The Associated Press has named its all-star team for the first half of the 1964-65 NHL season. Two Detroit Red Wings and two Montreal Canadiens were named, along with one player each from Chicago and New York.
Rookie goaler one of two Wings to make it
Red Wings rookie goalie Roger Crozier was one of the surprises named to the first team. The little netminder is the only first-year player named to the squad. He leads the NHL in shutouts with three and has provided the resurgent Red Wings with stellar netminding all season. He is second in the race for the Vezina Trophy, just a few percentage points behind Montreal’s Charlie Hodge.
Norm Ullman, the other Detroiter to be named, is the centre. Ullman is having his best season and is presently third in league scoring. He has 18 goals, along with 17 assists.
Provost, Laperriere named from Habs
Montreal placed two players on the team. Right winger Claude Provost is a first-timer, although he has been one of the NHL’s best defensive players for many years. This year Provost has turned scorer and has 33 points so far, made up of 12 goals and 21 assists. Jacques Laperriere on defence has been the glue that has held the Montreal blue line corps together this season. Part of the reason for Hodge’s lead in the Vezina race is directly attributable to the tall, lanky defenceman’s work on the back end.
Hull, Howell, also picked
Rounding out AP’s first team are Chicago superstar Bobby Hull at left wing, along with the Rangers’ Harry Howell on defence. Hull is running away with the scoring race at this point in the season. He has amassed 32 goals, while adding 21 assists for an amazing 53 points, 13 ahead of team mate Stan Mikita who is in second place. Howell is the veteran presence on the New York defensive unit, and has provided stability and guidance for the other young Ranger blueliners.
New York wingers on second team
AP’s second team consists of Hodge in goal, Detroit’s Bill Gadsby and the Hawks’ Pierre Pilote on defence, with Stan Mikita of Chicago at centre between two New Yorkers, Camille Henry and Rod Gilbert.
Hodge was last year’s Vezina Trophy winner in his first full NHL season. Gadsby, who has been in the league for 18 years, is one of the NHL’s best shot blockers, while Pilote won the Norris Trophy as the loop’s best defender last season. Mikita is second in scoring, and his wingers Gilbert and Henry have 16 and 14 goals respectively.
A third unit has three Toronto Maple Leafs – goalie Terry Sawchuk, defenceman Carl Brewer and rookie right wing Ron Ellis. Other third-stringers are centre Henri Richard of Montreal, Boston’s Ted Green on defence, and Dean Prentice on left wing.
Pro Wings whip Junior Wings
The Detroit Red Wings met their Hamilton junior team last night in the Steel City for their annual exhibition tilt, and it was a nice workout for the parent team. The pro Wings had an easy time of it in their 9-3 win over the juniors.
Former Hamilton captain Pit Martin, along with Bruce MacGregor, had two goals each for Detroit. Floyd Smith, Norm Ullman, Parker MacDonald, Alex Delvecchio and Hamiltonian Ron Murphy also scored. Junior marksmen were Pete Ververgaert, Don Giesebrecht and Bart Crashley.
Carl Wetzel and Roger Crozier split the netminding duties for Detroit.
Lindsay, Campbell to meet
Ted Lindsay, who earlier this week blasted NHL president Clarence Campbell and the league’s officiating staff, will meet with the NHL prexy this week to discuss his remarks. Campbell said yesterday that he is conducting an investigation into the matter and that he would render a decision before Detroit’s next scheduled game on Wednesday.
Campbell dismissed Lindsay’s claim that he wouldn’t pay the fines. “If he doesn’t pay, he doesn’t play.”
The Detroit News reported yesterday that Lindsay apologized to Campbell by telephone, and that likely prevented him from being suspended immediately. Campbell was quoted by the paper that Lindsay was writing a formal apology to the league president.
Lindsay is reported to have said, “Apparently some Toronto newspaperman passed along some second hand information to the league president and I have no comment to make on it.”
Falls junior gets shot with Bruins
Bill Goldsworthy, a 19-year-old right winger with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the OHA Junior A league, has been called up to the parent Boston Bruins.
Goldsworthy will be in a Boston uniform Wednesday night in New York against the Rangers, and will likely play Thursday when the Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings.
Goldsworthy was brought up to replace two injured Boston forwards, Ab McDonald and Dean Prentice.