1967 MEMORIAL CUP
Port Arthur Marrs vs. Toronto Marlboros
at Fort William (Gardens)
The world of junior hockey began to change in a big, big way starting with the 1966-67 season.
No longer would the only junior hockey in western Canada be played in the provincial junior leagues -- the Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. junior leagues.
Now there was something called the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. In its first season it featured the Edmonton Oil Kings, Estevan Bruins, Regina Pats, Moose Jaw Canucks, Saskatoon Blades, Weyburn Red Wings and Calgary Buffaloes.
The new guys on the block, who had met in Clear Lake, Man., and formed their new league, also had a lot of enemies.
Dick Chubey of The Albertan, then a Calgary-based tabloid newspaper, wrote: "The CAHA . . . stood against the move, so the rogues simply bolted from within its jurisdiction. They were tabbed throughout the land as outlaws and their pictures hung on post-office walls, although they, like any other head-strong revolutionaries, preferred to be known as independent.”
It didn't matter what they were called -- outlaw or independent -- the CMJHL operated outside the CAHA's jurisdiction, which meant that member teams weren't eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup.
This resulted in two things of note: (1) The Moose Jaw Canucks, who won the CMJHL's first championship, couldn't play for the Memorial Cup; and, (2) for the first time since the spring of 1959, when the Winnipeg Braves represented the west, the Edmonton Oil Kings weren't in the Memorial Cup final.
The Oil Kings lost out in a CMJHL semifinal, dropping a best-of-nine series to Moose Jaw. The Canucks won three games, lost two and four were tied. Ahhh, yes, things like that happened in those days.
Instead, it was the Port Arthur Marrs, coached by Albert Cava, carrying the west's colors. It was the first time in 19 years that Port Arthur had made it to the final.
The Marrs -- featuring the likes of goaltenders John Adams and Ted Tucker, and skaters Bob Kelly, Vic Venasky and captain Ray Adduono -- were allowed under the CAHA's equalization rules to add six players for the final. They picked up forwards Juha Widing and Bill Fairbairn from the Brandon Wheat Kings, Chuck Kelner (Geraldton Gold Miners), and Ron Busniuk (Fort William Canadiens), and defencemen Gerry Hart (Flin Flon Bombers) and John Ferguson (Fort William). Most of the offence of late had been coming from a line featuring Adduono, the Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League scoring king for the third season in a row, and Tim McCormack. Kelner was inserted on that line during the western final and had immediate success.
Adduono had scored 80 points in 28 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he totaled 16 goals and 38 assists in 19 games. McCormack had 24 playoff goals.
The Marrs' top defenceman was Ken Rodgers, who came east from his native B.C., where he had played three seasons in Kamloops.
The opposition would be provided by the Toronto Marlboros, coached by Gus Bodnar. Prior to this, Bodnar's claim to fame had been setting up all three of the goals scored by Chicago Blackhawks sniper Billy Mosienko in a 21-second span on March 23, 1952 in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
Starring on Bodnar's Marlies were goaltenders Gary Edwards and Bob Whidden, along with Fred Barrett, Mike Byers, captain Brian Glennie, Gerry Meehan, Brad Park and Mike Pelyk. Meehan was the team's leading scorer, but his 68 regular-season points left him 33 in arrears of the league scoring king, Niagara Falls Flyers' centre Derek Sanderson.
En route to the final, Port Arthur had ousted Fort William (five games), Geraldton (three), Flin Flon (six) and the New Westminster Royals (five).
Adduono proved he not only could score goals -- prior to each series he made a prediction and in each instance he had been correct.
The Marrs ousted the Royals from the best-of-seven western final in five games, including series-ending 6-2 and 5-0 victories right in New Westminster. Kelner arrived from Geraldton for the second game of the western final and promptly scored eight goals in three games.
The Marlboros, meanwhile, had put together a 37-19-13 record through 69 regular-season and playoff games. In the postseason, they got rid of the Kitchener Rangers, Hamilton Red Wings and Thetford Mines Canadians.
After playing to a win, two ties and a loss in their first four playoff games against Kitchener, the Marlies went on a tear, winning 10 of their next 11 postseason games as they reached the Dominion final.
The Marlboros manhandled Thetford Mines in the eastern final, winning the best-of-five series in four games, including 9-1 and 5-2 victories to wrap it up.
All games in the Memorial Cup final would be played in the 4,400-seat Fort William Gardens.
"All I've said all along was that it would take a good hockey team to beat us,” said Cava. "We've been the underdogs in a couple of series and we expect to be again. That's the way we like it. They didn't expect us to get this far but here we are.
