I was raised a true North American sports fan. Growing up just outside Toronto, I was brought up on a steady diet of Blue Jays triumphs, Maple Leaf heartbreaks, and Team Canada success and failure. My childhood and teenaged memories consist of Tony Fernandez breaking his elbow to ruin the 1987 season for Toronto, Joe Carter jumping for joy twice in the early 90's, Wayne Gretzky high-sticking Doug Gilmour in game six of the 1993 Campbell Conference finals with no consequence, and 80-foot shot after 80-foot shot sneaking through the legs of Allan Bester. I was made to believe that excitement and goal scoring went hand-in-hand â€" a 1-0 game could never be anything but dull in comparison to an 8-7 contest.

It is no surprise therefore, that soccer was always a fringe sport to me. Sure I remember seeing World Cup highlights from USA '94, but I remember thinking "0 â€" 0 through 120 minutes? Ugh." I was the last person on Earth who should fall in love with the beautiful game, but fall in love with it I did when I discovered the Champions League.

Though its name is flawed (you don't necessarily have to be a champion to qualify), its concept holds undeniable intrigue: to crown the best club team in all of Europe. And by all of Europe, it really does mean all of Europe, not just the major nations like Italy, England, France, and Spain. All 53 member nations of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) compete in the tournament, from Albania and Andorra, to the Ukraine and Wales. The tournament is a massive endeavour on a grand scale â€" eight rounds played over ten months, bringing together greater than 70 teams in total. The one match final in May is awarded to a neutral site, and is a grand celebration not only of the city and the finalists, but of the competition, the athletes, and the sport as well.

But it wasn't the flash or the grandeur that hooked me. It was the concept. Such a sporting event was unheard of in North America. Imagine the Superbowl champions celebrating their title and then preparing to face the champions of NFL Europe, or the Stanley Cup Champions trying to defend their NHL title while simultaneously playing against the champions of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Such an event would never happen, not with multi-million dollar contracts loaded with out-clauses, injury protection, and insurance premiums. Team owners and general managers would never allow it. Even a majority of fans would probably never allow it. Consider the uproar in St. Louis if Albert Pujols were to tear his hamstring trying to stretch a single into a double in the fifth inning in a game against the Seibu Lions during the group stage of baseball's League of Champions. Then think if North American sports fans would embrace the concept.

No, there is something distinctly European about the Champions League, something that I love because it is different from the norm. It is the only competition in the world where a true underdog has a chance to ride a wave of luck, emotion, momentum, all the way to glory. Though the big fish normally finish on top, it isn't too far fetched to imagine the league winners from Romania eliminating Chelsea, or Barcelona falling to the champions of Moldova. Even if the upsets don't happen, it is refreshing to see millionaire players give their all to win a tournament that pits the best against the best. Though the World Cup will always win the soccer battle for hype, drama, and excitement, the Champions League isn't far behind. After all, it's not everyday a Torontonian like myself gets excited for FK Pobeda vs. FC Levadia Tallinn. Vive le Champions League!

It's into the 2007/08 hockey season and I cannot help but feel as though something is missing. While I do not doubt the intensity and passion that the players possess, I am still finding a void between the way the game is played now and the way it was before the new rules. The so called evolution of the game has made it a super pest's paradise, a one way street where a cheap shot will be policed by the referee but not an enforcer, the ones who really kept the game clean and their opponents honest. Thanks to the rule changes implemented by Gary Bettman while riding his high horse (located on a merry-go-round at Disney World) there are more head injuries in hockey. Now players with big equipment can run around and play dirty at such a high speed without a true fear of retribution because the enforcers are sitting in the stands.

Another thing I am truly tired of is when an injury occurs the media begins rallying for a public outcry to make more rules. The league should have left the game as it was instead of trying to sell it to a market where NASCAR reigns supreme and the only car wreck the NHL had in the southern market resulted in a trade to the Ottawa Senators.

The media's attitude even seems to be rubbing off on the players. Every time there is a penalty the penalized player whines to the on ice official about the call, something that would not happen if players had more important things to worry about like having to actually be accountable for their actions ala "Old Time Hockey". Suspending a player today is like sending a kid to his room because dad is not home to administer a spanking. Oh and did I mention the kid has a TV and an X-Box in there that he bought with his new endorsement deal?

"Go to my room? Cool!"

