It’s Almost Time

We hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer and are feeling ready to trade the heat for the cold of an arena in true Canadian Hockey Fan fashion.

“A” games begin on Monday, September 19th and House League games begin Saturday, September 24th. Are you ready for the season?  Just follow our tips below to make sure you and your child don’t miss out on any hockey action this year. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 !

1. REGISTER WITH YOUR AREA ASSOCIATION – don’t procrastinate – do it now!  They can’t plan for an awesome season without knowing who will be participating.
2. DO THE PARENT MODULE OF RESPECT IN SPORT – one parent must have completed this online program before your child can play. 
3. CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT – Sports stores will be running specials and you don’t want your child to miss out on any action from uncomfortable or unsafe equipment.

Help Us Celebrate 70 Years of Hockey in Mississauga!

The 2016-17 season marks the 70th anniversary of the Mississauga Hockey League.  To commemorate this accomplishment we’re unveiling a special logo which will be used this season.  Seventy years of providing hockey to the youth of this city is a testament to the dedication of our volunteers, the support of parents and the love of our citizens for this great game.

Our Hockey Heritage

The Mississauga Hockey League began as the Toronto Township Hockey League and was formed in 1946 with Cooksville, Streetsville, Erindale, Clarkson, Lorne Park, Lakeview, Cloverleaf, Malton and Burnhamthorpe. Five divisions including Intermediate, Juvenile, Minor Midget, PeeWee and Tadpole were featured. In those days, practices and games were played on outdoor ice in Erindale, Burnhamthorpe, Forsters Rink in Cooksville, Dixie, Malton, Port Credit, and at Lester’s Arena south of Brampton.
The first President of the League was Alf McCallum.

By 1950, there were 45 teams (46 in 1947-1948) and the League entered a Junior “B” team in the Ontario Hockey League, the Dixie Beehives.

The Toronto Township Hockey League affiliated with the Toronto Hockey League (now the Greater Toronto Hockey League) in 1956 and by 1967 boundaries were established and 155 teams from Applewood, Burnhamthorpe, Clarkson, Cloverleaf, Cooksville, Dixie, Erindale, Lakeview, Lyndwood, Malton and Port Credit were using four covered arenas – Port Credit, Dixie, Huron Park and Streetsville.

In 1968, the Toronto Township Hockey League became known as the Mississauga Hockey League. By 1972, 400 teams were registered and parents were travelling to Acton, Bolton, Milton, Nobleton, Burlington, Woodbridge and Oakville for practices usually in the early hours of the morning.

In 1983, the New Concept ‘A’ level was formed. This was a separate level of ‘A’ hockey from that offered by the MHL Associations and was more akin to ‘AA’ calibre. New Concept teams were not permitted to enter ‘A’ tournaments and could only enter ‘AA’ or higher.  New Concept teams (with sponsoring organizations in brackets) were known as the Mississauga Algonquins (Clarkson), Mississauga Cree (Cawthra Park and Dixie), Mississauga Navajo (Cooksville), Mississauga Iroquois (Erindale), Mississauga Hurons (Port Credit), Mississauga Mohawks (Malton and Meadowvale) and Mississauga Ojibwa (Lorne Park). The New Concept level merged back with the regular MHL in 1988.

As Mississauga has grown and changed, so too has the MHL. Today, parents no longer have to travel outside the City for practices and games. The league offers hockey on six different levels of skill – ‘A’, Red, White, Blue, Green and Gold (Tyke and Minor Novice only) thus ensuring that hockey is available to every youngster in the City of Mississauga.

 Our MHL Hockey Heritage Photo Gallery

The Toronto Township Hockey League would take players to visit Maple Leaf Gardens on Saturdays to meet NHL players. Above is Maple Leaf captain George Armstrong with Lorne Park player Jim Darling, son of MHL President 1966-67, Jack Darling. Photo c1960’s.

Important Dates for 2016-17

September 2016

14              Deadline for House League Team entries
19              “A” games begin
24              House League games begin

October 2016

9                  “Thanksgiving Sunday” MHL games WILL be played (Midget & Juvenile only)
10                 “Thanksgiving Monday” … No MHL games will be scheduled
31                  Halloween (Monday)… MHL games WILL be played

November 2016

6                    End of Divisional Convening
15                  Final date for acceptance of player releases

December 2016

1                    Deadline for return of MHL Championship Cups
24                 Start Christmas Break… No MHL Games scheduled

January 2017

1                    Last day of Christmas Break … No MHL Games Scheduled
10                  After this date, a player may only be used a maximum of 5 times as affiliate player (i.e. “call-up”)
15                  Final date for player registration
19                  Final date for Tournament Exemptions

February 2017

1                     Approximate start date for “A” Playoffs
1                     Deadline for entry of “A” teams for the 2016-17 season
20                   Family Day… No MHL games scheduled

March 2017

11-19             March Break… No MHL games
20                  Playoffs resume
27                  GTHL “A” Championships – Major Divisions (April 2 inclusive)
31                  House League Championship Weekend (April 2 inclusive)
31                  Deadline for recommendations to the Rules Committee for
amendments to the MHL Rules & Regulations

April 2017

7-9                 GTHL “A” Championships – Minor Divisions
6-9                 MHL Challenge Tournament
7-9                 OHF G“A” Championships
20                  Deadline for submission of nominations for the MHL Board of Directors
20-24            “A” team tryout period

May 2017

3                       MHL Annual General Meeting
4                       MHL Awards Banquet
9                       MHL Annual Charity Golf Tournament

MHL Referral Program

Did you know that you could earn a $50 credit toward your registration fee at your association, by referring a brand new player to the Mississauga Hockey League.  Eligible players must be a new player ages Tyke to Bantam, not a family member or resident with an existing registered player/family, must be a Mississauga resident and must never have been registered with the MHL before.  An individual can sponsor more than one new player.  To download a New Player Incentive Program application form, please check on the MHL website.  Or click here.

First Shift Program

We have 2 sons (ages 12 and 9) who were on the fence about playing hockey and like most parents it was a big investment to fit two growing boys with equipment not knowing if they were going to like it.  The First Shift gave us an opportunity for our boys to test the waters for a fraction of the cost.  So we registered them for the program in 2014/15. From the first day on the ice when they said “Mom I had so much fun today, I love hockey”, I knew they were hooked. Because of the program, both my children have developed their skills in hockey and have confidence in themselves. They went on to play house league with the Meadowvale Hawks for the first time in which they both won the gold medals in their divisions and are already eager to get started for their second year.
As parents we are so grateful for this program because it allowed us to register both kids and expose them to such a great program run by a great group of volunteers. We are thankful and appreciative and recommend this program to anyone who asks us how our kids got started in hockey. Thank you First /Second Shift team (Jeff Leavens and his team of volunteers were outstanding) and to Bauer Canada for providing such an accessible program.
Peter and Anna Marto

 Shared Respect

Hockey Canada’s Shared Respect Initiative has the goal to educate and encourage greater respect between all participants in the game. Consider your role in showing respect for the game of hockey and all its participants.
The safety of the participants in the game is more important than the final score.

• I value the contribution of the coach in developing the players’ talents, even though I may not always agree with their methods.
• I understand that officials do not make the hockey rules, they only apply them.
• I understand that children learn from adults, and my behavior reflects what I want children to learn.
• I understand that officials are responsible to ensure that the game is played in a safe and fair manner for all participants.
• I understand that players, coaches and officials are learning the game, and mistakes will be made in the learning process.
• I may not cheer for the opposition team, but I will also not cheer against them or verbally abuse them.
• I understand that the biggest reason for players and officials quitting the game is abuse.