No fee ride for travel hockey kids from poor families

It's common for minor hockey associations to offer subsidies to players whose families could not otherwise afford to have their son or daughter play.
But should those subsidies be offered for kids who want to play on competitive teams, where upcharges and tournament fees can be double the fee charged for house league players?
Minor hockey officials in St. Thomas, Ont., think not, according to the local Times-Journal, where a columnist declares it smacks of discrimination.
While I empathize with kids who want to play and whose families can't afford it, I understand where St. Thomas hockey people are coming from. If families can find the money or sponsorship for the ride that is travel hockey, then why can't they find it for the basic registration fee?
On the other hand, skilled kids should be playing on the appropriate level of team, no matter what their economic circumstances.
Wonder how other hockey families feel.
In a perfect world, a kid-minded, hockey-minded benefactor would emerge to help players who are truly skilled and have the dedication and desire but not the family financial means move forward in hockey. Wouldn't it be nice, for example, if the greatest athlete ever from St. Thomas, San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton who makes $8 million a year, could quietly help advance the sport in his hometown.
In the shadows, of course, is the enormous economic hardship being experienced by St. Thomas, which is one of the hardest hit cities in Canada in terms of job loss during the recession.

Joe Thornton IS toast

Culinary skills of St. Thomas Minor Hockey/Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs product Joe Thornton shine in this funny NHL commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5qf0ifMNGQ

Joe Thornton banner

Here's a banner tribute to native son Joe Thornton at the St. Thomas Timken Community Centre.

Banner at the Timken Centre in St. Thomas traces the career Joe Thornton

My son's team is playing in a St. Thomas Minor Hockey Association tournament this weekend, with two wins and a loss (to the hometown Jr. Stars) so far.
What we thought was going to be a classic game against Barrie didn't quite turn out that way - it was 10-0 for our West London team. No one likes such lopsided games and I hope the Barrie kids do well in their next one.
Wonder if the San Jose Sharks read my blog?

Thornton barely acknowledged in St. Thomas rinks

The most baffling thing about St. Thomas is the lack of recognition for its most famous athlete. Wandering around the city's two arenas this weekend during a tournament, I see little acknowledgement that the captain of the San Jose Sharks and Canadian Olympic gold medalist ever skated here as a lad.
There's a banner inside the Timken Centre's main rink saluting Joe Thornton when he wore No. 16 for a season with the local Jr. B Stars as a 16-year-old before decamping for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. But that's no more prominent than the banners for Brian Willsie of Belmont, a bona fide NHLer, but a journeyman, and goaltender Dan Cloutier, the former Vancouver Canuck whose only tie to St. Thomas was the fact he once played for the Jr. B team.
The wall of donors for the modern Timken Centre pays tribute to the cash given by local companies, some sadly no longer in business in the job-ravaged city, local professionals and generous citizens. But no mention of Thornton, whose NHL nickname Jumbo Joe refers to his hometown's connection to the circus elephant.
The right thing to do would have been to name this new, two-pad arena in honour of Thornton. Down the road in Brantford, a ramshackle minor hockey and swimming palace is named in honour of Wayne Gretzky. St. Thomas should have done one better.
Failing that - and I suspect the snag was getting cash for naming rights - the locals should have at least named the main rink where the Jr. B Stars now play in honour of Thornton. But no. It's now named not for a generous corporation, but for St. Thomas Minor Hockey. STMA no doubt is a major financial contributor to the arena and obviously its major user. If memory serves, it was first named for a local trucking company, which unfortunately has gone out of business.
I for one wish St. Thomas had called this rink the Joe Thornton Centre and linked his wonderful NHL and Canadian Olympic accomplishments to a feeling of community pride - not to mention sports tourism marketing.
Goodness knows St. Thomas needs to recapture its pride at a time when tributes to a lost railway era and elephants might not be enough.
The city has lost too many jobs during the post 9/11 recession, including the massive Sterling Truck assembly plant and, next year, the nearby Ford Assembly Plant.
Maybe Joe Thornton is the icon who can help boost St. Thomas's sagging fortunes, kind of like Kid Rock and Detroit.

Joe Thornton: Best, richest all-time athlete from St. Thomas

I wonder if Joe Thornton, captain of the San Jose Sharks, remembers this photo. It was taken in the old Jr. B dressing room of Memorial arena in St. Thomas. Joe, who had just been drafted No. 1 overall by the Boston Bruins, was hosting a fundraiser for his former club, the Stars.
My son was just about to embark on his minor hockey career, which has not turned out to be quite as lucrative as Joe's.
I thought Joe was a class act that day, more than 10 years ago. He deserves his contract extension with the San Jose Sharks. Hope they win the Stanley Cup this season.

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2010/10/16/15715826.html