HISTORY: A RETROSPECTIVE
Street Hockey was appropriately described by Toronto Star writer Mitch Potter as, "the recessive gene that makes us Canadian.....the precise point on the genetic double-helix spiral that equates road hockey with spontaneous, innocent fun.....a truly cultural phenomenon that harkens to Canadians on the street and their memories of childhood."
Street Hockey was not originally intended to have been played in manufactured concrete structures, governed by administrative authorities with established rules and regulations in hgihly organized leagues that provide it's participants with local, provincial and national championship competitions.
Street Hockey was supposed to have been a simple game played by youngsters or at least the young at heart on asphalt flats or neighboring roads, schoolyards and local parking lots. A game to 10, deemed to be free, void of participant inhibition. A sanctuary of dreams for aspiring players who began their imaginary trek to NHL stardom with only a stick and a tennis ball, bricks for posts and sponge for pads in an arena where the automobile was the only impediment to fun and frivolity until the next goal wins.
No one, however, bothered to inform the "administrative pioneers" who steadfastly moved the game "off the streets" and into rinks. The metamorphosis had began as one of the most successful amateur sports organizations in Canada, notably the Ontario Ball Hockey Association (OBHA), was born and the evolution ensued.
Mssrs. Ken White, John Forrest, Paul Coulter and Mike Bernard founded the OBHA in 1974. The game's trailblazers could not have imagined the association's ensuing growth and development at the Minors, Womens, Mens and Masters levels of participation throughout the province of Ontario over the next 25 years.
Since it's inception the OBHA has arguably become the standard for the Sport of Ball Hockey in Canada and throughout the world as it continues to enhance the development of the game at the local, provincial, national and international level of competition as the new millennium approaches. |
FOUNDING FATHERS
The O.B.H.A. Hall of Fame is a celebration of Ball Hockey History. It honors both the game of "orange ball" along with it's founders, builders and presidents who have contributed to the growth an development of the sport throughout the years.
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FOUNDERS
John Forrest
Paul Coulter
Mike Bernard
Ken White
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THE SIMPLE SEVENTIES
.jpg) The Seventies was a decade of surprises. It was a era that jarred the mind and emotions of an entire population from a political, socio-economical and cultural perspective. The economic balance of world power was altered drastically as a result of the "oil crisis". The young faced a bleak employment picture as their attention shifted from politics to the environment. There were a slew of technological advances while liaisons between former warring nations were being established. The Cinema made a comeback as Star Wars, Jaws and Saturday Night Fever played at the movies while The Muppets stole the hearts of children every on television screens everywhere. Paul McCartney had survived the break up of the Beatles and gained a new generation of fans with his group, Wings, who along with the likes of Abba, Bob Marley and the 'new wave' sounds of The Clash and Elvis Costello, provided the musical interlude of the time. It was a period of bewilderment and individual tastes in fashion as everything from 'hot pants' to 'Punk Rock' mockery to Annie Hall 'liberated' ladies wear walked the streets. Meanwhile, international events reached larger audiences through global satellite television coverage as new crazes in sports & leisure activities such as skate boarding, hang gliding, windsurfing and yoga along with the game of BALL HOCKEY took center stage. |
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THE INAUGURAL AGREEMENT
In 1974 an agreement to stage the first ever Provincial Championship of Ball Hockey was signed by league representatives George Butterwick, Paul Coulter, John Forrest and Paul Smith. The tournament, which would be hosted in Orillia, produced the inaugural Ontario Ball Hockey Association Champions, the Toronto Redskins, who defeated the Mississauga Marauders 3-2 in the final to claim the provincial title.
A year later, the pioneer presidents and association builders, Paul Coulter (Mississauga), John Forrest (Orillia) and Ken White (Toronto) along with newly appointed director Mike Bernard, convened to discuss plans for the ordination of the OBHA Annual General Meeting to plan the future of ball hockey in Ontario. The rest is history.
In 1976 George Moore was appointed the O.B.H.A.'s first Referee-in-Chief and an official referee's uniform (gold with the emblazoned association's logo) was adopted province-wide. |
OBHA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP BORN
In 1977 the O.B.H.A. opened it's doors to the Minor Hockey leagues as John Forrest and Paul Sutcliffe established the first Provincial Minors Ball Hockey Committee. The inaugural Championship was subsequently held in Oshawa that year as four teams vied for the under-17 title. Neilson's Crispy Crunch of the Metro Toronto Ball Hockey League defeated Oshawa 2-1 in the final to claim the gold medal. Since the incipient Minors Championship event over 20 years ago, the division has grown exponentially. Today the association governs hundreds of teams at various minors levels of participation across the province that compete in the O.B.H.A.'s largest and most spectacular championship event each year.
