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.

March 12, 1982

The Hockey News March 12, 1982

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>WICHITA&mdash;The Wind ran its latest winning streak to three games by edging Tulsa, 4-3, then blitzing Oklahoma City, 6-2. Both games were in Kansas Coliseum, where John Muck-ler&rsquo;s men had won their last five starts.</p><p>With the victories the Wind pulled to within striking distance of second-place Tulsa, and had a game in hand.</p><p>Ken Berry scored twice in the middle period against Tulsa, and Walt Poddubny tallied at the start of the third, but it was Lance Nethery&rsquo;s shorthanded goal, midway of the last period, which proved to be the winner against the rallying Oilers.</p><p>Four goals in the last period broke open a 2-2 game against Oke City, including Peter Driscoll&rsquo;s second of the game. Poddubny had scored in the first, and Driscoll tied the game in the second. The late barrage included goals by Berry, Driscoll, Gord Stafford and Roy Sommer (shorthanded).</p><p>Andy Moog was in the nets for both victories, and became the CHL&rsquo;s leading goalie with a 2.93 average, compared to 2.95 for Nashville&rsquo;s Lindsay Middlebrook, who had gone up to the Minnesota North Stars, and 2.98 for Indianapolis&rsquo; Kelly Hrudey, the former league leader.</p><p>The Wind welcomed back right wing Curt Brackenbury from the parent Edmonton Oilers, and signed defenseman Greg Hubick, a 30-year-old veteran who spent the past five seasons in the CHL with Dallas.</p><p><b>TULSA</b>&mdash;The Oilers broke a six-game road losing streak by upsetting the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, 5-2, in the Salt Palace, to become the first visiting club to win twice in the Palace this season. A trip into Wichita brought a 4-3 setback, but the Oilers began a five-game homestand by beating Indianapolis twice, 3-2 in overtime and 4-2.</p><p>Right wing Kris Manery broke the CHL record by scoring goals in 11 consecutive games, and became the league&rsquo;s top goal-scorer with 42. Manery eclipsed the record of 10 straight games set by Dallas&rsquo; Kelly Kisio in December and January. Kris had counted 16 goals in his streak, which began Jan. 31.</p><p>The parent Winnipeg Jets recalled goalie Markus Mattsson, who had worked the last 15 games in a row, along with center Murray Eaves, Tulsa&rsquo;s No. 2 scorer. Rookie Bob Gaudet, a Dartmouth graduate, was brought in from Fort Wayne of the International League to be Yves Dechene&rsquo;s backup in the nets.</p><p>Two goals by Danny Geoffrion sparked the victory in Salt Lake, with Manery, Ben Gosselin and Eaves joining in. Ron Wilson had two goals, Manery one, in the loss at Wichita.</p><p>Manery had two goals, including the winner after 8:48 of overtime, for the Friday night victory over Indy. Tom Gibson had the first Tulsa tally. In the Sunday afternoon rematch, it was Doug LeCuyer scoring twice and single goals by Manery and Wilson.</p><p><b>FORT WORTH</b>&mdash;Veteran goalie Phil Myre showed his mettle by making 48 saves, and Alan Wright scored early in the third period to give the Texans a 1-1 tie in Dallas. Even Dallas coach Danny Belisle labeled Myre&rsquo;s performances as &ldquo;incredible&rdquo;. He stopped three Hawk breakaways in the second period.</p><p>The Texans still trailed the archrival Hawks, 7-4 with two ties, in the 18-game intrastate rivalry. Defender Graeme Nicolson was recalled by the parent Colorado Rockies.</p><p>Forward Paul Miller was sidelined by a stick cut around his right eye. Defenseman Dick Lamby missed three games with a deep cut on his foot. Wayne Bishop missed four games when he was called home by a death in the family. Three Texans were out for the season after surgery. Joe Ward and Randy Pierce had shoulder operations, and Mario Giallonardo a back operation.</p><p><b>DALLAS</b>&mdash;The Black Hawks had to settle for a pair of ties, both at home. They rallied twice from two goals down for a 4-4 draw with Nashville, after seeing Fort Worth rally for a 1-1 tie the previous night. That left the Hawks unbeaten in their last nine starts at Fair Park Coliseum, although they hadn&rsquo;t won in their last five tries on the road.</p><p>Greg Vaydik established a first-period lead that didn&rsquo;t stand up against Fort Worth. It was Tim Coulis and Brian Johnson scoring in the second period, Kelly Kisio and Steve Hazlett in the third against Nashville. Hazlett&rsquo;s tying goal came at 6:08 of the third period.</p><p>Defenseman John Beukeboom joined the Hawks on loan from Detroit, and blueliner Ian Tennant was shipped to Salem in the Atlantic Coast League. Defenseman Mark Morris and backup goalie Carey Walker returned to duty after injuries.</p><p><b>OKALHOMA CITY</b>&mdash;The Stars salvaged a split of two overtime games in Salt Lake, losing 6-5 and winning 5-4, and in each case had a 4-2 lead in the middle period. But they ran out of gas in Wichita and suffered a 6-2 setback. They were anxious to get home for a brief stay before embarking on a six-game road tour in March.</p><p>Defenseman Tim Hunter, who was tied for the league penalty leadership (with Nashville&rsquo;s Archie Henderson) with 222 minutes, suffered knee ligament damage and was out in-definitely. The Stars acquired veteran center Dave DeBol (who had been at Cincinnati) when Calgary bought his contract, and ended the professional tryout of center Mark Wells. Left wing Mike Dwyer came back after a month&rsquo;s layoff with a knee injury.</p><p>In the Friday game at the Salt Palace, Alex McKendry, Bobby Francis and Ralph Andreesen vaulted OC into an early lead, but the Eagles kept coming back. Francis&rsquo; second goal made it 4-2 after two periods, but it took Rick Vasko&rsquo;s tally with 1:30 left in regulation time to force the overtime. Eagle Ken Federko&rsquo;s goal ended the sudden-death play after 4:46.</p><p>In the Saturday rematch, Bill Hobbins, Grant Rezansoff and Brad Kempthome scored in the first period, Francis in the second for a 4-2 lead. Denis Houle&rsquo;s two goals for Salt Lake gained a tie, but Francis ended the overtime after 2:55. Hobbins and Tim Harrer provided a first-period 2-1 lead at Wichita, but that was all the Stars could get off Wind goalie Andy Moog.</p><p><b>NASHVILLE</b>&mdash;The South Stars caught fire in the second and third periods to win an 8-5 verdict in Cincinnati, then saw a pair of two-goal leads vanish in a 4-4 draw at Dallas. That gave Gene Ubriaco&rsquo;s crew a 2-1-1 record for the four-game road swing, as they prepared to play the next five at home.</p><p>Nashville held to second place in the North Division, with 67 points to Cincinnati&rsquo;s 66 and Indianapolis&rsquo; 63. The South Stars had two games in hand on the Tigers, one on the Checkers. Salt Lake, although stumbling a bit, was firmly in first place with 79.</p><p>Archie Henderson stayed out of the penalty box in both games, and was still tied with Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Tim Hunter for the league lead on 222 minutes.</p><p>Ron Friest and Rob Flockhart each had two goals in the rallying victory in Cincinnati. Steve Carlson, Mark Tof-folo, Warren Young, and Dan Poulin also tallied. In Dallas, goals by Young and Flockhart in the first period were answered, then Mike Antonovich scored twice in the second, but the Hawks tied it up.</p><p><b>INDIANAPOLIS</b>&mdash;The start of an eight-game road trip didn&rsquo;t go well for Fred Creighton&rsquo;s Checkers. They lost in Cincinatti, 4-2, then lost a pair in Tulsa (3-2 in overtime and 4-2 in regulation).</p><p>Defenseman John Marks was recalled by the Chicago Black Hawks. Backup goalie Rob Holland was sent to Toledo in the International League to get more work, and the Checkers brought up Lome Molleken from that club. Winger Bruce Andres returned to Muskegon in the IHL.</p><p>Charlie Skjodt and Neil Hawryliw provided a 2-0 first lead that didn&rsquo;t stand up in Cincinnati. In both games in Tulsa, Kelly Devine and Steve Sto-yanovich scored the Checker goals. Stoyanovich forced the overtime with his tally at 12:20 of the third period Friday night. But the Checkers were down by three before they could find the scoreboard Sunday afternoon.</p><p><b>SALT LAKE</b>&mdash;The Golden Eagles won only one of four games for the week, but their division lead only dwindled from 13 points to 12 over runnerup Nashville. After losing a home to Tulsa (5-2), they divided against Oklahoma City at home, with both the 6-5 victory and 5-4 loss going into overtime. Then a trip to Cincinnati, beginning a string of four on the road, brought a 6-4 loss.</p><p>Richie Hansen, with 82 points, padded his league scoring leadership margin to three points over Cincinnati&rsquo;s Bruce Boudreau (called up to Toronto) and five over Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Bobby Francis.</p><p>Ken Federko and Mark Reeds had the only goals against Tulsa. Federko had the winner after 4:46 of overtime Friday against OC, as the Eagles rallied from three down. Doug Palazzari scored twice, with other goals by Floyd Thomson, Hansen and Perry Anderson.</p><p>Right wing Bobby Crawford, who had been leading the league in goal scoring, was out with a pulled hip muscle. He tried to play briefly, but had to leave after two shifts.</p><p><b>CINCINNATI</b>&mdash;Doug Carpenter&rsquo;s Tigers won two out of three on home ice, with an 8-5 loss to Nashville sandwiched in between a 4-2 decision over _ Indianapolis and a 6-4 triumph over Salt Lake.</p><p>The Tigers welcomed right wing Ron Zanussi and defenseman John Gibson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but lost center Dave DeBol when he was dealt to Calgary and reassigned to Oklahoma City. Dave Logan was still out with a knee injury.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01462/4519595-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="597" height="808"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Veteran goalie Phil Myre landed in Fort Worth and his early performance put new life in the team.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02333/4519588-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="595" height="796"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kris Manery of Tulsa broke the CHL record by scoring goals in 11 consecutive games.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-01

IN THIS ISSUE

Wichita Blowing Up A Storm With Win Streak

<h2>Gretzky Aims High</h2><p>EDMONTON&mdash;How high can Wayne Gretzky go in the 1981-82 NHL season? Would you believe 220 points and 100 goals?</p><p>That appears to be the target of the sensational 21-year-old center of the Edmonton Oilers as he continues to score points at such a rapid rate that it is conceivable he will close the season April 4 with 100 goals, 120 assists and 220 points.</p><p>The Edmonton ace has 14 games remaining. He already has scored 82 goals and 99 assists for 18J points. He broke his own personal point scoring record of 164 that won him the NHL title last year; he scored the fastest 50 goals ever and ended Phil Esposito&rsquo;s mark of 76 goals in 78 games by counting 78 in 64 games. He will also go down in the record books assured of being the first to average at least a goal a game in an 80-game schedule.</p><h2>Shero Returning?</h2><p>DETROIT&mdash;The big question circulating around Detroit is: Did the Red Wings offer Fred Shero the head coaching job or not?</p><p>The former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers said he had been offered the job to take over the slumping Red Wings but Detroit general manager Jimmy Skinner denied it.</p><p>&ldquo;I hope to be there,&rdquo; Shero was quoted as telling the Detroit <i>Free Press.</i> &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s for sure or not. My agent [Mark Stewart] is handling these matters. I&rsquo;m waiting to hear from him. I&rsquo;ve been out of hockey for a year now and I&rsquo;m well rested. I&rsquo;ve got the energy,&rdquo; said Shero, who is now 56.</p><p>Shero said he was offered Wayne Maxner&rsquo;s job&mdash;but refused to name the Detroit official who made him the offer. Skinner denied that Shero had been hired.</p><p>&ldquo;I deny it as of now,&rdquo; he told Radio Station WJR in Detroit. &ldquo;I can honestly say he&rsquo;s not been hired. No deal has been made.&rdquo;</p><p>Under Maxner so far this year, the Red Wings were 18-35-12 and holding down last place in the Norris Division.</p><h2>Ex-NHLer Dead</h2><p>NEWMARKET&mdash;Former National Hockey Leaguer, Herbie Cain, has died at the age of 68.</p><p>Cain set an NHL points record (82) when he won the NHL scoring championship in 1943-44, His mark stood until Gordie Howe counted 86 seven years later.</p><p>Cain helped the Montreal Maroons in 1935 and the Boston Bruins in 1941 to win the Stanley Cup. He ended his NHL career in 1946, having scored 206 goals and picking up 194 assists.</p><h2>Turnbull Demoted</h2><p>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Controversial Ian Turnbull has landed in the minor leagues, demoted by the Los Angeles Kings.</p><p>The long-time Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; defenseman, who forced the Leafs to trade hjm to the Kings this year, was waived through the NHL along with winger Steve Jensen and defenseman Alan Hangsleben, and all three were shipped off to New Haven in. the American League.</p><p>Kings&rsquo; GM George Maguire said a decision whether to recall Tumbull or let him finish the season in the minors will be made after the team&rsquo;s upcoming road trip.</p><h2>Meadowlands Open</h2><p>EAST RUTHERFORD&mdash;The door will be open to any NHL team to relocate in The Meadowlands after the New York Rangers makg their decision whether they are remaining or moving from Madison Square Garden.</p><p>The Rangers said they would not prevent any other NHL team from moving into the Brendan Byrne Arena if they decide to stay in the Garden. However, should they opt to move across the Hudson River to The Meadowlands sports complex, a 30year lease awaits them.</p><p>Rangers agreed to tell the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which administers The Meadowlands, by April 23 if they plan to abandon the Garden for the New Jersey complex. The agreement includes a $150,000 good faith payment to the authority.</p><p>Even though the Rangers have agreed not to block another NHL team from moving into the new arena, such a move still requires unanimous approval by the league&rsquo;s franchises and the Philadelphia Flyers have indicated they will veto the introduction of any new team in the New York metropolitan area.</p><h2>Leach Wants Out</h2><p>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Veteran right winger Reg Leach would prefer to play his hockey somewhere else other than Philadelphia.</p><p>Leach has been upset that he has not been playing regularly and reportedly has asked the Flyers to trade him. In a recent interview, Leach said he had not played in five of the team&rsquo;s last six games and wanted to be traded to another NHL team.</p><p>Leach, who has been a Flyer for the past eight years and has scored more than 350 goals, said, &ldquo;I just told them I wanted to get out of here, that I wanted to play. It could happen that 1 won&rsquo;t come back from the road trip.&rdquo;</p><p>Trading deadline for the NHL is March 9.</p><h2>Hockey Fan Sues</h2><p>NEW YORK&mdash;A Pennsylvania state court refused to release the New York Rangers from a lawsuit in which a hockey fan alleges he became an epileptic because a former Ranger player, Greg Polis, hit him on the head with his hockey stick.</p><p>Two court judges ruled that the base will have to go to a jury. The NHL team had asked a two-judge panel to clear the team before a trial scheduled for March. The Rangers argued the organization is not responsible for the actions of its players after a game. David Brown, 22, said he was attacked as fans were leaving their seats in the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh after a game between the Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1978.</p><p>Brown admits he had been shouting abuse at Polis and teammate Phil Esposito, whom he was calling &ldquo;Porky Pig,&rdquo; as the players left the ice. He said Polis&rsquo; stick struck him on the head and he has been an epileptic ever since.</p><h2>Goalie Banned</h2><p>BELLEVILLE&mdash;Goaltender Ken Porteous of the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League will think twice about leaving his crease and skating the length of the ice to get involved in a fight. He has been suspended for the rest of the season as a result.</p><p>Young Porteous was set down by OHL Commissioner Dave Branch after he was involved in a brawl-infested junior hockey game against the Toronto Marlboros. Six players had earlier been suspended for two games and another, the Marlies&rsquo; Jim Malone, brother of Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; star Greg Malone, was tossed out for five games. Belleville coach Larry Mavety was banned for three games and the club fined $2,500, The Marlies were hit for $1,000.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

SLAPSHOTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01739/4521154-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div><p><b>Gretzky Has Sights Set On 100 Goals, 200 Points</b></p><p><b>Does Detroit Have A Fog (Fred Shero) In Its Future?</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Cover-01

THE SILVER LINING IN THE ST. LOUIS CLOUD

<div class="byline">BY GARY MUELLER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011031/4518600-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Joe Mullen had a tendency to overpass when he first came up to the Blues until linemate Blake Dunlop told him to shoot more often.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02783/4518593-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="1004" height="1230"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>An offensive defenseman in Junior, Rik Wilson put a lot of pressure on himself to score while trying to improve his defensive play too.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03539/4518586-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="1002" height="1220"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jim Pavese had two goals: To make a Junior All Star team and to play underage in the NHL. Reaching the second goal ruled out the first.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>fter piling up a team-record 107 points and finishing second behind the New York Islanders in last season&rsquo;s overall standings, the St. Louis Blues were expected to be one of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s top teams this season.</p><p>But somewhere between training camp and the beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs, something went wrong. With a month remaining in the regular season, the Blues were struggling to reach the .500 level and were being pressed for one of the four Norris Division playoff spots.</p><p>If all of this bothered Blues&rsquo; president and general manager Emile Francis, the remarkable little man hid it well.</p><p>&ldquo;Out of bad comes good,&rdquo; said the feisty Francis. &ldquo;If we hadn&rsquo;t struggled, a couple of young people named Jim Pavese and Rik Wilson wouldn&rsquo;t have been given the chance to show us that they were National Leaguers. And who&rsquo;s to say whether Joey Mullen would be up here with us right now. You have to look at the positive things.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d be kidding you if I said we were satisfied with the way things have gone, but by the same token, I&rsquo;ve never been one to throw in the sponge. This season, and especially the playoffs, are a long, long way from being over and kids like Pavese, Wilson and Mullen have had the chance to settle into our lineup and can only help us in the future.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Blues went on the skids early in the season, Francis introduced what he called his three-phase program at getting the Blues back on the track.</p><p>&ldquo;First, you give the players a warning and if that doesn&rsquo;t work, then you create a little competition for jobs within the organization,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;And if that doesn&rsquo;t work, then you make changes.&rdquo;</p><p>When Francis&rsquo; warnings to the players who started the season in St. Louis didn&rsquo;t change the team&rsquo;s fortunes, he summoned Pavese and Wilson from the junior teams and brought Mullen in from the Blues&rsquo; Salt Lake City farm team.</p><p>At the time, Francis was asked whether it was realistic to expect defensemen Pavese and Wilson, each only 19 years old, to be able to get the job done for a team whose poor play generally had been blamed on a weak defense.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re going to find out,&rdquo; replied Francis.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been done before.&rdquo;</p><p>The two youngsters didn&rsquo;t exactly take the league by storm, but they played well enough for Francis to feel the need to make only one minor trade&mdash;sending defenseman Joe Micheletti to Colorado for defenseman Bill Baker. That meant the Blues were going with three rookies on defense&mdash;Pavese, Wilson and Baker. Up front, rookies Mullen and Jimmy Nill were playing regularly, giving the Blues the unusually high total of five rookies breaking into the lineup on a team that had the NHL&rsquo;s second-best record only a year ago.</p><p>Even more interesting was the fact that of the five rookies, only Nill was born in Canada. Mullen and Pavese are natives of New York City: Baker is from Grand Rapids, MN., and Wilson was born in Long Beach, CA. Wilson, however, grew up in Canada. His father, Wink, is a former minor league hockey player who was working in California at the time of Rik&rsquo;s birth, but the family moved back to Canada when Rik was an infant.</p><p>Mullen grew up on the West Side of New York, in the Hell&rsquo;s Kitchen area only a few blocks from the old Madison Square Garden. His father and uncle were on the ice crew at the Garden.</p><p>&ldquo;I came up through the Metropolitan Junior Hockey Association that Mr. Francis started in New York when he was general manager of the Rangers,&rdquo; said Mullen. &ldquo;From there I went to Boston College and when no NHL team drafted me, Mr. Francis offered me a tryout at training camp with the St. Louis Blues.&rdquo;</p><p>After two seasons at Salt Lake, during which he scored 99 goals, Mullen finally got his chance with the Blues when injuries created the need for a right winger in St. Louis.</p><p>Mullen made the most of the opportunity, scoring his first two NHL goals a team-record eight seconds apart against Minnesota in only his sixth NHL game. Now, Mullen appears on his way to becoming the first player in NHL history to score 20 goals in the NHL and in the minor leagues in the same season. (He had 21 goals in 27 games at Salt Lake when he was recalled.)</p><p>&ldquo;I was surprised he didn&rsquo;t stay up at the beginning&rsquo;of the season,&rdquo; said Blake Dunlop, who has centered a line with Mullen and Jorgen Pettersson as his wingers. &ldquo;His only problem was his rookie nerves. It was obvious that he knew how to put the puck in the net. In a few games, he&rsquo;s tended to over-pass a little, so I&rsquo;ve had to tell him to shoot more, especially with the excellent shot he has.&rdquo;</p><p>The 5-9 Mullen hasn&rsquo;t overpowered anyone, but he has proven to be a pesky forechecker and has been willing to take a hit in order to make a pass. Known as a goal scorer at Salt Lake, Mullen particularly has impressed with his passing skills, setting up Dunlop and Pettersson for goals with a number of dazzling plays.</p><p>Pavese, the Blues&rsquo; No. 2 draft pick in 1980, came to St. Louis with the reputation of being an aggressive, physical defenseman and he has not disap-pointed in those areas. But he also has proved to be sound defensively, with the exception of a few games when rookie mistakes have made things a bit rough for him.</p><p>Pavese grew up in Smithtown, N.Y., on Long Island, the son of a Suffolk County homicide detective. But after playing in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey Association, Pavese continued his hockey education in Canada.</p><p>&ldquo;When I was 15, I played in the Junior B National tournament in Rochester, N.Y., and our team won that,&rdquo; recalled Pavese. &ldquo;Some scouts saw me in that tournament and invited me to Peterborough for training camp in the Junior A OHA.</p><p>&ldquo;We won the Memorial Cup that year, but then I was drafted by Kitchener the next year because Peterborough had five returning defensemen but had lost four right wingers to the pros, so they went for right wingers in the draft and left me unprotected.&rdquo;</p><p>St. Louis picked Pavese on the third round of the 1980 draft and although he had an outstanding training camp, the Blues returned him to Kitchener for another season of Junior A experience. He was traded to Sault Ste. Marie early in the 1980-81 season and started the current season at the Soo, playing for former Blues&rsquo; center Terry Crisp, when he was summoned to St. Louis.</p><p>&ldquo;When I went to Canada, I had two goals, to get to the NHL as an underage player and to make the All Star team,&rdquo; said Pavese. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t make the All Star team, but I made it to the NHL underage and now I want to be sure I stay in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the reasons that Pavese didn&rsquo;t make the All Star team in the Ontario Hockey League was the presence of a high-scoring defenseman in Kingston&mdash;Rik Wilson.</p><p>A first-team All Star last season&rsquo; when he scored 100 points for Kingston, Wilson also started the current season back with his Junior A team after a less-than-impressive training camp with the Blues.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have confidence in myself and they [the Blues] told me to go back to Kingston and keep working hard and that I&rsquo;d be back up,&rdquo; said Wilson. &ldquo;Once I gained confidence in myself, it was a question of my teammates having confidence in me, to make the plays to me and to know what to expect from me.&rsquo;</p><p>Wilson flashed a little of what could be expected from him when he tied an NHL record with four assists in one period in an 8-6 victory over Chicago.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve sort of been used to scoring points and it&rsquo;s been a little hard to adjust to not scoring very often,&rdquo; Wilson said after his record-tieing performance. &ldquo;My defensive play is the most important, but I put a lot of pressure on myself to score. I thought maybe it would be the same here as it was in Junior, although I didn&rsquo;t expect to score 100 points.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Wilson wasn&rsquo;t scoring points at anything even beginning to resemble his Junior point production, he was proving to be a solid addition to the Blues&rsquo; defense with his consistent, if not flashy, play.</p><p>The Blues might have rewritten their team record book last season, only to struggle during the current season. But in the years to come, when they look back to determine when the Blues started putting things together into becoming one of the NHL&rsquo;s strongest teams, the Blues just might point to the 1981-82 season&mdash;the season when rookies Joey Mullen, Jim Pavese and Rik Wilson all made their NHL debuts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

Super Kids Provide Blues With Silver Lining

<div class="byline">FRANK ORR&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011118/4518438-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="318" height="364"></div><h2>Good Ones Just Do It</h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>EORGE BERNARD SHAW</b> made the statement and it has been misquoted, kicked around and employed incorrectly a few thousand times since the man wrote it.</p><p>Shaw said: &ldquo;Those who can, do; those who can&rsquo;t, teach.&rdquo;</p><p>Drop a comma or change the wording even slightly and Shaw&rsquo;s statement loses its meaning. Assorted translations have been made of the man&rsquo;s statement, many of them not coming even close to what GBS was trying to get across.</p><p>Of course, there&rsquo;s a large amount of cynicism in what Shaw said. It seems the man was implying that people who are incapable of doing something themselves often try to teach others how to do it.</p><p>Where some great hockey players are concerned, perhaps it should say: &ldquo;Those who can do it, do it and don&rsquo;t even try to teach others how to do it.&rdquo;</p><p>Thus, when Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League&rsquo;s No. 1 star this season, claims he&rsquo;s not very good at teaching to others what he does on the ice, he&rsquo;s in select company. Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr and Guy Lafleur said basically the same thing.</p><p>Maurice (Rocket) Richard once scored a spectacular goal on a move to which there was no rhyme or reason in the context of the situation on the ice at the time. Afterwards, someone tried to draw an explanation of the play from the Rocket. At first, it seemed the Rocket was having everyone on when he didn&rsquo;t seem to remember the play.</p><p>In fact, he asked how the goal had been scored as if checking out the questioner. Slowly, those listening to him realized a startling fact: The Rocket didn&rsquo;t really remember what he had done on the play.</p><p>&ldquo;I dunno what I did; I just did it,&rdquo; Richard said.</p><p>Hockey is a game, many say, of emotion and reaction and its appeal is in spontaneity, not in the execution of pre-set plays. The great ones who have played the game seem to bear out that theory and Gretzky is the latest in the line.</p><p>Because he never took himself very seriously and was a master of the put-on, many folks thought Howe was kidding when he could supply only skimpy details of things he had done on the ice. Often, a lesser player could supply minute details of his accomplishments and the way he had carefully calculated a particular move.</p><h2>Coaching A No-No</h2><p><b>HOWE ALWAYS SAID</b> that coaching was a profession that held no interest for him for several reasons.</p><p>&ldquo;For one thing, I was never very good at talking about the things I did on the ice and playing the game,&rdquo; Howe said. &ldquo;I just sort of went out on the ice and did them. I tried to figure out where the puck was going to go and the shortest distance to where it was going to be. I never was able to tell anyone how to do it.</p><p>&ldquo;Another thing about coaching was what I saw the job do to people. I&rsquo;ve seen guys behind the bench almost having heart attacks and I decided that wasn&rsquo;t for me.&rdquo;</p><p>Gordie&rsquo;s son Mark verified his father&rsquo;s lack of interest in coaching when asked if No. 9 had helped him much in his hockey career.</p><p>&ldquo;He always said that my team had a coach and that was enough,&rdquo; Mark said. &ldquo;Oh, he would offer the odd tip on some small thing but, mostly, he told us to go out and play and have some fun.&rdquo;</p><p>Orr never was a great post-game interview because (a) he didn&rsquo;t enjoy the exercise much and (b) while he could talk in generalities about the team&rsquo;s play and the game, he couldn&rsquo;t supply many specifics on his own great moves.</p><p>&ldquo;I guess if I had been forced to think a great deal about what I was going to do on the ice, I wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to do it very effectively,&rdquo; Orr said.</p><p>Orr&rsquo;s association with the game now consists of showing a film and talking with minor hockey groups about the ills he sees in hockey for kids&mdash;and not the technical side of the game. Orr feels strongly that many coaches and parents are placing too much pressure on youngsters.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to get the adults involved to see that playing hockey should be, more than anything, fun for kids,&rdquo; Orr said. &ldquo;If the game is fun, then the kids will be spontaneous and loose on the ice and that will help them develop their instincts for playing the game. If they&rsquo;re under pressure, their reactions won&rsquo;t be as quick.&rdquo;</p><h2>Element Of Surprise</h2><p><b>FEW PLAYERS HAD</b> as much spontaneity as Lafleur, an exceptional free-form player who simply reacts to the situation and then has problems in talking about it.</p><p>&ldquo;The element of surprise always seems to me to be an important part of hockey,&rdquo; The Flower said. &ldquo;Sometimes, when I look at a tape of the game, I even surprise myself with a move I&rsquo;ve made.&rdquo;</p><p>Gretzky fits the mold of the great ones. He does; he doesn&rsquo;t try to teach. His instincts for the game and his gift for doing the correct thing in so many situations are at an enormously high level.</p><p>The Kid claims that he has very little ability in telling anyone else how to play.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just not a good teacher of what I do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;One of our young players asked me why I did something in a specific situation and how he should do it.</p><p>&ldquo;I had to tell him that I didn&rsquo;t know, that I couldn&rsquo;t explain it. Things just happen. 1 do things but I don&rsquo;t really know why.&rdquo;</p><p>Perhaps the main message in all this is for those who coach hockey players at all levels. If they can do it, just allow &lsquo;em to do it.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t ask why!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0002-01

HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011131/4518469-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Gretzky drills his 77th goal of the season past Don Edwards in-Buffalo on Feb. 24, breaking Phil Esposito&rsquo;s record of 76 which had stood since 1970-71.</b></figcaption></div><p>BUFFALO&mdash;It was there. It invariably is&mdash;Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s ever-present flair for the dramatics.</p><p>We take you to live action and also behind the scenes</p><p>With the score tied at 3-3 and 6:42 going during the third period of the Feb. 24 games between Edmonton and Buffalo at the Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; goalie Don Edwards made a sprawling save on recordpursuing Wayne Gretzky who had been nicely set up on a 2-on-1 break with unknown defenseman Charlie Huddy.</p><p>&ldquo;When Edwards made that save, I looked over to a six-year-old boy who was sitting just down from me&hellip;and he was crying,&rdquo; said Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; owner Peter Pocklington. &ldquo;I said to myself that he better get that goal now&hellip;.&rdquo;</p><p>The rest is in the record books.</p><p>Gretzky cleverly stole the puck from Sabres&rsquo; Steve Patrick and sped in on Edwards to make the recordbreaking deposit with 6:36 remaining and erase Phil Esposito&rsquo;s name from the NHL record books with his 77th goal.</p><p>To prove the goal was no fluke, Gretzky added two others in the final 1:44 to lead the Oilers to a 6-3 triumph&mdash;their first-ever here&mdash;and also quickly overshadow a standout performance by Sabres&rsquo; Gil Perreault, who accounted for his team&rsquo;s three goals.</p><p>After the game, Pocklington took the little boy into the Oilers&rsquo; dressing room to meet Gretzky before he hustled off to a press conference that was attended by the 200 media folk, who had been following The Boy Wonder&rsquo;s exploits for the past couple of days.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tremendous relief,&rdquo; smiled Gretzky, &ldquo;now Phil can get back to his business. That was the first thought to come to my head, get us up 4-3 and then get Phil back to work.&rdquo;</p><p>The play for Gretzky&rsquo;s historic goal, which came on his eighth shot of the game, began when Patrick couldn&rsquo;t handle a puck that bounced off his chest at the Sabres&rsquo; blueline. &ldquo;If bounced off Stevie&rsquo;s stick and away he went,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; veteran Craig Ramsay, the man who was assigned to check Gretzky. &ldquo;Those are the kind of mistakes you make in their end, not your own.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s complete scoring record for the 1981-82 season can be found on page 22.</b></blockquote><p>Gretzky then shook off a hook from Buffalo defenseman Richie Dunn and slid the puck through the pads of Edwards, who was sliding out in an attempt to cut down the angle.</p><p>At that point, the anticipated pandemonium broke out in the Aud with the Oilers roaring off the bench to mob the 21-year-old superstar, who earlier added two assists to run his output to 20 points in the past four games.</p><p>&ldquo;Edwards was complaining that there should have been a bench penalty to us for the guys coming off the bench,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; defenseman Kevin Lowe. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t know until [the Sabres&rsquo;] Bill Hajt informed him it had been cleared for our guys to do that once Gretz scored.</p><p>&ldquo;And, it couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time,&rdquo; added Lowe. &ldquo;The game-winner, then the insurance goal and a third one in an important game. Maybe not an important game to beat Buffalo, but an important game for us to stay in first place [three points up overall on the New York Islanders)&mdash;a credibility game, so to speak. Plus, he scored two goals from well out on a helluva goaltender.&rdquo;</p><p>The second came at 18:14 when Gretzky took Mark Messier&rsquo;s pass, shifted left on defenseman Ron Fischer after crossing the blueline and slammed a shot by Edwards. Then with 17 seconds remaining, he hit for No. 79 on a 25-foot power-play blast with Perreault in the penalty box.</p><p>&ldquo;I figured we needed the insurance goal,&rdquo; smiled Gretzky. &ldquo;Gil Perreault&rsquo;s a tremendous player and any time you&rsquo;ve only got a 4-3 lead, you don&rsquo;t have enough goals.&rdquo;</p><p>On the fact he didn&rsquo;t score until late in the game, Gretzky shrugged: &ldquo;I was never in a position to think I wouldn&rsquo;t score. The game isn&rsquo;t over until 60 minutes are played&hellip;and there are times you can score with one second remaining.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0003-01

Gretzky’s Record Breaker Typically Dramatic

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GILBERT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011178/4518500-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="605" height="866"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Neal Broten recently became the Stars&rsquo; highest scoring rookie, breaking a three-year-old record.</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>LOOMINGTON&mdash;The North Stars keep rolling along toward easy command of the faltering Norris Division of the National Hockey League. And they are shattering team records virtually every game these days.</p><p>But the statistical gloss is not sufficient to hide some shaky defensivezone play that is causing coach Glen Sonmor some great anxiety.</p><p>Dino Ciccarelli tied the eight-year-old North Stars&rsquo; goal-scoring record of Bill Goldsworthy when he scored his 48th goal of the season in Detroit to conclude an impressive month of February. He scored the goal in dramatic fashion, too, with 11 seconds to go to pull out a 5-4 victory over the Red Wings.</p><p>Neal Broten, Ciccarelli&rsquo;s centerman, compiled a goal and two assists in that Detroit game to give him 77 points and break the Minnesota rookie record of 75 points, set by Bobby Smith three years ago.</p><p>Smith, two games earlier, set up Steve Payne on a nifty pass play for the winning goal in a 7-5 marathon victory over Toronto. The assist, Smith&rsquo;s second of the game, put him past Tim Young&rsquo;s five-year-old team record of 95 points in a season and Smith had 98 by week&rsquo;s end.</p><p>Defenseman Craig Hartsburg, meanwhile, had 52 assists among his 65 points, breaking the club&rsquo;s record for defensemen. Brad Maxwell held the mark of 37 assists two years ago, and shared his record of 47 points with Mike McMahon, who did it way back in 1967-68. Maxwell&rsquo;s 47 points came in 1977-78.</p><p>So with the records and a 3-0-1 slate for the week, what&rsquo;s the problem?</p><p>Well, at a time when Stanley Cup talk starts to separate contenders from pretenders, the North Stars would like to be cutting down the goals-against and winning games by, say, 5-1.</p><p>Instead, the Stars swept through the four games with records topped only by the numbers Sonmor and general manager Lou Nanne registered on their blood-pressure counts.</p><p>Minnesota beat Hartford 8-7 for example, after falling behind the Whalers 3-0 early.</p><p>&ldquo;Somebody said I should be happy because we won the game,&rdquo; said Sonmor. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad we got the two points, but it took me until about 3 a.m. the next morning to appreciate it.</p><p>&ldquo;I heard about a couple of fans from Iowa who thought it was a great game. But they couldn&rsquo;t understand why we didn&rsquo;t hold the puck for last shot.&rdquo;</p><p>For those unaccustomed to Midwest ways, Iowa is known for its basketbal as well as it corn.</p><p>Sonmor breathed a big sigh of relief when Toronto showed up at Met Center next, and his North Stars roared off to a 4-0 lead. The final? The North Stars won, but it was a 7-5 cliff-hanger.</p><p>Next for the exasperated coach came Buffalo. After a scoreless, playoff-style first period, the North Stars blew out the Sabres with a second-period roar that compiled a 5-1 lead. The final? A 5-5 tie, right there on Met Center&rsquo;s home ice.</p><p>Minnesota then hit the road for Detroit, the team Nanne most wants to see lose because he has their draft rights in the first round next summer. After 58 and a half minutes of fumbling around, the North Stars trailed the Red Wings 4-3, but miraculously pulled out a 5-4 victory.</p><p><b>STAR DUST</b>&mdash;Brad Maxwell returned from a shoulder injury to play in Detroit, while Bill Nyrop went out with a shoulder injury. Other injured Stars include Gary Sargent, out two weeks or more with a series of back spasms; Jack Carlson, who pulled a groin and missed two games; and goalie Lindsay Middlebrook, who strained his knee against Toronto.</p><p>Mike Eaves returned from Toronto, where he had special injections for a back problem.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-01

