Merritt's Minor Hockey teams will sport a new look this year.
The Merritt Minor Hockey Association (MMHA) voted to rechristen all of its teams as the Junior Centennials at the organization's annual general meeting on July 16. The teams will wear red, black, and white jerseys, with the Centennials logo on the front.
Rep league teams will receive two sets of jerseys, red and white, for home and away games. House leage teams will wear one of the Centennials three different jerseys.
“It will be really nice,” he says. “We're pretty excited about modeling ourselves after the Cents, and I think they're pretty excited about having some unity for the whole hockey community.”
With many young players looking up to the Centennials, Robertson says the new jerseys will allow them to better emulate their heroes.
“Here's a chance to model themselves after the Centennials,” he says. “And here's a chance for the Centennials to play big brother and create good role models for the youth in our minor hockey system.”
Centennials president Brian Wiebe says the change will be good for both his players and the minor hockey players.
“It's going to make the kids feel like they're part of the team,” he says.
The MMHA still needs to get approval for the new jerseys from the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association. Robertson says the measure should go through as long as no other minor hockey system already has the same colours.
The new jerseys will be unveiled at a MMHA tailgate party during the Centennials training camp on August 25.
