The Leader-Post from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada • 17

The Leader-Post Regina, Saskatchewan Wednesday, July 6, 1 983 Section Pages 1B 12 Another hearing for Hunter SASKATOON CPt Bill Hunter will be using the same papers and briefs he took to National Hockey League meetings in May when he meets federal anti-combines officials, but he expects a fair hearing this time. Hunter, president of Coliseum Holdings Ltd. of Saskatoon, was summoned to Ottawa to answer questions and provide documents for anti-combines officials who have started a formal investigation into the NHL's rejection of a Saskatoon bid to buy St. Louis Blues. This (inquiry! is a positive thing, said Hunter.

"They want to look at our presentation; how we started out. our finances, everything. They are concerned about the situation and so are we. This can only help. Hunter's bid to buy the Blues from Ralston-Purina and have the team transferred to Saskatoon was turned down by a 15-3 margin by the NHL board of governors and has since touched off a chain reaction of suits and counter-suits and the federal inv estiga-tion.

Anti-combmes officials are gathering evidence under oath to determine if federal combines law was violated by re- The Saskatoon financial package was reviewed last week in Regina by independent auditors Clarkson-Gordon in preparation for the Ottawa trip. Ralston-Purina officials were interviewed by federal officials. Members of the NHL board of governors and executive have been ordered to appear individually on July 12 as the final part of the investigation into whether there has been a breach of sections of federal law prohibiting conspiracy to restrict competition or limit unreasonably the opportunity of anyone to play professional sports. Consumer Affairs Minister Andre Ouellet can decide to lay charges, call for a hearing before the Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, or drop the matter when the investigation is complete. Hunter, who feels his group was not looked at fairly by the board of governors, believes it ill be a different story in Ottawa.

Hunter said he and his Coliseum Holdings partners are continuing to pursue an NHL team for Saskatchewan. We have been busy, he said. There is still lots of work to do, but time is on our side. We have been making more contacts, preparing briefs and notes and generally doing what we have to to bring an NHL team to Saskatchewan. However, the fate of the Blues remains in doubt.

The league took control of player contracts June 13 to prevent their sale by Ralston-Purina and is trying to find a buyer in St. Louis. Coliseum Holdings had agreed to purchase the Blues from Ralston-Purina for $13 million. In addition. Coliseum would have needed $45 million to build an arena and $10 million tor first-year which Saskatoon wants to join.

The interest, if it is genuine, by the federal government could be a lever Hunter and company need to get the ball rolling the other ay Coliseum Holdings has had to face disappoinment after the New York No delivered by the NHL governors and growing apathy by a once wildy enthusiastic public There haven't been many positive points to expound on the past few weeks. There is the news of suits and counter-suits filed in courts but no developments And, a group in Saskatoon is trying to raise money to help Hunter fight the battle" but this same group soliciting tunds from the public won make public exactly how much it has collected If the government puts pressure on the NHL. the situation would look brighter for Hunter, who doesn't know the word bleak But you wonder it even that is enough to lead to the point vv here Hunter will turn on the lights in the Saskatoon Coliseum, better known as I lie Proposed Coliseum But in the meantime, expect the federal government to nnlk all it can out ol the Saskatoon NHL situation It can onlv come out looking good, no matter what happens. Who knows, if Hunter fails his bid for a NHL franchise, the Liberal Party might consider enlisting the silvcr-tounged orator as a candidate in the next election. There is a group in Ottawa that has been described as a driving force behind much of the federal support for Hunter's bid to buy the Blues.

The group which gleefully calls itself the Saskatchewan Mafia includes Saskatoon native Doug Richardson, an executive assistant to Finance Minister Marc Lalonde He has been making sure people like Consumer Affairs Minister Andre Ouellet and Ray Perreault, Minister of Fitness and Amateur Sport, get involved. The one thing you never hear the government noisemakers question is the validity of Hunters bid You never hear them say anything about the specifics be it positive or negative. The NHL claims there were faults with the bid The government fuzzifies, claiming all they want is big-time hockey in Saskatoon. Hunter is providing documents for anti-combine officials and perhaps now the government will be filled in on some specifics of Hunters quest which it was so eager to take up. It's like picking up a skunk and then asking if the cute little animal has been descented.

