Fremont Ice Wolves

Bob Bailey was a wonderful, well-liked man who had a soft spot for his family and a passion for sports.  He was born in Kenora, Ontario on May 29, 1931.  Bob met his wife, Jean, in October 1952 while playing hockey for the Cleveland Barons. They were married on June 11, 1955 at St. Angela’s Church in Fairview Park.  They settled in Bay Village for 6 years followed by a move to North Olmsted where they lived for 27 years.  Bob and Jean retired in 1987 and moved to Florida.  When Bob became ill, he and Jean moved back home to be with their three children, other family members and friends.  Bob Bailey died peacefully on October 24, 2003.

Bob played professional hockey for 21 seasons, from 1947 to1968. Bob’s time in the NHL (1953-1958) was during the Original Six era when he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Chicago Blackhawks. He also played for many other AHL and IHL teams. After almost 19 years of tough, grinding hockey, Bob had his best offensive season.  He was 34 years old at this time and scored 132 points for the Dayton Gems in the IHL in 1965-66. Bob retired from hockey in 1968 and was inducted to the Dayton Gems Hall of Fame on March 17, 1970.

I met Bob in the late 1970s. We played on Cleveland men’s league hockey teams together. No matter what team we were on, he always wore his Cleveland Barons socks and pants. I remember his big grin and whole-hearted greeting, “Hey Kev”. Bob always made others look great. We just had to get open, and the puck would be on our sticks. Even in his 50’s, he could score from anywhere, and no one could take the puck away from him. He was a great teammate.

Just as it was an honor to know and play hockey with Bob Bailey, it is an honor to win this trophy. Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Bob Bailey Memorial Cup, Randy Hrabak and the Medina Bees.     

Kevin Kittrick

Rocky River Buccaneers

The Buckeye Cup High School Club Hockey State Championship is back in Cleveland this year and will be hosted by the North Coast High School Hockey League. The event will be held from March 7-9, 2008, at Ice Land USA in Strongsville, Ohio. Competing will be the top four high school club hockey teams from the North Coast High School Hockey League, the Greater Columbus High School Club Hockey League, and the Cincinnati Amateur Hockey Association.

This will be the Fourth Annual Buckeye Cup. The Buckeye Cup was started by John Mummert, head coach of North Royalton, based on the idea that high school club hockey teams should be able to participate in a state championship beyond their individual league championship on a local level. From its institution, teams from Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati have participated. The First Annual Buckeye Cup was held in the Cleveland/Northeast Ohio area at Center Ice in North Canton, Ohio and at Alice Noble in Wooster, Ohio. Subsequent years were in Columbus and Cincinnati, respectively. And here we are...back in Cleveland.

Good luck to the teams in Cleveland/Northeast Ohio, Columbus, and Cincinnati with the remainder of your season! We'll see the top 12 high school club hockey teams up here in Cleveland in March!

Jackson and North Royalton will kick off the league season schedule this Wednesday. Hard to believe the season is here already!

The league schedule can be viewed by clicking on "Schedules" in the menu to the left. The most recent upcoming games are also listed at the bottom of the home page for your convenience.

Wishing all league teams a great and safe season! I am sure this season will prove to be another exciting one! Best of luck to every team!

The coaches vs. pro alumni game held this past weekend was truly a success. The coaches gave it their all, and the score was...let's just say...hmm, 8(?) to 4 in favor of the Alumni. Regardless, it was a great event to watch, and there are no injuries to report! (Well, at least no one admitted to hurting! Ha ha!) Kudos to all who participated in the game! Thank you for contributing to the day's success!

Please click on "Albums" to view pictures of the game.

The North Coast High School Hockey League is getting ready for another exciting season!

We will have 11 teams participating in the 2007-2008 season playing a ten-game league schedule. Ten of those teams are from last season. Nordonia elected to go independent, and Archbishop Hoban was accepted into the league. Welcome, Archbishop Hoban!

The season should be another interesting one to watch, and the excitement will intensify at season's end with the league's decision to play a double-elimination format in the NCHSHL Playoffs beginning February 3, 2008, at Ice Land USA. It will be interesting to see the twists that might evolve!

NCHSHL will continue its new tradition of an All Star Game to be held on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at Ice Land USA.

In addition, it is NCHSHL's turn to host the Buckeye Cup 2008 where the top four teams from Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati will compete for the Buckeye Cup High School Club Hockey State Championship. Plans are for this to also be held at Ice Land USA in Strongsville, Ohio.

The league schedule has been posted under "Schedules". Please remember to check often as schedules are subject to change.

Best wishes to all teams in preparing for your upcoming season!

Tammy Mummert

Commissioner