As a high school junior who has played "AAA rep" hockey with and
against many current O.H.L players, as well as elite "prep school"
hockey with and against many current E.C.A.C players, I feel that I
can offer an objective opinion on the College vs. Major Junior hockey
debate.
 
    The major selling point of Major Junior hockey is that it is
supposedly the highest level of competition available to would-be
N.H.L-ers. Without even considering the exorbitant benefits of a
college education, I feel that the level of College hockey itself is
as good as (if not better than) its Major Junior counterpart.
 
    On a recent trip to Peterborough, Ontario for the All-Ontario
High School Championships, I watched an O.H.L playoff game between
the Peterborough Petes and the Oshawa Generals (two Ontario Hockey
League teams rife with "traditions of consistency and
excellence"). Four of the players in the game had played "AAA" hockey
with me in the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey League (MTHL), including
Jeff Ware of the Generals who is a projected first round pick in the
upcoming N.H.L. draft. The game, however, left my teammates and I
thoroughly disappointed as a constant display of "clutch and grab"
hockey impeded play from start to finish. Ultimately, a bench-
clearing brawl ended the lifeless affair as the prospects showed off
their fighting skills to the hoards of N.H.L scouts in attendance.
 
 
    The College game showcases (and stresses) fundamental hockey
skills such as skating and shooting, whereas the O.H.L's supposed
"marquee" players have to constantly contend with "goon" tactics,
indicative of players possessing too little talent to play the game
legally.
 
    As the N.H.L becomes increasingly stringent in penalyzing
offenders who rely on "clutch and grab" tactics, the O.H.L finds
itself caught in an unfamiliar situation. Each year, more and more
Collegians (who rely predominantly on talent and discipline) are
taking jobs away from O.H.L players who cannot understand
why leagues other that the O.H.L do not allow the antics that they
have grown accustomed to throughout their careers.
 
    In the future, I expect to see a greater number of Collegians in
the N.H.L as Gary Bettman and Co. attempt to clean the game up.
Unfortunately for Major Junior hockey -- its best days are long gone.
 
    Josh Goldin
    Upper Canada College, Toronto.