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April 17, 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.
Look For Oilers And Cans In Final
If at first you don’t succeed, try again…and pray for better results. Last year, THN offered its first-ever ranking of playoff contenders and only missed by a Montreal mile—slotting the eventual Stanley Cup champions in eighth position. Calgary Flames, the other finalist, were ranked No. 11. None of our top seven picks made it past the second round. Pretty good, eh? We were, however, hardly alone in our failed forecasts. Nobody else expected our No. 15, New York Rangers, to bump off the second-ranked Philadelphia Flyers or the Flames to topple the top-ranked Edmonton Oilers. So, we’ve dared to establish yet another pecking order, again rating teams one through 16 (on pages 12 and 13)—and mindful that should we be as successful as last season, we could just be the ones to finally bring THN to…
Bisons Rebound From Horrible Start
GRANBY, Que,—The regularseason champion Granby Bisons circled their wagons and took a stand after losing their first four games in the Quebec League’s modified roundrobin quarter-finals. “Now we have to win our last two games against Chicoutimi,” said Granby coach Real Paiement, after his club downed the Drummondville Voltigeurs 7-3 and 5-3 to halt the unexpected slide. “Everything went berserk,” said Bisons’ general manager Roger Bedard. “Maybe they thought it was going to be easy. Giveaways killed us and then the whole team was so tense. Everybody was afraid of making a mistake.” Granby lost 6-3 and 4-2 to Drummondville in it’s opening games then fell 11-6 and 6-5 in double overtime to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. That was after the Bisons skated to a 48-18-4 record to win the QMJHL pennant with the…
Forget Robitaille, Hextall, Carson Is The Top Rookie
“SO WHO ARE you voting for?” a colleague asked me the other day. “I don’t have a vote,” I answered. “You don’t have a vote?” “I just said that.” “Well, if you had a vote, who would you be voting for?” “Gretzky.” “Gretzky?” “I always vote for Gretzky.” “No, I mean for the big one, the rookie-of-the-year award. You can’t vote for Gretzky. He’s not a rookie.” “They never let him be a rookie.” “So who would you vote for. Luc Robitaille or Ron Hextall?” “Both.” “You can’t vote for both.” “Sure you can. You get three choices on the ballot.” “That’s not what I mean. I mean, who are you choosing first, Robitalle or Hextall?” “Neither.” “Neither?” “Didn’t I just say that?” “Don’t tell me you’re one of those weirdos who thinks defense all the time and is voting for Shawn Burr?” “Nope.” “I’ve got it.…
It’s Time For Flyers, Rangers To Shut Up
I OWE YOU a column on what’s good about this game. But you’ll have to wait for it. I’m not much in the mood now. I’ve got the New York Rangers in one ear whining again about the Flyers. I’ve got the Flyers in the other, attacking Tomas Sandstrom and Brian O’Neill for Dave Brown’s five-game suspension. For 12 years I’ve had to listen to all this junk, and wasted too much time—out of some perverse sense of journalistic obligation—writing about it. I don’t have any patience for it anymore. Of course, referee-baiting and Flyer-hating has been part of the fabric of the NHL for much longer than I’ve been around. So the thought crosses my mind that maybe I’ve become jaded and it’s time to find something else to do. But then…
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