Sports
Page 20 Friday, May 22, 1981 The Michigan Daily
Islanders smash North
Stars; win Stanley Cup
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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -
Butch Goring, the Islanders'
catalyst throughout the
National Hockey League.
playoffs, scored two first-
period goals to propel New
York to its second consecutive
Stanley Cup with a 5-1 victory
last night over the Minnesota
North Stars in the fifth game of
the finals.
The Islanders, who lost only three of
18 postseason games this spring, jum-
ped to a 3-1 lead after one period. They
stretched it to 4-1 on Bob Bourne's goal
just 39 seconds from the end of the
second session and coasted to the
championship before 15,000 delirious
fans.
IT WAS Goring who drove most of the
fans to ecstacy - and the North Stars to
elimination - with his relentless brand
of two-way hockey. Aside from being
New York's best checker, the 12-year
veteran center was an offensive force
when the Isles were most in need, just
as he was last season in sparking the
Islanders to their first championship.
Goring beat 19-year-old Minnesota
rookie goalie Don Beaupre with a 15-
foot wrist shot on a power play at 5:12 of
the first period after a pass from Bour-
ne set him up in front. At 10:03, Goring,
who joined the team in a trade with Los
Angeles only a month before last year's
playoffs, poked a Clark Gillies pass
behind Beaupre.
Just 25 secondsrafter Goring's first
goal, Wayne Merrick heat Beaupre
from short range after John Tonelli had
outmuscled two Minnesota defensemen
for the puck behind the North Stars'
net.
MINNESOTA'S STEVE Christoff cut
the North Stars' deficit to 3-1 when he
snapped a 25-foot shot past Islanders'
goalie Billy Smith at 16:06. The gutsy
North Stars, who finished the season
in ninth place overall while the Islan-
ders were first, then kept pace with
New York for much of the second
period.
The Islanders held a 16-4 shot advan-
tage in that second period but, for more
than 19 minutes of the stanza, did not
come any closer to scoring than did the
North Stars. But, with 39 seconds left in
the period, Minnesota defenseman Paul
Shmyr misplayed the puck at the side of
his net and Bourne took advantage, rip-
ping a 25-foot shot past Beaupre to clin-
ch it.
Defenseman Mike McEwen closed
out the scoring with a long slap shot
with just 2:54 left to play.
For his effort, Goring was awarded
the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playof-
fs' Most Valuable Player.
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SUCCEEDS OLYMPIC ASSISTANT:
Brooks to coach Rangers
NEW YORK (AP) - Herb Brooks,
coach of the 1980 U.S. hockey team that
won the Olympic gold medal, repor-
tedly wil 1 be named coach of the New
York Rangers after the National
Hockey League playoffs.
New York's Daily News, Times and
Post all reported yesterday that it was
virtually set for Brooks to succeed
Craig Patrick, his Olympic assistant,
as the Rangers' coach.
PATRICK, WHO replaced Fred
Shero as coach last Nov. 22 and now is
the Rangers' general manager, said,
"Herb Brooks has not signed to coach
the Rangers. I'm not going to do
anything, on any matters, until the
playoffs end."
While Patrick was directing the
Rangers, Brooks, 43, was coaching a
team in Davos, Switzerland. Brooks
quit that job several months ago.
Reportedly, latrick is to meet today
with Brooks' lawyer, Art Kaminsky,
and will discuss the Rangers' job.
"I'm asking for some decent money
and the philosophical backing to do
things that people in the NHL say I
can't do," the intense Brooks was
quoted as saying.
"I've given my cards to Art Kamin-
sky and told him to run with them, and
he's been talking to people but I don't
know what kind of substance has tran-
spired," he added.
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Minnesota North Stars' Mike Polich
sails through the air in front of the New
York Islanders goal as the Islanders'
Mike McEwen and goalie Billie Smith
defend during early first period action
in the NHL Stanley Cup finals at
Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New
York.
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