Today we talk about the end of Cesare Maniago’s shutout streak, a Kings win at home, and some National Hockey League injury news.
Flyers Score Six To End Maniago’s Streak
The longest shutout streak in 12 years in the National Hockey League came to an end last night as the Philadelphia Flyers beat Minnesota North Stars goalie Cesare Maniago six times. The Flyers 6-0 win over the Stars was witnessed by over 7,600 fans at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.
Pat Hannigan’s goal for the Flyers at 5:06 of the first period ended Maniago’s streak at 188 minutes and 38 seconds. Hannigan’s goal was one of 39 shots the home side fired at a beleaguered North Stars netminder in the game.
Other Philadelphia goal-getters were Claude Laforge, Forbes Kennedy, Gary Dornhoefer, Leon Rochefort and Lou Angotti. The Flyers scored two goals in each period.
Flyers goalie Bernie Parent may have started a streak of his own. He turned back all 31 shots directed his way by Minnesota for his second whitewash of the year. His goals-against average is now 1.88, best individual mark in the NHL.
Garry Peters centres the Flyers third line, and that unit netted the first two goals of the game:
“There was no way he was going to get a shutout tonight. John Miszuk set up that first one perfectly. He saw me open for a pass, but he faked a shot before giving it to me. Maniago blocked my shot but he didn’t have a chance on Pat’s rebound.”
Hannigan, the player who denied the extension of the shutout streak, was more worried about winning the game than anything else:
“I’ll tell you I wasn’t the least bit worried about scoring to break his shutout string. I was more worried about winning the game than worrying about ending his streak.
“The way I looked at it, the odds had to be against Maniago getting his fourth in a row. After all, when you get three straight the odds have to be stacked against you.”
Maniago accepted the end of the streak in true hockey-player style:
“It had to come to an end sometime. Losing the shutout doesn’t bother me. It’s losing the game – and getting beat so badly – that really hurts.”
Only Bill Durnan of the Montreal Canadiens has recorded four successive shutouts in the modern era of the NHL. He accomplished that feat in the 1948-49 season. His streak ran up to 309 minutes and 21 seconds.
Maniago, 28, has burst on the scene this year after a pedestrian career which has seen stops in Toronto, Montreal and New York, where he didn’t have a lot of success. To be fair, in Toronto and Montreal, there were some pretty fair netminders ahead of him.
He is the largest of NHL goalkeepers at 6-3 and 185 pounds. He was the fourth goaltender chosen in the Expansion Draft last summer, behind Terry Sawchuk, Parent and Glenn Hall. A native of Trail, B.C., he works as a masonry construction estimator in the off-season in North Burnaby, B.C.
Kings Sink Penguins
For the first time in 12 games the Los Angeles Kings scored as many as four times as they dumped the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 4-1 last night in Los Angeles. The game was played at the Los Angeles Sports Arena before only 3,335 spectators. That was a very disappointing total, given that it was the last NHL contest to be held in that building. Kings will move to their new arena, The Forum in Inglewood, on December 30.
Ted Irvine, Bill Flett, Terry Gray and Brian Smith were the Kings marksmen. Earl Ingarfield was the only Pittsburgh player able to beat Los Angeles goalie Wayne Rutledge.
It was the seventh loss in their last nine games for the Penguins. A dismayed coach Red Sullivan had nothing to say after the game. He stopped by the team’s dressing room only long enough to tell the boys not to miss the midnight curfew.
Kings coach Red Kelly hinted that all may not be right in Penguins-land:
“I really thought Pittsburgh would be tougher. They were well-rested. But I wouldn’t say the game was easy. I haven’t seen an easy one yet.”
The Kings defence was dominant in this game. They allowed the visitors only 21 shots on Rutledge, who continues to search for his first NHL shutout. He had no chance on Ingarfield’s goal, which came as the result of a rare miscue by the Kings in their own zone.
Jim Murray, the defenceman called up from the American Hockey League Springfield Kings yesterday, played very well in his first big-league game, and even earned an assist on Flett’s goal.
Christmas Time in the NHL
Several teams held Christmas skating parties for the families of their players this week. We have some photographic evidence of the good times had by all:
Quick Hits
- Boston Bruins have lost goalie Gerry Cheevers for at least a week. Cheevers suffered a slight dislocation of the left shoulder when he collided with the Black Hawks’ Stan Mikita during Wednesday’s game in Chicago. The shoulder popped back into place at the time, but the soreness increased after the game. Bruins other goalie, Ed Johnston, has a broken bone on his right hand. He may be able to at least back up Andre Gill, who has been called up from Hershey of the AHL. Boston trainers will try and fashion a cast for the hand that will allow Johnston to play in a pinch.
- St. Louis Blues left winger Larry Keenan, who scored four goals in the team’s first four games and then broke an ankle, has begun to skate again. He figures he will be ready to play again in about two weeks.
- Los Angeles Kings goalie Terry Sawchuk tried skating for the first time in three weeks yesterday, and it didn’t go very well. Sawchuk has been out with a pulled hamstring and aggravated the injury in the light, no-equipment skate. He likely won’t be back until sometime in the new year.
- Oakland Seals have sent defenceman Gerry Odrowski to Vancouver of the Western Hockey League. Promoted to the Seals from Vancouver are defencemen Bob Lemieux and Tracy Pratt.
- Eighty-six year old Leafs trainer Tim Daly played Santa Claus once again at the Toronto team’s family Christmas party. It marked the 40th straight year that Daly has assumed the role.
- Toronto Marlboros moved into first place in the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A standings with a 7-3 win over the Peterborough Petes. Dave Roy scored three goals for the Marlies. Single goals came off the sticks of Ric Jordan, Steve Dmytruk, John Wright and Richie Bayes, the league’s scoring leader. For the Petes it was Bob Black, Al Houston and Ron Ringler.
- Danny Lawson fired three goals as the Hamilton Red Wings and Kitchener Rangers skated to a 5-5 tie in Hamilton. Walt Tkaczuk tied the game for the Rangers with less than six minutes to play. The hat trick for Lawson makes him the league leader in goals with 25.
- Andre Lacroix and Keith Wright each had three goals as the Quebec Aces blasted the Buffalo Bisons 7-3 in Quebec. Defenceman Jimmy Morrison was the other Quebec marksman. Buffalo goal getters were Camille Henry, Dennis Hextall and Sheldon Kannegiesser.
- Rochester Americans received some good news on the injury front yesterday. The AHL team will have veterans Don Cherry and Bronco Horvath back in the lineup this weekend.
50 Years Ago In Hockey 