82 Castlégar News March 4, 1990

SPO

RTS

Swimming records falling like dominoes

SASKATOON (GP) — Calgary swimmer Mark
Texksbury set his second world record in as many days
Friday in the short-course 50-metre backstroke at the win-

ter

Tewksbury pumped his lanky frame down the pool in

arecord time of 25.06 seconds.

“The 50 metres is just go, go, go, all the wa:

an exhausted Tewksbury after the race. ‘I wasn’t sure I
the reerod, but I thought f had a good shot.

“It sure felt fantastic to do it,"’ the dark-haired

swimmer said with a grin.

His performance isn’t an official world record
because it came on a 25-metre short-course pool. FINA,
the international governing body for amateur aquatics,
only records times on full-length, 50-metre pools.

His record-breaking performance followed another

world’s best swim on Thursday. Tewksbury swam the
100-metre backstroke in 53.69 seconds.
On Friday he barely edged the old record of 25.10,

set less than a month ago by Daischi Suzuki of Japan.

Tewksbury said after Friday's swim he nearly lost the

record in the final few metres of the race. ‘I got in a good

** said

turn, but I jammed the touch at the end,"’ he said, water
still beading on his skin, ‘I was right on, barely.on—~ not
‘a millimetre to spare."”

Records have been falling like dominoes since the

meet began Wednesday in Saskatoon’s Harry Bailey

Aquatic Centre.

Canadian record

Earlier Friday, Winnipeg's Kristin Topham set a

in the 100-metre butterfuly. Topham

lead a fast field in the final to clock a time of 1:00.77,
beating the five-year-old record of 1:00.91.

Rusty old Wrench is
back at the Brier

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. (CP)
— The Wrench of Avonlea may have
mellowed over the years. But he’s still
a thorn in the side of curling’s hierar-
chy.

Ed Werenich is the Ontario cham-
pion for the eighth time — his fourth
as a skip — and heads into the Labatt
Brier on Sunday as the curmudgeon
of the Canadian men’s championship.

The 42-year-old Toronto
firefighter, although not the oldest
skip at the ip — that

Heck, I might even have to sit out a
couple of games next week.” ~

It's been seven years Trace
Werenich’s dream team of Paul
Savage, John Kawaja and Neil
Harrison walked ihto Regina and
bamboozled the Swedes in the finale
to win the 1983 world championship.

A jesture Werenich made toward a
Swedish player in the heat of the late
ends triggered a, long-standing feud
veh many at the Canadian Curling
st and Curl Canada that still

honor goes to Harold Breckenridge,
44, of Alberta — will be among the
most visible competitors.

His anti-establishment stances
make him as much a marked man as
his curling excellence.

“Nobody worries about Werenich
any more,’’ he says with a puckish

in. *‘They figure he’s old and will
have trouble getting out of the hack

exists. It seems whenever there's a
controversy in the curling com-
munity, the Wrench is in the middle.
In 1985, Werenich and Savage were
ordered to lose weight if they wanted
to. compete in the 1988 Olympic trials.
Now there’s'a movement among
the curlers to allow the players more
power to police themselves and
dispense with the overwhelming num-

Seniors to pl

By BUD LOWTHER

Jack Gourley strung together a
record of eight wins against one loss
and a tie to win the fourth and final
regular season draw in the Castlegar
Seniors’ Curling League over the
month of February.

Gourley and third Wally Brun,
second Bud Merry and lead Adin
Ford, edged out the always com-
petitive rink skipped by 80-year-old
Mike Verzuh, which finished with a
seven-win, one-loss record.

The seniors league now moves into
the playoff round where 15 rinks will
be divided into three divisions with
each division after its own piece of
hardware.

A Piege of the Actign!

{ Some?

from $296.00/mo. O.A.C.
1990 Campion 18'Allante
* comes with full canvas *

* floor storage *
© fuel tank ¢
¢ swim platform ¢
© 100 HP Mercury Outboard *

One division will battle for the
Lamb trophy while in another the
Sharples trophy will be up for grabs
and a third division will chase the
Sherbiko trophy.

Playoff action begins March 6 at
the Castlegar Curling Club and con-

Skier
strikes
silver

Known as an outstanding marathon
runner, Castlegar resident Ben Thor-
Larsen left his running shoes behind
in favor of skis last weekend, and the
result was the same — outstanding.

Thor-Larsen, 61, won two silver
medals and a bronze in the 1990
Canadian. Masters Cross-country Ski
Championships in Canmore, Alta.,
Feb. 18-25.

