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Friday, September 16, 1977, THE MEDICINE HAT NEWS—13Keep noses out:Hockey CanadaTORONTO (CP) — Junior operators in Canada have been told to keep their noses out of international hockey where management matters are concerned.The action was taken at a meeting here Thursday between Hockey Canada, headed up by former parliamentarian Doug Fisher and Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.And Hockey Canada, led by Fisher and Eagleson, decided that following up on the same format as has been followed in the Canada Cup tournament, no junior representatives would sit on the world junior tournament committee—thereby saving the tournament scheduled for Dec. 22-Jan 3.Several Canadian Major Junior Hockey League owners in recent days have called for an accounting of funds spent by Canada’s international hockey organizers at the world hockey championships in Vienna in May and for added representation on the junior tournament committee.The second world junior tournament, involving teams from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Sweden, West Germany, Switzerland and the United States as well as Canada, will be played mainly in Quebec province, Eagleson disclosed Thursday, with the odd game being played in Ontario—probably Ottawa and Cornwall.However, because of remarks voiced by the junior hockey operators, there was a possibility when Thursday’s meeting convened that Hockey Canada was ready to withdraw its support of the tournament, thereby cancelling the show.Hockey Canada is the federal government voice in dealings with the International Ice Hockey Federation and therefore must give its sanction to any international matches in which Canadian teams are participating.Fisher started the meeting by tabling a motion that the tournament be cancelled.Eagleson’s feeling, however, “was that we should go ahead because Canada enjoys the highest presence it has ever enjoyed in international hockey with the International Ice Hockey Federation.”He said Fisher had almost reached “the point of stomping out of the room because he felt his reputation had been badly abused by a couple of junior hockey operators.Eagleson said the CMJHL owners from the Quebec. Ontario and Western Canada leagues, have expressed dissatisfaction on several fronts in recent weeks.“The junior operators were mad at the NHL (National Hockey League) because of a development fee problem. Then they were mad at me because I was mad at them for suing (former Ottawa ’67 star) Peter Lee for $65,000.“Then they were mad at me for stating that I would not allow 18-year-olds to sign their contracts because I considered them to be $65,000 promisory notes.“They then attempted, consciously, to descredit me by suggesting that Doug Fisher and I had misspent public funds for Team Canada 1977. The explanation for those funds is obvious to anyone who considers the financial reports.The position of the CAHA, including president Gordon Renwick of Penetanguishene, Ont., and outgoing executive director Gordon Juckes of Ottawa who sit on the committee, was that they wanted the junior hockey representative on the committee “and I knew that Doug Fisher wasn't going to tolerate it.”As a result, junior hockey representative Howard Darwin of Ottawa '67s of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, who waited several hours outside the conference room for the decision was reached, was advised during a brief meeting with the committee that there would be no junior representation at all on the committee.Eagleson said that while the CAHA representatives were reluctant, it was a unanimous vote to remove Darwin from the committee.Eagleson said this followed the same policy Hockey Canada and the CAHA took in setting up previous international hockey teams in recent years in that neither players or owners from the National Hockey League or World Hockey Association were asked to sit on the organizing committees.
Newspaper Details
Medicine Hat News
Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA
Fri, Sep 16, 1977
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason P.
USA 14 Dec 2018
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