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WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1968 _Global Hockey Enthusiasm Coolsmg,” said Page. “We’ll have to j want the competitors to write do some more preparatory work ; the terms of competition.GRENOBLE — The prospect of an international hockey league comprising the national selects from Canada, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and the United States has receded alittle’in the days immediately preceding the opening of the 1968 Winter Olympics.The proposal, approved at the winter meeting of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, has been quietly pursued here by CAHA officials. If it was acampaign it was a low-key effort and right now they admit they’re even abandoning that for a few days.Earlier CAHA president Fred Page of Vancouver said that the i league would probably stand or ; fall on the Russian - attitude -toward it. “Papa bear will call the tune,” was how he put it.Now Page says the league is in jeopardy not because of the Soviets, but because of proposals to alter its concept being put forward by John Francis (Bunny) Aheame, the Anglo-Irish president of the World Ice Hockey Federation.When the CAHA proposal was first announced 'a few weeks ago, Aheame, in a transatlanticinterview, said: “Now they're talkin my language.”Somewhere in between the matter of interpretation became difficult. Page says Bunny now wants the Allan Cup winners to represent Canada. and play the teams winning the title in flic top senior league in the other countries. The CAHA wants to have the Winnipeg and Ottawa divisions of the Nationals as the i Canadian representatives.CAHA secretary - manager Gordon Juckes agrees with Page that the idea is impossible. since it would lackspectator appeal after wbat Canadian fans, have seen in two international tournaments at Winnipeg involving national teams from Europe and Canada.Actually the world federation has no direct control over the proposed, new league which could he achieved by thecountries agreeing to play. But no Canadian officials discount the influence that Ahearnc can wield with the individual leaders of the national ruling bodies.“We’re going back to lobby-• *before we can launch an official move.”The. international league idea has been before the amateur hockey rulers on several past ocaasions. An earlier Canadian effort along similar lilies floundered in 1951 when Ahearne made it plain he wanted to run the league and the Canadians didn't agree he should. European interest was only lukewarm.“We’re prepared to let Bunny run the league if he wants to,” said Juckes. But the CanadiansIn three pre-Olympic exhibitions in Prague and Geneva the Canadian Nationals played to sellout crowds, two of them in Prague, in what were merely high-class exhibitions. The interest in international hockey, in Canada and Europe, is such they are confident the leaguethey still hope will come about will be a smash hit. They see recent evidence of professional concern in a suggestion that a branch of the NHL might eventually be formed in Europe.national bodies of the competing
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Tue, Feb 06, 1968
Page 17
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 15 Mar 2019
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