bruce Bernett)</figcaption></div>CHICAGO&mdash;It doesn&rsquo;t take an Albert Einstein to deduce that the addition of several new players was a significant factor in changing the chemistry of the Black Hawks from negative to positive last season.All you have to do is take a look at the National Hockey League&rsquo;s plusminus statistics.Four of the top five Hawks&mdash;Rich Preston, Keith Brown, Terry Ruskowski, and Ron Sedlbauer&mdash;were newcomers.The leader was Preston, the versatile World Hockey Association refugee from Winnipeg. Deployed on both wings and on two different lines, Preston nevertheless was a paragon of consistency as reflected by his plus rating of 11.6.Second was the rookie defenseman Brown, plus 7.4; followed by eightyear Chicago veteran J.P. Bordeleau, plus 7.1 in 45 games; Ruskowski, another WHA emigrant, plus 5.6 and Sedlbauer, a late December acquisition from Vancouver, plus 5.4.The plus-minus ratings are based on the percentage of even-strength and shorthanded goals&mdash;for and against&mdash;when a player is on the ice. Power play goals aren&rsquo;t included.&ldquo;I think that plus-minus figures give a good indication of overall play,&rdquo; said the Hawks&rsquo; new coach, Keith Magnuson.&ldquo;They also alert you to trends. A player may not be playing well but you don&rsquo;t see it on the ice. Then, you look at the plus-minus figures and you see that he has been on the ice for several goals for three straight games. That tells you something.&ldquo;But you must also take into consideration the total number of goals that your team scores when a certain player is on the ice and how he performs in power play situations.&ldquo;Look at Bob Murray (minus 5.4). He&rsquo;s a minus and yet&rsquo;s he&rsquo;s a very valuable player. He makes things happen offensively, which is a major contribution. Same with Doug Wilson (plus 1.9). Doug was on for 121 of our goals&mdash;more than any player on the team&mdash;and Bob was on for 116 which makes him second.&ldquo;In the case of these both (both defensemen), the plus-minus figures conceal their substantial contributions.&ldquo;On the other hand, they bring out just how much Keith Brown meant to this team as a rookie, even though he scored only two goals. Sedlbauer&rsquo;s figures also are interesting. He has a reputation of not being a defensive player yet he was a plus with us.&rdquo;Leading the Hawks in marksmanship was right wing Grant Mulvey, who connected on 39 of 228 shots-on-goal for 17.1 percent accuracy. Ruskowski (15 for 90 for 16.7 percent) was the runnerup and center Tom Lysiak (26 for 160 for 16.3 percent) ranked third.&ldquo;These figures come as no surpise,&rdquo; said Magnuson. &ldquo;Grant stays after practice every day and works on his shooting and Terry and Tom are very unselfish players who concentrate on setting other people up. If Terry and Tom shot more, they&rsquo;d score more goals.&rdquo;Ruskowski and Lysiak ranked 1-2 in Chicago scoring last year with 70 and 69 points, respectively.For the time being. Magnuson wants to keep intact the lines of Ruskowski-Sedlbauer-Mulvey and Lysiak-Preston-Darryl Sutter. Most of last season Sutter skated for New Brunswick in the American League where he was selected Rookie of the Year. Recalled for the playoffs, he had an outstanding opening-round series against St. Louis.However, Ruskowski is recovering from knee surgery and will be employed with discretion at training camp&mdash;which opens Sept. 15 in Chicago Stadium&mdash;and during the exhibition season, according to Magnuson.&ldquo;Terry plays so aggressively that I don&rsquo;t want him to rush it and risk reinjuring his leg,&rdquo; said the new coach, whose reckless abandon as a player was highly reminiscent of Ruskowski&rsquo;s.HAWK TALK&mdash; Magnuson is inviting about 50 players to training camp, making it the most heavily-populated camp in the Hawks&rsquo; history. Heading the cast of players is All Star goalie Tony Esposito. With the retirement of Stan Mikita, the 36-year-old Esposito is the Hawks&rsquo; senior citizen&hellip;If rookie Denis Savard (No. 3 choice overall in the amateur draft after an 181-point season with the Montreal Juniors) lives up to expectations and Reg Kerr rebounds from the back injury that abbreviated his season to 49 games last year, Chicago will be exceptionally strong at centre&hellip;Defense is another heavily fortified position with incumbents Wilson, Brown, Murray, Greg Fox, Mike O&rsquo;Connell, and Dave Hutchison in residence. &#9632;

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Newcomers’ Contributions Helped Get Hawks Winging

<div class="byline">By BILL FLEISCHMAN</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;One day last month Keith Allen was spotted strolling along a Spectrum corridor. Tanned, wearing a bright green short-sleeved knit shirt and plaid slacks, the silver-haired Allen looked like a man heading for the golf course.&ldquo;No, I&rsquo;m heading for our place on Long Beach Island,&rdquo; replied the Flyers&rsquo; general manager.&ldquo;Another slow summer, eh?&rdquo;asked the visitor in his best Canadian accent.&ldquo;It is slow, but that&rsquo;s not my fault,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trying, but nothing&rsquo;s happening.&rdquo;Blame the lethargy on people such as George Imlach, the venerable general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For a reasonable price and/or player package, Allen was hoping to obtain Darryl Sittier from the Maple Leafs. But, according to Allen, Imlach was refusing to identify the Flyers who would make the deal possible from Toronto&rsquo;s view.Among the names most frequently put in Imlach&rsquo;s mouth via long distance are Rick MacLeish, Andre (Moose) Dupont and Behn Wilson.All the names make sense. As a veteran center, MacLeish would be a logical replacement&mdash;offensively, at least&mdash;for Sittler. Dupont is a dedicated defenseman who can still help many teams and Wilson is a promising, although erratic, young rearguard.MacLeish has an outstanding NHL scoring record, including 282 career goals plus 48 in the playoffs&mdash;in just 96 games. That MacLeish would be available to go to Toronto, or any other NHL destination, surprised some observers who were tuned in on the Philadelphia hockey grapevine.The best rumor of the summer had MacLeish retiring&mdash;at the tender age of 30. Whispers had MacLeish tired of the hockey grind, including the annual accusation that he &ldquo;doesn&rsquo;t care enough about winning.&rdquo; It was thought MacLeish might be ready to devote full time to his standardbred stable.&ldquo;Me retire? Where did that one get started?&rdquo; a surprised MacLeish asked. &ldquo;I thought I had a pretty good year (31-35-66 regular season, 9-6-15 in the playoffs). Besides, the horse business is too risky.&rdquo;Risky is a good word to describe MacLeish&rsquo;s future with the Flyers. Firmly established at center are Bobby Clarke, Ken Linseman and Mel Bridgman. Waiting in the wings are rookies Mark Taylor (College Player of the Year at North Dakota), and four players who were signed as underage prospects: Ron Flockhart (Regina), Lindsay Carson (Billings), Tim Kerr (Kingston), and Gord Williams (Lethbridge).&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel threatened by the younger players,&rdquo; said MacLeish. &ldquo;Maybe next year, after they get a year of pro under their belts, I will feel threatened. But, if I have to fight for my job, I will.&rdquo;Keith Allen seemed genuinely stunned at the MacLeish retirement rumor.&ldquo;I had heard last winter that if he was traded, he&rsquo;d retire,&rdquo; said Allen. Smiling, Allen added, &ldquo;You can bet your butt he won&rsquo;t retire. He just bought a big house down at the shore.&rdquo;FLYERS FACTS: Selling John Paddock to the Quebec Nordiques should provide the hustling right winger with an opportunity to play. Paddock was limited to 32 regular season games with the Flyers (a dislocated elbow kept him out of 19 consecutive games). In two Stanley Cup final appearances against the Islanders Paddock scored two goals&hellip;The Flyers&rsquo; summer present to the Philadelphia media was promoting Mike Emrick from the Maine Mariners. The efficient Emrick will work in public and press relations and also broadcast Flyers&rsquo; games on PRISM cablecasts&hellip;Norm Mackie, formerly with the Atlanta Flames, is the Flyers&rsquo; new trainer, joining Jim McKenzie and Frank LewisBill Fleischman, who covered the Flyers for THE HOCKEY NEWS for eight seasons, is back by popular demand. Shortly after Fleischman yielded the assignment to Jay Greenberg, Greenberg accepted the NFL Eagles&rsquo; beat for the Philadelphia Daily News.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011141/4328087-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="577" height="1140"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick MacLeish says he&rsquo;s not worried about the Flyers&rsquo; large supply of talented, young centers.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-01

MacLeish Has Risky Flyers’Position

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02914/4328118-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="572" height="325"></div><h2>Realignment Should Create Better Rivalries</h2>One of the biggest weaknesses of the NHL is it&rsquo;s divisional and playoff set-up. Realignment has become a big issue due to the hideous balanced schedule now used. In realigning the teams there are three factors to consider&mdash;a balance of power, rivalries and geographical proximity. I have a plan that takes all of these into account, provides an interesting schedule and a fair playoff system.Eastern Conference: Northeast Division: Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Detroit.Atlantic Division: Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.Western Conference: Pacific Division: Los Angeles, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Minnesota.Central Division: Chicago, Winnipeg, St. Louis, New York Rangers, New York Islanders.Teams would play 10 games against teams in their division, four games against teams in the other division of their conference and two games against teams in the other conference for an 80-game schedule.The playoffs would consist of the first-place teams and four wildcards from each conference for a total of 12 teams. The four wildcards would play 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in best of fives. The two winners and the two first place teams would play 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in the best of fives. These two winners would play a best of seven to determine the conference champ. The two conference champs would play a best of seven for the Stanley Cup.As for Colorado, the best thing they could do would be to merge with another team (probably Vancouver) ala Minnesota-Cleveland.Michael Priborsky Bel Air, Md.<h2>Did Frustration Distort Perspective?</h2>Mr. George Borg, apparently disgruntled and disgusted with the high level of mediocrity displayed by his poor, maligned N.Y. Rangers, saw fit to denigrate one of the top hockey writers in North America, the erudite hockey maven, Stan Fischler.Apparently the combination of Mr. Borg&rsquo;s jealousy of the Stanley Cup champion Islanders&rsquo; success and the pent up frustration of rooting for the Rangers, the professional team in America that has the dubious distinction of going the most seasons (40 now) without winning it&rsquo;s league championship, has distorted his perspective. Not only did Mr. Fischler not criticize the Islanders during their &ldquo;rough&rdquo; (39-28-13) season., but he did not praise or otherwise mention them at all in any of his columns. Mr. Fischler probably sought to avoid any possible claim of favoritism because of his remote connection with the club (color man on cable television).Instead of questioning the integrity and ability of Mr. Fischler, Mr. Borg should first question the overall ineptness of the Ranger organization. It is obvious that the Fred Shero mystique or magic has worn off. As Freddie saw in Philadelphia, the team and its talent makes the coach, and not vice versa. It also appears that Sonny Werblin will not be able to buy a Stanley Cup with Gulf & Western&rdquo;s vast financial resources.Yes Mr. Borg, the Islanders will take a good look at the Cup, after the names of New York&rsquo;s (and North America&rsquo;s) best hockey team are inscribed upon it for all to see. And all of the poor Ranger fans can practice their favorite line, one that has been used countless times in the past and one that will be used many times in the future: Wait until next year (and next year and next year and so on.)Grover Duckworth Jr. Uniondale, NY<h2>Fans Deserted Overthrown Canadiens</h2>I am an avid fan of the Montreal Canadiens and THE HOCKEY NEWS but this is my first letter to the Fan Forum. I am used to reading other fans&rsquo; opinions of Montreal but unfortunately, the fans have been quiet. Or should I say stunned?Sure the Habs were beaten in the quarterfinals, but don&rsquo;t forget that the injuries to the Canadiens played a major role. Guy Lafleur, Pierre Larouche, Doug Risebrough, Pierre Mondou, Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe missed all or part of the series. The Habs did their best but they were out-hustled. A full-powered Montreal team would have defeated Minnesota.I think Irving Grundman made the right choice by drafting Doug Wick-enheiser, future Yvan Joly and Guy Carbonneau&mdash;who were second in scoring for the OMJHL and QMJHL, respectively. On defense Bill Baker, former Olympic star, could very well make the roster in the future.With stricter fighing rules, the Philadelphia Flyers will have a harder time this year; The NY Islanders are a year older (big deal) but an unhappy Glenn Resch could hinder the Isles; The Buffalo Sabres are still a few players away. Montreal will (what else?) win the Cup.Norman Szcyrek Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.<h2>Hiring Watt May Produce Conflict</h2>I am very pleased with the Canucks&rsquo; recent decision to hire Tom Watt as an assistant coach. Mr. Watt is experienced in International Hockey and so he would be aware of the importance of finesse type players in the technical aspects in hockey.But I can only see a conflict arising between Mr. Watt&rsquo;s approach to the game and coach Harry Neale&rsquo;s. Neale, since coming to Vancouver,&mdash;has not led the Canucks to a high finish but instead has produced a highly penalized team.He would, it seems, rather see his team go to defeat than have one of his player&rsquo;s lose a fight, and with the likes of Tiger Williams, Curt Fraser, Dave Logan, John Hughes, and Harold Snepts he won&rsquo;t be disappointed.But even so, I&rsquo;m still a Vancouver Canuck fan and would like to wish the players, coaches Harry Neale, Dave Dunn and Tom Watt a successful season.Manjeet Dhugga Victoria, B.C.<h2>Instant Replays Could Aid R&eacute;ferees</h2>After witnessing the tragedy of errors over the regular season and the playoffs, I too agree with Sidney Moore (THE HOCKEY NEWS 8/80) that the time for instant replay is now. Instead of criticizing though, I offer my solution, which runs along the lines of Mr. Moore&rsquo;s.It should be based along the same lines as the stick measuring rule. If a team questions a call or play they can then request an instant replay. If the replay is in favor of the team, the referee rectifies the situation by whatever is necessary. If it supports the referee&rsquo;s decision, however, the team then receives a two minute bench penalty and the referee&rsquo;s decision stands. I feel that to best utilize the rule, only the captain of the team would be able to request the replay.This rule is not intended to take away from the referees, only to help them to do a more efficient job. I feel that it would give the referees a lot more power, because he could give the player the opportunity.of instant replay if he complains. This way the player would be risking getting a penalty, and no one wants to do that.Diane L. Soule Laureldale, PA<h2>Hockey&rsquo;s Action Becoming Too Diluted</h2>The theory of overtime lessening the number of ties is good, but can hockey stand a third 15 minute between-periods dead spot, a total of 45 minutes? I think not.Something must be done about the length of regulation time. Up until a few years ago, a typical game was completed in two hours and 20 minutes. That was a lot of compacted action, was very exciting and you got home at a reasonable hour. Now, with the grabbing, stare downs and actual fighting, along with the linesmen holding the pucks on faceoffs and the artificial time outs to accommodate cable and commercial TV, the games stretch out to two hours and 45 minutes, or three hours. The action is much too diluted and the game has become boring.Add another 20-25 minutes for overtime and you have an endurance contest.If the league insists on adding overtime, the thought of only a five-minute session is ludicrous. If you must have overtime, play to a decision no matter how long it takes.Thomas J. Unger Pelham, N.Y.Editor&rsquo;s note: See editorial on page 8.<h2>Organization Key To Islanders&rsquo; Success</h2>One of the ingredients of the New York Islanders winning the Stanley Cup was their organized front office. Bill Torrey, having gone through the likes of Charlie Finley and near financial disaster, has built the Islanders into a winner.He patiently stood by his coach, Al Arbour, and worked with him. He also stayed with the players when they were in a slump and never panicked. Arbour, too, never publicly chastised a player for a poor performance. He rebuilt confidence by keeping the players on the ice.No front office hassles; no stupid trades. Look at the teams with poor records. They can be attributed to managerial chaos. The Islanders&rsquo; crosstown rivals have been plagued with such ineptitude. Little wonder why their wait for the Cup becomes longer and longer.So take a tip from the champions, get your act together.Max Gottfreid Sunrise, Fl. &#9632;

f0010-02

FAN FORUM

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div>DETROIT&mdash;It was a trade that had to be made.Rogie Vachon&rsquo;s traumatic two-year stay in Detroit became history the day the 1979-80 National Hockey league season ended. The only question was where he would wind up, and what the Red Wings would get in return. Vachon requested a trade at the conclusion of last season, and that wish was granted on July 23 when Jimmy Skinner, the Wings&rsquo; director of hockey operations, sent Vachon, 34, to Boston for goaltender Gilles Gilbert, 31.Nobody blamed Rogie for asking out. Almost since the day he signed a $1.9 million contract with the Wings in the summer of 1978 as a free agent, there have been problems for the goalie once considered by many as the game&rsquo;s finest. Surely, he didn&rsquo;t play as well as expected&mdash;he&rsquo;d be the first to tell you that. Beyond that, the problems were not always Vachon&rsquo;s fault, but they were there.Vachon should enjoy success with the Bruins in the twilight of his career. He&rsquo;s going to a strong team, where defensemen clear opposing forwards and don&rsquo;t leave loose pucks in front. There won&rsquo;t be many nights in Boston where Rogie is called on to face 35 or 40, even 45, shots.The Wings are optimistic that Gilbert, who missed the conclusion of last season with a back injury, can fill their needs.&ldquo;You have to keep your fingers crossed there&rsquo;s always doubt when it is the back,&rdquo; Skinner said. &ldquo;But Gilbert is a hockey goalkeeper. I think he&rsquo;ll help us. I&rsquo;ve always liked him, ever since he first came into the league.&ldquo;The injury could come back, but we&rsquo;re willing to gamble on it because he is a good goaltender.&rdquo;Skinner said the deal materialized suddenly. Initially, the Los Angeles Kings, Regie&rsquo;s old team, appeared to be most interested in Vachon.There were no other players involved. The Wings, however, agreed to pick up some of Vachon&rsquo;s $375,000 annual salary.Gilbert joins veteran Jimmy Rutherford and third-year pro Al Jensen, who played last season in the American Hockey league, in the Red Wing goaltending picture.&ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t work for two years in Detroit,&rdquo; said Vachon, who was genuinely concerned that he failed the club and its fans. &ldquo;Maybe we need a change. I was very upset about missing the playoffs for two years. A lot of big things were expected of me in Detroit. I was supposed to be the missing piece, but it was pretty rough.&ldquo;I was willing to go just about anywhere. Going to Boston is great.&rdquo;Coach Ted Lindsay, then general manager of the Wings, pursued the free agent Vachon and signed him. That wasn&rsquo;t the mistake. That came later when Lindsay failed to satisfy the Kings&rsquo; compensation demands and lost an arbitration ruling. The Wings&rsquo; young star, Dale McCourt, was&rsquo; awarded to Los Angeles.That touched off a series of legal hassles. Although McCourt never left the Wings, the affair had a disruptive influence on the club over the next two years. Both McCourt and Vachon suffered.During his first year with the Wings, Vachon, off to a miserable start, faced the ultimate embarrassment when he A was placed on waivers&mdash;and found no takers. Vachon showed improvement through the early stages of last season, but the club&rsquo;s internal miseries continued and soon, under the pressure of a heavy work load, he faltered again.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very sorry about Rogie,&rdquo; Lindsay said. &ldquo;Not because of all the hassles, but because he&rsquo;s a class guy, a super guy&hellip;I only wish him the best. He was never accepted here. He was not accepted by some of the A players, and that&rsquo;s too bad. The players should recognize that when a man is on your team, he&rsquo;s the best guy in the world&hellip;this was not the case and it was one of our problems last year.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011114/4328149-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="571" height="1249"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Red Wings are taking a chance that Gilles Gilbert&rsquo;s back problems are all behind him.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Wings’ Goalie Trade Was Inevitable