Stars Keep Soaring—In Spite Of Themselves

<p>THE INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY WEEKLY</p><p><b>Founded in 1947 by Kenneth W. McKenzie</b></p><p><b>DONALD R. WALL</b><br><i>Chairman and Publisher</i></p><p><b>TOM MURRAY</b><br><i>Editor in Chief</i></p><p>Advertising and Editorial Offices</p><p>214 King Street West&ndash;Suite 314</p><p>Toronto. Ontario. Canada M5H 1K4</p><p>(416)598-1753</p><p>Executive Office</p><p>850 Third Ave.</p><p>New York. New York. 10022</p><p>(212) 593-2100</p><h2>EDITORIAL STAFF</h2><p>Charlie Halpin<br><i>Editorial Director</i></p><p>Mike Dennis,<br><i>Assistant Editor</i></p><p><i>Contributing Editors</i><br>Stan Fischler, Frank Orr</p><p><b>TOM WORSLEY</b><br><i>Business Manager</i></p><h2>ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES</h2><h3>Toronto:</h3><p>Randy Green</p><p>214 King Street West&ndash;Suite 314</p><p>Toronto. Ontario. Canada M5H 1K4</p><p>(416)598-1753</p><h3>Quebec City:</h3><p>Gaston Dube</p><p>Gaston Dube & Associates.</p><p>750 St. Ursule St.</p><p>Quebec City, Que. G1R 4E7</p><p>(418)692-5130</p><h3>New York:</h3><p>Bob Bassinette</p><p>Bob Bassinette Co.</p><p>8 Jackson Ave</p><p>Syosset, NY 11791</p><p>(516) 364-8144</p><h3>Minneapolis-St. Paul:</h3><p>Chuck Grillo & Herb Brooks</p><p>12890 Dory Ave.</p><p>Apple Valley. MN 55124</p><p>(612) 423-2447</p><p>Esther Sumka. Adverstising Service Manager (416) 598-1753</p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS</b>. (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</p><p><b>YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION RATES:</b> $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</p><p><b>SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE HOCKEY NEWS.</b> 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</p><p><i>Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

The Hockey News

<div class="byline">BY REYN DAVIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021128/4518531-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Two assists and the game-tieing goal in the final minute against Quebec helped Dave Christian answer some of his Winnipeg critics.</b></figcaption></div><p>WINNIPEG&mdash;The struggling Jets have been challenged by their own coach.</p><p>&ldquo;We need 21 points in our last 21 games to become the most improved team in the history of the National Hockey League,&rdquo; said Tom Watt.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not impossible. I&rsquo;m not asking much. We have the chance to do it. It&rsquo;s attainable.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite Watt&rsquo;s assurances, the challenge seemed like a tall order for a club that had managed only a win and a tie in its previous eight games.</p><p>But more than a record is at stake. So is the prospect of making the playoffs for the first time since their admission to the NHL.</p><p>Twenty-one points would give the Jets a year-end total of 73 points, 41 more than they were able to accumulate a year ago when they finished the season with a 9-57-14 record.</p><p>However, a strong finish would require an infinitely better brand of hockey by the Jets than they have displayed recently.</p><p>They are giving up goals in bunches&hellip;seven here, six there, even 10.</p><p>&ldquo;Despite all the goals, as a team we are not doing bad defensively,&rdquo; he insisted. &ldquo;Most of the goals we have been giving up are hard earned. But that also frustrates me. We play comparatively well and get beat badly.&rdquo;</p><p>In Watt&rsquo;s opinion the key to the Jets&rsquo; success is how they play in the neutral zone.</p><p>&ldquo;When we look at the videos, we recognize a problem in our neutral zone,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Too many teams are moving unmolested through those 60 precious feet. Often, we&rsquo;ll have two men on one player and nobody on another. We have trouble reading crossing plays.&rdquo;</p><p>Watt believes many NHL teams have been greatly influenced by the European style of hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;We cross a lot,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So do Quebec, the Canadiens and the Rangers. Chicago, on the other hand, doesn&rsquo;t. It&rsquo;s created changes in the way you defend a team.</p><p>&ldquo;No longer do you tell a player to stick to his side if his winger is crossing. You have to adjust.&rdquo;</p><p>And there seems to lie the key to the Jets&rsquo; fortunes in their final 21 games as they try to answer Watt&rsquo;s challenge.</p><p>Radio reports suggesting Dave Christian would be replaced first by Guy Fournier, a junior from Shawinigan, Que., then by Murray Eaves, a center up from Tulsa, angered the Jets&rsquo; captain.</p><p>He snubbed a television reporter, saying &ldquo;1 have nothing to say&rdquo;, then played a game of hide-and-seek with the media after a game against Quebec.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s angry,&rdquo; said Morris Lukowich, his best friend. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say 1 blame him. He thinks he&rsquo;s been treated unfairly.&rdquo;</p><p>As fate would have it, Christian was the hero of a 4-4 tie with the Nordiques. He assisted on two goals, then scored the equalizer with the Winnipeg net empty in the final 66 seconds of the game.</p><h2>SHER-WOOD&rsquo;S CONTEST ANSWERS</h2><p>1. Rod Gilbert</p><p>2. Jean Ratelie</p><p>3. Pit Martin</p><p>Next contest March 19 issue.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-02

Coach Challenging His Jets To Become Most Improved

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011213/4518631-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="300" height="365"></div><h2>An Aural Assault</h2><p><b>I&rsquo;M A LITTLE PUZZLED,</b> and maybe you can help me out.</p><p>My understanding is that it <i>is illegal for a National Hockey League game to be played without organ music rammed into our ears</i> through the first, second and third periods.</p><p>The way I figure it a match would grind to a dead halt, like a train reacting to an emergency brake if, Heaven forbid, the organist&rsquo;s electric cord suddenly was pulled.</p><p>But I am checking the NHL rulebook and poring over all the league bylaws and still cannot find the insanity clause that reads: &ldquo;No game will be deemed complete without a minimum of 15 organ blasts per period.&rdquo;</p><p>So, maybe someone can tell me&mdash;why can&rsquo;t a hockey game be played <i>without</i> an organ?</p><p>To obtain the answer I talked to some hockey fans. One of them happened to be a doctor. A psychiatrist-type doctor, no less. His name is Dr. Jerrold Maxmen and he has two offices, one on Fifth Avenue and the other his regular pew at Madison Square Garden.</p><p>For the past umpteen years Dr. Maxmen&rsquo;s tender ears have been assailed by the chords of Ashley Miller, who sits at the Garden console each night, stirring Ranger fans to a froth. Dr. Maxmen is not in love with Miller&rsquo;s G-flats and F-sharps but he has, grudgingly, learned to live with them.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s conceivable,&rdquo; says Dr. Maxmen, &ldquo;that some people actually <i>like</i> the organ music although I know that&rsquo;s hard to imagine. Personally, I find it annoying and intrusive; like pollution.&rdquo;</p><p>Why, then, does Ashley Miller do his organic <i>shtik?</i> Mostly because he&rsquo;s paid to do it.</p><p>&ldquo;I see it as a public relations job,&rdquo; says Miller, a bright pleasant man. &ldquo;What I play is completely spontaneous on my part. For instance if there&rsquo;s a fight on the ice I either play nothing or something low-key like &lsquo;What The World Needs Now Is Love&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p><p>Some of us believe what the world needs is less of Ashley Miller <i>while the game is in progress.</i> I have no objection to Miller knocking off a few tunes during the intermission. That&rsquo;s fine, but a fan doesn&rsquo;t need to be told when to cheer. Or does he?</p><p>&ldquo;The music,&rdquo; says Dr. Maxmen, &ldquo;coordinates responses. You have 15,000 people who have found something in common. There is an implication that if the fans do not cheer enough, they&rsquo;re letting down the boys and they&rsquo;ll lose the game.&rdquo;</p><p>Has the <i>bom, bom, bom, bom</i> drone of the organ cheer always been a part of NHL hockey? Of course not. Prior to the 1967 season there wasn&rsquo;t a rink of the six then in the league which permitted organ-playing when the game was in progress.</p><p>The man responsible for the turnabout was a Saint Louisian named Norman Kramer. One night in the fall of 1967 Kramer was minding his business playing the organ in an Italian restaurant in his home town. Somewhere between the linguini and the spumoni a representative of the Blues heard him and ordered a command performance before Sid Salomon, Jr., who owned the Blues.</p><p>When he met Salomon, Kramer played <i>The St. Louis Blues</i> so enthusiastically the Wurlitzer nearly swooned on the spot. Salomon hired Kramer, never thinking what he was in for; nor did the rest of the NHL.</p><p>Unlike staid organists in other NHL cities, Kramer immediately inserted himself into the spirit of the game <i>&mdash;during the game.</i> The crowd loved such selections as <i>Put Your Arms Around Me Honey</i> when a couple of players were wrestling. Soon Kramer became renowned throughout the NHL and other teams sent <i>their</i> organists to St. Louis to study Norm&rsquo;s style. One NHL coach claimed that Kramer added a goal to the Blues&rsquo; side just by being there. It bothered coach Red Kelly so much-that once he had his Pittsburgh Penguins skate out on St. Louis ice wearing earmuffs.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a chain reaction,&rdquo; said the late Lynn Patrick, who then was the Blues general manager. &ldquo;Norm would play, the crowd would pick up the chant and the team would catch fire.&rdquo;</p><p>Once, the Blues were losing 3-0 to the North Stars when Kramer began pounding out <i>When the Saints Go Marchin&rsquo; In.</i> The crowd went wild, the Blues went wilder, and when the final tally was in St. Louis had five goals and Minnesota had three.</p><p>At first, the more reserved established teams such as the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs resisted the trend toward organic hockey. But Kramerism prevailed and now even Maple Leaf Gardens, which used to be content with the 69th Regiment Highlanders playing the inspirational <i>Road To The Isles</i> march on the bagpipes, hires an organist named Ralph Frazier.</p><p>Since no one has yet written <i>The Harold Ballard Blues,</i> Frazier has to content himself with such trivialities as <i>Luck Be A Lady Tonight</i> and Go, <i>Leafs, Go.</i></p><p>Frazier was asked what he feels is the purpose of playing the organ at Maple Leaf games. &ldquo;It keeps the crowd together,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;and it fills in the dull spots.&rdquo;</p><p>As you may gather, if you have ever seen the Maple Leafs, the man does not have an easy job.</p><h2>Gambling Is Here</h2><p><b>NOTES:</b> Whether the NHL likes it or not, gambling has come to hockey in a big way. Gary Lane, a 28-year-old Torontonian, has invented a new board game called Odds-On Hockey. It lets you bet on the game in four different ways: Total goals by period for each team, the final goal of the period, the time of the last goal and on the next goal or penalty. Game markets in Canada for $9 and will be available in time for the playoffs&hellip;New candidates for Coach of the Year: Gerry Cheevers, Bob Berry and Herb Brooks&hellip;You have to feel for Keith Magnuson, a hard-tryer who certainly didn&rsquo;t fail in the effort department. It would be nice if he remained in hockey, no matter what the capacity. Maggie&rsquo;s fall into disfavor must have been sudden. He had been pals with owner Bill Wirtz and appeared to have Wirtz to protect him&mdash;until the losses got out of hand&hellip;G.M. (and now) coach Bob Pulford must beware of the same syndrome that affected Emile Francis when he managed the Rangers. When the coach failed, Francis would go behind the bench, hire a new one and, if that one went under, Francis was back coaching again&hellip;Randy Carlyle tells me that trying to bodycheck Wayne Gretzky is like hitting a rope&hellip;Every day in every way Steve Kasper is looking like the worst thing that ever happened to Gretzky&hellip;I can&rsquo;t help shake the feeling that Arthur Imperatore will be running the NHL team that lands in the Brendan Byrne-Meadowlands Arena&hellip;Guy Lafleur says he&rsquo;s going to become a defensive forward. That sounds like Bo Derek saying she&rsquo;s shooting for an Oscar as Jane in Tarzan&hellip;The Nordiques&rsquo; Marc Tardif has trotted out an old alibi, charging that the media has exaggerated his club&rsquo;s woes.</p><h2>Calling The Fouls</h2><p><b>MANNING THE BARRICADES:</b> When the Philadelphia Flyers originally introduced their brand of Broad Street bullying to the NHL in the early 1970s they inadvertently helped make the career of Ontario Attorney General Roy McMurtry, a Torontonian who promptly ordered provincial attorneys and police to rigorously enforce the law against &ldquo;clear breaches of the criminal code&rdquo; on the ice. This meant tons of headlines for McMurtry and acres of headaches for the NHL. Now it is happening again with Manitoba Attorney General Roland Penner charging Jimmy Mann of the Winnipeg Jets with assault against Paul Gardner of the Penguins.</p><p>On closer scrutiny we find that there were mitigating circumstances and, really, the problem is not Penner and not Mann but rather the NHL&rsquo;s abject failure to curb high-sticking, interference, superstar muggery not to mention <i>instigating</i> fouls that are too-often missed.</p><p>Take the Mann case. Gardner earlier had high-sticked Doug Smail of Winnipeg. It was a nasty move although certainly not worthy of the intensity of Mann&rsquo;s retaliation. Nevertheless, Gardner perpetrated the kind of act that traditionally has inspired counterattack. Perhaps if Gardner had been properly nailed by the officials the Mann move never would have occurred.</p><p>Now, take the case of Kings&rsquo; coach Don Perry, who ordered Paul Mulvey into a fight.</p><p>The Perry situation is simple. He came to Los Angeles with the knowledge that, for years, opponents had messed up the Kings&rsquo; crown jewel Marcel Dionne. Last spring, the Rangers&rsquo; Ed Hospodar belted out Dionne in the playoffs and the Kings exited quickly.</p><p>When Perry dispatched Mulvey to the ice Dionne was on the pond while a brawl appeared to be erupting. Granted, it was an act of vigilantism but this has been a constant NHL problem because of inadequate officiating. (Or, to put it more accurately, because one referee cannot physically handle all fouls.) My guess is that, right or wrong, Perry wanted to establish a balance of power.</p><p>The <i>real</i> problem is the uncalled foul. So many high sticks have been permitted that it is now a matter of course to read that a player &ldquo;barely escaped serious eye injury.&rdquo; Reluctantly, skaters are regularly adding the eye shield to their equipment.</p><p>What really is needed is a firm NHL President John Ziegler-inspired crackdown, once and for all, on the illegal use of the stick above the shoulder. Until that happens we can expect more eye wounds and repeats of the Mann and Perry brouhahas.</p><p>The irony of all this is that The Game has lost too much of its legitimate hitting while gaining so much of the cheap, eye-removing stickwork. What we&rsquo;d like least of all to see is the disinfecting of robust, but clean, bodychecking. More legitimate hard hitting is needed. What we&rsquo;d like most of all to see is a more effective curb on the ugliness&mdash;high sticks, cheap shots after whistle, instigating offenses&mdash;that has contaminated the game.</p><p>Instead of Ziegler creating a blue ribbon panel to overhaul the NHL&rsquo;s disciplinary system it would be more appropriate to launch a rainbow ribbon panel to once and for all set forth league guidelines on rough play, what is and what isn&rsquo;t acceptable behavior and enforcement forthwith.</p><p>Otherwise, we&rsquo;ll find ourselves in 1982-83 with a repetition of the Mann-Mulvey-Perry incidents; only the names will be different.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

ON THE CONTRARY

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><p>CALGARY&mdash;All of a sudden, the sure thing isn&rsquo;t such a sure thing anymore.</p><p>The Calgary Flames have been cruising along all year, knowing that the Edmonton Oilers were out of reach in the NHL&rsquo;s Smythe Division and just-as certain that the Vancouver Canucks would not catch them for third place.</p><p>The Canucks, it was thought, would go into their patented late-season slump and would give the Flames second place by default.</p><p>Unfortunately for Calgary, it has not worked out that way. The Canucks, by defeating Hartford on a night the Flames were losing to Los Angeles, pulled into a second-place tie with the confident, perhaps overconfident, Calgary team.</p><p>Going into this week&rsquo;s critical home-and-home series, the Flames had just one win in four tries against Canucks and were dead even in the standings.</p><p>Since a first-round series between the two teams is the only sure thing for the upcoming post-season, the Flames now&mdash;finally&mdash;realize that there&rsquo;s a need to concentrate on hockey, a fact that has not always been clear to them this year.</p><p>After a 2-2 tie in Vancouver, the Flames moved ahead by blasting the Canucks 11-4 in the Corral.</p><p>General manager Cliff Fletcher, in assessing his team&rsquo;s play at the three-quarter mark, said there&rsquo;s nothing wrong with the Flames that a little competition won&rsquo;t cure. The Canucks, he says, will provide that from here until the end of the year.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the fact that Vancouver is playing so well will bring out the best in our team,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;We have to finish ahead of them to get the home-ice advantage in the playoffs. That&rsquo;s especially critical in a three-out-of-five series. It&rsquo;s much more important in the preliminary series.&rdquo;</p><p>Although the Flames cannot match last season&rsquo;s home record (they lost just five at the Stampede Corral), the fact that they are still a bad road team means a lot in the post-season. It is the only time they could enjoy home-ice advantage, no matter how far they go.</p><p>In commenting on a few of the controversies that have affected the Flames this season, Fletcher made a number of points at the same time as giving coach Al MacNeil his umpteenth vote of confidence of the current year.</p><p>Fletcher said MacNeil would be coaching the Flames this year and next, no matter what they do the remainder of the season or in the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing that can happen between now and the end of the year to make me get rid of Al MacNeil,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;ll be coaching the team again next year.&rdquo;</p><p>Fletcher also talked confidently of the club&rsquo;s prospects for the rest of the season. Since mid-season, when Fletcher also predicted a turnaround, the Flames have made modest gains. At the 40-game mark, they were five games under .500. At 60 games, they were three games under and nervously watching over their shoulders as the Canucks made up ground.</p><p>His optimism, says Fletcher, stems from three things: Improvement in the team&rsquo;s power play, its penalty killing and its goaltending.</p><p>&ldquo;They are the three areas that make it or break it for you in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;They are the reasons that we won against Chicago and Philadelphia and the reasons why we lost against Minnesota.&rdquo;</p><p>The statistics do support Fletcher&rsquo;s contentions, though they do not explain why the Flames have not made greater strides.</p><p>Rejean Lemelin has reduced his goals-against average almost half-a-goal-a-game in the past 20 games. Pat Riggin&rsquo;s average is down almost as much. In addition, Riggin raised his record considerably over that period.</p><p>What the statistics do not show is just how much Lemelin and Riggin have meant to the team in the last month. Their work in that period is reminiscent of some of last season&rsquo;s, when singlehandedly they won a lot of games the Flames deserved to lose.</p><p>&ldquo;We were in a little slump there for a while and maybe weren&rsquo;t carrying the team like we were last year,&rdquo; said Lemelin. &ldquo;Right now, I feel great that Rigsy and I are able to pick up a couple of points for the team going down the stretch.&rdquo;</p><p>Since Kent Nilsson&rsquo;s return, the power play has gone from being one of the worst in the league to one of the best, Nilsson, however, continues to have troubles in even manpower situations and his plus-minus statistic is the worst on the team.</p><p>Of the discontent that has tracked the Flames like a black raincloud all year, Fletcher said: &ldquo;It was not as much as was focused on in the press.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I agree with what Al says: There&rsquo;s no difference between our room than any other rooms around the league, it&rsquo;s just that our problems got out. There are always the same problems when a team is losing, when not everything is rosy.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Calgary Suddenly Spurred By Vancouver Spurt

<div class="byline">BY GARY MUELLER</div><p>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Blake Dunlop accepted the congratulations, but he didn&rsquo;t smile.</p><p>Dunlop had just broken the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; record for consecutive games with a point as he picked up an assist on a goal by Bill Baker to run his streak to 14 straight games with a point, breaking the former mark of 13 consecutive games with a point, set by Fran Huck in 1972-73.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather be here talking about 14 wins in a row instead of 14 games in a row with a point,&rdquo; said Dunlop, whose assist had come on the Blues&rsquo; only goal in a 2-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, extending the Blues&rsquo; winless skid to six games.</p><p>Piling up points individually without adding any team points in the standings has taken some of the luster off Dunlop&rsquo;s hot streak.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re not winning, you can&rsquo;t be doing enough,&rdquo; said Dunlop. &ldquo;You can always do something better&rdquo;</b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;The only reason we&rsquo;re all here is to win,&rdquo; said Dunlop. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re individuals in a team sport. It&rsquo;s good when you&rsquo;re playing well, but if the team&rsquo;s not doing well, you&rsquo;re kind of like a useless entity.</p><p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t go around and gloat or say, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m playing well, what&rsquo;s the matter with everybody else?&rsquo; When you&rsquo;re not winning, you can&rsquo;t be doing enough. You can always do something better. Our line has been playing well, but we&rsquo;d give up a little of that to have a few more wins.&rdquo;</p><p>Dunlop&rsquo;s scoring streak coincided with his being put on a line with wingers Jorgen Pettersson and Joey Mullen. That line accounted for 29 goals during the first 14 games of Dunlop&rsquo;s scoring streak, with Dunlop and Mullen contributing nine goals and Pettersson scoring 11 goals.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of lines rely on a big guy to go into the comer and get the puck, but the way we play, we can&rsquo;t go in there and hold somebody off,&rdquo; said Dunlop, noting that none of the line members is known as a digger. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in constant motion, moving the puck to the guy who&rsquo;s open. When you have three guys who move the puck, you get more chances.&rdquo;</p><p>But while the Pettersson-Dun-lop-Mullen line was coming up with its share of scoring chances, it was the large number of chances being afforded the opposition that drew the attention of Blues&rsquo; coach Red Berenson.</p><p>After recent losses by scores of 9-5 and 8-5, Berenson told his players it was time to start thinking defensively. The Blues responded by holding their next three opponents to three goals or less, but had only an 0-2-1 record to show for the effort when their own scoring suddenly fell off.</p><p>&ldquo;It sounds bad to say it, because we&rsquo;re losing,&rdquo; said defenseman Baker after the loss to Buffalo, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re playing pretty decent hockey. But it&rsquo;s kind of frustrating to cut down the goals-against and still keep on losing.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a natural tendency to open it up, but we realize we have to keep playing it tight and hope the breaks come our way. We&rsquo;ve got to keep stressing defense. You&rsquo;ve got to do it, because you&rsquo;re not going to win consistently if you keep getting into shootouts.&rdquo;</p><p>Even Blues&rsquo; president and general manager Emile Francis expressed satisfaction with his team&rsquo;s improved defensive play, although the winless streak kept growing.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen this happen before,&rdquo; said Francis. &ldquo;You stress defense, defense, defense so much that you neglect the rest of your game. If we keep playing it tight, the goals will come. It&rsquo;s not as though we don&rsquo;t have any goal scorers on this team.&rdquo;</p><p><b>BLUENOTES</b>&mdash;The Blues&rsquo; leading goal scorer last season, Wayne Babych, returned to the lineup after missing 14 games because of a shoulder injury. Babych was running 28 goals behind his pace of a year ago when he finished with a team-record 54 goals&hellip;Baker&rsquo;s goal against Buffalo was his first in the NHL, after the former U.S. Olympian had appeared in 59 games with Montreal, Colorado and St. Louis&hellip;The Blues&rsquo; 2-1 loss to Buffalo marked the first time since a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Dec. 1, 1979, that St. Louis had lost a game in which it had held the opposition to two goals or less. Since then, the Blues had been 53-0-8 in games in which they had allowed two goals or less&hellip;Backup goalie Gary Edwards was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins when the Blues put him on waivers after Edwards&rsquo; goals-against average climbed to 5.63, with a 1-5-1 record. Francis said the Blues agreed to accept Pittsburgh&rsquo;s eighth-round choice in the 1983 draft in lieu of the waiver price.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011080/4518686-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="610" height="833"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Blake Dunlop broke Fran Huck&rsquo;s team record by scoring in more than 13 consecutive games.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0007-01

Blues’ Slump Taints Dunlop Streak

<p>The International Hockey Weekly Founded in 1947</p><p>Published by W.C.C. Publishing Ltd</p><p>214 King St West, Suite 314. Toronto, Ont M5H 1K4</p><h2>Unlucky Pierre</h2><p><b>AFTER WAYNE GRETZKY HAD SCORED</b> his recordbreaking 77th goal of the season, and added two more for comfort, against the Buffalo Sabres in late February, he was escorted to a steaming upstairs lounge, adjacent to the press room in Buffalo&rsquo;s Aud, where he was interviewed by a throng of media types from all over North America. One of the surprises of that press conference occurred when it was revealed that United States President Ronald Reagan had sent a congratulatory telegram to Gretzky, which was then read to those assembled in the room.</p><p>It was a thoughtful gesture on Reagan&rsquo;s part&mdash;or, shall we say, on the part of one of his more alert aides&mdash;for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Gretzky is not a U.S. citizen, Reagan is not a great hockey fan and probably had very little idea who Gretzky was until the two met at the White House several weeks ago at a luncheon the President hosted for the National Hockey League&rsquo;s All Stars.</p><p>In addition to being a pleasant surprise, Reagan&rsquo;s telegram also turned out to be a minor political coup because Gretzky received absolutely nothing from Pierre Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, until the newspapers two days later reported that a telegram had indeed been sent by Trudeau to Canada&rsquo;s best known citizen. Only problem was, it arrived late; so late, in fact, that one could only wonder if Trudeau&rsquo;s aide in Ottawa got wind of the Reagan telex and, not wanting to lose face, hastily sent off a message of their own.</p><p>If that was the case, and it surely looked as if it was, their hastiness certainly showed: They spelled Gretzky&rsquo;s name with an &ldquo;s.&rdquo;</p><h2>Good Luck, Max</h2><p>The news broke recently that the job of assembling Team Canada for the 1982 World Hockey Championships in Helsinki and Tampare, Finland, next month goes to Max McNab. As the former general manager of the Caps, Max is well versed in handling underdogs and trying to beat insurmountable odds, and he&rsquo;ll need both of those attributes when Canada fulfills its commitment to the International Ice Hockey Federation by participating in a tournament it knows it has absolutely no chance of winning. But Canada must play in the Worlds if the Soviet Union is to continue participating in the Canada Cup. Without them there would be no Canada Cup, so playing in the Worlds is a commitment that Canada, however grudgingly, must honor.</p><p>While McNab will be the first to admit that his team&rsquo;s chances of success are slim at best, he does have one factor in his favor this year that was not in effect in past tournaments: In previous years the tournament was held a week earlier so that Team Canada had to be picked from those National Hockey League teams that did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.</p><p>But this year, because the tournament is one week later, McNab will have an additional eight teams to choose from when the first round of the playoffs ends on April 13&mdash;20 hours <i>before</i> Team Canada must declare its final roster. If a team loses its preliminary best-of-five series in consecutive games, the players will be ready as early as April 10.</p><p>What this means, of course, is that with the addition of eight more teams to choose from, McNab&rsquo;s pool of available talent becomes that much larger and the chances of landing a superstar or two increases drastically. Of course, talking the players into participating in a tournament that a) doesn&rsquo;t meant that much to North America to begin with and b) takes place while all eyes in the hockey world are focused on the NHL playoffs is another matter entirely, but no one is better suited for that job than Max, one of the game&rsquo;s alltime nice people.</p><p>The hope here is that Max can parlay his stint with Team Canada into a more permanent arrangement with another NHL team. And if that&rsquo;s not in the cards, if this is Max&rsquo;s last hurrah, well, let&rsquo;s just hope that Team Canada surprises some people. It would be awfully nice for him to go out on a winning note, wouldn&rsquo;t it?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

<div class="byline">BY MAX McNAB</div><h2>Wanted: NHLers Who Play In Both Ends O&pound; The Rink</h2><p class="dropcap"><i><span>T</span>eam Canada will be represented for the fifth-time in recent years at the World Hockey Championships being held in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland from April 14-28. Since 1977, Canada has finished third once (in 1978) and fourth on three occasions.</i></p><p><i>Hockey Canada recently appointed Mac McNab, the former general manager of the Washington Capitals, as Team Canada&rsquo;s general manager. Below are McNab&rsquo;s views on the. preparations of Team Canada for this spring&rsquo;s tournament.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011190/4518741-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="438" height="544"></div><p>I am pleased for the responsibility and enthused about our whole operation. The Team Canada operation under Mr. Eagleson has shown a lot: They&rsquo;re well prepared and very experienced in this type of thing.</p><p>Some of the players on our team will have been involved in international hockey at the world championship level and the Canada Cup and will know what to expect.</p><p>Looking at the team concept, we&rsquo;ll start with the five teams that are out of the playoffs. After a lot of discussion, there is the possibility, as has been the case the last few years, that we won&rsquo;t be as strong at a couple of positions as we would like to be: Defense and goaltending. We feel that we get pretty fair forwards, but sometimes the reason that these teams haven&rsquo;t made the playoffs is because of the other two positions.</p><p>We will be concentrating on figuring which five teams aren&rsquo;t going to be in the playoffs and building the nucleus of our team around them. You have to have defensive players, so we&rsquo;re not just going to take the top goalscorers or point-getters from each team. We have to have a mixture of offense and defense and we need as many players as we can get who can play at both ends of the rink.</p><p>I feel an ideal arrangement would be five-man units from four teams. Certainly you could take a five-man unit from Edmonton, Montreal, the Islanders and one other team and you&rsquo;d be pretty competitive. But we won&rsquo;t have that luxury, of course.</p><p>This year, because the timing of the tournament has been set back a few days, we have the opportunity of taking players from the five teams that are out of the NHL playoffs and if things break with good fortune for us, there will be eight teams eliminated by Sunday night with the tournament to begin on the following Thursday. That would give us 13 teams to draw from and with that 1 think we would come up with a more representative team.</p><p>Last year it was a devastating blow for Montreal in the playoffs but Larry Robinson and Guy Lafleur showed me something. I don&rsquo;t say that they were as mentally prepared as they might be, but nevertheless they came and as the series went on their play improved and they contributed.</p><p>I think when you get players of that caliber going at the last moment it shows well. We feel that there are enough true professionals who are proud enough of the league and the country they represent that they will push their disappointments and frustrations into the background for another couple of weeks.</p><p>We will play Finland, Czechoslovakia and Sweden in our first three games and in order to get into the top four, we have to knock off at least one of those teams. We&rsquo;d prefer to play West Germany and Italy for the first games until the players get to know each other a little better.</p><p>The overall style in the National Hockey League has swung towards the European style: Skating, puck control and all the players are more familiar with what they will be facing in Finland.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t believe that it&rsquo;s impossible for us to do well and if things go our way, we&rsquo;ll have a shot at putting together a good team.</p><h2>NYC Tax Breaks For Rangers Are Expected</h2><p><i>This article, which appeared without a byline in the Feb. 28 edition of the New York</i> Times, <i>describes the latest developments in the ongoing discussions between the New York Rangers and New York City and the future of the team and its arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York.</i></p><p>New York City, under increasing pressure from the Madison Square Garden Corporation, is ready to make tax concessions in an effort to keep the Rangers in Manhattan, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. In addition, the city has developed a plan that would enable the Garden to lower its huge electrical costs.</p><p>The latest proposals were made known as city negotiators met with representatives of the Garden Corporation, which owns the hockey team, in the latest round of talks that will determine whether the Rangers leave the city and move to the Byrne Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.</p><p>After the meeting, Allen Schwartz, the city government&rsquo;s chief negotiator on the issue, would say only that &ldquo;some progress was made.&rdquo; And telephone calls to Sonny Werblin, the Garden Corporation&rsquo;s president and chief executive officer, and to Jack Zahnd, the corporation&rsquo;s general counsel, were not returned.</p><p>Although details were scarce, several sources said that the city was willing to make some reductions in the $3.9 million annual bill that the Garden pays in real estate taxes on its midtown arena. And, the sources said, the city could arrange for electricity to the Garden to be supplied by the State Power Authority. The rates would be much less expensive than those of Con Edison, the Garden&rsquo;s current supplier.</p><p>But one proposal that had been under discussion has apparently been ruled out. Mr. Schwartz, in a recent interview, said that the city was not in a position to take over the arena under a lease-back arrangement that would allow the current Garden management to continue operating it.</p><p>The latest talks came one day after the Garden, a subsidiary of Gulf and Western Industries, had reached an agreement under which the Rangers must commit themselves by April 22 to either moving to New Jersey or remaining at their current home.</p><p>The bargain was struck with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the quasi-public agency that runs the sports complex in East Rutherford. Within the sports complex, situated only eight miles from Manhattan, is Byrne Meadowlands Arena, where the authority has been trying for months to put a hockey team.</p><p>The effect of the new agreement was to put additional pressure on the city government, from which the Garden has been trying for years to gain financial assistance that would help to offset real estate taxes and high labor costs.</p><p>Taxes and labor are two major factors that, the Garden contends, cause the arena to lose money. Although the corporation does not make the extent of the losses public, its officials maintain privately that they amount to $8 millon a year.</p><p>Robert Mulcahy, executive director of the New Jersey authority, said that the terms of the agreement were approved by the Rangers last Thursday. The agreement was ratified by the authority on Tuesday.</p><p>The provisions are:</p><p>The Rangers will have until April 22 to notify the authority of their intentions; if their decision is to move, they must sign a 30-year lease by that date. April 22 is 60 days before the National Hockey League&rsquo;s summer meetings, a period that would give the league and the Rangers time to make adequate preparations for the 1982-83 season.</p><p>The Garden Corporation agrees to pay the authority $150,000 to guarantee the Garden the first opportunity, over all other hockey franchises, to place a team in Byrne Meadowlands Arena.</p><p>Should the Rangers decide not to move to the Meadowlands, the Garden Corporation will not oppose the transfer of an existing franchise or the assignment of an expansion franchise to the arena. This provision is subject to the Rangers&rsquo; reaching an agreement with an incoming team on a payment of territorial indemnification to the New York club.</p><p>The final provision was of significance because the Rangers had been in position to block the transfer of a franchise to the Meadowlands, regardless of the position taken by other NHL clubs. League rules bar a franchise transfer of more than 50 miles unless it is approved by all the league&rsquo;s 21 teams. By contrast, the creation of a new franchise requires approval of only 75 percent of the clubs.</p><p>One stumbling block to a Ranger move remains, however: Litigation in State Supreme Cout involving the Penn Central Corporation.</p><p>Penn Central, the plaintiff, contends that two decades ago, when it gave the Garden air rights for the construction of the building, part of the deal was that the building was to be used &ldquo;primarily as an arena.&rdquo; Penn Central argues that if the Rangers, and possibly the Knicks, quit the Garden, the building&rsquo;s association with sports will end. A decisioq is pending.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

