Sault Major Hockey Association

2012 SMHA Skills Competition Dates Announced

2011-12-19T05:08:00.000-08:00

The fourth annual SMHA Skills competitions will be held on Feb 6 and Feb 8.

Feb 6, 2012 Rankin- Bantam (AAA, AA, BB, CC)
Feb 8, 2012 Rankin - Midget (AAA, AA, BB, CC)

The 5 events include Puckhandling, Fastest Skater, Shootout, Shooting Accuracy, Hardest Shot.

AAA & AA players form the A division. BB & CC league players form the B division. Champion plaques will be awarded for each of the two divisions for each event.

Each team in SMHA is guaranteed 3 skaters, as submitted by their team staff. Goaltender participants are nominated by their team staff and then selected by an SMHA committee.

This is an exciting event for the participants and the fans.

No gate fee again this year. We will be collecting used equipment, jerseys and socks to send up north to some less fortunate communities.

Further details are forthcoming.

Update on Head Injury Policy ON HOLD

2011-12-18T15:14:00.000-08:00

We recently posted information about a new SMHA head injury policy. Our new policy drummed up quite a bit of interest from a few key stakeholders who have provided us with some suggestions on how to bolster our policy and incorporate some local experts and care providers into the process. We'll be posting an updated policy within a few weeks.

This is serious business. We want to get it right for SMHA and SSM.

In the interim, our new policy is on hold. Players with concussions must follow the basic Hockey Canada guidelines pertaining to returning to play. All suspected head injuries should always be assessed by a medical professional.

The second policy recently passed by the SMHA board remains in effect:: "Any player who sustains a blow to the head and requires assistance leaving the ice surface cannot return to play in that game."

Adam

July 2011 Summer Ramblings

2011-07-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

Did the hockey season just end or is it just starting?

LOTS to talk about.

The SMHA board recently voted to maintain bodychecking in our Bantam and Midget CC leagues for this season. We'll reassess it after this season. The sentiment around the table had nothing to do with old school thinking, or a neanderthal approach to what 'REAL HOCKEY' is. It was all about kids bouncing between bodychecking and non-bodychecking year after year and the risks associated with not being prepared to get hit.

If you read between the lines, the major push behind OHF's bodychecking ban was all about recruitment. Attracting visible minorities to hockey in the GTA has been a well documented struggle.  A lot of ethnic populations in TO believe hockey is too violent and won't sign their kids up. By giving kids a non-bodychecking option in all age groups there is hope that more kids will come and play for the first time. Not exactly an issue in Bantam and Midget in Sault Ste. Marie - in 2011 anyway. But as our population evolves to be far more multi-cultural, we may be faced with the same challenges.  But right now, from a registration perspective, we're at capacity.

Soo Pee Wee's peewee C division will have no bodychecking in 2011/12.  It will be a great test to see if its popular or not.

On another note, we made a bold move in reducing the number of Midget AA teams from 4 top 3. A couple of key reasons. The calibre of the three teams will be stronger than with four - sorry for stating the obvious - but this will help our teams compete better in tournaments, in the NOHA's, and the OHF's. In the past couple of years our calibre has slipped below what the rest of the province would consider AA calibre, and we owe it to the OHF to ice AA calibre teams. A second key reason for strengthening the calibre of play is to create a better development environment for players who intend to eventually play at a higher level - whether it's the Northstars or the NOJHL. Or in Matt D'Agostini's case (Root River Rangers 2002) the NHL.

Couldn't we just go with one AA team and be really strong? Sure. But they'd have no place to play and wouldn't develop as well playing only in tournaments. Our multi-team Midget AA system works. Just ask the Northstars, TBirds, Eagles and Beavers.

In 2011/12 our leagues will have fewer games during the regular season. Most leagues will drop from 36 down to 31 or 32. The CARHA World Men's tournament coming in March will occupy every rink in town for 10 days so we had to cut out some games.

I attended the fundraiser last week for our friend and mega-volunteer Tullio Porco. Tullio was in a devastating car crash outside of Sudbury and crushed his lower body. Lots of surgeries and lots of hospital time. It was a great fundraiser event at the Bushplane Centre. Great turnout. Thanks to Albert Giommi for captaining the effort and to all the volunteers who donated their time. And best wishes to Tullio for continued progress in his recovery.

New scheduler in SMHA this year. Welcome to Mike Creedon who we've appointed to our board. Mike's a familiar face around the rink, football field, lacrosse court(?) and was the scheduler for the Peewee a couple years ago. Mike's working hard to remedy some of the faux pas from years past.

Gotta go. I'll add more later.

Bodychecking - The OHF Ban

2011-05-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Let me quickly clarify.

The new OHF ban on bodychecking in house league applies to SMHA's lowest division in both Bantam and Midget. These are SMHA's only carded 'House' leagues.

The ban does not apply to our AA & BB leagues. These two divisions will still have bodychecking - as per the direction of the OHF.

I was quoted in the Sault Star on May 9th as stating that we could opt to card our lowest leagues to allow bodychecking to continue. This is simply an option that we have. Not a decision we have made.