<div class="byline">BY DAVE OGREAN</div>This column marks the debut in THE HOCKEY NEWS of Dave Ogrean, who works for the. Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) and who will be covering the amateur scene for us in future issues.<h2>First Step To Sarajevo</h2>IT WAS TEAM WORK that enabled the United States to capture the Olympic gold medal at Lake Placid, and it is that same effort that may allow the American entry to surprise this December in the World Junior Championships.The tournament, in which the U.S. finished seventh a year ago, will be held in West Germany over the New Year&rsquo;s holidays (December 27-January 2). The Americans are bracketed with Sweden, Finland and the host country, with the Soviets, Czechoslovakia, Canada and Austria in the other group.The formation of the 1981 U.S. National Junior team is for all practical purposes the initial step toward the defense of the Olympic crown in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia almost four years from now. As Juniors (under 20 years old), the members of this year&rsquo;s squad will be among that elite group of players from which the 1984 Olympic team will be selected.What is unique about the National Junior team effort this time around, however, is that college and Junior league coaches have opened the doors to the international program, allowing virtually any of their players who are chosen to participate. A little gold goes a long way to inspire team work within the American amateur hockey community.The World Junior Championship comes at a rather inconvenient time for most U.S. teams. While it is held during, the holiday break when many schools are either on vacation or playing a non-conference schedule, it is nevertheless a disruption of the playing season (unlike the World Senior Open Championship, which is held in April). As but a single voice in the International Ice Hockey Federation, the U.S. has been unable to convince the sponsoring body to change the dates of the Junior tournament.As a result, some schools have been reluctant to allow players who may be receiving scholarships to leave their team in the middle of the season, fearful that they may return injured or that their temporary absence might be a factor in any intervening losses.<h2>Gold Medal Means Prestige</h2>THERE IS NOW, however, a new element that has entered the picture: Olympic glory. The American international program now enjoys an unprecedented level of prestige. Coaches are now not only willing to make their players available, but many are actively promoting certain athletes.The advantages work both ways. American teams that allow their players to take part have a natural recruiting advantage over those that do not. They will also benefit from the positive image of having a &ldquo;national team member&rdquo; on their roster. The U.S. National Junior team, meanwhile, gets the very best talent with which to face the finest Junior-aged players from around the world. The Americans still have only a few days together prior to the start of the tournament, but it helps when you have the best to work with.General Manager Art Berglund (who also managed the &lsquo;76 Olympians) and head coach Lou Vairo (Junior team coach since 1978) organized four regional team staffs (New England, Michigan, Minnesota and At-Large) to recruit and prepare the best players from their area for participation in the AHAUS Junior Olympic Hockey Trials held in July at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. This gave the team staffs, along with assistant Junior team coach Jay Riley (son of coach Jack Riley of the 1960 Squaw Valley gold medalists) from Brown University, a chance to look at the best competing against the best. The result was a week of incredible summer hockey and some very postive impressions about the talent available for the 1984 Olympic team.Minnesota won the single-round robin affair by virtue of beating second-place New England twice (6-5 and 6-3 in the championship) to finish undefeated. Michigan and the At-Large entries both went 1-3 after the At-Large group won the consolation game by a 3-2 score.The players who took part included 14 recent NHL draft choices, and gave evidence of the increasing caliber of the American player. Eighteen of the 20 roster berths were filled after the trials, with the remaining spots to be awarded this fall.Chosen to represent the United States in the World Junior Championships as members of the U.S. National Junior team were:<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02948/4328180-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="847" height="551"></div><h2>Coaches Clinics Held</h2>The first Advanced Level clinic in the Coaching Achievement Program of the AHAUS was held in Colorado Springs from August 17-23. Over 130 coaches from across the country were in attendance to receive instruction from some of the top minds in the game.All those attending have already completed the Associate and Intermediate levels of the Coaching Achievement Program.Guest instructors at the week-long session included Scotty Bowman of the Buffalo Sabres; Kjell Damberg, head coach of the 1981 Swedish Junior National Team; Bob Johnson of the University of Wisconsin and head coach of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Hockey team; Bill Selman, former college coach at Minnesota-Duluth and St. Louis University, and most recently with the Dayton Gems of the IHL; Dr. Wayne Harris, Professor of Psychology at Mankato (Minn.) State University; Doug Woog, head coach at South St. Paul (Minn.) High School; Ron Ullyot, head coach of the Ft. Worth Texans of the CHL; and Dave Peterson, head coach at Minneapolis Southwest High School. &#9632;

f0012-02

THE AMATEUR SCENE

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011069/4328211-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="294" height="356"></div><h2>Season Of Question</h2>THE FROST ISN&rsquo;T on the pumpkin but ice is on the mind as the 1980-81 season looms upon us with more questions than answers.&bull; Will Les Montreal Canadiens continue a descent leading them to Les Nowheresville?&bull; Can Gerry Cheevers&rsquo; live-it-up philosophy enable the Boston Bruins to live down their horrid treatment of Fred Creighton?&bull; Is Gary Green really the genius of the NHL and, if so, will he lead the Washington Capitals to their first playoff berth?&bull; What impact can Craig Patrick&mdash;totally inexperienced as a general manager&mdash;have on the enigmatic New York Rangers?Those are the appetizers and they provide tasty food for thought.Let us start with the Montreal mish-mash. Last spring Claude Ruel wasted a lot of journalists&rsquo; time telling them that he didn&rsquo;t want to coach the Canadiens this fall. (&ldquo;A head coach has to be perfect. I can&rsquo;t be perfect.&rdquo;) So now, naturally, Ruel is head coach of the Habs.Scotty Bowman, who knows a lot, swears by Ruel. Others swear at him. My gut feeling is that Ruel&rsquo;s heart isn&rsquo;t in his coaching and that he would really prefer being someone&rsquo;s aide de camp. This feeling, if true, eventually seeps down to the players; especially skaters as strong-willed as Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, et. al. The peace pacts between Ruel and long-faced Guy Lapointe will last only until Ruel&rsquo;s next snub of the venerable defenseman.Those of us who put the rap on Ken Dryden now realize that neither Bunny Larocque nor Denis Herron can fill the lawyer&rsquo;s skates. &ldquo;Less than the best will not do in Montreal,&rdquo; says Dryden, who should know.Without Dryden and Bowman, the Habs produced less than the best last year. This year will be no different.As for Cheevers, he will produce the best newspaper copy and radio-TV interviews in the league now that Don (Grapes) Cherry is on a sabbatical. But when Cheesy spouts this laissez-faire business about meaningless curfews, I have to doubt that the Bruins will be any sharper than a powder puff by season&rsquo;s end.On the other hand, there is a chance that Cheevers, with the aid of such friends as Wayne Cashman, Terry O&rsquo;Reilly and Brad Park, will be able to develop the brand of elan that enabled The Gashouse Gang to sizzle so well in the early 1930s. Of course, in those days the word curfew was not even in the dictionary. Win or lose, the Bruins should be funnier than MASH.The man who really fascinates me is Gary Green. I originally encountered his name early in 1978 when he was coaching Peterborough in the Ontario Major Junior A League. Richard Proctor of the Toronto Globe and Mail suggested then that Green might make it to the NHL by 1982. So, Gary is already three years ahead of his time, and talking like the Alfred Einstein of hockey.Green&rsquo;s smarts were not enough to produce a playoff berth last year but not even a Scotty Bowman could have done better, considering the Caps&rsquo; absurd number of injuries. (During one period half of their regulars were sidelined.)&ldquo;I&rsquo;m optimistic,&rdquo; says Green. And I&rsquo;m optimistic for him. If Gary doesn&rsquo;t produce the surprise club of 1980-811 will personally remove his &ldquo;Genius-At-Work&rdquo; tag and give him a scholarship at Bowman U.Like so many others, I view Craig Patrick&rsquo;s arrival in Manhattan with a mixture of skepticism and wonderment. The immediate question&mdash;why Craig Patrick? He is inexperienced. Why didn&rsquo;t the Rangers&rsquo; high command go for a well-schooled NHL man such as David Poile, who has been Cliff Fletcher&rsquo;s able lieutenant for years with the Atlanta, now Calgary, Flames?Dubious critics suggest that the Rangers didn&rsquo;t know where to go for a replacement, wanted one quickly and liked the idea of Patrick&rsquo;s name (his father, Lynn, uncle Muzz and grandfather Lester all were Ranger-connected) and his Olympic connection.It is quite possible that Patrick has hidden smarts and a way with players. He certainly didn&rsquo;t hurt the Olympians and some insiders suggest that he had more to do with winning the gold medal than that Most-Holy-Blessed-Be-He, Herb Brooks. Conclusion: The jury is out on Patrick until he performs&mdash;or does his pratfall.<h2>Vachon Paid Price</h2>VACHON VS. GILBERT: The outcome of the Red Wings-Bruins deal, featuring Rogie Vachon and Gilles Gilbert, may ultimately be decided by a team of medics. I lean toward Vachon (Boston) as the better of the two for the new season, mostly because of his track record. Rogie made one major mistake in his career, getting greedy in Los Angeles and opting for Detroit. Now that he&rsquo;s paid the price&mdash;in anxiety alone&mdash;he may be a better man for it. Gilbert&rsquo;s dossier, while offering promise, is hardly as impressive as Rogie&rsquo;s.Another point in Boston&rsquo;s favor is GM Harry Sinden&rsquo;s collection of wins in the trade mart. Consider: He obtained Gary Doak for Ace Bailey and Murray Wing; Gilles Gilbert for Fred Stanfield; Peter McNab for Andre Savard; Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge; Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais; Rick Smith for Zanussi; Dick Redmond for Gregg Sheppard and, finally, Ray Bourque for Ron Grahame (actually, Grahame for a first draft choice, which was Bourque).Sinden&rsquo;s one mistake was unloading Fred Creighton.<h2>Superstar Orr Miscast</h2>NOTES: Bobby Orr seems to be winding down his involvement with the NHL as assistant to prexy John Ziegler although Ziegler insists that Orr is free to continue&hellip;A year ago Orr was hired with much trumpeting but he appears to have been another super star miscast in the executive suite&hellip;You won&rsquo;t hear any talk about it at The Forum but the Canadiens have to start wondering about Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s twice wounded left knee&hellip;Minny North Stars&rsquo; Gilles Meloche is as happy as anyone that Gump Worsley will be inducted into Hockey&rsquo;s Hall of Fame. &ldquo;Gump&rsquo;s advice made me a better goalie,&rdquo; says Meloche. &ldquo;He taught me to stay out of the crease and challenge the shooters.&rdquo;&hellip;Providence and Seattle are two solid hockey towns in search of a good minor pro team. It would seem that the Bruins would want to plant a farm club in nearby Rhode Island&hellip;Word from East Rutherford, N.J., is that the Meadowlands Arena will have its ice machinery installed by the spring and be ready for NHL hockey in time for the 1981-82 season. Now all it needs is a team, as Arthur (Rockies) Imperatore knows so well.GUMP&rsquo;S FAME: I&rsquo;m tickled that Gump Worsley will be inducted into The Hall of Fame on September 8 and I plan to be there for the ceremonies. Gump and I go back to the days (1948) when he played goal for the Rovers in the old Eastern League.Others can cite stats which explain why Worsley belongs in The Hall but nobody said it better than his biographer Tim Moriarty who noted: &ldquo;There will never be another goaltender who suffered as much for so long and always came up laughing.&rdquo;The most symbolic of Worsley&rsquo;s retorts was delivered when he played in New York for a beleaguered Rangers&rsquo; club. A newsman inquired which team gave him the most trouble. To that, Gump replied: &ldquo;The Rangers!&rdquo;MEDIA NOTES: New York Times&rsquo; Parton Keese had the most explosive quote (from Ranger president Bill Jennings) on the Rangers&rsquo; mess. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it: This move was made because Fred [Shero] did nothing last year&hellip;He&rsquo;s been allowed to keep the title of general manager to save face Terry Brennan of The Philadelphia Bulletin broke the story about Bernie Parent joining Alcoholics Anonymous. A day later Parent told Tim Panaccio of the Philly Journal: &ldquo;1 didn&rsquo;t know that would be put in the paper. I told him he could use&rsquo; the story at some time in the future but I didn&rsquo;t realize the future would be now.&rdquo;&hellip;Calgary Flames were fortunate in landing one of the best hockey men in captivity&mdash;Leo Ornest. His new title is director of corporate sales and marketing and broadcasting&hellip;&ldquo;Believe it or not,&rdquo; says Sonny Werblin, &ldquo;we pay heed to the press.&rdquo;&hellip;But, Sonny, a couple of newsmen are still waiting for you to return their calls&hellip;. Word here is that Jim Naughton is leaving the New York Times, creating room for a hockey writer&hellip;Maclean&rsquo;s Magazine of Canada analyzed the disintegration of Al Eagleson&rsquo;s empire, concluding that it &ldquo;has been shaken but it endures.&rdquo;&hellip;Eagle&rsquo;s former aide, Bill Watters, told Diedra Clayton why he left the lair: &ldquo;I was pressured to charge 10 percent, that was company policy,&rdquo; said Watters, &ldquo;but when I heard the competition was charging only six or seven percent, I could no longer justify the 10.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0013-01

ON THE CONTRARY

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>CALGARY&mdash;When the Calgary Flames unveiled the logo that will grace their team jerseys this year, they managed to surprise almost everyone in town&mdash;including the cowinners of their logo contest.The Flames selected the two potential insignias from 58. submitted by local designers to the team&rsquo;s board of directors. To their chagrin, neither design complied with National Hockey League guidelines and were rejected.That left the Flames, anxious to begin marketing novelty items and processing season tickets, scrambling for a third alternative. As a result, they turned to Calgary Intergroup, the design firm which ran the contest, for a substitute. Their choice, a flaming C, was a reworking of the two designs&mdash;by Keller-Lussier Designers Ltd. and Brad Bennett&mdash;that the league turned down.&ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t go through with one of the designs because it was too close to the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; logo to be acceptable,&rdquo; said Flames&rsquo; media relations director Al Coates. &ldquo;The other design was quite creative, but not functional. It would have cost too much money to reproduce it on T-shirts and buttons and other things.&rdquo;Local reaction to the design was varied, as Calgarians found they either loved it or they didn&rsquo;t.One observer at the unveiling quipped: &ldquo;The Calgary Flames may win a lot of hockey games this year&mdash;but they won&rsquo;t look good doing it.&rdquo;A local newspaper, the Calgary Herald, poked fun at Flames&rsquo; majority owner Nelson Skalbania, questioning the &ldquo;business acumen&rdquo; of the Vancouver entrepreneur.It accused him of spending $1,000 needlessly on a new logo when he could have achieved the same effect for the price of a needle and thread&mdash;simply by turning the logo on its side.Coates defended the design, however, saying: &ldquo;It will grow on people.&rdquo;At the same time, the Flames appointed to their front office longtime hockey man Leo Ornest. Ornest, who was with the Flames in their first year of operation and also put in time with the World Hockey Association, will direct the team&rsquo;s corporate marketing strategy.In addition, the team revamped its scouting system, following the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars into the age of the computer scout.The Flames named Ian McKenzie coordinator of the scouting system, which general manager Cliff Fletcher hopes will keep the club apprised of all junior hockey activity in North America.Fletcher said the importance of a team&rsquo;s scouting staff has grown enormously since the league started drafting underaged players.&ldquo;Drafting 18-year-olds necessitates more coverage than ever before,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;It is not centralized into three major junior leagues as in the past. For example, this year, there were eight players drafted from tier two hockey and eight others out of high school.&rdquo;Gerry Blair replaces Don Grahame, who resigned to join the Detroit Red Wings, as chief scout. Blair left the National Hockey League&rsquo;s Central Scouting staff to accept the position. He will handle Eastern Canada, McKenzie Western Canada and Jack Ferreira the United States.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02852/4328242-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="594" height="890"><figcaption class="caption-body">Here&rsquo;s the Calgary Flames&rsquo; new logo&mdash;a flaming C&mdash;a compromise between the two final proposals.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-02

Flames’ Crest Draws Mixed Reaction

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>TORONTO&mdash;Casting aside the painful experiences of the past season, Ron Ellis will be at training camp for the 15th time when the Toronto Maple Leaf veterans report on Sept. 15.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011095/4328273-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="573" height="930"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Ellis will face stiff competition to get more playing time than last year.</figcaption></div>Ellis, 35, scored but 12 goals last year in his third season after a two-year retirement from the game for the 1975-76 and &lsquo;76-77 seasons, and half of the goals came during the first 15 games of the schedule.In all Ellis played only 59 games for the Leafs., ending the season primarily in the role of a penalty-killer. After a summer of consideration., the steady right winger decided that he still wanted to play hockey for the Leafs.Ellis will be vying for duty on the right side which includes Wilf Paiement, Rocky Saganiuk and Rick Vaive, who have a pretty good lock on positions with the team&rsquo;s top three lines. That leaves Ellis for spot duty, most likely the penalty-killing assignments again and there&rsquo;s also rookie Normand Aubin who figures to see some action. Aubin&rsquo;s 91 goals as a junior, coupled with the fact that he was given number 4 at camp, seem to indicate that he&rsquo;ll have every, opportunity to stick with the big club.Meanwhile, perhaps the most pitched battle in training camp is expected to be contested among the defensemen.Borje Salming is, of course, assured a spot in the lineup with or without his signature on a new contract. Barring any late trades, Ian Turnbull, Dave Burrows and newcomers Robert Picard and Dave Shand, will join Salming as regulars. Also vying for duty will be Dave Farrish, the team&rsquo;s top hitter in the second half of the season and Richard Mulhern, plus Greg Hotham, a starter for the first half of last season and Jean Gaston D&rsquo;Youville, who played for the New Brunswick farm.Depending upon the Leafs&rsquo; strategy, the club may play five, six or maybe seven defensemen a game, while keeping a couple of rearguards on the sidelines for spot or emergency duty.In the forward ranks, each position already has at least three established players. On the left side, Pat Hickey, John Anderson and Terry Martin definitely fit into the Leafs&rsquo; present plans, while rugged Dan Maloney struggles to adapt to the Toronto style. Darkhorses for a left wing spot include Bob Stephenson, who can also play the other side, Benoit Laporte, a 1979 underage draft pick, Tim Coulis from Washington, and Colgate&rsquo;s Bill McCreary.Leading the centers is Darryl Sittler, along with Laurie Boschman, Bill Derlago and Mike Kaszycki. After that, it&rsquo;s a battle between four pivots who played with the Leafs in the past&mdash;Paul Garner, Bruce Boudreau, Jimmy Jones and Mark Kirton.Jiri Crha is the odds-on favorite as the starting goalie, with the major competition coming for the back-up role. Curt Ridley performed that role until he broke a bone in his hand and he&rsquo;ll likely be pushed by youngster Vincent Tremblay, who showed well during his brief appearances in Toronto last year. Rod Dennis, a Leafs&rsquo; draft choice, is returning to Princeton for at least another year, while free agent Jim Bedard, who previously played for he Washington Capitals, will try to stick after being invited to camp.LOOSE LEAFS: The Leaf&rsquo;s first exhibition game is Sept. 20 at Maple Leaf Gardens when they will host the Montreal Canadiens. They will also host the Habs four nights later. Buffalo, the Islanders and the Washington Capitals will also make appearance^ in Toronto for pre-season games, while the Leafs will play road contests&rsquo; in Detroit, Buffalo, Edmonton (twice) and Calgary&hellip;The Leafs&rsquo; regular season opener is Oct. 10 when the New York Rangers come to town. &#9632;

f0014-01

Veteran Ellis Ready For Another Leafs’ Camp

<div class="byline">BILL FLEISCHMAN&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02901/4328304-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="307" height="354"></div><h2>Hockey Slapshots Resume</h2>WITH THE FIRST slapshots of NHL training camps about to resound throughout rinks in Canada and the United States, hockey addicts can start breathing normally again. Those lost souls can finally stop crouching in a dimly lighted corner, devouring with bloodshot eyes back copies of THE HOCKEY NEWS as a baseball broadcast murmurs in the background.&ldquo;Baseball? Bah!&rdquo; snarls the hockey freak. &ldquo;Give me Dan Kelly or Bob Wilson, or even &lsquo;the Mound of Sound,&rsquo; Gene Hart, doing a hockey game on the radio. I need some action!&rdquo;Action you want, action you get, pal.Instead of worrying about who shot J.R., get the old ticker pumping again by worrying whether the Islanders can repeat as Stanley Cup champions, whether Gerry Cheevers can coach and goalie Rogie Vachon can regain his masterful touch under Cheevers, whether Fred Shero can straighten out the Rangers, whether Eddie Johnston can inject some life into the Penguins, whether Mike Palmateer&rsquo;s goaltending can make contenders out of the Capitals, whether Bill MacMillan can improve the Colorado Rockies where Don Cherry couldn&rsquo;t&hellip;Ah, it&rsquo;s still too hot to worry too much. Mentioning Cherry&rsquo;s name reminds me of a game I&rsquo;ve wanted to try for some time. This is called Jobs Hockey People Should Have.<h2>Cherry To Hollywood</h2>&bull; Don Cherry: Coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Cherry&rsquo;s entertainer&rsquo;s skills would be appreciated in Hollywood. Cherry could eventually just comment on the games while Don Rickles coaches. Many Kings&rsquo; fans wouldn&rsquo;t know the difference.&bull; Scotty Bowman: Warden in the next Robert Redford prison film. With that thrusting jaw and stern expression of Bowman&rsquo;s, no prisoner would dare disobey.&bull; Pat Quinn: The Matt Dillon role in the &ldquo;Gunsmoke&rdquo; remakes.&bull; Lou Nanne: Television spokesman for Chrysler cars. If anyone can restore confidence in Chrysler, it&rsquo;s super-salesman Nanne.&bull; John Ziegler: Chief attorney for Harold Ballard.&bull; Red Fisher: John Ziegler&rsquo;s personal publicist.&bull; Fred Shero: Star of the TV soap opera &ldquo;Daze of Our Lives.&rdquo;&bull; Punch Imlach: Look-alike stand-in for New York City Mayor Ed Koch.&bull; Tiger Williams: Son of Jack Palance in the film villain&rsquo;s next feature.&bull; Alan Eagleson: Chief negotiator to get the U.S. hostages out of Iran.&bull; Bill Wirtz: Chief negotiator for NHL owners to get Alan Eagleson out of hockey.&bull; Bob Verdi and Frank Orr: The 1980s answer to comedians Bob and Ray.<h2>Vocations For Players</h2>&bull;Guy Lafleur: Owner and host of Montreal&rsquo;s most chic French restaurant.&bull;Jean Ratelle: Lafleur&rsquo;s partner.&bull;Claude Ruel: Maitre d&rsquo; in the Lafleur-Ratelle restaurant.&bull;Terry O&rsquo;Reilly: Mayor of Boston.&bull;Nate Greenberg: O&rsquo;Reilly&rsquo;s press secretary&bull;Gerry Cheevers: The role of a racetrack tipster in &ldquo;Guys N&rsquo; Dolls.&rdquo;&bull;Chico Resch: Host of a sports talk show.&bull;Dennis Potvin: Host of a self-improvement talk show.&bull;Marcel Dionne: Chairman of the Spic and Span Committee to Clean Up Hockey.&bull;Mike Palmateer, Danny Gare and Ken Linseman: Stars of the new version of &ldquo;The Little Rascals.&rdquo;&bull;Bobby Clarke: President of the NHL (five-to-10 years from now).&bull;Ken Dryden: Clarke&rsquo;s chief counsel.&bull;Bobby Orr: Any job he wants.&bull;Bill Fleischman: Heir to a yeast fortune so he could write hockey columns from his luxurious Caribbean estate. &#9632;

