Shaun Newman Podcast - #10 - Gord Redden

Episode Date: April 10, 2019

It was an absolute honour to sit across from Gord and hear first hand his journey with hockey. Born and raised in Hillmond, Saskatchewan he played his first junior hockey in Lashburn with what was then a Jr. B team coached by Sask hall of fame inductee Stan Dunn. The Jr B club was an affiliate of the Weyburn Redwings so naturally Gord carried onto the Junior A club. From here he would play in a Memorial cup with the Regina Pats and sign his first pro contract. During the 1970’s he would spend time in both Port Huron, Michigan of the IHL and Fort Worth, Texas of the CHL all of which were part of the Detroit Red Wings minor league system. Gord eventually made his way back home and would play senior for the Hillmond Allstars winning a SaskAlta title in 1978. Currently Gord resides in Hillmond where he has been a huge part of the community for decades.

All right, folks, welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Tonight in studio I have with me, Gord Redden. And I got to say it is a real honor to have you sit across from me. For as long as I've been around, you've been a pillar of the Hillmont community. And when I told people you're coming on, I was talking to, like, obviously, dad. And dad told me that I have to thank you for all my hockey skills because he got to be a fly on the wall. and listen to you, teach the boys at a younger age, and he said he just soaked it all up,

and by the time I was playing hockey, he could pass it all along to me. And then I was trying to get Cal Nichols on here, and he heard you were coming on, and he said, well, make sure you pass on a low on to Gord, and the list just keeps going on and on. Every guy I tell it's coming on. So you are a well-respected man, so I really appreciate you coming on,

and I hope we get to have a little fun tonight. I'll try you my best, Sean. Well, for the listeners, me and Gorder, we've decided tonight it's a little bit of Gibson's finest. Not too much. That's right, just a little sip. But I thought, like, you're a home-on boy, born and raised, and if I can peel off any memories of you from way back when, because you grew up in a time where my grandfather would have still been a younger man and would have been good friends with your father.

And I don't know, I just, I kind of wouldn't mind going back to when you're a kid and your memories and maybe just what life was like back then. Well, it was a lot different than it is today for what we've gotten this day and age. But you look back, your grandpa Don Newman and my dad became good friends once community school got gathered. and they took on the chores a coach in my age group, your dad and your grandpa and my dad. And they were big, instrumentally big in erecting the old Silver Dome in Hillmonde in 63. And I only played the one part of a season there before I went and played junior.

What was that like when that thing got built? Like a brand new building? Brand new, yeah, it was close. Quite a feat and the way it was built was through Winter Works program. I think a lot of the, you probably know where your dad would know, the people in the community went to work on the building and signed their check over and that's what paid for over half the building. And I might be mistaken, but the little Silver Dome when it was first built

was like $16,000 or $18,000. So that's, we had that. opportunity to have an indoor rink that was natural ice for many, many years. Well, and just so listeners, if they aren't familiar with Helmone, that's the rink that I grew up playing in, right? So it lasted a long time. It lasts a long time. I just forget when we turned it over here and built the new Redmond Rink. 2008, I believe, was the first year that the new rink got going.

So from 63, basically February 63, I believe they skated in the old rink, started, and then lasted until the new one was built in 08 when they started. So many years. You say that people could go to work for the community and then turn their paycheck back. What would they do? Do you remember what work? It was a winter's work program. It was all set up through the government of Saskatchew, and I believe that's the way it was,

because there was $8,000 or $10,000 worth of material to pay for once it was built. And I believe that's the way it went. I might not be all right on the whole thing. No, no, no. But I'm fairly sure that a lot of it was Winter Works, and people went and worked for whatever an hour, and that was turned back into the project. So if you only played there for part of a season,

what did you skate on before then, before that rink was built? Well, we had, I didn't start skating until I was eight years. old and my dad built us a rink at home. And I don't know if you ever seen the pictures of the old Hillbond School. There's an outdoor rink there. And we used to play our minor hockey up there on the hill. And we got to skate recesses at noon hours, you know, everybody and whoever skated went out there. And that's the way we all got started. And then got into a little more organized hockey, I guess. We never ever played in leagues back in the day. And I think I guess there was pee-wee batten and all that then, but you only had so many kids,

so that's what you went with most of the time. And where was the Hillmont the original school that you were walking to then, or horse to, or however you? The original school is where it is now. Really? And the outdoor rink is where the gym is sitting. So if you fired a puck over the boards, it was way down over the hill to Christensen's store. So, yeah, so that's, well, I believe the school opened in 59. Yeah.