My interview with the Star covered a number of areas on both sides of the bodychecking argument. Not all of the conversation was captured in the Star article.

At this point in time we are not leaning either way. We will weigh our options and certainly consider the upsides, the downsides, and the perspectives of the OHF, the NOHA and our membership.

A decision will be made by our new Executive at some point this spring or early summer, following the election of our new Executive at our AGM on May 31st, as to how we will classify our various leagues.

SMHA's team/league structure is unique, due to our geographical location. We do not have single entry rep teams at multiple levels. They would have no other centres close enough to compete against. We, instead, have multiple teams at a few rep levels, AA & BB, that form their own leagues. These are not defined as house leagues, as per the NOHA and OHF. After we form our AA & BB league teams, the remaining kids form our House Leagues. These are the kids who would be affected by the new OHF ban on bodychecking.

I will update this blog with any new developments over the next few weeks.

- Adam

The ugly side of our game

2011-02-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

A memo will be circulating to the members of our association. I have pasted the contents below. If you are an offender - please stop immediately. I hope this is the last time I have to write about this.

February 2, 2011

Re: Discriminatory Slurs

To: SMHA team staff and players

Over the past few months we have been made aware of a number of instances where a racial or discriminatory slur may have been directed toward an opposing player.

The Sault Major Hockey Association includes players from a variety of nationalities and backgrounds. We are by no means the GTA, but regardless, discriminatory slurs will not be tolerated on or off the ice by our association.

Hockey Canada, rule 9.2 (f)
Any player or team official who engages in verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language) shall be assessed a Game Misconduct penalty.

Notwithstanding the above, at the discretion of the Referee, a Gross Misconduct penalty may be assessed for any infraction to any player or team official.

And the 2010/11 Hockey Canada/OHF suspensions for this infraction:

GM63 Discriminatory Slur 3 games
GRM63 Discriminatory Slur 3 games

In addition to the on-ice officials, SMHA timekeepers and league directors will be responsible for helping to curb discriminatory behaviour.

Each of our League Directors have Executive approval to assess a league imposed 3 game suspension to offending players when guilt is not in question - whether the offence occurred on or off the ice.

The SMHA Executive reserves the right to increase a player or coach’s suspension based on the circumstances of each case. Offenders may be asked to appear before the SMHA Executive before they can resume play in our association.

We appreciate your support of this initiative.

Adam Caughill
President, Sault Major Hockey Association

Fallen Soldier

2011-02-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

On Monday January 31st we lost a good one. Walter Wallace passed away while vacationing in Florida.

Walter was a longtime board member and current president of the Soo Northstars hockey organization. He'd been an active volunteer since way back in the Soo Legion days. He was still very active in Northstars operations and fundraising activities at the time of his death.

You may also know Walter from his work with Soo Legion Branch 25.

Walter's son Blaine has been a good friend of mine since our minor hockey days and I considered Walter a good friend as well. He was a great guy who played a big part in making the Soo Northstars the classy organization they are today. He was a good honest family man who gave his heart and soul to the community. I'll miss him. And so will the local hockey community.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Wallace family.

Dec 19 Ramblings

2010-12-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

Some random thoughts and news....

SMHA had a bad week weekend Dec 8-11. Some wires got crossed and a bunch of scheduled games didn't have referees scheduled. We constantly juggle ice blocks with the city on a few days notice and make changes to our schedule and this time not everybody got the edits. Plus, we don't schedule the refs ourselves - the referees association does that on their own. For most of the games that weekend we scrambled and found referees. There were, however, a couple of games that we had to cancel at gametime. Anyways, our apologies go out to the teams who were affected. One team in particular, Northside Toyota AA Midgets got stung twice in 4 days. Sorry guys. And thanks for your support.

Our Steel City Tournament will run from January 6-9 at all six rinks in SSM. The tournament is full in all 6 divisions - Midget AA, C, and House, and Bantam AA, C, and house. Good luck to all of our teams. We definitely have some potential champions in all of our leagues. I'm setting the betting line at 2 titles and 2 runner-up finishes for SMHA teams. Any takers?

Let's hope the OHL Greyhounds go on a big run in the second half of the season. I'm a Hounds fan and want to see them do well - but I am also a 50/50 draw fan and we sell more tickets when the team is winning and the rink is full. Go Hounds.

Speaking of the Greyhounds, are you aware of how many SMHA alumni are on the team this year? I count 8. That's gotta be the most ever. Colin Miller, Brett Findlay, Brett Thompson, Dylan King, David Quesnele, and Chad Thibodeau. Plus Denny Lambert and Seamus Kotyk on the staff.

I blogged a while back about another alumni, Cody McClelland and his dad Glen, a trainer in SMHA, who gave Cody a kidney. Well they are back in the Soo and recuperating well. A happy ending. Merry Christmas guys.

As you are wrapping up your Xmas shopping, please give some consideration to shopping local. The businesses of Sault Ste. Marie support the local hockey community generously and really benefit when you spend your dollars in town. Even if it costs you a couple bucks more, please help support all those businesses you see on the fronts and backs of our hockey jerseys.

