NEW YORK (AP) – The path of a National Hockey league team to Cleveland appears to have been cleared, II was burned Monday.
Two independent sources said Monday night that an announcement relevant to the NHL's operation in Cleveland would be made at some time today,
It also was learned that the World Hockey Association s board of trustees had conducted a poll by telephone last Friday on the prospective move of the WHA Crusaders franchise from Cleveland to Hollywood. Fla.
Although the decision of the voters could not be ascertained, a WHA source said with regard to the Cleveland franchise; ”I think we're out of there officially.”
Bill Putnam, a former NHL and WHA executive, has been attempting to obtain the Crusaders for the newly-built Hollywood Sportatonum in Honda Asked concerning the prospective announcement in Cleveland. Putnam said: “No comment ”
Should it be announced that the Crusaders more has been approved by the trustees, the wheels could then be set in motion for an NHL move to the Ohio city. Current indications are that the moved franchise would be California Golden Seals, whose owner. Mel Swig, has made clear his intention to move the team or sell it because of an inability to build a new arena in downtown San Francisco.
Swig said Monday night that his club's future would be determined by the end of the week.
Two other factors would Indicate that the Seals would be the club moved. The first is that George Gund, a former Cleveland resident and owner of one-third of the Seals, has expensed an interest in moving the team there The second influence la that of Washington. DC businessman Sandford Greenberg.
Greenberg owns 90 percent of the Richfield Colesium as well as pieces of the NHL Washington Capitals and National Basketball Association Washington Bullets, and similarly has expressed interest tn placing an NHL team in his Coliseum.
NHL President Clarence Campbell was asked Monday night with regard Io the status of the Seals and Kansas City Scouts- an NHL club under severe financial strain.
His reaction was: “I don't think you're asking something to which I can give an answer There are a couple of things on the lire which I can't afford to disclose because it would trigger some other reactions which the affected parties would prefer not to have discussed.”
However, in response to Swig's statement that the position would be clear by the end of the week. Campbell laid, “His position will be contingent on some other factors.”
Those factors, it appears, hinge on the WHA's resolution of the Crusaders' issue Should the WHA decide to abandon the Coliseum, which has suffered faltering attendance for Crusaders games, the wheels could then be set in motion for an NHL move there.
But only under those circumstances, says Seals president Munson Campbell “You can be assured that the governor of the NHL will not even entertain a proposal of this kind (a move to Cleveland) until such time as they have absolute-and I repeat absolute assurance that the WHA has given up the territory.”
That assurance may be forthcoming.