f0014-02

HOCKEY WORLD

<div class="byline">BY PAT DOYLE</div>WINNIPEG&mdash;John Ferguson is looking for a diamond in the rough.Ferguson, general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, has invited 41 players to his National Hockey League club&rsquo;s 1980 rookie camp, and he&rsquo;s crossing his fingers in the hope there&rsquo;s a future NHLer in the group.&ldquo;We think we have assembled a pretty good group of kids,&rdquo; says Ferguson, &ldquo;so it should be a very competitive camp. You never know what you can find when you have over 40 youngsters reporting. Last season we found a player in Ross Cory, so we are all hopeful that aside from our draft picks and free agents already signed, there may be some players we can come away with.&rdquo;There are a number of players attending the rookie camp who figure into the Jets&rsquo; future plans prominently, People like Dave Babych, Moe Mantha, Murray Eaves, Anders Steen, Don Spring and Doug Smail have already signed with the hockey club so, while the rookie camp affords them the opportunity to strut their stuff for management, it&rsquo;s not a make-or-break proposition-for them.What Ferguson is searching for is a. hockey player among those he has brought to camp strictly on a tryout basis.That&rsquo;s the route Cory took to the NHL. He showed up at the Jets&rsquo; rookie camp last year in Ste. Agathe, Que., and earned himself a contract. He was initially dispatched to the Tulsa Oilers of the Central League, but he got the call to the big club in November and he was there to stay.This year&rsquo;s camp is broken into two squads, with Tulsa assistant coach and player Bobby Guindon handling one, and recently retired Bill Lesuk the other. They&rsquo;ll open on Sept. 6 and wrap things up a week later, in the meantime playing a couple of exhibition games against the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.Players already signed to a Jets&rsquo; contract won&rsquo;t participate in the exhibitions.The Jets recently announced the signings of four players&mdash;Mantha, Eaves, Glen Ostir and Tom Gibson. Of the group, Mantha and Eaves are given the best chance of sticking with the club in 1980-81.Mantha was Winnipeg&rsquo;s second-round pick in this summer&rsquo;s entry draft, while Eaves was claimed third.&ldquo;All the scouting reports tell me Mantha can play on our hockey club right now,&rdquo; Ferguson said of the 19-year-old defenseman. &ldquo;Certainly (director of player personnel) Mike Doran says he can.&rdquo;If Mantha fails to make the grade at training camp, which begins Sept. 17, he&rsquo;ll return to the Toronto Marlboros for one more season of junior hockey.Not so with Eaves, a 20-year-old center from the University of Michigan. Should Eaves come up short at camp, which is highly unlikely, he&rsquo;d land on his feet in Tulsa.As for Ostir, he&rsquo;s a big defenseman from the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL, and chances are he&rsquo;ll be spending another winter in Oregon.Gibson, a 20-year-old right winger late of the Niagara Falls Flyers, scored 53 points in 62 games in 1979-80. He was signed as a free agent. &#9632;

Jets Search For Rookie Surprises

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div>BOSTON&mdash;Eleven years ago he stiffed the Bruins for the Montreal Canadiens, holding the fort for 88 minutes and 59 seconds of scoreless hockey until Jean Beliveau&rsquo;s goal finally eliminated Boston from the playoffs in the second overtime period.Five years ago, with the defenseless Los Angeles Kings, he personally took the Bruins to a seventh game in their quarter-final series before two power play goals among 38 shots on net finally did him in.And now he is one of them.The Bruins, sensing a potential soft spot in their goalkeeping department, dealt 31-year-old Gilles Gilbert, he of the bad back, to the Detroit Red Wings for 35-year-old (on Sept. 8) Rogie Vachon, whose precise problem of two years standing has never been identified.It was, said general manager Harry Sinden, Vachon&rsquo;s durability that brought him to the Bruins, who lost their top goalie earlier in the summer when Gerry Cheevers took his creaky knees into retirement behind the Boston bench as coach.That left the Bruins with only Gilbert, whose bad back forced him to miss the final 16 games of the season and all of the playoffs, and rookie Jim Craig, the Olympic hero who has not been really tested in six NHL games.&ldquo;Everything pointed to Gilbert&rsquo;s health being okay,&rdquo; said Sinden. &ldquo;He passed two post-season physical exams. But he hasn&rsquo;t been what you would call a durable player. He hasn&rsquo;t really played a complete season without one injury or another.&ldquo;Vachon&rsquo;s durability makes us feel that we&rsquo;ll be able to bring Craig along like we want to. Regie&rsquo;s history has been one of playing 50, 60, and 70 games for his team so we shouldn&rsquo;t-be in a position to have to use Craig when he&rsquo;s not really ready to be used that often.&ldquo;If Craig can play 30 games this year that&rsquo;ll be good development.&rdquo;Vachon, who came to Detroit from Los Angeles two years ago as possibly the most expensive free agent in NHL history and promptly fell flat on his face mask, was literally overcome with joy at coming to Boston.&ldquo;This is just great, great news,&rdquo; he told the first interviewer to reach him by phone at a summer hockey camp in Penticton, B.C.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited about it,&rdquo; he told another. &ldquo;I feel like a new man right now.&rdquo;&ldquo;I feel great about it, very excited.&rdquo; he confided in a third.Well, you get the idea.&ldquo;My two years at Detroit were very aggravating,&rdquo; he said once he had settled down. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry they didn&rsquo;t work out better. Everyone expected a lot of big things from me. It just didn&rsquo;t work out from the start, starting with the McCourt case.&rdquo;Dale McCourt, the Wings&rsquo; spectacular rookie, was to have been an arbitrator&rsquo;s compensation to the Kings for Vachon but McCourt fought it in court, won and remained with Detroit. But the whole thing left bad vibes with the Wings&rsquo; fans and organization.It got so bad that midway through the 1978-79 season, the Wings asked waivers on Vachon and nobody claimed him, possibly because he was on the first year of a five-year contract calling for a reported $365,000 a year.&ldquo;At the end of the season last year,&rdquo; said Vachon, &ldquo;I went to Ted Lindsay and I asked to be traded. I figured it would be better for me and my family to go somewhere else. Boston was one of the teams I mentioned but I was surprised it was the Bruins who got me.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty sure I&rsquo;ve got some good years ahead of me. I&rsquo;ve been avoiding injuries throughout my career. I had an eye problem last year but it&rsquo;s 100 percent now. I went to the University of Waterloo for treatments. What 1 had was a lazy eye and that&rsquo;s all corrected.&ldquo;I like to play four or five games in a row then take a breather. It&rsquo;s tough mentally when you play like 20 games in a row without a rest. I&rsquo;m not 20 years old any more so sometimes mentally you get a little tired.&rdquo;WHAT&rsquo;S BRUIN&mdash; Rumors that the Bruins are about to be sold have surfaced once again this summer in Boston and each time they have drawn the same stock reply from president Paul Mooney:&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll listen to offers but the team isn&rsquo;t seeking a buyer.&rdquo;Rumor No. 1 had Bobby Orr joining Mooney in a syndicate to purchase the team from the Jacobs brothers of Buffalo, N.Y., and move them to a new area that is being planned in suburban Revere by Harry Mangurian, owner of the basketball Celtics.&ldquo;Not so,&rdquo; said Orr.&ldquo;Not so,&rdquo; said Mooney.Rumor No. 2 had Mangurian himself buying the hockey team and the Celtics owner conceded that he had sounded out Mooney on joining his group. &ldquo;He listened and said that if the right opportunity came along, he would be interested,&rdquo; said Mangurian.Rumor No. 3 revolved around millionaire contractor Thomas White, who built Schaefer Stadium, where the football Patriots play, and Jack Campbell, owner of the largest FM radio station (WPLM in Plymouth) on the East Coast and a longtime friend of the Kennedy family (Jack, Bob, Ted and all the gang).Stay tuned.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011048/4328359-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="563" height="739"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rogie Vachon will have a new lease of life as the starting goalie with the Boston Bruins.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

Boston Move Buoys Vachon Spirits

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01792/4328432-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"></div>Hockey has always had several odd characteristics which have helped to make it an instantly recognizable sport. Among them are allowing the players to fight&mdash;a practice which may soon cease to exist&mdash;and the hockey uniform, that awkward-looking collection of jersey, pants and pads, the mound of material under which the skaters still manage to perform some extremely agile feats.But the archaic uniform may soon be leaving the sport of hockey, probably quicker than fighting will depart, as the desire for lighter equipment&mdash;without the sacrificing of protection&mdash;is accomplished by the equipment manufacturers.For the past few years, two of the bigger names in hockey equipment&mdash;Cooper and CCM&mdash;have been designing and testing hockey uniforms that are much lighter and more streamlined than the traditional garb. It is a trend which has been successfully introduced to several other sports, but did not reach hockey until late in the 70s.Earlier in the decade, swim-wear, especially among those in serious competition, was changed to produce lighter materials with little resistance to the water, and by the Winter Olympics of 1976, and again in 1980 at Lake Placid, N.Y., the one-piece wet-suit-like look of the speedskaters and bob-sled and luge competitors were an indication of the aero dynamically-designed uniforms that were being employed in pursuit of faster times.Of course, in hockey, there&rsquo;s also the protection factor to consider, because no matter how fast you go, if someone takes you into the boards, or if your crash into a goalpost or whatever, you&rsquo;re going to have to be sufficiently protected. Speedskaters never have to worry about catching a stick in the back as someone tries to clear them out from in front of the net. Hockey players do.But hockey&rsquo;s innovators have discovered that it is possible to have lighter uniforms which will allow the players to go a little bit faster and at the same time, not give up anything in terms of protection.What they have produced is basically a three-piece uniform which is revolutionary in regard to two of its components. The top part is the hockey jersey, which remains unchanged from its predecessor. However, the pants, and the third component, a hockey girdle or propac as it is designated by its manufacturer, will produce the uniform&rsquo;s desired streamlined look and fit.Protection of hips, kidneys, thighs and the rib area up to the shoulder pads, is accomplished by the inner shell of protective equipment which most resembles a pair of football-type pants. Yet, it is cooler and lighter than the standard player&rsquo;s equipment.The hockey pants, which come well up above the waist area, look more like a warm-up suit, but are extremely comfortable and in the case of the long pants, allow for the elimination of garter belt and stockings. (CCM also makes a shorter style of pant to go with its propac and sweater).How far away are we from seeing the new type of uniform on a regular basis&mdash;say in the National Hockey League? Well, probably not very far at all because of the raves the uniforms have been receiving.Last year, the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; rookies wore the Cooper-all outfits throughout their training camp, through exhibitions and scrimmages, and not one player suffered any injuries. &ldquo;They really enjoyed the uniform,&rdquo; said Jim Geary of Cooper Canada Limited, &ldquo;everyone was really overwhelmed by them.&rdquo;In addition to the Jets&rsquo; rookies, Toronto&rsquo;s Henry Carr High School also used the Cooperalls, almost from the start of the season and were obviously pleased by them. They&rsquo;re expected to also wear the uniform this year.CCM, meanwhile, has been working on their TPP (Total Protection Package) for the past three years and will introduce their uniform on several levels, including professionals, this fall.&ldquo;A number of NHL teams are interested in the TPP and will wear it at training camp,&rdquo; said George Shaw of CCM, &ldquo;and if the players like it as much as we expect they will, the next step will be to approach the NHL ruling committee about using the uniforms.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a possibility,&rdquo; Shaw said, &ldquo;that the pros could be using them in the 1980-81 season and you&rsquo;ll be seeing them at the university and junior A levels as well.&rdquo;Cooper has not finalized their plans for implementation of the Cooperalls for the coming season, but expects to definitely employ them in junior hockey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02665/4328425-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="771" height="2407"><figcaption class="caption-body">The uniform of the future is not that far away from being adapted by the National Hockey League. On the left is the Cooperall uniform made by Cooper, while the photo on the right displays the long pants that are part of CCM&rsquo;s TPP, Total Protection Package.</figcaption></div>Both companies have stressed lightness, protection and coolness as major objectives achieved with the new uniforms. A player is expected to increase his protection by 20 percent by using either of the outfits while the actual weight of the uniform and equipment is between 20 to 40 percent lighter than the conventional.&ldquo;Down through the years, there have been few changes to protective equipment,&rdquo; related Shaw, &ldquo;so the time for change is due. We&rsquo;ve been working on a great many projects and you&rsquo;re going to see more in coming years.&ldquo;With the TPP, we were looking for something that breathes in addition to having the lightness and protection qualities.&rdquo;Both Shaw and Geary contend that the success of the new skates blades have made a difference in lessening the shock of a new style of hockey uniform.&ldquo;Everyone laughed at those skate blades,&rdquo; Geary said, &ldquo;but now look at them. The same goes for the uniforms. 1 don&rsquo;t think that people will adjust to it overnight, but eventually the idea grows on a person.&ldquo;Tradition is probably the main hurdle,&rdquo; Geary explained, &ldquo;but as far as practicality goes&hellip;these uniforms are much superior to conventional equipment. They feel and look good.&rdquo;According to Geary, hockey uniforms were originally adapted from those worn by participants of Canada&rsquo;s official national sport&mdash;lacrosse.&ldquo;The Cooperall,&rdquo; Geary said about the product of four years of research and development, &ldquo;is the first uniform made just for hockey. The girdle is made of tight fitting yet stretchy material for better protection with padding that doesn&rsquo;t float around like it can in conventional pants. The nylon jersey and pants do not absorb water which makes them lighter and there is additional lightweight hip, tail bone and back padding.&ldquo;The pants also contain built-in knee protection and overall, the uniform is tapered for better movement,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tight, but not restrictingly tight.&rdquo;Thus, it appears that hockey will soon be into the 20th century ds far as its uniform is concerned. Baseball dressed up its image several years ago with the doubleknit uniform and now hockey, too, is producing a uniform that is both eye-catching and efficient.<h2>CANADIEN</h2>Canadien Hockey Industries and Sherbrooke Sports have joined to produce a solid line of wood and fiberglass hockey sticks and goal-tending sticks.The company&rsquo;s advisory staff of six NHL pros&mdash;Danny Gare, Serge Bernier, Marc Tardif, Ian Turnbull, Serge Savard and Brad Park&mdash;use Canadien sticks at all times and they are continually contributing new specifications to improve the company line.Canadien has seven fiberglass models, including an all black handle stick that proved immensely popular with young players. The 7001 Custom Graphite is also designed for the tough hockey player. Canadien also has five different goalie sticks available including its revolutionary 9600 Fiberglass special.<h2>CCM</h2>Marcel Dionne is living proof that CCM sticks get the job done with a high quality of efficiency. The NHL scoring champ, who has been on CCM&rsquo;s advisory board for the past six years, has renewed his association with the company and will continue to endorse their products. He scored 53 goals in 80 games last season.Dionne and Montreal&rsquo;s Rejean Houle are two of the many NHLers who use CCM products on the ice. Dionne wears CCM equipment from head to toe when he performs with the Los Angeles Kings and continually tests new equipment, including CCM&rsquo;s line of laminated wood sticks.CCM has two goalie sticks and six regular sticks in its popular line, ranging from the top Custom Pro model down to its junior super pro stick.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01809/4328418-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="1191" height="1983"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Christian has changed uniforms since this picture was taken, but not sticks. Now playing with the Winnipeg Jets, he still uses Christian&rsquo;s Team USA model.</figcaption></div><h2>CHRISTIAN</h2>The emergence of Dave Christian as an Olympic hockey hero and his spectacular entry into the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets after the Lake Placid Olympics, has generated new interest in Christian hockey sticks across the country.The company has four all-woolf sticks on the market including a Team USA model made of white ash with a fiberglass ingredient and reinforcement. Christian also produces the Pro 1000, Superlite 5000 and the Northern Pro, all constructed from white ash in their Warroad, Minn, plant.The Christian factory is churning out more and more sticks for their growing US market with American college teams among the biggest users. The gold medal-winning US Olympic squad also relied on Christian sticks in carving out their history making win at Lake Placid. Dave Christian personally uses a Team USA model stick while performing with the NHL&rsquo;s Winnipeg Jets.<h2>COOPER</h2>One of hockey&rsquo;s foremost shooters, Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion, launched Cooper&rsquo;s redesigned hockey stick in a big way last season and the company has continued to add to its flourishing stick operation with a choice of straight-grained ash or laminated handles.Cooper sticks are practical and easy to handle with their multilaminated slimmer blade. It makes shooting a puck look easy with their two popular models&mdash;the S-425 and the S-319.Cooper has an ABS reinforced heel piece in its hockey sticks, which are constructed from ash and birch with laminated wood blades featuring a half inch curve. Cooper goaltending sticks also have the heel piece with the GL1 model the most popular with the top pros.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01773/4328411-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="2373" height="723"><figcaption class="caption-body">Canadien has a collection of seven fiberglass models in its 1980 stick line.</figcaption></div><h2>JOFA</h2>The introduction of a new box-lam construction to their hockey stick line has the JOFA-Volvo people excited about the new season.With high-scoring left winger Steve Shutt of the Montreal Canadiens at the head of their advisory board, JOFA has introduced a new look to their sticks. The company is manufacturing hockey sticks with a new box-lam construction in which the interior shaft contains a four-sided box with nine laminates to make the stick more durable. JOFA has managed to lessen the weight, which the pros like, and add more strength to the hockey stick.JOFA is featuring three top models, the 9000, the 9030 and the 9009. All sticks are a wood composite with the 9030 featuring the Super Box-Lam construction process. They are Tex-wrap reinforced in the heel and are designed for the heavy shooters, like Shutt, who annually ranks among the top shooting NHL players.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02621/4328404-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="2421" height="2964"></div><h2>KITCHENER</h2>The Kitchener Hockey Stick Company is particularly proud of its new creation, the Fibre-Lite 1020, a light adult stick that is made of very light and tough wood combined with moulded fibres with an extra layer of fiberglass towards the lower end. Combined with a urethane reinforced heel, the stick is designed for anyone&rsquo;s slapshot.With the new Fibre-lite sitting at the top of its line, Kitchener has a range of sticks in both laminated and ash that embraces eight different models, including the straight-blade K-W sputnik, a boys&rsquo; stick with lengths of 42&rdquo; to 48&rdquo;. Regular Kitchener sticks are 55&rdquo; long. All sticks have the inserted super heel for better performance.The company has two goaltender model sticks out with the men&rsquo;s pro designed for the top professional goalie.<h2>KOHO</h2>With a wide range of sticks, KOHO continues to make inroads into the North American market after originating in Europe. The company has five models in production, mixing wood and fiberglass for a solid construction and making it popular with many NHLers.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02428/4328397-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="1194" height="951"><figcaption class="caption-body">Here is the Cooper hockey stick line for 1980.</figcaption></div>Ulf Nilsson of the Rangers and Islanders&rsquo; Stefan Persson are staunch users of KOHO sticks among the many big leaguers who find the 2210 wood-fiberglass model, which is KOHO&rsquo;s top line, to their liking. Bryan Trottier, who won the Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, is a big user of the KOHO line.Durability has been the keynote of KOHO sticks, which are wrapped in an extra fiberglass fabric for longer lasting wear and strength. In the medium priced sticks, KOHO has the Ice Master and Junior Pro and for goaltenders, the top model is the 231 Pro Super Flex. The Islanders&rsquo; Billy Smith employed his trusty KOHO stick last spring while backstopping the New Yorkers to their first ever Stanley Cup.<h2>LOUISVILLE</h2>With a primarily ash line but with a few laminated models, Louisville is rolling along with nine regular models and five goalstick specials for the men in the big pads.Louisville, which originated the curved goaltender stick, has introduced another first&mdash;colored fiberglass on stick blades&mdash;to increase cosmetic value.In all the company has three popular models for the shooter, the 110 Super Pro, the 115 Custom Pro and the 120 Pro Pattern with ashfiberglass ingredients in the blade and a pro wrap armour glass to reinforce the heel.<h2>NORTHLAND</h2>With a new full, length, patented armour-plated blade, Northland has established its hockey sticks as among the most durable in the game.The exclusive armour plating gives added protection and Northland&rsquo;s research team is feeling pleased about the product it has put on the market. In all, Northland has six models in operation for the regular shooters and a popular goaltending stick designed for the top pro.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02286/4328390-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="1227" height="896"><figcaption class="caption-body">Here is the CCM line of hockey sticks for 1980.</figcaption></div>An added feature of the Northland line is its new graphic look designed exclusively by Robert De brey, internationally recognized designer. The new look gives Northland a contemporary feel with extra style and class. The Graphite XL-G is Northland&rsquo;s top line with a fiberglass-graphite wood composition. It has a double glass laminated blade and weighs only 19 ounces. The 19-ply Power-lite is the company&rsquo;s most economical stick.<h2>TITAN</h2>The colorful red-shafted hockey sticks are still a TITAN trademark and the company produced a new model last season for its top hockey ambassador, high-scoring Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders.TITAN put Bossy&rsquo;s name on its Pro Jr model to attract the younger hockey players who could afford the stick.The Custom Pro model is still TITAN&rsquo;S top line, with a birch composition reinforced by fiberglass. New NHL super star Wayne Gretzky was a regular user of the TITAN stick last season after he had officially endorsed it. The blade is structured with Karglas fiberglass, a super combination of two high strength multidirectional epoxy laminates and a wrap-around ABS insert in the heel to preserve the blade from wear.<h2>VICTORIAVILLE</h2>The NHL list of Victoriaville hockey stick users is endless. With a line ranging from pee wee right up to the pros, the company completely redesigned its line of products last season.Victoriaville introduced a new heel guard to its sticks, providing extra strength and longer playing life. The feature was available on the Pro Vic 1000 and Custom Vic models. The company has both a wood and fiberglass line with six models available in each.With three exciting models, the Pro Vic 1000, the Custom Vic 1000 and the Custom Vic, Victoriaville has been in the forefront of pro hockey sales. The Pro Vic goaltender stick ranks high with NHL netminders, who appear to like the new curved feature of the stick.All six of the Victoriaville fiberglass models feature lightness and several of the sticks have curved blades as well.<h2>WEL WAL</h2>Hockey has been waiting for the FUTURSHOT synthetic hockey stick and Wel Wal Enterprises Ltd., of Winnipeg hope they have the answer in their revolutionary new aluminum shaft and nylon and glass fibre blade.Inventor Jack Walmsley of Winnipeg is optimistic the new stick will take off with its many sensational features. Priced at $33 a stick with replacement blades available for $6.20 and your broken blade, the FUTURSHOT stick has perfect balance, a rubber hand grip, a durable plastic covered shaft, a moulded blade with a carbon fiber, a slight blade rocker and the option of left or right hand sticks. The company also has a service policy on all purchases.Attractively colored, Walmsley thinks the new synthetic sticks will be a hit with the minors. He wouldn&rsquo;t mind if the NHL started using them either. &#9632;

