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HARTFORD, Conn. (UPI) — A federal judge Friday ruled that 19-year-old Ken Linseman can play for the Birmingham Bulls in rejecting a claim by the World Hockey Association it will lose $2.5 million because of his under-age status.Linseman was granted a temporary injunction by U.S. District Court Judge T. Emmet Clarie who compared the case to that of Spencer Heywood, who was allowed to play while the now defunct American Basketball Association battled with the National Basketball Association over his services.The WHA had ruled that Linseman, who signed a sixyear $500,000 contract with the Bulls prior to this season, was ineligible to play in the professioal ranks until he reached age 20.The WHA said if Linseman played, it would be unable to play games scheduled in Canada against Russia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Finland this season because the needed approval of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association would be withdrawn.Howard L. Baldwin, president of the eight-team WHA said, “As a result of the decision, there is no way the WHA can prevent the Bull’s from playingLinsesman.“My deepest regret is that this arose in a year that we are trying to keep professional hockey on the ice and out of the courtroom,” said Baldwin, who is the principal owner of the New England Whalers.Bulls’ owner John Bassett said in Birmingham, “They’re allowed to fight wars, go to jail and get married. I’ve always felt that you could not deny them the opportunity to play hockey at the level towhich their skills equate.”Linseman said h£ wasn’t surprised over the“I expected them to rule in my favor,” he said. “I’ve got the right to make money.”Clarie said he issued temporary relief for Linseman until the merits of the case are settled because the damage the defenseman “will suffer as a consequence cannot be adequately compensated with monetary damages.’’Clarie gave the parties five days to submit briefs but he left little doubt of the case’s outcome. “The probability of the plaintiffs ultimate success on the merits is a virtual certainty,” he said.“The career of a professional athlete is more limited than that of persons engaged in almost any other occupation. Consequently, the loss of even one year of playing part time is very detrimental,” Clarie ruled.Clarie said like Haywood, Linseman’s playing career “could dissipate and his phsyical condition and skills and coordination deteriorate from lack of high level competition.”The judge also rejected the WHA claim it was threatened with a boycott by foreign teams into accepting the 20-year-age rule. He said the Supreme Court has held that “acquiesence in an illegal scheme is as much a violation of the Sherman Act as the creation and promotion of one.”The judge said “it is not at all certain that the WHA will in fact suffer” a $2.5 million loss. He said the projected loss is based on 36 games scheduled with foreign teams in both Canada and the U.S. Although the CAHA may wit hhold approval to play games in Canada, “there i5 nothing in the recordto suggest that the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States . . . will similarly deny ap-nmuai nf pflmps nlflved in the United States.
Newspaper Details
Manchester Journal Inquirer
Manchester, Connecticut, US
Sat, Oct 29, 1977
Page 48
Full Page
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FL, USA 18 Apr 2019
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