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.

October 30, 1981

The Hockey News October 31, 1981

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01473/4734773-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="985" height="905"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Dionne Active Leader Of All Time Scorers

<div class="byline">BY REYN DAVIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011156/4733801-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Even Serge Savard himself thought he was officially retired, but when the Canadiens failed, to file his papers, ex-teammate John Ferguson plucked him from the waiver draft for Winnipeg. (Photo By Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>WINNIPEG &mdash; Quoting even odds, general manager John Ferguson is bent on seeing his $2,500 gamble pay off.Prying Serge Savard out of Montreal is no easy task. He is, after all, a Canadien through and through. He is also comfortable, an enormously successful businessman, and retired.The Winnipeg Jets shouldn&rsquo;t stand a chance of signing him.But stranger things have happened, insists Ferguson, and he won&rsquo;t rest until he sees the big defenseman in his lineup.Plucked from the waiver draft, Savard said he would consider the invitation to play for the Jets.&ldquo;He seems interested,&rdquo; said Ferguson, returning from Montreal after a morning meeting with Savard, a day after the draft.Ferguson even showed him the sweater he would wear &mdash; No. 18. All that was missing was his name.Meanwhile, the Canadiens scoffed at the mere suggestion Savard would even consider playing for another National Hockey League team.&ldquo;Let me assure you. it&rsquo;s no joke,&rdquo; said Ferguson, himself a member of the Canadiens&rsquo; alma mater.Savard expressed shock to see his name among the Canadiens left unprotected before the draft. Later, he discovered that although he had signed voluntary retirement papers, the Canadiens had not registered them with the league.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t do their homework for them,&rdquo; said Ferguson.Six pounds overweight and out of shape. Savard explained that he had divested himself of many of his businesses. One commitment he has, however, is a daily radio show.Urging him to come out of retirement was his 14-year-old son, who accompanied Savard to the meeting in the coffee shop of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.Ferguson explained how welcome he would be. the vital role he would play in the club&rsquo;s plans and the satisfactions that might be his.The team is young and improving. But it needs Savard&rsquo;s leadership, his experience and his stabilizing features honed over 14 seasons in the NHL.That he is one of Ferguson&rsquo;s best friends is yet another factor. He would have status rarely afforded other players.&ldquo;Having Serge Savard on the team would be a Christmas bonus.&rdquo; said Tom Watt, the Jets&rsquo; coach. &ldquo;I know he would help me. Young players would benefit from having him around. He would see many things that would elude me. I think he would be ideal.&rdquo;But can he still play?&ldquo;You bet he can,&rdquo; said Watt. &ldquo;Two years ago. he was one of the premier defensemen in the NHL. You can&rsquo;t tell me he&rsquo;s slipped that much.&rdquo;As Ferguson explained it. Savard had every intention of playing two more seasons when they spoke during the draft meetings last June.Savard, however, was growing dismayed with the reaction of Montreal fans toward him last season. He had heard boos directed his way for the first time in his career.The payoff came in July when Savard went to Rouyn. Que., to take part in the dedication of the local arena to Rouyn product &mdash; Rejean Houle, a Montreal teammate.When Savard was asked to speak, the crowd booed. He was crushed. Davs later, he announced his retirement.Any decision to unretire remained difficult, however. It was hard to imagine himself in any sweater but the bleu, blanc et rouee of the Canadiens.&ldquo;I came out of retirement once,&rdquo; said Ferguson. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a common thing in the NHL. When you retire, you are always asking yourself if you quit too soon. The game is in your blood.&rdquo;And so, the Savard Saga continued while the Jets crossed their sticks and hoped.BENCH BITS &mdash; Some of the Jets carry cute nicknames &hellip; Like Worm (Ron) Wilson. Coma (Dave) Christian. Muddy (Tim) Watters, Yogi (Barry) Legge, Buzzard (Barry) Long and Duckey (Dale) Hawerchuk &hellip; Speaking of Hawerchuk, he went pointless in his first NHL game &mdash; a 6-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs &mdash; but he was on the ice fewer than 10 seconds in the second when he scored against the New York Rangers in an 8-3 victory &hellip; Burned badly on the play was 36-year-old defenseman Carol Vadnais &hellip; Going down to block an anticipated shot, Vadnais was flat on the ice as Hawerchuk cut inside him to park a slapshot behind Steve Baker It was the first of seven shots on goal for Hawerchuk. who emerged from the game with two goals and two assists &hellip; Exercising the first overall choice in the waiver draft, the Jets selected defenseman Craig Levie from the Montreal Canadiens &hellip; Levie, a member of the Nova Scotia Vovageurs. was a first-team All Star and winner of the Eddie Shore Trophy as top defenseman in the American Hockey League last season &hellip; He had 20 goals and 64 assists &hellip; &ldquo;Everybody says I&rsquo;m not very good defensively,&rdquo; said Levie &hellip; &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m average. But I can excel in an offensive role&rdquo; &hellip; It wasn&rsquo;t an apology, but a plead for forgiveness, as Lanny McDonald of Colorado Rockies sat in the penalty box nursing an eight-stitch cut and black eye &hellip; &ldquo;Lanny. it wasn&rsquo;t you I was after,&rdquo; shouted Jimmv Mann from his seat in the penalty box. &ldquo;I was going after Rob Ramage and you just got in the way&rdquo; &hellip; Don&rsquo;t tell anybody, but Dave Babych had the highest (worst) minus in the NHL last season and some teammates were close behind. Babych. then a rookie defenseman. was 61 &hellip; Norm Dupont (-57). Dave Christian (-54) and Barry Long (-47) were next in line.&hellip; Sixth was Lucien DeBlois (-42). the former Colorado Rockie who is now one of the Jets determined to have a better seasonDanny Geoffrion, one of the Jets&rsquo; five right wingers still on roster, says he will be terribly unhappy if he&rsquo;s forced to watch many games from the press box this season &hellip; &ldquo;I did that in Montreal and I have no desire to do it again.&rdquo; he said &hellip; Thomas Steen, a Swedish rookie with the Jets, has impressed watchers with his penchant for hitting and ability to fend off checks. &#9632;

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Fergy Holding Lineup Spot If Savard Ends Retirement

<div class="byline">BY JAY GREENBERG</div>PHILADELPHIA &mdash; The Flyers, in no immediate need for Thomas Eriksson&rsquo;s services, granted him a two-week leave last week to return to Stockholm. They only hope he comes back.&ldquo;I had three different meetings with him,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; coach Pat Quinn. &ldquo;Thomas is a shy, quiet kid and he said it was something he couldn&rsquo;t really explain, but that he felt he needed some time to-go home and straighten his thoughts out.&ldquo;I asked him a lot of questions. Is it the organization? Is it not playing? Is it me? Was it sending his friends Pelle Lindbergh to Maine? The best indication I got was that he was starting to question whether playing over here was worth it.&rdquo;The homesickness, developing more than a year after the 22-year-old defenseman left Sweden to pursue a pro career in North America is puzzling. And whether the two weeks furlough general manager Keith Allen announced after meeting with Eriksson can reaffirm Thomas&rsquo; resolve to make it in the NHL is the question.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t answer that,&rdquo; said Pat, &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have a bad camp but lately he hadn&rsquo;t been working very hard. I was going to play him last night &lsquo;[against Washington] but seeing the way he was moping around. I thought better of it.&ldquo;It takes some times for the European players to adjust over here. Maybe that&rsquo;s part of it. He&rsquo;s a star over there and maybe he expects too much too soon.&ldquo;Then, maybe he was missing Pelle [whom the Flyers had returned to Maine at the beginning of the season] more than he let on. And he&rsquo;s reading in the papers that it&rsquo;s between he and another guy to be sent to Maine and maybe everything built up.&ldquo;It would be a shame Io lose him. I think he is coming along fine.&rdquo;Eriksson, who appeared in 24 regular-season and seven of the Flyers&rsquo; 12 playoff games last year after starting the season in Maine, had dressed for only one of this season&rsquo;s first four games. Quinn said he had planned to spot Thomas as a seventh defenseman in Philadelphia, not return him to the American League.&ldquo;I saw the way Al Arbour brought [the Islanders&rsquo;] Stefan Persson along the first year or so.&rdquo; said Pat. &ldquo;and I thought at this stage, that was the best way for Thomas to develop.&ldquo;Actually, Jimmy Watson and Bob Dailey and Fred Arthur coming along so well was in Thomas&rsquo;s favor, not against him. We could keep him over some more experienced guys [Mike Busniuk and Terry Murray] and spot him.&ldquo;I hope he comes back. He&rsquo;s an excellent passer, probably the best one we have on the team. He will fit in well if he gives it a chance.&rdquo;Thomas says he already has. &ldquo;It has nothing to do with the team, really.&rdquo; he said the day of his meeting with Allen. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just something that&rsquo;s been on my mind for a while. I guess it&rsquo;s the lifestyle.&rdquo;Both Bjorn Wagnsson, Eriksson&rsquo;s agent, and Lindbergh indicated surprise at Thomas&rsquo;s decision. &ldquo;I talked to Thomas three days ago,&rdquo; Pelle told the Philadelphia Journal&rsquo;s Ned Colletti. &ldquo;I first heard he wanted to go back three weeks ago. He&rsquo;s homesick.&ldquo;To me it makes no sense. But if he&rsquo;s really not happy then he should go back. But he&rsquo;s playing on the big team, that&rsquo;s our dream. I can&rsquo;t understand why he would want to go back.&rdquo;Eriksson has the rest of this season, plus an option, remaining on his contract. Djurgardens, his Swedish team, has already approached the Flyers about a settlement. But they still perish that thought.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re certainly hoping he returns,&rdquo; said Allen. &ldquo;But in his present state of mind, he&rsquo;s probably not thinking that way. He&rsquo;s basically a shy, reserved kid. Offensively, he&rsquo;s an NHL defenseman. It&rsquo;s the defensive part where he has to build and I think it&rsquo;s only a matter of strength. His basic skills are excellent.&rdquo; &#9632;

Homesick Eriksson Leaves Flyers For Sweden

THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLYFounded in 1947 by Kenneth W. McKenzieDONALD R. WALLChairman and PublisherTOM MURRAYEditor in ChiefAdvertising and Editorial Offices Executive Office214 King Street West &mdash; Suite 314 850 Third Ave.Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 1K4 New York, New York, 10022(416) 598-1753 (212) 593-2100EDITORIAL STAFFCharlie HalpinEditorial DirectorMike Dennis. Assistant Editor Contributing EditorsStan Fischler, Frank OrrTOM WORSLEY&nbsp;Business ManagerADVERTISING SALES OFFICESToronto:Randy Green 214 King Street West &mdash; Suite 314 Toronto. Ontario, Canada M5H 1K4 (416)598-1753Quebec City:Gaston Dub&eacute; Gaston Dub&eacute; & Associates.2 Jardins Merici &mdash; Suite 705, Quebec City, Que, G1S 4M4 (418) 687-9275New York:Bob Bassinette Bassinette/White 50 East 42nd Street New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel. (212) 986-6210Boston:Steve Ganak. Steve Ganak Ad Reps 51 Church Street Boston. Mass 02116 (617) 542-6913Chicago:Hooper, Jones & Associates 3322 W. Peterson Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60659 (312) 478-5544Minneapolis-St. Paul:Chuck Grillo & Herb Brooks 1289 Dory Ave, Apple Valley, MN 55124 (612) 423-2447Esther Sumka.Advertising Service Manager (416) 598-1753THE HOCKEY HEWS. (ISSN 0018-3016). is published weekly except monthly June through September by W.C.C. Publishing Ltd., 214 King Street West &mdash; Suite 314, Toronto. Ontario M5H 1K4. (416) 598-1753. In U.S. c/o W.C.C. Publishing Corp.. 850 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022.YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $16.95 in the U.S.A. $16.95 in Canada $20 95 in Foreign Countries. Send all Canadian and Foreign subscription orders to THE HOCKEY NEWS, P.O. Box 13035, Postal Station A&rsquo;, Toronto, Ont. M5W 1V7. U.S. subscription requests should be mailed to Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y. 14240. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing.SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TD THE HOCKEY HEWS. 214 King St. W., Suite 314, Toronto. Ont. M5H 1K4. Second Class mail Registration No. 1327. All inquiries pertaining to subscriptions should be addressed to Subscription Dept., The Hockey News, 214 King St. W,, Suite 314, Toronto, Ont M5H 1K4, Canada.IN THE UNITED STATES: Second class postage paid at New York, N.Y. and at additional mailing offices. U.S. POSTMASTER send address changes to: The Hockey News, 214 King St. W,, Suite 314. Toronto. Ont. M5H 1K4.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011225/4733340-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="77" height="80"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div>Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations &#9632;

The Hockey News

<h2>The NHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011164/4733216-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="525" height="1095"></div><h2>The Minors</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-02985/4733209-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="546" height="214"></div><h2>The Amateurs</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03730/4733202-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="543" height="166"></div><h2>Columnists</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04502/4733195-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="543" height="262"></div><h2>Departments</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05371/4733188-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="540" height="265"></div><h2>Coming Next Week</h2>The Boston Bruins have been one of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s most respected teams ever since the franchise was founded in the 1920s. In next week&rsquo;s edition of THE HOCKEY NEWS, we&rsquo;ll present the first of our &ldquo;team specials&rdquo; &mdash; an eight-page section which will be devoted to the Boston Bruins team, their building, the fans that follow them and the hockey-crazy city in which they play.Don&rsquo;t miss it! Look for Rick Middleton and Ray Bourque on the cover. &#9632;

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<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06270/4733247-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>Steve Shutt of the Montreal Canadiens has been one of the NHL&rsquo;s most productive goal scorers since he came into the league nine years ago and this season he is continuing to show he&rsquo;s still a dangerous scorer after only two weeks of the 1981-82 schedule.Shutt entered the new campaign with a career total of 326 goals, good for 26th place on the NHL&rsquo;s all-time goal-scoring list. After the Canadiens&rsquo; first five games, Shutt had scored five times.The veteran left winger came up with four goals as Montreal walloped Hartford 7-2, overwhelmed Vancouver 10-4 and tied Buffalo 3-3 for an unbeaten week. Shutt&rsquo;s performance won him recognition by THE HOCKEY NEWS as the Player of the Week in the NHL.With 331 lifetime goals, Shutt moved past Philadelphia&rsquo;s Bill Barber on the all-time scoring list. Barber had 330 career goals after the first two weeks of the new season. &#9632;

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK

<div class="byline">BY NEIL MILBERT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011181/4733285-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Savard has the moves to bring audiences right out of their seats. &ldquo;You have to get on him early or he&rsquo;ll kill vou.&rdquo; says Pittsburgh coach Eddie Johnston. (Photos By Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>The late Branch Rickey, who pioneered the farm system and broke baseball&rsquo;s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, used to advise his scouts: &ldquo;Look for the man who can make the great play; if he does it once you know that he has the ability to do it again.&rdquo;The scene: Chicago Stadium, April 11, 1981.The Black Hawks are trailing the Calgary Flames with 43 seconds to play. The puck is in the Calgary end and in the scramble Darryl Sutter of the Hawks is knocked to the ice.Somehow Sutter rolls from his back to his stomach and takes a backhand swipe at the puck. It leaps off the ice and speeds past goalie Rejean Lemelin. Tie score! Sudden-death overtime!It was a great play under extreme pressure but six months later Sutter puts it into his personal perspective. &ldquo;All it did was add another 35 minutes to the season,&rdquo; he points out, unhappily recalling how the Flames went on to win on Willi Plett&rsquo;s overtime goal at 15:17 of the second overtime.&ldquo;We have to do something this year to make up for last season,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;This summer people didn&rsquo;t talk to me about the goals I scored [40 in the regular season, a Chicago rookie record]. The thing they wanted to know was: &lsquo;What went wrong?&rsquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;d gladly have traded 15 of those goals for 15 more wins.&ldquo;No, 1 wasn&rsquo;t disappointed because I wasn&rsquo;t voted Rookie of the Year [as he had been the previous year in the American League], If Peter Stastny is classified as a rookie, then he deserves it. And, if he hadn&rsquo;t been classified as a rookie, I think Derris Savard should have gotten it.&rdquo;The scene: Chicago Stadium, Oct. 7, 1981.The Black Hawks are opening the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only 13 seconds have elapsed. Pittsburgh goalie Michel Dion blocks a&rsquo;shot by Al Secord but Denis Savard pounces on the rebound and propels the puck high into the net.Thanks to Savard, a season of great expectations is off to a great start.Sparked by his strike, the Hawks surge to leads of 3-0 and 4-1. But the counterattacking Penguins tie the score in the third period.With 3:52 to play, Savard again comes swirling into the slot, as a rebound settles on his stick. Quick as a wink, the puck is in the upper corner of the net.Pittsburgh coach Eddie Johnston pulls his goalie in the final minute and the resilient invaders fight back to get a 5-5 tie on Greg Malone&rsquo;s goal with 24 seconds to go.But Savard is selected No. I star (just as he was in his first home game against Buffalo the previous year as a rookie and in his first NHL. game on the road in his native Montreal).And in Johnston&rsquo;s eyes, the accolade is fitting and proper.&ldquo;That young man makes great plays,&rdquo; says the Penguins&rsquo; coach. &ldquo;Guarantee, he&rsquo;s going to get 35 goals this year.&ldquo;He reminds me of Marcel Dionne with his moves and all the things he can do with the puck. You have to get on him early &mdash; in your end of the rink &mdash; or he&rsquo;s going to kill you.&rdquo;Savard still was in Junior hockey when Johnston coached the Hawks during the 1979-80 season but Sutter was a protege.After a season in Japan, Sutter came to Johnston during his stint as coach of the New Brunswick farm team in 1978-79. The next year he was summoned to Chicago for the playoffs and helped the Hawks to an opening round sweep of St. Louis, his brother Brian&rsquo;s team.&ldquo;Darryl is a typical Sutter,&rdquo; says Johnston. &ldquo;He might not get 40 goals again this season but 25 is automatic and he does so many other things to help your hockey club. He&rsquo;s just a heck of a hockey player.&rdquo;Only two other National Hockey League players have scored more than 40 goals as rookies &mdash; Mike Bossy, 53, and Richard Martin, 44.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02983/4733278-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="885" height="1207"><figcaption class="caption-body">Deflections are Darryl Sutter&rsquo;s main offensive weapon and he manages to hang tough in front of the net, despite being only 5-11,175 pounds.</figcaption></div>At home and on the road, Sutter is a paragon of consistency. Of his 40 goals last season, 20 were scored on the road.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you something else about him,&rdquo; says Hawk goalie Tony Esposito. &ldquo;He works just as hard in our end as he does in their end.&rdquo;Although Darryl doesn&rsquo;t have the smashing stroke of Bobby Hull, who had people standing and screaming in the aisles in his Chicago heyday, it is noteworthy that he scored more goals as a rookie than Hull did in his first two years.Deflections are Sutter&rsquo;s bread and the powerplay is his butter. &ldquo;The way I got my goals last year is the way I always scored,&rdquo; he points out. &ldquo;Maybe that&rsquo;s why nobody was very interested when I got out of Junior. [He was the 179th selection overall in 1978.]&ldquo;I played center quite a bit in Junior and that has helped me on rebounds. When we&rsquo;re on the powerplay Willie [Doug Wilson] and Murph [Bob Murray] have those big shots from the point and I have a lot of good chances.&ldquo;Another factor is playing with Tom Lysiak. He has all of those great moves and he&rsquo;s so completely unselfish. He&rsquo;ll pass up shots to set you up.&rdquo;The 23-year-old Sutter, a farm boy from Alberta, and the 20-year-old Savard, who grew up in Montreal, have never played on the same line.Coach Keith Magnuson is using Al Secord and Tim Higgins as Savard&rsquo;s wings and employing Sutter with Lysiak and Peter Marsh.While Sutter was setting the Hawks&rsquo; rookie goal-scoring record in his 62-point rookie season, Savard was erasing Bill Mosienko&rsquo;s team record for points by a rookie.Savard finished with 75 points (28-47), one shy of the total recorded by Lysiak, the team leader. And it was Savard who had the team&rsquo;s best plus-minus percentage, 11.5, ranking him eighth overall in the NHL.&ldquo;In one way I was happy about last year because I did well and was accepted by my teammates,&rdquo; says Savard, third choice overall in the 1980 amateur draft. &ldquo;The other way I was not so happy. You think about the team first of all and we should have had a better season than we did. If I had done better, we would have done better.&ldquo;I love Chicago. The people here on the team treated me with such kindness that I was homesick for only a very little while. Believe me when I say that I am glad I went to Chicago instead of Montreal which had the first choice overall in the 1980 draft and selected center Doug Wickenheiser].&ldquo;I know this is going to be a big year for our team. For our line, my goal is a total of 100 goals. I think Higgle [Higgins] can get 50. He skates my style and he is such a &lsquo;good shooter. This year Al is with us all the way [arriving from Boston in a trade midway through last reason] and that means a lot:&ldquo;Nobody will try any monkey business with Al out there. But he is not just a tough hockey player.He also can skate and shoot and play on defense.&ldquo;For myself, practicing against Tommy [Lysiak] and watching him in games has been an education. I see the things that he does and I add them to my own game.&rdquo;Neither Savard nor Sutter are imposing physical specimens. Savard stands 5-10 and weighs 167 pounds, while Sutter measures 5-11 and weighs 175.Since they play the same positions as two of the Hawks&rsquo; alltime greats, Hull and center Stan Mikita, comparisons are inevitable.&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t skate as well as Savard,&rdquo; says Mikita. &ldquo;And he doesn&rsquo;t have thee same temperament as me. I came into the league when I was 21, and I had to prove myself to the world. If a guy looked at me cross-eyed, I&rsquo;d slice his head open. Savard doesn&rsquo;t do that.&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t always try to overpower you. He looks for people. He tries to maneuver for the opening. He&rsquo;s got confidence in his stickhandling and passing.&ldquo;And he can do something that Bobby Hull could do but I never could. He can pull the people out of their seats.&rdquo;As was the case with the master-craftsman Mikita, Sutter doesn&rsquo;t have that ability to regularly turn a Chicago Stadium crowd into a gargantuan Jack-in-the-Box collection. Nevertheless, he did evoke such a response with his spectacular goal against Calgary that prolonged last season by 35 minutes.And, on the scoreboard, a deflection looks just as good as a blazing slap shot and 40 goals are beautiful for coach Magnuson to behold.Savard and Sutter began their second season in the NHL gracing the cover of the Chicago press guide, the Hawks&rsquo; way of saying that perhaps the best is yet to come.As Branch Rickey advised: &ldquo;Look for the man who can make the great play; if he does it once he has the ability to do it again.&rdquo;The Black Hawks are convinced that they have two such men &mdash; Denis Savard and Darryl Sutter. &#9632;

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SUTTER AND SAVARD:

<div class="byline">BY DOUG GOULD</div>LONG ISLAND &mdash; Champions are expected to win. They are not supposed to be intimidated by jinxes, tested by &ldquo;hot teams&rdquo; or victimized by intense rivalries. And the Islanders, champions, handled all three &mdash; the jinx, the hot team and the rival &mdash; with a minimum of trouble.&ldquo;Hey, what are we, 4-0-1? Think we can go undefeated?&rdquo; Clark Gillies said with a laugh after the Islanders had come away with consecutive victories over Pittsburgh, Vancouver and their Kissing Cousins, the Rangers. &ldquo;We were trying for 80 straight, but we had that tie [against Colorado], so I guess we&rsquo;ve got to settle for 79.&rdquo;No, Gillies hadn&rsquo;t broken into the liquor cabinet. But he was reflecting the confidence that has permeated the Isanders over the past two championship seasons. Their early-season escapades did nothing to dissipate that feeling.First, the jinx. The New Yorkers traveled to Pittsburgh, the final stop on a three-game swing that kicked off the season. The Civic Arena, that cold, foreboding &ldquo;Igloo&rdquo; had not been kind to the Islanders. They had not won their in three years, the last victory coming on Oct. 18, 1978.Since that time, the Islanders had amassed 86 more points than had the Penguins, and two more Stanley Cups than everyone in the league except the Canadiens. But the Isles managed just two victories (on Long Island) against the pesky Penguins in the span (2-3-7) and the thoughts of the jinx were on their minds.&ldquo;If you know the answer why we can&rsquo;t beat them. I wish you&rsquo;d let me know,&rdquo; Al Arbour said before the Pittsburgh game. &ldquo;I really can&rsquo;t explain it. But it is unusual, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;&ldquo;I think one of the reasons we&rsquo;ve had trouble with them is because they&rsquo;re not really that physical a team and we seem to play our best in games where the other team tries to challenge us,&rdquo; defenseman Dave Langevin said. &ldquo;Also, their arena is a little depressing. It&rsquo;s dark and we always seem to come in there right on the tail-end of a long road trip. I&rsquo;m not sure we&rsquo;re prepared for them &ldquo;Obviously, the Islanders were prepared this time, especially the Bryan Trottier-Mike Bossy-Bob Bourne combination. Trottier put an eight-footer past Michel Dion on the power play at 14:51 of the first period and Bossy came back with his first goal of the season on a rebound of a Trottier shot four minutes later to start the Isles on their way to a 4-1 triumph.Trottier, who finished the game with a goal and three assists, fed Bossy a perfect goal-mouth set-up moments into the second period and only a Randy Carlyle slapshot in a shorthanded situation provided a reminder of the way things used to be when the Islanders play in the Igloo.&ldquo;We were saying before the game how much trouble we have winning in this place,&rdquo; said Billy Smith, who broke a personal five and one-half year, seven-game (0-4-3) winless skein against the Penguins. &ldquo;But we didn&rsquo;t dwell on it. What we want to do is beat teams early in the season and try to get some sort of cushion in the standings. We want to win now when there&rsquo;s not that much pressure to avoid the extra pressure we had to face at the end of last season.&rdquo;The pressure was on the Islanders to give the hometown fans a good show when they played their home opener against Vancouver 24 hours after the Pittsburgh game. And that&rsquo;s what they did.Although the Canucks were off to their fastest start in the 11-year history of the franchise, the emotional high the Islanders were riding was too difficult for the Canucks to handle.The Coliseum crowd roared its approval when, in a pre-game ceremony, the 1980-81 Stanley Cup banner was raised to a position in the rafters next to the 1979-80 flag. They roared even louder when a three-goal explosion, two by center Wayne Merrick, paved the way to yet another 4-1 victory.Obviously, this was not the same Merrick who had languished on the bench the first half of last season, the same Merrick who had earned a reputation as one of the best playoff performers last spring, but who was curiously ineffective during regularseason play. &ldquo;It was very hard, very frustrating not being able to get ice time,&rdquo; Merrick said, recalling the dark days last year. &ldquo;We had just come off winning the Stanley Cup and it was hard to sit and watch everyone play. I didn&rsquo;t feel part of the team, but it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me It woke me up.&rdquo;Merrick scored the only goals the Islanders needed in a 38-second span early in the first period. He swept in a perfect feed from Bob Nystrom to make it 1-0 and. before the cheers had died, took a back-pass from left wing John Tonelli and made almost exactly the same sweeping motion past goaltender Glen Hanlon to give the Isles&rsquo; Roland Melanson the cushion he needed.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve scored two goals in a game a lot of times, plus I&rsquo;ve had a couple of hat tricks,&rdquo; Merrick said, &ldquo;but that reallv gives vou a lift, doing it on one shift.&rdquo;One man who always put it in the net, Bossy, accounted for the rest of the Islanders&rsquo; scoring, putting in his third goal while being pulled down by defenseman Rick Lanz, late in the first period and adding an open-netter with four seconds remaining.So the Isles were flying when they encountered the Rangers, a team with which they had staged a couple of pre-season brawls. But they didn&rsquo;t have to erect a canvas ring with ropes and a pair of stools this time, the teams were on their best behavior.It was unique. These fellows do not share Thanksgiving dinner, only scowls. Their mutual dislike, nurtured over the years by pride and envy &mdash; the Rangers still own New York, the Islanders own the Stanley Cup &mdash; is well documented. The usually well-behaved Islanders averaged 29 penalty minutes per game when they faced their Hissing Cousins last year, just 17 minutes against the rest of the league.But the fellow New Yorkers concentrated on beating each other on the scoreboard, not on their heads. And the Isles kept their unbeaten string alive at five games with a 5-4 victory.ISLANDER NOTES: Defenseman Stefan Persson, who suffered two cracked ribs in the Isles&rsquo; opener but didn&rsquo;t know the extent of his injury until the next game in Colorado, missed the Isles&rsquo; next three games and won&rsquo;t be back until late October. &#9632;

Isles In Championship Form Sweep Early Season Games

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div>BUFFALO &mdash; The Buffalo Sabres are deep in defensemen and it&rsquo;s a good thing they are.Coach Scotty Bowman kept seven defensemen and 1.3 forwards on his varsity squad this year, along with goaltenders Don Edwards and Bob Sauve.So far, with three centers hurt, Scotty has used four of his defensemen as forwards.Lindy Ruffy, who played both defense and left wing over his first two seasons with the Sabres, has been on the wing ever since the start of this National Hockey League season, although he played both positions in training camp.In the Sabres&rsquo; opening game. Bowman had Ruff with two other forwards, Randy Cunneyworth and Steve Patrick, on one forward line. Ruff, at 21. is the oldest member of the line. Cunneyworth is just out of junior hockey and Patrick started last season in junior, then was called up to the Sabres.The line scored twice in a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals and demonstrated authority all over the ice with its size, so Bowman has kept the line together.Ruff is 6-2 and 190, Cunneyworth is 6-0 and 185, Patrick 6-4 and 206.A couple of games later. Bowman had Larry Playfair, 6-4 and 201, playing left wing, as well as defense.The second game Playfair played forward, he scored the tying goal in a 2-2 tie with Vancouver. Ironically, he was back at defense when he ripped a 35-foot shot into the upper corner of the net late in the second period.Larry has been at defense since then because Bowman came up with another new line. He has been using two backliners. Bob Hess and John Van Boxmeer, on the wings with Alan Haworth, who had been a right winger.One of the reasons Bowman wanted to try this line was that Haworth, who scored 16 goals and assisted on 20 in 49 games for Buffalo in 1980-81, his first pro sason. wasn&rsquo;t getting enough ice time behind Danny Gare and Ric Seiling and with Patrick doing well on the new heavyweight line.So, Bowman did something he had been pondering &mdash; using Hess and Van Boxmeer up front.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have a line with a couple of defensemen who can play both up and back.&rdquo; Scotty pointed out. &ldquo;Defensemen are good defensively, so you can see a line like that when you have to protect a lead in the late going. And they add heft and strong shots from outside to your forwards.&rdquo;He has been using Hess and Van Boxmeer both at forward and defense in the games since he put the line together for a game against Quebec, won by Buffalo. 4-2, when Haworth scored twice.Ironically, again. Haworth wasn&rsquo;t playing with his two defensemen &mdash; wingers when he scored either goal. On the first he was out on a makeshift line with Yvon Lambert and Gare, the shift after the Sabres killed off a penalty, and on the other he was out for a power play.Haworth&rsquo;s goal, late in the third period, was Buffalo&rsquo;s first power-play score of the season after 14 failures in manpower advantages. &#9632;