Thor-Larsen took second i in the 60-

ber of on-ice officials at provincial
and national championships.

Manitoba curlers told their ice of-
ficials at the provincial championship
to go home. Two curling officials
were kept around but would get in-
volved only if requested.

“They said it was absolutely per-
fect,’” Werenich said. ‘I'd love to see
the game turned back to the curlers."’

Only Kawaja and Harrison remain
from the glory years. But Werenich
has recruited an experienced front end
— lead Pat Perroud and second Ian
Tetley. Perroud and Tetley played
front end for Al Hackner’s 1985
world championship rink.

The Werenich team is riding a hot
streak into the week-long competition
at the Sault Memorial Gardens.

“As a team, we’ve won 26 straight
games,’’ Werenich said Friday after
the team’s first practice session.

ayoff

tinues through March 20.

Aside from playoffs, the seniors’
league is eagerly anticipating a remat-
ch with the Nelson Curling Club
seniors who will be coming to town
March 15. A little revenge for the
Castlegar seniors may be on tap as the
Nelson seniors had a decided advan-
tage in wins when they hosted
Castlegar seniors in January.

By the time playoffs end, spring
will be almost upon us, so the seniors
will be moving out of the curling rink
and on to the tennis courts and golf
courses.

Before that time comes, the seniors
wish to thank everyone involved with
making the league a success again this
season, and especially the players
themselves.

The record was her second of the meet. She set a
Canadian mark in the 50-metre freestyle
The tousle-haired Topham said she hadn't expected
to do this well in Saskatoon, but was inspired by

Tewksbury’s world record Thursday.

“I went into the race feeling a bit nervous," she said.
“*That last 20 metres.is- what hurt thé most.”’

Topham said she made great strides in training
before the meet. ‘‘It felt good, this meet,'’ she said. ‘‘I've
been changing my-turns, my stroke — technical things like

that."”

Topham came in almost a full second ahead of Ed-
who was followed by Jennifer

monton’s Debbie Gaudin,
Hutchison of Montreal.

The University of Calgary men’s 800-metre relay
team also shattered a Canadian record Friday, finishing

with a time of 7:16.39. The four-man team of Mike
Steve 1

Darren Ward and Gary

Vandermeulen beat the 1988 record by nine one-
hundredths of a second. 7

One widely anticipated showdown failed to

materialize Friday night in the men’s 100-metre butterfly.
Tom Ponting took the event, but fell well short of the
world-record time set by his rival, Toronto's Marcel Gery.

Gery dropped out of the Saskatoon meet late Thur-
sday because of illness.

A disappointed Ponting Said he was satisfied to win

the event, but said Gery’s absence hurt his performance.
Gery téok the world record away from Ponting earlier

this year at the World Cup in Leicester, England.

“I more or less didn’t have a rabbit to chase out
there,’’ Ponting said.

THIS IS BASKETBALL? ... The ball r mi ight be a little smaller and the same swith the glean
ovt it was basketball, as over 100 kids hit the court in et District st Elementary sc school

sketball championships at SHSS FRiday

for full results from the tourney. —cosrews Photo by Ed Mills

Castlegar team fails to live
up to billing in b-ball

By CasNews Staff
Smelter Pub beat Victoria Place 66-
63 to cap a Cinderella season and win
the championship in the Trail Men’s
Basketball League at Cominco Gym
in Trail Wednesday night.

Ed Canzian scored 27 points and
Dave Vaness added 15 to lead Smelter
Pub through an undefeated playoff
round after.the team had finished in
last place in the regular season.

Castlegar Realty, which finithed
the season in first and were con-
sidered-favorites_to_win_the cham-
pionship, lost two of three in the
playoff round including a 63-60 loss
to Kingfisher Bobcat Services in the
other game Wednesday.

Brian Turlock scored 25 while
Wayne McCarthy had 16 for
Castlegar in a losing cause. John

Denison ‘drained 24 and Duane
Donald canned 21 for Kingfisher,
which also finished the playoffs with a
1-2 record.

“Aw, we were cold as ice,”’ said
Turlock. ‘We couldn’t have made a
shot if our lives depended on it.’”

Turlock said Smelter Pub was a
team whose regular season record of
5-10 was deceiving.

“The reason for their record was
because they didn’t have guys show

at fock said. “But in the
playoffs: they all showed up. Come
playoff time it was a different team.’’