And I don't know, I guess the community bought the boards and slapped the rink up and flooded her. Lots of days you shoveled longer than you skated. So that's the way it was back then, but everybody enjoyed it. Yeah. I believe the All-Stars even started on there. I believe there's an early photo that is out there. I'm pretty sure. There's one hanging in the rink, and it was in the paper here a few years ago.

Yeah. And I tried to name all the guys in that picture, and I think I was fairly close, but that's a long time ago. Now, Dad always talks about, and Shep talked about it, too. Shep talked about skiing to school, and Dad talked about taking a horse to school, I believe. Did you have to do anything like that? When we were in the country school, we rode horseback to school two miles, a little over two miles. Yeah. And that was back in the day when she was cold, and you always had a barn for the horses.

When you got to school. So when you got to school, you'd tie up the horses? Tie up the horses, and then you're out there after school, and the way you go. And that was my, I went to Hillmont in grade four. Started grade four in Hillmont. That's when the new school started. Yeah. And before that, where were you going then?

North Gully. North Gully. He was going to stay home on eight, nine miles. You know, right along the road there where Gary Olin used to live. Yeah. Yeah. That's where I went to school. So when you had first day of school in the new school in grade four,

was it like meeting the whole whack of new friends? I can't recall, but I guess the guy who'd never been out that much, but yeah, yeah, you never knew anybody. I guess from picnics and, you know, you always had a track meet, back in them years and all the little country schools were gathering Green Street, I believe. And, you know, you knew of a few people,

but you didn't really know your classmates at that time. I just, I think of now, and I just, you know, even by the time I was going to school, we had the last roots and the boss came and picked you up and took you to school. And, I mean, you think of the miles they cover now.

Yes. You're taking a big, giant area. Right. And what I hear over and over again all about the little tiny community schools that eventually conglomerated. Yep. But before that, you were within a couple mile radius of a school, and that was pretty much your daily routine.

Yeah, exactly. So, and I guess for that area, Hillman was more central to put a school in. Well, it was the only, other than Green Street, was the only, well, there was a store there, and the co-op was there, and a gas station was like that. And the railroad was going through. The railroad was going through, so that's where she be. Fair enough. So you play a little bit of minor hockey in Helmand.

Were you always, because you finished your career as a defenseman, correct? Right. And so were you always a defenseman? Did you play forward? Did you play goal? No, never played goal. I always have a forward in minor hockey in Hillman, whatever minor hockey we played. but when I went to Lashburn,

understand Dunn, Junior B Red Wings, that was affiliation of Junior A, Weber and Redwings. And I always played defense from then on. And then throughout the years, I was kind of both, more defense, but through some years I did play a fair bit of Ford. Yeah.

But mainly a defense. If you don't mind me asking, just for my personal, when you were getting coached by Grandpa, how was Grandpa as a coach? He was very good. Like he was good to all the kids. My dad and him had the same mannerisms, I think.

And, you know, you had to behave and they taught us some hockey. I don't think they ever played a lot themselves, but they were willing to stand up and help us get started. When I look back, I don't know where you'd been without that. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, that's where we go. And then I guess in 63, I believe it in 1963 in the summer.

I always had track meets for school unit number 60 it was at that time, Maidstone, Laspirin, whatever. And I remember Des McMillan coming to me at the track meet and asking me if I wanted to come and play Junior B in Lashburn that year. Stan Dunn had asked him to talk to me about that. So that's kind of where things started. and actually Larry McDonald and Roy Noble both played them years in Laspard also. Stan Dunn is, he is inducted in the Saskatcheworth.