Sabre Defensemen Filling In Up Front

<div class="byline">FRANK ORR&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011083/4733395-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="305" height="353"></div><h2>The Swing To Youth</h2>THERE ARE TIMES when it would be easy to believe that the National Hockey League&rsquo;s major ambition is not packed arenas for every game and a huge profit for every team. No, at times, it seems obvious that the NHL&rsquo;s secret aim is to become the North American Major Junior Hockey League.The youth movement is on and the average age in the NHL is lower than at any point in its history. Many teams have staked their immediate futures on sizeable groups of boys between 18 and 22 years of age.Players who have reached or passed their 30th birthdays are extremely scarce. No longer do clubs see it as a necessity to have a few battle-hardened old pros to &ldquo;steady down the youngsters.&rdquo;There are a variety of reasons for the swing to young players &mdash; the underage draft and the increased number of young players available, the quality of the players at a tender age, the lowering of payrolls by lopping off veterans who are on contracts from the two-league days, the need for the speed young legs provide to play the offensive flow-and-motion game now in vogue in the NHL.Another factor is involved, too, and it is as important as any of the others. Physical conditioning is playing a large role in the number of older players who are being told:&ldquo;We won&rsquo;t be needing you, Al!&rdquo;The Europeans, and especially the Soviets, have exerted a big influence on the NHL but in no area has it been as strong as in the physical preparation of players.Until the 1972 Team Canada-USSR Summit Series, the pros had adopted a rather relaxed attitude towards their physical upgrading. An NHL worker who engaged in an off-season program of conditioning was regarded as, well, a bit of a freak.Exposure to the Soviets with their enormous edge in upper body strength and indefatigable stamina opened a few eyes. When the Winnipeg Jets imported a car-load of Swedes and such worthy chaps as Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Lars-Erik Sjoberg indulged in stretching exercises in the dressing room before games, it was considered noteworthy.Now, most NHL teams have a fitness expert on their staffs and the players work on off-season programs to report to training camp ready to go.<h2>A Matter Of Stamina</h2>IN ADDITION TO their youth, a quality the young players bring along, too, is conditioning and a knowledge of the new, sophisticated programs for achieving it. They&rsquo;re familiar with aerobics and anaerobics, oxygen uptake and cardio-vascular strength.Keith Magnuson, the young coach of the Chicago Black Hawks, pointed out that the kids&rsquo; edge on the vets is more than simply years. Like most teams, the Black Hawks have a few older players who have been shunted aside by the youngsters.&ldquo;The playoffs last spring when the Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers, two very young teams, put on such a good show, demonstrated what can be accomplished by young clubs,&rdquo; Magnuson said.&ldquo;The New York Islanders, who have won it all for two years, aren&rsquo;t that old, either.&ldquo;The young players gave those teams good stamina to take the playoff grind &mdash; and there was more to it than age. The young players we&rsquo;re getting now from the juniors and, especially, the colleges, have been involved in the modern conditioning programs for several years and they know the advantages of them.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s especially true in the area of the conditioning that builds stamina, the aerobics and the improvement in cardio-vascular strength.&ldquo;Those programs aren&rsquo;t something a veteran player, who has prepared himself the traditional way, can adopt and achieve instantaneous success in. It&rsquo;s a bit the same as the person who takes up jogging and, after a month at it, wonders why his weight hasn&rsquo;t dropped noticeably and his general condition improved greatly.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that has a long-range aspect to it. For the player who&rsquo;s 28 or 30, it might be too late. By the time he&rsquo;s had enough time in a modern program for it to boost his conditioning and stamina sufficiently, he&rsquo;s lost his job to a kid who&rsquo;s been on the program for several years.&rdquo;<h2>The Neilson Influence</h2>DARRYL SITTLER, the captain-center of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was converted to the new conditioning programs during Roger Neilson&rsquo;s days as the Leaf coach in the late 1970s. Neilson introduced the Leafs to the fitness experts at the University of Waterloo.Neilson is long gone from the Leafs but the influence of the program on the few veterans who remain with the team from those days is still there.Sittler&rsquo;s view is that any player who wants to have a long career must pay as much attention to what he does off the ice-as on it.&ldquo;Careers are much shorter now but the player who has talent and skill can have a long career &mdash; if he pays strong attention to his conditioning,&rdquo; Sittier said.&ldquo;For instance, in our training camp this fall, there was really fierce competition for jobs because of all the good young players the club has picked up in the past couple of years and the experienced pros we added from other teams.&ldquo;Any guy who didn&rsquo;t come to camp in top condition was really asking for trouble &mdash; and a trip somewhere else.&ldquo;The emphasis on off-ice programs will help the quality of the product we can put on the ice. Better conditioned players are just better players, period.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0005-01

HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

<div class="byline">BY RICH FRIEDMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02804/4733426-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="577" height="873"><figcaption class="caption-body">Losing Anders Hedberg to knee surgery is a costy blow for the rapidly changing Rangers. (Photo By Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div>NEW YORK &mdash; The changing of the guard came for the New York Rangers in a blizzard of injuries and suddenly, almost overnight, the team was younger than yesterday.No sooner had they shaken off the effects of the team&rsquo;s most disastrous start in decades, the Rangers lost three key veterans to injuries, sent a fourth to the minors, and picked up a former Ranger in another of Craig Patrick&rsquo;s surprising trades:&bull; Anders Hedberg, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer last season (30 goals, 40 assists, 70 points) underwent major knee surgery and will be lost for the season.&bull; Dave Maloney fractured his thumb in the Rangers&rsquo; first win of the year, a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at the Garden in which his brother, Don, scored the winning goal with 1:49 left in the game. Dave will be out for a month.&bull; Goalie John Davidson was sidelined with muscle spasms in his back, a problem that has hospitalized him in the past.&bull; Veteran left wing Steve Vickers was sent to the Rangers&rsquo; AHL affiliate in Springfield.&bull; On the eve of Hedberg&rsquo;s surgery, the Rangers re-acquired forward Pat Hickey from Toronto for future considerations. Hickey had left the Rangers in November. 1979 in the deal that brought Barry Beck to New York.It was a week tinged with irony. With Hedberg sidelined and Bobby Hull back on his farm in Ontario, his comeback bid only a memory, and Ulf Nilsson sidelined for an indeterminate period with a knee injury, none of the three members of the &ldquo;dream line&rdquo; that would have brought Hull back, will be skating for the Rangers.Hickey and Vickers, by the way, also were sometime linemates of the Swedes in past seasons.For the Rangers&rsquo; embattled coach. Herb Brooks, the loss of Hedberg was the latest setback in a sobering two weeks, one that saw the Rangers lose their first three games and give up 20 goals in the process (a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings at home, and 8-3 and 7-0 defeats in Winnipeg and Minnesota).&ldquo;When you lose a world-class hockey player like Anders Hedberg. your initial reaction is like someone hitting you in the chest,&rdquo; said Brooks. &ldquo;It knocks the wind out of you. The next reaction is how do we bridge the gap that he leaves? Anders is very important to this club with the little things he does, like working hard in practice, he just inspires people. He&rsquo;s got a super attitude and is always prepared, mentally and physically.&rdquo;&ldquo;The acquisition of Pat Hickey will go a long way towards bridging that gap, but we were interested in him whether Anders had surgery or not. He&rsquo;s a gifted hockey player and we think he&rsquo;s got a lot of good hockey left in him.&rdquo;Brooks has functioned in a media spotlight since the exhibition season: The 64-dollar question is just how long the Rangers will take to adapt to his &ldquo;system&rdquo;, a European-North American blend that has the forwards constantly swirling and regrouping in the Rangers&rsquo; zone, one that puts increased pressure on the defense. Bit by bit the Rangers got back to the old dump-and-run style of hockey in the season&rsquo;s opening weeks, by the time they beat St. Louis Blues, 5-3 (Eddie Johnstone had a pair of goals) they were back to basics. They swarmed all over the Blues just as they did in last spring&rsquo;s playoffs, and they re-discovered the checking game that was absent early in the season.&ldquo;The reason we got in trouble,&rdquo; Beck explained, &ldquo;is that we thought we had the system down pat. Then we went up against forechecking and we didn&rsquo;t know what to do.&rdquo;Brooks had given the team a day off after they returned from the road to face the Canucks, a rest that was as valuable mentally as it was physically.&ldquo;The last three games I&rsquo;ve been at fault when we were just floating.&rdquo; said Brooks as he began to right the Rangers&rsquo; ship. After the Rangers broke the ice with that first victory over the Canucks, he acknowledged that it would take some time for the team to adapt to their new style. The lesson learned was that it would be impetuous to throw away virtually all the basics that had been learned in the past.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;ll really feel comfortable with it until Christmas,&rdquo; said Brooks, who then added, with a chuckle: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;11 make it until Christmas.&rdquo; Just three days later, following the bad news about Hedberg, Maloney and Davidson affB a 5-4 loss to the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. Brooks spoke candidly about the challenges he is facing.&ldquo;Coming to New York has been a great contrast in my life,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I enjoy the challenge and now with our injury situation it&rsquo;s going to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. Anders gave us solid hockey every night; even when he didn&rsquo;t score he skated up and down his wing and provided leadership for others.&rdquo;&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m not giving up. I came here to do a job and with our talent I expect to do the job. Adversity can be a great provider: I expect to make it so.&rdquo;The demotion of Vickers was expected to be only temporary, particularly in light of the Rangers&rsquo; injury situation. It was announced after the Canucks game and did not come as a surprise; he and defenseman Carol Vadnais were the veterans who were not protected in the waiver draft early in October, and it was clear that Vickers&rsquo; situation was marginal since training camp.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a demotion but is meant to keep people in a competitive environment,&rdquo; Brooks explained. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough thing to do: you&rsquo;re playing with! guys&rsquo; lives, their families.&rdquo;In Vickers&rsquo; case, this was true in a poignant sense: His wife, Joanne, had recently gone through a rough, premature birth with their new baby.Davidson&rsquo;s strong showing against the Canucks and his back problem did little to clarify the Rangers&rsquo; three-goalie situation, Steve Weeks was in the nets against the Islanders, and Steve Baker against the Blues.Hickey was a spectator at the Coliseum but made his debut in the Garden the next night against St. Louis to a warm ovation from the crowd. For him, the deal with the Leafs was a rescue from limbo; he did not fit into Toronto&rsquo;s plans (the team has embarked on a youth movement) and truly had his career been &ldquo;on hold&rdquo; since his trade from New York after 4\0-and 34-goal seasons; he scored only 16 last season in 72 games.&ldquo;The heart was taken out of him when he left New York,&rdquo; said William London, the Manhattan attorney who represents Hickey. &ldquo;This will prolong his hockey life.&rdquo;It was a subdued and markedly matured Hickey who faced the press, after his debut, and he made it clear that it was not the time to discuss his exile in Toronto. That would comJ later. It was enough, for him. to bask in the glow of his return. He measured his words carefully.&ldquo;I was very young when I came here, the 28-year-old Hickey said as he slipped into black jeans and a black, open collared shirt. &ldquo;And I became a better man with the years. It&rsquo;s good to be back.&rdquo;The loss of Hedberg, though, made it a bittersweet moment.&ldquo;I was here long enough to make some good friends,&rdquo; Hickey continued, &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s good to be back among them again.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0005-02

Rearranged Rangers Weather Storm

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011264/4733457-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="285" height="345"></div><h2>Tinsel Dust Evaporated</h2>AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT JOHN ZIEGLER:Last week you made an optimist of me.I walked into your office figuring that the sky was falling on the NHL and that you were Mister Migraine personified. An hour later I walked out, flitting over Broadway like Pollyanna imitating Peter Pan. The NHL, you made me believe, was A-OK.But several days have passed and the tinsel dust has evaporated from my typewriter. Dammit, John, I don&rsquo;t feel good about some of the things you told me.Now I realize that, as president of the NHL, you sometimes find it more appropriate to talk applesauce than turkey; which is okay for you, but not for me.My problem is that I have a constituency out there and already they are yelling and screaming about some of the things you said.I&rsquo;II give you a for-instance: Without blinking, you mentioned that NHL refereeing &ldquo;has probably never been better.&rdquo; I don&rsquo;t know whether you noticed, John, but I couldn&rsquo;t swallow for a minute after you told me that.I know you&rsquo;re serious but so are the folks who cough up 15 simoleans per ticket. And do you know what? They not only don&rsquo;t agree with you about the officiating, but they&rsquo;re right.It&rsquo;s not that your individual whistle-blowers aren&rsquo;t honest, dedicated and &mdash; within their limitations &mdash; quite competent. No, that&rsquo;s not the issue.What really matters is that your officiating system is 50 years behind the times, maybe 100. Having one referee handle a hocky game makes no more sense than asking only one umpire to rule a baseball match. John, face it; it&rsquo;s a physical impossibility.There is good reason why the Ed Sniders, Lou Nannes and Josephine Fans erode their esophagus,, yelling at your referees. The NHL officiating system is a proven failure and self-defeating. Don&rsquo;t ignore the problem, John, fix it!Another thing, John. It&rsquo;s all very well for you to make like Nostradamus and act the visionary but, if I were you, I&rsquo;d eschew the crystal ball that keeps promising a 24-team NHL somewhere over the rainbow.Forget it. I don&rsquo;t want to even hear about San Francisco, Seattle and San Diego as potential NHL sites. Not when the Rockies, the Kings and Penguins are fighting off emphysema.Now I know this may sound silly but you really got my goat with another remark. It was about the effects on the NHL if the Rangers move to New Jersey. John, how can you say that you &ldquo;don&rsquo;t foresee a big impact on the league without a team in Manhattan? Please don&rsquo;t tell me about the football Giants doing okay at the Meadowlands and the Mets getting good media attention in Flushing. That&rsquo;s baseball and football you&rsquo;re talking about. You know as well as I do that those sports practically own the sports pages. Personally, I don&rsquo;t think the boys on Madison Avenue &mdash; who your marketing people keep trying to court &mdash; are going to be too tickled about portaging to East Rutherford for a hockey game. I&rsquo;d worry that they&rsquo;d do a permanent detour at Studio 54 along the way.Frankly, John, I figured you set a world&rsquo;s all-sports optimism record with that crack about expecting all 21 NHL teams to be making money in five years. You&rsquo;re pinning a lot of hopes on the potential of cable television&rsquo;s revenue production. I think, perhaps, too much.I liked your candor in pinpointing Denver as the NHL&rsquo;s anxiety franchise. But if I were you, I&rsquo;d be losing some snores over Boston. John, that once was the best hockey town in the USA. So, what happens &mdash; the Bruins expel Bobby Orr and treat Don Cherry like a leper. They were only the two most popular Bostonians since Paul Revere.And I&rsquo;d be dropping a few aspirins over Buffalo and Philadelphia. Remember when you couldn&rsquo;t get a ticket for the Sabres or Flyers on an even-up trade for your wife? Well, now you can. I never thought I&rsquo;d see the day when there were empties at The Aud or The Spectrum.Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, John. I know that you mean well. I like you and I love the game. Frankly, I hope I&rsquo;m wrong and you&rsquo;re right about the future. I want to believe you but, Mister President, if you&rsquo;re going to sit there and tell me that the refereeing is outstanding, then you better believe that my name is Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle!Your Friend Stan Fischler<h2>Ganging Up On Gretzky</h2>(NEXT WEEK: THE GOONING OF GRETZKY. WILL IT HAPPEN?)NOTES: The time has come for the NHL to wise up and shift its Canadian headquarters from Montreal to Toronto. A Toronto-New York axis would link the league with the two communications capitals of the continent. Montreal is passe as a hockey nerve center &hellip; Bobby Orr made a very positive impression during his New York stop to promote his film, &ldquo;First Goal. Like Rocket Richard, Orr has become comfortable with the public and press in retirement. Orr insists that his parents never pushed him into a pro career. &ldquo;If they ever had,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;I probably would have quit the game.&rdquo; &hellip; Phil Esposito is laying groundwork for the first Rangers Old-timers Game at Madison Square Garden later in the season. Wonder who&rsquo;ll coach: Phil Watson, Muzz Patrick (Craig&rsquo;S uncle), Doug Harvey, John Ferguson or Fred Shero? &hellip; Some of my Swedish friends say I&rsquo;m too hard on Borje Salming. I&rsquo;ll shut up when Borje Big Bucks shows me he can carry the Leafs as well as he carries the cash &hellip; In Beantown they&rsquo;re saying that as aging Rogie Vachon goes, so go the Bruins. So, you have to figure fourth place (out of five) for the Bs in the Adams Division &mdash; if they&rsquo;re lucky &hellip; Famous Last Word Dep&rsquo;t. &ldquo;I never wanted anything so much as I want to make this team,&rdquo; said Doug Sulliman in his last game with the Rangers. Next thing he knew, Sully was dealt to Hartford &hellip; A number of courageous forecasters are predicting that the Jets will be a better team this season? Could any club be as bad as Winnipeg was last year? No way &hellip; The one kid I see climbing from average to superior this year is the Blues&rsquo; Perry Turnbull, injuries notwithstanding &hellip; I&rsquo;m still not sold on Don Beaupre as a first-line goaltender&hellip; Wouldn&rsquo;t it be amazing if Punch Imlach completely recovered from his ticker problem and returned as unchallenged wheeler-dealer of the Maple Leafs? &hellip; Exactly ten years ago Marty Blackman, representing the New York Raiders, phoned Rocket Richard and asked him if he&rsquo;d like to coach New York&rsquo;s team in the World Hockey Association. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the World Hockey Association?&rdquo; asked The Rocket. Now he knows!LETTERS: My policy for 1981-82 is to only occasionally print the best letters. If you write, please don&rsquo;t expect to see your letter in this space. But there are exceptions.My fall favorite comes from John C.G. Moore of Sackville, New Brunswick. He writes: &ldquo;There are two occasions when the referee should utilize TV replays on certain questionable calls &mdash; (1) to decide if the puck went into the net and (2) if the goal was scored on an offside. The referee should be required to view all camera shots when his call is questioned. Then, he makes his final decision. If his initial decision is vindicated by the camera the team that requested the replay is penalized two minutes.&rdquo;COMMENTS: It&rsquo;s a good 1981 idea, but NHL officiating methods are governed by thinking better suited for 1881.<h2>Kings Get More Space</h2>MEDIA NOTES: L.A. Kings got a break when Bill Dwyer was named sports editor of the L.A. Times. He&rsquo;s a hockey buff who&rsquo;s giving the Kings more space &hellip; Bob Keisser, who wrote so well on the NHL for the L.A. Herald-Examiner, unfortunately has left the beat to cover other sports. Rick Sadowski has replaced him &hellip; N.Y. Daily News has added an every Friday hockey notes column by Mary Flannery &hellip; Scott Young, ex of the Toronto Globe and Mail, has written Conn Smythe&rsquo;s memoirs, &ldquo;If You Can&rsquo;t Beat Em In The Alley.&rdquo; &hellip; Al Eagleson is the subject of a Deidra Clayton tome, &ldquo;The Eagle.&rdquo; &hellip; The Associated Press will have Barry Wilner as its main hockey man operating out of Manhattan with two features a week &hellip; Rangers&rsquo; press ace John Halligan was mining some dusty files and unearthed a 1946 tract written by hockey historian Jim Hendy. It&rsquo;s titled: &ldquo;Publicity Recommendations for the New York Rangers Hockey Club.&rdquo; It should be required reading for the NHL high command. One morsel: &ldquo;All hockey officials &hellip; seem to shy away from the press. They slip in and out of town seldom letting the press know they are around. Such conservatism is understandable in some professions but certainly not where you are selling, entertainment.&rdquo;WOULD YOU HIRE THIS MAN? A year ago the skids were greased for Fred Shero&rsquo;s swift exit as Rangers&rsquo; GM-coach. Now Freddie is telling people he wants back into hockey. The question I put to a professional hockey man with no axe to grind with Shero was this: If you owned a team, would you hire Shero as coach?His reply was not what I expected. &ldquo;First,&rdquo; the man said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d want to spend some time with him. I&rsquo;d want to know if his problems are over. Frankly, I think he might be a better person now. The hockey mind is there. He&rsquo;s as analytical as they come. With a good GM, whom he respects, Shero could be a better coach than ever before.&rdquo;FINAL QUESTION: Isn&rsquo;t Bobby Orr still under contract to the Chicago Black Hawks. Wasn&rsquo;t it a 10-year deal? If so, how come he&rsquo;s allowed to work out with and instruct the Pittsburgh Penguins? If, in fact, Orr&rsquo;s contract with Chi is intact, I would be very vexed to have him help the Pens if my name was Bill Wirtz, president of the Black Hawks. &#9632;

f0006-01

ON THE CONTRARY

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div>LANDOVER &mdash; Everywhere Bobby Carpenter goes, the media follows, in large numbers and repetitious inquiries. Meanwhile, however, the Washington Capitals have quietly ointroduced another underage forward of immense potential into their starting lineup.Gaetan Duchesne attracts only a minuscule amount of interest and his inability to speak English further diminishes opportunity for media exploitation. But when Duchesne lifts his skates and starts moving, he speaks in a language hockey people understand.As an eighth-round draft choice, a 19-year-old who scored a less than startling 27 goals for the Quebec Ramparts a year ago, Duchesne received a perfunctory invitation to training camp in Hershey &mdash; and no chance to make the big team.But with 25 players in Europe, there was a better than usual chance to evaluate newcomers. Duchesne raised eyebrows right from the first day with both his performance on the ice and his unabashed statement that he intended to play in Washington.&ldquo;He was head and shoulders above everyone else in camp,&rdquo; said Roger Crozier, the assistant general manager who supervised the practices at Hershey. &ldquo;I think he can play in the NHL right now. He was the best player on both teams in every rookie game he played. There was no way we could have imagined he would be of that caliber.&rdquo;Duchesne was sent back to Quebec for games on Sept. 26-27, but was told to return to Hershey afterward, because Crozier wanted general manager Max McNab and coach Gary Green, who were in Europe, to see Duchesne in action.Duchesne went scoreless in the two junior games, but he had a reasonable explanation ready for the puzzled Capitals&rsquo; brass.&ldquo;My coach, he say my head is here, not there,&rdquo; Duchesne said.Green, with room for a fourth-line winger, gave the youngster some attention and was impressed. He was not alone. In Hartford, during an exhibition game, spectator Bobby Orr asked the identity of Duchesne, watched him for a while and said, in disbelief, &ldquo;That kid&rsquo;s only 19?&rdquo;&ldquo;Picking someone like that in the eighth round is like reaching in your pocket for a dollar bill and finding a hundred.&rdquo; said Hartford owner Howard Baldwin.Duchesne was one of 25 players brought back to Washington. Then, while Glen Currie was dispatched to Hershey and Dennis Ververgaert was assigned to Fredericton, Duchesne was nominated as one of the 19 starters for the opener in Buffalo.&ldquo;Duchesne is a beautiful skater and he has defensive instincts coming out of his ears.&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Everybody at training camp was impressed with him and all I heard when we got back, from Europe was &lsquo;Duchesne, Duchesne, Duchesne.&rsquo; When I laid my eyes on him, I felt the same way.&ldquo;He has speed and good puck handling ability, but it is his intelligence toward the game that is earning him a spot. He has made some excellent. defensive plays. We are going with three lines and he figures just to play is a penalty killer, but if somebody is not going well, he&rsquo;ll be in there.&rdquo;Green was as good as his word. The Bengt Gustafsson-Orest Kindrachuk-Roland Stoltz line was ineffective in the 5-3 loss to Buffalo. So for the Capitals&rsquo; home opener against Detroit, Green shifted Gustafsson to center and moved Duchesne in as the left wing.With the game scoreless, Duchesne was involved in a controversial play. He left the penalty box and got loose on a breakaway, only to be stopped by goalie Gilles Gilbert. Duchesne was slashed by defenseman Willie Huber, but never hesitated, stealing the puck from Dale McCourt and firing it into the net.In the brief moment that McCourt had possession, however, referee Andy Van Hellemond whistled the penalty against Huber, so the goal was disallowed.Later, with Washington ahead by 5-3, justice prevailed. Duchesne sent a long shot into an empty net, Gilbert having been lifted for a sixth skater, and earned his first NHL goal. Stubborn to the end, he took both pucks home. &#9632;

Caps’ ‘Other’ Rookie Duchesne Gets Noticed

<div class="byline">BY GARY MUELLER</div>ST LOUIS &mdash; The fans in St. Louis never got to see him in person, but defenseman Trevor Johansen was a member of the Blues for a brief time. Not once, but twice.The saga of Johansen was a strange one. A week before the opening of the regular-season schedule, Johansen vas put on waivers by the Colorado Rockies.&ldquo;I was at our training camp in Regina and I looked at the waiver list and saw his name,&rdquo; recalled Blues&rsquo; general manager Emile Francis. &ldquo;I put in a claim for him but never thought we had a chance of getting him. There were 19 teams who had a crack at him ahead of us.&rdquo;But three days later, when the waivers had expired, St. Louis indeed had acquired Johansen, because no one else had claimed him.&ldquo;He joined us in St. Louis on a Saturday morning and was really excited about being claimed by the Blues,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;We had exhibition games Saturday and Sunday against Chicago and he said he really wanted to play for us. But he hadn&rsquo;t even been on the ice for a couple days because Colorado had just left him behind when they went on a road trip.&ldquo;But he wanted to play so badly that we went ahead and dressed him for our last exhibition game, in Chicago on that Sunday. And, you know, he played really well for us.&rdquo;By Monday morning, however, Johansen was on his way to Los Angeles, having been claimed by the Kings in the waiver draft.&ldquo;It really took me by surprise,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;LA could have claimed him on waivers from Colorado a couple days earlier. The price would have been the same and they could have had him with them for a couple days&rsquo; opractice before the season opener. But, they waited until the waiver draft and then they waited until the third round of the draft. It made no sense.&rdquo;But what happened next made even less sense.Upon completion of the waiver draft, the 21 general managers remained on the phone on their conference hookup and owent through the procedure of waiving various players out of the NHL and to their farm teams.&ldquo;When it came Los Angeles&rsquo; turn, I&rsquo;ll be dare if tbey don&rsquo;t ask waivers on Johansen,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;ll be darned if the 19 other teams don&rsquo;t pass on him again, until it gets down to jus. I put in another claim for him. But &lsquo;this time LA recalled the waivers. I guess you could say I had him again for a second time, but this time LA pulled him back.&rdquo;When the conference phone call had been completed, Francis went about his business in his office in St. Louis when his private phone rang. It was George Maguire, general manager of the Los Angeles Kings.&ldquo;He told me that he hadn&rsquo;t meant to get me mad,&rdquo; related Francis, &ldquo;but that he had realized in their exhibition games that they needed some help on defense. If that&rsquo;s the case, then why did they put him back on waivers?&ldquo;Anyway, George asked me if I had Trevor&rsquo;s phone number and I told him I&rsquo;d send him the phone number as soon as he sent me the check for the waiver price of $15,000. I also told him that every time he puts Johansen on waivers, I&rsquo;ll put in a claim on him.&rdquo;Francis theorized that the Kings might be trying to load up their farm team in New Haven, but Francis saw no reason why he should be a party to helping the Kings&rsquo; farm system.&ldquo;Defensemen are like goalies,&rdquo; said Francis &ldquo;You never can have too many of them and I felt Johansen could help the St. Louis Blues. Funny thing is, I tried to get him three years ago from Toronto, when we were trying to trade Garry Unger. I wanted Johansen and John Anderson for Unger, but then Toronto traded Johansen to Colorado.&ldquo;I feel bad that we didn&rsquo;t get Johansen, but the guy I really feel bad for is Johansen, because of the way he&rsquo;s been bounced around.&rdquo;BLUENOTES: While Johansen was bouncing around from the Rockies to the Blues to the Kings, the Blues also added &mdash; and kept &mdash; goal tender Gary Edwards, whom they claimed from Edmonton in the waiver draft. Francis explained that he felt the veteran Edwards would serve as an excellent backup to All Star Mike Liut, with youngster Rick Heinz also staying with the Blues in that role. &ldquo;With both Heinz and Edwards on our roster, we pan really give Mike a rest from time to time,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;Last year, even when we rested Mike, he still had to go through the warmups. This way, when we rest him, we can give him the night off and dress the other two.&rdquo; &hellip; Although Wayne Babych, Jorgen Pettersson and Perry Turnbull, who had combined for 125 goals last season, were all missing from the openingnight lineup because of injuries, the Blues still had enough firepower left to open the season with a 6-2 victory over Pittsburgh. For the second season in succession, Blair Chapman got things started with two goals on opening night.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011129/4733512-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="570" height="832"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Johansen was twice claimed on waivers by St. Louis, but they couldn&rsquo;t keep him.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Johansen Happier If He Was Blue

The International Hockey Weekly Founded in 1947Published by WC C Publishing Ltd 214 King St. West, Suite 314, Toronto, Ont. M5H 1K4<h2>A Risky Rule</h2>QUIETLY, AND WITHOUT A LOT OF FANFARE, the National Hockey League has taken what many observers may perceive as a giant step backwards in the effort to eliminate fighting from the game: They have significantly reduced the impact of the controversial &ldquo;anti-brawling&rdquo; legislation, which prevailed in the league last year and confused more people than it reprimanded.When a fight occurred between two players last year, those who weren&rsquo;t involved were required by the rule to retreat to their respective &ldquo;neutral areas&rdquo; and Watch the festivities from a distance. This isolation was to serve two purposes. One, to separate the players, thus eliminating the chances of other scraps breaking out or, worse, a benchclearing brawl, and two, to give the referee and linesmen a chance to break things up and assess the proper penalties without worrying about interference from others.The rule was great in theory. In practice, however, it was absurd. It was only effective as long as the players on the ice at the time of the fight remembered to go to their neutral areas, which varied from rink to rink. But nine times out of ten they didn&rsquo;t, and the referee was obliged to enforce the rule &mdash; regardless of how passive the observers had been.This led to a lot of confusion &mdash; opponents standing around when a fight broke out, looking quizzically at each other as they tried to decide what to do. It also created some memorable scenes in the penalty box &mdash; like the night the Detroit Red Wings played in Los Angeles and in the first few minutes of the game the Kings lost Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer and the Wings were deprived of their first line &mdash; Dale McCourt, John Ogrodnick and Mike Foligno &mdash; because all six players, none of whom dropped his gloves, didn&rsquo;t go to that neutral area.What this meant, of course, was that anyone who had specifically come to the game that night to see those two lines or any of the six players perform couldn&rsquo;t see them for almost a full period &mdash; all because of the rule.Obviously, something had to be done. In the words of Scotty Morrison, the NHL&rsquo;s vice president of officiating, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s no way we want to take the stars out of the game, especially the guys who never fight.&rdquo;So what the NHL has done this year is essentially reinstate that time-honored NHL tradition of standing on the fringe of a battle and watching. No more requirement to find that neutral corner. Instead, non-participants are being allowed to hang around the fray &mdash; they can even grab the opponent closest to them &mdash; as long as they don&rsquo;t drop their gloves or try and instigate something with that opponent. Do that and you get 10 minutes.&ldquo;Instead of making the 10-minute misconduct automatic,&rdquo; Morrison said, &ldquo;it is now at the discretion of the referee. If the players just back away and let the linesmen do their job and if the referee is satisfied, there&rsquo;ll be no misconducts. If they just stand back, we&rsquo;re statisfied.&rdquo;And if the players don&rsquo;t cooperate and the leniency of the rule is taken advantage of?&ldquo;All we have to do,&rdquo; said Morrison, &ldquo;is take a TWX vote of the rules committee and we&rsquo;ll revert back to last year&rsquo;s rule. The board of governors will back us completely.&rdquo;They may have to. Allowing the players to get closer to altercations, rather than further away from them, is asking for trouble &mdash; not because the players are irresponsible, but because the closer anyone gets to a fight, the more likely his instincts are to dominate whatever awareness he has of penalties and fines for his actions. And if a player sees a teammate being pummeled into the ice only two or three feet from him, he&rsquo;s not going to stand by and watch. Add in the fact that rivalries between players and teams are going to be even more accentuated than before because of the unbalanced schedule &mdash; where some teams will be meeting others eight times this season &mdash; and there&rsquo;s no way we can see this new rule working as the NHL hopes it will.We hope we are proved wrong. &#9632;

