Friday, August 3, 2012

1970 NHL Expansion Draft

As promised here follows the results of the 1970 Expansion Draft that occurred June 10, 1970.

The protected lists:

Boston BruinsChicago Black HawksDetroit Red WingsLos Angeles KingsMinnesota North StarsMontreal Canadiens
Goaltenders
Gerry CheeversGerry DesjardinsRoger CrozierDenis DejordyCesare ManiagoPhil Myre
Eddie JohnstonTony EspositoRoy EdwardsJack NorrisGump WorsleyRogie Vachon
Skaters
Don AwreyBryan CampbellGary BergmanPaul CurtisCharlie BurnsRalph Backstrom
Johnny BucykDennis HullCarl BrewerDick DuffBill CollinsJean Beliveau
Wayne CarletonBobby HullWayne ConnellyBill FlettJude DrouinPierre Bouchard
Wayne CashmanDoug JarrettAlex DelvecchioRay FortinBarry GibbsYvan Cournoyer
Phil EspositoCliff KorollRon HarrisLucien GrenierJohn GoftonJohn Ferguson
Ted GreenChico MakiGerry HartEddie JoyalBill GoldsworthyTerry Harper
Ken HodgePit MartinGordie HoweReal LemieuxDanny GrantJacques Laperriere
Don MarcotteRay McKayNick LibettRoss LonsberryTed HarrisGuy Lapointe
Bobby OrrStan MikitaBruce MacGregorGilles MarotteClaude LaroseJacques Lemaire
John McKenzieDoug MohnsFrank MahovlichLarry MickeyDanny LawsonPeter Mahovlich
Derek SandersonEric NesterenkoHank MonteithGarry MonahanMurray OliverMickey Redmond
Dallas SmithJim PappinDale RolfeJim PetersDanny O'SheaHenri Richard
Rick SmithPaul ShmyrFred SpeckMatt RavlichJ. P. PariséBobby Rousseau
Fred StanfieldPat StapletonPete StemkowskiEddie ShackTom ReidSerge Savard
Ed WestfallBill WhiteGarry UngerJuha WidingTom WilliamsJ. C. Tremblay
New York RangersOakland SealsPhiladelphia FlyersPittsburgh PenguinsSt. Louis BluesToronto Maple Leafs
Goaltenders
Ed GiacominGary SmithDoug FavellLes BinkleyGlenn HallBruce Gamble
Gilles VillemureChris WorthyBernie ParentAl SmithErnie WakelyJacques Plante
Skaters
Dave BalonPaul AndreaBarry AshbeeJohn ArbourRon AndersonJim Dorey
Arnie BrownGary CroteauSerge BernierWally BoyerSteve AtkinsonRon Ellis
Larry BrownNorm FergusonGary DornhoeferNick HarbarukRed BerensonBrian Glennie
Bill FairbairnTed HampsonJean-Guy GendronBryan HextallChristian BordeleauJim Harrison
Rod GilbertDennis HextallLarry HaleDunc McCallumTim EcclestonePaul Henderson
Vic HadfieldErnie HickeEarl HeiskalaKeith McCrearyJim LorentzDave Keon
Ted IrvineBill HickeLarry HillmanJim MorrisonAb McDonaldRick Ley
Jim KrulickiHarry HowellWayne HillmanDean PrenticeNoel PicardJim McKenny
Don LuceEarl IngarfieldJim JohnsonJean PronovostBarclay PlagerMike Pelyk
Jim NeilsonGary JarrettAndre LacroixDwayne RuppBob PlagerBob Pulford
Bob NevinMike LaughtonBill LesukGlen SatherBill PlagerBrit Selby
Brad ParkBert MarshallLew MorrisonKen SchinkelJim RobertsBrad Selwood
Jean RatelleWayne MuloinSimon NoletRon SchockGary SabourinGuy Trottier
Rod SeilingDoug RobertsEd Van ImpeBryan WatsonFrank St. MarseilleNorm Ullman
Walt TkaczukCarol VadnaisJoe WatsonBob WoytowichBob WallMike Walton

The draft results:

