Page & The Herald, Thursday, Decernber 14, 1979

“ET COULDN’T TAKE IT”

Bye, bye, Boomer: Bernie st

MONTREAL (CP) —
Three months after he
became coach of the Stanley
Cup champion Montreal
Canadiens, Bernie Geof-
frion’s dream has turned inte
a nightmare.

‘YT feal bad most of ali for
Irving Grundman because
he’s a real gentleman,”’
Geoffrion said Wednesday

director of the Canadlens,
spent several hours behind
closed doors attempting lo
dissuade the 48-year-old
Geoffrlon from leaving the
job that a short time ago he
said was the fulfilment of a
lifetime dream.

“T would have liked to stay
with the Canadiens," said
Geoffrion. ‘‘They're a good

mediately named assistant
coach Claude Ruel to lead
the team for at least the
balance of the season,

Geoffrion did not appear
for the team’s morning
practice Wednesday, but
went instead to. visit
Grundman with the intention
of stepping down from his
third NHL coaching job, He

While Geoffrion received a
clean bill of health from his
doctor Wednesday morning,
it was believed to be his
difficulty in handling the
Canadiens personnel that led
largely to his latest depar-
ture. The clubhas a record of
15-9-6 for third place in the
over-all standings and is off
to ita slowest start in seven
SeaSONS.

after resigning from the hockey club with some ex- had previously guided New Reporters and
National Hockey League cellent players, but 1 York Rangers and Atlania photographers waiting
coaching position he held for couldn't take it any more. 1 Flames. Each time he  oulside Grundman’s office
30 games. have to think of my family." resigned because of health managed to hear a few of the
Grundman, managing- The Canadiens im- problems. things Geoffrion said in his
‘4

( PER ACE NEED MEAL

daily herald

SPORTS

/

Steelers dominate all-stars

NEW YORK (AP) —
Franco Harris, Pittaburgh’s
perennial 1,000-yard rusher,
was among 10 Steelers
named today to the
American Conference all-
star team for this season's
National Football League
Pro Bowl.

The Steelers’  tatal
represents exactly ane-
fourth of the 40-man AFC
squad that will play the
National Conference all-
stars Jan. 27 in Honolulu.

The defending Super Bowl
champions, playoff par-
ticipants for a retord-tying
eighth straight time this

season, will be represented
by two other starters on
offence — wide receiver
John Stallworth and centre
Mike Webster.

Also, five Steelers will
start on defence: end L.C,
Greenwood, tackle Joe
Greene, outside linebacker
Jack Ham, middle
linebacker Jack Lambert
and safety Dannie Shell.

San Diego quarterback
Dan Fouta, the AFC’s No, 1
passer, is one of six Chargers
on the AFC team. Fouts will
start siong with wide
receiver John Jefferson and

Dionne line is

By NEIL STEVENS
The Canadian Press

Marcel Dionne scored his
350th career goal and 500th
career assist Wednesday
night as he continued a
blistering scoring pace in
this his ninth season in the
National Hockey League...

Dionne, wha leads all other
players in scoring this
season with 23 goals and 36
assis(s in 29 games, reached
his personal milestones as
Los Angeles Kings dumped
Hartford Whalers 7-4.

Steve Carlson scored two
first-period goals as the
Kings spotted Hartford an

‘early lead only to bounce
back.

Charlie Simmer, a line-
mate of Dionne's, logged his
26th goal of the season and
also had three assists. Mike
Murphy, Glenn Goldup and

Rob Paimer also scored for_

the Kings in Los Angeles,
thee a hoe te ogee

The Whalers, who have
pped four in a row and
are winless in their last six
outings, took a 2-0 lead in the
first period on goals by Jordy
Douglas and Dave Keon but
Carlson pulled the Kings
even with his second and
third goals of the season and
Los Angeles went ahead late

tackle Russ Washington.
Houston Oilers also had six
players picked, including
two starters on offence, AFC
rushing leader Earl Camp-
bell and tackle Leon Gray.
Campbell and Pittsburgh's
Webster were the AFC's only
unanimous choices.
Oakland tight end Dave
Casper, Buffalo guard Joe
DeLamiellure and New
England guard John Hannah
round out the offensive unit.
The five Steelers starting
on defence will be joined by
two members of the Houston
defence, outside linebacker
Robert Brazile and safety

Mike Reinfeldt,
England cornerback Mike
Haynes, Denver cornerback

Louis Wright and a pair of
Pro Bowl newcomers, Miami

tackle Bob Baumhower and
San Diego end Fred Dean.

Kansas City's Bob.Grupp
is the punter, Houston's Toni
Fritsch the kicker and
Denver's Rick Upchurch the
kick returner,

The AFC squad was
chosen in balloting among
the id4head coaches and NFL
Piayers Association
members on each team, with
none permitted to vote for a
player on his own team,

still sizzling

in the period on Palmer's 50-
footer.

The Kings erupted for
three more unanswered
oals in the second period on
goals by Dianne, Simmer
and Murphy.