<div class="byline">BY GEORGE GAMESTER</div>The Toronto Maple Leafs haven&rsquo;t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and in recent years have done little to convince their faithful followers that they are even close to recapturing hockey&rsquo;s most coveted prize.But that doesn&rsquo;t seem to matter to those people who cling to their season tickets as if their lives depended on them or to those who have been waiting &mdash; some for many years &mdash; to become subscribers.This article initially appeared in the October 18, 1981 edition of the Toronto Star.They call them golds, but they&rsquo;re looking a little dull these days, the color of dried mustard. In fact, the paint is peeling in spots and the upholstery is frayed around the edges.But, as Jack Gremont and Harold Ballard will tell you, those eight rows of $15 seats at Maple Leaf Gardens still are the most coveted in Toronto, and perhaps in all of professional sports.Gremont, a 35-year-old North York, Ont., businessman, recently placed an ad in the Star requesting gold or red seats for the Maple Leaf season. At last word, he&rsquo;d been unable to make a deal, though one subscriber offered him a pair of reds for the 43-game schedule for $2,500. Face value of the tickets: $1,032.&ldquo;And he&rsquo;ll probably get the money from somebody,&rdquo; sighs Gremont. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing what some people will pay.&rdquo;Yes, when you look at season tickets for pro sports in Toronto, it is remarkable what people will pay for mediocrity. Season sales for the Leafs, who placed 16th over-all last season, can only be described as phenomenal. The Argonauts boast the second-fattest subscription list in the Canadian Football League, and the team is having another miserable season. The Blue Jays rate among major league baseball&rsquo;s leaders in season sales, if not in talent. In each case, there&rsquo;s no discount for season-ticket purchasers. They pay full price for every game.At the Gardens, an astonishing 97 percent of the 16,307 seats have been sold to subscribers. Except for a few hundred seats held for the use of visiting teams and dignitaries, the golds (2,100 seats at $15), reds (5,100 at $12), greens (3,500 at $9) and end blues (1,400 at $7) are all taken. In the $5 greys, where first-time visitors can experience vertigo, and where the players&rsquo; faces are only far-away blurs, at least 3,000 of the 3,700 seats are sold for the season. Now the Gardens is offering season subscriptions for some of the remaining 700. For those hoping for a better location, there&rsquo;s a waiting list of 6,500. Want a pair of reds? The wait could be 15 to 22 years.Which brings us to Harold Ballard. Despite his reputation for putting money ahead of sentiment, the Gardens president says he&rsquo;s trying to reduce the holdings of some of his corporate customers who have had blocks of as many as 20 choice seats for as long as 30 years.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to limit the corporations so more individuals on our waiting lists can get in,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s rough. It&rsquo;s a helluva thing to say to these customers who were our heartbeat in the tough years, &lsquo;We gotta cut you back.&rsquo;&rdquo;Ballard says he&rsquo;s also trying to curb subscribers who re-sell tickets at fat profits. He has sent strongly worded letters to customers, warning that tickets remain Gardens property and profiteers could lose their subscription rights.When asked if he could follow the example of the Phil Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs in holding several thousand seats for less affluent fans to buy the day of a game, Ballard just chuckled.&ldquo;It would be nice, but we have to fill those seats for every game. It would be tough to go to bed at night if people didn&rsquo;t show up to buy all the tickets.&rdquo; Down at Exhibition Stadium, the picture is great for Argos, good for the Blue Jays, lousy for the Blizzard.Despite their ghastly performance this year, the Argos claim more than 29,000 season subscribers for their two preseason games and eight league home games &mdash; including 10,500 in the $11.50 and $12 seats in the covered north grandstand and 15,000 paying $10 to sit in the open south stands. Again, there&rsquo;s a waiting list for the choice seats, with 86 per cent of the stands between the 15-yard lines being held by subscribers. However, Argo season sales have slipped by more than 3,000 over the past three years, and Edmonton has grabbed the CFL lead with 38,000 subscribers.The Jays say their season-ticket customers hold about 8,000 seats, and roughly 6,000 of these are in the top-priced $8 field level category. The franchise ranks fourth in season sales in the 14-team American League, behind the Kansas City Royals, California Angels and New York Yankees.The Blizzard, with 54,000 seats available for North American Soccer League games, had only 1,605 season sales last year, 1,438 at the top price of $10 per game.At the Gardens, where the Leafs have earned a niche in the Guinness Book of Records by selling out every Saturday night since 1946, subscribers really do pass on their tickets in wills. Just ask comedian and hockey fanatic Johnny Wayne:&ldquo;Yeah, I got my golds in my grandfather&rsquo;s will.&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You know, killing that sweet old man was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.&rdquo;Wayne, who can be spotted in the seats behind the visitors&rsquo; bench at nearly every home game, claims: &ldquo;I was first carried into the Gardens as a baby. The very first words I remember were, &lsquo;You must be out of your # %&*! @ mind, Udvari!&rdquo;(Frank Udvari, now a referee supervisor, was a game official in NHL.)Well, maybe Johnny is exaggerating. No murders have officially been attributed to the demand for seats at the Gardens &mdash; though theft and nasty squabbling over tickets in divorce cases have occurred.Stolen tickets usually change hands several times before being used by some unsuspecting fan who buys them on the street. But some thieves have been dumb enough to use the tickets themselves, only to be nabbed in the seats. Sad to say, some of the ticket-snatchers have turned out to be subscribers&rsquo; neighbors or co-workers.Another awkward situation involves job-changing executives. Both the Leafs and Blue Jays have been caught in the middle when company bigwigs move to another firm and try to take their coporate season tickets with them.Then there are the &lsquo;dead people&rsquo; who show up at the Gardens every Saturday night. Because tickets are non-transferrable, some families never notify the Gardens when a subscriber dies. Thus, uncle Harry may have passed away in 1953, but nephew Charlie renews his tickets every year and occupies the seats: One-Gardens source estimates as-many as 500 seats are still registered to people who have died.Ballard says his staff is trying to clean up this situation. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t like to cut people off but I guess you have to be a little callous. Some of those people have been with us a long time.&rdquo;None longer than R. Falconbridge Cassels, the distinguished retired lawyer who is the dean of Toronto&rsquo;s season ticket holders. A courtly 77-year-old with a luxuriant shock of snowy hair, Cassels has held a pair of second-row greens since the Gardens opened in 1931. and he&rsquo;s been an Argo subscriber since 1918, when, as a halfback at Trinity College School, he received a pair of tickets from his father.He&rsquo;s seen it all, and remembers it all from the days when generations of Leafs and Argos would sip champagne from the Stanley and Grey cups. Today, things have changed, and not just on the field.&ldquo;You used to see your friends at the Gardens and the Argo games,&rdquo; he reflects. &ldquo;But now you&rsquo;re often surrounded by a lot of people who are there on company tickets. Some of them see the seats as a status symbol. They arrive late and they don&rsquo;t stay for the whole game.&rdquo;So, with the changing face of the crowd and the dismal performance of the Toronto teams, why doesn&rsquo;t Cassels give up his tickets? His answer sums up the plight of the Toronto season-ticket subscriber:&ldquo;I still enjoy the games and I don&rsquo;t expect too much. You have to be patient.&rdquo; &#9632;

SOME OTHER VIEWS

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011241/4733591-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="570" height="1027"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Middleton exploded for seven goals in four Bruin games.</figcaption></div>BOSTON &mdash; &ldquo;We knew he was going to be hungry because he didn&rsquo;t have a point in the first two games,&rdquo; said Gary Green, the coach of the Washington Capitals. &ldquo;We knew that tonight he would have to be reckoned with.&rdquo;And hungry Rick Middleton was indeed as he scored his first two goals of the season against the Caps and launched the Bruins into a four-game winning streak that left them on top of the Adams Division. Middleton had seven goals in the four games.The goals against Washington were vintage Middleton. He scored the first one with a one-handed shot with defenseman Rick Green draped on his back. The second was a shorthanded breakaway in which he easily outwitted goalie Mike Palmateer.It has taken Middleton, who came to the Bruins from the New York Rangers in 1976, five years to become the goal-scorer he was supposed to be. His production has gone up from 20 to 25 to 38 to 40 to 44. He had 103 points last year, 10th in the NHL.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to beat that this year,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;beat it or at least equal it. You have to keep going up every year. When you start going backward it&rsquo;s a bad sign.&ldquo;One of these years I&rsquo;m going to get 50 goals.&ldquo;It used to be that the 20-goal scorers were the ones that got the attention. Now you have to score 30 a year to be considered a scorer. If you get 40. you&rsquo;re above average. If you get 50, you&rsquo;re in an elite group.&ldquo;But the season&rsquo;s so long you can&rsquo;t really think of it. Last year, when I finished with 44, I thought, &lsquo;Geez, if I got a couple more in the beginning maybe I would have got 50.&rsquo; I&rsquo;m starting off fast this year, so maybe I&rsquo;11 have a bad ending, who knows?&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get 50 but I&rsquo;m not going to try to break in on this net by myself all the time and try to score five goals a game. I&rsquo;ll take them one at a time and if everything goes right this season I could get 50.&rdquo;Middleton started the season with Mike Gillis at left wing and Peter McNab at center. McNab is the other big goal scorer for the Bruins with 38, 41, 35. 40 and 37 goals in the last five seasons.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost a rule now that every team has to have one big line,&rdquo; said Middleton. &ldquo;I guess that&rsquo;s why they put us together. We&rsquo;re still getting use.d to each other. A couple of times tonight [against the Caps] Peter sent me in and I passed the puck back.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not going to believe this but. if anything, I should shoot more. That&rsquo;s my one drawback. I try to make the play too often.&ldquo;Peter and I haven&rsquo;t been able to get together on a goal yet. We&rsquo;ve had a lot of chances but the two of us just can&rsquo;t seem to click. Once that starts coming there&rsquo;s going to be a lot goal scoring.&rdquo;Middleton had two goals against Chicgo in an 8-5 shootout over the Hawks and in the same game 18-year-old rookie Normand Leveille scored the first two goals of his NHL career.&ldquo;I find it hard to imagine a kid like Leveille even playing in the NHL,&rdquo; said Middleton. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t start playing junior hockey until I was almost 18 so it&rsquo;s hard to understand these kids that are coming into the league now.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re 20 years old now and you haven&rsquo;t made it then you&rsquo;re not going to make it. If you&rsquo;re not drafted by the time you&rsquo;re 18 or 19 then you&rsquo;re not going to be. They accept it because that&rsquo;s the way it is.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why they have so much poise and confidence when they do make it.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Middleton Rolls And So Do Bruins

<div class="byline">BILL FLEISCHMAN&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02976/4733622-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="297" height="355"></div><h2>Tough Neighborhood</h2>TALK ABOUT TOUGH jobs &hellip; serving as the mayor of New York isn&rsquo;t easy. Neither is managing the mail, the Yankees or the Rolling Stones.In the narrow world of hockey, perhaps the toughest jobs are managing and coaching teams that count on hope, not victories, to sustain themselves.The Hartford Whalers are one of those mild-mannered teams. Last season they finished 18th out of 21 teams, one of a select few not to make the playoffs. What made the finish more distressing was the year before &mdash; the Whalers&rsquo; first in the NHL after a respected tour in the World Hockey Association &mdash; they had qualified for the playoffs.Not only do the Whalers appear to be wobbling backwards, they also changed neighborhoods. However, the company isn&rsquo;t easier to keep. With Buffalo, Montreal, Boston and Quebec also in the Adams family, Hartford&rsquo;s chances of returning to the playoffs this season are as good as Don Cherry returning to coach the Bruins.Should the Whalers manage to whip up a frenzied charge into fourth place and a playoff berth this season, some delirious fans will surely torch half the insurance policies in Hartford.Presumably, Larry Pleau, the gentleman in charge of steering the Whalers up Mount Ziegler, is heavily into insurance. History shows that people in Pleau&rsquo;s position are in a risky business. In most cases, a man takes over a down-trodden team convinced that he can succeed where others failed. Then, in a few years, or less, he winds up cleaning out his desk.Frequently, their intentions are honorable. Be patient, we plan to build through the draft. You&rsquo;ve heard it a thousand times, right? Then, at the drop of the first losing streak, the desirable draft choices are peddled for a veteran or two and the team continues to plod along to the tune of &ldquo;who knows where or when?&rdquo;Although during the summer Pleau traded away his club&rsquo;s No. 1 draft choice to Philadelphia for veteran Rick MacLeish and two prospects, the Whalers&rsquo; director of hockey operations and coach intends to stress youth. Some people felt like calling the 34-year-old Pleau the &ldquo;Connecticut Donkey&rdquo; after he swapped two-time 105-point scorer Mike Rogers to the Rangers for three more prospects, but Pleau stands by his moves.<h2>Get Three Young Kids</h2>&ldquo;WITH MIKE WE WERE gonna finish in the same place,&rdquo; said Pleau. &ldquo;If we were gonna finish in the same area, we wanted to go with youth. We probably could have traded for a more veteran-type player that would have helped us immediately, but we decided we wanted to get three young kids andtry to mold them into the type of organization we want. We&rsquo;re looking three, four years down the line to be successful.&rdquo;Predictably, trading the popular Rogers wasn&rsquo;t greeted with a rousing ovation by Whalers&rsquo; fans.&ldquo;I got all kinds of backlash,&rdquo; Pleau said. &ldquo;Fans, reporters, GMs, everything. I don&rsquo;t know how many geniuses there are around, but you&rsquo;re there to take the criticism. You guys have to write on what happens today, and I&rsquo;ve got to think about what happens tomorrow.&rdquo;The trouble with dealing for prospects is, by the time their tomorrow arrives, the GM is usually gone. Maybe Pleau makes these deals because he is smart. And maybe it&rsquo;s just typical of his pioneering spirit. He was, after all, an early American in professional hockey, signing first with Montreal and then, in 1972, becoming an original Whaler.&ldquo;This is a gamble,&rdquo; Pleau admitted. &ldquo;I have a two-year contract, but I wasn&rsquo;t looking at that. I could have done it differently, and probably secured my job, but my coaching staff and I wanted to go the other way.<h2>Improve By Drafting</h2>&ldquo;THIS TEAM HAS BEEN around a long time. In the WHA you did things differently. When you were in trouble, you could go out and buy some players. But this team has been in the NHL two years and we&rsquo;ve drafted 16 players. When we came into the NHL we only lost two players: George Lyle and Warren Miller. And we got Miller back last year. We think we&rsquo;ll have some good young players to work with soon.&rdquo;Not only are Pleau and assistants Bob Crocker, John Cunniff and Rick Ley searching for players who can skate, shoot and check, they also want other values.&ldquo;We have guys like Paul Shmyr and Jack Mcllhargey because they can give our team leadership and character,&rdquo; Pleau said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of what I&rsquo;m trying to build. I&rsquo;m a believer in attitude. I&rsquo;ve seen teams that have an awful lot of talent but just don&rsquo;t seem to be very successful. One way you can be successful, with consistency, is with an attitude.&rdquo;Isn&rsquo;t it interesting how many average professional athletes who become executives look beyond talent, to character and attitude, as ingredients for winning? However, people like Pleau aren&rsquo;t always successful because it requires patience by the owner and fans. And asking Hartford fans to endure a couple more years of losing while the Whalers mature may not be fair. But it&rsquo;s the path Pleau has chosen.He and the Whalers may regret trading Rogers and their No. 1 pick, who may turn out to be the renowned Brian Bellows. But you have, to admire Pleau&rsquo;s nerve. Now, the next question is: Can he keep his commitment to youth? &#9632;

f0010-02

HOCKEY WORLD

<div class="byline">BY FRED PIETILA</div>DENVER &mdash; Billy MacMillan, the Colorado Rockies&rsquo; answer to Monty Hall of &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Make A Deal&rdquo; television fame, said he is through wheeling and dealing players with his National Hockey League team, thereby spiking a persistent rumor that Lanny McDonald might be traded to Vancouver.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re finished dealing,&rdquo; MacMillan said, after the Rockies had opened their 1981-82 season with 15 newcomers in the lineup. &ldquo;There comes a time when you go with what you&rsquo;ve got. You can&rsquo;t always have players feeling down whenever they have a bad shift.&rdquo;Plenty of Rockie players, young and old, have felt that eerie feeling thus far as MacMillan conducts what has been a virtual facelifting of the six-year-old NHL franchise.<blockquote class="pullQuote">The differing backgrounds of the Rockies&rsquo; newcomers have led to confusion in the early going</blockquote>&ldquo;The only movement from now on will be up and down,&rdquo; MacMillan said, meaning between the Rockies and their Central Hockey League affiliate in Fort Worth.Elaborating on the McDonald issue, which has circulated around the NHL &mdash; particularly in the Vancouver area &mdash; MacMillan explained the Rockies&rsquo; viewpoint.&ldquo;Whenever the phone rings, someone is interested in Rob Ramage or McDonald. During the summer, someone had heard that Lanny had expressed interest in going to Vancouver. I talked to Jake [Milford, Vancouver GM] and he said to me, &lsquo;I hear Lanny wants to join our club,&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;The price would be heavy.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s as far as it went &mdash; there was no further talk.&rdquo;&ldquo;But they do not have anyone who could fill our roster for McDonald,&rdquo; MacMillan continues. &ldquo;Not many teams do, for that matter. We certainly don&rsquo;t have any intention of trading McDonald &mdash; not from our organization. He&rsquo;s a leader, on and off the ice. And that&rsquo;s the type we want and they&rsquo;re hard to find.&rdquo;McDonald expressed his feelings on the rumor.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a Colorado Rockie and I love it here. And there&rsquo;s the fact that we just bought a home here. I&rsquo;m happy here,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;So you have somebody trying to start that rumor, whether it&rsquo;s Roger [Neilson, the Canucks&rsquo; associate coach] or Tiger [Dave Williams, McDonald&rsquo;s former teammate now with the Canucks], I just want to become a bigger part of Rockie hockey and the community.&rdquo;McDonald played his usual spirited brand of hockey the first two games after sitting out most of training camp with a pulled leg muscle. He aggravated the injury when pulled down by Edmonton&rsquo;s Garry Unger during the second game of the season.But nevertheless, the personable McDonald remained optimistic &mdash; hopeful at least &mdash; about the Rockies&rsquo; chances of improving this season after their 0-2 start.&ldquo;Naturally, you want to win every game,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;The unfortunate part of it is we haven&rsquo;t played consistent hockey. The thing is, you&rsquo;ve&rsquo; got to keep going.&rdquo;The influx of new faces &mdash; with only seven players still around who were here at the start of last season &mdash; was certainly a factor and the Rockies &mdash; goalies Glenn &ldquo;Chico&rdquo; Resch and Phil Myre aside &mdash; performed like nine Gastons and eight Alphonses the first two games.&ldquo;Nobody said it was going to happen overnight.&rdquo; McDonald said as &ldquo;Team Confusion&rdquo; skated around in circles. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to keep building toward it. When we started, I wasn&rsquo;t sure how long it would take the team to jell. But everytime you get different backgrounds in hockey playing at the same time &mdash; especially the Finns and Swedes, it&rsquo;s going to be tough for awhile.&ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s got to start thinking the same way &mdash; in their checking, in their blocking shots and little things,&rdquo; McDonald said.&ldquo;Team Confusion&rsquo;s&rdquo; play in its own end was appalling the first couple of games and led numerous easy chances for the opposition. Resch and Myre kept the Rockies within striking distance despite their lack of support.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011163/4733653-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="561" height="809"><figcaption class="caption-body">Lanny McDonald said he&rsquo;s happy as a Rockie and discouraged rumors of a trade to Vancouver.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0011-01

Rockies Through With Trade Talks

<div class="byline">BILL LIBBY&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021033/4733722-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="285" height="341"></div><h2>Underrated Rogers</h2>THE TRADE OF Mike Rogers to the New York Rangers by the Hartford Whalers just prior to the opening of the new season was just another Chapter in the story of the most underrated player in the National Hockey League.The Whalers did not get true value in exchange for Rogers, but then neither did the Edmonton Oilers when they earlier&rsquo; traded him to Hartford. And Vancouver, which originally drafted him, just let him go &hellip; twice.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand it,&rdquo; admitted a bewildered Rogers, who at 27 was the best player on the Hartford team, the captain, and a man who only now is approaching his peak.He is a country boy out of Calgary who is fearful of life in The Big Town, but if he can make the adjustment he can make a contender of the Rangers. He has, after all, scored 84 goals, assisted on 126 and totalled 210 points the last two seasons.He is an explosive center, small and mild-mannered, but quick and skillful. It took him a few years to gain confidence and assert himself. but entering his eighth year as a professional he has proven himself a superior player who never attracts the attention or gets the credit he deserves.Mike&rsquo;s strange tale began in October of 1954 in Calgary. His father was superintendant in a cardboard factory. A former athlete himself, he encouraged Mike to get into sports despite his lack of size and was always available to run the lad to the rink.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03715/4733715-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="409" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Rogers</figcaption></div>&ldquo;He was just great. My whole family was,&rdquo; Rogers said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have a lot, but we were happy. The girl I was to marry lived a few blocks away. We were childhood sweethearts. We have very strong family ties. We were comfortable at home and miss the life we led there.&rdquo;<h2>Too Small For Pros</h2>ONE OF THE FEW top players to come out of the working man&rsquo;s district of Renfrew, Mike scored 148 goals in three seasons with the Calgary Centennials of the Western Canada Hockey League, including 67 goals in 66 games his last season as a junior.Yet, the word on him was that he was too small and too timid to make it in pro ranks and he was only a fifth-round selection, 77th overall, of Vancouver of the NHL, and fifth round choice, 61st overall, of Edmonton of the old WHA, in the 1974 drafts.&ldquo;I went with the Oilers,&rdquo; Rogers said, &ldquo;because they made more of an effort to sign me, offered me more of a chance to make the majors, and were closer to home.&rdquo;He made the big jump to the majors and had 35 goals, 48 assists, and 83 points in a spectacular debut. He narrowly missed Rookie of the Year honors, and, with only one two-minute penalty, was voted Most Gentlemanly Player.He reported to training camp overweight for his second season, started slowly, got in the doghouse, and was dealt to New England for Wayne Carleton. &ldquo;I have no one to blame but myself,&rdquo; Mike admitted. &ldquo;After my first year, I was overconfident and let myself get out of shape.&rdquo;Still, he wound up with 30 goals that season, 18 for the Whalers. He scored 25, 28, and 27 goals the next three seasons, the last for the WHA. Since he was not a hitter and was mediocre defensively, the 5-8, 175-pound center was deemed an ordinary player.When the Whalers moved into the NHL they were looking to beef up their team and did not protect Rogers in the inter-league draft, nor did Vancouver reclaim him as their property. When the Whalers offered him a pay cut on a two-way contract that entitled them to pay him even less if sent to the minors, Rogers took it.<h2>Slap In The Face</h2>&ldquo;I THINK THAT WAS what woke me up,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Harry Neale coached me in New England before he took over in Vancouver and I thought sure he&rsquo;d grab me back. When he didn&rsquo;t, it was like a slap in the face. When the Whalers didn&rsquo;t offer me much, I realized my career was in jeopardy. After five years as a pro, I still hadn&rsquo;t proven myself.&ldquo;Looking back on it, my problem was lack of motivation, I&rsquo;d made the majors easily and enjoyed playing, but I wasn&rsquo;t pushing myself to be the player I could be. I didn&rsquo;t have to be a hero. There&rsquo;s a lot of guys like me. We coast on our talent. You play a long schedule and it&rsquo;s tough to get up for every game.&rdquo;Determined, Rogers made an all-out effort the season before last, drove to 44 goals, 61 assists, and 105 points, and signed a four-year $500,000 contract. Determined to prove the one year wasn&rsquo;t a fluke last season, he came back with 40 goals, 65 assists, and another 105 points. All of a sudden, he was an All Star.Though small, he&rsquo;s sturdy. He plays hurt when he has to and hasn&rsquo;t missed a game in four years.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to believe the difference,&rdquo; the candid player conceded. &ldquo;Once I started to go all-out every game, things began to go for me. I gained confidence I could play with the best players in the league and was a lot better player than even I thought I was.&ldquo;I owe a lot to Don Blackburn, who was coaching the Whalers when I got there and who expressed confidence in me that others didn&rsquo;t have,&rdquo; said Rogers.&ldquo;He had the ability all along,&rdquo; Blackburn observed. &ldquo;Now he&rsquo;s using it consistently. He goes right by people and he can do it all night.&rdquo;After Rogers had blossomed into the player that he is today, Harry Neale admitted that &ldquo;Mike Rogers made Harry Neale look like a fool.&rdquo;If Rogers continues to improve even more, one can only wonder if someone in the Hartford organization will be making the same confession sometime in the near future. &#9632;

f0012-02

HOCKEY AD LIB

<div class="byline">BY NEIL MILBERT</div>CHICAGO &mdash; John Marks, second only to Tony Esposito on the Black Hawks&rsquo; seniority list, has been sent to Indianapolis of the Central League.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really surprised that this happened,&rdquo; said the 33-year-old Marks who broke into the National Hockey League in 1972-73 and holds the club record for consecutive games, playing in 509 before the string was snapped during the 1979-80 season.But this season he skated in only two exhibitions and wasn&rsquo;t used in the team&rsquo;s first four regular season games. Earlier he was left unprotected in the waiver draft but wasn&rsquo;t claimed by any of the other 20 NHL teams.&ldquo;I talked it over with my wife, Cathy, and I told her I wasn&rsquo;t happy with my current situation,&rdquo; said Marks. &ldquo;After I was passed over in the waiver draft, I knew it would be hard for Pully [General manager Bob Pulford] to make a trade where he got somebody worthwhile in return.&ldquo;But when Pully and I discussed my future, I told him I didn&rsquo;t want to go to Moncton [the New Brunswick farm team in the American League stocked by both the Hawks and Toronto] because I&rsquo;d be too far away from my wife and our little girl, Tricia.&ldquo;He was kind enough to work out a deal whereby I would go to the Islanders&rsquo; farm team in Indianapolis, which is less than 200 miles away. I have no hard feelings toward Pully &mdash; he has been very good to me.&ldquo;And, by the same token, I think I&rsquo;ve been very good to him and the Chicago organization over the years.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed to be going but it&rsquo;s the only avenue I have right now. I have two years left on my contract and I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m ready to retire. I&rsquo;m not writing off my NHL career. I want the guys to do well in Chicago but if I play the way I know I can in Indianapolis maybe they&rsquo;ll discover they need me back with the Black Hawks.&ldquo;If not, maybe I&rsquo;ll get the opportunity someplace else in the NHL. Pully indicated that Fred Creighton [coach of Indianapolis and formerly a NHL coach with Atlanta and Boston] was going to play me at defense. That&rsquo;s fine with me because I&rsquo;ve always felt I would have been a better player had I stayed a defenseman instead of moving to left wing.&rdquo;Marks was a defenseman in college at North Dakota where he played against his latter-day teammates and the current Chicago coaches, Keith Magnuson and Cliff Koroll, both of whom went to Denver.When Billy Reay was coaching the Hawks he shifted Marks to left wing at the end of his rookie season. He went on to become one of the league&rsquo;s finest defensive forwards, but not a scoring star.Point wise, his best year was 1974-75 when he had 47 points on 17 goals and 30 assists. He also had a pair of 21-goal seasons.A year ago Marks got off to a strong start but, on Oct. 25 in Colorado he suffered the first serious injury of his career: A broken ankle. After returning Jan. 28, he was used mostly as a penalty-killer.&ldquo;This fall I thought I had an excellent training camp but I could see the handwriting on the wall when I hardly played in the exhibitions,&rdquo; said Marks. &ldquo;I played against the Islanders in Indianapolis when we lost 7-3 on the line with Glen Sharpley and Reggie Kerr. I got an assist and I wasn&rsquo;t on the ice for any goals-against. Then, I played in Sault Ste. Marie [in the victory over Minnesota] on the line with Bill Gardner and Rick Paterson and got another assist.&ldquo;After that didn&rsquo;t play any more. I knew where I stood. If I wasn&rsquo;t even tried on the lines with Denis Savard, Tommy Lysiak and Terry Ruskowski, I could see I didn&rsquo;t figure in the plans.&rsquo; It was supposed to be a training camp where you could come in and earn a job. But for me it didn&rsquo;t work out that way.&rdquo; &#9632;

Hawks’ Vet Marks Assigned To Indy

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GILBERT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011214/4733684-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="557" height="737"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Smith showed things might be different on the road with a game-winner in Toronto.</figcaption></div>BLOOMINGTON &mdash; Maybe they should call it the Minnesota Travelling Road Show and Red Cross Special.Yes, the injuries kept coming, but the North Stars shook off the traditional rap of strong-home, weak-road by winning a pair of games in the second week of the schedule in buildings which have been a nemesis to Minnesota.After winning 4-2 in Quebec and 2-1 in Toronto, the Stars concluded their first road game of the season by dropping a 5-2 decision at Pittsburgh and losing 3-2 in Philadelphia.Three players led the way in the early successes, with Neal Broten scoring a team-high four goals in his first four games, Bobby Smith recording a team-high seven points in the same span, and goalie Gilles Meloche leading the NHL with a glittering 1.50 goals-allowed.The Minnesota success in Quebec was no small feat. The North Stars are legendary for not winning a regular-season game in Boston Garden in 35 tries (0-28-7), although they blew that jinx away with two victories while sweeping the Bruins in three straight in the preliminary playoff round last spring.But Minnesota had never won a game in Quebec City, either, going 0-3-1 as gracious guests in Le Colisee. So the 4-2 victory was more than a little meaningful, particularly the way in which it was accomplished.&ldquo;There are a lot of teams in this league that we&rsquo;d love to get into an exchange of three-on-ones with,&rdquo; said Minnesota coach Glen Sonmor. &ldquo;But the Quebec Nordiques aren&rsquo;t one of them.&rdquo;So Sonmor ordered special handling of the Nordiques, including a pestering forecheck and an everybody-get-involved style in the defensive zone. The result was containment of Quebec&rsquo;s volatile attack while Broten&rsquo;s two goals broke a 2-2 tie and provided Minnesota with the win.Then it was on to Toronto, which should not be the scene of any great embarrassment for visiting teams, since the Maple Leafs had a better record on the road than at home last season.However, Minnesota has treated Maple Leaf Gardens with the same respect as Boston Garden or Le Colisee over the years. The North Stars had won only three of 35 games in Toronto, going 3-23-9, and had won only once (in 1976) since 1971.The Maple Leafs tried to do what the North Stars may find many teams attempting this season &mdash; fall back and contain the speedy Minnesota forwards. But Toronto couldn&rsquo;t pull it off, and Broten and Smith scored in the third period to break another arena hex and keep the North Stars winning.Broten, who had been setting up Brad Palmer and Steve Christoff for numerous chances, was &ldquo;dominating&rdquo; his shifts, in Christoff&rsquo;s words. But the pucks weren&rsquo;t going in for the wingers, so the shifty little center starting pumping them in himself.Smith and Meloche, meanwhile, are the only two unsigned North Stars. Both are playing out their options, and both are performing as if every game might bring a few thousand extra at bargaining time.Smith, who was criticized often and with validity when he only scored four goals on the road in 40 games last season, three on power plays and none after the first of the year, is a different player in the early going this season.Having worked out harder in training camp, he started the season stronger and more forcefully. And he opened the road trip with a goal in both Quebec &mdash; a 65-footer that beat Dan Bouchard &mdash; and Toronto &mdash; the game-winner when he rebounded his own deflection of a Brad Maxwell shot.Meloche said he&rsquo;d like to get his contract ironed out. just for security, but isn&rsquo;t going to pursue general manager Lou Nanne for it. He noticed a difference in the team on the road this term.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re confident on the road now.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a lot more dedicated, and the guys don&rsquo;t panic when things aren&rsquo;t going their way. In Toronto, the Leafs were just sitting back, but we could have pressed and given up an easy breakaway.&rdquo;Instead, we just kept working, and showed poise. When the chances came, we put them in and won the game.&rdquo;Meloche faced extra pressure, because Don Beaupre, his netminding partner, was still out with a training camp injury to his rib cartilege. So, instead of alternating, Meloche had played all the early games, and the 1.50 mark, including a shutout over the Rangers, didn&rsquo;t hurt the team&rsquo;s chances &mdash; or his negotiating stand.The only sour note for&rsquo; the North Stars was the ever-increasing injury count. Rookie Swedish winger Anders Hakansson and Jack Carlson were the latest, pushing the casualty toll to nine. Hakansson separated a shoulder in Quebec, and Carlson went out with a bad bruise on the top of his foot from blocking a shot.Still out, along with Hakansson, Carlson and Beaupre, were Bill Nyrop, Gary Sargent, Tim Young, Mike Eaves, Tom McCarthy and Kevin Maxwell.Murray Brumwell came up from Nashville to play very well on defense, while Roger Melin filled in briefly at center before returning to the Central League club, and Jim Dobson moved up for a few games. &#9632;

f0012-01

North Stars End More Road Jinxes

The Penguins, aware of their goaltending shortcomings, have their eyes on Quebec&rsquo;s Dan Bouchard. Bouchard could become available if the Sabres deal Bob Sauve to he Nordiques, the prevailing rumor in Pittsburgh &hellip; One of the more interesting corridor comments at Madison Square Garden suggests a split between coach Herb Brooks and GM Craig Patrick Over the aborted Bobby Hull comeback. Brooks wanted Hull in the worst way and realized that more than a month was required for The Golden Jet to get his timing back. Hull did not want to leave New York. He was pushed by Patrick. Brooks&rsquo; wishy-washy comments on the Jet&rsquo;s departure more than hint at Herb&rsquo;s displeasure &hellip; Sports Illustrated&rsquo;s highly favorable feature on Lou Nanne rankled a few at NHL headquarters. The sub-headline (&ldquo;Many think he should be running the NHL &ldquo;) brought this reply from NHL President John Ziegler: &ldquo;My responsibility is to the ownership. If they feel they want someone else here I&rsquo;ll accommodate them.&rdquo; &hellip; Si&rsquo;s anti-Ziegler stance is not unfamiliar to the president. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t live my life wondering about one man&rsquo;s prejudice,&rdquo; Ziegler says &hellip; The fact that Nanne has been able to double as an ESPN TV commentator while managing the North Stars has caused some admiring and unpleasant comments around the circuit&hellip; Madison Square Garden signed its union employees to only a one-year deal, ending after this hockey season. Could be the workers are being told &ldquo;Next year in New Jersey!&rdquo;John Ziegler has made it clear that there&rsquo;s enough fan interest to support another team in the New York Metropolitan Area. Both the Rockies and Penguins continue popping up in conversations as either of the two franchises capable of moving to The Meadowlands &hellip; It says in Eddie Johnston&rsquo;s Penguins&rsquo; contract that he has the right to promote players from the minors and can set up a trade without a hassle. E.J. thus has won the Pittsburgh power struggle with GM (in title) Baz Bastien &hellip; Emile Francis will lose a defenseman at the end of the season. Gerry Hart, who makes more money from his Long Island real estate business than from hockey, can&rsquo;t afford not to retire; so he will &hellip; Why the youth-oriented Sabres picked up 31-year-old Yvon Lambert has been an unanswered question in Buffalo. Those privy to Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s thinking say Lambert was so shabbily treated by Canadiens&rsquo; coach Bob Berry that Yvon will play his heart out in the eight games Buffalo has with the Habs. Guy Lafleur has become unusually sensitive about his image. A friend says he re-read one disapproving story about him six times while claiming that it didn&rsquo;t bother him. Guy has been assuring pals that he will have a gangbuster season in 1981-82 &hellip; It&rsquo;s said Olympic hero Jim Craig realizes he was the victim of bad advice about not going to the minors last year. The Boston scuttlebutt is that Craig&rsquo;s refusal to accept his demotion &mdash; which started the downturn of his image &mdash; was not Jim&rsquo;s doing. Now he&rsquo;s wiser in Erie &hellip; Another Beantown bit: The Bruins were talking to Toronto about defenseman lan Turnbull but were stymied by Turnbull&rsquo;s price, and questions about his health &hellip; One source close to the Whalers hints that Mike Rogers was dealt to the Rangers &ldquo;because he was a Jack Kelley man.&rdquo; Kelley&rsquo;s successor, Larry Pleau, supposedly figured there might be problems with Rogers.John Ferguson may be thinking of Serge Savard in terms of an assistant coach or administrator. That is, on the assumption that millionaire Savard would consider a return to the NHL in any capacity &hellip; One of the most bizarre rumors had the Edmonton Oilers inviting a New Yorker to Canada for an interview. The plum supposedly was the assistant managership &hellip; Bobby Orr has gotten wind of passages about him in Al Eagleson&rsquo;s new book and already has disputed them &hellip; A journalist friend asked Orr to deliver an anti-Eagle salvo. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not ready, yet,&rdquo; Orr reportedly replied &hellip; Don Cherry&rsquo;s switch from potential coach to player representative was such a well-kept secret that Eagleson, who repped Cherry, apparently didn&rsquo;t even know about it &hellip; An agent who likes Eagleson says The Eagle will abdicate his role as head of the Players&rsquo; Association after the next owner-player pact is signed next year &hellip; Ron Duguay has regained the lead over Barry Beck in the gossip column derby, Doogie&rsquo;s companions include tennis king John McEnroe and assorted members of the New York Yankees &hellip; Some of John Ziegler&rsquo;s critics are so upset over the Mike Rogers-to-the-Rangers deal they say that if a similar trade was made in baseball Bowie Kuhn would have instantly nullified it &ldquo;for the good of the game.&rdquo; &hellip; SPORT Magazine blew it promoting its November issue. Guy Lafleur is misspelled Guy LaFleur &hellip; Al Rollins, a Hart Trophy-winner, is on the lookout for a job as scout, coach or personnel director of a pro team on any level. He&rsquo;s living in Phoenix &hellip; When Washington Capitals&rsquo; coach Gary Green was asked to describe 18-year-old rookie Bobby Carpenter in one word Green replied, &ldquo;Superstar&rdquo; &hellip; World out of New York is that the Rangers are really concerned about the condition of Anders Hedberg&rsquo;s knee. Not only is he out for the season after recent surgery but some are saying that his career could be in jeopardy &hellip; Same things are being said about the Islanders&rsquo; Denis Potvin, who hasn i played yet this season &hellip; Toronto Globe and Mail&rsquo;s Bill Houstor conducted another one of his polls and learned that 11 of the NHL&rsquo;s GMs feel that Dale McCourt is the NHL&rsquo;s most overrated player Randy Carlyle was second and Guy Lafleur and Robert Picard alst got votes. The most underrated honor went to Rod Langway. John Ogrodnick was second and Wayne Babych and Perry Turnbul were also mentioned. &#9632;

