We continue with our coverage of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft with rounds six to nine, taking us up to the lunch break. As the teams broke for lunch there was quite an animated discussion at the Toronto table between Leafs president Stafford Smythe and general manager – coach Punch Imlach. Leafs had made several questionable fills, keeping veteran players while allowing younger talent to be selected. And, of course, the Red Kelly issue continues to percolate.
On of the very interesting things to notice here is how Montreal reclaims younger players like Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard and Jacques Lemaire. This was one of the “loop holes” Sam Pollock built into the draft process which was a huge advantage to Canadiens. Recent junior graduates were ineligible to be selected in the early rounds of the draft, but could be taken after round 5. This enabled Pollock to reclaim veterans like Dick Duff and Claude Provost in the early rounds without having to worry about losing the great prospects like Lemaire, Vadnais and Savard, whom he filled with later on.
Round 6:
31. STL: Terry Crisp, C, BOS. Age 24. Played for Oklahoma City in 66-67 and was a large contributor in the CPHL playoffs. Good defensive player, can also play RW. Had a cup of coffee with BOS in 65-66 (3 GP, 0-0-0).
32. MIN: Ted Taylor, LW, DET. Age 25. 20-38-58 in 69 games with Pittsburgh Hornets in 66-67. Also played two games with DET. Playmaking winger with a bit of an edge, won’t shy away from body contact. DET filled with Gary Jarrett.
33. CAL: Wally Boyer, C, CHI. Age 29. Spent most of 66-67 with CHI (5-6-11 in 42 games). Won Memorial Cup with Toronto Marlboros in 1956. Has been a big scorer at all levels of minor leagues but has yet to produce regularly at the NHL level. May be a tad slow for the NHL game.
34. PIT: Noel Price, D, MTL. Age 31. Spent most of 66-67 with Quebec Aces, but also got into 24 games with MTL (0-3-3). Smooth-skating rearguard who isn’t afraid of the rough stuff. MTL filled with Carol Vadnais.
35. LAK: Terry Gray, RW, DET. Age 29. Played for Pittsburgh Hornets in 66-67 (25-29-54 in 63 games). Won EPHL championship with Hull-Ottawa in 1961. Has always scored in the minors but just hasn’t been able to sick in the NHL. DET filled with Bob Falkenberg.
36. PHI: Don Blackburn, C, TOR. Age 29. Played with Rochester Americans in 66-67 (20-37-57). Had a cup of coffee with BOS in 62-63. Was first team All-star in EPHL in 62-63. An abrasive winger who does good work in the corners. TOR filled with Duane Rupp.
Round 7:
As with previous rounds, seven also goes very quickly. It’s apparent that this draft will finish far earlier than was anticipated. Many felt it would stretch into tomorrow:
37. MIN: Pete Goegan, D, DET. Age 33. Split 66-67 season between Pittsburgh Hornets and DET (2-6-8 in 31 games). Slow-moving, stay-at-home defender with experience in parts of 9 NHL seasons. DET filled with Ron Anderson.
38. CAL: Joe Szura, C, MTL. Age 28. In 66-67 played for Cleveland Barons (27-42-69). Was AHL First Team All-star in 65-66. No NHL experience. MTL filled with Serge Savard.
39. PIT: Keith McCreary, LW, MTL. Age 27. With Cleveland Barons in 66-67 went 28-29-57. Brother of Bill McCreary and cousin of Ron Atwell. Was EPHL First All-star in 61-62. MTL filled with Danny Grant.
40. LAK: Bryan Campbell, C, NYR. Age 23. Played with Omaha Knights in 66-67 (26-42-68). Won Memorial Cup with Hamilton Red Wings in 1962. No NHL experience. NYR filled with Larry Mickey, who was badly injured in a terrible auto accident which took the life of his wife.
41. PHI: John Miszuk, D, CHI. Age 26. Spent most of 66-67 with St. Louis Braves (7-29-36 in 69 games). Also played three games with CHI. 6-2, 200 lb defenceman who is willing to mix it up.
