Neeld, LaBelle talk about Jets incidents, transcribed article (Tonawanda News, 1976-03-30).pdf
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Title
Neeld, LaBelle talk about Jets incidents, transcribed article (Tonawanda News, 1976-03-30).pdf
Description
Neeld, Labelle talk out Jet incidents
Monday was both a long and sad day for most of the Buffalo Norsemen.
In the morning, Greg Neeld and Charlie Labelle, the two main victims of Saturday night’s brawl in Johnstown, came into The NEWS to further explain what happened Saturday.
In the afternoon, the team held its final team meeting of 1975-76 before the players entered the locker room to find trainer Gary Stevens packing everything up for the summer.
By late afternoon most of the players had taken off for their homes or summer jobs.
As everyone was leaving, General Manager Willie Marshall and Coach Guy Trottier wished everyone a good summer and told them they would see them next year.
For Neeld and Labelle, the past two nights have not been easy ones.
“I wake up in the middle of the night with color flashes,” Neeld said. “I have to sit there for a few minutes before I realize where I am.”
“I guess I just bruise easily,” Labelle stated, as he wore his third black eye of the season. To add to his woes, his face had several cuts and scratches, and he was complaining about bumps and bruises on his neck and head.
Meanwhile, Neeld, the one-eyed defenseman, only had four stitches on his forehead as his visible mark. But, he also complained of having bumps on his head, which result in bad headaches during the day.
Greg tried to relive that strange Saturday night in Johnstown, where the first-year Buffalo Norsemen cancelled their playoff hopes by forfeiting the fifth and final quarter-final playoff game with the Jets, after an all-out brawl during the warmup.
“As we were walking to the ice for the warmup, one of the film men, who was here to film that movie ‘Slap Shot’ with Paul Newman, told me to keep my head up during the warmup. I knew the film people and Paul Newman have been pretty close to the Johnstown team over the past few weeks, but I couldn’t understand what he meant by keep your head up.
“During the pregame skate, I was just circling the rink, getting myself mentally prepared for the game when number fourteen (Campigotto) skated in front of me and asked me if I wanted to start something. I didn’t know (Steve) Carlson and (Dave) Hansen were right behind him when I threw Campigotto into the boards. As soon as I did, the other two guys jumped me and started to hit me. Carlson hit me in the back of the neck with that cast he has on his wrist.
“I don’t remember too much after that,” Neeld said. “While I was unconscious, they hit me a couple more times on the head and the forehead.
“When I was going off to the dressing room, Campigotto said that if I thought this was bad, I should wait until the game starts.
“The whole situation irks me. This stuff has been going on all year in this league and they don’t do anything about it. The thing that really makes me mad is that I spent thousands of dollars to improve my hockey skills when I was younger. If I knew all I had to do was be a goal fighter, I would have saved that money.
“I am really upset at the league. It just goes to show you that Johnstown and other money-making or senior teams get all the breaks. You could see that (NAHL Commissioner Jack) Timmons is just a puppet on a string when he lets stuff like this go on because he says he has no evidence. But, he sure had big eyes and a lot of evidence when I threw my stick in the stands after being hit with a couple hard objects and just barely missing a knife being thrown at me.”
“It sure looked like it was premeditated to me,” Labelle said. “To see Hansen, Campigotto and Carlson skate together past Greg, to hear people tell you to keep your head up and to see three extra players in the warmup, sure makes it a little suspicious.”
The three extra players in the warmup is very interesting because when a fight breaks out, everyone grabs a sweater. But, with three extra men, that’s three free bodies in a fight.
Labelle said that when Carlson started to hit him with the cast, he just fell to his knees trying to cover up his head and face. But, when he looked up for a second, a couple Johnstown players were finally able to work over his face.
“I am disgusted with the whole league,” Labelle said. “Every team has goons and if you don’t have one, you can’t make it. That’s not hockey. I love a good, hard-checking game. But, when you have to fear for your life, it’s no fun anymore.
“I really feel Johnstown was scared to play us. They knew we would beat them, so they had to beat us up first,” Labelle said. “I still can’t believe they got away with it.”
Neither can the Norsemen fans, Charlie, so don’t feel bad.
