The 25 year lockout

Canada is known for its cold temperatures, warm-hearted people and of course hockey. The recent win of the gold medal in men’s and women’s hockey during this year’s winter Olympics left every Canadian resident proud of their country. Canadians have embraced hockey as their own.

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Whether it’s in a refrigerated barn, or just a frozen pond, nothing can get in the way of the sport we love. I have played travel hockey my entire life, and as most dreamers realize; “I’m not going to make it in the big leagues”.

However, my passion for the game has not dissipated in any manner since attending post-secondary school. Recently I had the opportunity to attend an exciting hockey game between the University of Waterloo and Lakehead University, which determined the post-season future of the Waterloo team. The arena was filled with positive energy; fans were everywhere embracing the rivalry between schools.

As I sat there, I felt a sudden realisation of deep withdrawal. I did not have the luxury of having my own hockey team to cheer for. Living in Hamilton, and being a student at McMaster University, I began to wonder how such a reputable school cannot have its own hockey team.

University hockey is a high tier level, with many of the players being big prospects for the semi-pro level.  There are currently 36 universities playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league across the Canada. According to McMaster University, over 40,000 students are enrolled over the 2013 - 2014 year, and the school is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world.

With that being said, McMaster University is the largest university outside Quebec which does not compete in CIS hockey, and has not had a hockey team for 25 years. There is no definite answer as to why. I cannot fathom why this size and level of institution would not want a team where the entire country is behind the sport.

It seems that since McMaster has been out of the hockey loop for so long, the school has given up on hopping back in. There is a multitude of benefits of having a hockey team; the obvious benefit being the profit that the school can make from the sales of tickets, team merchandise, and advertising. This could drastically increase the schools funding. Alternatively, even if the school could not break even and suffered in a loss of money, how can cutting hockey out of the schools funding be justified? How has this sport been chosen out of the dozens of other sports teams to be unfairly boycotted?

If a team was to be created again, the school would be attracting a much larger and reputable selection of academia.  From the players that are wanting to play for the team, to the students wanting to be a part of the crowd, a hockey team would attract thousands of eyes that would have never considered McMaster as a possible option.

Many other aspects can be considered when wanting to create a varsity athlete team. A large component is building a rink on campus for the team to practice and play on. Once again money is a factor; although McMaster already has 3 prestigious fields, with a stadium that can hold 6000 seats, a newly renovated athletic centre, swimming pool and many other athletic facilities. Hockey players, figure skaters, speed skaters and recreational skaters are all denied access to a facility at the McMaster campus, and seem to be the only class of sport that is.

It’s time for McMaster to jump on board; it seems that almost every other sport has been accepted other than the sports on ice.

Something must be changed if a hockey team at McMaster University will ever exist again. Awareness is vital, both around the campus and the community. Making people aware that having a hockey team is in fact possible, and getting them to take action in pursuit of a team can drastically influence the school’s decision. One person alone cannot impact this cause, however if a large enough population were to show interest perhaps McMaster’s decision would change.  I can see that it would require a lot of time, and commitment for staff building the team; nevertheless this does not mean that we should just pack in the bags. With the student body and communities support, McMaster can re-establish their own varsity hockey team, and become a part of Canada’s rich past time once again.