GMHL Reacts

The hockey season hasn’t even started yet but once again Skyhawks G.M. Guy Blanchard is voicing his usual controversial opinion. Last year he claimed the Nipissing Alouettes, part of the new Greater Metro Junior “A” League which started play in the fall of 2006, might be a nice feeder system locally for the Skyhawks.

Blanchard also disputed any chances of North Bay ever getting an OHL franchise and claimed the Mantha group which was seeking the Mississauga Ice Dogs franchise was never close to purchasing and moving the team to North Bay. He seemed to be accurate with that statement.

But now that the veteran G.M. has competition East (Temiscaming Royals) and West (Nipissing Alouettes) of him it appears that he's changed his tune towards the new league.

His latest jabs at the Greater Metro Junior League have struck a nerve with some involved in the Junior “A” league, in particular Toronto Moose president Marshall Uretsky.

Uretsky found out about Blanchard’s latest comments in the recent BayToday.ca story through a GMHL chat site and he quickly wanted to set the record straight on a couple issues including scouting and insurance.

“If they want to pay $3000.00 and not be insured to play junior hockey then that’s fine,” Blanchard told BayToday.ca reporter Anthony Valade earlier in the week.

“They want to play junior hockey and there are no OHL scouts then we are not worried, we are okay with that. And there will hardly be any NCAA scouts that are going to make the trip this far up north to watch the games, so like I said I don’t really think it’s going to affect us player wise.”

But Uretsky says the league is insured. He also believes the amount of players offered NCAA scholarships to GMHL players shows that, in fact, NCAA scouts are watching the new league very closely.

“If no one is watching I’m wondering how we would have more than three dozen NCAA offers including a handful of full-ride NCAA Division 1 scholarships,” Uretsky said in an interview on Friday afternoon.

“I don’t know how that happens if they aren’t watching. I don’t know how the NCAA wouldn’t know about us since we play 6 all-star games against NCAA Division 3 schools this year,” Uretsky adds noting half a dozen NHL scouts have contacted the league to make suggestions.

Uretsky believes Blanchard’s comments are an indication that he’s defensive and concerned about a league that has grown from 7 to 13 franchises in a year, while the NOJHL has dropped from 7 to 6 teams this year; although the Soo Indians are expected to return in 2008. Still Uretsky hopes that hockey fans in the region support all the junior teams in the area including the Temiscaming Royals, Nipissing Alouettes, and yes, the North Bay Skyhawks.

“The Skyhawks deserve an audience but we want fans to watch both leagues,” he added in closing.