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March 14, 1986
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.
Bergeron’s Nordiques In Need Of Miracles
QUEBEC—Suddenly, the worst job for a defenseman in the National Hockey League is to wear the Fleur de Lys of the Quebec Nordiques. After a loss to the Boston Bruins on Feb. 25, their fifth in a row. the Nords were dismayed to learn that they had lost the services of yet another blueliner, this one Robert Picard. Probably their best defenseman since his acquisition from the Winnipeg Jets for team captain Mario Marois, Picard was to be out for a minimum of two weeks with sprained cartilage in the chest area. At first it was thought Picard had suffered broken ribs, but after a night’s rest, he was re-examined and no fractures were found. Ironically, the injury came against the Bruins, another team ravaged by injuries to its rearguards. Picard joined fellow defensemen…
Rick Couldn’t Sur-Vaive Captaincy
RICK VAIVE NEVER asked to be named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1981. He didn’t devote a single minute to lobbying to have the “C” on his sweater when the previous wearer, Darryl Sittler, decided the green had gone out of the Toronto pasture—that happens when the chaps who own and operate the team call you a batch of names, none of them very flattering—and the fields of the Philadelphia had a brighter hue. Thus, when Vaive snored right through an early-morning Leaf practice in Minnesota recently he was losing a prize that wasn’t worthy the battle. The Leaf hierarchy managed to conceal their glee behind sombre facades during a day of meetings about the punishment to hand Vaive for his awful transgression before stripping him of the captaincy. Management had…
Availability, Not Eligibility, Key For Canada
The issue, says Dave King, is not one of eligibility but availability. That, in a nutshell, was the reaction of the coach and general manager of Canada’s Olympic hockey team when the International Olympic Committee recently took its first few halting steps towards opening up the 1988 Games to professional athletes. “No,” says King, “I would not say (the IOC decision) changes our plans at all for 1988. “It is a very remote possibility that we will get some (player) help, if any at all, from the National Hockey League.” In other words. King isn’t about to go out and order a uniform with No. 99 emblazoned across the back. Naturally, Canadians would like nothing better than to see superstars such as Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey or New York Islander Mike Bossy represent…
Cougars No Roaring Success This Season
VICTORIA—Victoria Cougars won their first five Western League games of the 1985-86 season. Then they lost their next seven. “It took but a dozen games to sum up what has been a frustrating season for the Western Division club. The Cougars, who at one point looked ready to roar into playoff contention, have played like paper tigers. Victoria was dead last in the six-team division as of Feb. 25 with a 19-40 record. Even with highly-respected Al Patterson, who the Cougars lured from the New Westminster Bruins, cracking the coaching whip, the club has not responded. ‘And even with snipers Simon Wheel-don (129 points) and Ken Priestly (116 points) being dominant forces in the WHL scoring race, the Cougars have not been able to put the bite on the opposition. The adage about good…
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