Changing the Game

by Stephen Laroche

  The smallest player in the league, Boudrias was known for being a thorn in the side of opposing stars. A Vancouver disc jockey wrote a song called “Superpest” as a tribute to his play. Even Phil Esposito, who was in the midst of a then-record season in which he scored 76 goals, was held to just three in games against the Canucks. In fact, it was reported that Espo was on a salmon fishing trip and when he did not get any bites, he said, “I bet that damn Boudrias is down there!”

  Andre Boudrias

  Wayne Maki

  Maki followed his older brother, Chico, into a pro hockey career, but while he was with the St. Louis Blues, he was involved in a vicious stick-swinging pre-season incident with Boston’s Ted Green on September 21, 1969, in which the Bruins’ veteran defender sustained a fractured skull. In the aftermath, Maki split the 1969–70 campaign between the St. Louis Blues and the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL.

  Maki was given a new lease on his NHL career when the Canucks called his name during the expansion draft and placed him on a line with Murray Hall and Orland Kurtenbach. The trio put up big numbers during the early stages of the 1970–71 season. He scored the first game-winning goal in franchise history on October 11, 1970, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. What many observers were watching out for, however, was the first on-ice meeting between Maki and Green a week later. The game went without incident, and while Maki found it difficult to talk about what had transpired in the past, Green considered it water under the bridge.

  “It never even entered my head,” he said. “It’s over. It was over a long time ago.”

  Later on in the season, Maki began to struggle while Kurtenbach was out with an injury, but on March 28, 1971, he scored a hat trick and chipped in two assists against California. He finished the year second on the team in scoring and established career marks in goals and assists.

  Maki’s tale had a tragic ending, though, when he passed away on May 1, 1974, from brain cancer. The Canucks unofficially retired his number, but it was brought back into circulation when Mark Messier joined the club in 1997–98.

  Rosaire Paiement

  After three frustrating seasons of minimal playing time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Paiement was ready to become an NHL regular with the second round of expansion, and the Canucks made sure to get him on draft day.

  He did not have to wait long to get revenge on his old club when he tallied a goal and an assist in Vancouver’s first meeting with Philadelphia on October 15, 1970. Just 12 days later, he scored his first of four game-winners of the year in a victory against Buffalo.

  As the season progressed, Hal Laycoe threw Paiement on top offensive-lines. He unleashed an impressive four goals in another meeting with the Sabres on February 9, 1971. He was on fire at that point in the season, and a week later, he had a hat trick plus an assist in a big win over the Boston Bruins. When the two clubs met again on February 25, Paiement was a marked man. He scored the opening goal but also got into two fights with the legendary Bobby Orr. What the phenomenal Bruin defender was not expecting was to be dropped with two punches by the son of an arm wrestler from Northern Ontario.

  “Rosie was tough and could throw them with the best. He wasn’t a great skater and he found that the more he kicked the shit out of guys, the more room he got,” said Bobby Schmautz.

  By the end end of the 1970–71 campaign, Paiement led the Canucks with 34 goals and was third on the club in points.

  Rosaire Paiement

  Dale Tallon

  In the years leading up to his arrival in the NHL, Tallon was one of the most accomplished junior golfers in Canada, but he chose hockey as a career path instead. His father, Stan, had made it to the AHL years earlier. A standout for the Toronto Marlboros, Tallon was regarded as a potential high pick for the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, and after the Canucks lost a spin of the wheel for the first pick, they gladly took him as the second overall selection.

  In training camp, Tallon demonstrated a great deal of versatility, and it was decided that he was going to start on defence. He also battled several health issues and took some criticism for showing up 10 pounds overweight.

  “I guess we have to face facts. As a junior, the kid had so much talent he could play anywhere, but in the NHL, it looks as if defence is the place he belongs,” said general manager Bud Poile.

  Coach Hal Laycoe believed that it was a move in the right direction for the young prospect.

  “He seemed more comfortable there, though it puts more pressure on him than playing forward would. A kid can play some bad games as a forward and no one notices much and it may not hurt the team too much. Any mistakes a kid makes on defence may result in goals against and he’ll be spotlighted. But this kid is tough, mentally as well as physically, and seems to be able to handle it. He’s going to be a great one.”

  It did not take Tallon long to make an impact, as he registered his first goal and assist in October before returning to Toronto, where he had a two-point night on November 7, 1970. Even as a rookie, he demonstrated a great deal of maturity and adapted quickly to the pace of NHL play.

  “I’ll tell you, it’s really something to be in the NHL at 20,” he said. “I think when I’m 40, I’ll appreciate it even more. I hope I’m still here. The big thing you notice making the jump from juniors is the accelerated pace. Everyone is making every move faster, so you have to do so, too, but without making mistakes. When you make one, you have to learn from it. Every arena has a different atmosphere. When I’ve played in each one, I’ll know what to expect as I travel the circuit. The older players have made me feel welcome and have helped me. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. It’s like a dream. It’s rough, but I’m feeling no pain.”

