NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
*************************
The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) will celebrate its history and excellence when it unveils the OJHL Hall of Fame and inducts its first members this Friday, the league announced today.
The ceremony will take place during the Centennial Cup national junior A championships at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville.
“Celebrating the history of our league is critical in defining the future success of our league,” said Marty Savoy, Commissioner of the OJHL. “The first induction class celebrates not only the success at the OJHL level, but also their amazing careers within the game.”
Five people will be inducted into the online Hall Friday night. Their names will be announced during a live ceremony. The OJHL Hall of Fame website will also go live that night: www.ojhlhalloffame.ca
The OJHL Hall of Fame was established to honour and preserve the history of the great athletes and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of the OJHL and who have performed with highest distinction in the OJHL and beyond.
The OJHL Hall of Fame will highlight the history of Provincial Junior A Hockey in Ontario and all the pioneer leagues that built the OJHL into what the 24-team league is today.
The OJHL created the Hall to memorialize the great accomplishments of players, builders and all the associated people from the original era of the league, from 1972 to 1987, to the modern era, from 1993 to the present, and everything in between.
The OJHL Hall of Fame website will feature information about the inductees and the inductee categories, timelines and selection criteria.
The site will also include information on the history of the leagues that laid the foundation for the present-day OJHL.
Additionally, the site will preserve league historical records, including the listing of all-time leaders in statistical categories, award winners and the history of OJHL champions.
“We have put quite a bit of time in setting up the OJHL Hall of Fame," said Rick Morocco, the OJHL’s vice-president of business affairs. “It is a great time for us to highlight our great athletes, builders and coaches while preserving our rich traditions that have made our league what it is today.”
Each year, the OJHL Hall of Fame will induct up to five individuals.
Nominees’ names can be put forth by anyone including fans, team representatives past and present, league supporters using a nomination form (available on the Hall of Fame website) or by members of the OJHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The Selection Committee will be composed of individuals from Hockey Hall of Fame, Ontario media, the OJHL Foundation, league staff and OJHL Board of Governors.
Nominations will be welcome every year from the start of the OJHL season, in early September, until the end of November.
*************************
