APRIL 28, 1947
HICKEY CONTINUES TO TWIST IN WIND
The worst kept secret in hockey is the plans the Toronto Dukes have of naming former Dukes star and ex-Detroit coach Jack Barrell as their new head coach. It seemed a done deal late in the season when Barrell left a championship quality team out west in the Tacoma Lions to take over a struggling Cleveland Eries club in the Hockey Assocation of America. It made sense only when it was quickly realized the Eries are the farm club of the Toronto Dukes and the feeling was that Barrell would replace Norb Hickey behind the Dukes bench after Hickey guided the Toronto side to a historically bad season.
That was in mid-February and here we are well over a month and a half since the Dukes dismal season ended and Norb Hickey remains the Dukes coach, on paper at least. His contract, due to expire June 30th has not been exteneded and there is absolutely no indication from Toronto owner David Welcombe that an extension will happen. Quite the opposite in fact as Welcombe and his management team have promised big changes after the club slid from the best record in the regular season a year ago to one of its worst campaign's ever recorded.
This season aside, Hickey has a pretty impressive track record in his seven seasons behind the bench at Dominion Arena. His coaching record with the Dukes sits at 183-97-56 and he guided the club to back to back Challenge Cup titles. However, being swept by fourth place Montreal in the semi-finals last season after posting a league best 70 points created some issues for Hickey and the terrible 13-26-9 season this year appears to have sealed his fate. The only question remains is not "if" Hickey will be let go, but rather "when" he will be replaced by Barrell.
NAHC TEAM RECAPS: BROOKLYN EAGLES
Despite the fact that the Brooklyn Eagles missed the playoffs for the 9th consecutive season there was plenty of optimism around Prescott Arena as the Eagles 15 wins this season is nearly double what the won the three previous years combined. Following a dreadful 2-41-5 campaign a year ago, very little was expected of the Eagles when the puck dropped last November. In fact, rumours of the club folding at the end of this season were more common than Brooklyn wins over the past decade. Six months later, attendance remains a concern and there is still the fear that owner Edward Faberge may yet decide he has lost enough money on the club and fold up shop, but on the ice there was plenty to cheer about, even if there were not a lot of fans in the building to make noise.
The Eagles improved by 29 points -by far the biggest growth shhown by any team in the league- and threatened to sneak into the final playoff spot until a March swoon left them six points short of the New York Shamrocks. The turnaround can be attributed directly to the role played by 4 newcomers, including three from the west coast. 24 year old center Quinton Pollack was the top scorer in the Great Western Hockey League a year ago and he followed that up with an outstanding freshman campaign in the NAHL, tying for the league lead with 30 goals and has to be considered the favourite to win the McLeod Trophy, presented annually to the loop's top rookie.
Pollack, who starred for Tacoma a year ago, was joined by a pair of players from the Vancouver franchise in 26 year old Sam Coates and 22 year old Hank Walsh. Add in 23 year old Ian Doyle, who was unfortunately injured halfway through the season, and the Eagles finally had some offense. The blueline was also bolstered with addition of first round draft pick Robert Sharpley, who did not look out of place despite his tender age of 20, and third year rearguard Alexandre Viens, who spent the previous two seasons with Detroit. With some support finally in front of him, 31 year old Tom Brockers looked like he did in his prime with Boston when he was winning Cups and Juneau Awards for the Bees. Brockers earned a nomination for the Juneau -awarded to the top netminder- as he looks to add to the four he claimed while with the Bees.
There is still a lot of work needed to add depth, in particular secondary scoring, but the Eagles are finally flying in the right direction.
MONTHLY RECORD
NOV: 3-5-2 8 points
DEC: 5-6-1 11 points
JAN: 2-4-3 7 points
FEB: 4-5-1 9 points
MAR: 1-5-1 3 points
OVERAL 15-25-8 38 points
OTHER HEADLINES THIS WEEK
- The surprising St Louis Pioneers, last place in the Fed a year ago, continue to hold the best record in baseball as the season completes its second week.
- Oakland Grays first baseman Frankie Cohen is red-hot in the coast loop, batting .556 to lead all of big league baseball.
- 22 year old heavyweight Tommy Cline improved to 10-0 with a unanimous decison over ring veteran Pete Sanderson.
- President Truman warned today that "excessive wholesale prices" are undermining the prosperity of the nation and warned that prices must be brought down if a recession is to be averted.
- Princess Elizabeth, on her 21st birthday this week, solemnly dedicated her life to the service of the British commonwealth and called on its youth to lift the heavy burden of empire from the shoulders of its elders.
Full national sports coverage is available in this week's edition of
THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL.