Thursday 22 September 2011

The Berger Collection (Hockey News Covers): Part 5

By HOWARD BERGER

TORONTO (Sep. 22) - This edition of my memorabilia photo-blog series is simple and straight-forward: 72 covers of The Hockey News dating from Oct. 27, 1972 to Apr. 22, 1977. The hockey bible - as it is known - was in fact a newspaper at the time... not the sharp, glossy magazine it is today. The only color you will see in the pages below are those of headlines and front-page advertisements; all photos in the paper were black-and-white.

Much happened in hockey during the four-and-a-half-year span represented by these covers:

It was a time of salary escalation owing to the player war between the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association... New York Islanders and Atlanta Flames had just joined the NHL... Philadelphia Flyers became the first of the 1967 expansion teams to win the Stanley Cup... Don Cherry was hired as coach by the Boston Bruins... Such legendary players as Denis Potvin, Lanny McDonald, Bob Gainey, Bryan Trottier, Bernie Federko, Doug Wilson and Mike Bossy were drafted into the NHL... Future stars Eric Lindros, Scott Niedermayer, Peter Forsberg, Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Ryan Smyth and Daniel Alfredsson were born...  Borje Salming, signed as a free agent by the Leafs, became the first great European to play in North America... Hall-of-famer Tim Horton - stalwart Leafs defenseman of the 1960s and name-sake to the donut empire - died in a single-car crash after playing a game with Buffalo at Maple Leaf Gardens... Gordie Howe ended a two-season retirement to join Houston of the WHA and play with sons, Mark and Marty... Kansas City Scouts and Washington Capitals joined the NHL in expansion; Washington establishing futility records that still exist [fewest wins - eight - and most goals allowed - 446 - in a minimum 70-game schedule]... Philadelphia and Buffalo squared off in the first all-expansion Stanley Cup final... The game's most prolific scorer - Phil Esposito - was traded from Boston to the New York Rangers... In an era long before free agency, Bobby Orr was somehow allowed to join Chicago after his contract with the Bruins expired... Leafs captain Darryl Sittler erupted - in 1976 - for 10 points (still a single-game record) against Boston; a record-tying five playoff goals against Philadelphia and the overtime marker that ended the first Canada Cup tournament... Sittler's teammate, Ian Turnbull, set a league mark for goals by a defenseman in one game - scoring five against Detroit (it, too, remains the standard)... Kansas City Scouts became the Colorado Rockies. California Golden Seals became the Cleveland Barons... And, the Canadiens of Scotty Bowman, Ken Dryden, Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson and Serge Savard began their Stanley Cup dynasty of the late-'70s.

You will undoubtedly notice that Bobby Orr is on the vast majority of these covers of The Hockey News - but not solely because of his unparalleled greatness. Rather, No. 4 was a spokesperson for the Yardley brand of male "grooming products" (as they were called) and Yardley had a front-page ad. Orr, in fact, is plastered all over the initial cover below.

Please enjoy this trip through one of the most volatile and influential times in hockey history.

OCTOBER 27, 1972


NOVEMBER 24, 1972


DECEMBER 1, 1972


DECEMBER 29, 1972


JANUARY 19, 1973


FEBRUARY 2, 1973


MARCH 30, 1973


APRIL 13, 1973


APRIL 20, 1973


MAY 18, 1973


OCTOBER 5, 1973


NOVEMBER 16, 1973


NOVEMBER 30, 1973


DECEMBER 28, 1973


JANUARY 15, 1974


FEBRUARY 1, 1974


FEBRUARY 22, 1974


MARCH 1, 1974


MARCH 8, 1974


MARCH 15, 1974


MARCH 29, 1974


APRIL 19, 1974


APRIL 26, 1974


MAY 10, 1974


MAY 17, 1974


JUNE 1974


JULY 1974


AUGUST 1974


SEPTEMBER 1974


OCTOBER 18, 1974


OCTOBER 25, 1974


NOVEMBER 1, 1974


NOVEMBER 8, 1974


NOVEMBER 22, 1974


NOVEMBER 29, 1974


DECEMBER 6, 1974


DECEMBER 27, 1974


JANUARY 10, 1975


JANUARY 17, 1975


FEBRUARY 7, 1975


FEBRUARY 21, 1975


FEBRUARY 28, 1975


MAY 9, 1975


SEPTEMBER 1975


NOVEMBER 7, 1975


NOVEMBER 14, 1975


NOVEMBER 21, 1975


NOVEMBER 28, 1975


DECEMBER 12, 1975


JANUARY 2, 1976


FEBRUARY 6, 1976


FEBRUARY 13, 1976


FEBRUARY 20, 1976


FEBRUARY 27, 1976


MARCH 5, 1976


MARCH 12, 1976


MARCH 19, 1976


MAY 14, 1976


JULY 1976


OCTOBER 22, 1976


NOVEMBER 19, 1976


DECEMBER 10, 1976


DECEMBER 17, 1976


DECEMBER 31, 1976


JANUARY 7, 1977


JANUARY 21, 1977


JANUARY 28, 1977


FEBRUARY 11, 1977


FEBRUARY 18, 1977


FEBRUARY 25, 1977


MARCH 11, 1977


MARCH 18, 1977


MARCH 25, 1977


APRIL 8, 1977


APRIL 15, 1977


APRIL 22, 1977

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