  After he was selected to play in the 1971 NHL All-Star Game, Tallon brought his game to a new level in the second half of the year and began to challenge for the rookie scoring record for defencemen. Bobby Orr held the mark at the time with 41 points during the 1966–67 campaign. By the end of the regular schedule Tallon had shattered that standard with assists alone. He was on fire in the final stretch and had multi-point games against Detroit, Chicago and California during the month of March. Tallon finished the year third among all defenders in scoring, behind Orr and Montreal’s J.C. Tremblay, and was recognized with 12 votes for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

  Dale Tallon

  Orland Kurtenbach

  A big and tough leader on the ice, Kurtenbach had been playing professionally for more than a decade when the Canucks snatched him away from the New York Rangers in the expansion draft. What nobody could predict, however, was the incredible impact he had as Vancouver’s first captain during the 1970–71 season.

  His first tally of the year came while the team was shorthanded in a surprising 5–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 11, 1970. From then on, the points kept piling up, and he even had back-to-back winning goals against Los Angeles in November. On December 12, he recorded the first hat trick in franchise history in a battle with the California Golden Seals.

  The wild ride came to a very abrupt end, however, when he missed nearly two months of action with torn knee ligaments. After such a loss to their lineup, the Canucks began to slip into the lower rungs of the standings and were unable to recover.

  Kurtenbach returned to action against Toronto on March 3, 1971, and at the end of the year, was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player. The recognition for his work was also apparent when voting totals for the Hart Trophy were announced and he finished in seventh place.

  “He was very respected throughout the league. A real good captain and a good leader,” said teammate Ray Cullen.

  Orland Kurtenbach

  Poul Popiel

  Popiel spent two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before he joined the Canucks, but he was back in the minors for part of the 1969–70 campaign. His reputation for strong defensive play made him one of the best players available in the expansion draft, and he ended up a member of the Vancouver Canucks.


  “When I got to Vancouver, I knew it was an open book,” he said. “When I started the year, Ted Taylor sat out, and I was told that I could play as a defenceman or at left wing. I became the anchor on a line with Andre Boudrias and Rosaire Paiement.”

  Popiel’s rambunctious play certainly earned him a lot of attention. He had a two-goal night against the Buffalo Sabres on November 5, 1970, scoring the winning marker on Roger Crozier at 2:03 of the second period. Approximately five weeks later, he had another difference-maker for the Canucks in a 5–2 drubbing of the California Golden Seals.

  The early-season success for the Canucks inspired Popiel, and he spoke about the overall mood of his teammates.

  “I thought we were strong and were a tough hockey team. We felt really good in the dressing room before the game. We felt confident and like we could handle anyone.”

  Pat Quinn

  Players throughout the league were aware of Quinn’s skills as a physical defender after he had two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs — especially after he laid out Boston’s Bobby Orr with a vicious hit in the 1968–69 playoffs. Vancouver selected him during the expansion draft to help give the team an edge during their first season.

  With Vancouver, Quinn was able to get in nearly a full season at the NHL level. His first assist in a Canucks uniform was on Andre Boudrias’s game-winning goal, which downed the California Golden Seals on October 20, 1970. Often partnered on the blue line with Gary Doak, he had a power-play goal and added an assist on November 4, in a tough 8–3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. At the end of the year, Quinn ranked second on the team in penalty minutes.

  Gary Doak

  Dependable Doak was a role player for the “Big Bad Bruins” club leading up to their Stanley Cup triumph in 1969–70. But since the team had so many great defencemen, at least one of them was going to be exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft. Drawing the short straw, he was taken with Vancouver’s first selection to anchor their blueline corps.

  Often the victim of ill-timed injuries, Doak appeared in a career-high 77 games in 1970–71 and was named an alternate captain for the Canucks. His first of two goals in the season came while playing the Philadelphia Flyers on December 1, 1970, and to that point it was only the seventh tally of his career. His frustration built into a clash with coach Hal Laycoe in early February, but the matter was quickly smoothed over. At the end of the year, Doak was named the team’s top defenceman because of his excellent play.

  “We stayed friends ever since those days,” said Ray Cullen. “He came from Boston, who had just won a Stanley Cup. He was very dedicated and couldn’t wait to get on the ice.”

  Bobby Schmautz

  Schmautz played parts of two seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks early in the expansion era, but despite showing some promise at the minor league level, he had problems with coach Billy Reay and didn’t get much chance to show what he could do on ice. At the end of the 1968–69 season, he bounced around to the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens, but he ended up back in the WHL and spent most of the next two years with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

  Schmautz had a good start in 1970–71 with the Totems, but the Vancouver Canucks needed a bit more scoring talent on the roster and they sent two young players down to Seattle for the 25-year-old winger.

  “When I was brought up, it was halfway through the year,” he recalled. “I was very happy to be in the Western Hockey League, but when I got the chance to go into Vancouver, it was strictly a money deal. They were going to double my salary. Vancouver treated me royally when I was there.”

  On February 12, 1971, Schmautz had his first goal with the Canucks, assisted by Ray Cullen, against Jim Rutherford of the Detroit Red Wings. He made some decent contributions as the season drew to a close, including a two-point night playing the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 19. He repeated the feat four days later when Vancouver hosted the St. Louis Blues.

