It is a new year but the same old grumpy In The O…
I am not one for lists. Whether they be Christmas wish lists, teams that should fold lists, best jr leagues, etc. But for the 2017, arguably my retirement from Hockey writing, and my swan song, I figured I would list a few things that I would like to see in the hockey world. All of these will most likely not come true but it is a true wish list that if these things happen, the landscape of hockey, at least in Ontario will be greater for.
5. The OHA v The GOJHL
This drama has to stop. Period. All it is doing is devaluing the ‘best Jr B league in the Country’ and making it into a punchline. Normally a punchline reserved for Outlaw/unsanctioned leagues. The whole debacle with the Buffalo Regals is on par with GMHL teams folding every week.
Basically, Hockey Canada as the parent, needs to step in and tell these two children, ‘I don’t care who started it, but it is finished. Now play nice or I will take you home.’ If the OHA is going to go to such lengths to make sure the GOJHL does not get proper Jr A status, the the GOJHL needs to do something major about it. But this infighting between Associations under the HC banner and the League needs to stop and they have to redefine their own set of rules to come back stronger next year.
4. The GMHL disappears
This is a pipe dream, I know it isn’t going anywhere soon, except for contracting to expand later on. Are we still waiting on the Downsview Spitfires? Remember that logo? They proudly hung it in their head quarters.
Apologies to the Legion of Doom for associating you with the GMHL, but this league gives so much fodder to the Death Pool and as reported, they are looking to go back to Ville Marie. The Ville Marie Dragons were part of the GMHL back in the 08/09 season. They folded mid way through the 09/10 season and became the Powassan Dragons, and now you can follow that lineage wherever you would like.
The big thing about this league is I get it. I understand now why these unsanctioned leagues exist. I see it in other sports and they can be a good thing. But when you have very, very poor ownership and people in it for the wrong reasons, you become a joke. Tottenham Steam come to mind. For the last 2 years they were the top team in the League. The team was owned by the President who named the championship after him because… ego. He owned/part owned around 4 or 5 franchises and sold it off after it was successful… and this year…. they are outside the playoff picture looking in… that is if only the top 8 teams make the playoffs. But I think in true house league fashion everyone makes the playoffs in a series of playdowns….
I am getting off point here. After years of being the cockroach that won’t die, this league needs to die. You had your chance, you are failing hard, either contract heavily with only your best owners or continue to be a joke and watch the CPJHL surpass you after only 1 season.
3. CPJHL goes status quo
Off the heels of the GMHL dying, I would like to see the CPJHL thrive. Many have linked me to the league saying I work for them. Nope. Not the case. In fact I wouldn’t mind because promoting an unsanctioned league that has a head on its shoulders and can actually succeed would be a breath of fresh air.
They still don’t promote themselves as Jr A, they aren’t going above their head in making claims about their play but they may fall into the same trap as the GMHL and expand.
Why why why why why!!!! Has the GMHL taught you nothing Commissioner. You worked in the league that fails at every turn and yet you want to make the same mistakes. Speaking with the commissioner he made it clear that expansion will only take place with at least 2 clubs joining to balance out the conferences. And only if the ownership is sound and has the means to go through a build. By build he meant the struggles of up front costs in year one and riding it out through the tough times. But even then, STOP!!!! Don’t do it. With Star Wars being a recent thing, let me remind you what General Akhbar said… ‘It’s a trap!’ Stay away from this, come back for a second year with 8 teams, don’t dilute your talent pool since it isn’t the cream of the crop anyways and build a need vs want market.
Simple economics. Make your franchises stable, make more kids want to try out, even better then your current crop, turn better players away because of an influx of talent, then ride it out for a second successful year. When year three comes around, then maybe expand, because the talent pool will be better and those turned away or cut, can find another team in your league and then the play doesn’t drop off like you see in other areas. To sum that up… isn’t is supply and demand. And for your talent pool you can select from, you shouldn’t be demandning anything right now.
2. USHL v CHL
This would be like a Sting v Undertaker in the WWE. A dream matchup. Don’t let the V fool you, this isn’t a NCAA v NHL route discussion. I want to see the best the USHL has to offer v the best the CHL has to offer, or each of the 3 leagues v the best of the USHL and I want a series. This would be great for the sport of Junior Hockey. You can have bragging rights. For those of you who will say, that is what the World U18 is for, or the Ivan Hlinka or the World Juniors…. No it isn’t. Lets get two USHL all star teams v 3 CHL all start teams and put them in a tournament style system for bragging rights. There has to be some way the NCAA will soften up on the whole playing with pros conversation and have Hockey Canada and USAHockey on a hand shake deal for this. Think of the money involved here. All the money to be made. And isn’t that what junior hockey is all about. Even if you remove all the players in the CHL with pro contracts, you will still make 3 awesome teams to compete against the USHL. Make it an IIHF event or something. That is how you get out of it right? Someway somehow this needs to happen and hopefully it does in 2017. I don’t care who wins, but if you want to see where the Best Jr league resides… this is a great way. Not to mention the bragging rights… did I mention that already?
1. OJHL Contraction
I harped about this before and really this should happen. There is no reason to keep this many teams. What other Jr league in the province has this many teams and can thrive with amazing ownership… well the NOJHL is at 12, the CCHL is at 12… why should the OJHL be double? Just because they have to cover a huge footprint to ward out competitors? Major changes need to be made for the OJHL to be super successful after some of their steam has been lost after a huge surge following their first contraction. No one should be afraid to shake it up right now. I always point to the CCHL and it is super successful in development of players. They have some freedoms the OJHL doesn’t have but that shouldn’t stop the OJ from trying something new. Big things are ahead for this league. But they need to restructure and compartmentalize some of their inner workings. Big synergistic words from a business point of view but that shouldn’t stop you from learning them and then working towards a better product.
Well above I stated this would probably be my retirement year and final swan song. You may ask, why now? Why not when you were on top and not a washed up news source that just seems bitter that something didn’t go your way.
Sometimes personal factors will override your desire to do something you love. And you have to understand what is around you for you to either continue or to change with the times, so to speak. With that said, I was afforded an amazing opportunity for September 2017 with a trial period that started once the clock struck 2017.
Don’t worry it is in a different sport, so this isn’t a case of a hack writer getting a dream job in hockey media, but it is a stepping stone dream job in this other sport.
I will not scorch the earth on the way out, but I will be what ITO always stood for… wait what did it stand for? Honest writing with a no BS approach that saw multiple people attempt to sue me in an effort to silence me… yeah that sounds about right.
Either way, there will be no tell all book, or purposefully calling out people because I will fade into the sunset.
But like professional wrestling, never say never, so even though I believe this is my swan song for the year of 2017… it may not be. Either way, keep reading and keep responding. I don’t mind being told I am an idiot, as long as you click on the links and read the articles first.
