Andre Lacrox, dubbed the "Magician" by some, earned another and possibly more enduring nickname last season when he became "Mr. Unstoppable" in the WHA.

No checking specialist, no goaltender, no team was able to keep the smooth skating Lacroix from getting at least one point a game from January 4 to March 19.

That covers an incredible string of 32 straight games with points, a mark so unheard of that no one thought to keep track of such a thing before. But one thing is certain - it will be some time before anyone eclipses that mark.

It is comparable in some respects to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak that still stands 34 years later.

On the way to the record, Lacroix set another WHA mark - most consecutive games with an assist. He set up teammates in 16 straight games from Januray 18 to February 24, breaking the previous mark of 12 held by New England's Terry Caffery.

In his 32 straight games with points, Lacroix compiled 69 points with 16 goals and 53 assists.

On January 4, he was tied for fifth in the individual scoring race, 13 points behind Bobby Hull. During the ensuing 10 weeks he caught and passed Hull once, but on March 19 was stil eights points behind, but now in second place. Hull, during the same span, kept up the torrid pace by scoring 34 goals himself and setting up 30 others.

There wasn't the pressure of trying to break a record since no one was able to find what the old standard was.

"I really wasn't aware of the streak until I started reading about it in the papers," said Lacroix. "I was more concerned with team winning."

During the streak Lacroix really had only one close call to having it ended. That happened on January 18, seven games into the streak.

That night in San Diego, Houston stopped Andre for the first 59 minutes and 49 seconds. But with 11 seconds left Lacroix's pass set up the tying goal and then he assisted on the winning goal in overtime.

Most of the San Diego players agree that was the turning point in their season. The Mariners needed a late season push to make the playoffs and surprised many when they wound up in second place in the West Division and eliminated Toronto in the first-round playoffs.

In most of the games during the strak, Lacroix got his point in the first period. On Feburay 25, Feburay 28, and March 14, he had to wait until the final half of the last period to get a point, but it always seemed to come.

Lacroix' linemates Wayne Rivers and Rick Sentes also benefitted from the streak. In early January Rivers had 22 goalds and 15 assists while Sentes had only 6 goals and 17 assists. When the streak ended in mid-March, Rivers had picked up 50 more points (27 goals and 23 assists), while Sentes collected 43 point (25 goals and 18 assists).

But all good things must come to an end and it was Chicago Cougar goalie Dave Dryden who stopped the Lacroix line on March 20.