The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 73

'1 r. "iter co COLOR i vc BUSINESS8 THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1983 1 Hunter awaiting Semen ko 3r LQ al tea n- in fcn. 0 A i By RED FISHER Special to The Sun MONTREAL Four days after being eliminated from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, the Montreal Canadiens are left without a managing director, head coach and director of personnel and recruiting. The massive front office changes the most sweeping in Canadiens' history were announced Wednesday by club president Ronald Corey, who has held that job for less than five months. The changes are these: Managing Director Irving Grundman, who has held that post for five years since replacing Sam Pollock, has been told his contract won't be renewed.

He learned about it on Tuesday afternoon. Coach Bob Berry, who still has one year remaining on his three-year contract, learned that he wouldn't be back as head coach between a salad and a small steak during a Ritz-Carleton Hotel lunch yesterday with Corey. He'll remain with the organization as a scout, for now. Later, new duties will be found for him. Ron Caron, who oversees the Canadiens' $1.2 million (largest, by far, in the National Hockey League) scouting operation, won't have his contract renewed.

He will, however, remain with the organization until after the June draft. In a related move, Howard Grundman son of the former managing director resigned as director of hockey administration. His duties included scouting, overseeing concessions sales at the Forum, as well as production of the team's game programs and yearbook. Sun News Senices You don't treat Dave Semenko of Edmonton Oilers this casually unless your name is Tim Hunter. Hunter, a 185-pound Calgary Flames defenceman said Wednesday he cares not a whit about the big winger's reputed pugilistic prowess.

And he's not at all worried about matching himself against one of the National Hockey League's acknowledged heavyweights when the best-of-seven Smythe Division final series between the rival Alberta clubs the only Canadian teams left in the hunt for the Stanley Cup begins at 6 p.m. PST tonight at Edmonton's Northlands Coliseum. The game will be televised nationally by CBC. The other division finals also open tonight: Boston Bruins entertain Buffalo Sabres; New York Rangers visit New. York Islanders as those teams meet in the playoffs for the third straight year;" and Chicago Blawk Hawks play host to Minnesota North Stars.

The second games in each series will be played Friday in the afternoon in both Chicago and Boston because of arena conflicts. Hunter, who scrapped briefly with Semenko Oct. 12, threw his verbal jabs at the 215-pound Edmonton winger on Wednesday, saying, "Semenko's one guy who's supposed to be tough who doesn't faze me one bit." Hunter said he figures he can beat the Oiler winger: "If it has to be done, I'll be glad to do it." Semenko, meanwhile, doesn't seem concerned with Hunter's comments. "Hunter is free to say whatever he wants for now," said Semenko. While the NHL doesn't keep ring records, it is generally acknowledged Buffalo Sabres' Larry Playfair is the only man to win a decision over Semenko during an on-ice confrontation.

While Hunter and Semenko were engaged in their joust, Calgary coach Bob Johnson was deciding who he would assign the unenviable task of shadowing Edmonton centre Wayne Gretzky during the series. Johnson said one man cannot do the job alone because Gretzky gets so much ice time: "You've got to have flexibility because they have the last line change and they double-shift Gretzky all the time." Given the choice, Johnson would like to isolate Mel Bridgman, Greg Meredith and Jim Jackson on the line of Gretzky, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri. Meanwhile, Oiler winger Dave HunK er will get the nod to shadow Lanny McDonald, the Flame's winger who scored 66 goals in 80 regular-season, games, 10 of them against the Oilers. Things have also been known to get rough when the North Stars and Hawks meet. Last year, in a brutal opening-, round series, the Black Hawks upset the North Stars.

This season, Minnesota had the edge in the season series 4-3-1, including a 4-3 decision March 21 in a game which was marred by a bench-clearing brawl. i RONALD COREY quick decisions rf s'V 1 a I X'f RON CARON I f'' scout out IRVING GRUNDMAN ousted BOB BERRY new duties Gerry Grundman, Irving's brother, remains with the Forum as vice-president, operations and administration. That involves the booking of shows in the building as well as responsibility over box office operations. Predictably, Corey said he was making these moves with a great deal of regret, but also made it plain that in the wake of the team's lack of success during the playoffs for the last four years, "changes had to be made." "I take full responsibility for these changes, and I plan to start looking for candidates to fill these positions. At the moment," he insisted, "I haven't talked with anyone.

But I surely hope to have a general manager and head coach before the annual draft in June. Meanwhile, I'll be getting a lot of advice from many of the good people we still have with the organization." (Among the "good people" he mentioned were former Canadiens coach (twice) Claude Ruel and Jean Beliveau, senior vice president, corporate affairs.) Corey said he has no names to offer as possible replacements, but made it plain that the field is wide open. "If you're asking whether I'm primarily looking for French-Canadian names to fill these positions, the answer is no," said Corey. "I want the best people available." Jacques Lemaire, who now coaches the Longueuil junior team, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Berry. Another name mentioned is Orval Tessier, who coached the Chicago Black Hawks this season.