SOME OTHER VIEWS

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>OSTON&mdash;The name is McNab. Peter McNab. And if it sounds strange to you at this late stage of the season it&rsquo;s because strange, sometimes in-comprehensible things have been happening to him in the 30th year of his life and his ninth in professional hockey.</p><p>McNab, who had scored 191 goals in five seasons with the Bruins, took his first regular shift in nearly two months the other day against the New York Rangers. That&rsquo;s strange.</p><p>No, he hasn&rsquo;t been hurt. In fact, he came into the 1981-82 season probably in the best shape of his pro life. He worked in construction last summer around his San Diego home. He lost seven pounds, as instructed by the Bruins.</p><p>&ldquo;I came to camp at 210,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the lightest I&rsquo;ve ever come to a pro camp. I wanted to be a little quicker, a little faster. Hopefully, that&rsquo;s what 1 am.&rdquo;</p><p>No, he hasn&rsquo;t been in a noticeable slump. In the first 63 games of the season, he had 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points, third best on the Bruins and not far off his usual pace. And he did this while playing mostly on the power play and taking the odd shift on a fourth line.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not really anything he did that brought him back to a regular shift between his old linemates from last season, Don Marcotte and Terry O&rsquo;Reilly. It&rsquo;s just that rookie center Tom Fergus was lost indefinitely with sprained left knee ligaments suffered in Hartford Feb. 24.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited,&rdquo; said McNab. &ldquo;1 just wish the chance came under different circumstances. You don&rsquo;t like to see anyone get hurt and you&rsquo;d like to think you&rsquo;re playing because you&rsquo;ve earned the chance, not just because of an injury.&rdquo;</p><p>McNab started the season playing regularly at center between Mike Gillis and Rick Middleton. He had 22 goals in 42 games, his normal pace, but only nine in the last 29 contests, when he was relegated to a role behind rookie Fergus and Barry Pederson and second year man Steve Kasper.</p><p>&ldquo;Peter understands,&rdquo; said coach Gerry Cheevers, the chief relegator. &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t scoring and I thought we&rsquo;d change things around a bit. Lines don&rsquo;t mean a heck of a lot to me anyway. Peter will get plenty of ice time.&rdquo;</p><p>But, as far as McNab was concerned, it didn&rsquo;t work out that way.</p><p>&ldquo;I can see what Cheesie is doing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was nice of him to tell me. But it takes a while to get used to not playing so often.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to practice harder the day of the game. You have to skate harder in pre-game warmups. You have to do exercises between periods. You&rsquo;ve gotten used to using up a lot of energy so on your day off you ride a bike. It changes your lifestyle.&rdquo;</p><p>And then there was the trade talk. A 40-goal scorer like McNab can be prime trade bait. General manager Harry Sinden, you will recall, once traded a 76-goal scorer named Phil Esposito.</p><p>To compound matters, his father, Max, was fired from his post as general manager of the Washington Capitals on the very day that Peter scored his 200th goal in a Boston uniform against the Vancouver Canucks. He was visibly upset after the game.</p><p>&ldquo;My dad worked as hard as anyone to make the Capitals a success,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He did the very best he could. But things didn&rsquo;t work out. He&rsquo;s been in the game long enough&mdash;and so have I&mdash;to know that these things happen. If you win, fine. If not&hellip;</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great deal like me in that we live and die with the teams we represent.&rdquo;</p><p>Perhaps it was the influence of Max McNab that enabled Peter McNab to survive the past two months of comparative inactivity on the Boston bench, watching his team win without him.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still part of the team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t be mad because we&rsquo;re winning. If you do that you&rsquo;re not thinking right. We&rsquo;re winning and I certainly can&rsquo;t go in and demand more ice time. That&rsquo;s not fair to the team.</p><p>&ldquo;My dad used to say he liked team players. He pounded into me that you have to play for the team. Individual things you can stuff in the bag. I want to play more but fortunately I have the hockey breeding that the team is the thing and so is winning..</p><p>&ldquo;The winning is so much fun. Playing hockey and winning&hellip;there&rsquo;s nothing in the world that can beat it. When they take that away it hurts.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Chance For Regular Shift Excites Bruins’ McNab

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;It&rsquo;s tough to understand.</p><p>The Montreal Canadiens came home riding high after a four-game sweep of a western swing to their longest homestand of the season. It should have been a chance to pick up a bundle of points to pad their lead atop the Adams Division.</p><p>But as February slid into March, the Canadiens were stumbling in front of their critical fans. After scoring un-convincing victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2) and the Winnipeg Jets (7-3), coach Bob Berry&rsquo;s players were held to ties in four of the next five games. In two of those, they had to fight back against their archrival Quebec Nordiques and former No. 1 rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puzzling indeed.</p><p>&ldquo;We were a little bit nervous against Quebec,&rdquo; explained defenseman Gaston Gingras, who was back in uniform after staging a three-day walkout in protest over lack of playing time. &ldquo;We had our [16-game unbeaten] streak snapped in Quebec two nights before. We knew we needed the game against Quebec. Any time we come back to the Forum it seems as though we are trying to give that extra little push. That&rsquo;s where the nervousness becomes involved and it hurts us.&rdquo;</p><p>Against the Nordiques, it took Keith Acton&rsquo;s bank shot off goaltender Daniel Bouchard&rsquo;s pads with 3:27 left in the game to force the draw. Two nights later, Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s centering pass glanced off goaltender Vincent Tremblay&rsquo;s stick with 2:56 remaining, lifting the Canadiens into a 3-3 tie against the Maple Leafs.</p><p>&lsquo;&lsquo;Every time we play against Quebec, they give the whole bundle,&rdquo; Gingras noted. &ldquo;There is high intensity in those game.&rdquo;</p><p>What Gingras didn&rsquo;t say is that the Nordiques don&rsquo;t play as well against other teams as they do Montreal and the Candiens don&rsquo;t perform as well against Quebec as they do against clubs such as Boston, Philadelphia and the Islanders.</p><p>Gingras, who was absent without leave from the Canadiens&rsquo; trip to New York a week earlier, got back into the lineup for the loss at Quebec because of a shoulder injury suffered by Guy Lapointe in New York. Lapointe wanted to play in Quebec, but aggravated the injury when he bumped into Chris Nilan during the pre-game warm-up.</p><p>Lapointe also tried the shoulder in pre-game activities the next two games, but it was decided he could not go at 100 percent.</p><p>To add to Berry&rsquo;s injury list, Steve Shutt is on the sidelines for an indefinite period because of a deep gash on his left calf. Shutt was accidentally cut by Miroslav Frycer&rsquo;s skate in the game at Quebec. It took more than 60 stitches to close the wound and Shutt was at home while his teammates struggled and Berry tried to find someone to play on the left wing with Guy Lafleur.</p><p>The preliminary solution was to put Mark Napier on the left side with Doug Wickenheiser at center. Wickenheiser was replaced in the middle by Keith Acton, who was moved back with Lafleur for the third time this season.</p><p>And Berry had one more major change during the week, putting Denis Herron back as his starting goaltender against the Leafs and the following night in Hartford. Against the Whalers, Herron stopped 28 shots for his second shutout of the season.</p><p>&ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t make it easy for me to come in against Toronto,&rdquo; Herron noted. &ldquo;What can you do? I&rsquo;m going out there to do my best and that&rsquo;s all I can do. It&rsquo;s good that I have good concentration and that I&rsquo;m ready for the game. Otherwise we could have been behind two or three goals for sure.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we are a little bit uptight when we play at home and sometimes we just aren&rsquo;t ready enough against teams such as Toronto and Colorado. After the first period, we usually realize we&rsquo;re not ready. And it takes us another period to get ready.&rdquo;</p><p>And for those reasons, the Canadiens aren&rsquo;t doing what they should at home.</p><p><b>IN PASSING</b>&mdash;Mark Hunter returned to the lineup against Toronto after missing three games with a sore hip.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Home Ice Doesn’t Help Habs’ Record

<div class="byline">BY BOB DONNELLY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011188/4518820-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Nordiques recently ran into a number of injuries at the same time, particularly to their defense, where they were missing Dave Pichette, above, among others.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>Q</span>UEBEC&mdash;The Nordiques were winless in their last 10 games on the road through Feb. 25 and were hurt by injuries for the first time this season. In a recent 5-3 loss to the Chicago Black Hawks on the road it seemed as if half the Fredericton Express had been called up to help out.</p><p>Gaston Therrien, Terry Johnson, Michel Bolduc, Basil McRae, and Dale Hoganson were all in the lineup for that game, replacing Mario Marois (suspended for six games) Wally Weir, Andre Dupont, Dave Pichette, Jacques Richard and Marc Tardif, all out with a variety of injuries. The Nordiques put up a good fight but were outscored 3-1 on the power play and that made the difference in the game.</p><p>In that same week Quebec took three of a possible four points from the Winnipeg Jets in a hard-fought home-and-home series. In the second game the Nordiques had to settle once again for a draw because they gave up a goal very late in the game. Quebec has probably given up 10 points in the standings this season by settling for a tie when they had the game won with only a few minutes remaining.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;We will do everything we can,&rdquo; said coach Bergeron, &ldquo;to get out of fourth place so we won&rsquo;t have to meet Montreal when the playoffs start&rdquo;</b></blockquote><p>McRae had three goals in his first two games since being called up from Fredericton and Michel Bergeron was happy with what he saw. &ldquo;He played well for us on the road and I think he will see more ice time, especially in our home games,&rdquo; Bergeron said. &ldquo;The same thing goes for Pierre Aubry. He also has been giving a complete effort every time he has played and I will use him more at home as well.&rdquo;</p><p>In recent weeks the Nordiques have lost to the Colorado Rockies (worst in the NHL overall) and the Hawks (worst record since the second half of the season)&hellip;Quebec always plays better at home than on the road and this will be important in the month of March as the Nordiques will try to catch Boston or Buffalo in the Adams Division.</p><p>&ldquo;We have played better this year against the top teams in the NHL than against the weaker teams, it seems,&rdquo; said Bergeron. &ldquo;March will be an important month for us if we are to get out of fourth place in our division.&rdquo; If things remain as they are now the Nordiques would open the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, something the fans would love to see, but not necessarily Bergeron&rsquo;s wish in the long run.</p><p>&ldquo;It seems clear now that Montreal will finish in first place in the Adams Division,&rdquo; continued Bergeron. &ldquo;Bob Berry has done a great job with the team and we will do everything we can to get out of fourth place so we won&rsquo;t have to meet Montreal when the playoffs start.&rdquo;</p><p>The Quebec coach has not yet been able to correct two problems with his team recently. The power play has lost its effectiveness and the opposition defensemen are still getting off too many shots from the blueline. Doug Wilson had a field day against Quebec in the Chicago game with his hard shots. On the power play, the Nordiques still work for the perfect shot and don&rsquo;t use someone to run interference in front of the enemy goal.</p><p><b>NORDIC NOTES:</b> Real Cloutier impressed many, especially his coach, by joining his team for the game in Chicago only one day after his mother&rsquo;s funeral in Quebec City. Cloutier is clearly showing this year that he can play on the road as well as at home and that he is really concerned with the team&rsquo;s success wherever the Nordiques play&hellip;McRae is getting his second chance to show his aggressiveness and scoring capabilities in the NHL this season. He has been much more successful this time in both departments than his previous tryout a few months back&hellip;Jean Hamel ended his brief retirement and joined the Fredericton Express. Had he not refused to go there a month ago he would certainly have been called up to Quebec when the Nordiques were struck with a rash of injuries to defensemen. He may still make it back later this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

Nordiques’ Road Record Object Of Coach’s Concern

<div class="byline">BILL LIBBY&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02937/4518851-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="315" height="362"></div><h2>Double Trouble</h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>FTER SCORING</b> 54 goals last season, one might think that Wayne Babych of the St. Louis Blues would be cursing the fates that sidelined him with a serious shoulder injury earlier this season. But instead of dwelling on the past, Wayne can smile because he is thinking of the future. He is going to have twins.</p><p>Not right away, mind you. He&rsquo;s not even married yet. But I&rsquo;d bet on it. Wayne and his brother, David, a defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets, both Edmonson natives, are engaged to marry identical 20-year-old twin sisters Shelley and Sherry Buffie of Selkirk, Manitoba, on July 3 in Winnipeg.</p><p>Although Wayne and David are not twins, Wayne and his sister Susan are. And Shelley and Sherry&rsquo;s father has a brother and sister who are twins. Slipping on his tongue a little, Wayne says, &ldquo;David and I both want to have children&mdash;his, mine and ours. The odds are there&rsquo;ll be twins at some point. The fear is we won&rsquo;t be able to tell our kids apart.&rdquo;</p><p>Wayne says that he and Dave were going to put gold and silver earrings on their fiancees to tell them apart until they found out the price of gold and silver. Fortunately, the boys found out they could tell the girls apart in little ways, like which one would say yes and which one would say no to which of them. Wayne also laughingly reveals that he can readily identify his girl because she&rsquo;s missing all her front teeth.</p><p>&ldquo;They are absolutely beautiful girls,&rdquo; Wayne says, &ldquo;but I like mine best and David likes his best.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, they <i>are</i> absolutely beautiful girls, having been, among other titles, Miss International, uniquely chosen as a matched set in a Los Angeles beauty contest in 1980. They have been involved in promotional and advertising work and done a lot of modelling.</p><h2>Immediate Love</h2><p><b>SHERRY WAS ALREADY</b> going with David when she and Shelley were in Montreal on a modelling job at a time St. Louis was in town to play the Canadiens. Remembering David&rsquo;s brother played with the Blues, they sent a note to him and he met them after the game.</p><p>&ldquo;She took one look at me and it was love at first sight,&rdquo; Wayne says of Shelley as hysterical feminine laughter erupts from another room.</p><p>&ldquo;The four of us expect to live happily forever after,&rdquo; Wayne continues, adding, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re close, Dave and I, but we&rsquo;re different people. We just hope for some happiness in our marriages.&rdquo;</p><p>Shelley was providing just about the only happiness in Wayne&rsquo;s life most of this season. The 23-year-old right wing, third choice overall in the 1978 amateur draft, was on the verge of superstardom when that old devil injury struck him down.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had broken fingers, a broken hand, a broken rib, a broken ankle,&rdquo; Wayne sighs.</p><p>He totalled 53 goals in his first two injury-shortened seasons in the majors, then exploded for 54 in a relatively injury-free season last season.</p><p>In a pre-season game this season, he got into a fight, and as an official jumped into separate the combatants, he pulled down Wayne by the shoulder.</p><p>&ldquo;It was an accident, but it damaged the rotator cuff,&rdquo; Wayne explains. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not clear if the earlier separation, was involved, but it was the same shoulder, the right. And scar tissue had built up.&rdquo;</p><p>The rotator cuff involves the ball of the shoulder. Injuries here are much more common to baseball pitchers, who use a wide range of stressful motion, than to hockey players. These are career-threatening injuries to baseball players.</p><p>&ldquo;They threaten my career, too,&rdquo; says this swiftskating strong-shooting youngster. &ldquo;I tried to play with it this season and found that I couldn&rsquo;t because I couldn&rsquo;t draw my arm back and wasn&rsquo;t able to shoot well. I&rsquo;d hesitate, take a few extra steps, and the goalie would be ready when I shot.&rdquo;</p><h2>Stretching Program</h2><p><b>REPAIR AND REHABILITATION</b> have been tricky and the doctors are trying to avoid an operation which would sideline Wayne for six months. First, the shoulder was stretched to its extremes, tearing loose the adhesions which had built up within the muscles. &ldquo;They put me under or I couldn&rsquo;t have stood it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The pain would have been unbearable. It was almost unbearable afterwards, anyway. I haven&rsquo;t slept a lot since.&rdquo;</p><p>Then, they put Babych on a program of stretching motions he must follow four times a day, 60 to 90 minutes at a time. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be living at the clinic if they hadn&rsquo;t sent the equipment home with me so I could work out on my own,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s terrible. The grinding sound makes me sick to my stomach. It hurts. I grit my teeth and stick to it so I can play hockey again.&rdquo;</p><p>At presstime, it looked as if all of Babych&rsquo;s efforts and pain had paid off. He was back on skates and in action for the Blues again, hoping to peak in time for the playoffs.</p><p>Wayne could have avoided all the agony of hockey had he opted for baseball. A superb pitcher and heavy hitter, he had contract offers from the Seattle Mariners and Montreal Expos. At 17, he had hit four home runs in an All Star game during a summer layoff from hockey. At 18, he fractured his elbow in hockey and said goodbye to baseball.</p><p>At 23, he does not want to say goodbye to hockey, so he endures the painful therapy and does everything that Blues&rsquo; veteran trainer Tommy Woodcock tells him to do and hopes the doctors are right when they say he&rsquo;ll recover. Some nights he even sleeps. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m lucky I have Shelley,&rdquo; Wayne says. David is lucky he has Sherry.</p><p>And the Buffie twins are lucky they have the Babych brothers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

HOCKEY AD LIB

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011128/4518882-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"></div><h2>HERE&rsquo;S HOW&hellip;</h2><p class="dropcap"><span>E</span>very month, The Hockey News will offer a selection of sports books for your choice. First, there will be a <b>selection of the month,</b> chosen by our staff from among the newest titles offered. Next, there will be several <b>current favourites</b> from which to choose. Then you can pick from a list of <b>oldies but goodies,</b> famous books, often hard to find in stores, offered at substantial discounts. There&rsquo;s nothing to join&mdash;no minimum purchases. Just order what you want, when you want it. Your name will not be rented out to direct mail solicitors.</p><h2>OLDIES BUT GOODIES</h2><h3>GUY LAFLEUR Hockey&rsquo;s #1</h3><p>Written by Claude Larochelle, published by Lotographie Inc. Claude Larochelle describes Guy as a mysterious, inscrutable athlete whom very few people really know well.&rdquo; This book digs down deep into every aspect of Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s life which revolves around his passion for hockey. He did not get off to a great start with Montreal and he hasn&rsquo;t done too well lately, but you get the feeling we have not heard the last of this dynamic hockey player.</p><p>Retail Price $12.95</p><p>Hockey News Price: $6.95</p><h3>THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</h3><p>The First Fifty Years A fantastic book filled with photos, statistics and facts on The Toronto Maple Leafs team and players from 1926 to 1976. Now you can follow the Leafs from the day they changed from the Toronto St. Pats in 1926 to their last Stanley Cup win in the 1966-67 season.</p><p>RETAIL PRICE: $18.95</p><p>Hockey News Price: $18.95</p><h3>SUTLER AT CENTRE</h3><p>Written by: Darryl Sittler with Brian McFarlane, published by Collier Macmillan</p><p>Sittler was not a Maple Leaf fan in his younger days. His idol was Beliveau and the Montreal Canadiens. Published in 1979, this book will have to be the first in a series for Darryl Sittler will long be a household word synonomous with Sportmanlike and gentlemanly conduct on and on the ice.</p><p>Retail Price $6.95</p><p>Hockey News Price: $5.00</p><p>Stan Fischler&rsquo;s All Time Hockey Trivia Book and The Zany World of Hockey</p><p>Written by Stan Fischler, published by The Hockey News</p><p>Two books by Hockey&rsquo;s most prolific writer. Entertaining, interesting and amusing&mdash;both books will provide hours of enjoyment for every hockey fan.</p><p>Retail Price: 2.25 each</p><p>Hockey News Price: both</p><p>books for $3.00</p><h2>CURRENT FAVORITES</h2><h3>THE HAMMER</h3><p>Confessions of a Hockey Enforcer Written by Dave Schultz with Stan Fischler, published by Collins. 208 pages The story of hockey&rsquo;s most notorious and controversial player. Not only the story of Dave Schultz from childhood to marriage but an in-depth look at hockey and what it can do to a man whose main function on the team is to be the team enforcer. An honest and introspective look at himself and the game.</p><p>Hockey News Price: $14.95</p><h3>BLACK AND WHITE AND NEVER RIGHT</h3><p>A Hockey Referee By Vern Buffey, foreword by Gordie Howe, published by John Wiley & Sons.</p><p>Let Vern Buffey take you inside the referee&rsquo;s dressing room, behind the closed doors of the league offices and out on the road with the players and coaches travelling across North America, Europe and Russia. This book is full of anecdotes, super pictures and good advice.</p><p>Hockey News Price: $8.95</p><h3>THE GREAT GRETZKY YEARBOOK</h3><p>A book for all ages. Every hockey fan from 5 to 95 will want to follow this amazing young man&rsquo;s hockey career from age 11 when he scored 378 goals in 85 games to the Canada Cup in 1981. Nobody in the history of hockey has ever accomplished so much, so soon, as The Great Gretzky&mdash;and he has only just begun.</p><p>Hockey News Price.</p><p>Paperback: $8.95</p><p>Hard Cover: $16.95</p><h3>THE MONTREAL CANADIENS</h3><p>A Hockey Dynasty</p><p>Written by: Claude Mouton, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold. 286 pages, 300 plus photographs.</p><p>A lavishly illustrated book (over 300 photographs) full of interesting and historical information along with fascinating anecdotes on hockey&rsquo;s most colourful team.</p><p>Retail Price $19.95</p><p>Hockey News Price: $12.50</p><h3>EAGLE</h3><p>The Life and Times of</p><p>R. Alan Eagleson</p><p>Written by Diedra Clayton, published by Lester, Orpin & Dennys. 246 pages.</p><p>FASCINATING! PENETRATING! PROVOCATIVE! Not just a story about hockey but a behind-the-scenes look at an original Canadian success story. A candid biography of the man who turned hockey into a multi-million dollar business. The interviews with some outspoken players such as Bobby Orr, Marcel Dionne and Darryl Sittler help to draw an uncompromising picture of the public and private man.</p><p>Hard cover only</p><p>Hockey News Price: 16.95</p><h2>SELECTION OF THE MONTH</h2><h3>I THE GAME OF OUR LIVES</h3><p>Written by Peter Gzowski, published by McClelland & Stewart 278 Pages</p><p>A book about hockey&rsquo;s magnificent past, Howie Morenz, Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe & Bobby Hull&hellip;men who often could not master growing old. &ldquo;Games&rdquo; also tells about hockey as it is today in the N.H.L. and covers the 1980-81 season of the Edmonton Oilers & Wayne Gretzky. Go behind dressing room doors and experience the real story of heroes barely out of high school, fast-flowing money, adoring fans and what happens to the legends when the cheering dies. A book spanning the past and present of this exciting sport.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

The Hockey News Book shelf

<div class="byline">BY TIM MORIARTY</div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ONG ISLAND&mdash;Tomas Jonsson will always remember his first journey into Manhattan. It was shortly after the 21-year-old, Swedish-born defenseman joined the Islanders at their Hicksville training camp last September. Jonsson and fellow Swede Anders Kallur made a two-car expedition to the Big Apple; in Saabs, naturally.</p><p>Kallur drove the pace car. Jonsson was at the wheel of the second car. It was a hectic, frenetic trip.</p><p>&ldquo;We got to midtown during the evening rush hour,&rdquo; Kallur recalled. &ldquo;Tomas kept getting hung up in the middle of intersections. The lights would change and I would look around and Tomas was caught in the middle. He couldn&rsquo;t move and all the traffic stopped. He was very nervous.&rdquo;</p><p>The rookie from Falun, Sweden, faced other problems last autumn&mdash;like working on his English and becoming acquainted with his new teammates and learning how to handle himself in the National Hockey League. His English now is passable and, aided by Kallur and Stefan</p><p>Persson, the Isanders&rsquo; first Swedishimports, he was quickly indoctrinated into the lifestyle of the Stanley Cup champions.</p><p>Tomas Jonsson&rsquo;s progress as an NHL defenseman has been slow but sure.</p><p>&ldquo;I have much to learn,&rdquo; he said after a recent practice. &ldquo;1 must learn how to work in front [of the net]. That is not easy.&rdquo;</p><p>Jonsson admitted he has been impressed by his rivals. &ldquo;Wayne Gretzky, he is so good. And Rick Middleton, he is a good stick-handler.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked if he found hockey in the NHL too rough, Jonsson smiled and said, &ldquo;No. It is hard-hitting, but not dirty. There is not so many high sticks here.&rdquo;</p><p>Bill Torrey, the Islanders&rsquo; general manager, had some reservations about Jonsson when he invited the youngster to camp. &ldquo;We have always felt in dealing with Swedish players that it&rsquo;s better to wait until they are older and have a feel for the language and are more mature,&rdquo; Torrey said. &lsquo;Tomas was the youngest we brought over. Persson was 22 and Kallur was 26 when they came here. But we knew they would help Tomas and we figured to ease him onto the team.</p><p>&ldquo;Then Tomas had a great camp and his talents were so obvious that we couldn&rsquo;t hold him back. He&rsquo;s done more than we anticipated. He&rsquo;s got tremendous potential. I know there are more rookies getting more attention, but looking down the road, well, I&rsquo;m prepared to put my money on Tomas.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Al Arbour has paired Jonsson with Mike McEwen on the backline in recent games. Earlier, Denis Potvin was Jonsson&rsquo;s partner. Both McEwen and Potvin have noticed improvement in Jonsson&rsquo;s game.</p><p>&ldquo;Tomas has more confidence now and it shows in his play,&rdquo; McEwen said. &ldquo;He may not be the fastest skater around, but he&rsquo;s smooth and he&rsquo;s very good going to the net.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011163/4518913-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="606" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tomas Jonsson has been steadily improving on the Islanders&rsquo; blueline ever since training camp.</b></figcaption></div><p>Potvin said, &ldquo;Tomas had some of the same problems I had when I broke in, being totally offensive-minded. But he&rsquo;s learning some of the techniques of playing defensive and he&rsquo;s making good progress.&rdquo;</p><p>Jonsson has learned something else since his arrival from Sweden six months ago: He no longer travels to Manhattan during the rush hours. &ldquo;And now 1 take a map,&rdquo; he said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Isles’ Jonsson Making Slow But Sure Progress

<div class="byline">BILL FLEISCHMAN&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02992/4518944-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="313" height="361"></div><h2>Johnston On Goaltending</h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>OME MORE LIKES</b> and dislikes, and didn&rsquo;t Allen Abel leave us laughing with his classic &ldquo;Aubin and Costello&rdquo; column. If you missed it in THE HOCKEY NEWS or the Toronto <i>Globe and Mail,</i> try to find a copy.</p><p>I like what some coaches are saying:</p><p>&bull; Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Eddie Johnston on the out-ofsight scoring in the NHL: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we have an abundance of good goalkeepers,&rdquo; said the former goalie. &ldquo;We have a lot of first-stringers, but we don&rsquo;t have that [good] second guy you can put in for a game or two. On most clubs you&rsquo;re second guy is a young kid who&rsquo;s under a lot of pressure.&rdquo;</p><p>&bull; Montreal&rsquo;s Bob Berry on Doug Wickenheiser complaining that he wasn&rsquo;t told why he was sentenced to the press box during games: &ldquo;If a player isn&rsquo;t performing up to his potential, shouldn&rsquo;t he realize it himself? We had that same problem in Los Angeles with a few players. Players should be intelligent enough to understand that without having it pointed out to them.&rdquo;</p><p>&bull; Chicago&rsquo;s Bob Pulford: &ldquo;What makes a successful coach is a completely unanswerable question. Some people have all the traits, but they don&rsquo;t succeed even though they work just as hard and have just as much intelligence as those who do. There&rsquo;s an intangible there.&rdquo;</p><p>I liked what the Washington <i>Post&rsquo;s</i> Tom Boswell wrote after the NHL All Star Game (almost everything he writes is worth reading), but if he saw five consecutive games played like the All Star showcase, we&rsquo;d be feeding him No-Doz. A Boswell sample:</p><p>&ldquo;In a sense, it is a twisted jest that, smack in the middle of an eight-month season full of gratuitous mayhem and winning through intimidation, pro hockey sets aside one special night for its sport to be played cleanly, crisply and without a hint of unnecessary violence.&rdquo;</p><h2>Hitting In Hockey</h2><p><b>ERADICATE THE GOONING,</b> but leave in the hitting. An example of the way hockey is scorned by many United States-based columnists is this conclusion to Jim Murray&rsquo;s piece marking his welcome return to writing following eye surgery:</p><p>&ldquo;They finally went too far (while Murray was recuperating). They told me that, in the NHL, a player refused to go out on the ice and get into a fight. And that the league punished the coach who so ordered him to. &lsquo;Wait a minute,&rsquo; I said. &lsquo;What was the punishment?&rsquo; &lsquo;Six games,&rsquo; they said. &lsquo;What did they do with the player?&rsquo; &lsquo;Sent him to New Haven.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That was more like it. An NHL coach who likes to fight got &ldquo;punished&rdquo; with 15 days. An NHL player who doesn&rsquo;t get &ldquo;rewarded&rdquo; with a lifetime in the bush leagues. <i>That I&rsquo;ll believe.</i> That new NHL committee on punishment has some demanding work ahead of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Next time you talk with the Rev. John Casey, the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; popular unofficial chaplain, ask him to tell you how an Edmonton trainer complimented Wayne Gretzky&hellip;Funny line from Gene Hart, the Flyers&rsquo; broadcaster, to Calgary&rsquo;s Lanny McDonald about his former Toronto teammate, Darryl Sittler: &ldquo;Every time Darryl&rsquo;s unhappy, <i>you get traded,&rdquo;</i> Hart said.</p><p>Gordon Edes, the industrious Los Angeles <i>Times</i> sports writer and HOCKEY NEWS correspondent, will go to any lengths for a story. Prior to the Kings&rsquo; latest failure against Philadelphia, which extended their winless streak to eight years, Edes consulted some Hollywood soothsayers. One said, &ldquo;The whole team is in a subtle trance&mdash;they could use some group hypnosis.&rdquo; We&rsquo;ve heard that about many NHL teams before&hellip;</p><p>Another said, &ldquo;Maybe the Kings are paying back a Karmic debt, going back 4,000 or 5,000 years. Maybe it goes back to ancient Greece, and the Kings were an athletic team rubbing Sparta&rsquo;s noses in the dirt.&rdquo; So much for today&rsquo;s history lesson&hellip;Another thought that Marcel Dionne &ldquo;is an emotional player&rdquo; and &ldquo;can&rsquo;t play when he doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of support. Marcel feels his father-parental figure (owner Jerry Buss?) is neglecting him.&rdquo; Gee, for the $600,000 a year that Buss pays Dionne, you&rsquo;d think he could play even if Buss announced he hated the veteran center.</p><h2>Learning Defense</h2><p><b>I LIKED THE COMMENTS</b> Buffalo defenseman John Van Boxmeer made to the Montreal Gazette&rsquo;s Tim Burke: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know the first thing about playing defense for the first seven years I was in the league. Just offense. I started learning when I went to Colorado. We had such a bad team, you had to learn defense. If I hadn&rsquo;t I wouldn&rsquo;t still be in the league.&rdquo; And, about the clean-living Sabres: &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t believe how goody-goody we are because, let&rsquo;s face it, it&rsquo;s hard to have any fun in Buffalo if you&rsquo;re trying to do it alone.&rdquo; One thing you can do alone is watch hockey on TV: someone has estimated that 376 hockey games will be televised in Buffalo this season (including Sabres games, <i>Hockey Night in Canada</i> and cable. Enough is enough&hellip;)</p><p>I don&rsquo;t like what I hear from Phil Esposito about a Muhammad Ali-type comeback. &ldquo;Sometimes I still get the urge to come back again,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;I think if it meant the Stanley Cup, and Herbie [Brooks] felt I could help the team win it, I might be persuaded.&rdquo;&hellip;please, Phil don&rsquo;t try what Ali and Joe Frazer did. Stay retired and let everyone remember you as the great player you were.</p><p>Those Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; fans are everywhere. &ldquo;For some reason,&rdquo; says Rangers&rsquo; broadcaster Marv Albert, &ldquo;my oldest son, Kenny, is a rabid Canucks&rsquo; fan. He started writing to [Canucks&rsquo; GM] Jake Milford, not as my son, but just a kid from New York. Now he&rsquo;s a pen pal of Harry Neale and [Canucks&rsquo; broadcaster] Jim Robson. The best birthday present I ever gave him was taking him to Vancouver. Now, when the Canucks come to New York, Harry gives him a stick. They&rsquo;re just happy to have a fan in New York.&rdquo; With the attendance decline at Pacific Coliseum, the Canucks are happy to have fans anywhere.</p><p>Wondering what college your hockey-playing son or daughter should attend? The guide prepared by the Philadelphia-based Hockey Central should be helpful. The catalog ($2.50 plus $.75 handling) lists enrollment, costs, test scores and hockey level for colleges and prep schools in the U.S. and Canada. Write to: College Hockey Guide, Hockey Central, 3130 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19104.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

