Former King Butch Goring Named Coach of the Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins Monday named veteran center Butch Goring the team’s new head coach and defenseman Mike Milbury assistant coach.

General Manager Harry Sinden, who served as interim coach after firing Gerry Cheevers on Feb. 13, made the announcement at a news conference.

Goring, 35, has been an outstanding center in the NHL for 16 years, mostly with the Kings. He was acquired by the Bruins on waivers from the New York Islanders last Feb. 8 after becoming disenchanted with his role as a part-time player and assistant coach.

Commissioner Peter Ueberroth said that baseball “must, has to, and will” eliminate drug abuse to set an example for the rest of society.

“Let me clearly say that other sports have the problem equally as bad or worse,” said Ueberroth, keynote speaker of an Associated Press luncheon at the American Newspaper Publishers Assn. convention in Miami Beach, Fla. “But baseball must rid itself (of drugs), first for the well-being of the players . . . and because baseball is an example for young people.”

Unbeaten Michael Spinks of Philadelphia will defend his undisputed world light-heavyweight championship against Jim McDonald of Nashville, Tenn., on June 6 at Las Vegas. The bout will accompany the 12-round title fight between World Boxing Council lightweight champion Jose Luis Ramirez and unbeaten Hector (Macho) Camacho.

The California State Assembly approved a bill that would require professional boxers to have regular brain examinations. The author, Assemblyman Art Agnos (D-San Francisco), said a similar law in New York has resulted in the forced retirement per year of 50 boxers “because their brains are too badly damaged.”

The bill would require boxers to have examinations by neurologists to get their licenses renewed each year. They would need additional exams if they fought more than 12 times a year, were knocked out in two successive fights or if a ringside doctor recommended the exam.

Bobby Chacon will fight Davey Montana in a scheduled 10-round lightweight fight in a preliminary to the International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship bout between Larry Holmes and Carl Williams on May 20 at Reno, Nev., organizers of the card said Monday.

Chacon, 33, has a career record of 55-7-1 with 45 knockouts. Montana is 15-3 with nine knockouts.

Chacon previously held the World Boxing Council’s featherweight title and junior lightweight title.

Santos Laciar of Argentina retained his World Boxing Assn. flyweight title for the ninth time, battering Antoine Montero of France for a unanimous decision at Grenoble, France.

The stocky Argentine, who won the WBA title May 1, 1982 from Juan Herrera of Mexico, dominated the 28-year-old Frenchman with quick footwork and counter-punching.

Venezuelan judge Luis Rodrigues scored the 15-round fight 148-142, American judge Gordon Volkman had it 147-139, and referee Stanley Christodoulou of South Africa scored it 146-141.

Laciar, 26, raised his career record to 58-10-6. Montero suffered his second loss in 26 fights.

A fire at a publishing house in Sao Paulo, Brazil, destroyed what was described as the most complete photo archive of the career of soccer star Pele. According to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, 15,000 photos and 5,000 negatives of Pele were destroyed in the fire Sunday. They belonged to photographer Domicio Pinheiro, who took them over the past 22 years.

The United States Soccer Federation named 17 players to the national team that will face Trinidad-Tobago and Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying games this month.

Among those named were four Southern California players--defender Paul Caligiuri and forward Jeff Hooker, both of UCLA, forward Hugo Perez of the San Diego Sockers, and former Cal State Fullerton midfielder Mike Fox, now with the Las Vegas Americans.

The United States will face Trinidad-Tobago May 15 at St. Louis and May 19 at El Camino College in Torrance, and will meet Costa Rica May 26 in San Jose, Costa Rica, and May 31 at El Camino College.

Stock car driver Ken Ragan, who suffered a broken neck in a crash during a race at the Alabama International Motor Speedway at Talladega on Saturday, was moved from the intensive care unit of a hospital in Anniston, Ala. His condition was upgraded from critical to fair.

Ragan underwent neck surgery Saturday night.

Names in the News

The Chicago Bears signed Ohio State quarterback Mike Tomczak as a free agent. Tomczak was an All-State quarterback at Thornton Fractional North High School in suburban Chicago.

Former University of Georgia sprinter Mel Lattany said he is giving up track for professional football. Lattany said he expects to sign with the Dallas Cowboys next month.