NHL Roundup : Broten Adds to His Status as an American Hero

Minnesota North Stars center Neal Broten made National Hockey League history Wednesday night when he became the first United States-born player to accumulate 100 points in a season.

“It’s gratifying; it makes me feel proud,” said Broten, who earned his 99th and 100th points on assists in Minnesota’s 6-1 victory over the Maple Leafs at Toronto. “It’s nice to just be in the NHL.

“One hundred points is a bonus. I’m on our power play, so I’m going to get a lot of points. If I work hard and try to create scoring chances, my wingers are going to score goals.”

Linemates Dino Ciccarelli and Scott Bjugstad scored two goals each against the Maple Leafs.

Broten, 26, a native of Roseau, Minn., is in his fifth season with the North Stars after playing for the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team.

“I’m not like (Wayne) Gretzky. He knows he’s going to get two points or three points a night,” Broten said. “I can go two or three games without a point, then all of a sudden, I get three points.”

Also scoring for the North Stars, who broke a three-game losing streak, were Dirk Graham and rookie Paul Houck, who got his first NHL goal in only his second game.

Mirko Frycer was the lone scorer for the Leafs, who incurred their fourth straight defeat.

Edmonton 8, Pittsburgh 3--Wayne Gretzky scored his 51st goal of the season and assisted on three others, including Jari Kurri’s 62nd, to help the Oilers clinch the NHL regular-season championship with the victory at Pittsburgh.

The win was Edmonton’s sixth straight and gave the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions 114 points, guaranteeing them the highest total in the NHL and the home advantage throughout the playoffs. The players will divide a $200,000 bonus instituted by the league this season.

Gretzky raised his league-leading point total to 205, seven short of his league record.

Hartford 3, Montreal 0--Scot Kleinendorst and Ron Francis scored 32 seconds apart in the first minute of the final period to back the shutout goaltending of Mike Liut and boost the Whalers to the win over the Canadiens at Hartford, Conn.

The victory moved the Whalers, who are undefeated in their last six games, into fourth place in the tight Adams Division race. The loss was the sixth straight for the slumping Canadiens, who have lost nine of their last 11 games.

Chicago 5, Detroit 3--Doug Wilson scored two goals to lead a Chicago comeback and Darryl Sutter provided the tiebreaker as the Blackhawks won at home.

The victory enabled Chicago to regain sole possession of first place in the Norris Division by two points over the idle St. Louis Blues.

Vancouver 7, Quebec 6--Gary Lupul and Doug Halward each scored two goals as the Canucks edged the Nordiques at Vancouver to keep alive their Smythe Division playoff hopes.