The Whalers narrowed the
score to 4-4 in the final period
on goals by Mike Rogers and
Ray Allison, but Loa Angeles
got one more with three sec-
onds left to play on Glen
Goldup’s open-net score.

Elsewhere, Quebec
Nordiques blasted Winnipeg
Jets 5-0, Toronto Maple
Leafs defeated Colorado
Rockies 5-3, New York
Rangers downed Chicago
Black Hawks 5-2, Minnesota

Bucks slump, losing lead

By THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS

Philadeiphia "Iéers are
rolling and Milwaukee Bucks
are reeling,

“There's no doubt in my
mind that we're in the midat
of a major slump, and we
can'tseem tocome outof it,"
Milwaukee coach Don
Nelson said Wednesday
night after his Bucks
dcopped their fifth straight
decision — 112-91 to
Philadelphia.

“We're just not playing
well,” added Nelson, whose
leam holds a slim 14-game

Terrace
Hotel

winners

Terrace Hotel beat
McEwan GM 4-1 in Wed-
nesday night's only Terrace
Commercial Hockey League
action.

Terrace took a 3-0 lead
carly in the third period on
the way to the win.

The first period was
scoreless, With the game’s
first goal coming early in the
second period fram Cary
Humphrey,

Lanny Nevison scored with
only 35 seconds gone in the
third period to put Terrace
up 2-), At 2:38 the Hotel team
struck again, with Mickey
Wagner getting the goal.

McEwan's Don McColl
finally got his team on the
board with eight minutes to
go on a powerplay, with
Steve Whyte sitting out the
second half of a double
minor,

Thal was McEwan's only
affense, though, and Gord
Heenan finally put the game
away al 13:1B of the third
period.

Next action in the Com-
mercial league is tonight,
with Westend Chevron
playing the league-leading
Terrace Chrysler Juveniles,
Game time is 9 p.m. at the
Terrace arena.

lead over Kansas City Kings
in the National Basketball
Association's Midwest
Division. ‘We've had a
couple of guys out with in-
juries and (Marques)
Johnson having a pulled
thigh muscle tonight cer-
tainly didn’t help us.”

Johnson, one of the Bucks’
leaders, pulled the muscle
after scoring seven points
and was unable to play in the
second half,

Philadelphia, meanwhile,
continued to hold the hot
hand. Wednesday night’s
victory was the ninth
straight at home for the
‘Zéers, tled with Boston
Celtics for the Atlantic
Division lead with a 22-7
record.

The Celtics kept pace with
the "76ers by beating New
Jersey Nets 116-102. In other
games, Atlanta Hawks
defeated New York Knicks
114-102, Kansas City crushed
Portland Trail Blazers 124-
85, Seattle SuperSonics
turned back Indiana Pacers
112-107, Detroit Pistons
whipped Golden State
Warriors 114-96 and Houston
Rockets dumped San Diego
Cilppera 118-107,

Juliua Erving scored 24
points to iead the
Philadelphia offence. The

"W6ers trailed only once in the
game, gaining their biggest
lead of the night — 29 points
— when Bobby Jones scored
8 field goal and followed with
a free throw at 8:12 of the
fourth quarter to make it 88-

Spartak

bounces
Breakers

SEATTLE (CP) --
Moscow Spartak showed off
Sharp stickhandling and
passing skills on lhe way toa
7-4 win over Seattle Breakerg
of the Western Hockey
League in exhibition hockey
Wednesday night.

It was the best showing sc
far by a WHL team against
the touring Spartaks who
have recorded wins of 14-3

against Victoria Cougars |

and 11-1 against New
Westrinster Bruins,

Four Portland Winter
Hawks on loan to Seattle for
the game led the Breakers,
scoring two goals and two
assists in the cleanly-played

game.

Spartaks travel to Billings,
Mont., for a game tonight
against the Bighorns.

Good taste...good value...
good wine!

Perfect choice for the
Holiday Season.

North Stars
Washington Capitals 5-4,
Atlanta Flames and Ed-
monton Oilers played to a 5-5
draw and New York Islan-
ders tied Pittsburgh
Penguins 3-3,

New

edged |

meeting with the managing-
director, :

"I'm sick and Ured of
them," Geoffrion sald of the
players. “They’re not acting
ilke professional athletes.
Why should I get sick over a
bunch of guys who wan't
listen to me? .

“Pm not going ta stick

argund and let everyone in
Montreal blame me for
what's happening because
it’s not my fault. Can you
blame me?”

Grundman, the man who
chose Geoffrion over several
other coaching candidates
Sept. 4, said it was not the
first time he had threatened

‘once the game is lost, what
- you have to do 20 or 25

to resign this season.

“He's a very setultive
individual,” said Grundman.
“He hates to lose, and [
would expect him to hate to
Jose. But I've told him that

Minutes later is start.
working on the next game.”

RUEL coAcH AGAIN
eps down

Ruel wilt be in his second
coaching stint with the Cang-
dieng. He guided the team ta
a Stanley Cup in 1969 only to
finiah out of the playoffs the
following year, When the
élub got off to a slow start in

‘the 1970-71 season, Ruel

resigned because of the
extreme pressure,

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