Bb y Jim Kearney

If you think the interminable hockey season is

grotesquely long; if your only wish is for it to go
_away so you can turn-off the FV set at dinnertime,

try looking at it this way. It could be worse.

Had- the four teams
-presently engaged in the
Stanley Cup semi-finals
needed more than the
minimum number.of games
to: wrap up last, month's
quarter-finals, the playoffs
conceivably could have
lasted until May 31.

Now’, even if the current

series go the full seven
games and the final does the
same, the latest the playoffs

can go is May 24. Even.
‘though

that
ridiculous,

may
‘it won't be a
record. In ‘1975 it took
Philadelphia Flyers -until
May 27 to win-the Cup.

TRY FOR JUNE.

And next year, if the clubs
really work at it, they'll ‘still
be shooting hockey pucks in
the sweltering indoors when
the darling buds of May have
become the lovely flowers of
June.

This year a. paltry 12
teams—out of 17——made the
playoffs. Next season, with
four WHA cities included,
16 of 21 will. qualify for. post-
season play.

So, if they really. bear
down and. extend — every
series to the limit, the
declaration of the. Stanley
Cup winner could coincide
exactly with the arrival of
the summer solstice.

This, in turn, could really
confirm the myth, so widely
believed abroad, that
Canada doesn’t have a
summer. Instead, it has 11
months of winter and one
month of poor skating.

Hockey expansion has
been with us for so long, we

open 7. 7 days a week

“Latest exercise equipt.

seem -

or 8° per mth (avr.

-tend to forget that in the pre-

expansion era of.a six-team
NHL, the Stanley Cup was
won and the players all were

out.on the golf course by no ©

later than April 20 each
year. Usually, it was closer
toAprilis. va

Of course there were only
70 league games, compared
with -today’s 80, which
permitted the regular
schedule to end no later than

March 21, mstead of April 8,

as was the case this year.

‘FINISH WITH SPRING.

—

—
And, with only four teams

in the playoffs, it was quite-

easy to fit in.a couple of best-
of-seven series and be off the
stage before: baseball arrived

- home from the south to open

the season. |

Ever since it got into the
expansion business, the NHL

_ seems to have adopted for its

motto: “Nothing Succeeds
Like Excess, There has been
no move to cut. back the
grind; only to extend it.

No other sport comes
close to hockey for so
overstaying its welcome, it
becomes a bore. It can offer

up some of the finest hockey |

ever played in the final, but
by the last week of May not
tdo many people really care.

League play and playoffs, .

the hockey season now is
closing in on eight months.
Baseball, including the
world series, lasts six and a

half months: the Canadian —

Football League andthe
North American Soccer
League five months, and the
National Football League,
including the Super Bowl,
just four months.

Time, gentlemen please

- Players"

. season. by key’ members of .

_ trimming, accompanied by a. give the: Czechs. a fight for

‘on ‘the-. agenda when the

the players go for it, then it

‘

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& Fitness Centre
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1st Floor Marlborough Towers

$66°° for 3. mths

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Two" representatives can say that the organization

‘forward nicely”, announced
“B re en Athletics, “technical delegates Emanual -
e ération (IAAF): . Rose of Denmark and Steve...
- schave ‘announced they Wante of Belgium in.a joint
ee ‘expect World Cup 1 in _ statement.
: Montreal: to. be a great . .

* success... ne _ . World Cup II, which is.
. being billed. as the athletic

“We received. satisfactory:
SS nen “Feplies ‘to our questions ‘and |

oo, a vs = a Montreal’ s Olympic:
While the club owners - quality players. ‘from. -the

don't .seem to think the “eliminated ‘teams _, in. ~ the °

season is too long, the. NHL ~ first—and: “possibly.” ‘the:

‘Association does..

“secohd—| layoff ds-
There has been ® talk: all” a vay rewn

the performers’ union for.the’
need to cu / back
ule. |

ey Suggest a 10 per cent

eae have. “won “a: gold -
the r inedal:*: against’ the. Russians
in. théir-hometown-rink,. ‘but
it would, have: had time to

-become. Organized enough to ©
10.per cent pay cut. Itwillbe the silver gong.
association has its annual

So, let's hope the players
meeting-next month. And if

(get their way. They, the |

‘game and’ the ‘fans all will”
will become part of. the benefit. ~

bargaining when the NHLPA _
and the league go to the mat
later in the summer on a new.
collective agreement.

Your agent is pulling for |
the players to get their way,
not only because a shorter
schedule should improve the
show, but it could solve
another problem, as well.

ONLY YOU CAN _.
PREVENT. WILD FIRES!.

_A 10 per. cent cut would. . 3 oS
mean 72 games. Had the just
ended schedule gone only 72
games, it would have ended
two weeks earlier—March
25, instead of April 8.

‘ON MAY 10

The playoffs would have
started March 27, instead of
April 10. And. on this
Sunday, May 6, we'd be
looking forward to the sixth
game of the Stanley Cup
final, not the sixth games of
two semi-finals.

The other dividend would
have been reaped on the
international front, where |
the hastily chosen Canadian
team had only four days
between the end of the
schedule and the start of the
World Championships in
Moscow to put itself
together.

Following a 72-game
schedule, there would have
been 18 days to get the act
together and to add more

before the Legislature.
TOTHILL’S INITIATIVES:

afford them

* Make BC Hydro accountable to the
the Legistature

(e.q. Lion’s Gate Hospital)

Lift the freeze on hospital budgets
working poor

”~

oN
— IN SEYMOUR

from -the International ; of World Cup II is moving’

event of the year, will: take .
place August 24, 25.and 26 in -

ELECT ALEADER ©

JEV TOTHILL

Don't waste your vote by sending an opposition or government
back-bencher to Victoria - send a Party Leader who, by House
rules, has the opportunity to speak on your behalf on every issue

¢ BCRIC dividends for all, not shares just for those who can

people who own it, through

Reduce BC Rall debt; the excessive amount of money spent on
BCR debt Interest is needed for social and healthy costs

¢ Expand ‘people’ service - the aged, the handicapped, the

Stadium. - Bight” Then’s “and
eight ‘women’s “teams, all
consisting ‘of the ‘world’s best

‘athletes’ will . battle” in. a

competition consis ting only

of finals. .
The: two waive
delegates,, - . who. - “visited

‘Montreal early, ‘in’ March,
agreed.in principle to ‘the use
of a new material to cover
the reception areas: ‘in the
throwing events. Bo

ON THE NORTH SHORE

TOTHILL
—INCAPILANO WARBURTON