f0017-01

Novel Uniform Concept Gains In Popularity

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02644/4328470-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01607/4328463-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="1781" height="1263"></div> &#9632;

f0018-02

Hockey Sticks Analysis

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01454/4328501-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0021-01

Analysis Of Equipment Products

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01496/4328553-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CCM has both the Nylon Tacks, above, and three models of goalkeeper skates, below, in its 1980 line.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02388/4328546-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="1173" height="702"></div><h2>BAUER</h2>Bauer offers a comprehensive line of stitched and moulded skates&mdash;16 models in all&mdash;designed to meet everyone&rsquo;s price range. The top of the Bauer moulded line includes the Proform and Select models. The Proform features a wrap-over instep and support, a durable nylon liner and snug fit heels.The Select offers a wrap-over instep support, special speed lacing hooks for convenience, and a two-toned style upper.Other top performance skates include stitched models, like the Supreme II&mdash;which feature a wrap-around tendon guard, leather trim lining and ballistic nylon construction. The Supreme 92, like the Supreme II a very popular skate with professional plays, features a built-in tendon guard and ballistic nylon.Other Bauer models include the Select Moulded, with space lace hooks for convenience, the Pro Form Moulded, with a special wrap-over instep support, the Jr. Supreme II with a wrap-around tendon guard for added protection, the Special Pro, also with extra tendon protection, the Esprit Moulded, the Black Panther Moulded, the Black Panther, the Jr. Supreme 192 with built-in tendon guard, the Jr. Supreme, Turbo Moulded and finally the Challenger, which is basically a recreational level skate and the most economical of the Bauer skates.Bauer features two top goalkeepers&rsquo; skates, the Pro Goaler, for NHL types, and the Senior Goaler for the intermediates.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02351/4328539-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="1175" height="1255"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03258/4328532-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="1201" height="1067"><figcaption class="caption-body">Daoust&rsquo;s best for 1980: The 301, for forwards and defensemen (top) and the 193, for goaltenders.</figcaption></div>The Bauer skates range in price from $40 right up to the super model of the Bauer family, the $180-$190 Supreme II skate. Goaltender skates are priced at $174-$184 for the pros and from $97-$107 for the intermediates.For more information on Bauer&rsquo;s wide range of skates, see the accompanying chart.<h2>CCM</h2>The best, most popular and most famous of CCM&rsquo;s line of skates is the Super Tack, worn by hockey players at all levels of the game. Featuring the Tackaberry last and comprised of such features as ballistic nylon uppers, soft English kip lining, moulded poly counters and a new waterproof surlyn insole, the Super Tack is the ultimate in comfort, fit and protection.For those who are not quite ready for the Super Tac, CCM offers a wide range of other models, including three different styles of goaltender skates.Among these models are the Nylon Tacks, the Jr. Super Tacks, the Jr. Nylon Tacks, the Custom Pro, the Custom Pro Mustang, and the Custom Pro Bronco. The Bronco, with good reinforcement, is for boys. The Mustang model is more suited to men, with its&rsquo;duck interlining and two-piece nylon tongue. Like all CCM models, it is a lace-up.The upper line of CCM skates are made of stainless steel, with extra protection and a new waterproof sole. The Nylon Tacks are priced below the famed CCM Tacks and are considered a fine skate for the money. It has heavy gauge uppers with an English kip lining and sock liner. Like all models, the CCM skates come with brown leather trim and are a credit to the time-honored CCM name.The CCM goal models are very popular with pros and amateurs alike. The NHL styled Pro Goal Nylon skate is the ultimate with moulded plastic armour protection, padded top band, padded ankle, English kip lining and, of. course, a new waterproof sole.CCM skates range in price from $58.00 right up to the classy Tacks, which go for $208 a pair but are long lasting and cut resistant. Goalie skates sell for $106 at the kids&rsquo; level and if you are an NHL netminder, you can expect to shell out $204 for a pair of Pro Goal Nylons.<h2>DAOUST</h2>The cream of Daoust&rsquo;s 1980 crop of skates is their 301 model for forwards and defensemen and their 193 model for goaltenders. Taking the 301 first, it features a nylon and leather upper with leather lining and arch support. It comes with a TuqK 2000 or Perfecta P-2 blade and is guaranteed for one year.The goaltenders 193 features a two-piece polyurethane upper, an SLM blade and a one-year warranty.<h2>JOFA</h2>Jofa features three different models of skates&mdash;the 200K, the 190, and the 195. The 200K, their top of the line model, features an all-leather upper, will accommodate either a Tuuk or Perfecta blade, and is designed for the professional or more experienced player.The 190, the intermediate model, has the same features as the 200K, except it also comes with an ankle guard.The third skate, the 195, is Jofa&rsquo;s Youth Model and, like the other two, it is guaranteed for one year and will adapt either a Tuuk or Perfecta blade.<h2>LANGE</h2>Last year, Lange had four different brands of skates to offer&mdash;the Laser 5, the TNT, the Elite and the Sprint. This year, they are offering those same four models as well as two new models&mdash;both for goaltenders&mdash;the Elite and the Laser 5. For details on all of these skates, see our chart.<h2>ROOS</h2>Roos features three models for the 1980 season&mdash;the all-leather Roos Sr., the ballistic nylon Roos Sr., and the nylon Roos Jr. Either the Tuuk or Perfecta blade is offered with the boot, but all three models will accommodate any kind of blade. The boot is guaran teed for 180 days on all three models and their blades are guaranteed for one year.<h2>TUUK</h2>Tuuk has been one of the leaders in the development of the plastic support blade and continues to be a dominant figure in the hockey blade industry.The Tuuk 2000, suited for use on all types of skates and available in a variety of sizes, is made of a tough and durable polycarbonate and can be fitted with either a carbon or stainless steel runner. The runner is attached to the walls of the polycarbonate support through the application of a wide V principle, which offers greater mechanical efficiency to the skater.Tuuk blades hold their ice-biting edge for an unusually long period without sharpening. This is because Tuuk blades are made of &ldquo;Sandvik,&rdquo; a surgical steel developed in Sweden to meet the punishing demands of the world&rsquo;s fastest game.Unlike carbon steel blades that require sharpening frequently, often after every game, Tuuk stainless steel blades hold their edges with as few as five or six sharpenings a season. Sharpening Tuuk blades is not a habit, it&rsquo;s an occasion. And then only if you&rsquo;ve nicked a blade or lost some skate control.Tuuk has recently introduced a new &ldquo;Tuuk Clear&rdquo; holder and blade and the reaction has been overwhelming. &#9632;

f0022-01

EQUIPMENT SUPPLEMENT—Skates

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03314/4328598-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01467/4328591-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="1817" height="1835"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01393/4328584-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1780" height="2312"></div> &#9632;

f0022-03

Hockey Skates Analysis

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>Think back a few years and who would have guessed that you&rsquo;d ever catch a professional hockey player on skates in the broiling July heat. And you&rsquo;d never imagine that these powerful atheletes would be rolling around streets and playgrounds on rollerskate-type shoes, but that&rsquo;s exactly what is happening these days.Two major factors have led to numerous scenes of hockey players rolling along on plastic wheels: 1) the overall trend towards year-round fitness, which has proven to be a major factor in hockey players operating at peak capacity, and 2) the discovery of the urethane wheel, the major innovation that has led to a boom in skateboarding and roller-skating that has swept across North America.After the meetings in International play with the Soviets, Czechs, Swedes, etc. the North American pros realized that keeping fit to play hockey was a proposition which required yearround attention. So over the greater part of the past decade hockey players have introduced jogging, swimming, raquetball and working out with weights as a regular part of their daily or multi-weekly program. But at the same time, the pros also discovered that they were using a different set of muscles in. their summer-time fitness activities and that when training camp rolled around, there were still the initial pains of getting their skating muscles toned. That&rsquo;s where the new roller skates come into play.RLS Products, makers of BiSkates and Unique Roller Hockey Inc., which produce a skate called Super Street Skate, are among the leaders in providing athletes with dryland skates which can be used for serious conditioning or just plain fun.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01433/4328636-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="555" height="1739"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Taylor, who recently signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, laces on a pair of hockey-type roller skates.</figcaption></div>What these skates are, in effect, is a tract of rollers which are attached to a roller-skate or hocke&rsquo;y-type boot. The BiSkates employ two plastic wheels, while the Super Street Skates have a four-wheel system. Both of them allow practically all of the moves which can be practiced on ice hockey skates with the exception of the sideways, sliding stop which can be done only on the ice. The BiSkates have even introduced a toestop for their skates which operates on the principle used by the roller skates which have, of course, undergone a major revival as disco and rock music have been added to the arenas where the waltz was once the king.The new roller skates are not just for hockey players either. Figure skaters are able to give demonstrations of various techniques, including double jumps and flips, on auditorium stages or most portable platforms. And fivetime Gold medal winner Eric Heiden of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team used this type of skate extensively in preparation for his speed-skating program.As mentioned previously, perhaps the biggest breakthrough in the design of the new skates was the urethane wheel. Its most dramatic effect on the skates was to give them the kind of maneuverability that has been lacking in the past when a form of metal wheels were employed. And they are proving more economical in the long run, too, because of their outstanding durability.And the boots worn by the skaters are made Of the high-qualit.y leather which gives their user the same fit and feel as the hockey boot. In fact, many of the roller blades can be attached directly to an ice-skating boot with the addition of a couple of screws.The roller-type skates stimulate the feel and action of ice skates while helping the athlete to maintain the ankle strength and balance which are so essential to ice skating.These skates are usable on practically any dry, smooth, hard surface, which means that you can just step right out of your house and take off on an exercise course that will help you become a better conditioned performer.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02337/4328629-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="2479" height="3000"><figcaption class="caption-body">UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR ORDER (PLEASE PROVIDE MONEY ORDER&mdash;CERTIFIED CHEQUE) YOUR NAME ADDRESS PHONE NUMBER WILL BE RECORDED AS A RECIPIENT OF ONE OF OUR HOCKEY STICKS AND WE WILL LOOK AFTER ALL YOUR FUTURE NEEDS BLADES ETC.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-01

Winter Sportsmen Turn To Summer Wheels

<h2>BONI</h2>Boni Goalie Trainers Inc., designers, builders and suppliers of puck-shooting machines for champions such as the 1980 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic hockey team and the University of North Dakota, winners of the 1980 National Collegiate Athletic Association title, have added a new trainer to their line called the Petti-Puck Special.It is an on-ice version of the Petti-Puck and can shoot at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, enabling it to work in much the same way as the larger models perform. The Petti-Puck line also has a feature not in other trainers: It has a manually-operated mechanism which allows pucks to be shot from ice level up to the cross-bar in one motion, a feature most helpful in concentrated training programs.With so many groups having less than six goalies in their programs, the Petti-Puck Special is ideal because it enables you to use a puck-shooting machine at an affordable cost, while still retaining the durability for which Boni is famous.For further information on this model contact Boni Sport Specialties, 558 Scarlett Road, Weston, Ont. M9P 2S2 or phone 416241-0030.<h2>JOHN BROWN</h2>John Brown Custom Sporting Equipment, has in the past featured in THE HOCKEY NEWS Equipment Supplement new products as they became available to the public. They have featured the Professional Pad, Goalie Gloves and last year the Goalie Pants. As most hockey goaltenders know, Brown manufactures equipment for the professional, college and junior goaltenders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01414/4328702-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="545" height="573"></div>Over the years the demand for their hand-made goal pads has increased, and now Brown manufactures the new Brown Senior Pad. This pad will be for the goaltenders who want many of the features the Brown Professional Goal Pad offers. The Brown Senior Goal Pad will be more affordable for the younger goaltender who requires the quality and durability the Brown Professional Pads are known for.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02307/4328695-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="454" height="530"><figcaption class="caption-body">The improved Brown goalie&rsquo;s elbow pad offers greater protection.</figcaption></div>For the past five years Brown has manufactured the Chest & Arm Protector that is worn by 80 per cent of the professional goaltenders. They have now improved this product to meet higher standards of protection. The chest pad has more protection around the rib cage, neck and collar bone areas. The arm protectors offer improved elbow protection. Both arms have had additional padding placed on the forearms to absorb more shock.The Brown Company makes Custom-made equipment for goaltenders of all levels. To obtain more information on the new Brown Senior Pads or any of the Brown line of goaltending equipment write or phone: John Brown Custom Sporting Equipment Ltd., P.O. Box 69, Collingwood, Ontario, L9Y 3Z4. (705) 445-7133.<h2>CANADIEN</h2>Canadien Hockey Industries Inc., official suppliers to the Canadian National Hockey Team, feature a full hockey line and have introduced many new products for the coming season.Featured on the following page are the Professional Stick Hand and Goal Hand Goalers&rsquo; Gloves as well as the Custom Pro Goalie pad.The GG 90 SH Stick Hand pad features one piece construction with a sheet of polyethylene sandwiched between layers of foam. It has a foam-padded polyethylene reinforced thumb protector and is a horsehide glove, padded over the finger and knuckle area.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03202/4328688-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="577" height="393"></div>GG 91 CH is a double ply leather trap with nylon stitching and lacing. It features a fast-acting diagonal breaking palm with polyethylene stiffeners sandwiched between felt padding. There are also adjustable built-in thumb and finger loops, a heel roll of leather-covered foam padding and a nylon covered foam padded cuff. Both gloves are available in full right.The JG 90 Custom Pro goalie pad comes in 36, 34, 32 and 29 inch models and features all leather front and sides with extra thick felt padding. They are filled with deep hair for extra lightness and exceptional resilience and double stitched and hand sewn in stress areas. These pads offer maximum comfort and security. line along with the all-leather model HG 960. The glove is made with top grain horse-hide palms allowing greater flexibility, while the fingers and back rolls are precurved for added comfort and foam filled to resist impact.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01399/4328681-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="1185" height="1224"></div>A new model of shinguards introduced this season is the SG 500 model, which has a special floating knee hinge which is reinforced by a high impact polyethylene. The pad is constructed of sherline foam backed by a covered foam knee cap and offers great flexibility.Sp 250 shoulder pads have been designed to give maximum protection to the chest and upper rib cage. The extended front and back of this pad are reinforced by moulded polyethylene shoulder caps with foam padding.A European style hockey pant of heavy-duty nylon, the PPE 200 pants features a zipper detachment for easy dismantling of the lower section. A special insert allows the pants to be worn with or without suspenders.A built-in forearm extension, providing elbow to wrist protection is one of the key features of the EP 96 elbow pads. Foam padded throughout, this pre-shaped professional model of whitecoated urethane coated nylon is the top of the Canadien line and has adjustable elastic center strap and double bicep band.Among other new items featured by Canadien are HG 96 hockey gloves, which is the top of their<h2>CCM</h2>With the greater emphasis on hockey helmets with facemasks through legislation calling for their use in U.S. college leagues (ECAC) and Canadian major junior leagues (Quebec Major Junior League) CCM continues as one of the leaders in this equipment line.Heading their product line is the Pro Standard HI Helmet with full wire mask. This is a CSA certified and CAHA tested and approved lightweight head protection with exterior adjustments. The helmet and mask kit are sold separately or as a complete head protection unit. There are two basic models of the helmet&mdash;the HTMJR 504411 for juniors and the HTLSR 504421 for seniors&mdash;plus three helmet and mask kits, the HTKS 504433 TYKE which is available only as a helmet and mask kit and is not sold separately, and the HTKM 504434 REG and HTKL 504454 SNR models.The basic CCM mask is the HFM2 504470 which has a contoured foam chin cup for added protection, a fully padded mouth and jaw protector, extended ear protection and a new strap fastening system for secure adjusting of the mask.CCM&rsquo;s Pro Standard helmet features a new moulded inner liner which conforms to head contours, improved impact absorbing foam, ventilation grooves and micro F17 buttons for custom fitting.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02293/4328674-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="1197" height="1263"></div><h2>COOPER</h2>Cooper International Inc. has introduced a revolutionary new helmet worn by many professional hockey players. The SK2000 and SK2001 models have been certified by the CSA and Swedish Hockey Federation and are comfortable, close-fitting helmets which offer superb protection.The helmet offers three layers of protection&mdash;an outer shell made of resilient Dupont 2907 linear polyethylene, an inner lining also of plastic in a patented pin-cushion design plus inside padding of comfortable, high-density absorbex foam.These helmets are fully adjustable simply by loosening the screws on each side, fitting the head properly and then retightening the screws.A M2000 Jaw Guard and Mask have also been designed as a symmetrical part of the SK2000 helmet. The jaw guard is designed to prevent stick penetration from the top, bottom and sides and also provides the chin with two laminated layers of foam protection.Masks are available in both wire and lexan models. The cage (wire) mask is made with chip resistant epoxy coated, high strength steel and offers great forward and sideways visibility. The HM60 Lexan visor mask employs a high impact resistant shield for the eyes, nose and cheek areas of the face.Cooper&rsquo;s XL1 gloves are considered a dynamic new concept in player protection. These gloves, which come in three models&mdash;XL1-L, XL1-M and XL1-S&mdash;are available in four colors.They are light, flexible and durable with a space-age look. They are 30 percent lighter than comparable gloves, just 20 ounces, or 567 grams per pair. They are flexible for improved stick control and feel of the puck and also include mesh finger gussets and a ventilated back to keep the player&rsquo;s hands dry.At the same time, they are extremely protective with their highimpact absorbing foam construction and the finger fused pads offer Armour Back protection.These gloves, which can be machine-washed and tumble dried are Lycra covered, which makes them resistant to skate cuts and abrasions. They have a genuine leather palm with nylite binding.The L, M, and S models of the XL1 glover are sized as follows: The L model is 16% inches in length and is designed with a wide gap between the thumb and finger for better stick-handling; the M model is sized for the intermediate to senior player with a shorter cuff and is 16 inches in length, while the 15-inch S model is for younger players and those with smaller hands.<h2>COSBY</h2>Custom-built team equipment bags for hockey, football, baseball, track, lacrosse and many other team sports are one of the most popular products of Gerry Cosby and Co. Inc.Made of vat-dyed canvas with reinforced corners, these bags feature a two-way pull, heavy duty double zipper across the top and down both ends. They are also equipped with web handles covered by colored canvas and have a double-snap canvas handle locking device for easier carrying.The standard hockey bag is 26 inches long, 13 inches wide and 16 inches wide, while the goalie bags are 10 inches longer. However, Cosby can make any size bags to your specifications and will give estimates for special designs.All canvas bags are water-repellant and mildew-treated and can be made with contrasting trim at the corners, handles and piping at no extra cost.A total of 14 canvas colors are carried in stock.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01351/4328667-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="969" height="749"></div><h2>JOFA</h2>Jofa-Volvo Canada Limited offers a full hockey line and have several new features for the 1980 season at both the minor and professional level of hockey.The 1442 Model Elbow Pads are designed for the NHL players and serious seniors, collegians, etc. for the new season. They feature a moulded elbow cap.There&rsquo;s also the Jofa helmet and facemask line which is introducing the Jofa 280 helmet, CSA and AHAUS approved with a compatible Jofa 253/256 facemask. Available in white, black, blue, red, green and yellow models. Suggested retail price is $27.95.The Jofa 245 Sr or Jr model helmets, available in all six colors, and also compatible with the 253/256 facemask are $19.95.<h2>KOHO</h2>Added protection is the name of the game in the Koho line of equipment with models from pro to novice available. Koho&rsquo;s 89 DSP shoulder pads are the top of their line and offer greater protection in the front of and on top of the shoulders. They retail for $65.80 while the 870 Pro Cut shoulder pads which have additional protection on the front and side, are listed at $35.70.Jofa&rsquo;s Pro 750 gloves have increased padding over the back of the hand, as well as across the fingers. They retail for $149.<h2>LEROPTCO</h2>Super Sports Specs are the new prescription protective wraparound eyewear from Leroptco of Shr&ecirc;wsbury, Mass.These sports eyewear devices feature foam bridge pads, adjustable elastic head band, extra deep lens grooves and are made of clear, strong optical plastic.The lenses are prescription CR-39 plastic, which is impact resistant and they come in a carrying case.For further information, write to Leroptco, &ldquo;Eyewear for Athletics,&rdquo; P.O. Box 5, Shrewsbury, Mass. 01545.<h2>NORTHLAND</h2>Besides their famous stickline, the Northland people offer other lines of hockey equipment, primarily their helmets, plus equipment bags, skateguards and pucks.Helmets are available in nine colors&mdash;white, black, royal blue, navy blue, ice blue, light green, kelly green, red and gold and are made from a rugged one-piece polyethylene moulded shell.The top model is the Stan Mikita helmet which has been certified in the United States for the Hockey Equipment Certification Council and in Canada to meet the new M-78 1980 standard.The original Mikita model is constructed with the 12-point webbed suspension, while the Mikita II helmet is constructed with shock-absorbing padding and removeable padded hangers.Northland helmets offer maximum protection in the critical lower neck area, new airflow ventilation designed for comfort and coolness plus total ear protection.Two masks are offered&mdash;the Northland Hawks black MACHO MASK has maximum wraparound which provides total ear protection and the teeth protector exceeds safety standards by 148 per cent. The Northland FLIP-GARD face mask offers vinyl-coated, hard-tempered wire which can be flipped up between shifts and offers more protection than any face mask on the market.<h2>RLS</h2>RLS Products have introduced several new innovations to go along with their BiSkates which were first developed in 1972. A new Toestop is now available for skateboard parks and arenas requiring toestops and to help protect the boots, Scuffguard toe pieces have been produced. There&rsquo;s also figure BiSkates which have been widely used for figure skating demonstrations every where from basements to school stages.Boots for BiSkates are made by the Oberhamer Shoe Company of top grain leather with a stitched outsole and crushproof toe. The wheels, toepicks, toestops and scuffguards are made of Dupont &ldquo;Adiprene&rdquo; Urethane rubber which has unsurpassed abrasion resistance. Life span of the wheels is almost unlimited indoors, and in excess of 100 hours under the most grueling outdoor conditions.The Scuffguards attach to the boot on the top of the laces and each one weighs just three ounces. They have two holes in the back which enable them to be tied by a string around the back of the boot heel. They have proven to significantly reduce the wear and tear on the boots.The Toestop piece attaches easily to the boots with a push-off pull-on design.BiSkates are useable on any dry, reasonably smooth and hard surface. They offer a unique opportunity for developing the ankle strength and balance required for ice skating. With just a little practice, most maneuvers performed on ice skates can be accomplished on BiSkates with the exception of the hockey stop.<h2>UNIQUE ROLLER HOCKEY LTD.</h2>One of the most interesting products to hit the business this season is the &ldquo;Super Street Skate,&rdquo; which is actually a skate boot with four urethane wheels attached to it instead of the conventional blade.These &lsquo;&lsquo;dryland &lsquo;skates&rdquo; allow the user to exercise their skating muscles when ice time is not available. Olympic gold medalist Eric Heiden used them extensively in preparing for the 1980 Games and many hockey players who have tried the wheels out are delighted with the results.These roller blades fit all size boots, are guaranteed for one year and are available for $63.50.<blockquote class="pullQuote">A M2000 Jaw Guard and Mask have also been designed as a symmetrical part of the SK2000 helment.</blockquote> &#9632;

