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October 24, 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.
Fellow Horsemen Poles Apart On Fighting Issue
JOHN FERGUSON AND Serge Savard are close friends, old buddies from their Stanley Cup days as teammates with the Montreal Canadiens. They shared a deep love for harness racing and good groceries. When Fergy moved on to be general manager of the Winnipeg Jets and Savard retired from the Canadiens to clip coupons, Ferguson spotted an avenue that would allow Savard to return to the National Hockey League as an active player with the Jets. Serge was reluctant to whip his old body into shape for the hockey wars again but he returned for two good seasons with the Jets. Fergy claimed that Savard, a big-league guy in all ways, was a good influence on the Jets’ young players, both on and off the ice, just as Ferguson had been with a…
Maurice (Rocket) Richard
Nothing could quite light up a National Hockey League arena like the Rocket’s red glare, or that of the goal light when Maurice (Rocket) Richard would breathe fire into the Montreal Canadiens’ offense. And he did that on more than a few occasions. To be precise, he scored 544 goals in 978 regularseason games, spanning 18 NHL seasons. In the playoffs, the Rocket fired 82 goals in 133 games. When his illustrious career was over, the Habs’ No. 9 had eight Stanley Cup championships to his credit. His induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961 was a mere formality. It was after the 1950-51 season, when he scored 42 goals and 24 assists in 65 games, that the 5-foot-10, 195-pound right winger was named co-winner of THN’s Player of the Year award.…
‘Confident, Not Cocky’: Vanbiesbrouck
There has never been a more unlikely Vezina Trophy winner than the New York Rangers’ John Vanbiesbrouck, alias Beezer, alias Johnny V. Good, alias Belgian Johnny Van. He learned his goaltending on the sidewalks of Detroit, of all places. He wears glasses and is virtually Lilliputian (5-foot-9) in what has become a game for Gullivers. Nobody wanted him in the midget draft nor would anyone give him a university scholarship. Yet, here he stands, a first-team all-star, and owner of a new four-year contract with an estimated worth of $350,000 a year, not to mention the Rangers’ record for most wins in a season (39). Vanbiesbrouck opens the 1986-87 season as: (A) arguably the best goalie in the NHL; (B) the man who must carry the Rangers into the playoffs on his…
N.J. Devils Are Un‘Berra’ble In Season-Opening Triumph
EAST RUTHERFORD—A victory over the rival New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on opening night was not enough to make Devils’ coach Doug Carpenter start celebrating. Carpenter, beginning his third season behind the New Jersey bench, has seen it before. “Maybe it’s tradition but every year since I’ve been here we’ve won our first game,” recalled Carpenter following the 5-3 triumph over the Rangers on Oct. 9. “It’s like Yogi (Berra) told me: ‘You’ve got to win one in a row before you can win two in a row.’” The Devils made it two in a row two nights later with a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins at the Meadowlands Arena. Aside from winning their home opener, the Devils posted their first-ever victory over the Bruins at the Meadowlands. “If we can…
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