Four weeks ago the Boston Bruins sent veteran winger Parker MacDonald to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a young, smallish centre upon whom the Wings had given up. So far, the move looks to be a stroke of genius by Bruins general manager Hap Emms.
Pit Martin has been a revelation for the Bruins. Since being traded to Boston at the end of December. Last night he almost single-handedly destroyed the powerful Chicago Black Hawks as Boston downed Chicago 5-3 at the Boston Garden. Martin scored four goals in one of the best performances by any forward in the National Hockey League this season. In the process, the native of Noranda, Quebec overshadowed Chicago superstar Bobby Hull. Hull scored his 40th of the season for Chicago as he continues his assault on the NHL’s single-season goal scoring record total of 50.
Hull was limited to only five shots on goal in yet another fine job of shadowing by Bruins handyman Eddie Westfall.
Martin: 10 Goals in 12 Games
Martin now has 10 goals for Boston since the December 30 trade with Detroit. Ten in a month is a pretty good total for any player in any league and if he can keep this pace up, the Bruins return to respectability can’t be too far down the road. Last night’s win was the fourth consecutive victory for the cellar-dwelling Bruins.
The Bruins scored three times in the opening frame and never looked back. Martin netted his first two goals before Murray Oliver added the third for a 3-0 first-period lead.
The second period saw Hull fire his 40th at 1:26. Doug Mohns then potted his 13th at 9:08 to draw Chicago to within one. Martin scored his third of the night just less than two minutes later to put the home side up by two.
With 40 seconds left in the middle frame, Phil Esposito once again narrowed the Boston lead to one with his 14th.
The Bruins added an insurance goal at 2:02 of the third, with Martin collecting his fourth of the game. The Black Hawks then mounted a furious comeback. They threw everything but Billy Reay’s fedora at Boston netminder Ed Johnston, who was simply unbeatable over the final 20 minutes. Chicago outshot Boston 16-5 in the third.
Bruins Lose Green
The Bruins lost defenseman Ted Green in the first period. The NHL penalty leader suffered stretched knee ligaments after a tussle with Chicago’s Eric Nesterenko. Early indications are that Green could miss up to a month of play.
Martin’s four-goal night tied a Boston record. Woody Dumart set the mark on March 4, 1951, also against Chicago. Martin now has eight goals in his past five games.
Martin had always been considered a good prospect by the Red Wings. He had a great junior career with the Hamilton Red Wings, leading the team in playoff scoring during their run to the Memorial Cup in 1962.
This season, the five-foot, eight-inch, 156 pound centre never did get untracked with Detroit. After 10 games with the Wings, he was dispatched to Pittsburgh of the American Hockey League. In 16 games with the Hornets, he scored six goals and six assists. He apparently showed enough to get Emms’ attention and the deal was made. The Bruins were fortunate that the Wings felt that Gordie Howe needed an offensive winger to fill out the top line, and with Boston in dire need of a pivot, the two teams matched up for the deal perfectly.
Selby Top Rookie
Brit Selby of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been named the National Hockey League’s top rookie for the first half of the 1965-66 season. Selby was selected by a panel of hockey writers and broadcasters. Balloting takes place at the mid-point of the season and then again at the conclusion. The two point totals are combined to decide the overall winner.
The balloting is conducted on a points system. Each NHL city gets three ballots. A first-place selection is worth five points, second place gets three, and third received one.
Selby received 59 points to finish first. Detroit’s fine freshman defenseman Bert Marshall was next with 49 points. Third place went to Boston’s rookie netminder Bernie Parent, who polled 35.
Selby is one of those rare rookie forwards who brings a complete game to the table. He is used in all game situations by coach Punch Imlach. He has scored 11 goals so far, tops among first-year men. He’s seen some time on the power play, and Imlach has no problem using him to kill penalties. Selby has had regular work on a line with Wally Boyer and Ron Ellis and the threesome has clicked quite well.
Marshall is big western boy, who is not shy about laying on the body. He has taken a regular turn on what has become the best defence in hockey. The 6-2, 195-pounder is a graduate of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He spent his first pro season last year with Memphis of the Central Professional Hockey League and wasn’t expected to contribute to the big team until next season at the very earliest.
Parent, a native of Montreal, comes to the Bruins directly from the Niagara Falls Flyers of the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A ranks. He was that loop’s top goaltender last season and was dominant in the playoffs as the Flyers steamrolled their way to the Memorial Cup. He possesses cat-like reflexes and a stand-up style reminiscent of his idol, Jacques Plante. Parent even wears a custom-made face mask manufactured by Plante.
Hull Most Valuable
Bobby Hull, to no one’s surprise, is the mid-season leader in voting for the Hart Trophy, which goes to the National Hockey League’s most valuable player. Hull received 79 of a possible 90 points to far out distance the competition.
Hull’s team mate, goalie Glenn Hall, was second with 21 points. Norm Ullman of Detroit came third with 14. Among the others to receive points were Gordie Howe (13), Bob Pulford (10) and Roger Crozier (8).
Delvecchio Leads Byng Voting
Alex Delvecchio of the Detroit Red Wings is the leader in voting for the Lady Byng Trophy at the NHL season’s half-way mark. Delvecchio received 52 points for a 22 point lead over Montreal’s Bobby Rousseau, who had 30. In third place was Don Marshall of the New York Rangers with 21. The next three finishers were Bob Nevin (19), Dave Keon (12) and Bobby Hull (8).
Laperriere Top Defender
Montreal Canadiens’ Jacques Laperriere was named the NHL’s top defenseman for the first half of the season with 62 of a possible 90 points in the mid-season voting. Laperriere had a 20-point lead over second place Pierre Pilote of the Chicago Black Hawks. In third place with 30 points is Doug Barkley of the Detroit Red Wings.
The next three finishers were well off the pace. Harry Howell of the New York Rangers had nine points, followed by Matt Ravlich of the Hawks with five and Tim Horton of Toronto with 4.
Hamilton Tops Oshawa
The fourth-place Hamilton Red Wings moved to within six points of third-place Oshawa with a 5-4 win over the Generals last night. In the other Ontario Hockey Association Junior A games, Montreal Junior Canadiens drubbed the St. Catharines Black Hawks 5-1 while Peterborough nipped Niagara Falls 3-2
Nick Libett was the scoring hero for Hamilton with three goals. Steve Keeler and Don Giesebrecht were the other Red Wing goal getters. Oshawa marksmen were Bobby Orr, Bill Heindl, Chris Hayes and Barry Wilkins.
At Montreal, three second-period goals were enough to power the Baby Habs past St. Kitts. Chris Bordeleau, Jacques Lemaire, Carol Vadnais, Lucien Grenier and Michel Lapalme lit the lamp for Montreal. Kerry Bond was the lone St. Catharines goal scorer.
Mickey Redmond scored the game-winning goal with two minutes left in the second period to lift Peterborough past Niagara Falls. John Vanderburg and Guy Dufour also had goals for the Petes. Bud Debrody scored both goals for Niagara Falls.