f0027-01

EQUIPMENT SUPPLEMENT—Products

I wouldn&rsquo;t be at all surprised if facemasks end up in the NHL eventually. If you look at the disabling injuries in hockey over the years, eye injury has probably been the one that has stood out more than any and it is an injury that emotionally has some of the most tragic consequences.JohnJohn Ziegler, President, National Hockey LeagueI guarantee you that there will be prevalent facemask wearing in the NHL in the next five years. You can&rsquo;t fight anyone with a facemask on, and international hockey is doing just fine without fighting.Lou Nanne, General Manager, Minnesota North StarsThe movement began subtly, several years ago, when both the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) ruled that facemasks would be mandatory for the players in each organization&rsquo;s minor hockey program.Then, last summer, the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced that all of the players on the teams it supervised would have to start wearing the masks for the 1979-80 season.Just several weeks ago, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) became the first of Canada&rsquo;s three major junior leagues&mdash;the Ontario and Western are the others&mdash;to rule that its players would be wearing the facemask this season.Can the National Hockey League be too far behind?According to the two men quoted above and many others, the pre-vading sentiment seems to be that the facemask may indeed be as much a part of the NHL player&rsquo;s equipment as his skates and stick&mdash;and it may well happen in the next five or 10 years.Before you start going into convulsions at, the thought of your favorite player having his gorgeous face and long, flowing locks covered up by an ugly, cumbersome helmet and mask, think back 10 years or so to the days when no one in the league was even wearing a helmet. Remember the initial reaction? Some coaches wouldn&rsquo;t even allow their players to wear helmets. Rookies who reported to their first training camp sporting a helmet were sometimes told flat out to discard it or not make the team. Back then&mdash;and it wasn&rsquo;t that long ago&mdash;you could literally count on two hands the number of players in the league who wore helmets.Now, of course, the exact opposite is true and the main reason for that is simple: As a player moved up the ladder in his pre-NHL career he found that more and more of the leagues in which he played required him to wear the helmet. By the time he reached the NHL&mdash;where up until a few years ago a rookie could shed his helmet upon entering the league if he so chose&mdash;there was no reason to exercise that option. Why? Because the vast majority of players had grown accustomed to the helmet, learned to play with it, and considered it a necessary and vital part of their equipment.Undoubtedly, this very same process will hold true for the facemask. While it has its dissenters and critics, the simple fact of the matter is that the facemask is being accepted and made mandatory by leagues, organizations and teams throughout the United States and Canada. And once a movement of any kind gets support and endorsement from the &ldquo;grass roots,&rdquo; history proves that it&rsquo;s just a matter of time before it is-universally adopted. &#9632;

Facemasks Definitely A Part Of NHL’s Future

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>The marriage of wood and fiberglass seems to be the course selected by the majority of hockey stick manufacturers for the 1980s. But the search continues for the perfect materials which can combine lightness and durability, a search which is introducing many synthetic materials into the market.More and more sticks are being produced that are a combination of two or more materials. Wood and fiberglass are the two most popular ingredients of the marketable hockey stick.&ldquo;I think that wood is still very much appreciated,&rdquo; says Ben Pastway, president of the Kitchener Company in Kitchener, Ont. His company produces birch or ash sticks with rock elm blades wrapped in fiberglass.Their newest line is the Fibre-Lite 1020, a light adult stick. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s designed for the pros,&rdquo; Pastway explained. &ldquo;We wanted a light stick that would be stiff and strong so we started with a light, but tough wood and combined it with moulded fibres, plus an extra layer of fiberglass all around.&rdquo;The Fibre-Lite also has a urethane reinforced heel, which according to Pastway, provides &ldquo;reinforcing where is is most needed.&rdquo;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a structure which achieves durability,&rdquo; Pastway said.Kitchener is just one of the many manufacturers who have been experimenting with new types of sticks to attract the buying public. And the designs range from an almost totally wood stick to several variations of synthetic sticks which don&rsquo;t have any wood at all.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the only stick maker who uses Northern white ash in the handle and rock elm exclusively in the blade,&rdquo; claims Hal Bakke, president of Christian Bros, company in Warroad, Minn. Their newest line is the Christian USA stick, a model that was used by several members of the United States 1980 Olympic Hockey Team, particularly Dave Christian who now plays for the Winnipeg Jets and whose father is a vice president of the company.At the same time, Christian also produces a stick for goaltenders which is synthetically made and which is practically breakresistant.A little further north, in Winnipeg, Man. is Wel-Wal Enterprises Inc., whose president, Jack Walmsley, has invented an allsynthetic stick called Futurshot.These 55 inch, 20-ounce sticks cost $33 Canadian and have proven extremely durable in performance thus far. The shafts&mdash;made of durable plastic surrounding a flexible aluminum core&mdash;and the blades&mdash;made of hightechnology reinforced thermo plastics&mdash;are made in two American plants and are assembled in a third U.S. location. They are then sent to Winnipeg where they are wrapped in linen tape, silk screened, shellacked and counter-balanced and equipped with a rubber safety hand grip.Still another new stick has been developed by Canadien, their Superglas 5505, which features the addition of a wood veneer over the fiberglass, allowing for the feel of a wood handle.&ldquo;The idea of this stick,&rdquo; said Steve Johnson, sales and production manager of Canadien, &ldquo;is to have the appearance and feeling of wood on our fiberglass handle.&rdquo;Canadien also has their 9600 Fiberglass model, which is made with a special fiberglass construction and claims to be the most impact-resistant stick today.&ldquo;It has a synthetic blade and block,&rdquo; Johnson said, &ldquo;and being made with a fiberglass composite it is alot more resistant than wood. It should outlast the conventional stick by about five to one.&ldquo;The price of wood is pretty high these days,&rdquo; Johnson continued,&ldquo;And I believe that you are going to see a lot of newer and better materials introduced to sticks in the coming years.&rdquo;Meanwhile, several other stick companies are strengthening various portions of their sticks in the pursuit of lightness and durability.Northland, for example, has a patented armor-plated blade and have added protection where the blade contacts the ice. Special compounds of imported ground marble and chemicals developed through Northland research have significantly reduced friction between the blade bottom and the ice surface.Another of their other, newer features are lean blades, a light yet durable blade which combines extra strength with the feel that is absolutely essential for a topquality stick.Box-lam construction is one of the highlights of the Jofa hockey stick. Its interior is a four-sided box, surrounded by nine laminates which produce a very durable stick and is featured in Jofa&rsquo;s 9030 model. They also have a 9009 model which is a wood composite fiberglass.A new innovation of Victoriaville sticks is their HeelGard, a protection system for the area where the shaft meets the blade which provides extra strength and a longer playing life for their sticks including their six fiberglass models.In the goaltending stick department, Cooper has produced an airfoil-style fin designed for its light weight and maneuverability, yet another new wrinkle in the technology which goes into today&rsquo;s hockey sticks.New materials, new combinations of discovered materials, greater strength, reduced weight, more durability&mdash;all characteristics which hockey stick manufac-turers are striving for, and often producing as the sport heads into the 80s. &#9632;

Hockey Stick Of the 80’s: Lighter Yet Stronger

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01337/4328781-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="566" height="814"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vancouver assistant coach Tom Watt will offer new ideas for the club&rsquo;s power play.</figcaption></div>VANCOUVER&mdash;Everyone in Vancouver has been busy making., cracks as to the number of people flooding into the Canucks front office lately, but nobody has mentioned their quality.First. Jack Gordon was hired to be general manager Jake Milford&rsquo;s assistant and then Tom Watt joined the coaching staff of Harry Neale and Dave Dunn for at least the next two years.Watt, who was very nearly lured out of his University of Toronto position two years ago by Lou Nanne of the Minnesota North Stars, comes to the Canucks officially as an assistant to Neale, but speculation has been running rampant that he will become head coach when Milford retires and Neale is moved up to the GM position.In fact, Watt, at a news conference to announce his arrival, completely dodged the question as to whether or not he had been promised the head coaching job.The 38-year-old Watt is certainly one of the more sought after coaches around Canada and the U.S., and whether or not he&rsquo;s to be the head coach, he is certainly a superb addition to the Canucks. Put him with Neale and the extremely bright young Dunn, and it is unlikely the Canucks will be outcoached this year.Watt won so many Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships (11) that it got to be a joke, and though he won&rsquo;t admit it, probably quite a bore. Looking for a new challenge, he spent the last two years as coach of the Canadian Olympic team, which finished sixth in the Lake Placid Games, but beat the gold medal-winning Americans three out of four in exhibitions.&ldquo;I was jealous as hell of those guys (the Americans),&rdquo; said Watt. &ldquo;1 know that there wasn&rsquo;t much difference between their team and ours and it could have easily gone the other way.&rdquo;As for what his plans are for helping the Qanucks, Watt is hoping to make a specific contribution to the power play&mdash;the Canucks had the third worst in the league last year&mdash;and in specific areas of motivation and practice ideas.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t expect to come into my first year in the league and make a world of difference,&rdquo; said Watt. &ldquo;I have a few ideas which I think may be of some benefit and I think the Canucks are the type of progressive organization that can adapt to change.&rdquo;Optimism-tends to be rampant during the summer months, but as Watt has to learn, he can only do so much, and as the baseball saying goes, &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t pull the cart if you don&rsquo;t have the horses.&rdquo;With the three coaches, the club intends to go into more video taping of games, particularly on the road and into individual performance breakdowns. Further, they are considering setting up the walkie-talkie business, similar to that used by the Buffalo Sabres last season, though they are not committed to the idea.But while all these plans are in progress, there seems to be a distinct shortage of new faces in the Canucks&rsquo; lineup. One will likely be first round draft pick and defenseman Rick Lanz, but after that there is nobody new. The club is interested in getting back exCanuck Bobby Schmautz, though they have often gone on record as saying they don&rsquo;t like to take players back they have already traded, and there could still be a trade involving Jere Gillis.Meanwhile, center Chris Oddleifson, who was playing out his&rsquo; option last season, has been re-signed for another season. Ivan Boldirev, the team&rsquo;s other significant free agent, also came to terms with the Canucks. &#9632;

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Canucks Using Updated Coaching Approach

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div>MONTREAL&mdash;Jacques Laperriere will not be an assistant coach with the Canadiens next season.But the former Norris Trophy, Calder Trophy and NHL All Star defenseman will be giving a helping hand to coach Claude Ruel through-out the coming season.In Canadienese, Laperriere will be director of special assignments. What he will do is be on the ice for the Montreal practices, handle some advance scouting chores and even take in a junior game or two.&ldquo;But he won&rsquo;t be behind the bench,&rdquo; said Ruel. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be doing exactly the same type of job I did when I was with Scotty Bowman.&rdquo;Laperriere was hired during the middle of last month after much speculation that he would be rejoining the Canadiens&rsquo; organization.For a while, it appeared that Ruel would go it alone to start the season, but he finally decided Laperriere would be a suitable aide.&ldquo;Claude really hadn&rsquo;t made up his mind until the day before Jacques was hired,&rdquo; said managing director Irving Grundman. &ldquo;I asked him who he had in mind and he thought it would be a good idea to talk to Jacques.&rdquo;The next day, Ruel met with Laperriere and once their meeting was concluded, Laperriere met with Grundman and a one-year deal was consummated&ldquo;I have the fullest confidence in Jacques,&rdquo; said Ruel, who was Laperriere&rsquo;s coach with the Junior Canadiens in 1962. &ldquo;I know that he will take his work seriously.&rdquo;Laperriere, who retired from hockey in the fall of 1975 as a result of a knee injury, served as coach of the Montreal Juniors for a year and a half before resigning in protest over the amount of violent play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.And while Laperriere is highly regarded in most quarters, there was a chance he would never rejoin the Canadiens because of a lawsuit he launched against the club and the NHL which was settled out of court earlier this summer.Laperriere, 38, is looking forward to returning to the NHL and feels the job is a big challenge for him.&ldquo;I have an enormous amount of respect for Claude,&rdquo; Laperriere said. &ldquo;I also consider him as a friend. It was Claude who gave me my first chance in the juniors. 1 am sure that we&rsquo;ll get along.&ldquo;I had a long talk with Claude. He knows what to expect from me and I know what to expect from him.Laperriere&rsquo;s appointment was only part of an organizational shuffle announced by Grundman.Howard Grundman, 29, who has been the Canadiens&rsquo; marketing director for three years, has been promoted to director of hockey administration and will travel with the club throughout the year, looking after the hotel bookings and airplane travel, a task which was handled by Floyd Curry last season.The younger Grundman will also assist Ruel with the studying of videotape. His marketing duties will be divided among other Forum personnel.IN PASSING: Serge Savard has agreed to a one-year deal with the Canadiens and says he is fully recovered from the broken bone in his foot&hellip;Pierre Larouche shot a 77 to win the players&rsquo; division of the annual Canadiens&rsquo; gold tournament&hellip;The Canadiens signed eighthround draft selection Steve Penney, a goaltender from Shawinigan, and forward Dan Daoust of the Cornwall Royals. Daoust, a free agent, agreed to a three-year deal&hellip;The Canadiens will open their 1980-81 schedule Oct. 11 at the Forum against the Chicago Black Hawks, one of 20 Saturday night home games for Montreal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02247/4328812-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="579" height="1057"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jacques Laperriere will assist Claude Ruel in the same ways that Ruel helped Scotty Bowman.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Laperriere Rejoins Canadiens’ Fold

SPRINGFIELD&mdash;Jack Butterfield, president of the American Hockey League for the past 14 years and a recent inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, will be the guest of honor when his family, friends and colleagues gather on Tuesday, September 23 to celebrate &ldquo;A Night For Jack&rdquo; at Chez Josef, Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, Mass.Following a dinner, the gala affair will feature a short speaking program including several hockey celebrities and friends and MC&rsquo;d by Channel 40&rsquo;s Jack O&rsquo;Neill. Later there will be dancing to the music of the Bart Nascembeni Band.Tickets at $20.00 per person may be obtained through any member of the Banquet Committee: Gordie Anziano&mdash;work&mdash;781-2031 or home&mdash;533-3004, Judy Paro, 782-1032 or 786-8083, Jack O&rsquo;Neill, 785-1911, Jack Bethel, 781-0300, Ken Mattoon, 732-2361 or by writing to: P. O. Box 657, West Springfield, Mass. 61089. &#9632;

