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VIEWPOINT by John B. McClell [LETTERS TO EDITOR "4 Bob Mackenzie had an interesting thesis in his column in the Toronto Star last week. Commenting on the fact there is not a single Canadian based team left on the road to, the Stanley Cup final this season, Bob said it should not make a bit of difference. ~ + Good hockey, he maintains is good hockey. And for the dyed in the wool fan in this country it should not make a single iota of difference if the Leafs, Habs, C: ks, Flames Hebscher who do the Leaf games on radio. Bowen gets right into the _ action, his excitement level rising with the excitement level on the ice. Hebscher, like Neale,'is a wealth of interesting facts and figures if you can overlook the fact he tends to be too chatty and biased. At times when the Leafs nfiss a goal you can hear him groan on air. Finally, a word about CIiff Fletcher, the Maple Leaf head honcho who has been hoisted on a and Jets all went into the tank in round one. + Bob Mackenzie is one of my favourite people in hockey media these days. I enjoy his column in the Toronto Star and his insights and wealth of information as analyst on the TSN broadcasts. But for this Canadian hockey fan, anyway, the fact that there are no "home brew" teams left in the hunt for Lord Stanley's Holy Grail makes one heck & a big dinerence in my interest level. Yes, I will tune in some of the games between now, and June 1, or whenever a victor is finally declared. And yes, I agree with Bob that the series match-ups in the second round promjse to provide excellent, fast-pacéd, hard hitting hockey. But of all sports; hockey for Canadians, needs that emotional attachment to give it that extra edge of excitement. Watching the American based teams do battle, for me at least, will be akin to watching Nick Faldo and Greg Norman duel in the final round of the Masters, the Yankees and Dodgers in game seven of a World Series, the Steelers and Cowboys in a Super Bowl--great sporting events all--but not quite the same as if wrapped i in the good old red maple leaf. I suspect this will be reflected when CBC takes a look at the ratings for the games it puts on the tube for the remginder of this series. Yes, we will be watching. But we won't bust our necks the way we would if the Leafs or Habs were still alive. Still with hockey, it's nice to see Harry Neale getting some ink. Harry was the subject of a piece in the Globe's TV magazine and in the Toronto Sun recently. This guy, in my view, is the best i ARR Lodge urges loyalty to British royalty To the Editor: Open letter to Alex Shepherd, Member of Parliament, Durham Central Riding . Dear Sir: It has recently come to our attention that yourself as an area member of petard by the Toronto media after the blue and white bowed out to St. Loo. The Toronto Star even ran a front page editorial by 'its sports editor calling for Fletcher's silver melon on a platter. Wait a minute here. It is so easy to sit in an ivory tower and tell the world how other people should be doing their jobs. Fletcher is not perfect, far from it. But the moves * he's made (trades and signings) were not all that bad at the time. Had the Leafs dumped the Blues, would the scribes be calling for his head? And keep in mind that Fletcher is still working to overcome the years of dry-rot that set into the entire organization during the Ballard era. Just three years ago the Leafs came within a goal of the Cup final, ' remember? It is oh so easy to sit in the cosy comfort of the press box and toss printed barbs when a pro sports team runs into trouble. Most of the barbs I've read have been way off the mark. It's been said before, but it's worth stating again, that Toronto and Montreal are the toughest cities for any team in any pro sport bgcause of the intensity of fan and media attention. Fletcher is not without blame in the team's demise this season, but some of the criticism has been completely stupid. With all the Canadian based hockey teams relegated to the sidelines, I scanned the baseball stats on the sports page and to my surprise, what team is leading its division and had the best record in the majors? The Montreal Expos. They do it every year. Nobody 'gives them a snowballs charice in hades in spring training. Yet every year they bolt from the chute and in hockey these days, maybe in all of pro sports. Neale has three things going for him: he's a former NHL coach + which gives him that perspective on the game; he's a wealth of knowledge about the game and all its nuances; and he has a razor sharp wiv which [I greatly appreciate. Teamed with Bob Cole who does the play-by-play (there is none better in that category) Neale fills the air with interesting and very amusing bon mots. What a contrast to some of the other broadcast teams on the air these days--especially those south of the border. So boring and so biased for the home team. 1 also like Joe Bowen and Mark lly stay in ion until at least the all-star break, tantalizing their legions of loyal fans. Looks like this year is no different. We'll see where the "Spos"stand come July 4. IN CLOSING: Hundreds of young fastball players are getting ready to take to the diamonds all over Scugog Townshiph, The rep teams will be aiming for a berth in the all-Ontario finals in late summer. This community has turned out more than its share of of