WHA Hockey.TV: A Tribute to the Legends of the World Hockey Association by Mark Willand

32 Years Ago Today: Demers Raps Lazy Stingers

Cincinnati Inquirer story Thanks to Cincinnati Sports History

October 30, 1977

Achtung! Stingers! Commandant Demers speaks. You will play solid, close-checking, position hockey or heads will roll. That's right, folks, Jacques Demers, the Cincinnati Stingers head coach who was brought to town to turn the WHA team into a consistent winner, has made it official. The honeymoon is over.

The Stingers are 1-5 on the new season, and Friday night's 3-2 loss to the Jets in Winnipeg was the final straw. Demers would hold back no longer. "Some people on this team have shown they are not ready to go all the way to win," said Demers. "There are four or five guys who aren't putting out. They're not giving that little bit extra needed to win." Demers said he isn't ready to single anyone out just yet, but he added that "if things don't come around soon, there are going to be changes made."

The coach's outburst doesn't signal a wholesale realignment of the team, at least not yet. But he made it clear he isn't ready to settle for anything less than 100% from his players. "I want to emphasize that this isn't a question of panic," said Demers. "Bit I want to be sure who has a winning attitude and who doesn't. If a player feels uncomfortable playing my way I want him to come to me and say so and we'll go from there." He no longer believes his style of hockey, a chance from what most of the Stingers played last season, has anything to do with the team's slump. Everyone knows the system, that's not an excuse," Demers stated. "This style of hockey is nothing new. It's the same style used by good hockey teams for years. It's just hard-checking positional hockey. I won't take no for an answer any more. We're going to start playing tough, aggressive hockey."

The Rick Ley Arena?

NEW TWIN-PAD FACILITY: Idea pitched to name rink in honour of former NHL blueliner, coach

Posted By DAVE DAWSON, SPECIAL TO THE PACKET AND TIMES

 
Only one person has been born in Orillia, played his minor hockey in Orillia and gone on to a lengthy NHL career.

For that reason alone, the new twin-pad arena being built in west Orillia should be named in honour of Rick Ley, says Mel St. Onge, who grew up with Ley and played on various hockey and baseball teams with the future pro.

"Rick Ley, in my mind, is head and shoulders above anyone else who ever grew up in Orillia and played minor hockey in Orillia," said St. Onge. "In fact, he's the only guy who ever played all their minor hockey in Orillia and went on to play in the NHL."

St. Onge pitched his proposal to name the new twin-pad arena in Ley's honour at last week's recreation advisory committee meeting. While he said the majority of the committee was supportive of his idea, city council will have to make any final decision on the matter.

"I gave each councillor and the mayor a copy of my presentation and talked to several of them personally," said St. Onge, who once chaired the recreation advisory committee and formerly wrote a sports column for The Packet.

St. Onge was instrumental in having the baseball diamond at Tudhope Park named in honour of Orillia's athlete of the half-century, Jerry Udell. He was also behind the naming of other diamonds: the Dean Heliotis and Gander Ross diamonds at McKinnell Park and the Cliff Yeo diamond at Franklin Carmichael Park.

"I just think it's important that we recognize these people who helped put Orillia on the map," said St. Onge. "Rick Ley is a perfect example of an Orillia boy who learned his craft here and went on to do great things. And wouldn't it be great for today's minor hockey players to know that a kid who once grew up in Orillia and played minor hockey here went on to play in the NHL...That's why it's important to recognize people like Rick. "

Golden Jet makes big Hull-abaloo in Windy City - Winnipeg Free Press

Golden Jet makes big Hull-abaloo in Windy City - Winnipeg Free Press

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WHA Video: Houston Aeros Rout Edmonton Oilers, January 1978

Houston 5, Edmonton 1

Ron "Tex" Hansis scores two goals and John Gray, Morris lukowich and Scott Campbell add single tallies for the Houston Aeros.  Cal Sandbeck's first pro goal accounts for the Oilers scoring.