Thank you. And went on to coach the Weyburn Red Wings, the junior 18. And then the Broncos too and Swiss Grand Cren. Yes. And is he originally from Lashburn then? Well, back in the day, I guess I don't know if he played overseas or whatever and met his wife and they moved to Lashburn. Oh, wow.

And I couldn't tell you what year. Late 50s, maybe, somewhere there, but I know he worked for the town of Lashburn when he coached us. And that was his job coaching us. Actually, years before that, maybe he was there earlier because, you know, people like Ron Bexfield and Murray Coolidge and all those guys, he coached in some, minor hockey and whatnot years before that.

So you go to Lashburn for Junior B. Is Junior B what I'm thinking of Junior B is right now, or is it something different? Like, is it younger kids? This was young guys, and a lot of us made Junior A. And it was an affiliate of the Weber and Red Wings and they'd listed us when we played there.

And there was only, we played in the big four hockey. League at that time against senior men. And the only other junior B team was North Battleford Beaver Boone's and the likes of Greg Shepard, Dale Hogan, and a lot of, a few other guys I can't think of right now, Roy Aachenham. All those guys played in the junior bees and went on to Westivan, which was their affiliate.

And then I never, ever, ever played with them guys on the same team, but I played against them at three levels. and semi-pro, we played in Central Hockey League against each other. I read a thing today, and I'll see if you can make, if you remember this, or if this is exactly how it went down. But obviously today it was the draft lottery here. And so now when kids are 18, they get drafted in the NHL. And so I was doing a little bit of research on the draft and that kind of thing.

And it said prior to the development of the draft, NHL team sponsored junior teams. and signed prospects in their teens to the junior teams. Players were signed to one of three forms. The A form, which committed a player to a trial, a B form which gave the team an option to sign a player in return for a bonus, and the C form which committed a player's professional rights. The C form can only be signed by the player at age 18 or by the player's parents,

often in exchange for some signing bonus. The first drafts, up until the 68 amateur draft, were held to assign players not signed with an NHL organization before the sponsorship of junior teams was discontinued after 68. Do you remember signing something like that? I remember when I was in Wayburn. There was Detroit Scout. His name was Danny Summers, a very nice man who passed away quite a number of years ago,

come to me, and I think for $500, I signed, I believe, a C-forum because they were going to take me to camp the next year. So that's what I remember about that. I thought I was really rich back in 64 when I got. Got $500 check from, I guess, Detroit Red Wings. I don't know who it was from. Hey, I'll point this out to you. I told Harlan this, and I think I told Brad Kirchank this when I had them on,

your signing bonus is more than I made in my professional career. So you're doing all right. 500 as a team. Yeah, that was a junior. Yeah, that was in junior. Yeah. So when you were playing, Junior B in Lashburn, Gord, did you live in Lashburn then?

Or were you driving? We were billeted in Lashburn, yes. Billeted in Lashburn. Yeah. Like the day, this day and age, that would be a short commute. Yeah, absolutely. Back in those days with the roads the way they were, my parents never made a lot of games because of the weather and the roads.

But I billeted one year at chapels in Lashburn. Yeah. And their son ran the garage. Winston Chapel. Okay. And then the second year, I lived out at Hemsley's. Bruce Hemsley and them were young boys then and lived with his parents. Just a side note, because I know growing up, I always watched the Spurs play.

Is that what, and then the Midwest Reds Ring, is that what gave you such tight ties to that growing up for your kids? I don't know. I think if we're talking about Midwest Reds. right? We kind of formed that out of Paradise Hill and Hillmon started together. But you end up playing. Because we didn't have as many players. And then the idea was,

let's put a good competitive team together. And I know there was a lot of flack back in those days putting that together. But we had a few guys that were willing to do it. So we did that and not jeopardizing any other minor hockey league system. And you were allowed four or five communities to play A-Hawks. Yeah. And that's what we did. And I think we were the kind of the forerunners that took all the heat to do that.