Monday was both a long and sad day for most of the Buffalo Norsemen.
In the morning, Greg Neeld and Charlie Labelle, the two main victims of Saturday night’s brawl in Johnstown, came into The NEWS to further explain what happened Saturday.
In the afternoon, the team held its final team meeting of 1975-76 before the players entered the locker room to find trainer Gary Stevens packing everything up for the summer.
By late afternoon most of the players had taken off for their homes or summer jobs.
As everyone was leaving, General Manager Willie Marshall and Coach Guy Trottier wished everyone a good summer and told them they would see them next year.
For Neeld and Labelle, the past two nights have not been easy ones.
“I wake up in the middle of the night with color flashes,” Neeld said. “I have to sit there for a few minutes before I realize where I am.”
“I guess I just bruise easily,” Labelle stated, as he wore his third black eye of the season. To add to his woes, his face had several cuts and scratches, and he was complaining about bumps and bruises on his neck and head.
Meanwhile, Neeld, the one-eyed defenseman, only had four stitches on his forehead as his visible mark. But, he also complained of having bumps on his head, which result in bad headaches during the day.
Greg tried to relive that strange Saturday night in Johnstown, where the first-year Buffalo Norsemen cancelled their playoff hopes by forfeiting the fifth and final quarter-final playoff game with the Jets, after an all-out brawl during the warmup.
“As we were walking to the ice for the warmup, one of the film men, who was here to film that movie ‘Slap Shot’ with Paul Newman, told me to keep my head up during the warmup. I knew the film people and Paul Newman have been pretty close to the Johnstown team over the past few weeks, but I couldn’t understand what he meant by keep your head up.
“During the pregame skate, I was just circling the rink, getting myself mentally prepared for the game when number fourteen (Campigotto) skated in front of me and asked me if I wanted to start something. I didn’t know (Steve) Carlson and (Dave) Hansen were right behind him when I threw Campigotto into the boards. As soon as I did, the other two guys jumped me and started to hit me. Carlson hit me in the back of the neck with that cast he has on his wrist.
“I don’t remember too much after that,” Neeld said. “While I was unconscious, they hit me a couple more times on the head and the forehead.
“When I was going off to the dressing room, Campigotto said that if I thought this was bad, I should wait until the game starts.
“The whole situation irks me. This stuff has been going on all year in this league and they don’t do anything about it. The thing that really makes me mad is that I spent thousands of dollars to improve my hockey skills when I was younger. If I knew all I had to do was be a goal fighter, I would have saved that money.
“I am really upset at the league. It just goes to show you that Johnstown and other money-making or senior teams get all the breaks. You could see that (NAHL Commissioner Jack) Timmons is just a puppet on a string when he lets stuff like this go on because he says he has no evidence. But, he sure had big eyes and a lot of evidence when I threw my stick in the stands after being hit with a couple hard objects and just barely missing a knife being thrown at me.”
“It sure looked like it was premeditated to me,” Labelle said. “To see Hansen, Campigotto and Carlson skate together past Greg, to hear people tell you to keep your head up and to see three extra players in the warmup, sure makes it a little suspicious.”
The three extra players in the warmup is very interesting because when a fight breaks out, everyone grabs a sweater. But, with three extra men, that’s three free bodies in a fight.
Labelle said that when Carlson started to hit him with the cast, he just fell to his knees trying to cover up his head and face. But, when he looked up for a second, a couple Johnstown players were finally able to work over his face.
“I am disgusted with the whole league,” Labelle said. “Every team has goons and if you don’t have one, you can’t make it. That’s not hockey. I love a good, hard-checking game. But, when you have to fear for your life, it’s no fun anymore.
“I really feel Johnstown was scared to play us. They knew we would beat them, so they had to beat us up first,” Labelle said. “I still can’t believe they got away with it.”
Neither can the Norsemen fans, Charlie, so don’t feel bad.
Date
1976-03-30
Collection
Citation
“Neeld, LaBelle talk about Jets incidents, transcribed article (Tonawanda News, 1976-03-30).pdf,” North Tonawanda History, accessed May 6, 2026, https://www.nthistory.com/items/show/4442.