The Ontario Hockey League Champion Owen Sound Attack begin their training camp in 2 weeks.
It’s been a marvellous summer, has it not, especially for Attack fans who continue to revel in the afterglow of winning the Robertson Cup exactly 3 months ago when Jarrod Maidens scored in overtime on May 15th as the Attack beat St Mike’s in Game 7 at the Hershey Centre.
I still get the shakes when I think about that day, Game 7, the playoff run and the season gone by.
But gently, I think there’s a need to take a good whiff from the smelling salt of reality as the new season approaches.
The Owen Sound Attack play in a division with Kitchener, London, Guelph and Erie and in a conference that also includes Windsor and Plymouth.
Ten years ago, Erie was the divisional, conference and OHL Champion, but in the last 9 years, the Otters have won…..one playoff series.
I’m not suggesting Owen Sound will hit a similar patch, I’m merely pointing out how tough the competition is.
Furthermore, I asked this many times last year, and I’ll ask it one last time today.
IF Jeff Skinner played at Kitchener rather than in Carolina, would the Attack have won the division ?
What IF Tyler Sequin stayed at Plymouth ? Would the Attack have swept the Whalers ?
Would Owen Sound be the Conference Champions IF Taylor Hall stayed at Windsor rather than played in the NHL at Edmonton ?
By no means am I trying to diminish or discredit what was a tremendous achievement by the Owen Sound Attack winning the OHL title last year.
I simply needed the smelling salt of reality to regain perspective of what remains as a very tough conference in Junior Hockey.
I’m Fred Wallace