The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 21

hefMouttr Sun TUESDAY, NOV. 18, 1975 SPORTS BUSINESS SECTION 2 21 yil IWWIMHI MlWI I all IIIUIIMI IIMVIIIW 11 lil MiMHIIIMII IH Mill "Mil Ijl Eskimos pass up regular day off By DAVE WAITERS EDMONTON These Edmonton Eskimos are serious. They forfeited a day off Monday by vote. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the afterglow of Sunday's Western Football Conference championship win here over Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ray Jauch's troops took it upon themselves to start gearing for Montreal Alouettes and the Grey Cup one day early. It wasn't a day to lick wounds because there aren't that many.

Quarterback N' fc 1 rt ss tr- 0 HA tB' I PStu- irz bTrrF z' Jj JZl CJ Bruce Lemmerman went to hospital for what the club terms minor medication and middle linebacker Dan Kepley showed up to say the leg cramps that bothered him against the 'Riders are a thing of the past. Rumors are circulating that quarterback Tom Wilkinson, who gave way to Lem the next day. Until then, he'll stay here and try to solve his most immediate problem. 'The big thing we've got to work on this week is our kicking game," says Jauch. "Right now we don't know how far (Garry) Lefebvre is going to kick the ball and that makes it very difficult to cover.

"Against Saskatchewan he'd kick long and then he'd kick short. The coverage team never knew whether to go all out or hold back. It hurt us in the final and if we don't get more consistency, Johnny Rodg-ers (Montreal's ace punt return man) will be a very difficult man to stop." Rodgers 'scored twice on punt returns during the regular season and again on the weekend in Montreal's win over Otta- wa Rough Riders. Jauch figures they can neutralize him offensively and if his spe- cialty team can do the same, the Esks might be a long way toward winning their first national final in three straight ap-pearances. At least, they're working on it.

On a normal day off, yet. END ZONE Edmonton import defen-1 sive end Leroy Jones, cut by Jauch prior to Sunday's game, is expected to clear -waivers. Jones, on the injury list before his release, played out his option this year after being picked in the National Football League draft by Los Angeles Rams and he has let it be known that's where he wants to play. Jauch flopped the left side of his offensive line against Saskatchewan (Joe Worobec going to guard and Larry Wat- kins to tackle) and says he may leave the line that way against Montreal. The move was made to put more quickness in front of Saskatchewan end George Wells.

Montreal end Junior Ah You hasn't been healthy but if he can start in the Grey Cup, it'll probably be against Watkins. merman for the second half Sunday, isn't. as healthy as everybody is letting on. But Wilkinson says he's fit. Jauch agrees and the club doctors back up both.

Lemmerman is a different story. And before heading off to see the medics yes terday, he held up three fingers on his throwing hand to prove it. "It's a blood circulation problem and it has been bothering me for about two weeks," he said, trying to move the stiff fingers. "The remedy is called an anigram. They say it's really quite simple and that I should be ready for the Grey Cup.

It seems they put a substance in my system which is supposed to relieve the problem for a while. I might have to take it easy for couple of days this week but by the Brian Kent Photo time we get to Calgary I should be okay." Jauch says he 11 take the team into Cal gary Wednesday and begin working out Remember the Western Hockey League? The Portland Buckaroos? How about Connie Madigan (left) Art Jones and Andy Hebenfon? Of Bucks cling to hockey life Lack of communication led to Riders' outburst end. He hit the boards and separated a By archie Mcdonald The Portland Buckaroos are alive and well and living in the Northwest Hockey League. OTTAWA Defensive back Al Marcel- It isn't the Ritz. In hockey society it is classed as intermediate.

But there in's outburst about racism on the Ottawa Rough Riders has now been blamed on a are crowds of 2,000 at the Jantzen lack of communications with management and coaches, according to head coach Beach ice arena, and a worshipping booster club of nearby 400 to make you cially hard on Marcelin because they had played together in California. The release, one week before the end of the season, had ruined Nixon's chances of being picked up by another team, Marcelin said. Loeb said that when Nixon was released, he was replaced by another black, Molly McGee, and black guard Daryl White was dropped to make room for former Rider star Charlie Brandon, another black. George Brancato. feel wanted.

