“For another thing, we have a lot of young players who have faltered here and there, but who have shown they have the stuff and are bound to improve. And we have some older players who have disappointed me so far, who have found out the expanded NHL is a lot tougher than they thought it would be, and who now realize they’re going to have to give a little extra, both on and off the ice, if they are going to play to their potential, which I think they will begin to do.
“Finally, I think we have a lot of former minor-leaguers who used to coast and shrug off a couple of bad games as long as they were high in the standings, who now realize you have to take every game seriously in the majors, who now realize you have to fight for two points every night you take to the ice if you’re going to survive in the big time. Overall, I’m quite pleased with where we are at this stage.”
The transition from player to coach for Kelly proved difficult at times, but he earned a fair amount of praise from Regan.
“He has done a fantastic job. I really think he’s the best coach in hockey already. Watching him game after game, I’m impressed as he gets steadily stronger and sharper. I’m particularly impressed by his patience. He doesn’t panic. He has the team under a firm hold. With Red, this team should wind up a winner.”
Los Angeles finished the season second in the West Division and met the North Stars in their first playoff series. They won the first two games, but Minnesota came back to tie the series and it eventually went to a seventh contest. Instead of going with the hot hand in Wayne Rutledge, the Kings put Sawchuk in net, counting on his playoff experience. But it did not end well. Sawchuk was bombed with 42 shots in the 9–4 loss, and the season closed for the first-year club.
“It’s sad when you see guys work their guts out as these guys have all season and then see it come to nothing at the end,” said Howie Menard.
In 1968–69, Los Angeles reached the playoffs once again, but Kelly jumped to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Kings went into a spiral that saw them finish out of the postseason four years straight. By 1973–74, they were back in contention with goalie Rogie Vachon and coach Bob Pulford among the talents making believers out of fans. Marcel Dionne, the team’s first true superstar, joined the lineup in 1975–76.
The arrival of Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer in Los Angeles gave Dionne the support he needed, and the Triple Crown Line was a force to be reckoned with for many years, but still the Kings could not break into the league’s elite.
By the mid-1980s, they were a bit of a disaster, but once Bruce McNall took over as owner, things began to change. His most notable move was orchestrating the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. Suddenly hockey became extremely popular in California — especially with the team’s new black, silver and white colour scheme.
With Gretzky racking up points at his usual feverish pace, the Kings won their first Smythe Division title in 1990–91 and two years later went to the Stanley Cup Final. The Great One remained with the team until the 1995–96 season, but a long stretch of relative futility began even before he left, as they only made the playoffs four times between 1993–94 and 2008–09. In recent years, the Kings have enjoyed a comeback and won their first Stanley Cup title in 2011–12.
Eddie Joyal
Once a prospect for the Detroit Red Wings, Joyal was mired in the minor league system of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seasons leading up to the expansion era, but a great 1966–67 season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL ensured he found a new home the next year.
Joyal had a slow start in Los Angeles thanks to a sore ankle but he soon adjusted to NHL play and scored a game-winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 28, 1967. The Hockey News named him the West Division Player of the Week in their November 18 issue after he scored two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 9. After representing the Kings at the 1968 NHL All-Star Game, he enjoyed a hot streak that included a four-point night against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 16, 1968.
His biggest goal of the year was the winning tally against the Minnesota North Stars in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series of April 13. At the end of the season, the Kings named him their Most Valuable Player.
Ed Joyal
Bill Flett
“Cowboy” Flett had four pro seasons behind him when the Kings drafted him from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he put up some decent numbers in the minors while battling injuries in the years leading up to expansion.
“Toronto goes with the older players and only breaks in a few special kids every season. I began to feel I’d never get a chance with them, so I was tickled when L.A. drafted me,” he told The Hockey News. “I’ve found the skating in the NHL now isn’t any faster than the Central League, which is a kids’ league but is less aimless. Up here, you have to anticipate the next play. The other guys check you closer and harder and you have a lot less time to make your moves.”
The 1967–68 campaign marked the first season in Flett’s career that he appeared in more than 70 games. He scored his first NHL goal against the Chicago Black Hawks on October 22, 1967. He began to put pucks in the net in bunches after that and excelled in clutch situations, scoring six game-winners for the Kings. On November 5 and February 1, 1968, he had hat tricks against the Detroit Red Wings and he finished the year as the league’s leader in goals among rookies. That season he received consideration for the Calder Trophy and finished fourth in voting.
Lowell MacDonald
MacDonald first hit the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings in 1961–62 and occasionally saw action with the club over the next three seasons. Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1965, he slid further into the minors with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League (CHL) in the two years leading up to expansion but put up decent numbers.
The Kings took him on draft day and he scored the first power-play goal in franchise history on October 15, 1967, against Minnesota. He also had two assists in that game.
“It was kind of a shock,” he said about going to the Kings. “You didn’t think about going to Los Angeles, but the trade-off was that Red Kelly was going to be there. I did have a sense that he thought I was a good player. L.A. was one of the capitals of the sports industry and you thought, jeez, this is going to be an exciting thing.”
