LL HOCKEY

ris McCarron

ofthe NHL sports writers consistently make the g choices when voting for individual awards. In pring of 1990 the Hart Trophy was awarded to jer instead of Bourque. Messier is great but in ase Bourque deserved it more. It is easy to see hen Bruin coach, Terry O'Reilly was so upset Bourque not winning the Hart trophy.

Owe was a top defensman in his prime and yet as overlooked for Coffey, Robinson,and

players are discriminated against because of the

ey play. Both Clark in 86 and Hextall in 87

an favorites to win the Calder trophy as rookie

rt. Because Clark and Hextall enjoy a tough

k style of play, some sportswriters chose not

them. Gary Suter a better rookie than

alife. This season the Toronto media have irk as their choice for the Masterton trophy,

to the player who best exhibits dedication

£ with injury or other problems. I think

€ Masterton last season; both Mario and

from serious back problems. I know that

erves the Masterton more than Wendel

‘season. YetI am sure that the American

ts will vote for another candidate.

¢ March 28 featured the second consecu- that CBC featured the Habs on the tube.

lon’ tlive in Quebec. It is unfair for the either Montreal or Toronto for consecu- The only fair way to do it is to feature

ey played like a bunch of stiffs on the

it the Penguins. The more | see Mario the the NHL would not be as good if

tin the game. Mario scores tout le

is by example and he’s tough.

Y

week and Montreal the next. Speaking of

April 9, 1992

Offsider

Problems in the NHL beganin mid-September of 199] when the NHL’s contract with the Players’ Associa- tion expired, Since then, the two sides have been working towards settling several important issues on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)_. Management (the League--headed by League President John Ziebler) and union (the Player--headed by NHLPA president Bob Goodenow) could agree on nothing; even figures issued to the public by each side varied greatly when compared. On April Fool’s Day, NHL players voted 560-4 in favour of striking.

Who received the dull end of the NHL’s April Fool’s joke? Wouldn’t it have been wonderful had the play- ers all reported for work last Wednesday night and shouted a resounding ‘‘ April Fool!”’ to Ziegler? Sure, and the Nordiques will be playing the Sharks in the *92 Stanley Cup Final, right?

Each side has been pointing fingers at the other. On April; 4th, instead of Hockey Night in Canada, Ron MacLean hosted ‘‘Strike °92:’’ the show illuminated a number of issues for us confused fans. MacLean interviewed Ziegler, Goodenow, Canucks’ player representative Ryan Walter, Winnipeg Jets’ president Barry Shenkarow, and a number of other people. Ziegler is a better actor than Devils’ forward Claude Lemieux; he kept trying to play the Canadian angle to make all Canadians support management. Goodenow looked very sincere when he said that nobody likes the strike. Walter nade a good point in saying that the strike was necessary; the players could not have been expected to play forever withouta CBA. Who knows how long resolution would take? Shenkarow said the time constraint issue has been forced by the

players.

Whose fault is the strike? [i would be easier to take a list of the 504 men who voted and try to select who voted ‘‘NAY’’ than to answer the question of fault or

blame.

[ miss hockey very much. Sometimes I feel as if tam the only fan who is not mad at the NHLPA and play- ers for striking. I do not think people have the right tobe mad at the players for having taken their hockey away from them. I know that the players deserve some thanks for an exciting season which lasted TUGhs a longer than it cloud have. I do not like the Ne I do understand that it was necessary In order to keep hockey alive. The strike is making some people

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