The guessing game for general manager has spread as far afield as Winnipeg, where former Canadiens de-fenceman Serge Savard still has an option year remaining on his contract with the Winnipeg Jets. The unprecedented change at the front office level left the principals with conflicting emotions. Grundman, who wasn't at yesterday's press conference, insisted that "I'm feeling very good. I worked like a bugger for that organization for five years," he said. "I put out.

I gave 105 percent." Berry: "I'm empty. I'm shocked. I'm surprised. But I'm not bitter. It won't help anybody being bitter.

"I slept well last night," insisted Grundman. "I had lunch with my mom today. I really enjoyed that. I feel good." "What am I supposed to do when something like this happens?" he asked. "What it comes down to is that my contract wasn't renewed.

The team finished fifth overall, and my contract wasn't renewed. 1 can't do much about that. "Lookit, even if we had done well in the playoffs, I don't know if my contract would have been renewed," said Grundman. "I really don't. You'd have to ask Mr.

Corey about that." Earlier this week, Corey and Grundman had met briefly. After the meet- Hundreds of waterbeds, plus furniture ond accessories at clear-out prices! Now from j-- Bookcase ma Mtm "jfif Waterbeds ing, Corey said that he would meet with Grundman later in the week when he would attempt to analyze the entire situation. A decision, he said at the time, would be made within a week to 10 days. "Somewhere between Monday night and Tuesday, I decided that the decision had to be made right away, that there was no point waiting," Corey said. "I made it, and then I advised my superiors at Molson's (the brewery owns the team) and was told that if it was my decision, to go ahead with it." "I saw him (Corey) about two o'clock on Tuesday," Grundman said yesterday.

"He told me then he wasn't renewing my contract. I said fine. He told me I could stay with the organization for two or three weeks. I was gone by 5:30." To the end, Grundman who won the Stanley Cup with the team in his first year remained loyal to the organization. On Tuesday, shortly after he learned that his contract was not to be renewed, he was called by a newspaper friend.

"I'm heading out to Boston at seven in the morning," Grundman was told. "If something happens with your situation, you can reach me at the Sheraton-Boston." "What time did you say you were leaving?" "Seven a.m." "Why so early?" "I want to watch the Bruins practice." "Why so early?" he repeated. "Are you telling me not to take the early flight, that something is likely to happen?" "Don't take the flight." said Grundman. "That's all Twill say." Berry was left stunned with yesterday's events. Now from $279 4-Po5ter Waterbeds rom 51 "I don't understand what the great rush was in his case.

I don't care how-much Caron was criticized. He's a walking encyclopedia in terms of hockey. He'd be a useful addition to any organization," said Grundman. Grundman, who owns several businesses, says he has no firm plans for the immediate future. Canadiens players past and present were stunned by yesterday's clean sweep, mostly where it concerned coach Berry.

Savard said from his home in Winnipeg: "I don't know him (Berry) very well, but what I'd heard about him, I always felt he was a good coach. 'It's tough coaching in Montreal. He seemed to be doing a good job." Other reactions: Guy Lafleur: "I was very surprised the decision was made so quickly and involved so many people. "I feel they should have kept Irving Grundman, who's a good businessman. They should have kept him somewhere in the organization.

The error that was made when they named him general manager was that they didn't put a knowledgeable hockey man beside him. "I wasn't surprised," said defence-man Larry Robinson. "I figured it would be one or the other. I feel sorry for Bob." "When you're losing," said Rejean 'Houle, "somebody has to be fired. "I liked the way Bob worked.

He was tough. He made us work hard." (The Gazette, Montreal) The night before, he had told a reporter that he would be having a friendly luncheon meeting with Corey. "What do you think will happen at the meeting?" Berry was asked. "I expect that he'll tell me that he'd like to hire Jacques Lemaire as an assistant coach for next season, which means I'd be getting the three-man coaching staff I've always wanted. I can work with Lemaire.

No problem. "But I'm not going to the lunch with the idea of begging for a job," said Berry. "I'd like to clear up a few points for next season. For example, if any trades are to be made, I want to have a say in or at least be consulted about them. (When Grundman traded Brian Engblom, Rod Langway, Doug Jarvis and Craig Laughlin to the Washington Capitals for Ryan Walter and Rick Green, Berry wasn't told about the trade until it had been made.

He also wasn't told about a trade which sent Dan Daoust and Gaston Gingras to the Toronto Maple Leafs.) "We sat down and started our lunch," said Berry, "and that's when he (Corey) explained to me that I was no longer the coach. He explained to me changes had to be made. Then he told me he wanted me to stay in the organization. "Right now," said Berry, "I'm as upset as I've ever been in my life. I'm a good coach, too!" Grundman yesterday admitted to being dismayed over the firing of Caron, who will remain with the organization until after the June draft.

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