National Hockey League team training camps are mostly in full swing now. And those that haven’t hit the ice just yet will be doing so within the next couple of days. The Boston Bruins seem to be the most enthusiastic, as they gave their version of “Hallelujah” yesterday on the ice in London, Ontario.

St. Louis Blues start today at The Arena in St. Louis, followed by the Chicago Black Hawks, who will depart from recent practice and work out at home in Chicago this year.

Expansion Team Fact Sheet

With six new franchises set to make their debuts this fall, we thought we would provide for you this handy outline of the basic facts about each:

 

California:

Owner: Barend Von Gerbig
General manager-coach: Bert Olmstead
Assistant general manager-coach: Gordon Fashoway
Nickname: Seals
Arena: Oakland Coliseum Arena (capacity 12,500)
Affiliations: Buffalo (AHL); Vancouver (WHL), Omaha (CPHL),
Training Camp (Port Huron, Michigan)

Los Angeles:

Owner: Jack Kent Cooke
General manager-coach: Larry Regan
Coach: Leonard (Red) Kelly
Nickname: Kings
Arena: 11 games to be played at Los Angeles Sports Arena (capacity 15,000); six games at Long Beach Sports Arena (capacity 12,000); final 20 games to be played at The Forum (to be completed in December, capacity 16,000).
Affiliations: Owns Springfield Kings (AHL)
Training Camp Guelph, Ontario

 

Minnesota:

Owner: Eight-man syndicate headed by Walter L. Bush, W. John Driscoll and Gordon H. Ritz.
General manager-coach: Wren Blair
Nickname: North Stars
Arena: Metropolitan Sports Centre (capacity 14,000) to be completed by October.
Affiliations: Memphis (CPHL), Clinton (EHL)
Training Camp: Kingston, Ontario

Philadelphia:

Owner: Syndicate headed by William R. Putnam and Jerry Wolman.
General manager: Norman (Bud) Poile
Coach: Keith Allen
Nickname: Flyers
Arena: The Spectrum (to be completed in September)
Affiliations: Owns Quebec (AHL); Seattle (WHL); Jersey (EHL)
Training Camp: Quebec City

Pittsburgh:

Owner: 19-man syndicate headed by Senator Jack McGregor and Peter Block.
General manager: Jack Riley
Coach: George (Red) Sullivan
Nickname: Penguins
Arena: Civic Arena (capacity approximately 12, 500)
Affiliations: Baltimore (AHL), Greensboro (EHL)
Training Camp: Brantford, Ontario

 

St. Louis:

Owner: Sidney Salamon
General manager: Lynn Patrick
Co-coaches: Lynn Patrick and Scotty Bowman
Nickname: Blues
Arena: St. Louis Arena (capacity 14,103)
Affiliations: Kansas City (CPHL)
Training camp: St. Louis, Missouri

 

Hawks Missing Familiar Faces

The Chicago Black Hawks open training camp opens tomorrow in Chicago with many players who formed the foundation of last year’s first-place squad no longer with the team. Gone from last year’s pennant-winners are goalie Glenn Hall defenceman Ed Van Impe, and forwards Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, Lou Angotti and Bill Hay. All are gone by way of trade or the June Expansion Draft. Add rearguard Matt Ravlich to that group. He won’t be available until December because of that broken leg.

The deletion of those players would normally create massive holes to fill, but general manager Tommy Ivan and coach Billy Reay feel they have more than compensated for the loss of those players.

From that huge deal with the Boston Bruins in May, the Hawks landed defenceman Gilles Marotte, centre Pit Martin and goalkeeper Jack Norris for Esposito, Hodge and Fred Stanfield, who spent most of last in with St. Louis of the CPHL. Marotte and Martin are highly-capable National Hockey League players and will have no trouble fitting into the Chicago lineup.

Hockey writer Ted Damata of the Chicago Tribune assessed the trade:

“Ivan and Reay dismiss the loss of Esposito – ‘we got Martin for him.’…On the basis of talent and potentiality the deal actually was Esposito and Hodge for Marotte. The Hawks acquired the best player in the deal.”

