FRANCHISE NOTES

          In Ottawa, Allen Panzeri writes that "at first glance,"     the NHL in Columbus "looks as odd as, well," the NHL in     Raleigh. ... Yet, it doesn't take long to see why the NHL     decided to come here [Columbus].  It's money, in capital     letters.  This city of two million, the largest in Ohio, ...     is one of the more affluent areas in the northeast" (OTTAWA     CITIZEN, 12/22)....In Toronto, Norman Webster writes on the     Canadiens and calls the Molson Centre a "morgue" some nights     (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/22)....In DC, Thomas Boswell asks     "what's wrong" with the Redskins, Wizards and Orioles?      Boswell: "In every case, the problem is the same: money.  In     sports in this region, money is the root of all evil. ...     Money tightens the screws of pressure.  Money raises     excessive expectations. ... Money makes fans cranky, the     media sarcastic."  More Boswell: "Instead of enjoying the     beauty of the games themselves or the gifts of the athletes,     we focus on dollars and on personalities, seen through the     prism of cash" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/22).