BY KEITH LACEY
ItÂ?s December and 18 teamsÂ?about 200 playersÂ?in the North East House League (NEHL) peewee division have just started their regular season.
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ThatÂ?s because the league, open to 11- and 12-year-old hockey players throughout the City of Greater Sudbury, has been embroiled in several weeks of controversy.
Most travel teams have played one half or more of their respective schedules, but the NEHL, after weeks of bickering, meetings, threats of boycotts and potential legal action, has just started its 2002-2003 schedule.
In what has become an increasing trend in minor hockey across Canada, politics and minor hockey have been inextricably linked in a web of accusations, threats and controversy.
There appears to have been some semblance of sanity regained. Not everyone is happy, but Northern Life has learned all 18 teams have been included in a schedule drawn up last week.
The controversy started in the middle of October when president Don McLean and the NEHL executive board decided not to include both Sudbury Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) house league peewee teams.
The NEHL demanded that the SMHA Rockies and Cardinals hold a draft to ensure parity between both teams.
All 12 minor hockey associations within the NEHL are clearly informed they must hold a draft if thereÂ?s two or more teams from any one association in order the balance the teams, said McLean, who is also the founder and president of the Sports North minor hockey organization.
SMHA was the only league not to adhere to the league constitution and rules by not holding a draft.
Parents of players on the Rockies and Cardinals started contacting the media. They said they were concerned their childrenÂ?s teams had been excluded from the schedule and would not have any place to play this season.
At a meeting in early November, based on the necessity of getting the league underway, the majority of NEHL teams changed their minds and agreed to allow both SMHA teams to play without any restrictions.
However, this led to several NEHL teams deciding to pull out and form their own league minus the two SMHA teams.
This only increased the tension. Another meeting was held to try and resolve the issue once and for all.
At that meeting, it was agreed both SMHA teams could play in the NEHL, but every one of the other 16 teams could vote whether or not they wanted to play them.
Twelve of the 16 other teams voted not to play either SMHA team, while four voted to play them.
This created another problem, however, as it was McLean, according to several sources, who insisted the teams vote on whether or not to play both Sudbury teams.
Â?I know for a fact several teams, including all three Copper Cliff teams and two from Rayside, voted to play us (Rockies), but not the Cardinals,Â? one Rockies parents told Northern Life.
Â?Don McLean stepped in himself and told all the teams they had to vote on whether to play both Sudbury teams.Â?
It has been decided in the end both SMHA teams will play against each other and four other teams.
Those same four teams will play the two SMHA teams and the other 12 teams.
Â?What we did was reach a compromise,Â? said McLean, who had been involved in minor hockey in Sudbury for more than three decades.
Â?Not everyone is happy, but at least we have a full league with every team being able to play a 20-game schedule.Â?
Many parents with both SMHA teams remain peeved, but the compromise gives both teams a competitive league to play in, said McLean.
Brian Kuruliak, president of the SMHA, admits the entire situation over the past six weeks has not been a pleasant one.
Â?ItÂ?s a real sad situation,Â? said Kuruliak. Â?I donÂ?t know what the right answer is and I donÂ?t know what the parents want me to say.Â?
In hindsight, Kuruliak said the situation could have been avoided if the SMHA had held a draft two months ago.
Â?We were wrong because we did not have a draft and we should have, just to keep everyone happy,Â? he said. Â?I wonÂ?t deny we should have had a draft.Â?
But there is a good reason no draft was held, said Kuruliak.
Â?We talked to both coaches after finding out the Cardinals were joining the league in late August. Both coaches were very happy with their teams. Last year they played three games against each other and they were all one-goal games.
Â?We (SMHA executive) said OK, if we put the same 30 kids in a draft weÂ?d end up with the same teams anyway, so we felt a draft was a waste of time.Â?
The SMHA has learned its lesson and wonÂ?t let this happen again, he said.
He is disappointed both teams have been singled out for criticism because there hasnÂ?t been any attempt to stack either team, he said.
When an Oct. 15 meeting was held to unveil the schedule, he was shocked to discover neither SMHA team had been included, said Kuruliak.
Several parents complained, some went to the media and this resulted in the second meeting where the Rockies were voted in to play a full interlocking schedule.
The Cardinals, because they were considered to be such a strong club, agreed to play the regular season but not compete in the playoffs.
Soon after this, McLean and the NEHL executive made a decision to pull out all Sports North teams. Copper Cliff minor and several other associations joined the boycott.
Â?I talked to Don McLean Nov. 10 and asked him Â?what in the heck is going onÂ?,Â? said Kuruliak.
Another meeting was held on Nov. 14. No one from the SMHA, Rockies or Cardinals was invited.
After some inquiries from Northern Life, it was discovered the league met again and decided to allow both SMHA teams to compete.
ThatÂ?s when the final solution was reached to allow both SMHA teams in and allow all other teams to vote whether or not they wanted to play them at all.