Victoria Place got 24 points from
Ernie Rella and Chad Coupland in the
toss to Smelter Pub and concluded the
round-robin playoffs with one win
and two losses.

SFU cagers sweep

BURNABY, B.C, — The Simon
Fraser Clan beat the Western
Washington Vikings 68-62 Friday
night to win the NAIA District I
women’s basketball championship.

The Clan swept the best-of-three
series 2-0 and next Thursday will play
the winner of this weekend's District 2

championship between Seattle-Pacific
and Nazarene Colleges.

Michelle Hendry scored 30 points
for the Clan, who led 34-29 at haif-
time, while the Vikings got 21 points
from Cim Hanson.

Simon Fraser beat Western
Washington 76-52 Wednesday in
Bellingham, Wash.

WEEKEND

65 age category 15. event
and snagged a second silver medal in
the 3x10 km relay. He then picked up
a bronze medal in the 30 km event.

The Masters Championships are
for athletes 30 years of age and over,
and the Canmore event had entrants
from Newfoundland, B.C. and the
host province.

TWETHAVE BUYERS |

BUT NEED
HOMES To SELL

JORDAN ‘WATSON
365-2166 © 365-6892

For a Free Market Evaluation
Castlegar Realty Ltd. * 1761 Col. Ave.

Report from REDA\

wu oum Tat wm

SNOW CONDITIONS:

Ski conditions are rated as excellent on
machine-groomed runs with a total snow

depth of 200 centimetrs. in the Alpine. The
Red and T-Bar lifts are open from 8:30 a.m. to
4 p.m. while Granite is open from 8:30 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. and Paradise from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m.

EVENTS:

Go for Gold Fun Races — Challenge a
friend every Saturday.

Black Jack Cross-Country has 25
kilometres of trails groomed and set for

ROSSLAND SNOW PHONE
362-5500

GENERAL INFO. 362-7384

classic and skating.

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CASTLEGAR MINOR SOCCER

Annual General Meeting
Thursday, March 8

p.m:
Conference tie Community Complex

CASTLEGAR
RECREATION

& DISTRICT
DEPARTMENT

4 — Doi
ship Hockey Jomboree

mx, Public Swim, 1:30-4:30,
Family Swim, 4:30-6:30. Adult Swim,
6:30-8:30.

§ — Aerobic Closs 9-10 and
Aquo Fit 9-10 A101 (Drop in ac
ted, $3.00), Babysit avail
$1.50/hour. Public swim 3-5 p.m:

MARCH 6 — Porent & Tot Swim BE
1:30, Adult Lap Swim 12:30-1:30,
p.m. ond 8-9 p.m. Porent & Tet
Sxoring 12:
MARCH 7

Cooking Course — 7-9 p.m. 4 weeks,
$40. Cook ond somple dishes from
Jopan, Greece, China and indonesia
MARCH 8 — Porent & Tot Skating, 1!
How y

8:30-10.

— Session ti of Circuit
Weight Froining, Aerobic. Closees.
Aqua___Fit. “Pleschool Playtime,

1 Cuisine

Phone 365-3386 — 2101-6th Ave., Castlegar

BBVsVyssss

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J

BRBBBEE
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Ployolts — Ist team to 4 points
HERES 4 — Costlogor 11, Trail! Contlegar # Trou §
alley 5, Nelson 4, Nelson 6.
Stover Volley 5 Nelson 5, beaver Vetioy 4
Costiegor 6, Melson |. Morch 3 Castlegar ot
CASTLEGAR TEAM SCORING

Charlorte

lokers
Portland
Phoenix

Seottle
Golden Stote
UA Clippers
Socromento

TRANSACTIONS

ron League
Boltimore Orso! 59, '0,torme with inieider Bil
Bighon ond pit puicher Cut Schilling on contracts tor

pitchers od
to one-yoor contracts

{irst bosemon.designoted hit

7s Mark Guthrie and David

New York Yerkes sign cather Bob Geren to one.
yeor contract
‘Seattle Mariners sign pitchers Mike Schooler ond
Horris and infielder Mario Diaz to one-year con:

(as Rongers agree to terms with pitchers Brod
‘ond Ramon one-year contracts
renew contract of catcher Mike Stanley,
Notion!

me with vecond

Cincinnah Rade sign hors Sock
ton ond ‘Mike Rowler’ corchers Tory te mr tact
Wwer ond ouielder Rolondo Roomes one-

Los Angeles Dodgers sign infielder out
Harrle, liehder Broullo Conilo ord pitcher’ tides
Marquet

pooreaut

Detroit Lione sign wide retetver Autor
jew Orleore Soints sign nose techie Yate Gritin
te one-your contrer
Proonts Cornet ign soley Tracey Eaten Ws We
yeor contrect
wockey

Philodetphia Flyers trade let) w
Boston Bruins for @ second round pid
drott

TRIVIA ANSWER: Rejean
Houle was the first player
chosen in the NHL entry draft
by the Montreal Canadiens.

