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Canadian quandry Almighty dollar causing problems
Posted: Monday February 14, 2000 03:57 PM
By John Giannone, CNNSI.com TORONTO -- In Canada, hockey is a national passion that is played from frozen ponds in distant outposts to hallowed halls in major cities. But the future of the NHL in Canada is perilous as a result of a suffocating financial dilemma that has a nation's heroes fearful. "It's a crime because, you know, back not too many years ago, 95 percent of the hockey players were Canadian," said Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, who played 33 seasons in the NHL. "Even today there's 60-some percent. It should be a big concern to a lot of people." "The great thing about our game is the history we've always maintained," added Wayne Gretzky, who holds or shares 61 league records. "And to lose any of those franchises would not be great for the game." Bobby Orr, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 following a stellar 12-year career says some people have the impression that the league doesn't matter to them. He says that isn't the case. "The league and the players don't like to see a move. You are moving families. It's not just, 'Hey, let's move to another city.' " Problem is, the NHL might be powerless to stop the southern migration. In Canada, nearly half of each player's salary is taxed. That has led to a competitive imbalance in free agency and on each team's bottom line and has rendered Canada a fiscal Siberia. "It's a big business and in the end, if a team doesn't make it or can't get that help to make it then maybe we do have to move," conceded Orr. Former Maple Leafs star Darryl Sittler, who spent 15 years on the NHL ice, blames the bigger franchises south of the border for part of the problem. "When a team like the Rangers goes and signs a number of players this summer, they are in fact escalating the salaries and hurting their partners," said Sittler. Six-time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier remains hopeful there will be no migration.
"I think when the people sit down and really think about the importance of hockey in Canada, the league, the players, the people, the governments will find a way to keep the teams in Canada." It appeared a solution had been reached when the Canadian government pledged $35 million (Cdn.) to assist Canadian teams. But the passion citizens feel for their sport paled in comparison to their passion for their tax dollars. They needed only three days to shout the plan down. "The average person can't understand how people making five or six million American dollars need tax benefits," Gretzky said. "It's pretty simple why they rallied against it." Detroit Wings center Steve Yzerman didn't blame Canadians for their reaction. "My feeling is it isn't a federal government issue," said Yzerman. "It's more the municipalities that have the teams." Al Arbour, who coached the New York Islanders to four Stanley Cups, sided with the voters, too. "When you are reading about salaries that an individual and a team gets, people say, 'We're going to help them? Who's going to help us?' It's very understandable." "They have a good team in Ottawa and the fans have been pretty supportive of the team," says Scotty Bowman. "They pay good prices but I don't think there is much more that the people in Ottawa can do to keep their team. It would be pretty sad if they have to leave." So with as many as four teams pondering whether their next move includes one to the United States, a road traveled by Winnipeg and Quebec in the 1990s, the NHL searches for quick solutions to a long-range problem.
"We're going to have to look team by team, market by market and look at what can be done to alleviate some of these burdens," said commissioner Gary Bettman. "Now more than ever, our Canadian clubs are going to need strong local support." Meanwhile, the players remain hopeful that there won't be any more defections. "Canada loves their hockey and it is something they've always had," says Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque. "I would hate to see any other teams forced to move because they can't cut it." Center Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers notes that since both the players association and the league have money, "There has to be a way for this to work out. It doesn't make any sense that there is a lot of trouble." One grass-roots solution to the problem has already taken shape. A national brewing company is donating $2 to the Senators to every case of beer sold in the Ottawa area. The club said it expects to raise several hundred thousand dollars.
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