Liam Responds
Letter to Ottawa Citizen, Feb 11, 2002

Dear Peter,
My name is Liam Maguire. I would like to reply to a column written by Jean-Pierre Allard on Monday of this past week in the Argument and Observation section. I apologize if I'm too late to do so, I was out of town however my text is included below. Thanks

Liam Maguire
Osgoode, ON

Jean-Pierre Allard's column (Monday February 11 Argument & Observation) downtrodding on Canadian hockey from our kids to our pros would be the latest example, thankfully a disappearing one, of the myopic vision certain people in this country still have.

Actually the most positive note in the whole diatribe came in his short bio which listed him as a "former minor hockey coach." Thank God. Let's look over the piece point by point.

For starters Mr. Allard you missed our Canada Cup victory in 1976 and in reference to number 66, Mario Lemieux only played in the 1987 victory not in 1984 and 1991 as you indicated. The latter three Canada Cup victories came on the heels of our worst international exposure ever that being the time period from 1977-1983. A variation of junior teams had yet to win gold falling all the way to seventh in 1981. The best players in the NHL, many of whom were Canadian, were beat in the Challenge Cup of 1979, two games to one. The Americans stole the hockey world with the "Miracle On Ice" in 1980. And in 1981 we suffered our first Canada Cup defeat in humiliating fashion losing to the Russians in a one game showdown by a score of 8-1. What I've always failed to understand is what false sense of superiority did any of us have regarding our hockey might during that five or six year period? I'm 42. I don't recall it or remember that feeling at all. Obviously neither does anybody who really follows the game. It was this period in Canadian hockey history that led directly to our resurgence. This is defined by the beginning of the "Program of Excellence" which began in earnest in 1982. A much more streamlined approach in coaching, skill development and training was started and the results were instantaneous as we produced our first gold medal in World Junior play. The big boys followed suit when naming the team for the 1984 Canada Cup. Role players were added and although Glen Sather was accused of favouritism he stuck by players such as Kevin Lowe and Randy Gregg and lo and behold, the semi-final win over the Russians in overtime in that tournament is one of this countries greatest hockey moments obviously ignored in how it was achieved by the Mr. Allard's of the world. Imagine for a moment had their been a shootout to decide that game, or the final game of 1976 featuring Darryl Sittler in overtime, or in the two games of the 1987 Canada Cup final that featured a win by both Russia and Canada in overtime, or in the 1996 World Cup semi-finals, won in double overtime on a goal by Theo Fleury, imagine having none of those memories of those great games instead replaced by a skills contest to decide the ultimate winner? I digress.

One of the more sickening parts of the column was a reference to "Canada's disappointing performance at the World Juniors the last few years." I guess it's win or nothing in this mans eyes. It's funny how he laments what is a perceived lack of skill development and admonishes the supposed win-at-all-cost mentality existing in Canada yet Mr. Allard completely dismisses ours being the only country to medal the last four years in the World Juniors, why? Because we haven't won? The Swedes have won it once in 28 years, the Finn's have won it once in 28 years and that's when Canada was disqualified in 1987, the two time defending champs in their own back yard, the Czech Republic, finished seventh this year and yet we are the country that is languishing at the World Juniors with 20 medals in the last 24 years, ten of them gold? I submit sir that the only Neanderthal thinking or reasoning is by you and others like you. Are you really going to try and convince anybody that Canada didn't have a skilled team at this year's World Juniors? With the top three scorers for the first time since our dream team of 1995 and dominating the all-star positions? How can someone preaching a lack of skill not rejoice in what was a tremendous tournament by our boys displaying not only a phenomenal offense but true character in the face of spitting and show boating by the Russians? How do you degrade that?

Lastly some stats on the players today. Just before I sent this in I went to faceoff.com and checked the scoring leaders. Of the top fifty scorers currently in the NHL the breakdown was as follows: 1 Finn, 2 from Slovakia, 3 Swedes, 4 Czech's,  8 Russians, 10 Americans and last and apparently only least in your eyes Mr. Allard, 22 from Canada. That's right Mr. Allard,  in a country so deprived of skill, so sorely lacking in fundamental hockey knowledge, we are producing at the moment double the scorers of any other country represented in the NHL. In fact we have more in the top fifty than every single country across the ocean combined including the last time I checked, the scoring leader who is a Canadian, who played Major Junior hockey, who not only can skate, shoot and score but he can fight as well. Perish the thought. Unlike Mr. Allard I am a current minor hockey coach. I'm taking the courses, I'm working on continuing to be part of the on going solution. I'm out there every weekend with a half dozen other tireless volunteers working with our kids and helping to continue our incredible hockey tradition. I don't know if we'll win gold in this Olympics but I do know that we have a phenomenal team and a great chance to medal if not win it all. And as disappointed as I'd be with a loss, I'll still be out there every weekend getting our next generation ready to play and excel at our winter national sport. Just like thousands of Canadians coast to coast.

Sincerely,
Liam Maguire