PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

NATIONAL LEAGUE CALGARY—Tim Hunter, D, returned to Colorado of CHL. Ed Beers, LW, recalled from Colorado. Rejean Lemelin, G, and Steve Christoff, RW, back from injury list. CHICAGO—Jack O’Callahan, D, and Jerome Dupont, D, both recalled from Springfield of AHL. Reg Kerr, LW, returned from injury list and assigned to Springfield. DETROIT—Jim Rutherford, G, left Wings’ Adirondack team in AHL to ponder retirement. Wings recalled Larry Lozinski, G, from Kalamazoo of IHL and sent him to Adirondack as replacement. EDMONTON—Lee Fogolin, D, hospitalized for another 10 days with severe case of flu. HARTFORD—Paul Marshall, LW, returned to Binghamton of AHL. LOS ANGELES—Dean Kennedy, D, recalled from Brandon of WHL. Mike Blake, G, Rick Blight, C, and Scott Gruhl, LW, all recalled from New Haven of AHL. Pierre Giroux, C, also recalled from New Haven but later…

ECAC Division One Race Heats Up

BOSTON—The holiday fun is over, and now the ECAC Division One pennant chase can resume with all seriousness. If the performances of the East’s top teams in the Christmas tournament season are any indication of what’s to come, there won’t be too many great surprises in March. In the seven toumeys held over the past two weeks, ECAC representatives played almost exactly according to expectations. Providence, St. Lawrence, and New Hampshire, three of the East’s heavyweights this year, came through unscathed. Harvard and Clarkson, two more fast starters, made it to the final round of their events before bowing outin close games. Colgate and RPI were mild surprises as they each won a tourney. The biggest upsets were Boston University over Clarkson, 3-1, in the Syracuse Invitational final, and Division Two’s, Lowell,…

‘Nifty’ Middleton Loses Touch Around Net

BOSTON—Along with the first Bloody Marys of the new year came word that the Boston Bruins were leading the National Hockey League’s Adams Division by four points over the Montreal Canadiens and were only four points behind the Chicago Black Hawks for the best record in the whole league. And they were doing it with anemic goal production from Rick Middleton, their 51-goal scorer the previous year. The Bruins played their 38th game of the season on New Year’s Eve, a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota North Stars, and Middleton had only 14 goals. He had only one goal in the last eight games. That’s hardly the pace of a 50-goal scorer. “I don’t know what it is,” said Middleton, who has never really known a slump like this since he came to…

THE MOLSON CUP THREE-STAR STANDINGS