Throughout the O.B.H.A.'s history, there have been a myriad of top rated teams and players who have stood above the rest, some of whom have since gone on to even bigger and better things at various senior divisions of competition. Although it is difficult to compare team and individual accomplishments in light of constant changes that occur from year to year in th esport of ball hockey, especially in the Junior Divisions, a recent assessment by the "Orange Ball Aficionado" reveals some interesting choices. |
OBHA HOSTS INAUGURAL NATIONALS
In 1978 the OBHA achieved another first as it hosted the Canadian Ball Hockey Association Championships in Ottawa, Ontario. The Toronto York Canadians, a pioneer of ball hockey organizations in the OBHA lead by Tony Miniaci, claimed the CBHA Championship and became the first team to have their names inscribed on the Molson Cup that has since become synonymous with "orange ball" supremacy in Canada. The National Championship would be the beginning of a wonderful tradition in ball hockey that would ensue throughout the eighties and well into the nineties. The tournament was a competitive unification of the game that ultimately brought together provincial representative teams from across the country each year to determine the Canadian Champion.
The York Canadians were the winners of the inaugural Canadian Ball Hockey Association Championships in 1978. The OBHA began it's dominance of the game at the national level of competition at an early stage in it's history, winning 14 of the total 21 CBHA Championships contested to date, which included a record string of sing straight Ontario titles highlighted by the sport's first ever 3-time Canadian Gold Medal victories by the Fernview Rangers during that stretch.
Rangers Ball Hockey Club established in 1977, is one of the most tenured and celebrated organizations in the history of the OBHA. The club won an unprecedented (3) consecutive National Championships in 1992, 1993, & 1994 respectively. |
THE CRAZY EIGHTIES
Mike Eruzione's infamous goal produced the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980 as the United States defeated the U.S.S.R.'s "Big Red Machine" 4-3 at the Olympic Games in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The "Just Win" Raiders, the L.A. Lakers and the Islanders were crowned champions. Heisman Hershel led the Bulldogs while Louisville's Doctors of Drunk dominated the boards in college hoops. At age 23 Steve became the youngest player ever to be fitted for The Green Jacket. Duran out slugged Leonard while Borg outlasted McEnroe on the grass at Wimbledon. Rosie Ruiz captured the Boston Marathon? John Lennon (1940-1980)
The 'Crazy Eighties' was a decade spurred on by the growth and development of the game at various levels of participation as more leagues became full fledged members of the OBHA.
The Penetang-Midland Ball Hockey League, under the guidance of Hall of Famer Jamie Robillard, entered the fraternity in 1980 while the York Canadians, led by the likes of former N.H.Ler Lou Franceschetti, were on their way to a record second Canadian title.
N.H.L. stars were a common fixture throughout the eighties in ball hockey and often played a key role on their respective teams. Dino Cicerelli, who starred for Sarnia Wilding Doors, was the OBHA AAA Championships Top Scorer and Tournament MVP in leading his team to the provincial title in 1981. Sarnia went on to win a Canadian Gold Medal later that year in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Game, which was predominantly 'contact' up to this point in time, was being to hear rumblings about the virtues of a game played without any body checking allowed from their 'non-contact' neighbors. Barrie's Oakdoor Factory, with yet another N.H.L. star in uniform, claimed the first ever OBHA "Non-Contact" Provincial Championship on the strength of Doug Sheddon's two goals as they defeated Chatham 5-0 for the title. The success of the event and the quality of ball hockey produced at this level of competition ultimately created debate between the sport's purists and their contemporaries who felt the need to eliminate ay pugilistic behavior in order to enhance the level of the game in the future.
Meanwhile, the Minors Division continued to grow as the inaugural Provincial Championships for Novice, Tyke, Atom, Peewee and Midget age groups were held in East Gwillimbury and Etobicoke in 1982.
CWS Sports, another storied and revered franchise in the OBHA, won the AAA Provincial Championship in Mississauga later that season, but broke the string of four consecutive Ontario victories at the National Championships as they fell to the St. Johns India Bears in the gold medal final in New Brunswick.