When Coliseum Holdings proposal was picked up, looked at, and tossed out by the NHL board of governors more than a month ago in New York, the Saskatchewan group cried foul. It claimed it hadnt been given a fair hearing. Coliseum Holdings gets a second chance in front of anti-combines officials who, unlike the NHL governors, have no assets invested the league Samples, Ciochetti activated jection of the bid. After flying to Ottawa Tuesday. Hunter met with investigators in a session that was scheduled to continue today.

Hunter will be followed to Ottawa by Boyd Robertson, senior vice-president and general manager of the Royal Bank of Saskatchewan, who will meet investigators Friday. The financial backbone of Hunter's bid to buy the Blues was provided by letters of credit from the Royal Bank of Canada. erback Homer Jordan and Canadian defensive end Scott Redl were moved to the reserve list. Canadian slotback Mark deBrueys. claimed from the Edmonton Eskimos last weekend, was put on the reserve list as well.

Saskatchewan's reserve list has now been filled, with deBrueys, Redl. and Jordan joining import slotback Chris DeFranee on the taxi squad. BUIE Saskatchewan Roughriders made two foster changes before departing this morning for Montreal, where they will open their Canadian Football League season Thursday night against the Concordes. The Riders placed import nose guard Mike Samples and Canadian wide receiver Troy Ciochetti on the roster To make room for them, import quart- jiL-Jk The CFL Report Did someone say something about a federal election' And, did someone say something about a National Hockey League team moving to Saskatoon? Neither off those statements have been confirmed but the first is inevitable and the second did hold possibilities that are fading. You cant help but get the feeling that, in an attempt to prepare for the inevitable, the federal government has decided to hook up with the Bill Hunter NHL Express that has been sputtering lately.

Its a good ploy to earn political points. Federal Liberals havent been able to sell themselves in Saskatchewan but they just might look more appealing if they can diffuse their image with hockey, a sport which is able to extract a religous-like fervor from many in the province. Prime Minister Trudeau has even been taken with the idea of the NHL in Saskatoon and between dealing with such trivial matters as wage and price controls has written letters to John Ziegler expressing that opinion. Trudeau is the same guy who has attempted to show hes just an average guy that enjoys football by appearing at Grey Cup games wrapped a fur coat, complete with matching hat, worth thousands. You know he doesn't worry whether he can afford onions with his hamburger.

Anti-combine officials are investigating the NHLs rejection of Coliseum Holdings proposal for the purchase of St Louis Blues and the relocation of that franchise to Saskatoon. Friday's Game Ottawa at Winnipeg (6:30 p.m. CTV) OTTAWA: The Rough Riders gave the Blue Bombers a difficult time last season, even when the Bombers had Dieter Brock at quarterback In the first game, Winnipeg scored late to win 27-20. The second time around, Ottawa won 38-28 Ottawa rookie quarterback Chris Isaac was the hero in the victory. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns This year, the Rough Riders have quarterback J.C.

Watts back in the fold. Hes the man who led the team to a surprise Grey Cup appearance in 1981 and then sat out last season Ottawas strength offensively in 1982 was its ground game, built around Alvin (Skip) Walker. Walker led the nation in rushing with 1,141 yards on 210 carries Ottawa appears to be suspect in the receiving department, although the return of Kelvin Kirk, who was injured through much of '82, should help Defensively, the strength of the defensive backfield is in doubt. Head coach George Brancato thinks the addition of cornerback Don Jones, obtained from Saskatchewan, should help I've never seen a guy from Southern Cal yet who couldn't cover, Brancato says Last year, Ottawa placed third in the East at 5-11. In exhibition play this year, Ottawa lost three in a row, then beat Hamilton 47-30 On reserve as of yesterday were quarterback Kevin Starkey and import defensive back Darryl Smith.

Mike Horton, an import running back, and Carl Powell, an import receiver, are on the injured list. WINNIPEG: The Blue Bombers finished second in the West '82 with an 11-5 record, but few are predicting such lofty heights for the team this year Among the defectors were Brock, wide receivers Eugene Goodluw and Mike Holmes and running back William Miller. a more than capable running back The Bombers are expected to start Mark Jackson at quarterback Friday, but neither Jackson nor any other quarterback in camp distinguished himself through the exhibition season. Jackson and friends threw 17 interceptions and the Bombers lost all four games Jackson's backup will be Nickie Hall, a recruit from Tulane. He has great athletic ability, but no experience If we can )ust hang in there, we'll be pretty good in time, says head coach Cal Murphy.

