( Patriotic revival endangers free speech

(¥ Indoor sports for the uninclined

And more!

> How a league defined a a ‘sport and became e quintessentially Canadian

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

n the beginning, the NHL was a very

different place. Toronto had a good
team, Vancouver had no team at all,
and the Bruins weren't disliked by
everyone outside of Boston. The Stanley
Cup wasn't even the official trophy of
the league at that time. It was almost a
completely different sport, aside from

the whole ice-and-skates thing. However,

the remnants of that early league laid
the foundations for the NHL today, so
it’s important to look back and see where
it came from. Though it was founded
in 1917, it became the single familiar
organization we know today in 1942 with
the Original Six era.

The Original Six teams were the

Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins,
the Chicago Blackhawks, the Montreal
Canadiens, the Detroit Red Wings, and
the New York Rangers. The Canadiens
dominated this period early on,
winning unprecedented—and some still
unbroken—records with staggeringly
low losses in 1944 and earning the

cup, then just an unofficial trophy for
different hockey leagues. The Canadiens
owed their many victories largely in part
to one of the greatest hockey players
who ever lived, Maurice “The Rocket”
Richard, a name that is still well-known
today.

The Rocket is one of those rare
athletes who gets enshrined into the
history of their sport, and helps inspire
the next generation of talent. He earned
his moniker with his incredible speed
coupled with an amazing scoring ability.
Aside from being one of the most

Back on track

> Royals MSOC return to admirable form

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

Hein’ into their back-to-back
series against the Langara
Falcons, the men knew they had a job
to perform. Losses here would really
put the pressure on them coming into
the final two weeks.

On the same coin, the Langara
Falcons also realized there was work
for them to do here as well. Losing to
the Royals would almost indefinitely
knock them out of playoff contentions.
Understandably, both teams started
the game in a relatively safe manner,
playing deep and looking for over-the-
top chances. That resulted in a dry 45
minutes to start the exciting series.

The stalemate was broken in
the 51 minute after a Logan Hooper
shot found the back of the net for the
Falcons. It took the Royals about 10
minutes to answer. Tomi Fagopngbe
buried the equalizer for the Royals to
get them back on their feet. After 15
minutes of attack, the Royals finally
found their go-ahead goal off the foot
of Race Williams. Five minutes later,
they got their insurance with another
goal from Fagopngbe. The insurance

would be needed, as Kyle Kemp scored
in extra time to bring the game close,
but wasn’t enough as the Royals took a
3-2 win in game one.

Game two was a whole new
animal. I’m not sure if Langara
missed the memo on only eating
turkey dinner after the games, but
they looked lethargic on the field on
Sunday. Stefan Kamner buried a rocket
of a shot for the first goal of the game.
Three minutes later Race Williams
doubled the lead with a blast of his
own. The 2-0 lead would be good
enough to take into halftime, but that
didn’t stop them from adding to it.

After a foul in the box, Tomi
Fagopngbe stepped up to take the
penalty kick. His foot found its mark
and the Royals were up by three ten
minutes into the second half. A final
volley from Quinn Dawson only five
minutes later would be the nail in the
coffin, as the Royals celebrated their
4-0 lead. Kyle Kemp would score a goal
for the Falcons off a penalty kick, but
that was merely a conciliation.

The two wins give a huge shot in
the arm for the Royals. They now sit
third in the PACWEST with a record of
3-3-2, four points clear of Quest, and
eight points clear of Langara at the
bottom with four games to play.

influential hockey players of all time,

he was also a significant figure outside
of the rink, and contributed to hockey
becoming part of the Canadian identity.
Richard was a major Francophone figure
at a time when anti-French racism played
a large role in politics, so when he was
suspended from a season for slashing,
Montreal fans protested loudly and
violently. The Richard Riot was the first
major hockey riot and a precursor to a
rise in Francophonic pride in Canada.
From this point on, hockey would matter
beyond just being a sport.

The Stanley Cup was a very different
concept back then, too, originally being
a sports heirloom owned by the family
of governor-general Lord Stanley and
donated out to winning teams of various
Canadian hockey leagues. In these
early years of the Original Six the NHL
decided they wanted exclusive rights,

 

errr es apa
Mata ERS SIS : eda vie ae

Image from Archives of Ontario via Wikimedia

engaging in large legal negotiations
with the trustees of the cup. In 1947 the
NHL gained control of the cup, though
a trustee separate from the league takes
care of the trophy until their death, a
tradition that carries on to this day.

A few years later in the early 1950s,
Hockey Night in Canada was established
for radio listeners to tune in across the
country. The National Hockey League we
all know and love today found the last of
its basic roots. The Original Six, the first
legendary hockey players, the Stanley
Cup, and Hockey Night in Canada were
all established before 1955 and continue
on half a century later. Within a few
short years the game had written itself
into Canadian history and made itself a
permanent part of our national identity
and culture.

Photo by Davie Wong