The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that when Sportsnet and CBC announced in June that they were ending their partnership for NHL broadcasts, most fans focused on the fact that the 74-year run of Hockey Night in Canada was over. The Globe's Simon Houpt writes that the move also meant the NHL is set to make a different kind of history this season: Not a single game will be available on a free Canadian TV network. Unless Rogers Communications' Sportsnet changes course, that means there could be a Stanley Cup final featuring a Canadian team that would not be accessible to the full viewing public. That would be unthinkable in many countries that regard sports as a central element of their national identity. Now, an advocacy group is urging Parliament to ensure Canadians have free access to sports and other events considered central to national identity, such as the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Olympics. Last week, Friends of Canadian Media sent an e-mail to supporters announcing a national campaign urging MPs to pass what is known as anti-siphoning legislation. That's a policy tool to ensure certain programs remain widely available to the public -- that they're not "siphoned away" by private broadcasters.