ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
The Dallas Stars never had a chance. Not with those 24 Stanley Cup banners hanging from the rafters of the Montreal Forum. Not on this night, the finale in hockey's shrine.
There were no rink-long dashes by Guy Lafleur, no scintillating saves by Ken Dryden, no spinarama moves by Serge Savard. But a conglomeration of players that included a Finn, a Russian and a couple of pretty darn good French Canadians put the finishing touches on the end of an era Monday night, leading the Canadiens to a 4-1 victory over the Stars.
The final game at the 72-year-old Forum began and ended with a thunderous cheer. In between, the Canadiens, battling for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, rewarded the fans who crammed every inch of hockey's temple for one last look.
With the crowd rocking the building, Lafleur and the two French-Canadian greats before him - Jean Beliveau and Maurice ``The Rocket'' Richard - walked the red carpet to center ice for a pregame faceoff between rival captains Pierre Turgeon of the Canadiens and Guy Carbonneau of Dallas, himself a former Montreal captain.
If that wasn't inspiration enough, the national anthem certainly was, eliciting tears from many. The lights were dimmed and a videotape of the man renowned for his stirring renditions of both the American and Canadian anthems, moved the throng as only he could. It was as if Roger Doucet was back to sing one last goodbye.
The fans roared as first Doucet, who died a decade ago, then Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey - heroes from the teams that won four consecutive Stanley Cups at the close of the 1970s - appeared on the giant scoreboard above center ice.
BASEBALL
Bill Nicholson, an outfielder with the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies who twice led the National League in home runs, died of a heart attack at his home in Chestertown, Md. He was 81.
Nicknamed ``Swish'' because of his forceful left-handed swing, Nicholson, a member of the Phillies ``Whiz Kids,'' helped the team reach the 1950 World Series.
In 1943, he hit 29 home runs to lead the league and drove in 128 runs while hitting .309 for the Cubs. The following year, he hit .287 and again led the league with 33 homers and 122 RBI.
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