BLUELINES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02964/4734126-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="696" height="583"></div><h2>BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011196/4734133-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="150" height="145"></div><h2>BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03687/4734119-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="144" height="145"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04487/4734112-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="702" height="610"></div><h2>CALGARY FLAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05342/4734105-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="165" height="154"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06274/4734098-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="696" height="600"></div><h2>CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07219/4734091-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="150" height="139"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08188/4734084-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="690" height="631"></div><h2>COLORADO ROCKIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09172/4734077-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="156" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-10156/4734070-1-eng-US/f0014-102.jpg" title="f0014-10" width="684" height="625"></div><h2>DETROIT REDWINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-11139/4734063-1-eng-US/f0014-112.jpg" title="f0014-11" width="195" height="139"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-12127/4734056-1-eng-US/f0014-122.jpg" title="f0014-12" width="693" height="553"></div><h2>EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-13109/4734049-1-eng-US/f0014-132.jpg" title="f0014-13" width="153" height="142"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1490/4734042-1-eng-US/f0014-142.jpg" title="f0014-14" width="690" height="634"></div><h2>HARTFORD WHALERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1581/4734035-1-eng-US/f0014-152.jpg" title="f0014-15" width="153" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1668/4734028-1-eng-US/f0014-162.jpg" title="f0014-16" width="693" height="657"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1766/4734021-1-eng-US/f0014-172.jpg" title="f0014-17" width="216" height="139"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1847/4734014-1-eng-US/f0014-182.jpg" title="f0014-18" width="693" height="577"></div><h2>MINNESOTA NORTH STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-1944/4734007-1-eng-US/f0014-192.jpg" title="f0014-19" width="165" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2042/4734000-1-eng-US/f0014-202.jpg" title="f0014-20" width="693" height="577"></div><h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2138/4733993-1-eng-US/f0014-212.jpg" title="f0014-21" width="180" height="130"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2235/4733986-1-eng-US/f0014-222.jpg" title="f0014-22" width="702" height="583"></div><h2>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2329/4733979-1-eng-US/f0014-232.jpg" title="f0014-23" width="168" height="163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2427/4733972-1-eng-US/f0014-242.jpg" title="f0014-24" width="696" height="580"></div><h2>NEW YORK RANGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2523/4733965-1-eng-US/f0014-252.jpg" title="f0014-25" width="159" height="154"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2623/4733958-1-eng-US/f0014-262.jpg" title="f0014-26" width="708" height="615"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2722/4733951-1-eng-US/f0014-272.jpg" title="f0014-27" width="180" height="133"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2822/4733944-1-eng-US/f0014-282.jpg" title="f0014-28" width="699" height="550"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-2920/4733937-1-eng-US/f0014-292.jpg" title="f0014-29" width="192" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3018/4733930-1-eng-US/f0014-302.jpg" title="f0014-30" width="693" height="667"></div><h2>QUEBEC NORDIQUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3116/4733923-1-eng-US/f0014-312.jpg" title="f0014-31" width="156" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3215/4733916-1-eng-US/f0014-322.jpg" title="f0014-32" width="696" height="607"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3314/4733909-1-eng-US/f0014-332.jpg" title="f0014-33" width="153" height="142"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-3413/4733902-1-eng-US/f0014-342.jpg" title="f0014-34" width="693" height="634"></div><h2>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-359/4733895-1-eng-US/f0014-352.jpg" title="f0014-35" width="192" height="175"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-369/4733888-1-eng-US/f0014-362.jpg" title="f0014-36" width="702" height="666"></div><h2>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-378/4733881-1-eng-US/f0014-372.jpg" title="f0014-37" width="138" height="136"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-385/4733874-1-eng-US/f0014-382.jpg" title="f0014-38" width="693" height="523"></div><h2>WASHINGTON CAPITALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-394/4733867-1-eng-US/f0014-392.jpg" title="f0014-39" width="207" height="124"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-404/4733860-1-eng-US/f0014-402.jpg" title="f0014-40" width="699" height="610"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011137/4733853-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="171" height="154"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02846/4733846-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="582" height="781"></div><h2>GOALTENDING STATISTICS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03648/4733839-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="564" height="2028"></div><h2>NHL LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04484/4733832-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="546" height="430"></div> &#9632;

f0014-02

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE SCORING

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05360/4734164-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Vaive is a young, but experienced Leaf who will be expected to contribute a great deal in the goal-scoring and hitting departments. (Photo By Robert Shaver)</figcaption></div>TORONTO &mdash; The first loss of the 1981-82 National Hockey League schedule by the Maple Leafs was not accompanined by the customary gnashing of teeth or hurling of equipment. tape or sportswriters. Suffice to say, the Leafs weren&rsquo;t exactly doing cartwheels of glee in their lockerroom &mdash; there was a distinct air of disappointment &mdash; but at the same time, there was the feeling that the club had performed well enough in the course of their 2-1 loss to Minnesota to have come out on the opposite side of the ledger.&ldquo;We did a pretty decent job against the North Stars; we worked hard,&rdquo; said Toronto coach Mike Nykoluk. &ldquo;If we can keep that kind of consistency up, we&rsquo;ll win more than we lose.&rdquo;The Leafs scored at 13:45 of the opening period when John Anderson re-routed a Rocky Saganiuk rebound from behind the net off Minnesota goaltender Gilles Meloche and into the net. Toronto protected its lead until the 5:45 mark of the third period when Neal Broten zapped a drive past Bunny Larocque. Then with the clock rapidly winding down and the teams apparently on course for their second tie of the young season. North Stars&rsquo; Bobby Smith deflected a Brad Maxwell shot at Larocque who made a save but was left out of position as Smith continued in on the play and cashed the rebound for the game-winning score at the 17:00 mark.The loss had followed Toronto&rsquo;s season-opening win in Winnipeg, a 3-3 tie in Minnesota and a 9-8 home-opening victory over Chicago, but outside of the Chicago game, the Leafs have played a brand of hockey far superior to most of last season.&ldquo;The last two or three days, we&rsquo;ve really been working on coming out of our own end.&rdquo; said Rick Vaive when it was mentioned to him that the Leafs were enjoying a much higher completion percentage of their attempted passes than in the last couple of years. &ldquo;Before that, we had so many guys around and we just didn&rsquo;t have a good chance to practice because of our schedule.&rdquo;Toronto reduced their taxi squad by one when they sent second-year defenseman Vitezslav (Slava) Duris to their Cincinnati farm club, but they were still filling the press box with up to five players per game. Against the North Stars, Rene Robert, Pat Hickey and defenseman Barry Melrose were seeing action for the first time this season while Ron Zanussi, Gary Yaremchuk and Bob McGill spent their first game on the sidelines, joining Dan Maloney and Don Luce.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll keep making changes,&rdquo; Nykoluk said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve got to get Yaremchuk and Zanussi back-in there: they&rsquo;ve been playing well.&rdquo;Vaive, a 33-goal scorer for the Leafs last year, is another Leaf off to a good start, with four goals in his first five games: he&rsquo;s a player Nykoluk will provide with plenty of ice time.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going oto play the same way I always do,&rdquo; says Vaive, which means full speed ahead and suffer the consequences. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get a few more goals than last year, but it doesn&rsquo;t really matter as long as we win.&ldquo;If we can keep them [the opposition] below three goals,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll win our share. It&rsquo;s heartbreaking to lose a game like this, but we&rsquo;ve got to have patience.&rdquo;Whether it was a lack of patience or perhaps a result of the numbers game, the Leafs decided to send left winger Pat Hickey back to the New York Rangers, the team he broke into the NHL with after playing two years in the World Hockey Association.Hickey played 118 games for the Leafs and scored a total of 38 goals, but after concluding the 1979-80 season in which he had a total of 31 goals in New York. Colorado and then Toronto. Hickey slumped to only 16 goals last season, very few of them in the second half.He was sent to the Rangers for future considerations-after appearing in onlv one game for the Leafs this season. Hickey was pushed out of job by Terry Martin. Stewart Gavin and Paul Marshall on the left side and also had Dan Maloney ahead of him. Even when Gavin separated his shoulder on opening night, Hickey didn&rsquo;t play until the fourth game of the season. In New York, he was supposed to be reunited with Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, but Nilsson is currently out of the lineup and Hedberg, who recently had knee surgery, was expect to join him.LOOSE LEAFS &mdash; The Leafs played their worst hockey of the year in losing 6-4 in Quebec City to the Nordiques. Most of the Quebec goals were the result of breakdowns in the Torontozone and on two occasions, the Nordiques scored a pair of goals less than 20 seconds apart. Rookie Czech Miroslav Frycer who scored a hat trick in his second NHL game, scored just 15 seconds after Marian Stastny in the first period and then 17 seconds after Dale Hunter in the second &hellip; Vaive, Wilf Paiement, Rene Robert and Darryl Sittier scored for the Leafs. &#9632;

f0015-05

Toronto Counting On Vaive’s Power

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02810/4734195-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Cyr, who was returned to his junior team a year ago, is taking a whole new attitude with him to the minors this time around.</figcaption></div>CALGARY &mdash; One is at the end of a career that once involved big salaries and even bigger expectations. The other is at the start of a similar career.One is a hitter, a physical player that earned his keep with his work in the corners. The other is a shooter, a darting player that scored 236 times in his four junior years.Both are Flames&rsquo; first-round draft choices, one in 1976 when the team was based in Atlanta, the other in 1980, the first year in Calgary. And, at of the start of the regular season, neither had a job in the National Hockey League.Harold Phillipoff and Denis Cyr, the last extra forwards in camp are not in the plans of the 1980-81 Flames. At least, not for the present.The Flames sent Cyr to Oklahoma City and told him to regain his scoring touch. Phillipoff is going home to Atlanta, where he&rsquo;ll work as a rock mason.&ldquo;You have to start somewhere,&rdquo; said Phillipoff. &ldquo;I told Cliff [Fletcher, Flames&rsquo; general manager] &ldquo;you didn&rsquo;t start out as GM,&rsquo; Along the ladder to GM, I&rsquo;d be stickboy.&rdquo;Assistant general manager David Poile invited Phillipoff to try out as a free agent Aug. 20. the day after the Vancouver Canucks bought out his contract. Although Phillipoff&rsquo;s play improved each day, he was one of the few players to report out of condition.&ldquo;There was no ice in Atlanta and a guy without a contract can&rsquo;t go out of town to look for ice.&rdquo; Phillipoff said. &ldquo;In my own mind, I think I can still play and help a team like this. The way I played here is no indication of the way I can play. I just wasn&rsquo;t prepared coming in.&rdquo;Phillipoff did not feel bitter over his release. As one of the last two cuts, he thought the Flames gave him every opportunity to make the club. Right from the start of camp, it was understood Phillipoff would not sign a minor-league contract.It was the way the Canucks treated him that Phillipoff resented.&ldquo;They traded for me [from Chicago], protected me. then sent me down. I never played one game for them. To me, it didn&rsquo;t make sense, but then, it doesn&rsquo;t have to. It&rsquo;s hockey. I&rsquo;m not that good a minor-leaguer, I can&rsquo;t play shinny. My game is working in the corners.&rdquo;As for Cyr, he was philosophical about his demotion, the second time in two years he has come to training camp, expecting to make the team. and ended up somewhere else.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different situation than last year.&rdquo; Cyr said. &ldquo;Last year, I was mad about going back because I was going back to junior. This is a new year, it&rsquo;s a new league, my girlfriend is coming with me, so it should be okay.&ldquo;A lot of good players started out in the minors. Guy Chouinard had to play two years in the minors and he turned into a 50-goal scorer. I was one of the last players sent down, so that means I&rsquo;m one of the first to come up if someone gets injured or plays bad.&rdquo;Fletcher said Cyr was being sent down so he could regain his confidence and scoring touch. Although he has been a disappointment to the club, Fletcher said he&rsquo;s not giving up on Cyr.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t make sense to give up on young hockey players,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;When you start trading 20-year-olds, you better be very smart or very lucky because you&rsquo;re really taking a big chance.&rdquo;The departures of Phillipoff and Cyr meant Bobby Gould, the hard-working right winger, and Randy Holt, a converted defenseman. made the team.So did Dan Labraaten, the career left winger that showed his versatility by playing four games in the middle for the Flames in the pre-season.Labraaten was a reluctant center, partly because no one in the organization took the time to explain what was going on.&ldquo;Maybe they&rsquo;re looking for me to be more versatile, I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Labraaten said. &ldquo;The thing is I haven&rsquo;t played badly at center. I think I&rsquo;ve played pretty well. The more I get used to it, the better it gets. It&rsquo;s just that I don&rsquo;t like playing center.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0016-02

Final Cuts By Calgary Follow Different Paths

<div class="byline">BY DICK BEDDOES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01999/4734226-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="306" height="310"></div><h2>Hockey Bafflegab</h2>Y&rsquo;R OB&rsquo;T SERVANT has spread enough peanut butter in his time to know the Bafflegab brand when it pops up in the sport supermaket.Bafflegab, pure and unadulterated, was dispensed recently in THE HOCKEY NEWS by Stanley X. Fischler of New York. The X is believed to stand for Excuse Me.Team Canada didn&rsquo;t choke in the Canada Cup tournament, Mr. Fischler revealed. He had that deathless information, he wrote, from a head researcher, or shrink, on Long Island.Stanley then quoted the think-tank specialist elaborately, all about &ldquo;anxiety,&rdquo; &ldquo;fear of failure,&rdquo; &ldquo;inhibition of achievement-directed behavior,&rdquo; etcetera and fuzzy-sounding etcetera.If Stanley and his psychological sidekick will stop talking through their hats, and put them back on their heads, before an outraged Almighty brains them with a thunderbolt, we will try to straighten them out on the Team Canada debacle.Debacle is the right word. If you lose.3-2 or 4-3 for the hockey championship of the world, in your own arena and with all the best of the scheduling, what you have is two evenly matched teams, one of which is unlucky.When you lose 8 to 1, as Team Canada did, in front of a partisan Canadian crowd, you are simply brutal. Debaclists, indeed.Stan Fischler&rsquo;s skull-rapper made only one point pertinent to why Team Canada lost the global title for the second time in three seasons.Stanley quoted Dr. Robert Palumbo as saying, &ldquo;Team Canada didn&rsquo;t have a leader who could break through the pressure, thereby allowing other teammates to follow.&rdquo;That, doc, says it all.<h2>Team 76 Was Best</h2>TEAM CANADA &rsquo;81 was not the best Canadian hockey team ever assembled. It was not even second best.The best was Team Canada &rsquo;76, blessed with an abundance of combative leaders. Bobby Clarke. Phil Esposito. The inventive Robert Gordon Orr. Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard, a resourceful defensive tandem. A younger Larry Robinson. Bobby Hull.Combative was not the first world one might use to describe Hull. But in 1976, in the first period against the Swedish Nationals, Hull hit Borje Salming two robust bodychecks that turned the demoralized Swedes into Nordica creamed cheese.The second best Canadian Nations were assembled in 1972, for the first series at the summit against the Soviets. That team won, by a fugitive shade, because Esposito and Clarke were the quintessence of Canadian hockey leaders.Esposito grabbed Canada by its puck patriotism when he got on cross-country radio and said, in effect, &ldquo;Look, Canadians, we represent you. Stop booing us. Stop bitching at us. We&rsquo;re doing this for Canadian pride.&rdquo;And in Sweden, on the way to downtown Russia, Esposito grabbed a malcontent among the Canadian players and said, &ldquo;Look, if you don&rsquo;t have pride in this Canadian sweater, take the goddamned thing off!&rdquo;There are many other reasons why Esposito deserves to be elevated to the Hall of Fame. The biggest reason is for the leadership he displayed during 28 adventurous days in September, 1972.At the same time, we began to discover Robert Clarke&rsquo;s remarkable facility for going for the jugular. For the first time, at the big-league level, Clarke indicated he had learned his lessons well in the hard-knock schools of Flin Flon, Man.The first thing a kid learns in Flin Flon, if he is to survive, is how to deliver a two-handed whack with a hockey stick.Clarke&rsquo;s two-hander, delivered to the shins of Valery Kharlamov in the sixth game of the 1972 summit, was as responsible as anything else for the Canadian triumph. His blow reduced the fleet Kharlamov to half-speed timorousness.There was no one on Team Canada &rsquo;81 who took charge as Esposito did in 1972. There was no one to belt bodies as Hull did in 1976. No one made contact at any time as Clarke has always vehemently done.<h2>Didn&rsquo;t Pull Trigger</h2>THE BIG GUNS on Team Canada &rsquo;81 &mdash; Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy &mdash; didn&rsquo;t pull a single trigger in the 8-1 humiliation.Any time Gretzky moved, a Soviet player smothered his precocity. The Soviets shadowed Bossy with a bill-collector&rsquo;s vigiliance. Not once did Gretzky or Bossy knock a tormentor down.Ha, Any boisterous Bolshevik who stuck as close to Clarke as the modern Soviets did to Gretzky would have paid for it with toenails hammered into the ice by Clarke&rsquo;s stick.Part of Canadian hockey, after all, has always been rough. Most of us grew up learning that, on the playground rink, the most satisfying retort to make to an adversary is a punch on the snoot.Team Canada &rsquo;81, in fact, had Canadians in the 8-1 shambles who yielded before perceived threats.ITEM: Late in the game, the Soviets were playing shorthanded, five players against six Canadians. One of the Canadians was Guy Lafleur.Suddenly, Sergei Shepelev veered toward Lafleur with the puck. This was in the Canadian zone. Shepelev faked a shot.Lafleur, apparently fearing he&rsquo;d be stuck by the puck, did what King Clancy scornfully calls &ldquo;the flamingo act.&rdquo; He stood on one leg, lest the other leg get hit. Then he skated toward the boards, out of harm&rsquo;s way.Mr. Shepelev, thus given an unimpeded route to the Canadian goal, walked in and scored.So knock off, it says here, the claptrap about snooping into the psyches of the Canadian players. They lost 8-1 because they didn&rsquo;t smash anybody&rsquo;s baggage.They might have lost only 3-2 with a truculent Clarke or two in the lineup. Or not lost at all. No? &#9632;

f0016-01

BEDCLOTHES

f0017-01

Optimism Marks Launch Of Loop’s 27th Year

<div class="byline">BY LOIS KALCHMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01903/4734295-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">It was initiation time for six rookie members of the Pickering Panthers as veterans of the Toronto Metro Junior B League team took the occasion to shate the heads of the newcomers. Shown back row, from left to right, are Kevin Flood and Kevin Van Sickle. Front row, from the left, Mark Mackie, Bill Steele, Jim Rozsa and Peter Reynolds. (Photo By Darrell Townson)</figcaption></div>Metro Junior B hockey is the greatest hockey in the world.Colin MacKenzie, convenorA quick look at the list of players currently in the National Hockey League who once played in the Metro Junior B league (see page 22) will tell you that while Mr. MacKenzie may be hyperbolizing just a little bit when talking about his league, he certainly does have something to boast about.&ldquo;You make this league because you are good,&rdquo; MacKenzie says. &ldquo;It is an elitist league. The players are all the younger ones, up to age 20, who are moving up &mdash; either to a career in the NHL or to a university scholarship.&rdquo;While MacKenzie knows that it does his league a world of good to have as many players as possible move on to the NHL and he prides himself on the &ldquo;professionalism of the league,&rdquo; he never loses sight of the fact that the main goals he wants all the league&rsquo;s players to achieve are:1. To learn how to play a better brand of hockey.2. To have fun.3. To play to win fairly.This combination of goals, which are not listed in order of importance, are winning accolades from hockey people throughout the province of Ontario &mdash; not the least of which comes from Brent Ladds, the president of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA).&ldquo;The Metro Junior B hockey League,&rdquo; Ladds says, &ldquo;has played a very significant role in the development of hockey within the amateur structure of the OHA. The league prides itself in the development of coaches and players who love the game and, of course, there are those players who have gone on to pursue professional careers within the National Hockey League.&ldquo;Many players have also capitalized on their hockey developemnt within the Metro Junior B league and attained hockey scholarships in the United States,&rdquo; Ladds goes on, &ldquo;and as a result have achieved educational opportunities they may have otherwise ill-afforded.&rdquo;The emphasis on blending education with hockey is perhaps the most attractive aspect of the Metro Junior B league, a point that is not lost on convenor MacKenzie.&ldquo;Junior B hockey, even more than minor hockey, is the best combination of hockey and scholastic opportunity,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We play twice a week in a 36-game schedule. One of the games, sometimes both, is played on a weekend. The teams practice at a reasonable hour and all games are over by 11 PM.&rdquo;The Metro Junior B&rsquo;s consist of 12 teams &mdash; five in the Easterr Division and seven in the Metre Toronto region called the Centra Division.Junior B teams are either part of a club system or have a direct affiliation with a minor hockey organization. The club system is a &ldquo;family structure,&rdquo; such as the Wexford Toronto organization with the same signing officers for registration cards and releases as in their minor hockey teams. Wexford has a set of teams all the way from minor atoms (9-year-olds) up to the junior level of competition.An affiliated club such as the Belleville Bobcats has its own owners, signing officers and affiliates with Belleville minor hockey on a yearly basis and draw their players from the Belleville minor teams.Each junior club has 30 Canadian Amateur Hockey Association registration cards but by December 1 they must pare the numbers to a maximum of 25 signed players and by January 10 the roster must be down to 19. The Junior teams may register only six players of midget age (15 and 16) or younger.Within these guidelines, the Junior B teams are permitted to have seven imports or waivers. An import is a player who lives beyond the territory in which a club plays &hellip; i.e. a Toronto boy playing for Oshawa. However, the rules are different in metropolitan Toronto because of the large population base. In Toronto a player must live in the designated geographical area as defined by the OHA. An import to a Toronto region club is one who has moved into the area after January 25 of the proceeding season or has transferred from one Metro Junior B team or club system to another.If the rules sound a little bit complicated, the brand of hockey that the league plays is exciting, spirited and fast-moving. And how about the kids who create all this excitement?&ldquo;Most of our young boys are very intelligent, polite and courteous,&rdquo; says Brian Adams, an owner of the Pickering Panthers who went on to say that the Panthers, like all the other OHA Metro Junior B clubs, have a dress code.&ldquo;We ask our boys to wear a tie and be well groomed,&rdquo; Adams says, although with the rookies on his team, the grooming part of that request doesn&rsquo;t present too much of a problem because the Panthers are the only team in the league to have an initiation ceremony: &ldquo;Once a player has made the team,&rdquo; Adams says, &ldquo;their heads are shaved. It isn&rsquo;t mandatory, but no one refuses.&rdquo;For those players and coaches with lofty ambitions, it is important for them to be able to showcase their talents to scouts from the NHL, Major Junior A and the universities. Besides the OHA Junior B championship for the J.T. Sutherland Cup, there is the Metro Junior B All Star Game and the new Miracle Mart Tournament.The Metro Junior B All Star game, sponsored by Frank Vetere&rsquo;s, is scheduled for January 13, 1982, in Oshawa. The teams are selected by the coaches. Each team nominates a player for each position from his own team plus three others for any other positions. The coaches then meet and select three of the nominees for each position by secret ballot. A coach cannot vote for players from his own team. Every time a player&rsquo;s name is listed first he receives three points. As a second choice he adds two points and for a third spot he earns only one point. Scrutineers add up the points for each player and declare the teams.The Miracle Mart Tournament, a round robin series to be held December 26-29 in Kitchener, Ont., should include the best players in the whole OHA Junior B league.The Metro Junior B&rsquo;s, as well as Central Ontario and Mid-Western will have two team entries each while Western Junior B and Golden Horseshoe region each have one team.&ldquo;We are proud of the Metro Junior B league,&rdquo; Colin MacKenzie says. &ldquo;The people involved understand all about hockey and recognize that it is the greatest game in the world. Where else can you get to see such good caliber hockey so inexpensively?&rdquo; &#9632;

f0018-01

Junior B Hockey League Winning Accolades

<div class="byline">BY MIKE STINSON</div>When the Metro Junior B Hockey League holds its annual All Star game Feb. 13 at the Oshawa Civic Centre, it will mark the 27th year of show-casing the best talent within the two divisions.Not only that, but holding such an event yearly is the league&rsquo;s way of saying &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; to many fine, outstanding athletes that grace the uniforms of the 12 teams.It also serves as a showcase night for U.S. college scouts to drop by and appraise potential scholarship athletes who, had they elected to stay in Canada, would have had to pay tuition to gain an education and at the same time play hockey.And, until the format changed with last year&rsquo;s game, the event was a source of funding for both [the Crippled Children and the &lsquo;Charlie Conacher Research Fund.From its early beginnings (1954), the game&rsquo;s format has changed as often as the four seasons. It wasn&rsquo;t until the 197L72 season that league executives decided to pit the best of the central division against the best from the east division.The first game was conceived under the league&rsquo;s first convenor Bud McAllister who, at the time, thought it would be a good idea to chase down the teams in the old six-team National Hockey League &mdash; to donate trophies; and funds from the game would be donated to the Ontario Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association to aid in their work with Crippled Children.Later, the Charlie Conacher, Research Fund was established and a portion of the game&rsquo;s funds directed to the Cancer Society.The first game was held on a Saturday afternoon at Lakeshore Arena under the supervision of George Hannah, who took on the responsibility of convening the game.Eight teams took part &mdash; Weston, Peterborough, Lakeshore, Brampton, Dixie, Leaside, St. Michael&rsquo;s and the Woodbridge, Dodgers. The coaches were ex-NHL standouts Wally Stanowski and Gus Bodnar. Among the participating players were goalie Len Broderick and defenseman Jim Murchie and the late Barry Ashbee, who was later to play for the Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers.The initial success of the game prompted its return a year later at Ted Reeve Arena, with King Clancy refereeing and both Scotty Morrison and Vern Buffey alongside.Bodnar was joined behind the coaching bench by another out-standing ex-Leaf and Red Wing star, Bob (Hockey Night In Canada) Goldham. At their disposal were Denis Dejordy between the pipes, hardnose defenseman Roger Cote and ex-Black Hawk Star Bill White, plus the leader of &ldquo;those four Maple Leaf Stanley Cup teams of the &rsquo;60&rsquo;s, Davey Keon, and the late Bruce Draper.Two years later the lineup included goalies Dave Dryden (now coach of the Peterborough Petes) and Gerry Cheevers (Boston&rsquo;s sturdy goalie turned Bruin coach) and forwards Murray Hall and Rick Hay.Hay was later to coach the Bramalea Blues of the Metro league to the all-Ontario final before handing the crown on a silver platter to Hamilton because of the infamous rhubarb in the opening game of the series at North York Centennial Centre in 1974. But one year later, he guided the same Blues all the way to an all-Ontario championship.In succeeding years the game has been a stepping stone for NHL pros like Rick Middleton (Boston), Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton), Paul Gardner (Pittsburgh), Dennis Maruk (Washington), Steve Vickers (N.Y. Rangers), Greg Millen (Hartford), Billy Carroll (N.Y. Islanders) Mike Palmateer (Washington) and Bruce Boudreau (Toronto).Or, past pros such as Mike Pelyk, Garry Monahan, Brit Selby, Larry Keenan (all from the Leafs), Dave Burrows (Pittsburgh), Dave Gardner (Los Angeles), Rod Seiling (N.Y. Rangers) and Tim Ecclestone (St. Louis).There were sure fire prospects who couldn&rsquo;t stick, like Bob Wasson, Gary Dineen, Jim Baxter, Tom Colley, Terry Caffery, Tom Martin, Ken Broderick, Tim Ampleford and Larry Kendall.The game at one time or another has featured the officiating of John D&rsquo;Amico, Bruce Garside, Tom Brown, Brent Casselman, Bryan Lewis, Ron Ego, John McCauley, Ron Finn, Bob Nadin, Morrison, Clancy and Buffey.Many top flight executives, scouts, managers, publicity directors, general managers, owners and players have been involved through the first 27 years of the game&rsquo;s existence.Names past and present include George (Red) Duddin, Dave Branch, William Ruddock, the late Perc Topping, Harry Watson, Doug Philpott, Howard Pallett, Ken Averall, Sherry Bassin, Bill Purcell, Jack White, the late Doc Kennedy, Greg and Vera Currie, Jim Gregory, Harry Boyd, Roger Neilson, Buck Houle, Ivan Davies, Leo Lalonde, Frank Bonnello, Bill White, Mike Keenan, Ed Dalton, Bob Tindall, Gerry Dean, Bodnar, Stanowski and Goldham to name but a few.There have been approximately 45clubs represented at the All Star game since 1954. Some names from out of the past include: Whitby-Ajax Steelers, Westclair, King City Red Wings, Unionville Jets, Bowmanville Pic-O-Mats, Schomberg Bears, Etobicoke Indians, Neil McNeil Maroons and Newmarket Redmen.The trophy given to the game&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player is known as the Perc Topping award, in honor of the late convenor of the league.The trophy has been won since 1971 by Angelo Marretta, Rick Box, Paul Gardner (Pittsburgh), Steve Faulkner, Frank McCarthy, Dom Miele, Ralph Murphy and Claudio Lessio, to name but a few.Long time St. Michael&rsquo;s Buzzers&rsquo; GM Jerry Fullan will be front and center Feb. 13 to sing the national anthem. Fullan has done it, and done it well, since 1954. &#9632;

