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.

May 8, 1987

The Hockey News May 8, 1987

<h2>Mon. Apr. 20</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01522/5079056-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="549" height="1470"></div><h2>Tue. Apr. 21</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02384/5079049-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="553" height="1294"></div><h2>Wed. Apr. 22</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03257/5079042-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="543" height="671"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04153/5079035-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="542" height="562"></div><h2>Thu. Apr. 23</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0599/5079028-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="552" height="1705"></div><h2>Fri. Apr. 24</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0675/5079021-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="546" height="1199"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0762/5079014-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="540" height="358"></div><h2>Sat. Apr. 25</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0855/5079007-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="545" height="1494"></div><h2>Sun. Apr. 26</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0945/5079000-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="539" height="121"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1040/5078993-1-eng-US/f0032-102.jpg" title="f0032-10" width="544" height="760"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1133/5078986-1-eng-US/f0032-112.jpg" title="f0032-11" width="545" height="769"></div>WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS<h2>Mon. Apr. 20</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1232/5078979-1-eng-US/f0032-122.jpg" title="f0032-12" width="541" height="558"></div><h2>Tue. Apr. 21</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1329/5078972-1-eng-US/f0032-132.jpg" title="f0032-13" width="549" height="531"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1426/5078965-1-eng-US/f0032-142.jpg" title="f0032-14" width="531" height="152"></div><h2>Thu. Apr. 23</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1523/5078958-1-eng-US/f0032-152.jpg" title="f0032-15" width="543" height="704"></div><h2>Fri. Apr. 24</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1623/5078951-1-eng-US/f0032-162.jpg" title="f0032-16" width="535" height="205"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-393/5078944-1-eng-US/f0033-392.jpg" title="f0033-39" width="541" height="473"></div><h2>Sun. Apr. 26</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-403/5078937-1-eng-US/f0033-402.jpg" title="f0033-40" width="539" height="578"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03730/5077791-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="94" height="96"></div>VANCOUVER&mdash;The Los Angeles Kings may be finished for the season, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean Pat Quinn can officially start work for the Vancouver Canucks.While National Hockey League president John Ziegler&rsquo;s ruling was somewhat vague about when and what Quinn could do when Los Angeles was finished, the Canucks have no intention of bringing him in until he&rsquo;s under contract to them.&ldquo;Pat has bought a house on the North Shore and sold his in Los Angeles but he is still under contract to the Kings, even though he isn&rsquo;t being paid,&rdquo; said Canucks&rsquo; majority owner Frank Griffiths. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be in town at the end of the week but he won&rsquo;t be coming into the office until June 1.&rdquo;The fact Quinn has not been paid by the Kings would probably constitute a breaking of the contract anyway, but the Canucks don&rsquo;t seem willing to take that chance.Still to be determined is whether a legal bench-clearing brawl, that seems about to take place, will eventually put L.A. money into Quinn&rsquo;s pocket for the remainder of his old contract.The Canucks would love to have Quinn active as quickly as possible if for no other reason than to start selling some tickets. Facing a hostile group of fans despite the fact the club won 10 of their last 15 games, the Canucks have not been able to make any moves which would motivate a fan to renew his season tickets.Further, the club has indicated they are planning a price increase despite the fact they realize the timing is poor.&ldquo;Our payroll has gone up about 50 per cent over the three-year period in which we have not had any ticket price increase at all,&rdquo; said Griffiths. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re having to put the prices up because of our expenses mainly caused by the U.S. dollar difference.&ldquo;But even with the tickets increased and attendance at 11.500, we will still lose money. We are hoping to have a television deal locally this year and that should help. But we don&rsquo;t know how much will be coming from other television sources.&rdquo;The Canucks, of course, are in a division where they could turn things around but still finish fourth, or fifth for that matter, if the Kings continue to show improvement and the Flames retool with the departure of some of their older players.Just how a ticket price increase will be received by the fans is not clear. There will be much wailing, no doubt, but if the 6,100 season ticketholders who were loyal last year remain so, the club will be grateful. But there will almost certainly be further erosion of the season ticket base that was once the envy of the league.VAN LINES&mdash;With Raimo Summanen having an outstanding finish to his season, after coming over from the Oilers, and John LeBlanc having a 40-plus-goal season in Fredericton of the American League, the Canucks might have some depth at left wing next season. Even Dave Lowry, whose seven-goal total should have had him in the minors by mid-season, played his best hockey in the last 20 games and demonstrated that another year&rsquo;s look may not be a bad idea. &#9632;</div>

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Vancouver Patiently Awaiting Official Arrival Of GM Quinn

<div class="byline">BY PAUL WOODS</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06149/5079515-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="130" height="116"></div>CALGARY&mdash;More than a hockey team was shot down in Flames when Calgary was eliminated in six games by the Winnipeg Jets.For several seasons, Calgary has had a reputation as one of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s biggest and toughest clubs. That reputation now appears to be in jeopardy.The roots of the problem may go back to late in the 1985-86 season, when the Flames swung a three-for-one trade with St. Louis to get sniper Joey Mullen.To obtain Mullen, Calgary&rsquo;s scoring leader this year, Fletcher had to give up three rough-and-tumble players&mdash;Gino Cavallini, Eddy Beers and Charlie Bourgeois.The Flames prefer playing a freewheeling style now. Their six wins over Edmonton this season were mostly high-speed, end-to-end affairs in which Calgary beat the Oilers at their own finesse game.When the Jets threw a tight-checking, hard-hitting blanket over Calgary, the Flames couldn&rsquo;t cope.After the Winnipeg series ended, both Johnson and general manager Cliff Fletcher talked about the need for a big, tough defenseman and a big, tough forward.Johnson is already whipping up enthusiasm over defense prospect Brian Glynn, Calgary&rsquo;s second-round draft choice last summer. Glynn is six-foot-four and 224 pounds.Injuries to key big men hurt Calgary in the playoffs.&ldquo;We had the depth in skills,&rdquo; said assistant coach Pierre Page. &ldquo;Brett Hull and Kevan Guy stepped right in and played well. But our depth in size and toughness lacked.&ldquo;We lost Joel Otto (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and Nick Fotiu (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and we didn&rsquo;t have the depth in that area to replace them. It left a gap in our team.&rdquo;A gap that must be replaced in the off-season?&ldquo;I would think so,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;Common sense dictates it.&rdquo;Injuries to defensemen Al Maclnnis, Jamie Macoun and Paul Reinhart also had the Flames reeling. MacInnis, Macoun, Reinhart, Neil Sheehy and Gary Suter are a solid five, but after that there are slim pickings. Paul Baxter is a spot player who may retire, Brian Engblom probably won&rsquo;t be able to come back from a serious spine operation and rookie Kevan Guy is still green.Calgary&rsquo;s biggest questions in the off-season will concern the future of veteran forwards Lanny McDonald, Doug Risebrough and John Tonelli.McDonald, 34, seemed unable to contribute against the Jets, but he has already said he plans to return next season. The future Hall of Famer needs 21 goals and 35 points to reach 500 career goals and 1,000 points.Risebrough, 33, can no longer play a full season or on consecutive nights. He plans to give his ailing knee a rest before deciding his future.Meanwhile. Tonelli, 30, is at the center of a controversy. He was benched for three of the six playoff games with what the Flames said was a sore hip.Tonelli, a key cog in the New York Islanders&rsquo; four Stanley Cup wins, insisted he could have played. There have been suggestions he and Johnson don&rsquo;t get along and the Flames may try to unload his large salary.FLICKERS&mdash;Because of the 1988 Winter Olympics, the Flames cannot play at the Saddledome from Feb. 2 to March 3 next year, 31 straight days. The club expects to play at least 10 road games during that span&hellip;Calgary has invited goaltender Martin McKay, 18, to training camp. McKay played last year with the Dundee (Scotland) Rockets and is rated one of the best prospects to emerge from Great Britain&rsquo;s hockey system. &#9632;</div>

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Loss To Jets Exposes Flame Weaknesses

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021034/5077274-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="348" height="435"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Dryden</figcaption></div>Don Hay, in the end, was spared.He was to be the next victim. But the Kamloops Blazers were eliminated by the Portland Winter Hawks on April 22, and the Blazers&rsquo; assistant coach didn&rsquo;t have to sacrifice his moustache.Doubtlessly, he would have preferred giving up his hair to the Blazers&rsquo; giving up their drive for the Western League playoff title.Portland made it all academic, winning the best-of-nine West Division final 5-3 after stutter-stepping twice at four wins.It was with the Hawks leading 4-1 and his regular-season league-championship team facing elimination that Kamloops coach Ken Hitchcock offered to trade his moustache for a victory. The ploy worked. The Blazers won.Hitchcock dutifully shaved off his moustache.Prior to game seven in Kamloops, Hitchcock upped the ante&mdash;the hair on his head.Guess who won?&ldquo;I was prepared to do it the next day but the next thing I knew there were six guys wrestling with me,&rdquo; said Hitchcock, who had made an appointment with a local barber.The players crossed him up, somehow subduing the 300-pound-plus man and dragging him out to center ice where the more than 3,000 people who were filing out, filed back in to watch the clip job.&ldquo;I look like a cross between Bo Schembechler and King Kong Bundy,&rdquo; said Hitchcock.An apt description. Bundy&rsquo;s bulk and Schembechler&rsquo;s remarkable .777 winning percentage are two of the few things that dwarf the hefty Hitchcock and his extraordinary .730 three-year career winning mark.<h2>Historic Shutout-Norm Smith</h2>It was with more than passing interest that Norm Smith watched as April 18 turned to April 19 and the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals were still playing hockey.He was swept up by memories of a time more than 50 years agoSmith was the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; goalie on the night Mud Bruneteau ended the longest National Hockey League game ever, at 16:30 of the sixth overtime period on March 24, 1936.Detroit beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in the first game of their best-of-five semi-final series.&ldquo;After each period ended, I thought that would be the end of the game&mdash;they&rsquo;d call it off,&rdquo; remembered Smith. &ldquo;I was getting a little bit tired. The pads and equipment were starting to get a little bit heavy.&rdquo;And when it was all over, there was only numbed disbelief. &ldquo;It was kind of like a haze. I couldn&rsquo;t believe it was over.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011264/5077267-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="1441" height="1908"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Wendell Phillips, Kamloops News)</figcaption></div>Smith, now 79, didn&rsquo;t miss a moment of New York&rsquo;s televised quadruple-overtime victory. Seated next to him was Sid Abel, the former Detroit Red Wing player, coach and general manager who is Smith&rsquo;s neighbor in the Atlantic Ocean coast community of Stuart, Fla.Both marveled at the 73-stop performance turned in by Kelly Hrudey, although Smith did eventually grow concerned about the Islander goalie&rsquo;s workload.&ldquo;I was a little bit uneasy,&rdquo; he admitted. &ldquo;I thought maybe the guy would break my record.&rdquo;His record? Well, according to the NHL, Smith doesn&rsquo;t have a record. But the Toronto native, who played one season with the Maroons, thinks otherwise. He doesn&rsquo;t know of anyone else who has recorded a 92-save shutout as he did that nine-plus-period night.The league doesn&rsquo;t have accurate shots-on-goal statistics before the 1950s, but Smith has newspaper accounts which maintain he stopped nearly 100 shots.Nowhere in the NHL record book is there a hint of shots-on-goal records. It used to be Sam LoPresti of the 1941 Chicago Blackhawks was credited with a record 80 saves on 83 shots, but league statistician Benny Ercolani says it&rsquo;s no longer considered a league standard because there was some doubt about its legitimacy.No matter how many shots Smith faced, one inescapable circumstance remains&mdash;none of them got past him. In fact, none did for a span of 248:32, notes Detroit director of public relations Bill Jamieson.Smith followed up his historic shutout over 176 minutes and 30 seconds with another whitewash against the Maroons, before finally allowing a goal in Detroit&rsquo;s series-clinching 2-1 win.The Red Wings beat Toronto 3-1 in the Stanley Cup final.It is a triumph, no doubt, still celebrated periodically by the dozen men who make up Smith&rsquo;s gang in Stuart. All of them used to live in Detroit.The get together twice a week&mdash;on Tuesdays and Saturdays. How do they occupy their time?&ldquo;Have a beer,&rdquo; says Smith, the senior member.Naturally.<h2>Results Change-Trade Winds</h2>Oh, how trade fortunes change like the winds.The trade winds.Two months ago, John Ogrodnick looked like the biggest stiff since Primo Camera&mdash;playing a rather indifferent game for the Quebec Nordiques.Meanwhile, Brent Ashton was playing well for the Detroit Red Wings and most everybody was talking about how Jimmy Devellano fleeced Maurice Filion in the deal that also sent Basil McRae and Doug Shedden to Quebec, Gilbert Delorme and Mark Kumpel to Detroit.Well, not too far into the playoffs, the storyline of that trade and two others had changed.Ashton, with one goal (and three assists) helped Detroit sweep Chicago, but he didn&rsquo;t play nearly the role that Ogrodnick did as Quebec shocked Hartford. Ogrodnick won one game all by himself with a hat trick and then scored three points in the Nordiques&rsquo; series-clinching win.Ogrodnick added two points in Quebec&rsquo;s opening-game upset of Montreal, as did (get this) tough-guy McRae, who (gasp) followed up with the winning goal in game two.The Nordiques also received payback on another deal that had gone sour. Ex-Whaler Risto Siltanen, who spent some time in the minors this year, collected eight assists against Hartford&mdash;including five in game five.John Anderson, surrendered to the Whalers for Siltanen, scored just one goal and two assists&mdash;playing a portion of the time on Hartford&rsquo;s disappointing No. 1 line.And finally, there was the delightful rise of Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; Mike Allison, the former New York Ranger who was used all season as an example of Leaf GM Gerry McNamara&rsquo;s incompetence.McNamara gave up Walt Poddubny, an 87-point scorer during the regular season, for Allison, a 23-point grinder and character player.Poddubny suffered through a pointless six games against Philadelphia in the playoffs, while Allison was a standout against St. Louis, contributing one game-winning goal, one assist and model checking.Does all this mean Filion and McNamara are vindicated, Devellano, New York&rsquo;s Phil Esposito and Hartford&rsquo;s Emile Francis vilified?The answer, my friends, is blowing in the trade winds.<h2>&lsquo;Other Duds&rsquo;-Emile Francis</h2>Quote of the week:&ldquo;For us, it was simply a case of the wrong guys having the puck at the wrong time. The (Quebec) snipers got the puck. It&rsquo;s too bad it wasn&rsquo;t Basil McRae or some of their other duds.&rdquo;&mdash;Emile Francis, page 21. &#9632;

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Departments

WHO IS THIS MAN…

In next week&rsquo;s May 8 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS, we will both review and preview the Stanley Cup playoffs. We&rsquo;ll have complete coverage of the concluded division finals and previews of the conference finals as the race for the Stanley Cup is narrowed to four teams.Plus, we&rsquo;ll wrap up coverage of the World Championships in Vienna, where Team Canada entered the medal round with high hopes.And there will also be an in-depth preview of the Memorial Cup, which is scheduled for May 9-16 in Oshawa, Ont. Oshawa Generals will be the host team and await opposition from the Western League, Quebec League and possibly another team from the Ontario League (North Bay Centennials).Don&rsquo;t miss all that, plus much, much more in next week&rsquo;s May 8 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS. &#9632;

NEXT WEEK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011293/5077305-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="338" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg</figcaption></div>MAYBE THEY SHOULD be used to finding a way to lose by now. but this time the Capital punishment was cruel and unusual.We can argue until 1:58 a.m., provided we aren&rsquo;t still watching a hockey game somewhere, whether the Islanders came back and took it or the Caps gave it away. It&rsquo;s always a little bit of both.But nobody deserves to lose like this.For three periods, the Caps skated, checked, shot, almost screamed against their fate, only to be stopped time and again by Kelly Hrudey. Still, the Capitals had the lead. They had two goals and, with six minutes to go, that looked like it might be enough.One of the many ironies of what would become Hockey&rsquo;s Iliad was that those six minutes must have seemed like an eternity to the Caps. The answer to the question long posed by followers of this luckless franchise&mdash;&ldquo;What is going to happen this time?&rdquo;&mdash;seemed fairly simple when Bryan Trottier squeezed the tying backhander between Bob Mason&rsquo;s legs.But the Caps were soon to leant how long long could be. As one overtime led to another and then another, finding a way to lose this one wasn&rsquo;t simple at all, even for a franchise with practical experience in these matters. A mercy killing? Nah, the 1986-87 Caps had to die while completing Rubik&rsquo;s Cube.&ldquo;What do you have to do to win?&rdquo; Caps&rsquo; goalie Bob Mason remembered thinking to himself, as he glanced at the shot clock climbing into the 70s. &ldquo;Create a screen and get lucky,&rdquo; was the Pat answer, long before LaFontaine&rsquo;s slapshot off the post at 8:47 of the fourth overtime ended it.The Islanders did have more left as the overtimes dragged on. What that proved, in a game designed to be played for 60 minutes&mdash;okay, 80 in an extreme case&mdash;is beyond me. The result had nothing to do with character, because both teams had long since proven they had it. The game was not designed to be a marathon anyway, but a series of sprints.If the NHL would have had the time and desire to really ascertain the better team, it would have called this one a draw after two overtimes, then brought the two clubs back for another full game on Monday.What transpired instead&mdash;from halfway through the second overtime on&mdash;was unique, fascinating and, particularly on the part of the two goalies, heroic. But most of the time it wasn&rsquo;t good hockey. The numbing fatigue just didn&rsquo;t allow it.Every few shifts, most of which could not last past 30 seconds, somebody would hallucinate an opportunity, dig into storage for a burst of energy and try to win it. On the winner Gord Dineen did force the puck deep and LaFontaine, who had more energy left than most of the players on the ice, was a worthy hero.But no one is going to tell me that one shot, that hit the post from behind a screen and went in after 2:08:47 of playing time, made the winners gallant and the losers a bunch of chokers.&ldquo;Just once I&rsquo;d like to go into their locker room and see what makes them tick,&rdquo; said Bobby Gould in admiration for the Islanders. It was a nice thing to say and probably a sincere thing too, for the Caps had just lost to the Islanders for the fourth time in five years.But the Isles&mdash;witness last spring when the Caps beat them three straight&mdash;don&rsquo;t will these things. They are admirable, but mortal. And on Sunday morning, at 1:58 a.m., they were only one goal luckier, not clearly better, than Washington.If the Caps screwed up, of course, it was in allowing the series to go to a seventh game. They were up 3-1, coming off two well-goaltended games by Bob Mason, when Bryan Murray decided to give Pete Peeters the next start The Caps had a brief lead in game six, too. And they&rsquo;ll have to live with all of that. But all would have been forgotten, had they won the seventh game. And they played too hard and too well for too much of the game to not deserve it any less than did the Islanders.&ldquo;Where do the Caps go from from here?&rdquo; someone asked Murray afterwards.It was the kind of question designed to get a reaction, not an answer. It was ill-timed, almost cruel. Murray gave a disgusted wave.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not getting into that now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re all going to have fun with this anyway.&rdquo;On the contrary, the Caps deserve nothing but sympathy. GM David Poile deserves votes for Executive of the Year for his confronting and handling of the Bobby Carpenter problem. And Murray, who stayed patient and positive and got the team turned around after Poile fleeced Phil Esposito of Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller, could coach my team anytime.But what the Caps deserved and what they got remained exclusive of each other.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just not fair,&rdquo; said Scott Stevens. &ldquo;We work so hard and we always come up short.&rdquo;In retrospect, four overtimes went by in an instant. They were quick and painless compared to the suffering&mdash;which, in Washington, remains infinite. &#9632;

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Columnists

Capitals Deserved Better Than Marathon Defeat

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021208/5077336-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="136" height="95"></div>MONTREAL&mdash;Playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques have become rather predictable.In this year&rsquo;s edition, there was bound to be some sniping in the media between the rival coaches. And there were bound to be fights, both on the ice and in the stands.One aspect remained unpredictable, however&mdash;picking a winner.While the Canadiens finished the National Hockey League season well ahead of the Nordiques in the standings, it did not mean much once their best-of-seven Adams Division final got under way. Home-ice &ldquo;advantage,&rdquo; which was supposed to work in the Canadiens&rsquo; favor, produced two Forum losses&mdash;7-5 and 2-1&mdash;and two road victories&mdash;7-2 and 3-2 at Le Colisee.The Nordiques were in the driver&rsquo;s seat after game two, but a pair of determined efforts by Montreal evened the series.The Canadiens dispatched Quebec easily in game three, but needed Mats Naslund&rsquo;s overtime goal to win 4-3 in the fourth contest. It was the first overtime victory for the Canadiens over Quebec in post-season play, after five losses.When the Canadiens scratched and clawed their way to their 23rd Stanley Cup championship last spring, a key man was rookie goaltender Patrick Roy. But after game one of the Adams Division final, Roy was parked at the right end of the Montreal bench with an 8.93 playoff goals-against average against the Nordiques.His place in goal had been taken away by Brian Hayward, who finished with the best goals-against average among NHL goaltenders this season.A confident, almost cocky Brian Hayward trumpeted after the Canadiens&rsquo; easy triumph in game three that Montreal could beat Quebec &ldquo;any night of the week.&rdquo;Hayward then went out and supported his claim with outstanding goaltending in the fourth game.&ldquo;My defensemen helped me a lot,&rdquo; said Hayward, fully conscious that he had put pressure on his team mates with his brash predictions. &ldquo;I hope that we can play the way we are capable of playing to win this series.&rdquo;Had the Canadiens performed in Montreal in the same way they did in Quebec, Canadiens&rsquo; fans might have been celebrating a four-game sweep.But after a solid all-round effort in the third game, the Canadiens let their hitting game slip away in game four. They blew a 2-0 lead, setting the stage for Naslund&rsquo;s second overtime goal in the 1987 playoffs.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve now established that homeice advantage is no advantage.&rdquo; said Canadien center Bobby Smith.With their backs pinned to the wall, the Canadiens showed they had the same character which carried them to the Stanley Cup championship last spring.Naslund&rsquo;s game-winning goal ended a weekend of backbiting in the press between the two coaches.Bergeron&mdash;who claims Chris Chelios is one of the league&rsquo;s dirtiest players&mdash;promised he would send resident tough guy Gord Donnelly after Chelios in game four. That didn&rsquo;t happen, but referee Bob Myers gave Chelios and Quebec&rsquo;s Paul Gillis coincidental minors on three occasions.Canadiens&rsquo; coach Jean Perron, meanwhile, said he would keep John Kordic out of the Montreal lineup if Bergeron scratched Donnelly. Both were dressed and Donnelly got a few shifts while Kordic had a prime seat on the Montreal bench for all the action.IN PASSING&mdash;Patrick Roy&rsquo;s streak of 25 consecutive playoff appearances was broken in the second game against Quebec&hellip;Brian Skrudland missed games three and four with the flu&hellip;Stephane Richer was a designated sitter for the two games in Quebec, while Sergio Momesso and Kjell Dahlin made their first appearances of the series. Momesso responded with his first playoff goal 14 seconds into game three, and was involved in a spirited fight with Quebec&rsquo;s Basil McRae before the puck was dropped to start game four. &#9632;</div>

f0004-02

Habs’ Hayward Shines After Relieving Roy

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031032/5077367-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="113" height="111"></div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;Basil McRae has been doing just fine for a throw-in, thank you.One of the lesser lights in the Jan. 17 trade that sent John Ogrodnick, Doug Shedden and McRae from Detroit to Quebec for Brent Ashton, Mark Kumpel and Gilbert Delorme, the big winger had emerged as a major playoff force on the Nordiques.When the Nords finally beat Hartford in the first round of the playoffs and set off for the Adams Division finals against Montreal, few people gave them a chance.But all of a sudden, Quebec led the series 2-0 and the hero was none other than big No. 17, ex-Red Wing McRae.In the first game at Montreal, won 7-5 by the Nordiques, McRae not only scored a goal, but so infuriated Hab tough guy Chris Nilan that Nilan took 18 minutes in penalties.&ldquo;My role on the ice is to slow down a player like Chris Nilan,&rdquo; McRae said. &ldquo;I respect him as much as he respects me. And if things happen on offense, they&rsquo;ll happen.&rdquo;In the second game two nights later, he netted the winner in Quebec&rsquo;s 2-1 victory.Before he scored the winner in the third period, McRae had to fight bruiser John Kordic and Nilan. He was manhandled by Kordic and drew against Nilan.After he scored his goal, McRae taunted Nilan, pointing at him as he skated by.&ldquo;I was as excited as I was happy. In games like these, there&rsquo;s lots of emotion. But when I think of it, I&rsquo;m not very proud at the way I acted with Nilan. You shouldn&rsquo;t put down an opponent like that.&rdquo;Coach Michel Bergeron applauded the effort of his big winger.&ldquo;I tip my hat to Basil,&rdquo; Bergeron said. &ldquo;He isn&rsquo;t a crybaby. He didn&rsquo;t win his two fights, but he kept on working and scored the winning goal. He&rsquo;s quite a man. In his book, the team comes first.&rdquo;Not even McRae&rsquo;s team play, however, could keep Montreal from tying the series with back-to-back 7-2 and 3-2 wins at Le Colisee.McRae wasn&rsquo;t a factor in game three, unless you count his misconduct penalty in the final minutes of the third period.Then, in game four, before referee Bob Myers even had time to drop the puck for the opening face-off, McRae got things going with big Sergio Momesso. His instigator penalty left the Nords a man short at the beginning of the contest.Montreal capitalized with Mats Naslund&rsquo;s goal at 0:18, then followed with a Mike McPhee marker at 2:47. Quebec came back to tie the game on goals by Ogrodnick and Anton Stastny, but finally lost in overtime when Naslund&rsquo;s long shot caught Mario Gosselin napping.After the game, McRae admitted that he had been stupid.&ldquo;I was a little too much ready for the game,&rdquo; he said look a very bad penalty that put us in trouble even before the game started.&rdquo;NORDIQUE NOTES&mdash;Basil McRae becomes a free agent at the end of June. His plans? &ldquo;Right now, my main concern is the welfare of the Nordiques. I&rsquo;ll talk about my future when the season is over. My agent, Bill Watters, Maurice Filion (Nords&rsquo; GM) and myself have all agreed that we&rsquo;ll wait until the Nordiques&rsquo; season is over before we comment on the matter.&rdquo; Filion said he tabled an offer before the playoffs. &#9632;</div>

