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
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      25