I'll finish off by wishing all of our SMHA families a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.

Oh Those Russians

2010-10-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Just received word that the Soviet Wings Minor Midgets are not making the voyage to North America to play in our tournament due to a bunch of injuries their team suffered in a Moscow tournament. Whether they're telling the truth or not, they aren't coming.

While it would have been great to have them here, it's still going to be great without them here.

Sorry if we got your hopes up to meet a Russian. You'll have to settle for a Wisconsonite.

Hey Debbie - We Need A Small Favour.

2010-10-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just like you, I was a bit shocked at Monday's election results - but nevertheless, congratulations to our new mayor Debbie Amoroso. And congrats to the victorious councillors. As a councillor Debbie Amoroso always had the best interest of the community at heart and I expect she'll do the same as our Mayor.

As President of SMHA, I know what its like to win a hard-fought election.... (yeah right - it's a little easier when no one runs against you :)

Our hockey community rarely calls upon our city's politicians for help. We're pretty self-sufficient. But we have a big ask for the new council and our new mayor - Please build us a new rink at the McMeeken site. And if we're going to stir up the soil, you might as well make it a twin-pad.

The current McMeeken Arena is not new and not SSM's best foot forward. Yet we host lots of guests from out-of-town every winter at the McMeeken for hockey games - for our tournaments and rep league games. What would your impression of the Soo be if you rolled into town, played two games at the McMeeken and drove home?

Lord knows we need a new barn at the McMeeken site. Hopefully Debbie knows too.

The Russians are Coming!

2010-10-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, Mike Murphy (and his team) is knocking it out of the park with regards to organizing our Soo Greyhounds International Showdown AAA tournament for this coming November. The tournament is at 100% capacity, and every hotel room in the city is sold out. It's going to be a helluva hockey weekend.

And now more BIG news. We've just confirmed that the Soviet Wings, a minor midget team from Russia will be playing in our tournament.

After a couple years of less-than-mediocre tournaments, SMHA is back in the tournament business in a BIG way. Check out the list of teams coming to the Soo Nov 18-21. Click below.

http://www.saultmajorhockey.ca/leagues/custom_page.cfm?clientid=3885&leagueid=16812&pageid=8376

Starts with two A's and ends with the O

2010-10-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go and watch the OHL Hounds on the weekend. I always enjoy watching the games but had special interest in Friday's game.

It was the OHL debut of SMHA grad Brett Findlay. Just two seasons ago Brett was playing his second season in SMHA's Midget AA league. Yup, played AA and still made it to the O. I hope it provides a little bit of inspiration for some other young men.

Brett was one of those kids who played AAA Bantam but wasn't one of the few who made the Northstars the following year. Brett wasn't exactly blessed with size back then either. He played for Donny Gagnon's Cambrian Nissan Titans AA Midgets. He got lots of icetime and had the chance to be the go-to guy for two years. Yada..yada... a few pounds and six inches taller he's a regular in the OHL.

While we're at it, Colin Miller is also a SMHA grad and current Soo Greyhound defenceman. Colin also played AAA Bantam and didn't make the Northstars as a 15 year old.

Moral of the story...if you don't make the Northstars when you're 15, your career isn't over. Someday we'll have Minor Midget in the Sault, but until then our Midget AA league is a really good place to play.

Sidenotes....

Brett Findlay's dad Bruce is a trainer with our Greyhounds AAA Bantam team, a great guy. Brett's mom is Sandra Findlay, legendary local power-skating instructor.

Have to mention Matt D'Agostini, who played Midget AA for the Root River Rangers. A couple years later he was in the NHL.

Glenn McClelland - The Ultimate Gift

2010-10-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Check out the front page of Oct 20 Sault Star. You'll see Glennie McClelland, a staff member of Cutting Edge midgets and his son Cody, a former Sault Major star.

Cody has had a medical condition since he was a kid and always knew that one day he'd need a kidney transplant. He recently had the transplant, and the kidney he received was his father's.

I've seen Glenn and Cody a few times at the airport flying back and forth to see doctors and I remember thinking how I hoped their situation would turn out okay. Cody was always a great kid, his teammates loved him and looked up to him as a leader. His coaches loved him too. He was the kind of kid you wanted on your team. And Glenn's a great guy, always willing to help out, and loves to be at the rink.

This is just a really cool story and I wanted to make everyone aware of it and the connection to Sault Major. They've got a few months ahead of them before they can come home. So later this season when you see Glenn back at the rink, just know you're in the presence of a real hero.

(PS - Cody McClelland still holds a SMHA Skills Competition record in the Accuracy Shooting competition!!)

Some Quick Thoughts and Updates

2010-06-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog.

I just wanted to fire off some quick thoughts....

Rumour - Only 3 teams in Midget AA this year? False. We're are planning to ice 4 teams in Midget AA for 2010/11.

Our AGM was held on May 27th. I'm back as President. Here are the key changes to the SMHA Executive....

