Paris Mounties look to rebuild community connection, one fan at a time

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The return of the Paris Mounties name brings a familiar piece of the community’s hockey history back to the ice.

For the junior hockey club, reviving that identity is also part of an effort to strengthen its relationship with local fans, rebuild excitement around the team and bring more people back to the stands.

After decades as the Paris Mounties, the organization was sold and rebranded as the Paris Titans several years ago. This spring, the club announced it would once again operate under the Mounties name, bringing back an identity that President Mike Christian says carries deep meaning in Paris.

“Bringing back the Paris Mounties name was about much more than changing a logo or putting a familiar name back on a jersey. It was about reconnecting this hockey club with its community and its history,” Christian said.

“The Mounties name means something in Paris. There are generations of people who played for this team, coached here, volunteered, sponsored the club or sat in the stands supporting it.”

Christian said the organization is not looking to simply recreate what existed in the past but instead use that history as a foundation for the future.

“We’re not trying to recreate the past. We’re taking the best parts of that history and using them as the foundation for where we want this organization to go.”

That means rebuilding relationships that extend outside the rink.

Christian said one of the organization’s biggest goals is to make former players, coaches, volunteers, sponsors and longtime fans feel connected to the club once again, while introducing a new generation of Paris families to the Mounties tradition.

“One of our biggest goals is to make former Mounties feel that this is their team again,” he said.

At the same time, the club wants young players in the community to see the Mounties as an organization they can aspire to be part of.

“We want young players coming to our games, meeting our players and imagining themselves wearing a Mounties jersey someday,” Christian said.

The goal, he added, is to create a bridge between generations and bring former Mounties back into the rink while introducing today's young hockey players to the team's history.

That community connection will also be reflected in how the current players interact with Paris outside of game nights.

“This is probably one of the areas I’m most excited about because we want the Paris Mounties to be visible in the community, not just at the arena on game night,” Christian said.

“Our players need to understand that wearing the Mounties jersey comes with a responsibility. They’re representing Paris, and we want them contributing to the community that supports them.”

Volunteerism will be an important part of that effort, with the club already working on initiatives that give players opportunities to give back. Christian said the organization also wants to expand its relationships with local schools, minor hockey, community organizations, charities and businesses.

A particularly important relationship will be with Paris Minor Hockey.

“We want young players interacting with our players, attending games and feeling connected to the Mounties,” Christian said.

The organization also wants to make the experience of attending a game part of the community's social fabric again.

“Junior hockey should be affordable, entertaining and something people genuinely look forward to doing together,” Christian said.

For Christian, rebuilding attendance isn't simply about asking people to support the team. The organization recognizes that support has to be earned.

“We understand that support has to be earned,” he said. “That’s why our responsibility isn’t simply to ask people to come back. Our responsibility is to give them a reason to come back — and then give them a reason to return the following week.”

On the ice, the club is working to build a team that reflects that renewed identity.

Christian said the goal is to have a competitive team featuring local and Brant-area players, along with young men who demonstrate character, work ethic and a desire to develop.

“We want to be a team that works, competes for one another and is difficult to play against every single night,” he said.

The club will be led by new head coach Zac Rinaldo, who comes to Paris after coaching the Pelham Panthers in the GOHL.

Christian said Rinaldo's emphasis on work ethic, accountability, attention to detail and player development fits with the identity the Mounties are trying to establish.

“We want to play an honest, hard-working and exciting brand of hockey,” Christian said. “We want our players competing for every inch of the ice, playing for one another and representing the Mounties jersey with pride.” Local representation is also an important piece of the plan.

“There’s something special about having players on the ice who grew up in this area and understand what representing Paris and Brant County means,” Christian said.

Ultimately, the organization wants fans to recognize the team both for how it plays and what it represents.

“We want people in the stands to look at this team and say, ‘That’s a Paris Mounties hockey team.’”

That identity will take time to build, but Christian believes the return of the name provides an opportunity to start that process.

For longtime fans, it is an invitation to come back. For former players and volunteers, it is an invitation to reconnect. And for a younger generation, it is an opportunity to become part of a tradition that has been part of Paris hockey for decades.

Christian said the long-term vision goes beyond wins and losses.

“We want to build a team capable of competing for championships,” he said.

Most importantly, Christian said, the organization wants to build something that lasts.

“We don’t want one successful season followed by starting over. We want to establish standards for how the Paris Mounties operate, develop players and represent this community.”