OCR Text |
Show . J- ..... , .4r... . v.: s- - i WOOL HAUL For many years sheep raising was a leading industry in the Uintah Basin. Here a load of wool prepares to depart from the shearing pens north of Bonanza at Coyote Wash on its way to the railroad at Watson by way of lg. nacio. . TV pushes American kids to NHL By Steve K. Walz Television is contributing more than profit margins to National Hockey League franchise owners. It is helping American kids to see that it is possible for them to make it to the pro ranks. Three examples: When Joe Mullen. Jim Pavese and Paul Skidmore were growing up in New York City, they followed the exploits of the Rangers, Islanders and other pro teams on their local TV channel, which presented a steady diet of hockey action. Pavese, Mullen and Skidmore began to emulate Rod Gilbert, Brad Park and Chico Resch by taking to the ice at local rinks. Emile Francis was coach and general manager of the Rangers during the trio's initial exposure to youth hockey. He frequently visited visit-ed local ice hockey rinks to encourage these youngsters to pursue their sports endeavors. Mullen and Pavese played in a local junior hockey league while Skidmore headed north to play college hockey in the Boston area. All three were standouts and were inked to minor league contracts when their amateur eligibility eli-gibility expired. Guess who rescued them from the minor ranks after they proved themselves? Emile Francis, now general manger and architect of the St. Louis Blues' renaissance. All three players have worn the Blues jersey during the 198l-'82 season. Mullen, a scrappy winger has shown an ability to light the red lamp with some consistency. Just think of what might transpire if other youngsters were regularly able to see the likes of a Wayne J Gretzky. AFTERTHOUGHTS: Ameri- cans were treated to some pro- t fessional camera work by PRISM, the burgeoning Philadelphia-based Philadelphia-based cable outlet when they beamed the NHL All-Star game ; last month. The broadcast shows ' j that a local cable outlet equipped . with the proper technology can ' do a better job than the networks. |