Many people love the new changes which is great but pretty soon players will be using sticks made by NERF. With the exception of banishing the instigator penalty, (who is in charge of getting that rule changed, Mike Danton? The guy couldn't have done a worse job getting David Frost whacked if he called Bret "Hitman" Hart) if I was allowed to make one rule it would be the expulsion of helmets. The loss of helmets would bring back a level of vulnerability to the game and make teams play with an element of respect that hockey is sorely lacking. The loss of the helmet on a lighter note would also bring back hockey hair. A healthy head of long hair has long been associated with power and can even be traced back to biblical times with the story of Samson and Delilah; once Samson had his hair cut off he was no longer a dominant warrior thus losing his edge. While hockey hair still has its place in the game, it is no longer allowed to flow and flourish as a result of the helmet regulations that the league decided to grandfather in. Although it is an issue of safety that seems like it is for the better, it is the one major piece of equipment that leaves players feeling invincible. NHL players today could leave their engines running, talk on their cell phones, and smoke at the gas station all at the same time and still would never be as daring or grit as Craig McTavish when he took to the ice. I say get rid of the helmet and let the 70's style hair take back its rightful spot in hockey. The only person who should be forced to wear one is Gary Bettman so he doesn't fall of his magical power pony at Disney World and hurt himself while making another mentally challenged decision to tarnish this great game. Get rid of the helmet. Its time to clean up the league so players can sport hockey hair and respect what my dad calls "Sherwood Shampoo"; something I think would work and I'm willing to place a bet with Rick Tocchet.

This past June saw the return of a rapidly emerging Canadian tradition: watching the Stanley Cup being paraded through the blazing sun of some apathetic southern US city. For the last three years this country has watched in agony as Canada's Team goes down in defeat to teams whose official websites feature special instructional segments explaining the basics of hockey. For Canadians who know that icing isn't creamy and delicious and the puck is not a Shakespeare character this is particularly hard to bear. Certainly, most of the players who hoisted the cup are native sons who will bring Stanley home for a day, but this is cold comfort for any hockey fan that doesn't happen to personally know the Niedermayer brothers. Clearly something needs to be done, and what could be a more effective solution than the creation of an all Canadian hockey league?

This may seem extreme on the surface, but on closer inspection it is hard to see why Canada shouldn't split from the NHL. After all, Lord Stanley himself, in his original mandate decreed that the Cup be "held from year to year by the champion hockey team of the Dominion of Canada" . The creation of an All-Canadian league would allow the Stanley Cup to return to its original purpose. Of course Stanley's wishes mean nothing if the money isn't right. Although the NHL and its teams are tight-lipped about hard dollar figures, it is quite clear that the Canadian teams are not the ones who are struggling. Last year 5 of the 6 Canadian teams were in the top 10 in attendance, averaging a sellout a game or better. Only Edmonton finished outside the top 10, coming in at 17th, but this can be attributed to their playing in a smaller building, as they still filled an average of 98% of the seats.

Television deals are major money makers for sports leagues, and in any other sport the loss of the American TV market would be huge. Not so for hockey, where the American and Canadian TV contracts are almost on par with each other. Based on last year's numbers, losing the $60 million from the Versus contract would easily be offset by the increased share of the CBC deal for each Canadian team (from $4 million a year to 10). Surely the Canadian ratings would not drop significantly and may even rise, as there would be more high demand match-ups such as Leafs-Habs or Oilers-Flames per season.

The existing six teams may be too small to form a league of their own, but with a CBA similar to the existing NHL one it is not too hard to envision teams returning to Winnipeg and Quebec city, as well as expansion franchises in the Maritimes, Saskatchewan and perhaps another Ontario team. Kitchener-based Jim Balsillie may have failed in his bid to move the Predators but considering he lost to a lower bid it seems the NHL was simply trying to maintain its ill-advised foray into the deep south. Without this obstacle Mr. Balsillie should have no trouble getting his wish. The Canadian dollar is almost on par with the American, and expected to continue rising, meaning that player salaries could remain consistent with NHL levels, allowing teams to attract top talent from around the world.

It is unlikely that such a split will ever occur, as there are myriad legal and technical complications with this scheme. But it is a nice fantasy for a Canadian hockey fan who is tired of hockey in June, who doesn't believe that ducks and panthers have any business on an ice rink and who thinks the Cup belongs in Canada. And as an added incentive for Leafs fans (for surely Toronto will have to lead the charge), a smaller, Canadian league would dramatically increase their odds of their first Cup win in 40 years.