All Star Game Showcases Players’ Talents

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>It takes a great deal of time, effort and devotion to keep an enterprise running successfully and hard work and the support of an entire community go hand in glove with the organiations belonging to the Ontario Hockey Association&rsquo;s Metro Junior B League.Now entering their 27th year as a league, a two-divisional alignment now encompasses 12 teams extending from Kingston in the east to Bramalea and Port Credit in the west. There is also a wide range of population areas represented throughout the league with several intracity Toronto teams, such as the Henry Carr Crusaders, the Wexford Raiders and the St. Michael&rsquo;s Buzzers, to teams from smaller cities like Kingston (the Voyageurs) Oshawa (the Legionnaires) and Peterborough (the Lumber) and then the smaller population centers where teams like the Pickering Panthers, the Port Credit Titan Nats and the Bramalea Blues play. But a common thread runs through all of these teams: They are a part of their community and their community plays a large role in the operation and support of the team.The many volunteers who are involved in Junior B hockey are concerned about the players because the time these players spend in the league is much more than just another step up the hockey ladder. It&rsquo;s a learning and growing experience which often serves as a stepping stone towards a university education (see scholarship article page 23).No doubt a major influence on the players is directed on them by their coaches, who, again, share a love for working with young men and for the game of hockey, and willingly donate their time for a task which, for the most part, is appreciated only by a relatively small percentage of the population.Most of these coaches are hardworking &ldquo;Clark Kents&rdquo; by day who then turn into &ldquo;Super Coach&rdquo; for the games and practices. The coaches&rsquo; backgrounds and vocations are from an interesting variety of fields.For instance, Bill Shannon, coach of the Port Credit Titan Nats, holds a doctorate degree in health education and directed the athletic program at Thunder Bay&rsquo;s Lakehead University for more than a decade. He&rsquo;s coached minor hockey in the States as well as working with Calgary Flames&rsquo; assistant coach Pierre Page at Dalhousie University in the Maritimes. Now he&rsquo;s working at building a three-year-old franchise into a winner.Brian Roe, a lab technician for the Ontario Ministry of Transport and Communications, is the coach at Kingston. An Ottawa native, Roe moved to Kingston at the age of five and played minor hockey up to the Junior B level and then continued in the game as a coach. In the Minor Bantam level of coaching, Roe&rsquo;s teams have taken three. OMHA titles. He&rsquo;ll try his luck as a rookie junior B mentor.Another common occurrence is coaches who formerly played Junior B hockey in this area coming back to handle clubs. Chuck Durocher, who replaced Dave McDowall with Pickering (Durocher was assistant coach last year) when McDowall accepted a coaching job with Tulsa of the Central League, used to play for the Panthers. And Glenn Wagner, the man in charge of Wexford, was a member of the Junior B Markham Royals, played Junior A hockey for Peterborough and then attended York University.Bob Hedley, now in his third year wih Oshawa, is also a cocoach of Canada&rsquo;s national 17 and under team and a national coaching certification instructor. He&rsquo;s another example of a coach who really enjoys the teaching aspects of hockey.Naturally the efforts of all of these people and their assistants are necessary for the success of the league on the ice, but equally important is the work that is done by and for the community which keep the teams operational.Much of the credit and the support originates with the league sponsor (see page 23) and many of the teams have one or more community sponsors who supply the teams with equipment, uniforms and expense money. Two of the teams, the Henry Carr Crusaders and St. Michael&rsquo;s Buzzers, are educational facilities and receive their support through in-school projects and special events.In Wexford and Peterborough, Bingo Nights are held to involve the community and generate funds for the teams, while Oshawa holds a Kid&rsquo;s Night and a couple of evenings of adult entertainment for fund-raising in addition to the sponsorship of the local legion. Belleville has a Score-O-Contest with a new car as the top prize.North York likes to get its fans involved in their program. Not only do they have a contest to select cheerleaders from the high school, but there&rsquo;s also the popular naming of the North York Queen. The organization also helps in sponsoring an international Bantam tournament, an example of the cooperation between the Junior B people and the entire minor hockey organization of that area.The Kingston Voyageurs have a particularly impressive array of methods of fund-raising in their area. Sale of program advertising and sponsorship of the players&rsquo; sweaters are two of the ways they raise money. There&rsquo;s also a Kids&rsquo; Night, Millionaires Nights, which are sponsored jointly with several service clubs, the Voyageurs&rsquo; hockey school (and several other Junior B teams run schools as well) and the highly successful joint project with the St. Lawrence Wildfowlers Association of the Duck Decoy Carvers and Wildlife Show which runs each spring at the Portsmouth harbor.And all of the activity in these. Junior B communities isn&rsquo;t aimed in the same direction &mdash; that is, back towards the hockey team. An excellent example of community spirit in reverse is exhibited by the Pickering Panthers among others, who do their fair share to enhance their community as well.The Panthers have played a rather significant role in canvassing for the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope and in the local Big Brothers program as well.Then, in addition to running a summer hockey school, the Panthers also conduct periodic hockey clinics which are open to the public and are available for assistance at practices of minor league hockey teams in their area.The Weston Dukes also have a similar program, instituted by their general manager Bud Bower. Weston caters to the youngsters in minor hockey in their area by offering a special pass for their Friday night games and there is no charge for senior citizens who like to come out and enjoy the games.Community spirit and friendship are an integral part of what Junior B hockey is all about and an experience which enriches the lives of all those who are connected with it and enjoy watching it. &#9632;

Junior B Hockey Truly A Community Affair

<div class="byline">BY MIKE STINSON</div>One question seldom asked of die-in-the-wool hockey buffs in bars, offices and households in and around Metropolitan Toronto at this time of year is: How many Metro Junior B Hockey League graduates are there playing today in the National Hockey League?Better still, how many ex-Metro grads were invited to Team Canada&rsquo;s training camp for the recently completed Canada Cup series; and how many actually played in the series?Without further ado, the answer to the first question is 41, if they all survived late training camp cuts. But the total number of ex-grads to attend pro camps numbered close to 90.As for the twofold Canada Cup question, the answers are: a) six and; b) three.The six invited to Team Canada head coach Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s late summer camp were Steve Shutt of the Montreal Canadiens, Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey of the Edmonton Oilers, Mike Liut of the St. Louis Blues, Mike Gartner of the Washington Caps and the Boston Bruins&rsquo; big shooter, Rick Middleton. Of the six, Liut, Middleton and, of course, Gretzky survived the cutdowns and eventually played in the series, Won by the Soviet Union.Liut, on his way to becoming the NHL&rsquo;s premier goaltender last winter, spent a winter with the Markham chain, while Middleton earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1970-71 while toiling with the Toronto Nats. Gretzky, who spent two seasons in the Nats&rsquo; organization, was named Rookie of the Year in 1975-76 and a year later was named the top playoff performer in leading his team to the allOntario semifinals.Neither Coffey, Shutt nor Gartner earned awards in &lsquo;B&rsquo; competition. Shutt served his apprenticeship with York Steel, while both Coffey and Gartner skated in the red and white colors of the Toronto Nats&rsquo; organization.Until the arrival of The Great Gretzky, the most prominent name that comes to mind who once played a season or two in the league is Davey Keon.But the former Maple Leaf captain never went on to earn the recognition quite like that accorded last year&rsquo;s NHL scoring champion.Maybe in time you could add the name Dale Hawerchuk, the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; No.l draft pick over-all in last summer&rsquo;s junior draft, to the list.Hawerchuk spent only one season (1977-78) with the Oshawa Legionnaires but his knack around opposing teams&rsquo; nets played a large role in winning a Metro title. For a youngster playing against players four and five years older than himself, Dale didn&rsquo;t disappoint, earning 32 goals and 52 assists in a 36-game schedule in which the Legionnaires lost but four games all season.But there have been Others, currently playing in the big leagues, who accomplished what Keon, Gretzky and Hawerchuk failed to do &mdash; win a scoring championship.Steve Vickers of the New York Rangers pulled off the feat in 1968-69 while a member of Markham Waxers; Dennis Maruk three years later with the same organization; and the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; Paul Gardner in 1973-74 with St. Michael&rsquo;s Buzzers.The same can be said of the boys of steel, the goaltenders.Many outstanding puckstoppers have gone on to fame and fortune after a stint in the Metro league. However, only two currently in the NHL ever won the best goaltender award. Mike Palmateer of the Washington Capitals via Toronto Maple Leafs turned the trick in 1971-72, the year the Markham Waxers won their second all-Ontario crown in four years. Two years later Greg Millen, now with Hartford Whalers, earned similar honors for the same organization.It used to be when the old six-team NHL got around to selecting the most gentlemanly player award the name Dave Keon would always pop up. But did you know he never won it in &lsquo;B&rsquo; hockey?Of the present crop only Mark Kirton of the Detroit Red Wings achieved such an honor, while a member of the Wexford Warriors in 1974-75.There is not one active player who ever earned the best defenseman award But three players were named league MVP&rsquo;s &mdash; Paul Gardner (Pittsburgh) with St. Mike&rsquo;s in 1973-74; Mario Giallonardo (Colorado) with the Markham Royals in 1974-75; and Billy Carroll (N.Y. Islanders) with St. Mike&rsquo;s in 1975-76.Six, including Keon, were named Rookie of the Year in junior. Keon with St. Mike&rsquo;s in 1956-57, then Rick Middleton with Markham in 1970-71; Maruk in &rsquo;71; Rick Meagher (Hartford) with the Belleville Bobcats in &rsquo;72; Gardner in &rsquo;73; and Gretzky in &rsquo;75.In many instances, Metro graduates never excelled to their fullest potential until they reached junior A. Some who come to mind are Brad Park, Dwight Foster, Gary Edwards, Billy Harris, Mark Napier, Mike Murphy, Steve Shutt, Bob Dailey, Keith Acton, John Anderson, Mike Liut, Mark Crawford and Bob Kelly.Here is a list of former Metro graduates who attended NHL camps this year. Players expected to stay with their respective NHL teams are in caps:BOSTON: BRAD PARK, RICK MIDDLETON.BUFFALO: Dirk Rueter, Jeff Eatough.CALGARY: STEVE KONROYD, Paul Stothart.CHICAGO: BILL GARDNER, GLEN SHARPLEY, Tony Tanti, Steve Ludzik.COLORADO: Mario Giallonardo, DWIGHT FOSTER, MIKE KITCHEN, GARY DILLON, PAUL GAGNE.DETROIT: MARK KIRTON, JOE PATERSON, Peter Mahovlich, Jody Gage, Brian Rorabeck.EDMONTON: WAYNE GRETZKY, PAUL COFFEY, DAVE LUMLEY, Lawrie Nisker, Blair Barnes, Bill Joyce, Charlie Huddy, Steve Smith.HARTFORD: GREG MILLEN, RICK MEAGHER, DAVE KEON, Stuart Smith, Wayne Dillon.LOS ANGELES:MIKE MURPHY, BILLY HARRIS, LARRY MURPHY, GREG TERRION, Larry Goodenough, Brian Carroll, John Linseman, Daryl Evans, Glenn Goldup, Brock Tredway.MINNESOTA: TIM YOUNG.MONTREAL: STEVE SHUTT, KEITH ACTON, MARK NAPIER, Wayne Thompson, Dan Lane, Danny Burrows, Bill Kitchen.N.Y. ISLANDERS: BILLY CARROLL, Alex Pirus, Peter Dineen, Dave Simpson.N.Y. RANGERS:TOM LAIDLAW, STEVE VICKERS, John Hughes.PHILADELPHIA:BOB DAILEY, Mike Stothers.PITTSBURGH: PAUL GARDNER, Steve Gatzos, Tom Thornbury, Brad Rhiness.QUEBEC: Gary Carr, Basil McRae.ST. LOUIS: MIKE LIUT, Rik Wilson, Bob Crawford, GARY EDWARDS.VANCOUVER: Mark Crawford.WASHINGTON: MIKE GARTNER, DENNIS MARUK, MIKE PALMATEER, BOB KELLY, Greg Theberge, Dom Miele, Lou Franceshetti.WINNIPEG: DALE HAWERCHUK, RON WILSON. &#9632;

Many NHL Stars Rose From Junior B Ranks

<div class="byline">BY LOIS KALCHMAN</div>Because there are a limited number of University scholarships available in Canada, the Metro Junior B league has created one for its own players after realizing that more and more young people want to use their talent as hockey players to advance their education.The road to a U.S. College Scholarship through Major Junior has been cut off by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. They made a harsh ruling last year which eventually said that boys who played in the Major Junior A&rsquo;s were &ldquo;contaminated&rdquo; by playing with those who were sent back to Major Junior A by the pro teams and were receiving monies. As a result, the Junior B leagues became very attractive because a player could participate and still retain his amateur status.&ldquo;In Metro Junior B, only expenses are paid,&rdquo; said convenor Colin MacKenzie. &ldquo;When I was with the Young Nats, I paid boys only $3 per game for bus fare or gas.&ldquo;The program has been incorporated as a charitable foundation,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;but we want to eventually establish a capital fund with an ultimate target of $1 million.Presently the league is restricting the scholarship because, MacKenzie said, &ldquo;we lack financial backing and, at the moment, it is a direct cost to the league.&rdquo;The criteria for eligibility is straightforward:&bull; The player must have played in the Metro Junior B league for two seasons.&bull; He must go directly to a University in the province of Ontario.&bull; He must have been named to the All Star team with a recommendation to the special Scholarship Committee.&bull; Playing University hockey will not affect the scholarship but if a player were to play any other level of organized hockey, it would.Although the league is presently restricting the number of scholarships available, their long term aim is to make it available to any player who meets the requirements. The scholarship would pay for a young man&rsquo;s tuition as long as he maintains his marks and stays at the Ontario university of his choice. &#9632;

Scholarships Available To Junior B Players

Over the summer the Metro Junior B Hockey League approached Christopher Lang and Associates, a consulting firm, for an assessment of how the league stood in the areas of finances, marketing, administration and the game productions. The study identified a number of things, one of which was the idea of going out to attract a sponsor to work together on a long-range business plan, with the short-range objective of raising money.&ldquo;In the past, the support offered by the Frank Vetere&rsquo;s Division of Foodex has been largely at the local level,&rdquo; said Chuck Grossner, the marketing director of Foodex. &ldquo;A store manager would call to say, &lsquo;there&rsquo;s a team in my community that could use your support for sports outfits, equipment, and so on,&rsquo; and they would receive our support. But the problem with that is that it&rsquo;s a fragmented approach and doesn&rsquo;t give you the opportunity to involve any head office people and generate an integrated approach.&rdquo;Lang and Associates developed the following objectives for the league and the new sponsor: 1. To increase communications to the press, to hockey people and to the junior B market; 2. to raise revenues for the league&rsquo;s scholarship program and 3. to publicize Junior B hockey by differentiating it from Tier II and Junior A hockey because of its educational slant, with the majority of players going on to university hockey.Thus, the following program was devised with these highlights:&bull; THE HOCKEY NEWS insert. This special section was developed to help create awareness of Junior B hockey and the involvement of Frank Vetere&rsquo;s as a league sponsor.&bull; The All Star Game &mdash; The league is hopeful of attracting between 2,000 and 5,000 people to this game with proceeds going to the scholarship fund. The organizers are hoping to involve a local community organization in selling tickets.&bull; In-game promotions &mdash; Frank Vetere&rsquo;s will have their name in the team lineups and programs. They&rsquo;ll be distributing coupons at the door, will have promotions over the P.A. system and banners in the arena.&bull; Banquet &mdash; There will be a banquet at the end of the season and a Frank Vetere&rsquo;s Player of the Year will be selected.&bull; In-Store promotions &mdash; Every store in the 12 communities of Metro Junior B hockey will have free tickets to games. Details will soon be available in the stores.&ldquo;Now we&rsquo;ll be able to say something to the community,&rdquo; Grossner said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s that we want to support Junior B hockey and to be involved.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01537/4734422-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="961" height="989"><figcaption class="caption-body">Two players from the Toronto Metro Junior B League who went head to head last season were the Bramalea Blues&rsquo; Pat O&rsquo;Brien, left, and Paul Leger of Henry Carr. Now they&rsquo;re playing in Division I of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association with Clarkson and Cornell respectively.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

A Word From The Sponsor…

TORONTO &mdash; The Ontario Hockey Association and the Mircle Mart Food Stores have combined to stage an OHA Junior B Tournament for Dec. 26-29 in Kitchener.OHA president Brent Ladds said the tournament will cost $25,000 and will be funded entirely by Miracle Mart, who will put ballot boxes in their various stores to allow fans to submit opinions for player selections.Junior B leagues that will compete in the four-day tournament will include the Western, MidWestern, Golden Horseshoe, Central Ontario and the Toronto Metro Junior.Each league will submit a list by Dec. 11 of 21 players who will represent their league in the tournament. Coaches and managers will be selected later.All profits from the tournament will be set aside to assist the OHA and Miracle Mart in sponsoring an overseas tour for the OHA&rsquo;s 1981-82 championship tour team.Competition in the tournament will begin with four games Dec. 26, 27 and 28 followed by the championship round Dec. 29 in the Kitchener arena. &#9632;

OHA, Miracle Plan Tourney

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SMITH</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01493/4734477-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="573" height="697"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Kotsopoulos views playing in Hartford as a good chance for himself.</figcaption></div>HARTFORD &mdash; &ldquo;Strange&rdquo; was the word which Boston&rsquo;s Brad Park used to categorize the Hartford Whalers&rsquo; trading of Mike Rogers.&ldquo;When you give up a 100-point man and don&rsquo;t get one in return, well, it&rsquo;s pretty strange.&rdquo; Park said. &ldquo;Hartford may improve defensively, but losing Rogers isn&rsquo;t going to help their offense.&rdquo;Rogers was dealt to the New York Rangers for three youngsters. One does not have to be Butch or Sundance to ask, &ldquo;Who are those guys?&rdquo;For starters, there&rsquo;s Doug Sulliman, a 22-year-old winger drafted 13th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Sulliman has split the last two seasons between New York and New Haven.&ldquo;This is a great opportunity for me.&rdquo; Sulliman said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m leaving an organization that wasn&rsquo;t too sure about me to one that was willing to trade for me. I&rsquo;m pretty excited about being in Hartford.&rdquo;A &ldquo;smart player.&rdquo; according to Larry Pleau, the Whalers&rsquo; GM-coach, Sulliman has worked at right wing, even though he shoots left. Grouped with center Rick Meagher and left winger Garry Howatt, another new face in the Whalers&rsquo; mirror. Sulliman provides Hartford with the type of two-way, honest play which Pleau has been preaching since training camp opened.Next, there&rsquo;s Chris Kotsopoulos, a 22-year-old defenseman who played 54 games for the Rangers a year ago.&ldquo;Hartford isn&rsquo;t New York, but I wasn&rsquo;t disappointed,&rdquo; Kotsopoulos said. &ldquo;Larry has been very honest, not only with me, but with the team and himself. You have to be prepared to take the good with the bad, and the bad with the good. Sometimes you have to lose before you win. This is definitely a pretty good chance for me.&rdquo;The third youngster is Gerry McDonald, a 23-year-old defenseman out of Weymouth, Ma., and North Adams State College, a smallish school hidden in the Berkshire Hills. McDonald has just one pro year under his sweater. After three games with the varsity, he was assigned to Binghamton.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t know how to play defense,&rdquo; said McDonald, revealing a candid self-assessment not always apparent in pro sports. &ldquo;College wasn&rsquo;t much and I didn&rsquo;t get any coaching in New Haven. I&rsquo;ve learned more in one week here than I&rsquo;ve ever learned. I&rsquo;m talking about important things; things I should have known a long time ago.&rdquo;Can you play in this league, McDonald was asked.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m here to find out,&rdquo; he replied.Pleau also has added two veterans, Howatt from the Islanders and Paul Shmyr from Minnesota. For Howatt, the whalers gave up a middle-round draft pick in 1983 (fifth or fourth round, depending on how many goals Howatt scores). For Shmyr, the Whalers only had to pick up a healthy chunk of the veteran defenseman&rsquo;s salary.&ldquo;At this point in time, Garry Howatt is the perfect player for this organization,&rdquo; teammate Jack McIlhargey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just the right guy at the right time in the right spot. He&rsquo;s going to help us.&rdquo;Howatt, who asked to be traded, seems happy in Hartford.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a good bunch of guys here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have as much talent as every team in the league, but we never quit and we&rsquo;re willing to put out the effort, from start to finish. We&rsquo;re going to fool some teams.&rdquo;Shmyr. at 35, is closer to the end than the beginning. He has been a captain wherever he has played, an indication of his mettle.&ldquo;If I had to pick one guy who did more than anyone to turn Minnesota around, it would be Shmyr,&rdquo; aid Mike Fidler, who was in Minny at the time. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a really good man.&rdquo;The face-lift of the Whalers is by no means complete, but in the season&rsquo;s early stages, the team has shown a willingness to compete, which is what Pleau promised when he assumed control.WHALER SCUTTLEBUTT &mdash; Goaltender Mike Veisor has been assigned to Binghamton, thereby temporarily alleviating Pleau of his three goaltender (Greg Millen and John Garrett are the others) dilemma &hellip; Defenseman Gilles Lupien and right winger Ray Neufeld also have been sent to Binghamton, while Rob McClanahan, picked up from Buffalo in the waiver draft, has been promoted to Hartford &hellip; The Whalers have bought out Dave Debol&rsquo;s contract, allowing the winger to peddle himself &hellip; Millen, in the early going, has been everything that Pittsburgh coach Eddie Johnston said he would be &hellip; Rick MacLeish and Blaine Stoughton continue to skate on the same line. Stoughton had four goals in Hartford&rsquo;s first three games, while MacLeish showed four assists &hellip; Pleau has not named a team captain to replace Rogers and may not. opting instead for game captains. &#9632;

f0025-01

Whalers’ Facelift Features Unknown Kids, Vets

<div class="byline">BY BOB DONNELLY</div>QUEBEC CITY &mdash; When Dale-Hunter made the Nordiques following his second training camp a little more than a year ago he broke into the National Hockey League as the fourth center with Quebec. His hard work and rough style of play had earned him a place in the lineup, but he had no regular linemates, at least not at first.No one wanted particularly to play with a rookie from the junior leagues, but that soon changed. By March, Hunter was a regular on a line with Jacques Richard and Michel Goulet, and suddenly no one minded joining this versatile player on the ice.&ldquo;Dale will always give you 110 percent,&rdquo; says his coach, Michel Bergeron Hunter recently signed a new contract with the Nordiques for three years plus option, a richly deserved contract for the Quebec hero of the five-game series (two goals and four assists) played against the Philadelphia Flyers in Stanley Cup action last spring.&ldquo;I am happy with the new contract and I expect that the Nordiques will do much better than our 11th place finish last year&rdquo; said Hunter recently. Dale also has two brothers in the NHL. Dave has been a regular with Edmonton for the last two years, and Mark had three goals in his first two games as a rookie with Montreal Canadiens this season.There are two movements taking place on the Nordiques&rsquo; roster these days, the youth movement and the arrival of veterans from elsewhere. Last year there was the addition of Andre Dupont, Jacques Richard (first full season), Dan Bouchard, and the first two Stastny brothers, Peter and Anton. This summer, Quebec added Marian Stastny and Miroslav Frycer from Czechoslovakia.During this period Dale Hunter, along with Alain Cot&eacute; (injured in 79-80). Dave Pichette, and Normand Rochefort, all became regulars. Hunter was Quebec&rsquo;s second choice in the 1979 amateur draft, 41st overall. He was born on July 31. 1960, in Petrolia, Ont.&ldquo;This year when I came to training camp I felt a bit more confident than previous years. I knew I was not fighting for a job and I didn&rsquo;t have to panic when I made a mistake or lost the puck,&rdquo; said Hunter. &ldquo;I did a little skating with my brother Dave while we were involved with a hockey school during the summer. That helped me keep in shape and prepare for the training camp.&rdquo;Dale spent one year with the Kitchener Rangers and was then traded to the Sudbury Wolves, where he played two years of junior hockey. &ldquo;Sudbury is a pretty good place to play hockey and the fans supported us really well, at least when there was no strike at INCO. When there is a strike in a company town like Sudbury, there is no money for hockey games.&rdquo;With 19 goals and 44 assists in his rookie NHL season, Dale established his potential as a scorer. But he is perhaps better known for his two-way-efforts and his solid work in the corners. He is quite simply an aggressive player on the ice. &ldquo;My aggressive style is just the way I play and I never think about injuries,&rdquo; Hunter said. &ldquo;If you think about getting hurt that is usually when it happens. I just play my regular game. There is luck involved in this game and everyone needs a little to be successful.&rdquo;Hunter will not be intimidated by any team, and he knows that stupid penalties can really hurt. On the other hand, he makes no excuses for his 226 minutes in penalties last season, leading the Nordiques in this department. But he sees a clear difference between intimidation tactics and the value of a solid legal body check.&ldquo;Some teams like the Flyers and the Whalers can try all they want to come in and intimidate us because we will kill them with our power play,&rdquo; Hunter said. &ldquo;We have many players who can really move the puck around, and just like the Canadiens a few years ago. we have enough tough players to take care of the rought stuff. Teams cannot afford to take too many penalties against us.&rdquo;Dale Hunter typifies the type of player the Quebec Nordiques would like to draft every season. He does the job in all parts of the rink, at home and on the road. He is optimistic the Nordiques can improve on last year&rsquo;s record, and his contribution, four points in his first four games this year, will play a role in that success.&ldquo;We have many young defensemen on our team, but we have two solid goaltenders as well.&rdquo; Hunter said. &ldquo;As the season progresses our defense will play even better and we know we are going to score our share of goals.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02344/4734508-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="569" height="929"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dale Hunter&rsquo;s two-way efforts typify what the Nordiques are seeking in the draft. (Photo By Scott Kingsland)</figcaption></div>NORDIC NOTES &mdash; Miroslav Frycer played his first NHL game in Quebec against Minnesota, a 4-2 victory for the North Stars. &ldquo;I was not tired in the game but I know that I can still improve a lot&rdquo; said Frycer. &#9632;

f0025-02

Hunter’s Game: Positive Aggression

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div>DETROIT &mdash; The Red Wings, looking for a good start on their season-opening three-game road trip, kicked off the 1981-82 National Hockey League season in style with a 5-2 victory over the Rangers in New York.The victory certainly got things started on a positive note for the Wings, who have made the playoffs just once in the last decade.John Ogrodnick, the Wings&rsquo; big scorer last season, picked up where he left off with a pair of goals.The winning goal was provided by rookie Mark Osborne. It was Osborne&rsquo;s first NHL goal and broke a 2-2 tie late in the second period.&ldquo;If this game had been in Joe Louis Arena we would have had people on their feet the way we were checking.&rdquo; said Wing coach Wayne Maxner.The Wings skated stride-for-stride with the Rangers, who posted a 9-1 exhibition record for new coach Herb Brooks. Gilles Gilbert, the goaltender who looms as such a central figure in the Wings&rsquo; scheme of things this season, was a standout.Detroit came away with a 2-2 tie in Philadelphia in their next start before losing 6-3 in Washington.In past seasons, the Wings have collapsed in the late stages of games, often blowing two and three-goal leads on the road to lose. So it&rsquo;s not surprising that the roof was expected to cave in again. But, surprise, it didn&rsquo;t.&ldquo;I remember coming into New York last year and blowing a 5-2 lead in the third period,&rdquo; said Ogrodnick. &ldquo;But now we&rsquo;ve got guys who have played in this league to help us out. We&rsquo;ve got some experience.&rdquo;Those players are center Walt McKechnie, right wing Don Murdoch and defenseman Greg Smith, the latter pair acquired in an off-season deal with Minnesota (which also included a trade of No. 1 draft picks).McKechnie set up Mike Foligno&rsquo;s insurance goal (as well as Osborne&rsquo;s) while Murdoch added an empty-net scone against his former teammates. Murdoch also drew an assist on Ogrodnick&rsquo;s second goal while Dale McCourt had two assists.In all. it was a good victory with the penalty-killing specialists blanking the Rangers five times. McCourt. Paul Woods and Mark Kirton did much of the work on that unit.The victory was the first for the Wings in 10 games. They finished last season with an 0-7-2 record (and were without a victory in 14 road games).The Wings thwarted the Rangers&rsquo; skaters with a good defensive effort.&ldquo;If you play the European style, they eventually have to come to you,&rdquo; Maxner explained. &ldquo;You have to be disciplined and not chase them. We stayed back at the blueline and let them come to us.&ldquo;On both goals they scored, we lost our discipline. On the first goal. Mark Kirton had the puck at his feet and Greg Joly stood there mesmerized. On the second, John Barrett didn&rsquo;t finish his check and let Mike Allison skate around him. We lost our discipline for a second, but that&rsquo;s all it takes in this league to score.&rdquo; &#9632;

Red Wings Soaring For Opening Road Trip

<div class="byline">BY GORDON EDES</div>LOS ANGELES &mdash; Jim Rutherford&rsquo;s days in Detroit were numbered from the time Rogie Vachon arrived three years ago. Even though the 5-8 Rutherford was actually an inch taller than Vachon, the Big Man in Town became Rogie. and he had a $350,000 contract to stand on.Two seasons later, and Rutherford&rsquo;s days in the NHL seemed numbered. By that time, a disillusioned Vachon had gone to Boston and soon Rutherford would be gone &mdash; to Toronto, where goalies are on the endangered species list. Rutherford didn&rsquo;t stand up well to the target practice he was subjected to by the Maple Leafs &mdash; in 18 shell-shocked games, his goals-against average was 5.12, which didn&rsquo;t endear him to anyone but opposing shooters.But for the price of a fifth-round draft choice, the Kings decided to give Rutherford another shot &mdash; and now the 32-year-old goalie is fighting back. After winning consecutive games against Calgary and Colorado in the second week of the season, Rutherford&rsquo;s record in LA, where he arrived last March, was 5-0.Thus, instead of counting Rutherford out, the Kings are counting on him for the kind of relief Mario Lessard didn&rsquo;t get last season, when he played 64 games.When he first arrived here, Rutherford wasn&rsquo;t quite sure what the Kings had in mind.&ldquo;When I came here, I realized there was no use in changing the team, it was going so well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just figured that whenever they wanted me to play, I&rsquo;d be ready.&rdquo;His abbreviated episode in Toronto was &ldquo;a completely bad experience.&rdquo;&ldquo;For a while, I thought maybe I should have stayed in Detroit,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;I certainly can&rsquo;t blame Toronto for letting me go, though they might have taken the time to see what was wrong. But they had three goalies, and they decided they didn&rsquo;t want me.&rdquo;Being on somebody&rsquo;s discard list was not a new experience for Rutherford; after playing 43 games credibly (3.26 goals-against) for the Red Wings the season before, he was relegated to second-rate status upon Vachon&rsquo;s arrival.&ldquo;My first thoughts were I&rsquo;d still be there with him,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;But from Day One. I don&rsquo;t think this situation was handled propertly.&ldquo;First of all, they made public what Rogie was making, which I didn&rsquo;t think was fair to him. Then he got off to a tough start. But when he had a bad game, instead of giving him a rest and letting me play, they kept playing him, and the pressure built.&ldquo;And once I got to the point where I hardly played, maybe once very 10 games, it has hard on my confidence, and hard both physically and mentally.&rdquo;If things had been handled differently. Rutherford said. &ldquo;Rogie and I still could be there [in Detroit].&rdquo;While his confidence may have taken a beating in Detroit, it was sorely put to the test in Toronto. &ldquo;But I never questioned my ability,&rdquo; he said. He may have been the only one not to.He acknowledges that the reflexes are not the same as when he broke in with the Red Wings at the age of 21 in the 1969-70 season. &ldquo;But the more years you play, the more you learn about the game and the players.&rdquo; he said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01516/4734563-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="576" height="610"><figcaption class="caption-body">Shunted aside in Detroit and Toronto, Jim Rutherford may be perfect for the Kings.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Of course, just becaus you know what they&rsquo;re going to do doesn&rsquo;t mean you&rsquo;re going to stop them.&rdquo;How much does he expect to play for the Kings?&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty early in the season to think about that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t sit back and say when I&rsquo;m going to play. The two games I&rsquo;ve played went well for me, but the team also played a lot better than it had for Mario.&rdquo;KINGS THINGS &mdash; Rick Martin was back off skates for a week after his right knee flared up on him despite the knee brace he had just begun wearing &hellip; Steve Jensen was awarded the 10th penalty shot in team&rsquo;s history when Colorado&rsquo;s Rob Ramage threw his stick at him during game Oct. 15. Rockies&rsquo; goalie Chico Resch made the save on Jensen; Kings have scored four times on penalty shots &hellip; GM George Maguire on Marcel Dionne&rsquo;s nontalking stance: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if he&rsquo;s the Sphinx all season as long as he continues to play that way. He&rsquo;s in the best shape of his life.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-01

