Open Letter to the people of the Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association
MYHockeyRankings.com is entertainment. It is education. It may be fun and interesting. It is not hockey, the sport we all love. Hockey is what happens on the ice, on the bench, in the lockerroom and arguably in the rink lobby and in the car on the way to and from the rink. As the founder and director of MYHockeyRankings.com, I understand its place in the sport.
Many of us have been addicted to hockey since that first day a parent laced up those skates when we were just a toddler. And as hockey addicts, we crave more information about the sport. Each month about 5,000 people from the Ottawa District browse MYHockeyRankings.com for some of their daily fix of hockey information. I am honored and truly appreciate the support. Based on the number of volunteers I have from the district, the emails I received and the number of visitors, it's definitely a very strong hockey region of North America. But, it is also, hands down, the most frustrating and bothersome region of hockey in North America.
Approximately a fourth of my time spent maintaining MYHockey is spent specifically addressing Ottawa District inconsistencies. One fourth of my time spent on 184 teams, or 1.5% of the teams in the system. That statement is not completely accurate, approximately half of the time spent on the Ottawa District is spent on teams that do not qualify for the system. At this point in time, MYHockey only covers "A" level and higher levels hockey across North America. "B" level teams, whether they are in California or the Ottawa District, do not qualify because the system simply cannot handle every "B" level team in North America at this time.
Let me make it clear, I am fully aware that "B" level Ottawa District teams can and do compete at the "A" level outside of the district. Let me emphasize that if you want them added to MYHockey, then start calling them "A" level teams. Your naming standards, which are a unique island onto themselves in the hockey world, cost me a couple hundred hours of wasted time per season. I've wasted almost a full work year on the Ottawa District since I started this website over a decade ago. You are the last area in the world that I'm going to make an exception for.
While I have literally received hundreds of letters requesting that new teams be added or explaining why this group of teams should be ranked with this other group of teams, the email I find the most frustrating is the "I know that the Ottawa District labels their teams in an inconsistent and confusing way and I'm sorry for this but nothing can be done about it." Let me make it clear, if nothing can be done about the inconsistent labeling standards used by the Ottawa District, then MYHockey will not only NOT be adding your "B" level teams to the system, we will be actively looking for ways to minimize the colossal waste of time that is the Ottawa District. I would like for just one person or organization to send me an email about how they tried to affect change instead of repeating the "nothing can be done" mantra from the District.
Because I pretty much try to respond to every email I receive, I've written a flavor of this letter a few hundred times. This will be my last. From this point forward, I only want to receive updates on what you are doing to change the situation. Let me bring this letter full circle. MYHockeyRankings.com is just a website. The sport existed before the website and will exist long after the website fades into history. Ottawa District, you don't need to change a single thing, you are entitled to run your sport however you see fit. However, if you want something from me, you need to give me something other than the expense and headache of a couple thousand wasted hours over the past decade. You need to change. It's now in your hands. Best of luck.
Many of us have been addicted to hockey since that first day a parent laced up those skates when we were just a toddler. And as hockey addicts, we crave more information about the sport. Each month about 5,000 people from the Ottawa District browse MYHockeyRankings.com for some of their daily fix of hockey information. I am honored and truly appreciate the support. Based on the number of volunteers I have from the district, the emails I received and the number of visitors, it's definitely a very strong hockey region of North America. But, it is also, hands down, the most frustrating and bothersome region of hockey in North America.
Approximately a fourth of my time spent maintaining MYHockey is spent specifically addressing Ottawa District inconsistencies. One fourth of my time spent on 184 teams, or 1.5% of the teams in the system. That statement is not completely accurate, approximately half of the time spent on the Ottawa District is spent on teams that do not qualify for the system. At this point in time, MYHockey only covers "A" level and higher levels hockey across North America. "B" level teams, whether they are in California or the Ottawa District, do not qualify because the system simply cannot handle every "B" level team in North America at this time.
Let me make it clear, I am fully aware that "B" level Ottawa District teams can and do compete at the "A" level outside of the district. Let me emphasize that if you want them added to MYHockey, then start calling them "A" level teams. Your naming standards, which are a unique island onto themselves in the hockey world, cost me a couple hundred hours of wasted time per season. I've wasted almost a full work year on the Ottawa District since I started this website over a decade ago. You are the last area in the world that I'm going to make an exception for.
While I have literally received hundreds of letters requesting that new teams be added or explaining why this group of teams should be ranked with this other group of teams, the email I find the most frustrating is the "I know that the Ottawa District labels their teams in an inconsistent and confusing way and I'm sorry for this but nothing can be done about it." Let me make it clear, if nothing can be done about the inconsistent labeling standards used by the Ottawa District, then MYHockey will not only NOT be adding your "B" level teams to the system, we will be actively looking for ways to minimize the colossal waste of time that is the Ottawa District. I would like for just one person or organization to send me an email about how they tried to affect change instead of repeating the "nothing can be done" mantra from the District.
Because I pretty much try to respond to every email I receive, I've written a flavor of this letter a few hundred times. This will be my last. From this point forward, I only want to receive updates on what you are doing to change the situation. Let me bring this letter full circle. MYHockeyRankings.com is just a website. The sport existed before the website and will exist long after the website fades into history. Ottawa District, you don't need to change a single thing, you are entitled to run your sport however you see fit. However, if you want something from me, you need to give me something other than the expense and headache of a couple thousand wasted hours over the past decade. You need to change. It's now in your hands. Best of luck.
