The 28th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in the Montreal Forum in Montreal, home to the Montreal Canadiens, on January 21, 1975. The NHL expansion changed the format of the NHL All-Star game into a battle of conferences. The Wales Conference All-Star team easily won the initial contest, trouncing the Campbell Conference 7–1. Syl Apps Jr. was voted the game's most valuable player after scoring two goals. The game was also notable for the first female reporters allowed in a men's professional sports locker room, Robin Herman ( The New York Times) and Marcelle St. Cyr ( CKLM radio in Montreal).

Team lineups

Syl Apps Jr. was the first son of an NHL All-Star to appear in an All-Star game. The era of exclusively Canadian NHL All-Star lineups finally ended as Curt Bennett (born in Canada but raised in Rhode Island and an American citizen) became only the third American hockey player to participate in an NHL All-Star game. From this point on, there has always be at least one non-Canadian NHL All-Star as the number of American and European NHL players have increased dramatically since the early 1970s.

Wales Conference All-Stars Coach: Bep Guidolin ( Kansas City Scouts) # Nat. Player Pos. Team Goaltenders 1 Rogatien Vachon Los Angeles Kings 29 Ken Dryden Montreal Canadiens Defencemen 2 Terry Harper Los Angeles Kings 3 Bob Murdoch Los Angeles Kings 4 Bobby Orr Boston Bruins 5 Guy Lapointe Montreal Canadiens 6 Jerry Korab Buffalo Sabres 10 Carol Vadnais Boston Bruins Forwards 7 Phil Esposito C Boston Bruins 8 Rick Martin LW Buffalo Sabres 12 Marcel Dionne C Detroit Red Wings 14 Rene Robert RW Buffalo Sabres 15 Denis Dupere LW Washington Capitals 16 Guy Lafleur RW Montreal Canadiens 19 Jean Pronovost RW Pittsburgh Penguins 20 Don Luce C Buffalo Sabres 22 Joey Johnston LW California Golden Seals 24 Terry O'Reilly RW Boston Bruins 26 Syl Apps Jr. C Pittsburgh Penguins 27 Darryl Sittler C Toronto Maple Leafs

Campbell Conference All-Stars Coach: Fred Shero ( Philadelphia Flyers) # Nat. Player Pos. Team Goaltenders 1 Bernie Parent Philadelphia Flyers 30 Gary Smith Vancouver Canucks Defencemen 2 Brad Park New York Rangers 3 Ed Van Impe Philadelphia Flyers 4 Doug Jarrett Chicago Black Hawks 5 Denis Potvin New York Islanders 19 Tracy Pratt Vancouver Canucks 20 Jim Watson Philadelphia Flyers Forwards 6 Bill Barber LW Philadelphia Flyers 7 Garry Unger C St. Louis Blues 8 Jim Pappin RW Chicago Black Hawks 9 Steve Vickers LW New York Rangers 10 Rod Gilbert RW New York Rangers 11 Curt Bennett C Atlanta Flames 12 Tom Lysiak C Atlanta Flames 16 Bobby Clarke C Philadelphia Flyers 17 Simon Nolet RW Kansas City Scouts 18 Ed Westfall RW New York Islanders 21 Stan Mikita C Chicago Black Hawks 22 Dennis Hextall C Minnesota North Stars G = Goaltenders; D = Defencemen; C = Centre; LW/RW = Left Wing/Right Wing

Game summary

Goaltenders :

• Wales  : Vachon (30:39 minutes), Dryden (29:21 minutes).
• Campbell : Parent (29:17 minutes), Smith (30:43 minutes).

Shots on goal :

• Wales (37) 14 - 09 - 14
• Campbell (29) 10 - 09 - 10

Referee : Wally Harris

Linesmen : Leon Stickle, Claude Béchard

See also

• 1974–75 NHL season

References

• Podnieks, Andrew (2000). The NHL All-Star Game: 50 years of tradition. Toronto: HarperCollins. pp. 167–171. ISBN  0-00-200058-X.