St Joseph's Prep Hawks

When Evgeni Malkin fled his Russian team Magnitagorsk earlier this year, there was celebration in Pittsburgh in anticipation of the new season. Malkin, who reportedly signed a contract under duress at 3 AM, dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League. Communism supposedly fell with the Berlin wall more than a decade ago, but the fact that this kid, who is only a year or so older than some of our High School Hockey players, was unable to freely do what he wanted to is a sign that the Iron Curtain still exists. Read the plight of Evgeni and you will start to see where I am headed with this editorial. http://www.russianprospects.com/public/article.php?article_id=472&PHPSESSID=eb584c3cb756e1a33a9688fb0ba55a7e When Communism supposedly fell, many of those politicians in Russia, may have made their way the United States and are now working in the ranks of youth Hockey in the United States. I am not Joseph McCarthy or the Red Scare, but I can tell you the the resemblance of what Malkin went through is pretty similar to what goes on around the rinks of Western Pennsylvania. Evgeni had NO CHOICE but to leave Russia and pursue his dream and many kids in this area are doing the same because of the political landscape of the PIHL and the ridiculous nature of how it’s run and where it is headed. The administrative nightmare and red tape of paperwork to run a hockey game is way out of hand as it is now over $ 1000 to play a HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY game at Mt Lebanon Recreation Center and there are MANY OTHER RINKS WITH SIMILAR COSTS SO I AM NOT PICKING ON MT LEBANON. The ice is $ 240 an hour, which I can stomach and about average so $ 480 is the norm. $ 50 for the EMT, which from what I understand from one local rink is not what the EMT personnel receives, which is $ 5 less than the league charges, which is why the PIHL needs to be Audited and never has been. $ 150 for referees is $ 75 per game for Varsity and up from $ 45 in 2000-2001 [I wish we all got raises they are enjoying]. League Reps get $ 25 and for the mound of paperwork they fill out they should, but it used to be $ 10. A $ 211.52 charge for two Mt Lebanon police officers to provide security and the stands are less than half full unless its Bethel Park – Mt Lebanon? and then ……………..there’s the $ 90 per game PIHL Administrative fee….for what ? So the Joker can sit at his website and update the scores? Or so all of the schedule changes can go into a black hole of e-mails? The total is $ 1006.52 for one High School Hockey Game, which can be curfewed , if it is 30 seconds past the second hand on the sun dial. Folks, this is extortion and it’s priceless! So what you have is a league that is overcharging and what does the product look like. My favorite subject is the Open Division, but before I start on that subject, let’s talk about the idle threats of fines and such that Mr. Freeze and the Villans tried to impose prior to the season if any organization even attempted to FIELD A JV OR FRESHMAN TEAM OUTSIDE OF THE LEAGUE to god forbid SAVE $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. I have news for all of the stupid and yes I said stupid people who are buffaloed by this tactic. There are no less than a dozen to two dozen clubs playing JV and Freshman and Developmental games outside of the League, in fact it is my understanding that the Board of Governors voted it down and its still being threatened. Two years ago when we tried to start an independent JV / Freshman League, people were all for it as as many as 20 clubs joined the discussion until the Villans started spreading threats and calling in the chips like the mafia. Teams in the Lake Shore are playing in an independent league and the Laurel Highlands League is still alive and there are independent JV teams playing hockey in Western Pennsylvania, so not everyone is stupid. And you thought that Evgeni had it tough? Varsity Hockey is now to the point, where the Pittsburgh Post Gazette will not even publish the standings and hasn’t to date for this season. Why? Because nobody cares about the product and if the Penguins do not stay in Pittsburgh, which will be decided soon because of the politicians letting this thing being decided politically with the Isle of Capri debacle. So here we are on a Thursday night in December, which used to be the BIGGEST night of High School Hockey and 12 out of the 18 games on the schedule are the Open Division. 26 out of the 76 schools represented by name are in the Open Division, including 5 West Virginia schools, who will eventually form their own division and at least a half dozen IMPURE NON-HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS with players from an array of schools representing one school. How can a school principal from Quigley or Valley or Ringgold sign off on a roster with for a school team with players who don’t even attend the school? Forest Hills and Ferndale, left the safe haven of Class A to take even bigger beatings in the Open Division against a bunch of sandbagging Class AAA schools, who are playing down to play for what?……….NOTHING! Because there is NO State Championship for the OPEN Classification and more importantly NO CRITERIA to establish one and when I speak to people in the Eastern Pa hockey circles, they shutter and say well maybe we can have our second Varsities play them! And people think the PIAA is interested………..not in our lifetime? And we wonder why Kool-Aid is the beverage of choice. Players at the Bantam and even Pee Wee level are now forgoing playing High School Hockey to travel and play outside of this area. I not saying that they should, they are just making a choice because although they are not being forced to sign contracts at 3 AM by Magnitagorsk, their decisions are becoming pretty clear cut. All of you people who turn a deaf ear and close your eyes when this is discussed in the rinks or provide a stupid blank look when you are enlightened to what is going on here, will be long gone when the next group comes along in five years. For the people who care, THERE IS AN ELECTION IN APRIL and the Hockey Community needs to ‘Stand as One’ a rid themselves of a BIG problem and elect some new people and CLEAN HOUSE. The Joker, the Riddler, Mr Freeze, Cat Woman, Bookworm, Egghead, and all of the Villans need to be sent to Gotham State Prison with Warden Crichton. And hockey needs to be restructured toward Split Seasons, Cooperation and not in Competition with PAHL and with a GOAL to be cost effective. There are lots of rinks that Mario Built and Sidney and Evgeni can build and keep open, the hockey community just needs to have the politicians and people looking to pad their own pockets out of the picture to make it happen!