For decades, children would grow up and adults would grow old watching the Bulls play at home in Belleville. And now, as the final seconds ticked down, many fans wept at the loss of a team that had been a warm civic hearth during so many cold winter nights. 

Adam Bignell, the son of a former Belleville captain, skated to centre ice after the buzzer, and he gently placed his jersey down in tribute. By 9:22 p.m., on April 2, 2015, it was over. 

“It’s a loss,” said one fan, wiping away tears. “It’s like losing a person, in a way.” 

Except the team was not dead, it was just dead to Belleville. The team was moving away to Hamilton. The owner blamed the city for not upgrading the rink, and the mayor dismissed the owner as being motivated by money.  

The Bulls were gone.  

The franchise would win two OHL titles in Hamilton, but it never felt quite at home.  

And that leads us to Brantford. 

Renovations to the arena in Hamilton prompted the Bulldogs to move to Brantford before last season. It was publicly announced as a temporary move, but it now seems to be a bit closer to permanent. 

The Bulldogs have been sold, and their new owner has pledged to stay in Brantford.  

Our Brian Smiley is all over the story: “During a news conference on Wednesday at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott it was announced that the City of Brantford and the team’s new owners – Zach, Stuart and Spencer Hyman – have agreed to a 15-year lease plus five, five-year renewal terms for a total of 40 years to become the anchor tenant of a new sports and entertainment centre." 

You can read his work here.  

Smiley reports a new rink is expected to be in place in time for the 2027-28 OHL season, or about 12 years after that teary night in Belleville. 

The team was beloved in Belleville, but it never felt fully embraced in Hamilton. What will it mean to Brantford? 

Michael Andlauer (left) presents Brantford Bulldogs jerseys to Stuart Hyman and his son Spencer. (Photo: Brian Thompson, The Brantford Expositor)

Michael Andlauer claimed he was never looking to sell the Brantford Bulldogs.  

So, um, why did he sell?  

As our Brian Smiley reports, Andlauer’s roles as owner of both the Ottawa Senators and the Belleville Senators had cut back the amount of time he was able to spend in Brantford. He did not want to be seen as an absentee owner.  

“Brantford deserves no less after what they’ve shown me these past two years," he tells Smiley. "In a short year and a half, it may be the smallest arena, but it’s the loudest arena for sure in the OHL. (They’re) amazing fans.” 

You can read more about the context around the move here.  

Do you have a question about the OHL you would like Ryan Pyette, one of our leading voices on the beat, to answer? Does your team have what it takes down the stretch? Maybe it is looking to make a coaching change? Have you wondered which arenas have the best concessions? Drop us a line: lfpnewsletters@postmedia.com 

Q: Who took the biggest swing at the trade deadline? 

A: Kingston did. If you look at the standings in the Eastern Conference, it seems like a jump ball. But Kingston, they could have taken this big swing and they could lose in the first round of the playoffs. A couple of years ago, Windsor got Shane Wright at the trade deadline and then they got swept in the first round. So that’s a risky move. But the Frontenacs have been down a few years, they accrued a bunch of picks, and they’ve got to deal them because you can’t develop all those prospects. It was a crazy overpay for the guys they got from Saginaw. 

Q: I was surprised Jett Luchanko wasn’t traded from Guelph and Quentin Musty wasn’t traded from Sudbury. What do you think of that? 

A: Luchanko wasn’t moved because there was some uncertainty whether he’ll make NHL Philadelphia next year. Guelph is in the hunt for the playoffs and they wanted to keep him around for that push – they’re a proud franchise. Next year, if he does come back to the OHL, I think he could be on the move then. Sudbury kept Musty, too, but I guess the Wolves decided they’re going to try to win now. I’d heard they weren’t really serious about selling guys because they were asking for the moon. 

Q: Overall it felt like a weird trade deadline. Do you agree? 

A: It was totally weird. The prices were really high. A lot of teams in the East consider themselves contenders, but I don’t think they are. But in the West nobody really did anything except sell off guys. And technically at the deadline, No. 1 London didn’t really do much either – they added Cam Allen and other guys earlier in the season.

An underdog story? With the London Knights?  

Yes. Ryan Pyette has a lovely story about Noah Aboflan, a depth forward who took the long road to the OHL. He began his hockey career as a goalie, in houseleague, but left the pads behind as he got older. His ascent as a skater was not speedy.  

By U14, he was still playing single-A.  

He finally made a triple-A team two years later, and improved his skating on outdoor rinks in Elliot Lake, Ont.  

“I like to say Elliot Lake is like the (TV show) Outer Banks," he tells Pyette. "You can do whatever you want – ride your dirt bikes or sleds, go fishing. You have to be outdoors-y there because there’s really nothing to do.” 

You can read the full story here.  

Two weeks after Canada was eliminated from the world junior hockey championship, in a tournament played under the glare of a national spotlight, Carter George quietly made an appearance in Owen Sound. There were no national television networks. No social media bullies.  

The Owen Sound Attack goaltender took time to field questions at REACH Centre, which delivers programming for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Our Greg Cowan was there:  

They asked about his pregame meal: chicken and rice or pasta and meatballs. 

His favourite hockey team: the Los Angeles Kings — the team that selected George in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. 

His reaction when he gets scored on: “Have you ever heard about having the memory of a goldfish? That’s what I try to do.” 

And his dream: to play in the NHL. 

“I always say, if you can dream it you can do it.” 

Read Greg’s full story here.  

(Photo: Mike Hensen, The London Free Press))

Here's the thing about ice spray: It's annoying for goalies, but if you take a minute to think about it, it’s also just gross. Players spit on the ice. Players bleed and blow their noses. It all ends up on the ice. And that means it can all end up in the cloud of spray you see in this photo. Ew. 

The London Free Press is kicking off the 2024-25 OHL season by giving away three pairs of tickets to a London Knights game each month, starting in October and through January. Don't miss your chance to see the reigning champs and MVP Easton Cowan in action.

To enter ahead of January's contest, follow the steps outlined here.