Inglewood Ball Hockey League is growing with gusto

Who knew 22 years ago when Brian & Robert Dunn started to play ball hockey with a group of players in Inglewood Arena (Lloyd Wilson) that the love of the game would evolve into the Inglewood Ball Hockey League?

In 1987 Brian and Robert decided to start their own pickup league. A group would get together on Tuesday nights, throw their sticks in the middle and pick teams. Some weeks there were full benches, other weeks there were just enough to have a game. Goalies weren't necessarily set each week as the Dunns brought keeper equipment and who ever wanted to play could play.

As the years of pick up went along regulars started to show up, goalies included. After 10 years of pickup hockey being played, Brian Dunn and Andrew Tiessen went to a Leaf game and decided to try to make the pickup league into a league with set teams, referees, time-keepers, standings, statistics and prizes.

Year one of the new league, Inglewood Ball Hockey League (IBHL), was 1997. There were six teams, no sponsors, one referee, and a young lad at the clock. The fees were collected and the ball dropped in April 1997 and the league hasn't looked back.

The second season saw sponsors come to the league - Carney Plumbing, Glen Echo Nurseries, Caledon East Audio Video, Sports Unlimited, Credit Valley Property Maintenance, and Heartlake Lawn Services.

Years 3 and 4 saw the league swell to 8 teams from 6. This added extra floor time, more referees, larger statistics, more prizes (approximately 100 items were given to players and teams each season), new sponsors, and new players (there are three original players still playing in the league that have been there since the start of the pick up play - Brian Dunn, Shawn Lane, and Todd Elson).

2001 saw the league go back to 6 teams and it would stay there until 2006 when 8 teams emerged once again. The current season has seen growth again. This is the first season with 10 teams, with some of the same sponsors from year 2 (Carney Plumbing, Sports Unlimited, and Caledon East Audio Video), and interest is there from others for further expansion in the next few years.

Back in 1999 the league operators decided to try an all-star game with the champions taking on the best of the rest. These allstar games continued, with changes, they had visiting teams from Mississauga come and play.

In the early 2000s Andrew and Brian decided to go their own ways. Brian continued on with the operations of the league and Andrew just played. The league went high tech in 2001 with a Web site (www.ibhl.ca) and now it gets approximately 500 hits a week during the season, and 100 hits a week during the off season. There are Web site sponsors, statistics, standings, past winners, rules, schedules, and even a Hall Of Fame Section (in which new members will be put in this season).

The league has been a labour of love for Brian Dunn who has been and still is the boss, a player, and organizer of it all with help from his wife Lesley and kids Bryan & Brandon. Teams, players, sponsors interested in the 2008 season please feel free to contact the Dunns at ibhl@ibhl.ca, and check out the Web site, www.ibhl.ca.