Senior loop shows signs of strength
The big picture is encouraging to local owners
Men who own and operate hockey teams tend to fall somewhere near 11 on the 10-point competitiveness scale.
If they were told that running naked through the downtown while singing Yoko Ono’s greatest hits at the top of their lungs would somehow give them an edge, they’d probably do it. Twice, just to be sure.
As a result, hearing the general manager of one local team speak enthusiastically about the night his side lost in an upset to a rival is more than a little startling.
“It was positive,” Stoney Creek Generals’ GM Tony Falasca says of the 6-3 defeat his side suffered at the hands of the Hamilton Steelhawks a few weeks back. “One hundred per cent.”
For the record, he’s neither confused as he speaks the words, nor drunk. He’s simply looking big picture at the Allan Cup Hockey League — what used to be known as the Ontario senior AAA league — and realizing that this is a sign the loop is getting better. More good teams mean more good games. More balance means more intrigue. Which is all good.
It’s a sentiment shared by all three Hamilton-area teams in the six-team league.
Falasca’s Generals are one of the powerhouses. Possibly the powerhouse. Now in their fourth year, the defending champs with their lineup of NHL draft picks, junior hockey grads and guys who played minor pro score a lot and have lost just twice this season.
He says his team is the best in the area right now. Not just in his league. In all of Hamilton.
“Oh, we could never play an OHL team right now,” Falasca says. “We’d destroy them.”
A couple slots down the standings are the second-year Steelhawks. After working to get enough guys together to ice a team last season, owner Jason Daleo says he learned some lessons and brought in a dozen new players this year. Skaters who were younger and faster.
They score a lot, too. Plus they’ve had great goaltending de-
spite giving up a ton of shots. Suddenly 2015’s pushovers — they won three games all season — are holding their own in 2016. Highlighted by that win over Stoney Creek.
“That was an eye opener,” Daleo says.
He, too, says it was a sign that this league is much better today. Anyone can beat anyone. Every team belongs. His group already has four wins and could’ve had another if it hadn’t blown a 5-1 lead against firstplace Whitby early in the season.
Even Dundas feels good about itself. Though the most-established — and winningest — team in the league is uncharacteristically sitting in last place with just two wins, its general manager says he feels good about his group. Though he’s perplexed at why it’s losing, he believes things will turn around soon.
But Don Robertson says there’s a bigger issue at play here. He then echoes the same thing the others have said. This league is vastly better and healthier this year than it has been in the past.
“You don’t want a weak link,” he says. “You want your partners to be strong. We have that and I think it’s wonderful.”
Ultimately, all three executives say better hockey makes it easier to recruit better players. Which then raises the level of the hockey even further. Meaning crowds — which still measure in the hundreds most nights — will eventually grow. That’s the plan, anyway. Can it work? It’s always been a struggle. There’s tons of competition for the hockey dollar in this area. Plus, the league’s generally had a couple great teams and a couple hopeless ones which made balance impossible. When everyone knows who’s going to win most games it’s tough to convince fans to pay to watch a game. But now?
“Look what’s happened this year,” Falasca says. “Everyone’s picked up.”
Which is why they all believe the answer is, yes.