SPORTS

March 4, 1990 Castlegar News B3

Hi Arrow’'s gunners
blast Shell in CRHL

By CasNews Staff

With nothing to lose and only in-
dividual scoring marks to gain, Hi
Arrow Arms players loaded up their
bazookas and went gunning for goals
against Woodland Park Shell in
Castlegar Recreational Hockey
League action at the Community
Complex Thursday night.

And with three of the league's top
scorers just looking to pad their stats,
Shell goaltender Dan Wallace was in
for, and got, a peppering as Hi Arrow
beat Shell 11-3.

Hi Arrow’s John Obetkoff and
Niki Hysan both cracked the 50-goal
mark while Doug Knowler and
Obetkoff reached ‘the 100-point
plateau in the team’s second-last
game of the regular season.

Having already wrapped up first
place in the league, Hi Arrow had an
opportunity to concentrate solely on
offence and did it with a flair, scoring
two in the first, five in the second and
four more in the third.

Shell, which had a chance to move
into second place in the three-team
league if it won its last two games of
the season, saw that y

with 47 goals, got his SOth by com-
pleting his hattrick late in the second
period,

Ironically, it was Hyson, who star-
ted the game with 49 goals, who set. up
Obetkoff for his 50th.

In the third, Obetkoff set up
Knowler for his third of four goals on
the night and both reached the 100-
point mark at the same time with
those points.

Knowler made it 101 points a
minute later with his fourth goal of
the game.

And just when it looked like Hyson
might stay stuck at 49 for the second
game in a row, Bob Essaunce and
Dave MacKinnon combined to set
him up for his S0th with just 36
seconds left in the game.

The three Hi Arrow stars combined
for 13 points in the game with
Knowler finishing with four goals and
an assist, Obetkoff with three and two
while Hyson had one and two.

For Knowler, the five points gives
him 13, — six goals and seven assists,
in his last two games, while Obetkoff
has 12 points, seven goals and five

assists.

obliterated bythe Hi Arrow scoring
machine.

The fact that Shell, had only six
skaters and goalie Wallace dressed for
the game made the chances even
slimmer.

Obetkoff, who went into the game

Darrell was the set-up
man for Hi Arrow, collecting five
assists while Dean MacKinnon had
two goals and an assist and Rod
Zavaduk a goal and two assists.
Essaunce and Tony DaRosa had a
pair of assists apiece.

Forgotten in the fanfare was the

t

fact that Shell actually led the game in
the first period when Joe Bell scored
from Dan Stelck two minutes in.

Early in the second, Stelck, on a
setup from his father Mal Stelck and
Ken Keraiff, scored to tie the game.
But the tie was briéf as Hi Arrow
started shovelling in the goals a
minute later.

Mal Steick got the last Shell goal
from Joe Bell with 6:16 left in the
game.

It was another rough affair between
the two teams who have been warned
in the past by league officials to keep
the rough stuff toa i
non-contact league.

Hi Arrow took six minor penalties,
four for roughing, one for slashing
and another for boarding.

Shell, which could hardly afford to
have players in the box considering its
manpower shortage, took seven
penalties which included two
roughing minors, two slashes and a
high stick. All but two of those
penalties came in the third period with
the outcome of the game no longer in
doubt.

It won’t get any friendlier as the
teams will meet in the CRHL’s final
game of the regular season Monday at
the Complex. Game time is 9:30 p.m.

Current standings have Hi Arrow
with a lock on first with 41 points
while Sandman Inn sits in second with
35 and Shell in third with 32. Playoffs
begin March 6.

The Great One: Gretzky is
more than hockey

so much

EDMONTON (CP)
face lights up when
Gretzky, the hockey
changed his life.

He speaks in an excited, rapid-fire
stream of words i to

Joey Moss’s
sees Wayne
uperstar who

buddy, Gretzky, the NHL’s all-time
points leader and widely considered
the greatest hockey player ever.
Gestures and expressions that
pass between the two make their

anyone who doesn’t know him. His
exuberance is infectious.