HOCKEY WORLD

<div class="byline">BY NEIL MILBERT</div><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>HICAGO&mdash;In a winter of underachievement by the Black Hawks, defenseman Doug Wilson, center Denis Savard, and left wing Al Secord can hold their heads high.</p><p>&bull; Wilson is making a compelling bid for the Norris Trophy that annually is awarded to the National Hockey League&rsquo;s most outstanding defenseman.</p><p>Going into the western half of a four-game trip from coast to coast, Wilson had 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points. He has broken the team defenseman&rsquo;s records for goals in a season [formerly held by Dick Redmond] and points [hitherto held by Dale Tallon] and is just 12 assists away from the record of Pat Stapleton.</p><p>&bull; Savard also is doing some major editing on the book of team records. He left for Los Angeles with vital statistics of 30-69-99.</p><p>The sophomore whiz kid has erased Stan Mikita&rsquo;s team assist record and is only eight points away from the team record of 107 points set by Bobby Hull in the 1968-69 season. Savard isn&rsquo;t a Wayne Gretzky but, as far as Chicago fans are concerned, he&rsquo;ll do quite nicely until one comes along.</p><p>&bull; Secord went into the weekend games in LA and Colorado with 39 goals and 22 assists for 61 points. Hull&rsquo;s record of 58 goals seemed unreachable but Secord appeared certain to become second only to Hull (currently, Jim Pappin is No. 2 on the team&rsquo;s all-time list with 41 goals).</p><p>The rough-and-tumble winger also was in striking distance of Keith Magnuson&rsquo;s team record 291 penalty minutes with 255.</p><p>At the start of the season, Secord played on Savard&rsquo;s line and got 20 goals in as many games. But lately he has been changing partners, playing first with Terry Ruskowksi and Grant Mulvey and then with Tom Lysiak and Peter Marsh.</p><p>In both instances, Secord seemed to bring out the best in his new line.</p><p>Wilson broke the point record and Savard eclipsed Mikita&rsquo;s assist record in the 5-3 victory over the Quebec Nordiques that preceded the road trip.</p><p>Blasts from the point by Wilson set up two goals. &ldquo;He destroyed us,&rdquo; said Quebec coach Michel Bergeron.</p><p>Savard also had a pair of assists but Bob Pulford, the Hawks&rsquo; general manager and interim coach, was more elated with his defensive performance.</p><p>&ldquo;I knew Savard could play offense, but he is proving to me he can play defense every bit as well,&rdquo; said Pulford. &ldquo;We saw that tonight, particularly in the last minute when he controlled the puck in their end and kept them from getting the goalie off the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Murray Bannerman, making his first start since losing to Washington Jan. 30, was the winning goal tender and he got a lot of help from his friends. Quebec was permitted just 23 shots-on-goal and clicked on only one of six power play chances.</p><p>The Hawks began their road-trip by taking a 5-1 beating from the New York Islanders (with Bannerman again in goal) and the next night lost to the New York Rangers 6-4 (with Tony Esposito in the nets).</p><p>The first period of the Ranger game represented the best 20 minutes of defensive hockey the Hawks have played this year. They allowed a mere two shots on goal. The Hawks took only eight but Wislon delivered his 27th and 28th goals.</p><p>&ldquo;In the first period we were darned near perfect,&rdquo; said Pulford. &ldquo;And in the second period, we still were playing a strong game. But in the third period, we stopped doing what we had done. Why? 1 don&rsquo;t know if we freeze, or what.&rdquo;</p><p><b>HAWK TALK</b>&mdash;The last time the Hawks won a game against the Islanders in Nassau Coliseum was Feb. 16, 1974. Since then (counting the playoffs) they have lost 16 and tied six&hellip;In the first 10 games since Pulford took over from Magnuson as coach the Hawks had a 5-5 record&hellip;Ruskowksi, the team captain, became a father Feb. 25 when his wife, Carol, gave birth to a six-pound, 14-ounce daughter, Jill Morgan.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Record Smashing Black Hawk Forte

<div class="byline">BY RICHARD FRIEDMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011111/4518999-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="600" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>With Barry Beck out, Dave Maloney, above, assumed his former role as team captain.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Craig Abel)</span></figcaption></div><p>NEW YORK&mdash;How much do the Rangers miss Barry Beck?</p><p>There are yardsticks that can be attached to such a question, numbers that measure just what happens to a Beck-less Rangers team, one lacking the intensity that the Rangers&rsquo; captain brings to a game with his 40 to 45 minutes of bone-crunching play and his leadership on and off the ice.</p><p>When the Rangers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2 at Madison Square Garden, they were left with a 3-6-3 record in the 12 games that Beck has missed this season due to injury or suspensions. This time, though, they were looking at two to three weeks minus their imposing defenseman.</p><p>With 3:38 left in the first period of their game against the Black Hawks, at the Garden four nights before the loss to Pittsburgh, Beck lined up Chicago&rsquo;s Rich Preston behind the Rangers&rsquo; net for one of his trademark extra-heavy body checks, the kind that puts opposing teams on notice that they&rsquo;d best keep their heads up and in so doing slows down the pace of the game a step or two.</p><p>Unfortunately for Beck, Preston did have his head up and the Black Hawk managed to scoot out of the way of the 6-3, 215-pound Beck, whose momentum then carried him shoulder first into the nearly-immovable protective glass at the end boards. The glass did not give, but Beck&rsquo;s shoulder did. He skated off the ice with his left arm limp and was taken quickly to Lenox Hill Hospital for X-Rays. By game&rsquo;s end, the bad news was known, extinguishing any jubilation the team might have felt about their 6-4 victory over Chicago.</p><p>Three days later, the Rangers beat the Bruins in Boston Garden, 6-4. Kept in the game by the goaltending heroics of Eddie Mio, the Rangers got three goals from their long-dormant powerplay and four from their defenseman, including two from Dave Maloney, the former Rangers&rsquo; captain who has taken back that role, on a temporary basis, in Beck&rsquo;s absence.</p><p>&ldquo;David is going to have to reach down and fill the void now that Beck is out,&rdquo; said Rangers&rsquo; coach Herb Brooks in the cheerless afterglow of the victory over Chicago. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s come through for us before, and he will come through again.&rdquo;</p><p>But Maloney&rsquo;s leadership and a string of 18 straight shots early in the game were not enough to get the Rangers past Pittsburgh, not with the uneven play and the defensive lapses the Rangers displayed that night. What broke the Rangers&rsquo; spirits was a goal by Pat Price mid-way through the second period. It came just five seconds after the Rangers had drained themselves killing off a five-minute penalty to Andre Dore for butt-ending Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Pat Boutette. That goal gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead and was one of several resulting from giveaways by the Rangers deep in their zone. On Price&rsquo;s goal, Tom Laidlaw lost the puck to Paul Baxter, who took the first shot&mdash;Price put in the rebound&mdash;and on the game-winner, Randy Carlyle intercepted Ron Duguay&rsquo;s attempted clear and took a shot that was deflected by Rick MacLeish.</p><p>&ldquo;Yesterday&rsquo;s success can be the cancer of today if you don&rsquo;t handle it properly&rdquo; said Brooks, &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have the snap we&rsquo;ve got to have to beat a hungry hockey club.&rdquo;</p><p>In an attempt to recapture the intensity the Rangers have lacked at home in past weeks&mdash;particularly in the first period&mdash;Brooks instituted two major changes in the Rangers&rsquo; dressing room at the Garden, effective with the Chicago game. The mailboxes that held the players&rsquo; fan-letters were moved to the practice rink at Rye, N.Y., and the television set in the player&rsquo;s lounge, adjacent to the locker-room, also was gone.</p><p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a country club,&rdquo; said Brooks adamently. &ldquo;When we come here, it&rsquo;s a working environment. They can watch their soap operas at home.&rdquo;</p><p>The victory over Chicago came two years to the day after the Brooks-coached U.S. Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal at Lake Placid, N.Y. Against the Black Hawks, former newcomer Rob McClanahan, another former olympian, assisted on Pavelich&rsquo;s first goal.</p><p>Silk scored after missing seven and-a-half minutes of the second period when his knee tightened up after he was checked by Chicago&rsquo;s Doug Wilson. His goals were his first in 12 games.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret I&rsquo;ve been struggling,&rdquo; said Silk &ldquo;but it was nice to grind out the two points.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

Rangers Different Team Without Beck

<div class="byline">BY JAY GREENBERG</div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>HILADELPHIA&mdash;Only 7,524 witnesses would not be enough to corroborate what they saw. We&rsquo;ll say you&rsquo;ll just have to believe us, but we still won&rsquo;t believe it ourselves.</p><p>The Flyers won a game, 9-8, in Calgary on a goal by Brad Marsh with 5:11 left. The victory itself, only the Flyers&rsquo; fourth in 18 games, was astonishing, but Brad Marsh? Take us now, Lord, we&rsquo;ve seen it all.</p><p>It was Marsh&rsquo;s first goal in 124 games. He took a drop pass from Ken Linseman and fired just under the crossbar, bringing a game that deserved no decision into the theatre of the absurd.</p><p>Afterwards, a lightning bolt hit the Corral, goalie Pat Riggin retired to a mountain-top in India, Flames&rsquo; general manager Cliff Fletcher was fired for not realizing, when he traded Brad to the Flyers for Mel Bridgman in November, that Marsh had one good goal in him. Flyers&rsquo; coach Pat Quinn pondered the meaning of life, and Brad was just living it. &ldquo;Kenny has been on me to move up into the play more,&rdquo; said Marsh. &ldquo;I think they [the Flames] let me go because they figure, &lsquo;Ah, that&rsquo;s just Brad.&rsquo; &ldquo;</p><p>Which was stretching the truth slightly. The Flames were letting everybody go all night, regardless of size, speed, talent or past associations. So were the Flyers, whose defensive play has not been befitting a team that will go anywhere in the playoffs. But at least they scored some goals. Considering they were without Ron Flockhart, Bobby Clarke and Paul Holmgren, this was no small accomplishment.</p><p>&ldquo;We lucked out,&rdquo; said Pat. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re not going to win playing like this, but at least we got some movement back in our offense. We&rsquo;d been standing around like oafs.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We won. Maybe that&rsquo;s a good sign.&rdquo;</p><p>The Flyers, frankly, have been a mess. A lot of it is attributable to injuries, but that doesn&rsquo;t explain the fundamental mistakes they have been making. Getting Bobby Clarke, out since January 13, back this week, should help settle things down. The prognosis for Flockhart&rsquo;s knee sprain, originally three-to-eight weeks, has been ammended to two-to-three, but the loss of Holmgren again casts a heavy pall over the Flyers dwindling chances to put something positive together before the playoffs.</p><p>Holmgren, who missed the season&rsquo;s first 14 games following a shoulder operation and seven games with a league suspension, then 10 more with a knee sprain, had been back in the lineup only seven games before injuring his back last week in Winnipeg.</p><p>Sent in by Linseman, Holmgren tumbled over goalie Doug Soetaert and crashed into the goalpost. Paul continued in the game, but his back went into spasms the next day, necessitating his return to Philadelphia.</p><p>Dr. John Gregg diagnosed a hyperextension, strained muscles and a pinched nerve. A week of bed rest was ordered and Holmgren will be out three-to-six weeks.</p><p>Which meant some more line juggling, but Quinn was still able to put together some offense. He moved Linseman into Flockhart&rsquo;s spot between Brian Propp and Ray Allison and the Rat came up with one of his few good games of the season. Ilkka Sinisalo, who had been getting one or two shifts a game, played an entire game with T.J. Gorence and Tim Kerr. All three scored goals. Darryl Sittler, who Was happy to settle in at left wing with Linseman and Holmgren, was moved back to center Bill Barber and Reggie Leach.</p><p>Reggie, who has sat out six of the last seven games and had asked to be traded, was headed for the waiver wire until Holmgren&rsquo;s injury. Keith Allen was offering the 31-year-old right wing for any takers and appeared determined to move him. &ldquo;Reggie has had a lot of chances,&rdquo; said Quinn when it appeared Leach had played his last game as a Flyer, but now he had one more.</p><p><b>ICEBERGS:</b> Defenseman Frank Bathe, who underwent enzyme treatment for his disc problem in late December, was showing some progress and may soon return to the lineup&hellip;No official announcement has been made about Bob Dailey&rsquo;s status, but the defenseman, who shattered his ankle November 1, has not begun skating. He faces a long, hard summer of rehabilitation if he is ever to play again&hellip;The Flyers called up center Gordie Williams from Maine to replace Flockhart. Williams took a regular shift between Allison and Propp in the Winnipeg loss, but did not get on the ice against Calgary&hellip;Goalie Pete Peeters was victimized four times by Kent Nilsson as the Flyers gave the Calgary center a free hand, but hung tough after the Flyers blew an early 3-0 lead.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Flyers Douse Flames On Marsh’s Goal

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011144/4519054-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Just when Danny Gare was starting to get untracked as a member of the Red Wings, he was sidelined by a case of bronchial pneumonia.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Robert Shaver)</span></figcaption></div><p>DETROIT&mdash;March meanderings:</p><p>The Red Wings have revived their walkie-talkie act of several years ago. Billy Dea, the assistant coach, moved alongside coach Wayne Maxner behind the bench with Donnie Graham, the assistant director of hockey operations, stationing himself in the press box and communicating with Dea.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that a lot of times you don&rsquo;t see [what&rsquo;s happening] yourself. But there is a different perspective from up high and there are times it helps,&rdquo; Maxner said.</p><p>The Wings used the system during Alex Delvecchio&rsquo;s coaching reign, with Dea upstairs sending the messages. Dea, in a new role downstairs, communicated with Graham and passed things along to Maxner. The Red Wing coach said he believes the practice, becoming more widely-used around the National Hockey League, someday will become commonplace.</p><p>(For details on the prospects of Fred Shero becoming Detroit&rsquo;s coach, see slapshots, page 38.)</p><p>Defenseman Greg Smith avoided serious injury during a freak practice accident when he stepped on a puck, slipped and fell on teammate Walt McKechnie&rsquo;s skate, suffering extensive cuts around the left eye and a laceration of the tear duct.</p><p>He underwent four hours of surgery to repair the wounds and was sidelined indefinitely.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a rough injury but his vision will be OK,&rdquo; said Dr. John Finley, the team physician. &ldquo;He had multiple cuts of the face, two or three of them down to the bone and it took a long time to repair.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings, naturally, were most concerned about the player&rsquo;s welfare but it&rsquo;s true that Smith&rsquo;s absence creates a gaping hole in the defense. Smith has been Detroit&rsquo;s most consistent defensive defenseman this season, and perhaps the most consistent player on the team, period.</p><p>The injury list also included right wing Danny Gare, who was sidelined with bronchial pneumonia. It hit Gare just at a time when he appeared to be finding himself as a Red Wing and had regained his scoring touch.</p><p>To replace Gare in the lineup, the Wings summoned Mark Lofthouse from the American Hockey League. Lofthouse was acquired during the summer from Washington in exchange for goaltender Al Jensen, once the &ldquo;goalie of the future&rdquo; of the Detroit organization.</p><p>Lofthouse made his Red Wing debut in a home-and-home set against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a pivotal Norris Division clash. The Wings, in the cellar three points behind Toronto at the time, knew the significance of the series.</p><p>&ldquo;We had to win,&rdquo; said goalie Bob Sauve.</p><p>Added Maxner: &ldquo;Our goal is fourth place and the playoffs but before we can focus on fourth, we&rsquo;ve got to get past Toronto [in fifth], We&rsquo;ve been behind Toronto for so long that if we could move ahead of them, it would be a real boost to the confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>Detroit came out of it in good shape with three out of a possible four points. The Wings gained a 3-3 tie in Toronto, despite wasting a two-goal lead, and trimmed the Leafs 4-3 the next night in Detroit.</p><p>Lofthouse could have had the winner in Toronto but missed an open net.</p><p>&ldquo;I had my back to him [goalie Vince Tremblay] and had a feeling he was coming out,&rdquo; Lofthouse explained. &ldquo;I spun around to shoot and shot off the heel of my stick and missed the whole net. I knew I had time and should have held it a second longer. Those things happen. But I wish it hadn&rsquo;t happened to me.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings rallied in the third period in their victory over Toronto but, for the most part, the third-period woes continued to haunt Detroit.</p><p>Why?</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; said defenseman Reed Larson. &ldquo;We just forget the little things, taking the body, sending the puck down the ice. We play in our end long enough and eventually they&rsquo;re going to score.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Wings Take View From Different Perspective

<div class="byline">BY DICK BEDDOES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02931/4519085-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="317" height="325"></div><h2>I Try To Be Fair</h2><p><b>LADIES AND</b> gentlemen, such vindictiveness, such outraged response to sane, rational subjectivity about Wayne Gretzky.</p><p>Cannot we discuss this calmly? I try to be fair and impartial, and what happens? All the letters and phone calls are uniformly unpleasant, suggesting that I am unfit to die under the charging wheels of a runaway Edmonton oil rig.</p><p>And all because, as a skeptic, my faulty vision sees things as they are, not as the Gretzky partisans think they ought to be.</p><p>At hand is a wounded note from a HOCKEY NEWS reader, Tom Senay, from the charming British Columbia boondock of Coquitlam. Mr. Senay expressed, in fact, hockey horror at my heresy.</p><p>&ldquo;I read with amazement in the Jan. 15 issue the Bedclothes column that attempted to knock some of Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s amazing feats.</p><p>&ldquo;Beddoes, or Mr. Yesteryear, seems to believe that anybody who plays in the NHL today cannot possibly be as good as some of the NHL&rsquo;s past legends.</p><p>&ldquo;To be sure, the calibre of play in a league with 21 teams is not as good as it was with only six teams, but this could not take anything away from the feats of The Great Gretzky.</p><p>&ldquo;What Beddoes forgets when he attributes Gretzky&rsquo;s accomplishments to the lack of suitable competition, is that Wayne is so superior to the rest of the NHL players in terms of offense.</p><p>&ldquo;Gretzky is as good a hockey player as anybody who ever played in the NHL, and he has become a true legend of the game at the incredible age of 20 years.</p><p>&ldquo;By the time Wayne is 30 or 35 years of age, lam sure he will be regarded as the best player ever.</p><h2>The Older We Get&hellip;</h2><p><b>&ldquo;AFTER ALL,</b> whereas every other prolific scorer had other great players to complement him, Gretzky seems capable of performing his magic with practically any linemates.</p><p>&ldquo;Sorry, Mr. Beddoes, but I have to agree with Stan Fischler&rsquo;s comment regarding your philosophy: &lsquo;The older we get, the faster we used to run. &lsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I hope you can get yourself out of the 1940s and into the swing of the 1980s. Then, like the rest of us, you can truly appreciate the wonderment of Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;</p><p>Get a letter like that, friends, and you must believe there is a slow leak in Coquitlam, B.C.</p><p>All I have said about Mr. Gretzky is that he is neat and nimble and I wish Harold Ballard could get him for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team in which I have a big rooting and small financial interest.</p><p>I have said that he might challenge Max Bentley for third-string center on the mighty Maple Leaf teams that won four Stanley Cups in the five seasons between 1947 and 1950.</p><p>Ahead of Bentley, at center ice on those teams, were stylish Sylvannus Apps&rsquo;and combative Theodore Kennedy.</p><p>Max, sitting out there as a recluse in Delisle (Sask.), has surfaced to say, &ldquo;I wish Gretzky took some of the hard hits that I did.&rdquo;</p><h2>Defense Merely A Word</h2><p><b>BENTLEY&rsquo;S WISTFUL</b> comment will not curb the widespread Gretzky prejudice, which is nothing more than vagrant opinion without visible means of support.</p><p>In Bentley&rsquo;s issue, goaltenders won the Vezina Trophy with stingy goals-against averages of 1.75 or 1.9 or 2.3. In Gretzky&rsquo;s year, someone is going to win the Vezina with an average exceeding 3.</p><p>Anybody with any awareness of the sport knows that d-e-f-e-n-s-e is merely a word in the modern impoverished NHL. If the governors had any real class, they would vote not to award the Vezina and James Norris Trophies again until defensive balance has been restored to the NHL.</p><p>Gretzky, of course, is simply doing the best he can and doing it impressively against token opposition.</p><p>That does not excuse the rest of us from an orgy of Gretzkymania. That does not pardon the ludicrous warping of objectivity by somebody who claimed that Canada should declare Gretzky a national monument, as Brazil did with the football player Pele.</p><p>National monuments, it says here, ought to be less frivolous. National monuments in Canada should be higher old-age pensions and increased aid to combat veterans, who are our only true heroes.</p><p>Glorified terms such as a superstar should be used sparingly, and for no athlete. I believe Jesus was a superstar and am saving superstar to use for his Second Coming.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

BEDCLOTHES

<div class="byline">BY JACQUES JUSTICE</div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>uy Lafleur&rsquo;s personal volcano will erupt if the Canadiens are eliminated in the first or second playoff rounds. The Flower has told a close friend that he&rsquo;ll &ldquo;start talking&rdquo; about aspects of Les Canadiens that are bothering him. Those on good terms with Guy say he resents the &ldquo;rover style, unspectacular hockey&rdquo; that may be good for defense but robs The Flower of the exciting game he craves&hellip;Paul Mulvey was contacted through an intermediary about a chance to cash in on his &ldquo;1 won&rsquo;t be a goon&rdquo; stance against Don Perry. So far Mulvey has ducked any committment&hellip;Angry over the way he was treated by the Rangers, Eddie Giacomin snubbed Phil Esposito&rsquo;s &ldquo;Masters of Hockey&rdquo; tourney. Heavy pressure was put on Giacomin to come. Billing of the game as &ldquo;The return of the all-time superstars&rdquo; got a laugh on Broadway. Some of the &ldquo;all-time superstars&rdquo; were Dunc Wilson, Eddie Shack and Lou Nanne&hellip;Nordiques are looking for a defenseman&hellip;A Spectrum insider reports that the Flyers resent Behn Wilson because he fights &ldquo;for himself and not for his teammates.&rdquo; They say Wilson overreacts to clean checks as he did recently against Paul Baxter&hellip;Pat Quinn reportedly told Ken Linseman, &ldquo;You have yet to show up for a game against the Islanders.&rdquo;&hellip;Philadelphia sources suggest that Harry Sinden still might be interested in Pelle Lindbergh. Flyers, the Broad Street pipeline indicates, more likely will package a deal for Rob Ramage. Possibly Wilson and Linseman&hellip;Herb Brooks stresses that his Rangers could do well without their names in the New York gossip columns yet Ron Duguay continues to do the opposite of the coach&rsquo;s wishes. Duguay, Ron Greschner and Phil Esposito will open a restaurant-bar on Manhattan&rsquo;s swinging Upper East Side next month. Each of them, reports indicate, has chipped in $150,000&hellip;Duguay changes his phone every two months.</p><p>North Stars&rsquo; high command is quietly concerned about team&rsquo;s inability to withstand intimidation tactics from clubs like the Oilers&hellip;Writers complain that NHL&rsquo;s PR department is too shallow with personnel in NewYork&hellip;Keith Magnuson&rsquo;s friends are bitter about his Black Hawks adventure. &ldquo;Management should have known he wasn&rsquo;t going to work right from the beginning,&rdquo; one says. &ldquo;Keith should have had a year in Moncton.&rdquo; Black Hawk critics say Magnuson was rushed into breach when Eddie Johnston walked out on the club&hellip;Ed Koch&rsquo;s decision to run for governor of New York is believed to help Rangers chances of staying at Madison Square Garden. A former NHLer predicts that the Rangers will jump to New Jersey and the Rockies will move into Madison Square Garden&hellip;Penguins continue to shop Greg Malone to any prospective buyer&hellip;Two Fred Shero rumors surfaced within days. One had The Fog being hired as coach of the New Jersey Rockets indoor soccer team. The other had Freddie taking over as GM-coach of the Red Wings&hellip;Rangers are so concerned about their Springfield operation they dispatched assistant coach Walt Tkaczuk to the scene&hellip;Flyers are worried about playoff sales&hellip;Several members of the media are urging the NHL to require players to wear numbers on the front of their jerseys as well as the back&hellip;Caps try to get visiting TV types to have a congressman or senator appear on between-periods interviews.</p><p>NHL Players&rsquo; Association was supposed to be shopping for a replacement for Al Eagleson but the move is on hold pending settlement of owner-union talks&hellip;If Bill Wirtz quits on Bob Pulford it would create opening Phil Esposito seeks as-a GM. Espo&rsquo;s friends, aware of his restlessness as a broadcaster, say he will only find happiness running a hockey club&mdash;or the NHL&hellip;Edmonton has joined in the pursuit of Rob Ramage&hellip;One NHL observer&rsquo;s comment on Peter Gilbert: &ldquo;He should have known better than to deliver an ultimatum to Bruce Norris or Bill Wirtz.&rdquo;&hellip;Canadiens figure Rick Wamsley and Richard Sevigny are the goalies of their future. Denis Herron, 29, could be had for the right offer. Habs wrote a team rule forbidding goalies from doing interviews on game days. But when Canadiens were in New York, Mike Eruzione interviewed Wamsley&hellip;The move caused an uproar and raised the question&mdash;are their different rules for English and French-speaking goalies?&hellip;A Montreal sportswriter says he has seen a Royal Canadian Mounted Police report that the NHL might find fascinating&hellip;Montreal writers have launched a campaign to have one of their own, Jacques Beauchamp, inducted into The Hockey Hall of Fame in the &ldquo;builders&rdquo; category&hellip;President Reagan invited an NHL boss to a private dinner&hellip;Herb Brooks escorted his left wing Nick Fotiu to Nassau Coliseum. &ldquo;All I want you to do,&rdquo; said Brooks, &ldquo;is watch Clark Gillies all night.&rdquo;&hellip;NHL is discussing national telecasts for the future with USA and ESPN networks.</p><p>One of the most controversial hockey articles ever written is now sitting on an editor&rsquo;s desk, awaiting its fate&hellip;A Red Wings problem is that when a Detroit player is in trouble, he won&rsquo;t find a teammate coming to his aid&hellip;Harold Ballard posed with John Ziegler&rsquo;s 17-year-old daughter, Trissie, sitting on Ballard&rsquo;s knee at a private party&hellip;A late scouting report on hot draft prospect Brian Bellows: &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t stand out. He can&rsquo;t skate. I was most unimpressed. To me he&rsquo;s just another right winger.&rdquo;&hellip;. Don Cherry has a talk show on a Denver radio station.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BLUELINES

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SMITH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011093/4519140-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Defenseman Russ Anderson is a Whalers&rsquo; greybeard at the age of 27. His greatest contributions are his hitting and his steadiness.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>HARTFORD&mdash;The glory of Russ Anderson is that he will never be convicted by his peers.</p><p>&ldquo;Ever since he joined our team, every defenseman has grown two inches and gained 20 pounds,&rdquo; Chris Kotsopoulos said.</p><p>&ldquo;One difference is there&rsquo;s not a lot of guys hanging around in front of our net anymore,&rdquo; Pierre Larouche said. &ldquo;They know if they do that they&rsquo;re going to get hit.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Russ is a hitter who knows his role,&rdquo; Greg Millen said.</p><p>&ldquo;Russ Anderson is a good man,&rdquo; Blaine Stoughton said.</p><p>Travel around the block and back again, and you&rsquo;d be hard-pressed to hear a negative word on Anderson, a 6-3, 210-pound defenseman who maintains a happy face&mdash;and outlook&mdash;before and after working hours.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the flamboyant type,&rdquo; said Anderson, who joined the Hartford Whalers shortly after Christmas in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins in which the Pens acquired Rick MacLeish. &ldquo;I try to do my job the best way I can. I have to take the body. I&rsquo;m not a goal-scorer.&rdquo;</p><p>Anderson was a second-round draft pick of the Pens in 1975. An American, Anderson came out of the University of Minnesota and spent just 11 games in the minor leagues. He joined Pittsburgh early in the 1976-77 season and played regularly for five seasons, although injuries limited him to just 34 games a year ago.</p><p>&ldquo;Russ Anderson is a high-class guy,&rdquo; said Pittsburgh GM Baz Bastien at the time of the trade. &ldquo;He shows up most every night and he is not afraid to hit. We needed offensive help and we know that MacLeish can provide that. But, in a way, you hate to let a guy like Anderson go. He never was a problem, either on or off the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Anderson has been something of an unsung hero as the Whalers continue to revamp their defensive corps. Youngsters, like Kotsopoulos, Mickey Volcan, Blake Wesley and Mark Renaud, represent the future of the team, but Anderson, at 27, is hardly ancient.</p><p>&ldquo;I like it here, I really do,&rdquo; Anderson said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a good bunch of guys and we&rsquo;re going to be better.&rdquo;</p><p>Anderson is married to a former Miss America, Dorothy Benham, who won the honor in 1977. That may not mean that the Whalers got the better of the Anderson-for-MacLeish deal, but, hey, how can it hurt?</p><p>&ldquo;The guys can be pretty brutal at times, but that&rsquo;s part of it,&rdquo; Anderson said.</p><p>In close to 350 career NHL games, Anderson has compiled more than 600 penalty minutes while scoring but 15 goals.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to see more defense from me than offense,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to lug the puck down the ice, and I&rsquo;m not going to score a lot of goals. I just try to play my game, which is defense-oriented.&rdquo;</p><p>GM-Coach Larry Pleau realizes the importance of Anderson.</p><p>&ldquo;Right now I&rsquo;d say that we&rsquo;ve got one of the toughest teams in the league,&rdquo; Pleau said. &ldquo;That matters, especially on the road. Anderson gives us a lot of that toughness. He won&rsquo;t back down from anyone. His style isn&rsquo;t lost on some of our younger players. They can see how effective it is.&rdquo;</p><p>Anderson belongs among that group of muckers or grinders which hockey&rsquo;s inner circle knows and appreciates. He doesn&rsquo;t have to worry about testimonial dinners, the hall of fame or what to do with a key to a city.</p><p>He does, however, command the respect of his peers.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had any trouble with my teammates,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>If the game were played in a foxhole, Russ Anderson would be a first-round pick. The boys who play alongside him know that. The headlines and the spot</p><p>lights may go to others, but Anderson sleeps well most nights. He goes as hard as he can for as long as he can, and no one can ask for more.</p><p>Russ Anderson, who willingly pays the entrance fee, will never be convicted by his peers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-01

Whalers Hold High Esteem For Anderson’s Tenacity

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01947/4519192-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01837/4519185-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="600" height="869"></div><h2>GOALTENDING STATISTICS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02699/4519178-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="588" height="2611"></div><h2>NHL LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03537/4519171-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="539" height="304"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE SCORING

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>ORONTO&mdash;When the Maple Leafs look back upon the 1981-82 season&mdash;The Year of the Kids of Toronto and many other National Hockey League clubs&mdash;perhaps there won&rsquo;t be many landmark indicators that could be used to explain &ldquo;where they went wrong&rdquo; or why they didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs in a league where 75 percent of the teams qualify for post-season action.</p><p>But if they had to choose one game, one instance which could have made an important difference, they&rsquo;ll probably remember the night in Bloomington when they literally &ldquo;threw away&rdquo; their chance to finish among the top four squads in the Norris Division and thus qualify for the opening round of the playoffs.</p><p>First, let&rsquo;s put the whole thing into perspective by mentioning that the 1981-82 Leafs don&rsquo;t belong in the playoffs. They shouldn&rsquo;t have made it last year, either, but did so with a win on the final night of the season to edge out Washington by one point.</p><p>It&rsquo;s just the fact that the Leafs haven&rsquo;t been out of the playoffs since 1972-73 and even though they haven&rsquo;t won the Stanley Cup since 1966-67, there&rsquo;s this kind of mentality that no matter how bad the team is, that it&rsquo;s an insult if it doesn&rsquo;t make the playoffs.</p><p>Teams which regularly employ five or six rookies in combination with an abundance of players who fit neither the skate-and-flow game of the &lsquo;80&rsquo;s or the grind it out fashion of the previous decade, probably shouldn&rsquo;t be in the playoffs. Given a few years to develop a sense of teamwork, yes, but not immediately.</p><p>Getting back to the Leafs&rsquo; major turning point, here&rsquo;s the scene. The Leafs are playing their 64th game of the season and despite a record of 2-11-4 over the previous 17 games, they are remarkably only three points behind the Winnipeg Jets for fourth place. It must be mentioned, though, that the Jets held four games in hand.</p><p>The Leafs were outshooting Minnesota 9-2 and were on a power play when Tom McCarthy started to head out of the Minnesota zone with nothing but clear ice in front of him. Borje Salming was headed to the ice after failing to lasso McCarthy and being the last man back, desperately threw his stick at the puck as he sprawled to the ice. Bunny Larocque shut down McCarthy&rsquo;s scoring bid but referee Bruce Hood assessed Salming with a five-minute major for throwing his stick and the North Stars rammed in three goals in a little more than three minutes. They added one more for a 4-0 bulge after the opening period.</p><p>Now here comes the crusher. The Leafs came back: A pair of goals by Normand Aubin and a single by Ricky Vaive in the middle frame and then a game-tier by Billy Derlago, early in the third. They were back on even terms; they had momentum, but they lost it, the game and two more points to Winnipeg, who were handling Philadelphia.</p><p>Steve Christoff scored a twisting goal, going through Barry Melrose and spinning on Larocque before firing it through his legs and then Steve Payne tucked in a goal-mouth pass from Bobby Smith. Vaive added his second of the night, but the North Stars needed just 42 seconds to regain their two-goal edge.</p><p>A 3-2 loss in St. Louis to begin the trip; then came the tough Minnesota loss; the prospect of playing the Canadiens in Montreal and the realization that there were only 15 more games left in the season.</p><p>Naturally, the Leafs played one of their better games of the season in the Forum against Montreal. They hit, they got good stand-up goaltending from Vince Tremblay and they got some good efforts from their forwards in keeping the puck in Montreal&rsquo;s end of the ice for most of the night.</p><p>Not so surprisingly, all they got out of the game was a single point as it ended in a 3-3 tie as Guy Lafleur took a desperation shot from the goalline which Tremblay inadvertently deflected into his net with his goalstick. Earlier Terry Martin had scored the only goal of the opening period and in the second period Rick Vaive tied the count at 2-2 just 16 seconds later when he blew a shot past Denis Herron in Montreal&rsquo;s nets.</p><p>John Anderson skated the length of the ice to score his 29th of the season when his long shot baffled Herron, but then Lafleur spoiled Toronto&rsquo;s fun with his late tally.</p><p><b>LOOSE LEAFS</b>&mdash;Defenseman Trevor Johansen, who was obtained by the Leafs from Los Angeles after he was placed on waivers, has taken a regular turn and looked proficient for the Leafs&hellip;Bob Manno injured his ankle during the St. Louis game and Fred Boimistruck crashed into the boards feet first in Montreal, missing the rest of the night with an injured ankle&hellip;Wilf Paiement&rsquo;s name keeps coming up in trade rumors involving the Quebec Nordiques. Owner Harold Ballard was reported as saying the Leafs are going to swing a big deal before the March 9 trade deadline&hellip;Rick Vaive&rsquo;s goal in Montreal was his 42nd of the season, leaving him just six shy of Frank Mahovlich&rsquo;s team record of 48 with 15 games to play.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Leafs Throwing Away Playoff Shot

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><p>BUFFALO&mdash;Gil Perreault had a pretty good week last week. But it would have been a great week, had the games turned out otherwise.</p><p>For awhile, Perreault, Buffalo&rsquo;s 31-year-old super center, overshadowed Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton&rsquo;s 21-year-old super center, on what was supposed to be Gretzky&rsquo;s big night.</p><p>But, as hockey fans throughout the United States and Canada know, Gretzky came through with a dramatic finish and Perreault was all but forgotten.</p><p>In the Buffalo-Edmonton game last Wednesday in Buffalo&rsquo;s Memorial Auditorium, before a standing-room audience of 16,662 and some 200 media representatives from all over, Perreault scored three goals to bring the Sabres from a 1-3 deficit to a 3-3 tie at the 2:27 mark of the third period.</p><p>Gretzky, trying for a record 77th goal of the season, was blanked until then, although he had assisted on two of the Oilers&rsquo; goals.</p><p>With less than seven minutes remaining, however, &ldquo;The Great&rdquo; went to work. He scored the goal that broke Phil Esposito&rsquo;s National Hockey League single-season record, then added two more.</p><p>Perreault had a hat trick but so did Gretzky&mdash;a much more dramatic one&mdash;and Buffalo lost 6-3.</p><p>Perreault was his usual laconic self after the game. &ldquo;It was just a hockey game,&rdquo; said he. &ldquo;They scored the most and they won.&rdquo;</p><p>The day after that unsettling loss, the Sabres took to the airways for a flight to Winnipeg. They played the Jets Friday.</p><p>Perreault scored one goal and set up another. But the Sabres had to settle for a 4-4 tie, after leading by a goal early in the third period.</p><p>Saturday, the Sabres closed their two-game trip with a game against the Minnesota North Stars. Perreault made a stirring rush to set up Alan Haworth with a pass to the slot for the final goal of the game.</p><p>The goal capped a great comeback by the Sabres but it meant only another tie, 5-5.</p><p>The assist was Perreault&rsquo;s only point in the game but it gave him eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in his last nine games.</p><p>The veteran center-left wing, who missed the first 19 games of the season because of a broken ankle suffered while playing for Team Canada, going into this week had 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points in 46 games.</p><p>He has 26 goals and 24 assists for 50 points in his last 40 games and by scoring the winning goal in a 3-2 win in Chicago Feb. 17 he became the Sabres&rsquo; all-time leader in goals, as well as assists and points.</p><p>Going into this week, Perreault had 387 goals, 593 assists and 979 points in his 12 National Hockey League seasons.</p><p>An important factor in the two road game was the scoring by defensemen. Since John Van Boxmeer was hurt, the Sabres haven&rsquo;t had the good shot from the point that either goes into the net or is tipped in by forwards.</p><p>In Winnipeg, however, Richie Dunn scored Buffalo&rsquo;s third and fourth goals. That gave the Boston-born backliner four goals and six assists in 17 games after scoring only seven points in his first 38 games.</p><p>Against Minnesota, Mike Ramsey started the Sabres on their way back from a 1-5 deficit at the end of two periods.</p><p>The 1980 Olympian from Minneapolis scored one goal and set up another as the Sabres got two in 45 seconds early in the final period. Mike&rsquo;s first shot, from the blue line, beat goalie Don Beaupre just inside the goal post.</p><p>Ramsey took another shot less than a minute later and J.F. Sauve tipped it in.</p><p>Sauve, who was recalled from the Sabres&rsquo; Rochester farm club just that week, figured in all three goals as the Sabres got three in 2:45. He started the play on the first one and his lead pass sent Mike Foligno on a breakaway for the third.</p><p>Also heartening for coach Jim Roberts was the play of backup goalie Paul Harrison. Roberts relieved starter Don Edwards with Harrison, a former North Star, at the start of the third period and Harrison made 11 saves as he blanked his former teammates.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Perreault’s Play Lifts Sabres

