Toronto Jr. Canadiens general manager Rick Varone said he has fond memories of playing for the Newmarket Hurricanes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Having played for four other franchises over his OJHL career, he said Newmarket stood out as a great hockey community. Living nearby in Schomberg, it is a place for which he has always had fondness.
Newmarket lost its OJHL franchise in 2019, after 31 years in the community. Varone said he would like to help change that.
“I played for four other teams in the OJHL. Newmarket was the only one that really felt like a Jr. A town,” he said. “With the great rink, the Ray Twinney (Recreation Complex) is and the fan support we had back then, and the town and community support we had. I thought it’s important for the league to be in the town.”
The Toronto Jr. Canadiens are considering a move to Newmarket as early as next season, according to Varone. A final decision has not yet been made. But to help test the waters, the team will be playing a game at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex Jan. 26 vs. the Aurora Tigers, with fundraising for Southlake Health.
It is the second game the team has played in Newmarket. With only about six days of lead-time marketing, Varone said the team got 600 people out to a game against Markham in November. That game went quite well, Varone said, with plenty of town and community support.
“It’s a great eye-opener for us and our ownership group,” he said. “To see, hey, you know what, the town does like Jr. A hockey. If we do decide to move the team to Newmarket, we can make this work in this town.”
The OJHL represents a high level of junior hockey, with players developed and feeding into leagues like the NCAA and OHL.
Varone said in their current Toronto location, they usually only get parents and families to attend games. With the sons of team ownership about to graduate from the squad, Varone said there is more interest in possibly shifting the team to Newmarket.
But the ownership of Newmarket’s last Jr. A team suggested the town may struggle with support. When owners Anthony Cella and Tony Comparelli decided to sell off the Hurricanes for a move to Milton in 2019, they said they tried everything to make it work in Newmarket.
“The short answer is because Newmarket doesn’t care about junior hockey,” Cella said in 2019.
Asked to respond, Varone said a long absence may make the market more eager for the hockey again.
“Sometimes people don’t realize how much they’ll miss it till they’re gone,” he said. “I know we’re going to be out in the community more … We want to do more in the community. We want to get volunteers involved. We want to do a lot of fundraising for places like the hospital. We want to really embrace Newmarket, and we’re hoping Newmarket embraces us.”
The Jan. 26 game will feature things like a puck toss contest with prizes, with funds raised going to Southlake, Varone said. He added that Mayor John Taylor will also be there to do a puck drop, and they hope to invite other dignitaries and Newmarket Hurricanes alumni to the game.
The hope is that ownership will see a similar or better fan turnout as they did for the game in November, Varone said.
If ownership does opt to move the team, Varone said a decision should come within a couple of months, with the hopes of filing with the OJHL to get the team ready to move by next season.
“We want to be in the community,” he said.
The Jan. 26 game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Ray Twinney Recreation Complex.
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