Scorecard

INSUBORDINATION AT THE TOP

After that bench-clearing brawl during their April 8 Stanley Cup game in New York, Clarence Campbell, National Hockey League president, quickly imposed fines totaling $16,550 on the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers and individuals on their teams. It was an unprecedentedly tough act by Campbell but it came only after he had warned all NHL clubs a few weeks earlier that the sport could not long tolerate the meaningless fights that so often have marred the game. He had, he said then, decided to penalize severely those responsible—not just the players but also the clubs that have the responsibility for controlling them.

After the battle was over, Campbell observed that "these incidents reflect no credit on the league or any of the participants and were a blatant violation of the declared policy of the league. To curtail this menace, the governors authorized the imposition of a much more severe schedule of penalties two years ago, which has remedied the situation to some degree. However, this policy cannot be effective unless it has the complete and wholehearted support of top-level management of every club."

Well, it doesn't have that support. Stafford Smythe, president of the Maple Leafs, is stubbornly refusing to pay the fine, and William Jennings, Ranger president, is planning an appeal to the league's board of governors, composed of 14 men, of whom he seems to control a majority.

"Let 'em fight," seems to be the attitude of the owners. Well, like most fans, we won't complain too much as long as they also let 'em play a little hockey. In the Ranger-Leaf game, they almost forgot to.

OIL ON TROUBLED ICE

There are arguments to be made on both sides of every question, most especially in the field of ecology, and, in the case of the controversial Alaska oil pipeline, quite a few have been made so far without too much in the way of scientific backing. All the facts in that area are not yet in but it is interesting to note that Angus Gavin, a fully reputable ecologist, former senior vice-president of Ducks Unlimited Canada and discoverer of the breeding ground of the Ross goose, has turned in a report, based on two years of study, on what might be expected to happen as a result of the development of the Arctic's petroleum potential. It must be kept in mind that Gavin made his study as an employee of the Atlantic Richfield Company, whose vested interest in petroleum development of the Arctic is vast.

Even so, Gavin's reputation is impeccable. These are some of the conclusions he has so far reached:

1. The pipeline will not interfere with the migratory habits of caribou.

2. Grizzly bears are attracted, rather than driven away, by oil operations because they find food (garbage) around the camps and drilling sites.