And it is hockey. To some, Marcelin, who said in the dressing room hockey is life. When the "Western Hockey League after Ottawa's 20-10 loss to Montreal Alouettes Saturday that the coaches were in folded after the 1973-74 campaign, the Portland Buckaroos, eight-time league attentive to black players, was to make a statement later, Brancato said. champions, had nowhere to go. Their Marcelin singled out offensive coach former rivals, Vancouver, Los Angeles, George Dimitroff as creating a hostile attitude towards the black players.

San Francisco, San Diego had gone to bigger leagues and Seattle and Denver had promises of promotion. Brancato said that Marcelin met with O'Bryn became instrumental in reorganizing the Bucks, and his friend Madigan, as evidenced by two games, at Kensington Arena this past weekend, is still an enforcer and an enemy of linesmen. The Buckaroos, making their first road trip of the season, lost 8-6 Saturday night to a group of high-spirited Simon Fraser University Clansmen, but found their skating legs Sunday to subdue Burnaby Lakers 4-2 and remain on top of the league with a record. The team is owned by the players. Initially shares went to 16 pro players at $100 each and last year they played in the far-flung Western International League.

The travel demanded too much of guys who already had worked eight hours so they opted for the Northwest League as a saner alternative. Eight of the originals have gone and the slack has been filled by players from the Portland minor system. Art Jones, 41, is the touchstone of the Portland franchise. He was with the team when it was the New Westminster Royals. He followed it one year to Victoria and then to Portland in 1960-61.

When they closed the WHL record book his name was oft repeated. Most career goals, 578; most points in a season, 127; most valuable player, 1968; most seasons with more than 30 goals, 12. "I was with this franchise when it started and I was with it when it died," says Jones. In the end the good times turned bad. When Portland entered the league their brand-new Coliseum was the biggest on the circuit.

In time it became the smallest. In the mid sixties there were crowds of 10,000, the best outside the NHL. A guy like Jones could expect between $15,000 and $20,000 a year. The 1972-73 season was a bad one. The Bucks finished last and crowds dried up.

Owner Harry Glickman knew the lark was over. He bought the Portland Blazer basketball franchise and the league took over the Buckaroos. How does Jones feel about playing intermediate? "I enjoy the road trips and being with the guys. Before it was the money. It was a job, but it's not a job now.

It's a fun thing." Jones centres the league's top scoring line of Roger Bellerive, 31, and playing coach Andy Hebenton, 46. If Jones is remembered for his deft touch around the goal, Madigan for his militant manner, Hebenton comes across as an iron gentleman. He still holds the NHL record of most consecutive games 630 with New York Rangers and Boston Bruins from 1955 to 1964. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play and took the WHL equivalent, the Fred Hume trophy, five times. In 22 years he missed only two of.

about 1,700 games, and that was when he went home to Winnipeg for his father's funeral. His first serious injury came in an exhibition last year against the intermediate Shmyr Flyers. He forgot there was an automatic icing rule in effect and chased a puck into the opposition shoulder. After all those games, he admits, it was a stupid way to get hurt. "The club was a family deal," says Hebenton.

"Everybody chips in. The wives work in the office. Bill Davidson's wife, Dorothy, sort of runs it." When they went into Jantzen Beach Arena the two front rows of seats needed raising. Everyone pitched in-Jones who had spent the day framing houses, Hebenton who had poured cement, Madigan who had managed Cohen's Furniture warehouse and they worked from July to October. In return they received free ice time.

That's the thing about the Portland Buckaroos. In a summer when untried juniors were signing extravagant contracts, 16 old pros worked for free ice time. Besides Hebenton, Jones, Madigan. and Davidson other ex pros still playing are goalie Dave Kelly, Mike Donaldson, Bellerive, Doug Buhr, Wally Ahern. Some others lingering on the sidelines are Bill Saunders, Dick Meis-ner, Don Head, and the Schmautzes, Cliff and Arnie.

The Booster club is full of enthusiasm and probably geritol. Forty of them made the weekend trip. It's almost a golden-agers club, die-hards from the old days. "I've known some of those people for 17 years," says Jones. They bring cowbells and leather lungs, and they chant, "Let's go Bucks, let's go Bucks." It's just like old times.

