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PhilJOHNSONThere was a stir among the members of the dominant eex last year when some local lasses expressed interest in playing hockey and organizing a women's commercial hockey league.Apparently Medicine Hat isn't the-only community harboring a women’s freedom league as evidenced by a recent phone call. Mrs. Iva Jean Wagner of Consol, Saskatchewan, phoned to enquire the whereabouts of the Hat Women’s Hockey League. She recalled the column in which the possibility was discussed and has heard nothing about it since.,Actually she is not the only one who has heard nothing •bout it since that column one year ago. Women’s hockey in the Hat died of apathy after a single conversation over the AGT blower.Meanwhile the girls from Consol have been dying for lack of competition and recently had to resort to playing •gainst their local men’s team and tied them 3-3. Of course the men were handicapped somewhat while wearing a skate on one foot and an overshoe on the other foot and then had to use brooms instead of hockey sticks. But beyond those few adjustments there were no concessions granted.So the call has gone out for all the potential Roberta Hulls et al to organize a local team to play against the lasses from Consol. Surely there is enough interest and maybe Ray Lambert will not only find ice time at the Arena but also coach.A LETTER FROM ZORRO PILLINGWhile on the subject of phone calls and correspondence, I got a letter from Zorro the other day. Zorro, as senior fans will remember, was the nickname attached to Gregg Pilling, known all over Western Canada as a player who could carve his initials into the small of your back with the point of his stick and you wouldn’t even know about it until you fainted from loss of blood.The epistle was postmarked St. Petersburg, Florida and Gregg opened with a weather report designed to disgust every unfortunate resident Canadian. “It was 83 degrees the other day.” I think it was 83 degrees here too Gregg but in the minus quantities.The best news was the Hne - up of instructors for the Gas City Hockey School at the Arena in August. Coming back for the third year are A1 Hamilton of the Buffalo Sabres. Eddie Joyal and Wayne Muloin, while appearing as new faces will be Jim Neilson, Juha Widing, Ross Lonsberry and Don McLeod, the goalie from Detroit.In addition there may be several players who will be returning to the Tigers next fall so it presents an excellent opportunity for your budding Gordie Howe to receive top-rate instruction right in his home town. Larry Plante, former senior great and color man for the CHAT radio hockey broadcasts, i8 the man to contact for information about the school.PLANTE BECOMING A LEGEND IN THE SOUTH“I have been managing to keep the boys on the team (Charlotte, North Carolina) loose with a few stories about the Medicine Hat Blades players of a few years ago,” Pilling writes. “Larry Plante has become a legend in this part of the country thanks to my stories,” he adds.That has to be one of the funniest nights of my life a year ago sitting around in the Royal while Pilling and Plante recounted their exploits and misadventures while playing senior hockey out of Medicine Hat. Pilling is the type of-guy who, after having had too much of the juice of the grape, would crawl all the way across a pub on his stomach to give an unwary bystander a hot-foot. Plante meanwhile would be entertaining the troops with stories about the time he ate the goal light in some arena. Larry is one of Dominion Glass’s biggest boosters and Dick Skidmore was saying just the other day how he wishes Larry ate rubber instead of glass in the name of company loyalty and all that.Pilling also mentioned that a strapping six - footer weighing in at 215 pounds by the name of Bob Shupe is also playing in Charlotte. The lad in question is Medicine Hat Tigers coach Jack Shupe’s nephew.Pilling had scored 17 goals and added 23 assists in the first 45 games so apparently has found a home for his hockey talents midst rumors that the Charlotte franchise may join the American Hockey League next season.So hockey fans and beer drinkers beware this summer because Pilling and Plante will be on the prowl some time after the end of the hockey season. Wear asbestos shoes when going for a casual brew.
Newspaper Details
Medicine Hat News
Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA
Fri, Feb 12, 1971
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 05 Apr 2018
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