Hey OHL fans! It's time for another quick
serving of OHL notes. (As always, stats quoted are as of
Northern Life's Wednesday morning press deadline.)
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SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW |
The rumour mill is swirling with action
lately. There's a lot of talk coming out of Mississauga that
head coach Greg Gilbert will resign his position with the
franchise at the end of the IceDogs' playoff season.
Sources have indicated Gilbert has had enough
of working for Mississauga owner Mario Forgione, who also
doubles as the general manager.
It seems like it's another case of a hands-on
owner with too much input into the day-to-day operations of the
hockey product.
Gilbert, who's in his second season as head
coach of the IceDogs, brought Mississauga to the realm of
respectability last year by guiding them to their first-ever
regular season winning record.
Gilbert also navigated the IceDogs to the OHL
Championships last year, only to be swept by Guelph in four
games.
Gilbert, again, led the IceDogs to the top of
the Eastern Conference this season.
In his two seasons as IceDogs' head coach,
Gilbert has a record of 70-42-19-5.
If he becomes a free man, I am quite sure
there will be more than enough teams interested in using his
services.
Another rumour indicates Sault Ste. Marie GM
Dave Torrie will make a case for himself for the GM position in
Windsor at the end of the playoff season.
It makes sense though because Torrie's from
Chatham, and Windsor is a lot closer to Chatham than the
Soo.
Plus, Torrie is affiliated with the Chatham
Maroons, a Junior B team, and he would be a lot closer to keep
tabs on that squad.
Torrie was hired by the Greyhounds on April
28, 2003.
In his two seasons, Torrie has compiled a
record of 63-59-12-2.
It's believed that Craig Hartsburg, who was
hired as head coach of the Soo earlier in the 2004-05 season,
and is now a shareholder in the franchise,
will take over the GM duties, which basically
gives him full control of the Greyhounds' destiny.
And, from the where does it stop file, the
recent talk about the OHL Board of Governors deciding to
implement a rule that would allow the four OHL teams that
didn't make the playoffs to draft 14-year-old players is
mind-boggling.
It doesn't matter how good a kid is, a
14-year-old doesn't belong in the OHL, especially when it's
full of 18, 19, 20 and 21-year-old big guys who can destroy a
potential career with one bone-jarring check.
The talk stems from a supposed 14-year-old
hockey phenomenon by the name of John Tavares. The kid is
labelled as the next can't-miss player.
Tavares played 67 games for the 'AAA' Toronto
Marlboro minor midget team this past season, scoring 83 goals
and 147 points in 67 games. Tavares also played 16 games with
the Milton IceHawks in the Ontario Tier II Junior A loop,
scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 16 games.
Come on people, let the kid develop with his
peers, and be a kid. It will probably help him in the
end.