Kings’ Rutherford Gets A Chance To Fit Club’s Plans

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02373/4734601-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Illustration by Gamer)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03317/4734594-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="185" height="85"></div>The man feeling the heat this week is Scotty Morrison, the National Hockey League&rsquo;s vice president of officiating. Here&rsquo;s why: Last season, when a fight took place during an NHL game, those players who were not directly involved in the altercation were &mdash; under what became known as the &ldquo;anti-brawling&rdquo; legislation &mdash; obliged to retreat to neutral areas and observe, thus greatly reducing the chances of other minor scraps erupting all over the ice. Failure to adhere to this rule would mean a bench minor to each team and 10-minute misconducts to each player on the ice.The rule was fine in theory, buf once officials tried to implement it, they ran into problems &mdash; not the least of which was that too many players who were not fighting were being penalized for not finding their neutral areas, which varied from rink to rink.Now, Morrison explains, all that has changed.&ldquo;Instead of making the 10-minute misconduct automatic,&rdquo; Scotty said, &ldquo;it is now at the discretion of the referee. If the players just back away and let the linesmen do their job and if the referee is satisfied, there&rsquo;ll be no misconducts. If they just stand back, we&rsquo;re satisfied.&rdquo;If, if, if&hellip; An awful lot of things have to work out just right for this newly tailored rule to still be effective. But the bottom line is that if a player sees a teammate being beaten up by an opponent, he&rsquo;s not going to stand there and watch &mdash; no matter how severe the penalty for intervening.Morrison has to hope that the players will respect the rule and that his officials will enforce it and use their discretion to its fullest extent when a fight breaks out.In the meantime, until the rule is proved effective, Morrison will be taking severe heat from anybody who feels that fighting should be banned from the NHL. Because this rule seems to be a step in the exact opposite direction. &#9632;

f0026-02

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div>EDMONTON &mdash; This northern Klondike City, since its initiation into the National Hockey League, has been known fondly as the land of the Kiddie Korps.There are limitations, however.Case in point: Marc Habscheid.The surprise package of Edmonton&rsquo;s third NHL training camp, the 18-year-old center accounted for five goals and five assists in nine exhibition games to finish third in the Oilers&rsquo; pre-season scoring. Mark Messier (7-9&mdash;16) and Wayne Gretzky (9-4 &mdash; 13), a pair of four-year professional veterans who won&rsquo;t be 21 until January, were the only Oilers to exceed Habscheid from a statistical standpoint.Yet, when it came time to cut down the roster for the long, tedious regular season grind. Habscheid was on his way back to the Saskatoon Blades for additional seasoning in the junior Western League. Put simply, he was too young.However logical the reasons for the decision, they were nevertheless difficult to rationalize for the native of Swift Current, Sask.Habscheid&rsquo;s eyes swelled and he could barely speak through a choked-up throat following the demotion two days prior to Edmonton&rsquo;s NHL opener.&ldquo;They said I played good enough,&rdquo; he said, then pausing. &ldquo;I know I never expected to go this far, but once you get a taste of it&hellip;&rdquo;Under the existing NHL-junior agreement, once an underage player fulfills an 11-game apprenticeship, there are no options remaining. He&rsquo;s in the NHL to stay. Advance token directly to the NHL, collect a full salary and, for two years at least, do not land in Wichita. Yes, the bus leagues in junior would be a thing of the past. For ever and ever.The Oilers obviously felt better about next year than this season.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what it basically got down to,&rdquo; said general manager-coach Glen Sather. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t send him down because he didn&rsquo;t play well, but he&rsquo;s going to play a helluva lot more in junior &mdash; say, 40 minutes a game &mdash; than he would in four or five shifts per game here.&ldquo;Plus, physically I don&rsquo;t feel he&rsquo;s ready for the NHL. There were times, especially along the boards, when he was pushed off the puck. Throughout it all. though, he was the last 18-year-old to be cut by an NHL team &mdash; and that&rsquo;s quite a fantastic accomplishment.&rdquo;Another reason Sather deprived Habscheid of beginning an early apprenticeship is insurance down the road. Last season when Stan Weir was knocked out of the lineup with an injury. Sather was forced to scramble to locate a center, finally settling upon high-priced Garry Unger. Now Sather has one in junior who he can bring up for a 10-game trial at any time until March 1 &mdash; another deadline when he would have to be here to stay.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still disappointed,&rdquo; said Habscheid, &ldquo;come to think about it, I had forgotten about my junior team.&rdquo;If Oct. 5 was a disappointing day for the 5-10. 167-pounder. Sept. 24 may have been the most exciting of his young life.That was the day the son of a Wymark, Sask., (just outside of Swift Current) farmer, who received his first pair of skates from a neighbor when he was three years old. signed what amounts to an NHL try-out contract with the Oilers.He was walking around pinching himself to believe it was all true. After all. he was the Oilers&rsquo; second choice in the sixth round of the entry draft &mdash; the 113th player selected overall last June in Montreal. Either the Oilers got a helluva bargain or there are plenty of rival NHL scouts who would have a difficult time finding their backsides with both hands.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a legitimate first pick, as far as I&rsquo;m concerned.&rdquo; said Sather of Habscheid. who led the last-place Blades in scoring with 34 goals and 97 points last, season. &ldquo;He may be 18, but he&rsquo;s certainly not playing like an 18-year-old. He&rsquo;s showing more poise than Mark Messier did when he was that age.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04246/4734632-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="567" height="871"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marc Habscheid was returned for another year of junior so that he could play regularly.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-04

Edmonton Will Wait On Habschied

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK LYON</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSFREDERICTON &mdash; The first year Fredericton Express and Erie Blades started their maiden seasons in the American Hockey League in different directions.The New Brunswick Hawks ruined the debut of coach Jacques Demers and his Express in the first meeting of the Maritime rivals by a 7-4 score 2,402 fans welcomed hockey to Fredericton.Fredericton&rsquo;s Peter Marrin scored the first-ever Express goal just 2:35 into the game and Richard David, Lou Sleigher and Gary Dillon had the other goals for the Express.The Blades, who won three straight Eastern Hockey League championships before moving up to the AHL, came away with a 4-3 victory over the Binghamton Whalers in their first ever AHL encounter before just over 1,300 at the Erie County Fieldhouse.Erie left a winning tradition in the EHL before hooking up with the NHL&rsquo;s Pittsburgh Penguins in a joint venture which sprung them into hockey&rsquo;s top minor league. The cast is different with former coach Nick Polano moving up to the Buffalo Sabres and not one of Erie&rsquo;s former players on the club, but new coach Lou Angotti made the Blades a winner in their first appearance on the ice.Doug Morrison, Rob Garner, Tom Songin and Bruce Crowder scored for the Blades in their opener and goalie Marco Baron proved to be the difference as he turned back 36 of 39 attempts by the Whalers. Baron was later called up to Boston as the Bruins sent Olympics hero Jim Craig down to replace him.The latest players to join the Blades included forward Steve Gatzos, who was the No. 1 pick of the Penguins in the draft, along with goalie Nick Ricci. The Boston Bruins, also working with the Penguins in Erie, shipped defenseman Larry Melnyk, Morrison and Craig MacTavish.Bobby Simpson, trying to earn a job back in the NHL, was selected as the Blades&rsquo; captain with Bennett Wolf tabbed as the alternate.ADIRONDACK &mdash; It was a perfect way for the Red Wings to open their regular season with a game against the Maine Mariners, last year&rsquo;s two Calder Cup finalists, but unfortunately the Mariners won the contest and spoiled the night for the fans and the coaching debut of Adirondack&rsquo;s Doug McKay.Though the Red Wings lost their home opener, the club gave a good indication that they figure to be among the leaders in attendance once again as 4,925 jammed the Glens Falls Civic Center to see their team.Adirondack got goals from Scott Vanderburgh, Earl Ingarfield and Randy Ladouceur while Larry Lozinski tended the nets for the Red Wings.BINGHAMTON &mdash; Though the Whalers did lose their road opener by a narrow 4-3 count in Erie, it appears that Binghamton could be a surprise team in the Southern Division.The NHL&rsquo;s Harford Whalers did some swift dealing in the recent NHL waiver draft and it was Binghamton who got the most benefit. Hartford claimed Rob McClanahan from the Buffalo Sabres and Mike McDougal from the New York Rangers and immediately shipped both players to Binghamton. McClanahan was then called up by Hartford who sent down Gilles Lupien, Gerry McDonald and Ray Neufeld. Once the new players get accustomed to their surroundings and teammates, it should prove very beneficial to the AHL entry.Among the players returning to Binghamton again this season were Glenn Merkosky, Mark Renaud, Randy McGregor, Dave McDonald, Marty Howe, Vince Magnan, Ross Yates and goalie Ken Holland.Merkosky, Paul Crowley and McDonald were goal getters for the Whalers in their opener.HERSHEY &mdash; Ten players from last year&rsquo;s first place team returned to the Bears as Hershey prepared for their opener as this issue went to press.Heading the returnees were goalie Rollie Boutin, Darren Veitch, Jay Johnston, Dwayne Lowdermilk on defense; Wes Jarvis, Harvie Pocza and Glenn Currie at center; Eddy Godin, Tony Cassolato and Lou Franceschetti on right wing and Errol Rausse on left wing.Joining the returning players were newcomers including Al Jensen between the pipes, defensemen Dan Clark, Vic Morin and Martin Burger; center Chris Valentine; right wing Frank Perkins and Dan Miele; left wing Bill Bennett, Todd Bidner and Torrie Robertson.MAINE &mdash; The Mariners&rsquo; figure to have one of the best goaltending tandems in the American Hockey League in Bob Froese and Pelle Lindbergh.Froese was the difference in Maine&rsquo;s opening 5-3 victory on the road in Adirondack as the Mariners gained a measure of revenge for dropping the Calder Cup finals to the Red Wings. Froese made 28 saves and got all the help he needed from goal scorers Gordie Clark, Bob Hoffmeyer, Gordie Williams, Paul Evans and John Paddock.Lindbergh was one of the final cuts from the parent Philadelphia Flyers and it seems just a matter of time before last year&rsquo;s AHL Most Valuable Player, first team All Star and top rookie makes it back to the NHL.With Froese and Lindbergh on hand for the Mariners, the teams in the AHL figure to be in for some pretty long nights.Another late addition to the Mariners was defenseman Mike Busniuk.NEW BRUNSWICK &mdash; &mdash; Orval Tessier made his coaching debut in the AHL with his Hawks playing to a 2-2 standoff with the Rochester Americans before a home opener crowd of 2,697. Mike Kaszycki had a pair of goals for New Brunswick, while Warren Skorodenski tended the nets for the Hawks.J.P. Bordeleau helped give Tessier his first AHL coaching victory as New Brunswick stopped the Express 7-5. Bordeleau had a pair of goals for the Hawks and Steve Ludzik chipped in with a goal and two assists.NEW HAVEN &mdash; The Nighthawks&rsquo; roster continued to take shape with the addition of five players who were sent down by the parent Los Angeles Kings.Defenseman Rick Chartraw, who competed on numerous Stanley Cup championship teams with the Montreal Canadiens, was among the players cut by the Kings. Chartraw was obtained by Los Angeles during the 1980-81 campaign and had one goal and seven assists in 21 games.Three veterans and one rookie comprised the other four players including vets Gary Bromley, Glenn Goldup, Andre St. Laurent and first year player Daryl Evans. Bromley tended goal for Vancouver until he was acquired by the Kings a year ago, while left wing Goldup was a five-year Los Angeles veteran.St. Laurent had been with Los Angeles for the past two seasons and Evans was a ninth round pick in the 1980 draft.ROCHESTER &mdash; The Americans competed in the first overtime game of the year with Rochester and New Brunswick playing to a 2-2 deadlock in the opening game for both teams.Gilles Hamel had one goal for the Americans and Swede Kai Suikkanen sent the contest into the extra session when he scored with just 2:18 left to play. Jacques Cloutier was a standout in goal for Rochester as he stopped 42 of 44 shots by the Hawks.Rochester remained winless in their first two games as they suffered a 4-2 loss on the road in Nova Scotia. Peter Horachek and Suikkanen scored the Americans goals and Rick Knickle worked his first game in the nets.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01494/4734663-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="582" height="928"><figcaption class="caption-body">Peter Marrin scored the first goal for the Fredericton Express, but they dropped their opener.</figcaption></div>Hamel, who played 51 games last year in Buffalo, and defenseman Kari Suoraniemi were two late cuts by the Sabres sent to Rochester.SPRINGFIELD &mdash; The parent New York Rangers assigned many players to their top farm club in Springfield and many of the players competed in New Haven a year ago where the Rangers previously had their farm team.Among those sent to Springfield who played in New Haven were goalie Rick Strack, defensemen Gord Smith, John Hughes, Andre Dore, Joe Augustine, centers Dan McCarthy, Bob Bedier, right wings Cam Connor and Mike Backman and left wings Claude Larose, Gary Burns and Dave Snopek.Ron Plumb, who was on the Indians&rsquo; roster a year ago, won a position on the club along with goalie Ward Lockhart, defenseman Bart Wilson and centers Todd Johnson and Brian Ziegler.Defenseman Tom Adams was released by the Indians.NOVA SCOTIA &mdash; New Voyageurs&rsquo; coach John Brophy had everything go his way in returning behind the bench in his native Nova Scotia. Not only did Brophy&rsquo;s club win their home opener by a 4-2 decision over Rochester, the team attracted a large crowd of 6,213.Craig Laughlin had a goal and assist to spark the victory, while Dan Bolduc. Wayne Thompson and Guy Carbonneau tallied the other goals. &#9632;

f0027-01

Express Derailed By New Brunswick; Blades Look Sharp As Debut Winner

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSSALT LAKE CITY &mdash; Paul Skidmore had a perfect night in the Golden Eagles&rsquo; nets and a record openingnight crowd of 9.424 was on hand at the Salt Palace to see his 1-0 shutout of the Cincinnati Tigers.For more than 51 minutes, it was a double shutout as the Birds couldn&rsquo;t solve Tiger goalie Bob Parent either. Ken Federko finally got the only goal of the game at 11:30 of the third period, set up by a pass from rookie Perry Anderson. The late tally ran the Eagles&rsquo; streak to 293 regular season and playoff games without being shut out.Skidmore, 23-year-old second-year pro from Smithstown. N.Y.. made 20 saves in posting his second professional shutout. His previous whitewash job (al home against Fort Worth last November) required only 12 stops. Parent made 33 saves for the Tigers, who had won their two previous starts.Skidmore&rsquo;s saves came in bunches. He would go untested for a span of many minutes, then have to make several big steps in quick succession. The Eagles needed outstanding goaltending to preserve their lead. Shortly after Federko scored. Salt Lake had to play shorthanded for nearly three minutes and two men short for 1:03.It was a penalty-filled game, with the Eagles drawing 76 minutes, the Tigers 72. Much of the penalty total was accumulated during a fight between Eagle rookie defenseman Alain Vigneault and Tiger right wing Rick Blight.The rainy Saturday night turnout was the best opening crowd in Eagle history, breaking the mark of 8,998 set a year ago.As the new week began, the parent St. Louis Blues returned right wing Joey Mullen, last year&rsquo;s leading scorer and Most Valuable Player in the CHL. The season-opening triumph gave Jack Evans&rsquo; Eagles 17 straight home victories, counting 10 playoff wins and the last six games of the regular season last vear.NASHVILLE &mdash; Gene Ubriaco&rsquo;s South Stars opened the season with a resounding 6-3 victory in Tulsa, then took a 3-2 setback two nights later in Oklahoma City.The opener saw eight fights and 180 minutes in penalties, 96 against Nashville and 84 against Tulsa. Warren Young, Dan Poulin and Jim Dobson gave the South Stars a 3-1 lead in the opening period, with Young and Dobson scoring on power plays. Nashville never surrendered the lead, with Rob Fockhart. Tom Younghans and Rom Friest completing the scoring.However, the Southmen were blanked for nearly 50 minutes in the second half of their two-game trip to Oklahoma. Poulin, on a power play at 9:44 of the third, finally broke the spell of OC goalie Hardy Astrom, and Dobson counted with six seconds left.The parent Minnesota North Stars recalled center Roger Molin and defenseman Murray Brumwell, while sending down right wing Robbie Laird and center Younghans.CINCINNATI &mdash; The Tigers opened their first CHL season by sweeping a pair of games from geographical rival Indianapolis, a 6-5 overtime game in Indy&rsquo;s State Fair Coliseum and a 4-2 contest back home in Riverfront Coliseum. But a trip into Salt Lake brought a 1-0 shutout as the hands of Eagle goalie Paul Skidmore.Normand Aubin, who led New Brunswick of the American League in scoring last season with 89 points (43 goals), shot the tying and winning goals in Indiannapolis.John Smrke, Mike Waghorne Reggie Thomas and Bruce Boudreau had scored earlier, as the Tigers wasted 3-0 and 4-2 leads. Coach Doug Carpenter lifted Parent to get Aubin&rsquo;s tying goal with 51 seconds left in regulation time, and Aubin clinched the victory after 5:10 of overtime.A three-goal explosion in the second period at home gave the Tigers (and Parent) a second victory over the Checkers. Boudreau&rsquo;s first-period goal was answered, but newly-arrived Ron Sedlbauer. Dave Shand and Aubin counted in the second frame. The Tigers outshot the Checkers, 41-29, in that one, after Indy had a 40-26 shooting edge two nights earlier.INDIANAPOLIS &mdash; The new season brought two straight setbacks for coach Fred Creighton&rsquo;s Checkers, both at the hands of the Cincinnati Tigers, whom they&rsquo;ll meet 17 more times before the schedule ends.Charlie Skjodt and rookie Steve Stoyanovich each scored twice in the home opener, with Mike LaBianca getting the other Checker tally. Skjodt&rsquo;s second, with only 2:41 left on the clock, looked like the winner, until Cincy&rsquo;s Normand Aubin tied the game and then won it in overtime, 6-5. Neil Hawryliw (early) and rookie Scott Howson (much too late) had the Indy goals in a 4-2 loss in a rematch at Cincinnati.Kelly Hrudey worked the first game in the Indy nets: Robbie Holland the second. The Checkers later returned winger LaBianca to Toledo in the International League.<h2>SOUTH DIVISION</h2>DALLAS &mdash; Having to play their first six games on the road was proving no hardship for Danny Belisle&rsquo;s Black Hawks. While the Texas State Fair was forcing the Hawks out of their own rink, they traveled to Oklahoma City and won, 5-2 then went to Fort Worth and beat the archrival Texans, 9-6.Ken Ellacott was the netminder in both games, although he couldn&rsquo;t have helped wishing he were elsewhere in the furious-scoring game at Fort Worth.Left wing Jim MacRae, who had been at Oklahoma City but was reassigned by the Calgary Flames to Dallas, had the winning goal against his teammates of a few days earlier. Kelly Elcombe and Drew Callander had scored previously for Dallas, but the Stars tied it up. After MacRae&rsquo;s winning goal (at 6:50 of the third). Rob Tudor raised the margin and Gary McAdam got empty-net goal witjt 19 seconds left.Kelly Kisio had the hat trick for the Hawks in Fort Worth. McAdam and rookie Ron Leef scored two. as Dallas came back from a quick 3-0 deficit. MacRae and Doug Alward got the other Hawk goals.Dallas sent center Leef and right wing Rob Jones to Fort Wayne in the International League, and defenseman Ian Tennant to Salem in the Atlantic Coast League. The parent Vancouver Canucks returned forwards Tim Coulis. Art Rutland and Gary Lupul from last year&rsquo;s Hawks.FORT WORTH &mdash; Rookie defenseman Graeme Nicolson scored three power play goals in the third period, as the Texans rallied to beat the Wichita Wind. 6-4, in the seasonopener. Rookie forward Aaron Broten scored shorthanded in that period, his second goal of the game. Broten scored two power goals the next night, helping the Texans to a quick 3-0 lead, but they succumbed to the archrival Dallas Black Hawks. 9-5. Ed Cooper. Bobby Crawford. Dan Leaps and Bob Attwell also scored against Dallas.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01490/4734694-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="573" height="893"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Skidmore notched his second pro shutout in a brilliant 1-0 win against Cincinnati.</figcaption></div>Crawford had scored in the Wichita game.Rookie goalie Rick LaFerriere, from the Peterborough (Ont.) juniors, started both games, but was relieved by Steve Janaszak after all the damage was done in the Dallas teams. Janaszak had to make 15 saves against the frenzied Hawk attack in the last 9:14, but kept Dallas scoreless in that span.The parent Colorado Rockies reassigned center Jack Valiquette and defenseman Les Auge to Fredericton in the American League. Defender Craig Norwich was tabbed for reassignment, but stayed in Fort Worth.WICHITA &mdash; Right wing Blair Barnes. who opened the 1980-81 season with a hat trick, had to settle for two early power play goals to open the 1981-82 campaign. But the Wind couldn&rsquo;t hold that lead, and dropped a 6-4 game in Fort Worth, then fell in Tulsa. 6-3.Peter Driscoll and John Blum gave Wichita a 4-2 lead in Fort Worth, but that vanished in the face of Aaron Broten&rsquo;s shorthanded goal and Graeme Nicolson&rsquo;s three power play goals.TULSA &mdash; Mark Plantery and DaveChartier scored power goals only 12 seconds apart at the end of the first period, and the Ice Oilers went on to whip the Wichita Wind. 6-3. The previous night, coach Dave McDowal I&rsquo;s pro coaching career had opened on a sour note, as the Nashville South Stars took a 6-3 fight-plagued victory.Rookie Sandy Beadle opened the scoring against Wichita. After the Wind narrowed the margin to 3-2. Murray Eaves. Ron Gosselin and Kris Manerv scored in the third, around a single goal by Wichita. Chartier had a shorthanded goal. Eaves and John Bethel scored on power plays in the opening loss.OKLAHOMA CITY &mdash; Right wing Denis Cyr. Calgary&rsquo;s No. 1 draft choice in 1980. scored two goals as the OC Stars slammed the door on the Nashville South Stars, 3-2. Cyr also had a goal the previous night in a 5-2 home loss to Dallas, giving the 20-year-old rookie forward from Verdun. Que., 60 percent of the Oke City scoring for the first week of the season.Tim Bernhardt was the opening night goaltender, beaten by three Hawk goals in the first period, after Cyr and Mike Prestidge had matched two earlier Dallas tallies. &#9632;

f0028-01

Eagles’ Record Opening Night Crowd Views CHL Goaltending Masterpiece

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSMILWAUKEE &mdash; Phil Wittliff may not agree, but his Admirals loom as the team to beat as the International Hockey League prepared to launch its 37th consecutive season The prediction is based on tangible evidence &mdash; the number of veterans in camp.Wittliff can argue that experience alone doesn&rsquo;t win championships. He would have to agree that it can be a vital factor, however.Milwaukee finished third in the West Division last season and was fourth overall. The Admirals lost in lhe first round of the playoffs to Fort Wayne.What Wittliff could point out is &ldquo;if my veterans were only good enough for third a year ago. why should they be better this lime around?&rdquo; What Witliff doesn&rsquo;t know, nor do any of his rival coaches, is how good are the young players? And how many more players will filter down from NHL affiliates as the season progresses. Rosters in the IHL don&rsquo;t stabilize with the first frost.But Wittliff can put a team on the ice early that may melt the pennant hopes of more than one challenger. Goal scoring wasn&rsquo;t a problem last season. Nor should it be this lime out. If the Admirals can tighten up the defense, they may sail on calm waters for sometime.Included among the veterans who give Wittliff a sound nucleus are Fred Berry. Doug Robb. Michel Bergeron. Archie King. Dan Lecours. John Flesch. Real Paiement and goalie Rich Sirois.Berry, Robb, Bergeron, King, Lecours and Flesch are all forwards &mdash; explosive forwards, too. The group accounted for 143 goals between them last season with Robb the leader with 45. Lecours had 36. Berry 35. Bergeron 30 and Flesch 30. None of the other six clubs has that solid an offensive nucleus around &mdash; at this point in time.Saginaw, the defending Turner Cup champions, for example, looked at its opening games with just four holdovers from the championship unit. Granted. Wren Blair was trying to beef up the Gear talent, but with opening night just two days off the Gears had just player-coach Marcel Comeau, wingers Gord Brooks and Mike Hartman and goalie Ted Tucker available.League champion Kalamazoo should be strong again. The K-Wings appear in belter shape in goal than any club. They have two vets as the last line of defense. Georges Gagnon and Claude Legris. The Wings may be a little thin at center where only one vet is currently available. Doug Derkson. Included among the veterans up front is Kevin Schamehorn.Fort Wayne. Toledo. Muskegon and Flint also have a small nucleus of vets and will not solidify the rosters until the season has progressed awhile. It&rsquo;s the norm in the IHL but this season could be critical for clubs which do not jell rapidly.The feeling among the general managers is that it will be important for teams to get off to a good start. As Fort Wayne Komet general manager Ken Ullyot has always said, &ldquo;The ideal situation would be for all teams to win their home games.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s highly unlikely. but winning at home will take an added significance during the coming campaign.Maybe the &ldquo;new look&rdquo; which features the league will be beneficial. All seven coaches are new to their teams, and with the addition of overtime. the game may provide added thrills for the fans. Under the IHL overtime format, teams will receive one point each when a game ends in regulation time in a tie. A five-minute sudden death overtime will be played and if one of the teams breaks the tie. it will receive another point. The losing team keeps its single point.The new coaches of the seven teams are: J.P. LeBlanc in Kalamazoo. Poul Popiel in Muskegon, Ted Garvin at Flint, Marcel Comeau at Saginaw, Bill Inglis in Toledo, Ron Ullyot at Fort Wayne and Wittliff at Milwaukee. Inglis and Wittliff were in their current positions at the end of last season but did not open the season with those assignments. &#9632;

Veteran-Filled Admirals Could Command IHL

<div class="byline">BY BILL HIGDON</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSUTICA &mdash; Coach Bill Horton wouldn&rsquo;t mind having some Bill Bannerman types, or maybe a Joe Robertson, Jake Rathwell or Borden Smith in the camp of his Mohawk Valley Stars.By way of explanation, the 36-year-old coach and general manager of Utica&rsquo;s new franchise in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League pointed to the team&rsquo;s home rink, Utica Memorial Auditorium.&ldquo;We have the smallest rink in the league and our home games are going to be won in the corners.&rdquo;The aforementioned forwards, all of whom were notable for digging out the puck off the end and corner boards during the old Clinton Comets&rsquo; string of championship seasons in the old Eastern League in the late &rsquo;60s and early &rsquo;70s would serve as models for Horton&rsquo;s present group of wingers.&ldquo;We have a bigger team [than average] but a good skating club,&rdquo; Horton continued. &ldquo;We need the big forwards to go into the corners and come out with the puck.&rdquo;If Horton finds the cornermen he desperately seeks, he feels he has a couple of ideal centers to work with them.During the recent dispersal draft of former Eastern League players, Horton chose Ed Smith from the Richmond Rifles and Steve Salvucci from the Hampton Aces..Smith, traded to Richmond by the Salem Raiders late in the 1980-81 season, pumped home 37 goals and 54 assists altogether, making him the third leading scorer (behind the Erie Blades&rsquo; Pierre Aubry and Jim Cowell) with 91 points.Salvucci wasn&rsquo;t far down the scoring ladder either, with 77 points accumulated on 37 goals and 40 assists. Salvucci was especially valuable on the power play unit, scoring 11 goals through that route. Smith, meanwhile, had five power play goals and five game-winning goals.Smith returns to the rink where he played for the Utica Mohawks two years ago before co-owners Bob Payne, Sr., and Steve Gerling transferred the franchise to Salem, Va,, when they found it impossible to obtain a new lease at the Utica facility in time to satisfy the rest of the league.However, the smooth pivot, a native New Yorker, noted an improved facility including new boards which enlarged the corner areas somewhat. &ldquo;More room for our wings to work &hellip; more chances to keep the puck in play, and to score,&rdquo; he said.Among the big wingmen who attended the Stars&rsquo; training camp in Clinton Arena, a site only 12 miles from the Utica auditorium, were Ray Kurpis, another former Utica Mohawk who played for Richmond, and 6-3 left winger Ken Dzemieniewski.Kurpis scored 14 goals in 50 games last season, another campaign marred by injury to the big right wing. He also chalked up 182 minutes in the penalty box.Horton had an aborted coaching stint with the Syracuse Hornets, who experienced financial ruin early last season. He captained and played defense for the old Mohawk Valley Comets in the vanquished North American Hockey League in 1974-75 and later was player-assistant coach under Larry Mickey for the Mohawks in 1979-80.The Lindsay, Ont., native said he does not plan to put on his skates except at practice. &ldquo;I have retired as a player, and hope to put a contender on ice with the help of the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers and one or two players from the Buffalo Sabres camp,&rdquo; Horton added. During his playing career, he earned his bread and butter in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues and in the World Hockey Association.SCHENECTADY &mdash; Dean Willers of the host Chiefs and Chuck Pappas of the Fitchburg Trappers each recorded a hat trick with three goals in the season&rsquo;s first exhibition game at Center City rink where Schenectady prevailed in a free-scoring affair, 10-7.Other players who impressed for Schenectady included Gary Conn, a collegiate All-America from the University of Maine, who scored two goals and two assists, and center Mark Ciernia with four assists.GM-coach Peter Crawford also is pleased with goalie Mark Rodriguex, an All-America from Yale, and Ben Pederssen, a steady, offensive-minded defenseman called from Richmond where he tallied 51 points. &#9632;

Horton Seeking Diggers For Utica’s Arena

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div>TORONTO &mdash; You really can&rsquo;t blame a junior hockey player for jumping at the opportunity to play in the National Hockey League as soon as he can, even when it might be in his best interests to stay in junior for further development.All their lives, most Canadian boys grow up with the dream of playing in the NHL. When that dream finally comes true, very few ever say, &ldquo;keep a spot open for me. I&rsquo;ll be there in a year or two.&rdquo;No, they jump at the first chance they get.Each year at this time, the pros and cons of the underage drafts, it&rsquo;s effect on the junior development leagues and on the players themselves, is discussed at length by junior hockey officials.Obviously, when a player like Wayne Gretzky or Dale Hawerchuk comes along and is ready to p.lay in the NHL before he turns 20, there is no way he should be held back. Those cases aren&rsquo;t even argued by the folks in junior hockey.What bothers most, is looking at the careers of players like Wayne Dillon and Jack Valiquette who had tremendous potential as juniors but quickly fizzled out as pros and never reached stardom as once predicted.In this age of cradle-robbing, many feel the NHL is doing itself a disservice by taking players with potential to be excellent pros, and stunting their growth by not letting them develop properly.In some cases, there are players now playing in the NHL as underagers, who have yet toeven prove themselves in junior. A case in point might be Tom Fergus, who is with the Boston Bruins, via the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. No one doubts that Fergus has all the tools to become a star in the NHL, but he has vet to even dominate in junior. He wasn&rsquo;t an OHL All Star last season and didn&rsquo;t finish among the league&rsquo;s top scorers.The same can be said for defenseman Joe Cirella. now with the Colorado Rockies after one season with the Oshawa Generals. Cirella joined the Generals right out of midget hockey, had a fairly good rookie campaign but was hardly a star in junior. Again, he showed the potential to one day be among the best junior defensemen ever, but some wonder if he will ever reach that potential by turning professional so young.Of course, both Cirella and Fergus &mdash; and other underage players still in the NHL &mdash; may return to junior before they have played 12 games. Then, the experience they received in the big leagues will be to their advantage.OHL commissioner David Branch, now in his third season as head honcho, isn&rsquo;t concerned about the watering down of junior hockey. There are enough good players to go around. He does, however, worry that some players are being shortchanged by the, pro teams.&ldquo;First of all, if a junior hockey player is ready to play in the National Hockey League, then that&rsquo;s where he should be playing,&rdquo; said Branch. &ldquo;We are a development league and the main objective we tell players coming into the league is to see he has the best chance to play professional hockey. We point out that by playing in our league, his chances of playing pro are better than if he played, in any other league or association.&ldquo;The biggest concern we have as a league is the discriminant use of junior hockey players, that is junior players who aren&rsquo;t ready for the NHL and would benefit more by playing 40 minutes a game with his junior team, developing confidence and skill. There are very few cases where an underage player hasn&rsquo;t played regularly. In most cases, they not only play regularly. they play a major role with the NHL team.&rdquo;Most coaches agree with Branch. Strangely, Cornwall Royals&rsquo; coach Bob Kilger said it doesn&rsquo;t matter if a player is physically or mentally prepared to play in the NHL, only that the team he was selected by needs his services.In the case of Cirella, Kilger felt it would be better for the young defenseman to play with Colorado than if he were to return to the Generals and dominate first as a junior the way Hawerchuk did before turning professional with the Winnipeg Jets.&ldquo;It depends on what a team needs at the time,&rdquo; said Kilger. &ldquo;If the NHL team needs the player, they should have him. We can&rsquo;t complain when a player leaves us before we would like him to.&rdquo;Peterborough Petes&rsquo; coach and general manager Dave Dryden worries that underage players may not fit in socially with the older pros (are there any left in the NHL?) and like Branch, feels some would reach a higher peak if they first became junior stars.&ldquo;In a lot of cases, players would be better off left in a certain situation and dominating it for an extra year.&rdquo; said Dryden. &ldquo;The chance to dominate at that stage of his career is important before he goes to the pros. It&rsquo;s important he has as much confidence as possible. I think too many are put in the pressure cooker before they are ready.&ldquo;What remains to be seen is if they continue to develop as pros or if they tail off.&rdquo;Probably the best argument for leaving a player in junior, even though the NHL team could have used his services as an underage pro, would be Bryan Trottier with the New York Islanders.Trottier had the ability to be a competent player in the NHL as a junior but the Islanders were more concerned with the future, even though at the time, they needed immediate help. Trottier&rsquo;s record as a professional speaks for itself, not only as the Rookie of the Year when he finally did arrive in New York, he has gone on to become one of the best two-way players in the league.NOTES: Joe Drago, coach and general manager of the Sudbury Wolves, was seriously considering replacing himself behind the bench after the team got off to a 2-7 start in their first nine games &hellip; The Wolves weren&rsquo;t the only team slumping in the early going. The Niagara Falls Flyers and Brantford Alexanders both lost six of their first seven outings &hellip; Mike Moffatt made a successful return to junior hockey after being released by the Boston Bruins when he recorded a shutout, stopping 29 shots as his Kingston Canadians beat the Peterborough Petes 5-0. Many of the 29 Peterborough shots appeared to be sure goals but Moffat was not to be beaten that night &hellip; The Oshawa Generals scored three goals in the final nine minutes to beat the Belleville Bulls 6-4 &hellip; One of the most impressive teams so far has been Brian Kilrea&rsquo;s Ottawa 67&rsquo;s, a team that some had reservations about. There is no use forming an early opinion on a Kilrea team by looking at the personnel he has returning because he usually manages to find a few gems in the draft &hellip; The Kitchener Rangers won five and tied on of their first six games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02309/4734804-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="564" height="796"><figcaption class="caption-body">OHL commissioner Dave Branch worries about pro teams shortchanging juniors.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0031-02

Are Juniors Developing Properly?

