No Contact No Boundaries Rep Hockey???

This is quite exciting, for those of us with kids stuck in the OMHA or Alliance zones that cannot move between towns to play where they like.  It's also a great idea for those of us with kids who are suffering from Concussions after playing in the body contact style OMHA.  I am hoping that this league is successful.  Please comment and let me know if this is for real!!

This email came from director@saferephockeyleague.ca 

and was directed to parents receiving email from Cory Conacher 3on3, 
formerly Adam Bennett 3on3

Safe Rep Hockey League Halton Expansion Tryouts

3 New Teams in Halton Announced!

Good Afternoon Parents and Players, The Safe Rep Hockey League (SRHL) is pleased to announce not only the opening of its 2014/15 Tryout Registration, but also our expansion in the Halton Region. The SRHL is a no body-contact league that offers Rep Level Hockey with No Address Boundaries. In addition to our PEEWEE, BANTAM and MIDGET Divisions, we have added an ATOM age group for the 2014/15 season. Tryouts will begin on May 31st and continue until June 22nd.  All tryouts will take place at Wave Hockey facilities (Wave Twin Rinks and Wave Sports Centre) The growth of the SRHL is being bolstered by the addition of THREE NEW TEAMS!  The Halton Ravens will be joined by: Burloak Bears Milton Warriors Burlington Cougars More teams means more spots available for the new season.  60 players positions and 8 goalie positions will be available in each Division. 2014 Tryouts, which guarantee 3 tryout skates, will be administered by our SRHL Coaches and Professional Staff. To register for our 2014 SRHL Tryouts please click HERE See our flyer (below) for more details, or contact us at director@saferephockeyleague.ca We hope that you are able to participate in what will be our best SRHL season yet. SRHL Director

AP Players

After teams are selected at tryouts, AP players (Affiliated Players) may be selected to fill in where necessary on rep teams.   Usually a team will pick a few players, including defense, forwards and a goalie - just in case bad things happen - injuries, suspensions or maybe vacations.  Some AP players may never see the ice.  Some of the Hockey Family have been AP'd this season to higher level teams but  have only visited a few practices, and have not filled in for a game.  That's OK.  They have too much hockey already anyway.  Some players are given the opportunity to participate with the team, attending practices throughout the season and filling in for a few or many games.  Bravo to those coaches who allow this.  Isn't coaching about allowing kids to develop and giving additional ice time?  The coaches who allow this may not need the extra players, but they are not afraid to help kids improve and enjoy hockey.  THANKS!  To the coaches who rarely use AP players or who AP a whole team so that no one knows who is really AP'd and no one can complain - WHAT ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF?

OMHA Boundaries

Figuring out if your kids can play in another town is not easy.  For girls playing in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League, it's no problem.  Just figure out if the town you want to try out for allows imports.  That's it.  Get a permission to skate, then a release.  Easy.  For boys, there is movement within the GTHL, but outside of the GTHL, there are residency restrictions in rep hockey in Ontario.  If your child plays or tries out for AAA, it's a pain, but there is movement.  He has to try out for his own zone, then get released to try out for othere centres.  The process is more detailed than that but that's the general idea.  I have seen girls try out both for OMHA teams and girls teams at the same time.  The organizations are separate and no one knows the difference.
If you live in the Lake Ontario Region, your child can play in the GTHL or in your home organization.

"The Lake Ontario Region (LOR) includes the following centres/organizations: Richmond Hill; Markham; Ajax; Pickering; Brampton; Oakville and the GTHL which allows player movement at all divisions and levels (except AE and Select) ....Are Nobleking and Caledon residents part of the LOR? YES – for AAA only! Nobleking & Caledon residents cannot leave their association for AA; A etc" - from the Richmond Hill Stars http://www.richmondhillstars.com/img/content_images/Image/FAQs.pdf

So if you live in Caledon, Nobleking, Erin, Orangeville, Georgetown, Milton, etc. there is no movement, unless your child is AAA.For parts West - there is the Alliance.  Residency rules apply to Alliance towns unless your child wants to stay in House League.  The Alliance includes:

