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March 20, 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.
Islanders Gobbled Up By Monster Of MSG
UNIONDALE—Five times the Rangers and Islanders had met this season, five times they had played nice, close games. But the fire had died. These were no Battles for New York. Hell, none of the first five games took more than two-and-a-half hours. A rivalry that once was called a raging inferno of excellence had cooled to a mound of mediocrity. Until March 4, that is. Until the Monster of MSG sensed the significance of Rangers-Islanders VI in the Patrick Division standings, and juiced up the teams for a two-hour, 59-minute rumble. The Rangers won it 7-5, moving to within two points of the Islanders and Washington Capitals in second. The Islanders, especially the young players who had never seen the Garden at its fiercest, learned a few lessons. “It was the first time they’ve…
The Hockey News NHL Player of the Year AWARD!
Mike Liut, 1980-81 When a team jumps 27 points in the standings, as the St. Louis Blues did from 1979-80 to 1980-81, it's a good bet that goaltending had a lot to do with the resurgence. In the Blues' case, it was Mike Liut who led the way. The 25-year-old native of Weston, Ont., won 33 games and tied 13 others against 14 losses that year. And as a result, the Blues chalked up a grand total of 107 points and finished second overall. Liut's spectacular netminding didn't go unnoticed. He was runner-up to Wayne Gretzky in the Hart Trophy balloting as MVP, and tied Gretzky as THE HOCKEY NEWS Player of the Year—the only playerto do so since Gretzky entered the league. Liut's 3.34 goals-against average in 1979-80 was no fluke. The 6-foot-2 graduate…
Wamsley Saves His Best For Key Encounter
ST. LOUIS—The importance of good goaltending was never more obvious to the St. Louis Blues than March 3. In their most critical game of the season—against the Maple Leafs in Toronto—the Blues were outshot 3918 but managed to win 4-3. “Yeah, but they were long shots,” defenseman Bruce Bell said. He was just kidding. Goaltender Rick Wamsley was under fire from the outset, getting tested from every angle in rapid-fire succession. The Blues were bad-check artists, allowing high-percentage shots and then not clearing the rebounds. “Wamsley was the difference,” defenseman Rob Ramage said. “He stood on his head. We gave up too many scoring chances. That’s not how we like to play, especially on the road.” Wamsley erased those errors with his best effort of the season. “I haven’t had to come up that big before,”…
Bruins Keep Brawling Despite Mayor’s Plea
BOSTON—Just as the heat from November’s brawl between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens had died down, the Quebec Nordiques came to town and turned up the burner. The Bruins won 6-2, but lost some respect in the eyes of local politicans by participating in a major brawl midway through the game. The timing was especially bad. The game came only a week after Boston mayor Raymond Flynn met with National Hockey League president John Ziegler in New York to discuss the earlier brawl, at Boston Garden on Nov. 20. Ziegler had assured him that “the NHL does not promote excessive violence.” Flynn’s initial response to the Bruins-Habs fiasco—during which players brawled on the ice, the benches and in the corridors—was roundly negative. He said that if he was at the game, he would…
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