f0004-03

McRae Sparks Nordiques In Playoffs

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011165/5077398-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="143" height="102"></div>DETROIT&mdash;Losing the first two games at home is not the recommended means of opening a playoff series.But the Detroit Red Wings figured that wasn&rsquo;t a problem. They used up most of their mistake allotment at home as the Toronto Maple Leafs skated to 4-2 and 7-2 victories for a 2-0 lead in the Norris Division final series.By the time they arrived in Toronto for game three, the Red Wings were being written off and coach Jacques Demers was being roundly second-guessed. What the Wings needed, the pundits said, was a miracle.Not so, Demers responded, doing some of his own second-guessing.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to take a miracle,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;Just show up, play well, play determined. Lucky bounces, goal posts, that&rsquo;s luck. But you get those breaks when you work hard and you&rsquo;re sharp. I saw Ken Wregget make a save off his helmet. You can say, &lsquo;Geez, he&rsquo;s lucky.&rsquo; Yeah, but he&rsquo;s quick. He&rsquo;s moving. He&rsquo;s there. He&rsquo;s sharp. He&rsquo;s intense. The bottom line is, it hit you in the helmet, the puck isn&rsquo;t in the net.&rdquo;The Wings, from their coach on down, were loose and confident entering game three despite the &ldquo;must&rdquo; nature of the contest.So it wasn&rsquo;t a surprise when they went back to play the kind of hockey that got them this far in a 4-2 victory over the Leafs. They limited the Leafs to only three shots in the second period and got two goals each from Gerard Gallant and Shawn Burr.The Red Wings were more active, more involved, more determined. Tense and tentative for the first two games at home, they were more relaxed and that enabled them to react better. They beat the Leafs to loose pucks and made the puck bounce their way, just as the Leafs made it bounce their way in winning twice at Detroit.The Wings got to a shaky Wregget early and forced coach John Brophy to switch to Allan Bester in the first minute of the second period, after Burr&rsquo;s second goal. In game one of the series, the Leafs got to Greg Stefan and Demers went to Glen Hanlon. Stefan started the second game, was bombed and again gave way to Hanlon for game three.Eliminating Wregget&rsquo;s aura of invincibility was an important triumph for the Wings and it left Brophy with the identical decision the Detroit coach faced earlier in the series. Brophy made the same move&mdash;he went back to his No. 1 man, Wregget, for game four.&ldquo;We seemed to be more relaxed,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a 2-1 series. We have to win three more and they only have to win two. But sometimes momentum shifts very quickly in this business.&ldquo;We came out a lot sharper. I know one thing for sure, it was going to be hard to sweep us.&rdquo;Hard or not, anybody who saw the Leafs dominate the two games at Joe Louis Arena couldn&rsquo;t rule out the possibility, Demers included, and there some considerable discomfort in the Detroit camp.&ldquo;No ifs, ands or buts&mdash;we were embarrassed. They toyed with our pride,&rdquo; Demers said.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s what we didn&rsquo;t do. Then again, the Leafs have been superb. For 120 minutes, the Toronto Maple Leafs outplayed the Detroit Red Wings. They&rsquo;re well coordinated, with a hot goalie. But they&rsquo;re not that much superior to us to beat us 7-2.&rdquo;Demers said a 15-minute meeting helped the Wings shake their slump.&ldquo;I did the talking,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There has always been the capability here for coaches and players to talk, to put it on the line without misunderstandings. I was very specific and pointed out certain things, what certain players should be doing for us. Nobody was singled out. It&rsquo;s the team concept, we talked about.&ldquo;At one point in the meeting, it was brought out that maybe winning the first round, we thought the season was over. It&rsquo;s not. Winning the first round was great but this could turn out to be a very negative feeling if we don&rsquo;t do well.&rdquo;Steve Yzerman wanted no part of such a feeling.A couple of days earlier, Demers said that the Wings couldn&rsquo;t wait for Yzerman to get the job done by himself, that everybody would have to contribute. He was making a point.And Yzerman made his point.&ldquo;He was awesome,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;He played as good as any player in any series this year.&rdquo;WING WIRE&mdash;A full season into his professional career, Joe Murphy still doesn&rsquo;t know what a curfew is. Murphy, the first player taken in the 1986 entry draft, missed curfew in Moncton during the American League playoffs. The Red Wings&rsquo; No. 1 pick was caught out at 4 a.m., along with Bill Shibicky, the Michigan State University star who turned pro immediately after the college season. The Red Wings&rsquo; organization, already embarrassed to the limit by Murphy, tried to handle the matter discreetly&mdash;that means keeping it out of the newspapers. When questioned about Murphy&rsquo;s latest escapade, coach Jacques Demers said: &ldquo;When I heard about it, I couldn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

f0005-01

Wings Remind Themselves Job Not Over

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011347/5077443-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Hextall seems to be indicating just how close the Calder Trophy race is between himself, Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson.</figcaption></div>Well, the nee is on and here comes Pride up the back stretch.Heartache&rsquo;s a going to the inside.My Tears are hold&rsquo;n back, trying not to fall.&mdash;From The Race is On, a song by Doug RollinsAh Kentucky, it&rsquo;s the place to be in the springtime.Unless, of course, you happen to be a young hockey player named Ron Hextall, Jim Carson or Luc Robitaille.For those three National Hockey League rookies, the stretch drive is taking place not on the backstretch of Churchill Downs, but in the offices of Ernst and Whinney, a private accounting firm in Montreal.That&rsquo;s also the place where Wayne Gretzky will most certainly again lap the field in his quest for an eighth consecutive Hart Trophy. And where Ray Bourque may finally get to step up into a winner&rsquo;s circle so long dominated by his predecessor, Bobby Orr.Yes, it&rsquo;s awards time again ladies and gentlemen. The NHL&rsquo;s leading thoroughbreds have not only already left the paddock, they have actually thundered down the homestretch. The official photos (ballots) are now in the hands of the stewards, so it&rsquo;s still anybody&rsquo;s race, but with an eye towards form, breeding, tradition and luck, here&rsquo;s a rundown of the various races and even a stab at picking a few winners.All trophies, except the Adams and Vezina, are determined in a vote among members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association.THE CALDER TROPHY, presented &ldquo;to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.&rdquo;A crowded field of 12 left the gate in September, but three&mdash;Philadelphia&rsquo;s Ron Hextall and the Los Angeles entry of left winger Luc Robitaille and center Jimmy Carson&mdash;have hooked up in a nose-to-nose run for the wire.Were it not for Hextall, this would be an easy read. Robitaille scored 42 goals and 35 assists (77 points) in 73 games with the Kings this past season. He also performed well both after L.A.&rsquo;s leading stallion, Marcel Dionne, spit out the bit and went to New York, and during the time Pat Quinn had his coaching license lifted.Running mate Jimmy Carson, the 18-year-old who was once stabled in a Detroit area training shed (much to the embarrassment of the Red Wings, who chose to lay their money on Joe Murphy) is also worthy of the nod. The kid started strongly, faltered a bit in the long pull through the first two turns, but sucked it up for a strong run down the finish and came in with 33 goals, 38 assists and 71 points.Then, of course, there is Hextall, whose chart reads a little like Secretariat before the Belmont Stakes.Among veteran and rookie goalies alike, Hextall played the most games (66), had the most wins (37), the best save percentage (.902) and faced the most shots 2,457. He finished with the best goals-against average among rookies (3.00) and might well have had the best overall were it not for a 9-5 blowout loss to the New York Islanders on the final day of the regular season.Handicappers are divided on who should be the winner. A random sampling of opinion:&bull; &ldquo;I think Hextall has had a tremendous year,&rdquo; says Hartford general manager Emile (Cat) Francis, himself a former goalie. &ldquo;He led the league in wins and goals-against average. He is a major reason for the Flyers&rsquo; success this season and why they have gotten so far. It is very hard for a goalie to break into the league, especially the way he has. It is much easier for a forward or a defenseman. For a goaltender to accomplish what he has is an extraordinary thing.&rdquo;&ldquo;If you are a GM building a team,&rdquo; says Flyer coach Mike Keenan, a biased handicapper, &ldquo;the first guy you want is (Hextall). He won more games than any other goalie and led the league in most categories. We set a franchise record for injuries this year. Ron Hextall is a major part of the reason we have gotten as far as we have. He is in an exposed position, a forward or defenseman are not as exposed and can get away with a lot more. I would think to compare Hextall to Robitaille, Robitaille would have to have scored 100 goals to beat out Ronnie.&rdquo;&bull; &ldquo;Without question, Ron Hextall,&rdquo; says St. Louis Blue defenseman Charlie Bourgeois. &ldquo;His job, as goaltender, is more demanding than any of the other positions and, for that reason alone, he gets a high rating. But his performance from opening day right through the playoffs has been outstanding. For runner-up, I&rsquo;d go with (St. Louis defenseman) Brian Benning. I have to. After all, he carried me.&rdquo;&bull; &ldquo;He (Carson) played both offense and defense,&rdquo; says former Calder Trophy-winner Howie Meeker, now a hockey analyst on TV. &ldquo;Carson is a better all-around player than Robitaille. He was head and shoulders above the rest. Anyone who can play plus on L.A. deserves the Calder Trophy.&rdquo;&bull; &ldquo;I think he (Carson) is going to be a tremendous asset to the Kings for years to come,&rdquo; says ex-New York Ranger general manager Craig Patrick. &ldquo;I think he had one hell of a second half of the season. He was by far the best player on the Kings this year.&rdquo;&bull; &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see how there can be any doubt about Luc Robitaille deserving it,&rdquo; says King teammate Bob Bourne. &ldquo;Look at his numbers&mdash;45 goals. Look at the way he played all season with a club that just barely made the playoffs. Hextall did his thing with a first-place club with terrific defense. There&rsquo;s a big difference and that should be taken into consideration.&rdquo;&bull; &ldquo;Out of these two kids (Robitaille and Carson), one of them should win,&rdquo; says none other than King GM Rogie Vachon, giving some balance to the Clarke-Keenan opinions. &ldquo;Robitaille has a slight edge due to the number of goals he scored (45). Both have had a great impact on our hockey team this year.&rdquo;Then, of course, there are those who say it&rsquo;s too tight to narrow the field.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s impossible for me to pick between Robitaille and Hextall,&rdquo; says Boston Bruin defenseman Mike Milbury. &ldquo;I call it a tie.&rdquo;It is indeed a close race, maybe too close to call, but look for Hextall to be there in the end.THE HART TROPHY, presented &ldquo;to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.&rdquo;The debate also rages as to just what that means. Mario Lemieux is no less valuable to the Pittsburgh Penguins than Wayne Gretzky is to the Edmonton Oilers, but even Ronald Regan can&rsquo;t forget what Gretzky has done for the Oilers, himself and the entire NHL community.The Great One&rsquo;s totals of 62 goals, 121 assists and 183 points don&rsquo;t measure up to last year&rsquo;s 52-163-215 overall, but so what. There is no athlete in sport that has outdistanced his peers the way Gretzky has. What&rsquo;s interesting here is the race for second and Lemieux just might not make it. Bourque and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mark Howe have caught the eyes of many voters and there is a colt out in Winnipeg named Dale Hawerchuk, who is finally getting the attention he deserves.As far as second goes, there may be an upset in the making here&mdash;Hawerchuk or Bourque could well edge out Lemieux.THE NORRIS AWARD, presented &ldquo;to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.&rdquo;This is a two-horse field involving Bourque and Howe. Bruin general manager Harry Sinden said Bourque was playing at a level with Bobby Orr, earlier this season. That may have been a calculated remark to enhance Bourque&rsquo;s chances of winning the Norris before Sinden and company ran him into the ground, but it&rsquo;s not that far off base. Bourque is clearly a better scorer than Howe, but Howe may have the edge in his own zone. With those two factors cancelled out, Bourque still gets the edge. Nobody plays more, gives more or hits any harder than he does.Howe is a close second again. Last year&rsquo;s winner, Paul Coffey, was injured for much of the season and should finish well up the track. Look for either Buffalo&rsquo;s Mike Ramsey, Calgary&rsquo;s Al Maclnnis, Montreal&rsquo;s Rick Green or Washington&rsquo;s Larry Murphy to finish a distant third.THE VEZINA TROPHY, presented &ldquo;to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position,&rdquo; as voted by the general managers of the 21 clubs.Grant Fuhr caught all the GMs&rsquo; eyes at Rendez-vous &rsquo;87 but we all know that doesn&rsquo;t count so the line goes back to Hextall. Fuhr may finish second and if you like longshots, don&rsquo;t discount Bob Sauve of the Chicago Blackhawks to finish with an outside run at third. Sauve finished with the second-best save percentage in the league (.894), a remarkable feat considering the Hawks&rsquo; ultra-pourous defense this season. The more likely choice, however, is Mike Liut, without whom Hartford GM Emile Francis contends the Whalers would not have finished in first place in the Adams Division. Liut could sneak past Fuhr for second.THE SELKE AWARD, presented &ldquo;to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.&rdquo;The old guard (represented by the retired Craig Ramsay and current Montreal Canadien Bob Gainey) has faded and this is clearly a race for hockey&rsquo;s equivalent of the two-year-old colts. One older candidate, and former winner, is Doug Jarvis&mdash;the Hartford Whaler defensive specialist who may get the nod because of his newly-established record for consecutive games played.The players who got the job done defensively include Philadelphia&rsquo;s Peter Zezel and Dave Poulin, St. Louis&rsquo; Rick Meagher and Montreal&rsquo;s Guy Carbonneau. Last year&rsquo;s winner, Chicago&rsquo;s Troy Murray, is still very good at this sort of thing but fell off from a year ago. Detroit could have a longshot candidate in rookie Shawn Burr, but it takes time to establish a reputation here and the kid is really just getting started.THE LADY BYNG AWARD, presented &ldquo;to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing abilty.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011200/5077436-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="679" height="987"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky should be the runaway choice of Hart Trophy voters.</figcaption></div>In recent seasons, tradition dictated that the winner is the gentleman who scores well, doesn&rsquo;t take too many penalties, is a nice guy, good with the media and finishes some reasonable distance behind Gretzky in the scoring race. A kind of Hart transplant. Reasonable enough, but if you read the criteria, this is an award that should have Gretzky&rsquo;s name all over it. Sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and a high standard of playing ability! Come on, it should be named for Wayne&rsquo;s mother and retired by her son.Still, traditions die hard so look for Calgary&rsquo;s Joe Mullen to emerge from a pack that includes Edmonton&rsquo;s Jari Kurri and, this year, maybe even a defenseman such as Howe, Bourque or Murphy.THE JACK ADAMS AWARD, also known as the last-to-first and first-to-be-fired award, presented by the NHL&rsquo;s broadcasters &ldquo;to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team&rsquo;s success.&rdquo;This, too, is an award steeped in a sort of perverse tradition. Winners often get it because they either a) made the biggest jump in points from a season ago, b) have had a long history of success, but haven&rsquo;t won yet, c) should have won it the year before but didn&rsquo;t because it went to a coach with a long history of success who hadn&rsquo;t won yet.With all that in mind, this year&rsquo;s winner should be Detroit&rsquo;s Jacques Demers and not just because he brought the Dead Things back to life. Demers is also a perfect candidate to win on the guilt factor in that he lost out to Edmonton&rsquo;s Glen Sather last year despite doing a superlative job with the St. Louis Blues.Of course, Sather didn&rsquo;t get fired this year and it&rsquo;s likely Demers won&rsquo;t be axed next year either, but the long tradition of being a coach-of-the-year candidate one year and fired the next is still intact. Just ask Minnesota&rsquo;s Lorne Henning, who finished third in the voting last year. What&rsquo;s that? He&rsquo;s no longer Minnesota&rsquo;s coach?See.There are other deserving candidates here, most notably Jack (Tex) Evans, who took the Hartford Whalers from fourth to first in the Adams this year, and Dan Maloney in Winnipeg. Calgary&rsquo;s Bob Johnson is a candidate in the been-successful-for-awhile-now category. Buffalo&rsquo;s Ted Sator had an outside chance when his team caught the Quebec Nordiques at the top of the turn. Buffalo&rsquo;s poor stretch drive did him in, however. The quiet man here is St. Louis&rsquo; Jacques Martin, who drove the Blues to first place with a spectacular Norris Division finish.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02854/5077429-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="672" height="980"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray Bourque will likely have the inside track in voting for the Norris Trophy.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0006-01

PHOTO FINISH!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011283/5077474-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div>I WOULD LIKE to be the first of many hockey fans to congratulate Bobby Clarke on his selection to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bobby&rsquo;s play on and off the ice exemplified what the Hall of Fame is all about. He was the ultimate team player. Bobby never gave the game less than 150 per cent, with his never-ending hustle and fierce competitiveness.Bobby Clarke will be remembered by most fans for leading the Flyers to two Stanley Cups, winning the Hart Trophy twice, the Selke award and numerous all-star selections. I will remember Bobby Clarke as a courageous man who, despite diabetes, gave his heart and soul to the game and a man who brought pride to a city which desperately needed it! I will always cherish the memories of what a skinny, toothless kid from Flin Flon gave to the game of hockey. Thank you, Bobby Clarke!Frank J. Viola, Philadelphia, PA<h2>NORRIS DEFENSE</h2>In reference to the article &ldquo;The Smythe Division&mdash;It&rsquo;s Something to Shout About&rdquo; (THN, Apr. 17), Eric Duhatschek writes &ldquo;whoever emerges from the Smythe Division gets a virtual bye to the finals.&rdquo; This is an obvious slap in the face to the Norris Division. Well, Mr. Duhatschek, how about last year, when the St. Louis Blues took your beloved Flames to a seventh game in the semi-finals and lost by one goal? That doesn&rsquo;t seem like a virtual bye to me.I speak for the majority in St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit and Toronto, when I say that I am getting sick and tired of the people and press badmouthing the Norris Division. That&rsquo;s all you hear anymore&mdash;how weak and how boring the Norris Division is. Well, let me tell you this. If you buy a ticket to a Norris Division game, you will definitely get your money&rsquo;s worth. All I read is how great the Oilers-Flames or the Canadiens-Nordiques rivalries are. But have you been to a Blues-Blackhawks game lately?So I say to all of you &ldquo;hockey experts,&rdquo; just don&rsquo;t worry about what goes on in the Norris Division. We hockey fans in the midwest think it&rsquo;s some of the best in the NHL. If you don&rsquo;t like it, don&rsquo;t follow it.Mark Mager, St. Louis, MO<h2>HARD LINE ON FIGHTS</h2>I live in an area that has an American League team and I have seen many fights that detract from the game. On Saturday, April 11, I attended an AHL playoff game in Buffalo between the Rochester Americans and the Hershey Bears. During the pre-game warmup, the two teams became involved in a brawl that ended with one player (Andy Ristau) in the hospital. Several from both teams received game misconducts and, the next day, game suspensions and $500 fines.After watching this display by both teams I gave the whole idea of fighting a lot of thought&mdash;and I believe the only way to stop the fighting altogether is to get tough with the players and the teams. The NHL, AHL and IHL, along with all of the other leagues, should set up a new set of rules to deal with the fights.I would recommend an automatic game suspension instead of a five-minute penalty, a $500 fine that must be paid by the player, and an automatic three-game suspension. If the player becomes involved in a second fight in the season he should get a $1,000 fine and five-game suspension. For a third fight in the season, he should be suspended for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.Kenneth D. Jermyn, Henriette, NY &#9632;

f0008-01

Clarke Perfect Selection To Hockey Hall Of Fame

Let your voice be heard. Send your comments to Fan Forum, THE HOCKEY NEWS, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 2R2. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

FAN FORUM

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021075/5077529-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="389" height="444"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie</figcaption></div>IT&rsquo;S ALMOST EMBARRASSING to think how utterly Canadian we Canadians can be at times.Take, for instance, the game of hockey. When the puck is dropped, we are a no-nonsense people, playing it hard and fast.What I wonder is how, as soon as the game is over, we can go back to being so&hellip;Canadian.You know, that Canadian. The one the United Nations sends out on peacekeeping missions. The one who is gentlemanly and fair-minded, with a lovely set of manners.Nothing wrong with manners, mind you.Except, of course, where hockey is involved.In other words, there comes a time when, even a Canadian must dispense with congeniality and, in the name of the great game of hockey, kick some rear ends.In this case, the bottom which needs kicking belongs to Gunther Sabetzki, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was Sabetzki who became the law unto himself, overruled the IIHF rules and expelled Canada and the Soviet Union from the 1987 World Junior Championships for their roles in the Piestany Punch-Up last January.He then saw to it that the players and coaches involved were suspended from all international competition until June 30. 1988 (all but two players) and Dec. 31, 1989 (coaches).The punishment was cruel and unusual, even for these most unusual of circumstances. The manner in which justice was dispensed was nothing less than farcical.Canada, then, has a score to settle with Sabetzki. What are we doing about it?Nothing. How typically Canadian.Just as this issue went to press, the annual IIHF Congress convened in Vienna. Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president Murray Costello was there, trying to get Gunther to lighten up.Unfortunately, we need not wait to see what happened. It is so because Gunther says it is so.A week before the Congress, Sabetzki told Canadian Press that no appeals would be heard. Case closed.That&rsquo;s not the worse of it, though. We went over there to fight a war with an unloaded gun.The enemy, it seems, is not Sabetzki so much as ourselves.If Costello was to get an appeal heard, you can be sure he would be properly Canadian about it, appealing to the delegates&rsquo; sense of reason.But since the IIHF and reason make strange bedfellows, the net result would certainly amount to nil.So give us not reason, give us Alan Eagleson.You may find it curious that at a time when we supposedly go to international hockey war in the boardroom, our five-star general is not only sitting on the sidelines, but helping the enemy (IIHF) fight another battle (against West Germany in the Miroslav Sikora case).&ldquo;No one asked for my assistance,&rdquo; said Eagleson, Hockey Canada&rsquo;s chief international negotiator, before leaving for Vienna. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a CAHA matter, not a Hockey Canada matter.&rdquo;That he wasn&rsquo;t asked tells you something else about Canadians. Like, why have one administrative body handling major international hockey-affairs when you can have two&mdash;which apparently don&rsquo;t get along.The CAHA handles the World Junior Championships, Hockey Canada everything else. Never the twain shall meet.Of course, if there&rsquo;s an individual who might effect any change within the IIHF, it&rsquo;s Eagleson. He&rsquo;s got the clout, he&rsquo;s shrewd and he&rsquo;s ruthless. He&rsquo;s our top gun. Sports Illustrated, the anti-Eagleson magazine of record, even goes so far as to suggest his manners are akin to that of &ldquo;a burro.&rdquo;If that&rsquo;s the case, perfect. What better quality to have when dealing with the IIHF?When Sabetzki learned the Canadian juniors were given gold medals by Toronto Maple Leaf owner Harold Ballard, he said, &ldquo;How can this be? The Canadian team is champion only of fighting.&rdquo;If only that were true.We weren&rsquo;t fighting, and we certainly weren&rsquo;t champions of our own cause. &#9632;

f0008-02

Canada Goes To War With An Unloaded Gun

<div class="byline">COMPILED BY RICHARD BEALES Copy Editor</div>Brian Spencer, the former National Hockey League player charged with murder, has been released from a Florida jail on bail of $50,000 (U.S.)Circuit Judge Edward Fine ordered Spencer released on bond from Palm Beach County Jail, after learning the ex-Toronto Maple Leaf, Pittsburgh Penguin, New York Islander and Buffalo Sabre had a job and two places to live in Palm Beach County.Former Islander teammate Gerry Hart and former employer Dan Martinetti posted Spencer&rsquo;s bond and picked him up at the front door of the jail.Hart, now a New York real estate broker, offered Spencer unlimted use of his Highland Beach, Fla., home. Martinetti offered him a mechanic&rsquo;s job.Spencer was charged in January with the 1982 shooting death of Michael Dalfo, 32, the son of a Palm Beach developer. He was released on condition that he not leave the county or contact any witnesses in the case.The trial was scheduled to begin in mid-May.<h2>O&rsquo;BRIEN DEAD AT 76</h2>Montreal sports writer Andy O&rsquo;Brien, whose biography of Maurice (Rocket) Richard went into 10 printings, is dead at 76, following a long illness.O&rsquo;Brien, who covered 45 Stanley Cups during his career at the Montreal Standard and Montreal Star, is survived by his wife, Frances, and a brother, Larry, of West Palm Beach, Fla.O&rsquo;Brien was bom in 1910 in Renfrew, Ont., the same night his father, Bill O&rsquo;Brien, coached the Renfrew Millionaires to a Stanley Cup-winning victory over the Ottawa Senators. He grew up in Montreal while his father coached the NHL&rsquo;s Montreal Maroons and the International (Baseball) League&rsquo;s Montreal Royals.O&rsquo;Brien was inducted into Canada&rsquo;s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.<h2>QUICK RESOLUTION</h2>The Pat Quinn affair should be resolved before the 1987-88 National Hockey League season begins.That&rsquo;s the word from the British Columbia Supreme Court, which is hearing an action against the NHL, initiated by the Vancouver Canucks.The Canucks want the court to rescind fines of $310,000, levied by the league when the Canucks signed Quinn to a future contract as president and general manager, while he was still under contract to the Los Angeles Kings as coach.Chief justice Allan McEachern, recognizing the need for a speedy resolution, granted the Canucks a trial date early in the fall term, which begins Aug. 31. Canucks&rsquo; lawyer Barry Kirkham said later that he expects the trial to last about five days.<h2>TOP DEVIL RESIGNS</h2>New Jersey Devil president Bob Butera has resigned to take a part-time position with the team.Team chairman John McMullen said a new president will be named in early-to mid-May. Leading candidates are rumored to be ex-Buffalo Sabre general manager Scotty Bowman and ex-New York Ranger GM Craig Patrick.<h2>CANADA WINS MEET</h2>Goals by Janet Stone, Colleen Kohen, Kelly Weaver and Shirley Cameron paced Team Canada to a 4-0 victory over Team Ontario in the championship game of the first-ever world women&rsquo;s hockey tournament, held in North York, Ont.Cathy Phillips recorded the shutout.The United States blanked Sweden 5-0 in the bronze-medal game, and Japan downed Switzerland 4-0 in the consolation final.Team Canada reached the finals on the strength of an 8-2 victory over Sweden, while Ontario downed the U.S. 5-2 to gain its berth.<h2>CLAMATOS ONE AWAY</h2>The Brantford (Ont.) Mott&rsquo;s Clamatos took a dominating 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven Allan Cup final series, with a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over the Nelson (B.C.) Maple Leafs.Nelson jumped into a 2-0 lead in the contest, but Brantford struck for six straight goals before Nelson ended the scoring.The Allan Cup is awarded annually to the top senior hockey team in Canada.<h2>NO STICKWORK&mdash;MDs</h2>A group of doctors from Western Canada has added its voice to the campaign against stick infractions in hockey.In a letter to NHL president John Ziegler, the 150-member western division of the Canadian Association of Clinical Surgeons chastised the league for not enforcing rules against the use of sticks as weapons.&ldquo;No longer should the hockey stick be allowed to be used on an opponent to cross-check, particularly from behind, to spear, slash, high-stick, buttend or be used as a weapon in any manner whatsoever,&rdquo; wrote spokesman Dr, Wayne Chappell of Saskatoon.&ldquo;In most instances, the rules controlling these infractions seem to be in place but are not being enforced.&rdquo;The doctors&rsquo; letter came about seven weeks after Regina Pats&rsquo; junior player Brad Hornung was paralyzed for life, after being crosschecked from behind, into the boards.<h2>HODGE ON GLOBAL</h2>Broadcaster Dave Hodge&mdash;whose 16-year career as host of Hockey Night in Canada telecasts ended in controversy last month when he criticized the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation&rsquo;s programming policies on air&mdash;has signed with the rival Global Television network.Hodge is serving as co-host of the network&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoff telecasts with Global sports director Jim Tatti.<h2>MUSICAL FRANCHISES</h2>The New York Rangers will operate a new minor-league affiliate out of Denver in the International League next season.The new IHL franchise, to be known as the Colorado Rangers, will be approved as soon as the Rangers and the city of Denver iron out details of the renovation of McNicholls Sports Arena, said commissioner Bud Poile.&ldquo;We have a deposit on hand,&rdquo; Poile added, &ldquo;and an application by Dennis Champine, the principal owner. The Rangers called me and told me they are committed to 18 players, a coach and trainers.&rdquo;The new franchise is expected to be approved at the league&rsquo;s annual meeting, June 11.The Rangers pulled out of their partnership arrangement in New Haven (American League) with the Los Angeles Kings.The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, have agreed to take over sole operation of the American League&rsquo;s Moncton franchise. Previous affilate Calgary is moving its farm operation to Salt Lake (IHL).Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils announced plans to move their AHL franchise from Portland, Maine, to Utica, N.Y. &#9632;

