The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
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By Than Acuff
The legacy of Crested Butte Town League Hockey transcends generations. Stories of thrilling matches, unforgettable comebacks and enduring friendships echo through the town’s history. From the pioneers who first established the league to the present-day players carrying on the tradition, each one contributes to the tapestry of this beloved sport.
So says chatGPT, but chatGPT didn’t watch town league hockey last season, or the season before that, or the past 20 years for that matter. And chatGPT is unaware of recent changes in the abilities and attitudes of Crested Butte town league hockey that brought the local winter tradition to a breaking point.
Good thing Bill Frame stepped in. Frame, who has decades of experience coaching Mini Mites, i.e. dealing with emotions, is now the executive director of the West Elk Hockey Association (WEHA) and oversees the Crested Butte Town League program.
Furthermore, Frame plays in the town league and experienced a growing lack of parity and questionable attitudes on the ice firsthand and heard it from the community.
“There was a lot of feedback about people not enjoying town league anymore,” says Frame.
Still, hockey is hockey and while some folks may be upset with the high-flying, smack-talking younger generation, those players still need to play hockey and Frame has designed a plan to accommodate everyone. Because whether someone is great or not-so-great, old or young, hockey players love hockey.
God, country, hockey.
Am I in Canada?
The plan is simple: two leagues. It’s been working in the Gunnison adult leagues with several leagues spilt up based on abilities and it is Frame’s hope it will work in Crested Butte.
“It’s a plan, we’ll see,” says Frame.
For the better, more competitive players, there will be the A/B league. For the rest there will be the C/B league. The A/B league will have a draft and Frame is undecided yet as to establishing a goal limit for the best players. A/B league games will be Monday through Thursday evenings and games starting Monday, January 8 at 6:45 p.m.
The C/B league will be more autocratic, but in a good way.
“We’re going to assign players to teams to make it as even and fun for everybody,” says Frame.
C/B league games will be Sunday and Tuesday evenings and league play starts Sunday, January 7.
Remarkably, for the first time in several years, officials are not a problem as Frame has seven lined up for the Crested Butte league. The only potential hiccup he foresees is between the pipes.
“The one thing that may limit us is goaltending, goalies are hard to come by,” says Frame.
So far, there does not seem to be any pushback and there are 110 players registered between the two leagues so far. Frame is hoping to get more and asks players to register sooner rather than later with registration closing on December 30.
“Everybody seems positive about the plan,” says Frame. “I’m interested to see how many people sign up.”
When the puck drops and the games begin, the passion for hockey in Crested Butte truly shines. The exhilarating sound of skates cutting through the ice, the clash of sticks and the collective cheers reverberate throughout the rink. Every goal scored is met with roaring applause, and every save is celebrated with fervent enthusiasm.
Huh?