Moss, 26, is the- clubhouse at-
tendant for the Edmoriton Oilers of
the National Hockey League. Al-
though he’s mentally handicapped
— he has Down's syndrome — he’s
efficient and popular with the play-
ers.

He got the job through his good

Doc’sd

By The Canadian Press
The words came out in a torrent,
sometimes tumbling over one another
aS Dock Ellis ri d his ntures

bond even to an
outsider.

But it is a private relationship that
Gretzky is reluctant to discuss, es-
pecially since he now lives half a
continent away.

HAKEN BY TRADE

Moss was devastated when Gret-
zky was dealt to Los Angeles Kings
in August 1988. He couldn’t fathom
why his friend would leave the Oil-

ers, who had just won their fourth
NHL championship in five years.

“‘He didn’t understand why
Wayne was gone,’’ says Lyle
(Sparky) Kulchisky, the Oilers’ as-
sistant trainer and the man who
works most closely with Moss.

Kulchisky tried to explain that
trades are part of the game and that
Gretzky’s departure was similar to
those of former Oilers such as Paul
Coffey and Pat Hughes.

“They might be traded but
they’re always going to be your
friend, wherever they are,’ Kulchis-
ky told Moss.

GETTING THERE . . . Susan Giles squeezes a couple more inches out of a rock thrown by
teammate Cherie Carlson coring second round action at the Castlegar Ladies Open Bonspiel

at the Ce legar Curling Club

y with C

oe
Sectded after games Sunday. —cosriews Photoby fd Mills

1g. Over thirty-two teams from across B.C.
9 for 14 of those rinks. Champions will be

Canadian juniors are
not only fish in sea

By The Canadian Press

For years, the Canadian major
junior leagues were the most direct
toute to the National Hockey League.

But while Canadian juniors are still
regarded as the No. 1 proving ground,
they aren’t alone in providing talent
for the NHL.

In fact, they’re competing with
American colleges and high schools,
not to mention European players.

“It’s now called the ‘universal
draft’ and for good reason,’’ says
Darcy Regier, longtime director of
player personnel with the New York
Islanders who now is an assistant
coach. “‘It is not really focused as
much on Canadian juniors as in the
past.”’

There was a time when NHL teams
picked players almost exclusively
from the Ontario Hockey League,
Western Hockey League and Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League, and
hardly ever from south of the border.

When the first NHL draft was held
in 1969, 67 of the 84 picks.came out of

rug days are over now

Rebellious Dock, throwing a no-
hitter while high on LSD. Addicted
Dock, experimenting with every ban-

in the scary world of drugs.

You remember Dock, the former
major league baseball pitcher.
Outrageous Dock, running around
with his hair in curlers.

ned known to man, and a
few not yet discovered.

Ellis had just come out of drug
rehabilitation when another ex-patient
invited him over to his house.

**The guy had been in treatment with

players
get on

1990.

1987.

Many players have structured their

Bielecki’s 451 per cent increase

cent increase, to $1.45 million from

losers increased their salaries by
$441,700.
Collective

No wonder ball

NEW YORK (AP)— Baseball players in arbitration had an average
salary increase of $348,269 US this year, according to an Associated
Press survey. The 82 per cent jump is the most since before collusion
and will push the average major-league salary to about $600,000 US in

The 159 players who filed for arbitration had an average salary of
$422,735 in 1989. Their 1990 average, including prorated shares of
signing bonuses and other guaranteed money, will be $771,004.

Last year, the salaries of players filing for arbitration rose 70 per
cent, following a 65 per cent rise in 1988 and a 35 per cent increase in

Looking at the average increase over the length of contracts, the in-
crease was ever sharper — 102 per cent, the biggest rise since 1981.

season because of the owners’ lockout.
Sixty-eight players who filed for arbitr
21 tripled them, five quadrupled them and Mike Bielecki of the Chicago

Cubs increased his five-fold, to $675,000 from $122,500.
MCGRIFF CLOSE

cent jump, to $1,625,000 from $357,500, and Fred McGriff’s 346 per

Based upon statistical comparisons with recent years, the average
salary should rise to between $590,
exact number will depend on which players make opening day rosters.

Just 24 players actually had hearings and 14 won. The 14 winners
increased their salaries by 141 per cent, $900,357 from $373,179. The 10

want to
with it

contracts to lower their salaries this

ion doubled their salaries,

was followed Ruben Sierra’s 355 per
$325,000.