Spencer Released On $50,000 Bail Bond

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011323/5077584-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="333" height="452"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stan Fischler</figcaption></div>When the Islanders defeated the Capitals on April 18-19 at 8:47 of the fourth sudden-death overtime period, the event raised a perfectly reasonable question&mdash;was this the greatest National Hockey League game of all time?For the answer, we must consider some other eternal classics:Boston at Montreal, April 18, 1952 (Seventh game of the semi-finals): The Rocket rarely soared higher than he did on this night.With the score tied 1-1 in the second period, Leo Labine, a Bruin forward with scant acquaintance of the rule book, took dead aim at Maurice Richard as the Rocket knifed through the Boston defense. Richard had already tripped and fallen to his knees when Labine ruthlessly charged him.It became apparent as the third period moved along without a score that the next goal would decide the game. It was also obvious to most observers that Richard would not score that goal. &ldquo;After receiving his stitches,&rdquo; commented one Montreal newspaperman, &ldquo;he was in a partial coma for a while, his head fuzzed up from pain, his eyesight impaired, with dull noises ringing in his ears.&rdquo;But more than 16 minutes into the third period it was Richard who went wide on blond Bill Quackenbush, one of the most experienced and intelligent defensemen in the NHL, gathered what little strength remained and confronted Boston goalie &lsquo;Sugar&rsquo; Jim Henry.Almost atop Henry&rsquo;s bulky goal pads, Richard finally released his drive. It was low and hard, and Henry never managed to touch, let alone see, the puck. That goal stood up as the winner, although Billy Reay added another marker into an empty net to give Montreal a 3-1 victory.Rangers at Red Wings, April 23, 1950 (Seventh game of the finals): After a disappointing loss for the Rangers in game six, it was time for the climactic event. For the first two periods it appeared that the Rangers had the Stanley Cup in the bag. Goals by Allan Stanley and Tony Leswick gave them a 2-0 lead after the first period. Detroit tied it in the second but Buddy O&rsquo;Connor put New York ahead again at 11:42 of the middle period.Soon after, Jim McFadden beat Stanley to the puck and shot an angled shot past goalie Chuck Rayner to tie the score. There was nothing left but excruciating overtime&mdash;the first goal deciding the Cup winner. &ldquo;You could see it coming,&rdquo; said Ranger coach Lynn Patrick. &ldquo;Once overtime started I figured we were through. The boys just had nothing left.&rdquo;Well, not quite nothing.Eight minutes into the second overtime period, Detroit&rsquo;s George Gee won a critical draw. Rayner was at the near corner of the net as the puck moved toward Pete Babando. The Ranger goalie&rsquo;s view was obscured by Stanley, his defenseman. &ldquo;When the puck hit my stick,&rdquo; Babando recalled, &ldquo;I just let fly through the scramble. I wasn&rsquo;t sure the shot was on the net.&rdquo; It was.Montreal at Chicago, May 18, 1971 (Seventh game of the finals): After 97 games for the Canadiens and 95 for the Black Hawks, the 1970-71 campaign came down to one last match. Happily for the NHL, the game was being televised nationally in the United States by CBS. What millions of television viewers and the full house at Chicago Stadium witnessed during 60 minutes of play was hockey at its most exciting.From the opening face-off Chicago carried the play. Only rookie goalie Ken Dryden prevented a Hawk runaway.At 19:12 of the first period the Hawks gained the lead after a Dennis Hull shot struck Dryden on the shoulder and deflected into the net.Early in the second period, with the Hawks down two men and Montreal down one, Jacques Lemaire of the Canadiens picked up the puck five feet in front of Hawk goalie Tony Esposito and flipped a backhander for the corner. Somehow Esposito got his right leg out and blocked it.At the other end of the rink, an inspired Pit Martin outhustled two Canadiens for the puck and centered it to Danny O&rsquo;Shea. He fired from 25 feet out, and the Hawks had a 2-0 lead. The Canadiens were in trouble, but fortune smiled upon them.Montreal got its first goal when Jacques Lemaire, skating leisurely toward the Chicago blue line, suddenly fired a slap shot from 80 feet out. Esposito flopped to his knees. But the puck kept rising and sailed over his right shoulder and into the net. At 18:20 the Habs tied the score when Henri Richard beat Esposito at point-blank range.At 2:34 of the third period, Richard scored what proved to be the winning goal, flashing across the Chicago blue line before drawing Esposito to the ice and flipping a shot over the sprawled goalie&rsquo;s shoulder. After that the game was in Dryden&rsquo;s capable hands, as the underdog Canadiens won their 16th Stanley Cup.Rangers at Islanders, April 10,1984 (Fifth game of the Patrick Division semi-finals): No game put the classic Islanders-Rangers rivalry in better perspective than the final match of the best-of-five series in 1984.Having won four straight Stanley Cups, the Islanders were shooting for No. 5, but first had to get by Herb Brooks&rsquo; Rangers. Down two games to one, the Islanders staved off elimination with a 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden in game four on April 8.In the fifth game at Nassau Coliseum, the Rangers took a 1-0 lead only to have the Islanders tie the game and go ahead 2-1. But with only 39 seconds remaining in regulation time Don Maloney tipped a shot past Islander goalie Bill Smith and the game was tied again.The overtime period opened with thunderous rushes by both teams and exceptional saves by Smith and his Ranger counterpart Glen Hanlon.As the clock neared the nine-minute mark, the Islanders entered the Ranger zone again. The puck caromed around the Ranger net and found it&rsquo;s way to the left point where Islanders defenseman Ken Morrow was positioned.His shot was not hard but it threaded its way through a tangle of legs and past Hanlon. The time was 8:56 and many who were there will tell you that it was one of the finest matches they had ever seen.So, what&rsquo;s the difference between the Isles-Caps game and these others? Simply, quantity of quality. We&rsquo;re talking about superior play over 128 minutes and 47 seconds. We&rsquo;re talking about 73 saves&mdash;many of them difficult, others just plain great&mdash;by Kelly Hrudey and 54 by Bob Mason.We&rsquo;re talking about the greatest, minute-for-minute, hockey game ever played.And I&rsquo;m sure you&rsquo;ll disagree! &#9632;

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Capitals-Islanders: A Game For The Ages

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN Assistant Editor</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021017/5077615-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="135" height="129"></div>TORONTO&mdash;For the most part, the nickname &ldquo;Dangerous Dan&rdquo; has been more alliterative than accurate.Dan Daoust had not been truly dangerous since 1983-84, when he averaged nearly a point per game in his second season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.Over 48 games the previous year, Daoust accumulated 51 points in the company of Rick Vaive and John Anderson.But after contributing 125 points in his first 126 games, Daoust was suddenly held in check.Not by the opposition, but by his own team.Daoust was slotted into the role of checker and he needed two seasons. 1984-85 and 1985-86, to equal exactly his point production of 1983-84.This season, in only 33 games (he missed 45 games with a broken ankle), the Montreal native earned four goals and three assists.So, it came as a huge surprise that after nine playoff games, it wasn&rsquo;t one of Toronto&rsquo;s eight 20-goal scorers who were leading the team in goals, but Daoust.Fact is, with his fifth goal&mdash;and his third in three games against Detroit&mdash;Daoust had outscored not only all of them but even himself (over the entire regular season).Combine his goal-scoring with superb checking and you had an strong candidate for the Leafs&rsquo; most valuable player performer, aside from goalie Ken Wregget.Daoust, however, wasn&rsquo;t as overwhelmed as others by his offensive prowess.&ldquo;Being a scoring leader at this point doesn&rsquo;t mean much,&rdquo; said Daoust, after the Red Wings prevented a Maple Leaf sweep of their Norris Division final series by winning game three at Maple Leaf Gardens 4-2.&ldquo;Maybe we don&rsquo;t have anybody checking us. So we get the openings whereas people are always all over Wendel (Clark) and Ricky (Vaive).&rdquo;To be sure, it was Daoust who was checking Red Wing captain Steve Yzerman, and not the other way around.Yet, with Toronto leading 2-1 on the strength of the Leafs&rsquo; winning twice (4-2 and 7-2) at Joe Louis Arena, Daoust had outscored Yzerman three goals to none.All three of Yzerman&rsquo;s points were assists, two of them coming in the Wings&rsquo; solitary victory.The latter circumstance troubled Daoust.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t do too good a job of checking him tonight,&rdquo; said the 27-year-old center. &ldquo;Two assists are too much for him.&rdquo;That was two points more than Doug Gilmour scored in the final three games of the Toronto-St. Louis series.With Daoust shadowing him, the 105-point scorer was stopped cold and, eventually, hot.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;I wasn&rsquo;t fitting in at the beginning and I don&rsquo;t know where I&rsquo;m going to fit in next year, but that&rsquo;s next year.&rsquo;&mdash;Daoust</blockquote>So infuriated by Daoust&rsquo;s effectiveness and his own failure to elude the Leaf, Gilmour went out with a bang&mdash;breaking sticks over Vaive and Daoust, before finally raising his fists in the final moments of the series.Daoust didn&rsquo;t respond. He merely watched impassively.&ldquo;I know Dougy,&rdquo; said Daoust, who like Gilmour, is a former captain of the Cornwall (Ont.) Royals. &ldquo;They said he could be frustrated. I gave him a few jabs to see how he would react.&rdquo;At first there was no response.&ldquo;Then he started giving me shots back so I knew I was getting to him. But with Yzerman, there&rsquo;s not too much of that going on.&rdquo;It was against the Wings that Daoust broke his ankle Nov. 1, in a fight with Gerard Gallant.Nobody was making a big deal about his long-term absence. He hardly seemed the cure to what ailed the Leafs much of the second half.But, Daoust&mdash;all 5-foot-.10 and 165 pounds of him&mdash;emerged as a key figure for the Leafs.That much is typical of him. Daoust is a survivor. He&rsquo;ll do whatever it takes to play in the National Hockey League. He doesn&rsquo;t question his checking role, but does mention how successful Stewart Gavin has been since leaving the Leafs and being unshackled in Hartford.Daoust accepts his role and makes no apologies, not even to Gilmour&mdash;who is an occasional companion during the off-season.&ldquo;If I don&rsquo;t do my job, I&rsquo;m going to be sitting on the bench,&rdquo; says Daoust. &ldquo;If he (Gilmour) scores six, seven goals and we don&rsquo;t make the (next round of the) playoffs then I&rsquo;m history next year.&rdquo;After training camp, it appeared the Leafs were writing him out of their history this year. Daoust watched the first game of the season from the press box.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t fitting in at the beginning and I don&rsquo;t know where I&rsquo;m going to fit in next year, but that&rsquo;s next year,&rdquo; said Daoust.For the time being, anyway, Daoust was fitting in just fine with the Leafs.LEAFLETS&mdash;Owner Harold Ballard finally let it slip to the Toronto Sun that much-criticized general manager Gerry McNamara signed a four-year contract with the Leafs last fall, during the heady days of Toronto&rsquo;s 7-2-3 start&hellip;Allan Bester relieved Ken Wregget in game three, after Wregget looked shaky in giving up three goals on only 14 shots. It was Bester&rsquo;s first appearance in exactly a month. His last start had been precisely two months earlier. Wregget entered the game with the lowest goals-against aveage (1.84) of any goalie in the playoffs&hellip;Hucksters were selling black straw hats&mdash;an imitation of the outrageous gangster-style fedora coach John Brophy wore for game one of the St. Louis series&mdash;with the words &ldquo;Brophy&rsquo;s Boys&rdquo; taped across the brow. They made a killing, charging $6 per hat&hellip;Gord Stellick has been elevated from assistant to the GM, to assistant GM. Part of his increased duties will be to act as GM of the Newmarket Saints&hellip;Steve Thomas ended his slump, scoring two goals and two assists in the first three games against Detroit. He didn&rsquo;t earn a single point in six games against St. Louis. &#9632;

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Daoust Surprise Leaf Hero In The Playoffs

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN Assistant Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011210/5077646-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">After a disappointing regular season, Edmonton&rsquo;s Glenn Anderson has been superb in the playoffs with eight goals in eight games.</figcaption></div>All things considered. Dorothy told us, she&rsquo;d rather be in Kansas.Because, after all. there&rsquo;s no place like home.But in the National Hockey League playoffs, there is some place even sweeter than home&mdash;namely the road, where pressure to win is bearable and emotions more manageable.Fifty-eight games into the 1987 playoffs, visiting teams had won 31 times, or 53 percent of the games&mdash;including 11 of 14 in the best-of-seven division finals.For example, all four Montreal-Quebec games had been won by the visitors and neither Toronto nor Detroit could manage a home victory through three games.Road fortunes had been even more favorable than predicted by THN statistician Murray Townsend, who revealed before the playoffs began that road teams won 75 of 163 postseason divisional games (46 per cent) over the previous three years.Even the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose .275 winning percentage on the road this year was second-worst in the league, had been winning away from the Maple Leaf Gardens.Toronto won four of its first five playoff games on the road, a shocking accomplishment for a team that won just 10 times on the road in 40 regular-season tries.The Leafs beat St. Louis twice at The Arena and then took a 2-0 lead on Detroit with a pair of victories at Joe Louis Arena, before losing at home in game three of the Norris Division final.Meanwhile, Edmonton was dashing past Winnipeg with three consecutive victories&mdash;the third on Winnipeg ice&mdash;in the Smythe Division final. That made it 13 straight wins over the Jets for the Oilers.It took an overtime goal by Glenn Anderson&mdash;his third career extra-period goal and second this year&mdash;to get Edmonton off to a good start with a win in game one.Goalie Grant Fuhr was rounding into form for the Oilers. Wayne Gretzky collected five assists in two games and Jari Kurri had a playoff-leading nine goals.Week III of the playoffs went out with a bang in the Campbell Conference when Mats Naslund&rsquo;s second goal of the game. 5:30 into overtime, gave Montreal a 3-2 victory over Quebec and a 2-2 tie in their Adams Division final scries.Naslund also scored in overtime against Boston earlier in the playoffs.Game four of the Montreal-Quebec series was preceded by a punch-up between Basil McRae and Sergio Momesso. McRae got the extra two minutes for instigating and Naslund scored a power-play goal 16 seconds into the game.Quebec coach Michel Bergeron, for a change, blamed the officials for his team losing.The Islanders appeared spent in their series with Philadelphia, losing both games at home after splitting the first two Patrick Division final encounters.Tim Kerr, typically, was sparking the Flyers with five goals in four games&mdash;four of them, typically, on the power play. Ron Hextall was the only goalie to have played every minute of the playoffs for his team.The Flyers, although troubled by injuries, just kept on rolling with the likes of Al Hill, Don Nachbaur and Tim Tookey scoring goals.Hardly a Who&rsquo;s Who lineup, but who cared. Certainly nobody in Philadelphia. &#9632;

f0011-01

Road, Sweet Road Is The Rule Of Thumb

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02921/5077698-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="363" height="179"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03679/5077691-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="387" height="393"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04546/5077684-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="371" height="225"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05444/5077677-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="2934" height="1264"></div> &#9632;

f0011-02

Road To The Stanley Cup

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011296/5077729-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="369" height="417"><figcaption class="caption-body">Frank Orr</figcaption></div>VIENNA&mdash;The national hockey team of the Soviet Union is never accompanied by adoring tours of vacationing fans, not even to the World Championships.So, you can imagine the crowd at the Stadthalle here definitely was not friendly when the Soviets met the Czechoslovakian nats.Czechoslovakia is just across the Danube from this majestic old city, which placed the crowd squarely in that comer. Not many places on the globe extend a warm welcome to the Soviets, when one gets right down to it.This is a year when the international hockey folks have figured the Soviets might be given a large wrestle for their crown. The Czechoslovaks, despite the defections of some talented players to North America, have rebuilt their team well. Sweden had its strongest entry in years and in pre-tournament exhibition games, beat and tied the Soviets.Team Canada was along, too, with the usual collection of players from NHL teams that failed to make the playoffs. Establishing a book on the Canadians was difficult, although a 1-1 tie with Czechoslovakia in a wonderful hockey game indicated some potential.But the big rivalry&mdash;when the NHL&rsquo;s best aren&rsquo;t on hand, as in the Canada Cup&mdash;is the Soviet-Czechoslovak match. For openers, the countries dislike each other and the teams reflect that.After all, if Canada rolled its tanks into Washington&mdash;as the Soviets did into Prague in &rsquo;68&mdash;and told the Yankees to clean up their act, Americans wouldn&rsquo;t like Canadians much. Of course, Canada could do that only if the U.S. loaned it the tanks.Well, the game was no contest. A6-1 USSR victory was accomplished with an aweinspiring display of hockey talent, skill and strategy. But the next time an international hockey booster puts down the National Hockey League for its violence and dirt, laugh at him. Tell him to get a tape of the USSR-CSSR match and study it closely, especially the first period.Those 20 minutes contained more stick fouls than two NHL teams could create in a week of non-stop play. There was so much spearing that both sides appeared to be trying to make shish-kabobs for the boy scout world jamboree. Add equal parts of slashing, hacking, elbows, sticks in the face and a few kicks.I&rsquo;ve never been a believer in the &ldquo;safety valve theory,&rdquo; the NHL outlook that bareknuckle fist-fighting supplies a harmless release for emotions that could be expressed in more dangerous stick duels.But that 20 minutes of dirt caused me to wonder if there isn&rsquo;t some merit in the NHL approach after all. Seeing Soviets and Czechs pitchfork, butt-end and kick each other made you think that perhaps, some of perpetrators of those acts might not have done them so willingly and freely if there had been the risk of a retaliatory punch in the bazoo.The Swedish referee faced the same problems that NHL zebras have been up against in many games this season. There were so many fouls that a sorting process was necessary to pick the most blatant. For some strange reason, I thought of a line used by NHL comic Bob Plager to describe hockey in his Northern Ontario hometown: &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s no autopsy ordered, there&rsquo;s no penalty.&rdquo;When the Soviets scored the first goal of the game in the second period, the Czechoslovaks were as dead as pro soccer in North America. The garbage slowly disappeared and the game became merely a question of how many the USSR would count.Some Europeans feel that the new Soviet kingpin is winger Valeri Kamensky, who excelled in Rendez-vous against the NHL stars, but their &ldquo;Big Five&rdquo; remain the team&rsquo;s strength. The defense pair of Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatanov&mdash;arguably the best backline pair in the game&mdash;and the forward line of Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov and Vladimir Krutov staged a show against the Czechs that was magnificent.They are superb on any ice surface but, on the big European sheet, their skating, passing and approach are simply dazzling. When is the last time you saw defensemen score two goals in a game on tip-ins from the edge of the crease?The five really have no sharply-defined positions. All parts are interchangeable. And just to show their skills are complete, they participated freely in the first-period mugfest. &#9632;

f0012-01

Czechoslovaks, Soviets Stuck On One Another

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021086/5077760-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="166" height="103"></div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Rather than begin work on a highlight film, the Los Angeles Kings might consider putting out a mini-series.They could call it &ldquo;Team Turmoil&rdquo; and show it over majority owner Jerry Buss&rsquo; Prime Ticket Cable Network.The Kings&rsquo; 20th National Hockey League season was by far their most bizarre.They lost their head coach on Jan. 9 when Pat Quinn was expelled from the league for signing a future contract with the Vancouver Canucks.They traded the king of Kings, Marcel Dionne, to the New York Rangers on March 10 after the superstar center requested a move. Two weeks later, Dionne said he really didn&rsquo;t want to leave, that he merely wanted to accelerate talks on a new contract.Other segments of the mini-series would include:&bull; The discovery of winger Phil Sykes suffering from a severe wrist injury requiring surgery that kept him sidelined for six weeks. Sykes hurt the wrist during the World Championships in Moscow the previous spring.&bull; Beginning the season with three goaltenders&mdash;Rollie Melanson, Bob Janecyk and Darren Eliot. None of them were happy about it.&bull; Eliot, who didn&rsquo;t even figure to make the team, drawing the opening night assignment. Then, two months after recording his first National Hockey League shutout (a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 17), Eliot asked to be traded when the Kings acquired Al Jensen from Washington.&bull; Tiger Williams&rsquo; mug shot, accompanied by inflammatory headlines. appearing in Winnipeg newspapers following his Nov. 13 hit on Jet defenseman Randy Caryle. Carlyle missed several games with whiplash. Williams received a major penalty for charging on the way to a club-record 358 penalty minutes.&bull; Several members of the team coming down with food poisoning after eating on a charter flight home from Vancouver. Melanson was among those afflicted. Janecyk, who hadn&rsquo;t played in two months, was pressed into service and went the distance in an 8-1 loss to the Oilers.&bull; Janecyk&rsquo;s equipment being stolen and his subsequent demotion to New Haven (for conditioning purposes), where he injured his knee. He was returned to Los Angeles&mdash;without playing a single American League game&mdash;but did not play another game for the Kings.&bull; Larry Playfair wrecking his knee. The team&rsquo;s most intimidating defenseman underwent major reconstructive surgery on Feb. 19 and is expected to miss the 1987-88 season.Despite it all, the Kings finished with a 31-41-8 record, which isn&rsquo;t great but represents a 16-point improvment over last year and was enough to get them into the Stanley Cup playoffs.In the playoffs for the first time since 1985, the Kings beat Edmonton in game one of the best-of-seven series, then lost four in a row.Roll the credits. &#9632;

f0012-02

Kings’ Mini-Series Would Be Full Of Mishaps

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02900/5077822-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goaltender Grant Fuhr crushed the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; spirit with strong goaltending throughout the first three games of the final.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011222/5077829-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="117" height="115"></div>EDMONTON&mdash;They came to the Winnipeg Arena, 15,556 strong, armed with well-conditioned vocal chords and lily-white pom-poms.But, in the end, all they could scream was blue murder.The Oilers, Grant Fuhr in particular, cast a black cloud over Winnipeg&rsquo;s White Power, as Edmonton assumed a commanding 3-0 lead in the Smythe Division final with a 5-2 victory over the Jets.The Oilers won game one on Glenn Anderson&rsquo;s goal 36 seconds into overtime. The win was their fourth straight in Stanley Cup overtime and Anderson has struck for a quick-kill in the last three.The Kamikaze winger eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in 1985 with 46 seconds gone and lifted the Oilers to a 6-5 win over Calgary 64 seconds into OT in game two of the 1986 Smythe Division final.In game two this time around, foot soldiers Dave Hunter and Moe Lemay scored key goals in a 5-3 Edmonton triumph.The three wins left the Oilers 13-0 over Winnipeg in Stanley Cup play.&ldquo;What&rsquo;s the big deal about the white?&rdquo; joked Oilers&rsquo; co-coach John Muckier about Winnipeg&rsquo;s Good Guys Wear White promotion. &ldquo;In World War II, when you waved a white flag, it meant you were surrendering.&rdquo;The sea of white did catch Fuhr offguard.&ldquo;I thought I had walked into the middle of a Ku Klux Klan convention,&rdquo; cracked the black netminder, who turned aside 35 shots as the Oilers won for the seventh time in their last eight playoff games on the road.&ldquo;Cocoa was seeing beach balls, that&rsquo;s the best way to describe his play,&rdquo; said Mark Messier. &ldquo;He made the big one early (47 seconds on Brian Mullen) and that seemed to get him going.&rdquo;Headed into the series, Fuhr had been concerned about his play.&ldquo;I gave up too many soft goals in the first round against L.A.,&rdquo; he admitted. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll just have to work hard in practice to eliminate that sort of thing. If you cut down on the soft goals in practice, you&rsquo;ll do it in the games.&rdquo;It was working, according to teammate Randy Gregg, who missed the last three games with back spasms.&ldquo;Grant has two outstanding qualities that make him the best in his profession,&rdquo; said Gregg in offering an insight on Fuhr. &ldquo;First of all, he&rsquo;s a remarkable athlete.&ldquo;He is cat-quick and he excels at every sport he attempts, whether it is baseball, golf or hockey.&ldquo;Secondly, he has great mental composure. Remember the first game? The Jets got a 2-on-1 right off the bat and Laurie Boschman hesitated, then fired a shot through his five-hole.&ldquo;Edmonton fans started getting on him. But what it did for Grant was make him all the more determined. He challenged more and played harder. At times, he is absolutely unbelievable.&rdquo;Ask the Jets.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s been the story a number of times against that team,&rdquo; said Doug Smail. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve outshot them in the past, but he (Fuhr) is a part of their hockey club. And, their hockey club as a whole beat us. They played a decent game.&rdquo;Muckier seconded the motion.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t get any more solid than that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not bad for a team that can&rsquo;t play defense.&rdquo;IN THE CREASE&mdash;Andy Moog was struck on the right knee by a shot from Mike Moller during the morning skate prior to game three. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a very hard shot, but it caught him on the inside of the knee,&rdquo; said manager-coach Glen Sather. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a bruise, though, and he could play if he had to.&rdquo;&hellip;Jari Kurri&rsquo;s passed a chap he&rsquo;d never heard of in career scoring. Kurri&rsquo;s two goals in game three gave him 59 in Stanley Cup play, one more than Bernie (Boom Boom) Geoffrion and a tie with Stan Mikita for ninth place on the career list. Kurri hadn&rsquo;t heard of Geoffrion. What does it mean passing the man who popularized the slap shot? &ldquo;I guess that means I&rsquo;m getting old,&rdquo; winked Kurri, who turns 27 on May 18&hellip;Oilers&rsquo; farmhand Normand Lacombe will undergo minor surgery to correct an ailment known as &ldquo;chronic compartment syndrome.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a form of shin splints,&rdquo; said Dr. Gord Cameron. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not uncommon with runners and cross-country skiers, but I&rsquo;ve never encountered it with a hockey player.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"> &#9632;</div>

