Teams returned from the lunch break ready to continue the draft. As the Maple Leaf contingent re-enters the room, president Stafford Smythe is glaring daggers at Kings owner Jack Kent Cooke, who casts a brief furtive glance in the direction of the Toronto table. Obviously Smythe is angered over the Kings reticence to draft Red Kelly to become their coach.
Teams now following a more leisurely pace with the drafting ahead of schedule. Wren Blair and Sam Pollock conferred for most of this tenth round and it looks like they have been dickering over another deal or transaction again.
Round 10:
55. LAK: Bill Inglis, C, MTL. Age 24. In 70 games with CPHL Houston in 66-67, had 33-34-67. Smart forward with good faceoff skills. MTL filled with Bob Charlebois.
56. PHI: Jean Gauthier, D, MTL. Age 30. Played for Seattle in 66-67 (9-22-31) and also got into 2 games with Canadiens. Shared EPHL top defenceman award in 1962 with Bruins coach Harry Sinden. MTL filled with Bill McCreary.
57. STL: Darryl Edestrand, D, TOR. Age 21. Played 7 games with Rochester, earning one assist in 66-67. Mostly an unknown quantity at the point in his career. TOR filled with Red Kelly. Jack Kent Cooke of the Kings was almost apoplectic when Leafs Punch Imlach announced he was protecting Kelly, who is supposed to become coach of Los Angeles. Kelly was visibly upset as well. Imlach’s announcement now necessitates some type of transaction between Lost Angeles and Toronto if the Kings want him to become their coach. Huge reaction among the hockey people and the many members of the media, and so far the most controversial moment of the entire day.
58. MIN: Andre Pronovost, LW, DET. Age 30. Played with CPHL Memphis Wings in 66-67 (25-42-67). Won four Stanley Cups with MTL (1957-60). His game has slowed over the past few seasons, but he’s still a heady player who should help an expansion club. DET filled with Jim Watson.
59. CAL: Ron Harris, D, BOS. Age 25, played with WHL California Seals in 66-67 (8-9-17 in 31 games). Very versatile, can play either defense or forward. Won Memorial Cup with Hamilton in 1962 and was also OHA 1st All-star defenceman. BOS filled with John Arbour.
60. PIT: Art Stratton, C, CHI. Age 31. Was CPHL leading scorer with St. Louis in 66-67 (34-56-90). Led AHL in scoring in 64-65 with 109 points. Was also AHL MVP that season. Offensively gifted, is thought to be just a tad slow for the NHL. CHI filled with Paul Terbenche.
Round 11:
Round 11 of the skater draft began with Minnesota’s Wren Blair disengaging with the Montreal delegation and moving on to the Toronto table. It appears that Blair and Toronto’s Punch Imlach and Stafford Smythe have come to an agreement on something. Meanwhile, six more players found new homes:
61. PHI: Jim Johnson, C, NYR. Age 24. Played 64 games with Omaha in 66-67 (26-46-72) and also got into two games with Rangers. NYR filled with Paul Andrea.
62. STL: Norm Beaudin, RW, DET. Age 25. Led CPHL in goals with 39 with Memphis in 66-67. Led SJHL in goals with in 61-62 with Regina Pats. DET filled with Duke Harris.
63. MIN: Elmer Vasko, D, CHI. Age 31. Sat out 66-67 season in retirement after ten NHL seasons, all with Chicago. Won Stanley Cup with Blackhawks in 1961. Won Memorial Cup with St. Catharines in 1954. NHL second All-star in 1963 and 1964. Is one of the biggest men in hockey, nicknamed “Moose”. CHI filled with Doug Shelton.
64. CAL: Terry Clancy, RW, TOR. Age 24. Son of hockey great King Clancy. Was with Rochester in 66-67 (14-24-38). Won Memorial Cup with St. Michael’s Majors in 1961. Not much of a scorer, but excellent defensively. TOR filled with Darryl Sly.
65. PIT: Val Fonteyne, LW, DET. Age 33. Split 66-67 season between AHL Pittsburgh and Detroit (1-1-2 in 28 games). One the game’s smoothest skaters, is an expert penalty-killing defensive forward. DET filled with Jimmy Peters Jr.