We need to be tough on defence, play like hell on special teams and not give the ball away." The Bombers still have capable receivers in Canadians Rick House and Joe Po-plawski, but the import help remains unproven The Bombers are expected to hold their own defensively They lost veteran linebacker Leo Ezerins in a trade with Hamilton, but the move brought them established cornerman David Shaw Winnipeg's overall record against Ottawa is 10-13-1 Winnipeg's reserve list'was unsettled as ot yesterday. BOMBERS Thursday's Game Toronto at Calgary (7:30 p.m. CTV) TORONTO: The Argonauts and Stampeders had two close encounters against one another last season, one of which ended a 22-22 tie, the other a 34-30 Toronto win In the first game, the defences dominated (Toronto intercepted six Gerry Dattilio passes 1. and in the second game, the offences shone In the Toronto win, Argo quarterback Condredge Holloway and Dattilio each threw for more than 300 yards The big story in Toronto, as far as football fans in these parts are concerned, is the great influx of former Roughriders. The defence that starts against Calgary is expected to include Lyall Woznesensky at end, Marcellus Greene on the corner and Ken McEachern at safety Last year the Argos finished atop the Eastern Division standings with a 9-6-1 record Offensively, the Argos were a formidable unit by season's end.

The leader was Holloway, who passed for 4.661 yards and 31 touchdowns Holloway's favorite target was the brilliant Terry Greer, Who caught 85 passes for 1.466 yards and 11 touchdowns Cedric Minter was a force on swing passes. He finished with 61 catches for 828 yards A big question mark for the Argos is at the placekicker position, where former Eskimo punter Hank Ilesie has been installed The Argos won three of four exhibition games On reserve as of yesterday were import defensive backs bonavon Rose and Zac Henderson and linebacker Ed Jackson. CALGARY: The Stamps spent a great deal of time and effort and presumably money I recruiting quarterbacks in the off-season. Dattilio was erratic at best in '82. as his ratio of interceptions to touchdown passes (22-11 would indicate Back the days when he played for Montreal, Dattilio was at his best coming off the bench in relief The chap most likely to start at quarterback is Bernard Quarles, a recruit from the University of Hawaii Quarles apparently assured himself the job with a clutch effort against the Eskimos in the Stamps' final pre-season game.

Coming on relief. Quarles hit on 19 of 32 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns to spark Calgary to a 32-31 victory Calgary is expected to put more emphasis on the running game this year. The indication is they'll line up with imports James Sykes and newcomer Ray Crouse in the backfield Defensively, the Stampeders last year became known for their aggressiveness. This at tunes cost them dearly, as teams were able to connect for the big play. Overall, the' Stamps were beaten for 462 points, the third highest total in the league On reserve Calgary are import defensive lineman George Small, placekicker-re-ceiver Mike McTaguc (hand iniuryi.

Canadian offensive tackle Jerry Dobro-volny and quarterback Danny Barrett Calgarys overall record against Toronto is 11-12-1. Saturday's Game Edmonton at Hamilton (5 p.m. CBC T.V.) EDMONTON: Despite having 14 starters over 30, the Grey Cup champion Eskimos are still held in high regard Of course, rookie head coach Pete Kettela wasnt too tickled when his team went 1-3 the exhibition season. Said he after the Eskimos blew a 23-3 lead and lost 32-31 to Calgary: You still want to win em. You still want to go into the regular season on a high note, and the kind of breakdowns we had tonight dont represent a high note.

The Eskimos will be going with virtually the same starters who closed off 82 by winning 10 straight games. The notable exceptions are at centre where the injured Eric Upton has been replaced by import Ken Walter, and at punter, where Hank Ilesie, who was sold to Toronto, has been replaced by Paul Hickie As well, defensive end Tom Tuinei will miss the early going because of a sprained knee Offensively, the Eskimos look powerful with Warren Moon throwing to the best set of receivers in the league Tommy Scott, Waddell Smith, Brian Kelly and Brian Fryer Last Vear, Moon set a CFL record by throwing for 5,000 yards Defensively, the Eskimos are expected to do less blitzing than the past Linebacker Dan Kepley was shaken up in the Stampeder game, but hes expected to be ready The No. 2 quartback is rookie Matt Dunigan, a whiz from Louisiana Tech. Another quarterback, Mike Williams, is on the injured list. HAMILTON Tiger-Cats found the Eskimos difficult to handle in 82 In the first game, Moon burned the Tiger-Cat secondary for.