f0013-02

Fuhr In Fine Form For Charged-Up Oilers

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03734/5077860-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="635" height="321"></div>Since the original news broke in December of &rsquo;86, the fledgling Pacific Northwest Hockey League has come together with considerable impact. Communities where this compact, four team league will operate have already become very excited about their teams.The entire concept of the league is to build community spirit surrounding the teams. As most of the players will be living in the community of the team they are hired to play for, local support for them is very important. In addition to local players, many will be from places as varied as New Jersey, Ontario, and even California. In turn the teams must also be very community minded, and as such must be available for many of the community functions in their local area.Whether a hockey player is a super star or not, he invariably began his career in minor hockey. This includes the players of the PNHL. The PNHL believes that all this effort in developing these young players should be returned, therefore the league looks forward to working with minor hockey organizations throughout their system and the surrounding areas. It meant the creation of a Technical Development Division to coordinate a wide variety of functions working through the minor hockey associations.From helping with their fund raising for special tournaments, through player development, to PNHL intermission events, minor hockey will be involved.Player response has been so great that a special Spring Tryout Camp had to be scheduled for May. It was thought this tryout camp would attract the western players, however, it also attracted several Easterners. Not only can players use this opportunity to be scouted, they can also have any areas of weakness assessed, thus allowing them time to work on those points before the main tryout camp in August.What makes a player want to crack a PNHL line-up? It&rsquo;s not just the opportunity to play hockey for pay, but also because of the many advantages offered through the league. Right from the start the player is treated as the professional he is, being issued with all new, top quality equipment, from skates to helmet to special order pattern sticks. While preparing for the &ldquo;big break&rdquo; through coaching and power skating sessions, they are also offered guidance in career planning and schooling, which, in some cases, may well lead to university for qualified players. Counselling is available regardless of the chosen field.The excitement caused by the introduction of this new league has been overwhelming. Media coverage for the coming season will be continuous, with the players and the league under constant exposure to the public at large. Press, radio, and television coverage of the games means players can expect interviews to be a common event.Unlike a lot of leagues, the PNHL is part of a public company. This opens the door to investors wanting to take advantage of a ground floor opportunity through the purchase of &ldquo;seed&rdquo; shares. It also allows the hockey player himself a chance to invest in his own future by purchasing shares in the league he is playing in. How many hockey players get that opportunity? Diversification of PNHL Inc., the parent company, allows operation of more than the league, with three other divisions working to produce a &ldquo;Total Hockey&rdquo; concept.In another unusual move, the league will own all the teams initially, not offering franchises until they are real &ldquo;turnkey&rdquo; operations. The league will hire the GM coaches for each team, with support staff working from a central location. Ticket sales and season reservations are handled through the arena offices, as are the local inquiries. All other inquiries, regarding teams and/or the league, will be handled through one main office thus eliminating a major communication problem. &#9632;

f0013-03

Pacific Northwest Hockey League & Tryout Camps Take Off!!

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>Rather than simmering down, the Rangers-Flyers, Phil Esposito Mike Keenan feud appeared more intense in the weeks after Philly knocked New York out of the playoffs. Espo tells BLUELINES that Keenan is &ldquo;a jerk&rdquo; and insists that there&rsquo;s no way he was outcoached by Keenan in the Patrick Division opener. &ldquo;I might get outcoached by a Terry Simpson (of the New York Islanders),&rdquo; adds Espo, &ldquo;but a Keenan&mdash;never, never!&rdquo; Significantly, the pair avoided handshakes at series&rsquo; end and Keenan couldn&rsquo;t resist needling Espo. &ldquo;The Rangers,&rdquo; says Keenan, &ldquo;have this holier-than-thou attitude fostered by Phil. If the Rangers wore our orange sweaters they&rsquo;d be the biggest villians.&rdquo;Cliff Fletcher on Dale Hawerchuk: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the least conspicuous star in the NHL. IF he was with an eastern team with all the media coverage, he would get a lot more attention.&rdquo;&hellip;Ron Hextall&rsquo;s proclamation that he deserves the Calder Trophy with L.A.&rsquo;s. Jimmy Carson second draws an angry blast from the Kings&rsquo; Bernie Nicholls, who tells BLUELINES that the trophy should go to teammate Luc Robitaille. &ldquo;Hextall is blowing his stack,&rdquo; snaps Nicholls. &ldquo;Sure he&rsquo;s got a good average, but he is playing with the best defensive team in the league in front of him. If Marcel Dionne had been with the Kings all year and had a good season, Luc would have scored 60 goals this year. Hextall, to me, is not a very classy guy.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03704/5077898-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="384" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dale Hawerchuk</figcaption></div>Wayne Gretzky will win the Seagram&rsquo;s Award as hockey&rsquo; best statistical player for the umpteenth time this spring. The Great One will be in New York on June 12th for the presentation. Because he is constantly controlling media assaults on Gretzky, Oilers&rsquo; public relations ace Bill Tuele is quietly known to scribes as &ldquo;Dr No.&rdquo;&hellip;Penguins&rsquo; owner Edward DeBartolo has given his aide Paul Martha and GM Eddie Johnston each a one-year reprieve in the hopes that they will push the Penguins into the playoffs. If not, the word around the league is that they both go bye-bye&hellip;Some NHL GMs are considering a push for an opening-round playoff format change with teams facing foes from opposing divisions. For example, if the plan had been tried this year, the Capitals would have played the Bruins rather than the Islanders.Prior to his abrupt departure from the North Stars, Lorne Henning had planned to confer with club owners George and Gordon Gund. It had become clear to Minnesota insiders before the season ended that Henning could not co-exist with GM Lou Nanne. They ultimately showed their preference by never returning Henning&rsquo;s phone calls. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Nanne&rsquo;s sidekick Glen Sonmor planned to quit if Henning returned to the North Stars&hellip;Leaf coach John Brophy, who spent a winter avoiding questions about his Eastern League goonish past, will do a lot of talking at the first annual reunion of the Long Island (EHL) Ducks, May 16 at the Superior Rink in Kings Park, N.Y&hellip;.Caps&rsquo; GM David Poile disagrees with proponents of a lottery to determine draft picks a la the NBA. &ldquo;A lottery, by definition, is chance,&rdquo; Poile tells BLUELINES. &ldquo;We deal with facts&mdash;points&mdash;not chance. I&rsquo;m totally against the lottery and I don&rsquo;t think anyone can question the integrity of the present system.&rdquo;Asked whether he&rsquo;d like to return to Czechoslovakia, Petr Klima replies, &ldquo;No, it would be like jumping out of the window of a tall building. &ldquo;&hellip;The feeling among Penguin insiders is that a root cause for Bob Berry&rsquo;s demise was the fact that Mario Lemieux let down the Pens in the homestretch&hellip;L. A. scribes refuse to let Pat Quinn off the hook since he skipped the Kings. &ldquo;What other jobs has Quinn signed up for that we don&rsquo;t know about?&rdquo; asks L.A. Times columnist Scott Ostler. &ldquo;UCLA football coach? Manager of the Yankees? National security adviser? When will we be able to get a complete list? How many of the jobs will he be allowed to keep?&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04499/5077891-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="392" height="515"><figcaption class="caption-body">Petr Klima</figcaption></div>St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press hockey writer Charlie Hallman, who was very close to John Mariucci, says the recently-deceased North Stars asst. GM had several wishes for the future, including the hope that Herb Brooks and Lou Nanne would patch up their feud. According to Hallman, Mariucci said this about his proteges. &ldquo;Louie is so stubborn that if a mule was ever that stubborn, they&rsquo;d have shot it. Herbie changes his mind more often than any woman I&rsquo;ve ever known. If someone offered him the job as president of the United States, Herbie would want to be the premier of Canada!&rdquo;&hellip;One of retiring (University of) Notre Dame coach Lefty Smith&rsquo;s proudest accomplishments is that each of the 126 players he coached for 19 years graduated within four years. &#9632;

f0014-03

Esposito, Keenan In War Of Words

<div class="byline">BY REYN DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021004/5077929-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="554" height="841"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jets&rsquo; right winger Ray Neufeld was lost after ligament damage to his knee.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011275/5077936-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="109" height="111"></div>WINNIPEG&mdash;Someone spiked their white lightning.Whatever they did and no matter how hard they tried, the Winnipeg Jets were upstaged by Edmonton Oilers.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s demoralizing,&rdquo; said Jet right winger Jim Nill, wringing wet after a game-three loss in front of 15,556 white-clad screaming supporters.To their credit, the Jets downed last year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup finalists, the Calgary Flames, for a berth in the Smythe Divison finals against Edmonton. But the Oilers&rsquo; big people had been bigger, their skaters faster, their plays slicker, their goaltending sharper and their defense tighter.It was a classic case of blanket one-upmanship.The Jets were acting as perfect opponents for the Oilers.The Oilers hadn&rsquo;t even needed the game&rsquo;s best player to build a 3-0 series lead. By his standards, Wayne Gretzky had been used sparingly. The Jets had seen him only once every four shifts.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;It was another simple case of Fuhr killing us. We had plenty of chances but he&rsquo;d make the big saves&mdash;and then their big shooters would break out on 2-on-ls.&rsquo;&mdash;Ellett</blockquote>Dutifully, he waited his turn while three other lines took a crack at the Jets. He didn&rsquo;t manage a single shot on goal in the second or third games, but still collected five assists.On the other hand, Dale Hawerchuk, the Jets&rsquo; top scorer, had 12 shots on goal in the same two games&mdash;and managed two assists.Although the pivotal effects of a second-game fight between Winnipeg&rsquo;s Jim Kyte and Edmonton&rsquo;s Marty McSorley were roundly denied by both sides, the sincerity of their arguments were questioned.Certainly, the Jets fed off Kyte&rsquo;s whipping of Tim Hunter in a game prior to the divisional semi-final series with Calgary Flames.At the 17:28 mark of the first period of the second game, Kyte took on McSorley and was clearly beaten.The score was 1-1 at the time, and the Jets were playing their way&mdash;checking closely, waiting for their chances.When play resumed, the Oilers swarmed over the Jets and, just 42 seconds later, Dave Hunter scored. They didn&rsquo;t look back.Most evident was the dominance of Edmonton&rsquo;s big men&mdash;notably Kevin McClelland, Craig MacTavish, Mike Krushelnyski and McSorley&mdash;over the heavier Jets, such as Steve Rooney, Andrew McBain, Ray Neufeld and Nill.To make matters worse, Neufeld crumpled to the ice with a knee injury after a low hit by Craig Muni later in the same game. He was out for six weeks.When the Oilers were in trouble, Fuhr saved them in goal. He made 35 saves in a 5-2 win in the third game.&ldquo;It was another simple case of Fuhr killing us,&rdquo; said Dave Ellett, a Winnipeg defenseman. &ldquo;We had plenty of chances but he&rsquo;d make the big saves-&mdash;and then their big shooters would break out on 2-on-ls.&rdquo;The Oilers sprang three successful 2-on-l breaks, thanks to turnovers by Ellett, Hawerchuk and Perry Turnbull.The Jets had one similar chance from inside the Edmonton zone, but Gilles Hamel&rsquo;s pass for Doug Smail was knocked down by the Oilers&rsquo; Paul Coffey.The Jets had been neither the opportunists nor the creators of breaks in this series.And the crest of the great white wave was at ebb tide.BENCH BITS&mdash;Defensemen Randy Carlyle and Mario Marois were shaken up after heavy hits by the Oilers&rsquo; Kevin Lowe and Glenn Anderson, respectively&hellip;Jet right winger Ray Neufeld had some unkind words for Craig Muni following the low hit that stretched his knee ligaments. &ldquo;Any other defenseman and it wouldn&rsquo;t have happened,&rdquo; said Neufeld. &ldquo;Everybody else hits you on the upper body. Obviously, he&rsquo;s getting a reputation fordoing this. Isn&rsquo;t he the same guy who tore the knees of Brian Propp and, of course, Hannu Jarvenpaa? It&rsquo;s disappointing.&rdquo; Replied Muni: &ldquo;I thought the injury was to his thigh. I caught him looking back for a pass.&rdquo;&hellip;Thomas Steen suffered a shoulder injury in the opening game of the series&hellip;The Jets confirmed that they are moving into Moncton next year. The American League team will be the Jets&rsquo; sole affiliate. &#9632;

f0014-02

Winnipeg White Lightning Going Snap, Crackle, Pop

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011201/5077967-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="141" height="103"></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;The Hershey Bears&rsquo; misfortune had turned into the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; salvation.The Bears, who were eliminated from the American League playoffs in the first round, had a much more significant impact on the National Hockey League playdowns.When the Bears were ousted, a busload of players arrived in Philadelphia from Hershey. And immediately, a couple of those guys were cast into big roles in the Flyers&rsquo; drive for the Stanley Cup.Move over, Tim Kerr and Brian Propp&mdash;here come Al Hill and Tim Tookey. Both newcomers played major roles as the Flyers rebounded from a second-game loss to the New York Islanders to win both games at Long Island and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Patrick final.Hill scored the first goal in a 4-1 victory in game three, while Tookey had an assist. And then both players scored two nights later as the Flyers shook the Isles 6-4.That 6-4 victory also featured a few more big plusses for the Flyers, such as:&bull; Three power-play goals (including two by Kerr);&bull; The strongest game of the playoffs by Propp, who scored only his third post-season goal of the season;&bull; The return of llkka Sinisalo to the lineup.Of course, the return of Sinisalo, who had been suffering from a broken foot, meant that a guy named Don Nachbaur had to sit out the game.Nachbaur, another on the truckload of players from Hershey, chipped in with a goal in the first game of the series.All of this help was made necessary because captain Dave Poulin (cracked rib) remained out of the lineup, as did Murray Craven (broken foot), J.J. Daigneault (sprained ankle), and Ron Sutter (injured back).&ldquo;The important thing with these guys is that they&rsquo;ve been in our lineup at times throughout the season,&rdquo; said Flyer defenseman Brad Marsh. &ldquo;They know the system, and they&rsquo;re good hockey players.&rdquo;They got to know the system because the Flyers used a club-record 46 players during the regular season, many of whom were familiar with the road between Hershey and Philly. Both Hill and Tookey have NHL experience.Hill played with the Flyers in the 1980 finals against the Islanders, while Tookey toiled previously with Washington and Quebec.Before the playoffs began, Flyer coach Mike Keenan forecast that the battle for the Cup would be a war of attrition. The team with the most healthy bodies could stand to be the eventual winner.In the Flyers&rsquo; case, he has looked like a prophet. And he had cause to thank a team he coached formerly, the Rochester Americans.&ldquo;The only thing they have done for me in the past season,&rdquo; joked Keenan, &ldquo;is eliminate the Hershey Bears from the AHL playoffs.&rdquo;PHILLERS&mdash;Dave Poulin was expected back for either a seventh game against the Islanders, or the next series&hellip;Ron Sutter was advised by club doctors that he is medically fit to play, and was told it&rsquo;s up to him to decide when he feels able. Sutter was still feeling pain from the stress fracture in his back&hellip;J.J. Daigneault was expected back for the conference final, assuming the Flyers held on to knock off the Islanders. &#9632;</div>

f0015-01

Flyers Get Big Lift From Hershey Helpers

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02864/5077998-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="546" height="1066"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Bossy returned to action after missing eight games with knee troubles.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011076/5078005-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="119" height="119"></div>UNIONDALE, N.Y.&mdash;Those who wanted to be cute insisted the New York Islanders had the Philadelphia Flyers right where they wanted them.Those who wanted to be honest knew the Islanders were in trouble.Down three games to one in the Patrick Division final heading into game five in Philadelphia, the Islanders conjured images of their first round, when they rallied from 1-3 to knock off the Washington Capitals.&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s some team that can do it. we seem to be able to do it.&rdquo; said goalie Kelly Hrudey, whom the Flyers kayoed in game one (three goals on 15 shots in 20 minutes) and game four (five goals on 15 shots in 32:46). &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re going to make it interesting again.&rdquo;Perhaps. But the Capitals didn&rsquo;t have a Tim Kerr.Kerr scored three goals in the first game, a 4-2 victory at the Spectrum that came fewer than 48 hours after the Isles eliminated Washington in the four-overtime Easter Epic.It was 4-0 after 23:11. but the gritty group that refused to wilt in Washington actually grew stronger as the game progressed.Hrudey stopped 40 shots in the second game, a 2-1 victory that the Flyers lost as much as the Islanders won. It became I-0 at 5:53 of the third on Doug Crossman&rsquo;s power-play goal, but goalie Ron Hextall took a senseless high-sticking penalty at 7:48. for nailing Pat LaFontaine as the Islander strolled through his crease.Denis Potvin, who returned in game two after missing four games with a bad back, tied it at 7:57.With 48 seconds left and overtime nearing, the Flyers were caught with too many men on the ice. Mikko Makela, who scored four last-minute game-tying goals during the regular season, won it with a wrist shot from the right circle with 0:03 left.But the rules said the Islanders had to go home for the next two games. Home, where the Islanders fell to 1-7-1 in their last nine after games three and four against the Flyers. Home, where the Flyers were 5-1 this season, including the last five straight.The Islanders were blanketed by Philly&rsquo;s three-zone checking in the third game, a 4-1 loss. In game four. Kerr scored two goals and an assist in a span of 6:40 to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. The final was 6-4.The Islanders knew before the series that they had to stop Kerr. They had watched films of the Rangers, who killed 29 of the Flyers&rsquo; 32 power plays in the first round.But the Flyers, 3-for-4 in game four, were 6-for-12 in the First four games of the series. &ldquo;They just ate us up.&rdquo; Rich Kromm said.After Kerr scored two power-play goals in the opener, the Islanders altered their penalty-killing strategy. They wanted to watch Kerr more closely and force Pelle Eklund, who loves to feed Kerr from the right boards, to pass toward the point.&ldquo;If done properly, it would have worked.&rdquo; Simpson grumbled. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face facts. You can&rsquo;t leave Tim Kerr alone in the goddamned slot.&rdquo;Brent Sutter returned in the third game, after missing 20 with a pulled groin. Mike Bossy returned in the next contest, after missing eight with slightly torn ligaments in his left knee.But it didn&rsquo;t make much difference. The Flyers were playing without Dave Poulin. Ron Sutter. Murray Craven and J.J. Daigneault. and they were still playing like the Flyers. They kept the Islanders to nine goals on Hextall in four games.ON THE ISLE&mdash;Games three and four at Nassau Coliseum were sellouts&mdash;the Isles&rsquo; first of the playoffs and sixth and seventh of season&hellip;Ken Morrow scored his 26th NHL goal in game four. That gave him 15 in 463 regular-season games and II in 118 playoff games, including three OT goals.</div><div style="clear: both;"> &#9632;</div>

f0016-02

Power Surge Could Turn Isles’ Lights Out

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03671/5078036-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="378" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al Strachan</figcaption></div>ONCE AGAIN, the first round of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s playoffs produced an inordinate number of upsets. In fact, half of the eight series were won by the underdog, the team which finished lower in the standings than the team it defeated.If you&rsquo;re a fan of one of the teams doing the upsetting, you probably think that&rsquo;s fine. And from your personal point of view, you&rsquo;re right. Every fan wants his team to do as well as possible.But up at the NHL&rsquo;s corporate offices in New York, they&rsquo;re not supposed to be a fan of any team. They&rsquo;re supposed to concern themselves with the good of the league as a whole. And if they think these upsets are good for the league, they&rsquo;re even less familiar with reality than suspected.For every fan in Quebec who is pleased with the Nordiques&rsquo; success, there is a fan in Hartford saying, &ldquo;Why should my Whalers be eliminated by a team which didn&rsquo;t even play .500 hockey in the regular season?&rdquo;For every fan in Toronto pleased with the Maple Leafs&rsquo; success, there is a fan in St. Louis saying, &ldquo;What good did it do my Blues to work hard and finish first, only to get knocked off by a last-place team that clearly floated through a good part of the season?&rdquo;After the first round of the playoffs, two first-place teams and two second-place teams were history. And this is no aberration. Last year, the story was much the same when two other first-place teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Quebec Nordiques, were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.The point the league officials can&rsquo;t seem to grasp is that the harm caused by the existing system far outweighs the benefits.If the Nordiques hadn&rsquo;t been in the playoffs, Quebec fans would have been mildly upset, but they would have known that really, their team didn&rsquo;t deserve a spot. They would have consoled themselves with the fact that injuries played a major role in the team having a bad season.But how do you console Whalers&rsquo; fans? How do you convince them that their team not only goes unrewarded for a fine season, but has to suffer the further embarrassment of losing to a team that couldn&rsquo;t put together a winning record over 80 games?You can&rsquo;t. So next year, the fans in Hartford are going to be saying the same thing that fans in other cities have already learned to say: &ldquo;Forget the regular season. Float through it. Don&rsquo;t strain yourself. Play just well enough to make the playoffs. And then give it your best shot.&rdquo;Since the last expansion in 1979-80, no team in the Adams Division has finished first and survived the divisional playdowns. So what&rsquo;s the sense of busting a gut to finish first?Every time one more fan adds his voice to the millions who are already saying that the NHL&rsquo;s regular season is virtually meaningless, the league&rsquo;s credibility suffers. So does its image. And so does its fan support.The maddening part of all this is that the solution is so simple. Cut the number of playoff qualifiers to 12 and give the first-place teams a bye in the opening round.This year, the loss to the league would have been 21 playoff games&mdash;five in the Smythe Division, six in the Patrick, four in the Adams and six in the Norris.The league says that it cannot afford to lose these revenues. But it can. What it can&rsquo;t do is hammer out a system whereby those first-place teams would be at least partially reimbursed for lost gate receipts.The owners are simply too short-sighted, greedy or pig-headed (or all three in some cases) to sit down and work out a formula.Why not have the eight first-round teams allocate a share of gate receipts to the first-place teams?Or why not have every team in the league turn over the revenue from one home game per season&mdash;decided at random or by lottery&mdash;to the league? This would give the league the profits from 21 games which it could distribute to the first-place and fourth-place teams to make up for the lost round of the playoffs.If that seems too costly, take half the revenues from one game and don&rsquo;t compensate the fourth-place team.But even the thought of revenue-sharing gives the NHL governors the cold shakes. God forbid that any one of them should actually feel an obligation to help out the other franchise holders for the good of the league and the good of the game.No, they&rsquo;d rather leave that sort of foolishness to sports like baseball and football. What do those people know about running leagues?In hockey, they&rsquo;ll do things in their own Neanderthal fashion even if it kills them. And it may. &#9632;

f0016-03

NHL Approach To Playoffs Considered Self-Destructive

<div class="byline">BY JEFF GORDON</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04521/5078067-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="111" height="112"></div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;When St. Louis Blues&rsquo; coach Jacques Martin and general manager Ron Caron evaluate their team, they don&rsquo;t see a need for much turnover.&ldquo;I think the organization is going in the right direction,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;We have a lot of young players on the hockey club. We finished 10th (overall). We want to be in the top seven. We have to work in that direction.&ldquo;I want to sit down with Ron and evaluate,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have to look at the left wing situation. That&rsquo;s the area I&rsquo;m concerned with.&rdquo;Caron is virtually certain to acquire another left winger. Although Brian Sutter (shoulder contusion), Eddy Beers (disc surgery) and Kent Carlson (spinal fusion) are all optimistic about coming back from their injuries next season, the Blues can&rsquo;t count on them to fill the void.Nor can the Blues put the same sort of burden on Gino Cavallini, Doug Evans and Jocelyn Lemieux that they did this season.&ldquo;These players are willing to put in the sacrifice to improve,&rdquo; Caron said. &ldquo;They need to be associated with some better players. That&rsquo;s what I have to go and do.&rdquo;One player who seems certain to be the odd man out is Ron Flockhart. He finished the season as the team&rsquo;s fifth left winger and he didn&rsquo;t dress in the playoffs. He is entering the option year of his contract and a buy-out or a trade seems likely.&ldquo;They seemed very positive toward me coming back next season,&rdquo; Flockhart said after meeting with Caron and Martin following the Blues&rsquo; first-round playoff loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. &ldquo;They really can&rsquo;t make any promises now. They&rsquo;re not sure. I&rsquo;ll just have to wait and see what happens.&rdquo;In his six full National Hockey League seasons, Flockhart has played for four teams. He doesn&rsquo;t want to make it five teams in seven years.The other potential areas for turnover are center and left defense. At center, Cliff Ronning and Tony Hrkac figure to battle for a spot behind Doug Gilmour and Bernie Federko. Doug Wickenheiser finished the season as the checking line center, but Meagher figures to move back into that role with an influx of left wingers expected.Wickenheiser, who contributed just 28 points in a disappointing season, seems endangered.At left defense, Brian Benning and Tim Bothwell seem set. That leaves Bruce Bell, Jim Pavese, Larry Trader and prospect Robert Dirk competing for the two jobs. Caron might want to spend some of this depth to improve left wing.BLUENOTES&mdash;Kent Carlson is slowly regaining use of his right bicep, which suffered nerve damage after his preseason spinal fusion. He hopes to be back on the ice by June, but he is a long way from being ready for training camp&hellip;Eddie Beers was skating with the team at season&rsquo;s end, but didn&rsquo;t feel ready to attempt a comeback in the playoffs&hellip; &#9632;</div>

f0016-04

Flockhart’s Future Cloudy With Blues

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01947/5078098-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0017-01

She Wins Lottery 72 Times!!