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01855/4519271-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dennis Maruk scored 10 goals on the road trip to reach the 50-goal plateau for the second time, a feat only 11 other players have equalled.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>LANDOVER&mdash;The Washington Capitals were in a celebratory mood as they flew from Winnipeg to Toronto, on the next-to-last leg of the longest road trip of the season. The on-ice phase was concluded, with three victories in six games, and the prospect of finishing the season with 13 of 19 games at home was a pleasant one.</p><p>General manager Roger Crozier and coach Bryan Murray were chatting pleasantly with all-time nice guy Bobby Hull when suddenly the pilot broke up the reverie.</p><p>&ldquo;Some of you are wondering about the Pittsburgh hockey score,&rdquo; the pilot said. &ldquo;They beat the New York Islanders tonight, 4-3.&rdquo;</p><p>There was immediate silence, broken only by a few four-letter words. The Capitals, playing their best hockey of the season, had reason to think they could overhaul Pittsburgh and gain a playoff berth, but they needed the complementary feature of a continued collapse by the Penguins.</p><p>Pittsburgh, winless in nine straight games, had come to life the night before with a 6-5 victory over Philadelphia. Now, with this success over the Islanders, the gap in front of Washington was holding steady at 11 points, and the Capitals, as usual, were up against it.</p><p>&ldquo;It certainly spoiled my evening,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;That was one game I had projected them to lose. Hell, the Islanders win 15 in a row and they have to lose to Pittsburgh. Well, nobody ever said it was going to be easy.&rdquo;</p><p>That 1-14 start that brought Murray to Washington was proving too much of a handicap. The Capitals were 16 points behind the Penguins after dropping Murray&rsquo;s first game on Nov. 11 and the steady improvement since obviously was not enough to make any dramatic impact on the race.</p><p>The road trip had considerable drama, however, as Dennis Maruk produced goals in all six games, a total of 10, for a season mark of 51, making him the 12th player in NHL history to score 50 goals in two seasons.</p><p>Maruk, with his habit of wearing dark suits and burying the oppostion, was assigned the sobriquet of &ldquo;The Undertaker,&rdquo; far more apropos than his old nickname of &ldquo;PeeWee.&rdquo;</p><p>The Capitals scored the first goal in five of the six games, and Maruk opened things up on a positive note in Calgary, netting the game&rsquo;s initial score at 35 seconds of the second period.</p><p>Washington took a 3-0 lead, which was wiped out by the Flames. But Maruk, once again, connected with 2:23 remaining, and Bobby Carpenter insured the 5-3 victory with his 18th goal.</p><p>The next night, in Edmonton, a spectacular shorthanded score by Maruk lifted the Capitals into a 3-2 lead after 21 seconds of the third period. However, the Oilers finally overcame Dave Parro&rsquo;s sensational goaltending and pulled out a 5-3 triumph, outshooting Washington by 51-27.</p><p>In Denver, it was the Capitals who had a 24-shot edge, 50-26, but the Rockies earned a 5-3 triumph after Maruk had tied the score at 3-3 with four seconds left in the second period.</p><p>The script of 3-3 ties becoming 5-3 results in the final period ended in Los Angeles, where the Capitals led all the way in a 5-2 success that saw goalie Al Jensen block 35 shots in his first appearance following a 10-day layoff.</p><p>The Capitals took a 2-0 lead in the first 86 seconds at Minnesota, but the North Stars roared back for a 7-3 victory, outshooting the Capitals, 56-20. It was the most shots against a Washington team since Philadelphia rolled up 62 on April 1, 1976.</p><p>After that game, the Capitals were due to take a charter to Winnipeg for a contest the following afternoon. It was cancelled because of fog in Winnipeg and the team flew in the next day, taking taxis directly to the rink.</p><p>Trailing 3-1 at midgame, outshot 10-2 in the first 10 minutes of the second period and further aggravated by a too-many-men penalty against Carpenter, the Capitals seemed headed toward certain defeat.</p><p>However, Ryan Walter scored a shorthanded goal on the ensuing penalty, his 30th of the season, and ignited a rally that saw the Capitals breeze past the Jets, 6-3. It raised the Capitals&rsquo; spirits&mdash;until that pilot shot them down.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

Early Deficit Too Much For Caps To Overcome

<div class="byline">BY FRED PIETILA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01818/4519302-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Veli-Pekka Ketola was like the Phil Esposito of hockey in Finland, but he looked out of place in the NHL until late in his rookie season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>DENVER&mdash;The Colorado Rockies&rsquo; version of a 747 is soaring finally after being grounded for three-quarters of a season.</p><p>Veli-Pekka Ketola, one of three Finnish players signed by the Rockies during the off-season, has finally broken into the Colorado lineup on a regular basis after four frustrating months.</p><p>That&rsquo;s not to say that the 34-year-old Ketola, a hockey legend in Finland is suddenly going to lead the Rockies into a belated drive for the playoffs.</p><p>But a regular shift and more ice time than he had enjoyed all season resulted in his doubling his previous 34-game goal total in just three games&mdash;including a pair of two-goal contests. During those three games, the Rockies put together two wins (for the first time this season) and a tie to end the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; 11-game winning streak in the Forum.</p><p>Ketola, a 6-3, 220-pound center, has exercised tremendous patience during this very trying hockey season. He has been accustomed to being in the spotlight in his native town of Pori, Finland, and scoring goal after goal after goal.</p><p>&ldquo;You never know. That&rsquo;s hockey here [National Hockey League],&rdquo; Ketola said of his role-playing status of the first half of the season. &ldquo;I just hope the team wins and we make the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>Ketola elaborated on his lack of playing time in the early going. &ldquo;You have to accept that. You don&rsquo;t have a choice. But it&rsquo;s tough because you&rsquo;re sitting and it&rsquo;s hard to keep in shape.</p><p>&ldquo;Like in the beginning, the whole team was struggling and I was struggling, too. Like I said then, all I need is more ice time to get going. That&rsquo;s all I need,&rdquo; Ketola said.</p><p>It has not been a prosperous season for any Colorado Rocky player, but particularly the Europeans (Finns Tapio Levo and Jukka Porvari have been out since the end of November with broken bones and Swedes Peter Gustavsson and Christer Kellgren were relegated to Fort Worth early), but Ketola has endured&mdash;most admirably.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m too old to worry about it,&rdquo; Ketola said in recalling the earlier days of a disappointing season.</p><p>Rockies&rsquo; coach Marshall Johnston feels it is Ketola&rsquo;s immense pride which has kept him going.</p><p>&ldquo;His hockey success, not over here, but over in Finland, has been greater and longer than anybody&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got tremendous personal pride and sense of accomplishment and his personal pride was hurt when he wasn&rsquo;t playing and wasn&rsquo;t contributing.</p><p>&ldquo;But he didn&rsquo;t turn the other way and make excuses about it and he kept in shape. I just told him I wanted him to be ready when we needed him and he was ready. What more can you ask?&rdquo; Johnston said.</p><p><b>ROCKY RAMBLINGS</b>&mdash;Defenseman Levo, who had six goals and 16 points in 20 games before suffering his broken arm, was expected back in the lineup around March 1, as was Porvari, who was sidelined with a broken ankle&hellip;The 9-2 win over Quebec produced franchise records for most goals in a period (six) and most assists in a game (16) and tied records for largest winning margin (seven goals) and most goals in a game.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-01

Personal Pride Kept Ketola Ready When Rockies Called

<div class="byline">BY GORDON EDES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01648/4519333-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="603" height="883"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>With Marcel Dionne playing the point, the Kings moved the puck much better on their power play.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>OS ANGELES&mdash;There are going to be moments when the Kings resemble New Haven West, but it is apparent that they are committed to their Kiddie Korps for the rest of the season.</p><p>The Kings waived two more players, Steve Jensen and Ian Turnbull; both cleared and were sent to New Haven. Their departure brings to six the number of veterans who have made a change of address since Don Perry became coach.</p><p>Jensen and Turnbull are joining Paul Mulvey and Alan Hangsleben, both of whom cleared waivers earlier, in New Haven. Trevor Johansen was waived and claimed by Toronto; Andre St. Laurent was claimed by Pittsburgh.</p><p>In their place are the kids who played for Perry in New Haven, rookies Bernie Nicholls, Warren Holmes and Scott Gruhl The Kings say they may recall some of the old hands before rosters are frozen March 9, but don&rsquo;t count on it.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a couple of guys we want to see if they can help us this year,&rdquo; Perry said. &ldquo;This is a good time to do it.&rdquo;</p><p>To say the Kings resemble a West Coast version of their farm team is not necessarily disparaging. At least New Haven was winning, and working at it, too.</p><p>&ldquo;You know you&rsquo;re going to get the effort from the younger players the whole game,&rdquo; said Dave Taylor. &ldquo;We just have to get some discipline and curb the players a little bit, channel that effort.&rdquo;</p><p>Though they were reluctant to come right out and say it (general manager George Maguire is refusing any comment, instead referring reporters to Forum publicist Bob Steiner), effort is something the Kings felt was lacking in Jensen and Turnbull.</p><p>Jensen, who had sat out the last six games, had been placed on waivers earlier this season, so he wasn&rsquo;t surprised to be sent down.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to let decisions made in the NHL affect my attitude as a hockey player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If the NHL doesn&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m good, fine, I&rsquo;ll play somewhere else.&rdquo;</p><p>Jensen had eight goals and 19 assists in 45 games with the Kings this season; he still harbors hopes of returning to LA but it would appear that a more likely destination is Europe&mdash;if he chooses to stay in hockey.</p><p>Turnbull, who came to the Kings from Toronto in a trade for Billy Harris and John Gibson, had appeared in jeopardy of losing his job when he sat out three games. But then Perry reinstated him on defense against Calgary, only to bench-him for the third period of the Kings&rsquo; 6-2 win over the Flames. The reason, Perry said, was Turnbull&rsquo;s penchant for taking unnecessary penalties.</p><p>Turnbull started the next game at left wing in place of rookie Steve Bozek, who had a bruised knee, and even scored a goal.</p><p>But that was it. And when he cleared waivers, it brought to mind the comment made by ex-Kings&rsquo; coach Bob Berry when LA first acquired him; &ldquo;A typical LA trade. They got a player nobody else wanted.&rdquo;</p><p><b>KINGS THINGS</b>&mdash;Marcel Dionne, playing his best hockey of the season, had at least a point in 16 straight games, totaling 10 goals and 16 assists during the streak. Perry put Dionne on the point on the power play, replacing Larry Murphy, and though the Kings were 0-for-16 with a man advantage, their puck movement was much improved&hellip;Doug Keans had displaced Mario Lessard as regular goalie, appearing in five straight games, until Perry pulled him for Lessard during a 5-3 loss to Chicago. Keans had come into the Chicago game having allowed only 14 goals in the previous five games. He has appeared in 21 games this season, more games than his previous two seasons combined&hellip;Since being reunited on the Triple Crown line with Dionne and Taylor, Charlie Simmer had scored two goals and seven assists in nine games&hellip;Jimmy Fox had eight goals and 15 assists in his last 22 games and already had 11 points more than the 42 he scored as a rookie&hellip;Larry Murphy became the first Kings&rsquo; defenseman ever to score 20 goals in a season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

Kings To Go With Kids For Rest Of Season

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02453/4519364-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>Y</span>eah, we know, it&rsquo;s getting ridiculous, but what can we do? There seems to be no stopping Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers in his sensational dash to new scoring heights in the NHL.</p><p>The 21-year-old whiz kid came up with another record-breaking week as he scored six times to raise his season total to 82 in 66 games. On the way Gretzky scored the fastest 77 goals in NHL history as he broke the old mark of 76 in 78 games established by Phil Esposito back in 1970-71.</p><p>In addition, Gretzky became the first ever NHLer to be assured of averaging a goal a game in an 80-game schedule. He overshadowed Maurice Richard&rsquo;s feat of scoring 50 goals in a 50-game schedule.</p><p>Gretzky also chipped in with four assists for a 10-point week to capture THE HOCKEY NEWS Player of the Week honor for the seventh time this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-02

Player Of The Week

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01486/4519395-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>ake advantage of this unique, money-saving opportunity right now, so you won&rsquo;t miss out on THE HOCKEY NEWS&rsquo; coverage of the start of the new season.</p><p>Since 1947, THE HOCKEY NEWS has been the only weekly publication that has covered all levels of the game&mdash;from the minors, colleges, amateurs, European and international teams all the way to the 21 clubs in the National Hockey League. We uncover the &ldquo;behind-the-scenes&rdquo; happenings too, giving our readers the most comprehensive, in-depth reportage of the world&rsquo;s fastest and most exciting sport!</p><p>With a top-notch team of columnists, reporters and statisticians, &ldquo;The Bible of Hockey&rdquo; keeps you up to date on all of the games trades, opinions, promotions, controversies, wins, losses, goals, assists, points, and penalty minutes. And we&rsquo;ve been doing it 37 times a year for almost 35 years.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-01

Here’s your season’s ticket to hockey’s best action!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01544/4519447-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"></div><h2>WHO GRETZKY&rsquo;S SCORED AGAINST</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02418/4519440-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="1130" height="289"></div><h2>SYNOPSIS</h2><p>Gretzky had 17 no-goal games, meaning he actually scored 82 goals in 49 games</p><h2>NHL SEASON OUTLOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03331/4519433-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="723" height="63"></div><h2>NHL CAREER AS OF 3/1/82</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04247/4519426-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="516" height="143"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

Gretzky’s Scoring Statistics

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05205/4519478-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mark Messier give the Oilers a double scoring threat. The Edmonton forward has his sights set on 50 goals this season and he has a good chance to make it.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p>EDMONTON&mdash;Mark Douglas Messier reached the age of manhood on Jan. 18.</p><p>But&hellip;</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t until one day shy of a month later that the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; All Star left-winger received an official endorsement from managercoach Glen Sather.</p><p>The occasion-was a night when Messier and a fellow 21-year-old of some note were major architects of a come-from-behind 7-4 National Hockey League triumph over the Minnesota North Stars.</p><p>After the Smythe Divisionfrontrunning Oilers had slithered behind 2-0 to the hard-checking North Stars in the first period, Wayne Gretzky initiated the comeback proceedings by uncorking a smoking 40-footer past Minnesota goaltender Don Beaupre and later added his 72nd goal, along with three assists for his first five-point outing in over two weeks.</p><p>Messier, in the meantime, popped his second seasonal hat trick, upping his production to 40 goals and once again firmly setting his sights upon the exclusive&mdash;even by today&rsquo;s offensive-minded standards&mdash;50-goal club.</p><p>Both young men, according to Sather, were making amends of sorts:</p><p>&ldquo;Mark made a mistake that cost us a goal. Wayne made a mistake that cost us a goal,&rdquo; began Sather of opening-period markers by Stars&rsquo; Craig Hartsburg and Tom McCarthy. &ldquo;Then they both went out and turned the game around. That, to me, is what makes our club go.</p><p>&ldquo;Wayne has always had that characteristic, but I was especially glad to see Mark show that aspect. He&rsquo;s a winner&hellip;and guess who has his 40th puck?&rdquo;</p><p>Sather then flipped a puck with the Oiler insignia upon it in the air, caught it and flashed a devilish satisfied grin as he walked away.</p><p>Messier will undoubtedly get to keep No. 50&hellip;although the 6-1, 190-pounder has hardly always been in such good graces with his supervisor.</p><p>It started during Messier&rsquo;s first season with the Oilers, who were also debuting in the NHL at the time themselves. A third-round draft in 1979, the St. Albert, Alta.-product was sent to the minors during his first month after missing a flight to St. Louis. Messier, 18 at the time, had been tied up in traffic in an attempt to get to the airport.</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t his first offense, though. Previously, Messier was late for a bus departure in Vancouver during preseason play and was also late for a practice at home.</p><p>&ldquo;When 1 played I never missed anything,&rdquo; said a disappointed Sather at the time. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t afford to take a chance, I was riding the fence as a borderline player and they&rsquo;d use any excuse to send you down.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Mark could be an excellent pro, once he learns to catch busses on time, be at the airport on time and discipline himself. He&rsquo;s got to learn hockey is the most important thing in his life right now and he must make sacrifices.&rdquo;</p><p>Messier&rsquo;s stint in the Central League lasted only four games, but last year he found himself in the doghouse again. He only had 10 goals through the middle of February and his plus-minus efficiency rating dipped to a seasonal low minus-22 (also worst on the team), following Oilers&rsquo; most embarrassing home-ice loss of their NHL career&mdash;10-4 to the Calgary Flames.</p><p>&ldquo;After the Flames&rsquo; game [Feb. 8], I took a hard look at myself in the mirror and said &lsquo;holy bleep, I better do a job or get into something else,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Messier. &ldquo;It was a matter of getting out there and producing, because, after all, life in the NHL isn&rsquo;t that bad. There&rsquo;s a million guys out there, frothing at the mouth to take my job.&rdquo;</p><p>At that point, there was a marked improvement in Messier&rsquo;s performance and production. As of Feb. 15, he only had 10 goals and 28 points, but seven weeks later Messier wound up third in team scoring with 23 goals and 63 points.</p><p>With 41 goals and 71 points, Messier has surpassed those figures this season and, taking into account his size, speed and strength, could very well be the left-winger most in demand in the NHL today.</p><p>There&rsquo;s also been a noticeable attitude change in the once free-spirited, easy-riding youngster.</p><p>&ldquo;This has definitely got to help me,&rdquo; he was saying after his hat trick vs. Minnesota, &ldquo;although it won&rsquo;t be the end of the world if I don&rsquo;t get 50 goals. It&rsquo;s in my mind, all right, but the back of my mind. Instead of thinking of that, we&rsquo;ve got to start thinking of how we played in the playoffs last season. Fifty goals is just a small part of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Not far away was Sather&hellip;with a contented grin upon his face.</p><p>His <i>Kiddie Korps</i> is growing up and suddenly all of his patience and tolerance is seemingly worthwhile.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-05

Messier’s Maturity Pleases Edmonton Coach Sather

<p><b>JUNE 20-25 JUNE 27-JULY 2 JULY 4-9 AGES 9-17</b></p><p>&bull; Full training schedule featuring both on-ice and off-ice instruction in Munn Ice Arena & Demonstration Hall</p><p>&bull; Video tape used with instructional lectures.</p><p>&bull; School&rsquo;directed by MSU Varsity coach Ron Mason, foremost expert in skating instruction, instructed many NHL players.</p><p>&bull; Specialized goalie training included</p><p>&bull; Staff includes MSU assistant coaches Shawn Walsh & Terry Christiansen, Ted Sator, head coach, Rogla Hockey Club. Sweden; George Gwozdecky, head coach, U of Wisconsin&mdash;River Falls; Tom Ross, European player, MSU All-American; Barry Smith, head coach,-Elmira College</p><p>&bull; Housing in a chaperoned university residence hall</p><p>&bull; Tremendous food&mdash;the finest facilities&mdash;19 other sports available.</p><p>&bull; The oldest and largest sports school in the nation</p><p>&bull; Use of all recreation facilities on campus.</p><p>For Information Call or Write:</p><p>Michigan State University Summer Sports School Jenison Fieldhouse, East Lansing, Ml 48824 517/355-5264.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HOCKEY SCHOOL 1982

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01506/4519533-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Vancouver coach Harry Neale is one of Stan Smyl&rsquo;s biggest boosters. Says Neale of Smyl: &ldquo;He plays two ways&mdash;good and great.&rdquo;</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo By Bruce Bennett)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>V</span>ANCOUVER&mdash;It is fairly well documented around the league that Stan Smyl is a player&rsquo;s player. Not enormously gifted, but then no blacksmith either, Smyl hardly ever has a discussion when he doesn&rsquo;t mention the word work. When he&rsquo;s-talking about the way he makes his living, he never misses an opportunity to dwell on what got him to the National Hockey League and what keeps him the most valuable player on the Canucks&mdash;hard, intelligent work.</p><p>Smyl is the son of a St. Paul, Alta., car dealer, and while his father may be having problems moving the product in these dire days of the auto industry slump, Smyl is not having trouble moving himself or, lately, his team.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Stan Smyl on donning captain&rsquo;s &lsquo;C&rsquo;: &ldquo;It gave me a feeling of responsibility and&hellip;a lot of confidence&rdquo;</b></blockquote><p>The Canucks recently came off a four-game road trip which certainly marked the high point of their touring schedule this season as they gained seven of a possible eight points with wins in Toronto, St. Louis and Chicago and a bizarre tie in Detroit.</p><p>Smyl had four goals on the trip as he neared the 30 mark again, but as important as his goals are his constant leadership qualities which tend to go unnoticed by most watchers of the black, orange, red, white etc. He is not the captain of the team, a job performed by defenseman Kevin McCarthy. But certainly the latter would be the first to admit that the Steamer, as everyone calls him, is more than just a helper in the leadership department.</p><p>In describing his right winger, coach Harry Neale intones one of his favorite sayings about the players he has strong feelings for.</p><p>&ldquo;He plays two ways,&rdquo; Neale will say. &ldquo;Good and great.&rdquo;</p><p>Smyl finds it hard to bend at the waist, bows never being his strong suit. In fact, it has often been a chore to get him to say that much around the dressing room until recently, when McCarthy was out with a shoulder injury.</p><p>At that time the coaches put the C on his jersey and the added recognition or responsibility seemed to stoke the always burning fire under him, getting him rewed up.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been telling everyone that it didn&rsquo;t make any difference to me when they put the C on my shirt, but I guess it did,&rdquo; said Smyl. &ldquo;It showed me that they thought well of me and it got me talking in the dressing room more. Everyone has always encouraged me to say more in the room and now 1 am. It gave me a feeling of responsibility and at the same time a lot of confidence. It didn&rsquo;t bother me at all when Kevin came back. I knew it was happening and he was the first to tell me I had done a good job.&rdquo;</p><p>Through some of the time Smyl was captain, the Canucks were losing in their traditional slumber period of January. But they are most certainly rolling now and Smyl is one of the main reasons. He got goals in Toronto, St. Louis and two in Chicago. The only game in which he didn&rsquo;t score was in Detroit, but lots of odd things happened that night, Smyl being the one who created the controversy when he got a breakaway with 35 seconds left and was hauled down by Willie Huber.</p><p>&ldquo;I was going to fake and then go to my right and try to go upstairs,&rdquo; said Smyl, who sustained a charley-horse when he crashed into the goalpost.</p><p>With the second penalty shot of the period called, Ivan Hlinka took the shot after the Canucks, who were trailing 4-3 at the time, made it look as though Thomas Gradin was going to shoot. Gradin circled around at center ice while the attendants cleaned off litter from the ice. Then, at the last minute, Hlinka came out and scored on a backhander on goaltender Gilles Gilbert.</p><p>Gradin had scored a penalty shot goal earlier in the period and Vancouver, which should have been gassed, stole perhaps their first point of the year in a game when they were badly outplayed. Gradin&rsquo;s first three goals on the trip were only his second, third and fourth of the year away from the Pacific Coliseum, though he has had many assists.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

Smyl’s Leadership Evident Through Actions On The Ice

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK LYON</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>MONCTON&mdash;Playing in the American Hockey League is almost a new experience for Mike Kasczyki, but the former NHL veteran is making the most of his opportunity while trying to battle his way back to the big time.</p><p>Kasczyki performed in six games for the Rochester Americans in the 1977-78 campaign and has been showing his talents in the minor leagues for the past two years for Dallas in the CHL and currently for the AHL&rsquo;s pacesetting Hawks.</p><p>The 26-year-old player, who was a member of three different NHL organizations, is heading toward the best season of his six-year pro career. Kasczyki has been a mainstay of the Hawks by competing in all 58 games while leading the AHL in scoring with 28 goals and 81 points.</p><p>The Hawks have combined the talents of veterans and rookies alike with coach Orval Tessier guiding New Brunswick to the best record of any club. Tessier is in his fifth year of professional coaching after serving many years as a junior coach and he has handled the transition admirably.</p><p>New Brunswick shot past Maine with a 25-game stretch that saw them win 19 times while losing three and tieing three. The Hawks were also riding a 17-game home winning streak as they had not lost at the Moncton Coliseum since December 2.</p><p><b>ERIE</b>&mdash;The Blades haven&rsquo;t had much luck winning in their two visits to the Canadian Maritimes. Erie was 0-3-1 in their first visit, which led to a 12-game winless streak early in the season, and the Blades were in the middle of another swing through Canada while losing four straight.</p><p>Included in the losses were setbacks at Moncton 9-2 and Halifax 6-1 to run Erie&rsquo;s road record in Canada to 0-5-1. The Blades also fell in Binghamton 8-6 and in Springfield 4-3.</p><p>Mike Krushelnyski, still in contention for the AHL scoring title with 78 points, had two goals and two assists in the loss to Binghamton.</p><p>Jim Hamilton was on a tear with nine goals over nine games which gave him 34 points in 46 games.</p><p>Dave Hannan has emerged as one of the Blades&rsquo; top rookies with 47 points and 92 penalty minutes.</p><p><b>MAINE</b>&mdash;Although Bob Sullivan of Binghamton was stealing the spotlight with his scoring streak, Maine&rsquo;s Wayne Schaab was also wielding a hot hand as he extended his personal streak to 15 games.</p><p>Schaab (65 points), Paul Evans (66) and Gordie Clark (67) were still holding down three of the top ten positions in the scoring race.</p><p>The Mariners had a tough week in dropping three of four contests. Maine came out short at Rochester 6-3, returned home to topple Binghamton 5-1 before 5,563 and then lost at home to Hershey 7-2. The Portland crew then started a Maritime road trip by succumbing to New Brunswick 4-2 in a struggle between the North&rsquo;s two top teams.</p><p>Maine outshot the Bears 36-27, but that wasn&rsquo;t enough to stop Hershey from beating the Mariners for the fourth time this season. Coach Bob McCammon was still trying to figure out just why the Mariners haven&rsquo;t been able to beat the Bears. The Mariners have a winning record against every team in the AHL, but have yet to beat the Hershey jinx.</p><p><b>NEW HAVEN</b>&mdash;Rookie Bernie Nicholls sparked the Nighthawks to a seven-game winning streak as he averaged three points per outing with 12 goals and nine assists over the seven games.</p><p>In running his goal total to 36 for the season the first year pro was approaching the AHL rookie goal scoring record of 44 shared by Randy Wilson and Jerry Holland.</p><p>The Nighthawks claimed three more victories before their eight-game unbeaten streak came to an end against Hershey. Latest to fall to coach Nick Beverley&rsquo;s charges were Adirondack 3-1, Binghamton 7-5 and Springfield 5-2.</p><p>Goalie Gary Bromley came up with a 42-save performance against the Whalers while Brock Tredway totaled two goals and three assists and Nicholls a goal and four assists.</p><p>Nicholls responded with a hat trick to propel New Haven over Springfield and goalie Jim Rutherford kept his unbeaten streak going at 5-0-1.</p><p>Nicholls had a two-goal game in the 7-4 setback to Hershey.</p><p>Scott Gruhl was among the Top 20 in scoring with 55 points and Tredway led the AHL in hat tricks with three.</p><p>The Nighthawks enjoyed the best road record with a mark of 14-12-3.</p><p><b>ROCHESTER</b>&mdash;The Americans were unbeaten in eight games, which proved to be their longest unbeaten streak since 1976.</p><p>Goalie Tim Bernhardt was instrumental in the Rochester turnaround with the Americans going from winless in seven games to their present streak. Bernhardt was 5-0-1 in playing six straight games and showed a goals against mark of 2.36.</p><p>The tide turned for Rochester when the parent Sabres sent down J.F. Sauve and Bob Hess to the Americans. Sauve was teamed with Mai Davis and Dave Gorman and the trio was terrorizing opponents by scoring 33 points in four games. Sauve had four goals and eight assists, Gorman three goals and six assists and Davis six goals and six assists.</p><p>The Americans topped all four foes for the week in claiming wins over Maine 6-3, Hershey 3-1 on the road. Springfield 7-2 and Adirondack 4-3 in Glens Falls.</p><p>Sauve had three points against Maine with Rochester playing before a sellout crowd of 7,108. It was the Americans third sellout this season.</p><p>Rochester&rsquo;s victory in Hershey was their first win since February 6, 1980 at Hersheypark. Davis led the way over Springfield with his four-goal hat trick. Gorman had four points and Hess was on the ice when all seven goals were scored.,</p><p>Kai Suikkanen hit for two goals in the victory in Glens Falls.</p><p><b>ADIRONDACK</b>&mdash;The Red Wings were trying to solve a big problem as they set a new record for losing at the Civic Center in Glens Falls. Adiron-dack established a team record for futility as their home losing streak stretched to five games at 0-4-1.</p><p>Despite their inability to win before the always jammed house at the Civic Center, the Wings were keeping pace by winning on the road.</p><p>Coach Doug McKay saw his club streak to a five game unbeaten skein on the road that was ended with a 3-1 loss in New Haven.</p><p>Greg Stefan made 36 saves against the Nighthawks with Brian MacDavid getting the only Red Wing goal.</p><p>Greg Joly and Dennis Polonich each had two points in a 4-3 home loss to Rochester before 5,273.</p><p>The Red Wings were also happy tc get back Joe Paterson from Detroit to help out in the penalty killing department. Detroit called back Eric Vail, who had seven points in ten games.</p><p>Scott Vanderburgh and Don Murdoch returned to the lineup after nursing injuries.</p><p>Center Rich Shinske had his sevengame scoring streak ended, but he still had 12 goals in 13 games.</p><p><b>HERSHEY</b>&mdash;The Bears continued their fight with Springfield for the eighth and final playoff spot. When this issue went to press both teams were tied with 52 points.</p><p>Though Hershey was only able to break even by winning two of four games during the week, they were pleased with the fact that their two wins came against Maine and New Haven.</p><p>The 7-2 triumph over Maine was Hershey&rsquo;s fourth this season over the Mariners as they continued their hex. Lou Franceschetti led the rout with two goals and two assists.</p><p>Hershey ended New Haven&rsquo;s long unbeaten streak with Joe Contini keying the Bears&rsquo; attack with four points on two goals and two assists. Goalie Rollie Boutin made 37 saves.</p><p>The Bears lost in Springfield 6-4 and also dropped a 3-1 decision to Rochester at home.</p><p>Veteran Jean Pronovost was riding an eight-game scoring streak.</p><p><b>NOVA SCOTIA</b>&mdash;The Vees had some problems after shocking New Brunswick for the second time in five days. After beating their heated rival 4-3 at home before 6,885, the Vees dropped consecutive starts to the last place Express.</p><p>Coach John Brophy&rsquo;s club tripped the Hawks with only 21 shots on goal as goalie Greg Moffet made 32 saves. Guy Carbonneau and John Goodwin led the Vees offensively with a goal and one assist each.</p><p>Dan Daoust recorded the only Nova Scotia goal as they lost 2-1 in Fredericton and then lost again to the Express 6-3 at the Halifax Metro Centre.</p><p>Nova Scotia had more luck as they hosted the last place team from the South and defeated the Blades 6-1. Jeff Brubaker was a one man wrecking crew with four goals. Dan Bolduc aided the cause with a goal and three assists, while Carbonneau passed off for four assists. Mark Holden lost the shutout when he yielded a third period goal.</p><p><b>SPRINGFIELD</b>&mdash;Goalie Rick Strack continued in his role as the Indians&rsquo; workhorse, as he had appeared in more games than any other AHL netminder when this issue went to press. Strack checked in with a 17-18-3 record and 3.63 goals against average which placed him in the Ton Ten.</p><p>Springfield claimed home triumphs over Hershey and Erie before coming out a loser in Rochester 7-2. The Indians returned home and were upended by New Haven 5-2 with Rob McClanahan getting both Springfield goals.</p><p>Strack made 33 saves in a 6-4 win over Hershey with Pat Conacher supplying the offensive firepower with a hat trick. Gary Burns assisted on three goals with Springfield winning despite a 37-24 shot deficit.</p><p>McClanahan had totaled four goals and five assists in seven games, while Burns had eight points over a six-game stretch.</p><p>Defenseman Tim Bothwell and goalie Steve Baker were shipped down to Springfield by the Rangers.</p><p><b>FREDERICTON</b>&mdash;The Express had one of their better weeks of the season as they broke a six-game losing streak and won two straight over the Vees.</p><p>A sellout crowd of 3,458 at the Aitken Center watched the Express edge the Vees 2-1 behind a pair of power play goals by Gaston Therrien. Richard David and Basil McRae assisted on both of the scores.</p><p>David and Wayne Dillon both hit for two goals with the Express winning on the road in Halifax 6-3. It was only Fredericton&rsquo;s fourth road success in 24 games. Newcomer Jere Gillis earned four assists and Clint Malarchuk posted 40 saves as the Express won with only 19 shots.</p><p><b>BINGHAMTON</b>&mdash;Bob Sullivan continued his pursuit of Tommy Burlington&rsquo;s consecutive point scoring streak at press time. Sullivan had garnered at least one point in 23 consecutive games which left him just one game short of the record Burlington set during the 1945-46 season as a member of the Cleveland Barons.</p><p>The Whaler forward started his streak on New Year&rsquo;s Eve and has collected 20 goals and 18 assists in the 23 game stretch. Sullivan has marched up the line in scoring and moved into third place with 69 points while leading the AHL in goals with 38. He also had 14 power play goals to his credit and was the best Binghamton marksman with a shooting percentage of 23.3.</p><p>Binghamton&rsquo;s 32 wins at press time was a new Whaler team record and coach Larry Kish&rsquo;s group was nearing the Binghamton record total of 70 points.</p><p>The Whalers outscored Erie 8-6 at home before 4,268 before dropping consecutive road contests in Maine 5-2 and New Haven 7-5. Ross Yates and Sullivan led the way with two goals each against Erie, Randy MacGregor making good on a penalty shot.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Black Hawks Rolling For Rookie Coach Tessier

