Fractured Cleveland HS hockey structure becoming more absurd by year given current realities | Opinion

Jan. 10—There's a clip on YouTube of the legendary Johnny Carson on the old "Tonight Show."

He's doing a desk bit between his monologue and his first guest coming out during a 1980s episode.

Carson had attempted the bit before, without much success.

Midway through, the man regarded as perhaps the greatest real-time purveyor of material that comedy has known came to a blunt conclusion.

"Gee whiz," Carson says with a smile and laugh, perusing the next punchline in the rapidly failing bit. "This really sucks."

As the bit reaches its end, with a punchline as unfunny as the rest, an audience member yells out, "Stop it!" That sends Carson into a hearty laugh, as he says, "There's a man who knows comedy. ... You have a point, sir."

Albeit a dated reference — too many people who read this will have no clue who Carson was — it does have a reasonable point within it.

There comes a time at which you have to gauge a situation and realize it's just not working.

You keep hearing me discuss this year after year in Greater Cleveland high school hockey — and not out of a deep desire, but because it's become increasingly necessary.

The league structure is a mess. Yet nothing happens except reinforcement it must change.

To the shock of no one, inaction means it's gotten worse.

Greater Cleveland continues to operate with a setup unique in Ohio — and that's not a compliment.

Two of its most stable powerhouses — St. Edward and St. Ignatius — elected to go independent and plot their own path. Without delving again into independent/prep structure — because those controversial 2019 and 2020 opinion pieces on St. Ignatius continue to reverberate — one can understand why those decisions were made for improved flexibility.

One year later, reflection — and a little regret — about THAT St. Ignatius hockey column — Opinion

Has St. Ignatius become too good for Ohio high school hockey? — Opinion

In turn, you have the remnants of the Great Lakes Hockey League. There's no more St. Edward and St. Ignatius. Lake Catholic and Holy Name have gone dormant. That leaves the GLHL with five teams — News-Herald coverage area figureheads University and Gilmour, along with Padua, Shaker Heights and Walsh Jesuit.

Beyond Shaker joining the GLHL, there have been expansion rumors but nothing concrete. At minimum, there is no clear path for what constitutes justified relegation or inclusion.

Then we get to the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League. There, we still have the tried-and-true system — at least the intention of it — of understanding when the time comes a program must move up or down within the Red, White and Blue divisions.

Sadly, between the GLHL being on its own island and so many programs struggling with numbers or going dormant, options are limited for internal movement.

I say this is in defense of these programs, not as a criticism. But for example, Avon has had its moments in recent years, including winning Baron Cup II two years ago. The Eagles are a GCHSHL Red entry as part of a seven-team division this winter. Heading into holiday tournament season, they were 0-6 in Red games with a goal differential of minus-47 (55-8).

Brooklyn is struggling to stay afloat, like many of its fellow proud longtime GCHSHL members who put decades into the sport then one day, much to our lament, faded out. The Hurricanes, albeit with 16 players but clearly many who are at best novices in the game, are 0-6 in Blue South play and have been outscored, 59-8.

Our News-Herald coverage area friends at Mayfield broke a two-year losing streak last season and have fewer than 10 skaters this year.

You're always going to have disparity within league play. But when is it "too much"?

Avon, Amherst and Olmsted Falls have played in the Red due to quality — and deservedly so — but also stay even in their leaner years because they "have" to. They should be able to drop to the White if reality calls for it, then come back when ready. They can't, because who takes their place?

With Brooklyn, similar to dormant News-Herald coverage area squad Brush along with Garfield Heights and more from the non-area ranks — if the struggles are that notable within the lowest GCHSHL division, maybe it should operate more as an independent until it's ready to be a more viable league factor. But again, what movement affords that change?

We've tried two and three divisions within each level. We've tried to make it right. It still doesn't work well for all members, and it's even more difficult now to achieve competitive balance.

There's also the fact upper-echelon GCHSHL Red teams have shown a propensity to be competitive with the remaining GLHL teams.

I know for a fact the conversation has taken place for there to be a one-league Greater Cleveland again, to see if the matter could be ironed out. It led nowhere.

So we have the highest-caliber teams being a combination of independents and a separate league declining in program participation. We have another league that is struggling now more than ever with providing reasonable options for parity, also with declining program participation.

Common sense would suggest those leagues come together and present the best option it can as one entity for all of its teams and, in turn, minimize the splintering. Nope, apparently not.

Does this seriously have to lead to full independence and no leagues at all?

To be clear, by the way, St. Edward and St. Ignatius are welcome to stay independent. They made decisions in the best interest of their own programs. This is not their problem anymore.

It hasn't led anywhere before, but I'll keep trying. As someone who loves this sport, in my 23rd season as the high school hockey writer for The News-Herald, as someone whose job it is in part to look at things through a wider lens that's not just one school or another.

Please, for crying out loud.

It doesn't matter what the reasons were originally for teams breaking off or what the reasons are now for disagreement.

The sport is suffering in Greater Cleveland in part due to lack of unity.

As that gutsy audience member told the untouchable Carson that one night, "Stop it!"

Because comprehending what we've seen with hockey dying in some facets locally the last decade-plus, we don't want to know what follows if we don't knock it off with this absurdity.