As the Canadian Hockey League prepares for the start of the 2011 Mastercard Memorial Cup in Mississauga on May 20th the tournament and even more so the attention, or lack thereof it is receiving in the Greater Toronto Area has been making more headlines than the teams trying to take part in the event.
An event like the Memorial Cup signifies the best of the best in major junior hockey competing for one of the most prestigious and difficult awards a team can win. It is an even that can bring a city, region and in some cases a province together. Some of the finest tournaments have been held in all regions of the country, being a springboard to success off the ice as much as it is on. Some of the better run tournaments I recall off the top of my head were Kamloops in 1995, London in 2005 and the following year when Moncton put on a tremendous event amongst the many others we could bring to light. This is an event that should help the growth of the game at the junior level, provide the young men competing with the chance to participate in front of a National audience all the while helping the host city make a name for itself.
Unfortunately, the city of Mississauga and the host club Mississauga St.Michael’s Majors continue to face similar issues that have plagued major junior hockey in the Great Toronto Area for years. With ticket sales being smooth to put it mildly, the Majors have fought to build a fan base even as they ice one of the strongest clubs in the country. Being around most arenas used by the Greater Toronto Hockey League over for the past three years (Hershey Centre included), I recall seeing a limited presence of the Ontario Hockey League around the arenas, let alone any forms of promoting the league or ways to get families out to support the local product. With parents and players paying 6$ a pop for an entry into a GTHL game twice a week, if not more when a family has more than one child playing in the league, it would make sense for the leagues to put their heads together and give those involved some incentive to attend a junior game on their nights off.
Junior hockey in Canada is what bonds and grows small towns, from Peterborough to Prince George, it is the lifeline of those communities. Why Brampton and Mississauga can’t communicate with their local minor hockey organizations as well as the Greater Toronto Hockey League baffles me. Young hockey players look up to the future stars, they want to experience what it is like not only to watch these young men play but also partake in the experience of being in a loud and exciting arena. Unfortunately it is hard to remember a time when going to a junior game in the GTA resembled what you will see when you are at a game in Peterborough, Sudbury, or Ottawa to name a few. Everyone in those towns know what the home night for their clubs and the support has been there since day one. Another excellent example is what the Hunter Brothers have done in London with the Knights. There was a time in the mid 1990’s when the franchise was a laughing stock, but with smart off-ice moves combining with astute personnel decision made to developing a strong on-ice product has lead to the organization being one of the most successful in the country. Not to mention having crowds at or near capacity on most nights.
Instead of people sitting on one hand and starching their head with the other, it is time for those who have the authority and the resources to step up and really turn the stereotype around about hockey, especially major junior hockey, in the Greater Toronto Area around. Similar to the discussion about declining numbers in minor hockey across Canada, taking the game and support for granted will and already has had an effect on the enrolment numbers across Canada, none more so than in cities in Scarborough Ontario which has seen numbers slowly decline over the past decade. If more focus is put towards promoting the leagues, the product and making it accessible and affordable for those associated with the game or whom are interested in signing up, you will see increased levels of support across the board.
Bring the product to the people and the people will come to your product, anyone who has worked in business and in the private sector will tell you that. If hockey is to grow and prosper as we move into the 2011th year and beyond, it going to take a lot more of selling by those on all levels, and only then will hockey in Toronto find success and expand with demand in an area that is more than capable of handling the growth and rebirth of the game.
Like the saying goes "Canada is Hockey - Hockey is Canada". If those in Toronto what to talk about it, they better start doing it too.
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