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>TOLEDO&mdash;Bill Beagan, who used to hand out penalties and suspensions for fights while serving the International Hockey League as commissioner, wants the rules of the game changed to make the price higher for such offenders.</p><p>In an interview for the Toledo Blade, Beagan, who now is owner of the Toledo franchise in the IHL, has asked the IHL board to discuss his proposal. What Beagan proposes is that penalties for fighting would become automatic game misconducts and would carry an additional penalty of a three-game suspension.</p><p>&ldquo;I would at least like to have it discussed,&rdquo; Beagan said. Under Beagan&rsquo;s proposal, both players involved in a fight would be suspended three successive games and the rule would carry over into the league&rsquo;s post-season playoffs.</p><p>Beagan&rsquo;s proposal would undoubtedly lead to some strategic maneuvers by coaches. For example, a coach could send his 17th player onto the ice to provoke a fight with a rival team&rsquo;s leading scorer, putting him out of the next three games. With the rule in effect for playoffs, that could increase the chances for an upset in early rounds.</p><p>Toledo is currently leading the league and if the playoffs opened at this point in time, Flint would be the first-round opponent. Flint coach Ted Garvin, who is quick to recognize advantages, commented thusly should such an eventuality become reality.</p><p>&ldquo;You know and everyone else knows what 1 would do if Beagan&rsquo;s suspension rule were in effect. I&rsquo;d send my 17th man after Gordie MacFarlane and I might even send my 16th man after Dirk Graham.&rdquo;</p><p>MacFarlane is the second-leading scorer in the league with 84 points. Graham is fifth with 77.</p><p>Continuing on the Beagan proposal, Garvin said: &ldquo;I am absolutely appalled that anyone would think of making a proposal like Beagan has. In the five years I was in Toledo playing to near capacity houses, hockey was built on tough, physical hockey with fighting.</p><p>&ldquo;Toledo again has a winning team in the closest race in the history of the IHL but is drawing less than 2,000 fans a game. A few fights, I feel, would bring the fans back and fill the building again.&rdquo;</p><p>While Beagan was trying to alter the rules of the game, his hockey team continued to rule the standings. The Diggers had a near-perfect week, picking up seven of a possible eight points with a 3-0-1 record. Three of the points came in road games, a 3-2 thriller in Kalamazoo and a 2-2 tie in Milwaukee against the second-place Admirals. The Diggers also edged Fort Wayne, 6-5, and Flint, 3-2, in overtime in home games.</p><p>Graham had a pair of goals in the win at Kalamazoo while goalie Sam St. Laurent was the star in the tie at Milwaukee, kicking out 40 of 42 shots.</p><p>In the game with Fort Wayne, the Diggers bounced back from a 3-0 deficit. MacFarlane tied the game at 17:31 of the final period and Al Wiley got the winner at 2:48 of overtime.</p><p>The week left Toledo with a 35-19-2 record, 72 points and a five-point spread over Milwaukee.</p><p><b>MILWAUKEE</b>&mdash;The Admirals also skated without a loss during the week, matching Toledo&rsquo;s 3-0-1 record. Milwaukee swept a home-and-home series with Muskegon, nipping the Hawks in overtime at home and then taking an 8-5 decision in Muskegon.</p><p>Feature of the week was the battle with Toledo. And it wasn&rsquo;t the 2-2 outcome. The crowd was the story, a whopping 8,679 on Boy Scout Night&mdash;a record for the Admirals.</p><p>Toledo managed the tie on a rare penalty shot by Dirk Graham. In the overtime game with Muskegon, Pat Rabbit got the winner. John Flesch had the hat trick in the 8-5 rematch in Muskegon. The Admirals built a 4-0 lead against Kalamazoo and coasted the rest of the way. Fred Berry had a pair of goals.</p><p>The week left Milwaukee with a 31-20-5 record and 67 points.</p><p><b>KALAMAZOO</b>&mdash;The K-Wings lost some ground in their chase of the top two clubs. Kalamazoo managed but one victory in three outings, a 4-1 win at Muskegon, which was the K-Wings&rsquo; fifth straight win on the road, tieing a club record. A shot at a six-straight road win fell short in Milwaukee, 5-2. The Wings also lost a tough, 3-2 decision to Toledo at home.</p><p>Kalamazoo finished the week with a 30-24-3 record and 64 points.</p><p><b>FORT WAYNE</b>&mdash;The Komets slipped into fifth place via a 1-3-0 record. The lone victory was a 6-4 win over Muskegon in which the Komets scored three goals in just 30 seconds in the second period. Saginaw edged the Komets home, 4-3, and the K&rsquo;s also lost at Flint, 8-5, and Toledo, 6-5. The Komets have gone 14 straight games without a win on the road. The Fort Wayne record is 22-30-5 for 49 points.</p><p><b>SAGINAW</b>&mdash;The Gears moved out of the cellar with a rare road win at Flint. Actually it was a romp, as the Gears bombed the Generals, 10-4, with J.P. Dubois, Paul Conway and Francois Lecomte scoring a pair of goals and Mike Hartman, Gordie Brooks, Al Graves and player-coach Marcel Comeau one apiece.</p><p>The Gears followed with a 4-3 road win at Fort Wayne and then beat Muskegon at home, 7-3, for a perfect 3-0 performance. The Gears record rose to 23-28-4.</p><p><b>FLINT</b>&mdash;After absorbing the 10-4 whipping at home, a performance which brought fines from coach Ted Garvin, the Generals bounced back with a fine performance at Toledo, losing in overtime, 3-2 and an 8-5 win at home over Fort Wayne. Garvin lifted the fines after the Toledo game. Terry McDougall, who finally reported to the Generals after first balking following the trade with Fort Wayne, scored four goals and had seven assists in his first seven games. Flint&rsquo;s record was 21-31-4.</p><p><b>MUSKEGON</b>&mdash;The Mohawks suffered through a winless week which left Gerry Moore still looking for his first victory since taking over as coach, as well as general manager. The Mohawks dropped three road games&mdash;at Saginaw, 7-3; Milwaukee, 6-5 in overtime; and at Fort Wayne, 6-4. At home, the Hawks lost to Kalamazoo, 4-1, and Milwaukee, 8-5. Against Milwaukee, Muskegon was down 7-0 but staged a blistering rally which came up a little short.</p><p>The Mohawk record dropped to 24-35-1.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01476/4519626-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="605" height="906"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Hartman contributed a goal to a Saginaw rout of Flint in the Gears&rsquo; perfect week.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-01

Owner Calls For Stiffer Fighting Penalties

<div class="byline">BY BILL HIGDON</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>WINSTON-SALEM&mdash;Tom Mullen poked in the winning goal in overtime to provide the Salem Raiders with a 2-1 victory and a commanding three-games-to-one advantage February 25 as the Atlantic Coast Hockey League semifinal playoff series took on insurmountable proportions for the trailing Winston-Salem Thuderbirds.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Mohawk Valley Stars admittedly used intimidation tactics to ease ahead of the Baltimore Skipjacks three games to two with a 7-5 win in Utica the same date.</p><p>Salem, which won the pennant during the regular season, extended its home ice record to 12-0 over the T-Birds by beating the North Carolina entry 7-3 and 6-3 in Roanoke County Civic Center.</p><p>Winston-Salem&rsquo;s first playoff win was achieved at home Feb&rsquo; 20 in game two when Peter Dunkley, the sparkplug forward, tied the Raiders with a power play goal in the third period, then added the deciding goal at 2:48 of overtime for a 6-5 decision.</p><p>Gilles Moffet, playing in goal during all three Salem playoff wins, spearheaded an alert defense by gobbling up 65 saves and permitting only seven shots to get past him.</p><p>Goalie Grant McNichol of Winston-Salem held the scoring king, Dave MacQueen, at bay in game four in the Coliseum, but MacQueen had stung the T-bird goalie with four goals and three assists in the previous games.</p><p>A rare overtime penalty call by referee Pat Shetler, holding against Mike Knoke, the T-birds&rsquo; crackerjack defenseman, proved the hosts&rsquo; undoing. Mullen seized upon the extraman scenario, following up passes by Al Aime and Bruce Greig by beating McNichol at 1:59, less than a minute into the penalty.</p><p>Mullen&rsquo;s fourth playoff goal capped a comeback by Salem, which trailed, 1-0, until Paul Stasiuk tallied for the visitors at 1:44 of the third period.</p><p>With two of the three remaining games booked on Salem ice, T-bird hopes ranged from slim to none.</p><p>In the other best-of-seven-games elimination series, Mohawk Valley pinned the Skipjacks&rsquo; backs to the wall when Dave Tracy and Brian Gustafson administered effective checks to Baltimore goalie Jim Stewart, caught out of his net late in the first period.</p><p>With MV ahead, 2-1, on goals by Ernie Boutin and Rich Suwek, Tracy, skating down right wing, knocked Stewart down and drew a charging call. Baltimore was skating a man up when Gustafson leveled the goalie, and a shorthanded goal by defenseman Marc Marchand resulted into an empty net.</p><p>Numerous scuffling followed (seven 10-minute misconducts were ruled by the referee) and momentum, all important in an elimination series, shifted towards Mohawk Valley. The Stars&rsquo; confidence remained high even when Baltimore overcame a 4-1 deficit with a three-goal flurry in the second period.</p><p>Another goal by Marchand with 20 seconds left in the period moved the hosts ahead to stay.</p><p>&ldquo;Our game is one of intimidation against their club,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Bill Horton. &ldquo;We had to get physical in the first period. They outskated us for about 10 minutes and again in the second period. We&rsquo;ve intimidated Baltimore all season long.&rdquo;</p><p>Having Marchand and center Jeff Pyle on the ice together in games four and five was a reminder of the Stars&rsquo; early success formul&mdash;they were 9-0-1 at the start of the season and paced the league until after Pyle and Marchand were reassigned to American Hockey League clubs in mid-season.</p><p>Games one and two in Utica Memorial Auditorium featured tremendous rallies.</p><p>In the opener, Mohawk Valley overcame a two-goal deficit with a tally by Gustafson at 9:44 in period three followed by a dramatic tieing score by center Ed Smith with three seconds left in regulation. Smith fed Dennis Martin for the game-winner at 4:08 of overtime for a 5-4 MV win.</p><p>The Skipjacks reversed the trend in game two, rallying for five straight goals within a 10-minute span, creating another overtime situation and then winning on Gary Conn&rsquo;s goal seven seconds into the extra period. Conn alertly played a carom off the boards and found the net open when MV goalie Bill Provencher left his crease in pursuit of the puck. Final score: Baltimore 8, Stars 7.</p><p>The Skipjacks had a much easier skate the following night in the spacious Baltimore Civic Center where a league record crowd of 6,246 shouted approval of an 8-3 romp.</p><p>Both benches emptied with 1:14 to play after a fan reached out a hand to Gustafson and Conn, who were tussling along the boards. The two teams accumulated 272 in penalties, mostly during the melee which developed.</p><p>Mohawk Valley bounced back, winning game four with a masterful effort in goal by veteran Randy Ireland, who had 35 saves.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Overtime Goal Brings Raiders To Finals’ Edge

<div class="byline">BY TOM BURKE</div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>OSTON&mdash;It&rsquo;s not how good you are that counts in Eastern college hockey. It&rsquo;s when you&rsquo;re good. A streak at the right time will get you into the playoffs, just as surely as a slump at the wrong time will banish you to the outer darkness.</p><p>This year, it&rsquo;s Harvard. Maybe. A good start, a horrendous middle, and a blazing finish should&mdash;barring a near miraculous upset on the season&rsquo;s last day&mdash;snap a six-year skein of out-of-the-money finishes and put the Crimson into the playoffs for the first time since 1976.</p><p>Three impressive wins at Bright Center during the season&rsquo;s last week raised the Harvard record to 10-8-2 in ECAC play. The final game of the year for Harvard is against Dartmouth, a team that the Crimson walloped 11-1 back in November. The wins were by 6-3 over streaking Northeast ter, a team that already has a playoff berth sewn up in its best season ever, 10-0 over Princeton and 7-0 over Cornell.</p><p>Harvard coach Bill Cleary attributes the surge to his team&rsquo;s evolving ability to finish off the offensive plays. Against the Huskies, Harvard trailed 3-2 after two periods but scored four straight times in the final 20 minutes. NU goalie Tim Marshall faced 45 shots.</p><p>The back-to-back shutouts were the second and third of senior Wade Lau&rsquo;s career. Six different players scored against Northeastern, and freshman Scott Fusco has a hat trick against Princeton. The dual marksman against Cornell was Greg Olson with a pair of goals. Harvard&rsquo;s defense was excellent against the Big Red, allowing just 20 shots on Lau.</p><p>Cornell, only mathematically alive for the playoffs now, kissed the game goodbye in the first 13:01 when Harvard racked up a 5-0 lead and allowed just six shots on goal. For the first time in 19 season, unless a very unlikely set of permutations happens, Cornell will not be among the top eight.</p><p>Actually, we shouldn&rsquo;t count Harvard in yet either, despite their little burst. Yale, by beating both Dartmouth and Cornell in the final week of the season, could top the Ivy Division and leave Harvard out of the hoedown again. That could put the Crimson into the same category as crosstown rival Boston University, a team that has won the last three games it&rsquo;s played but won&rsquo;t make the playoffs due to falling into a hole early.</p><p>Given the Ivy Division&rsquo;s weaker overall record, probably only one team will represent the Ivies in the playoffs. So Harvard or Yale will get home ice on March 9 and the other will pack its bags unless Providence, Colgate, or St. Lawrence falls apart.</p><p>Northeastern rebounded from its Harvard loss to grind out a 4-1 win over Boston College in the Northeastern Arena. Paul McDougall&rsquo;s power play tally at 16:17 of the first period put the Huntington Hounds in front to stay, but they needed two scores by Scot McKenney at 13:42 and 16:15 of the third frame to wrap it up. Overall, the win was Northeastern&rsquo;s 19th of the year, the most they&rsquo;ve ever had in a single season.</p><p>New Hampshire kept pace with the Hounds, dropping a 6-4 decision at Yale but whipping Maine 8-5 to stay just a half game astern in the ECAC East. Yale&rsquo;s senior Jim Steiner broke a 4-4 tie with an unassisted goal at 12:14 of the final period and Matt Bohan added the clincher at 17:07 against UNH. But in the Maine game, Paul Barton had a hat trick and Jay Miller and Norm LaCombe each scored twice in a 50-shot assault on Pete Smith.</p><p>Boston College, assured of at least a spot in the top eight as are UNH and NU, dropped a couple of notches with a 6-2 loss to Vermont preceding the defeat by Northeastern. UVM, out of the playoff running, got goals from six different players and played its best defensive game of the year, according to coach Jimmy Cross. The winning goal was scored by Kirk McCaskill, the junior who&rsquo;s having a great year but who won&rsquo;t get playoff exposure.</p><p>Defense was lacking for UVM the following evening as they journeyed to Providence and were roasted 11-1 by the Friars. The hat trick man was junior Kurt Kleinendorst while Mike Bolstad and Rich Costello each had two goals. PC cannot win the ECAC East or get home ice, but they are this writer&rsquo;s pick to win the playoffs once again. The victory was PC&rsquo;s eighth in its last nine games.</p><p>Clarkson wrapped up the overall ECAC pennant with wins of 4-3 at Princeton and 7-2 over RPI, boosting their overall record to a nations&rsquo; best 25-3-2. Deron Bauer had two goals against Princeton in a game that wasn&rsquo;t as close as the score indicates because the Tigers scored twice in the last 2:06. Bofrey had another pair against RPI as did Colin Patterson.</p><p>St. Lawrence won a pair of home games, nipping Western Division rival Colgate was scored by Steve Rich, who RPI 5-1. The winning goal against Colgate was scored by Steve Rich, who bounced a shot off a defenseman&rsquo;s leg at 5:52 of the extra period. Colgate had taken a 3-1 first period lead but couldn&rsquo;t hold on. Against RPI, it was a goalie&rsquo;s duel between SLU&rsquo;s Gray Weicker and RPI&rsquo;s Gerry Fink until Mike Hynes tallied at 6:20 of the second and Kent Carlson and Randy Sexton added goals later in the period. Weicker lost a shutout with 1:39 to go when Jay Wall scored.</p><p>Cornell spirited a game away from Dartmouth when Roy Kerling scored at 19:59 of the third period to give the Red a 5-4 decision in Hanover. Randy MacFarlane&rsquo;s two goals in the third period set the stage for Kerling&rsquo;s game winner.</p><p>Dartmouth beat Brown 6-3 earlier in the week behind pair of goals by Bruce Cullen and Tom lerna, then dropped a 4-3 overtime game to Princeton when Paul Matthews scored at 7:39 of OT. Princeton goalie Ron Dennis had 43 saves for the Tigers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Timing The Key For ECAC Playoff Hopefuls

<div class="byline">BY B. L. ELFRING</div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>SWEGO, NY&mdash;After all the haggling about whether the Potsdam State Bears should even be in the ECAC Division Two West playoffs, the Bears went to the shores of Lake Erie and shocked the number one seeded Oswego State Great Lakers in overtime, 6-5.</p><p>Head coach John Horan&rsquo;s Bears finished fourth in the New York College Hockey Association during the regular season with a 7-6-1 record, but only an 8-11-1 record in overall Division Two play. Because the NYCHA was guaranteed four spots in the ECAC West tournament, the Bears bumped Union from the tournament despite the Dutchmen&rsquo;s superior 13-10-1 Division Two record.</p><p>The Bears took advantage of their good fortunes though, beating the Great Lakers for the second time this season. The Bears are thanking the Marcoux family of Blainville, Que., for sending three sons, Denis, Pierre and Yves to the Potsdam, N.Y.-based school. The three combined to score all six goals, Denis getting the game winner 17 seconds into overtime, while Yves had the hat trick and Pierre had two.</p><p>&ldquo;The real key for us was to get through the first ten minutes of the game,&rdquo; commented a happy Horan.</p><p>&ldquo;Our goalie, Randy Brown [28 saves], came up big early and gave us a chance to win it.&rdquo;</p><p>Another big upset in the western playoffs saw sixth R.I.T. drop third seeded Norwich University, 5-4, on the Cadets&rsquo; home ice. Brian Mason&rsquo;s Tigers, in their first season of eligibility for tournament play, built a 5-2 lead behind Chris Johnstone&rsquo;s two goals and one assist, before holding off a furious Norwich comeback.</p><p>With the No. 1 and 3 seeds out of the tournament, second seeded Plattsburgh State becomes the favorite to win the title for the second straight year. Herb Hammond&rsquo;s Cardinals needed a five-goal third period to dispose of Elmira College, 7-3. Chip Grabowski and Jim Griffin each had <i>a</i> pair of goals in the game, but it was defenseman Rick Young&rsquo;s goal at 6:34 of the third period that proved to be the game winner.</p><p>The fourth western quarterfinal game saw No. 4 seeded North Adams State, the big surprise of the year, defeat Williams College, 5-3. The Mohawks of coach Jim Ellingwood had a 3-0 lead after two periods on the strength of two Jim Moore goals, but needed late goals from Glen Nazarian and Leo Doyle to secure the victory after Williams had closed within one.</p><p>Semifinal match-ups have Plattsburgh State hosting Potsdam State while R.I.T. visits North Adams. The two winners will play for the ECAC Division Two West title at the home of the highest seeded team in the final.</p><p>Things went according to form in the eastern playoffs, as the home ice teams won all four games. Number one Lowell was just too strong for eighth seeded Holy Cross, disposing of the Crusaders 8-2. The Chiefs, the defending east champions, had a three-goal-lead after one, and built their lead to 7-1 by the end of the second period. Junior center Mike Carr had a five-point night for the Chiefs, while senior defenseman Paul Lohnes, a finalist for this year&rsquo;s Hobey Baker Award, set two more ECAC records for defenseman scoring.</p><p>Steve Stirling&rsquo;s Babson College Beavers had a tough time fending off the challenge of seventh seeded Salem State. Two third period goals by sophomore Paul Donato broke open a 3-3 tie and sent the Beavers into a semifinal date with number three seeded Merrimack.</p><p>A big third period secured Merrimack&rsquo;s spot in the semifinals as the Warriors defeated Bowdoin College, 7-4. Bruce Parker&rsquo;s club built their lead to 6-2 in the third period, then held off any Polar Bear comeback hopes. Senior Jeff Bullock had a hat trick for the Warriors.</p><p>The last east semifinal game pitted New England College, the No. 4 four seed, against Colby College, the No. 5 team. Bill Beaney&rsquo;s Pilgrims prevailed for the second time this year, 5-2, as senior Ed Galiani tallied a hattrick, while linemate Jeff Beaney scored a goal and added two assists.</p><p>Semifinal pairings in the east have Lowell hosting New England College and Babson entertaining Merrimack. The two winners still play at the home of the highest seeded team remaining for the east title and a berth in the NCAA Division Two Tournament.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Potsdam, RIT Win In Division II West; Favorites All Advance In The East

<h2>CCHA CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01446/4519960-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="550" height="364"></div><h3>FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF PAIRINGS</h3><p>Northern Michigan at Bowling Green</p><p>Lake Superior at Michigan State</p><p>Ferris State at Michigan Tech.</p><p>Michigan at Notre Dame</p><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Bowling Green 7, Michigan 1</p><p>Bowling Green 5. Michigan 3</p><p>Michigan State 10, Ferris State 2</p><p>Ferris State 4, Michigan State 3</p><p>Lake Superior 3, No. Michigan 0</p><p>No. Michigan 5, Lake Superior 2</p><p>Miami 6, Ohio State 4</p><p>Ohio State 7, Miami 5</p><p>Western Michigan 6, Notre Dame 3</p><p>Notre Dame 10, Western Michigan 8</p><p>Michigan Tech. 8, Chicago Circle 6</p><p>Michigan Tech. 10, Chicago Circle 3</p><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02320/4519953-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="544" height="386"></div><h2>WCHA CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03241/4519946-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="544" height="193"></div><h3>PLAYOFF PAIRINGS</h3><p>Colorado College vs Minnesota</p><p>UMD vs Denver</p><p>(Both series two-game total-goals)</p><p>North Dakota and Wisconsin gain first-round byes</p><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>North Dakota 8, Denver 4</p><p>Denver 4, North Dakota 3</p><p>Duluth 9, Wisconsin 8</p><p>Minnesota 4, Colorado College 3</p><p>Minnesota 8, Colorado College 3</p><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04180/4519939-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="545" height="518"></div><h2>ECAC CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. March 1)</b></p><h3>DIVISION I EAST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05156/4519932-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="542" height="197"></div><h3>WEST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06137/4519925-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="545" height="168"></div><h3>IVY REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07127/4519918-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="546" height="193"></div><h3>INDEPENDENT</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-08117/4519911-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="542" height="61"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Army 9, AIC 3</p><p>Clarkson 4, Princeton 3</p><p>Harvard 6, Northeastern 3</p><p>Vermont 6, Boston College 2</p><p>Maine 6, Bowdoin 5</p><p>Dartmouth 6, Brown 3</p><p>St. Lawrence 5, Colgate 4</p><p>Providence 11, Vermont 1</p><p>Yale 6, New Hampshire 4</p><p>Cornell 5, Dartmouth 4</p><p>Clarkson 7, RPI 2</p><p>Harvard 10, Princeton 0</p><p>Colgate 5, Vermont 2</p><p>Harvard 7, Cornell 0</p><p>St. Lawrence 5, RPI 1</p><p>New Hampshire 8, Maine 5</p><p>Northeastern 4, Boston College 2</p><p>Boston University 9, Brown 2</p><p>Princeton 4, Dartmouth 3</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-09111/4519904-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="549" height="305"></div><h2>Final Standings</h2><h3>DIVISION II EAST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-10108/4519897-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="550" height="444"></div><h3>WEST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-11100/4519890-1-eng-US/f0028-112.jpg" title="f0028-11" width="548" height="269"></div><h3>NYCHA REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1296/4519883-1-eng-US/f0028-122.jpg" title="f0028-12" width="547" height="268"></div><h2>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h2><h3>EAST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1388/4519876-1-eng-US/f0028-132.jpg" title="f0028-13" width="547" height="330"></div><h3>WEST REGION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1478/4519869-1-eng-US/f0028-142.jpg" title="f0028-14" width="546" height="331"></div><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><h3>DIVISION III</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1574/4519862-1-eng-US/f0028-152.jpg" title="f0028-15" width="552" height="657"></div><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1658/4519855-1-eng-US/f0028-162.jpg" title="f0028-16" width="547" height="300"></div><h2>PENN CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. Feb. 22)</b></p><h3>WEST PENN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1744/4519848-1-eng-US/f0028-172.jpg" title="f0028-17" width="545" height="170"></div><h3>GREATER PITT DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1841/4519841-1-eng-US/f0028-182.jpg" title="f0028-18" width="543" height="195"></div><h2>SCHA CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 26)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-1938/4519834-1-eng-US/f0028-192.jpg" title="f0028-19" width="548" height="257"></div><h2>ONTARIO CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2031/4519827-1-eng-US/f0028-202.jpg" title="f0028-20" width="550" height="336"></div><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2131/4519820-1-eng-US/f0028-212.jpg" title="f0028-21" width="547" height="279"></div><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2228/4519813-1-eng-US/f0028-222.jpg" title="f0028-22" width="541" height="113"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Toronto 5, Laurier 2</p><p>Toronto 6, Laurier 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2327/4519806-1-eng-US/f0028-232.jpg" title="f0028-23" width="539" height="115"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Guelph 2, McMaster 1 Guelph 5, McMaster 2</p><p>QUARTER FINALS Lauier 7, Queen&rsquo;s 3</p><p>McMaster 6, York 5</p><p><b>(Sudden-death games)</b></p><h2>QUEBEC CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2422/4519799-1-eng-US/f0028-242.jpg" title="f0028-24" width="544" height="222"></div><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2521/4519792-1-eng-US/f0028-252.jpg" title="f0028-25" width="543" height="276"></div><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2617/4519785-1-eng-US/f0028-262.jpg" title="f0028-26" width="540" height="113"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Concordia 6, Laval 4</p><p>Concordia 6, Laval 4</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2716/4519778-1-eng-US/f0028-272.jpg" title="f0028-27" width="540" height="115"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>T-Rivieres 5, Ottawa 2</p><p>T-Rivieres 5. Ottawa 4</p><h2>ATLANTIC CONFERENCE</h2><h3>KELLY DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2815/4519771-1-eng-US/f0028-282.jpg" title="f0028-28" width="544" height="166"></div><h3>McADAM DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-2915/4519764-1-eng-US/f0028-292.jpg" title="f0028-29" width="545" height="166"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Dalhousie 6, St. Mary&rsquo;s 3</p><p>St. F. Xavier 8, Acadia 5</p><p>Mt. Allison 10, St. Thomas 5</p><p>Mt. Allison 5, UNB 3</p><p>UPEI 7, St. Thomas 3</p><p>St. Mary&rsquo;s 16, Memorial 2</p><p>Moncton 7, Dalhousie 5</p><p>Moncton 8, St. F. Xavier 3</p><p>UNB 3, UPE 11</p><p>St. Mary&rsquo;s 11, Memorial 0</p><h2>CANADA WEST CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-3015/4519757-1-eng-US/f0028-302.jpg" title="f0028-30" width="541" height="140"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Saskatchewan 5, Calgary 2</p><p>Calgary 3, Saskatchewan 2</p><p>UBC 2, Alberta 1</p><p>Alberta 6, UBC 3</p><h2>GPAC CONFERENCE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-3115/4519750-1-eng-US/f0028-312.jpg" title="f0028-31" width="546" height="173"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Brandon 6, Winnipeg 4</p><p>Brandon 6, Winnipeg 2</p><p>Regina 6, Manitoba 1</p><p>Regina 6, Manitoba 4</p><h2>ONTARIO COLLEGES</h2><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-3215/4519743-1-eng-US/f0028-322.jpg" title="f0028-32" width="543" height="113"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Humber 9, Canadore 3</p><p>Humber 5, Canadore 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-3315/4519736-1-eng-US/f0028-332.jpg" title="f0028-33" width="542" height="111"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Seneca 7, Centennial 1</p><p>Seneca 8, Centennial 3</p><h3>QUARTER-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-3414/4519729-1-eng-US/f0028-342.jpg" title="f0028-34" width="540" height="221"></div><div class="sidebar"><p><b>VICTORIAVILLE</b></p><p><b>Quality sticks from PeeWee to Pro.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0028-01

How They Stand In College Races

<div class="byline">BY JIM SCHNEIDER</div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>NN ARBOR&mdash;Junior center Brian Hills snapped a 3-3 tie at 9:40 of the third period to give Bowling Green a 5-3 win and a series sweep over Michigan to give the Falcons their third Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship in the past five seasons.</p><p>The Falcons beat Michigan in the opener 7-1 as George McPhee earned three assists in the first 10 minutes to set the CCHA career scoring record. His total of 258 points in four seasons breaks the mark of 255 set by Northern Michigan&rsquo;s Bill Joyce (1976-80).</p><p>In other CCHA action Michigan State split two games with Ferris State, winning the opener 10-2 at home to stay in the title race until the last day of the season before losing to Ferris State 4-3.</p><p>Western Michigan beat Notre Dame 6-3 in the opener before losing in the wild rematch, 10-8. Lake Superior and Northern Michigan closed out the regular season with a split that put both clubs in the playoffs. Lake Superior won the first game 3-0 and NMU clinched a playoff spot with a 5-2 win in the second game, only the second win for the defending champions in the 1982 portion of the schedule.</p><p>Miami and Ohio State split two games with Miami knocking the Buckeyes out of the playoff race in the opener, 6-4. Ohio State took the second game, 7-5.</p><p>In non-league action Michigan Tech beat Chicago-Circle twice, 8-6 and 10-3.</p><p>Hills captured the CCHA scoring title with his game-winning goal at Michigan as he finished with a season-record 60 points, edging Michigan State&rsquo;s Newell Brown by one point. Brown set a new league assist record with 44 and Hills and MSU&rsquo;s Mark Hamway set a new single season record for goals with 28. MSU&rsquo;s Ron Scott earned the goaltending crown with a new single season mark of 2.75.</p><p>Peter Wilson scored at 2:08 of the first period to give BG a quick lead in the opener of the series played in Bowling Green, but Michigam&rsquo;s Don Krussman tied the game with an unassisted goal at 3:42.</p><p>Wilson made the scored 2-1 at 4:51 and the Falcons scored the next six goals as McPhee finished the game with a goal and three assists.</p><p>Dave O&rsquo;Brian gave BG a 2-0 lead in the rematch in Ann Arbor, but the Wolverines, fighting for fourth place and home ice in the playoffs, tied the game on goals by senior co-captain Steve Richmond and Jim McCauley just 27 seconds apart mid-way through the first period.</p><p>Perry Braun put BG back on top, but Michigan&rsquo;s Jeff Grade finished off a nifty pass from Paul Brandrup to tie the game at 17:44. The second period ended with the clock running out before Hills and McPhee could get a shot away in a two-on-none effort against Michigan&rsquo;s Jon Hlliott.</p><p>Hills collected the winner, his 31st goal overall, at 9:20 of the third period and Andre Latreille iced the game at 17:11. Mike David had 53 saves in the sweep.</p><p>Michigan State scored six times in the second period and added four more goals in the third period in the opener vs Ferris State as Hamway scored three goals and Brown and Lyle Phair each scored two goals. All three had five points for MSU in the opener, played before 6,378 fans in MSU&rsquo;s Munn Ice Arena.</p><p>FSC bounced back in an emotional game in Big Rapids before a packed house of 2,575 in the FSC Ice Arena in the final home game for coach Rick Duffett, who announced his resignation last week. Senior Randy Strong scored the winner for the Bulldogs at 19:11 of the second period.</p><p>Western Michigan senior Ross Fitzpatrick closed out his career with a bang, earning CCHA Player of the Week honors for the second time this season as he scored hat tricks in each game in the split at Notre Dame.</p><p>WMU, fighting for a playoff position, grabbed a 3-0 lead early in the opener and held on as Fitzpatrick scored a goal in each period and linemate Bob Scurfield collected three assists.</p><p>Notre Dame used a &ldquo;two-for-one&rdquo; offense in the second game, dominating the first two periods and building an 8-1 lead to gain the final home ice position for the playoffs. ND scored goals in pairs with Paul Salem and Sean Regan scoring at 2:44 and 3:53 of the second period and Bill Rothstein and Kirt Bjork scoring 38 seconds apart (8:13 and 8:51) in the second period. Rothstein and Jeff Perry had the quickest pair, just seven seconds apart, to make the score 8-1 and Rex Bellomy and Regan added the winning pair 24 seconds apart in the third period.</p><p>Fitzpatrick collected his sixth hat trick of the season to spark the wild WMU rally with his third consecutive goal scored at 00:20 of the third period, the first of five Bronco goals in the third period.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Falcons Cop 3rd CCHA Championship In 5 Years

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MURRAY</div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ASKATOON&mdash;The battle lines have been drawn for the finals in Western Canada and the University of Saskatchewan has won the right to host the best-of-three finals.</p><p>For the third week in a row, all four teams split their two games, thus eliminating the Alberta Golden Bears from the playoff scene. &ldquo;We lost some close ones early in the year and were never able to regain any momentum,&rdquo; stated Clare Drake, the longtime Golden Bear coach.</p><p>No one at all is conceding a second straight championship banner to the Saskatchewan Huskies, and for just reasons. During the last two seasons the visiting team has waltzed in and won the CWUAA championship while on the road.</p><p>Dave King, coach of the Huskies, is not taking the Calgary Dinosaurs lightly. &ldquo;They won two of the four games in our building during the regular season, plus they have the best road record of any team in our conference.&rdquo;</p><p>Two years ago the Dinosaurs upset the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton and King doesn&rsquo;t let his players forget that little fact. Plus the Huskies last season earned a berth in the National finals when they won two games in Calgary, so home ice hasn&rsquo;t been the great advantage that one would expect.</p><p>Dinosaurs&rsquo; coach George Kingston expects a rugged series and feels that the specialty teams will go a long way in deciding the outcome. &ldquo;We had the worst power play in the league and we&rsquo;re due to break out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping that it will come around in time for the playoffs.&rdquo; With a success rate of only 12 percent, it really is not indicative of the offensive power that the Dinosaurs have.</p><p>The real winners, no doubt, will be the fans. For the first time in over two decades the Huskies will be hosting the finals and Rutherford Arena will be filled to capacity.</p><p><b>GPAC</b>&mdash;The battle of the Great Plains giants is still unsettled as Regina and Brandon split their weekend series. Yet for Regina&rsquo;s coach Reg Higgs his Cougars accomplished exactly what they set out to do, clinch first place with a split against the Bobcats.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a steady diet of Winnipeg and Lakehead during our last eight games and it showed out there tonight,&rdquo; said Higgs after his No. 1 ranked Cougars were bombed 9-4. The Bobcat victory was their third straight on home ice against Regina.</p><p>&ldquo;I told the guys that they must make the adjustment back to defensive hockey if they hoped to win,&rdquo; Higgs said. The Cougars must have listened well as they shut down the high-flying Bobcats.</p><p>After 40 minutes of action the teams were deadlocked at two, but with 8:23 remaining rookie Brent Hogan scored his biggest goal of the year and the Cougars held on for an exciting 3-2 victory.</p><p>The stage is set for the finals in Regina, with neither team really having a definite edge as the teams split their six regular season contests.</p><p><b>QUAA</b>&mdash;The Quebec coaches finally put their heads together and came up with an All Star team isn&rsquo;t political.</p><p>Last year the University of Concordia completely dominated the Quebec Conference with only a single defeat blemishing their outstanding record. But when the All Star team was announced only one Stinger was on it and to add insult to injury, the coaches chose Ottawa&rsquo;s Norm Chouinard over Concordia&rsquo;s Paul Arsenault as Coach of the Year.</p><p>Paul Arsenault has coached the Stingers to a two season record of 44-3-3. There really wasn&rsquo;t any other choice for the Coach of the Year. The six coaches split their votes between the Stingers&rsquo; two fine netminders&mdash;Dan Burrows and Stephane Heon&mdash;who tied for All Star honors.</p><p>The only unanimous selection was Laval&rsquo;s Serge Tourcotte, who along with Concordia&rsquo;s Mike Walker made up the blueline corps. Freshman Andre Carlos won the individual scoring race with 19 goals and 35 assists so his selection as the All Star center came as no surprise.</p><p>Carlos&rsquo;s linemates on the &lsquo;82 dream team are Bishop&rsquo;s outstanding right winger Paul Bedard and Chicoutimi&rsquo;s Francois St. Marie. Bedard&rsquo;s talent shone through even though he was on the second to last place team, where St. Marie was involved in 41 percent of the Inuks&rsquo; goals, finishing in sixth place in the scoring parade.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Huskies Cautious Despite Home Edge

