Countdown to OFSAA 2006 begins

Fort Frances’ bid to host the 2006 all-Ontario high school boys’ hockey showdown will be presented to the OFSAA committee this Friday in Toronto.
And the answer may be known as soon as Monday.
The bid—drawn up over the past few weeks—highlights the amenities available in Fort Frances, including the two arenas (and the possibility of using the one in Emo), hotels, and restaurants.
It also features the history of Muskie hockey, including hosting the OFSAA tournament in 1977, 1982, and 1989. Most importantly, the bid includes mention of the passion surrounding high school hockey in Fort Frances.
“The championship game will, without question, be played to a capacity crowd—a fitting and emotionally charged end to a memorable week,” it reads.
Greg Ste. Croix, co-athletic director at Fort Frances High School, hopes to announce the result of the bid at the Muskie boys’ hockey season windup banquet Monday.
The bid was submitted to OFSAA by Ste. Croix and former Muskie head coach Terry Ogden, representing the committee which has been working on the bid.
It will be presented in Toronto by a third party, a man from Thunder Bay who presents all bids from the Northwest region.
“It would be great,” Ogden said of hosting the tournament. “We hosted in ’89, ’82 and ’77, I coached in ’82 and ’89. It’s a really big thing for the community.”
John Pierce, who was elected fundraising chair for the bid committee, is working hard to get www.muskiehockey.com up and running so the website can be displayed as part of the bid (as an example of what www.ofsaahockey2006.com would look like).
The championship website would contain all details for the tournament, including registration forms and maps prior to the tournament, schedules, and results while games were ongoing.
The committee originally planned to bid for the 2005 championship, and plans to continue bidding for 2007—or even 2008—if it is not successful with this bid.