Page 8-Wednesday, April 5, 1978-The Michigan Daily
NHL PLAYOFF CHASE WINDS DOWN
Stanley
/
I
AS THE NHL season draws to a close, the battles for playoff berths are as hectic
as this scramble for the puck. Playoff action, which begins in two weeks, will
include the Detroit Red Wings for the first time in eight years.
Sftand MM Elections
Will Re Held the second weekofApril
We urge all undergraduate and graduate students
at the School of Education to make sure that candi-
dates from their division run for office or that they
themselves file for candidacy. Please file for can-
didacy at the SEI office, Room 1234, SEB between
the hours of 12 and 4 p.m. before APRIL 7, 1978.
For further information, Call 763-1244
By GEOFF LARCOM
When a team currently has the best
record in the NHL, has won the past two
Stanley Cups, and is considered one of
the best teams in history, it needn't
concern itself with simply making the
post season playoffs.
But the Pittsburgh Penguins and New
York Rangers are not, however, the
Montreal Canadiens, and, with just four
games to go, these two teams face the
galling prospect of being deniedda spot
in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, despite
having better records than Vancouver
or Colorado.'
As the second place Smythe Division
team, either the Colorado Rockies or
Vancouver Canucks will be guaranteed
a spot in the playoffs despite point
totals less than those of the Penguins
and Rangers.
This oddity is made possible by the
NHL playoff system, where, along with
the four individual pace-setters, who
receive first round byes, the second
place teams are guaranteed a playoff
berth. The other four post-season slots
are open to the clubs with the best
regular-season record, regardless of
division.
Though originally instituted to
provide third and fourth place teams in
strong divisions with playoff oppor-
tunities, it can have the opposite effect
also.
Pittsburgh coach Johnny Wilson,
whose Penguins face elimination
should the Rangers garner one more
point in the standings, knows this only
too well.
"The only team that truly deserves a
shot in the Smythe division is Chicago,"
said Wilson. "Yet the way the divisions
are broken up, these things are bound to
happen.,
With the NHL's six-to-eighteen team
expansion, there doesn't appear to be a
SUMMER
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INTERVIEWS:
DATE: Wed., April 5
and Thurs., April 6
TIME: 2:30, 5:30 or 8:30
PLACE: East Quad,
Tyler Room 28
PLEASE BE PROMPT
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way of avoiding this seeming unfair-
ness. NHL public relations director Pat
Dillon ascribes the system's use to the
owners "wanting a piece of the rock."
"With so many teams, it's necessary
to create additional spots. It's mainly a
question of fairness," said Dillon.
"Besides, if you haven't produced all
year, reversing that trend in the playof-
fs is unlikely."
Try telling that to the Penguins, or,
for that matter, the Cleveland Barons,
whose 56 point total matches the
Rockies, and betters that of Vancouver.
"You just have to live with the
system," said Wilson. "Short of for-
ming a single division, there doesn't
seem to be a way out of the problem."
As it stands now, Montreal and
Chicago are assured a momentary
playoff respite, with the Boston Bruins
and New York Islanders their likely
company.
Second place berths are secure for
Philadelphia and Bufflalo, while Los
Angeles and Detroit, and Colorado and
Vancouver continue to compete for
their respective Wales and Campbell
Conference spots.
Los Angeles, Detroit, Toronto and
Atlanta are guaranteed of at least a
wild-card berth, with the New York
Rangers one point shy of wrapping up
the final slot.
The second place and wild-card
teams will each play a two-out-of-three
series. The eight teams are matched up
on the basis of their regular season
records, with the club having the best,
record playing the one with the worst.
The team with the second best record
will square off against the seventh best
team, the third against the sixth, and
fourth facing the fifth.
The four winners will then advance to
the second round, where they will play
the four division champions.
Thus, depending upon the doings of
the Rangers, Kings, and themselves,
the Red Wings may face either Toronto,
Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Buffalo in the
three-game mimi-series.
The only thing the Wings know for
sure is that they will not have the home-
ice advantage, that having gone to the
top'four first round teams.
It appears the only way to avoid this
confusion is to do as the Canadiens have
done-clinch the divisional title in early
March, and then sit back and watch the
fireworks.
It's that simple.
NHL
Wales Conference
STANDINGS
Campbell Conference
NORRIS
Montreal ..........
Los Angeles'.......
DETROIT ..........
Pittsburgh.........
Washington.........
ADAMS
Boston..........
Buffalo..........
Toronto..........
Cleveland ..........
W
57
30
23
14
W
50
42
41
22
L
9
33
33
35
49
I,
16
18
26
44
T
11
14
13
18
14
T
11
17
10
12
Pts.
125
74
73
64
42
Pts.
111
101
92
56
SMYTHE
Chicago..........
Colorado.........
Vancouver ........
St. Louis ............
Minnesota ........
PATRICK
NY Islanders .......
Philadelphia.......
Atlanta .............
NY Rangers .......
W
31
18
19
19
16
W
46
44
:33
29
L
28
39
42
45
51
LI
17
19
26
34
T
18
20
16
13
9
T
14
13
18
13
Pts.
80
56
54
51
41
Pts.
106
101
84
71
rths not iced yet
TIGERS TRIPPED, 9-8:
Late Reds rally does in Detroit
4 r
. i
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)-Detroit
relief pitcher Bruce Taylor walked Cin-
cinnati pitcher Dale Murray with the
bases loaded and two outs in the ninth
inning to give the Reds a 9-8 exhibition
baseball victory over the Detroit Tigers
yesterday.