And now everybody does it. Yeah, well, now it's just a standard operation, right? 30 years, everybody's doing the same thing with their spring teams and that now. So who, was it you leading the charge back in the day? I think there was two guys, Peter Clayton and Wally Lambert, I guess more than that. Dave Kerr and Lashburn, myself. and your dad kind of got that rolling. And I think Frank Mapletoff, one year when they were still here, was involved too

with a Pee-Wee team, which we won P-A P-W-A Provincials. Yeah. Well, you guys had a lot of success over the years. A lot of success. We had a nucleus of seven or eight kids that were both the hockey in the winter and the ball in the summer. And the reason we were so good in the ball, we had Dave McLean, who taught in the home. Pat and I actually talked him into, or asked him about coaching the boys' ball.

And he agreed to do that. And without that, and I know your dad was good, but I don't know if we would have been as good without, well, we wouldn't have been as good without Dave. No, and dad would attest that. And you talk about the hockey teams of that. If you watch it Dave McLean coach all those years, you better sit and watch because you're going to learn a lot.

Yeah. I think that was a benefit not to only the players he coached, but the adults and, you know, the managers that we were around, and you could pick up notes on how to basically handle kids and whatnot. And it was a real thing. I put a lot of my success because of the hockey team in looking how he handled kids and tried to do the same, I guess. And whether I did or not, I don't know.

but you sure had the right guy to watch to do that. Absolutely. Yeah. And dad speaks very highly of two guys that he coached with, one being you in hockey and one being Dave McLean and ball. And I think he made us both better. Yeah. And not that we were real bad, but, you know, he's just one of them kind of people

that makes every person better that's around him. And without him, The spurs would have been spurs, but they could dig their heels in and win many games and whatnot. And I think that turned around, and we had the good hockey team and the good nucleus of players. And with that good nucleus of players, you gather better players to fill in the other holes. And that's what happened over those years. I think, I believe, six years of that we had. And then come 14, 15 years old, the boys started going their own way to school, to just.

junior hockey, whatever way they went. But they had that leadership given to them by the sports that we played in places we'd went. As a man who has young kids and is about to go into coaching here at some point, because it's going to come, what advice would you give me as I solely move into that? What did you learn that was so... I think the most... The biggest thing is let the kids dream. You don't have to push them hard.

They're either going to like it or not. And if you teach them the game and the discipline and the other thing that goes with it or anything else that goes with that part of it, they're going to be success in life. And I think with the ball teams and the hockey teams we had, we had some kids that were good characters still out there and still my friends.

A lot younger, but they're still your friends. That makes it neat. Well, and you gave them memories that they won't forget, right? Like those are... Yes, yeah, I don't know if we gave to them. Well, we're part of them. They earned them. Yeah, absolutely.

I guess they had to have some guidance or whatever, but it was Stevie and me and Pete, and Dave Kerr, Lashburn was very instrumental and whatnot. In years previous, Dwayne McMillan was involved, managing the team. And that was what was so neat about those teams. you could go and coach and all the other stuff was looked after. You didn't have to worry about the traveling, the booking the games or the ice time or what.

You said what we kind of wanted, and then it just blossomed from there because everybody would throw in their hat and get at her. Do you ever have issues with parents? I always hear now about whether it's minor hockey or minor ball or anything to do with teams that parents are so.

unreasonable now, I guess this is the word I would use. Well, I guess the teams we picked, if there's going to be unreasonable, suspects out there and individuals, wouldn't matter how much talent we were going to lose. We were better off with the people that were close-knit and did it the way we did. We want it, and I always use the term cheer for, not against, both ways. and if you do that, you're going to be more disciplined in life. And I think we kind of proved that over the years

because that wasn't a thing we would put up with with the kids on the ice. Their parents didn't stand because we'd have meetings and that's the way she's going to be here. So, you know, I guess there's a few here and whatnot but let's keep it reasonable and be sports about it because it is a game. And you're going to have a few.

fun at that. But if it goes off the other way, nobody enjoys you being around. And when you're invited to turn it and that and their discipline, clean the room up and all them aspects fall into life, the way I look at it. That's putting it pretty good. So I stuck us off on a sharp curve here. So you're playing back in Lashburn. Let's go back to your playing days. You're playing in Lashburn. you're billeting there, your parents aren't making half the games because the roads are that bad and travel just isn't as nearly accessible as it is today. Right. So you're building there, what you're going to school then at Lashburn High School?

