The Citizen, 1999-05-05, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1999.
Erom the sidelines
Bulls turned out to
pasture
By Hugh
Nichol
The end of an
era? Hardly, but
for the first time
in 16 years the
BMG arena will
not be home to
'Junior Hockey.
In a not-so-surprising move the
Bulls have literally been turned out
to pasture, sold to interests from the
Goderich area.
The decision is unfortunate but
was not made overnight. The Bulls
were a small market team struggling
to survive and while the team is debt
free, an unproductive minor hockey
system and the continuous battle
with rival teams over players
became too heavy a load for the few
remaining executive to carry.
Especially when one remembers
they are volunteers whose only
reward comes from the satisfaction
of being involved.
Yes, in hindsight wrong choices
may have been made but we must
convince ourselves that at the time
they were done with the team's best
interest in mind.
Franchise relocations are not
unusual even at the professional
level. While the Hartford Whalers
move to Carolina is the most recent
the economic conditions created by
the Canadian dollar have led to the
exit of teams in Quebec City and
Winnipeg and continues to impact
on the feasibility of clubs in Ottawa,
Calgary and Edmonton.
The first two franchise shifts in
the modern-day era of the NHL
occurred during the mid 1970s.
When the league decided to expand
in 1967 the inclusion of the United
States west coast Bay Area seemed
like a natural step.
Unfortunately while San
Francisco had a history of success at
the minor league level the only
major league facility was situated in
Former Grey resident
scores an internet first
A former Grey Twp. resident and
Listowel District High School bas
ketball player will score a first on
the internet.
Shawn Conley will be the first
person profiled on a new website
geared to promoting Canadian ath
letes to post-secondary institutions
south of the border.
The College Prospects al www.
canadacpoa.com, hopes to help
Hullett’s B. Anderson
an Ironman honouree
Hullell Twp. resident Brad
Anderson was among the recipients
when the Wingham Ironmen hand
ed out the hardware al the year-end
banquet.
Anderson was named the team's
lop defenceman and MVP in the
Oakland.
The choice of venue turned into a
marketing comedy of errors. One
disaster led to another and after six
last-place finishes in their nine-year
history the Seals moved to
Cleveland for two years before
eventually merging with the
Minnesota North Stars.
Kansas City had the misfortune of
being granted a franchise during the
early years of the rival World
Hockey Association. Forced to
compete in a bidding war for players
the Scouts lasted only two years in
Missouri before settling in New
Jersey after a brief layover in
Denver, Colorado.
Will Junior hockey ever return
to Ontario's Prettiest Village? The
answer is debatable but never
forget the Colorado Avalanche is
the second coming of the Rockets
while Atlanta and Minnesota are
both preparing for a return to the
NHL.
Or perhaps we can challenge the
City of Hamilton for the unofficial
title of franchise moves at the junior
level.
In 1976 the Hamilton FinCups
shifted to St. Catharines only to
return the following year. One
season later they became the
Brantford Alexanders but after six
years once again returned to
Hamilton, this time as the
SteelHawks.
Four years later they became the
Niagara Falls Thunder but the void
was quickly filled the next winter
when the Toronto Marlboro
franchise resurfaced in the Steel
City as the Dukes of Hamilton. Two
years later the Dukes transferred to
Guelph where they are presently
known as the Storm.
Remember the Bulls for what they
were, little fish in a big pond.
Unfortunately in this time of "the
bigger the better" they simply could
no longer compete.
secure scholarships for Canadians.
Conley is the perfect candidate
for the inauguration as he was
LDSS’s all-time leading scorer with
1,578 points and second in
rebounds. He received the Huron-
Perth conference first-team honours
each year, 1991 through 1995.
At 23, he is now a biochemistry
student al Florida Institute of Tech
nology.
playoffs.
He placed second behind Ryan
Matheson for most points in the
post-season, racking up 19 to Math
eson's 20.
Anderson was in his last year
with the Ironmen.
Their bids in
The Brussels Legion was a busy spot on Saturday with its silent and live auction. Checking
out the many items up for grabs before the bidding wars began were from left: Ross
Bennett, Marg Bennett and Barb Dunbar. (Mark Nonkes photo)
Year end saw Bulls coachless
Continued from page 1
the real reason we were involved in
Jr. C hockey."
Pennington added that since the
last place team in the league did not
make the playoffs the development
staff felt it necessary to release
players back to their minor systems
to continue their hockey. The
decision to forfeit three games at
the end of the schedule was a direct
result of that having happened, as
this left the Bulls short staffed.
At the end of the year, the
executive once again found
themselves looking to fill the
positions of head coach and general
manager. "With possible candidates
being contacted and sounding
extremely promising, we were
feeling very upbeat about the year
ahead," said Pennington. However,
those candidates eventually decided
and the executive was forced to
advertise for the positions in the
local papers. When there were no
applications received, the executive
was forced to make a step that "no
one enjoys taking but
unfortunately, had to be taken."
"A combination of no viable
coaching staff and the insistence of
other Jr. C teams to put a value on
hockey talent that we are unable to
afford and comply with, makes it
impossible to compete on a level
playing field," said Pennington.
The executive unanimously
decided to sell the junior hockey
interests in Brussels while the
organization was still in the black
rather than going into debt in the
Optimists
clean park
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
The Brussels Optimists have
been cleaning up the Mailland Val
ley Conservation Park.
Councillors Greg Wilson and Joe
Scili, who are both Optimist mem
bers told Brussels council al its
May 3 meeting, that the Club is
expecting to enter a thrcc-year
lease agreement with MVCA for
the park. They are louring the mill
and have been considering the con
struction of a washroom facility.
Also, lights have been installed.
small market area.
"We have accepted an offer for
our franchise from a group of
individuals who are excited about
the possibility of having a junior
hockey team in their community
and we wish them every success in
that endeavour," said Pennington.
Brussels, Morris & Grey
SWIMMING LESSON
REGISTRATION
Upstairs at BMG Community Centre, Brussels
No phone registrations
- Aqua Tots (for children who can't touch the bottom will be
offered in June as well due to the high interest last year).
There will be swim team sign up as well.
We're celebrating our
TENTH
ANNIVERSARY!
May 3 - 8th
With every purchase the first
100 customers will receive a
FREE GIFT
Spin the Wheel for Discounts i
10-50
nC n
OR Oloiltai, CloAei
220 Josephine St.
WINGHAM 357-1051