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May 15, 1981
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.
Youthful Wave Poised To Usurp NHL Awards
TORONTO—The Awards Show at the National Hockey League’s summer meetings in Montreal this June will almost certainly be a parade of beardless youth. With the average age in the NHL dropping by three years in recent times, it stands to reason that the players accepting the Hart, Norris, Byng, Calder, Selke, and Masterton Trophies will probably be of a younger average age than at any other time in the league’s history. While a couple of competitions—the Hart and perhaps the Selke—figure to be a battle between only a few players, the Norris, Byng and Calder races are pretty much wide-open affairs with several candidates in each category drawing widespread support. Voting in the six categories is carried out by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, while the Adams Trophy, awarded to…
Mullen, Murray, Polano Minor Leagues’ Tops
Bryan Murray took over the coaching reins of the Hershey Bears last October from Doug Gibson who guided the Bears to the Calder Cup title the previous May only to be fired by the parent Washington Capitals. The situation was tailor-made to develop controversy. Obviously, the angered Hershey fans would give the new coach a rough time if the Bears faltered under Murray. After all, who was Bryan Murray? Everybody loved and knew Gibson. Murray was a stranger who would have to prove himself to the very knowledgeable hockey fans in the Hershey-Harrisburg area. He inherited a team which, even though they won the post-season playoffs, failed to come up with a winning record last year. The Bears were 35-39-6 for 76 points during the 1979-80 campaign and finished some 25 points…
Predicting Rangers’ Potential Risky Business
KITCHENER—Rival leagues at the Memorial Cup may wonder if the Kitchener Rangers are really the Peterborough Petes with new uniforms. Just like the Petes, who have represented the Ontario Hockey League at the past three Memorial Cup tournaments, the Rangers rely on a strict defensive game—often boring to watch, but generally very effective. Those who scoffed at the Rangers’ chances in the playoffs are now left to re-evaluate the talent on the club that raced through the league finals with Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds undefeated. Briefly, the Rangers ousted Niagara Falls in seven games in the Emms Division semifinals, winning four, losing two and tieing one. They were actually outscored 27-28 by the Flyers. In the division finals. Kitchener whipped Windsor in five games, winning four and tieing a fifth. They outscored the…
Gillies Lends Islanders Huge Helping Hand
LONG ISLAND—The Islanders threatened to end the arch-rival Rangers’ season in four straight semifinal games when they posted a 5-1 victory in Madison Square Garden in one of their better displays of controlled play and production and despite the raucous taunts and jeers of Garden fans. It put a lock on the series, forcing the Rangers into a prospect of having to win four in a row against the defending Stanley Cup champions, a most unlikely prospect, as this issue went to press. But while the Islanders’ victory in Game Three moved them into a prime position to sweep the Rangers, their come-from-behind triumph in Game Two was undoubtedly the turning point of the series. And Clark Gillies, the Islanders’ huge left winger, scored one of the key goals in that…
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