11 Feb 1966, Fri North Bay Nugget (North Bay, Ontario, Canada)

The garbage from the National Hockey League's expansion meeting can be boiled down to one sorry fact: Vancouver, the only Canadian city which applied for a new franchise, > was snubbed, coldly and IbrutaRy.

Eric Kierans, Quebec's Minister of Revenue, is correct: The United States soon will own Canada in all but name.

Two of the six governors of the National Hockey League are Canadians: Stafford Smythe of Toronto and David Molson of Montreal.

No one can quarrel too seriously with Smyth and Molson for voting NHL franchises to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Minneapolis before Awarding a franchise to Vancouver. Slightly more grudgingly, an impartial observer could concede that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia should be admitted to the National Hockey League ahead of Vancouver.

But imagine the bare-faced effrontery of admitting St. Louis to the National Hockey League. That's the living, bleeding end! No St. Louis group even APPLIED for admission to the NHL.

Since the NHL has become American in everything but name, it's high time that the United States Senate thoroughly investigated this cozy little group, just as they investigated and dissolved Jim Norris's International Boxing Club.

Everyone except your old Aunt Maud knows why the NHL governors awarded a franchise to St. Louis: for the very simple reason that the St. Louis arena is controlled by gruff, lovable Jim Norris, who was born with a hockey puck in his mouth. Gruft, lovable Jim is the real boss of the NHL. Why the hell do you suppose that cynics have been referring to this little group as the “Norris House League” for the past 25 years.

Gruft, lovable Jim Norris has eased the conscience of his fellow governors by promising them that he will dispose of his St. Louis holdings to “an independent group.” Goody, from Gruff, lovable old Jim! In this noble gesture, he will have, undoubtedly, the cooperation of his lesser-known but more powerful business associate, Arthur M. Wirtz. Mr. Wirtz, who sits quietly in the background while Jim accepts the cheers and the brickbats, is a very smart man: much, much smarter than any of the governors of the NHL,

In their failure to fight publicly for Vancouver's admission to the National Hockey League, Messrs. Smythe and Molson have placed themselves in the position of the defeated generals who signed the peace treaty when their country was forced to accept humiliating terms of surrender. No matter how great are their personal accomplishments in the future, Messrs. Smythe and Molson will be remembered by their own generation of Canadians as the two men who capitulated when Canada—the country which invented and perfected the game-lost its opportunity to increase its membership in hockey's major league.

In justice to Smythe and Molson, it must be pointed out that Vancouver's hockey franchise-seekers have become the victims of their own cupidity and bickering.

There is little doubt that Frank McMahon and Max Bell are “Members of The Club”; blue-chip members of the international jet set. Gruff, lovable Jim Morris, Stafford and David would have welcomed them into the cozy little group.

But, Cy McLean and his cohorts persuaded Fred Hume to sell them his Vancouver franchise in the Western Hockey league for $500,000.

McMahon and Bell, disgusted by the bickering, withdrew from the contest. Fred Hume has his $500,000 but, he is a very ill man and money can't buy him good health. McLean and his group have paid $500,000 for a franchise which, in the declining WHL market, soon will be worth about $3.87.

There is, possibly, one chink of hopeful light in the wall of gloom. Cy McLean and his group still could sell out to McMahon and Bell.

McMahon and Bell could re-apply for Vancouver's admission to the NHL before the April 5 deadline—when gruff, lovable Jim Norris has agreed to produce his “Independent Group” in St. Louis.

There are some cynics who hint that Messrs. Smythe and Molson had sinister motives for failing to raise their voices in Vancouver's behalf. These cynics suggest that Messrs. Smythe and Molson didn't wish to give Vancouver a share of the lucrative Canadian hockey television market which, currently, is monopolized by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. I, for one, impute no such motives to Smythe or Molson. The Canadian television fees probably will be diluted drastically if the NHL signs a contract with a U.S. Network.

Still, one wonders about the dubious benefits of Canadian Confederation when Canadians from Toronto and Montreal won't fight for Canadians from British Columbia.

The 100th anniversary of Confederation will be observed officially in 1967—but. it is obvious that Confederation still is far from becoming a reality.

Prediction: NHL hockey will flop dismally in St. Louis. The Pittsburgh and Philadelphia franchises will survive, only if a genuinely stronger promoter emerges in each of those cities—A man who is willing to shrug off four or five years of crushing financial losses before he can see financial daylight.