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CWS Sports defeated the Midas Topguns 4-3 in the final to win the Oshawa Propane Tournament in 1984
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Ball hockey and Beer was big in the Eighties. Carling-O'Keefe Breweries, the original sponsor of the OBHA in 1975, featured ball hockey and some of it's premier players in a beverage commercial in 1983. The likes of John Wheatcroft, goaltender Eric Pike, defenseman Russ Foster and centerman Mark Pierog (CWS Sports), along with Mike Hepburn, Rob Van Onlangs and Jon Pickering (Toronto Athletics) were seen participating in a competitive game of ball hockey followed by a friendly gathering at a local watering hole where they exchanged pleasantries while consuming a few of the brand name 'pops'.
The growth and development of the OBHA in the later stages of the 'crazy eighties' seemed to exceed all of the goals and expectations established by it's prognosticators as new leagues continued to surface. The Northwest Toronto Ball Hockey League, which was founded in 1985 by Mssrs. Domenic DiGironimo, Lino Chioma and Claudio Romano, quickly established itself as a major player in "orange ball" events as in innovative and progressive minded organization which helped spearhead the evolution that occurred in the OBHA at the time.
The subsequent increase in population at various levels of competition (from recreational to elite) throughout the association prompted the OBHA to create a 'Tiered System' of participation and provincial championship competition to reward and appease the masses who were thirsting for recognition in their respective divisions of play. Hence, the AAA, AA and A championships were born.
The Toronto Midas Topguns won the first of two consecutive AAA titles in 1987 & 1988. London Provincial Glass defeated Brampton Brick 11-1 in their final to claim the inaugural AA crown and serve notice that they had arrived, while the Darlington Raiders became the first ever OBHA 'A' Division Champions in the association's history.
In Women's play, Ontario's representative, at the Canadian Ball Hockey Championships in Calgary, Alberta, the Canadiana Cougars, carted off with the first ever Gold Medal in women's ball hockey as they defeated Newfoundland 4-3 in double overtime to claim victory.
As the decade came to a close, Ontario's progress and resurgence continued as it spread to National level of participation, where it's recent successes had been few and far between. The NWT Maple Precast Eagles put a stop to that, however, as this young, upstart team emerged as upset winners at the OBHA AAA Championships in 1989 and went on to defeat B.C. 2-1 in the CBHA final to win the Canadian Championship to end a four year consecutive gold medal drought for Ontario at the National's that year. It was the OBHA's second CBHA title in eight years dating back to 1981 when Sarnia last won the crown. Second place was not an option in Ontario as the OBHA returned to their rightful place atop the gold medal podium where they would remain for the next nine out of ten years.
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1988 Top Guns Canadian Silver Medallists, St. John, New Brunswick
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WOMENS BALL HOCKEY IN ONTARIO
The Womens ball hockey in the province of Ontario emerged in the mid 1980's as a result of the efforts of OBHA pioneer and Hall of Famer Judy Ilcio. The first ever female president of the OBHA (1989), who was aptly described by the sport's icon Ken White as, "one of the finest people that our sport has ever been associated with", formed the Toronto Womens Ball Hockey Association in 1983 and played an integral role in the development of the Canadian Ball Hockey Association as well. The Womens division, which presently operates autonomously under the auspices of the OBHA, as had other individuals such as Janet Gardiner (Sarnia), Jill Estabrooks (Ottawa-Carleton) and Michelle Morrow (Penetang-Midland) who have made notable contributions over the years. The association, which has amassed an impressive list of great teams and players throughout it's tenure, has evolved with great success and has never looked back.
CANADIANA COUGARS
The Inaugural Womens National Champion
A great team that has set the standard for women in the game of ball hockey provincially and nationally over the years.
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TORONTO DRAGONS
Four time OBHA Provincial Champions who boasted some of the greatest players in the history of the game such as Angela James and Geraldine Heaney. The dragons won the National Cup in Mississauga, Ontario in 1989.
