With the temperatures starting to dip in Western Canada, people are starting to talk about the exciting turf war between the CAJHL and NJHL. Hockey people are watching and wondering which one of these leagues is going to survive. Really,, people are actually taling about it, that was not a joke. It may look like a joke, but this time we are serious.
The CAJHL season starts next week according to their website. With Games scheduled for Saturday September 16th seeing four of the seven teams on the ice.
The NJHL season is suppossed to be starting October 6th, with four of their five teams taking the ice, and then the following evening the fifth team is scheduled to play.
All that scheduling is nice isnt it? Good information to have. You know what is better information to have? Who is going to actually be on the ice to play those games. You know, that ever complicated rostering of players to make it look as though you are actualy building a team?
Well, the CAJHL is actually starting to post rosters, and adding players to rosters of some of their teams. The NJHL, well, as usual they really dont publish anything.
The CAJHL has announced that they are making the move to a four man referee crew for the coming season. A nice step toward legitimizing the intent behind the actual development of the league. The NJHL? Yeah, well it looks like they are even having a hard time finding a few referee’s these days.
The CAJHL has now made concussion baseline testing part of their league operations. This is really a great step forward for the league. The NJHL? (crickets chirping)
The CAJHL social media platforms have been putting out a steady flow of information as it relates to community involvement and players recruiting. The NJHL? Not so much.
The CAJHL and NJHL are said to be loading up on goaltending talent. Loading up by way of signing four or five goalies in order to collect the tuition money that is. Hey, you never know when you are going to lose four goalies to injury and your fifth guy has to have the “next man up” mentality right?
In other news from Western Canada, there is a rumor going around that one coach actually has asked permission to put more than one goali on the ice dressed in full pads but to have them play as defensemen.
Isn’t this time of year just great? All these teams with not enough players who are telling the other players. “dont worry, we are getting cuts from Tier II”. Hilarious. As if the sky will open up and a few hundred players are going to show up to save teams.
Stick around. We got more body bags to hand out soon.
