Stanley Cup headed for broom closet of history Canucks versus the Maple Leafs is the ultimate Canadian series this year; who cares about the final? Kearney ~ nee Ny Pe ‘THE SPECTATOR CERTAINLY, | was pulling for San Jose Sharks te beat Toronto. I always root for the underfish. And for off-beat performers like goalie Arturs Irbe, who skates to his own chance-taking tune, The Happy Wanderer. But mostly I was rooting for them because, had they won, they’d have shown up the NHL playoff format for the ridiculous bit of nonsense it is. Just imagine: They, 16th overall in the league Golf pros play B.C. KEN OLESCHUK, general manag- er of the Point Grey Golf and Country Club, recently announced that the course will host a qualifying tournament for the Pro-Am compo- nent of the Inaugural Chateau Whistler Invitational, which is scheduled for Sept. 28-Oct. 1, at’ the Chateau Whistler Golf Course. : Three club members will qualify for the regional tournament on Aug. . 5 at Swan-e-Set Bay Resort in Pitt Meadows, B.C. At the regional, they'll have an opportunity to earn the chance to play the Whistler Course with USPGA star John Daly, 1991 PGA champion and winner of the 1994 Bell-South Classic; B.C.’s own’ Dave Barz, and a field of 28 other USPGA tour members. ; “For local golfers, this is a great opportunity,” said Oleschuk. “A trip lo the Canadian Open or to the Sun- belt is usuaily the only way to see this calibre of play, and to compete in a Pro-Am with players of this ilk can cost as much as $5,000 for one day. Here, with $125 (the qualifying tourney fee) and some skill, golfers have a shot at golfing with John Daly, Dave Barr and a field of USPGA tour players” Barr is delighted that the Chateau Whistler series will give something back to the game. “It’s great for junior golf in Canada,” he noted. “Too often, we focus on the here and now and forget that youth are the future of golf.” According to Oleschuk, members of the club may enter the qualifying tournament in one of three handicap divisions: 0-8, 3-14 and 15-28. * The winner of each division will earn a trip to the regional final and a chance to earn a berth in the Pro- Am. Twenty-five players from the regional final will advance to the Chateau Whistler Pro-Am; eight from each handicap division and one wild-card entry. standings, and the Canucks, [Sth averall, would be playing this week for the right to meet the win- ner of thy series between New York Rangers, first overall, and the New Jersey Devils, second overall, This would have bor- dered on the ridiculous, further pointing up that the six-month regular schedule has lille more significance than the pre- season exhibilion games. Don’t worry about win- ning the league litle. Save the best for last —~ the two-rnonth Stanley Cup season. Should the fans feel cheated? Yes. But once caught up in the fever of Stanley Cup mythology, the memory loss is amuz- ing. All is forgiven. And should the Canucks, despite six months of contrary evidence, go on to win the Cup, their fans will hail them as hockey’s best team of 1993-94, And the players certainly will back them up. Even though they are on half or even less of their regular wages during the playotfs, they all parrot the same line about Lord Stanley's $50 mug: “This is _ what it’s all about — winning the Cup.” Is that so? 1 don’) subscribe to such a mind bent — especially this spring, and especially right now. with the Canucks and the Maple Leafs (shouldn't the plural of &6 So, to hell with the Stanley Cup! Let’s make this THE series. After all, hockey is supposed to be the all- Canadian game, and... there may not be many more opportunities for a true East-West, all-Canadian playoff. 99 Leafs be Leaves?) just launched into their Western Conference final. This is historic stuff. Do you realize it’s the first time Vancouver and Toronto have met in playoff hockey competition since 1922? And only the third time since the game was invented? There also was a 1918 playoff. But don’t let history be your guide in picking the 1994 winner. There being a definite shortage of On Sunday May 29th, the Reyal Hudson will begin another year of enchanting the world with its unique charm and breathtakingly scenic day trips. To make this inaugural runa doubly special occasion, we've decided to bring along our other steam engine, the old "37167 This provides an extremely rare pportunity to ride an authentic steam engine “double-header? We're also bringing along a twosome of entertainers: The Vancouver Thunderbirds Acappella group and The Sixuvus Dixieland Band. jel-propelled aircraft in those ancient times, Vancouver didn’t uel any home games, Both best-of- five series were played in Toronta and went the tint, with the home team winning the rubber match. In 1948 the winners were known as the Arenas and the losers were the Millionaires, who gave Vancouver its only ever Stanley Cup three years previously by beat- ing the Ottawa Senators. In 1922 Toronto had changed its name to the St. Pats and the Millionaires, whose name was conjured up in the grandiloquent Edwardian years before World War One, had become the Maroons. So, while it is not for the Cup itself, as in the past, but only for the right to play in the Cup final, this Vancouver-Torento series 72 years later has a certain signifi- cance. If only unofficially, it’s for the championship of Canada. So, to hell with the Stanley Cup! Let's make this THE series. After all, hockey is supposed to be the all-Canadian game, and the way the national winter pasuime is drifting down to the U.S. sun-belt, there may nol be many more opportunities fora true East-West, all-Canadian playolt, Traditionally, in this cireum- slince, the mayor of Vancouver or the premier of B.C. would offer to bet a 40-pound spring salmon against whatever token foodstuff — maybe a 40-pound wheel of Ontario cheddar — put up by their eastern counterparts, But haviig heard nothing from cither of them, I have a suggestion more in tune with the high-rolling, hell-bent-for-casinos times in which we now live. Let’s raise the ante. To the city of the winning team — Canada! Literally, that is. Should the Canucks win, we get all of Toronto’s head offices, plus the right to fence off Niagara Falls, put in toll booths and send all the receipts back here. And if the Leafs win? In that case, Toronto gets our smaller supply of head offices, plus toll booth privi- leges at Stanley Park, the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain. Every Canadian hockey play- er’s dream is to play for Canada. This would add a grandiose new dimension, one that just might put the Stanley Cup into the broom * closet of history. As well, we'll supply a duo of complimentary snacks and beverages. So, thats two steam engines, two bands, and wo | kinds of catables. Don't wait two long to order your tickets. Call BC Rail at 984-5246.