The Chicago Black Hawks figure next season could be Jeff Larmer&rsquo;s year to make the National Hockey League and they could be right.Larmer, drafted by the Hawks in 1980 from Kitchener Rangers, was recently returned to junior hockey by the Hawks after the NHL club directorate decided he still needed more seasoning in the minor leagues before he&rsquo;s ready to become a bonafide Black Hawk.Larmer hasn&rsquo;t let his rejection by the Hawks this season deter him one bit. He has scored 11 goals and assisted on 12 more for 23 points to win the nod as the Ontario Hockey League&rsquo;s Player of the Week.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01438/4734835-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="489" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEFF LARMER Kitchener Rangers</figcaption></div>The Rangers won all three of their starts, beating Peterborough 7-2, Kingston 7-3 and Belleville 4-1. &#9632;

f0031-01

OHL Player Of The Week

<div class="byline">BY GREGG DRINNAN</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSBILLINGS &mdash; &ldquo;It took two seasons as a general manager/coach for Les Calder to decide he didn&rsquo;t really want to spend a third winter wearing two hats.So, Calder went out and hired Vem Moberg to coach the Western Hockey League&rsquo;s Billings Bighorns.Calder, after deciding to step down, approached Moberg about taking over as coach. Moberg, a native of Vancouver, had been in the Bighorns&rsquo; organization for four years, so it wasn&rsquo;t like Calder was going after a total stranger.&ldquo;We wanted someone who knew our kids and had worked with kids.&rdquo; said Calder, &ldquo;and we wanted someone who could relate to our young players.&rdquo;That someone was Moberg, who spent seven winters coaching bantam and midget hockey at the North Shore Winter Club, before taking over the B.C. Junior League&rsquo;s NorWes Caps at the beginning of the 1980-81 season. That relationship lasted only half a season, though.&ldquo;Things weren&rsquo;t working out,&rdquo; said Moberg, explaining why he parted company with the Caps. &ldquo;So. I left and went back scouting for Les.&rdquo;That lasted until Calder asked Moberg if he wanted to coach the Bighorns.&ldquo;I was changing jobs at the time.&rdquo; Moberg said, &ldquo;so it all worked out just fine.&rdquo;As far as Calder is concerned, the dual role was quite simply too much.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just too much for one person.&rdquo; Calder, still the club&rsquo;s general manager, said. &ldquo;I decided it was just taking too much away from the kids. You can&rsquo;t be giving them hell in the office and patting them on the butt on the ice.&ldquo;I was doing so much &hellip; you get quick-tempered and find yourself taking it out on the players.&ldquo;Now, I can get out and talk to the kids on our farm clubs. And, I can get out and recruit properly. Before I could only try and get together with kids we were recruiting whenever we were in the area. Now, I can take off and watch our farm clubs play just about whenever I want.&rdquo;BRANDON &mdash; Defenseman Tony Camazzola scored the winning goal and set up the insurance marker as the Wheat Kings dumped visiting Winnipeg 5-3. Center Kelly Glowa had a goal and two assists. Two nights later, the clubs met in Winnipeg and the Wheat Kings won 6-2 as Tom McMurchy scored three goals and Glowa had four assists. As well, overage center Anthony McMurchy picked up the 100th goal of his WHL career. Glowa added a goal and two assists as the Wheat Kings downed Billings 7-3 for their fourth win in five tries.CALGARY &mdash; Four second-period goals helped the Wranglers toa 5-3 win in Medicine Hat. Rookie right winger Mike Spencer, acquired from Kamloops via Saskatoon just prior to the start of the season, scored twice in a 3-1 win in Lethbridge.LETHBRIDGE &mdash; The Broncos lost veteran goaltender Mark Frank with siretched knee ligaments in a 3-1 loss to Calgary. That left rookie Ken Wreggett, acquired from Brandon in &mdash; an off-season transaction, as the No. 1 puckstopper.MEDICINE HAT &mdash; Steve Tsujiura. the Tigers&rsquo; captain, returned from the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; training camp, played in a 5-3 home-ice loss to Calgary. then announced he was leaving the club to attend the University of Calgary and play for the Dinosaurs. &ldquo;It would be nice to be able to help the team because there are a lot of young guys who can play,&rdquo; said the three-year veteran. &ldquo;But right now I think this is the best decision for me.&rdquo; The next day Tsujiura announced he had changed his mind. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m coming back.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This time for sure.&rdquo;REGINA &mdash; Rookie Dale Derkatch had two goals and two goals assists in a 9-4 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon. Two nights later, in Regina, Dave Michayluk scored twice and the Pats won, 6-5, Jock Callander scored three times, while Michayluk had a goal and four assists in an 8-4 victory over visiting Billings.SASKATOON &mdash; The Blades scored five first-period goals and went on toa 9-4 home-ice victory over Regina. Perry Ganchar. Todd Strueby and Roger Kortko had two goals each, while Bruce Eakin had a goal and four assists. The Edmonton Oilers returned Mark Habscheid, an 18-year-old center who was a sensation in the NHL club&rsquo;s camp. Habscheid had five goals, five assists in the Oilers&rsquo; exhibition games, and only Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier bettered those stats.WINNIPEG &mdash; The Warriors lost their opener. 5-3 in Brandon, but it was rather fitting that Darren Boyko, their highly-touted 17-year-old center, scored their first goal. Rock singer Burton Cummings sand O Canada at the Warriors&rsquo; home opener, but the Winnipeg club went on to lose 6-2 to Brandon.KAMLOOPS &mdash; Major junior hockey returned to Kamloops for the first time in five years and the Oilers thrilled a sell-out crowd of 2.700 with a 5-4 overtime win over Portland. Doug Thompson got the winner at 4:47 of overtime. Rookie Darryl Murray&rsquo;s second goal of the game at 18:26 of the third period, gave the Oilers an 8-7 win over visiting Spokane.PORTLAND &mdash; Rookie Grant Sasser, a right winger who is one of three Portland-area natives on the Winter Hawks&rsquo; roster, had a shorthanded goal and an assist in a 4-1 home-ice win over Seattle.SEATTLE &mdash; The Breakers opened with an 8-4 home-ice win over Portland, as veteran Brent Shaw scored twice and added three assists.SPOKANE &mdash; The Flyers opened the season in Kamloops, losing 8-7, but not before they had bounced back from a 7-2 deficit to tie the scpre. Richard Zemlak scored twice.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01452/4734866-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="569" height="901"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Morrison was named Victoria captain and responded with a pair of two-goal games</figcaption></div>VICTORIA &mdash; Goaltender Wade Jenson kicked out 16 shots, including several tough ones, to earn the shutout as the Cougars dumped visiting Portland 3-0. Mark Morrison, named team captain just before the game, celebrated with two goals. Right winger Rich Chernomaz, a 49-goal man last season, returned from the Colorado Rockies. Jenson&rsquo;s shutout streak ended at 142 minutes, 43 seconds in a 9-5 win over visiting Spokane. That victory broke a 14-year WHL record, as it was the Cougars&rsquo; 23rd consecutive victory (including 20 last season). The old mark of 22 was set by the Estevan Bruins (later the New Westminster Bruins, now Kamloops) in 1967-68. Veterans Paul Cyr, Stu Kulak and Morrison had two goals each. &#9632;

f0032-01

Calder Enjoys Single Job Freedom; Tsujiura Decides To Rejoin Tigers

Anthony McMurchy of the Brandon Wheat Kings is competing in his final season of major junior hockey and he appears to be off to his usual fine start in the Western Hockey League.The 20-year-old overage center scored four times in his first six league starts and one of his goals was the 100th of his WHL career. With seven assists, McMurchy came up with 11 scoring points in six games, a good indication he&rsquo;ll surpass his 1980-81 totals of 46 goals and 48 assists for 94 points, the best record on the New Westminster Bruins of last season.Picked sixth originally by the Boston Bruins in the 1980 NHL amateur draft, the 6-2, 190-pound McMurchy is expected to play a key role in Brandon&rsquo;s bid to win the WHL&rsquo;s East Division race this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02327/4734897-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="561" height="961"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANTHONY McMURCHY Brandon Wheat Kings</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

WHL Player Of The Week

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSMONTREAL &mdash; Before accepting the reigns as president of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Jean Rougeau vowed to be disciplined and strict.Now, barely more than two weeks into the embryonic season, it&rsquo;s obvious Rougeau is prepared to back up what he preaches.On Oct. 12, Rougeau suspended seven players and assessed a total of $550 in fines as the result of a game between the Laval Voisins and Quebec Remparts played three nights earlier at the Quebec Colisee.Over 250 minutes in penalties were handed out in the game won by the Remparts. 7-1, and seven players were thrown out of the affair.The fun and games took only six minutes to commence.Laval&rsquo;s Claude Vilgrain and Alan Bremner, a former Voisin, got into a fight. Having failed to carve up each other&rsquo;s countenances enough, the two decided to leave the penalty box early for Round 2.At approximately the same time, Laval&rsquo;s Stan Hennigar and Marc Simard decided to leave their respective benches to engage in a duel.While this was occurring, Daniel Roy and Daniel Crassoski, both of the Voisins, ganged upon Patrick&rsquo;Dunn.A different kind of menage-a-trois. no doubt.After Rougeau stepped in Vilgrain was given a five-game suspension for leaving the penalty box; Hennigar. a three-game suspension for having provoked the Remparts who were on the bench, and a $25 fine for conduct unbecoming to the league; Crassoski. a two-game suspension for having received an aggressor penalty and for unbecoming conduct: and Roy. a one-game suspension for being the aggressor.For the Remparts, Simard and Bremner both incurred five-game suspensions: the former for leaving the bench and the latter for escaping the penalty box; Rene Badeau, a two-game suspension for being the aggressor in a fight with Mario Lemieux; and Eddy De Boer, a $25 fine for not leaving the scene of an altercation.In addition both coaches &mdash; Laval&rsquo;s Claude Fournel and Quebec&rsquo;s Normand Meunier &mdash; were fined $250 for losing control of their players.In Trois-Rivieres. where last season&rsquo;s finalists are off to a surprising 2-6 start. Rejean Mailhot and Rene Young have been alternating behind the bench on a game-to-game basis for the suspended Mario Bazinet.Mailhot has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Education from Quebec&rsquo;s University of Laval, while Young is the team&rsquo;s chief scout.The Draveurs also announced the signings of five players: 18-year-old right winger Daniel Lamirande (two goals in 44 games last year); 17-year-old goalie Denis Roy: 19-year-old right winger Mario Renaud (two goals in 60 games); 18-year-old defenseman Mario Carpentier (six goals, 14 assists); and 19-year-old left winger Normand Lefrancois (52 goals, 60 assists), who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.Remi Gagne, acquired from Branby Bisons in the dispersal draft, is back from the Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; camp, as is goalie Michel Dufour and forward Christian Tanguay.And finally, Pierre Milette is the Draveurs&rsquo; new trainer, replacing Jean-Paul Caron.Bob Halsall and Mario Chevalier have been appointed in charge of public relations for the Sherbrooke Beavers.Halsall has been general manager of the Bishop&rsquo;s University Gaiters the last three years (Beavers&rsquo; coach Andre Boisvert is a former Gaiters coach), and has been involved in Little League baseball in Sherbrooke. Halsall is co-ordinator of student activities at Alexander Galt High School.Chevalier, meanwhile, was Gaiters&rsquo; relationist and statistician. He also is treasurerand director of Little League ball in Sherbrooke.The Montreal Juniors have signed two Finnish players to contracts: Center Jali Wahlsten, 18, a second-round choice by the Minnesota North Stars in last June&rsquo;s draft, and 18-year-old left winger Kari Kanervo, selected in the eighth round by the North Stars. Wahlsten scored 34 goals and 32 assists last year with the TPS side in Finland.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01410/4734928-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="557" height="921"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tim Cranston was made the Olympics&rsquo; captain after coming to Hull via a trade from Sherbrooke.</figcaption></div>Tim Cranston, acquired by the Hull Olmypics in the off-season from the Beavers, is the team&rsquo;s new captain, replacing Jean Poulin.Former Montreal and Sorel coach Ron Lapoint, who was not included in the new Granby franchise&rsquo;s plans but is rumored ready to accept a post in Switzerland, turned down an opportunity to join the Laval Voisins, first as Claude Fournel&rsquo;s assistant, and then, as coach, after Fournel was ready to vacate that portfolio. &#9632;

f0033-01

QMJHL President Rougeau True To His Word

The Shawinigan Cataracts have become the hot team in the early Quebec Hockey League race and so has their ace point scorer, Pierre Rioux.The Cataract right winger has jumped into the league scoring lead almost from day one and after three weeks of actin, he still leads the QHL with 27 scoring points.Rioux connected for only eight goals but he has chipped in with 19 assists as the top playmaker in the league as he, and his three productive teammates, Rejean Vignola, Marcel Giguere and Alain Lavigne have joined forces to make Shawinigan the No. 1 team in the league.The 19-year-old Rioux was passed by in the 1981 draft possibly because of his size at 5-8 and 161, but he is a slick puck handler and his early 27-point performance has won him the recognition as the QHL&rsquo;s Player of the Week.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02290/4734959-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="561" height="1177"><figcaption class="caption-body">PIERRE RIOUX Shawinigan Cataracts</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0033-02

Player Of The Week

<h2>OCTOBER</h2>Mon 19 Vancouver at QuebecTue. 20 Boston at St. LouisLos Angeles at IslandersColorado at PittsburghEdmonton at CalgaryWed 21 Hartford at EdmontonWinnipeg at BuffaloMontreal at Chicago.Quebec at WashingtonLos Angeles at RangersColorado at TorontoThu. 22 Boston at DetroitQuebec at PhiladelphiaPittsburgh at CalgarySt Louis at MinnesotaFri. 23 Hartford at VancouverToronto at BuffaloIslanders at WashingtonPittsburgh at EdmontonChicago at WinnipegSat. 24 Boston at MontrealHartford at CalgaryDetroit at QuebecWashington at IslandersRangers at TorontoPhiladelphia at St LouisLos Angeles at MinnesotaEdmonton at ColoradoSun. 25 Minnesota at BuffaloMontreal at RangersPhiladelphia at DetroitPittsburgh at VancouverSt. Louis at ChicagoLos Angeles at WinnipegTue 27 Philadelphia at MontrealQuebec at Los AngelesEdmonton at IslandersToronto at St LouisWed. 28 St Louis at BuffaloQuebec at ColoradoEdmonton at RangersToronto at PittsburghWashington at VancouverWinnipeg at ChicagoCalgary at MinnesotaThu. 29 Montreal at BostonIslanders at HartfordPittsburgh at PhiladelphiaWashington at Los AngelesCalgary at DetroitSat 31 Rangers at BostonChicago at HartfordBuffalo at PittsburghIslanders at MontrealQuebec at EdmontonVancouver at PhiladelphiaWashington at ColoradoWinnipeg at TorontoDetroit at MinnesotaLos Angeles at St Louis<h2>NOVEMBER</h2>Sun. 1 Hartford at BostonPhiladelphia at BuffaloCalgary at RangersToronto at ChicagoVancouver at DetroitMon. 2 Montreal at QuebecTue. 3 Calgary at IslandersWinnipeg at ColoradoWed. 4 Vancouver at HartfordCalgary at BuffaloSt. Louis at QuebecRangers at PittsburghMinnesota at WashingtonToronto at EdmontonLos Angeles at ChicagoThu. 5 Vancouver at BostonSt. Louis at MontrealRangers at PhiladelphiaLos Angeles at DetroitFri. 6 Toronto at ColoradoChicago at WinnipegSat. 7 Boston at QuebecMinnesota at HartfordBuffalo at IslandersDetroit at MontrealRangers at WashingtonPhiladelphia at PittsburghToronto at Los AngelesCalgary at St. LouisColorado at Edmonton &#9632;

WHERE NHL TEAMS PLAY

(Standings on Mon. Oct. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1857/4735325-1-eng-US/f0034-182.jpg" title="f0034-18" width="537" height="793"></div><h2>GAMES COMPLETED</h2>Tue. Oct. 13Calgary 3 at Los Angeles 4Wed. Oct. 14Boston 8 at Chicago 5Quebec 2 at Buffalo 4Islanders 4 at Pittsburgh 1Vancouver 1 at Rangers 2Philadelphia 5 at Washington 4Minnesota 2 at Toronto 1Winnipeg 4 at Edmonton 2Thu. Oct. 15Montreal 7 at Hartford 2Vancouver 1 at Islanders 4Washington 2 at Philadelphia 5St. Louis 3 at Detroit 6Winnipeg 5 at Calgary 4Colorado 2 at Los Angeles 10Fri. Oct. 16Boston 6 at Colorado 1Calgary 4 at Edmonton 8Sat. Oct. 17Boston 5 at Los Angeles 4Detroit 1 at Hartford 8Buffalo 4 at Washington 2Vancouver 4 at Montreal 10Toronto 4 at Quebec 6Rangers 4 at Islanders 5Minnesota 2 at Pittsburgh 5Chicago 3 at St. Louis 7Sun. Oct. 18Montreal 3 at Buffalo 3St. Louis 3 at Rangers 5Minnesota 2 at Philadelphia 3Pittsburgh 2 at Detroit 3Edmonton 5 at Chicago 7Colorado 4 at Winnipeg 3 &#9632;

f0034-18

NHL SCOREBOARD

BOSTON &mdash; Leveille 1, 2, 3, Middleton 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, McNab 4. Kasper 1, 2, Crowder 1, 2, O&rsquo;Connell 3, Fergus 1, O&rsquo;Reilly 2, 3, Cashman 3, Milbury 1.BUFFALO &mdash; Sauve 2, 3, Haworth 1, 2, Seiling 1, 2, Gare 1, Ruff 2, Lambert 1, 2, McKegney 2.CALGARY &mdash; Peplinskl 1, Nilsson 2, 3, 4, Lever 1,2, Vail 2, 3. 4. Plett 2. Russell 1.CHICAGO &mdash; Higgins 2, 3, Wilson 3, 4, Kerr 1, 2, Lysiak 2, Savard 3, Brown 1, Murray 1. Sutter 1,2,3, Secord 5, Preston 1.COLORADO &mdash; Cameron 1, 2, Ramage 1, Cirella 1, Tambellini 4, Malinowski 1, Ashton2, DETROIT &mdash; Kirton 2, 3, McCourt 1, 2, Ogrcdnick 3, McKechnie 1, 2, Blaisdell 1, Foligno 2, Larson 3.EDMONTON &mdash; Gretzky 2, 3,4, Messier 4, 5, 6, Coffey 1, 2, Anderson 1, Callighen 3, 4, Hagman 1,2. Weir 1. Lowe 1.HARTFORD &mdash; Rowe 1, Wesley 1, Keon 1, Meagher 2. 3, 4. Kotsopolous 1. MacLeish 1, 2, Douglas 2.LOS ANGELES &mdash; Dionne 1,2,3.4. Hopkins 1, Terriort 1, 2, 3, 4. Bozek 2, L. Murphy 1, 2, Fox 3, Smith 2. Kelly 1. Lewis 1. Taylor 2, 3.MINNESOTA &mdash; Broten 4, 5i Smith 3,4, Brad Maxwell 2, Palmer 1.MONTREAL &mdash; Tremblay 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Mondou 1,2,3, Shutt 2, 3, 4, 5, Napier 2, Acton 2, Larouche 3. Lafleur 3, 4, Jarvis 2. Wicken-heiser 2, GaineyNY ISLANDERS &mdash; Trottier 2. Bossy 1, 2, 3. 4, Gillies 1,2,3. Merrick 1, 2 Bourne 2, Goring 2, Kallur 2.NY RANGERS &mdash; Hospodar 1, 2, Don Maloney 1, 2, Gillies 1, Rogers 2, Greschner 1, Duguay 1, 2, Johnstone 1, 2, Pavelich 2.PHILADELPHIA &mdash; Leach 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Barber 4, Propp 2, 3, Clarke 2, Wilson 2, Flockhart 1, 2, Sinisalo 2.PITTSBURGH &mdash; Carlyle 1, Kehoe 4. Malone 3, Chorney 1, Mulvey 1, Johnson 2, Bullard 2, Lee 1.QUEBEC &mdash; Marois 1. Richard 2, Tardif 4, M. Stastny 2, Frycer 1,2,3, Hunter 1.ST. LOUIS &mdash; Micheletti 1, 2, Dunlop 1, Patey 1, Chapman 3, Brownschldle 1, Federko 2, 3, Crombeen 1. Sutter 1, 2, Turnbull 2, Vigneault 1.TORONTO &mdash; Anderson 5, Paiement 2, Valve 4, Robert 1, Sittier 3.VANCOUVER &mdash; MacDonald 3, 4, 5, Fraser 2, 3, Smyl 1.WASHINGTON &mdash; Walter 4, 5, Pronovost 1, Stoltz 1, Currie 1, Maruk 3, Carpenter 3, Gustafsson 1.WINNIPEG &mdash; MacLean 1, Wilson 1, Lukowich 3, 4, DeBlois 2, 3, Lindstrom 1, 2, Babych 2, 3, Smail 2, Dupont 2.Hat tricks &mdash; Vail, Calgary. Sutter, Chicago, Meagher, Hartford, Frycer, Quebec and Tremblay, Montreal, 1 each. &#9632;

NHL’s SCORERS THIS WEEK

<h2>Tue. Oct. 13</h2>CALGARY 3, LOS ANGELES 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01464/4735270-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="549" height="667"></div><h2>Wed. Oct. 14</h2>BOSTON 8, CHICAGO 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02378/4735263-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="537" height="784"></div>QUEBEC 2, BUFFALO 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03284/4735256-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="540" height="820"></div>ISLANDERS 4, PITTSBURGH 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04196/4735249-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="546" height="82"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05151/4735242-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="540" height="669"></div>VANCOUVER 1,RANGERS 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06125/4735235-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="540" height="496"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07115/4735228-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="531" height="148"></div>PHILADELPHIA 5, WASHINGT. 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08107/4735221-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="534" height="741"></div>MINNESOTA 2, TORONTO 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0996/4735214-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="540" height="634"></div>WINNIPEG 4, EDMONTON 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1093/4735207-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="537" height="511"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1186/4735200-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="540" height="256"></div><h2>Thu. Oct. 15</h2>MONTREAL 7, HARTFORD 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1283/4735193-1-eng-US/f0034-122.jpg" title="f0034-12" width="534" height="793"></div>VANCOUVER 1, ISLANDERS 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1374/4735186-1-eng-US/f0034-132.jpg" title="f0034-13" width="537" height="579"></div>WASHINGT. 2. PHILADELPHIA 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1470/4735179-1-eng-US/f0034-142.jpg" title="f0034-14" width="540" height="955"></div>ST. LOUIS 3, DETROIT 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1567/4735172-1-eng-US/f0034-152.jpg" title="f0034-15" width="534" height="715"></div>WINNIPEG 5, CALGARY 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1667/4735165-1-eng-US/f0034-162.jpg" title="f0034-16" width="537" height="652"></div>COLORADO 2, LOS ANGELES 10<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1761/4735158-1-eng-US/f0034-172.jpg" title="f0034-17" width="555" height="898"></div><h2>Fri. Oct. 16</h2>BOSTON 6, COLORADO 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01440/4735151-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="531" height="606"></div>CALGARY 4, EDMONTON 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02349/4735144-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="537" height="501"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03272/4735137-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="535" height="391"></div><h2>Sat. Oct. 7</h2>BOSTON 5, LOS ANGELES 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04224/4735130-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="539" height="785"></div>DETROIT 1, HARTFORD 8<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05179/4735123-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="501" height="59"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06160/4735116-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="547" height="761"></div>BUFFALO 4, WASHINGTON 2<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07150/4735109-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="529" height="545"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08131/4735102-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="539" height="147"></div>VANCOUVER 4, MONTREAL 10<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09125/4735095-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="533" height="981"></div>TORONTO 4, QUEBEC 6<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10110/4735088-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="525" height="143"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11102/4735081-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="537" height="273"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07105/4735074-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="543" height="505"></div>RANGERS 4, ISLANDERS 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08100/4735067-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="537" height="826"></div>MINNESOTA 2, PITTSBURGH 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0994/4735060-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="543" height="484"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1091/4735053-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="543" height="336"></div>CHICAGO 3, ST. LOUIS 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1188/4735046-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="540" height="1039"></div><h2>Sun. Oct. 18</h2>MONTREAL 3, BUFFALO 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1284/4735039-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="534" height="469"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1381/4735032-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="540" height="360"></div>ST. LOUIS 3, RANGERS 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1475/4735025-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="543" height="769"></div>MINNESOTA 2, PHILADELPHIA 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1575/4735018-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="540" height="739"></div>PITTSBURGH 2, DETROIT 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1673/4735011-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="543" height="684"></div>EDMONTON 5, CHICAGO 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1767/4735004-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="537" height="994"></div>COLORADO 4, WINNIPEG 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1863/4734997-1-eng-US/f0036-182.jpg" title="f0036-18" width="537" height="163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1962/4734990-1-eng-US/f0036-192.jpg" title="f0036-19" width="552" height="574"></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

NATIONAL LEAGUE SUMMARIES

<h2>BOSTON</h2>GoaliesBARON, MarcoVACHON, RogieDefensemenBOURQUE, RayMcCrimmon, BradMILBURY, MikeO&rsquo;CONNELL, MikePARK, BradREDMOND, DickCentersFERGUS, TomKASPER, SteveMcNAB, PeterPEDERSON, BarryR. WingsCROWDER, KeithMIDDLETON, RickO&rsquo;REILLY, TerryL. WingsCASHMAN, Wayne - CGILLIS, MikeJOHANTHAN, StanLEVEILLE, NormMARCOTTE, Don<h2>BUFFALO</h2>GoaliesEDWARDS, DonSAUVE, BobDefensemenDUNN, RichieHAJT, BillHESS, BobPLAYFAIR, LarryRAMSEY, MikeSCHOENFELD, JimVAN BOXMEER, J,CentersCUNNEYWORTH, R,MONGRAIN, BobSAUVE, J, FSEILING, RtckR. WingsGARE, Danny - CHAWORTH, AlanMcKENNA, ShawnMOLLER, MikePATRICK, SteveL. WingsLAMBERT, YvonMcKEGNEY, TonyRAMSAY, CraigRUFF, Lindy<h2>CALGARY</h2>GoaliesLEMELIN, RejeanRIGGIN, PatDenfesemenELORANTA, KariMARSH, Brad - CMURDOCH, BobRAUTAKALLIO, PREINHART, PaulRUSSELL, PhilCentersCHOUINARD, GuyCLEMENT, BillNILSSON, KentPEPLINSKI, JimR. WingsGOULD, BobbyHISLOP, JamieHOLT, RandyHOUSTON, KenMacMILLAN, BobPLETT, WilliL. WingsLABRAATEN, DanLAVALLEE, KevinLEVER, DonVAIL, Eric<h2>CHICAGO</h2>GoaliesBANNERMAN, M.ESPOSITO, TonyDefensemenBROWN, KeithCROSSMAN, DougDUPONT, JeromeFOX, GregHUTCHISON, DaveMURRAY, BobWILSON, DougZAHARKO, MilesCentersGARDNER, BillKERR, RegLYSIAK, TomRUSKOWSKI, Terry - CSAVARD, DenisSHARPLEY, GlenR. WingsHIGGINS, TimMARSH, PeterMULVEY, GrantPRESTON, RichL. WingsBULLEY, TedSECORD, AlSUTTER, Daryl<h2>COLORADO</h2>GoaliesMYRE, PhilRESCH, ChicoDefensemenBAKER, BillCAMERON, DaveCIRELLA, JoeLEVO, TapioLORIMER, BobNORWICH, CraigQUENNEVILLE, JoelRAMAGE, RobCentersKETOLA, Veli-PekkaMALINOWSKI, MMILLER, BobTAMBELLINI, SteveR. WingsFOSTER, DwightKELLGREN, ChristerMCDONALD, Lanny - CPORVARI, JukkaL. WingsASHTON, BrentGAGNE, PaulGUSTAVSSON, PeterWENSINK, John<h2>DETROIT</h2>GoaliesGILBERT, GillesMICALEF, CorradoDefensemenBARRETT, JohnHUBER, WillieJOLY, GregKORN, JimLARSON, ReedSMITH, GregCentersKIRTON, MarkMcCOURT, Dale - CMcKechnie, waitNEDOMANSKY, V.PETERSON, BrentR. WingsBLAISDELL, MikeFOLIGNO, MikeMURDOCH, DonSMITH, BradL. WingsLYLE, GeorgeOGRODNICK, JohnOSBORNE, MarkWOODS, Paul<h2>EDMONTON</h2>GoaliesFUHR, GrantLOW, RonMOOG, AndyDefensemenCOFFEY, PaulFOGOLIN, LeeFORBES, MikeHICKS, DougLARIVIERE, GarryLOWE, KevinSILTANEN, RistoCentersGRETZKY, WayneHAGMAN, MattiUNGER, GarryWEIR, StanR, WingsANDERSON, GlennBRACKENBURY, C.KURRI, JariLUMLEY, DaveL. WingsCALLIGHEN, BrettHUGHES, PatHUNTER, DaveMESSIER, MarkSEMENKO, Dave<h2>HARTFORD</h2>GoaliesGARRETT, JohnMILLEN, GregDefensemenBARNES, NormHOWE, MarkKOTSOPOULOS, CMclLHARGEY, JackSHMYR, PaulSMITH, StuartWESLEY, BlakeCentersKEON, DaveMacLEISH, RickMEAGHER, RickR. WingsMILLER, WarrenROWE, TomSTOUGHTON, BL. WingsDOUGLAS, JordyFIDLER, MikeHOWATT, GarryNACHBAUR, DonSULLIMAN, Doug<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>GoaliesLESSARD, MarioRUTHERFORD, JimDefensemenHARDY, MarkJOHANSEN, TrevorKORAB, JerryLEWIS, Dave - CMURPHY, LarryPALMER, RobSIMS, AlWELLS, JayCentersBONAR, DanBOZEK, SteveCARLSON, SteveDIONNE, MarcelSMITH, DougTERRION, GregR. WingsFOX, JimHOPKINS, DeanTAYLOR, DaveL. WingsHARRIS, BillyJENSEN, SteveKELLY, John-Paul<h2>MINNESOTA</h2>GoaliesMIDDLEBROOK, LMELOCHE, GillesDefensemenBARRETT, FredBRUMWELL, MurrayGILES, CurtHARTSBURG, CraigMAXWELL, BradROBERTS, GordCentersANDERSSON, K, E,CHRISTOFF, SteveBROTEN, NealSMITH, BobbyR. WingsCICCARELLI, DinoDOBSON, JimMacADAM, AlMELIN, RogerL. WingsCARLSON, JackPALMER, BradPAYNE, SteveSOLHEIM, Ken<h2>MONTREAL</h2>GoaliesHERRON, DenisSEVIGNY, RichardWAMSLEY, RichDefensemenDELORME, GilbertENGBLOM, BrianGINGRAS, GastonLANGWAY, RodLAPOINTE, GuyPICARD, RobertROBINSON, LarryCentersACTON, KeithDAOUST, DanJARVIS, DougLAROUCHE, PierreMONDOU, PierreR. WingsHUNTER, MarkLAFLEUR, GuyNILAN, ChrisTREMBLAY, MarioL. WingsBRUBAKER, JeffGAINEY, Bob - CHOULE, RejeanNAPIER, MarkRISEBROUGH, DougSHUTT, SteveWICKENHEISER, D<h2>NY ISLANDERS</h2>GoaliesMELANSON, RolandSMITH, BillyDefensemenJONSSON, TomasLANE, GordLANGEVIN, DaveMORROW, KenMcEWEN, MikeCentersCARROLL, BillyGORING, ButchMERRICK, WayneTROTTIER, BryanR. WingsBOSSY, MikeKALLUR, AndersMARINI, HectorNYSTROM, BobSUTTER, DuanneL. WingsBOURNE, BobGILLIES, ClarkHALLIN, MatsTONELI, John<h2>NY RANGERS</h2>GoaliesBAKER, SteveWEEKS, SteveDefensemenBECK, Barry - CGRESCHNER, RonHOSPODAR, EdLAIDLAW, TomRUOTSALAINEN, RVADNAIS, CarolCentersALLISON, MikeDUGUAY, RonLEINONEN, MikkoNETHERY, LancePAVELICH, MarkROGERS, MikeR. WingsJOHNSTONE, EdSILK, DaveTALAFOUS, DeanL. WingsFOTIU, NickGILLIS, JereHICKEY, PatMALONEY, DonWALLIN, Peter<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>GoaliesPEETERS, PeteST CROIX, RickDefensemenARTHUR, FredBAILEY, ReidBATHE, FrankCOCHRANE, GlenDAILEY, BobERIKSSON, ThomasWATSON, JimWILSON, BehnCentersCARSON, LindsayCLARKE, BobbyFLOCKHART, RonKERR, TimLINSEMAN, KenR. WingsGORENCE, TomLEACH, ReggieMORRISON, GaryL. WingsBARBER, BillHILL AlPROPP, BrianSINISALO, Ilkka<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2>GoaliesDION, MichelHARRISON, PaulDefensemenANDERSON, RussBAXTER, PaulCARLYLE, RandyCHORNEY, MarcFAUBERT, MarioPRICE, PatSTACKHOUSE, RonCentersBULLARD, MikeGARDNER, PaulJOHNSON, MarkMALONE, GregSHEDDEN, DougSHEPPARD, GreggR. WingsFERGUSON, GeorgeKEHOE, RickLEE, PeterL. WingsBOUTETTE, PatMULVEY, PaulRISSLING, GarySCHUTT, Rod<h2>QUEBEC</h2>GoaliesBOUCHARD, DanPLASSE, MichelDefensemenDUPONT, AndreHAMEL, JeanHOGANSON, DaleLACROIX, PierreMAROIS, MarioPICHETTE, DaveROCHEFORT, NormCentersAUBRY, PierreHUNTER, DaleSTASTNY, PeterR. WingsCLOUTIER, RealFRYCER, MiroslavRICHARD, JacquesSTASTNY, MarianL. WingsCOTE, AlainGOULET, MichelSTASTNY, AntonTARDIF, MarcWEIR, Wally<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>GoaliesEDWARDS, GaryHEINZ, RickLIUT, MikeDefensemenBROWNSCHIDLE, JHART, GerryKEA, EdLAPOINTE, RickMICHELETTI, JoeSTEWART, BillVIGNEAULT, AlainCentersDUNLOP, BlakeFEDERKO, BerniePATEY, LarryZUKE, MikeR. WingsCHAPMAN, BlairCROMBEEN, MikeCURRIE, TonyL. WingsKLASSEN, RalphNILL, JimPETTERSSON, JTURNBULL, Perry<h2>TORONTO</h2>GoaliesLAROCQUE, MichelTREMBLAY, VinceDefensemenBENNING, JimBOIMISTRUCK, FredMANNO, BobMcGILL, BobMELROSE, BarrySALMING, BorjeTURNBULL, IanCentersBOSCHMAN, LaurieDERLAGO, BillLUCE, DonSITTLER, Darryl - CYAREMCHUK, GaryR. WingsPAIEMENT, WilfROBERT, ReneSAGANIUK, RockyVAIVE, RickZANUSSI, RonL. WingsANDERSON, JohnHICKEY, PatMALONEY, DanMARSHALL, Paul<h2>VANCOUVER</h2>GoaliesBRODEUR, RichardHANLON, GlenDefensemenBUBLA, JiriCAMPBELL, ColinELDEBRINK, AndersLANZ, RickLINDGREN, LarsMCCARTHY, Kevin - CCentersBOLDIREV, IvanBRASAR, Per-OlovDELORME, RonGRADIN, ThomasHLINKA, IvanR. WingsBUTLER, JerryMacDONALD, B, JMOLIN, LarsSMYL, StanL. WingsCRAWFORD, MikeFRASER, CurtWILLIAMS, Dave<h2>WASHINGTON</h2>GoaliesPALMATEER, MikePARRO, DaveDefensemenBOUCHARD, PierreGREEN, RickMacKINNON, PaulMcTAGGART, JimMURRAY, TerryRIBBLE PatTHEBERGE, GregCentersCARPENTER, BobKINDRACHUK, OrestMARUK, DennisTOOKEY, TimR. WingsGARTNER, MikeGUSTAFSSON, BengtPRONOVOST, JeanSTOLTZ, RolandL. WingsDUCHESNE, GaetanHANGSLEBEN, AlanKELLY, BobWALTER, Ryan - C<h2>WINNIPEG</h2>GoaliesSOETAERT, DougSTANIOWSKI, EdDefensemenBABYCH, DaveLEGGE, BarryLEVIE, CraigLONG, BarryMANTHA, MoeMAXWELL, BryanSPRING, DonCentersCHRISTIAN, DaveHAWERCHUK, DaleSTEEN, ThomasWILSON, RonR. WingsDEBLOIS, LucienGEOFRION, DannyLINDSTROM, WillyMacLEAN, PaulMANN, JimmyL. WingsDUPONT, NormandHOPKINS, LarryLUKOWICH, MorrisLUNDHOLM, BengtSMAIL, DougTRIMPER, Tim<h2>INJURED</h2>Los AngelesMARTIN, RichardMURPHY, MikeSIMMER, CharlieMinnesotaBEAUPRE, DonEAVES, MikeHAKANSSON, AngersMAXWELL, KevinMcCarthy, TomNYROP, BillSARGENT, GaryYOUNG, TimNY IslandersPERSSON, StefanPOTVIN, Dennis - CNY RangersBOTHWELL, TimCONACHER, PatDAVIDSON, JohnHFDBERGMALONEY, DaveNILSSON, UlfPhiladelphiaBRIDGMAN, Mel - CHOLMGREN, PaulPittsburghMcClelland, KevinQuebecFTOREK, Robbie - CSt. LouisBABYCH, WayneCAMPBELL, ScottTorontoGAVIN, StewartVancouverMINOR, GerryROTA, DarcySNEPSTS, HaroldWashingtonBLOMQVIST, TimoWALKER, HowardWinnipegDUDLEY, RickBuffaloPERREAULT, GilSAVARD, AndreSMITH, DerekCalgaryDWYER, MikeColoradoVAUTOUR, Yvon &#9632;

