Hamilton Hurricanes kick off season opener tonight

In case you haven’t heard, the Junior Hamilton Hurricanes, who currently compete in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC), which also happens to be a major part of the Canadian Junior Football League(CJFL) are “a proud football organization with a rich history of tradition, talent, and championship success.”

And yet, when asked, many local residents within the extended Hamilton communities would probably be forced to admit that they know very little about an organization that has recently won back-to-back OFC Championships in both 2010 and 2011.

In years past, the Hurricanes were once a popular and beloved staple of the Greater Hamilton football scene, which originally started its inaugural year back in 1963 (50 years ago), but unfortunately, the team folded for several years between 1994 and 2008 (14 years actually) before finally being resurrected from the ashes to become what is now affectionately known as the “New Era Canes.”

Despite this time lapse however, the Hurricanes are incredibly proud of their roots, and even more proud to be able to celebrate all of their accomplishments as an organization – both past and present alike.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Hurricanes President, Mike Samuel, to discuss what it means for his organization to be able to say that it’s been 50 years since the Hurricanes first began in Hamilton.

“I think it shows that there’s a rich history within both the community and the Hamilton sports scene,” said Samuel. “Both past and present players, as well as the staff, can be very proud of that history.”

Celebrations officially began this year with a Gala Fundraiser back in April, and then more recently with a Golf Tournament back in June.

“We’re also trying to get as many former players as possible to attend our game against the Burlington Braves on August 31st. It’s at that game, where we plan to honour our 1972 National Championship team at the halftime. We’re all very honoured that they were recently inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.”

According to Samuel, the reason why the Burlington game was specifically chosen is because in his opinion, Burlington is most definitely the Hurricanes’ biggest rival in the OFC.

“I believe that at both the OFC Varsity level (under 19), as well as at the CJFL level (under 23), the Hamilton and Burlington areas have been a hotbed for producing excellent players. The Stampeders/Braves and both of the Hurricane organizations (Varsity and Junior) have been at the forefront at their respective levels, and will continue to produce excellent players, which I believe to be a testament to the high level of coaching from all parties.”

Last week at the OFC Varsity Championships, the Burlington Stampeders not only won the Bantam (13-14) Championship game, but they also won the Junior Varsity (15-16) Championship game as well. Subsequently, the Hamilton Hurricanes then went on to win the Senior Varsity (17-19) Championship game, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to argue against Mike Samuel’s points, that the talent and coaching is definitely there.

When asked what he considered to be the most important message that he wanted to get out to the Hamilton community, Samuel replied, “Although the Tiger-Cats have moved their home games to Guelph this season, there’s going to be some fast-paced, high-tempo football right here in Hamilton, courtesy of the Canes this year. As the Junior affiliate of the Ti-Cats, we have some potential players who we hope will get seriously looked at by their respective CFL team.”

All home game will be played at the Mohawk Sports Complex. For schedule and ticket information, please visit their website: www.the-canes.com, and feel free to follow the Canes on Twitter@CanesFootball63