Why Electric Ice??


It's an interesting and valid question.  Why name a forum of the Owen Sound Attack - Electric Ice?  Obviously when the franchise was acquired in the year 2000 by the "Super-Six" they elected to put their own stamp on the team renaming it and perhaps re-branding it, the Owen Sound Attack.  The team's original name, the Platers, referred to the Electro-plating industry as evidenced by the 'bolts' featured on the two logos that the team used in it's first 11 seasons in Owen Sound.

This forum, though it has moved a couple of times, has had the same ownership and much of the same management since it's formation in 1999.  The Electric Ice name moved forward, despite the team changing names because it was still a symbol of technology, how it's brought and kept many of us together over the years.  Our anniversary is pretty much marked with the team's anniversary, meaning that as of the end of the year 2009, it will be one decade of Electric Ice, making it one of the oldest and most successful team OHL internet forums in the OHL.

How has Electric Ice Contributed to the Owen Sound Attack??


In a twist of fate, the emergence of Electric Ice still in it's infancy found a new use, the idea was for discussion in terms of the product on the ice.  What resulted was more off-ice discussions as the season came to a close and the Holody family who owned the team, had found a group of buyers out of Cornwall, ON.  What resulted was a whirl-wind month where a group from Owen Sound (or interests outside of the city with intentions of keeping the team in the city) could match the offer.  One of the major stumbling blocks and detractors to buying the team was the venue.

The Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre was a fine Jr. B arena, if not absolute and complete overkill, with prospective owners looking into a new millenium, it was obvious that for the investment in the team to be feisible, that rennovations would most definitely be necessary, with the building only housing approximately 1800 quality seats, along with a virtually non-existent concourse, for souvenier and concession sales.
When it became apparent that a group of locals was trying to coordinate to buy the team, a small group of volunteers got together to raises pledges to improve the arena, a group that apparently started with a phone and a shoe box filled with papers with addresses and phone numbers along with pledge dollars from every caller.  Plater alumni and even some very generous annonymous excited members of the community as they helped push the numbers up.  Overwhelmed with the public support, rallies and those who showed up at town hall meetings wearing Platers jerseys, the city of Owen Sound elected to help the cause.

Watching the Electric Ice forum for those weeks at the conclusion of the 1999-2000 Platers' season became, at times like watching a telethon.  If the goal could be reached the team would have a chance to stay in Owen Sound, if it failed, the chances of ever seeing the OHL in the Grey-Bruce counties would be insignificant at best.  Media, city council, and Platers fans every where watched the message board for 'live' updates from those who volunteered their time and efforts to collect the pledges for a drastic rennovations to the Bayshore.  Much of the media outside of the Owen Sound area regarded these efforts as inspiring, but absolutely futile, still they soldiered on.
It was an emotional roller-coaster that started on a very somber note with the mayor of Owen Sound stating that the city would not be able to retain the Platers and one week later ended with word that the OHL Commissioner had convinced the group who was trying to relocate the team from Cornwall to allow the team to remain in Owen Sound.  In all over $1,000,000 was raised privately with the city chipping in close to 2 million itself for rennovations.


 Outside Link to Owen Sound Sun Times Article Discussing the Events of 2000
Original Attack logo and jersey design, later the team elected to incorporate more white into their design

The future


The best idea for the future is not to forget the past, what made this forum a community back in 1999, and all of those pricinples are going to be the same effectively ten years later and beyond, only the forum technology has improved greatly.

When the Attack are struggling, I think it sometimes best to feel fortunate that there is still the best Junior hockey in the world in Owen Sound and not take that simple fact for granted.  The site's mainly dedicated to the fans who fought so hard to keep the team, with a reminder to protect the future while not forgetting the past.

Thanks for a rewarding and wonderful decade of Owen Sound hockey discussion.


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