New Executive Members - Matt Cavaliere - 1st VP, Pat DiCandia - Midget BB Director, Jean Dawson - Bantam AA Director.

Outgoing Executive - Sandra Harpe, John Chiappetta, Angelo Pucci, Debbie Logan, JoAnn King, Ann Dias. All of whom left on their own - none of them were defeated in elections.

All of our outgoing executive members will still be involved with Sault Major in some capacity. Whether it is with a team, on a tournament committee, or an appointed administrative role.

The Coach Selection process is underway for next year. AA & BB appointments will be announced by the end of June. Matt Cavaliere is the chair of the Team Selection committee.

Player Registrations close July 15. Cost is $550. After July 15 its $650. So its worth it to get in on time.

You read earlier this year that we made some big changes to our tournaments. Our new Greyhound Tournament will be held in November. Chairperson Mike Murphy reports that the response so far has been overwhelming. Several of the AAA divisions are already full. Based on the response so far, we have decided to cancel the Bantam AA and Midget AA divisions in this tournament. Those two divisions will be offered during the Steel City Classic in January.

I'll be back soon with more news and info.....

Message from Jo-Ann King - Merit Scroll 2010

2010-05-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past week, a very special friend of ours, Jo-Ann King, was honoured with the SMHA Merit Scroll award, which is Sault Major's highest and most prestigious award for lifetime service. Jo has been the go-to person in SMHA for the past 10 years and is truly deserving of this honour. Considering her recent health challenges and her decision to retire, it was great to have her at the banquets in person and an honour for me to present her the award.

JoAnn was unable to make a formal speech at the banquet. So instead she typed it up and asked me to post it in my blog. The message below is from JoAnn:

I was very emotional and overwhelmed when I received the Merit Scroll award at the recent awards night. I am very much an in the background type of person and have never been in front of a microphone in my life and was unable to thank everyone as I would have liked to.

Sault Major came along when I was looking for something to keep me busy and occupy my spare time. It did not disappoint, little did I know it would fill every waking moment I had. That said, I enjoyed every minute of it. When you volunteer, especially with our Association, it is not just about hockey; you meet the greatest people you will ever come across in your lifetime. They become your friends, as close to family as you can get.

To the many coaches, parents and players I have met over the years, thank you it has been a pleasure to get to know each and every one of you. A heartfelt thank you to my friends on the Executive, especially Wil “Bob the Builder” Campbell and his wife Margaret. The greatest joy in my 10 years with Sault Major, was the day Wil Campbell got email! A special thank you to Hans Geenen, Past President. who brought me on my board all those years ago. I guess I did a fairly good job, because a few years later he hired me as his office administrator. It has always been a joke with us “that if Hans Geenen stops you in the Mall and asks you step into his office, just ignore him and keep walking”!

I have seen many faces come and go, it is great to see Greg Vance and Marc Capancioni step forward to help out. Both of their ages combined don’t equal mine !! They are the future of Sault Major Hockey.

I cannot finish without mentioning Mike Murphy and the Root River Rangers, staff, parents and players. What you did this past Christmas touched me deeply, you should be so proud of yourselves. It is not just about hockey, but so much more.

If you are thinking about coming forward to volunteer, believe me when I tell you, try it, you won’t be sorry.

Thank you so very very much, I will truly miss you all.

We'll miss you too Jo-Ann. And I speak for quite a few people when I say that.

Notes from the AAA Banquet.

2010-05-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

A pretty special and emotional night at the Sault Major AAA Banquet tonight. In case you don't get it from reading below, we are really proud of our AAA teams.

First I'll start with how impressed I am by the players on our 3 AAA teams - Greyhounds, Thunder and Northstars. The banquet went well - Gino Cavallo is great in his MC role. Lots of awards and some good speeches. What really impressed me is how mature, composed, and courteous these young men are. Not once did I hear anyone talking during a speech, or see anyone acting inappropriately. The players were well-dressed, well-mannered, and well behaved. Their parents and their coaches should be very proud of them. I am. And considering they are the kids who represent SSM, we all should be proud. They are proof that time spent in our rep programs builds more than great hockey players.

A very special friend of mine - Jo-Ann King was honoured tonight with the Merit Scroll award, which is Sault Major's highest and most prestigious award. Jo has been the go-to person in SMHA for the past 10 years and is truly deserving of this honour. Considering her recent health challenges and her decision to retire, it was great to have her there in person and an honour for me to present it to her. Way to go Jo. We're all proud.

And another good friend, George Parsons, announced his retirement from his role as Manager of the Soo Northstars. George is the best in the business. He has been a key driver behind the incredible reputation that the Northstars have built across Ontario. His attention to detail and keen knack for always taking the appropriate action will be missed sorely. He is a great guy who loved the players and was consistently open and honest with everyone. George opened a racing parts business this past year and is still very involved with Laird Raceway and the Parsons Racing Team. Totally understandable why he's switching gears but, nonetheless, I'm sad to see him go.

Another Northstars note - Bid Caverly was honored recently as the NOHA's Trainer of the Year. Well deserved after he took on both roles this past season following Mitch's retirement. Way to go Bid!