Lashbred High School, yep, grade 9, 10, I guess. I might have been grade 9 when I first started. I'm not sure. 9, 10 for sure, yeah. So that's what I was wondering. So you were 14 or 15 years old playing June? Junior B hockey? Yeah.

How old would the guys have been playing against you? Were they gone all the way up to 20? Oh, there was just two teams that age in the league. It was on a senior league. Oh, it was a senior league? Yeah, we played in the big four hockey league. So guys like, well, on the few that I know, Bill Waters was a big, well, they were men. They were a senior hockey league.

And Daniel Roo, I remember, E.D.M., and her meddle lake, like big men. and guys that could play. So we were, I think, probably more on discipline when we got against North Battle for Junior B. Yeah, boys. Because we're all tough then. That's right. You're not tough at 15 against a 30-year-old man

that can play the game. I had Larry Winoniak on last week, and he was talking about when he played senior for the Thunder Bay Twins, and teams at the beginning would skate out, and they'd skate together. Was that the same for you? Oh, yeah.

In warm-up? Yeah, in warm-up. Oh, yeah, always. Did you ever have any shenanigans with that? Never, because that was, well, well, pleased that way. If there's an issue, you'd probably get a few games. Yeah.

So I've never ever seen that happen. So why did they win, or do you remember when they all said and decided? Do you remember a cause? The Western Hockey League, when Wade started in the Western Hockey League, the visiting team would go on first and the other team later. but they've changed that rule now because they've made it more disciplined, I guess. Yeah. And you got to, you know, because, but I never seen those days back in the day in warm-ups.

There wasn't an issue that I ever remember in warm-up. Maybe a bit of chirping across the line. Oh, yeah, absolutely. But other than that, there's no hands-on that I can ever remember. So it's a way you should be. So Stan Dunn's coaching you, and you'd listed them as one of the mentors or best coaches you'd had. What did he teach here? What was different about the way he looked at the game or maybe at the team aspect?

I guess he knew the game, and he was tough. He played tough. Yeah, it was just discipline and hard work is what he was. In practices, he'd show you how to block a shot, and he wouldn't have a – have equipment on and he would do it, you know, so, you know, things like that. So he was, yeah, he was, became a very true friend after about hockey day. So he always could talk to stand down in his wife, Sheila, for hours. And he, he was the guy that, you know, after I got out of Hillmont, which wasn't real organized

hockey compared when we got to Lashburn, but the guy was able to play, and he kind of mentored you through it and taught you the game. Oh, that's... So... I can't believe Lashburn had Junior B. No, no. Well, there's a good bunch of...

I called them older men then, but I guess they were a lot younger than I am now. Yeah. That were the guys that drove you to the games and looked after the rink and did all that sorts of stuff.

What did you guys take to games? Cars. Cars? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there was nothing else. Yeah. You know, we had to travel to the medal. Lake, Glassland, Turtelford, Battleford.

Can't remember where else. Nealberg was in the league then, maybe two. Yeah? Yeah, there was six, eight teams. And then come, we had provincials all the time, gets North Battleford, or Rosetown had a junior B team back then, too. So they were kind of the top three teams in the whole province, hey? And how did you guys do?

I don't think we ever won provincials. I think Rose Town would always beat us out. Yeah. We'd have close battles all the time with North Battleford. But then you look back and there's guys there to this day, you know, and you can have a great visit with. I think that's, you know, looking ahead if we talk later, about moving on to semi-pro and whatnot.