408 yards and four touchdowns Edmonton won 32-14 The Tiger-Cats quite likely would have won the second game had they been able to turn impressive drives into points. Quarterback Tom Clements threw tor nearly 300 yards, but no touchdowns As it was, it took a late touchdown pass by Edmonton receiver Waddell Smith to give the Esks a 14-11 win Not being able to complete drives was a re-occur-ing problem for Hamilton last year Clements was second in the league in passing yardage with 4,706, but fourth in TD passes with 26 He also threw 23 interceptions The Tiger-Cats received a blow recently when slotback Steve Stapler went down with a serious hip injury The Tiger-Cats were only so-so defensively in '82 and they could be in worse shape this year Canadian tackle Jim Muller retired, linebacker Carm Carteri and corner Leroy Paul played out their options, and corner David Shaw was dealt to Winnipeg. The hole at linebacker will be lilted solidly by Leo Ezerins, obtained in the Winnipeg trade, but there is less confidence surrounding the other replacements The Tiger-Cats had an 8-7-1 record in '82. and a 2-2 mark in this year's exhibition schedule Hamilton's overall record against Edmonton is 9-14-1. Thursday's Game Saskatchewan at Montreal (5:30 p.m.

CBC-TV and CKRM Radio) SASKATCHEWAN: The Roughriders, had a difficult time against the Con-, cordes last season, even if few others teams did In the first game, the Rid- ers, with John Hufnagel at quarterback, played cautiously and lost 16-13 when Don Sweet unloaded a 50-yard field goal in the final minute The teams later met in Regina, and this time the Riders escaped with a 25-20 win. As it turned out. the difference was a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown by Stew Fraser Joe Adams went most of the way at quarterback for Saskatchewan, and his favorite targets were Joey Walters and Chris DeFranee, who each caught 10 passes for more than 100 yards Walters has since gone south, and De-France is idling on the reserve list Saskatchewan's 1982 record of 6-9-1 left it last spot the West The Riders, 2-2 through the exhibition season this year, will be in the unusual position of going ith three Canadian receivers on Thursday. Newcomer Ray Elgaard is to start inside, and Dwight Edwards and Fraser outside. The lone import is Ron Robinson, the other inside man The area which the team is thought to have improved most is along the defensive line where talented newcomers J.C.

Pelusi and Karl Morgan flank veteran noseguard Mike Samples On reserve along vv ith DeFranee are quarterback Homer Jordan. Canadian slotback Mark deBrueys and Canadian defensive lineman Scott Redl. MONTREAL: The Concordes, 2-14 in 1982. apparently are feeling pretty good about their chances this season After losing a pre-season contest 25-24 to the Toronto Argonauts when Hank Ilesie booted a 54-yard field goal with just second remaining. Montreal quarterback John Rogan said.

It took a 54-yard field goal to beat us, which I think proves we were in the game all the way. Playing the best team the East that hard should be good for our confidence. The Concordes, who split their four exhibition games, would be in better shape had they not already lost several key players to injury The list of casualties includes Johnny Evans, the man who came to camp as the No. 1 quarterback, offensive tackle Lloyd Fairbanks and defensive end Doug Scott Last year, the Concordes surrendered more points than any other team in the league 502 1 and scored the fewest (267 1 The team's leading receiver was tight end Nick Arakgi with 89 catches for 1.062 yards. Running back Lester Brown, a former Roughruler, was used to advantage on passing plays.

He wound up with 61 catches for 684 yards On the reserve list as of yesterday were Fairbanks and import detersive back Vince Skillings. Evans and Scott are on the injured list Montreal overall record against Saskatchewan is 6-17-1. i Condredge Holloway Cal Murphy TLmmg ahem Tomorrows sports section will contain lots of material on the opening of the Canadian Football League season. Reporters from across the country will offer their appraisals of the East Division and Individual teams In the West Division. And Leader-Post-sports writers Nick Miliokas and At-nie Jiefenbach offer a wide collection ol comments from the Saskatchewan Rough-riders on how they feel about their impending campaign.

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