STARTING NHL TEAM ROSTERS

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01420/4735439-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="549" height="475"></div>1 &mdash; Nova Scotia. 4 &mdash; Springfield. 5 &mdash; Adiron-dack. 7 &mdash; Maine 8 &mdash; New Haven 14 &mdash; Rochester. 16 &mdash; Hershey 19 &mdash; Binghamton. 20 &mdash; Fredericton. 22 &mdash; New Brunswick. 23 &mdash; Erie<h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Springfield 2 at Adirondack 3Nova Scotia 9 at Fredericton 5Wed. Oct. 14Maine 4 at Erie 3Adirondack 4 at Hershey 7Binghamton 5 at New Brunswick 3Thu. Oct. 15Maine 5 at Rochester 3Frl. Oct. 16Adirondack 1 at New Haven 4Hershey 5 at Nova Scotia 10Rochester 2 at Springfield 4Sat. Oct. 17Binghamton 3 at Fredericton 4Adirondack 1 at Maine 5Nova Scotia 1 at New Brunswick 3Erie 1 at Springfield 5Sun. Oct. 18Hershey 4 at New Brunswick 5Springfield 2 at New Haven 6Binghamton 4 at Nova Scotia 5Erie 3 at Rochester 8<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02314/4735432-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="549" height="310"></div><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Thu. Oct. 22)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03242/4735425-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="540" height="391"></div>6 &mdash; Cincinnati. 9 &mdash; Salt Lake. 10 &mdash; Nashville. 12 &mdash; Indianapolis. 13 &mdash; Dallas. 15 &mdash; Oklahoma City. 17 &mdash; Fort Worth. 18 &mdash; Wichita. 21 &mdash; Tulsa.<h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Thu. Oct. 15Cincinnati 6 at Nashville 2Dallas 9 at Salt Lake 3Tulsa 5 at Wichita 7Frl. Oct. 16Tulsa 1 at Fort Worth 6Oklahoma City 3 at Indianapolis 2Sat. Oct. 17Oklahoma City 2 at Indianapolis 3Dallas 4 at Salt Lake 7Fort Worth 1 at Tulsa 2Nashville 5 at Wichita 4Sun. Oct. 18Indianapolis 6 at Cincinnati 3Oklahoma City 4 at Nashville 5<h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04169/4735418-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="555" height="328"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05131/4735411-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="549" height="253"></div>(* &mdash; Awarded one point tor overtime loss)5 &mdash; Kalamazoo 24 &mdash; Saginaw. 25 &mdash; Toledo 26 &mdash; Flint. 27 &mdash; Fort Wayne 28 &mdash; Milwaukee 29 &mdash; Muskegon<h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Oct. 14Muskegon 3 at Fort Wayne 4Fri. Oct. 16Saginaw 2 at Flint 1Kalamazoo 4 at Toledo 6Milwaukee 6 at Muskegon 7Sat. Oct. 17Milwaukee 3 at Fort Wayne 6Kalamazoo 2 at Muskegon 4Flint 2 at Saginaw 3Sun. Oct. 18Milwaukee 2 at Flint 1Muskegon 0 at Kalamazoo 1Saginaw 3 at Toledo 5LEADING SCORERS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06111/4735404-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="534" height="253"></div> &#9632;

f0036-01

MINOR SCOREBOARD

1 &mdash; Montreal2 &mdash; Chicago3 &mdash; Boston4 &mdash; Rangers5 &mdash; Detroit6 &mdash; Toronto7 &mdash; Philadelphia8 &mdash; Los Angeles9 &mdash; St Louis10 &mdash; Minnesota12 &mdash; Islanders13 &mdash; Vancouver14 &mdash; Buffalo15 &mdash; Calgary16 &mdash; Washington17 &mdash; Colorado18 &mdash; Edmonton19 &mdash; Hartford20 &mdash; Quebec21 &mdash; Winnipeg<h2>OTHER AFFILIATIONS</h2>22 &mdash; Chicago & Toronto23 &mdash; Pittsburgh & Boston24 &mdash; Hartford & Boston & Los Angeles25 &mdash; Minnesota & Philadelphia & Islanders26 &mdash; Montreal & Chicago & Buffalo27 &mdash; Winnipeg & Vancouver & Washington28 &mdash; Quebec & St. Louis & Edmonton29 &mdash; Pittsburgh & Calgary & Colorado &#9632;

Who They’re Affiliated With…

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><h3>OCTOBER</h3>Tue. 20 Hershey at FrederictonWed 21 New Haven at AdirondackNova Scotia at ErieThu. 22 Maine at BinghamtonHershey at FrederictonFri 23 Nova Scotia at ErieNew Brunswick at New HavenBinghamton at RochesterHershey at SpringfieldSat. 24 Hershey at AdirondackNova Scotia at BinghamtonRochester at ErieNew Brunswick at MaineNew Haven at SpringfieldSun. 25 New Brunswick at FrederictonAdirondack at New HavenNova Scotia at RochesterTue. 27 Nova Scotia at HersheyWed 28 Maine at AdirondackNew Haven at ErieSpringfield at N. BrunswickThu. 29 New Haven at RochesterFri. 30 Maine at BinghamtonAdirondack at ErieSpringfield at Nova ScotiaSat. 31 New Haven at HersheyRochester at Maine<h3>NOVEMBER</h3>Sun. 1 New Haven at BinghamtonSpringfield at FrederictonNew Brunswick at Nova ScotiaAdirondack at RochesterTue. 3 Maine at HersheySpringfield at Nova ScotiaWed 4 New Haven at AdirondackHershey at BinghamtonMaine at RochesterThu 5 New Brunswick at FrederictonFri. 6 Maine at ErieNova Scotia at N.BrunswickHershey at New HavenFredericton at Rochester<h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2><h3>OCTOBER</h3>Thu. 22 Okla City at Fort WorthCincinnati at TulsaFri. 23 Dallas at IndianapolisNashville at Salt LakeOkla City at TulsaCincinnati at WichitaSat. 24 Tulsa at Fort WorthDallas at IndianapolisNashville at Salt LakeCincinnati at WichitaTue. 27 Cincinnati at IndianapolisWichita at Okla. CityFort Worth at TulsaWed 28 Salt Lake at CincinnatiFri 30 Salt Lake at CincinnatiFort Worth at DallasWichita at IndianapolisTulsa at Okla CitySat 31 Dallas at Fort WorthSalt Lake at IndianapolisNashville at Okla City<h3>NOVEMBER</h3>Sun 1 Wichita at CincinnatiNashville at Okla CityTue. 3 Nashville at Cincinnati.Indianapolis at TulsaWed 4 Indianapolis at DallasFort Worth at Okla CityWichita at Salt Lake<h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><h3>OCTOBER</h3>Tue. 20 Kalamazoo at MilwaukeeWed. 21 Fort Wayne at MilwaukeeFri 23 Milwaukee at ToledoFort Wayne at FlintSaginaw at KalamazooSat 24 Toledo at Fort WayneSaginaw at MuskegonFlint at KalamazooSun. 25 Muskegon at FlintMilwaukee at SaginawFort Wayne at ToledoWed 28 Muskegon at ToledoFlint at MilwaukeeThu 29 Saginaw at MilwaukeeFri 30 Fort Wayne at MuskegonToledo at FlintMilwaukee at KalamazooSat 31 Kalamazoo at Fort WayneFlint at MuskegonToledo at Saginaw<h3>NOVEMBER</h3>Sun 1 Milwaukee at FlintMuskegon at KalamazooFort Wayne at ToledoTue 3 Fort Wayne at MilwaukeeWed 4 Muskegon at Fort WayneKalamazoo at FlintSaginaw at Toledo &#9632;

PRO GAMES TO COME

<h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01369/4735595-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="546" height="499"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. Oct. 14Oshawa 9 at Belleville 6Thu. Oct. 15Kitchener 7 at Peterborough 2London 7 at Windsor 8Sudbury 3 at Brantford 5S.S. Marie 3 at Cornwall 4Frl. Oct. 16S.S. Marie 2 at Ottawa 1Windsor 7 at London 6Cornwall 4 at Niagara Falls 6Brantford 4 at Oshawa 7Kitchener 7 at Kingston 3Sat. Oct. 17Kitchener 4 at Belleville 1Niagara Falls 4 at Peterborough 3Sudbury 4 at Toronto 9Sun. Oct. 18S.S. Marie 3 at Toronto 1Sudbury 2 at Oshawa 8Ottawa 6 at Niagara Falls 3Cornwall 10 at Brantford 8<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02258/4735588-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="543" height="304"></div><h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Tue. Oct. 20)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03192/4735581-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="543" height="472"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. Oct. 13Medicine Hat 3 at Calgary 5Seattle 5 at Kamloops 6Victoria 5 at Winnipeg 3Wed. Oct. 14Lethbridge 4 at Medicine Hat 2Victoria 5 at Regina 2Thu. Oct. 15Kamloops 3 at Portland 5Seattle 2 at Winnipeg 3Fri. Oct. 16Winnipeg 5 at Regina 6Calgary 5 at Lethbridge 11Seattle 3 at Brandon 8Sat. Oct. 17Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 1Kamloops 0 at Victoria 8Winnipeg 4 at Saskatoon 5Sun. Oct. 18Medicine Hat 0 at Calgary 11Seattle 1 at Regina 3Spokane 5 atKamloops 4Winnipeg 1 at Brandon 4Billings 6 at Lethbridge 9<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04155/4735574-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="549" height="301"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05132/4735567-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="552" height="61"></div><h3>LEADING GOALIES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06109/4735560-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="552" height="262"></div><h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0791/4735553-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="555" height="286"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. Oct. 13Sherbrooke 3 at T-Rivieres 4Thu. Oct. 15Laval 3 at Chicoutimi 4Shawinigan 2 at Quebec 5Montreal 3 at Sherbrooke 4Sat. Oct. 17Hull 6 at Granby 4Sun. Oct. 18Shawinigan 3 at ChicoutimilGranby 2 at Hull 8Quebec 2 at Sherbrooke 5Laval 2 at T-Rivieres<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0882/4735546-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="540" height="310"></div><h2>ONTARIO INTERMEDIATE</h2>Standings on Sat. Oct. 17)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0970/4735539-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="546" height="235"></div><h2>ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1064/4735532-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="558" height="412"></div><h2>CENTRAL JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1152/4735525-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="555" height="199"></div><h2>TORONTO METRO JUNIOR</h2>(Standings on Mon. Oct. 19)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1245/4735518-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="546" height="469"></div> &#9632;

f0037-01

AMATEUR LEAGUE SCOREBOARD

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01430/4735633-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; Czechoslovakian Airlift is paying dividends. One of the newest Nordiques is Marian Stastny, who left his iron curtain country to join his brothers, Peter and Anton, on the Quebec team Marian already has scored twice.</figcaption></div><h2>Europeans Hot</h2>QUEBEC CITY &mdash; The European influence is beginning to make an impact on the NHL.Miroslav Frycer, a 21-year-old Czechoslovakian defector with the Quebec Nordiques. playing his second big league hockey game, came up with three goals to down the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4.Another new European. Marian Stastny. produced a pair of goals for the Nordiques as he. too. experienced his first taste of NHL action in the first two weeks of the 1981-82 season.Thomas Gradin, the swift Swede, shot a hat trick for the Vancouver Canucks last weekend and another Swedith product. Anders Kallur, scored twice in the first handful of games as the New York Islanders remained unbeaten after five starts.Swedith center Kent Nilsson of the Calgary Flames hasn&rsquo;t exactly been idle since the new season began, either, having already scored four times. Edmonton&rsquo;s Jari Kurri and Risto Siltanen scored five times between them in the first week.During the NHL&rsquo;s opening action, new Europeans managed to score their first NHL goals in the league openers. Veli-Pekka Ketola of Colorado. Anders Hakansson of Minnesota. Risto Routsalainen of the Rangers, Ilka Sinisalo of Philadelphia, Lars Mol in of Vancouver and Roland Stoltz of Washington all connected.<h2>Deadly Scorer</h2>NASHVILLE &mdash; The Minnesota North Stars sent left winger Tommy Younghans down to the minors last week because the team had too many younger players to work into the lineup. After the week Younghans had, the move may only be temporary.Younghans dazzled Central Hockey League fans with his scoring prowess when he scored an incredible three overtime winning goals in three nights.Playing with the Nashville South Stars of the CHL. Younghans scored the winner in a 2-1 win over Indianapolis. a 5-4 decision over Wichita and a 5-4 overtime thriller against Oklahoma City.<h2>Soviets Get Cup</h2>MOSCOW &mdash; The Soviet Union had to wait a month to get the prize after winning the Canada Cup &rsquo;81 Tournament in Montreal but it finally arrived and they happily accepted the replica of the Canada Cup before a Soviet National League game.The presentation, which was carried live on Soviet television to an audience of 100 million, was made before the start of a league game between Central Army and Spartak. Valery Vasiliev, captain of the Army team, accepted the trophy which was made possible from money contributed by Canadian hockey enthusiasts in Winnipeg after the original Canada Cup was kept in Canada by the organization committee of the Canada Cup tournament.<h2>College Play Set</h2>MONTREAL &mdash; An international 12-team college hockey tournament has been finalized for Montreal Nov. 4-8 and officials are calling it the greatest collection of intercollegiate teams ever to compete in one event.The tourney, which will be staged in the Jean Beliveau Arena in suburban Longueuil, will be divided into four divisions with each team playing two intra-division games, with the winner of each division advancing to a semifinal Nov. 7. The final will be held the next night.The 12 teams will be grouped accordingly: Division A: McGill, University of Quebec-Trois-Rivieres and Dalhousie. Division B: Concordia. Toronto Blues, and St. Laurent College. Division C: Clarkson, College, New Hampshire and Alberta Golden Bears. Division D: Providence College, Moncton University and Merrimack College.<h2>NHL Fines Goalers</h2>MONTREAL &mdash; The NHL has come down hard on goaltenders John Davidson of the New York Rangers and Islanders&rsquo; Billy Smith for their part in a wild pre-season exhibition game.NHL vice-president Brian O&rsquo;Neill said that both netminders were being fined for leaving their creases during a bench-clearing brawl even though they didn&rsquo;t actually become combatants in the fighting.Davidson was fined $300 and Smith $500 by the NHL but were not suspended.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02339/4735626-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="1173" height="1601"><figcaption class="caption-body">One of the early rookie surprises of the 1981-82 season is young Normand Leveille of the Boston Bruins. Leveille, drafted by Boston this season, collected three goals this week. (Photos by Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div><h2>Injuries Crippling</h2>NEW YORK &mdash; The injury jinx that has been spreading around the NHL was starting to stagger some hockey clubs. Two in question were the New York Rangers and the Minnesota North Stars.The Stars were probably the hardest hit. with no less than seven players on the injury list. The Rangers were a close second with, six players on the limp.The recent Canada Cup tournament appears to be taking its toll on NHL players. First Ulf Nilsson of the Rangers went out with a knee injury. Then Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders failed to respond to treatment for a painful groin injury and there are growing fears he may not return until late in the season. The Rangers have lost right winger Anders Hedberg, possibly for the year, with a knee injury compounded by the heavy going in the recent Canada Cup series. Nilsson and Potvin also played in the Canada Cup.Defenseman Paul Reinhart of Calgary missed the Flames&rsquo; training camp with a knee injury after the Canada Cup series and Buffalo&rsquo;s Gilbert Perreault broke his ankle in the same series. Robbie Ftorek of the Quebec Nordiques is also sidelined with a knee injury that flared up during the Canada Cup when he competed for Team USA. &#9632;

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SLAPSHOTS

<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>BOSTON &mdash; Anders Brostrom, D, released to return to his native Sweden.CALGARY &mdash; Paul Reinhart, D, returned to lineup from injury lsit. Steve Konroyd. D, Denis Cyr, RW, and Dave Hindmarch, RW. and Harold Phillipoff, LW, all assigned to Oklahoma City of CHL.CHICAGO &mdash; Lowell Loveday, D, sent to New Brunswick of AHLf John Marks, LW, assigned to Indianapolis of CHL on loan.COLORADO &mdash; Dave Watson, RW, and Randy Pierce, LW, assigned to Fort Worth of CHL. Bill Oleschuk, G, recalled from Fort Worth and reassigned to Dallas of CHL.EDMONTON &mdash; Eddie Mio. G, John Blum, D, Tom Roulston, C, Peter Driscoll, LW, Ken Berry, LW, and Walt Poddubny, C, all assigned to Wichita of CHL. Don Jackson, D, already sent to Wichita reconsidering retiring and reported to CHL team.HARTFORD &mdash; Dave DeBol, LW, declared free agent after Whalers bought out his contract.LOS ANGELES &mdash; Rick Chartraw, D, sent to New Haven of AHL.MINNESOTA &mdash; Anders Hakansson, RW, placed on injury list with shoulder separation. Rob Flockhart. RW, sent to Nashville of CHL. Murray Brumwell, D, and Roger Mellin, RW, recalled from Nashville.NY ISLANDERS &mdash; Stefan Persson, D, out 10 days with cracked ribs. Red Laurence, C, signed as free agent and assigned to Indianapolis of CHL.NY RANGERS &mdash; Anders Hedberg, RW, sidelined with knee injury. John Davidson, G, out of action with back spasms, and Dave Maloney, D, out for month.with broken thumb. Steve Vickers, LW, sent to Springfield of AHL.PHILADELPHIA &mdash; Paul Holmgren, RW. out of action with shoulder injury.PITTSBURGH &mdash; Nick Ricci, G, John Bednarski, D. Jim Hamilton. LW. and Steve Gatzos, RW, sent to Erie of AHL. Randy Boyd, D, returned to Ottawa of OHL. Bob Geale, C, send back to Portland of WHL.ST. LOUIS &mdash; Joe Mullen, RW. returned to Salt Lake of CHL. Perry Turnbull, LW, and Jorgen Pettersson, LW, off injury list. Wayne Babych, RW, out with shoulder injury.TORONTO &mdash; Slava Duris, D. assigned to Cincinnati of CHL. Dave Debol, RW, signed as free agent and assigned to Cincinnati. Pat Hickey, LW. traded to Rangers for future considerations.VANCOVER &mdash; Gary McAdam, LW. and Doug Halward, D, sent to Dallas of CHL. Tim Coulis, LW. signed as free agent and assigned to Dallas.WINNIPEG &mdash; Sandy Beadle. LW, Tim Watters, D, and John Bethel. C, sent to Tulsa of CHL. John Barkwell, D, ended two-game stay at Tulsa and returned to Winnipeg of WHL.<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2>SPRINGFIELD &mdash; Tom Adams, D, released outright.ADIRONDACK &mdash; Dave Miles, RW, sent to Kalamazoo of IHL.ROCHESTER &mdash; Jari Paavola, G, assigned to Flint of IHL. &#9632;

PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MOODY</div>PITTSBURGH &mdash; The starting roster of the Penguins, who finished I5th in the National Hockey League overall standings last year, has had at least a 50 percent change-over this season from the one that began the 1980-81 campaign.Coach Eddie Johnston, in his second season at the helm, has seen nine players from last season&rsquo;s openingnight line-up retire or move on to other teams, and three others who were with the club at the beginning of last season have been sent to the Penguins&rsquo; American Hockey League farm club in Jt.rie.Gone to other clubs or retired since last season&rsquo;s opener are Rob Holland. Pat Hughes, Orest Kindrachuk, Nick Libett. Ross Lonsberry, Gillies Lupien, Paul Marshall. Gary McAdam and Greg Millen. In addition. Jim Hamilton. Nick Ricci and Bennett Wolf, who began last season on the Penguin roster, have been sent down to Erie.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01405/4735695-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="549" height="1278"><figcaption class="caption-body">Thomas Gradin has been flying for the Canucks, thanks to his conditioning with Team Sweden.</figcaption></div>The only remaining players from last season&rsquo;s opener are Russ Anderson, Paul Baxter, Randy Carlyle, Mario Faubert, George Ferguson, Mark Johnson, Rick Kehoe, Peter Lee, Greg Malone, Rod Schutt, Gregg Sheppard and Ron Stackhouse.Five players &mdash; Mike Bullard, Marc Chorney, Paul Gardner, Pal Price and Gary Rissling &mdash; joined the Penguins during last season, and Pat Boutette, Michel Dion, Pat Graham, Paul Harrison, Paul Mulvey and Doug Shedden have joined the club this year.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re way ahead of where we were a year ago,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re ahead because the guys know me and know my system, we&rsquo;re halthy, and we had a very competitive training camp.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in better condition than we were last year, too. We came on strong in the third period of our exhibition games and the competition forced our guvs into top condition.&rdquo;Johnston&rsquo;s last three cuts were goaltender Ricci, right wing and top draft selection Steve Gatzos, who both were sent to Erie, and defenseman Randy Boyd.&ldquo;Gatzos was very, very close with Shedden.&rdquo; Johnston said in explaining the battle for the fourth right wing spot. &ldquo;Shedden had the edge because he kills penalties and also can play center. Shedden&rsquo;s just a little further along.&rdquo;Boyd, 19, was returned to his Ottawa junior club where he was the Ontario Hockey League&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman last season.&ldquo;Boyd knew he came into camp a little heavy and he had a terrible start, but he came on in the exhibition games.&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no sense keeping him up here sitting in the stands. I&rsquo;d rather have him back in junior playing 40 minutes a game, and he&rsquo;s only a phone call away.&rdquo;Ricci, 22, served as the backup to Greg Millen for most of last season, but has only 13 games of NHL experience.Johnston, a former standout NHL goaltender himself, believes a full season playing in the minors will be more helpful to Ricci in his development than again sitting on the bench in Pittsburgh.Michel Dion, signed as a free agent without compensation from Winnipeg during the summer, and Paul Harrison, obtained from Toronto for future considerations before camp opened, are handling the goaltending chores for the Penguins this season.&ldquo;We made off-season changes with no fewer than five players age 30 or older departing [Kindrachuk. Lonsberry. Libett. Dave Burrowsand Errol Thompson].&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;If some of our younger players can step right in, it could make for a very exciting year.&rdquo;PENGUIN TRACKS &mdash; The club&rsquo;s 4-1-2 pre-season record was the best in its history. They lost their exhibition opener to Quebec then went unbeaten in their final six games &hellip; The Penguins selected defenseman John Bednarski in the waiver draft from Buffalo. The 29-year-old former New York Ranger and Edmonton Oiler was assigned to Erie to help stabilize the Blades&rsquo; young defense.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02281/4735688-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="564" height="664"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rookie Doug Shedden earned a spot on the Penguins with his penalty-killing and versatility</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Big Turnover Produced Better Penguin Team

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>VANCOUVER &mdash; Ask Canucks&rsquo; coach Harry Neale about exhibition games and you get the feeling you&rsquo;ve just asked a Japanese person about Hiroshima.It&rsquo;s not a very pleasant topic, though both Neale and his new associate Roger Neilson managed some humor over the course of the pre-season, despite the fact that they started the regular season with three regulars out and two more having missed most of training camp.In the past two years, the Canucks have won two, tied two and lost 14 exhibitions, and that record has come against teams such as Los Angeles, Colorado and Edmonton and Winnipeg. They&rsquo;ve been brutal, but they&rsquo;ve always been able to laugh about it afterwards. What made this particular 2-7 exhibition series a pain was the schedule which saw them play five games in six nights with 19 players. Still, it didn&rsquo;t seem to affect the club when it reeled off two wins and a tie to open the 1981-82 season.&ldquo;When we made this schedule, we had planned to take 24 or 25 players along and sit everyone out at least one game,&rdquo; said Neale. &ldquo;But with the injuries, everyone had to play every game and it has been pretty tough.&rdquo;Vancouver played at home on a Sunday, in Edmonton Monday, in Winnipeg Tuesday, Los Angeles Thursday and back home again Friday.On Tuesday night, after Neale&rsquo;s tired men had been gassed 6-3 by the Jets, Neale said: &ldquo;We tried to get a game Wednesday night but the University of North Dakota hasn&rsquo;t started their season yet.&rdquo;After a day&rsquo;s rest, the Canucks came out and played their best pre-season game in two seasons and beat the LA Kings for the first time in 10 meetings and Neilson said: &ldquo;I hoped we haven&rsquo;t peaked too soon.&rdquo;It has provided some humor, but very little in the way of a chance for anyone to actually show what they could do. or in the case of Ivan Hlinka and Jiri Bubla, an opportunity to digest what they&rsquo;ve experienced and practice on improving their play.Both have had problems adapting to playing in North America, with Bubla having some physical problems and Hlinka seemingly not knowing where to go. Bubla missed about a week with a bruised hip when slashed in the intra-squad game, then came back at just the wrong time.&ldquo;Bubla missed a week and then we asked him to play five games in six nights,&rdquo; said Neale. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t do that in Czechoslovakia, even if you&rsquo;re not a member of the party.&rdquo;And picking holes in the Czechs before they&rsquo;ve really been given a chance to prove themselves is being rather selective. Only the line of Stan Smyl, Thomas Gradin and Curt Fraser was worth a hoot the whole pre-season. Ivan Boldirev didn&rsquo;t do a thing, though he was suffering through the sad loss of his 14-year-old sister, who died of leukemia during the busy week of games. Blair MacDonald appeared to have a pretty good training camp, but didn&rsquo;t score much, although when the regular season started both he and Boldirev started well with three and four points, respectively, in the first week of the schedule.The Gradin line has been the most outstanding, buoyed by the fact Gradin was in perfect shape from his rigorous Canada Cup training with Team Sweden. He&rsquo;s been flying, and while Smyl got off to a slow start at camp, the whole line has been far and away the most impressive. Fraser, who should have had a big scoring season last year but like the rest of the team, mysteriously quit midway through the year, scored seven goals in exhibition play and missed some chances at more. Smyl had four and Gradin three in the nine games. Everything looks rosy for this trio, going into their fourth year together, save some fits of juggling by Neale in the past.General Manager Jake Milford is still making some phone calls around the league, though, looking for some help on his right wing. After letting both Bobby Schmautz and Rick Blight go before the season began, they have been somewhat troubled on that position when they found our Lars Molin, their Swedish rookie. couldn&rsquo;t play there comfortably.Milford has been trying pretty rigorously to find the right deal, but so far, he&rsquo;s turned up nothing but blanks.&ldquo;The biggest problem is with so many injuries, we haven&rsquo;t any bodies we can trade at all,&rdquo; said Milford.Harold Snepsts, (knee) Gerry Minor (skull fracture) and Darcy Rota (knee problems) weren&rsquo;t healthy for the start of the season. &#9632;

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October 30, 1981

Dionne Active Leader Of All Time Scorers

Fergy Holding Lineup Spot If Savard Ends Retirement

Homesick Eriksson Leaves Flyers For Sweden

The Hockey News