I've still got guys. I talk to it at various times, different times a year. They're just still your buddies. And that's 40 years ago. Yeah. So, more than, getting on to 50. That's a long time. But once you have a good friend in the game or wherever you are in life,

you'll never lose your good friend because you're always in contact maybe years apart, but you'll always have your good friends. And that's been proven here a year ago right now. We know what our country went through here, and I had at least three guys that I played with 35 years ago, phone me and almost crying on a phone because we were never scared to get on a bus. And I'd go on there again today if we had to go to a game.

And that's how close-knit guys were back then. They thought of the other guys and thought of that. And we never ever thought of things like that happen because it was the safest place way to go. But we'll never get over. that. No, that's, I think every hockey player that's ever played the game can, well, just relate to it.

You're right, right. And, yeah, it's devastating. Yeah, absolutely. There's no good, not a good thing you can say about it. No. So. When you go to, if you play in Lashburn, Jr. B., and then you make your way to Wayburn, You make your way to Weyburn at 16 then?

I was probably 17 by the time I went there, but after the second year, when Laspurn was finished, the second year, I got called up for the playoffs in Weyburn. Sorry, you're the affiliate of Weaver. Yeah, so I got called up and played in Weyburn, and I remember at that time Brandon, and Wheat Kings were in that league, And I remember playing Game 7 was my first game, maybe game 6 and Webron. I remember playing in Brandon in Game 7 of a series. I don't know, it would be semifinals or whatever,

but I remember playing with my defense partner was Larry Horning, who was an NHL player. And if you look back, Brad Horning, who was paralyzed years ago. Okay. There's a memorial trophy for him in the Western Hockey League now. But his dad was a good junior, and he became a pro, played Winnipeg Jets and whatnot, since passed. But he was kind of my mentor. When I played in the Central Hockey League, he was playing in Kansas City.

And when you played against me, I always hunted you up after the game and how are you doing? And this is what you should do. And so that's the way the hockey community worked. and it was enjoyable to meet guys like that. Absolutely. So. No, sorry. After that spring, and then I came home and then went back to Weberin,

so I think I was there for three years when I was 17, 18 and 19. In Weyburn? Yeah. What did your parents say when you went to Waiver? Oh, I guess Stan Dunn was instrumental in that. And I think the biggest problem my mom and dad had is when I was 17 and 67, I guess, I broke my wrist real bad. And they didn't want to let me go back the next year,

but Stan had to coax them into it. And not that I'd ever made it to the top, but I've got no movement in my wrist from back in the day, 67, 68, or whenever that happened. What broke your wrist? just ran into a guy and caught her the wrong way. I couldn't tell you who. And that was it. And, you know, I'm not, there wasn't the, you know, the techniques or I shouldn't say malpractice or anywhere. There wasn't the techniques to do the x-rays and put that all back together again like they can do that today. So I basically had surgery and they removed a couple bones and one surgery and then it was still pain.

and so they did another surgery and kind of fused it. So I've never been able to bend it. Being a right-hand shot, I could never snap the puck as good as a lot of guys. So it kind of hurt me in a way. Probably didn't take me away from playing any better hockey because maybe it wasn't good enough to be there anyway. But that's kind of the way I look at it. So it's the way it is, and I've lived with it for 50-plus years,

so not changing now. That always says when you got back from playing. Pro that you lined up against Freddie Pepper and said, I'm going to put it right there. And you shot. Yeah. And then he shot. And he did it five times. And I wasn't a sniper.

Yeah, I remember that. And he couldn't figure out why, but it was there. And I happened to be able to do it that time. Can't do that anymore. Yeah. So, yeah, that was pretty neat. But we did have some, when I did come back, with the All-Stars there, we had three years of fun. Oh, we're going to get to that. I got it for my sake being a

a Holmonder and still playing senior for the Hitman. I got to get to that at some point. But I mean, in Weyburn specifically, so you're there for three years. You graduate from Weyburn High School then? No, I graduated from Hillmont. Come back, come back. Oh, you come back at the end of the season? Yeah, yeah, that's what you did back then. I don't think I ever really graduated, but with a full grade 12, but yeah, you went back and forth.