OverallPlayer ChosenByFromFill-In
1Tom WebsterBuffalo SabresBoston BruinsGarnet Bailey
2Gary DoakVancouver CanucksBoston BruinsDan Schock
3Al HamiltonBuffalo SabresNew York RangersMike Robitaille
4Orland KurtenbachVancouver CanucksNew York RangersRon Stewart
5Don MarshallBuffalo SabresNew York Rangers 
6Ray CullenVancouver CanucksMinnesota North StarsDan Seguin
7Tracy PrattBuffalo SabresPittsburgh PenguinsLowell MacDonald
8Pat QuinnVancouver CanucksToronto Maple LeafsRene Robert
9Jim WatsonBuffalo SabresDetroit Red WingsBobby Baun
10Rosie PaiementVancouver CanucksPhiladelphia FlyersGarry Peters
11François LacombeBuffalo SabresMontreal CanadiensLeon Rochefort
12Darryl SlyVancouver CanucksMinnesota North StarsWalt McKechnie
13Phil GoyetteBuffalo SabresSt. Louis BluesLarry Keenan
14Jim WisteVancouver CanucksChicago Black HawksJean-Paul LeBlanc
15Reg FlemingBuffalo SabresPhiladelphia FlyersBrent Hughes
16Danny JohnsonVancouver CanucksToronto Maple LeafsGord Nelson
17Mike McMahonBuffalo SabresPittsburgh PenguinsBob Blackburn
18Barry WilkinsVancouver CanucksBoston Bruins 
19Skip KrakeBuffalo SabresLos Angeles KingsJim Stanfield
20Ralph StewartVancouver CanucksMontreal CanadiensClaude Provost
21Jean-Guy LagaceBuffalo SabresMinnesota North Stars 
22Mike CorriganVancouver CanucksLos Angeles KingsNoel Price
23Craig CameronBuffalo SabresLos Angeles Kings 
24Wayne MakiVancouver CanucksSt. Louis BluesTerry Crisp
25Chris EvansBuffalo SabresSt. Louis Blues 
26Ed HatoumVancouver CanucksDetroit Red WingsTom Martin
27Doug BarrieBuffalo SabresPittsburgh Penguins 
28Poul PopeilVancouver CanucksDetroit Red Wings 
29Gerry MeehanBuffalo SabresPhiladelphia Flyers 
30Ron WardVancouver CanucksToronto Maple Leafs 
31Paul TerbencheBuffalo SabresChicago Black HawksLou Angotti
32John SchellaVancouver CanucksMontreal Canadiens 
33Brian PerryBuffalo SabresOakland SealsGerry Ehman
34Bob DillaboughVancouver CanucksOakland SealsDick Mattiussi
35Howie MenardBuffalo SabresOakland Seals 
36Garth RizzutoVancouver CanucksChicago Black Hawks 
Goaltenders
37Dunc WilsonVancouver CanucksPhiladelphia Flyers 
38Rocky FarrBuffalo SabresMontreal Canadiens 
39Charlie HodgeVancouver CanucksOakland Seals 
40Gary EdwardsBuffalo SabresSt. Louis Blues 


As mentioned in my previous post about the 1972 Expansion Draft the draft order was determined by a game of chance, a wheel akin to that of roulette. 36 numbers were on the wheel: one 2, two 3s, three 4s, four 5s, five 6s, six 7s, five 8s, four 9s, three 10s, two 11s and one 12, corresponding to the 36 possible combinations of the roll of two six-sided playing dice. The GMs had a choice of numbers over 7 or under 7; if the pointer landed on one of the 7s it was considered a 'draw' and the wheel was to be spun again. Sabres' GM Punch Imlach won a coin toss to have his choice of numbers "over 7" or "under 7". Anecdotal stories say he picked "over 7" because 11 was his favourite number. I'm not entirely sure that's true. Punch was known to be a little melodramatic and I suspect this is all just an urban legend as it relates to Gilbert Perreault's uniform number.

Note that many modern sources state Imlach had numbers 11-20 while the Canucks' Bud Poile was left with numbers 1-10. This totally false, a complete fabrication: I have a copy of a picture of Ron Andrews standing with the wheel clearly showing the wheel's construction, with the six 7s prominently bolded and 36 spots on the wheel. I would share this picture with you but I do not hold the copyright. (edit: found a copy on Google news, see http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=04syAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IbkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=892%2C2407891)

On the first spin of the wheel it landed on 8, giving Imlach his choice of first goalie or first skater (or first overall, as skaters were chosen before goalies) in the expansion draft. He chose the latter. A second spin of the wheel determined who had first choice in the amateur draft. The story goes that when the wheel stopped Clarence Campbell believed it had landed on '1', giving the Canucks first overall. Dramatic retellings of the story state that the Canucks management team erupted in joy at having won the right to first overall in the draft of amateurs, universally believed beforehand to be Gilbert Perreault no matter who won the right to the pick. There's only one problem with this story: there were no '1's on the wheel! Well, except in '10', '11' and '12', all of which gave Imlach and the Sabres the pick. As it turned out it had landed on 11 and the Sabres had first pick in the amateur and expansion drafts.

