Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence

in the Game of Ball Hockey that Anyone Can Play

“When Etienne takes his cousin out to play street hockey for the first time, he has a lot of explaining to do. Street hockey is nothing like ice hockey. Everyone has to wear a number nine Canadiens hockey sweater, but beyond that, the game has more to do with a fun day in the snow than with winning or losing.” (That’s Hockey – David Bouchard & Dean Griffiths)

Oh, how the game has changed…..

Remember, rushing home from school on those cool and wind-swepted autumn afternoons to get a game going? Often enough there was only one net. The other had to be constructed out a couple of bricks, a bag, a coat or a couple of rocks. Despite the arguments that would ensue about the distance placed between the posts, a decision would ultimately be rendered that would not resurface until someone would spot the goalie moving the ‘posts’ closer together as the game wore on.

The tennis ball that was used never really stopped bouncing. There were always too many cars that came by during the game that constantly interrupted the flow. The teams that were picked never seemed to be fair and despite announcing the game would be up to 10, that number rarely seemed obtainable as darkness set in or the guy who owned the net had to go in for dinner.

Those few that could stay out longer or return after devouring their dinner to play under the street light settled for a game of ‘hog’ or ‘showdown’. The diehards would shoot against a goalie that wore sponge pads, a homemade blocker and a baseball glove for equipment until it was time to go in for the night.

Nonetheless, tomorrow was another day. There would always be two new teams, a review of the rules and a game up to 10, or then again, the next goal wins!

Then, where did it all begin?

Like most periods in history, the cultural, social and economic events that took place during the 1970’s brought about a period of significant change and impact on a population at the time that lasted forever. It was a decade that introduced people to M*A*S*H and one that had moviegoers transfixed by Star Wars, a cult following that continues to exist today. It was an era when The King of Rock ‘n Roll, who captivated audiences throughout North America, was pronounced dead at the age of 42 and a birthday that has been celebrated religiously by millions of adoring fans every year since. It was a time when kids were introduced to life on Sesame Street. Paul Henderson shoots, he scores! as Canada defeats the U.S.S.R. in the Summit Series. The CN Tower appeared on the Toronto Skyline and became the tallest freestanding structure in the world. Saturday Night Fever took everyone by storm in 1977. It was also a time when the C.N.E. welcomed the Blue Jays and an age that Bobby Orr joined the Boston Bruins and Michael Jordan was only 14 years old. It was also a period when ball hockey, a game that was enjoyed by neighborhood children on local streets, began to evolve into full fledged organized competition that today is played in major sports facilities by thousands of people worldwide for premier prizes each year.

The O.B.H.A. comes to life.

It was 1974 in Toronto, Ontario when the Ontario Ball Hockey Association was born. A group of men, namely George Butterwick, Paul Coulter, John Forrest, Paul Smith, Ken White and later Mike Bernard got together and agreed in principle to plan the association’s inaugural AGM and host the first Provincial Championship of ball hockey. These pioneers of the sport at the time, may not have entirely realized what they were about to do or the impact that were going to have on the game along with the myriad of individuals involved over the next thirty years. The game of ball hockey would never be the same. The affects from the game’s grass roots level to the local, provincial, national and most recently the international playing field would be exponential. They ultimately began the migration of a world of players, coaches, officials, administrators and fans of the game onto one universal stage.

The rest is history…

The O.B.H.A. invites you to take a look inside the web site for a better picture of how the game has evolved to date, but more importantly, its continued progress and unlimited potential for the future.