Game 595
Canadiens 6, Maple Leafs 1
Saturday, March 6, 1982
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
Rookie goaltender Bob Parent may be just the first of a few farmhands to play for the Maple Leafs in their remaining 11 games of a disastrous National Hockey League schedule.
Parent, fourth-round selection of the Leafs in the 1978 amateur draft, came in from the Cincinnati Tigers to make his NHL debut last night against the Montréal Canadiens. And although it was a 6-1 loss for his Leafs, no one was pointing a finger at Parent.
He faced 49 shots – including nine by Guy Lafleur – and came in for high praise from coach Mike Nykoluk. Lafleur, incidentally, didn’t score although he did manage an assist.
“He (Parent) looked a little nervous in the beginning but overall he did a good job,” Nykoluk said. “I want to see more of him. If we’re going to go with youngsters, this is as good a time as any to see what he can do.”
And then came the hint that the telephone lines to Cincinnati might be busy again.
“I’d like to see a couple of other kids we have there also. We’re committed to stay on the youth movement to rebuild the team.”
Nykoluk had defenceman Craig Muni of the junior Windsor Spitfires, their second-round selection in the 1980 draft, standing by last night in case Borje Salming’s ankle injury prevented him from playing.
The Leafs’ acting general manager Gerry McNamara says he plans to be talking trades with several clubs before the National Hockey League (NHL) trading deadline on Tuesday, but it would take a miracle more than a trade to save this team this season.
The Leafs fell even further away from the playoff picture when they lost to the Canadiens. The Chicago Black Hawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1. That leaves the fourth-place Hawks eight points ahead of the Leafs and the Black Hawks have 13 games remaining, the Leafs only 11.
They are winless in seven games, 0-6-1, and have only two wins in 23, 2-16-5.
This was the Canadiens’ 11th road victory in their last 12 and they’ve only lost one of their last 22 games with 15 victories and six ties.
Nykoluk felt the big difference in last night’s game was the strength of the Canadiens’ centres.
“We didn’t win a faceoff in their end. That means they’re controlling the play there most of the time,” he said. “Every line we have is struggling. And I don’t have the answers.”
He doesn’t need an answer to one question, that of having to juggle three goalies.
“Vince (Tremblay) isn’t feeling well,” Nykoluk said. “He has some kind of virus and maybe it might be a good idea to give him more rest. He’s been bothered by something and when he comes back, it flares up again. Perhaps a longer rest will cure it.”
Parent was understandably nervous in his NHL debut.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “But I guess I got my feet wet in the first period (four goals). I’m pretty happy about the way I played but I think I should have had a couple of the shots that beat me.
“I was pumped up about facing the Canadiens. They’re a dynasty and I was pleased that my first NHL game was against them.”
He claimed he never played in arena as hot as the Gardens was last night but the 49 shots probably accounted for that.
Rocky Saganiuk said he felt Parent turned in an outstanding job.
“There’s a big difference facing the shooters in the NHL than the ones in the Central League,” Saganiuk said. “And Bob didn’t even get here in time to take a warm-up with us this (yesterday) morning.”
The Canadiens took only 23 seconds to score on the youngster, Doug Jarvis tapping Gaston Gingras’ long-shot rebound, in from the crease. Mario Tremblay, Mark Napier and Doug Risebrough added singles, Risebrough’s being the first of two. The Canadiens even dominated while they were shorthanded in the first period and Parent showed fine form in stopping Jarvis and Risebrough.
Keith Acton scored his 32nd in the second period and Risebrough got the only goal of the third period.
Leafs’ captain Rick Vaive beat Rick Wamsley for his 43rd of the season, in the second period.
Story originally published in The Toronto Star, March 7, 1982
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 00:23 – Jarvis (Gingras, Gainey)
MTL PEN – 03:56 – Picard, slashing
MTL GOAL – 08:58 – Tremblay (Robinson, Gainey)
TOR PEN – 14:14 – Salming, elbowing
MTL PP GOAL – 16:09 – Napier (Lafleur, Gingras)
MTL GOAL – 17:02 – Risebrough (Houle)
MTL PEN – 19:29 – Tremblay, hooking
TOR PEN – 19:44 – Paiement, tripping
2nd Period
TOR PEN – 05:00 – Derlago, hooking
TOR SH GOAL – 05:43 – Vaive
MTL PEN – 09:56 – Delorme, delay of game
TOR PEN – 13:14 – Salming, tripping
MTL PP GOAL – 14:59 – Acton (Napier, Lafleur)
TOR PEN – 16:01 – Melrose, holding
3rd Period
TOR PEN – 01:38 – Paiement, hooking
MTL PEN – 05:02 – Risebrough, roughing
TOR PEN – 05:02 – Melrose, roughing
MTL PEN – 05:02 – Nilan, fighting major
TOR PEN – 05:02 – McGill, fighting major + headbutting misconduct
MTL GOAL – 07:27 – Risebrough (Houle, Tremblay)
MTL PEN – 09:32 – Risebrough, fighting major
TOR PEN – 09:32 – Melrose, fighting major
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Wamsley (W, 24-25)
TOR – Parent (L, 43-49)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 18+12+19 = 49
TOR – 8+9+8 = 25
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Denis Herron, Rick Wamsley. Defence: Gilbert Delorme, Brian Engblom, Gaston Gingras, Robert Picard, Larry Robinson. Forwards: Keith Acton, Bob Gainey (C), Réjean Houle, Mark Hunter, Doug Jarvis, Guy Lafleur, Craig Laughlin, Mark Napier, Chris Nilan, Doug Risebrough, Mario Tremblay, Doug Wickenheiser.
TOR – Goaltenders: Michel Larocque, Bob Parent. Defence: Jim Benning, Trevor Johansen, Bob Manno, Bob McGill, Barry Melrose, Borje Salming. Forwards: John Anderson, Norm Aubin, Laurie Boschman, Bill Derlago, Stew Gavin, Billy Harris, Paul Higgins, Terry Martin, Wilf Paiement, Rocky Saganiuk, Rick Vaive (C).
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 37-12-17 (.689)
TOR – 17-36-16 (.362)
ATTENDANCE
16,360
Two Solitudes 