Lending a helping hand
David Branch is busy. There is a lot going on in junior hockey these days — the minimumwage litigation, the debate over upping the NHL draft to 19-year-olds, the health and welfare of teen players and the tug-of-war for talent with U.S. colleges.
None of those issues are going away anytime soon.
So in the interest of lending the OHL commissioner a hand, let’s appoint ourselves deputy commish and look at five other hotbutton topics that need to be addressed — and now.
ART OF THE DEAL
Last season, the Spitfires knew they would be in the Memorial Cup, but lacked scoring. So they acquired Leafs pick Jeremy Bracco from Kitchener. The package for his services included a conditional second-round pick in 2025 — eight years away. It’s crazy. Branch, in his seasonopening question-and-answer session through Facebook, mentioned these types of trades need to be studied. The simple solution is to cap it at four years. So, this season for example, you wouldn’t be permitted to deal away picks past the 2021 OHL draft. The other frequent complaint about trades in junior hockey is the volume. Since early April, there have been 35. You could technically throw a cap on that, too — say, a team is only permitted to make five trades once the regular season starts. That would force clubs to stick to a core group of players longer and put the pressure where it should be — on scouting staffs and player development departments. But the flip side is you always want to allow kids in bad situations the chance to escape and still stay in the league. For that reason, it’s unlikely capping trades would ever fly.
LATER START?
The biggest complaint I heard in the past week was about how unfair it is to fans to start the OHL season with so many stars still at NHL camps. That kind of exodus already happens in December at world junior time — so it’s robbing the paying customer to offer such a watered-down product. The quick answer, of course, would be to start in early October. If that were to happen, the league would have to either back up the Memorial Cup to mid-June or cram in a half-dozen or so games into already over-booked arenas, potentially increasing three-inthree weekends or the number of games scheduled for Tuesday nights. None of that will help quality of play or attendance, either. So you add up those options, and it’s probably best just to enjoy the call-ups and young guys for a few weeks.
SUSTAINED SEARCH
One thing you learn over time about nearly every sports league is that for every booming franchise, there are a few hot spots needing to be monitored. Mississauga’s relationship with OHL hockey has riding a teeter-totter since its inception 20 years ago. Trout owner Elliott Kerr has said he wants to see a boost in attendance this season in order to be encouraged that further growth is possible. He told the Mississauga News earlier this month “it’s not sustainable” at current fan levels. Remember, this is a team that just made it to the league final. If they falter on the ice, there is almost zero chance of that required butt-inseats spike. And after adding Flint and Hamilton in recent years, the OHL is running out of places to move.
PLAYOFF FORMAT
We go through this same debate every season, but the disparity between the Western and Eastern Conferences doesn’t look like it will ever change. Last year, four teams in the West had 100 points or pretty darn close to it, and no one in the East came remotely close. The reasons are pretty clear. The West has better access to American players willing to report. They have more of the “jewel” franchises, forcing the rest of the teams in their division are forced to keep up with — or get buried — all the time. So many people have begged for the 1-16 playoff seeding format that the Quebec league uses for the chance to see stronger semifinal and championship series. I would like to see it approved for one season, just one — almost as a test run. If enough like it, then keep it.
FACE SHIELDS
More equipment? Really? Weren’t neck guards enough? Short answer: No. After seeing the dental work Logan Couture had to endure after being hit by a redirected shot in the NHL and listening to Drew Doughty say he won’t bother replacing his teeth until after his career, let’s save some smiles in the OHL ranks. Sure, the draft photos won’t look as good while wearing a face shield or a cage, but it’s better than a bunch of toothless grins. If the players want to sacrifice their teeth in the pros with pucks, punches and high sticks, all the power to them. You watch Junior B games these days and it’s all full face shields. The OHL should take a cue and follow suit.