Because the Kings didn’t have a proper home until the Great Western Forum was built, they practiced at a rink out in Burbank. It was an interesting experience for the players.
“We had a different situation there,” he said. “We used to practice in Burbank and it was a half-open rink. Sonja Henie practiced there before us. We would dress before heading there and it could get really chilly there. Wayne Rutledge, Dale Rolfe, Ted Irvine and I carpooled to practice and one day there was an accident in front of us and we got turned around. You wouldn’t believe the looks on people’s faces when they saw us get out of the car in the hockey equipment on in the middle of a 10-lane highway!”
MacDonald’s natural hat trick and assist against the Montreal Canadiens on November 19 ensured a major victory for the Kings. He also had a three-point night against the Seals on March 7, 1968. Once the playoffs began, he had a good opening round against the Minnesota North Stars, which included his game-winning goal in Game 2.
MacDonald admittedly found the rigours of travel difficult over the course of the season. His teammates often kidded him in a good-natured way about his fear of flying and even had a flight attendant present him with toy wings once as a joke.
“The only problem with me was that I wasn’t a good flyer,” he said. “In my second year, I had a bad flight up to Toronto for training camp and I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Eventually, Kelly convinced him to come back to the NHL after almost a year away from the game. He played in Pittsburgh for only 10 games before suffering a serious knee injury that took him out of the game until 1972–73. His comeback was one of the most incredible of his era when he emerged as an All-Star and won the Masterton Tr
ophy.
Bill White
White spent most of the 1960s in the AHL and was a rising star with the Springfield Indians. “I can remember Tommy Ivan and other general managers would come to training camps and we’d hear through the grapevine that they were interested,” he said. Yet despite his great potential and interest from NHL clubs, he was kept down in the minors because of the oppressive management style of Eddie Shore.
White was one of the key figures in the historic strike held by Indians players and helped force changes in the game. But he holds little animosity toward Shore today, as things were much more civil when he returned to Springfield to watch a boxing card in 1970.
“The last time I saw Eddie, we were on good terms,” he said. “If you stood up to him, he respected you.”
White had a feeling that the new owner of the Indians might be his ticket to the NHL, but his early impressions of team owner Jack Kent Cooke were not positive.
“I had an idea they wanted certain players from Springfield and that’s why Jack bought the team. I didn’t have a lot of good feelings about Jack Kent Cooke. When he built the Forum, we weren’t allowed in the Forum Club like the basketball players.”
Although the NHL had not established official rules on age limitations for rookies in the expansion era, White garnered attention for his play as a 28-year-old freshman. Coach Red Kelly rated him as the team’s best skater and passer, and he scored his first career goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 28, 1967. At mid-season, he received some All-Star votes, and his play during the second half served notice that he was on the cusp of stardom. In the February 18, 1968, game with Boston, he scored twice and on March 7, he had four assists against the Oakland Seals.
By the end of the season, White received even more All-Star votes and was considered for both the Hart Trophy and the Norris Trophy. Traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1969–70, he developed into one of the best defenders in hockey in the early 1970s. He also played for Canada at the 1972 Summit Series.
“He was steady as a rock and had a great shot from the point,” said Lowell MacDonald. “He used his energy efficiently and it’s nice that he had such a great career with the Black Hawks.”
Bill White
Real Lemieux
Lemieux made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1966–67 season, but saw action only in a single contest. Nicknamed “Frenchy,” he had a great year with the farm club in Memphis and scored 62 points over 68 games. When Los Angeles claimed him during the expansion draft, he became one of the club’s youngest players in their inaugural season.
On October 28, 1967, Lemieux scored a pair of goals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, one while the Kings were shorthanded. He saved his best effort of the year for his old club and racked up two goals and a pair of assists in an 8–6 win over the Red Wings on February 1, 1968. From there, he turned his game up a notch further for the rest of the month and scored 10 more points!
Teammate Dale Rolfe shared a memorable moment that is rarely mentioned today.
“I remember one interview on television and the interviewer asked him if he spoke English and he replied ‘Oh, fuck yeah, I speak good!’”
Lemieux continued to play pro hockey until the end of the 1973–74 season, but tragedy struck on October 24, 1975, as he passed away at the age of 30 after developing a blood clot in his brain.
Dale Rolfe
A central figure in the strike by Springfield Indians players during the 1966–67 season, Rolfe helped change the game of hockey forever.
“We beat Quebec 4–3 and I got a couple of points, but Eddie Shore suspended me for indifferent play. We went on strike and the rest is history,” he said. “I’m very proud of that and getting Eddie Shore out of hockey. That was probably my greatest moment in hockey. It was amazing that we got 23 guys together. I’m very proud.”
Rolfe saw action in three games with the Boston Bruins in 1959–60 and believes he should have been back even earlier than the start of the 1967–68 campaign.
“I figure I should have been in the NHL five years earlier. Detroit had wanted me and it didn’t happen because Shore wanted nine players in return.”
His first goal in the big league came against the Seals on October 18, 1967. He earned a pair of assists when they battled again on November 7.
But when he looks back, his time in Los Angeles was not a great time in his career.
