Prior to the game against the defending Avco Cup Champion Winnipeg Jets,
the WHA announced the folding of the Minnesota Fighting Saints. This would be the second
time a WHA team folded in Minnesota. Stingers owner Bill DeWitt Jr. stated "I'm not
surprised. I never thought they would be successful up in St Paul. They can't support two
teams". The other team being the NHL's Minnesota North Stars. In light of the folding
of the Fighting Saints, the entire leagues schedule had to be rearranged.
Saints president Robert Brown made a
deal with Edmonton that they would sell seven players to them. The players being John
McKenzie (who was a former Stinger), Dave Keon, Mike Antonovich, Bill Butters, Louis
Levasseur and Steve & Jack Carlson. Steve Carlson was made famous in the movie Slap
Shot. However, the deal at this point had not been approved. If the approval went
through then the WHA All Star Game set to be played on January 18th could be altered.
Levasseur and Keon were both selected and set to play for the East. But if the approval
goes through, then the two players would be shifted to the West.
On top of the folding of the Minnesota
Fighting Saints, the Indianapolis Racers were unable to pay their players on time.
Indianapolis players were asked to to accept at least a delay in the delivery of their
paychecks. Team president Harold Ducote stated that "full salary payment would be
forthcoming as soon as money is available. A large injection of capital by the owners and
other steps had been taken". It would be the Racers second financial crises of the
season.
As for the Stingers game against the
Jets, Winnipeg would score the first two goals of the match up. The first goal coming from
Anders Hedberg when he backhanded a rebound from a shot taken by Bobby Hull. The Jets
Willie Lindstrom followed after receiving a pass from teammate Ulf Nilsson in front of the
Stingers net. Cincinnati answered when Blaine Stoughton fired a shot from the right circle
after taking a pass from teammate Greg Carroll. Moments later Dennis Sobchuk won an icing
face-off in the right circle and easily batted the puck by Jets goalie Joe Daley. Winnipeg
scored again after Nilsson took a drop pass from Lindstrom and knocked the puck into the
corner of the net for the score. But Blaine Stoughton scored again from the right circle.
In the second period Blaine Stoughton
bagged his third goal of the game to complete the hat trick. Stoughtons goal came after he
took a pass from Greg Carroll in the right circle. He then slapped a hard shot right past
the Jets goalie for the score. Stoughtons stellar performance happened in front of his
family who were in attendance. But his scoring would not be over.
In the third period Blaine Stoughton
would score his fourth goal of the game at 5:06. It would be a franchise record. The goal
came after he took a pass from defenseman Barry Legge. Stoughton then rifled a screamer
past Daley for the score. However, the Jets answered with a goal by Lindstrom who scored
after taking a pass from Peter Sullivan and then shooting from the right circle. The goal
put the Jets within one goal of tying the game up. But Stingers captain Rick Dudley, who
had just recovered from the flu scored a solid insurance goal for the Stingers. Dudley
took a pass from Rich Leduc and then tapped the puck in the Jets goal for the score. |
