Bobby Hull of the Jets stated a few days prior that without some sort of
merger between the WHA and NHL, the Association's days are numbered. He also stated that
the league "can't survive when teams are only getting 6,000 fans a game". Such a
merger was getting closer and Hull thought that a merger would not involve every team.
Instead what you might have seen was the NHL drop weaker clubs for stronger WHA clubs.
"That would rid both leagues of cancerous franchises and create one strong
league". Falling attendance was a problem for both leagues. Winnipeg was the only WHA
club to show an operating profit in the following season. The profit turned into a loss
after the annual payment for former owners of the Jets were due.
Another situation the WHA faced was the
fact that the top young prospects were not interested in playing in what Hull stated was
"a second rate league". The WHA also began not to be a great option for NHL
stars.
The Stingers entered the Winnipeg Arena
scoreless against the Jets in the previous two meeting last year. But all of that would
change. Cincinnati came out against Winnipeg in much of the same manner as they did when
they defeated the club on November 6th. The Stingers went after the Jets defensemen with a
fury and controlled the first period. Richie Leduc ended the Winnipeg jinx at 4:38 in the
opening period. Leduc backhanded in the puck from in front on a rebound of a shot by
teammate Ron Plumb. Despite Cincinnati's control of the first period, the Jets Joe Daley
held strong and rejected great shots taken by Claude Larose, Rick Dudley, Dennis Sobchuk
and Blaine Stoughton. The Jets however let scoring oppurtunies slip by them after Dennis
Abgrall and Jacques Locas were out on penalties.
Cincinnati added another goal in the
second period by team captain Rick Dudley. Dudley took the puck from Stoughton at center
ice and weaved through Jets defensemen. Dudley then batted the puck in for his eleventh of
the season. The Stingers lost Stoughton and Leduc to the penalty box later in the period
and the Jets were unable to make a goal with the advantage. Dennis Sobchuk of the
Stingers scored at the end of the period with a screen shot that went by Daley.
The Jets finally answered in the
closing period with a goal by Anders Hedberg. The goal was deflected in after a shot was
taken by Oiler Barry Long. Shortly after the Oilers scored again. This time from Willy
Lindstrom who hit a hard shot past Norm LaPointe. The Oilers lost Barry Long to the
penalty box after a tripping call which gave the Stingers a power play. Cincinnati's LSD
line took full advantage seeing Stoughton knock in his fourteenth of the season. The win
would put the Stingers in a tie with the Quebec Nordiques for first place in the East. |
