Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 8, 1979, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free june 1979 f to the wha How did it survive Brad free press by Reyn Davis the world hockey association was a league As rare As a Miami screaming As a los an Geles shark and Wilder than a Phoenix it was a Haven for the a hatchery for the Young and a Halfway House for hockey for seven years it thrilling feeding hundreds and losing millions 50 if Ben hat skin guesses there were goons galore and flocks of not All of them in the Clack Sonitis was a malady As com Mon As the it was Bobby Hull who made the but we can thank Gordie Howe for keeping it going on legs that were 50 years they were the foundation of a league that employed 803 players on 27 teams based in 26 22 of which were the wha was terribly even the league office stay bouncing from Santa Ana to new port Beach to Toronto to but for seven hilariously in credibly regrettably expensive and admirably competitive years the wha defying All the experts and creating memories not soon to be Glen Sonmor was undoubtedly one of those persons Bobby Hull had in mind when he blamed hockey violence on the kind of people who were allowed to run the with apologies to no Sonmor filled his Birmingham lineup with some of hockey most unsavoury charac ters Gilles bad news Steve Frankie Serge Phil Roberto and Dave Han wherever the bulls went there were but before every game in birding a local Baptist minister would follow the anthems by saying the into asking god almighty that these great athletes might share in the Joys of Competition and Good one night the minister had just nicely stepped off the ice when the bulls starting lineup of Beaudoin and Hanson began pummelling five Cincinnati including 149pound Robbie the league office reacted bitterly and summoned All five bulls and Sonmor to Hartford for an 1 told the Guys to go out and buy the most conservative suits they could said there usually not As rough on you if youre All dressed i still have my its Robins egg i Wear it to Funer als and teams dressed at Holiday inn Curt Larsson was not a he was a Bench Riding swedish goaltender for Winnipeg jets who made a year letting Little kids beat him in shootouts Between about the time Bobby Hull was fitted with a knitted wig in Toronto the notion crossed Lars sons Pate that could Bury a Bald spot by buying a Small about the size of an ear it was a rare night indeed in san Diego when Larsson started in goal for the the led by Andre hated the jets because they had seven europeans in their Lacroix con tended they were depriving canadians of jobs and along with ancient Harry he had tried to convince the wha players association to Force owners to introduce quotas in their hiring practices of it seemed that everybody wanted to fight the Lacroix was the he used his stick and let the other mariners do the a fight broke out in front of Lars sons two mariners were going after Lars Erik Larsson came to his Aid and began pulling one of them off Sjoberg when someone grabbed Lars son from whoever it was had a firm grip of Lars sons suddenly he Felt fingers in his pulling rip off came the suddenly the aggressor stopped pull Larsson turned standing with his Mouth looking at his hand and the thatch of was the san Diego Norm Fergus he didst know Larsson from but he wondered if he had actually scalped when he finally realized what had started laugh ing and Larsson joined him and soon including some began to chuckle and the Brawl ended As amused players and officials watched As Ferguson presented Larsson with his own Ferguson was one of the original new York raiders who later became the new York Golden the Jersey knights and the he spent five years with the fran Chise and five times it he remembers foot races to the Bank when the bimonthly cheques came Hes tempted to write a he knows already what its title will be Midnight Jack Mccartan was one of the Origi Nal Minnesota fighting they had their problems folding twice and running out of Money at least six he wants to write a Hes going to Call his the first and the Lacroix set league records for teams Homes games assists 547 and Points he was the Whas first scoring Champion and an Allstar and when his Cheque from the league was mailed it was sent to his new the Golden Blades in new but the Golden Blades met Only one they Over Adver they even spent Lacroix they invested it in a team no one Ever heard the including we were gone before it came he the Golden Blades went to Cherry a suburb of the Arena was so Small there were no showers in the visitors dress ing teams would dress the Holiday inn two Miles up the then come to the games ready to it was embarrassing to see Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe coming to our games with their uniforms on and their skates hanging around their said All 33 buildings were used by wha Cleveland had the distinction of having the Best and the none was finer than the a magnificent Structure somewhere out in the the Dingy Cleveland Arena was right on the Edge of a rough five members of the crusaders had cars stolen one Wayne Mulvin to irix suddenly he Felt some fingers in his pulling rip off came the and Tom eur lost new Thunde Birch on the same Steve the crusaders train was mugged three one player who hated to leave the old Arena was Gary he had be come an expert at playing the bounces off the Chicken wire which was wrapped around the it was uncanny How he knew where to but when the crusaders left the City for the the Standard was installed in the boards around the Coli but Jarrett catch up to the bounces off the hard his Point production plummeted from a High of 79 to 41 and and soon he another Good spot was the amphitheatre in Chicago where the cougars the building was used primarily for livestock shows and the Aroma that Lin gered was strictly referees and Hai 10 through a