Rick Morocco should feel right at home during the 2024 Ontario Junior Hockey League Governors’ Showcase presented by MilkUP.
Because he is.
The three-day, 24-game event runs today through Wednesday, Sept. 23-25, at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, ON.
Morocco is a Niagara Falls native and former star athlete who has returned to live in his home community.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame in 2005, which is located in the Gale Centre.
As the OJHL’s Vice-President of Business, Morocco is responsible for running the showcase. The event is one of the largest junior hockey events in North America, annually attracting more than 150 scouts from various levels of the game, including NHL Central Scouting, 32 NHL teams, NCAA Division I and III schools, the CHL and U SPORTS.
All 24 OJHL teams will convene on The Falls and play two games each over the three days. The results count in the league’s regular season standings.
“Rick is a critical member of the OJHL’s Senior Leadership Team as he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from both the business and hockey side of the game,’ said OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy. “His dedication to the OJHL goes beyond the league as he serves as the volunteer Executive Director of the OJHL Foundation. With Rick being an alumni of the league and former Olympian, it provides him with a unique view of the game.
“He has worked at the national level, U SPORTS level and at the professional level of the game as an administrator with a focus on the support of the player. Hosting the league’s premier event, the Governors’ Showcase, in his hometown where he is a Wall of Fame Member is something he takes great pride in.”
Morocco’s 30-year career in senior management includes roles with Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League and the Niagara Falls International Marathon.
But as a teen growing up in Niagara Falls, he was right where many of the 550 players in the OJHL are today: a highly touted prospect with a bright future in the game.
After scoring 50 points in 38 games with the Aurora Tigers, now members of the OJHL, in the 1979-80 season, Morocco was offered a scholarship by NCAA Division I Boston University. Selected 14th overall by the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League’s 1980 draft, Morocco went the OHL route, playing in Kitchener, Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay.
Next were three seasons of Canadian university hockey at York and Wilfrid Laurier universities, highlighted by a national championship and three Ontario titles.
Morocco spent 1987-93 in Italy playing division 1 club hockey and for the national team, including a trip to the 1992 Olympics in France.
“I am very proud of being from Niagara Falls,” Morocco said. “I am equally proud that our league chose Niagara Falls as the host of the annual OJHL Governors’ Showcase, a perfect host. I go back a long way with the Canuck ownership group, and they have done an amazing job getting ready for this event.”