The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan reports that Michigan’s resident summer pro hockey league is getting up and running again:
The idea was hatched 10 years ago by Steven Oleksy.
Oleksy, from Chesterfield Township, is a pro hockey player who has won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh and is currently in the Anaheim Ducks’ organization. Oleksy wanted to stay sharp and in game shape in the offseason.
“The college guys, pro guys, they can’t just go back and play in a regular senior league,” Oleksy said. “So what do you do to stay in game shape?”
Oleksy, 32, believes southeast Michigan has some of the best hockey talent anywhere in North America. So, why not gather a lot of that talent in one rink?
“I wanted to create something to bring everyone together,” said Oleksy, who started the Eastside Elite Hockey League. “It took some time to build it to where I wanted it to be. But what it’s become over the last 10 years is absolutely incredible.”
When Oleksy began he had eight teams with about 10 players on each roster.
“And I was lucky if I got six guys to show up for a game,” Oleksy said.
This summer, with the league approaching the midway point of its schedule, Oleksy has 15 teams and about 13 skaters and a goalie per roster — approximately 250 players competing in one of the best summer hockey leagues in the country. The league has a seven-week schedule that runs from mid-June to the end of July, with playoffs and an All-Star Game.
Continued, and you can find out more about the league here…