bar on the i dressing one in crying the Cougar Verc ing a Light skate in preparation for a game that night Houston Marcel the cougars was he Otten Felt ill in the the Chicago players paraded onto the ice for their skate when they noticed a stranger in their he was wearing a an old Blue sweat Shin Elbow pads and he carried a stick and skated slowly and out of a Corner of his Mouth Hung a the stranger barked Start skating three times around the had Marcel been fired players traded quizzical respond ing to the they skated Start taking some shots at the shouted the one of the standing near the peered the word came Down the the stranger was not a it was the Houston Bill he had gone on the ice with the wrong club he was suffering from the same affliction that befell but at least he got to the travel was a curse in the wha As cities of intermediate size became More prevalent in the connections were always being the jets spent hundreds of hours in Chicago Busy Ohare some players were on a firs name basis with the Hare Krishna people who like to Greet you to Chicago with their one of lifes Little pleasures was a Twa banana split at the confectionery in the terminal that serves Braniff and International air during the Energy crisis in 1974 Many flights were cancelled when air lines fuel supplies were Cut one Chicago cougars chartered an old dc3 to take them the 893 Miles to Quebec the plane took off before Midnight and the players curled up in their seats and went to Rod Zaine recalls waking up and glancing at his it was 5 and we were still in the he at Long last the plane began to Settle the Landing was smooth and the players reached for their Coats to go outside when one of them noticed the sign under the control Bienvenue a Mont the Pilot had landed in the wrong he had missed Quebec City by 200 Miles but if a Pilot could lose his who would say that it happen in the wha anyone who knew the league knew How it evolved amid doubt and Skepi cism and became a viable creation in a period of time that had to be shared to be appreciated for there May never be anything quite like it wherever the Birmingham bulls went there were after the the bulls began to pummel five Pilot landed in wrong City Lake Winnipeg May soon level with Hydro the Good news about Lake Winnipeg regulation is that Manitoba Hydro was Able to generate about million Worth of electricity More last Winter than it would have been Able to if the Lake had been left the bad news is that interest on the project is running about million a so that simple arithmetic would indicate that had the Lake never been regulated at Manitoba Hydro would have saved million last few things about Manitoba Hydro Are quite As simple As the fore going Hydro officials will argue that the water available because of regulation of Lake Winnipeg was Worth million when it was run through the two plants that have been built on the Nelson and will be Worth a lot More when More plants Are Fred Cleverley so the argument gets Back to the Chicken and egg whether Lake Winnipeg regulation should have been built when it before the plants were in there is More Good news about the because the Lake is regular officials it is a foot lower than it would normally be at this time of year and there will be no flooding of Shore there is also a bad Side to this the forecast was made by the same people three weeks before Southern Manitoba communities were being were telling everyone that the red River would be contained within its Banks this on the subject of flooding Lakeshore some Manitoban May re member that when the plan was being sold to residents living near the Manitoba Hydro chairman David Cas Beggs in that the regulation would end forever the Dan Ger of floods from High water on the he said Hydro engineers would be Able to predict far enough in Advance of High water to draw Down the Lake in order to prevent the flood the statement was picked up by those politicians supporting and quoted those who opposed regulation just As that the ability 19 control Lake Winni Peg against flooding was that forecasting was not and that the flood would not disappear when the regulation was Manitoban May discover who was right this coming Lake Winni Peg now stands at 715 feet above sea this is the upper limit of the regulation licence granted Manitoba Hydro by the provincial water re sources officials in water resources now say the level will exceed the licence by six inches As the summer but a few weeks the same officials were saying that Lake Winni Peg would go a full 18 inches above licensed limits this it can be assumed that water level forecasting is not an exact during the f the minister responsible for Manitoba Don was asked about the summer level of Lake based on written information from the water resources he told the Legisla Ture that the level would reach or 18 inches above the licensed although the level has now been revised if the heavens open there will have to be an another upward the Point should be made that Lake Winnipeg regulation cannot possibly maintain the Lake at Levels specified by the Manitoba Hydro has been spilling More water out of the Lake than nature would have allowed All Winter and the level will still exceed the licensed by something Between six and 18 the difficulty that now arises is who will be responsible will Manitoba Hydro be held to be responsible if the Lake rises above the licensed and the High water causes damage has Manitoba through deprived itself of water that would have been accumulated by nature had the control Structure not been installed has Manitoba anxious to keep As close As possible to the terms of its spilled water it might have and might need next Winter last the regulation Cost million More than it since the first new Plant is at least six or seven years in the the total loss on regulation could reach million before the Structure begins to earn its ;