42. STL: Don McKenney, C, DET. Age 33, former captain of Boston Bruins. Won Stanley Cup with TOR in 1964. Lady Byng Trophy winner with BOS in 59-60. Was with Pittsburgh Hornets in 66-67 (26-36-62). DET filled with Craig Cameron.
Round 8:
43. CAL: Bob Lemieux, D, MTL. Age 22. Spent 66-67 with Seattle, 10-13-23 in 72 GP. Was top defenceman in IHL in 1966 with Muskegon (14-44-58). Offensive-minded defenceman with a good shot from the point. MTL filled with Jacques Lemaire.
44. PIT: Ken Schinkel, RW, NYR. Age 34. Spent most of 66-67 with Baltimore, but got into 20 games with NYR (6-3-9). Has two full NHL seasons with NY. Prolific minor league scorer, led AHL in goals with 43 in 58-59. NYR filled with Bob Plager.
45. LAK: Ted Irvine, LW, BOS. Age 22. Had 15-17-32 in 63 games with Oklahoma City in 66-67. Led CPHL goal scorers with six in the 1966 playoffs. Feisty winger who plays with an edge. BOS filled with Ron (Bucky) Buchanan.
46. PHI: Garry Peters, C, MTL. Age 24. Played most of 66-67 with Houston (21-31-52) in 50 games. Had one assist in four games with MTL. Shared CPHL rookie-of-the-year award in 1964 with Poul Popiel. MTL filled with Andre Boudrias.
47. STL: Wayne Rivers, RW, BOS. Age 25. Split 66-67 season between BOS and Hershey. (2-1-3 in 8 games with BOS). Won Memorial Cup with Hamilton in 1962. Swift RW with a hard, accurate shot. BOS filled with Wayne Cashman.
48. MIN: Len Lunde, C, CHI. Age 30. Spent 66-67 with Portland (26-33-59 in 72 GP). Was traded to CHI by DET in 1962 in the deal that sent Doug Barkley to Red Wings. Led AHL in goals with 50 for Buffalo in 1964-65.
Round 9:
49. PIT: Bob Dillabough, C-RW, BOS. Age 26. In 66-67 with BOS was 6-12-18 in 60 GP. Was traded by Detroit to Boston in May, 1965 in a seven player deal. Good skater and defensive forward who can play centre or wing. Not a great scorer. BOS filled with Jean Pronovost.
50. LAK: Howie Hughes, C, MTL. Age 28. Was with WHL Seattle last year (26-45-71 in 70 games). Smallish but quick player with good offensive skills. MTL filled with Mike McMahon.
51. PHI: Dick Cherry, D, BOS. Age 30. Was with Oklahoma City in 66-67 (8-25-33). Brother of Don Cherry. Sat out from 1963-65 to teach school in Kingston, ON. BOS filled with Bob Heaney.
52. STL: Bill Hay, C, CHI. Age 31. Sat out first half of 66-67 in retirement before finishing with CHI (7-13-20 in 36 games). Was the centre on the “Million Dollar Line” with Bobby Hull and Murray Balfour. CHI filled with Matt Ravlich.
53. MIN: Bill Goldsworthy, RW, BOS. Age 22. Was 3-5-8 in 18 games with BOS. Also played with Oklahoma City and Buffalo. Won Memorial Cup with Niagara Falls in 1965. Swift skater with a good shot, is still trying to figure out the game at the professional level. BOS filled with Ted Hodgson.
54. CAL: J.P. Parise, LW, BOS. Age 25. Spent most of 66-67 with Oklahoma City, but got into 18 games with BOS (2-2-4). Strong checker who plays an energetic game. BOS filled with Ron Murphy.
At this point, with things moving along so well, teams took a well-deserved lunch break, returning to begin Round Ten around 1 p.m. That’s where we will pick things up again tomorrow.
50 Years Ago In Hockey 