Testimonial Dinner Honors Butterfield

<div class="byline">BY JIM LEAHY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSSYRACUSE&mdash;In a bizarre ending to their intended franchise shift to the Maritime province of New Brunswick, the Syracuse Firebirds were right back to where they started&mdash;in the War Memorial Auditorium at Syracuse.Team officials were left with no alternative but to continue to operate the Firebirds out of Syracuse when negotiations to move their American Hockey League franchise for the 1980-81 season to either Saint John or Fredericton, N.B., ended at an impasse.At press time there was little information available as to the future operation of the Syracuse team although the Firebirds were again committed to play out of Syracuse for next season. The status of an NHL parent team also remained uncertain although it was believed the Quebec Nordiques, who operated the Firebirds last year and lost a considerable amount of money doing it, would be back as the team&rsquo;s main supplier of players.The Firebirds had been striving to locate in Saint John where the team would have played in the old Beaverbrook Arena until the city was able to construct a new facility. But the city fathers of Saint John turned thumbs down on a new rink and the Firebirds went looking to nearby Fredericton, which has a new arena with a 4,000 seating capacity. But the Firebirds could not agree to terms With the Fredericton people and the idea-, of relocating the team has been shelved for the upcoming season at least.The AHL is anxious to establish another franchise in the Maritimes to complement the New Brunswick Hawks in Moncton and the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in Halifax, N.S., setting up a three-team Eastern seaboard rivalry that would enhance the AHL treasury down the road.Elsewhere in the AHL:SPRINGFIELD: Will the real Springfield Indians please stand up? In another strange situation, the identity of the NHL club that will stock Springfield next season is still a mystery. After the Hartford Whalers gave up trying to negotiate an equitable deal with the owner of the franchise, they moved their AHL operation to Binghamton. In the process, the Whalers bought the franchise in Binghampton and renamed the team the Binghamton Whalers. Boston was about to sign an agreement to play in the Civic Center with an AHL sponsorship in Springfield, but they backed out at the last minute.Now here is the mystery. Allegedly, the Springfield Civic Center has been signed to a long-term contract to house NHL hockey. A coach and general manager has been hired and a NHL team has agreed to back this phantom operation. The only thing strange about all of this is that none of the principals has been identified.Boston does not have a development team at this writing. Pittsburgh will definitely send their excess players to Binghamton and just about every other team is already committed to the AHL or the CHL. Springfield, then, may operate as an independent team this year if not sponsored by Boston.HERSHEY: A pair of pre-season games with Rochester are on tap for the Bears. The two AHL clubs will meet in Hershey on Sunday, September 28 as part of a hockey doubleheader at the Hersheypark Arena. In the first game, Pittsburgh and Washington will face off. A week later the same two clubs will meet in Buffalo&rsquo;s War Memorial Auditorium.A capacity crowd is expected on Friday, October 3 when the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals meet in Hershey for a preseason contest.The Bears have a new coach for the upcoming campaign. He is 36-year-old Bryan Murray, who led the Regina Pats to their best season ever last year. He has a degree in Physical Education from MacDonald College of Montreal and was the Athletic Director of that institution for four years beginning in 1970-71.Hershey did lose a key player during the off-season. Rugged Tim Coulis was traded by Washington to Toronto in the deal for Mike Palmateer. Coulis, the second draft pick of the Caps in 1978, had 18 points in 47 games with the Bears last season.MAINE: The parent Philadelphia Flyers will open their training camp in Maine starting on September 15th. The rookie camp gets underway a week earlier. &ldquo;After spending three years in Maine with our rookie camp, we though it would be a great idea to bring our veterans here, too,&rdquo; said GM Keith Allen. &ldquo;The environment of the camp location in Maine and the intensity of the hockey interest in the area were just a few reasons we made the decision,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;We are honored to have all of the Flyers and Mariners veterans training in Maine,&rdquo; said Mariners&rsquo; President Ed Anderson. &ldquo;Not only is it flattering to us that Keith sees Maine as an ideal start to his camp, and that (Board Chairman) Ed Snider has further enhanced his life-long relationship with the people of our area, but it will be great for our fans to see a lot of their past favorites again.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01368/4328843-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="576" height="765"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gordie Smith returns to New Haven, scene of past triumphs, as a player and, possibly, assistant coach.</figcaption></div>BINGHAMTON: The parent Hartford Whalers will probably start their training camp in Binghamton, home of their new AHL franchise. In addition, the Pittsburgh Penguins will add a few players since their sparse roster does not allow them to stock a complete development team. With the Whalers and Penguins joining to send several quality skaters to Binghamton, the fans in Broome County area may have a playoff series to view at the Arena next April. Last year, when Whaler players were in Springfield, the club sagged during the latter part of the season and finished in last place in the Northern Division.ROCHESTER: The Amerks will help to support a new Junior &ldquo;B&rdquo; team in the Rochester area this fall. The club will lay a 48-game schedule in the Eastern Great Lakes Junior Hockey League. &ldquo;One of the league&rsquo;s objectives is to attain Junior &ldquo;A&rdquo; status,&rdquo; said GM Jim Sloan of the new club. &ldquo;Forming the league will give boys 16 to 19 the chance to show their stuff and be scouted, in the hopes of moving on to play college hockey or enter the Canadian juniors like so many of the now-defunct Rochester Monarchs used to do,&rdquo; said Sloan.NEW HAVEN: At this writing, the Nighthawks still have not signed a coach and a general manager. Since the departure of Parker MacDonald to Los Angeles, the Nighthawks and NY Rangers have been sifting through the names of several potential candidates, with former Ranger great Rod Gilbert likely to be named new managercoach. The Rangers have reportedly asked Gilbert to take the job.The-Rangers did give New Haven a tremendous boost when they acquired defenseman Gordie Smith from Winnipeg. Smith was one of the most popular players ever to skate in New Haven when he wore the uniform of the old New Haven Blades. Last season he spent most of the year at Tulsa of the CHL, scoring 21 points on five goals and 16 assists. Smith won the Eddie Shore Plaque in 1973-74 when he was named the AHL&rsquo;s best defenseman. That season he scored 67 points while giving his usual 110 percent at all times.Two important pre-season games involving the Rangers will probably sell out the 8.800-seat Coliseum. On September 23, the Rangers and Bruins will meet in New Haven. Last year the same two clubs attracted a record 8,871 fans. The second game will take place on Friday, October 3, when the Stanley Cup Champion New York Islanders take on the archrival Rangers. &#9632;

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Firebirds To Continue In Syracuse As Maritime Franchise Shift Fails

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS<h2>SOUTH DIVISION</h2>FORT WORTH&mdash;John Choyce, former coach of the Texans, became the club&rsquo;s new general manager when a syndicate of 10 Fort Worth businessmen became the local owners. Cliff Overcash Jr., former owner, announced at the end of the past season he was giving up the club.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a real challenge, but I&rsquo;m very pleased with the situation here,&rdquo; Choyce said of his new post. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s taken a lot of work to get things rolling, but our goal is to double last year&rsquo;s attendance. We&rsquo;ve sold 350 season tickets so far, and a lot of the buyers have been new customers.&rdquo; Last season the Texans sold 500.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve hired a new staff,&rdquo; Choyce continued, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;re looking forward to the new season.&rdquo;Choyce&rsquo;s wife, Ruth, has gone to work in the office. She&rsquo;s no stranger to that work, having performed it often in the cities where John has coached&mdash;Kansas City, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Dallas and Fort Worth. Trainer Early Curtis has been working on ticket sales.Dan McDonald, formerly with the Texas Rangers baseball club, was named the Texans&rsquo; public relations director.Ron Ullyot, who coached the Texans to third place in the CHL regular season and into the Adams Cup playoff finals, will return as mentor. The Texans will train with the parent Colorado Rockies at the South Surburban Rink in Littleton, a Denver suburb.HOUSTON: The Apollos were still without a coach, although general manager Al Rollins said the parent Los Angeles Kings were &ldquo;close to naming one.&rdquo;Otherwise, Rollins and holdover trainer Bobby Kincade were firming up preparations for training camp with the Kings at Victoria, B.C. Four pre-season exhibition games were scheduled&mdash;three of them with CHL rival Dallas Black Hawks. The Apollos and Hawks are to meet Sept. 20 in Nanaimo, B.C., Sept. 22 at Courtney, B.C., and Sept. 23 at Duncan, B.C. A game with the parent Kings was set for Sept. 21 in Victoria.With a circus and a Baptist convention occupying Sam Houston Coliseum, the Apollos will open the Houston phase of their training camp Oct. 2 in Sharpstown Ice Center. They will play their first five games of the regular schedule on the road before the home opener, Oct. 25 against the Birmingham Bulls.Rollins hired Richard Heliste, formerly with the Dayton Gems of the International League, as director of public relations. Broadcast plans were being worked out. At least for the start of the season, it appeared a local station would give a four-minute summary at the end of each period of all games. &ldquo;We might work that into a play-by-play broadcast during the season,&rdquo; Rollins said.DALLAS: Along with new coach Danny Belisle, the Black Hawks will have a new trainer for the coming season. General manager Ed Terhune announced the hiring of Rick Ongis, who was with the Port Huron Flags in the International League last season.Broadcast plans for the Hawks were still unsettled, and no replacement had been hired for public relations director Scott Norris.The Hawks were to open training camp with the parent Vancouver Canucks at Duncan, B.C., Sept. 15. They&rsquo;ll report to Dallas Oct. 5. but must play four regular-season games on the road before opening at home, Oct. 25 with Fort Worth.&ldquo;Because of the Texas State Fair, we always have to open on the road,&rdquo; Terhune explained. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s usually been more than four games. Last year, for instance, we had to play our first seven on the road.&rdquo;BIRMINGHAM: Veteran left winger Paul Henderson will be a playing assistant coach under John Brophy, the Bulls announced.&ldquo;With the number of young players we expect to get from the Calgary Flames, Paul&rsquo;s experience will be quite a shot in the arm for us,&rdquo; said Brophy.Henderson, with the rest of the Bulls&rsquo; staff, was busy handling season ticket renewals, and the response was encouraging. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to get back some of the Bulls&rsquo; fans from our WHA days,&rdquo; said publicist Eli Gold, who will again handle the Bulls&rsquo; broadcasts over station WAPI (1070 AM).The Bulls are offering a new incentive to season-ticket purchasers. For each adult season ticket purchased, the club is giving free a season ticket for a youngster age 15 or under.Training camp will be with the Flames in the Calgary Stampede Corral Some exhibition games will be played against junior teams in Western Canada, and possibly against the CHL&rsquo;s newest club, the Wichita Wind.Two of Brophy&rsquo;s Bulls last season have announced they will play in Europe this winter. Defenseman Larry Sacharuk will play in Innsbruck, Austria, while center-captain Rick Adduono, the CHL&rsquo;s No. 8 scorer with 74 points, will play in Italy.<h2>NORTH DIVISION</h2>OKLAHOMA CITY: General manager Lou Nanne of the parent Minnesota North Stars visited Oklahoma City in August, and gave the OC media and coach Ted Hampson an idea of some of the players who&rsquo;ll be headed for the farm club.Nanne indicated captain Tony White, Jon Fontas, Donnie Jackson, Robbie Laird and Peter Shier from last year&rsquo;s team will be returning to Oke City.Among the top rookies Nanne mentioned were defenseman Daniel Poulin, the Eastern League&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player last season for the Erie Blades, with 33 goals and 99 points; Peter Hayek from the University of Minnesota; Jim Dobson, who had 66 goals for the Portland Winter Hawks in the Western League; and Canadian Olympic hero Kevin Maxwell, from the University of North Dakota.Then there&rsquo;s the &ldquo;Baltimore trio&rdquo; of forwards Henry Taylor, Warren Young and Ron Friest, who did a lot of &ldquo;commuting&rdquo; to OC last spring, but spent most of the season in the Eastern League.New club president Ron Nance announced the Stars had sold nearly 1,300 season tickets (compared to 850 last year), indicating fan interest is on the rise.The Stars received publicity in many parts of the nation this summer, as vice-president Steve Michael drove a race car, sponsored by John W. Hail; Inc. (the clubowners).SALT LAKE: Wondering what he could do for an encore, Golden Eagles&rsquo; returning coach Jack (Tex) Evans was getting set to open training camp with the parent St. Louis Blues in Port Huron, Mich.Although some of last year&rsquo;s champion Eagles will not be returning, Evans was looking forward to having an experienced crew.Last season his Birds became the best hockey team in Salt Lake history in winning the Emory Jones Cup (regular season title) and the Adams Cup playoff championship, with a 49-24-7 record for the regular season and a 8-5 post-season record.INDIANAPOLIS: While the playing roster was still to be determined, general manager Jimmy Devellano and coach Bert Marshall had all front office hands returning, and were very busy, as the Checkers prepared to make their second CHL season even more of a box-office success than their first.The Checkers are scheduled to open training camp with the parent New York Islanders at Cantiaque Park in Hicksville, N.Y., Sept. 15.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01348/4328898-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="581" height="692"><figcaption class="caption-body">Fort Worth businessmen purchased the Texans and installed John Choyce as the club&rsquo;s GM.</figcaption></div>The Checkers&rsquo; games will again be broadcast over station WIFE (1310 AM). An attempt is being made to form a broadcasting network.TULSA: Veteran center Jim Wiley, a popular Oiler figure for the past five years (as a player four seasons, in the front office for 1977-78) has announced his retirement. Jim, who scored 91 goals and 213 points in three and a half Oiler seasons, will become a physical education instructor while working for his doctor&rsquo;s degree at the University of Tulsa.Coach Mike Smith and his Oilers will train in Winnipeg with the parent Jets. Two exhibition games have been scheduled between the &ldquo;varsity&rdquo; and the farmhands, Sept. 21 at the Winnipeg Arena, and Sept. 24 from Kenora, Ont.The Oilers will play two more exhibition games in Canada, in Kenora and Dryden, Ont., before heading south to play in Wichita, Oct. 4, and at home against the same club, Oct. 8. The season-opener will be at home, Oct. 10, also against Wichita.WICHITA: With fan interest sparked by the July appearance of superstar Wayne Gretzky of the parent Edmonton Oilers, Wichita hockey buffs were awaiting his return the first week of October.Gretzky and his Edmonton teammates will invade Kansas Coliseum to open &ldquo;Hockey Weekend in Wichita&rdquo;, Oct. 2-5. On Thursday the Oilers will meet the Colorado Rockies in an exhibition, then Friday the new Wichita Wind will make its first home appearance against Edmonton. Two CHL rivals will face the Wind to complete the busy weekend, the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday night, and the Oklahoma City Stars Sunday afternoon.Coach Ace Bailey and his Wind will also play some exhibition games in Canada during training camp at Edmonton Gardens. &#9632;

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Choyce Returns As Texans’ General Manager

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSFORT WAYNE&mdash;Everybody will be home for Christmas in the International Hockey League this season. That is unless Fort Wayne general manager Ken Ullyot can convince one of the other seven teams in the eightteam circuit to spend Christmas night in Fort Wayne.&ldquo;It looks as if we&rsquo;ve lost Christmas&rdquo;, Ullyot said upon returning from an International Hockey League meeting in Toronto recently. &ldquo;We made it optional and it looks as if we can&rsquo;t find a team to play us on Christmas night.&rdquo;Christmas night has always been one of the better nights attendancewise for Fort Wayne, oldest franchise in the IHL. &ldquo;The difference between Christmas and a regular weeknight is close to $10,000,&rdquo; Ullyot reports. &ldquo;In looking at the schedule, I don&rsquo;t think the available Wednesday will be a good replacement. We&rsquo;re looking at Wednesday, October 15, for a replacement and there is a strong possibility of a World Series game that night.&rdquo;Ullyot hasn&rsquo;t given up yet. The league&rsquo;s schedule hasn&rsquo;t been finalized and the Fort Wayne GM is still hopeful of talking a team into visiting the Memorial Coliseum to play the Komets on Christmas night. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t have too much hope. Things are a lot different now than they used to be when it comes to people&rsquo;s attitudes toward playing dates. I don&rsquo;t think there has been any pressure from the players to skip Christmas. It&rsquo;s the owners and general managers who want the day off,&rdquo; Ullyot said.Last year the Komets entertained Dayton on Christmas night. &ldquo;I think ours was the only game in all of hockey last Christmas. Dayton-owed me a favor and that&rsquo;s how they paid me back,&rdquo; Ullyot noted. Ullyot can&rsquo;t count on Dayton this Christmas, however. Dayton is no longer in the league.In addition to discussing the schedule the IHL teams held their amateur draft. The teams went through seven rounds but no team drafted the full complement.League teams will open training early in October with two new coaches on the roster. Nellie LeClair, who has a long background in the IHL, is a new coach in Milwaukee, Jim Sanko, another former IHL veteran has replaced Gregg Pilling at Toledo.Returning are Moose Lallo in Fort Wayne, Doug McKay at Kalamazoo, Doug Hinton in Port Huron, Mark Boileau at Flint, Don Perry at Saginaw and Gerry Moore at Muskegon. &#9632;

Komets’ Ullyot Confronts Scheduling Snags

EDMONTON&mdash;Greg Carroll is not only a free agent hockey player, but the former Hartford Whaler center walked out of court in Edmonton a free man after being exonerated in a reported drug charge.Carroll and his fiancee, Alan-Joy Graham, were both charged June 25 in Edmonton with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of hashish for the purpose of trafficking and possession of marijuana following a city police raid on a private home.But Carroll maintained he and his. fiancee were innocent victims. He insisted he had gone to a house party with friends and was only present for a short time when police burst into the home.Although the court cleared Carroll, there was no word if he would be attending an NHL training camp. The Hartford Whalers said they would not comment on the matter until the court proceedings had been completed. Carroll still faces a charge in Medicine Hat Alta., relating to a restricted drug. No date has been set for his court appearance. &#9632;

Court Clears Carroll On Charge

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK LYON</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSSALEM&mdash;The city of Salem, Va., became the fourth southern entry in the Eastern Hockey League when it was announced that Bob Payne Sr. had elected to shift his franchise from Utica, N.Y.Salem began making overtures to Payne after they learned of problems the Utica owner was having with the people in charge of the auditorium in Utica. &ldquo;We felt we were not too badly wanted in Utica and the people in Salem showed a tremendous desire to have us,&rdquo; said Payne.Ice making machinery, boards and plexiglass were all in poor condition and EHL member teams vowed not to play in Utica should repairs not be made. When the auditorium owners balked at the reconditions, Payne had no choice and started his campaign to shift the franchise.The owner of the new Salem Raiders wasn&rsquo;t exactly happy with the prospect of having no hockey in the New York town where he lives and owns a business. &ldquo;I feel badly about losing hockey in Utica,&rdquo; Payne said. &ldquo;If they ever do fix up the auditorium in Utica, I would certainly do everything I could in helping them to get another EHL franchise.&rdquo;Payne and Steve Gerling, an attorney in Utica, will be the owners of the group called Valley Hockey Inc. The Raiders will be playing in the Salem-Roanoke County Civic Center, which can seat 4,500 and could be expanded to 6,000.Payne wasted no time in naming former National Hockey League coach Pat Kelly as coach and general manager for the club. Kelly coached one season with the Colorado Rockies before Don Cherry took over the position a year ago.The new Raider mentor guided the Binghamton Dusters of the American Hockey League last year while under contract to the Boston Bruins. When his pact expired with Boston on August 1, Kelly accepted Payne&rsquo;s offer. Kelly and Gregg Pilling were the top two choices for the post.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just thrilled to have Pat Kelly as our coach and general manager,&rdquo; said Payne. &ldquo;This is the greatest thing to happen to us and it certainly is a boost to the EHL to have a coach of Kelly&rsquo;s caliber.&rdquo;Payne also announced that Sam Lazzaro would handle the duties of public relations director and announcer. He most recently worked with WSOG in Oswego, New York.Richmond and Syracuse completed EHL coaching changes when they announced their choices for coaches. The Rifles tabbed Bill Purcell to guide Richmond from behind the bench, while Syracuse chose Bill Horton as their coach for the 1980-81 season.Syracuse, who will be known as the Chargers, hired Horton, a former member of the Utica Mohawks. Gaetan Gagne, a contractor in Syracuse, owns the team and was pleased with the selection of Horton. In a dual role, Horton served as assistant coach to Larry Mickey.The 46-year-old Purcell became a professional coach during the 1977-78 campaign after coaching junior hockey for ten years. The former hockey and baseball player led Kalamazoo to the IHL&rsquo;s Turner Cup championship in 1978-79 and most recently was behind the bench for the Adirondack Red Wings in the American Hockey League.A black belt in karate who represented Canada in the Pan-Am Games, Purcell is expected to put a physical and aggressive hockey team on the ice this winter.At a special league meeting in New York, the EHL Board of Governors gave Johnstown investors more time to try and find an NHL club interested in putting a farm team in the Flood City. When this issue went to press negotiations were still going on.ERIE: Blades&rsquo; coach and general manager Nick Polano spent three days in Quebec and also planned a trip to Buffalo to firm up working agreements with the Nordiques and Sabres.The Blades came to an agreement with Erie County and the pair signed a five year contract for rental of the Erie County Fieldhouse.Polano, who is actively seeking a public relations director-announcer, must now search for a trainer since Mike Caron tore an achilles tendon and will be sidelined for the entire season.Erie is well ahead of last year&rsquo;s pace in the season ticket sales race with 843 sold and their program magazine has also increased from 48 pages to 56 pages. The league champions are also planning on ticket outlets throughout Erie to further aid their sales.Interest is high in Erie&rsquo;s championship club of a season ago and many members of the team will be in National Hockey League training camps.BALTIMORE: The Clippers&rsquo; regular season camp will open on Monday, October 13 following a free agent camp on October 9-10. Many players have expressed an interest in trying out for the Mitchell Cup runner-ups which necessitated the free agent camp.All teams in the EHL attended the EHL Marketing Symposium which was held in the Baltimore Civic Center.The first Clipper Cup Softball Tournament was won by the Maryland National Bank team. The Blades, Clippers and Richmond Rifles participated in the affair which benefitted a local Baltimore charity.HAMPTON: Season tickets have picked up in Hampton where owners Steve and Jim Wanting have outlined an aggressive promotional program for the season. Sales of season passes began to increase after the Aces announced Larry Mickey as coach and the team&rsquo;s affiliation with the Toronto Maple Leafs and management is hoping to sell even more with their new promotions. The promotional aspect was lacking a year ago and the Wanting&rsquo;s are eager to rectify the situation.Hampton is still searching for a site to hold their training camp, however, because ice will not be available at their arena.The Aces&rsquo; first home game of the regular season will feature Canadian Ministry of Tourism Night, honoring Hampton&rsquo;s new ties with the Maple Leafs. &#9632;