000 and $620,000 next season. The

106 per cent, to $909,000 from

have

it to remain at three years.

from player and

arbitration eligibility. Players want the minimum service time rolled
back to two years, where it was before the 1985 agreement. Owners want

Players with between three and four years service, almost all filing
for arbitration for the first time, did particularly well, the AP study
found. Their average jumped 158 per cent, to $497,178 from $192,957.

Figures for the AP study were obtained over the last two months

d on the issue of

potential income from incentives.

sources. They do not include

me,’’ he said. ‘‘l knew something was
up. I could smell the stuff before we
were in the door. Anyone who has used
it knows that smell. When we got in-
side, he showed me two kilo8. He said
he wanted to get back in the fast lane."”

And what did Ellis say?

“*Ttold him, ‘I’m outta here.’ ’*

The smell of the stuff lingers in the
brain, a siren’s cal. That is why the
most dangerous time for an addict is
the time after rehabilitation. For an
athlete, that problem is compounded
by lifestyle.

The idle time. The extra money. The
constant opportunity. The gnawing
craving. They are all permanent lan-
dmines, threatening to blow up
without warning. Ellis knows that. He
runs scared, afraid of the slip that
drug-treatment professionals say is so
common among recovering addicts.

**Addictién is an obsession,” * said
Dr. Arnold Washton, who has treated
two dozen professional athletes with
substance-abuse problems. “‘It’s easy
to stop but hard to stay away from.
You don’t get fixed in rehabilitation.
And the first day out is the first time
you have to live without that artificial
protection.””

Getting started in drugs is the easiest
thing in the world, Ellis said, but
recovery is much more complicated
than the addiction. He adds he’s cured
and he'll never go back.

Others, however,
resisting the temptation.

have trouble

Of the 13 past and present NBA
players who came forward after
brushes with drugs, nine slid back to
that culture after rehab. Thirty-one
NFL players have tested positive for
drugs more than once and been
suspended for 30 days. Baseball has
suspended 11 players for repeated drug
use

The National Hockey League has
also had its problems. In 1978, Don
Murdoch was suspended for cocaine
possession. Last year, Bob Probert of
the Detroit Red Wings wound up in jail
after U.S. Customs officials found
cocaine hidden in his undershorts.

The list of two- and three-time losers
includes frontline stars like Roy Tar
pley and Walter Davis in the NBA,
Lawrence Taylor and Dexter Manley
in the NFL, Steve Howe and Lamarr
Hoyt in baseball. Each of them used
drugs, underwent rehabilitation, went
back to theirsports and then went bagk
to drugs.

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Savings Credit Union
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SLOCAN PARK ~
ighway 6
16-7212

Canadian juniors and only seven of
the others out of American colleges.
But in 1987, NHL teams drafted
109 U.S. college and high school
players, as opposed to 85 from

Canadian juniors. In 1988, it was 104
from:American schools and 85 from
Canada. And last year, it was pretty
much split down the middle.
EUROPEAN SWING

The recent swing toward European
players has been almost as dramatic.
In the first nine years of the draft, a
total of only 26 European players
were taken. In the 1989 draft alone,
38 players were picked from abroad
— including Sweden’s Mats Sundin,
who was taken by the Quebec Nor-
diques as the first European players to
be chosen first overall.

“‘In the past, juniors used to be the
thing,”’ says Bob Johnson, executive

director of the Amateur Hockey
Association of the United States and a
former coach of the Calgary Flames.
**But you'll find the NHL doing more
business in America these days, as
well as abroad. It’s now an inter-
national-National Hockey League.””

The new drafting regulations have
had something to do with this trend.

After the first three rounds, draf-
ted players are required to have more
experience. The idea of the rule is to
allow most players to stay in juniors,
rather than rush them into the NHL
at too young an age.

But mostly, the reason NHL teams
are looking all over the northern
United States for players these days is
simply that American colleges and
high schools have come of age
hockey-wise.

“‘High school hockey has really im-
proved in the States,"’ says New York
Ranger coach Roger Neilson. ‘‘They
don’t have the junior hockey, so this
is the equivalent of it."”

In previous years, many of those
players would have, gone to play in
Canada. But now, they’re continuing
their hockey training in American
colleges, which offer scholarships and
an education.

Featuring BILLY GRAHAM with a message of hope

A World Wide Pictures release in color

tre

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