"We know we're meeting a team which proved itself best in the top junior league in the country. We expect the Marlies to be tough. But we'll show up.”
The series opened on May 7 with the Marlies -- paced by the line of Doug Acomb, Frank Hamill and Byers -- posting a 6-3 victory in front of 5,300 fans.
Kelner opened the scoring at 1:05 of the first period and Adduono made it 2-0 at 3:20. But Acomb and Terry Caffery scored to tie it before the end of the first.
Busniuk and Meehan exchanged second-period goals, setting the scene for Toronto to score the third period's only three goals -- by Acomb, Caffery and Tom Martin.
"It looks like a long series,” Cava said. "They're a good club and play their positions well, but I think we can bounce back.”
Cava wasn't pleased with the play of his big line, which had totaled one goal and one assist. Cava said: ""It certainly wasn't their usual game and I can't say much after that.''
Prior to Game 2, Cava tried his luck at predicting the future.
"I predict we'll win,” he said of Game 2.
He was wrong.
The Marlboros won 8-4 in front of more than 5,300 fans on May 9 to go up 2-0 in games.
The difference was four goals in a span of 3:58 in the second period that gave the Marlies a 7-2 lead.
Meehan and Acomb had given Toronto a 2-0 first-period edge that Meehan upped to 3-0 early in the second. But Rodgers and McCormack cut the deficit to 3-2 just before the explosion.
Richie Bayes (12:29), Hamill (12:47), Meehan (14:40) and Acomb (16:27) scored to bury the Marrs.
The line of Meehan, Acomb and Caffery was killing the Marrs. Meehan and Acomb finished Game 2 with three goals each, while Caffery set up three goals.
Kelner and Fairbairn scored for Port Arthur.
The Marrs went into Game 3 knowing they had to stop Acomb (five goals, two assists), Caffery (two goals, six assists) and Meehan (four goals).
"I think we can still win this if we can get this third game,” Cava stated.
As for Bodnar, he offered: "Our guys are coming around to their potential. We're starting to play the hockey we're capable of.”
On May 11, the Marrs stopped the Marlies' big line and got back in it, as they won the third game 6-4 before more than 5,300 fans.
Widing and Fairbairn, both of whom had topped 100 points with the Wheat Kings, led the way with two goals each. They combined for three third-period goals as the Marrs erased a 4-3 Toronto lead.
John Healey and Widing gave Port Arthur a 2-0 lead after the first period. Caffery and Martin tied it in the second, before McCormack put the Marrs out front again. John Wright and Cam Crosby put the Marlboros into the lead before the second period ended.
Port Arthur won it in the third when Widing scored once and Fairbairn, who also had two assists, added a pair, including an empty-netter.
The game ended with some ugliness as linesman Roy Lamore emerged from a scrap with a cut on his scalp. Crosby and Adduono came out of it with majors, while Kelly, who had come off the bench, was hit with a major and a misconduct by referee John McVey of Ottawa.
It was Kelly's second fight of the game. Earlier, he and Martin battled, with the Toronto player leaving for facial repairs and then returning to action.
During his pro career, Kelly would be known as Battleship. As a junior, he was known as The Equalizer.
The next night, in front of another capacity crowd of more than 5,300, the Marlies moved to within one victory of the title by beating the Marrs 6-0.
(Earlier that day, Flin Flon had announced it would apply for admittance to the CMJHL.)
Port Arthur goaltender Johnny Adams let in a couple of weak ones early, while Whidden was perfect on 19 shots at the other end.
Martin and Bayes scored twice each, while Caffery and Acomb added one each for the Marlies.
Adams was yanked at 7:49 of the third period and the crowd cheered replacement Gordie Bishop on each of his four easy saves.
The Marrs were minus Kelly, who was sitting out a one-game suspension for leaving the bench to enter that altercation at the end of Game 3.
The Marlies wrapped up their fourth Memorial Cup in 12 seasons with a 6-3 victory before about 4,000 fans on May 14.
Bayes, Meehan and Martin had two goals each for the winners. Adduono scored all three Port Arthur goals.
"This is the best hockey club I've ever played with,” Glennie said as he accepted the trophy.
The Marrs led 2-1 after one period; the teams were tied 2-2 going into the third.
Meehan was credited with the Memorial Cup-winning goal at 4:11 of the third period.
Caffery led the series in points, 14, including 10 assists. Adduono led Port Arthur with seven points, including four goals.
Bodnar said winning the Memorial Cup was a greater thrill than winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookier of the year. He had won the Calder in his first season (1943-44) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
NEXT: 1968 (Estevan Bruins vs. Niagara Falls Flyers)
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