Possible OHL Relocation may impact Jr. Trappers future

North Bay's Ken Peroff, seen here playing with the Brampton Battalion back in 2008. His former team is rumoured to be moving to North Bay for the start of the 2013-14 season. File photo.

The game of hockey is a big one in Canada and especially in the City of North Bay. The city that won Kraft Hockeyville in 2007 has been in the rumour mill as of late, as possible talks of moving the OHL’s Brampton Battalion to the Bay aren’t really that much of a secret.

This isn’t the first time North Bay has been eyed for an OHL return as former NHLer Moe Mantha led a group trying to buy the Ice Dogs from then-owner Eugene Melnyk in 2007. The Ice Dogs ended up moving to St. Catharines and became the Niagara IceDogs.

This time, the Battalion may want in and North Bay Jr. “A” Trappers Chairman and Director of Operations Tim Clayden doesn’t blame them one bit but wonders where all the money will come from.

“No question the Battalion has been courting the City of North Bay in order to move their OHL hockey club here, and why not,” said Clayden.

“North Bay is a great hockey town full of rich hockey heritage and loyal junior hockey fans that deserve the best junior hockey available today. Unfortunately, hockey is a business today and it boils down to money, the OHL back in North Bay would be great for the City of North Bay and Northern Ontario, however, does the City really want to spend $14 million dollars to renovate Memorial Gardens is the question, and if they are gonna spend $14 plus million on renovations, why not have Brampton at least match the same $14 million dollars that the tax payers are being asked to contribute and build an entirely new state of the art facility that North Bay and all of Northern Ontario and the next generation of junior hockey sports fans can enjoy for many years to come.

"Frankly, the Battalion ownership have tons of money and should put their own monies into renovating Memorial Gardens and not the tax payers,” Clayden continued.

“The Brampton Battalion are asking to move to North Bay, not vice versa, the Battalion should step up and put their own monies into Memorial Gardens if it’s gonna be their new home, makes sense as this I would hope is a life long commitment being made by the OHL team.”

A Battalion move would cause a logjam at Memorial Gardens, as both the Jr. Trappers and Nipissing Lakers mens hockey team currently share the city’s biggest arena.

The lease on Memorial Gardens plans on getting packed even more, as the Lakers women’s hockey team are set to start in the 2013-14 season. Clayden says he’s covering all bases as he’s had conversations with community leaders in places such as with Haileybury, St. Ignace, Michigan and Manitoulin Island about possibly relocating the Trappers. However, Clayden insists the Trappers first choice is to stay in North Bay.

“The Trappers’ first choice is to stay in North Bay even if the OHL comes to town and play out of West Ferris under the same similar contract that we currently have with the City of North Bay. We have our own fans, the Battalion and the OHL will have theirs, with OHL tickets at a minimum of $17.50 a seat, and ours half that, I don’t think our fan base would be remotely the same. We would need the same similar contract with the City today, playing out of West Ferris in order to stay in North Bay. The City permitting, we believe we could hold our own and continue to have a successful Trappers junior program in North Bay.” he said.

The Trappers have been playing out of Memorial Gardens since 2002, when Guy Blanchard’s Sturgeon Falls Lynx and Clayden’s Parry Sound Shamrocks amalgamated together to form the North Bay Skyhawks, who were re-named Trappers in 2009.

The Nipissing Lakers Varsity Hockey Team have been in the building since 2009 and have thrived, making the playoffs every season. Their organization came into being when now Mayor Al McDonald along with partner Dennis Lathem created a private business partnership with the University.

McDonald stepped away from the business side of the team to focus on his role as the Mayor last fall.

Just this spring, the Lakers and Trappers worked out their second co-existence deal with the city to share the arena for the next three years - the first 3-year contract expired in the spring of 2012.

Clayden is hopeful if the right deal comes across with the OHL included, and one that doesn’t burden the city or tax payers, if that happens then it could be a win-win for all involved.

“It’s hard to argue with bringing an OHL team to North Bay and Northern Ontario,” he said, “The city was burned once before when the OHL deserted the city, but if a new deal is financially good for North Bay and the city tax payers, one has no argument. The Trappers are completely satisfied with a same similar contract with the City of North Bay and playing out of the West Ferris Arena and welcome the OHL and a new team to work with in the future. Frankly, it’s out of our hands.”

Clayden says the organization will continue to focus on the season in which the Jr. Trappers are one of only 3 teams in the nation with only 1 regulation loss and are hosting the 2013 Dudley Hewitt Cup.

Calls to city hall were left unanswered so for now, the Trappers play the waiting game, along with the rest of the Gateway city.