The Cardinals have been unfairly labeled a powerhouse and thatÂ?s not fair because they are a solid hockey team, but no stronger than several Sports North and Copper Cliff teams, said Kuruliak.
Â?Everyone has jumped to conclusions without even seeing them play,Â? he said. Â?TheyÂ?re not a powerhouse hockey team. The reason we didnÂ?t have the draft is because everyone from our association believes the Cardinals and Rockies are even teams.Â?
The compromise wonÂ?t satisfy everyone, but itÂ?s the best possible solution considering the circumstances and all of the controversy, said Kuruliak.
Â?It seems to me this is a compromise that is going to work, at least for this season,Â? he said. Â?ThereÂ?s no doubt some teams and some parents are going to be upset, but at least we have a viable league and the kids are finally playing.Â?
A small group of parents from The Rockies were considering legal action, said Kuruliak.
HeÂ?s hopeful the compromise reached has changed their minds, said Kuruliak.
Â?IÂ?m not happy with everything thatÂ?s happened, but itÂ?s better than what we had with no guarantee as of only a few days ago that we would have any league to play in,Â? he said.
Â?ItÂ?s not the ideal situation, but itÂ?s better than what we had. It is hoped we can get this all straightened out so the same thing doesnÂ?t happen again in the future.Â?
Marc Cinq-Mars, coach of the SMHA Rockies, agreed he and Cardinals coach Frank Pilkington should have held a draft to appease everyone.
But he agreed he would have selected the same players he had last year even if a draft were held.
Â?Absolutely, I would have picked the same guys I had last year,Â? he said. Â?We played three great games last season, all the kids on my team really get along well and donÂ?t want to play anywhere else.
Â?Hindsight is great and I guess we should have held the draft, but we didnÂ?t see the point knowing weÂ?d end up with the same teams we had last year.
Â?I know a large bunch of the kids on my team wouldnÂ?t keep playing hockey if they couldnÂ?t play with their friends.Â?
A big problem in minor hockey circles in Sudbury is some league executives and parents arenÂ?t happy some players and their parents from the outlying regions have decided to bring their kids to SMHA teams over the past few years, said Cinq-Mars.
Â?ThereÂ?s nothing thatÂ?s happened to me personally and thereÂ?s no one culprit in whatÂ?s happened over the past few weeks, but the truth is thereÂ?s been a simmering feud between Sudbury minor, Copper Cliff minor and Sports North for a long, long time.
Â?The three associations just donÂ?t get along.Â?
Cinq-Mars has been coaching atom and peewee hockey for several years in succession. He agrees parentsÂ?be it playersÂ? parents, coaches and minor hockey executivesÂ?who cause any controversy in minor hockey.
The vast majority of children in atom and peewee hockey play to have fun and be with their friends, he said.
ItÂ?s human nature to want to win when you reach a certain age, but age10 and 11 isnÂ?t that age, he said.
His personal coaching philosophy has always been to play all lines and defencemen equally and this wonÂ?t change, said Cinq-Mars.
Â?But I do admit I will search out ice time to try and make my team better,Â? he said. Â?Our team is willing to go all over the region to get ice. Last year, we had regular practice ice all the way out in St. Charles.
When the controversy first erupted, Cinq-Mars made a suggestion he and Pilkington appear before the NEHL board to explain why they didnÂ?t hold a draft, but his idea was shot down.
Â?I didnÂ?t want our kids to be punished,Â? he said. Â?I hoped we could explain our position and everyone would understand. If they wanted to punish someone, they could punish us, the coaches.Â?
His players donÂ?t understand why they have not been playing hockey, said Cinq-Mars. Â?I hate the feeling that I have had some responsibility for all of this.Â?
He admires McLean and all the hard work heÂ?s done through the years to make Sports North minor hockey and the NEHL a huge success, said Cinq-Mars.
Other parents arenÂ?t so kind in their assessment of McLean.
Â?He runs house league hockey with an iron fist,Â? says one father, who doesnÂ?t want to be identified.
The OPP Strike Force Sports North team has dominated the NEHL atom and peewee divisions for four years with basically the same group of players, he said.
McLean, who insists on the draft system, hasnÂ?t said a word while allowing this one team to recruit the same players year after year and dominate the opposition, he said.
Â?I know several coaches in Sports North who are very unhappy they have not been given full access to the full pool of talent within Sports North,Â? he said. Â?The bottom line is Don McLean is being hypocritical about how the league is run and how his own organization is run.Â?
McLean insists OPP Strike Force is part of a draft system every year. You canÂ?t canÂ?t run a minor hockey league the size of the NEHL successfully unless all the teams are playing by the same rules, says McLean.
Â?These two SMHA teams were told time and time again they had to hold a draft and they didnÂ?t,Â? he said. Â?ThatÂ?s just not fair. All of the other 11 associations play by the same rules and follow the constitution. If they just would have held a draft, we wouldnÂ?t be having these problems now.Â?