<div class="byline">BY VIRG FOSS</div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>ENVER&mdash;The University of North Dakota spent much of the season going in circles like a cat chasing its tail, but unlike the mythical cat, the Sioux caught up to theirs on the last weekend of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season.</p><p>North Dakota, which trailed Wisconsin by as much as 3&frac12; games with just eight games remaining, won the WCHA championship for the third time in four years by gunning down Denver 8-4 here while the Wisconsin Badgers were losing a 9-8 shootout in Duluth to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.</p><p>As a result, North Dakota finished &frac12; game ahead of Wisconsin, which had opened the season by forging 13 wins and one tie out of its first 14 games.</p><p>It was a long haul for North Dakota to come back from Wisconsin&rsquo;s fast start. North Dakota completed the climb to the top by sweeping Wisconsin in Grand Forks on the next-to-last weekend of the season, then held the mountaintop by themselves by clinching the title by beating Denver as Duluth did in Wisconsin.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody said it couldn&rsquo;t be done, coming from seven points back like we did. That&rsquo;s what makes this title so special. This is the best one ever,&rdquo; said North Dakota coach Gino Gasparini, of the third title his team has won in his four seasons as head coach.</p><p>North Dakota&rsquo;s fine balance was very much in evidence on the night the title was clinched. All four Sioux lines scored as North Dakota overcame the shock of seeing Denver score two goals in the first 61 seconds of the game for a quick 2-0 lead.</p><p>Steve Palmiscno and Cary Eades scored two goals apiece and Dusty Carroll, David Tippett, Phil Sykes and Glen White added one each as North Dakota rattled off five straight goals after Denver&rsquo;s early outburst.</p><p>&ldquo;This title is especially nice since I&rsquo;m a senior and it&rsquo;s nice to go out in style,&rdquo; said North Dakota senior wing Sykes, who had back-to-back hat tricks the previous weekend against Wisconsin in the series that moved North Dakota into the lead.</p><p>North Dakota learned before the third period of the Denver game opened that Duluth had beaten Wisconsin, leaving the title at North Dakota&rsquo;s doorsteps. &ldquo;We told our players it was now a 20-minute hockey game,&rdquo; Gasparini said. &ldquo;We knew the title was there for us, but at the same time, the news that Duluth had beaten Wisconsin jacked up Denver, too, since Denver needed a win to help its chances for home ice in the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>Leading 5-3 after two periods, North Dakota got third period goals from Sykes (just 16 seconds into the period), Palmiscno and White to offset a goal by Denver&rsquo;s Jim Leavins.</p><p>With the title already clinched, North Dakota hardly played inspired hockey in the second game of the series, losing 4-3 to Denver with Rick Pijanowski&rsquo;s third period goal snapping a 3-3 tie and giving Denver the victory. That win, coupled with Duluth&rsquo;s 8-6 loss to Wisconsin that same night, clinched fourth place for Denver and home ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.</p><p>Denver&rsquo;s victory snapped North Dakota&rsquo;s seven-game WCHA winning streak and was just North Dakota&rsquo;s fourth loss in its last 22 games.</p><p>The final weekend results set the &bull;league playoff pairings up this way: Champion North Dakota and runnerup Wisconsin have first round byes. No. 6 Colorado College visits No. .3 finisher Minnesota and No. 5 Duluth is at No. 4 Denver, all two-game, total goal series.</p><p>The winners of those series will advance to meet North Dakota and Wisconsin March 9-10, with the winners of that matchup meeting March 13-14 for the overall WCHA playoff championship and an automatic seed into the NCAA tournament.</p><p>At Duluth, Scott Carlston&rsquo;s power play goal with 2:01 left gave Duluth the dramatic 9-8 victory over Wisconsin. Wisconsin had tied it just 26 seconds earlier on Brian Mullen&rsquo;s shorthanded goal. Gregg Moore and Bill Mason each scored twice for Duluth with Todd Lecy getting two goals for Wisconsin.</p><p>The next night, Pat Flatley&rsquo;s hat trick sparked Wisconsin to the 8-6 victory. Bill Oleksuk scored four goals for Duluth, including three in a span of six minutes in the second period.</p><p>Meanwhile, Minnesota swept Colorado College 4-3 and 8-3. Butsy Erickson had two goals in the opener and Scott Bjugstad and Dave Dillon two each the next night.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

UND Is WCHA Titlist For 3rd Time In 4 Years

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01404/4520063-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Sheila Carr stepped behind the Peterborough bench for a game in Oshawa to assist Dick Todd in coaching the Petes in an OHL game.</b></figcaption></div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>PETERBOROUGH&mdash;Hockey has had a lot of bad publicity in recent weeks, despite the scoring exploits of The Kid, Wayne Gretzky. In the National Hockey League a coach is suspended for sending one of his players off the bench to pick a partner &ldquo;and don&rsquo;t dance&rdquo; and another player is given a few weeks off for punching out an opponent.</p><p>In the Ontario Hockey League, a player is suspended for 10 games for attempting to go into the stands and fight with fans, another is sat down for three games for biting an opponent.</p><p>Hockey needed some good news. Meet Sheila Carr.</p><p>Even if it was only for one game, Carr&rsquo;s name mentioned in association with hockey made people laugh. The 30-year-old Peterborough Petes&rsquo; fan became the first woman coach in the history of the OHL Sunday, Feb. 21 when she helped Petes&rsquo; regular mentor Dick Todd coach his club to a 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Oshawa Generals in Oshawa.</p><p>The stunt was all part of the CTV television show <i>Thrill Of A Lifetime.</i> Carr&rsquo;s friend and work associate Lois Gray sent the show, which is sort of like a real-life Fantasy Island, a letter telling them about Carr&rsquo;s love affair with hockey and desire to coach the Petes on the road.</p><p><i>Thrill Of A Lifetime</i> had earlier run a segment with a young fady playing hockey with the Edmonton Oilers and her favorite player Wayne Gretzky. That show attracted so many viewers, they decided the Carr escapade could do the same.</p><p>Although Carr didn&rsquo;t know a thing about it until it was announced at a Petes&rsquo; home game, she overcame her initial shock and was all for it.</p><p>The wheels were set in motion when she accompanied the team on their bus (along with a camera crew) for the trip to Oshawa. There, she gave the club a pre-game pep talk and said she wanted them to &ldquo;play tough and leave butts all over the ice&rdquo;. She wasn&rsquo;t talking about cigarettes.</p><p>While the entire episode was an enlightening experience for Carr, she learned her first lesson the hard way&mdash;don&rsquo;t wear high heels on the ice.</p><p>While making her way across the ice, accompanied by Petes&rsquo; gracious captain Mike Posavad, Carr did a Phil Esposito imitation and fell flat on her rump.</p><p>&ldquo;It was embarrassing, but not as bad as I thought it would be,&rdquo; said Carr. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad Mike is strong and didn&rsquo;t fall too. I just got up and buried my head in his shoulder. Hey, it was my attempt at comedy relief.&rdquo;</p><p>When the game started, Carr took her position behind the bench and in her words, &ldquo;acted like a cheerleader and generally tried to stay out of the way.&rdquo;</p><p>Midway through the contest Carr became embroiled in a heated conversation with Oshawa&rsquo;s fiery captain and fierce competitor Mitch Lamoureux.</p><p>&ldquo;Larry Floyd and Lamoureux were arguing by the bench and Floyd said to him, &lsquo;Come on, drop your gloves and fight&rsquo;,&rdquo; said Carr. &ldquo;Lamoureux just smiled and winked at me and said &lsquo;Hi cutey&rsquo;. I said to him, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen you drop your gloves before.&rsquo; You know, Lamoureux is such a little bug-. ger&mdash;but he&rsquo;s awfully cute.&rdquo;</p><p>The game itself went on as if written by Walt Disney&mdash;the king of happy endings. Peterborough took a 1-0 lead in the second period but the Generals battled back to tie it early in the third.</p><p>For the remainder of the game, the Generals controlled the Petes. Only Peterborough rookie goalie Shawn Kilroy, whose work was spectacular, kept the Petes from being blown out.</p><p>Finally, late in the game, Peterborough&rsquo;s Ken Strong lifted a rebound into the Oshawa net to give the Petes and Carr a 2-1 win.</p><p>&ldquo;I just knew they&rsquo;d win,&rdquo; said Carr.</p><p>Drenched in champagne and totally exhausted, Carr slumped into her seat for the bus ride home and agreed it had certainly been a thrill of a lifetime.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b>&mdash;The Marlies continue to press in their bid to overtake the Peteborough Petes for third place in the Leyden division. The Marlies scored an impressive 6-4 home-ice win over Peterborough, with goalie Dave Meszaros stopping 45 of 49 shots, to move into a tie with the Petes for third with two games in hand. Missing from the Marlies&rsquo; lineup were captain Jim Malone, goalie Bruce Dowie, Loe Kariakou and defenseman Scott McKay, who were suspended for their part in a bench-clearing brawl against the Belleville Bulls. Also suspended was rookie blueliner Mike Rowe, who was sitting out his third game of a three-game suspension for biting Peterborough&rsquo;s Mike Posavad on the nose and cheek.</p><p><b>BELLEVILLE</b>&mdash;The Bulls also had four players suspended&mdash;fan Maclnnes, goalie Ken Porteous, captain Ben Kelly and Craig Kitchener&mdash;for their part in the 306-penalty minute brawl with the Marlies. Coach Larry Mavety was also suspended for three games and fined $2,000. The Bulls had a good weekend, beating Peterborough at home 5-4 and the Canadians in Kingston 5-2.</p><p><b>OTTAWA</b>&mdash;The 67&rsquo;s remain not only on top of the Leyden division and OHL, but have the best record of any junior team in Canada. Don McLaren and Moe Lemay scored two goals each as the 67&rsquo;s downed Sudbury 7-4 while Jeff Vaive and Adam Creighton managed one goal each in a 3-2 loss to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.</p><p><b>NIAGARA FALLS</b>&mdash;Bob Laforest scored two goals in the Flyers&rsquo; 7-6 win over Kingston. In their 12-3 loss in London, Flyers&rsquo; veteran Tom Thom-bury became involved in a fight with the fans.</p><p><b>KINGSTON</b>&mdash;Kirk Muller, rated first for next year&rsquo;s midget draft and likely on his way to Guelph, scored three goals and Keith Knight added two in the Canadians&rsquo; 7-6 loss to Niagara Falls.</p><p><b>SAULT STE. MARIE</b>&mdash;Jim Aldred&rsquo;s goal at 3:51 of overtime lifted the Greyhounds to a 3-2 win over Ottawa 67&rsquo;s. Terry Tait and Wayne Groulx scored the other Soo markers.</p><p><b>LONDON</b>&mdash;Chris McCauley and rookie Brian Bradley scored two goals each for the Knights as they crushed the Flyers 12-3.</p><p><b>SUDBURY</b>&mdash;A strike at the Sudbury arena has forced the team to move to Walden, Ont. for the remainder of their home games. The new site didn&rsquo;t help as the Wolves dropped a 7-5 decision to Cornwall. Pat Verbeek and Ken Minello scored two goals each in the loss.</p><p><b>KITCHENER</b>&mdash;The Rangers extended their unbeaten string to nine games with a 6-4 win over the Windsor Spitfires. They also topped Windsor 4-3 with Mike Hough scoring the winner at 2:31 of overtime. Brian Bellows, Alan Maclnnis and Mike Moher had the other goals for the Rangers in that game.</p><p><b>OSHAWA</b>&mdash;Ray Flaherty and John MacLean scored two goals each to spark the Generals to a 7-5 come from behind win over the Brantford Ale-xanders. Tony Tanti scored his 53rd goal of the season in Oshawa&rsquo;s 2-1 loss in Peterborough.</p><p><b>BRANTFORD</b>&mdash;Mike Hoffman scored two goals as the Alexanders lost 7-5 to Oshawa.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

First Female Coach Has Thrill Of A Lifetime

<p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he London Knights have turned out some pretty fair pro prospects over the years, including the likes of Rob Ramage, Billy Carroll, Brad Marsh, Scott Campbell, Rick Green and Dennis Maruk. Now they think they have another NHL hopeful in 16-year-old Brian Bradley</p><p>The London rookie has made a big impact on the Ontario Hockey League in his first season out of Tier II hockey. A product of Guelph, where he scored 31 goals in 42 games last season, Bradley has managed 31 goals in his first 56 games in major junior hockey. And his recent four-goal and two-assist performance in two games for the Knights won him the nod as the OHL&rsquo;s Player of the Week.</p><p>The 5-10, 155 pound Bradley is a center and the Knights are expecting big things from him down the road. With 72 points in 56 games, Bradley has become a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year in the OHL. The Knights showed good judgment in selecting him No. 2 overall in the 1981 midget draft.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02290/4520094-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="567" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRIAN BRADLEY</b> London Knights</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-02

OHL Player Of The Week

<div class="byline">BY GREGG DRINNAN</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>CALGARY&mdash;When the Western Hockey League&rsquo;s 1981-82 season wraps up on March 24, 10 of the circuit&rsquo;s 12 teams will advance to post-season Play.</p><p>Originally, the split was to have been 10 of 13 but the collapse of the Spokane Flyers&rsquo; franchise in midDecember brought that plan to an untimely end.</p><p>So, as it stands now, six of the WHL&rsquo;s eight Eastern Division clubs will advance, as will all four Western Division teams.</p><p>All five first-round series&mdash;three in the east and two in the west&mdash;will be best-of-seven series, beginning on Friday, March 26 and concluding on Sunday, April 4 at the latest.</p><p>In the east, it&rsquo;ll be first versus sixth, second versus fifth and third versus fourth. The team with the best regular-season record to emerge from the first round will get a bye into the division final, with the other two clubs playing a best-of-five semifinal which is slated to begin on Tuesday, April 6.</p><p>In the west, the first-place team will meet the fourth-place club, while the second- and third-place outfits go at it. The two winners go on into a best-of-seven division final.</p><p>The WHL&rsquo;s best-of-seven championship final is scheduled to start Saturday, April 24 and conclude on Thursday, May 6, if it goes the full seven games.</p><p>It looks like the Western Division&rsquo;s first-round matchups will have the Kamloops Oilers opening in Portland against the Winter Hawks, while the Seattle Breakers head to Victoria to start play against the defending-champion Cougars.</p><p>As the teams headed into their final 15 regular-season games, Portland was leading the west, holding a 10-point bulge over Victoria. The Breakers were six points in back of the Cougars, while the Oilers trailed Seattle by 32 points.</p><p>The Eastern Division, though, is nowhere near close to being decided.</p><p>The Lethbridge Broncos, Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades are tied up in a real dogfight and the top three spots likely won&rsquo;t be settled until the regular season&rsquo;s final week.</p><p>The Calgary Wranglers appear headed for fourth spot, although the Brandon Wheat Kings, with 17 games left, trailed the Cowtown Bunch by six points.</p><p>Meanwhile, three teams&mdash;Medicine Hat Tigers, Billings Bighorns and Winnipeg Warriors&mdash;were scrapping for the east&rsquo;s sixth and final playoff spot. At one time, all three clubs were tied for the last post-season berth.</p><p><b>BILLINGS</b>&mdash;The Bighorns lost All Star defenseman Gord Kluzak for the remainder of the season when he underwent knee surgery. Jim McGeough, the league&rsquo;s leading goal scorer, got No. 70 in a 7-6 overtime loss in Portland.</p><p><b>BRANDON</b>&mdash;Tom McMurchy reached the 100-point plateau with his 48th goal in an 8-2 home-ice loss to Winnipeg.</p><p><b>CALGARY</b>&mdash;Ken Vinge had two goals, giving him 20, as the Wranglers got past visiting Medicine Hat 6-3.</p><p><b>LETHBRIDGE</b>&mdash;Mike Moller, just back from the National League&rsquo;s Buffalo Sabres, scored his 30th and 31st goals and set up two others as the Broncos won 5-3 in Calgary. J.C. McEwan scored the winning goal, without touching the puck, as the Broncos won 7-3 over visiting Saskatoon. With a delayed penalty against McEwan and the Saskatoon goaltender on the bench, the Blades&rsquo; Lane Lambert left a drop pass in front of the net. The puck trickled all the way over the line and McEwan, the closest Bronco, got credit for the score. Doug Rigler picked up two goals in that triumph.</p><p><b>MEDICINE HAT</b>&mdash;Blake Morrison&rsquo;s 10th goal at 16:07 of the third period gave the Tigers a 6-5 home-ice win over Calgary. Mike Spencer added two goals, his 30th and 31st, and an assist, while Mark Sochatsky had a goal and two assists. The Tigers beat the Wheat Kings 5-3 in Brandon as Brian Coughlin scored two goals and Sochatsky picked up No. 20. Sochatsky added three goals and an assist as the Tigers won 6-4 in Winnipeg to move four points ahead of Billings and the Warriors in the fight for the east&rsquo;s final playoff spot.</p><p><b>REGINA</b>&mdash;Wally Schreiber and Jeff Crawford had two goals each as the Pats dropped visiting Saskatoon 8-6. Schreiber reached the 100-point mark with a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win in Winnipeg.</p><p><b>SASKATOON</b>&mdash;Marc Habscheid upped his goal total to 52 as he banged in three in a 7-5 victory in Billings. Todd Strueby added a goal and four assists, while Lane Lambert had a goal (his 30th) and three helpers. Bruce Eakin had two goals and three assists, while Perry Ganchar scored twice and set up two others as the Blades made it a weekend sweep, winning 8-3 in Billings. Habscheid, Lambert and Strueby totalled 13 points in a 7-6 home-ice overtime win over Lethbridge. Strueby scored the winner, at 2:50 of the extra period. It was the Blades&rsquo; third overtime win of the season and Strueby has the winner in all three.</p><p><b>WINNIPEG</b>&mdash;Randy Gilhen scored four times, giving him 31, as the Warriors won 8-2 in Brandon.</p><p><b>KAMLOOPS</b>&mdash;The Oilers exploded for five goals in the last half of the third period to score a 7-5 home-ice victory over Seattle. Jan Ludvig, a 20-year-old Czech who is the property of the NHL&rsquo;s Edmonton Oilers, scored three times and set up three others. The Oilers, for only the second time this season, made it two in a row at home when they doubled Portland 6-3.</p><p><b>PORTLAND</b>&mdash;Ken Yaremchuk&rsquo;s 49th goal, at 19:17 of the third period, gave the Winter Hawks a 3-2 win in Victoria. Randy Heath helped out with two goals and an assist. Yaremchuk scored Nos. 50 and 51 in a 7-6 home-ice overtime win over visiting Billings.</p><p><b>SEATTLE</b>&mdash;Fred Ledlin got his 20th goal in a 7-5 loss in Kamloops. Wayne Prestage scored goal No. 40 in a 5-3 loss in Victoria.</p><p><b>VICTORIA</b>&mdash;Mark Morrison&rsquo;s two goals led the Cougars to a 5-3 win over visiting Seattle.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Eastern Division Dogfights At Top And Bottom

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>ock Callander</b> of the Regina Pats is on his way to becoming the Western Hockey League&rsquo;s scoring champion as the 1981-82 season winds down and he&rsquo;s doing it in a closing scoring flurry in his final junior year.</p><p>Callander, who is 20, leads the WHL with 164 points; last week he managed 12 points in four games, which earned him recognition as the WHL&rsquo;s Player of the Week.</p><p>Actually Callander and his Regina linemate, Wally Schreiber, were on a par for scoring. They are part of the highest scoring line in WHL history and both set records as they each scored at least one point in each of their last 47 games. The old mark was 45 held by Jim Benning of Portland before he became a Toronto Maple Leaf.</p><p>Callander will probably follow Benning into the NHL next season since he is the property of the St. Louis Blues. They signed him as a free agent after everyone passed him by in the NHL draft. Callander has led the WHL scorers since mid-December and had 71 goals, 93 assists and 164 points in 59 games for Regina as the end of the schedule approached.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01411/4520149-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="547" height="757"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOCK CALLANDER</b> Regina Pats</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-01

WHL Player Of The Week

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><p><b>HSB Louisville Hockey</b></p><p>VERDUN&mdash;THE HOCKEY NEWS has previously reported the distinct possibility that the Montreal Juniors will be operating out of the Verdun Auditorium for the 1982-83 season.</p><p>But now it appears the Juniors could move to this Montreal suburb as early as mid-March when the playoffs commence.</p><p>The Juniors, forced to vacate the Paul Sauve Sports Centre for last season&rsquo;s playoffs in favor of the Laval Sports Centre due to contractual conflicts with the Olympic Installations Board, Paul Sauve landlords, appear to be in much the same situation one year later.</p><p>Montreal, in its option year at Paul Sauve, has an agreement for 40 playing dates this season. Three were used for pre-season matches, and another 32 will be required for the regualar season.</p><p>That leaves Montreal with five open dates at Paul Sauve for playoff games.</p><p>But due to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League&rsquo;s revised playoff format&mdash;the eight competing teams will play a two-game home and away round-robin preliminary-round&mdash;seven games would be needed for the opening round alone.</p><p>Montreal coach Pierre Creamer has stated he wants his team to play all its post-season games in one arena.</p><p>&ldquo;The decision is administrative and doesn&rsquo;t concern me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;All I ask is that the playoffs are in the same place. I don&rsquo;t want to begin in one place and end in another.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, although the Juniors lost a seven-game quarter final to the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, they still won all three games in Laval.</p><p>Although neither Eric Taylor, Montreal general manager, nor Irving Grundman, executive vice-president and managing director of the Montreal Canadiens, which oversees the Juniors, were available to comment on the rental agreement with the OIB, it is known that should the Juniors continue out of Paul Sauve next season, their rent would be increased by a whopping 300 percent. OIB officials refused to comment.</p><p>&ldquo;As far as I&rsquo;m concerned,&rdquo; said Juniors&rsquo; governor Roger Poitras, &ldquo;going to Verdun wouldn&rsquo;t be a bad move. I don&rsquo;t believe in junior hockey in big cities. Verdun is a little bit different. There, they would look at the Juniors as being the BIG team.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very disappointed in attendance at Paul Sauve [the second place Juniors show an increase, yet the numbers are hardly flattering, as reported three weeks ago in THE HOCKEY NEWS]. This, coupled with the OIB people, who are like government officials. They&rsquo;re not good administrators because they double everything and put it out of reach.&rdquo;</p><p>The OIB is a branch of the provincial government, established to oversee the 1976 Montreal Olympics.</p><p>The Verdun Auditorium has been without major junior hockey for two years since Rodrigue Lemoyne shifted his Black Hawks to Sorel.</p><p>And it is no secret the city and facility would dearly love to house a team, so much so, it will undoubtedly give the Juniors or any other interested party an incredible rental deal&mdash;approximately $500 per game and only $20 for practice time.</p><p>&ldquo;We do want a major junior franchise and are open to any offers,&rdquo; said a Verdun Auditorium official. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to sway the Juniors.</p><p>&ldquo;And the Verdun Auditorium has been known to give exceptionally good contracts.&rdquo;</p><p>Any team would naturally be given priority on playing dates and practice time.</p><p>QMJHL playoffs are expected to commence Wed. March 16.</p><p><b>AROUND THE LEAGUE</b>&mdash;When the eighth-place Granby Bisons surprised the first-place Sherbrooke Beavers by the score of 6-5 on Feb. 24, the home team also denied its visitors its 500th career victory in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Beavers were scheduled to try again two nights later, when they hosted the Montreal Juniors.</p><p>Andre Bendwell, president of the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, has promised to appeal a $150 fine levied against Draveurs&rsquo; Coach Mario Bazinet for making a racial slur against Claude Vilgrain, a Haitian player with the Laval Voisins.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01374/4520180-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="601" height="858"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Montreal coach Pierre Creamer doesn&rsquo;t want his team changing arenas in mid-playoffs.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0033-01

Juniors May Abandon Arena Early

<p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Chicoutimi Sagueneens are looking ahead to the forthcoming Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs mainly because their offense has found new punch.</p><p>Sparked by center Eric Bernier, the Sagueneens won four of their last five starts to challenge Laval for sixth place before the playoffs began. Bernier managed three goals and three assists in Chicoutimi&rsquo;s last two games, becoming the QHL&rsquo;s Player of the Week.</p><p>The 19-year-old Bernier, who stands 5-9 and weighs 175, has jumped into the QMJHL&rsquo;s top 15 scorers with 35 goals and 56 assists for 91 points in 54 games. The Chicoutimi star, who shares the offensive load on the Sagueneens with Boston-owned Luc Dufour, is expecting one of the NHL teams to give him a closer look in the 1982 draft this summer. He was overlooked the past two years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02269/4520211-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="599" height="867"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ERIC BERNIER</b> Chioutimi Sagueneens</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0033-02

QHL Player Of The Week

<h2>WHERE NHL TEAMS PLAY</h2><h3>MARCH</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01417/4520627-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="564" height="1148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02339/4520620-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="563" height="1186"></div><h3>Mon. Feb. 22 HARTFORD 7, MINNESOTA 8</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03249/4520613-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="548" height="930"></div><h3>Tue. Feb. 23 MONTREAL 3, QUEBEC 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04163/4520606-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="545" height="762"></div><h3>CHICAGO 1, ISLANDERS 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05120/4520599-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="539" height="408"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0694/4520592-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="538" height="193"></div><h3>TORONTO 2, ST. LOUIS 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0785/4520585-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="544" height="683"></div><h3>DETROIT 6, COLORADO 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0878/4520578-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="544" height="818"></div><h3>CALGARY 2. VANCOUVER 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0968/4520571-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="539" height="463"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1065/4520564-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="540" height="170"></div><h3>Wed. Feb. 24 BOSTON 3, HARTFORD 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1158/4520557-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="548" height="738"></div><h3>EDMONTON 6, BUFFALO 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1256/4520550-1-eng-US/f0034-122.jpg" title="f0034-12" width="544" height="707"></div><h3>CHICAGO 4, RANGERS 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1348/4520543-1-eng-US/f0034-132.jpg" title="f0034-13" width="549" height="873"></div><h3>PHILADELPHIA 2, WINNIPEG 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1445/4520536-1-eng-US/f0034-142.jpg" title="f0034-14" width="547" height="763"></div><h3>TORONTO 5, MINNESOTA 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1544/4520529-1-eng-US/f0034-152.jpg" title="f0034-15" width="533" height="85"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1644/4520522-1-eng-US/f0034-162.jpg" title="f0034-16" width="555" height="794"></div><h3>DETROIT 3, LOS ANGELES 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1738/4520515-1-eng-US/f0034-172.jpg" title="f0034-17" width="547" height="633"></div><h3>Thu. Feb. 25 QUEBEC 4, MONTREAL 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1835/4520508-1-eng-US/f0034-182.jpg" title="f0034-18" width="546" height="709"></div><h3>PITTSBURGH 2, ISLANDERS 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1934/4520501-1-eng-US/f0034-192.jpg" title="f0034-19" width="550" height="654"></div><h3>ST. LOUIS 1, WASHINGTON 9</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2030/4520494-1-eng-US/f0034-202.jpg" title="f0034-20" width="546" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2126/4520487-1-eng-US/f0034-212.jpg" title="f0034-21" width="538" height="223"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02313/4520480-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="537" height="197"></div><h3>VANCOUVER 4 CALGARY 11</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03242/4520473-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="549" height="1052"></div><h3>Fri. Feb. 26 BUFFALO 4, WINNIPEG 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04196/4520466-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="535" height="276"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05153/4520459-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="539" height="437"></div><h3>VANCOUVER 4, COLORADO 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06134/4520452-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="535" height="383"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07125/4520445-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="536" height="382"></div><h3>Sat. Feb. 27 RANGERS 6, BOSTON 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08106/4520438-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="551" height="954"></div><h3>HARTFORD 1, WASHINGTON 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09102/4520431-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="540" height="306"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1091/4520424-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="545" height="603"></div><h3>BUFFALO 5, MINNESOTA 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1185/4520417-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="538" height="302"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01328/4520410-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="546" height="527"></div><h3>TORONTO 3, MONTREAL 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02226/4520403-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="540" height="368"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03164/4520396-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="542" height="421"></div><h3>QUEBEC 5, ISLANDERS 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04131/4520389-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="544" height="633"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05110/4520382-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="540" height="254"></div><h3>PHILADELPHIA 9, CALGARY 8</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0688/4520375-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="546" height="741"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0770/4520368-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="540" height="315"></div><h3>EDMONTON 4, PITTSBURGH 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0863/4520361-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="549" height="715"></div><h3>DETROIT 2, ST. LOUIS 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0952/4520354-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="545" height="747"></div><h3>CHICAGO 5, LOS ANGELES 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1046/4520347-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="536" height="229"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01386/4520340-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="542" height="558"></div><h3>Sun. Feb. 28 MONTREAL 5, HARTFORD 0</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02306/4520333-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="547" height="656"></div><h3>PITTSBURGH 4, RANGERS 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03234/4520326-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="545" height="572"></div><h3>PHIL&rsquo;PHIA 3, VANCOUVER 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04170/4520319-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="547" height="763"></div><h3>EDMONTON 4, WASHINGTON 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05122/4520312-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="546" height="656"></div><h3>MINNESOTA 5, DETROIT 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0693/4520305-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="554" height="803"></div><h3>CHICAGO 3, COLORADO 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0780/4520298-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="547" height="658"></div><h3>ST. LOUIS 2, WINNIPEG 6</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0863/4520291-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="549" height="653"></div><h2>NHL SCOREBOARD</h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. March 1)</b></p><h3>NORRIS DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2223/4520284-1-eng-US/f0034-222.jpg" title="f0034-22" width="541" height="194"></div><h3>SMYTHE DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2322/4520277-1-eng-US/f0034-232.jpg" title="f0034-23" width="542" height="169"></div><h3>ADAMS DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2420/4520270-1-eng-US/f0034-242.jpg" title="f0034-24" width="542" height="165"></div><h3>PATRICK DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2515/4520263-1-eng-US/f0034-252.jpg" title="f0034-25" width="540" height="169"></div><h2>POINTS RACE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2613/4520256-1-eng-US/f0034-262.jpg" title="f0034-26" width="542" height="604"></div><h3>AT HOME</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2711/4520249-1-eng-US/f0034-272.jpg" title="f0034-27" width="267" height="603"></div><h3>ON THE ROAD</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-285/4520242-1-eng-US/f0034-282.jpg" title="f0034-28" width="266" height="603"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Mon. Feb. 22</p><p>Hartford 7 at Minnesota 8</p><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Montreal 3 at Quebec 4</p><p>Chicago 1 at Islanders 5</p><p>Toronto 2 at St. Louis 3</p><p>Detroit 6 at Colorado 3</p><p>Calgary 2 at Vancouver 2</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Boston 3 at Hartford 4</p><p>Edmonton 6 at Buffalo 3</p><p>Chicago 4 at Rangers 6</p><p>Philadelphia 2 at Winnipeg 6</p><p>Toronto 5 at Minnesota 7</p><p>Detroit 3 at Los Angeles 5</p><p>Thu. Feb. 25</p><p>Quebec 4 at Montreal 4</p><p>Pittsburgh 2 at Islanders 4</p><p>St. Louis 1 at Washington 9</p><p>Vancouver 4 at Calgary 11</p><p>Fri. Feb. 26</p><p>Buffalo 4 at Winnipeg 4</p><p>Vancouver 4 at Colorado 3</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Rangers 6 at Boston 4</p><p>Hartford 1 at Washington 7</p><p>Buffalo 5 at Minnesota 5</p><p>Toronto 3 at Montreal 3</p><p>Quebec 5 at Islanders 5</p><p>Philadelphia 9 at Calgary 8</p><p>Edmonton 4 at Pittsburgh 1</p><p>Detroit 2 at St Louis 6</p><p>Chicago 5 at Los Angeles 3</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Montreal 5 at Hartford 0</p><p>Pittsburgh 4 at Rangers 2</p><p>Philadelphia 3 at Vancouver 3</p><p>Edmonton 4 at Washington 1</p><p>Minnesota 5 at Detroit 4</p><p>Chicago 3 at Colorado 5</p><p>St. Louis 2 at Winnipeg 5<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-01

