SURF'S UP … SCORES!

The article reports on surprising popularity of ice hockey in the sunny U.S. state of California. The game Canada exported to the south is undeniably popular. There are 34 million inhabitants in California, including as many as one million Canadians. This Canuck contingent is a significant source of hockey fans, rec-league warriors, and parents who want to sign up kids to play a game that brings back memories of home. Their deep-rooted enthusiasm for hockey rubs off on Americans in a state better known for tan lines than blue lines, and where in so many ways, really, hockey has no business being. And yet, the game thrives. California's three National Hockey League teams are doing relatively well at the box office. The game's current success in the state likely would not have been possible without Brantford, Ont.'s No. 99. "You talk to absolutely anybody, and everyone will tell you the exact same thing," says Cassar emphatically. "Hockey? No one even knew what it was till Wayne Gretzky came to town." [Actor Kiefer] Sutherland and [Television producer Jon] Cassar are great ambassadors for the game. Sutherland does promotional TV spots for the NHL. Cassar is so enthusiastic he keeps a stick and tennis ball in his office (Sutherland borrowed Cassar's stick when the TV crew that shot a recent NHL promo showed up without one).