Almost. "It was really kind of sad," says law Riders' owner David Loeb and general-manager Frank Clair. yer Len O'Bryn who now wears num ber 20 and patrols centre ice on the "They talked it over and Marcelin said there was a lack of communications but third line. "Here were a lot of guys no racism. Marcelin was upset by the release of re who were really facing civilian life for the first time.

All they had ever done was play hockey and now there was no hockey to play. They had their 'roots in ceiver Rhome Nixon late in the season, Brancato said. It was an outburst caused by the frustration of the loss to the Al ouettes who advanced to the Grey Cup Sunday in Calgary. Brancato said Marcelin, who signed a Itrautzun new Vhitecap coach ByROYJUKICH It's official. Eckhard Krautzun is coming to Vancouver to coach the Whitecaps' entry in the North' American Soccer League.

Denny Vietch, Whitecaps' general manager, announced today he had reached verbal agreement with the 34-year-old Krautzun earlier this month in Frankfurt, West Germany. Vietch returned home Monday following a three-week trip to Great Britain, Spain and West Germany. "I met with Krautzun and his lawyer and everything appeared to be in order," said Vietch. "The lawyer has the power of attorney to sign the contract and we expect to receive it by special delivery momentarily." The 34-year-old German, who earlier this year quit as coach of Canada's national team, agreed to a two-year contract for an undisclosed sum. But since the documents still hadn't reached Vancouver today, a scheduled press conference was cancelled.

Krautzun replaces Jim Easton, whose contract was not renewed at the end of the 1975 season after a two-year term with the team. contract late in the season after dropping plans to play out his option and retire, will be back next season. Portland and it was hard to move." O'Bryn hails from Saskatoon, went to school at Gonzaga in Spokane, married a Portland girl and settled there. When Hal Laycoe was coaching the Bucks, he recruited O'Bryn as a WHL linesman. As such he was unloved by the Portland Buckaroos.

People such as Connie Madigan threatened personal harm. "Madigan hated me," says O'Bryn. "Now he's one of my best friends." Marcelin's charges came after defensive end Wayne Smith said for the second straight day that he wanted to be traded because he was not getting the attention he deserved. Smith, who surprised Ottawa fans Fri Canucks secure with Pope on farm? day with his announcement, said after the game Saturday that the Riders take black players for granted. Brancato said Monday that "Wayne has been saying that for years.

But he's here today at a pizza party we're having from fine money and he's the same old Wayne." Brancato said the Nixon cut was espe Maloney isn't telling anyone that's what he has in mind, but if that's what his players choose to think, well The Canucks are presently on a three- game winning streak, but they still trail Wustrded Stamen SmI with ratcftng Craoew MS 50 do their thing in the Central League. Later he'll drop into Fort Wayne where another half dozen farmhands are doing their thing in the International League." "I thought it would be a good Idea to let the kids know we're aware of their existence and interested in their development," Maloney explained. "Pope is going to watch them and maybe do some travelling, with them." As far as it goes, that statement is entirely true. For perhaps the first time in their six-year NHL history the Canucks have some young talent down on the farm that could be some immediate help to the parent team. Left wingers Brad Gassoff and Glen Richardson are considered virtually certain to play in the NHL in the not too distant future.

Centre Jim Wiley is off to a fine start in Tulsa. So is veteran defence-man Larry Mclntyre. Popein's presence on the scene will let them know someone up there is interested in what they're doing. But his presence there also has an unmistakable message for the players presently with the Canucks. More than one player probably went to bed last night thinking: "Maloney has lots of scouts.