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>VIENNA&mdash;In the comic opera masquerading as the 1987 World Championships, only one thing really mattered to Team Canada: They were in and they came in through the front door.Canada&rsquo;s 7-2 win over Finland on the 10th day (April 26) of the tournament ensured its place in the final four.As it turned out, it was a good thing Canada used the front door. A Viennese court slammed the back door shut when it upheld a suit filed by the West German team against the International Ice Hockey Federation.The tournament was first thrown into an uproar when Finland protested its 3-1 defeat to West Germany on the grounds that the Germans used an illegal player, forward Miroslav Sikora. Sikora played for Poland in the 1977 World Junior Championships. Under IIHF rules, once a player has represented one country internationally, he cannot play for another.A special meeting of the IIHF&rsquo;s executive council&mdash;convened to adjudicate the matter&mdash;ruled in favor of Finland&rsquo;s protest. They kicked Sikora out of the tournament and stripped the Germans of the two games they won&mdash;against Canada and Finland&mdash;with Sikora in the lineup.Complicating matters for the tournament directorate was the fact that the Germans produced a letter&mdash;written on I1HF stationery by Jan-Ake Edvinsson, the federation&rsquo;s secretary-general&mdash;approving Sikora&rsquo;s participation. The last line of Edvinsson&rsquo;s letter proved to be especially ironic. It read: &ldquo;Good luck with your new player.&rdquo;In the end, the Germans had nothing but bad luck with Sikora. Instead of accepting the IIHF&rsquo;s decision as the last word, they chose to fight. Two days after dropping the two games in the boardrooms, they received an injunction from a Vienna court, stipulating that their points be returned. They cited the Edvinsson letter to support their case.And on April 27, Dr. Fritz Klebermas of the Viennese court ended the legal proceedings by ruling in favor of the West Germans. The letter on IIHF stationery turned out to be the deciding factor.As a result, Sweden, not Finland, made it to the four-team medal round. The Soviet Union, unbeaten in seven outings and unaffected by the protest, finished first (7-0-0). Czechoslovakia (5-1-1) finished second, with Sweden (4-3-0) in third. Canada (3-3-1) earned fourth place, ahead of West Germany (3-4-0), Finland (3-4-0), United States (2-5-0) and Switzerland (0-7-0).In medal-round play, Canada was scheduled to meet the Soviets on April 29, Czechoslovakia on May 1 and Sweden on May 3.For the sixth-place Finns, it was double jeopardy. Not only did they miss the medal round, but they failed to finish among the top four European teams. That means, for the second consecutive time, West Germany will be invited to the Canada Cup this fall.Which isn&rsquo;t likely to make Canada Cup tournament chairman Alan Eagleson too happy. He had been hoping Finland would join the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Sweden in the six-nation toumey because the Finns, with a high number of NHL players, would be a better draw than the largely-anonymous West Germans.All of the off-ice wrangling had a distracting effect on the Canadian team, especially since they followed up their impressive start by losing to Germany, Sweden and the Soviet Union. For a time, it looked as if they would need the forfeit to get into the medal round.By defeating Finland, however, they picked up enough points to get into the championship round, thus distancing themselves from the scandal&mdash;or Sikoragate as it came to be known.As coach Dave King put it:&ldquo;To hell with what happens in the boardrooms. We won it on our own and that&rsquo;s all that counts&hellip;This is our 10th time since 1977 in the World Championships and we didn&rsquo;t want the honor of being the first team to miss the medal round.&rdquo;The reason they didn&rsquo;t was because some of the players who had quiet first weeks in the tournament&mdash;Kevin Dineen, Dan Quinn and Troy Murray&mdash;broke loose against Finland, putting the finishing touches on the win with three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.Although King was reluctant to single out individuals for praise, he thought Quinn, the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center, gave the team a lift with his play.In the earlier games, the line of Barry Pederson between Tony Tanti and Brian Bellows accounted for the majority of Canada&rsquo;s goals. Tanti had five in the first six games. No one else had more than three.Against the Finns, the Quinn and Murray lines did much of the damage. Quinn didn&rsquo;t play much in the games against Sweden and the Soviet Union, in part because they were special teams&rsquo; games. Because Quinn&rsquo;s linemates, Muller and Mike Foligno, kill penalties for Canada, he missed large stretches of the two preceding games.&ldquo;Danny was involved in a couple of the first goals that really got us going,&rdquo; said King. &ldquo;That was a big help. I think the guys are understanding now that some will play in certain situations and won&rsquo;t play in others. You have to coach with the lead sometimes. You can&rsquo;t play with everybody all the time and I think the guys are starting to realize that.&rdquo;Unlike past games, the Canadian team&rsquo;s strength on paper&mdash;scoring&mdash;was finally evident on the ice. Quinn, Muller, Acton and Murray scored only their second goals of the tournament. Dineen counted his third and fourth.&ldquo;We talked for several games now about getting the lead,&rdquo; said King, &ldquo;but we weren&rsquo;t able to do it. Finally, the guys got a lead to work with. Not only do we play better with the lead, but the opposition doesn&rsquo;t play as well without it.&rdquo;&ldquo;We played with fear today as well as with our hearts and our heads,&rdquo; said Quinn. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s what Canadians are all about. We had to win and we came up with a big effort.&rdquo;Canada played the game against Finland without defenseman Scott Stevens, who bruised his hand against the Soviet Union. Stevens took the warmup, but couldn&rsquo;t grip his stick properly. X-rays showed his hand was not broken, but team doctors put a fibreglass cast on it anyway to facilitate the healing process. There was no definite word on his status for the first game of the medal round, but he hoped to play.Defenseman Bruce Driver took his place in the lineup.The Canadians switched from goaltender Sean Burke to Bob Froese against the Soviets, and Froese went on to win his first international match by defeating Finland.By losing their first four games of the tournament, Team USA failed to qualify for the medal round. However, they began turning things around with back-to-back wins over Switzerland and West Germany. The U.S. lost to Czechoslovakia 4-2 in its final game of the preliminary round.&ldquo;The addition of goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck helped as well as more production from the team&rsquo;s NHL players,&rdquo; said coach David Peterson. &ldquo;We started to get some scoring from them. Bobby Carpenter, Ed Olczyk, Brian Lawton all got on the board the other day.&ldquo;We can still finish fifth, so we&rsquo;re really playing now to stay out of the &lsquo;B&rsquo; pool, to see how high we can finish and to get a halfway decent schedule for our Olympic team.&ldquo;I think the longer we&rsquo;re together, the better we&rsquo;ll play. Obviously, we&rsquo;d like to play for the medals, but we have to live with what&rsquo;s happened and go from there.&rdquo;Added Olczyk before the game against the Germans: &ldquo;We definitely haven&rsquo;t played well. We opened with some tough games&mdash;Canada, Sweden, the Russians&hellip;More than anything else, we have to help ourselves now. We want to get a couple of points.&rdquo;Olczyk traced the U.S. turnaround to the game against Finland, a 5-2 loss in which the Americans controlled the second half of play.&ldquo;It v.as frustrating going 0-4 because we hadn&rsquo;t scored many goals&mdash;but we have good calibre players here. It&rsquo;s a young club. We&rsquo;re just learning. We want to do well so our Olympic team and Canada Cup team hopefully can get a good placing when the tournaments come around.&rdquo; &#9632;

German Protest Dominates Tournament

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02519/5078153-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="557" height="841"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Webster&rsquo;s inner ear problems have not yet been solved by New York doctors.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01767/5078160-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="117" height="116"></div>NEW YORK&mdash;Tom Webster&rsquo;s coaching career with the New York Rangers appears over.No final decision is expected until at least May 6, when Webster is scheduled to undergo another examination of his inner ear problems, but indications are that he will not return to the National Hockey League club.A source close to Webster said the former NHLer is finished with the Rangers and will most likely rejoin Windsor Spitfires, the Ontario League team he left for the Big Apple.Webster, himself, offered no hint about his future.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t comment on it,&rdquo; Webster said of reports that he will be back in the OHL next year. &ldquo;Nothing has been settled yet. The less said about it the better, at this point.&rdquo;Hired on Nov. 28 to succeed the fired Ted Sator, Webster compiled a 4-7-4 record in his first 15 games. An inner ear ailment, however, prevented Webster from flying and eventually forced him to step aside.Webster underwent surgery for the problem in December but suffered a recurrence of the dizzy spells and extreme nausea which hit him earlier in the season. On Jan. 28, general manager Phil Esposito took over for the remainder of the season as interim coach when, for the second time, doctors forbade Webster to fly.From that time until March 10, Webster ran many of the practices but Esposito took over complete control of the team for the final month.Ironically, Windsor GM Jim Rutherford was forced into a similar situation when his coach, Tony MacDonald, resigned just before the OHL playoffs.He, like Esposito is expected to be, is in the market for a coach and would love to have Webster back.&ldquo;I told him the day he left, &lsquo;Hey, if things don&rsquo;t work out in New York, please give us a call first,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Rutherford.Added the ex-NHL goalie, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to be stupid enough to say we don&rsquo;t want him back as a coach.&rdquo;Before leaving for the World Championships at Vienna, Esposito talked about the uncertainty surrounding Webster.&ldquo;Hopefully Tom Webster will be the head coach of the Rangers next season but, yes, there are still some problems and questions about his health,&rdquo; said Esposito, who is adamant about not returning behind the bench again next year.&ldquo;Basically, the report from his last check-up (April 6) was that his problem was pretty much the same. I think he got some different medication and another ear operation is also a possibility.&ldquo;If the doctors tell us after his next check-up that Tom isn&rsquo;t getting any better and that there&rsquo;s a good chance he won&rsquo;t get any better in the near future, then I&rsquo;m going to have to look for another head coach.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not something I want to do and Tom understands that, but I want this very important position in our organization to be filled, hopefully by a healthy Tom Webster, before the June draft.&rdquo;The trip to Vienna is but the first part of what promises to be a busy summer for Esposito.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of work to be done,&rdquo; the Ranger general manager said after his team was eliminated by Philadelphia in six games. &ldquo;There will be no vacations this summer.&rdquo;&ldquo;In the next few weeks, my staff and I will be re-assessing everything. There are a lot of decisions to be made.&rdquo;One of them, of course, will deal with the coaching situation.BIG APPLESAUCE&mdash;Although the name of Terry Crisp, who lost out to Tom Webster last November, has re-surfaced in media speculation, Phil Esposito refused to discuss any candidates&hellip;The Rangers&rsquo; AHL affiliate at New Haven lost its first-round series in seven games to Binghamton&hellip;Esposito acknowledged reports that &ldquo;retired&rdquo; defenseman Barry Beck was working out in Vancouver to test his shoulder for a possible comeback attempt in September&hellip;Goalie Doug Soetaert and defensemen Don Jackson were mulling retirements. It is possible that both may be offered jobs in the Ranger organization&hellip;The Rangers have switched their minor-league affiliation from sharing New Haven with Los Angeles to Denver, the newest franchise in the International League. The club will be known as the Colorado Rangers. They&rsquo;ll play in the 8,000-seat Denver Coliseum.</div><div style="clear: both;"> &#9632;</div>

f0020-02

Webster Finished With The Rangers?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03363/5078191-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="353" height="461"><figcaption class="caption-body">Small Thoughts At Large Dave Molinari</figcaption></div>THE DEFINITIVE STATEMENT on the foibles and futility of the franchise is this: The last time the New Jersey Devils were in the NHL playoffs, they had never set foot in New Jersey.Even worse, all but their most devoted followers admit they probably won&rsquo;t get back to the playoffs again until the Devil (no relation) is forced to scrape the frost off his windshield in mid-July.To put that in perspective for those of you beyond the confines of metropolitan Newark, it will happen about the same time Bob Pulford wins a playoff game.And now, as if the franchise hasn&rsquo;t already gone through hell, word has leaked out from the Land of Toxic Traumas that the Devils are in mortal peril of losing the services of forward extraordinaire Anders Carlsson.Yeah, the Anders Carlsson. The one who ravaged NHL defenses for two goals and 18 assists this seasons.Seems Carlsson feels mistreated by Devil coach Doug Carpenter, who no doubt had the temerity to point out that since defensive zones in most NHL rinks are not seeded with land mines, there is no good reason for players to be wary of venturing there.Imagine the nerve of Carpenter, placing such stifling demands on a guy who reeled off 20&mdash;count &rsquo;em, 20&mdash;big points in a mere 48 games this season.Where would New Jersey have been without Carlsson? After much thought, I can only deduce the Devils would have finished dead last in the Patrick Division.But Carlsson is not an entirely unreasonable man. He&rsquo;ll be glad to come back next year&mdash;as long as Carpenter doesn&rsquo;t.What goes without saying, of course, is the very essence of their dispute. Doug Carpenter can&rsquo;t communicate.Coaches of losing teams never can, and that&rsquo;s the whole problem.It has nothing to do with them being forced to coach a collection of talent that would be hard-pressed to challenge for fifth place in the Ontario League&rsquo;s Leyden Division.The players in Pittsburgh also said Bob Berry couldn&rsquo;t communicate, even though most outsiders considered his vocabulary and speaking skills to be more than adequate.Funny how the coaches with competent players turn out to be the great communicators. Al Arbour must have been the king of one-liners.Gosh, one can only imagine the horrible strain on Toe Blake&rsquo;s vocal chords when he was winning those eight Stanley Cups.The conclusion to be drawn from all this is obvious. Forget guys like Terry Crisp, Ron Lapointe, Lome Henning and Paul Theriault when you&rsquo;re talking about prospective NHL coaches.Focus instead on, say, New York governor Mario Cuomo, who wowed &rsquo;em with his pep talk at the Democratic national convention in 1984.Or maybe even The Great Communicator Himself, Ronald Reagan, whose contract to coach the U.S. nationals will be up in fewer than 21 months.So what if Reagan doesn&rsquo;t know the difference between a checking line and a checking account? Nobody holds it against the guy that he has never been able to distinguish fact from fantasy.The man has nothing worthwhile to say, but Lord, how he can communicate.Maybe, in his finest performance ever, he could even coax Anders Carlsson into gracing North America with his presence for another magical decade or two.Playing at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, naturally.Thought you might like to know.Dave Molinari, serious visage aside, is a very funny guy and will be appearing once a month. &#9632;

f0020-03

Anders, Please Come Back, Devils Need Scoring Punch

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04239/5078222-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="88" height="83"></div>EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.&mdash;His experience in the National Hockey League encompasses all of four games. The jury is not out on Doug Brown; it hasn&rsquo;t even begun to deliberate.Yet the New Jersey Devils feel they found a gem in Brown when they signed him as a free agent out of Boston College last August.After spending most of this season at Maine of the American League, the 5-foot-l 1, 190-pound right winger impressed New Jersey coach Doug Carpenter during a four-game spell in mid-March and he will be one of the favorites to make the Devils&rsquo; roster in training camp.&ldquo;I was totally satisfied with the way Doug Brown played,&rdquo; said Carpenter. &ldquo;He got his feet wet and he found out what it&rsquo;s like playing in the National League.&rdquo;In fact, Brown saw extensive ice time in his four-game stay with the Devils (March 13-20), skating with Mark Johnson and Doug Sulliman to form the club&rsquo;s most successful line during that period.Although the 22-year-old Brown had only one point (an assist on a Kirk Muller goal which came when Brown had already returned to the bench), his line was matched against the Islanders&rsquo; Bryan Trottier-Mike Bossy line, Edmonton&rsquo;s Wayne Gretzky-Mark Messier-Esa Tikkanen line and Winnipeg&rsquo;s Dale Hawerchuk-Brian Mullen combination.The Devils noticed Brown enough in college to pursue him as a free agent. His No. 1 goal at that point was completing his education.Negotiations with Brown, whom general manager Max McNab said reminded him of &ldquo;a young Rich Preston,&rdquo; progressed slowly. The young skater from Southborough, Mass., narrowed his choices down to two teams.&ldquo;My final two choices were the New York Rangers and the Devils,&rdquo; revealed Brown. &ldquo;I wanted to play in the northeast and that basically eliminated most of the Canadian and western teams. Certainly the chance to play (sooner with the Devils) had something to do with it.&rdquo;As it turned out, Brown played his first 66 games at Maine, scoring 21 goals with 32 assists for 53 points on a line with prospects Tim Lenardon and Rich Chernomaz.In college, Brown&rsquo;s best offensive season came as a junior when he scored 37 goals and 31 assists in 45 Hockey East games. His forte was penalty-killing.Brown realized he had to show the Devils&rsquo; staff something special in his short stay in the NHL. He did just that, never doubting he could keep up with the big boys.&ldquo;To be honest, the No. 1 question about whether I could make it was kind of answered when I played in the World Championships in the spring a year ago (at Prague),&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;When I played with Mark Johnson and Aaron Broten (for Team USA) I played against Kirk Muller and Marcel Dionne on Team Canada and also against the Russians. I saw the best competition&hellip;That was a big checkpoint in my life. That gave me confidence over the summer and I came into training camp pretty confident.&ldquo;I believed in myself in training camp. I saw the competition and I had a chance to see the teams we&rsquo;re playing against and it instilled enough confidence. But I guess I wasn&rsquo;t prepared enough at that time to step right into the league.&rdquo;Next fall he&rsquo;s expected to be.HOT STUFF&mdash;Doug Carpenter&rsquo;s job (he has another year remaining on his contract) appears to be safe until next Christmas&hellip;Pat Verbeek will be married on July 4 and Alain Chevrier on June 6. &#9632;</div>

f0020-04

Devils’ Hopes High For Rookie Brown

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SMITH</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01567/5078253-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="115" height="110"></div>HARTFORD&mdash;Win, lose or draw, Emile Francis insists on having the final word.The Hartford Whalers&rsquo; president-general manager got it at the team&rsquo;s season-ending press conference, five days after Quebec eliminated Hartford in the sixth game of the opening playoff round on Peter Stastny&rsquo;s overtime goal.&lsquo;The Cat&rsquo; made one major concession.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know of one person in our organization who thinks Quebec is the better team,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;We beat ourselves.&rdquo;All those penalties and bonehead plays by the Whalers were too plentiful and too significant for Francis to try to sweep them under a rug.So, he had to swallow that one. The Whalers, alas, beat themselves. Otherwise, Francis&rsquo; fans will be delighted to learn, he pitched a shutout. It was a genuine masterpiece.No, he said, it wasn&rsquo;t coach Jack Evans&rsquo; fault. Evans will get a contract extension along with assistant Claude Larose.No, he said, Mike Liut was not overworked and did not have a sub-par series against Quebec.No, he said, you really can&rsquo;t blame Ulf Samuelsson or Kevin Dineen for their antics. They&rsquo;re young.No, he said, Sylvain Turgeon did just fine, considering that he sat out half a season and that media members seem to have made him a &ldquo;target.&rdquo; No, he said, nobody has restricted Dave Tippett&rsquo;s growth as a hockey player. The fourth-line left winger was the Whalers&rsquo; &ldquo;best all-around player&rdquo; in the playoffs, Francis said.No, he said, he was not stunned by the loss. Only pucks that hit him in the head can stun him, he said, not winning or losing hockey games.No, he said, lack of size isn&rsquo;t a problem for the Whalers.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re bigger than Calgary,&rdquo; said Francis, who brought along statistical proof to support his claim.And he didn&rsquo;t stop there.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know where the hell some of you get the idea that we&rsquo;re too small, but you better get it out of your heads real quick,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You keep pointing to three or four forwards. Well, if I was going to war, I&rsquo;d prefer to go with them than some of the people who have written about them.&rdquo;&lsquo;The Cat&rsquo; was just warming up.He derided Quebec coach Michel Bergeron for razzing the Whaler players.&ldquo;If you want to be a bench jockey, fine, get out and play,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;If you want to be a bench jockey and stand behind the bench, it&rsquo;s bush-league and cowardly.&rdquo;Bergeron hinted throughout that series that he saw a weakness in Liut&rsquo;s Play.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s bull,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I saw a little weakness in Bergeron&rsquo;s style last year, too. Where was all his great planning when he lost three in a row? Funny how people become geniuses overnight.&rdquo;Francis put it down to the opportunism of Quebec gunners Peter Stastny, Michel Goulet and John Ogrodnick.&ldquo;For us, it was simply a case of the wrong guys having the puck at the wrong time,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;The snipers got the puck. It&rsquo;s too bad it wasn&rsquo;t Basil McRae or some of their other duds.&rdquo;Not necessarily. It&rsquo;s worth noting that McRae was hardly a &ldquo;dud&rdquo; in Quebec&rsquo;s first two victories over the Montreal Canadiens in the Adams Division finals, both Nordique wins. In game one, McRae had a goal and an assist in a 7-5 win and in game two, he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory.Listing health, discipline and patience as three major ingredients for success in the playoffs, Francis concentrated on the last two.&ldquo;The thing I can&rsquo;t fathom yet is how we broke every penalty record in the book,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen so many players thrown out of games. For the good of the team, a player has to learn to take a check, whether it&rsquo;s legal or illegal. That&rsquo;s what we call growing pains.&rdquo;As for the immediate future, Francis said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll leave no stone unturned.&rdquo;Francis is fond of saying, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never gotten beat. I&rsquo;ve only run out of time.&rdquo; For the 23rd consecutive season with a National Hockey League club, Francis ran out of time. &#9632;</div>

f0021-01

Cat Claws ‘Bush-League, Cowardly’ Bergeron

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03359/5078284-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="559" height="1379"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Housley was Buffalo&rsquo;s most consistent player from start to finish of the year.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01653/5078291-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="111" height="110"></div>BUFFALO&mdash;In a season memorable mostly for its failures, Buffalo Sabre defensemen Mike Ramsey and Phil Housley stood as noteworthy exceptions.Ramsey, the cornerstone upon which the Sabres&rsquo; defense is built, assumed an even greater workload after veteran Bill Hajt was eased out of the lineup early in the season. After something of a slow start, Ramsey shouldered the load just as well as any player in the Rod Langway, Larry Robinson mold.And Housley, trying to prove he is a National Hockey League-calibre defenseman (not center), was equal to the challenge. The swift-skating native of South St. Paul, Minn., finished as the team&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, up from fourth a season ago.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say enough about Mike Ramsey,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; coach Ted Sator in the closing days of the failed campaign for a playoff spot. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the best pure athletes I&rsquo;ve ever had the pleasure of working with and knowing&hellip;A workaholic&hellip;A champion. What more can you say about the guy? He&rsquo;s the epitome, just a good, good guy on and off the ice.&rdquo;Sator also spoke glowingly of Housley, a player often scrutinized by fans and media alike.&ldquo;Teams trade for players like Phil Housley,&rdquo; said Sator. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t trade them away.&rdquo;Sabres&rsquo; general manager Gerry Meehan shares his coach&rsquo;s feelings about the former first-round draft choice.&ldquo;You could make a strong case for Phil as our most valuable player,&rdquo; said Meehan at season&rsquo;s end. &ldquo;I thought he gave us a consistent effort throughout.&rdquo;Housley was, indeed, consistent. He scored 21 goals and earned 46 assists, and performed equally well for all three Sabre coaches&mdash;Scott Bowman, Craig Ramsay and Sator.Though he finished a minus player (minus-two), he was stronger defensively than in past seasons. He also established a career high for penalty minutes in a single season (57), indicating a willingness to mix it up for the first time in his career.&ldquo;It was important for me to have a good year,&rdquo; Housley said. &ldquo;I wanted to have the opportunity to play the one position (defense) and I think I showed I could do that.&rdquo;Housley said increased maturity, heightened by an added sense of responsibility (he was an alternate captain at various times), were motivating factors.&ldquo;To get that &lsquo;A&rsquo; on my sweater meant a lot,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It meant they trusted me with a certain amount of responsibility&hellip;I&rsquo;ve been here five years now and it&rsquo;s important to me that I take a role in contributing to this team.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>Ramsey, having now completed his seventh full season, has long had the respect of others. He also wore the &lsquo;A&rsquo; this season and though he rarely is considered Norris Trophy material outside of the Western New York area, he has long been one of the league&rsquo;s best defenseman.&ldquo;I get my share of respect,&rdquo; said the often-laconic defenseman. &ldquo;As far as recognition, I&rsquo;ve played in five all-star games. I appreciate that.&rdquo;In this, the team&rsquo;s most difficult season, Ramsey had his third-most productive season offensively. He finished with eight goals and 31 assists (39 points). Despite several injuries, he was also the only player on the roster to play the full 80-game season.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s given everything he has,&rdquo; praised Sator.SABREPOINTS&mdash;According to Sabres&rsquo; assistant public relations director Budd Bailey, there were 473 penalty minutes called (an average of 16.9) during the team&rsquo;s 28 victories, 698 (15.9 average) in the 44 losses, and 115 minutes (14.4) in the eight ties. The Sabres&rsquo; most common infraction was roughing&mdash;up to 213 from 198 last year&hellip;Sabres&rsquo; coach Ted Sator joined Team USA as an assistant to head coach Dave Peterson at the World Championships. Sator will also assist Calgary coach Bob Johnson at the Canada Cup next fall. &#9632;

