TUNDRAS' SUCCESS DEPENDS ON FANS
Article courtesy of Mike Dodd - www.simcoe.com
ORILLIA - In just over a week, a new era of hockey will open in Orillia when the Sunrise Toyota Tundras Senior Hockey Club kicks off the 2010-2011 Major League Hockey season at the West Orillia Sports Complex.
Brantford is due in town Oct. 8 for the home opener at the Rotary Place twin-ice pad.
Mourning over the loss of the Couchiching Terriers Junior A Hockey Club has long since subsided, and now hockey fans will have another team to call their own.
Whether or not Major League Hockey succeeds full-time in Orillia isn’t simply dictated by the wins and losses the Tundras will compile this season. A portion of the success is directly in the hands of hockey fans.
It’s not about making money, but more about drilling as deep as you can to find out just how concentrated interest is in a particular community.
Orillia is no different.
A longtime local resident who supported hockey with his wallet for countless years put it to me plain and simply one day.
“If you finish the season with enough money left over to buy a Quarter-Pounder, fries and a soft drink, then it’s been a good year,” he said.
Tom Ruff has become a successful individual in the automobile business which has allowed him to indulge in some of his favourite passions, one of which is hockey.
Growing up during the 1970s when the Orillia Terriers Senior A Hockey Club reigned supreme in Ontario and Canada, Ruff wanted to see that era and brand of hockey return.
His quest began in Innisfil some years back when he purchased the Canucks senior hockey team that was only days away from folding.
Much like a travelling minstrel show, he then took the team on the road throughout Simcoe County for home games, stopping off in Coldwater and Orillia.
Bills were high and crowds were sparse, but Ruff kept his dream alive.
His passion for senior hockey knows no bounds and you have to admire him for that.
Now Ruff and Tundras head coach Wayne Crawford are hoping a new season, new players, a five-team league and the gleam and sparkle of the newly-opened sports complex will translate into more interest in local senior hockey.
Having taken in a few Tundras games in Coldwater, I can say the speed of Major League
Hockey games is eye-catching.
With ex-professionals and former university/college players in the lineup, any notion that this is a hyped-up version of the Lower Slobovia Industrial Men’s Hockey League should be erased from the mind of any serious hockey fan.
All Ruff, Crawford and the players want is a few hours of your time to let them show you how exciting their brand of hockey can be.
Who knows, you might just get hooked.
Considering you can’t go to the movies most nights now for under $20 (including snacks), a $10 adult ticket for two hours of hockey action might not be a bad investment.
