The Citizen, 1998-03-25, Page 6Soccer & Baseball Registration
Wed., April 1, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Sat., April 4, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
at the
Blyth Arena
Please register on these dates
number of teams can be determined.
For more information for soccer call
Herb Van Amersfoort at 523-4202 `d.
for baseball call Karen McClinchey at 526-7158 1...*
BRUSSELS
MINOR BALL
REGISTRATION
Wed., April 1 7:00 to 9.00
Sat., April 4 10:00 to noon
at B. M. & G. Community Centre
Consideration will be given to hard ball for
Squirt boys if enough interest is shown
A $35. uniform deposit will be required
(post-dated cheque Sept. 30/98)
to be returned at end of season with return of uniform.
For information on umpiring or registration
or if interested in joining executive contact
John Harrison 887-9865.
Brussels Minor Soccer
REGISTRATION
...1,,,,,,,,' -
(-Saturday, March 28
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
or Monday, March 30
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
\,... Brussels Ark } In.,
Parents wishing to register their children should bring the following to
registration: Photocopy of child's birth certificate and Ontario Health Card
Number (if not already on file). and a cheque (no cash) post-dated for
September 30, 1998 in the amount of $30.00 for a uniform deposit which will
be returned at the end of the season.
( REGISTRATION COSTS U-Under
U6 - Houseleage - $30
U7 - $30 U9 - $35 U11 -$45 U13 - $55
U15 - $60 U17 - $60 U19 - $65 Family Rate - $130
Late Registration Fees after April 30 - $10 per registration
For more information call Steve - 887-9137 or Donna Prior 887-9648
Team Jackets will be available at registration.
Bantams up 2 games
By Hugh
Nichol
Glen Sathar
called it "A vic-
tory for hockey
in Edmonton
and Canada".
However,
Mayor Bill
Smith's words may be more
ominous when he said "It's a great
day for Edmonton".
They are of course referring to
the news that local businessmen
have stepped forward with a bid to
keep the NHL Oilers in Edmonton.
Put the emphasis on the word
day, as the joy, could be short-
lived. Texas millionaire Les
Alexander wants the five-time
Stanley Cup champions in Houston
and talks may only delay the
eventual.
Impossible? In 1995 the City of
Winnipeg rallied around the Jets.
The stay of execution lasted one
season before the team moved to
Phoenix, while the Quebec City
Nordiques were in Denver before
you could say referendum. In
hockey's earlier years the 1925
Hamilton franchise became the
New York Americans while the
1935 Ottawa Senators relocated to
St. Louis.
The game is Canadian, yes. How-
ever it is no longer a sport but a
business and the Americans control
the financial world. Large corporate
conglomerates with Canada's national
pastime stencilled on their portfolios
have us by our purse strings.
Sports administration experts
using their expertise in advertising
will make you believe hockey can
not survive in Canadian markets. It
will however flourish in Raleigh,
Nashville and Columbus and
resurface successfully in
Minneapolis-St. Paul and Atlanta.
The Americans did not start with
controlling interest in our game.
Instead they quietly amalgamated
their way to the top.
In 1917 the National Hockey
League was formed with five
Canadian based teams and for the
next seven years the content
remained 100 per cent Canadian.
Montreal actually supported two
teams, the Canadiens and Maroons
over a 14-year period in the mid
20s and 30s.
However by the Original Six era,
four of the teams were American
based and when the league doubled
in size in Canada's Centennial year
all six entries came from south of
the border. The only Canadian
growth through expansion has been
Vancouver in 1970 and Ottawa in
1992. (The Calgary Flames were
transferred from Atlanta while the
NHL-WHA merger in 1979 added
Quebec City, Winnipeg and
Continued from page 4
you make them. If trail abuse
continues we won't have any
landowners letting us use their
land, and if we don't have enough
volunteers to make the club work -
no more snowmobile trails.
Edmonton.)
Hamilton has repeatedly been
denied major league status despite
successful hostings of Canada and
Memorial Cup tournaments while
Bill Hunter's 1980's offer to buy the
debt-ridden St. Louis Blues and
move them to Saskatoon was
buried beneath the laughter of the
American team governors. The joke
at the time was if Saskatoon had an
NHL team, then Toronto would
want one too.