f0022-03

The Good From A Bad And Ugly Season

<div class="byline">By Bob Duff</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02465/5078322-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="441" height="448"></div>Q: Steve Dryden&rsquo;s &ldquo;Stops and Starts&rdquo; column of Feb. 27 included a piece on Soviet hockey writer Vladimir Dvortsov, who has written a biography on Soviet superstar Valery Kharlamov. The story referred to the &ldquo;late&rdquo; Kharlamov. How did Kharlamov die?David McCann, Chicago, ILA: Kharlamov was killed in an automobile accident in Moscow in 1981.Q: I am looking for information on the WHA&rsquo;s New York Golden Blades. When did they play? What building did they play in? For how many years did they play? Could you please provide some of this information?P. Newbeck, New York, NYA: The Golden Blades were the New York Raiders during the WHA&rsquo;s inaugural season, 1972-73. However, owners Sy Siegel and Dick Wood underestimated the cost of running a pro franchise, forcing a league takeover on Nov. 15, 1973. On May 30, following the &rsquo;72-73 season the team was sold to a syndicate headed by Lee Mattison and Ralf Brent. They changed the nickname to Golden Blades, and outfitted the team in white skates with gold-tinted blades. Club uniforms were a garish purple, gold and white.Trouble again started early in the 1973-74 season, though, for the team which played out of Madison Square Garden. In late October, the owners were unable to meet the payroll, again forcing a league takeover. Qn Nov. 20, 1973, the team was moved to Cherry Hill, N.J., and became known as the Jersey Knights. Harry Howell replaced Camille Henry as coach of the club, which sat last in the WHA&rsquo;s East Division with a 6-12-2 mark. Jerry Delise was replaced as GM by Marvin Milkes. The Knights finished the season last with a 32-42-4 mark, and played its home games at the 5,500-seat Cherry Hill Arena. Following the 1973-74 season, the Knights moved to San Diego, becoming the Mariners. The Mariners folded after the 1976-77 season.Q: I have two questions for you. What nationality is the name Mahovlich, as in former NHLers Frank and Peter? Also, what were the respective point totals for Rick Vaive and Mark Messier in their final years of junior play?Ron Szostak, Manitouwadge, ONA: The Mahovlich name is Croatian. Vaive, playing for Sherbrooke of the Quebec League in 1977-78, scored 76 goals and 79 assists for 155 points. He also earned 199 penalty minutes in his 68 games. Messier, playing with Spruce Grove of the Alberta Junior League in 1976-77, scored 27 times and added 39 assists for 66 points in 57 games. He was assessed 91 minutes in penalties.Q: Could you please give me the addresses of the Muskegon, Salt Lake and Peoria franchises in the IHL.Ron Miller, Pittsburgh, PAA:&nbsp;Here are the addresses: Muskegon Lumberjacks, 470 W. Western Ave., Muskegon, ML, 49440; Peoria Rivermen, 20 S. W. Jefferson, Peoria, IL, 61602; Salt Lake Golden Eagles, Salt Lake City, UT, 84101.If you want your question answered by the Duffer, send the query to:ASK THE DUFFER,347 Whitewood Rd.,Saskatoon, SKS7J 4K8 &#9632;

f0022-02

ASK THE DUFFER

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01590/5078353-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="120" height="111"></div>CHICAGO&mdash;The Chicago Black-hawks have set their first priority for the off-season, following their second straight playoff disaster.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to hire a coach. That&rsquo;s the first thing we want to do,&rdquo; Hawks&rsquo; general manger Bob Pulford said. &ldquo;We have people in mind that we&rsquo;re going to talk to and look at.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to name any names, because some of the people are still playing in the playoffs. Until their season is over, we can&rsquo;t really talk to them.&rdquo;The name that automatically came to the forefront was Bob Berry, whose association with Pulford goes back more than 15 years when they were teammates on the Los Angeles Kings. Berry was recently fired as coach by the Pittsburgh Penguins.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s certainly a possibility,&rdquo; Pulford said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll talk to him. But that association means nothing.&rdquo;Neither Pulford nor Hawks president William Wirtz would list their candidates. But the possibilities appear to include Calgary Flames&rsquo; assistant coach Bob Murdoch and Moncton Golden Flames&rsquo; coach Terry Crisp. Others likely to be considered are college coaches Gino Gasparini of National Collegiate Athletic Association-champion North Dakota and Ron Mason of runner-up Michigan State, as well as Oshawa Generals&rsquo; coach Paul Theriault.Wirtz says the Hawks are in no rush.&ldquo;We might do it before the draft, but it doesn&rsquo;t have to be done by then,&rdquo; Wirtz said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to have a coach sitting at your draft table. If he&rsquo;s been coaching all year, he hasn&rsquo;t seen these kids play, anyway.&rdquo;There is no suspense about Pulford&rsquo;s name appearing on the list of candidates. After combining the jobs of coach and general manager the past two seasons. Pulford is convinced it is a no-win situation.&ldquo;Eventually, it won&rsquo;t work,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As general manager, you&rsquo;re trying to put the best personnel on the ice. As a coach, you&rsquo;re trying to get the most out of your players.&ldquo;They are two different philosophies. I think it does work over the short term. But they are two completely different philosophies.&rdquo;Next season. Pulford will limit himself to getting the best personnel and getting a coach to do the rest.Pulford says there is no danger he will back himself into a corner by saying there are players he would not like to trade in the shakeup he has promised.In the past, Pulford has had a list of untouchables as long as the Hawks&rsquo; roster.&ldquo;Last year, that question would have been very legitimate,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s legitimate this year. My own thinking is very much different than it was last year at this time. I have a philosophy where I believe we have to make changes.&rdquo;HAWK TALK&mdash;The Hawks sent four players to the World Championships in Vienna. Defenseman Doug Wilson, left winger Al Secord and center Troy Murray reported to Team Canada, while winger Ed Olczyk joined Team USA. Denis Savard declined an invitation from Team Canada because of a bad back-&hellip;It&rsquo;s unofficial so far, but the Hawks will drop their affiliation with Nova Scotia in the American League and form their own farm club next season. The Hawks have split Nova Scotia with Edmonton the past two seasons. A possibility for the new farm club is Saginaw in the International League. &#9632;</div>

f0023-01

Blackhawks Begin Search For New Coach

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02408/5078384-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="164" height="122"></div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;Such is the sorry legacy of this franchise that the Pittsburgh Penguins traditionally commit front-office blunders.After all, this is the team that has traded away no fewer than seven first-round draft picks for the mundane likes of Rod Schutt and Hartland Monahan.And while the Penguins have held onto their high draft choices since Eddie Johnston succeeded the late Baz Bastien as general manager four years ago, more than a few observers point to the recent firing of coach Bob Berry as evidence management remains capable of making monumental mistakes.All of which serves to magnify the shock value and significance of a seemingly innocuous transaction on Oct. 4, 1985.On that day, the Buffalo Sabres dispatched two minor-league left wingers, Ted Nolan and Randy Cunneyworth, to Pittsburgh for&hellip;well, being co-operative.The Penguins temporarily harbored Pat Hughes and Mike Moller on their waiver draft protected list. That enabled Buffalo and Edmonton to complete a trade without losing either of the principals in that draft.I &ldquo;I like to think of it as an error on Buffalo&rsquo;s part,&rdquo; said Cunneyworth, who played in 21 National Hockey League games during his five years in the Sabres&rsquo; organization.Indeed, while the Hughes-Moller deal proved to be of no enduring importance, Cunneyworth has provided a vital part of the foundation on which the Penguins are building a competitive team.Last season, officially his rookie campaign, Cunneyworth contributed 15 goals and 30 assists.This year, he became the Penguins&rsquo; most prolific winger, finishing with 26 goals&mdash;five of them game-winners&mdash;and 27 assists.The total of 53 points placed him behind only centers Mario Lemieux and Dan Quinn in the team scoring race and his diligence was rewarded when the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association made him the Penguins&rsquo; Masterton Trophy nominee.&ldquo;I think I kept in mind what management mentioned to me before the season,&rdquo; said Cunneyworth, who turns 26 on May 10. &ldquo;They wanted an improvement out of everyone, statistically, and I achieved that. The next step is to get even better next year.&rdquo;The year gone by has furnished him with the impetus for further improvement.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get a little stronger over the summer,&rdquo; Cunneyworth said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to put a little muscle on. I think it would really help my game in front of the net.&rdquo;Should his teammates be similarly inclined to spend as much time in the weight room as on the golf course this summer, Cunneyworth believes the Penguins&rsquo; exasperating streak of five seasons without a playoff appearance can be reduced to a memory.&ldquo;If everyone is just worried about improving themselves individually, then we should come out and be a better team next year. If everyone took a little pride, worked on some weaknesses, we can only get better.&rdquo;PEN POINTS&mdash;The Penguins&rsquo; search for a coach to replace Bob Berry was put on hold when general manager Eddie Johnston went to the World Championships in Vienna. While team officials will say only they have prepared a list of 20 potential coaches. The most serious candidates appear to be Terry Crisp, and Ron Lapointe &#9632;

f0023-02

So, What’s A Cunneyworth? Lots And Lots To Pittsburgh

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01633/5078415-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="109" height="114"></div>BOSTON&mdash;Harry Sinden smiled broadly as he announced that Terry O&rsquo;Reilly would be back as coach of the Boston Bruins for at least another year.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad for the players on the team,&rdquo; said the Bruins&rsquo; general manager. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad for the organization and I&rsquo;m happy for myself. It might have a great deal to do with my future, too.&rdquo;The clinching factor for O&rsquo;Reilly was his love of the game.&ldquo;I thought that once I stopped playing,&rdquo; the renewed coach said, &ldquo;I would move on to something else, but I don&rsquo;t think you can just purge hockey out of your system like that when you&rsquo;ve been doing it your while life.&rdquo;Sinden said O&rsquo;Reilly&rsquo;s new contract was for one season, with an option year.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking at it as a two-year situation,&rdquo; said Sinden. &ldquo;He needs the option because of certain personal problems. He wanted to be able to forego the second year in the event something unforeseen happened.&rdquo;For O&rsquo;Reilly&mdash;who took over from Butch Goring Nov. 6 after Boston struggled to a 5-7-1 start, and turned the season around with a 34-27-6 record&mdash;the decision to return wasn&rsquo;t easily made.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;ll be coaching next season,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;ll see what happens after that.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Reilly indicated some of the difficulties he was having in a recent Boston Herald article.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an all-consuming job to do it properly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The bad things I expected were there. It&rsquo;s very hard to get away from it. It&rsquo;s tough to separate it from your family life. You bring it home.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the kind of job where you&rsquo;re always questioning decisions you made. You do it sitting at the supper table. There were times my kids were talking to me and my mind was distracted.&ldquo;The last couple of days have been different. The kids can sense it, too.&rdquo;Family matters weighed heavily on O&rsquo;Reilly. One of his sons, five-year-old Evan, suffers from a liver ailment and there is a possibility that he will require a liver transplant.While the coach pondered his future. all-star defenseman Ray Bourque was pondering the team&rsquo;s.Bourque, who has four years to go on a six-year contract, is desperately seeking a Stanley Cup ring on his finger.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the ultimate for any hockey player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Anyone who gets that ring will remember it the rest of his life.&ldquo;But no matter how great your team is. there are no guarantees. There&rsquo;s only one team that can win. A lot of great players never won the Stanley Cup&mdash;like Jean. Ratcllc and Brad Park&mdash;but that doesn&rsquo;t take away from their accomplishments.&ldquo;Sometimes you&rsquo;ve got to have patience. We&rsquo;re not ready to win the Stanley Cup now. But there are some people farther than me from winning a Cup. But right now, for us, it&rsquo;s not so much the Stanley Cup. We just want to get through the first round.&rdquo;In the eight seasons the 26-year-old Bourque has been a member of the Bruins, the team has reached the semi-finals once and the quarter-finals twice. The other five times&mdash;including the last four in a row, at the hands of Montreal&mdash;they have been eliminated in the first round.WHAT&rsquo;S BRUIN&mdash;Harry Sinden got a verbal vote of confidence from club owner Jeremy Jacobs, who rarely comes to Boston or even comments on his Bruins. &ldquo;Harry Sinden continues to be one of the finest general managers in the National Hockey League,&rdquo; came word from Buffalo&hellip;Two Bruins are faced with the prospect of surgery in the coming weeks&mdash;Keith Crowder (right shoulder) and Michael Thelven (facial scar). &#9632;</div>

f0024-01

O’Reilly Agrees To Remain As B’s Coach

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02448/5078446-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="160" height="92"></div>LANDOVER, Md.&mdash;The pain was slow to leave the Washington Capitals in the days following their four-overtime elimination by the New York Islanders.The players were still feeling hurt, both physically and mentally, although few were forced to face the summer in such miserable condition as defenseman Greg Smith.Smith, whose shot off a post in the first overtime was one of many close calls for the Capitals, suffered a broken right kneecap when he was struck by a New York shot in the second extra period. Smith was fitted with a brace and it was hoped the knee would heal without difficulty&mdash;but if there was any further problem, he faced eight weeks in a cast.Incredibly, Smith was the second Capital whose kneecap was broken this season. The other was John Barrett, obtained with Smith from Detroit in the Darren Veitch trade on March 10, 1986. Barrett&rsquo;s left kneecap was shattered by a shot with four seconds left in a game at Vancouver Feb. 20.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some strange injuries this year,&rdquo; Smith said, &ldquo;not normal-type things. At least my kneecap isn&rsquo;t pulled apart like John&rsquo;s. It&rsquo;s broken in half and should heal all right.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really think I was hurt that badly. I went off and walked on it and then I played another shift. It hurt in the dressing room, but I figured it was just stiffening up.&ldquo;I went out for the first shift the next period (third overtime) and it really hurt, but I thought I could skate it out. Then (Pat) LaFontaine came in on a breakaway and I went to turn, but it hurt so much I couldn&rsquo;t move.&ldquo;I knew then that I shouldn&rsquo;t be out there. When I got off, I told Stan (Capitals&rsquo; trainer Wong) that it wasn&rsquo;t fair to me or to the team for me to play. I sat there the rest of the period and then I went to see the doctor.&ldquo;The worst part was that I had hit a post with a shot in the first overtime period. While I was at the doctor&rsquo;s (two days later), that was going through my mind. I wouldn&rsquo;t have been waiting for the X-rays had that shot gone in.&rdquo;Most of the Capitals endured pain that was more mental than physical, after they recovered from the fatigue left over from the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup history.&ldquo;It hurts me deeply,&rdquo; said winged Gaetan Duchesne. &ldquo;It will take a while to get it out. You have so many chances in the NHL and you have to make it worth it. This is the fifth year we made the playoffs and couldn&rsquo;t get through the second round. &ldquo;It was the fourth straight season that the Capitals finished second in the Patrick Division, took the lead in a playoff series and wound up the loser. Both of Washington&rsquo;s playoff series triumphs came in three-game sweeps. When they have faced elimination, the Capitals have lost all five times.CAPSULES&mdash;Winger Jeff Greenlaw, hampered all season by back problems, was sent to the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., where it was learned that he has a stress fracture of a vertebra. He will wear a body cast for eight to 12 weeks and should be ready for training camp&hellip; &#9632;

f0024-02

Smith Copes With Agony Of Defeat

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01554/5078477-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="127" height="111"></div>BLOOMINGTON&mdash;After nine years of romancing, the North Stars produced the event that every Minnesota fan expected would happen.On a sunny spring afternoon, they introduced hometown hero Herb Brooks as the 14th head coach in franchise history.General manager Lou Nanne stood at the front of a crowded Met Center press room and said this was the coach he had always wanted. Co-owner Gordon Gund, who questioned Brooks&rsquo; credentials during negotiations two years ago, called it &ldquo;one of the greatest days in the history of the franchise and one of the greatest days for professional hockey in Minnesota.&rdquo;Nanne had offered Brooks the job before, three times since 1978. Each time, including the well-publicized 1985 negotiations, Brooks turned the Stars down. This time, he accepted. The telling detail, Brooks said, came during an early April meeting with Glen Sonmor, a longtime friend and the Stars&rsquo; director of player development.In that brief encounter, Sonmor convinced Brooks to finally take the job that had teased him all these years.&ldquo;The thing that made me think more than anything about the job was when Glen said, &lsquo;The most important thing in life is doing what you love doing, with people you love doing it with,&rsquo;&rdquo; Brooks said. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Herbie, you love to coach and you and the people here with the North Stars go way back.&rsquo;&ldquo;I got to thinking that I have some old, good friends here&mdash;Louie, Glen, (trainer) Doc Rose, they&rsquo;ve always been there for me. I didn&rsquo;t sleep for the next couple of nights and I always kept coming back to that. Before I heard Lorne Henning was fired, coaching in the NHL again was the furthest thing from my mind.&rdquo;Nanne said he never assumed that Brooks would coach the North Stars, until he received a letter from Brooks in December.&ldquo;He reflected on things that happened (in negotiations) two years ago and he told me he understood we were back to where we were before that,&rdquo; Nanne said.&ldquo;That was a tough time for all of us. Maybe I was so eager to get it done last time that I got my emotions and hopes up and it was upsetting when it didn&rsquo;t work out. But maybe I didn&rsquo;t get the message that was there&mdash;that Herbie just wasn&rsquo;t ready for the job.&rdquo;Said Brooks: &ldquo;I was my own worst enemy. It just wasn&rsquo;t the right time for me. I needed time to recharge my batteries. I was licking some wounds from New York (where he had been fired as coach of the Rangers). I had just lost my father. I was questioning a lot of things. I probably needed a shrink, is what I&rsquo;m saying.&rdquo;Nanne called Brooks when Henning was fired and he asked Brooks if they could sit down and pound out a contract. Brooks said, &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; and Nanne said that was the only assurance he needed. The two met together and then, with Gund in New York in the days preceding the April 24 press conference, worked out a two-year deal that will pay Brooks a base salary of about $ 160,000 a year. The contract is filled with incentives based on the North Stars&rsquo; playoff performances.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no better coach than this guy,&rdquo; Nanne said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying that now. I&rsquo;ve been saying it for 10 years. And I&rsquo;m not just saying it because he&rsquo;s from Minnesota or because he&rsquo;s young and good looking. &ldquo;Negotiations broke down in 1985 partly because Brooks wanted some control over player movement written into his contract. This time, he made no such request. Brooks said he is assured that he will be able to play who he wants to play, but knows he will be challenged and critiqued by Nanne. &ldquo;I welcome it,&rdquo; Brooks said.Brooks, 49, also expects to have arguments with Nanne, 45. They have been teammates and roommates and friends for the past 25 years and Brooks readily admits they haven&rsquo;t always gotten along.Known for getting the most out of his players, the coach who guided St. Cloud (Minn.) College&rsquo;s Division III entry this past season is facing one of the biggest challenges of his glittering career&mdash;a North Star team that faded so badly down the stretch that it missed the playoffs for the first time since 1979.STARDUST&mdash;Coach Herb Brooks wants to hire former NHL goalie Wayne Thomas, who was with him with the New York Rangers, as a fulltime goaltending coach. But Thomas is coaching Salt Lake City of the International League and Brooks is unsure of his availablity. &#9632;</div>

f0025-01

Brooks Aiming To Fulfill Great Expectations

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01586/5078508-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="553" height="871"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goalie Randy Hansch has been a playoff surprise for the Adirondack Red Wings.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02411/5078515-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="119" height="120"></div>GLENS FALLS, N.Y.&mdash;It seems only natural that Randy Hansch would grow up to be a goaltender. Standing in front of pucks is in his blood.Hansch, the Adirondack Red Wings&rsquo; rookie, is a second-generation goaltender. His father, Ralph, played the sport well enough in his youth to tend goal for Canada&rsquo;s Olympic Team in 1952&mdash;the last time the Canadians won a gold medal at the Olympics.&ldquo;He was a big influence on me and really helped me out quite a lot,&rdquo; Hansch said. &ldquo;It was nice because he would always tell me things to do, but he never put pressure on me. If I didn&rsquo;t want to play I didn&rsquo;t have to. It was all my decision.&rdquo;Randy Hansch is completing a most unusual season in a positive manner as Adirondack&rsquo;s top goaltender in the Calder Cup playoffs.The 21-year-old Edmonton native took over for injured veteran Sam St. Laurent after the first game of the quarter-final series and helped the Wings beat Moncton in six games. Hansch compiled a 4-1 record with a league-leading 2.57 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.Earlier this season, though, Hansch was anything but the hottest young goaltender in the AHL. A mysterious, nagging illness limited Hansch&rsquo;s play with Kalamazoo of the International League. His doctors were baffled and his parents were worried. For nearly three months, from early December until late February, Hansch couldn&rsquo;t shake the illness that had flu-like symptoms.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;It kept coming on and coming back, coming on and coming back,&rdquo; Hansch said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d play a couple of games and then I&rsquo;d get sick again.&rdquo;Hansch, a lanky 5-foot-ll, 165-pounder, lost 10 pounds during the ordeal, thought to be the result of a virus.In February, Hansch was able to return to work on a regular basis. And with great success. At about the same time, Adirondack coach Bill Dineen was preparing his lineup for the stretch run and the playoffs. Mark Laforest, the star of last year&rsquo;s playoffs, had been recalled to Detroit, leaving Dineen with St. Laurent and Chris Pusey, a second-year pro who had been the odd man out since the beginning of January.Dineen loaned Pusey to Indianapolis of the 1HL and recalled Hansch&mdash;who was 8-7-0 with a 3.89 goals-against average in the IHL&mdash;the day before AHL rosters were frozen March 10. Hansch won his debut with Adirondack, 7-2 over Newmarket on March 14. but lost his next three starts, including a 10-1 rout at Fredericton.Shortly after, Hansch came in to relieve St. Laurent, who had aggravated a groin injury, and posted a 4-2 victory over Hershey. He started and won the next four in a row and was named AHL player of the week. The five-game streak ended with a season-ending 2-0 loss at home to Maine. In 10 regular-season games with the Wings, he was 6-4-0 with a 3.97 goals-against average.Despite a strained muscle in his left hip, Hansch was fit enough to handle another relief job in the playoffs and take over as the team&rsquo;s No. 1 goaltender. The experience he gained helping Kamloops get to the Memorial Cup last season has come in handy.So has his attitude.&ldquo;His work ethic is so good, which is so important for a goaltender,&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s learned and he&rsquo;s a real listener, too. He really spends a lot of time with Sammy (St. Laurent) and Sammy seems to have helped him a whole lot.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;His work ethic is so good, which is so important for a goaltender&hellip;He&rsquo;s got to stand up a little bit more. But he&rsquo;s improved in that area.&rsquo;&mdash;Dineen</blockquote>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got to stand up a little bit more. But he&rsquo;s improved in that area. He just needs a couple of minor adjustments in his game.&rdquo;AROUND THE DIVISION&mdash;Divison-champion Sherbrooke rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the fifth game to defeat Nova Scotia and clinch the opening-round series. The Canadiens played host to the Red Wings in the first two games of the semi-final series to determine the Northern Division representative in the finals&hellip;Sherbrooke center Gilles Thibaudeau missed the Nova Scotia series and was expected to sit out the Adirondack series with a shoulder injury&hellip;The Adirondack-Moncton series was marred by 819 minutes in penalties. Moncton&rsquo;s Randy Burridge and Darwin McCutcheon were suspended for separate biting incidents and Burridge was given a second suspension for spearing Dale Krentz in the fifth game&hellip;Adam Graves, Detroit&rsquo;s second pick in the 1986 draft, was assigned to Adirondack when his junior team, the Windsor Spitfires, completed its season. Ironically, Graves stepped in and replaced Joe Murphy, the top pick in the 1986, when Murphy picked up a mandatory one-game suspension for receiving his second game misconduct of the playoffs. Murphy, who has been in and out of trouble all year, missed another curfew during the Moncton series. As penance, he was forced to do extra skating drills in the company of a Moncton senior citizens group, which shared the ice with him. &#9632;

f0026-01

The Minors

Rookie Hansch Has Hot Hand In Playoffs

<div class="byline">BY BILL PICKETT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04259/5078546-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="557" height="957"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Salvucci says financial adversity brought out the best in the Komets.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03340/5078553-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="88" height="102"></div>FORT WAYNE, Ind.&mdash;Steve Salvucci was looking to the past, and future at the same time.&ldquo;This could be it,&rdquo; the Fort Wayne Komets&rsquo; winger reflected as he mentally ticked off eight seasons in minorleague hockey.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d sure like to get a Turner Cup ring before it&rsquo;s all over.&rdquo;The native of Brighton, Mass., missed a chance last year, when the Muskegon Lumberjacks defeated Fort Wayne in the International League championship series.This year, the 27-year-old veteran has put together his best numbers since 1981-82, when he scored 49 goals and 91 points for a high-scoring Saginaw Gears team.Salvucci led the Komets to their second straight regular-season championship, with 39 goals&mdash;tops on the team&mdash;and 86 points. It was the best season of his four at Fort Wayne since signing as a free agent in 1983.His game is based on intensity. He&rsquo;ll go and get the puck anywhere on the ice. He&rsquo;ll give some bumps and he&rsquo;ll take some. Hurting takes second place to winning, and individual success is subordinated to team play.&ldquo;The difference in our team this year is that we don&rsquo;t have any real big play men,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The guys aren&rsquo;t looking for individual three- or four-goal games.&rdquo;As a result, the Komets have had the most-balanced attack in the league. They had 14 players with 12 or more goals in the regular season, nine with 21 or more.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>They have not, however, been without problems.In mid-December, the team was 1211-0 and a dozen points behind first-place Indianapolis in the West Division.To make things worse, the Komets had filed for financial reorganization.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s when things started happening,&rdquo; Salvucci said. The Komets had lost five games at home by Dec. 15. They dropped just two on home ice the rest of the way. The Komets tied an IHL record with 14 straight home victories on the way to the regular-season title.&ldquo;The team was concerned,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We wanted hockey to stay here. Anyway, after the bad news came out, the fans started coming out. That generated lots of spirit. Everyone on the team wants to play well in front of lots of fans. So I guess out of the bad news came some good.&rdquo;As a result, the Komets, who knocked the Checkers out of first place to start 1987, ended up facing Indianapolis in the opening Turner Cup playoff round.And Salvucci led the way with five assists as Fort Wayne and Indianapolis were tied at two in the best-of-seven series.I-LITES&mdash;The National Hockey League&rsquo;s Calgary Flames will set up their No. 1 farm team in Salt Lake next year, while the Chicago Blackhawks are almost certain to iron out an agreement with Saginaw. The New York Rangers will establish a team in Denver (if the city and team officials can agree on terms for revamping the arena). and the Minnesota North Stars and Indianapolis are working on a deal. The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, will stay in Peoria. &#9632;

f0026-04

Komet Vet Salvucci’s Ready For Elusive Turner Cup Ring

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01549/5078584-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="123" height="117"></div>NEW HAVEN, Conn.&mdash;Paul Fenton&rsquo;s season ended in the Calder Cup quarter-finals for the second straight year. But this time, he went out with a bang that nearly shot down his former teammates.Fenton and the New Haven Nighthawks were ousted in seven tense games by the Binghamton Whalers, who advanced to the semi-finals against Rochester.In those seven games, Fenton menaced his former team by collecting at least a point in each game to finish with a series-high six goals and 10 points.Those were vastly improved numbers from last season&rsquo;s quarter-finals, when Fenton was hounded by the St. Catharines Saints. Hampered by a calcium deposit on his thigh, Fenton had just two goals in six games as the Whalers were eliminated by the Saints.&ldquo;I think I wanted to make a better showing because last year I was hurt,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and it came across in people&rsquo;s minds that I let a lot of people down.&rdquo;Fenton finished the &rsquo;86-87 regular season with 37 goals and 75 points in 70 games. Last year, his 53 goals made him the first American-born player to eclipse the 50-goal mark in the American League. But his ailment put an edge on that accomplishment.The injury was kept secret during last season&rsquo;s playoffs, but it was obvious Fenton was slowed down, making him easy prey for coach John Brophy&rsquo;s beastie boys.&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t something we wanted to make public,&rdquo; Fenton said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like with any injury in any sport, when you make it known to somebody, they&rsquo;re going to take advantage of it.&rdquo;But wouldn&rsquo;t it have helped his image and been a convenient excuse if he revealed his injury after the playoffs?&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that ever bothered me to the extent that people are trying to say it has,&rdquo; Fenton said. &ldquo;I knew myself what was the matter and I didn&rsquo;t have to prove anything to anybody.&ldquo;This year, I didn&rsquo;t have an injury or anything that was really going to get in my way. I was ready to play and I wanted to make a good showing.&rdquo;So did the pesky Nighthawks, who came close to becoming only the fifth team in the American League&rsquo;s 51year history to win a series after trailing 3-1.New Haven&rsquo;s dramatic comeback in the series began with a stunning come-from-behind OT win in game five at Binghamton. Trailing 3-0 after the first period, New Haven battled back and tied the game on Fenton&rsquo;s goal with seven seconds left in regulation. Terry Carkner then scored the winner in OT.New Haven won game six easily at home, 4-1. In game seven at Binghamton, the Nighthawks rallied to tie the game from a 2-0 deficit in the third period, only to lose 6-2.Naturally, Fenton had a goal to start New Haven&rsquo;s comeback in that final game.&ldquo;A lot of times at the end of the year, you&rsquo;re tired and everybody is looking forward to the summer,&rdquo; said Fenton, who has a year remaining on his contract with the New York Rangers. &ldquo;But I wasn&rsquo;t this year. I was really ready to keep playing and continue on to the next round.&rdquo;AROUND THE SOUTH&mdash;New Haven&rsquo;s season-ticket drive to keep the Nighthawks was coming down to the wire. The Los Angeles Kings threatened to suspend the franchise if season ticket sales didn&rsquo;t reach 1,300 by May 1. With a week remaining, the Nighthawks had sold 961. &#9632;</div>

f0027-01

Fenton Finishes Fine Season On High Note

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02355/5078615-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0027-02

