Denver and the Pepsi Center will "be the site" of the
2001 NHL All-Star Game, according to Karen Price of the
Boulder DAILY CAMERA. An official announcement is not
expected until later this week or "early next week, but
sources close to the Avalanche say the selection is
official." Price writes that the "only other location that
reportedly was being considered" to host the event was L.A's
Staples Center (Boulder DAILY CAMERA, 1/13).
DEAL NEAR? NHLPA Senior Dir of Business Affairs &
Licensing Ted Saskin said that the only issue holding up NHL
players participation in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake is "who
pays the freight on player insurance and travel costs" (USA
TODAY, 1/13). But NHL Exec VP & CLO Bill Daly said, "The
NHL has not yet agreed to participate" (AP, 1/13).
PLAYERS PAYBACK? In Ottawa, Mark Spector writes that a
"random sampling" of NHL players about financial aid for NHL
teams in Canada shows that most players "were unwilling to
lend more than moral support to the cause." Stars RW Brett
Hull: "What the hell is hockey without teams in Canada?
It's ridiculous, doesn't make any sense. It's like having
baseball without the New York Yankees." But Hull adds, "I'm
not going to take a pay cut because of someone else. You
can't ask a person to sacrifice his living to help a
business stay afloat when the government is right there with
a surplus of money to do it" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 1/13).