He must be serious about bringing somebody up or else Popein wouldn't be there. And if he does bring up someone, how safe is my job?" By UAL SIGURDSON ATLANTA There was a subtle, though by no means insignificant difference Monday afternoon as the Vancouver Canucks embarked on their current National Hockey League road trip. For the first time in two seasons Larry Popein wasn't at the airline counter, processing everyone's tickets and marshalling the troops to the proper departure gate. Popein's official title is director of player personnel, but he is a man of many parts travelling secretary, assistant coach, assistant general manager. Phil Maloney, Vancouver's general manager-coach, calls.

him his "the guy who makes sure I get everything done." This trip, instead of watching the Canucks meet the Atlanta Flames here tonight and the Capitals Wednesday night in Washington, Popein will be "in Tulsa watching Orland Kurtenbach's farmhands the leading Chicago Black Hawks by nine points and the second place St Louis Blues by three. Obviously Maloney is attempting to inject a subtle incentive to keep that string going. GOAL DUST Defenceman Bob Dailey was left at home to give his elbow injury more time to heel. Also left behind were forward Gregg Boddy and defenceman Tracy Pratt as Maloney elected to reduce his travelling squad to the roster limit of 19. THE GRASSIE FIRBANKS CDmPUTER UJflTCH Soviets reinforced for NHL games 79.50 WITH STRAP Now for this low price we offer a fine LED digital wristwatch in strainless steel with strap.

A durable troubie-free solid state watch with the accuracy of quartz, and the Grassie Ftrbanks Guarantee. Two buttons, four functions, touch one button watch displays hours-minutes, hold and seconds begin to flash. Other Second button displays date. Stainless Steel with strap $79.50 Stainless Steel with matching bracelet $89.50 Yellow with matching, bracelet $99.50 OTTAWA (CP) Many familiar Soviet hockey players are coming to North America for the eight-game series against National Hockey League teams in December and January. But most of them are on the Wings of Moscow squad including forwards Vya-cheslav Anisin, Alexander Bodunov, Sergei Kotov and Sergei Kapustin, defencemen Yuri Shatalov, Viktor Kuznetsov, and Yuri Tyurin and goaltender Alexander Sidelni-kov.

In articles written by Vladimir Pakho-nov of the Novosti Agency, Boris Kulaghin, coach of the Soviet Union national team coach and the Wings, said both his team and the Red Army club would be reinforced for the series. The Wings will get four players from the Spartak team, all-stnr? of the two Soviet series with the National Hockey League in 1972 and the World Hockey Association last year." They are" the towering leftwinger Alexander Yakushev, Vladimir Shadrin, Viktor Shalimov and Yuri Lyapkin. Also on the Wings will be Alexander Maltsev of Dynamo, another star of the previous Canada-Soviet series. The Wings will meet Pittsburgh Penguins Dec. 29, Buffalo Sabres Jan.

4, Chicago Black Hawks Jan. 7 and New York Islanders Jan. 10. The Soviet Red Army team, which will be bolstered by defenceman Velery Vasil-iev of Dynamo, play New York Rangers Dec 23, Montreal Canadians Jan. 31, Boston Bruins Jan.

8 and Philadelphia Flyers Jan. 11. The Red Army team features brothers Alexander and Madimir Golikov and eight-year veteran Viktor Zhuchok, the team's top scorer. Kulaghin says both the Wings and the Red Army team have been disappointing in league play in the Soviet Union this year. The Red Army squad is suffering both from improved opponents and lack of proper training and discipline by some of the players "who are not carrying out the coach's instructions." He said the series with the NHL teams will provide the Soviet coaches with an excellent opportunity to evaluate the Russian players prior to the selection of the national team for play in the 1976 world championships.

The NHL teams will be looking "for even the slightest possibility of bolstering up their shaken prestige. But the Soviet players do not have any intention of ceding their status as the world's strongest" Couriers move to fop of pack Kerrisdale Couriers moved past two teams into first place in the Pacific Junior Hockey League Monday at the Kerrisdale Arena with a 6-2 victory over the Richmond Sockeyes. The Couriers, an expansion entry in the PJHL, now have 18 points, one more than Richmond and CoquiOam, tied for second. Eruce Wallace. Dave Hindmarch.

Jim Hendricks, Jim McLaughlin, Mario Botlik and Lome Mackie scored for Kerrisdale while Ron Frame and Eric Wolfe replied for Richmond. Available at 565 SEYMOUR ST. 685-2271 599 SEYMOUR ST. PACIFIC CENTRE PARK ROYAL BRENTWOOD y2 Z. 1 fifteen beautiful stores throughout B.C.

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