Sport: Health Insurance

Mayhem has become so much a part of professional hockey that players and fans alike react to the rhythmic thudding of stick on skull almost as complacently as concertgoers listening to the kettledrums. But last week the National Hockey League's scholarly President Clarence Campbell decided that Defenseman Kenny Reardon of the Montreal Canadiens had gone a little too far. Discussing his feud with Toronto's Cal Gardner in the March issue of Sport magazine, Reardon was quoted as saying:

"I'm going to see that Gardner gets 14 stitches in the mouth. I may have to wait a long time, but I'm patient. Even if I have to wait until the last game I ever play, Gardner is going to get it good and plenty." Steaming like a boardinghouse radiator, President Campbell fined Reardon a staggering $1,000. Said Campbell: Reardon will get his money back when he retires from N.H.L. hockey—if he keeps the peace in the meantime.