The walk to Murray capped a four-
run ninth inning Reds rally that in-
cluded two Detroit errors, four walks
and a clutch Cincinnati hit, an RBI
single by Mike Lum.
THE REDS had battled from an 8-1
deficit with four runs in the eighth in-
ning off Detroit reliever Jim Crawford.
The rallies ruined a sparkling per-
formance by Tiger starter Dave
Rozema, who pitched six innings again-
st the Cincinnati starters and allowed
only one run and six hits.
Reds starter Paul Moskau was ham-
mered for six runs and eight hits in only
four innings of work, causing Manager
Sparky Anderson to review his starting
status in the Cincinnati rotation.
MOSKAU WAS 0-2 with a 7.58 earned
run average in five previous appearan-
ces.
&etroit outfielder Steve ,Kemp was
the Tiger hitting star before being
removed after six innings, belting a
home run and two singles and driving in
four runs. Phil Mankowski rapped a
two-run first-inning homer and third
baseman Aurelio Rodriguez also belted
a solo homer in the eighth inning for the
Tigers.
Even with the defeat, the Tigers
finished up their pre-season schedule
with a fine 18-9 record, their best ever
since the club began keeping records
back in 1953.
THE TIGERS are now back in
Detroit where they will take part in a
light practice at Tiger Stadium this af-
ternoon in preparation for the team's
season opening series against the
Toronto Blue Jays.
Manager Ralph Houk said he would
not disclose his starting lineup until
later today, but it is highly expected
that he will start Mark Fidrych in front
of a partisan Detroit crowd expected to
eclipse 53,000.
Though they play in different
leagues, the Tigers and the Reds have
not seen the last of each other this year.
Detroit plays Cincinnati at the Reds'
'Riverfront Stadium on April 10 and the
two teams meet again at Tiger Stadium
on May 10, in a pair of exhibition games
intended to benefit Detroit and Cincin-
nati area sandlot baseball programs.
WXhen vou've more to store than vou bar-
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A t "Nour Attic", you can select the space
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The Department of Philosophy
is pleased to announce the
1978 Tanner Lecture
Speaker: SIR KARL POPPER
Title: THREE WORLDS
Time: Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.
Place: Rackham Amphitheatre
the lecture is open to the public
4 MORE DAYS OF
Ufricoh's 7th Annual
300, 000.00
STORE WIDE SALE
Huge Savings on Every Item in Stock
EXCEPT TEXTBOOKS and SPECIAL ORDERS
SALE RUNS THRU SATURDAY, 8:30-5:30
CHECK our SPECIAL PRICES on CALCULATORS
AAnanI IfLIT AA A iheCe
~p~It4'(the kai4
Rain ruins opener
Ah, the sweet smell of oening day. Grass growing, snow melting,
people falling in love ... and rain. Rain and more rain has, for the ninth time in
the past ten years, cancelled the Michigan home opener with Western
Michigan, scheduled yesterday at Fisher Stadium.
But then, tradition has dictated that the Wolverines spend the first week
of the season indoors while waiting for Mother Nature to shut off the water
hose. There's hope that the sun will shine long enough for Michigan to play
Toledo today in a twin-bill at 2 p.m. at Fisher. Likely starters for the
Wolverines will be lefties Graig McGinnis and Steve Howe.
It's unknown at this time if the Western double-header will be re-
scheduled. * * *
--JAMIE TURNER
Women netters await Hurons
Come rain or come shine, the game shall go on-if the game is tennis,
that is.
Michigan's women netters, fresh from a tri-victory in last weekend's
Wisconsin Quadrangular, are ready to open up the home portion of their
schedule this afternoon against Eastern Michigan. And, fortunately, they
don't have to depend upon the weatherman.
"If it's nice outside,'we'll play it out there (on the varsity courts, ad-
jacent to the Track/Tennis Building)," said coach John Atwood. "If it's not,
then we'll just move it inside."
One way or another, Atwood expects a trifle more competition from the
Hurons than they provided in last year's 9-0 Wolverine romp.
EMU's lone "star"-as Atwood calls her-is Barb Fischly, who lost to
Wolverine first singles player Barb Selden in a tiebreaker last year. Her
match with Kathy Karzen should prove to be the highlight of the meet.
Beyond Karzen and second singles Susan Weber, Atwood is unsure of his
exact lineup, although he does expect it to be very similar to the winning
combination he found in Madison.
Regardless of where the meet is held, the action will begin at 3:00.
-DAVE RENBARGER
Mayberry's moving
DUNEDIN, Fla.-John Mayberry, a former All-Star first baseman who
helped the Kansas City Royals to two consecutive American League West
pennants, Tuesday was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be
named later.
The 28-year-old Detroit native once was regarded as one of the most
feared left-handed hitters in the American League but two successive sub-
par seasons and the rapid growth of rookie Clint Hurdle made himi expen-
dable.
If you missed our Campus Interviews
PRODUCT ENGINEERING
We need 1978 graduates with degrees in Mechanical or
Electrical Engineering on entry type positions in the Design,
Development and Laboratory Testing of Vehicle, Powertrain,
Transmission, Axle, Chassis Body and Electrical components
and systems.
Positions are also available for graduates with degrees in
Computer Sciences.
These positions offer excellent career potential coupled with
good starting salaries and fringe benefits. They are located
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Send resume to:
~t~a I;
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