The Americanizing effect has
since made its way to the amateur
levels where Major Junior "A"
teams in Spokane, Seattle, Tri-
Cities and Portland has led to the
dropping of the word Canada from
the Western Hockey League. The
Ontario Hockey League, while
retaining its name, has teams in
Plymouth, MI and Erie. PA and
unless the City of Londo7.. builds a
new arena the Knights are said to
be moving to the Buffalo area.
Our game's worst nightmare
almost occurred in 1993 when the
Maple Leafs came within a game
seven victory of meeting Montreal
in the Stanley Cup final. To the
American owners with their hands
reaching for national television
dollars this series would have made
no more financial returns than a
regional telecast.
Can we survive? Realignment
has corralled the remaining six
Canadian teams into two distinctive
geographic triangles under the
blanket coverage of the American
owners. The Maple Leafs move
into the North East division will
definitely re-kindle the fire of past
Montreal-Toronto rivalries, but
Edmonton's only hope may be to
re-acquire Wayne Gretzky. Imagine
the interest in Gretzky's Oilers
going head-to-head with Messier's
Canucks.
Canadian pride is tough to
swallow and our patriotism has
already been put to the test over the
past six months with defeats in
World, Junior and Olympic play.
The loss of a team can not be
accurately measured in dollars, but
our reputation as the hot bed of
hockey suffers.
The Brussels Jr C Bulls are in the
Edmonton situation. Takeover bids,
although not American based, have
been received and while the team
will not leave the country it may
leave Huron County. A decision
will be made shortly (possibly by
the time you read this) on whether
local interests will receive the once
_proud franchise or whether it will
join the Clinton Mustangs, Howick
Jr D Optimists and Goderich
Sailors as local hockey trivia.
As Glen Sathar says, "It's a
Canadian way of life to play
hockey." He just didn't say where.
The people who find time to
complain about the trail, seem to be
those who cannot find the time to
put into their snowmobile club.
What you have done for your local
snowmobile club lately?
Lois Todd.
A winner
Blyth Figure Skating Club
member Jamie Lewis placed
first in her division at a recent
competition. Participants were
from Ontario and areas of the
U.S.
Curlers wrap up
year with banquet
Brussels Curling Club season
ended with a banquet on Friday
night.
Winners of the D.A. Rann
Trophy, presented by President
Steve Bowles were skip - Mike
Alexander, Vice Tuni Smith,
second Bob Alexander and lead
Bob Steiss.
Winners of ladies curling for the
Walter Scott trophy, presented by
president Gloria Wilbee were skip
Doris Fischer, vice Velma Locking,
second Linda Sauer and lead
Roseanne Brown.
The Scott family had the trophy
resilvered.
The new executive is past
president, Steve Bowles; president,
Steve Steiss; first vice, Bob
Alexander; second vice, Brad
Speiran; bonspiel committee, Orval
Bauer, Stu Steiss; secretary-
treasurer, Velma Locking; draw
committee, Tom Warwick, John
Vanass, Dona Knight; press
reporter, Nora Stephenson.
Belgrave Minor Ball
Registration
at Belgrave Arena
Tues., March 31st
7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Sat., April 4th
10:00 to 12 noon
Contact
Donna at 357-1609
or Candace at 357-1979
No Soccer In Belgrave
Brussels Minor
Hockey
Annual Banquet
& Meeting
Sunday. March 29
5:30 p.m.
BMG Arena
Please bring a first
course and dessert along
with plates and cutlery.
Awards will be presented
following the meal.
The Blyth Bantam Bulldogs have
jumped into a two game lead in
their OMHA Bantam "E" final
series against Woodville.
Blyth opened the series on the
road in Woodville Saturday
afternoon, after a four hour trip
there in not the greatest driving
conditions.
When the game started, both
reams played cautiously, feeling
each other out. Woodville scored
midway throughout the first period
to take the lead, however Blyth tied
the game with three seconds left in
the first. Adam Anderson was
credited with the goal, assisted by
Shawn Bromley and Joel Arthur.
Woodville regained the lead
eight minutes into the second
period to take a 2-] lead. The
second frame ended with no further
scoring.
Blyth used the second
intermission to find their skating
legs, then came out in the third a
much quicker team, dominating the
play, but showing nothing on the
score sheet. Finally with six
minutes remaining, the same trio
tied the game for Blyth. Anderson
took passes from Bromley and
Arthur and deked the Woodville
goalie to tie the game. Then with
three minutes left in regulation
Continued on page 7
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1998.
ports
From the sidelines
Can we survive?
Complainers seldom help out,
says snowmobile club member