Lots of mentions and buzz tonight about the five Northstars who were drafted to the OHL last weekend. Jake Wright getting picked as a 16 year old was great to see and I hope it helps some folks realize that life is not over at 15 if you don't get picked. From what I've been hearing the Sting want give him a fair shake at cracking the lineup. Congrats also to Patterson, Syrette, Giommi and Boyer. Don't be surprised if you see Davis Boyer prove some people wrong.

Did you know that Grant Syrette is just one year removed from Bantam AA?

It's been great to see Sal Lamantea from the Thunder improve as a coach over the past couple years since taking over the Soo Thunder. He's always been a fantastic guy and a good role model for the kids. And now he's the Northern Ontario AAA Bantam League's Coach of the Year.

Nice to see Joe Martone FINALLY win the SMHA Trainer of the Year award. The kids love this guy so it's great to see him pick-up an award.

Great to see that the Greyhound Bantams are consistent in doling out the awards. Again this year, a three way tie for best forward. Two way tie for best D. And a two way tie for top goalie. Nice gesture to spread it around, but it costs us a fortune in plaques. Just kidding. Congrats to the award winners. If Dom, Keith and Gross can harness the talent on this team, and some of the boys fill out a bit this summer, we could be in for a pretty good ride next season when these guys are Major Bantams.

One last plug for the Northstars. Every year the Northstars use the SMHA banquet to give out their own scholarships and some individual awards for their players. They also take the time to honour their graduating players. I am glad that they do this at our banquet (a) because it is classy and these young men deserve it, and (b) because the AAA bantam kids get to see it, and get a glimpse into why they should strive to be a Northstar. This is a classy organization who seem to have perfected the recipe.

Thanks to everybody who is involved in running our AAA organizations. The Soo is a great place to play AAA hockey. I wish I was 14 again.

Election Time. Smear Ads and Dirty Politics.

2010-04-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

The biggest transition from this season to next season for the SMHA Executive happens at the AGM on May 27th.

On May 27th the membership will vote in the new Executive team. And this year's elections have the potential to inflict major change to the association's leadership.

The following SMHA Executive positions are up for election:

President
1st Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Registrar
NOHA Liaison Officer
Bantam AA League Director
House League Bantam League Director
Midget BB League Director
Midget House League Director
Fundraising Chair
Ice Scheduler

All positions have a two year term.

Several of these open positions will see the current position holder seeking re-election.

However, the individuals in the following positions have expressed their intention to retire, meaning we are actively seeking nominees for these key roles:

1st Vice President
NOHA Liaison Officer
Bantam AA League Director
Bantam House League Director
Midget BB League Director
Midget House League Director

If you have the right intentions, the right energy level, and the time to dedicate yourself to making our hockey association the best in the business, please consider stepping up to the plate on May 27th. And if you have questions about any of the positions on our exec, or you'd like to hear about the job description, please send an email to saultmajor@saultmajorhockey.ca.

Next year is shaping up to be very exciting and we've already been discussing some really interesting changes for the new season. We have to raise registration costs quite a bit for next year because of HST, so we want to do everything we can to deliver the best hockey experience possible for the money.

PS - You're probably wondering about the "Smear Ads and Dirty Politics" headline. That was just to get you to read this post.

That's it for now. I hope to see lots of Sault Major folks out to watch the Dudley Hewitt Cup this week. Go TBirds!!!

April 10th - 2009/10 Wraps Up

2010-04-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

That does it. It is Saturday April 10 and all of our teams are finished for the season. Bantam BB wrapped up today with Brody's edging McDougall 3-2 in game 7. Congrats to Scott Cleminson and his Brody's Bar team on a very successful season. League, playoffs, NOHA's and a couple of tournaments. Winning isn't everything, but it gets you a mention in my blog.

Let's recap the 2010 playoff winners.

MAA - Root River Rangers
MBB - Soo Sabres
MHL - Tenaris Algoma Tubes
BAA - Soo Blackhawks**
BBB - Brody's Sports Bar **
BHL - Breakaway Bar*

* also league champs
** also league and NOHA champs

Tough year at the All-Ontario's for our AA teams. Both Blackhawks and Toyota went 0-4 in the round-robin this weekend. But no doubt they went at it hard and represented the Soo with class. A tough way to end the season, but at the end of the day they still have their 2010 NOHA Champions banners to look back on.

Now we can look forward to our awards banquets and the traditional Marconi meal. John Carlson, who has been on the SMHA executive since the early 80's, has been arranging all of our banquets for the last 20 years. When it comes to dedicated, hardcore volunteers, Johnny is a rockstar.

So that is it for this season. We started up eight months ago with our draft games. It is a long season and everybody is tired. I hope that, for the vast majority of those involved, this story had a happy ending. I also hope that, once we all take some time and recharge, the hockey passion will re-ignite and we'll all be ready for the next chapter - 2010/11 - it is only 4.5 mths away.