The Hockey News Classified (416) 445-5702

<div class="byline">BY BEN KUZMA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01557/5078646-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="102" height="109"></div>MEDICINE HAT, Alta.&mdash;The Saskatoon Blades looked into the eye of the Tiger, but the big cat didn&rsquo;t blink.The Medicine Hat Tigers, down 3-2 in the East Division final and playing game six in Saskatoon, spotted the hard-working Blades a 1-0 lead before erupting for four goals in a five-minute span in the second period.The outburst was pivotal; the Tigers won 6-4. Two days later, they wrapped up their second consecutive division crown on home ice.Guy Phillips was the star in the deciding game, scoring three goals in the Tigers&rsquo; 5-2 victory.&ldquo;We seem to play better with our backs against the wall,&rdquo; said Medicine Hat general manager Russ Farwell.&ldquo;We have better balance this year and, against Saskatoon, Mark Pederson beat the knock that he doesn&rsquo;t play well on the road, while Rob DiMaio proved to be our best player. He played four-on four, three-on-three, killed penalties and played nose to nose with their (Blades&rsquo;) best, Kevin Kaminski.&rdquo;Farwell added the Tigers didn&rsquo;t feel they needed to get back to the league final to make amends for a quick exit (4-1) against Kamloops last year.&ldquo;Last year we played 20 playoff games,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We went seven against Prince Albert and the next night started against Kamloops, which had played just 10 playoff games and had a rest.&ldquo;I never faulted the kids. We just didn&rsquo;t have anything left. This year, we&rsquo;re healthy enough and we&rsquo;re not burned out. We don&rsquo;t have a really hollow feeling about being beat out last year.&ldquo;Last year we could fault the system. This year we have to stand up and play.&rdquo;Just as the Tigers did when they were on the ropes, with Saskatoon all set to deliver the knockout blow.&ldquo;You have to give them credit,&rdquo; said Saskatoon coach Marcel Comeau. &ldquo;They came back in game six and got a shorthanded goal to go up 2-1. That really turned the game around.&ldquo;But we never quit. Even in game seven, it was 3-2 after two periods and we stayed with them.&ldquo;That loss at home took the wind out of our sails a bit and it took us a while to regroup. I thought (Tiger goalie Mark) Fitzpatrick played the kind of goal needed to win a series like that.&rdquo;Although some were surprised Saskatoon, a team of plumber-type players, advanced so far along the playoff trail. Comeau wasn&rsquo;t.&ldquo;We had an excellent March (9-2) and the confidence we got was very important to a team like ours. We won our last games of the regular season against Medicine Hat and Prince Albert to get second and, of course, we beat out P.A. in the playoffs. So, no one should be surprised.&rdquo;People were surprised, however, that Medicine Hat didn&rsquo;t get a second shot at the Kamloops Blazers. Kamloops&rsquo; arch-rivals, the Portland Winter Hawks, finally threw the playoff monkey from their backs and, after three years of trying, ousted Kamloops in the West Division final.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;I really don&rsquo;t think their goaltending and defense were up to snuff.&rsquo;&mdash;Shaw</blockquote>Portland downed Kamloops 5-3 in the best-of-nine final, setting up a best-of-seven league final series against Medicine Hat.The Winter Hawks never got behind the eight-ball against the Blazers, even though Kamloops rallied from a 4-1 series deficit to trail 4-3 heading into game eight in Portland.But the Hawks wiped away all doubt in winning the eighth game 7-3, sparked by Dan Woodley&rsquo;s two goals.&ldquo;Sure, we were a little nervous,&rdquo; said Portland GM Brian Shaw, &ldquo;but once we started to play, knowing we&rsquo;re healthy, they (Blazers) weren&rsquo;t really that much competition for us. It was the first time we played them all year without an injured club. We spotted some vulnerabilities and we knew we could exploit them.&rdquo;Despite the fact the teams were involved in 12 one-goal games during the regular season&mdash;eight of which were settled in overtime&mdash;the Blazers weren&rsquo;t as solid defensively as in past post-season campaigns.Portland capitalized, winning the opener 8-6 in Kamloops. The Blazers then won 5-2 before dropping three consecutive games.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t think their goaltending and defense were up to snuff,&rdquo; added Shaw. &ldquo;I think they were really missing someone like Chris Tarnowski (traded to Regina) on defense&mdash;he was such a steadying influence. And (Greg) Hawgood played so much in the first two games he had nothing left. We banged him around pretty good.&rdquo;Shaw said he felt Kamloops&rsquo; many player moves killed some of the team&rsquo;s desire. Blazer coach Ken Hitchcock didn&rsquo;t dispute the fact his club lacked drive, but said the trades were necessary. It was the newcomers who sparkled in the series.&ldquo;We made major changes to be competitive,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This was supposed to be a third-place club and maybe it should have been. We overachieved during the regular season and didn&rsquo;t play as well as we should have in the playoffs, but I&rsquo;m not sure we could have.&rdquo;WHL WEEK&mdash;Medicine Hat opened the league final with a 5-4 win over Portland on Dale Kushner&rsquo;s power-play goal at 13:44 of the third period. Medicine Hat opened the series without defenseman Dean Chynoweth. who suffered a broken rib and punctured lung in game five against Saskatoon&hellip;Spokane will not renew the contract of coach Peter Esdale, leading to speculation that GM Bob Strumm is eyeing John Chapman or Bill LaForge to fill the void. &ldquo;We were extremely disappointed in our abrupt exit in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Strumm. &ldquo;We only won five of our last 15 games and decided a change was needed.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-01

The Juniors

Tigers, Hawks Rule West’s Wild Kingdom

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02392/5078691-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="338" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE HARTMAN North Bay</figcaption></div><h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2>The North Bay Centennials battled their way into the Ontario League finals and one of their playoff standouts has been Mike Hartman.The Centennials&rsquo; right winger, a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, was named OHL Player of the Week after he picked up five points in three games to help knock off Windsor.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03284/5078684-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="338" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROB DIMAIO Med. Hat</figcaption></div><h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>The Medicine Hat Tigers received a big playoff performance from center Rob Dimaio in their battle against Saskatoon.The 19-year-old Dimaio was chosen WHL Player of the Week after he collected five goals, eight assists and 13 points in the Tigers&rsquo; first 12 playoff games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04206/5078677-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="338" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARC SAUMIER Longueuil</figcaption></div><h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>One of the outstanding figures in the Longueuil Chevaliers&rsquo; great playoff comeback against the Laval Titan was right winger Marc Saumier.The 20-year-old Saumier was selected QMJHL Player of the Week following Longueuil&rsquo;s ouster of Laval. He counted 14 points in four games, including a seven-point outing.At the end of the current season, THE HOCKEY NEWS will select a Micron Junior Player of the Year. &#9632;

f0028-02

MICRON JUNIOR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01478/5078722-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="129" height="57"></div>OSHAWA, Ont.&mdash;It was no war of words, but Battlin&rsquo; Bert Templeton of the North Bay Centennials did fire a first salvo&hellip;one that compelled a response from the Oshawa Generals&rsquo; shy and retiring Sherry Bassin.Their two teams are facing off to determine the Ontario League championship, the second time they&rsquo;ve met this playoff year.Earlier, Oshawa won host-team status for the Memorial Cup with a thrilling victory over North Bay in a seven-game Super Series.The pressure is now squarely on the Centennials. Oshawa is guaranteed a berth in the national championship tournament (May 9-16). North Bay must beat Oshawa to earn entry as a second OHL representative.Templeton, the North Bay coach and general manager, was optimistic the outcome will be different this time.&ldquo;Oshawa is a good team which beat us in a tight series that could have gone either way,&rdquo; allowed Templeton. &ldquo;They proved they were more than a one-line team, but didn&rsquo;t convince me they were better than us.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really looking forward to playing them again. There&rsquo;s not much difference between the teams in terms of talent. And there&rsquo;s no team in this league, Oshawa included, that&rsquo;s going to run us out of the rink.&ldquo;Basically, when it comes to the rough stuff, Oshawa is a team that likes to pick its spots. Look at (Shane) Doyle. He plays it tough when he&rsquo;s going after guys like (Nick) Kypreos and (Dave) McLlwain&mdash;but when it comes time to face (Troy) Crowder or (Mike) Hartman, he either turtles or runs and hides.&rdquo;Bassin, the Generals&rsquo; general manager who is as reluctant to speak out as Harold Ballard, shrugged off Templeton&rsquo;s charges.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t hide from anyone as a team and neither does Shane Doyle,&rdquo; Bassin retorted. &ldquo;We play tough as a team and we win as a team. And we don&rsquo;t lie down and play dead. And we&rsquo;re not particular.&ldquo;We were behind two games to one to North Bay and we beat them. And Kingston had us 2-0 and were making wild plans to play Peterborough&mdash;and we came back to beat them.&ldquo;Then Peterborough had us 2-1 and were giving us the choke sign, until we came back and choked off their season.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the Generals and we&rsquo;re winners and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re going to the Memorial Cup&hellip;because we beat North Bay for that right. We&rsquo;ve won when we had to. And we can win any way we have to.&rdquo;That much the Generals have proven. But then, so have the Centennials, who bounced back from their disheartening Super Series loss to Oshawa to record decisive triumphs over Kitchener (4-0) and Windsor (42) in the Emms Division playdowns.Meanwhile, the Generals sidelined Kingston (4-2) and Peterborough (4-2) in the Leyden Division.All roads in the OHL this year seem to lead to Oshawa and North Bay.&ldquo;We finished first overall during the regular season, then won the Super Series,&rdquo; said Bassin. &ldquo;Now we want the playoff title. We&rsquo;re ready for North Bay. And they know we&rsquo;ll play it any way they want.&rdquo;The first-ever Super Series, played to determine a Memorial Cup host, was an emotional one. The Generals overcame a 2-1 deficit in wins and ultimately won the deciding contest 30 on home ice. The series featured countless fights and a lot of banging and pounding on the part of both sides.Despite confidence in his team&rsquo;s chances, Templeton did admit concern over the lack of playoff production from his big line of Kypreos, McLlwain, and Keith Osborne, who combined for 129 goals and 298 points during the regular season.In 17 playoff games, the three had collected 19 goals and 44 points&mdash;not bad, but not the production the team was expecting.&ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t had the explosive type of playoffs I thought they would,&rdquo; said Templeton. &ldquo;Frankly, I expected more from them. But it&rsquo;s a team game. And as a team, we&rsquo;re ready for whatever Oshawa has to throw at us.&rdquo;Which may end up being more than a punch or two.NOTEBOOK&mdash;Former Windsor coach Tom Webster could be back with the Spitfires. Hired early this season by the New York Rangers, Webster was forced from behind the bench after 15 games with inner ear problems. The ailment prevented him from flying. That wouldn&rsquo;t be a problem were he to return to the OHL. Spits&rsquo; GM Jim Rutherford said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to be stupid enough to say we wouldn&rsquo;t want him back as a coach. &ldquo;&hellip;Despite the fact that overage goalie Sean Evoy had a 7-0 record with a 1.58 GAA through the North Bay and Kingston series, Oshawa coach Paul Theriault went with Jeff Hackett in five of the six games against Peterborough. And Hackett, an 18-year-old rookie, didn&rsquo;t disappoint, winning four of the five games and improving his playoff record to 5-6&hellip;Peterborough&rsquo;s loss in the Leyden finals to Oshawa came as a result of its inability to win on home ice. While the Petes were 2-1, including a pair of shutouts, in Oshawa, they couldn&rsquo;t win at home, going 0-3. &#9632;</div>

f0029-01

All Roads Lead To Oshawa And North Bay

<div class="byline">BY RICK MAYOH</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02328/5078753-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="125" height="70"></div>LONGUEUIL, Que.&mdash;A betting man wouldn&rsquo;t have touched Guy Chouinard&rsquo;s tip with a 10-foot Koho, but the Longueuil Chevaliers&rsquo; coach called it right on.Down 3-0 in his best-of-seven LeBel Division final against the Laval Titan, Chouinard said a win in game four would ensure his club of a berth in the Quebec League championship.The Chevaliers got past Laval 4-3 and won the next three games 11-3,6-4 and 7-2, to qualify for the QMJHL&rsquo;s best-of-seven final against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.Chicoutimi earned its final berth by winning four straight against the Shawinigan Cataractes&mdash;6-5 in overtime, 8-5, 4-3 and 7-3&mdash;after losing the first two games.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to be a long series,&rdquo; Chouinard said. &ldquo;Chicoutimi deserves to be there. They&rsquo;ve beaten two of the better teams in the league, they can score goals, they have a good defense and their goaltending has been excellent.&rdquo;While the LeBel-champion Chevaliers were picked to be front-runners from the start of the season, most observers figured the Sags would not be a contender this season. But after finishing third in the Dilio Division, Chicoutimi won three of four games against the pennant-winning Granby Bisons in the QMJHL&rsquo;s modified round-robin quarter-finals. Then the Sagueneens rallied against Shawinigan in the Dilio Division final.&ldquo;I expect a clean, fast series,&rdquo; said Sags&rsquo; coach Gaston Drapeau. &ldquo;It might be high scoring and the goalies are going to make the difference.&rdquo;Drapeau was surprised his club made it to the final, but also felt it deserved to, because of its hard work. Drapeau said all season that without sustained effort, the Sagueneens were an ordinary team.But that&rsquo;s not much comfort to Chouinard when he sees that regular-season scoring champion Marc Fortier was also leading the league in playoff scoring with nine goals and 34 assists for 43 points in 14 games, followed by teammates Daniel Maurice (10-25-35) and Patrice Tremblay (19-13-32).Maurice, 18, a 6-foot, 174-pound center, flourished in the playoffs. But Drapeau credited goaltender Denis Desbiens, 19, with his club&rsquo;s success in post-season play.&ldquo;Denis has been waiting for three years with three different clubs (Granby, Longueuil and Chicoutimi),&rdquo; Drapeau noted.Rookie sensation Jimmy Waite, 17, expected to be a first-round pick in the 1987 NHL entry draft, carried most of the workload during the regular season. But Desbiens stepped in during the second game against the Cats and had played ever since.&ldquo;I told them once I got in, they&rsquo;d never get me out of there,&rdquo; said Desbiens, who was expected to start against Longueuil.The Chevaliers had a 4-2 record against the Sagueneens during the regular season with two wins in Chicoutimi.Two-time Jacques Plante Trophy-winner Bobby Desjardins was a key factor in Longueuil&rsquo;s comeback, after Laval goalie Mario Brunetta had dominated the series.QUEBEC CACHE&mdash;Former NHL goaltender Michel (Bunny) Larocque joined the Chevaliers as general manager, assuming his new duties after the team began playoff action. Longueuil had been without a GM since Guy Lapointe left the club earlier this year, to join the Quebec Nordiques as an assistant coach. &#9632;</div>

f0029-02

Chevs, Sagueneens Finalists In Quebec

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01547/5078791-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01500/5078784-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="3071" height="1650"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

The Hockey News NHL PLAYOFF REPORT

<h2>PLAYOFF STANDINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02348/5078906-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="535" height="447"></div><h3>CAMPBELL CONFERENCE</h3>PRELIMINARY ROUNDNORRIS DIVISION Division Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03257/5078899-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="532" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8TORONTO 1 AT ST. LOUIS 3THU. APR. 9TORONTO 3 AT ST. LOUIS 2SAT. APR. 11ST. LOUIS 5 AT TORONTO 3SUN. APR. 12ST. LOUIS 1 AT TORONTO 2TUE. APR. 14TORONTO 2 AT ST. LOUIS 1THU. APR. 16ST. LOUIS 0 AT TORONTO 4<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04192/5078892-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="532" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8CHICAGO 1 AT DETROIT 3THU. APR. 9CHICAGO 1 AT DETROIT 5SAT. APR. 11DETROIT 4 AT CHICAGO 3SUN. APR. 12DETROIT 3 AT CHICAGO 1<h2>Division Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05154/5078885-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="525" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>TUE. APR. 21TORONTO 4 AT DETROIT 2THU. APR. 23TORONTO 7 AT DETROIT 2SAT. APR. 25DETROIT 4 AT TORONTO 2<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>MON. APR. 27DETROIT AT TORONTOWED. APR. 29TORONTO AT DETROITFRI. MAY 1DETROIT AT TORONTOSUN. MAY 3TORONTO AT DETROIT<h2>SMYTHE DIVISION</h2>Division Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06123/5078878-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="525" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8LOS ANGELES 5 AT EDMONTON 2THU. APR. 9LOS ANGELES 3 AT EDMONTON 13SAT. APR. 11EDMONTON 6 AT LOS ANGELES 5SUN. APR. 12EDMONTON 6 AT LOS ANGELES 3TUE. APR. 14LOS ANGELES 4 AT EDMONTON 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07107/5078871-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="525" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8WINNIPEG 4 AT CALGARY 2THU. APR. 9WINNIPEG 3 AT CALGARY 2SAT. APR. 11CALGARY 3 AT WINNIPEG 2SUN. APR. 12CALGARY 3 AT WINNIPEG 4TUE. APR. 14WINNIPEG 3 AT CALGARY 4THU. APR. 16CALGARY 1 AT WINNIPEG 6<h2>Division Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0897/5078864-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="527" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>TUE. APR. 21WINNIPEG 2 AT EDMONTON 3THU. APR. 23WINNIPEG 3 AT EDMONTON 5SAT. APR. 25EDMONTON 5 AT WINNIPEG 2<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>MON. APR. 27EDMONTON AT WINNIPEGWED. APR. 29WINNIPEG AT EDMONTONFRI. MAY 1EDMONTON AT WINNIPEGSUN. MAY 3WINNIPEG AT EDMONTON<h2>WALES CONFERENCE</h2><h3>ADAMS DIVISION</h3>Division Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-0983/5078857-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="527" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8QUEBEC 2 AT HARTFORD 3THU. APR. 9QUEBEC 4 AT HARTFORD 5SAT. APR. 11HARTFORD 1 AT QUEBEC 5SUN. APR. 12HARTFORD 1 AT QUEBEC 4TUE. APR. 14QUEBEC 7 AT HARTFORD 5THU. APR. 16HARTFORD 4 AT QUEBEC 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1070/5078850-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="527" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8BOSTON 2 AT MONTREAL 6THU. APR. 9BOSTON 3 AT MONTREAL 4SAT. APR. 11MONTREAL 5 AT BOSTON 4SUN. APR. 12MONTREAL 4 AT BOSTON 2<h2>Division Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1159/5078843-1-eng-US/f0031-112.jpg" title="f0031-11" width="526" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>MON. APR. 20QUEBEC 7 AT MONTREAL 5WED. APR. 22QUEBEC 2 AT MONTREAL 1FRI. APR. 24MONTREAL 7 AT QUEBEC 2SUN. APR. 26MONTREAL 3 AT QUEBEC 2<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>TUE. APR. 28QUEBEC AT MONTREALTHU. APR. 30MONTREAL AT QUEBECSAT. MAY 2QUEBEC AT MONTREAL<h2>PATRICK DIVISION</h2>Division Semi-Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1238/5078836-1-eng-US/f0031-122.jpg" title="f0031-12" width="526" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8NY RANGERS 3 AT PHILADELPHIA 0THU. APR. 9NY RANGERS 3 AT PHILADELPHIA 8SAT. APR. 11PHILADELPHIA 3 AT NY RANGERS 0SUN. APR. 12PHILADELPHIA 3 AT NY RANGERS 6TUE. APR. 14NY RANGERS 1 AT PHILADELPHIA 3THU. APR. 16PHILADELPHIA 5 AT NY RANGERS 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1331/5078829-1-eng-US/f0031-132.jpg" title="f0031-13" width="526" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8NY ISLANDERS 3 AT WASHINGTON 4THU. APR. 9NY ISLANDERS 3 AT WASHINGTON 1SAT. APR. 11WASHINGTON 2 AT NY ISLANDERS 0SUN. APR. 12WASHINGTON 4 AT NY ISLANDERS 1TUE. APR. 14NY ISLANDERS 4 AT WASHINGTON 2THU. APR. 16WASHINGTON 4 AT NY ISLANDERS 5SAT. APR. 18NY ISLANDERS 3 AT WASHINGTON 2<h2>Division Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1428/5078822-1-eng-US/f0031-142.jpg" title="f0031-14" width="529" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>MON. APR. 20NY ISLANDERS 2 AT PHILADELPHIA 4WED. APR. 22NY ISLANDERS 2&rsquo;AT PHILADELPHIA 1FRI. APR. 24PHILADELPHIA 4 AT NY ISLANDERS 1SUN. APR. 26PHILADELPHIA 6 AT NY ISLANDERS 4<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>TUE. APR. 28NY ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIATHU. APR. 30PHILADELPHIA AT NY ISLANDERSSAT. MAY 2NY ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA<h2>STANLEY CUP SEMI-FINALS</h2><h3>WALES CONFERENCE</h3>GAME ONE MAY 4; GAME TWO MAY 6; GAME THREE MAY 8; GAME FOUR MAY 10; GAME FIVE MAY 12; GAME SIX MAY 14; GAME SEVEN MAY 16.<h3>CAMPBELL CONFERENCE</h3>GAME ONE MAY5; GAME TWO MAY7; GAME THREE MAY 9; GAME FOUR MAY 11; GAME FIVE MAY 13; GAME SIX MAY 15; GAME SEVEN MAY 17.<h3>STANLEY CUP FINALS</h3>If either conference final goes six or seven games, the Cup final dates are as follows:GAME ONE MAY 20; GAME TWO MAY 22; GAME THREE MAY 24; GAME FOUR MAY 26; GAME FIVE MAY 28; GAME SIX MAY 30; GAME SEVEN JUNE 1.If both conference finals go only four games, the cup final begins May 14, with ensuing games every other day. If both conference finals go only five games, the cup final begins May 16 with ensuing games every other day. &#9632;

