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monochameleon · 01-18-2016, 01:16 AM

MAJOR LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS

- Opening ceremonies in Chicago
- Trades to begin the season
- First scores of the year

Season opens in Chicago (20/9/66)
A capacity crowd of 21,100 packed into the International Amphitheatre last night as the Chicago Blues and Ottawa Wolves played out the first ever interleague game of ice hockey. All twelve team captains were in attendance and all posed with the St. Lawrence Trophy, the spoils for the team who wins the eight-team playoff tournament at the end of the season. Excitement was palpable and it is believed that record numbers of fans watched the continent-wide broadcast at home. In the end, the Wolves were able to hold off a fast-finishing home side and win in a close contest, 3-2.

Trades Around the League (24/9/66)
The season is barely underway and already played are moving around: a major deal saw the Chicago Blues receive Jared Knight (RD, 26) and Yoann Blanchette (C, 28) in exchange for sending the New York Centrals goaltender Jeremiah Kruger (21) and Steve Lucas (C, 25). The Blues made up for their fall in goaltending stocks by sending Dominic Bourdeau (RD, 29) to the Lakeside Hawks in exchange for Chris Methot (G, 29).

Weekly Scores

Tuesday 20th September 1966
Ottawa Wolves 3 - 2 Chicago Blues

Wednesday 21st September 1966
Vancouver Giants 5 - 2 Hartford Robins
Northwest Bears 5 - 1 Toronto Greenshirts
Calgary Tigers 0 - 2 Montreal Champions
St. Louis Cardinals 3 - 6 Ottawa Wolves

Thursday 22nd September 1966
Hartford Robins 3 - 1 St. Louis Cardinals
New York Centrals 4 - 1 Chicago Blues
Lakeside Hawks 3 - 1 Toronto Greenshirts
Quebec City Lions 2 - 4 Ottawa Wolves

Friday 23rd September 1966
Lakeside Hawks 3 - 5 Vancouver Giants
Northwest Bears 4 - 0 Montreal Champions

GAME OF THE WEEK:

Chicago Blues 1 - 5 New York Centrals
Central Park Rink, New York City

Major league hockey came to New York last night for the first time as the Blues and Centrals met in Central Park. Likely to be the last season for the Centrals in their current home, the New York team made sure their farewell party got off with a bang as they demolished the Blues for the second time in consecutive days. A 4-1 loss to the Centrals in Chicago had been bad enough, 5-1 in the return encounter for the Blues had to be agonising.

The Blues probably felt they had the edge early on as they scored at 3:37 in the first, with Jesse DiBrina finding Sam Larsson on a long pass across the ice that allowed Larsson to close and score against a New York defence that was just barely getting started. Jeremiah Kruger, in his first game of pro hockey and against the club who had held his rights until just this week, never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net.

It was to be his only mistake, however. Stopping all 22 further shots on goal, Kruger was fearless and unintimidated. He was assisted by the aggression and relentlessness of his teammates: the Blues found themselves outshot 35-23 and outhit 35-16 - but still outpenalised, 10 minutes to four.

Wayne Swift scored the equaliser with just fourteen seconds to go in the first period, and after that, the goals came steadily for the Centrals, with markers to O'Furey, Peyton McDonald, Dallas Holloway and Jon Breuer, with all of them but Holloway going 1-and-1 for the night. The Blues, perhaps demoralised from their losses earlier in the week to Ottawa and New York once already, had no answers and looked flat and baffled as the game wore on.

The Blues are 0-3 after three while the Centrals are 2-0, both against old rivals Chicago. It's far, far too early in the season to make much of this, of course, but warning signs always come early and the Blues will want to shake off this week, start again, and play a 77-game season - and hope that the playoff race doesn't come down to a matter of two points at the end.

Next week, we go to another traditional rivalry, this time in the Dominion League, where the Ottawa Wolves will take on the Lakeside Hawks in Ottawa.

