The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-21
DecoreUont Sought By Many College :Scouts'
Weiland Proves
 Backbone of Hub Hockey Parade
Ry KRNEsT BARCELLA

By ERNEST BANCELLA
 United Press Stan CoFrespOndent)
 Boston, Dec. 2i.-(Up)-If you want one good reason why the Bos- ton Bruins are pacing the big league hockey parade today, we give you the little guy wearing No. 7-Cap- tain Ralph (Cooney) Weilapd.
 Until exactly . week ago, he was doing his work in quiet but effec. tive way. He wasn't grabbing ans headlines, because that sort of glory usally goes to the man who is the biz scoring gun. Then ell of sud- den, he broke out in Q scoring rash that is, after c fashion, reminiscent of the lush days of i92o.30 when he set an All-time scoring record of 4S goals and 90 assists for one season.
 Tn the last three Bruins games, Welland has scored i've vital goals. It was old No. 2 who snapped the Hostonians out of what threatened to be e disastrous slump. The Bruins had won the first six games. Then they went through the next i've with nary Q victory.
 on His Game
 The inspiring little leader scored two quick goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Tuesday night to lead the Bruins out of the wilder. ness. He tailed another Saturday niRht to aid in the triumph over tho Montreal Maroons and came through with two more against De- troit Sunday.
 Eight years ago as . member of the famed dynamite line that inc cluded Dit Oiapper and Dutch dainor, old No. 2 was the darling of Boston fans. After that he had his ups and downs.
 In ie32, he was shipped down the river" to Ottawa and the fol. lowing season moved over to Dc. troit where he played the better part of two seasons before feturn- ing to his old stamping grounds in c deal that made some of the Bos ton fans grumblc. 1fe was swapped for Marty Barry, ono of the great. est play.makers n the business.
 The years Che Is 3O reduced his speed. Being Q smart hockey player, however, Captain Cooney has sub. stituted guile for the swifti,ess that is no longer his.
 Today he ranks as ono of tho greatest defensive centers in the business. This lb0-pounder (he is one of the iightest men in big league hockey) has no peer aS c poke- checker, or as . puck.ragger. Hc wields the longest hockey club in the game--a 6 i.2.footer (the limit b 67 3.4 inches) )--and is most effec. tive when either side S short. handed.
 If the Bruins are . man short, Weiiand goes in there and does c masterful job of poke.checking to keep the opposition ct bay. And # the opposition is short.handed, In comes Cooney again-C -Cooney the opportunist, Weiland himself has spent comparatively little time in tho penalty box. Tn 10 years of major league hockey, he has served only i22 minutes iii tho clink. over c i0.year period, he iS ono of tho leading scorers in the game, having tailed 30i pointS--i00 goals and Al assists. His 300th and 30iSt point were made over Sunday against Detroit. ..
 "Irate Cooney with the best small men in the history Of hockey" says Manager Art Ross, who has been around a long, long time.
 Weiiand has ( flare for "7'B". Ae wears jersey No. !. When the Bruins are travelling, he occupies berth No. 2. Last Tuesday he scored two goals in seven seconds. And 50 fer this season, he has scored seven points. But the latter B ono v" he's not satisfied with.