SMHA Announcement Re: Tournaments

2010-04-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

SMHA Announces New Tournaments for 2010/11 Season

On behalf of the Sault Major Hockey Association I am proud to announce some exciting changes to our lineup of hockey tournaments being offered for the 2010/11 season.

Over the past few seasons, several factors have contributed to SMHA’s Steel City International Tournament’s decline, including the January timeframe during which the tournament has traditionally been held. In response to our current situation we will no longer offer the Steel City International Tournament.

However, SMHA is proud to introduce a brand new tournament that will be known as the Soo Greyhounds International Showdown. This tournament will serve as the battleground for rep teams from Canada and the US and will offer 9 divisions from Minor Atom AAA right up to Major Midget AAA. This new tournament will take place annually on the third weekend in November.

Each of the divisions will feature a local host team including the Soo Northstars, Soo Thunder Bantams, and all five Soo Jr. Greyhounds teams.

This tournament represents the beginning of a new era of tournament hockey in Sault Ste. Marie. SMHA has partnered with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, Tourism SSM, and Sault College to offer a world-class hockey event to be enjoyed by local hockey fans and our guests to the Sault.

I am proud to announce the recent appointment of Mike Murphy as the Tournament Chairperson for the Soo Greyhounds International Showdown tournament. Mike is a long-time SMHA volunteer and we are confident in Mike’s ability to deliver on our objectives for this event.

SMHA will continue to offer the Steel City Classic Tournament, which will move from its traditional November date to the first weekend in January. This tournament will offer six divisions - Midget AA, BB and House League and Bantam AA, BB, and House League. SMHA has not yet appointed a Tournament Chairperson for this event.

Mike Murphy can be reached at mikemurf44@hotmail.com. Our tournament website will be ready very soon. Recruitment efforts for out-of-town teams are already underway.

Almost Done for 2009/10

2010-04-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

At the time I am writing this only one series remains - BBB Brody's vs. McDougalls. All other series have been decided.

A couple more series ended in the past two days, two of them with electrifying Game 7 excitement.

In Bantam House League, regular season champs Breakaway Bar were forced to a game seven by the surging P&M Steelhawks. Steelhawks tied the game up with 4 minutes left to force overtime, only to lose game 7 in OT on a goal by Breakaway's Jakob Persic. Well done boys. What a great season in BHL.

In Midget House league Algoma Tubes needed only 5 games to take the title. Congratulations to Mike Boisvenue and his team. And congrats to Maitland Motors who took down league champs Red Star to get to the finals. Anyone who says that House League is just recreational and not very competitive hasn't been out to watch these guys go at it.

And the Sault Blackhawks AA Bantams completed the triple crown with a game 7 win over Pino's Titans. Blackhawks won the league, playoffs and NOHA's. A pretty rare feat in Bantam AA. Congratulations to both teams on an exciting series.

Just a reminder to everyone that the Blackhawks and Northside Toyota AA Midgets are travelling south this weekend to represent Northern Ontario in the OHF championships. You can follow their scores at http://www.ohf.on.ca/

And lastly, I am proud to announce my selection as SMHA volunteer of the month. This month's recipient is Mike Murphy. Mike recently guided the Root River Rangers to the Midget AA playoff title. He also acted as chairperson for the recent NOHA Tournament of Champions held in SSM during the March Break and did a great job. You may also recall that Mike organized a charity drive this past Christmas to support a local family in need. I've known Mike for a few years now and I'm glad I got the chance to recognize him for his volunteerism and for going the extra mile. Thanks Mike.

SMHA is blessed with dozens of dynamite volunteers. And for the most part it is thankless work. The effort that goes into a single hockey season by our legion of volunteers on teams and the executive is monstrous. Thanks to everyone who played a role in the 2009/10 hockey season.

Miscellaneous Items on Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Soo Northstars who return today from the Midget AAA All-Ontario's. They didn't medal, but lost in the semi-finals to Mississauga Reps 2-1 in overtime. Mississauga cruised to the gold medal today with a 7-3 win over Ottawa. So you could argue that we were one shot away from beating Mississauga and a likely gold medal. Of note, Brandon Warmington broke his leg on his first shift of the tournament. So we came that close without one of our top players. The other teams in the 7 team tournament were Ottawa (2), Mississauga, Vaughan, London and Oakville. And little old SSM with our 75,000 population. Pretty amazing. Congratulations boys on a fine season. We're very proud. And hats off to the Northstars' staff who just put in 8 days at this event - they left last Sunday. That's one hell of a commitment. Thank you on behalf of SMHA.

Back to the SMHA playoffs. A couple weeks ago I predicted that three of the top seeds would succumb to playoff pressure. Toyota's loss in the Midget AA semi's was the first big one. Soo Sabres upended Bayview for number two. Red Star went down early in HLM to Maitland Motors for number three. Will we see a few more major upsets? We'll see very soon if Brody's, Blackhawks, and Breakaway Bar can walk the walk.

Congratulations to the 2 teams that have already won 2009/2010 playoff championships - the Root River Rangers and the Soo Sabres. Both were underdogs going into the post-season. Well done guys.