OASA winners over the years. Best of luck to the teams that have their eye on a banner in 1996. We'll be watching and we know that win or lose, there will be plenty of exciting fastball on the diamonds between now and Parli in the Federal Liberal Party, is spearheading a pack to remove the Queen of Canada as head of state. We have deep concern on this issue as again youp Liberal party blatantly attacks our Queen of the countyy. You seem to want'to distance this country from the great strength and bond we have developed over many centuries with Great Britain and the other commonwealth nations. You do not wish this great country of Canada to be recognized as the only in North America ving a Queen. You seem to wish that we engage on a perilous course of independence. May I remind you that it was our fathers of Confederation who built and structured this country to be as it is today. They laid the ground rules of the monarchy as being head of state. This was the will of the Canadian people then and still is. The Queen of Canada is a great world figure, known and respected throughout the globe. By being Queen of Canada, she endows Canadians with that international The Centennial Loyal Orange Lodge which repifesents several members residing in the Durham Region, wish that you reconsider and show the respect for our Queen of Canada and the Royal Family. Thank you for hearing our heartfelt thoughts on this matter. Dennis R. Glazier Centennial Loyal Orange | Ledge Port Perry Jobs, housing needed To the Editor: Jobs and affordable housing are the main needs in ip. Over the last decade we have seen mainly quarter million dollar homes being built. We are completely forgetting homes for the most important and most needy - our young families. The young people and the young family is the only hope we have to survive in the future. Scugog Township - with its millions of dollars in reserve - must start thinking of how to help our coming generation. The present exploiting of the land market - hurting the young home buyers must be halted before all incentive is lost. Constantly we hear pleas to help the young people in every sector. Here - however - our own Scugog Township Council obstructs devel; 80 that there are no areas in which people can find affordable homes for ordinary family life. Question? Who benefits most from =u controlled land market - the Corporation - that own the land or the citizens of Our planners suggest market price for a building lot is in exéess of two hundred thousand dollars. Ridiculous! To reverse this high costing we need more building lots available to create a competitive market. We also need lower taxing to lower the cost of new homes and create those gnuch needed jobé. Let's replace negative planning with positive thinking - at Town Hall. Let's help our young families who need homes - not hinder them. Doug Wilson Oak Mead P gly Don't tear down system To The Editor: In last week's paper The Citizen misprinted a key line in the letter "Dean Kelly replies to vituperative attack." It should have read "The Chairman of the Board of Education at the time said that French Immersion costs 10% of the entire budget" (not 35% as printed). Re: "Axe Queen as Head of State - Shepherd MP" 1 was shocked and surprised at the statement by MP Alex Shepherd. Not only in the press but on national TV - Newsworld on the CBC coast-to-coast program. To abolish the Monarchy would see the end of our entire parliamentary system. Who would he the new head of State replacing Her Majesty? Another political 'socialists and republicans use to axe 'the' Queen is that she lives in England. * The Pope lives in the Vatican and no one complains. What strange bedfellows these slayers of the monarchy be? Appearing on TV were black political activist Chas Roach and Susan Eng who refused ta give allegence to the head of State of Canada - The Queen. Had it not been for the British Colonizing both Canada and the United States we might well be under the heel of Spain or some other nation far less benevolent than England. Some 800,000 Spaniards ruled 25 milion Astecs in Mexico and after the demise of most, French Republican President Napols, on 8rd conquered Mexico and crony, anoth or party faithful? No more Romeo Leblanc's thank you. Because we cherish the parliamentary system of justice and fair play why replace it with a questionable Republican ? Canada was founded on peaceful evolution, not revdlution! Governments like Russia, China, France etc. were all founded on revolution, with death and destruction to millions of innocent people. - We enjoy the stability of our present stem. It's politicians at have ruifed it, The Queen is above politics and has ruled for 43 years. She is Queen to some 120 million subjects and Heads tHe British C. Ith of Maximilian as ruler. The Spanish drove him. out and sentenced him to death by firing squad. Likewise France after 20 more of war in Indo-China (Viet Nam). Spain once claimed what is now British Columbia as Spanish Territory. You don't tear down a system that's been as stable as the parliamentary democracy on us Laws that say a man is innocent proven otherwise, in a court of his peers. Unlike Quebec's French Napoleonic Laws that deems a map guilty until proven innocent. ng Kelly, ' hy President A inti of Dedicated Canadians. Nations to millions more. The argument Re: " v WA (since 1967) , RY