Brantford Church Hockey League, Brantford Minor Hockey Association, Burlington Lions Optimist Hockey Association,Cambridge Minor Hockey Association, Chatham-Kent AAA Zone, Elgin Middlesex Hockey Alliance, Greater London Hockey Association, Hamilton Minor Hockey Council, Huron Perth AAA Zone, Kitchener Minor Hockey Association, Lambton AAA Hockey, London Jr. Knights, Greater Fort Erie Minor Hockey Association, Sarnia Hockey Association, St. Catharines CYO Minor Hockey Association, St. Thomas Minor Hockey Association ** ,Stratford Minor Hockey Association, Sun County AAA Minor Hockey Association, Waterloo Minor Hockey Association, Windsor AAA Zone , Woodstock Minor Hockey, ** St. Thomas Minor Hockey Association is a member of the OMHA competing in the ALLIANCE Seeded League for the 2007-2008 season

The OMHA relaxed residency rules recently, but this seems to me to be just for towns with BB and below. Then your child can go to the next town.  Forgive me if I have misinterpreted this - and please comment.  Here's an article from the Star:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/853642--ontario-minor-hockey-association-relaxes-residency-rules   "“We feel that kids who play BB and below need to be afforded an opportunity to play and develop to their potential,” OMHA executive director Richard Ropchan said. “We always need to look at the programs we offer. We recognize this is something that’s necessary. “We are creatures of habit and don’t like change, but change is inevitable,” he said. “What may have worked 20 or 30 years ago does not necessarily work now.” Ropchan says the association expects to ratify the decision at its annual meeting next spring."

Hey, won't this be after spring tryouts?  Thanks OMHA, my son will be married with kids by the time you get done with this.  And your proposal is as clear as muck.

What does this mean for AA and A kids who don't make their home teams?  I can't tell..  According to a quote from the OMHA's Ropchan in York Region online at http://www.yorkregion.com/sports/article/868590--it-may-be-dream-world-thinking-for-omha-s-residency-proposal "Not surprisingly, Ropchan confirmed the OMHA’s telephone lines were buzzing Monday morning with requests for details, including the notion players unsuccessful at making their hometown team at the single or double-A level could make a parallel move to the next centre. That is not the case."

The latest update is now at http://hockeyzine.blogspot.com/2011/01/omha-approves-player-movement-proposal.html

This is a very important issue for Ontario Hockey families.  Please comment.

GTHL Stories in the Toronto Star

Here's a link to the Toronto Star http://www.thestar.com/sports/gthl/article/861734 story about a lawsuit between two families and the GTHL, in which the parents alleged their sons were cut from the Avalanche Minor Sports Club midget junior A team by coaches that were ineligible to coach due to tampering issues.
The parties "reached an agreement to avoid the courts and settled with ‘no fault’".  “The two fathers agreed to dismiss the action in its entirety in exchange for the GTHL conducting a hearing as to whether the individuals were in violation of any league sanctions.”  Read the whole article at the Star.

Then there's the amazing story of Stuart Hyman, a Toronto Real Estate developer, who invested in Minor Hockey Teams, and most recently International Scouting Services (ISS). ISS scouts players and publishes and NHL scouting report.  According to the article: "Hockey has not been faced with the likes of Stuart Hyman before,” said John Gardner, president of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, from which Hyman withdrew as an owner of more than 90 teams following a high-profile league investigation in 2004."  This is an amazing story and one of the outcomes is 18 year old Zach Hyman being selected in the 5th round of the NHL draft. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/article/861974--how-a-dad-with-nhl-dreams-bankrolled-a-hockey-empire  I'm not sure if Stuart Hyman qualifies as a Crazy Hockey Parent or not, but this is just too amazing to be true.  Someone should make a movie out of this one. Sorry kids I can't afford a hockey team or a scouting company, so let's just stick to eating right, having fun, getting enough sleep, getting to hockey practice on time and maybe doing your homework.

Tryouts

Three days of tryouts and the little guy had worked hard to get ready.  It was a first for him.  He had tried before, but never with this much focus and effort.  In the final day, it was obvious it was down to him and one other boy for a specific position.  The other boy, the incumbent, looked great and had also worked hard.  We thought it had gone the other way, but were shocked and pleased when he got the good news.  The other boy and his father, both with tears in their eyes, walked right over and congratulated him.   So while we are happy when our kids make the team, we need to appreciate that there were other kids that worked hard and for whatever reason, did not make it.  It may only be a very low level of hockey and as our coaches always say in their very motivating speeches - "It's not like any of them are going to the show", but these tryouts and choices are important, and all players deserve to be treated with respect.