“It was difficult because we didn’t have a home, but California isn’t a place to play hockey. I like having four seasons, but when you’re going to the arena in a T-shirt and jeans, it’s not hockey.”
The veteran defender also did not see eye-to-eye with team owner Jack Kent Cooke.
“He was indirectly a lot like Eddie Shore. He and I never got along too well. One day while the Forum was being built, he and I were talking and he asked me what I thought and I said it would hold a lot of hay!”
After he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings during the 1969–70 season, Rolfe felt relieved to be in a more hockey-friendly climate.
“As soon as I put on that sweater, I felt like I had finally made it to the NHL.”
Dale Rolfe
Terry Sawchuk
Sawchuk was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1966–67 but was still one of the game’s best. He formed a solid tandem with Johnny Bower that helped take the team to a surprising Stanley Cup victory. But since they could only protect a single goalie in the expansion draft, the Leafs stuck with Bower, and the often-moody Sawchuk went as first overall pick to Los Angeles.
Sawchuk did not debut with the Kings until October 22, 1967, in a 5–3 win over the Chicago Black Hawks. He faced his old teammates three days later in a tough 4–2 loss. Long-term problems with his elbow that began in childhood — and resulted in his right arm being several inches shorter than the left — bothered him throughout that season.
“He was a guy I used to watch in practice,” said Bill White. “He used to relax in practice and his arm was almost fused in a way that was perfect for a goaltender.”
At the time, Sawchuk regularly refused to do interviews and preferred to think of the game first, so he was often described by the press as a dark and brooding personality.
“He was one heck of a goalie,” said Lowell MacDonald. “I know the media found him difficult. I don’t know if it was because he was so focused. There wasn’t much to Terry, but he took the abuse. I think if he played today, his records would never be broken.”
On January 28, 1968, Sawchuk recorded the 101st shutout of his career while taking on the Philadelphia Flyers. His next shutout came in a 0–0 tie against the same club on March 14. He also made an appearance at the 1968 NHL All-Star Game.
Sawchuk was chosen to start the playoffs, and The Hockey News named him the West Division’s Player of the Week after they won the first two games of the opening round against Minnesota, which included yet another whitewashing. He fell apart a bit in Game 3, and Wayne Rutledge took over the reins until the deciding seventh game. As Sawchuk was in net for all nine of the North Stars’ goals, it was a sad end to the season and his time with the Kings. He was traded to Detroit before the 1968–69 campaign.
Terry Sawchuk
Wayne Rutledge
Rutledge quietly made waves in the New York farm system in the mid-1960s when he had back-to-back 30-win seasons in the Central League. But with established goalies like Ed Giacomin, Gilles Villemure and Cesare Maniago ahead of him, he would have had to wait a while to get a decent shot at NHL work had it not been for expansion. In fact, he was the only goalie at the pro level to play all of his team’s games during the 1965–66 and 1966–67 campaigns.
Drafted by the Kings, he battled Jacques Caron, George Wood and Bob Perani for the backup spot to start the year and earned a win over the Philadelphia Flyers during his big-league debut on October 14, 1967. He did not have to work too hard for it, though, as he faced just 15 shots.
“I didn
’t expect to play right off, so I was a bit more nervous than usual, and I felt the pressure of playing in the majors, but I was ready,” he said at the time.
Described as a fast goaltender, Rutledge played a stand-up style and was the only player at his position to wear contact lenses at the time. Because Terry Sawchuk had injuries, Rutledge took over as the team’s number one netminder on occasion and earned his first career shutout against the St. Louis Blues on December 23. Another one came when the Kings blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 12, 1968.
“I was tickled to be drafted by L.A. Even though they had Sawchuk ahead of me, I figured Terry was past the point where he could play every game and I expected to see a lot of action, though not as much as I have seen. It doesn’t bother me. I want to play as much as I can. It was a break for me when Terry got hurt just before the season. It got me in quick and when I did well the other players got confidence in me.”
The Kings started the playoffs with Sawchuk in net, counting on his postseason experience, but Rutledge saw action in three contests, including a Game 5 win over Minnesota before they narrowly lost the next one in overtime. Over the next two seasons, he remained in a backup role before being sent down to the minors.
Rutledge passed away from stomach cancer on October 2, 2004.
Dale Rolfe, his teammate and brother-in-law, offered his thoughts.
“Wayne put us in the playoffs the first year. A very good goaltender and a great guy. I miss him every day.”
EXPANSION YEAR RECORD: 27–32–15
(69 points — fourth in West Division)
COACH: Wren Blair
GENERAL MANAGER: Wren Blair
FIRST GAME: October 11, 1967 —
2–2 tie vs. St. Louis Blues
FIRST GOAL: October 11, 1967 by Bill Masterton
MINNESOTA
NORTH STARS
Cold winters made hockey a natural pursuit in the great state of Minnesota, and the sport’s history there extends more than a century. By the 1920s, the college game had started to take off in the North Star State. Around the same time, the famed Minneapolis Millers formed with an array of imported players. Native son Frank Goheen was one of the best players of his generation never to turn pro, and over the years, many others followed with great careers as amateurs or professionals.
Changing the Game Page 8
