History

In the beginning there was chaos. The men-folk of the little village woke up to the realization in 1982 that there was no means of backing up their claims of hockey prowess. Then, it was suggested that a league could be formed to allow the men an opportunity to showcase whatever was left of their skills. So it was written, so it was to be done…

On day one, there was much gnashing of teeth, rattling of sticks and more than a little trash talk. The women had to cover the ears of the little ones and hide the eyes of the fairest of the children who stumbled upon the ghastly site. Tensions were high. Brave men struggled to cover their anxieties. All at once, with the deafening silence that followed the tractor, now done with it’s preparations, In that cavernous, bone chilling wooden structure they called Bond Lake Arena, the doors opened, and the first ever Oak Ridges Men’s Recreational Hockey League match began……

Nimble Wingers, Cunning Centremen, Imposing Defencemen and Great Goaltenders were nowhere to be found! Only the brave men of the odd Hamlet of Oak Ridges remained. Decked out in equipment from a bygone era, the men, each clinging desperately to that last shred of respect they still possessed after surviving the brutality of those early, miniscule, dressingrooms, they took to the ice and the game was begun.

It was a time when an old Ford Tractor was used to sweep the ice. There was still only 1 traffic light in town and the newest building probably WAS the arena itself! The parking lot resembled a freshly turned field more than anything else. There was frost 3 feet thick stuck to the walls inside the arena. Sticks were made of wood and skates had steel blades. The Maple Leafs were still terrible BUT…..on 2 nights a week, from September to April, those brave souls dragged themselves out of their homes and over to the rink…they played the game………and it’s been rumored………someone on Hugh Mitchell’s team suffered the shame of being fined with the first Beer Rule!

Men’s Hockey had come to town!