01-18-2016, 01:16 AM	#6
monochameleon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 114	Sunday September 18th - Saturday September 24th 1966 MAJOR LEAGUE HOCKEY NEWS - Opening ceremonies in Chicago - Trades to begin the season - First scores of the year Season opens in Chicago (20/9/66) A capacity crowd of 21,100 packed into the International Amphitheatre last night as the Chicago Blues and Ottawa Wolves played out the first ever interleague game of ice hockey. All twelve team captains were in attendance and all posed with the St. Lawrence Trophy, the spoils for the team who wins the eight-team playoff tournament at the end of the season. Excitement was palpable and it is believed that record numbers of fans watched the continent-wide broadcast at home. In the end, the Wolves were able to hold off a fast-finishing home side and win in a close contest, 3-2. Trades Around the League (24/9/66) The season is barely underway and already played are moving around: a major deal saw the Chicago Blues receive Jared Knight (RD, 26) and Yoann Blanchette (C, 28) in exchange for sending the New York Centrals goaltender Jeremiah Kruger (21) and Steve Lucas (C, 25). The Blues made up for their fall in goaltending stocks by sending Dominic Bourdeau (RD, 29) to the Lakeside Hawks in exchange for Chris Methot (G, 29). Weekly Scores Tuesday 20th September 1966 Ottawa Wolves 3 - 2 Chicago Blues Wednesday 21st September 1966 Vancouver Giants 5 - 2 Hartford Robins Northwest Bears 5 - 1 Toronto Greenshirts Calgary Tigers 0 - 2 Montreal Champions St. Louis Cardinals 3 - 6 Ottawa Wolves Thursday 22nd September 1966 Hartford Robins 3 - 1 St. Louis Cardinals New York Centrals 4 - 1 Chicago Blues Lakeside Hawks 3 - 1 Toronto Greenshirts Quebec City Lions 2 - 4 Ottawa Wolves Friday 23rd September 1966 Lakeside Hawks 3 - 5 Vancouver Giants Northwest Bears 4 - 0 Montreal Champions GAME OF THE WEEK: Chicago Blues 1 - 5 New York Centrals Central Park Rink, New York City Major league hockey came to New York last night for the first time as the Blues and Centrals met in Central Park. Likely to be the last season for the Centrals in their current home, the New York team made sure their farewell party got off with a bang as they demolished the Blues for the second time in consecutive days. A 4-1 loss to the Centrals in Chicago had been bad enough, 5-1 in the return encounter for the Blues had to be agonising. The Blues probably felt they had the edge early on as they scored at 3:37 in the first, with Jesse DiBrina finding Sam Larsson on a long pass across the ice that allowed Larsson to close and score against a New York defence that was just barely getting started. Jeremiah Kruger, in his first game of pro hockey and against the club who had held his rights until just this week, never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net. It was to be his only mistake, however. Stopping all 22 further shots on goal, Kruger was fearless and unintimidated. He was assisted by the aggression and relentlessness of his teammates: the Blues found themselves outshot 35-23 and outhit 35-16 - but still outpenalised, 10 minutes to four. Wayne Swift scored the equaliser with just fourteen seconds to go in the first period, and after that, the goals came steadily for the Centrals, with markers to O'Furey, Peyton McDonald, Dallas Holloway and Jon Breuer, with all of them but Holloway going 1-and-1 for the night. The Blues, perhaps demoralised from their losses earlier in the week to Ottawa and New York once already, had no answers and looked flat and baffled as the game wore on. The Blues are 0-3 after three while the Centrals are 2-0, both against old rivals Chicago. It's far, far too early in the season to make much of this, of course, but warning signs always come early and the Blues will want to shake off this week, start again, and play a 77-game season - and hope that the playoff race doesn't come down to a matter of two points at the end. Next week, we go to another traditional rivalry, this time in the Dominion League, where the Ottawa Wolves will take on the Lakeside Hawks in Ottawa.