I'll be back soon with more posts this week. I've got lots to talk about, including lots of changes for next year, dress code for the banquets, and I'll announce my first volunteer of the month award.

NOHA Titles for SMHA Teams

2010-03-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend wrapped up two successive weekends of NOHA Playdowns. Lots of success for Soo teams this year.

What a spectacular day for our Northside Toyota Midget AA team at the John Rhodes Arena. Northside knocked off the powerhouse from Hearst in the semi-finals, while in the other semi, Sudbury Sharks upset the Copper Cliff Redmen - the #1 ranked team in Ontario. In the finals, Toyota won a 4-3 squeeker against Sudbury on a Dylan Fremlin goal from behind the goal line in the last 4 minutes. Congratulations to Travis Ruicci, his staff and all the players. This is our first NOHA title in Midget AA since 2003. Toyota heads to North Toronto for the All-Ontarios in a couple weeks.

Last week it was the Sault Blackhawks who brought home a Bantam AA NOHA crown from Sudbury. This has always been a tough division for Sault teams to win, so congrats to Vince DeLuca's Blackhawks. They also head south for the OHF's in a few weeks. It's been three years since the Soo won a Bantam AA title.

Last week on home ice, Scott Cleminson's Brody's Bantams won the Bantam C crown. This is the second year in a row that a Sault team won this one. Last year it was Joey Calzone's. Congrats to Brody's. They also won the Bantam BB league title and can make it a triple crown if they can win the league playoffs this month.

Also last week, the Peewee AA Minor Jr. Greyhounds won gold in Sudbury with a tough win over West Ferris. This is the same group of kids, coached by Mike Mackay, that won the OHF for Atom AA last year. Great job guys.

And of course the Northstars were AAA Midget champs and will travel to Vaughan for the All-Ontario's at the end of March. Last Monday's game 5 vs Sudbury at the jampacked JR was incredible. Mike Hall's Stars have a decent chance to win this thing and move on to the National Championship. Good luck guys.

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who helped run our two tournament weekends in the Soo. Great job on two well-run weekends. Lots of compliments from our out of town guests.

I even had multiple compliments about our referees from the Sudbury coaches and parents. Honest.

Speaking of Sudbury parents, I happened to hear several of them dropping F-bombs behind the glass this weekend. Perhaps I should write a letter and post it in the Sudbury newspaper....

It's been a successful March Break for the SMHA. We're extremely proud of our players, coaches and volunteers. Winning isn't everything, but it sure feels good on NOHA Playdown weekend.

Wednesday's Sault Star

2010-03-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Did you happen to catch the article that was printed in the Sault Star Wednesday that was "written" by a Sudbury reporter about the behaviour of the Soo Northstars parents in Sudbury? The article claims that a few Soo parents used some foul language behind the glass at a recent hockey game at Sudbury's Countryside Arena.

Firstly, I know it happens in hockey, at all levels, and I certainly don't condone it. If you are an offender - grow up and respect your fellow fans.

HOWEVER....

The Soo Northstars run one of the classiest organizations in all of Ontario, and certainly the Great North Midget League. I go to 90% of their home games and would rank their fans near the 'tame' end of the spectrum. So for them to get painted with this brush in the Sault Star is a shame.

And the bigger issue: why in the heck did the editor of the Sault Star choose to publish this article in our paper? What a moronic decision. Only two days after running nearly a full page praising the Stars for an incredible championship series, the same paper prints this ridiculous article.

I feel sorry for Ben Leeson and Peter Ruicci. Two talented guys who do a tremendous job and spend a ton of time following local sports and building relationships with coaches, athletes and administrators. They cover all of the positive local sports stories that Saultites want to read. Only to have their own paper print this drivel right next to their work.

I'll finish by reiterating that if you are a parent who acts like this at the rink, stop it. And to the Soo Northstars, keep your heads held high. You're the cream of the crop and have SMHA's full support. Go get us a provincial championship.

SMHA March Madness

2010-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

While our league playoffs will go on hiatus following Thursday games this week, there's quite a bit going on in SMHA in the next week or so.

The Soo Northstars AAA Midgets won the GNML semi-finals last weekend by sweeping Nickel City Sons. The league championship series starts this Thursday in the Soo vs. Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves. It is a best 3 of 5 series. The winner goes to the All-Ontario's in St. Catharines. Game Two is Friday night 6:30 at the Rankin. Game 3 and 4 go on Sat & Sun in Sudbury, with Game 5 back in the Soo.

What the Northstars have accomplished over the past decade has been been incredible and I hope that Mike and his team can pull it off again. Go Stars!

Soo Thunder AAA Major bantams dropped 2 games to the Sudbury Wolves on the weekend and are back in the Soo on Saturday and Sunday for games 3 and hopefully 4 of the NOBHL finals. I smell a comeback. Both Thunder games will be right in the middle of our NOHA tournament.

SMHA is hosting the NOHA Tournament of Champions this weekend for Atom AA, Bantam C, and Bantam AAA Minor. All the action is at John Rhodes 1 & 2 starting Friday morning.