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CANADIANA RED WINGS
Canadiana Red Wings, arguably the greates womens team in the history of the OBHA. The team captured four consecutive OBHA Provincial Championships from 1994-1997 and added four Canadian National titles in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1996. The club's captain, Irene Kiratzis, has been heralded as one of the finest players in the game today. |
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THE NINETIES - A DECADE OF TRANSITION
The athletic world stood in shock as Ben Johnson, who ran the fastest ever 100 meters, was stripped of his gold medal for using anabolic steroids at the Olympic games. Joe Montana led the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Jack turned 50. Tyson hit the deck at 1:23 of the 10th round. Faldo wins the Masters, again. The Oilers, sans 'The Great One', claim Lord Stanley for a fifth time. Tark the Shark leads the Runnin' Rebels to college hoop heaven. Ryan wins #300, while LeMond peddled his way to the top of Le Tour. Andreas Brehme's penalty lifted the West Germans past Maradona Madness in La Coupe Mondiale. Pete Sampras became the youngest man to win the U.S. Open, while Martina shrugged off the critics to capture her ninth Wimbledon title. The Reds swept the A's in the Series and after 45 years, East and West Germany waved on flag.
The decade of the nineties was indeed the dawn of a new era in sport as the transition in ball hockey from the 'crazy eighties' to the transition years of the nineties was beginning to unfold. The OBHA inducted it's founding fathers into the Hall of Fame in 1990. Enshrined were Mssrs. Ken White, John Forrest, Paul Coulter and Mike Bernard respectively.
London Provincial Glass, in only their third year at the AAA level of competition, won the Provincial and National Championships in 1990 as the game itself began to take on a new perspective. It was moving towards speed, finesse and a tenacious fore checking style of play that wore down the bigger, more physical and less mobile opponents. The day and age of the 'Big Bad Bear' or the 'Mean Ornery Cat' was long gone as the teams of the eighties made way for the up and coming clubs of the nineties.
LONDON PROVINCIAL GLASS
1990 Canadian National Champions, St. John's, Newfoundland |
1991 was indeed the end of an era as the infamous Topguns would be no more. The team that had dominated since the mid-1980's went out in a blaze of glory, though, as they won the Provincial and National titles that year in what was a fitting end to a great run over the years. It was a sign of the times. Gone were Les Canadiens, The Cats, the Bruins, and CWS Sports. The game was garnering a new attitude and experiencing a changing of the guard.
In that same year, the OBHA opened it's doors and invited their European counter parts in for the very first time as they played host to the Slovaks and Czechs in the annual can-Am Tournament in Oshawa, Ontario. The event, spearheaded by president Pat McEvoy and unbeknownst to many, would provide the foundation for the development of international relationships that would involve the participation of may more countries on a much larger scale of competition in the future. The best was yet to come.
1992 was the Year of the Rangers in the OBHA as the 'Over 30' Maple Remax Rangers won the inaugural Masters Ball Hockey Championship designed for a somewhat aging population of "Orange Ball" enthusiasts that wanted a more leisurely kick at the proverbial ball. Ironically, the so called Geritol division has since become one of the most competitive venues in the OBHA as ex-AAA players flock to respective teams each year in pursuit of the title.
At the elite level of play, the Fernview Rangers, ball hockey's most established club dating back to 1977, captured the OBHA AAA Championship for the first time in their long history as they defeated London Glass 3-2 in the tournament final held in Penetang. The team went coast-to-coast (B.C.-Ottawa-Nfld) in the following years on their way to winning an unprecedented three consecutive (1992-1993-1994) Canadian National Championship Gold Medals in the 1990's before collectively retiring their troops in 1996 after an OBHA record 20 seasons of participation in the game.
FERNVIEW RANGERS
Three time Canadian National Champions |
As the new millenium approaced the OBHA experienced declining enrollment and level of competition in the AAA division of play in the latter part of the decade which forced the OBHA to restructure their Tier system and provide an incentive to the lower divisions of play in an attempt to foster growth at the top for the future. The Toronto Panthers won the AA provincial Championship in 1996 and would represent Ontario as the second team at the CBHA Championships the following year. They were the first team to benefit from the association's new restructuring plan that was aimed at saving the elite regional teams and a AAA division of play that was in dire need of a boost. |
1996 OBHA AA Provincial Champions Toronto Panthers |
The Midnight Express won the AAA Championship in 1996, in what would sadly be the last twelve team tournament at the elite level for eyars to come. Nonetheless, this team, earlier heralded by many stalwards of the game as a team of the future, lived up to it's billing as they proceeded to pick up where other great teams left off in maintaining a winning tradition in dominant fashion. The Express have posted an awe inspiring record of consecutive successes in claiming the OBHA and CBHA Championships over the past three years. |
1996 Canadian Ball Hockey Association Champions - Montreal, Quebec |
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