f0031-02

STANLEY CUP SCOREBOARD

<h2>TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE&hellip;</h2>1. What year did the NHL introduce the time-out rule?2. Which former NHLer was named Canadian athlete of the half-century, in 1950?3. Who was the &lsquo;Chicoutimi Cucumber&rsquo;?4. Which NHL goaltender recorded 22 shutouts in 44 games during the 1928-29 season?5. Which former Chicago defenseman was known as &lsquo;Moose&rsquo;?6. Which current NHL GM allowed Rick Vaive&rsquo;s first NHL goal?7. Who scored Stanley Cup-winning goals in 1960 and 1965?8. Who played on Toronto&rsquo;s &lsquo;Kid Line&rsquo;?9. What current NHL team played its first game on Jan. 5,1910?10. Of the six 1966-67 expansion clubs, which one did not miss the playoffs until the 1973-74 season?<h3>ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ</h3>1. 1978-79. 2. Lionel Conacher. 3. Georges Vezina. 4. George Hainsworth. 5. Elmer Vasko. 6. Rogie Vachon. 7. Jean Beliveau. 8. Joe Primeau, Charlie Conacher and Harvey (Busher) Jackson 9. Montreal Canadiens. 10. St. Louis Blues. BONUS ANSWER. Wayne Thomas.<h2>BONUS QUESTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1721/5079087-1-eng-US/f0032-172.jpg" title="f0032-17" width="573" height="926"></div>BONUS: He tended goal for the Canadiens during the year Ken Dryden articled for a Toronto law firm, 1973-74. &#9632;

f0032-17

THN HOCKEY TRIVIA

<h2>AHL</h2><h3>AHL PLAYOFFS NORTHERN DIVISION FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01472/5079377-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>SAT. APR 25ADIRONDACK 1 AT SHERBROOKE 3<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>MON. APR. 27 AT SHERBROOKE; WED. APR. 29 AT ADIRONDACK; FRI. MAY 1 ATADIRONDACK; SUN. MAY 3 AT SHERBROOKE; WED. MAY 6 AT ADIRONDACK; THU. MAY 7 AT SHERBROOKE.<h2>SEMI-FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02339/5079370-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. APR. 10NOVA SCOTIA 1 AT SHERBROOKE 6SUN. APR. 12NOVA SCOTIA 5 AT SHERBROOKE 8MON. APR. 13SHERBROOKE 3 AT NOVA SCOTIA 2WED. APR. 15SHERBROOKE 3 AT NOVA SCOTIA 4FRI. APR. 17NOVA SCOTIA 4 AT SHERBROOKE 5<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03242/5079363-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>THU. APR. 9MONCTON 4 AT ADIRONDACK 3SAT. APR. 11MONCTON 4 AT ADIRONDACK 5WED APR. 15ADIRONDACK 3 AT MONCTON 1FRI. APR. 17ADIRONDACK 1 AT MONCTON 2SUN. APR. 19MONCTON 3 AT ADIRONDACK 6TUE. APR. 21ADIRONDACK 7 AT MONCTON 3<h2>SOUTHERN DIVISION</h2>FINALS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04186/5079356-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>THU. APR. 23BINGHAMTON 0 AT ROCHESTER 2FRI. APR. 24ROCHESTER 4 AT BINGHAMTON 1SUN. APR. 26BINGHAMTON 5 AT ROCHESTER 2<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>MON. APR. 27 AT BINGHAMTON; WED. APR. 29 AT ROCHESTER; SAT. MAY 2 AT BINGHAMTON; TUE. MAY 5 AT ROCHESTER.<h2>SEMI-FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05153/5079349-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>THU. APR. 9HERSHEY 2 AT ROCHESTER 5SAT. APR. 11HERSHEY 4 AT ROCHESTER 5(FIRST TWO GAMES PLAYED IN BUFFALO!SUN. APR. 12ROCHESTER 1 AT HERSHEY 3WED. APR. 15ROCHESTER 6 AT HERSHEY 5FRI. APR. 17HERSHEY 3 AT ROCHESTER 7<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06128/5079342-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="536" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 8NEW HAVEN 1 AT BINGHAMTON 4FRI. APR. 10NEW HAVEN 4 AT BINGHAMTON 5SAT. APR. 11BINGHAMTON 1 AT NEW HAVEN 3WED. APR. 15BINGHAMTON 2 AT NEW HAVEN 1SAT. APR. 18NEW HAVEN 4 AT BINGHAMTON 3SUN. APR. 19BINGHAMTON 1 AT NEW HAVEN 4TUE. APR. 21NEW HAVEN 2 AT BINGHAMTON 6<h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07115/5079335-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="528" height="366"></div><h2>ACHL FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0895/5079328-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="525" height="108"></div><h3>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0983/5079321-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="523" height="157"></div><h2>IHL</h2><h3>IHL PLAYOFFS</h3>SEMI-FINALSBEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES)<h3>SALT LAKE VS FT. WAYNE</h3>WED APR. 29 AT FORT WAYNE; FRI. MAY 1 AT FORT WAYNE; SAT. MAY 2 AT SALT LAKE; REST OF GAMES TO BE ANNOUNCED.<h3>SAGINAW VS MUSKEGON</h3>WED. APR. 29 AT MUSKEGON; FRI. MAY 1 AT SAGINAW; SAT. MAY 2 AT MUSKEGON; WED. MAY 6 AT SAGINAW; FRI. MAY 8 AT MUSKEGON; SAT. MAY 9 AT SAGINAW; 7TH GAME TO BE ANNOUNCED IF NECESSARY.<h2>QUARTER-FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1078/5079314-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg" title="f0033-10" width="528" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 15INDIANAPOLIS 1 AT FORT WAYNE 4FRI. APR. 17FORT WAYNE 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS 7SAT. APR. 18INDIANAPOLIS 2 AT FORT WAYNE 4WED. APR. 22FORT WAYNE 2 AT INDIANAPOLIS 4FRI. APR 24INDIANAPOLIS 3 AT FORT WAYNE 5SAT. APR. 25FORT WAYNE 3 AT INDIANAPOLIS 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1174/5079307-1-eng-US/f0033-112.jpg" title="f0033-11" width="528" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>WED. APR. 15KALAMAZOO 2 AT MUSKEGON 4FRI. APR. 17MUSKEGON 4 AT KALAMAZOO 3SAT. APR. 18KALAMAZOO 3 AT MUSKEGON 4WED. APR. 22MUSKEGON 0 AT KALAMAZOO 1FRI. APR. 24KALAMAZOO 2 AT MUSKEGON 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1273/5079300-1-eng-US/f0033-122.jpg" title="f0033-12" width="528" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. APR. 17FLINT 2 AT SAGINAW 6SAT. APR. 18SAGINAW 6 AT FLINT 7TUE. APR. 21FLINT 4 AT SAGAINAW 3WED. APR. 22SAGINAW 5 AT FLINT 3FRI. APR. 24FLINT 5 AT SAGINAW 6SAT. APR. 25SAGINAW 4 AT FLINT 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1358/5079293-1-eng-US/f0033-132.jpg" title="f0033-13" width="528" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. APR. 17MILWAUKEE 2 AT SALT LAKE 7SAT. APR. 18MILWAUKEE 7 AT SALT LAKE 4MON. APR. 20SALT LAKE 5 AT MILWAUKEE 4WED. APR 22SALT LAKE 5 AT MILWAUKEE 1SAT. APR. 25SALT LAKE 3 AT MILWAUKEE 7SUN. APR. 26MILWAUKEE 1 AT SALT LAKE 6<h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1454/5079286-1-eng-US/f0033-142.jpg" title="f0033-14" width="530" height="286"></div><h2>OHL</h2><h3>OHL PLAYOFFS FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1548/5079279-1-eng-US/f0033-152.jpg" title="f0033-15" width="527" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>SUN. OCT. 26OSHAWA 3 AT NORTH BAY 7<h2>LEYDEN DIVISION FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1642/5079272-1-eng-US/f0033-162.jpg" title="f0033-16" width="527" height="106"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>TUE. APR. 14PETERBOROUGH 1 AT OSHAWA 0THU. APR. 16OSHAWA 5 AT PETERBOROUGH 2FRI. APR. 17PETERBOROUGH 4 AT OSHAWA 0SUN. APR. 19OSHAWA 4 AT PETERBOROUGH 2MON. APR. 20PETERBOROUGH 2 AT OSHAWA 4WED. APR. 22OSHAWA 4 AT PETERBOROUGH 3<h2>EMMS DIVISION FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1742/5079265-1-eng-US/f0033-172.jpg" title="f0033-17" width="530" height="108"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>MON. APR. 13WINDSOR 2 AT NORTH BAY 3TUE APR 14WINDSOR 4 AT NORTH BAY &THU. APR. 16NORTH BAY 3 AT WINDSOR 6FRI. APR. 17NORTH BAY 4 AT WINDSOR 5SUN. APR 19WINDSOR 4 AT NORTH BAY 6TUE. APR. 21NORTH BAY 5 AT WINDSOR 4<h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1836/5079258-1-eng-US/f0033-182.jpg" title="f0033-18" width="528" height="290"></div><h2>WHL</h2><h3>WHL PLAYOFFS FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1932/5079251-1-eng-US/f0033-192.jpg" title="f0033-19" width="528" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>SUN. APR. 26PORTLAND 4 AT MEDICINE HAT 5<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>TUE. APR. 28 AT MEDICINE HAT; (IF MED. HAT WINS GAME), TEAMS PLAY FRI. MAY 1, SAT. MAY 2 AND SUN. MAY 3 IN PORTLAND; TUE. MAY 5 AND WED. MAY 6 AT MEDICINE HAT. (IF PORTLAND WINS APR. 28 GAME) TEAMS WILL PLAY THIRD GAME WED. APR. 29 AT MEDICINE HAT, FRI. MAY 1, SAT MAY 2 AND SUN. MAY 3 IN PORTLAND, WED. MAY 6 AT MEDICINE HAT.<h2>EAST DIVISION FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2028/5079244-1-eng-US/f0033-202.jpg" title="f0033-20" width="528" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>SUN. APR. 12SASKATOON 4 AT MEDICINE HAT 1TUE. APR. 14SASKATOON 4 AT MEDICINE HAT 5FRI. APR. 17MEDICINE HAT 1 AT SASKATOON 2SAT. APR. 18MEDICINE HAT 6 AT SASKATOON 5MON. APR. 20SASKATOON 6 AT MEDICINE HAT 5WED. APR. 22MEDICINE HAT 6 AT SASKATOON 4FRI. APR. 24SASKATOON 2 AT MEDICINE HAT 5<h3>QUARTER-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2126/5079237-1-eng-US/f0033-212.jpg" title="f0033-21" width="526" height="210"></div><h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2222/5079230-1-eng-US/f0033-222.jpg" title="f0033-22" width="526" height="210"></div><h3>WEST DIVISION FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2315/5079223-1-eng-US/f0033-232.jpg" title="f0033-23" width="524" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>THU. APR. 9PORTLAND 8 AT KAMLOOPS 6FRI. APR. 10PORTLAND 2 AT KAMLOOPS 5SAT. APR. 11KAMLOOPS 3 AT PORTLAND 6MON. APR. 13KAMLOOPS 3 AT PORTLAND 7TUE. APR. 14PORTLAND 9 AT KAMLOOPS 5THU. APR. 16KAMLOOPS 6 AT PORTLAND 5SAT. APR. 18PORTLAND 6 AT KAMLOOPS 7WED. APR. 22KAMLOOPS 3 AT PORTLAND 7<h3>SEMI-FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2415/5079216-1-eng-US/f0033-242.jpg" title="f0033-24" width="523" height="207"></div><h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2513/5079209-1-eng-US/f0033-252.jpg" title="f0033-25" width="525" height="207"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2612/5079202-1-eng-US/f0033-262.jpg" title="f0033-26" width="532" height="85"></div><h2>QMJHL</h2><h3>QMJHL PLAYOFFS FINALS</h3>(BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES)CHICOUTIMI VS LONGUEUILMON. APR. 27 AT LONGUEUIL; WED. APR. 29 AT CHICOUTIMI: FRI. MAY 1 ATLONGUEUIL; SUN. MAY3AT CHICOUTIMI; TUE. MAY 5 AT LONGUEUIL; WED. MAY 6AT CHICOUTIMI; THU. MAY 7 AT LONGUEUIL.<h3>LEBEL DIVISION FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2712/5079195-1-eng-US/f0033-272.jpg" title="f0033-27" width="529" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. APR. 10LAVAL 4 AT LONGUEUIL 3MON. APR. 13LONGUEUIL 2 AT LAVAL 3WED. APR. 15LAVAL 4 AT LONGUEIL 1FRI. APR. 17LONGUEUIL 4 AT LAVAL 3SUN. APR. 19LAVAL 3 AT LONGUEUIL 11MON. APR. 20LONGUEUIL 6 AT LAVAL 4WED. APR. 22LAVAL 2 AT LONGUEUIL 7<h3>DILIO DIVISION FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2811/5079188-1-eng-US/f0033-282.jpg" title="f0033-28" width="529" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. APR. 10CHICOUTIMI 7 AT SHAWINIGAN 10MON. APR. 13SHAWINIGAN 6 AT CHICOUTIMI 5WED. APR. 15CHICOUTIMI 6 AT SHAWINIGAN 5FRI. APR. 17SHAWINIGAN 5 AT CHICOUTIMI 8SUN. APR. 19CHICOUTIMI 4 AT SHAWINIGAN 3TUE. APR. 21SHAWINIGAN 3 AT CHICOUTIMI 7<h3>PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-2910/5079181-1-eng-US/f0033-292.jpg" title="f0033-29" width="534" height="288"></div><h2>ALLAN CUP FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-309/5079174-1-eng-US/f0033-302.jpg" title="f0033-30" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>BRANTFORD 10, NELSON 5BRANTFORD 5, NELSON 1BRANTFORD 6, NELSON 3<h3>REMAINING GAMES</h3>MON. APR. 27, WED. APR. 29, THU. APR. 30 AND FRI. MAY 1 AT BRANTFORD.<h2>HARDY CUP</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-319/5079167-1-eng-US/f0033-312.jpg" title="f0033-31" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>EASTERN FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-329/5079160-1-eng-US/f0033-322.jpg" title="f0033-32" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>WESTERN FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-339/5079153-1-eng-US/f0033-332.jpg" title="f0033-33" width="526" height="105"></div><h2>CENTENNIAL CUP</h2>FINALS ROUND-ROBIN TOURNAMENTPEMBROKE, DARTMOUTH, RICHMOND, HUMBOLDT WILL PLAY IN FOUR-TEAM TOURNAMENT MAY 2-9 AT HUMBOLDT, SK)<h3>CENTRAL CANADA FINALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-349/5079146-1-eng-US/f0033-342.jpg" title="f0033-34" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>PEMBROKE 11, NICKEL CENTRE 2NICKEL CENTRE 6, PEMBROKE 1PEMBROKE 7, NICKEL CENTRE 4PEMBROKE 8, NICKEL CENTRE 2PEMBROKE 4, NICKEL CENTRE 2<h2>EASTERN CANADA FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-359/5079139-1-eng-US/f0033-352.jpg" title="f0033-35" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>DARTMOUTH 4, CHARLOTTETOWN 3DARTMOUTH 4, CHARLOTTETOWN 3CHARLOTTETOWN 7, DARTMOUTH 6DARTMOUTH 5, CHARLOTTETOWN 1DARTMOUTH 4, CHARLOTTETOWN 3<h2>WESTERN FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-366/5079132-1-eng-US/f0033-362.jpg" title="f0033-36" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>HUMBOLDT 5. RICHMOND 3RICHMOND 5, HUMBOLDT 3RICHMOND 4, HUMBOLDT 3<h2>WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS</h2>(FINAL STANDINGS)(TOURNAMENT AT VIENNA)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-376/5079125-1-eng-US/f0033-372.jpg" title="f0033-37" width="525" height="234"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>FRI. FEB. 17CANADA 3, UNITED STATES 1SOVIET UNION 13, SWITZERLAND 5CZECHOSLOVAKIA 5, FINLAND 2SWEDEN 3, WEST GERMANY 0SAT. APR. 18CANADA 1, CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1SOVIET UNION 7, WEST GERMANY 0SWEDEN 6, UNITED STATES 2FINLAND 3, SWEDEN 2MON. APR. 20CANADA 6, SWITZERLAND 1SOVIET UNION 11, UNITED STATES 2WEST GERMANY 3, FINLAND 1CZECHOSLOVAKIA 3, SWEDEN 2TUE. APR. 21WEST GERMANY 5 VS CANADA 3SWEDEN 12, SWITZERLAND 1FINLAND 5, UNITED STATES 2SOVIET UNION 6, CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1THU. APR. 23SWEDEN 4, CANADA 3SOVIET UNION 4, FINLAND 0UNITED STATES 6, WEST GERMANY 4CZECHOSLOVAKIA 5, SWITZERLAND 2FRI. APR. 24FINLAND 4, SWEDEEN 1SOVIET UNION 3, CANADA 2SAT. APR. 25UNITED STATES 6, SWITZERLAND 3CZECHOSLOVAKIA 5, WEST GERMANY 2SUN. APR. 26CANADA 7, FINLAND 2SOVIET UNION 4, SWEDEN 2MON. APR. 27WEST GERMANY 4, SWITZERLAND 3CZECHOSLOVAKIA 4, UNITED STATES 2(END OF ROUND-ROBIN SCHEDULE)<h3>PLAYOFF SCHEDULE</h3>TUE. APR. 28WEST GERMANY VS SWITZERLANDUNITED STATES VS FINLANDWED. APR. 29SOVIET UNION VS CANADASWEDEN VS CZECHOSLOVAKIATHU. APR. 30FINLAND VS SWITZERLANDUNITED STATES VS WEST GERMANYFRI. MAY 1CZECHOSLOVAKIA VS CANADASWEDEN VS SOVIET UNIONSAT. MAY 2UNITED STATES VS SWITZERLANDWEST GERMANY VS FINLANDSUN. MAY 3SWEDEN VS CANADACZECHOSLOVAKIAVS SOVIET UNION<h3>LEADING SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-386/5079118-1-eng-US/f0033-382.jpg" title="f0033-38" width="533" height="343"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY TOWNSEND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02418/5079429-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"></div>Checking, thought to be a lost art, has made a comeback in the National Hockey League. Goal production decreased by more than half a goal per game this year, dropping to its lowest total in seven seasons.Parity and divisional rivalries have both contributed to the reduction.No team finished with a regular-season winning percentage below .400 (last year there were six) and average goals per intra-division game decreased from 8.10 to 7.26. Goals in extra-division games also dropped, from 7.82 to 7.40.Another reason goals were down this year is that power-play opportunities were down by 539 (7,766 to 7,227) and power-play goals reduced by 200 (1,715 to 1,515).There has been a conscious effort to douse firewagon-style hockey, perhaps spurred by the success of Jacques Demers-coached teams.In the first of the two accompanying charts, we offer a team-by-team breakdown showing whose offense has suffered most by the new checking philosophy&mdash;by comparing team production from 1985-86 to 1986-87. Eighteen of 21 teams scored less goals this year.In the second, the reduction in production by individual players is examined. We tell you the players&rsquo; goal totals and goals-per-game averages each year and the differences in the latter between this year and last. Performance is measured in goals per game, to account for differences in number of games played the two seasons.<h2>Individual Drop-Offs In Goal Production</h2><h2>Team Drop-Offs In Goal Production</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01536/5079422-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="563" height="653"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03320/5079415-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="557" height="1138"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul MacLean</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04225/5079408-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="553" height="1138"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Bjugstad</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0034-02

Closer Checking, Parity Factors In Goal Reduction

<div class="byline">BY JEFF Z. KLEIN AND KARL-ERIC REIF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05175/5079460-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg"></div>Winnipeg Jet superstar Dale Hawerchuk was more &lsquo;crucial&rsquo; to his team&rsquo;s success than any other player to their&rsquo;s in the National Hockey League during 1986-87.Well, at least, he accumulated the highest percentage of crucial points in the league. Crucial points are those awarded on goals that either tie or provide leads in a given game.More than 60 per cent of Hawerchuk&rsquo;s points fell into one of those two categories.Wayne Gretzky led the league with 183 total points and 65 crucial points, but his 35.5 crucial-point percentage was the lowest among leaders.In defense of No. 99, however, the accompanying chart shows players on top teams (Edmonton, Philadelphia) and on bottom teams (Buffalo, New Jersey, Vancouver) have proportionately fewer crucial points, simply because their teams were in fewer tight games than middle-of-the-pack teams.In the first three columns of the table below are the number of crucial goals, assists and points earned by each player. Each player&rsquo;s total point production is listed in column four and in the fifth, crucial points are listed as a percentage of total points.<h2>Leaders In Crucial Points &#9632;</h2>

f0034-05

Hawerchuk Crucial To Jets’ Fortunes

<div class="byline">BY LARRY HUMBER</div>&bull; According to veteran TV analyst Howie Meeker, number of NHL players who play with illegal sticks during the first two periods of games, and then switch sticks for the third, when they are likely to be checked: 7 or 8.&bull; Weight in pounds of Montreal Canadien winger Mats Naslund: 160.Approximate number of pounds Naslund would have to gain to weigh as much as William (The Refrigerator) Perry: 160.&bull; Of the 10 players drafted first by the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1973 and 1982, number who are still active in the NHL: 8Number who are still with the Maple Leafs: 0.&bull; Number of captains employed by the St. Louis Blues during their first decade: 3.Number of those who went on to coach the Blues: 3.&bull; Seasons that have elapsed since a goalie was named the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player: 24. &#9632;

Not Getting Stuck

<div class="byline">BY LARRY HUMBER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01507/5079553-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><h2>CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03233/5079546-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="587" height="589"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. Rookie Jet netminder (7).4. Toronto arena&mdash;Leaf Gardens (5).7. Only number formally retired by Leafs (4).8. Those who frequent hockey arenas (8).10. Plaque awarded to the American League&rsquo;s top blueliner each season (5,5).12. Nickname of the now defunct Trail team that captured the World Championships in 1961, Eaters (5).13. Color once worn by the Vancouver Canucks (5).14. He succeeded Glen Sonmor as coach of the University of Minnesota Gophers (4,6).18. Start (8).19. Veteran NHL linesman, a Toronto native (4).20. Oiler who spent two seasons in Japan with the Kikudo Bunnies (5).21. Is aggressive (7).<h2>DOWN:</h2>1. Nickname of former Flyer Reg Leach (5).2. This hockey color commentator broke into the NHL with St. Louis (8).3. Brother of Wayne Gretzky (5).4. He was named the WHA&rsquo;s most gentlemanly player the same season Marcel Dionne took the Lady Byng Trophy for the first time (4,6).5. Take part in a game (4).6. Leaf coach John Brophy toiled as a player in this nowdefunct league (7).9. Officiating (10).11. Cup of great significance in junior hockey (8).12. Buffalo&rsquo;s first pick in the 1977 draft (7).15. First name of the Isles&rsquo; second Smythe Trophy winner (5).16. North Star netminder (5).17. Number retired by both the Bruins and Blackhawks (4).Crossword solution in the Classified Section on page 27. &#9632;

f0035-01

CROSSWORD

<h2>15 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; Czechoslovakia&rsquo;s national hockey team ended the Soviet Union&rsquo;s nine-year reign as world hockey champions. The Czechs beat the Soviets in the final match 3-2 to take the title. Future NHLer Vaclav Nedomansky scored one of the goals, for the winners.&bull; The Chicago Blackhawks voted unanimously to go on strike for the duration of the playoffs. The decision came as a result of Chicago forward Dennis Hull being fined $500 for using an illegal stick against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chicago felt the NHL had no right to enact the stick rule without consulting the players. The strike vote was contingent on other teams voting the same way. When no other team took a stand, the Hawks gave in.&bull; Glenn Resch was named the International League&rsquo;s outstanding rookie. The 23-year-old goalkeeper recorded a goals-against average of 3.06 and four shutouts. Fifteen years later, Resch was still toiling in the nets for the Philadelphia Flyers.<h2>10 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; Canada suffered its most humiliating defeat ever in World Championship play. The Soviet Union crushed the Canadians 11-1 in Vienna. The Soviets were led by Alexandr Yakushev&rsquo;s four goals.&bull; Harold Ballard, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, said Red Kelly&rsquo;s job as Leaf coach was as secure as his own. Ballard also stated that he didn&rsquo;t expect to be fired and so neither should Kelly. At the beginning of the 1977-78 season, however, Ballard was still the owner but Roger Neilson was coaching the Maple Leafs. &#9632;

THIS WEEK…

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02403/5079608-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0035-02

THE WAY WE WERE

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SCHULTZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03319/5079639-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="549" height="1421"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Pilote</figcaption></div>Pierre Pilote knew he was expected to be a leader during his days as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he didn&rsquo;t know he was supposed to be a peacekeeper and politician, too.&ldquo;Everybody was always coming up with new ideas on how to do things on the club,&rdquo; said Pilote, who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs. &ldquo;And there were problems that would always come up at one time or another, some more serious than others.&ldquo;Being captain, I always looked for cooler heads to prevail. Two of the cooler heads that were on the Blackhawks were Al Arbour and Jack Evans. It was no surprise to me when these two went into coaching in the NHL and became very successful at it.&rdquo;Pilote was an outstanding defenseman. He won the Norris Trophy three times, was named an NHL first team all-star five times and a second-team star on three occasions. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.Though he was small (5-foot-10, 178 pounds) for a defenseman, he wasn&rsquo;t afraid to get physical with any opponent&mdash;except one.&ldquo;I never went up against John Ferguson of the (Montreal) Canadiens,&rdquo; said the native of Kenogami, Que. &ldquo;The first game I ever played against him he came skating at me with his head down. I could have really lined him up and hit him.&ldquo;But I passed, figuring it would be to my advantage. I figured that had I hit him he would have been after me for the next 10 years of my life.&rdquo;Pilote, who scored 80 goals and 498 points in 890 regular-season games, was considered somewhat of an offensive defenseman for his time. His style suited the Blackhawks of the &rsquo;50s and &rsquo;60s.&ldquo;When I first joined the Hawks, we weren&rsquo;t very appealing to the fans,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But after we added guys like Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita to our lineup and became more offensive-minded, the fans really began to like us.&ldquo;I got involved with it as well, and found myself wanting to carry the puck when I got the chance. I just figured that the other team can&rsquo;t score goals if your team has the puck.&ldquo;And it worked most of the time, although I felt sorry for Glenn Hall, who was almost a forgotten man back in goal.&rdquo;Today, at 55, Pilote trains employees for Tim Horton Donut shops. He also raises cattle on a farm near Milton, Ont. &#9632;

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May 8, 1987

NHL SUMMARIES

Vancouver Patiently Awaiting Official Arrival Of GM Quinn

Loss To Jets Exposes Flame Weaknesses

WHO IS THIS MAN…