38 — Wednesday, April 30, 1997 — North Shore News so north shore news ' IS \\ Ze PORTS One sticky situatio TO understand the profound dif- cial sports — hockey and lacrosse — look no further than our North Shore Indians. ing first overail last Andrew year in the Western Lacrosse the preeminent view men’s lacrosse from the leagues in the cheap seats Indians once again face a tough sell at the box office. The Vancouver Canucks, on the other failed to meet fan’s expectations (and this year the playoffs). Yet GM Place continues to pack them in. and oranges, you say? Well, time was that lacrosse in Vancouver was the hottest ticket in town. Tens of thou- ference between Canada’s two offi- Despite finish- AcCredi Association, one of . re e country, the gloved-hand, have for the past two seasons An unfair comparison? Comparing apples sands descended on the Denman Arena back in the 1930s to watch: what was per- haps the best facrosse action in the world. Bur when television made its cathode-ray tube debut two decades later, it was hockey, not lacrosse, that seized the moment and propelled itself into our living rooms every Saturday night. The rest is history. Since then lacrosse has slipped further and further from the average sporting fan’s attention. Indeed, most North Shorites could name more players on the Canucks’ farm team based in upstate New York than they could the North Shore Indians. And, as if to give this fact official recog- nition, on April 29, 1994, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-212, giving our country two official sports: lacrosse in the summer and hockey in the winter. Previous to Bill C-212, a motion introduced by Kamloops MP Nelson Riis, our national game was lacrosse. Another thorn in the side of North Shore lacrosse supporters is one shared by minor hockey league officials —- arena time. For the past seven years the North See Indians page 37 ae FREE SPEECH It’s fundamental but it’s not FREE. The provincial government is eroding your rights of FREE expression and the rights of British Columbians to debate issues openly. The North Shore News is dedicated to fighting that erosion. FREE SPEECH Our fight is your fight. NEWS photo Mike Wakefleid A serving of squash CURRENT 8.¢. squash champions Winston Cabell (left) and Lauren Wagner are all et for this weekend’s Canadian Squash Championships at the Hollyburn Country lub in West Vancouver. The country’s top men and women squash players will com- pete for. over $15,000 during the May 1-4 competition. Info: 922-0161. Help us use it so you don’t lose it! Timothy Renshaw BC Transit is considering some changes to bus routes east of the Managing Editor Seymour River beginning in September 1997. These changes could involve a re-route of the #211 Seymour/Phibbs Exchange route to operate the entire length of Mt. Seymour Parkway. Additional service on the #215 Indian River/Phibbs Exchange route is also being considered. Your input is valuable in the transit planning process. We hope you bring ideas and suggestions to our Open House on: TUESDAY, MAY 6 FRIDAY, MAY 9 PARKGATE LIBRARY RON ANDREWS 3675 BANFF COURT RECREATION CENTRE NORTH VANCOUVER 931 LYTTON 200 - 9:06 FM NORTH VANCOUVER 6:00 - 9:00 PM if you require more information, please contact BC Transit Community Relations at 540 - 3434. ‘BC Transit Sav waxsze~