The Ontario Hockey League season opens tonight with 2 games, both of which feature terrific rivalries.
In the West, the back to back Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires host their cross border rivals, the Plymouth Whalers
Meanwhile in the East tonight, historic rivals Oshawa & Peterborough will face off at Memorial Center in Peterborough.
Speaking of division rivals to open the season, the Owen Sound Attack play their OHL opener tomorrow night at Guelph against the Storm.
Earlier this month we documented the startling stat that Guelph has finished ahead of Owen Sound in the divisional standings 16 of the last 17 years.
Over the course of 21 seasons, the Guelph franchise, which originally was the Hamilton Dukes, has won 20 more games head to head against Owen Sound than the Attack or Platers have against the Dukes cum Storm, which amounts to an average of one more head to head win per season.
Last year, Owen Sound & Guelph were close again head to head, each winning 4 times, yet with the aid of netminder Brandon Foote, Guelph erased a massive deficit after the New Year and bypassed Owen Sound, again, in the divisional standings.
Sometimes Opening Night and Opening Weekend can be minimized based on the length of the season, but to me, home & home to open the season with Guelph, takes on a vastly higher significance for the Owen Sound Attack.
I’m Fred Wallace