Lo

By PAT RICH

The Canadian
national hockey team
came to town on
’ Wednesday.

Well, not ‘exactly | the
+. whole team but rather Coach
_. Father David Bauer and
General ' Manager — Rick
Noonan. .

Which is why the two
- found’ “themselves “being
shuttled from microphone to
microphone.and TV camera

: to TV camera because 30 or
4  so'journalists who arrived on |
: fhe scene had very little
-,  ehoice of who. to interview
or nail to..the wall with

“~ devestatingly” candid.

em MOMENI “question thal ims anhdly trinity of the Vane

It was one of those “(insert
name of sponsor here) in-
vites you toa visit with.”

“Olympic team ‘made sacrifices’

. aforementioned ° gentlemen _

luncheon ”™ receptions
_ featuring well-catered _ tit-
' bits and a free bar, all hosted
by Molsons in the Four
Seasons Hotel to promote
the January 5th game bet-
ween the UBC Thunderbirds
and CANADA'S OLYMPIC
HOCKEY TEAM...

"Meaning that those hacks

in attendance who could not
‘immediately be recognized
as sportswriters, columnists, .
“or catering staff were either
_Molsons representatives. or...
members, of the B.C./ alumni
association.

Since 1964 Canada has not
had an olympic .team in.
hockey, so this apparition

-appearing on the horizon is
of more than perennial
.. interest.

why brilliant young
Canadian ' hockey = stars
would sacrifice NHL playing

now

ae

=)

e
4

rules of the ro

time (and money) in order to
play for Canada.

_In fact three first draft
choices did pick the NHL
over the national team:
namely Laurie Boschman,
Vincent Tremblay and Paul
Reinhart.

“A number made great.
sacrifices to be a part of the
team,” Noonan said.

I never did get an answer

as. to. why .hese-players-gave-—~

up an immediate ‘chance at.
the most lucrative of en-
tertainment markets to play

for Canada, especially since

Canada has given them very
little recognition as of yet.

After a brief presentation
Father Baver was im-
mediately entrapped by the _

couver sporting world, |
Taylor, Kierney and.
Loranger and I was not
about to ask my lowly. and

.

saying th

naive question and disturb
the trains of thought of such
great men.

And just as 1 was within
reach of him, my ride left,
and whither goest my ride on
wet Vancouver winter days,
sogoestl +

Obviously a number of
players, coaches and support

Staff really want to make a

go of it in. Lake Placid in
February. . .

~~And--sinee-it is hard to
judge the performance of
the team as it -flits from
continent to. continent in
unlocally televised games
the best one can do is wish
them luck.

Which means giving them
the publicity they want by
ey__wil

ey be.
playing the Thunderbirds at

UBC on January 5 and
tickets are on sale at Skyline
sports in North Van and
Kerrisdale,

“i not more olte now The bly
i 4

or.
Mlessthe,.

n, have bron