Coach Reay says that the Hawks have a number of prospects in camp  who will be given full chances to fill the voids created:

Goalies: Dave Dryden and Norris

Defence: Ray McKay, Tom Reid, Wayne Smith, Paul Terbenche

Centres: Jack Martin, Geoffrey Powis, Gerry Goyer

Left Wing: Roger Bellerive, Wayne Maki

Right Wing: Walt Kozak, Doug Shelton.

Most Hawk followers are worried about the number three centre slot on the club. Lou Angotti filled that role so admirably last year, bringing both energy and enthusiasm to the job. Angotti was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers in the Expansion Draft and those listed above seem to be less than ideal replacements. One possibility to replace Angotti is Angotti himself. According to Ivan, Philadelphia general manager Bud Poile is prepared to trade Angotti back to the Chicago “after we shake down to see what we need.”

53 Suit Up for Blues

St. Louis Blues general manager Lynn Patrick and his assistant and co-coach Scotty Bowman began looking over the 53 hopefuls who began workouts today at the St. Louis Arena. Patrick’s  main concern is, however four players who haven’t yet arrived at camp.

The biggest absent name is that of goaltender Glenn Hall. Hall was generally regarded as the very best player available in the Expansion Draft in June and the Blues surprisingly got him with the third pick in the first round of the goalkeeper draft. Hall has signed his contract already, so his absence is not a huge concern. He was given an extra couple of weeks to remain at his Alberta farm to bring in the crops.

The other three no-shows are defenceman Al Arbour and forwards Bill Hay and Max Mestinsek. With Arbour and Hay it’s simply a case of stalled contract negotiations. It’s almost a sure thing that the money issue will be settled with Arbour. It’s less sure that Hay will come around. He sat out the first half of last season in retirement and is talking about making it permanent this time around.

Mestinsek is recovering in an Edmonton hospita from to a severe arm injury he suffered in a recent auto accident.

Patrick tried to turn the absence Hall, Hay and Arbour into a positive”

“We’re going to be all right, even without the big guys for a while. In fact, this will give me a chance to get a better look at the younger fellows.”

These younger players are headed by 23-year-old Ron Schock, plucked from the Boston Bruins in the Expansion Draft. Schock, a centre, finally stuck as a regular with the Bruins last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 20 assists in 66 games. He’s had some injury issues in the early part of his career but says he’s in top shape now.

Patrick and Bowman are also high on left-winger Larry Keenan, picked up from Toronto in the draft. He spent most of last season in sick bay with a broken ankle but comes to camp in good shape. He’s known to have a great touch around the net.

There are several veterans on hand upon whom Patrick and Bowman are going to lean heavily. Former Maple Leaf and Bruin Ron Stewart is a cagey 15-year NHL veteran whose sense of humour will keep things loose in the dressing room. Don McKenney has been in the league 12 years, serving as captain of the Bruins before moving on to New York, Toronto and Detroit. Gerry Melnyk, 32, has had stints with the Red Wings and Black Hawks and should provide veteran stability.

On defence, the great Doug Harvey, now 42, is in camp as player coach of the Kansas City farm team. But Harvey still has tremendous skill and if he’s up to the rigours of the NHL schedule, you might just see him in the parent team lineup. Other defence prospects include tough guys Noel Picard and Bob Plager, and the huge 215-pound Pat Quinn.

Without Hall in camp, the Blues will get a good look at 34-year-old Seth Martin and youngster Don Caley. Martin has been called the best goalkeeper outside of professional hockey thanks to his work with the Canadian national team.

Quick Hits

• The Blues are testing a new type of thigh pad, sewn into a girdlelike rigging in the traditional hockey pants.
• New York Rangers will have 40 players on hand when they start workouts tomorrow in Kitchener, Ontario.

  

• Rangers general manager-coach Emile Francis is hoping 21-year-old Allan Hamilton will be able to fill the hole on defence left by the departed Al MacNeil, who went to Pittsburgh in the Expansion Draft.
• Rangers Reg Fleming weighed in at a hefty 206 pounds a couple of days ago. Francis told him to be down to 193 by tomorrow or face a fine. He’s at 196 right now.