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‘He Should Be On’Lefaive, FisherOTTAWA (CP) — Lou Lc-faive, the man responsible for getting this year’s Canada-Soviet hotkey series on the road, said Tuesday he is sure the series will go ahead despite r dispute between owners of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the ‘ league's player's association.Ron Roberts, executive director of the WHA Players' Association, said in Toronto the series could be cancelled because the players have been denied a voice on the Team Canada 74 steering committee.But Lefaive, chairman of the. International committee of Hockey-Canada, said: “I don’t think it’s nearly as serious as that.”He said a meeting of the steering committee will be called within a couple of days and he is confident the differences enn be worked out.Pm sure this series is too Important*to the players and the owners not to work it out. I'm sure we will within the next cmiple of days.” •Lefaive said that ab plans for this fall’s series were being worked out, the two WHA representatives on the steering committee—-Ben Hatskin, president of Winnipeg Jets,. and John Bassett-Jr., owner of Toronto Toros—were asked to keep the players’. association in the picture.”-:We were led to. believe - all along that the owners and the players’ association had worked this out for themselves.”*And, he said, In the absence of any indication to the contrary from Uie players' association, “we had no reason to believe'’ it was not worked out.But. he snid hi* received a telephone call from Roberts last Sunday saying he wanted to be on the steering committee. The owners said they never •greed to having Roberts on it.Speaking for himsoU nrd Douglas Fishor, the other Hockey Canada representative on the committc, Lefaive said: We think he should he on.But Hatskin, he said, rejected the idea.We were left in the position thit if we bring Ron Roberts on, we lose the owners, and if we keep the owners on then the players' association • threatens to withdraw. It’s a dilemma there’s no answer to.”Ufaive said the players and owners have been asked “to sit down ami work this thing out.” If they can’t, the four other member* of the steering com-ticthnePihishsesutuniitlce, which also includes Jack Devine and Gordon Juckcs of the Conadisn Amateur Hockey Association, will try to mediate.“What we don't know at this stage is whether the players will support Ron Roberts,” Lefaive added.He recalled that all the Team Canada players except the Howe brothers appeared at a news conference July 31 and indicated they were “overjoyed to be on the team and planned to play in the series. Mark and Martie Howe had previous engagements.I think there's a certain amount of sabre-rattling going on here in that the owners arc trying to challenge the .strength of the players’ association and the players are trying to show their strength,” Lefaive said.But if the dispute was a test dl strength between the owners and the players, they have to fight it out among themselves. ’Lefaive said his main disappointment Is the llth-hour na: ture” of the dispute. It came at a bad time/with all contracts for the series already signed and arrangements made for the scries to go ahead.aialncPiclrlt;Bucs’ Blass On ProgramPITTSBURGH (AP) - Steve Blass/ fallen ace of the Pittsburgh Pirate pitching staff, has been placed on the temporary inactive list of Pittsburgh's Charleston farm team in order to begin a special visual program, the Pirates * announced Tuesday.The Pirates salcl Blass will work with' a California oculist in hopes of regaining his pitching proficiency.”‘ Blass will see Dr. William Harrison in Davis, Calif., then join the Pirates at San Diego when - they play « weekend series there beginning Aug. 23.He will stay with the team for #ome time In a non-roster capacity to work with pitching coach Don Osborn.BUss has worn eyeglasses for some time, though he seldom uses them for pitching.The affable right-hander who won two world series games for the Pirates in 1971, has a 0415 eamedmn average with Charleston. He has pitched 5* 2-3 innings and has allowed 57 hits, 74 runs, walked 33 batlcrs and struck out 2®.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Wed, Aug 14, 1974
Page 61
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 03 Dec 2018
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