| The World
Hockey Association official body took a look Thursday at the skirmish Thanksgiving night
between the Birmingham Bulls and Cincinnati Stingers at Birmingham. The Stingers lost
again. After hearing testimony from various people, including some of the combatants, the
league handed down a series of fines and two suspensions. Suspend for one game were
Stinger coach Jacques Demers and team captain Rick Dudley. Demers received the suspension,
plus a $1000 fine, for dumping hockey sticks and a chair onto the ice, allowing a player
(Dudley) to leave the bench during a fight, and going out after referee Peter Moffat in
second period of the game which the Bulls won 12-2. "I felt what I did was
wrong," Demers commented. "But I did it to protest what was happening to my
players. I won't have my players abused and I'll do what I have to do for them." The Stingers travel to Hartford, Conn., today in preparation for a game
Saturday night against the league leading New England Whalers. Player personnel director
Jerry Rafter will be on the bench in place of Demers. "I don't want it to sound like
I don't think Jerry will do a good job," Demers said, "but the suspension came
at a bad time. With three wins in a row, I think I have the team going pretty well."
WHA executive director Larry Gordon said the suspensions were strictly in line with rules
governing the violations which occurred during the game. In Demers' case, Gordon said it
was a matter of upholding the game officials, specifically Moffat, and cracking down on
bench clearing tactics such as Demers' throwing of equipment.
Demers said he "was not happy with the decision, but I respect
the stand taken by the league and there's nothing I can do about it. I'll accept the
suspension and go on from there." Dudley was fined $1000 and suspended for being the
first man off the bench and for threatening Moffat. League rules are specific on that
point, but Dudley felt Moffat was overzealous in thumbing him from the game. "I went
out there to find out what the penalties were and he (Moffat) told me. I was out of the
game." Dudley explained in discussing his unscheduled appearance on the ice at
Birmingham. "Naturally, I'm disappointed about the suspension. I feel the Stingers
are being penalized for something which was instigated by the other team."
The Bulls were fined $2000, $1000 for not having police protection
for a game official, and another grand for not having game films. The films are an
interesting point. Without them, the league office can only hear both sides and then rule
by the book, which is just what was done in this case. There were people taking films of
the action that night, but for some reason no results of that effort are available.
To those who were there, it appeared a clear case of intimidation on
Birmingham's part. The Bulls' starting lineup looked like Murder, Inc., and the trouble
started just 24 seconds into the game. When the ice was finally cleared 20 minutes later,
four players from each team were in the penalty boxes and Dudley was in the shower. Gordon
has indicated that the WHA will continue to take strong and immediate action to curb
brawls on the ice such as those in Birmingham and between the Bulls and the Jets in
Winnipeg.
League officials have been instructed to enforce strictly the rule
on ejecting the third man in a fight. Additionally, Gordon instructed referees to pay more
attention to those who instigate fights. League rules call for a more severe penalty for
the aggressor in a fight. Bill DeWitt, Stingers' executive vice president, agreed the
league did go by the rule book on the fines and suspensions but warned that "In the
long run, Birmingham will pay a price as every one knows it instigated the matter."
Gordon emphasized that the league office was making a concerted
effort to protect WHA referees and linesman and give them the kind of backing which will
enable them to maintain order on the ice and eliminate intentional violence. In the past
week the WHA has dealt a total of $17,000 in fines and suspensions covering 13 games as
the result of a series of brawls. In addition to Cincinnati, Birmingham and Winnipeg, the
Whalers and Edmonton Oilers received penalties. |