Utica Moves South To Become Salem Raiders

The Prince Rupert Kings are looking for hockey players with a minimum of Junior A experience to compete in the Pacific North West Intermediate A Hockey League. If you are interested and can meet our requirements please contact:PRINCE RUPERT KINGS, c/o George Kuntz, Box 503, Prince Rupert, B.C. Phone: (604) 624-3124 &#9632;

HOCKEY TALENT REQUIRED

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSTORONTO&mdash;There have been plenty of changes in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League over the summer&mdash;coaches, managers and a decision to follow most of the rules set by the National Hockey League&mdash;but unlike their sister league in Quebec, they won&rsquo;t make face masks mandatory.The Quebec Major Junior League became the first of the three major junior leagues to make the use of face protectors mandatory for its players. League governors approved the proposal that would make safety equipment mandatory for the 1980-81 season.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve discussed the idea in full at our league meetings but we have made a decision to leave it up to the individual players themselves to decide if they want to wear a face protector,&rdquo; said OMJHL commissioner David Branch. &ldquo;We decided that if a player wants to wear one, the team would certainly provide a face mask and we won&rsquo;t discourage wearing them.&ldquo;Probably in a year or two, once all players have come up through the minor hockey system wearing them, we&rsquo;ll have to reconsider.&rdquo;Right now in Ontario, the face mask appears to be taking the same steps that the helmet did during the 1960&rsquo;s when it became mandatory for minor hockey players first, before junior and professional players were forced to wear them. Players now entering the NHL from junior and college are required to wear helmets.When the helmet was becoming mandatory, club officials were skeptical. They are treating face masks the same.&ldquo;Losing one eye is one too many,&rdquo; said Peterborough Petes&rsquo; assistant manager Dick Todd. &ldquo;But in the time that I&rsquo;ve been involved in this league (eight years) there has only been one accident that I can remember when a player lost his eye&mdash;Greg Neeld.&ldquo;I know they&rsquo;ve been wearing them in minor hockey and when I watch games at the midget level, 1 see players using their sticks as war clubs. The increase in high sticking is unbelieveable.&ldquo;If a player really wants to wear a mask, then I don&rsquo;t think there should be much of an adjustment for him,&rdquo; Todd continued. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t like the results of when they do wear them. It will be interesting to see how the Quebec players carry their sticks during the Memorial Cup playoffs next year after wearing the masks for a year and also how the referees call high sticking.&rdquo;Branch said the decision to start using the NHL rule book was to achieve parity between the two leagues and make the jump for players from junior to the pros a little less strenuous. The only difference will be in the severity of suspensions. Branch feels that the NHL is sometimes a little more lenient in this area than his league.League governors decided to keep the 10-minute overtime for the regular season but drop it from the playoffs and go back to the eight-point series. In that set-up, the teams play until one of them has earned eight points, with two points awarded for each victory and one point if a playoff game is tied. Last season the league had overtime in the playoffs for the first time, but they revert to the old method for financial reasons.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any question that it&rsquo;s strictly a matter of economics,&rdquo; said Branch. &ldquo;Our teams definitely need the playoffs to get out of the red and into the black. For some, having the extra game could be the difference. I don&rsquo;t think we should hide that fact.&rdquo;When the season begins, seven teams will have new faces behind the bench, although at this writing, only six had announced their new coaches. The Toronto Marlboros have yet to find a replacement for Dave Chambers.Dave Dryden has replaced Mike Keenan as coach and manager of Peterborough, while Bill Todd, who was trainer-business manager, will become part-time trainer, assistant manager and head scout.The Windsor Spitfires, the other OMJHL finalist with Peterborough last year, have signed former NHLer Ron Harris to replace the colorful Wayne Maxner, who left to join the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; organization.Former Petes&rsquo; star defenseman Paul McIntosh will be behind the bench of the London Knights, replacing longtime mentor Bill Long, who will concentrate on his managerial duties with the club.McIntosh, 26, played parts of two seasons with the Buffalo Sabres but finished his career in the minor leagues. While in junior, he was selected to the World All Star team in 1974.Other changes include Orval Tessier taking over behind the bench at Kitchener for Rod Seiling; Bill Laforge in Oshawa for Paul Theriault and Paul Gathier in Niagara Falls replacing Fred Stanfield.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01342/4329032-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="582" height="764"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02270/4329025-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="580" height="762"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Long, top, will turn his sole attention to managing the London Knights, while Paul McIntosh, above, a former Peterb-orough star defenseman. will move in as the London coach.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Facemask Decision Left To Players; OMJHL Abandons Playoff Overtime

<div class="byline">BY GREGG DRINNAN</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSNEW WESTMINSTER&mdash;An era has ended.Ernie (Punch) McLean, who earlier this summer&mdash;along with Bill Shinske&mdash;sold The New Westminster Bruins to Vancouver millionaire Nelson Skalbania, will not be part of the Western Hockey League scene this season.McLean resigned his post as the Bruins&rsquo; general manager, ending a relationship that began in 1969 when he took over as coach of the Estevan Bruins.Eventually, McLean and the Bruins &lsquo;moved to New Westminster and they made four consecutive trips to the Memorial Cup playoffs, bringing the trophy to the B.C. city in 1977 and 1978.McLean, who was the Bruins&rsquo; coach last season, has not been available for comment since his resignation was announced, but Murray (Muzz) MacPherson, the club&rsquo;s new coach, said, &ldquo;Any reports that Ernie and 1 had a falling out are erroneous. Personally, I&rsquo;-m sorry to see him go. he has a good record. But, he&rsquo;s made a decision and he&rsquo;s sticking to it.&rdquo;Four days after news of McLean&rsquo;s resignation came out, Tracy Pratt was named as the club&rsquo;s general manager.Pratt, a former National Hockey League defenseman, spent the last half of the 1979-80 season as McLean&rsquo;s assistant coach, and, in fact, Pratt spent a lot of time behind the Bruins&rsquo; bench during McLean&rsquo;s frequent scouting trips.Pratt immediately said that the days of the big. bad Bruins are over.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to think of them as the scrappy Bruins of the future,&rdquo; said Pratt. &ldquo;My concern is putting families back in the building. There was a shade too much violence in past years and many people became very bitter about what happened at Queen&rsquo;s Park Arena.&rdquo;The WHL also said farewell to another familiar face when Del Wilson accepted a fulltime scouting job with the National Hockey League&rsquo;s Montreal Canadiens.Wilson, who served as the WHL&rsquo;s referee-in-chief last season, was involved in the Regina Pats&rsquo; ownership up until last summer. The WHL has not named a successor to Wilson as of yet.Meanwhile, the Regina Pats have found another coach. Jack Sangster, a 33-year-old native of Thompson, Man., has been named to succeed AlFerchuk, who didn&rsquo;t serve a game behind the Pats&rsquo; bench.Ferchuk was named to the post earlier this summer, replacing Bryan Murray, but later reconsidered and resigned.Sangster has six years of Junior and coaching experience under his belt. He coached the Thompson King Miners of the Manitoba Junior League for three seasons and before moving to that league&rsquo;s Portage Terriers for one season, he spent the last two years with the Taber Golden Suns of the Alberta Junior League.Meanwhile, the Brandon Wheat Kings, who had 80 players appear at a three-day rookie camp early in August, have named 22-year-old Randy Markewich as an assistant to head coach Les Jackson. Markewich, a hard-working winger, spent the 1976-77 season with the Wheat Kings and was traded to the Calgary Wranglers the following season.He completed his junior eligibility with the MJHL&rsquo;s Brandon Travellers in 1978-79 and was an assistant coach with that club last season. The Travellers, though, have taken a year&rsquo;s leave of absence, and Markewich was thus out of a job when the Wheat Kings approached him about working as an assistant under Jackson.While the Wheat Kings were looking at rookies, the expansionist Winnipeg Warriors were adding six players&mdash;all from the Calgary Wranglers&mdash;to their roster.The six players the Warriors purchased, all of whom are Winnipeg natives, were: 17-year-old Jim Mead-more, a 6-2, 190-pound right winger whose brother Neil played with Kalamazoo of the International League last season. Mike Schamber, an 18-year-old goaltender who had a goals-against average of 4.19 in 25 games with the Fort Garry Blues of the M.IHL; 18-year-old Bruce Schmidt, a 6-1, 190-pounder who scored 35 goals and 30 assists with the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior League last year; Darren Boyko, a 16-year-old center who has been captain of the provincial champions in his age category in each of the past five seasons; Mike Vinsky, and defenseman Mike Guttormson. &#9632;

Pratt Succeeds McLean In New Westminster

BOSTON: Town Line Twin Rinks, Danvers, Mass.BUFFALO: Olympic Hockey Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.CALGARY: Max Bell Arena, Calgary, Alta.CHICAGO: The Stadium, Chicago, III.COLORADO: South Surburban Ice Arena, Littleton, Colo.DETROIT: Cobo Arena, Detroit, Mich.EDMONTON: Jasper Arena, Jasper, Alta.HARTFORD: Chenango Ice Rink, Binghamton, N.Y.LOS ANGELES: Victoria Memorial Arena, Victoria, B.C.MINNESOTA: Met Center, Bloomington, Minn.MONTREAL: The Forum, Montreal, Que.ISLANDERS: Cantiague Park, Hicksville, N.Y.NY RANGERS: Playland Rink, Rye, N.Y.PHILADELPHIA Cumberland County Arena, Portland, Me.PITTSBURGH: Mount Lebanon Rink, Mount Lebanon, Pa.QUEBEC: Pavilion Lajeunesse, Quebec City, Que.ST. LOUIS: Henry McMorran Arena, Port Huron, Mich.TORONTO: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ont.VANCOUVER: Cowichon Community Centre, Duncan, B.CWASHINGTON: Hersheypark Arena, Hershey, Pa.WINNIPEG: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Man.NHL training camps are scheduled to open Tue. Sept. 16.ROOKIE CAMPS AND DATESEdmonton will hold a rookie camp Sept. 8-11 at the Edmonton Gardens; The Islanders will hold their camp Sept. 14-15 at the Cantiague Park Arena, Hicksville, Long Island, N.Y.; Los Angeles will hold their rookie camp Sept. 10-15 at the Juan de Fuca Arena in Victoria, B.C.; the Minnesota rookie camp will be held Sept. 12-13 at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minn.; and the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; rookie camp will be Sept. 9-15 at the North Yarmouth Academy Rink, North Yarmouth, Me., a suburb of Portland, Me. &#9632;

Where NHL Teams Train

National League Training Camp Rosters

BOSTONThu. October 9 RangersBUFFALOSun. October 12 HartfordCALGARYThu. October 9 QuebecCHICAGOThu. October 9 BuffaloCOLORADOSat. October 11 CalgaryDETROITThu. October 16 IslandersEDMONTONFri. October 10 QuebecHARTFORDSat. October 18 DetroitLOS ANGELESSat. October 11 DetroitMINNESOTASat. October 11 HartfordMONTREALSat. October 11 ChicagoISLANDERSSat. October 11 BostonRANGERSSun. October 12 PittsburghPHILADELPHIAThu. October 9 PittsburghPITTSBURGHSat. October 11 WinnipegQUEBECWed. October 29 VancouverST. LOUISThu. October 9 HartfordTORONTOSat. October 11 RangersVANCOUVERFri. October 10 DetroitWASHINGTONFri. October 10 WinnipegWINNIPEGFri. October 17 Chicago &#9632;

NHL’s 1980 Home Openers

In the August issue of THE HOCKEY-NEWS we erroneously reported that Marc Boileau had accepted the position of manager and coach with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Hockey League. This information was furnished by the QMJHL and we regret any embarrassment it may have caused Boileau, the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League where Boileau is still GM and coach, or the Chicoutimi team. &#9632;

It Was Our Mistake!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01138/4329252-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"></div>&ldquo;Where readers get together to do businessRINK EQUIPMENTPERSONALSFAN CLUBSOPPORTUNITIESPOSITIONS WANTEDPLAYER EQUIPMENT<h2>PERSONALS</h2>STREET HOCKEY: Private N.Y.C. High School street hockey team wants exhibition games before its season. Padded gym and officiating provided. Dates open for October, November, December. Opponents must be high school age. Will travel to your facility if possible. Call Coach M. Schiller. Evenings (914) 352-7122; Daytime 1-1:30 (212)479-8550.WANTED: Jr. A. hockey players, U.S. or Europe, 20 and under. Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Phone (403) 347-3177 for tryout.ATTENTION: Fred Fog; Team loafing? Job precarious? Players intimidated? Solution wears green whale! Scores 10 goals! Sincerely, Committee to bring Nicky Home, Sec. 340, M.S.G.CONDITIONING PROGRAMS: Get the physiological secrets to conditioning. Enhance your players&rsquo; ability to perform this season. Make him stronger, faster, more enduring. Improve his physiological systems. Individualized out-of season or in-season off-ice conditioning programs will be set-up by a professional physical educator and player. Write: Joe Bernardy, Dept. HN22, The Hockey News, 214 King Street West, Suite 314, Toronto, Ontario M5H 1K4.FOR SALE: Two framed original team pictures Montreal Winged Wheelers Hockey Club, 1903, successful Stanley Cup defenders and Montreal Wanderer Hockey Club, World Champions 1906-08. Serious collectors only. Call Pickering (416) 839-9571.AVAILABLE: &ldquo;The Comprehensive Directory of Sports Addresses&rdquo; is now available to collectors, fans, administrators & players for the low price of $9.95. The directory includes major, minor, junior hockey, baseball, basketball, football & soccer; softball, volleyball, foreign leagues; HOF&rsquo;s; sports organizations & more. Send check or M.O. in U.S. funds only. Ed Kobak Jr., 121 Maple Street, Branford, Connecticut 06405.WANTED: Game worn WHANHL hockey jerseys. Buying, selling trading&mdash;Would like to hear from collectors-trainers and players. Also interested in mint hockey cards&mdash;from the mid-fifties to late sixties. Tap prices paid for quality items. Write; Richard Curry, 14 Five Oaks, Saginaw, Mich. 48603.FOR SALE: 1952 to 1962 ball and hockey cards, Bee Hive photos. Send for list. Write: Robert Ellis, P.O. Box 242, Stewiacke, Nova Scotia BON 2J0.WANTED: Crested pucks from pro and amateur teams. Will buy or trade. Have extensive supply of traders. Contact: Andy Nowicki, Box 693, Rimbey, Alberta, T0C*2J0. Tel. (403) 843-2743.FOR SALE: January 1976 through January 1980 issues of The Hockey News. Will sell all to best offer. Dean Ladouceur, 30705 Woodgate Drive, Southfield, Mich. 48076.AVAILABLE: Color 8x10 photos of current and past Detroit Red Wings and NHL Stars. Many Howes. $3.50 PPD. Write: Dwayne La Bakas, 33133 Creswell, Sterling Hts., Michigan, 48077.WANTED: 1978-9 Indianapolis Racers and Quebec Nordiques WHA guides. Also 78-9 WHA league guide, Ottawa Civics program, Baltimore Blades puck. Contact: Ed Kobak, 121 Maple Street, Branford, Connecticut 06405.<h2>OPPORTUNITIES</h2>WANTED: Hockey Team would like to play tournaments on weekends at Intermediate B, C or Industrial Level. Call Toronto (416)252-4253.WANTED: Washington, D.C. area: Junior age hockey players for team in men&rsquo;s Chesapeake league. Tryouts early September. Write: Fairfax Hockey Club, 9602 Westport LA, Burke, VA 22015.WANTED: Hockey players from Boston area to play for Manchester Blackhawks semi-pro senior New England Hockey League. Ages 18 & up. Contact: Ron Gosselin, 270 Amory Street, Manchester, N.H. 03102 or call (603) 668-3041 before 6:00 pm.HOCKEY WITHOUT ICE: American/Canadian Street Hockey Institutes looking for new areas to construct outdoor Street Hockey Rinks. Sites should be 1 % to 3 acres with 165&rsquo;x90&rdquo; paved area. Fast growing sport provides good business opportunity. For details, write: A.S.H.I., P.O. Box 59, Leominister, Mass. 01453.TOURNAMENT: Men&rsquo;s 25 and over recreational non-contact hockey tournament for Wheatley, Ontario, Nov. 28, 29, 30. A fun-filled weekend&mdash;no carded players. Contact Mike Epplett, Box 400, Wheatley, Ontario, NOP 2P0 or call (519) 825-4022 days.JR. HOCKEY TEAMS WANTED: FOURTH ANNUAL CAN/AM INVITATIONAL JR. HOCKEY TOURNAMENT for Leamington, Ontario, December 26-30, 1980. A prestigious international hockey tournament open to all OHA Jr. C. teams and Jr. teams from other provinces, the United States and Europe. For information contact:Bob Johnson.154 Erie Street North,Leamington, Ontario,Canada(519)326-5749<h2>POSITIONS WANTED</h2>ANNOUNCER: Dedicated, experienced hockey announcer in Eveleth, Minnesota (Home of Hockey Hall of Fame), seeks play-by-play position with your organization. Call Marc Shelanski, afternoons (218) 749-4983.WANTED: Position sought by experienced general manager office administrator, public relations, scout. Have 12 years of experience in promotions/marketing and sales. Would like to work with &ldquo;class&rdquo; organization in Major Jr. A., semi-pro, college or pro. Could be trained for your organization. Write: Dept. HN17, The Hockey News, 214 King St. West, Suite 314, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1K4.<h2>RINK EQUIPMENT</h2>BACKYARD RINK: New &ldquo;how-to-do-it&rdquo; guide gives you easy step-by-step instructions, plans, materials list and more! $3.00 ppd, Schobertsons Publications, 8 Vermont, West Seneca, N.Y. 14224.<h2>FAN CLUBS</h2>AVAILABLE: A fan club has been formed for Anders Kallur of the New York Islanders. If interested send a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to: Anders Kallur Fan Club, Box 492, Cedarhurst, N.Y. 11516. &#9632;

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Hockey News CLASSIFIED

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01127/4329283-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="561" height="1165"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Christoff used the summer to wind down after last year&rsquo;s hectic schedule.</figcaption></div>BLOOMINGTON&mdash;There probably will never be another year like the last one for Steve Christoff.In the span of 12 months, on the hockey calendar, the lean winger now of the Minnesota North Stars:&bull; Played on the University of Minnesota&rsquo;s national collegiate championship team.&bull; Became a national hero as a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team.&bull; Broke into the National Hockey League with a splash, helping the North Stars end their best season in history and aiding in the elimination of the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; dynasty in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals.So what other worlds are their to conquer?Ah, yes. A Stanley Cup.And Steve Christoff is beginning a career that should give him plenty of time to achieve that in the 1980s or even 1990s. Who&rsquo;s to argue after the achievements he&rsquo;s already attained?Stanley Cup or no, a bright career is predicted for the lean, quick forward, who grew up near Minnesota&rsquo;s Met Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield.Christoff played left wing the last 20 games of the 1979-80 season for the North Stars&mdash;he&rsquo;d always skated right wing or center&mdash;and finished with 15 points, on eight goals and seven assists with 19 minutes in penalties thrown in. Multiply those figures by four, and he&rsquo;s got a nice total for a rookie. Then, in the playoffs, Christoff recorded eight goals to set a Stanley Cup record for a rookie. Not a bad start on a pro career.It probably doesn&rsquo;t sound fair to Wayne Gretzky, who could not be considered a rookie last season because of his WHA experience. But Christoff, technically, will go into the 1980-81 season still eligible to win the Calder Trophy, which is awarded to the league&rsquo;s top freshman, and with plenty of experience he&rsquo;s to be considered an early candidate for the award.It&rsquo;s much too early to be talking about things like that, of course. Even Christoff was too busy in the off-season to think of such ambitions. Too busy relaxing from a whirlwind year of hockey.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty well back to normal now,&rdquo; he said shortly before the Stars began preparations for training camp. &ldquo;It took me quite awhile to wind down. I was playing on two different teams and reaching the heights of a career twice in one season.&ldquo;I spent a lot of time relaxing. Last summer there were the tryouts for. the Olympic team, then the long schedule, the Olympics and the playoffs. It seemed like the year would never end. I&rsquo;m ready to go for another year now after the time off. I&rsquo;m getting my wind back with some long-distance running, bike riding and skating in pickup scrimmages. I&rsquo;m lifting weights, too, to build up my strength.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gained five pounds, but there&rsquo;s no fat on me. If I play wing this season, I&rsquo;d like to be able to help more in th&egrave; corners. We need more hitting therefrom our wingers.&rdquo;Christoff played on a line with Mike Eaves, a heady playmaker at center, and Ron Zanussi, who excelled in the corners. Coach Glen Sonmor hasn&rsquo;t said what the team&rsquo;s forward lines will look like in October, but he&rsquo;ll probably start out with this successful trio.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t know what Glen has in mind,&rdquo; Christoff said. &ldquo;I suppose it all depends on who makes the team. I don&rsquo;t care as long as I play forward and not defense.&rdquo;STAR DUST: The Stars signed No. 2 choice, goalie Don Beaupre of Sudbury, Ont&hellip;. GM Lou Nanne couldn&rsquo;t reach agreement on a possible deal with Toronto for Darryl Sittler, so he went after Sittier&rsquo;s best friend, Lanny McDonald of the Colorado Rockies, but nothing had developed there either&hellip;Backup playoff goalie Jim Corsi was dealt back to Edmonton, left winger Dave Hanson returned to Detroit&hellip;. Winger Phil Verchota, another Olympian who was drafted by the Stars, has been invited to training camp&hellip;The Stars, for the first time in their history, won&rsquo;t play any home exhibitions because their building is booked with other events.&hellip;In the meantime, the Stars and Washington Caps are going to play in a four-team tournament in Sweden. (For details on that tournament, see Tom Ratschunas&rsquo; &#9632;

