The Innisfil Minor Hockey Association announced last spring that their house league program would be discontinued, meaning young players could only try out for one of the travelling Winterhawks rep teams.
Due to Ontario Minor Hockey Association residency rules, it left anyone unable or unwilling to play with the Winterhawks with nowhere else to play organized hockey.
Carter and Young are proposing a 2008-2009 house league season, with teams in the Tyke to Peewee groups using the name Young Crusaders.
“We’re filling a need for this year, with the five to 12 year olds,” said Carter. The duo hopes to develop the Near North Hockey League (NNHL), which would lead to the development of rep programs within the organization.
The NNHL is connected with the Canadian Hockey Parents Association, which allows players to cross boundaries to play hockey.
“The GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League) won’t go north of Highway 7,” said Carter, “So in Alliston, Tottenham and Bradford, there’s only one option and that’s the OMHA.”
With many area teams restricted to the OMHA, she believes they’ll have no shortage of players. “It’s not just Innisfil. Lefroy and Thornton are all travel (as well).”
But for Jeff Young, who coached the Winterhawks Atom ‘A’ team to the OMHA title last season, it is about Innisfil.
He points to hockey’s heyday in the region when residents came out to see the match up of Lefroy versus Stroud and it wasn’t so much about victory as it was about community. Fans took joy in knowing the local teams and the players.
“We’ve lost that,” said Young, “I think people want it to be brought back.”
With the cancellation of house league, some players have migrated to the Barrie Knights private hockey league, but Carter doesn’t see that as a solution.
“It’s about keeping players in Innisfil,” she said. “You have to offer affordable programs.”
One of the main focuses of the Young Crusader Hockey Club will be player and coach development. With players able to move between boundaries, the best-run teams and the best coaches will attract the most number of players.
“We’re looking for coaches who want to coach - period,” said Young, referring to the politics coaches often get drawn into in higher-level clubs.
To facilitate this development, they’ve partnered with the Innisfil Lakers Jr. ‘A’ hockey team, who will provide mentoring to both players and coaches throughout the season.
“They’re totally on board,” said Young, “They’re trying to develop Junior A within our region, and each team in our league will be affiliated in some way with the Lakers.”
He also hopes to have coaches behind the benches with the Lakers for some games to see how it’s done in junior hockey.
By raising the level of coaching, Carter expects to raise the level of the game.
“It’s not just about picking whoever (as coach). We want the highest level of coaching to bring the teams to the highest level of play.”
And accountable coaching and a well-run club are important when there are no boundary restrictions.
“Parents can shop around and find the program that suits their child,” she said.
Registration for the league will be on a first-come first-served basis and will be held on July 19 from 10-12 a.m. at the Lefroy arena or a mail-in form can be printed from www.youngcrusadershockey.com