  Dunc Wilson

  Wilson spent two years in the AHL with the Quebec Aces and made his NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1969–70 season. Stuck behind Bernie Parent and Doug Favell, however, he was not getting much chance at big-league action. The Canucks made him the first goalie they chose in the expansion draft.

  “I think Wilson has a chance to become an outstanding NHL goalie,” said general manager Bud Poile.

  At the beginning of the season, Vancouver used a rotation of three goaltenders. Wilson debuted with the club on October 12, 1970, when they took on the St. Louis Blues. He did not get the victory, but he did register his first win against the Buffalo Sabres in the second clash between the expansion cousins on November 5. The triumphs were scarce after that (both came against California), but Wilson saw a ton of action following the retirement of Charlie Hodge and took over as the team’s top man in the crease the next year.

  Charlie Hodge

  Hodge was nearly at the end of his remarkable pro career during his three-year stint with the Oakland Seals. The Canucks thought he might have at least one more good year left in him when they made him the second goaltender they selected in the expansion draft.

  Hodge did not get the call for the season opener against Los Angeles (George Gardner was in net), but his experience was exactly what they needed during their second game on October 11, 1970, when he came away with a big win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. From then on, he led the team in victories and was Vancouver’s best goaltender by far in their expansion year.

  As the season began to wind down, however, Hodge knew that retirement was his best option. His last NHL contest came in a loss to the Minnesota North Stars on March 21, 1971. He chose to take up an offer to work as a scout for the Canucks and later held a similar role with Winnipeg, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

  THE RIVAL

  LEAGUE

  For more than 45 years, the NHL faced no serious competition from any other professional league. But their dominance of the sport ensured that someone would eventually challenge them for hockey supremacy. In football, the NFL faced competition from the American Football League, and the two leagues eventually merged. In basketball, the NBA had the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the thorn in their side in the early 1970s.

  The ABA had been the brainchild of promoting duo Dennis Murphy and Gary Davidson and it proved a modest success. The pair next set their sights on hockey, partnering up with “Wild” Bill Hunter, who owned the junior Edmonton Oil Kings, and began the process of putting together a hockey league to rival the NHL. They announced their intention for the World Hockey Association (WHA) to begin play in 1972–73.

  Most hockey fans scoffed at the notion that a new loop might seriously challenge the status quo of the game, but their skepticism was quickly countered when hundreds of players signed contracts with the new teams. The world was shocked by the biggest of these signings as Bobby Hull joined the Winnipeg Jets, and other stars like J.C. Tremblay, Gerry Cheevers and Derek Sanderson followed suit.

  The primary reason for this mass exodus of talent was money. NHL players were underpaid when compared with athletes from other sports, even after the formation of the NHL Players’ Association a few years earlier. The WHA owners opened up their vaults and salaries rose dramatically on both sides as a result.

  When the 1972–73 season began, hockey fans were treated to 12 new teams that worked hard every night to help the WHA become a long-term fixture. While there were legal challenges to Hull’s status with the Jets, and small crowds in some arenas, most teams did well and came back the following year.

  The WHA began to challenge the NHL head on by drafting 18-year-old players. They also scored a major coup when they brought Gordie Howe out of retirement to play alongside his sons, Mark and Marty, with the Houston Aeros. Many young prospects followed suit, and the NHL was forced to reduce its draft age.

  In time, the WHA expanded to 14 teams, but the dilution of the talent pool and the rise of violence in the game proved a lethal combination in some markets. Many teams were mov
ed or even folded, and a lot of weird and wacky stories began to pop up in the press.

  The WHA lasted just seven seasons but it left an indelible mark on the game of hockey. Just four teams were admitted into the NHL, but fans, players and executives still fondly recall the league’s heyday.

  “The whole seven-year experience was a great experience for me,” said Howard Baldwin during the 1979–80 season. “It was certainly worth the effort. It was a thrill to create something, then follow it to where it is today… . Sure, there were frustrations with the WHA. The most painful thing was to see three, four or even five clubs doing a major league job. The four who are in the NHL always did a good job. I thought Birmingham and Cincy didn’t do a bad job. But there were some who ripped us off.”

  EXPANSION AND FRANCHISE SHIFTS

  FOR THE WORLD HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

  1972–73

  The World Hockey Association begins play with 12 different clubs: the Alberta Oilers, Chicago Cougars, Cleveland Crusaders (originally the Calgary Broncos), Houston Aeros (originally the Dayton Arrows), Los Angeles Sharks (originally the Aces), Minnesota Fighting Saints, New England Whalers, New York Raiders, Ottawa Nationals, Philadelphia Blazers (originally the Miami Screaming Eagles), Quebec Nordiques (originally the San Francisco Sharks) and Winnipeg Jets.

  At the end of the season, the Ottawa Nationals played their home playoff games out of Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.

  1973–74

  The Alberta Oilers change their name to the Edmonton Oilers.

  The New York Raiders become the New York Golden Blades. After 20 games and playing to small home crowds, they are moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and become the Jersey Knights.

  The Toronto Toros begin play after spending the previous year as the Ottawa Nationals.

  The Philadelphia Blazers move west to become the Vancouver Blazers.