Both of our Atom AA Jr. Greyhounds teams will compete in a 7 team division led by their head coaches Mark Taylor and Steve Caruso. Valley East is ranked #1 in Ontario at this level.

In Bantam C, Brody's and New York Fries will represent SMHA in a 6 team tournament. Dave McPhee's Joey Calzone's Flames won the NOHA's last year. (Our Bantam BB's play in Bantam C because no other cities in the north offer BBB.)

And continuing the Soo Greyhounds vs Sudbury Wolves match-ups this weekend, Dom DeLuca's Minor Bantam AAA Hounds face off against their rival Sudbury Wolves in a two-team, 6-point series. Come and watch this if you can - there's tons of talent on these two teams.

And on the last weekend of the March Break we are hosting the Midget AA NOHA's. Toyota and Root River will represent SMHA in a 5-team tournament that includes powerhouses from Hearst and Copper Cliff. If one of our teams wins this one it will be WELL deserved and get us an entry in the All-Ontario's.

Lots going on. And you thought we shut 'er down for the March Break........

Full Moon?

2010-03-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

What? Was there a full moon this past weekend?

It has been a long, long time since I have experienced, or been phoned/e-mailed, about on-ice and off-ice issues like I have been about Saturday and Sunday in SMHA.

I will not mention names, teams or leagues. Instead I am going to highlight some key points about everyone's role is at the rink.

Players
Your role is to play as hard as you can and fight for every inch on the ice. Battle your opponent. It's the playoffs and you are expected to have extra emotion inside of you. But it is not acceptable to direct obscenity at the referee, your coaches, or parents on either team - no matter what the circumstances. And it is definitely not acceptable to try to injure an opposing player. A good clean check? Great. An intentional, dirty cheap shot? Not part of the game.

Coaches
Your role is to try and guide your players to playoff victory. It is about them. Not you.
If you expect respect from your players, respect them. Take it easy on the refs. This next one is important - It is absolutely unacceptable for a coach to taunt, threaten or trash-talk any player on the opposing team. They are the kids. You are the adults. Let's keep that line clearly defined.

Referees
Call the game. Keep control of the game. You are not perfect and I (maybe I'm alone on this one) don't expect you to be perfect. But for crying out loud, you know emotions are running high, so do not egg on the players and coaches or goad them into talking back.

Parents
Support your team. Support your kid. The occasional cat call to the ref? - whatever. But it is absolutely unacceptable for you to yell at a player or coach on the other team by name or number or to say anything to an opposing player as he is leaving the ice. Some of you seem surprised when a teenager yells back as you berate him on his way to the room. If this is you, you are a bad hockey parent. Clean it up. Be an adult and a role model.

And for the other 95% of you, thank you for your support of SMHA. If we can clean up our game it will be more enjoyable for all of us.

League Champs Means Playoff Pressure

2010-03-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well, here we go. The long regular season is over and it's playoff time for our AA, BB, and Houseleagues.

Let's acknowledge our league champions.

In Bantam AA, congrats to the Sault Blackhawks who have defended last year's league title with a 4pt lead over Pino's.

In Bantam BB it came down to the last game of the season and Brody's Sports Bar held off the surging New York Fries.

In Bantam HL, Breakaway Bar had only 9 regulation losses this year and won the league title.

Midget AA. Travis Ruicci's mighty Northside Toyota team lived up to expectations and took the league crown. Can they be dethroned in the playoffs? We'll see.

The Midget BB league title was decided by 1 point. Bayview barely outlasted Dionisi to take the well-deserved title of league champions.

In Midget House League, another 1 pt separation. Red Star wins the title with Algoma Tubes 1 pt back. Congrats to Red Star on the title.

But now it is playoff time. The most exciting time of the year. League titles are nice. But the playoff champs go down in history as the victors. And that's why I love that all of our playoff finals are 4 out of 7 series. No one gets one lucky bounce and wins the playoffs. You've got to earn it.

It's time to see which of our league champs can handle the added pressure of being #1 and deliver a playoff title. I'm betting on three major upsets. Any takers?

Welcome to the President's Blog

2010-03-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, “blogging” is pretty foreign to me at this point, and if I demonstrate any disrespect for “blog” etiquette it will be purely unintentional.

I see this blog as an opportunity to share some insight with our players, parents, fans and volunteers on current affairs, recent decisions, upcoming events, and future direction for the association. Your comments will also help provide me, and the SMHA executive, a feel for how our decisions and policies are affecting our members.

Some upcoming topics I’ll be blogging on will be…exciting changes to our Steel City Tournaments for next season…Atom Rep hockey…Minor Midget AAA…changes in the works for SMHA next season…new Dress Code for our banquets…schedule changes…Player Protection policies for our drafts…things I love about minor hockey…things I hate about minor hockey…

I’ll also be using this blog to introduce the SMHA Volunteer of the Month.

Anyway, there’s lots I want to share and I hope that this becomes a good forum for communication. This first “blog” was just to see if this thing works. Stay tuned.

Thx
Adam.

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

2010-02-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

New ground for the Sault Major Hockey Association, "A blog". Stay tuned...