By Sam Laskaris / November 19, 2009 /
OMHA GREAT HONOURED IN HOMETOWN
One of the greatest players to lace up the skates for the Toronto Maple Leafs was honoured at a tournament in his hometown.
The late Syl Apps was honoured during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Minor Hockey Association’s Rob Johnston Memorial Tournament on Nov. 7.
The tribute at the tournament, held at the Syl Apps Community Centre, was in recognition of Apps’ selection to the OMHA’s all-time great team.
Apps was one of three forwards – Wayne Gretzky and Doug Gilmour were the others – chosen to the team via an online poll last season during the OMHA’s 75th anniversary.
A banner celebrating the achievement was presented to officials of Paris’ minor hockey association.
“It’s quite an honour,” said Kevin Boston, the OMHA’s director of marketing and events. “And one of the Paris minor hockey representatives I spoke with said Syl Apps is Paris’ best export.”
Apps, who died in 1988, played 10 seasons with the Maple Leafs during the ‘30s and ‘40s. His NHL career was put on hold for a pair of years while he served in the Canadian army during World War II.
Apps later became a politician. He was a member of Ontario’s provincial parliament from 1963 to 1975.
“He’s a role model even for today’s youth,” Boston said. “The more I learn about Syl Apps, the more I respect him.”
ASSOCIATION EXPANDS SOCIAL NETWORKING
Following OMHA news has gotten even easier.
That’s because the OMHA launched both Twitter and Facebook accounts on Nov. 16.
“The OMHA understands the importance of social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter,” said Marg Ensoll, the association’s president. “The launch of our Twitter feed and Facebook page is intended to help us raise awareness of the OMHA and improve communication with our membership.”
To become a Facebook friend with the OMHA, search OMHAHometownHockey. And the association’s activities can be followed via Twitter @HometownHockey.
STARS AND COLTS JOIN FORCES FOR FUNDRAISER
A pair of OMHA Minor Bantam squads opted to join forces to fight a well-known battle.
The Richmond Hill Stars and Barrie Colts AA teams combined to stage a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness on Nov. 13.
Players from both clubs wore pink skate laces and taped their sticks pink during their regular season contest.
Donations were accepted at the game and a total of $770 was raised for the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.
“Every little bit helps,” Kevin Boston, the OMHA’s director of marketing and events, said of the money raised.Boston was also thrilled to hear that the two teams decided to have a joint fundraiser.
“We always try to encourage our kids and our players to do positive and active things in the community,” he said.
SPINAL INJURIES IN DECLINE
OMHA officials are thrilled with a recent report that spinal cord injuries in hockey have drastically decreased.
The finding was published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
The decrease in the number of injuries can be attributed to minor hockey’s STOP patch program, which teaches players to avoid hitting others from behind. During the past decade, more than 400,000 ‘STOP’ patches have been sewn onto the jerseys of youth hockey players across North America.
“It shows these initiatives we’re making have made an impact,” Boston said.
?TERRIERS WIN HOMETOWN TOURNEY
Members of the Orillia Terriers Major Atom A squad staged a dramatic comeback to win a tournament in their hometown.
The Terriers found themselves trailing 3-0 against the Grimsby Peach Kings early in their championship final of the Jim Wilson Tournament, which concluded on Nov. 15.
The Orillia side, however, rebounded from their early deficit and scored a half-dozen goals during the remainder of the contest to register a 6-3 victory.
The Terriers advanced to the final with a 4-3 OT semi-final win over the Uxbridge Stars.
SPECIALTY CLINICS ON THE HORIZON
The OMHA will be running coaching specialty clinics during late November and early December.
For starters, there will be a goaltending specialty clinic in Owen Sound on Nov. 25. A second clinic will be staged in Owen Sound on Nov. 28, focussing on puck control and small area games.
Also on Nov. 28, there will be a similar puck control and small area games clinic in Hespeler.
Then, on Dec. 5, there will be a clinic in Simcoe concentrating on goaltending and running effective practices.
All clinics include both classroom and on-ice sessions.
HOSTS WIN BEAVERLOCHS TOURNEY
The host Thorold Atom rep squad won its division at the Beaverlochs Invitational Tournament.
Thorold edged the Kingsville Kings 3-2 in their championship final, staged on Nov. 15.
Thorold advanced to the final by winning all four of its round-robin matches, collectively outscoring its opponents 16-2. |