Canada’s Clubs Face Extinction

There used to be eight, but in 1995 the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and became the Avalanche.

A year later, the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes, and then there were six. We could probably mark off the months before the Edmonton Oilers migrate south, and then there will be five.

What’s happening to Canadian hockey?

With players making more and teams making less, with ticket prices up and attendance down and with the 40 percent exchange rate against the American dollar (Canadian teams must pay players in U.S. funds) the NHL in Canada is in trouble.

Heritage Canada, a committee of the Canadian Parliament, has formed a sub-committee to study how to protect and strengthen Canadian sports in general and hockey in particular.

The committee is studying the possibility of government subsidies for Canadian markets. The Toronto Globe and Mail reports that while U.S. teams are heavily subsidized through taxpayer-supported arenas, Canadian teams are privately financed. But with Canadians already facing cuts in education and health care - and with Quebec taxpayers still paying for the 1976 Summer Olympics - taxpayer funding for hockey may be low on Parliament’s list of priorities.

And until Heritage Canada finds a way to subsidize its hockey franchises, we can expect Edmonton and other teams to consider moving across the border.

-Jarre Fees, Los Angeles Daily News

On the ice

Jamie Langenbrunner set up Joe Nieuwendyk’s game-tying goal with 36 seconds to play and Jere Lehtinen’s game-winner 34 seconds into overtime as the Dallas Stars rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 Monday night in East Rutherford, N.J.

The victory extended the Stars’ unbeaten streak to 10 games and marked the first time this season the Devils have lost a game when leading after two periods.