Ted Lindsay rips Pens for aleged tampering

Detroit Red Wings legend "Terrible" Ted Lindsay was a tough customer on the ice during his Hall of Fame career, and he was no different while serving as the team's General Manager in the late 1970s. His temper was on full display in March 1978 when the Penguins signed Derek Sanderson, who had been playing with the Wings' Kansas City team in the Central Hockey League after the Wings had decided to give the broken down former star player a look. Without any signed contract, however, Sanderson was officially a free agent, free to sign with any team he wished.

When Sanderson's agent contacted Pens GM Baz Bastien about his client's availability, Bastien jumped at the opportunity. That did not sit well with Terrible Ted, as this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shows. Lindsay took his grievance to the NHL's head office, but there was no evidence of any kind of contract that could have been used as evidence to void the Penguins move.

"It was a verbal thing," admitted Lindsay.

This brief piece includes Bastien speaking in his own defense.

Pens slap Caps as Baz’s moves impress

The flurry of November trades by Pens’ GM Baz Bastien looked to be paying off handsomely in early December, 1977. Heading into a game at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md, the Pens faced a team they had only beaten once in their last eight meetings. 

But new recruits Pete Mahovlich, Dave Schultz and Peter Lee, with his first NHL goal, lit the lamp for the boys in blue en route to a 4-2 win. It was left to the longest-serving Pen, Jean Pronovost, to net the game-winner in the third. Check out the game report from the next day.

Would the positive early returns keep coming?