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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1999-05-19, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday. May 19, 1999 A92E Editorial&Opinion TIMI ADVC)CA'I'1: PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith Qeb Lord General Manager Production Manager Pub!, , by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 1:: _ Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Check out local candklates If the number of signs in front of homes in Exeter is any indication, Student Painter should be in the running for this election. But the number of signs doesn't decide who wins. In Ontario, elections are won or lost for a variety of reasons: The popularity of the party leaders, the policy or lack of policy they're presenting, how they handle themselves on television and to some voters, how they look. The local candidates, how well .they're known, which leader they're backing and whether or not they are the incumbent....because rarely do incumbents get tossed out, particularly in this area. This time around, the election will be focused on Mike Harris, perhaps more so than any other leader. The controversial leader of the Progressive Conservative party was swept to power last time because Ontarians could not stand the possibility of another term with Bob Rae as premier. In turn, Rae had been surpris- ingly handed the Premier's job because voters were upset Liberal David Peterson called a sur- prise election. Why is it that all three parties have been unable to put back-to-back victories together? The answer is obvious, it's how power was handled once victory was achieved. This election is no different. Harris and his local representatives will win or lose on the public perception of whether or not they believe the past few years under the PCs war- rant more of the same. Health care and education are the two key issues. Rapid uhai '*es by Harris have stirred Ontario's poi:.. ation like never before. He has been faced with demonstrations and strikes as thousands of teachers and nurses resisted change. This is a familiar scene on the television newscasts. Harris is dogged by protesters and hecklers who somehow always manage to make. the nightly news, however, despite this he seems to be firmly entrenched as the frontrun- ner in poll after poll. Locally, candidates are working as hard as they can to win. We should listen to what they have -to say before casting our ballot because the character and strength of the candidate will eventually be reflected in the type of govern- ment we will have for the next few years. About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6:•Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm: Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales ....(519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519)-235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $35+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $63+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $102 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. • Canada continues to slip in international hockey Well, we did it again — lost another international hockey tournament. This time it was the World Championship in Lillehammer, Norway, a tournament that receives less attention than it deserves because the NHL playoffs are held at the same time. The loss that put Canada out of contention for the gold — a loss to the Czechs in a shootout -- came as no surprise to anyone who has followed Canada's perfor- mances at international hockey tournaments closely over the past couple of years. While they've shown promise early in several tour- naments, including even the disaster at Last year's Olympics, Canada doesn't seem to have what it takes anymore to pull off the big win. Once again, Canada proved unable to win in the shootout, a controversial part of interna - 1 tional hockey that is used to break ties. In North America, we use sudden death over- time, something most Canadians feel is more SCOTT fair because it keeps the 'team' atmosphere of NIXON one? What Canadians should be angry about, Is `hat we r . had three opportunities to beat the Czechs and we couldn't do it. Because the series against the Czechs was a two -game series (go figure that logic) and Canada had won the first game, it needed to only tie the second game. Well, Canada lost, leading to an overtime period of ten minutes, in which the winner would have won the series. When nobody scored in overtime, the shootout began. So what Canadians should be asking is not why we can't win in shootouts but why we can't win in regulation time against a Czech team consisting of guys named Jaroslav Spacek, Milan Hnilicka and Roman Cechmanek. Shouldn't we be able to beat these guys? No, we can't, and the loss is more evidence that Canada has lost its domination of the game it invented and commanded for so long. Now it seems there are about four or five coun- tries in .the world who all have the potential to win any tournament. Canada is still among the best, but it isn't the best. Losses at the World Championship, the World Juniors and the Olympics prove that. We're good, but not good enough. So what do we do about it? Well, for one, we could get Don Cherry kicked off the air so he can stop brain- washing children about grinding and knocking guys through the boards. Hard work is great, Grapes, but what about skill? That's what's lacking in Canadian players and its high time young hockey .players were taurrikifis like carrying the -puck in the offensive zone instead of blindly dumping it in the corner and going off for a rest. At recent international tourna- ments it's been obvious the Canadian players can't skate as well as the Europeans and they can't handle the puck as well. That has to stop before we slide into mediocrity. the game intact. A shootout becomes an indi- AND AHo vidual contest. Of course, Canadians wouldn't THING be complaining about shootouts if we weren't so bad at them. Usually, Canada loses in shootouts because we run into a hot goalie and can't score (ie., Dominik Hasek at the '98 Olympics). This time, however, Canada amaz- ingly managed to score on three,out of five attempts in the shootout; the problem was preventing goals. Canadian goalie Ron Tugnutt, who played so well in the regular season with the Ottawa Senators and then helped that team lose four straight in the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, couldn't stop a beach -ball during the shootout, allowing four goals on five shots. The result? Another shootout loss and more griping from Canadians about how unfair a shootout is. Well why is a shootout unfair, because we stink at shootouts? Because we don't have the talent to win Classified Rates Word ads: $9.00 for 20 words, 15c for each additional word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $11.00 + GST for up to 30 words, 10c for each additional word. All ads must be pre -paid. 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