66. LAK: Doug Robinson, LW, NYR. Age 26. Spent most of 66-67 with Baltimore (39-33-72). Also got into 1 game with the Rangers. Scored the game-winning goal for St. Catharines in 1960 Memorial Cup vs Edmonton Oil Kings. Was AHL Rookie-of-the-year in 1963. NYR filled with Gary Sabourin.
Round 12:
67. Larry Keenan, LW, TOR. Age 26. Injury-prone left winger with a good scoring eye, played 17 games with Victoria in 66-67 (4-10-14). Missed most of last season with an ankle injury. Won Memorial Cup with St. Michael’s Majors in 1961. TOR filled with Gerry Ehman.
68. MIN: Murray Hall, C, DET. Age 26. Played 12 games with DET in 66-67 (4-3-7) before being sent to minors and then traded to WHL Los Angeles Blades in the Howie Young deal. Led EPHL in assists with 69 in 62-63 playing with St. Louis. Won Memorial Cup with St. Catharines in 1960. DET filled with Fred Hilts.
69. CAL: Tracy Pratt, D, CHI. Age 24. Played with Portland in 66-67 (0-10-10 in 63 games). Stay-at-home defender with little offensive ability. Son of NHL great Walter (Babe) Pratt. CHI filled with Wayne Smith.
70. PIT: Jeannot Gilbert, C, BOS. Age 26. Played with AHL Hershey in 66-67 (26-57-83). Was EHL rookie-of-the-year in 1962, MVP of CPHL in 63-64. BOS filled with Glen Sather.
71. LAK: Mike Corrigan, RW, TOR. Age 21. Was mainly with AHL Rochester Americans in 66-67, but also spent time with CPHL Tulsa Oilers. Industrious winger who can put the puck in the net, is raw and will need development time. TOR filled with Dick Gamble.
72. PHI: Gary Dornhoefer, RW, BOS. Age 24. Played with AHL Hershey in 66-67 (19-22-41). Big, strong and mean, can be an imposing figure on the ice, but may be a bit too slow for the NHL. Spent parts of three seasons with Boston before last year and was unable to stick. Somewhat surprising that Bruins left him available this long, and that no other club picked him. BOS filled with Dave Woodley.
Round 13:
Round 13 began right after another conference between Wren Blair and Sam Pollock. When Blair left the Montreal table, Pollock quipped “The marriage is over.”
73. MIN: Bryan Watson, D, DET. Age 24. Spent most of 66-67 with Houston and led CPHL in PIM with 293 in only 50 games. Can play forward or defence, is known as a super-pest and has nearly driven Bobby Hull to distraction with his incessant aggravating tactics. DET filled with Irv Spencer.
74. CAL: Autry Erickson, D, TOR. Age 29. Had 8-28-36 in 70 games with WHL Victoria in 66-67. Was a second-Team WHL All-star. Also played one game with TOR in the Stanley Cup playoffs. TOR filled with Don Cherry.
75. PIT: Tom McCarthy, LW, MTL. Played for AHL Cleveland in 66-67 (36-38-74). Led CPHL in scoring in 64-65 (53-44-97) with Tulsa. MTL filled with Bill Plager.
76. LAK: Jacques Lemieux, D, MTL. Age 24. With AHL Cleveland in 66-67 (6-30-36 in 68 games). Good skater but shies away from the rough stuff. MTL filled with Leo Thiffault.
77. PHI: Forbes Kennedy, C, BOS. Age 32. Was with California Seals of WHL in 66-67 (25-41-66). Known for his toughness and penchant for fisticuffs, he set a WHL record with 10 major penalties in 60-61. Has been fined numerous times for various transgressions ranging from pushing game officials to committing mayhem with his hockey stick. BOS filled with Brian Bradley.
78. STL: Ron Stewart, RW, BOS. Age 34. Wily veteran who is known as the NHL’s resident comedian. Scored 14-10-24 in 56 games with Bruins in 66-67. Member of three Stanley Cup winners with TOR. Won Memorial Cup with Guelph in 1952. BOS filled with Ted Snell.
In our next post, we’ll report on rounds 14-16.
50 Years Ago In Hockey 