Losing sight of a team of national champions

It was roughly 19 months ago that the entire city was abuzz over the accomplishments of a group of teenage boys. The Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves had managed one of the most noteworthy feats in Sudbury sports history — capturing the Telus Cup, emblamatic of national midget hockey supremacy.

Hockey fans and non-followers alike, from Onaping Falls to Coniston, became aware of a truly memorable run in the spring of 2008, culminating with a come-from-behind gold-medal victory over the Winnipeg Thrashers, all while the eyes of the country looked on.

And yet, perhaps a day or two before the team hoisted the all-Ontario banner, few in the city were really aware of anything special going on within the confines of the Countryside Arena — the venue the Nickel Caps call home. Sure, avid hockey fans in the region knew that Sudbury had assembled a pretty talented crew, loaded with as much offensive talent as seen on any Great North Midget League team in recent history.

But for the better part of the six-month period leading to the provincial playdowns, games were attended by the same hundred or so folks we’ve come to expect. And while it would be nice to think that winning a national championship would bring such increased exposure as to translate into a larger fan base, this just isn’t the case.

Now, as in the past, the majority of Great North Midget games at Countryside (or Chelmsford and Ray Plourde Arena, for that matter - home of the Nickel City Sons) are relatively predictable in terms of a live viewing audience.

The bulk of the crowd is comprised of parents, family and friends of the players.

In an upper-level corner, we usually will find the northern Ontario hockey scouts, trying to assess the talent assembled before them. Add in another 20-30 folks who are simply interested fans of hockey and you’ve pretty much covered the entire crowd.

And this is truly a shame. While I suppose one could have made the argument a few years back, during the national championship run, that many games simply were not worth seeing as lopsided scores prevailed, that is no longer the case.

Sure, the Soo North Stars have, yet again, established themselves as the team to beat. But the Nickel Capital Wolves have not only picked up a win against the long-time league powerhouse, but also played them close a second time around. The Nickel City Sons managed a 3-3 draw, on the road no less, facing the Stars. The fact is that this year, any games involving the league’s top four teams — Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, Nickel City and New Liskeard — have the potential to provide a highly competitive and entertaining matchup.

To boot, the gap between the entire league has closed noticeably, witnessed by Kapuskasing victories over both Sudbury and Nickel City. The Great North Midget League, and both local entries specifically, continue to provide a number of interesting story lines to follow over the course of the 2009-2010 campaign.

The three-year age differential seen within the midget ranks, allows for players who have arrived at vastly different stages of their minor hockey careers. League veterans like Gabriel Rodrigues (Sudbury) and Sebastien Leroux (Nickel City) hope to springboard off one final very successful year of minor hockey involvement to continue playing at the next level, wherever that may take them.

OHL draftees from six months back (Catlin Cargill, Andre Comtois, Darcy Haines, et al) hope to show enough improvement in their game to warrant serious consideration from junior teams, who may have considered taking a flyer on the young prospects last spring.

And, as always, there’s the new crop of first-year midgets, more than a little anxious to catch the eyes of scouts. While there may not be a first rounder from the local crew, rest assured that the likes of Steven Johnston, Mitchell Byrne, Michael Rouleau and Cody Gratton and others are all being closely scrutinized.

Yet, short of another championship run, it all seems to happen in relative obscurity. Interestingly enough, this very same argument could be made for both the NOJHL and Northern Ontario Bantam AAA leagues. Consider, for a second, the following statistic — of the 26 games the Sudbury Kal Tire Jr. Wolves have played this year, 17 have been decided by two goals or less.

Back out the matchups with the woeful Manitoulin Islanders and you are left with a Jr. Wolves schedule in which just under 75 per cent of all games are sure to come down to the final few minutes. The same holds true for any NOBHL games, this year, involving Sudbury, Nickel City or the Soo.

Don’t believe me? Come and check it out for yourself ... please.

Randy Pascal is the voice of Eastlink Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.