The Toronto Maple Leafs may have found the key to beating the Chicago Black Hawks. The Toronto club’s formula was quite simple last night in Toronto. Keep Bobby Hull from scoring and you’ll likely win the game.
Hull didn’t light the red light and the Leafs skated to a well-earned 5-2 win over the Hawks in one of three National Hockey League games. The other two contests saw Detroit and Montreal battle to a 2-2 tie and Boston get past New York 5-3.
No Goals But Two Points for Hull
Hull wasn’t completely unsuccessful as he did earn assists on both of the Chicago goals. But he wasn’t able to get himself into position for even one solid-gold scoring opportunity thanks to the Leafs close checking and diligent defence.
Five players shared in the Toronto scoring. Eddie Shack, Frank Mahovlich, Allan Stanley Ron Ellis and Larry Hill each netted a goal. Phil Esposito and Pat Stapleton replied for Chicago.
The Black Hawks actually carried the play on the evening, but once again received shaky goaltending from rookie Dave Dryden. Dryden got the start as Chicago coach Billy Reay continues to rest veteran goalie Glenn Hall. Given Dryden’s performance last night, it would be no surprise to see Hall between pipes for the return engagement tonight in Chicago.
Toronto led 2-1 at the end of the first on Mahovlich’s 20th of the year and Stanley’s third. Esposito got Chicago on the board with a goal between the two Leaf markers.
Shack and Hillman connected for the only goals of the middle frame. Shack swatted a shot by Red Kelly out of mid-air past Dryden for his career-high 19th goal. Hillman lofted a long shot from centre ice which was more than a clearing play that eluded Dryden for the fourth Toronto goal. The goal was a birthday gift from Dryden to Hillman, who turned 29 yesterday.
Stapleton scored on a shot from the blue line near the 14-minute mark to finish the Chicago scoring. Dave Keon rounded out the Leaf total with the final goal with about two minutes to play.
Douglas Slash Injures Mikita
Black Hawks star centre Stan Mikita sustained a 13-stitch gash on the forehead in the first period when he was slashed by Toronto defenceman Kent Douglas. Mikita, as tough a customer as there is in the NHL, left the game but returned for the second period and didn’t miss a shift the rest of the way. He donned a helmet and didn’t seem affected by the injury.
Douglas was given a five-minute major for slashing by referee John Ashley. Reay was livid at what he considered the mild sentence handed to Douglas:
“It should have been a match penalty. Everyone knows it after the game. Why don’t they call it when it happens?”
Reay didn’t wait until after the game. He protested so loud and long that Ashley assessed the Hawks a delay of game penalty.
The incident happened when Mikita was knocked down by Douglas. He wasn’t cut on the initial play, but while laying on the ice, Mikita grabbed Douglas and hauled him down as well. Douglas quickly scrambled to his feet and in doing so, took a wild back-hand swipe, striking the Chicago player on the head and inflicting the damage.
Douglas described his version of the incident:
“Hillman knocked Mikita down and I was trying to hold him outside the blue line. He swung his stick at me, I ducked and fell. When I was trying to get up, he pulled my skate as I was falling. I swung at him. He swung at me several times but the referee didn’t see that.”
Provost Saves Habs
Claude Provost’s goal with just over thirteen minutes left in game gave the Montreal Canadiens their tie with Detroit at the Forum in Montreal. Provost scored on a perfect pass from captain Jean Beliveau, marring a brilliant goaltending display by the Red Wings Roger Crozier.
Gilles Tremblay had the other Montreal goal. Gary Bergman and Parker MacDonald found the range for the Red Wings.
Gump Worsley also had a strong game in goal for Canadiens, but was the goat for the Habs. MacDonald’s goal was a looping 65-foot wrist shot that somehow got past the Montreal netminder.
Asked after the game what happened on the play, Worsley admitted:
“I thought it was going over the net.”
Vets Lead Bruins
Veteran forwards Tommy Williams and John Bucyk scored two goals each to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers at the Garden in Boston. It was the fifth time this season the Bruins had topped the Rangers. The win snapped a three-game Boston losing streak.
John McKenzie was the other Bruin goal getter. Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle were the scorers for New York.
Bucyk’s goal was the 500th point of his 11-year NHL career.
Notes:
- Hockey executives Jim Gregory, Wren Blair and Hap Emms are the folks behind the new Haliburton hockey school. The facility will feature an all-star lineup of player instructors.
- Pacific National Exhibition directors have voted to support the bid for an NHL expansion franchise by a group headed by Vancouver businessman Cyrus McLean.
- Cliff Schmautz scored his 32nd goal of the Western Hockey League season to give Portland a 3-2 win over Vancouver.