Joseph Gainer: Junior Review

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Joseph Gainer: Road to the VHLM

The pond where Gainer played hockey in the winter with family and friends.

 

Joe Gainers journey to the VHLM started in the suburbs of Hamilton, Ontario. Here he began his hockey career as a lot of kids do, with Timbits hockey. He recalled gliding across the ice, with some of his closest friends that remain around him to this day. After 2 seasons of watching him on Sunday mornings at Timbits, his parents offered to let him play a higher level of hockey, Gainer jumped at the opportunity. He always found himself on the cusp. That is to say, he was very good for his age, but never good enough to jump ahead of his age group. From Timbits, he dominated on his new team, the Hamilton Hound Dogs, where he was the leading scorer. This would not be the only time Gainer was a highly contributing member of his team.

 

When he turned 12, he again made a jump to a higher level, now playing for the Hamilton Elites he recalled going to a tournament in North Bay. At the Nipissing and Northern College Sir Joh Williams Bucktooth III Memorial Provincial Tournament (NNCSJWBMPT), the Elites raced their way to the final, where Gainer scored a heroic OT goal against powerhouse Toronto Monstars. The 5 hours bus ride back to Hamilton was one of the greatest of his hockey career he said, where the celebratory mood lasted the entire way home. The next season he put up astounding numbers, where he was spotted by the highest local team, the Hamilton Hammerheads. This is where he would spend the next 3 years of his hockey career, playing for the legendary coach Jodie Slaught.

 

Under the mentorship of coach Jodie Slaught, he says his time there was instrumental to his development. He led the team in scoring during his 3rd season, while coming in second the other 2. Now, as he prepares to begin the next journey of his career with his new team, the Mississauga Hounds, he credits his getting here in great part to Jodie Slaught. While she was great at teaching hockey skills, moreover, she helped to instill the work ethic, drive and intensity that helped him to reach this level. He says that Slaught helped him mature off the ice just as much as on the ice. Aside from missing coach Slaught, Gainer says he will miss playing in his hometown. He feels fortunate to have been able for so long to play in his home city, close to where his family and friends could watch. Now, as his journey takes him up the QEW to Mississauga, he knows that the drive, practice and effort he put in to get to this point can’t stop. The VHLM is full of talented players, and he knows he’ll have to worker harder than before. Even though his hockey journey has taken him out of Hamilton, he won’t leave the Hamilton attitude behind. The Steel-City tough, Hamilton mentality.

 

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