Wilkie Is One-For-One As Coach • by Wayne Overland • The Edmonton Journal • February 22, 1973 The New York Raiders are the most unbelievable outfit in all of hockey. They are a team without an owner, a general manager or coach. Against Alberta Oilers it seemed to work very well Wednesday night. The Raiders, after almost getting run out of Madison Square Garden in the first half of the World Hockey Association game, came back with four unanswered goals to edge Oilers 5-4. An almost unbelievable comeback? But now the really unbelievable part starts. Before the game it was announced over the public address system that the Raiders bench coach for the game would be none other than Ian Wilkie, former Oil King goalie who now plays infrequently for Raiders Camille Henry, the Raider coach of record, was sitting up in the stands, allegedly because he had the flu and didn't want to give it to the players. The real reason was explained by a Raider player who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons: "We can't stand the guy. If we got three goals down and he was in the box we'd say to heck with it." Wilkie refuses to take much credit for masterminding the victory, only the fifth in the last 20 games for Raiders. "Kent Douglas does most of the coaching on this team," said Wilkie. "But tonight he was playing defense so we needed somebody behind the bench." Douglas, who resembles a blimp, hasn't played or practiced for a month because he has lost almost all the sight in one eye. However, against the Oilers, he look a regular turn on defense and also consulted with Wilkie on line changes. "Don't ask me how Douglas does it," said Wilkie. "He weighs 220 pounds whether he practices or not. He was our best defenseman tonight. How can you figure that out?" Douglas has the pro experience to steady up the rather shaky Raider blueline and he is also adept at moving the puck up to the forwards. The final score left Oiler coach Bill Hunter ranting and raving at the referee and linesmen. True, referee Ray Thomas was as incompetent as usual, giving Oilers questionable overlapping penalties late in the game for no other reason than the crowd of 5,722 called for them. However, the Oilers lost the game because they missed chances to put it completely out of reach in the first two periods and then went to sleep in the final period. Oilers Jed 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Ross Perkins. Raiders Gene Peacosh tied it early in the second. Oilers then surged ahead 4-1 on goals by Ed Joyal, Bob Falkenberg and another by Perkins. Brian Carlin proceeded to miss two great set-ups from Jim Harrison and from that point it was all downhill for the Alberta team. Bob Jones and Bob Sheehan scored for Raiders before the end of the second period. Oilers protected their narrow 4-3 lead through most of the final period and appeared to be in good shape after weathering the overlapping penalties to Doug Barrie and Bob Wall. Suddenly Ron Ward tied it for Raiders with a shot that beat Jack Norris from 30 feet out with less than three minutes. Oilers became completely confused at this point and Raiders Wayne Rivers scored the winner with 1:04 left in regulation time. It was the logical conclusion to a bad day for Oilers, who were delayed by bad weather coming out of Cleveland in the afternoon and then lost their equipment with a result the game being delayed 45 minutes. It wasn't all good news for Raiders either. They lost their best forward Norm Ferguson with a broken leg in the third period. Raiders continued to be without owners as the league operates the team and searches for somebody to buy the franchise. The Oilers, who are rapidly blowing their games in hand in the race for the WHA West Division playoff spots, play Friday in Boston against New England Whalers

_______________________________________

Home • Credits & Legal Stuff