Changing the Game

by Stephen Laroche

  On October 21, 1967, Goldsworthy’s second goal of the season came against Charlie Hodge of the California Seals and it was the first to occur at the new Met Center.

  Over the course of the 1967–68 campaign, Goldsworthy often served as a whipping boy for Blair, but there was a moment when he was inspired to bust out of a slump.

  He had apparently received some letters from hockey fans saying that he should be playing in the minors and was especially discouraged by the nasty notes that arrived when he was mired in a nine-game goalless streak. On a game day, he poked his head into Blair’s office and mentioned that he had instead received a letter from a group saying that they were going to name a tree after him.

  “You know why they’re naming a tree after you? Because a tree stands still. That’s what you’ve been doing too much of lately,” the coach gruffly responded.

  Now hot under the collar, “Goldy” went out and scored his 10th goal of the season in a 6–1 win over Los Angeles.

  Once the playoffs began, Goldsworthy served notice that he was on the cusp of stardom, racking up points in the opening round against the Kings and having a four-point outing in Game 3 of the second-round clash with St. Louis, including the game-winning goal. From then on, the crowd in Minnesota was firmly behind him and he was a fixture with them for many years.

  “We had played together in the Boston Bruins organization and he was my buddy,” said J.P. Parise. “Nobody worked harder than Bill. He was one of the first guys to work out in the summer. We would play racquetball, do weights and train. We would go to camp and just dominate. A loose cannon at times, but good to have as a teammate. He was tough and would stand up for me. A great skater and shooter and he really worked at it.”

  Charismatic and fun-loving, Goldsworthy lived hard for many years, but drinking and promiscuity took their toll. In 1995, he bravely became the first former NHL player to publicly announce that he had AIDS and he passed away on March 29, 1996.

  Bill Goldsworthy

  J.P. Parise

  A young prospect who looked forward to cracking an NHL lineup with expansion, Parise was originally taken from the Boston Bruins by the California Seals, but he didn’t last long there.

  “I was a good player but not good enough to play in the Original Six,” he recalled. “It was hard to get in there. Training camp with Oakland was gruelling. It was unbelievable. I remember some of the practices after losing or tying, and Bert Olmstead made us do starts and stops for an hour. He blew the whistle and told us we were halfway done. I was thinking about anything but skating. It was really tough.

  “Bert was a fundamental guy. Rink-wide passes were strictly prohibited and Bill Masterton intercepted my pass. I hit him and got a penalty and they ended up scoring. He was mad when I got back to the bench. He called me a ‘little fucking frog,’ and I told him where to go. He never answered and he sent Gord Fashoway to tell me I had been traded to Rochester.”

  Parise did not stay in the minors for long, however, as he was traded by Rochester’s parent club in Toronto to Minnesota just before Christmas. He made his debut with them at Madison Square Garden on December 27, 1967.

  ”It was so good,” he said. “Wren played me and I killed penalties and Bernie Geoffrion was on the point. I went in there and nailed him. I had been called up earlier in the year with the Leafs, so I knew I could make it.”

  Three days later, he scored against the Boston Bruins, and the Los Angeles Kings were the victim of his first game-winning tally of the year on January 3, 1968. He fit in well with his new teammates and most of his offence came in even-strength situations.

  In time, Parise became a fixture with the franchise, and he remained there until the midway point of the 1974–75 season. He proudly represented Canada at the 1972 Summit Series. After stints with the New York Islanders and Cleveland Barons, he returned to Minnesota and served as their captain in 1978–79 before retiring. His son, Zach, started his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2012.

  J.P. Parise

  Bill Masterton

  A hard-working player who earned his bachelor of science degree in business while starring for the University of Denver’s hockey team, Masterton did not turn pro until he was 23 years old. Then in 1963, he stepped away from the game, playing only on a casual level. A few years later, he turned down an offer to work as a contract administrator for Honeywell and instead decided to join the U.S. National Team for part of the 1966–67 season.