With the first overall pick Imlach took Tom Webster of the Bruins, which reportedly greatly angered Bruins' GM Milt Schmidt. It was rumoured that Schmidt and Imlach had a back-room deal in which Imlach would take Garnet Bailey, allowing the Bruins to protect Webster, and in return Schmidt would give Imlach some 'considerations'. Instead Imlach took Webster (Schmidt protected Bailey) and traded him after the draft to the Red Wings for Roger Crozier, arguably a better goalie than any of the four taken in the draft.

Needless to say Punch Imlach was not the most popular man at the draft proceedings in 1970. He wasn't any more popular in 1971, but that's another story...

5 comments:

  1. Mark,

    Super information- thanks for posting. From this I have created a super new spread sheet with all sorts of comments and stats.

    Comment- you show John Gofton as a North Star protect. Can't find any info that anyone by this name played professional hockey. Isn't Lou Nanne the correct player?

    Also (not a biggie) you show Red Wing protect Fred Speck as "Red" Speck.

    Regards,

    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oof, thank you for pointing out the spelling mistake. When I was writing this blog entry I copied the HTML code from the 1972 expansion draft results and I noticed I had at one point mistakenly written Boston "Brins" in the '72 draft results.


    Regarding John Gofton, Gofton was a career minor-leaguer. He was chosen by the North Stars in the intra-league draft in 1970; he was Canucks' property at the time. See his career stats at hockeydb.com: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=10200 The Canucks were unfortunate to lose two of the players they already held rights to before the expansion draft was even held: Gofton and Paul Andrea, who was picked by the Seals. Rubbing salt in the wound Andrea was put on waivers by the Seals after training camp and ended up being taken by the Sabres.

    There were rules about players chosen in the intra-league draft having to be included on the expansion draft protected lists. I'll post the results of the intra-league draft later and if you check you'll notice almost all of the players chosen in that draft were included on the protected lists of the teams they were chosen by. It was because of these rules that Gofton, who never played a game of NHL hockey in his life, ended up on the North Stars' protected list.

    There were other rules about player ineligibility in the expansion draft proceedings. "Amateur" players born after December 31, 1948 were not eligible, nor were "first year professionals". I know that Nanne not being on the North Stars' list doesn't make much sense, especially considering he was probably their best defenceman at the time, but it's quite possible he was exempt because of these extra rules. 1970 was the end of his second year of 'pro' hockey, his first full season in the NHL. The source I found for the protected list clearly stated Gofton was on the protected list and Nanne was not.


    Have you ever seen the movie 'Slap Shot'? If so you've seen John Gofton! He played an uncredited role as Hyannisport Presidents centre Nick Brophy, the player who was so inebriated he soiled himself when he was checked into the boards. Gofton was a real-life member of the Johnstown Jets, the team upon which the fictional Charlestown Chiefs were loosely based, and many of the Jets played roles in the film: Gofton, Louis Levasseur, Reg Bechtold, Galen Head and Bruce Boudreau (yes THAT Bruce Boudreau) played uncredited roles.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Mark for the great summary.

    I look forward to your posting of the 1970 inter-league and intra-league drafts which took place June 9th, a day before the expansion draft.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Mark,

    Hello.

    Are you still too busy to update your great website?

    There are still tranactions that I need your expertise on.

    Will you be back in action soon?

    I hope all is well with you and family.

    Thanks for the mention on the 1967 Expansion Draft.

    Best regards,

    Paul

    ReplyDelete
  5. How about first WHA draft , I always wondered how come guys drafted fairly high in NHL , who never quite made it did not hop on over to the WHA ? check out a guy named RAY MALUTTA played a handful of games for Boston and that's it , my god this guy had major points as a D for FLIN FLON he was drafted by San Diego in WHA also but never went
    He would have had some great pays in WHA , great guy also , coached my boy in Rochester , I never did ask him that question

    ReplyDelete

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