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February 6, 1987
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.
Oshawa Has Its Eve On Memorial Cup Berth
OSHAWA—Brian Kilrea insists he is conceding first place but Oshawa Generals’ coach Paul Theriault isn’t accepting the Ottawa 67’s offer of the white flag. Theriault does not anticipate an unconditional surrender in the Leyden Division. “Ottawa’s got a lot of scoring power and just added John Hanna as an overage,” said Theriault. “There’s no way I’m taking the 67’s lightly or swallowing Brian’s baloney that his club is out of the running.” Late in January, the 67’s trailed Oshawa by 16 points but had played four less games. At stake in the Leyden Division is more than bragging rights and victory cigar favored by both longtime rivals. There’s added incentive for winning the Leyden and Emms Division championships in the Ontario League this season. The two division champs meet in a best-of-seven series, with the…
Six Years To The Day, Gretzky Gets Even
EDMONTON—You think the Wayne Gretzky scenerio isn’t occasionally mystifying? Well, it doesn’t get much more bizzare than this… Six years ago to the day of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lone visit of the year—Jan. 24—Gretzky was deprived of a legitimate goal against goaltender Gilles Meloche, then in the employ of the Minnesota North Stars. No. 99 owed Meloche one from 1981. Gretzky unveiled a goal out of the twilight zone against Meloche, staking the Oilers to a 2-0 lead in a high-profile National Hockey League fixture won 4-2 by Edmonton. Eyes throughout the league were focused on the match for two reasons: (1) The Oilers had the opportunity to pull into a first-place overall tie with the Philadelphia Flyers, whom they’d trailed since Day One; and (2) Another head-to-head collision between Gretzky and Mario Lemieux was…
Buffalo Typically Uneven With Big Win, Big Losses
BUFFALO—Having spent such a long time just trying to get a hand on the knob of the National Hockey League’s basement door, the Buffalo Sabres seem lost for a way to open it. The Sabres posted one of their most impressive victories of the season Jan. 18, when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime. That was the good news. The bad news was they also lost two golden opportunities to not only escape the NHL basement, but also make up ground on their closest Adams Division rivals, the Quebec Nordiques. The night before they beat Edmonton, the Sabres lost 4-2 to the Canadiens in Montreal. Two nights after the Oiler game, they lost 5-0 in Minnesota. A victory at either Montreal or Minnesota not only would have pushed the Sabres past the Vancouver…
Former Forklift Driver On The Up And Up
SHERBROOKE—Gilles Thibaudeau gave up his day job for a career in hockey. “I took a long shortcut,” the Sherbrooke Canadiens’ center chuckled, thinking of the days when he worked full-time and played hockey on the side. “Sometimes you want to take the quick road and you do all you have to do. I took the long way, I think.” Thibaudeau, Sherbrooke’s top gun and the second-leading scorer in the American League, followed the road less travelled by in his hockey career. For three years, the Lorraine, Que., native operated a forklift full-time and played hockey part-time. That changed in 1984, when Thibaudeau, then the 20-year-old star of the St. Antoine Jr. B team, was invited to Sherbrooke’s AHL camp. “I just came here to see what it was like in a pro camp. I…
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