cls iain tit Seis SRM tats atte Sted fe SPR a lla me oc a ha ae What happens when Rocket lates A typical exhibition of Maurice “Rocket” Richard temper happened in a recent Montreal- Toronto game. George Hayes with his gloved referee Red Storey; at right, Leaf’s Bailey, broken from Richard’s stick, keeps an eye on the Rock Richard clouted Toronto’s Bob Bailey with his Picture on left shows Richard trying to explain matters to with blood streaming down his face and two teeth: et in case he decides to renew the attack. fist. stick, then punched linesman Richard suspension may mean hockey cleanup The suspension of Maurice Richard, followed by the disgraceful riot at the Forum in Montreal last Thursday night, should result.in a cleanup of Canadian hockey. doesn’t, then hockey, as a major Canadian spor National Hockey .League president Clarence ing ‘Rocket’ Richard for the rest of the season and also the playoffs. greatest hockey player in’ Canada, Richard is also one of the most foul-tempered, whose failure to curb his anger has precipitated far too many brawls this year. _The Rocket got in trouble this time for duelling with Boston’s Hal Laycoe and punching lines- man Cliff Thompson in a game two weeks ago. In giving his decision Campbell said: “All evidence points to the at- tack on Layeoe as being deliber- ate, persistent and one-sided, in the face of all authority. I am satisfied also that Richard did not strike linesman Thompson as a re- sult of mistake or accident.” That's putting it fairly mildly. As anyone who has followed the career of Maurice Richard knows, he completely loses his head at times and goes after op- ponents with stick and fists. His it tt t, will find itself up a deadend street. Campbell was fully justified in bench- Besides being the lovingly of his lt’s high time friends speak “quick temper.” such temperamental outbursts were ended. As for the “revenge-crazed” hockey fans who staged a riot at the Forum in protest, and then smashed windows, looted jewelry stores and beat up innocent citi- zens on. the streets after the game had been called off—well, they de- serve the full penalty of the law. Many of the rioters weren’t hockey fans at all — for plenty of punk hoodlums joined the mob out- side the Forum and took part in the looting. Such demonstrations will sound the deathknell of hockey, unless severe action is taken to end fisti- cuffs on the ice and make players’ understand that hockey rules are meant to be obeyed. Richard ‘himself seems’ to feel to see, and why? Deadline for entries is prizes. Enter the Pacific Tribune CONTEST — FIRST PRIZE Your choice of | 21 or 17-inch 50 other prizes All you have to do Describe in not less than 50 and not more than 200 words what feature or features you like best in the Pacific Tribune, and what new feature or features you would like judges will award a first prize and 50 honorable mention ‘The judges’ decision letter will be published in the Pacific Tribune. MAIL ENTRIES TO PACIFIC TRIBUNE CONTEST. RM. 6 - 426 MAIN STREET — VANCOUVER 4, B.C. oe oy TV SET May 10. A panel of three is final, and the winning that his punishment was merited. He appeared on the radio to urse his followers to stop their sensc- less protests. Origin of the trouble lies with hockey officials, managers, coaches and players, who all seem to believe that the public likes a few scraps to “liven up” agame. — That just isn’t so. Hockey is a wonderful spectator sport when it is played according to the rules— and the rules specifically bar fist- fighting, high-sticking and a lot of other practices which have become all too common. Hockey grows rougher every year Gert Whyte's SPORTLIGHT Pare ,that “headline, “Wes San- tee Beaten in Pan-Am Games.” The Kansas loudmouth, who calls himself the greatest miler in the world{ was upset at Mexico City in the 1,500 metres by unknown Juan Miranda of Argentina who 4nished in front of Wes by a full stride. World record for the distance —120 yards short of the mile— is 3:41.8, held by John Landy of Australia. Miranda made it in 3:53.2 and second-place Santee was clocked in the same time. * * * I like to bet on the home team, but | just can’t see Vancouver Canucks winning the Western Hockey League playoffs. All credit to a revived team for fin- ishing in third spot after being way down yonder a few weeks ago, but Edmonton still has the class and should cop the cup. * * * British heavyweight challeng- er Don Cockell has his dander up’ ‘because boxing experts on this side of the Atlantic discount his chances against Rocky Marci- ano. “Why worry about what they are saying,” Cockell told an Eng- lish sports writer last week. “The time to worry comes when they have nothing to say.” Cockell, who meets Marciano at the Cow Palace in San Fran- cisco on May 16, is confident that hell win the heavyweight crown. From this corner I can’t see him doing it. * te Laffaire Richard has the whole country talking (see adjoining column) and most fans, alarmed by the growth of brutality, in hockey, agree that for once NHL president Campbell was right. Underlining the need for stern action to curb murder-on-ice is the report of a junior game in Toronto last Saturday night be- tween St. Catherines TeePees and Toronto Marlboros. “The game,” says a CP dispatch, “was thrown into a turmoil when the players of both teams swarmed on the ice to take part in a brawl during the last two minutes of play. At one time Canadian hockey was a game of speed and skill. “The donnybrook, which ex- ploded with only one minute and 27 seconds left in the game, re- sulted in 29 five-minute major penalties and 23 10-minute mis- conducts. “Every player on the ice or on the bench at the time, with the exception of the two goaltend- ers, was given a major penalty. In addition, every player who came off the players’ bench to take part in the fray, was tagged with a misconduct.’ Presumably, that left only the two goalies shooting the puck up and down the ice at each other. Wonder what the European press will do to that story? Anyway, it highlights the need for a real examination of out Canadian brand of hockey by everyone concerned, before stu- pid brawling kills the game. * * * Cymru Am Byth (Wales for ever’) is the cry that greets 4 21-year-old Welshman, Dai Dow- ers, whenever he appears in the ring: The men of Harlech think that Dowers, who won the British and Empire flyweight title by outpointing Jake Tuli last Oc- tober, may become another Jim- my Wilde. . Dowers is a coal miner when he’s not fighting, and his mates at the pits contribute a shilling 4 week for the upkeep of a gym- nasium which they built for him. * * * I hope the readers of this col- umn enter the PT contest (see ad on this page) and come up with suggestions for improving the sports page. _ Folks tell me that many new readers — and especially young readers and workers. in the shops and plants — read this colum® as soon as they get the paper, and are bluntly critical when they disagree with what I have to say. That’s all to the good. If the criticisms were put on paper, it would help improve Sportlight, I’m sure. So get out pen and paper, and let’s heat what you have to say. Bouquets and brickbats are equally wel come In the past decade it has become a form of mayhem, with teams concentrating on a mad scramble around ‘the goalmouth. Picture above shows Montreal goalie Jacques Plante looking for a lost puck behind his net, ue Toronto’s Tod Sloan makes a three-point landing after being dumped by Hab's Dollard . Laurent. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 25, 1955 — PAGE 10 ;