CNN/SI REPORTS ON A NEW BALANCE OF POWER IN THE NHL

          The shift in the NHL's balance of power from Canada to
     the U.S. was examined by CNN/SI's Nancy Newman in a "Page 1"
     feature.  The NHL has as many franchises in CA, AZ, and FL
     as they do in all of Canada, and in the last 30 years the
     percentage of Canadian players in the NHL has fallen "from
     nearly 100% to around 60%."   Wayne Gretzky, a Canadian
     native: "There's always going to be a perception in numbers
     that Canada is losing their game.  Reality is ... we only do
     have 25 million people in our country, and it's going to
     become harder and harder to compete with a country with over
     250 million people" ("CNN/Sports Illustrated," CNN, 12/18).
          WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU HEARD? CNN/SI's Newman calls
     August 9, '88, the day Gretzky was traded from Edmonton to
     L.A., the "one day that influenced the future of the league
     more than any other."   Gretzky: "Obviously that trade,
     there was big impact as far as hockey goes.  At that point
     in time there was only one team on the west coast and no
     teams in Florida."  Newman: "While Canada lost the greatest
     hockey player of all time, America gained the perfect
     spokesperson for the game" ("CNN/SI," CNN, 12/18). 
          DOLLAR VALUE: Although Gretzky helped U.S. attendance,
     Canadian teams "were developing problems" due to that lack
     of state-of-the-art arenas and a shortage of corporate
     support.  Newman added Canadian teams "have also been placed
     at a disadvantage" because of the "weaker" Canadian dollar,
     as teams "can find themselves with dramatically lower
     revenues than their U.S. counterparts."  In January, the NHL
     Board of Governors unveiled a Canadian assistance revenue
     sharing plan and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the plan
     "is working."  Bettman: "I am hopeful -- hopeful -- that
     we're done with the migration of teams from Canada to the
     U.S. ... We take very seriously our role as a game in
     Canada. ... We're part of the culture of Canada, and
     Canadian culture is part of the very fabric of this game. 
     It's one of the great strengths of this game, and we don't
     want to do anything to diminish it" ("CNN/SI," CNN, 12/18).