As the Ontario Hockey League Playoffs approach, let’s take one final look at the regular season gone by for the Western Conference Champion Owen Sound Attack……
It’s amazing, isn’t it ?
The Attack secured first and did so by having a better season than the glamour locations who ” do their homework ” , and have more ” resources ” than Owen Sound.
Late summer didn’t hold much promise.
One player, a top 6 forward in the mind of his relatives, was jettisoned for draft picks.
Another, with similar visions, skipped the opening of Training Camp, eventually showed up and then was promptly shown the door in a trade that might be the best in Owen Sound sports history.
A third player didn’t want to be here, and in truth, the coach didn’t want him either, and he too was dispatched.
A former first rounder showed up on crutches, played a little bit, aggravated an injury, and now he too toils elsewhere
The Attack won, a lot, when offensive kingpin Joey Hishon missed most of October.
The Attack continued to win when the OHL suspended Hishon for a flick jab at St Catharines.
They did it with their number one goaltender limping in October and on the shelf from late November onward.
They won with a 17 year old in net, winning more games than he was projected to start.
Their Russian couldn’t get out of Russia for the longest time, while their rookie import pick wasn’t good enough to make the team in September.
They won won with a coach who got fired in the Spring, according to the Kitchener Record, and with a GM who lives in Oshawa.
Refs and video review officials haunted them at every turn.
Yet through all of these dilemmas & potential fiascos, the record shows the Owen Sound Attack are the Regular Season Western Conference Champions.
Amazing !!
Good luck in the playoffs
I’m Fred Wallace