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Stanley Cup Christoff’s Next Goal

<div class="byline">BY JIM MATHESON</div>EDMONTON&mdash;The Edmonton Oilers wormed their way into the playoffs&mdash;copping the I6th and final spot&mdash;on the last day of the &lsquo;79-80 National Hockey League schedule.Not exactly an earth-shattering achievement. But still a mini-feat, considering they outlasted two &ldquo;old&rdquo; NHL clubs&mdash;Detroit and Washington&mdash;down the playoff stretch.In their sophomore NHL season, they won&rsquo;t be happy unless they finish in the top half of the 21-team league. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to think we can move up to 10th,&rdquo; said coach-GM and president Glen Sather.Impossible? Not really. Even if the Oilers have one of the youngest teams in the league, with eight players 22 or younger figuring highly in Sather&rsquo;s plans for the future.The best of the punk rockers is Wayne Gretzky, of course. He was the best evening of entertainment in the NHL last season with 137 points. With closer checking, he might not get that many in &lsquo;80-81, but he&rsquo;s good for 100 points as sure as God made little green apples.With a cornerstone like him, the Oilers can only get stronger. Heading into training camp at the Rocky Mountain resort of Jasper, the team is set at center, on rightwing and in goal with question marks on the left side, on defense and back-up netminder. Here&rsquo;s a capsule look at the team, position by position:GOAL&mdash;Ron Low, who may have signed a multi-year deal by the time you read this, will be the starter. After failing to find a home in Toronto, Washington, Detroit and Quebec, he appears to have someplace to hang his mask now. &ldquo;He was tremendous in the playoff drive,&rdquo; said Sather, who picked Low up from the Nordiques on March 10 for center Ron Chipperfield. Low was 7-3-1 down the stretch and was outstanding against Philly in the playoffs. The back-up job will go to either returnee Ed Mio or Pete LoPresti, who left camp last October and retired to his Minnesota home. Sather may also try to pick up a net-minder like the New York Rangers Doug Soetaert in the intra-league draft in October.DEFENSE&mdash;The blueliners are almost all offensive-minded and young. Doug Hicks was the most consistent last season with Lee Fogolin and Pat Price tied for second. They have spots locked up. The rest of the picture is a scramble. Returnees Colin Campbell, Finn Risto Siltanen, &lsquo;79 top draft Kevin Lowe, &lsquo;80 top choice Paul Coffey of Kitchener, free agent Tom Bladon and farm-hand Mike Forbes will probably fight it out for the other spots. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get a defensive defenseman, too, somebody over 30 who&rsquo;s stead&hellip;like a Dave Burrows,&rdquo; said Sather. Fogolin is the only real stay-at-home type in the bunch.CENTER&mdash;Gretzky and fellow 19-year-old Mark Messier (12 goals, 33 points, 120 PIM&rsquo;s) give the team, respectively, finesse and muscle. Stan Weir (33 goals, 66 points) was a tireless worker last season. If there&rsquo;s an opening it could go to &lsquo;79 fifthround junior pick Mike Toal, who scored 31 goals and 76 points in Houston last season.RIGHTWING&mdash;Pretty well set. Blair MacDonald, who was in a contract dispute in August, was 10th&rsquo;in league scoring (46 goals, 94 points). Don Murdoch, who came from the Rangers for Cam Connor in March, had an off-year but still popped 28 goals. Dave Lumley, the 199th player chosen in the &lsquo;74 draft (Montreal), was one of the league&rsquo;s best rookies in &lsquo;79-80. He had 58 points and 138 PIMs.LEFTWING&mdash;It&rsquo;s a traffic jam. Player rep Brett Callighen is No. 1. He had 58 points in 59 games before suffering an eye injury in late February which put him out until the playoffs. After that it&rsquo;s wide-open. Returnees Don Ashby (10 goals, 18 games), defensive specialist Dave Hunter (43 points), the league&rsquo;s top heavyweight Dave Semenko, exciting Finnish Olympic teamer Jari Kurri and former Philadelphia Flyer Barry Dean will battle it out&mdash;barring any late changes. As of mid August, Sather still hadn&rsquo;t signed Canadian Olympic team star Glenn Anderson.The team had no trouble scoring (301 goals) last season. They led all teams with three-or-more goal games (seven) including four by MacDonald. But they gave up 322. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s rather obvious what we have to do to move up,&rdquo; said Sather. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to cut down our goals against.&rdquo;ON THE BENCH&mdash;Defenseman Al Hamilton, the only surviving member of the original WHA Oilers (1972) has retired&hellip;Goalie Jim Corsi is back in the organization after a short stint with Minnesota. He may play in Italy next season&hellip;The Edmonton Coliseum has been expanded by about 1,800 seats, making the capacity 17,000 plus&hellip;Former New York Ranger winger Vic Hadfield has been added to the scouting staff.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0284/4329314-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="579" height="794"><figcaption class="caption-body">A veteran at the age of 23, Don Murdoch strengthens Edmonton&rsquo;s right wing position.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0044-02

Young Oilers Hope To Be Stronger

<div class="byline">BY FRED PIETILA</div>DENVER&mdash;In a presidential election year when millions of dollars are spent on various campaigns, the Colorado Rockies spent a considerable amount of money endorsing their new main man, Billy MacMillan.And the Rockies even went as far as having Al Arbour, who coached the New York Islanders to the Stanley Cup last season, endorse MacMillan, who was Arbour&rsquo;s able assistant with the Islanders.Arbour&rsquo;s endorsement of MacMillan as the Rockies&rsquo; coach, succeeding the popular Don Cherry, came in the form of a large advertisement in both of Denver&rsquo;s major daily newspapers. The ad was titled: BILLY MACMILLAN: A PROTEST FROM AL AR-BOUR.A picture of Arbour accompanied the ad, which more or less was a lengthy and flattering appraisal of MacMillan by Arbour. It began: &ldquo;We finally win the Stanley Cup and look what happens. I lost my right arm to the Colorado Rockies&hellip;&rdquo; And it ended: &ldquo;Well, now you&rsquo;ve got him. At my expense. It&rsquo;s a big gain for you and a big loss for the Islanders. And darn it, we wish him all the best.&rdquo; The ad was initialed A.J.A. with Arbour&rsquo;s name underneath.The Arbour-MacMillan ad was the third such major ad the Rockies have run since hiring the former NHL player to take over a sticky situation following the dismissal of Cherry.The other previous ads were titled: &ldquo;Billy Who?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s Billy&rdquo; with the intention of introducing MacMillan to the Colorado populace.Ed Kuusinen, the Rockies&rsquo; director of marketing, explained the entire ad campaign: &ldquo;When we were negotiating with Billy, we were sitting around and figured out, &lsquo;Hey, we got a serious image problem. We&rsquo;ve got to turn this. around.&rsquo; So we prepared a letter to our season ticket holders introducing MacMillan and sent it out the day before the signing was announced so that the fans would get the news as fast as the media did. This wasn&rsquo;t intended to slight the media, even though some took it that way. All we wanted to do was show our season ticket holders that we really cared about them and we wanted them back.&rdquo;(The letter arrived at its destinations at about the same time that MacMillan&rsquo;s signing was officially announced.)&ldquo;But while we were putting it together our ad agency (Frye-Sills, Inc.) asked, &lsquo;Billy who?&rdquo;Kuusinen said, &ldquo;We decided we had to sell him in a way that we weren&rsquo;t bragging about him, but in a way in which we were just trying to build his image as factually as we can.&ldquo;So we put together the three&rsquo; ads and we were intending to run them one a week for three straight weeks following his signing, but it was hard getting statements out of Arbour. He&rsquo;s so hard to get hold of. Once we did write the copy we sent it out to Al. He then signed a contract to release it to us.&rdquo; Arbour was not paid by the Rockies for the statement, according to Kuusinen.The ad drew a favorable response from the public and season ticket sales are progressing much better than Kuusinen or the Rockies expected&mdash;in the wake of the dismissal of Cherry. According to Kuusinen, ticket sales are slightly ahead of last year.&ldquo;When talk of the firing of Cherry first started, I told [president] Armand [Pohan] that 25 to 30 percent of our ticket base was gonna be lost,&rdquo; Kussinen said. &ldquo;But that hasn&rsquo;t been the case. Either people forgive really quick, or I&rsquo;m a genius. And I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m a genius.&rdquo;Kuusinen reflected briefly on what the hiring and firing of Cherry has done for the Rockies&rsquo; franchise. &ldquo;Some of it was very negative,&rdquo; he said, but-he added that Cherry was instrumental in helping sell pro hockey in Denver last season.&ldquo;Our salesmen and ad people used to go around and say &lsquo;We&rsquo;re from the Colorado Rockies,&rsquo; and they&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;Colorado Rockies,&rsquo; what?&rsquo; All the Cherry stuff has really changed this. Now I&rsquo;ll bet there&rsquo;s very few people in Colorado who don&rsquo;t know who the Colorado Rockies are, unless they&rsquo;ve been living in a cave. He was a major influence, straight from the beginning to the end and it&rsquo;s still carrying on today,&rdquo; Kuusinen said.And turning to MacMillan and his credibility in coming from the Stanley Cup champions, Kuusinen said, &ldquo;I feel he&rsquo;s helped us a lot in keeping our season ticket base. We&rsquo;re a little bit ahead of last year at this time.&rdquo; &#9632;

Rockies Campaign To Introduce MacMillan

<div class="byline">BY BUDDY O&#x2019;CONNOR</div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;The Nordiques are already physically hurting and training camp for their second season in the National Hockey League is still one month away.Buddy Cloutier, who scored 42 goals and 66 assists in 67 games last year, will be out of action, until at least the beginning of December with a badly broken ankle, the result of an accident during a fastball game.Cloutier smashed the ankle while sliding into home plate in a provincial playdowns game at Varennes, just outside Montreal on August 9.Cloutier, Quebec&rsquo;s top scoring threat, is considered one of the best fastbailers in the province of Quebec, both on offense and defense. He is a shortstop and has been playing senior ball for years.Immediately following Cloutier&rsquo;s accident, which will keep him out of the first 25 games of the season, the uproar started: Should NHL&rsquo;ers be permitted to play contact sports during the offseason?Top Nordiques authorities had practically no comment.All president Marcel Aubut would say is, &ldquo;we will be looking into the whole question in the near future.&rdquo; Coach and GM Maurice Filion was silent on the affair.Last season the Nordiques were plagued by serious injuries to Serge Bernier, Robbie Ftorek, Marc Tardif, Jacques Richard and a host of others. Most people claim that the Nordiques would definitely have made the playoffs if their squad had been healthy. At mid-season, the club was playing. 500 hockey with 17 wins, 17 losses and six ties, only to finish out of the playoffs in 19th place overall.Because of major repairs to the old Quebec Coliseum, the Nordiques will play their first nine games of the season away from home, opening in Quebec on Sunday, Oct. 29, against the Vancouver Canucks. In November, however, they play 10 games out of 13 at home.With Cloutier out, their scoring power will be drastically reduced. But Bernier, Ftorek, Tardif and Richard are physically fit and could well take up the slack.Cloutier, commenting on his injury, said that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a maddening thing for the whole club. I have been exercising daily at a health club, running a lot and I have put on eight pounds of muscle.&ldquo;This season I was going after 50 goals and 100 points but I guess I can forget about that,&rdquo; he mused.In other action here, Quebec dealt their young defenseman, Paul Baxter, a free agent this year, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for strongman Kim Clackson, a 5-11, 195-pounder who sat out 166 minutes in penalties during 45 games with the Penguins last season. He will be Quebec&rsquo;s first policeman.&ldquo;I am really sorry to see Baxter go,&rdquo; said Fillion. &ldquo;He is an honest player. However, on the road, where the other teams try to intimidate us, Clackson, with Wally Weir, could be the equalizers. We have a number of very good young defensemen coming up but it was urgent that we obtain Clackson.&rdquo;.SKATE MARKS: The Nordiques lost $865,000 last season but their major worry at the present time seems to be the lack of seating capacity they will have this coming season&hellip;The Coliseum will seat just under 10,000 this October out of the 15,400 seats which will be available when all repairs are complete, supposedly February. &#9632;

Cloutier’s Injury Bad Break For Nordiques

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE WARRINER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01120/4329417-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henterman Dave Debol. who played right wing for the Whalers, may now switch to the left side.</figcaption></div>HARTFORD&mdash;The Whalers open training camp at the new site of their American Hockey League franchise, Binghamton, N. Y. on Sept. 16 and leading into the team&rsquo;s second National Hockey League season, there seems to be an air of confidence pervading the organization.Sure, there are questions to be answered in camp, but many of them are pleasant ones. For instance, depth at right wing ensures a good battle for spots on the big club.It&rsquo;s ironic&mdash;but also a sign of some good moves by management&mdash;that the wealth of talent is on the right side. Just a year ago, there was great concern over the fact that the Hartford entry was extremely thin on that side.Now, with 50-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton leading the way, the Whalers have Tommy Rowe (acquired last season from Washington), Ray Allison, Dave Debol, Ray Neufeld, and Warren Miller vying for regular roles.Allison, a 1979 first round draft selection, seemed to &ldquo;come into his own when the going got tough in the latter stages of the campaign and in the playoff round with Montreal,&rdquo; says coach Don Blackburn.Neufeld, a fourth-round selection last year, played most of the year with the Whalers&rsquo; AHL farm team but made an impression when called up for a couple of games at the end of the campaign. And Debol impressed Whaler management with his speed and bullet shot after being moved into a right wing slot about mid-season.When the Whalers recently reacquired Miller from the New York Rangers, the depth chart really began to bulge. Miller had been reclaimed by the Rangers in the expansion draft and therefore, under the terms of the NHL agreement, the Whalers were required to shell out only $100 to get him back. (The agreement stipulates that the reclaiming team had to keep the player on its major league roster for a period of two years or they must first offer him back to the player&rsquo;s original club for $100.&ldquo;I am delighted to have Miller back,&rdquo; said Whalers&rsquo; director of hockey operations Jack Kelley. &ldquo;He is a Pat Boutette-type of player who gives you 100 percent all of the time.&rdquo;The abundance of talent at right wing might be used to advantage when it comes time to bolster what many observers feel to be the Whalers&rsquo; chief weakness this year&mdash;left wing.Jordy Douglas and Pat Boutette are coming off fine seasons on the port side, and Nick Fotiu is apparently being counted on to provide the muscle again, but there&rsquo;s, a need for a good third line left winger.Many possibilities have been raised, among them a switch of one of the right wingers&mdash;probably Debol, Miller, or Neufeld. &ldquo;Lots of left handers make the switch to the right side,&rdquo; said coach Blackburn. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see any reason why it can&rsquo;t work the other way, too.&rdquo;There are other solutions as well. Dave McDonald, an underager drafted as a sleeper in 1979, impressed practically everyone in camp last year. Unfortunately, he had a less than spectacular year when sent back to his junior team, the Brandon Wheat Kings. &ldquo;We thought he was a prime prospect,&rdquo; said Kelley, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;ll have to evaluate him again this year. This year&rsquo;s training camp will tell the story.&rdquo;Although 21-year-old Donald Nachbaur is listed on the depth chart as a center, he, too, is being considered as a left wing prospect. The 6-2, 200 pounder was hampered by a broken wrist with the Whalers&rsquo; AHL farm team, but he showed a rugged style that might fit in nicely on the wing.There are others in the hunt also, but missing from the left wing competition will be Bobby Hull. The Golden Jet and Jack Kelley failed to come to terms. &ldquo;What he wanted was more than we could afford,&rdquo; said Kelley. &ldquo;Plus we had to consider the compensation due the Winnipeg Jets if we were to sign Bobby.&rdquo;Another battle is shaping up for defense positions. Captain Rick Ley, Mark Howe, and returning Swede Thommy Abrahamsson, are virtually certain of spots. Gordie Roberts, Al Sims, Marty Howe, Mark Renaud, and Stuart Smith will vie for one of the remaining jobs.First round draft choice, 19-year-old defenseman Fred Arthur, will most certainly stick around. At 6-5, 210 pounds he should be able to help in any clearing-the-crease efforts, but Whaler brass feel it would be senseless to send him back to the junior ranks (Cornwall).The upcoming intra-league draft has heightened goaltending competition for the Whalers. Newly acquired Mike Veisor (from Chicago) will put some pressure on veterans AI Smith and John Garrett and only two of the three can be protected.The Whalers expect 38 to 40 players to report for camp on the 16th, while another 15 or so will report to the Binghamton site after Kelley and Blackburn pare the varsity down to a workable 25. Those who are cut will join coach Larry Kish to form the nucleus of the farm club. &#9632;

f0047-01

Talent Load On Right Side May Shuffle Whalers’ Plans

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MOODY</div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;For the Pittsburgh Penguins, the long wait is over.They drafted defenseman Paul Baxter in the third round of the 1975 amateur draft, but he elected not to join the Penguins, and instead signed with the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association.The Penguins thought they had obtained Baxter again prior to last season expansion draft. However, through some wheeling-and-dealing, the Quebec. Nordicues were able to make him one of their two priority protected players from that draft.Now, finally, the Penguins have signed the 24-year-old right-handed shooter to what is believed to be a four-year contract. Pittsburgh secured Baxter as a free agent from Quebec. As part of the compensation or signing him, the Penguins surrendered the rights to defenseman Kim Clackson.&ldquo;Although I wasn&rsquo;t here when the Penguins drafted him in 1975, I had been interested in Baxter for quite sometime,&rdquo; said Penguin general manager Baz Bastien. &ldquo;I was really pleased when (coach) Eddie Johnston felt the same way and said, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s get him.&rsquo; E.J. is really high on Baxter.&rdquo;Last season, in 61 games with Quebec, Baxter scored seven goals and added 13 assists. He also led the Nordiques in penalty minutes with 145.The 5-11, 200-pounder averaged over 230 penalty minutes a season in four year in the WHA with Cleveland and Quebec. Baxter could be the hard-hitting backliner who can carry the puck that the Penguins have been looking for in recent seasons.Bastien said he was especially happy that Baxter chose to sign with Pittsburgh because he had been negotiating with a number of other National Hockey League clubs, including Edmonton, his hometown.Clackson, 25, also signed with a WHA club after being drafted in the fifth round by Pittsburgh in 1975. He played two seasons in Indianapolis and two in Winnipeg. He was reclaimed by Pittsburgh from the Jets before last season&rsquo;s Expansion Draft.In 45 games for the Penguins last season, Clackson failed to score any goals and picked up only three assists. He took only 12 shots on goal, but like Baxter, he led his club in penalty minutes with 145. He holds the WHA record for most penalty minutes in a season by a defenseman, 351.The addition of Baxter gives the Penguins three right-handed shooting defensemen. Ron Stackhouse and Mario Faubert are the others.PENGUIN TRACKS: The Penguins will open training camp at the suburban Mount Lebanon Rink on September 17. They will play six preseason games, all against NHL opponents. Pittsburgh will play two games each against the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins will play only one of those six games on their home Civic Arena ice, October 4, against Detroit. However, Pittsburgh will play three other exhibition games in Pennsylvania. They will meet the Capitals in Hershey and Johnstown, and play the Blues in Johnstown. &#9632;

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September 1, 1980

QMHL Divided Over Facemask Issue

HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

Exhibition Schedule

Capitals Head Overseas For Swedish Tourney