  It was during this stint he caught the attention of Wren Blair, who made a deal to obtain his rights.

  “I liked what I saw, so I asked Bill if he would consider giving pro hockey another fling,” he told the press early in the 1967–68 season. “When he said he’d like to try it, I bought his contract from Montreal… . From what I saw of Bill in training camp, I think he’ll help us. He had the misfortune of getting a shoulder separation before the exhibition games started but he worked hard with Lloyd Percival, our physical fitness expert, and was able to return for our last six or seven games and get three goals and a couple of assists.”

  Masterton was by then a father of two and living in the Twin Cities with his wife, Carol. He earned a permanent spot in the North Stars’ record book by scoring the first goal for the team while Minnesota was on the power play. The puck went past Seth Martin of the St. Louis Blues at 15:20 of the second period on October 11, 1967.

  “I doubt very much that I would’ve considered playing any place else,” said Masterton. “I went to training camp knowing it wouldn’t be a picnic, especially after being out of pro hockey for four seasons. I had the opportunity to skate quite a bit last summer when I coached in a summer league, and I think that helped me quite a bit. I was in pretty good shape when I reported. When I signed a two-year contract, I more or less expected to spend this season in Memphis. I may still end up there but even if I do, I won’t be disappointed because I’ve given two years to prove that I can play in the NHL. I realize it’s going to be tough, but if I can get the opportunity to play, I’m confident that I can make it.”

  Things were going smoothly for him on a line with Dave Balon and Wayne Connelly through most of the season, but tragedy struck on January 13, 1968, when Minnesota hosted the Oakland Seals. Late in the first period, Masterton was checked heavily by Larry Cahan and Ron Harris after passing the puck in the Seals’ zone. He flipped backwards, hitting his head.

  “Billy and I drove to the rink that night,” said Ray Cullen. “We were all surprised by it, and it didn’t look like that bad of a hit. He was a real gentleman and quiet, studious type of guy.”

  Other teammates recalled the incident vividly.

  “I remember him crossing the offensive blue line and one player hitting before Larry Cahan hit him,” said J.P. Parise. “He got up and fell back down. I went to go see him, and his eyes were moving around in his head and he was taking deep breaths. I thought he was dying, but he was swallowing.”

  “Cahan never hit dirty,” said Cesare Maniago. “He hit him pretty good and my wife swears that he was knocked out before he even hit the ice. She was right in that corner and it was kind of like a whiplash hitting the ice. We didn’t think it was going to be that severe until we got the news in Boston the next day.”

  Ron Harris was the other defenceman involved in the play, and he has given only one interview on the subject. In 2003, he spoke to the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and expressed his feelings on the only death in NHL history to stem from an on-ice incident.

  “It bothers you the rest of your life. It wasn’t dirty and it wasn’t meant to happen that way. Still, it’s very hard because I made the play. It’s always in the back of my mind.”

  The accident also shocked coach Blair.

  “It was a momentary check and they skated right on after the puck. He hit so hard that I’m sure he was unconscious before he fell. I’ve never seen anybody go down that way. We heard him crash to the ice from the bench.”

  “We wen
t out and played the next night and got our asses kicked,” said Parise. “Wren came in after and told us that if he pulled through, he was going to be a vegetable, but he died that night.”

  Masterton passed away in the early hours of January 15 from a massive internal brain injury. He was taken to a Minneapolis hospital where a team of five doctors was unable to save him. He never regained consciousness.

  The NHL turned over $60,000 to Masterton’s estate from the league’s pension fund. He was insured for $50,000 on his life and received $10,000 for accidental indemnity. Soon after, many NHL players, including Brian Conacher, Howie Young, Stan Mikita, Ken Wharram, Doug Mohns and Pierre Pilote, began to don helmets.

  Masterton actually wore a helmet in college and in the minors but was discouraged from the practice when he hit the NHL. After the accident, many wondered if Blair would change his tune about helmets.

  “No, not at all,” said Wayne Connelly. “We players took it really hard. He tried to be the tough guy and he was yelling at us to play the game.”