NATIONAL LEAGUE SUMMARIES

f0035-01

NHL TEAM ROSTERS

<p><b>BOSTON</b>&mdash;McNab 25, B. Crowder 7, Fergus 15, Bourque 12, 13, Middleton 42, 43, Winning goals&mdash;none.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b>&mdash;Perreault 24, 25, 26, 27, Patrick 8, Dunn 5, 6, McCourt 30, Ramsey 6, Sauve 13, Foligno 26, Haworth 16, Winning goals&mdash;none.</p><p><b>CALGARY</b>&mdash;McDonald 25, Peplinski 27, Plett 18, 19, Rautakallio 13, Chouinard 17, 18, McAdam 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Bridgman 28, Nilsson 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, Houston 21, Lavallee 27, Winning goals&mdash;Chouinard.</p><p><b>CHICAGO</b>&mdash;Secord 39, 40, Wilson 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, Mulvey 25, 26, 27, 28, Lysiak 18, 19, Winning goals&mdash;Mulvey.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b>&mdash;Quenneville 5, Maxwell 4, Foster 10, 11, 12, Cameron 10, Lorimer 4, Ashton 21, 22, Tambellini 26, Broten 8, Winning goals&mdash;Broten.</p><p><b>DETROIT</b>&mdash;Ogrodnick 25, 26, Larson 17, Nedomansky 8, 9, Blaisdell 19, 20, Nolan 4, Lofthouse 1, 2, Osborne 19, Schoenfeld 7, Woods 6, G. Smith 7, Gage 5, Winning goals&mdash;Blaisdell</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b>&mdash;Huddy 2, Hughes 22, Kurri 27, 28, Gretzky 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, Hunter 14, Anderson 32, Lowe8, Messier 42, Winning goals&mdash;Gretzky. Anderson, Messier.</p><p><b>HARTFORD</b>&mdash;Bourbonnais 3, Kotsopolous 9, 10, 11, 12, Sulliman 28, Howatt 13, Stoughton 42, 43, Larouche 30, Anderson 1, Nachbaur 2, Winning goals&mdash;Anderson.</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES</b>&mdash;Fox 22, Taylor 33, Dionne 38, Simmer 9, Turnbull 11, Winning goals&mdash;Simmer.</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b>&mdash;Ciccarelli 45, 46, 47, 48, Christoff 22, 23, Payne 22, 23, 24, Giles 3, Roberts 2, Smith 38, MacAdam 12, 13, Young 10, Palmer 20, Broten 27, 28, 29, 30, Nyrop 4, Hartsburg 11, 12, 13, Winning goals&mdash;Payne. MacAdam</p><p><b>MONTREAL</b>&mdash;Tremblay 25, 26, Napier 29, 30, 31, 32, Nilan 7, Delorme 2, 3, Acton 29, Hunter 13, Lafleur 23, 24, Houle 9, Gainey 19, Winning goals&mdash;Napier.</p><p><b>NY ISLANDERS</b>&mdash;Tonelli 29, Bossy 45, 46, Trottier 41, 42, 43, 44, Carroll 6, Potvin 14, McEwen 7, D. Sutter 17, Jonsson 7, Gillies 30, B. Sutter 17, Winning goals&mdash;Bossy, Trottier.</p><p><b>NY RANGERS</b>&mdash;Duguay 33, Dave Maloney 9, 10, 11, Silk 11, 12, 13, Pavelich 24, 25, Vadnais 4, Ruotsalainen 12, Rogers 27, 28, Leinonen 6, Winning goals&mdash;Pavelich. Dave Maloney</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b>&mdash;Kerr 13, 14, 15, Sittier 23, Propp 37, 38, 39, Barber 36, Hoffmeyer 6, Sinisalo 8, 9, Linseman 19, Gorence 4, Marsh 1, Winning goals&mdash;Marsh.</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH</b>&mdash;Carlyle 25, Bullard 29, Ferguson 15, Lee 15, Price 6, MacLeish 17, Schutt 13, Winning goals&mdash;MacLeish.</p><p><b>QUEBEC</b>&mdash;P. Stastny 27, Hunter 17, Aubry 7, Cloutier 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, Tardif 35, Goulet 34, 35, A Stastny 21, M. Stastny 27, Winning goals&mdash;Cloutier.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b>&mdash;Babych 14, Mullen 14, 15, 16, 17, Pettersson 30, Federko 18, 19, 20, Crombeen 17, Pavese 2, Turnbull 28, Winning goals&mdash;Mullen, Pavese.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b>&mdash;Salming 12, Vaive 39, 40, 41, 42, Aubin 11, 12, Derlago 29, Martin 21, Anderson 29, Winning goals&mdash;none.</p><p><b>VANCOUVER</b>&mdash;Gradin 28, 29, 30, Lupul 5, 6, 7, Fraser 23, 24, Boldirev 30, 31, 32, Smyl 28, Hlinka 19, Winning goals&mdash;Boldirev</p><p><b>WASHINGTON</b>&mdash;Walter 31, Norwood 2, Gould 13, 14, Carpenter 20, 21, 22, 23, Valentine 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, Holt 2, Gartner 29, 30, Gustafsson 17, Winning goals&mdash;Norwood. Gould.</p><p><b>WINNIPEG</b>&mdash;Christian 18, 19, Hopkins 6, 7, Lukowich 29, 30, DeBlois 19, Hawerchuk 33, Babych 16, Dupont 10, Smail 17, Lindstrom 22, 23, Levie 4, Lundholm 12, Winning goals&mdash;Hopkins, Lundholm.</p><p>Four-goal games&mdash;Nilsson, Calgary, Carpenter and Valentine, Washington.</p><p>Hat tricks&mdash;Perreault. Buffalo, McAdam, Calgary. Wilson, Chicago. Gretzky. Edmonton and Federko, St. Louis.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NHL’S SCORERS THIS WEEK

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. March 3)</b></p><h3>NORTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01375/4520790-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="538" height="169"></div><h3>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02280/4520783-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="541" height="197"></div><p>1&mdash;Nova Scotia 4&mdash;Springfield. 5&mdash;Adirondack. 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.</p><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Fredericton 7 at New Brunswick 5</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Hershey 1 at Binghamton 6</p><p>Springfield 3 at Adirondack 1</p><p>Nova Scotia 3 at Maine 4</p><p>Fredericton 2 at New Brunswick 5</p><p>Fri. Feb. 26</p><p>Nova Scotia 6 at Adirondack 4</p><p>Erie 2 at Binghamton 4</p><p>Hershey 3 at New Haven 5</p><p>Maine 5 at Springfield 1</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Nova Scotia 5 at Hershey 5</p><p>New Haven 1 at Maine 5</p><p>Fredericton 1 at New Brunswick 2</p><p>Adirondack 2 at Springfield 5</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>New Haven 3 at Binghamton 3</p><p>Rochester 3 at Erie 6</p><p>New Brunswick 9 at Fredericton 5</p><p>Nova Scotia 3 at Hershey 6</p><p>Adirondack 4 at Maine 4</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03209/4520776-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="542" height="308"></div><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. March 3)</b></p><h3>NORTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04137/4520769-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="539" height="144"></div><h3>SOUTH DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05100/4520762-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="539" height="168"></div><p>6&mdash;Cincinnati. 9&mdash;Salt Lake 10&mdash;Nashville. 12&mdash;Indianapolis. 13&mdash;Dallas 15&mdash;Oklahoma City. 17 - Fort Worth. 18 - Wichita. 21&mdash;Tulsa</p><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Salt Lake 5 at Cincinnati 3</p><p>Fort Worth 3 at Tulsa 5</p><p>Indianapolis 2 at Wichita 4</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Cincinnati 8 at Fort Worth 3</p><p>Indianapolis 2 at Oklahoma City</p><p>Thu. Feb. 25</p><p>Wichita 5 at Dallas 3</p><p>Salt Lake 3 at Nashville 4</p><p>Frl. Feb. 26</p><p>Cincinnati 4 at Fort Worth 5</p><p>Salt Lake 8 at Nashville 5</p><p>Wichita 7 at Oklahoma City 2</p><p>Dallas 7 at Tulsa 8</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Cincinnati 7 at Dallas 4</p><p>Indianapolis 4 at Fort Worth 5</p><p>Wichita 4 at Salt Lake 2</p><p>Oklahoma City 2 at Tulsa 3</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Cincinnati 5 at Dallas 6</p><p>Indianapolis 5 at Nashville 1</p><p>Tulsa 9 at Oklahoma City 2</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0681/4520755-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="541" height="305"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. March 3)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0777/4520748-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="542" height="254"></div><p>5&mdash;Kalamazoo. 24&mdash;Saginaw 25&mdash;Toledo 26&mdash;Flint. 27&mdash;Fort Wayne. 28&mdash;Milwaukee 29&mdash;Muskegon</p><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Sat. Feb. 20</p><p>Toledo 4 at Fort Wayne 3</p><p>Flint 2 at Muskegon 3</p><p>Kalamazoo 4 at Saginaw 3</p><p>Sun. Feb. 21</p><p>Fort Wayne 5 at Saginaw 7</p><p>Toledo 4 at Kalamazoo 5</p><p>Mon. Feb. 22</p><p>Saginaw 6 at Milwaukee 3</p><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Muskegon 0 at Flint 2</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Flint 1 at Toledo 5</p><p>Milwaukee 2 at Kalamazoo 6</p><p>Fri. Feb. 26</p><p>Fort Wayne 2 at Muskegon 9</p><p>Kalamazoo 4 at Flint 8</p><p>Milwaukee 4 at Toledo 7</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Milwaukee 4 at Fort Wayne 7</p><p>Saginaw 6 at Muskegon 4</p><p>Flint 2 at Kalamazoo 5</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Saginaw 6 at Fort Wayne 4</p><p>Milwaukee 8 at Flint 2</p><p>Kalamazoo 7 at Toledo 5</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0872/4520741-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="543" height="387"></div><h2>ATLANTIC COAST LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0966/4520734-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="538" height="251"></div><p>30&mdash;Baltimore. 31&mdash;Cape Cod. 32&mdash;Mohawk Valley 33&mdash;Salem. 8&mdash;Winston-Salem</p><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1063/4520727-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="545" height="314"></div><h3>PLAYOFFS Finals</h3><p><b>(Best-of-seven series)</b></p><p>Salem vs Mo. Valley</p><p>Wed. March 3</p><p>Salem at Mohawk Valley</p><p>Fri. March 5</p><p>Mohawk Valley at Salem</p><p>Sat. March 6</p><p>Mohawk Valley at Salem</p><p>Tue. March 9</p><p>Salem at Mohawk Valley</p><p>Wed. March 10</p><p>Mohawk Valley at Salem</p><p>Fri. March 12</p><p>Salem at Mohawk Valley</p><p>Sun. March 14</p><p>Mohawk Valley at Salem</p><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1160/4520720-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="540" height="143"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Thu. Feb. 18</p><p>Baltimore 4 at Mohawk Valley 5</p><p>Frl. Feb. 19</p><p>Baltimore 8 at Mohawk Valley 7</p><p>Sat. Feb. 20</p><p>Mohawk Valley 3 at Baltimore 8</p><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Mohawk Valley 5 at Baltimore 1</p><p>Thu. Feb. 25</p><p>Baltimore 5 at Mohawk Valley 7</p><p>Fri. Feb. 26</p><p>Mohawk Valley 3 at Baltimore 4</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Baltimore 3 at Mohawk Valley 9</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1256/4520713-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="539" height="118"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Fri. Feb. 19</p><p>Winston-Salem 3 at Salem 7</p><p>Sat. Feb. 20</p><p>Salem 5 at Winston-Salem 6</p><p>Sun. Feb. 21</p><p>Winston-Salem 3 at Salem 6</p><p>Thu. Feb. 25</p><p>Salem 2 at Winston-Salem 1</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Salem at Winston-Salem (ppd. weather)</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Winston-Salem 0 at Salem 4</p><h2>Who They&rsquo;re Affiliated With&hellip;</h2><p>1&mdash;Montreal</p><p>2&mdash;Chicago</p><p>3&mdash;Boston</p><p>4&mdash;Rangers</p><p>5&mdash;Detroit</p><p>6&mdash;Toronto</p><p>7&mdash;Philadelphia</p><p>8&mdash;Los Angeles</p><p>9&mdash;St Louis</p><p>10&mdash;Minnesota</p><p>12&mdash;Islanders</p><p>13&mdash;Vancouver</p><p>14&mdash;Buffalo</p><p>15&mdash;Calgary</p><p>16&mdash;Washington</p><p>17&mdash;Colorado</p><p>18&mdash;Edmonton</p><p>19&mdash;Hartford</p><p>20&mdash;Quebec</p><p>21&mdash;Winnipeg</p><h3>OTHER AFFILIATIONS</h3><p>22&mdash;Chicago & Toronto</p><p>23&mdash;Pittsburgh & Boston</p><p>24&mdash;Hartford & Boston & Los Angeles</p><p>25&mdash;Minnesota & Philadelphia & Islanders</p><p>26&mdash;Montreal & Chicago & Buffalo</p><p>27&mdash;Winnipeg Vancouver & Washington</p><p>28&mdash;Quebec & St. Louis & Edmonton</p><p>29&mdash;Pittsburgh & Calgary & Colorado</p><p>30&mdash;Chicago & Minnesota</p><p>31&mdash;Boston & Rangers</p><p>32&mdash;Hartford & Philadelphia</p><p>33&mdash;Toronto & Quebec<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

MINOR SCOREBOARD

<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. March 1)</b></p><h3>EASTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1353/4520975-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="541" height="250"></div><h3>WESTERN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1448/4520968-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="542" height="196"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Regina 6 at Medicine Hat 3</p><p>Lethbridge 4 at Winnipeg 1</p><p>Calgary 3 at Saskatoon 1</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Billings 2 at Calgary 5</p><p>Lethbridge 4 at Brandon 6</p><p>Portland 3 at Kamloops 4</p><p>Victoria 4 at Seattle 7</p><p>Frl. Feb. 26</p><p>Regina 4 at Calgary 5</p><p>Billings 0 at Lethbridge 7</p><p>Portland 3 at Seattle 9</p><p>Brandon 4 at Saskatoon 7</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Billings 4 at Medicine Hat 3</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Regina 4 at Lethbridge 2</p><p>Winnipeg 5 at Saskatoon 8</p><p>Billings 3 at Calgary 9</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1548/4520961-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="549" height="792"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1646/4520954-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="541" height="197"></div><h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Tue. March 2)</b></p><h3>LEYDEN DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1741/4520947-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="538" height="225"></div><h3>EMMS DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1837/4520940-1-eng-US/f0036-182.jpg" title="f0036-18" width="540" height="226"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Tue. Feb. 23</p><p>Sudbury 4 at Kingston 7</p><p>Peterborough 4 at Toronto 6</p><p>Kitchener 9 at Niagara Falls 4</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Sudbury 4 at Belleville 6</p><p>Thu. Feb. 25</p><p>Kingston 3 at Peterborough 3</p><p>London 3 at Windsor 6</p><p>Niagara Falls 4 at Brantford 6</p><p>Toronto 5 at Cornwall 4</p><p>Frl. Feb. 26</p><p>Peterborough 5 at Kitchener 6</p><p>Toronto 4 at Ottawa 5</p><p>Windsor 6 at London 12</p><p>Belleville 3 at S.S. Marie 6</p><p>Kingston 4 at Sudbury 1</p><p>Brantford 2 at Niagara Falls 3</p><p>Sat. Feb. 27</p><p>Windsor 3 at Peterborough 4</p><p>Ottawa 4 at Oshawa 1</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Toronto 3 at Oshawa 4</p><p>Niagara Falls 2 at Kitchener 5</p><p>Windsor 2 at Brantford 6</p><p>Kingston 6 at S.S. Marie 5</p><p>Belleville 1 at Sudbury 2</p><p>London 5 at Ottawa 4</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1936/4520933-1-eng-US/f0036-192.jpg" title="f0036-19" width="540" height="304"></div><h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Mon. March 1)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2035/4520926-1-eng-US/f0036-202.jpg" title="f0036-20" width="542" height="280"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3><p>Mon. Feb. 22</p><p>Hull 1 at Laval 3</p><p>Wed. Feb. 24</p><p>Sherbrooke 5 at Granby 6</p><p>Shawinigan 7 at Hull 3</p><p>Quebec 4 at Montreal 11</p><p>Fri. Feb. 26</p><p>Trois-Rivleres 3 at Chicoutimi 5</p><p>Laval 3 at Quebec 6</p><p>Granby 7 at Shawinigan 12</p><p>Montreal 2 at Sherbrooke 6</p><p>Sun. Feb. 28</p><p>Sherbrooke 8 at Chicoutimi 7</p><p>Granby 4 at Hull 5</p><p>Laval 7 at Montreal 3</p><p>Shawinigan 3 at Quebec 4</p><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2133/4520919-1-eng-US/f0036-212.jpg" title="f0036-21" width="545" height="337"></div><h2>ONTARIO SENIOR LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 26)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2232/4520912-1-eng-US/f0036-222.jpg" title="f0036-22" width="542" height="225"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2331/4520905-1-eng-US/f0036-232.jpg" title="f0036-23" width="543" height="358"></div><h2>OHA INTERMEDIATE</h2><p><b>(Final Standings)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2431/4520898-1-eng-US/f0036-242.jpg" title="f0036-24" width="537" height="218"></div><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2527/4520891-1-eng-US/f0036-252.jpg" title="f0036-25" width="544" height="421"></div><h3>QUARTER-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2625/4520884-1-eng-US/f0036-262.jpg" title="f0036-26" width="544" height="333"></div><h2>ONTARIO JUNIOR LEAGUE</h2><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2724/4520877-1-eng-US/f0036-272.jpg" title="f0036-27" width="540" height="250"></div><h3>QUARTER-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2823/4520870-1-eng-US/f0036-282.jpg" title="f0036-28" width="545" height="521"></div><h2>U.S. METRO JUNIOR</h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 17)</b></p><h3>ATLANTIC DIVISION</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2921/4520863-1-eng-US/f0036-292.jpg" title="f0036-29" width="537" height="139"></div><h3>METROPOLITAN DIVISION NEW YORK CONFERENCE</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-3020/4520856-1-eng-US/f0036-302.jpg" title="f0036-30" width="541" height="167"></div><h3>NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-3119/4520849-1-eng-US/f0036-312.jpg" title="f0036-31" width="539" height="172"></div><h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-3217/4520842-1-eng-US/f0036-322.jpg" title="f0036-32" width="540" height="305"></div><h2>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</h2><p><b>(Standings on Wed. Feb. 17)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-3315/4520835-1-eng-US/f0036-332.jpg" title="f0036-33" width="540" height="223"></div><h2>NEW ENGLAND JUNIOR</h2><p><b>(Standings on Sat. Feb. 27)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-3413/4520828-1-eng-US/f0036-342.jpg" title="f0036-34" width="541" height="147"></div><h2>CENTRAL ONTARIO JUNIOR</h2><p><b>(Standings on Fri. Feb. 26)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-358/4520821-1-eng-US/f0036-352.jpg" title="f0036-35" width="537" height="196"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-13

AMATEUR SCOREBOARD

<h2>NATIONAL LEAGUE</h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>OSTON</b>&mdash;Gordie Clark, RW, recalled from Maine of AHL. Keith Crowder, RW, returned to lineup from injury list. Wayne Cashman, LW, sidelined with severe Charley horse.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b>&mdash;Gilles Hamel, <b>LW,</b> and Bob Mongrain, C, recalled from Rochester of AHL. Hamel later returned. Bob Hess, D, and J. F. Sauve, C, sent down to Rochester, Sauve later recalled.</p><p><b>CALGARY</b>&mdash;Gord Wappel, D, assigned to Oklahoma City of CHL.</p><p><b>CHICAGO</b>&mdash;Reg Kerr, C, out for rest of season with knee injury.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b>&mdash;Phil Myre, G, and Graeme Nicolson, D, assigned to Fort Worth of CHL. Rick LaFerriere, G, recalled from Fort Worth. Nicolson also recalled.</p><p><b>DETROIT</b>&mdash;Eric Vail, LW, and Mark Lofthouse, RW, recalled from Adirondack of AHL. Danny Gare, RW, sidelined with phneumonia and Greg Smith, D, out of action indefinitely with eye injury. Joe Paterson, LW, returned to Adirondack. John Beukeboom, D, recalled from Adirondack and reassigned to Dallas of CHL on loan.</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b>&mdash;Curt Bracken-bury, RW, returned to Wichita of CHL.</p><p><b>HARTFORD</b>&mdash;Paul Shmyr, D, and Jordy Douglas, LW, returned to lineup from injury list. Douglas assigned to Binghamton of AHL for two-week conditioning period. Don Gillen, RW, and Mickey Volcan, D, sent to Binghamton. Marty Howe, D, recalled from Binghamton.</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES</b>&mdash;Bernie Nicholls, C, recalled from New Haven of AHL. Warren Holmes, C, Steve Jensen, LW, lan Turnbull, D, and Alan Hangsleben, D, assigned to New Haven. Al Sims, D, and Scott Gruhl, LW, recalled from New Haven, Sims later returned.</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b>&mdash;Ken Solheim, LW, Lindsay Middlebrook, G, and Murray Brumwell, D, recalled from Nashville of CHL. Brumwell later returned. Archie Henderson, RW, also returned to Nashville. Kent-Erik Andersson, RW, and Mike Eaves, C, placed on injury list. Fred Barrett, D, returned from injury list. Middlebrook later placed on injury list for week with strained knee ligaments.</p><p><b>MONTREAL</b>&mdash;Gilbert Delorme, D, returned to lineup from injury list. Steve Shutt, LW, out for week with cut left calf. Guy Lapointe, D, sidelined with shoulder injury. Mark Holden, G, returned to Nova Scotia of AHL.</p><p><b>NY RANGERS</b>&mdash;Barry Beck, D, out for 2-3 weeks with shoulder separation. Ron Greschner, D, hospitalized with back injury. Ulf Nilsson, C, Steve Baker, G, and Tim Bothwell, D, all returned from injury list and all assigned to Springfield of AHL for conditioning period. Rob McClanahan, C, recalled from Springfield. Nick Fotiu, LW, returned to lineup from injury list.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b>&mdash;Mark Botell, D, and Greg Adams, LW, assigned to Maine of AHL. Ron Flockhart, C, sidelined for 6-8 weeks with knee injury. Gordie Williams, C, recalled from Maine.</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH</b>&mdash;Andre St. Laurent, C, claimed on waivers from Los Angeles. Gregg Sheppard, C, and Pat Graham, LW, both placed on injury list.</p><p><b>QUEBEC</b>&mdash;Gaston Therrien, D, and Basil McRae, RW, recalled from Fredericton of AHL. Lou Sleigher, RW, returned to Fredericton.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b>&mdash;Wayne Babych, RW, returned to lineup from injury list.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b>&mdash;John Gibson, D, and Ron Zanussi, RW, assigned to Cincinnati of CHL. Rene Robert, RW, out of action for 10 days with shoulder separation. Bob Manno, D, sidelined with ankle injury. Trevor Johansen, D, claimed on waivers from Los Angeles. Paul Higgins, RW, 10th draft pick in 1980, recalled from Kitchener of OHL and later returned. Martin Maglay, G, removed from Wexford junior roster and assigned to New Brunswick of OHL.</p><p><b>WASHINGTON</b>&mdash;Tom Rowe, RW, and Todd Bidner, LW, assigned to Hershey of&rsquo; AHL.</p><p><b>WINNIPEG</b>&mdash;Murray Eaves, C, recalled from Tulsa of CHL. Dave Christian, C, sidelined with shoulder injury. Guy Fournier, C, 4th draft pick in 1980, recalled from Shawinigan of QMTHL for one-game standby and returned to Shawinigan after Christian came back to lineup. Ed Staniowski, G, sidelined with neck and shoulder injuries. Markus Mattsson, G, recalled from Tulsa as replacement.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

<p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>RINCE ALBERT&mdash;Dave Balon wasn&rsquo;t exactly a household name in hockey but you couldn&rsquo;t ignore the fact he played on two Stanley Cup winning teams, performed in four All Star games, scored 192 goals in 775 NHL games and toiled 12 years in the National Hockey League.</p><p>Today at age 43, Balon has been tragically struck by Multiple Sclerosis and wonders, as he sits in his trophy-laden basement den, what the future holds for him. Like many MS victims, Balon can&rsquo;t help but think that one day he might end up confined to a wheelchair.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a sad development in the life of the hard-nosed journeyman hockey player who toiled with such NHL teams as the Rangers, Canadiens, Minnesota and Vancouver in the NHL and with Quebec in the World Hockey Association.</p><p>Walking with a discernible limp, Balon told Lyndenn Behm of the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan <i>Herald</i> in a recent interview that if he had known that he had MS earlier, while he might have quit hockey sooner, he would have also saved himself much mental anguish.</p><p>Balon says that his solid 5-11, 175-pound body began to betray him late in his career and that he wasn&rsquo;t aware of the dimensions of his problem when he was a member of the Rangers in the early 1970&rsquo;s. Balon loved New York and New Yorkers loved him. He points to the largest trophy in his den, presented by the fans who voted him the most popular Ranger of 1970-71 when he scored 36 goals.</p><p>&ldquo;I wish I could have played on a Stanley Cup winner at New York. They had the greatest fans,&rdquo; Balon told Behm during his interview.</p><p>However, it also was while he was in New York that the disease, which was not diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis until after he retired, began affecting him. During the 1972-73 season, then Rangers GM Emile (The Cat) Francis traded Balon to Vancouver. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s why I got traded from New York,&rdquo; said Balon, &ldquo;The Cat probably saw something in me, that I was slowing down.&rdquo;</p><p>In Vancouver, Balon was certain the MS had a good grip on him and further affected his play. He scored 24 goals in 72-73 but only two the following season. never knew what was wrong. I was losing all my power. I knew something was wrong but I never knew what it was. That&rsquo;s what frustrated me.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canucks gave Balon the impression they thought he was just merely washed up, so he spent most of his second season with the team sitting on the bench. When he did play, with only one good leg to use, he played poorly and the fans booed.</p><p>&ldquo;That really bothered me,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You could not blame the fans. I was a real good hockey player coming from New York.&rdquo; Balon&rsquo;s problems grew worse. He did not really know why he was ailing and constantly tiring, and he didn&rsquo;t know what to do about it. The disease affecting him was neither diagnosed nor investigated thoroughly while he was with the Canucks.</p><p>Balon&rsquo;s reaction was to work harder, which was counter-productive. People with Multiple Sclerosis are plagued by fatigue and this robbed him even more of his strength.</p><p>The Canucks wrote him off and Dave ended up with Quebec in the WHA in 1974, Two and a half months into his final season, Balon broke his leg and because of the disease, it did not heal well, but he did play again. He was sent to the minor leagues to finish the season and he ended his playing career contending with goon type hockey players seeking personal satisfaction from running at an ex-NHLer. &ldquo;I was too weak to do anything about it,&rdquo; Balon said.</p><p>The Quebec Nordiques did not invite him back to training camp and Balon settled the remaining time of his two-year contract out of court.</p><p>Today, the one-time hard-checking Balon, who invariably was handed the close-checking assignments of some of the NHL&rsquo;s big name players, like Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, spends his time in Prince Albert, which he hopes will become his permanent home. He lives with his wife, Gwen, a 13-year-old daughter, Jodi, and a hockey-playing son, 10-year-old Jeff. The Balons operate a gasoline bar and laundromat as well as a tour boat at Waskesiu, with a restaurant on board that seats 50 people.</p><p>Today, Balon does the best he can despite his handicap. He would dearly love to play oldtimer hockey, but cannot. Instead he coaches the oldtimers, working at his own pace.</p><p>&ldquo;What I used to do in one day,&rdquo; Dave Balon says, &ldquo;I now do in five.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01364/4521054-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="593" height="741"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dave Balon spent 12 years in the NHL before Multiple Sclerosis helped end his career.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-01

Ex-NHLer Balon Fighting Toughest Battle Of His Life

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MOODY</div><p>PITTSBURGH&mdash;Greg Malone calls this season the &ldquo;most frustrating&rdquo; of his six-year National Hockey League career.</p><p>The 26-year-old Penguin center has been benched, has not dressed for games and has been publicly criticized by his coach for his inconsistent play this year. Through the Penguins&rsquo; first 58 games, Malone scored 11 goals and 18 assists and had the worst plus-minus figure on the team at minus 18.</p><p>&ldquo;Yeah, I think this is my most frustrating season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I broke into the league and I started sitting on the bench. 1 got an opportunity to play and then we formed a kid line, and I&rsquo;ve played regularly ever since.</p><p>&ldquo;This is the first year that I sat myself at the end of the bench for awhile. It&rsquo;s tough. I&rsquo;m in my sixth season, and I figured this is the year where I&rsquo;ll have my best season overall and I was looking forward to it.</p><p>&ldquo;Last season I came back from the knee injury and Eddie [Johnston] worked me in slowly, and I had a fairly good season. This year 1 started out with a great training camp, probably my best camp ever. All of a sudden things just started going downhill, then you&rsquo;re struggling. Some nights I&rsquo;m on track, and other nights I seem to be struggling out there.&rdquo;</p><p>The Penguins made Malone their second-round pick in the 1976 Amateur Draft from Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League. He made the NHL immediately, and has never played a game in the minor leagues. Prior to this season, the Chatham, N.B., native was noted for his consistency, and scored a career-high 35 goals in 1978-79.</p><p>&ldquo;When I came into the league I said I&rsquo;d like to be the type of player that plays consistent&mdash;the same in, same out every night&mdash;instead of going into those peaks and valleys,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This year&rsquo;s just been like a roller coaster&mdash;up and down, up and down. I play well for a couple of games, and then all of a sudden, bang! Down you go.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s also easier to play when you&rsquo;re winning, but now it seems like I&rsquo;m not really the only guy struggling. It looks like a few other guys are struggling, and as an end result, the whole team&rsquo;s struggling.&rdquo;</p><p>In February 1980 Malone again was leading the Penguins in scoring with 51 points in a like number of games when he injured his knee, which required surgery.</p><p>&ldquo;The only time I talk about the knee is when somebody brings it up,&rdquo; said Malone in discarding the theory the injury has affected his play this season. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the farthest thing from my mind. In training camp I got my medical report and they said it&rsquo;s stronger than my other knee, so I&rsquo;m not worrying about my knee whatsoever.&rdquo;</p><p>Malone does admit that sitting on the bench or watching a couple of games from the press box earlier in the season was difficult for him.</p><p>&ldquo;It was rough there for awhile,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I came to practice and worked hard and showed I wanted to play, but the team was going well and the guys that were playing ahead of me were playing well. When you&rsquo;ve got a winning combination, it&rsquo;s pretty hard to break them up.</p><p>&ldquo;So I had to sit and wait for my opportunity, and now it&rsquo;s come. I&rsquo;m playing with two rookies [Pat Graham and Steve Gatzos], but I don&rsquo;t mind that because they work very hard. There&rsquo;s a few things that we&rsquo;ll have to straighten out on the ice. We don&rsquo;t communicate as much as we should, like yelling for the puck, but that&rsquo;ll all come with time.&rdquo;.</p><p>Malone was a free agent after last season, but re-signed with Pittsburgh for one year. His contract will be up again in June.</p><p>&ldquo;Right now I don&rsquo;t realty want to talk about negotiations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have an idea what&rsquo;s going to happen, but I&rsquo;m just going to let it go. If I worry about that now, I might as well just pack it in.&rdquo;</p><p>Malone is married to a Pittsburgh girl and both he and his wife, Dianna, are active in the community. The Malones live in the Pittsburgh area all year, and he says that would be a factor in signing with another NHL team.</p><p>&ldquo;The people here have been great to me in the past, and I&rsquo;ve really enjoyed playing here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I spend a couple more here, I&rsquo;ll probably come back and retire here.&rdquo;</p><p>Malone, who is the Penguins&rsquo; player representative, would like to see his frustrating season end on a positive note.</p><p>&ldquo;All we have to do is put it together going down the stretch and play well in the playoffs, then everything can turn around for us,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a tough division, but if we play and show well, that has to be a plus sign.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02262/4521085-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="604" height="865"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>A strong finish and good playoffs could turn around Greg Malone&rsquo;s frustrating season.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-02

Malone Looks To Regain Consistency

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-01147/4521123-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="C0004-01" width="603" height="1129"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Gretzky is on track to become the quickest 200-goal sniper in NHL history.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-0292/4521116-1-eng-US/c0004-022.jpg" title="C0004-02" width="602" height="1238"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Bossy currently holds the record for fastest 200 goals. He did it in 244 games.</b></figcaption></div><p>MONTREAL&mdash;Can Wayne Gretzky score 12 goals in his final 14 NHL games this season?</p><p>If the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; Wonder Boy can turn the trick he will become the fastest 200-goal scorer in the history of the National Hockey League.</p><p>Gretzky, who recently became hockey&rsquo;s quickest 50-goal and 77-goal sniper for new NHL records, is after still another mark presently held by Mike Bossy of the Islanders, who triggered 200 goals in 244 games. If Gretzky were to reach his plateau, he would have played a maximum of 239 games. After the Feb. 28 weekend, the Edmonton ace held 188 goals in his first 225 games as an NHLer.</p><p>Gretzky has been knocking records out of the book this season like they are going out of style. He scored 50 goals in 39 games to remove the names of the great Maurice Richard and Bossy from the book. His 79 goals in 64 games erased the old mark of 76 in 78 games set by Phil Esposito in 1970-71 and he personally removed his own single season mark of 164 points he set last year by picking up five points against Hartford Feb. 19 to give him 166, He tied Espo&rsquo;s record two nights later in Detroit before more than 20,000 fans and wiped it from the book in Buffalo Feb. 24 with a third-period hat trick in his 64th game of the 1981-82 season.</p><p>In the pursuit of his new singleseason goal-scoring mark, Gretzky has thrived in games against Los Angeles and Philadelphia. He has managed to score 19 times in games with the Flyers and Kings, counting 10 against L.A. The St. Louis Blues&rsquo; defense was hardly any better, yielding six goals to Gretzky.</p><p>If the brilliant Edmonton center had to face up to the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens in every day NHL action, he would probably still be chasing the record. They have limited Gretzky to one goal each this season.</p><p>In spite of Gretzky&rsquo;s imposing scoring record, there&rsquo;s one NHL mark that will elude him this season. He will have to wait until at least the regular 1982-83 season to achieve the distinction of scoring at least once in every NHL rink. Now in his third league season, Gretzky has not been able to score a goal in the Met Center in Bloomington, MN, home of the Minnesota North Stars. Since joining the NHL in 1979-80, Gretzky has played five games at Bloomington, including one this season during which he was blanked. Of course, he could end the jinx this spring if Minnesota and Edmonton meet in the Campbell Conference championship final, which is a distinct possibility.</p><p>Putting the collar on Gretzky this season is something not too many NHL teams have been able to do. In fact, he has been held scoreless only 17 times in 66 games and he has come up empty handed in points on only six occasions. Gretzky was extremely effective at home where he scored 53 of his 82 goals this season.</p><p>There has been some suggestion that the league&rsquo;s realignment this season has helped Gretzky collect more points. However, on a points-per-game basis, this is not the case. Gretzky&rsquo;s best average is against the Patrick Division. Facing the Islanders, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington and the Rangers, he has averaged 3, 3 points per game. His average against the six-team Norris Division is 2, 85; his own Smythe Division, 2:39; and the Adams Division, 2:22.</p><p>There had been seven games in which Gretzky had not scored a goal this season. This number was reduced to four after he counted his 76th in Detroit, his 77th, 78th and 79th in Buffalo and his 80th in Pittsburgh on the Oiler&rsquo;s current road trip. Gretzky was without a goal in Boston, Minnesota, Montreal and Quebec rinks so far this season.</p><p>There is one team against which Gretzky did not score a goal, point or had a shot on goal against in games at Edmonton&rsquo;s Northlands Coliseum this season. The Hartford Whalers completely shut down Gretzky Oct. 21 even though the Oilers won the game 5-2, The only other time Gretzky did not have a shot on goal was in Nassau County Coliseum Oct. 27 when the Islanders won 4-3.</p><p>Some of Gretzky&rsquo;s biggest games have been against the Philadelphia Flyers. At Edmonton Jan. 31, he had a career high 12 shots on goal, scored three goals (his 65th, 66th and 67th). Of his 16 goals he has scored against the Flyers in 11 overall games, 12 were in three games. He has had a four-goal and a five-goal game against the Flyers.</p><p>It was against the Flyers that Gretzky scored his milestone 50th goal and it will provide fans years from now with a trivia question:</p><p>&ldquo;Against which goaltender did Gretzky score his record 50th goal in the year 1981-82?&rdquo;. The answer is no one. Gretzky bagged his big goal into an empty Philadelphia net after Pete Peters had been removed for a sixth attacker. The Oilers won that game Dec. 30 7-5 with Wayne getting Nos. 46, 47, 48, 49 and of course, his 50th.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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March 12, 1982

Wichita Blowing Up A Storm With Win Streak

SLAPSHOTS

THE SILVER LINING IN THE ST. LOUIS CLOUD

Super Kids Provide Blues With Silver Lining