Money is a great motivator for Eddie Shack of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He proved last night he can also play some pretty good hockey by scoring two goals in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Leafs a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Maple Leaf Gardens.
In the only other National Hockey League game last night, the Montreal Canadiens fired three goals in the final period to down the Boston Bruins 5-2 in Montreal.
Leafs Clinch Third
The win enabled Toronto to clinch a third-place finish in the NHL standings. And Shack’s big night also put a good sum of money in his pocket.
Eddie the Entertainer has a bonus clause in his contract that earns him $100 for every goal he scores above 15 for the season. Last night’s markers earned him $200 for the night and with 25 on the year, he has put an extra $1000 in his bank account. Add to that the $750 bonus each player receives for finishing in third place and the tax man suddenly becomes very happy with Eddie’s work.
The Red Wings actually led in this game, thanks to a first-period tally by Dean Prentice. It was number 12 on the season for the veteran left winger. Red Kelly’s eighth tied it up for the Leafs in the middle frame.
That set the stage for Shack’s pair in the final 20 minutes. The winning goal came on a play started by Bob Pulford, who fed Kelly. Kelly’s shot appeared to go straight into the net but Shack was given credit for deflecting it past Detroit goalie Roger Crozier.
Pulford also set up the third Leaf goal. His pass put Shack in on Crozier. The burly Toronto forward managed to slip the puck through Crozier’s legs, despite having Detroit blueliner Pete Goegan riding on his back.
Johnny Bower followed up his fine game in Montreal earlier in the week with another strong performance. Bower made 29 saves, many of them spectacular. He was at his best in the opening frame when the Red Wings threw everything they had at the veteran Toronto netminder.
Crozier also played well. Wings’ coach Sid Able thought both goaltenders were the stars of the game:
Bower saved them in the first period and Crozier saved us in the second period. I thought it was a good game.
The loss was a costly one for Detroit. The Wings lost both forward Parker MacDonald and defenseman Bill Gadsby to injuries. MacDonald re-injured a wonky knee when he crashed into the boards and Gadsby hurt an ankle blocking a Larry Hillman slap shot.
Big Third Wins It For Habs
The Montreal Canadiens scored three third-period goals to win going away, 5-2 over the Boston Bruins at the Forum in Montreal. The victory for Montreal leaves them just two points from clinching a first-place NHL finish.
After a scoreless first period, the teams exchanged four goals in a busy middle frame. Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Bobby Rousseau and Ralph Backstrom. Boston gamely fought back, though. Ron Stewart and Johnny Bucyk scored to even the count after 40 minutes.
The third period opened with Gilles Tremblay scoring what proved to be the winner just 1:14 into the period. Less than a minute later, Backstrom notched his second of the night and 20th of the season to make it 4-2. Jean Beliveau closed out the scoring at 13:49 to make the final 5-2.
Montreal held a wide edge in play in this game. The Habs fired 43 shots at Ed Johnston in the Boston goal. Boston responded with 26 drives at Gump Worsley, who was between the pipes for Montreal. Worsley left the game with just less than two minutes to play and was replaced by Charley Hodge. Hodge was well-protected in the final minute and 47 seconds, and didn’t have to field a single shot.
Marlies, Rangers Draw in Kitchener
A goal by Toronto’s Doug Dunville with just four seconds left on the clock pulled the Marlboros into a 4-4 tie with the Kitchener Rangers in an Ontario Hockey Association Junior A semi-final game in Kitchener. The saw-off gives Toronto a 5-3 edge in points in the series after four games.
The game was a scrambly affair, with very little flow. That was likely due to the many interruptions in play thanks to the Rangers fans’ penchant for littering the ice at every opportunity. It took over an hour to play the third period because of these delays.
The tying goal by Dunville came off a faceoff in the Kitchener zone with 15 seconds left. The draw was scrambled and with almost everyone on the ice in the scrum, Toronto’s Jim McKenny poked the puck to Jim Cassidy. Cassidy relayed a perfect pass to Dunville who slipped it through the skates of Kitchener goalie Gary Kurt.
Wayne Carleton, Mike Corrigan and Jim Keon also scored for Marlboros. Bob Cook led the Rangers attack with a pair of goals. Walter Tkaczuk and Bob Jones added singles.
Jones’ goal was a controversial one. During a scramble around the Marlies’ net, Cook somehow ended up sitting on Toronto goalie Al Smith. With Smith pinned, Jones poked a loose puck into the net. Marlies argued at great length with referee Brian Lewis that Cook was in the goal crease and also that Lewis had been slow with the whistle.
Generals Blank Baby Habs
Ian Young’s shutout goaltending for the Oshawa Generals last night pushed the Montreal Junior Canadiens to the brink of elimination in their Ontario Hockey Association Junior A semi-final playoff series. The Generals downed the Baby Habs by a scored of 4-0 in Oshawa.
The game really boiled down to Young’s performance in the opening period. Montreal held a 16-7 edge in shots, but Oshawa scored the only goal. Young’s heroics seemed to deflate the Montreal squad, and they couldn’t get anything going for the rest of the night.
Wayne Cashman paced the Oshawa offence with a pair of goals. Bill Little and George Babcock added the others.
Notes:
- Dink Carroll of the Montreal Gazette reports that it’s likely Punch Imlach will leave the Toronto Maple Leafs for a job with one of the NHL expansion teams, possibly Los Angeles.
- Carroll says that likely candidates for coaching posts with the new teams are Red Sullivan, Rudy Pilous and Jackie Gordon.
- Kenny Reardon, former Montreal executive, may wind up with the new Pittsburgh team, according to Carroll.
- Carroll also says that there are rumours that if an attractive offer were made to Sid Abel by one of the new teams, he would consider leaving Detroit.
- New York Rangers fans have a new nickname for Gordie Howe. They call him “The Divinity.”
- NHL referee Frank Udvari says he may retire at the end of the current season.
- WHL San Francisco Seals edged Seattle 5-4. Wayne Maxner and Del Topoll had three points each for the Seals.
- Los Angeles Blades of the WHL surprised the AHL Buffalo Bisons 3-2. Jim Baird scored the winner with 32 seconds left.
- Vancouver defeated Portland 5-2 in the other WHA game. Bruce Carmichael scored the 300th goal of his professional career for the Canucks.
- Gerry Ehman scored 3 goals to lead Rochester to a 6-3 win over Hershey in AHL play.
- Memphis Wings of the CPHL went on with their game at home last night as a tribute to Wings’ forward Butch Paul. Paul was fatally injured in a car accident early Saturday morning. Memphis lost 3-1 to the Minnesota Rangers.