  The mood in the dressing room also changed in the days and weeks that followed.

  “When you lose a teammate, you can’t say that when they drop the puck that you don’t think about it. It was a sad thing in our own dressing room,” said Cullen.

  In March, the NHL Board of Governors announced approval for a memorial award for Bill Masterton, to be presented to the player who best demonstrates the qualities of sportsmanship, dedication and perseverance to hockey. Minnesota’s players also gave Masterton’s widow a full share of playoff money. To this day, he is fondly remembered by teammates.

  “I can remember how kind he was,” recalled Parise. “He came over to the hotel where I was staying and drove me to my first practice. The night before that game, there was a party at Bill’s house. My lasting vision of him is of him playing with his two kids. Years later, I would meet them again.”

  “As an individual, we were very close. We played together in Hull-Ottawa,” said Maniago. “Quiet, but loved a sensible good time with family and on the road. Prior to him getting hit that night, we celebrated a birthday party a couple of nights before. He had been complaining about a steady headache. In retrospect, you would think he had a concussion.”

  In recent years, information has come to light that suggests Masterton had likely sustained a concussion in the games leading up to the accident.

  “I knew Bill was hurting before. I knew this for a fact,” said Connelly.

  Bill Masterton

  Bronco Horvath

  A wily veteran who toiled in the AHL for several seasons after his last NHL action in 1962–63, Horvath was property of the Toronto Maple Leafs but never made it far with the club despite some solid production in the minors.

  His return to the bigs came when he was loaned to the North Stars and was offered a nice contract by the club. Things were looking up for the 37-year-old.

  “I had a wonderful time in Minnesota. I loved it there,” he said. “They flew me in and Johnny Mariucci took me to the rink. It was the nicest arena I had ever seen and I knew a few guys there already.”

  He began with an assist in each of his first four games with the North Stars and scored his only goal with them on February 11, 1968, against Philadelphia.

  “We were all clicking like crazy,” he recalled. “Once we were going good, I got called upstairs to see Wren and he told me that I was going back to Toronto. My father phoned Imlach and he offered him $50,000 to let me stay in Minnesota. He wouldn’t and my father really was tempted to go over and kick his ass. He was the worst thing to happen in hockey, that Imlach.

  “Imlach wanted four players from Minnesota for me and they offered him cash. Blair said to him, ‘How can I send you four players when I need them?’”

  Upon his return, Horvath was less than cordial with Toronto’s coach and general manager.

  “I told him to go fuck himself,” he said. “I could have stayed in Minnesota, but you ruined my life. I was going to club him, honest to God.”

  Needless to say, Horvath was back in the minors after that, but he made a lasting impression with at least one young star in Minnesota.

  “I was traded to Rochester out of Oakland and Mr. Horvath was like a father to me,” recalled J.P. Parise. “We were put on a line by Joe Crozier. The first game we played together, I had four breakaways and I missed them all. He called me over and said, ‘Johnny, the way you’re playing, you’re going to be out of the league by Christmas.’ He helped me like you wouldn’t believe. I find Bronco Horvath totally responsible for my career in the National Hockey League.”

  Cesare Maniago

  Maniago saw action in 28 games with the New York Rangers in 1965–66, but the rise of Ed Giacomin as the club’s number one goaltender gave him just six appearances the following year. Expansion gave him the opportunity to find work elsewhere in the NHL when the North Stars made him their first pick in the draft, and he proved one of their most popular players during their early years.

  “In a meeting of scouts, owners and others in our group before the draft, it was agreed upon to pick a man with NHL experience if at all possible,” said Wren Blair at the time. “To be truthful, we were not very interested in Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall or Charlie Hodge. So after Philadelphia got the second pick and took Bernie Parent, we decided on Cesare. I felt fortunate to get him. He’s not as young as, say, Parent, but at 28 he should be able to give us quite a few good years.”

  Maniago was initially set to share the crease with Garry Bauman. His first outing of the 1967–68 season came in the club’s second game, and it was a rough one against the California Seals.

