TORONTO -- A hockey league formed for locked-out NHL players was
suspended, but it hopes to return with a better product.
The Original Stars Hockey League, a four-on-four exhibition series based
in Ontario, was aimed at giving the players a place to play during the
work stoppage. The first few games, however, were marked by little
intensity and no hitting or defense.
"We would like to have had a year to plan this caliber of
entertainment," OSHL president Randy Gumbley said. "Instead, we've had
three weeks."
Among the approximate 50 NHL players in the six-team circuit are:
Dan Cloutier of Vancouver, Bryan McCabe
of Toronto, Andrew Raycroft of Boston,
Mike Fisher of Ottawa and Mike Comrie
of Phoenix.
The OSHL said Wednesday it "plans to take the necessary time to sign
additional players, finalize scheduling and sponsorship deals."
Toronto beat Detroit 16-13 in the opener Friday night in Barrie and
Boston defeated Montreal 14-11 in Brampton on Monday night. A crowd of
2,176 showed for the game in Barrie, with only a few hundred paying fans
Monday. The next game had been set for Sunday in Sarnia, but it was
canceled along with the rest of the schedule.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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