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SHAKE WELL, SERVE ON ICE
Bobby Orr is pirouetting on his surgical knees for the Chicago Black Hawks, not the Boston Bruins, and Dave (Hammer) Schultz is throwing punches for the Los Angeles Kings, not the Philadelphia Flyers. The National Hockey League has transferred the Oakland franchise to Cleveland and the Kansas City club to Denver, where it will be known as the Colorado Rockies. The World Hockey Association has relocated Cleveland in St. Paul and Toronto in football-mad Birmingham, where the old Toros now will be known as the Bulls. Confronting the dollar pinch, front offices in both leagues have stabilized player salaries at an average of $70,000—down almost 15% from the recent golden days. The job market for Canadians has tightened, too, because of the heavy influx of talented foreigners from Europe and the United States. Reacting to charges of excessive roughness, the NHL has stiffened the penalties for fighting: the player who initiates fisticuffs now is assessed a five-minute major and/or a 10-minute misconduct penalty, and a player who persists in prolonging a fight against a pacifist foe now receives an immediate game misconduct. Orr looms over a season in which the mustachioed Schultz undoubtedly will match overhand rights with a new heavyweight contender, Nick Fotiu of the New York Rangers, despite the new restrictions. Little Pierre Larouche will try to lure fans for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gap-toothed Bobby Clarke and Goalie Bernie Parent will try to regain the Stanley Cup for the Philadelphia Flyers. But scoring champion Guy Lafleur will help keep the cup in Montreal.
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