  “What happened is I think Wren wanted to make an impression on some of the older guys, and he comes into the dressing and he’s yelling and screaming because that was his style,” said Maniago. “He laid into Parker MacDonald first and he said he was lousy and that he was going to the minors and then he went after me. It was anger like I had never seen from a coach before or after. After he was done, I asked him if I could speak with him outside and then I grabbed him by the tie and said, ‘You son of a bitch, if you ever pull that again, I’ll put my fist down your throat!’ From then on, he never, ever said anything to me. He’d start jumping on other guys, but poor Goldsworthy was his whipping boy. If I sat down with a couple of guys from the first year, we could probably put a book together about all the stuff he pulled. It really brought the team together because it was us against him.”

  Early in the season, Maniago missed some time due to an eye cut and groin injury, but he was in net for the first win in franchise history in a rematch with the Seals on October 21, 1967, in what was also Minnesota’s home debut.

  By mid-November, he had essentially taken over the starting role. He made headlines with an incredible shutout streak of 188:36, which included two blankings of Los Angeles and another against Oakland. It was eventually broken on December 21 by Pat Hannigan of the Philadelphia Flyers, but Maniago’s streak was the longest since Glenn Hall’s in 1955–56.

  “It was good hockey and I believe those three were out on the west coast. I remember Ray Cullen and I talking at the time and I told him that the puck seemed like a big watermelon floating at me slowly,” Maniago recalled.

  Solid the rest of the way, he suffered a concussion in a loss to the Flyers on March 10, 1968, but was back in net again three days later. On March 23, he helped the North Stars nail down a playoff spot with a shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the playoffs, Maniago was strong in the opening-round series with Los Angeles and went to the seven-game limit with St. Louis afterward.

  “It could have gone either way. I don’t know if we would have done well against Montreal but it would have been nice to be there,” he said.

  Cesare Maniago

  EXPANSION YEAR RECORD: 31–32–11

  (73 points — first in West Division)

  COACH: Keith Allen

  GENERAL MANAGER: Bud Poile

  FIRST
GAME: October 11, 1967 —

  5–1 loss vs. California Seals

  FIRST GOAL: October 11, 1967 by Bill Sutherland

  PHILADELPHIA

  FLYERS

  Before the Flyers came to town, Philadelphia was not exactly treating the sport of hockey with brotherly love. The NHL’s relationship with the city began in 1930–31 when Benny Leonard brought in the Pittsburgh Pirates and rechristened them the Quakers, but their dismal 4–36–4 record still stands as the worst in NHL history. One year was enough for them, and every year for the next few seasons they asked to suspend operations until ownership finally gave up on the franchise.

  One of the other problems the Quakers faced was competition from the Can-Am League’s Philadelphia Arrows, who had been around since 1927–28. They lasted only eight seasons but withstood the one-season stint of the Comets club from the Tri-State League in 1932–33 before changing their name to the Ramblers in 1935–36. They won a championship that year but eventually folded after playing the 1941–42 campaign as the Rockets. During World War II, they went on hiatus then came back in 1946–47 for a three-season run.

  In 1955–56, the Eastern League brought in a new Ramblers team, and they lasted for several years before relocating to nearby Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Because of that rocky history, there was much debate over whether or not Philadelphia was meant to be a hockey town. But the NHL was looking to expand, so fate stepped in and the sport finally had an opportunity win over the hearts of local fans.

  A former record executive named Ed Snider came across hockey almost by chance in the early 1960s and was amazed that a perennial last-place team like the Boston Bruins consistently sold out. At the time the NHL announced its plans for expansion, he was the vice-president of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and he quickly threw together a proposal that won over the league. His group included Bill Putnam, who helped Jack Kent Cooke get his franchise application together, and Eagles owner Jerry Wolman. There was some speculation Philadelphia might not make the cut among the cities that applied, but they were helped by the plans for a new arena and because the Baltimore application left much to be desired.