Oh, that would be tough. Yeah, it was tough. And, you know, maybe I didn't get what I should have, and that's partly my fault too for not bearing down and steady and more or whatever, but that's the way I is. So you go, so when we, so. Last spring was the same curriculum,

but even when you went that far, it was a bit different, so you're never the same when you got home. And back in those days, you know, you were kind of frowned upon thinking you're somebody going away to do it. So you didn't get all the help you needed or whatever either. There wasn't the support like guys get now in those situations. Well, guys don't go back though, right? No, you know. Guys finish out the year.

And I shouldn't say that. You know, that was a bit of my responsibility too. When you get hounded and bit and whatnot, you lose interest in things. So that's what happened to me. And I'll take the blame for it. So leave me through, you go from playing two years, Junior B, Lashburn. Then you head down to Wayburn to play Junior A. Were you on the team or did you have to go trial?

Oh, you always had trials. Always had trials. Basically, you knew you were going to be there. So what did you do for, you know, you look at kids today. Yeah. And I was actually just talking to Merv about it today. The ice never goes out so you can skate all summer. You look at even just Lloyd.

You got IHD, you got Lance Ward, you got Clayton conditioning, you got, I might be missing a couple, right? You've got a ton that just worked kids all through the summer, not to mention the dry land and everything they do in the gyms now specifically for it. I'm going to assume you weren't doing all that back then. Back then, basically what you did is run. The way, well, I find with my dad in the summer. Yeah. So everybody always thought square bills got you in shape, but that got old in a hurry.

But, no, I used to say you're working a field and you left a truck in another field, that's where I got my runny and a half mile or a mile. And then I always had, not that I pounded weights or knew how to do them, but you had wrist curls and whatever. did a bit of a workout. But you never skated until you went to training camp. So guys were hurting for two weeks. You know, you went, I guess, to make the team,

but you knew you're on the team, you went there to get in shape for hockey. Where today, you go to camp, you play right the next day, and you've got to be ready. And if you're not, you probably won't make it. Totally different back in the day, because there's no ice and whatnot in the summer. around here.

So you just went, got your skate sharpened or whatever in the way you went and started training camp. And usually guys were hurting the first few days in cap all the time because you probably went, had a week of that, maybe an exhibition game or two and then you're right into the schedule.

So that's the way it was then. When you first suited up for the junior any team, what were the fans? Did you guys pack the building in Weber? I don't know if we packed or not, but there was a great following. There still is a pretty good following. And laborin still got a good following, I believe. I think I read, Ashley, they got the most SJ titles.

I think they got made it over. Yeah, back in the day, yeah. I never won one when I was there, but I think they did the next year after. How then do you go to, I was mentioning this off air, how do you then get to a Memorial Cup if you didn't win? Back in those days, we played Regina. So here we start. The first year I played in Weyburn,

like there was a breakaway. Like there was no major junior hockey and junior A hockey back then. Right. You had the S.J. And yeah. Bill Hunker, Scott E. Monroe, and a few other names I can't think of right now, wanted to form a major junior league. Right.

So that first year that I played in Weyburn, I'm thinking it was the first year, maybe the second, they formed what they called the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, but you were banned from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. So we played Eddington, Calgary, Red Deer, Saskatchewan teams and that. And if you look in the Western Hockey League, 50 years, a couple, three years ago, that was the first year Major Duna Hockey. because what happened after that year,

actually Weyburn, Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon, broke away from that Outlaw League. They called it at that time because they were security losing sanctioned with the C.A. And we formed a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey. So that's where at that time the major junior teams didn't, I don't think, really played what were in algebra. playing the Memorial Cup. So when I was 19, Regina Pats beat us out in the final.

At that time, they could pick up three players when they left the league championship. And I happened to be one of them. And we wound up beating Lesbridge, Alberta, then Dauphin in Manitoba. And then when that put us in the Memorial Cup against Montreal Junior Canadians. So you went to the Memorial Cup with Regina Pats? With the Regina Pats. Yeah, in 1969, I think. So 68-69 season, right?

Holy crap. So we got, it was the best of seven at that time. And Montreal Junior Canadians beat us four straight. They had the likes of Jill Perot, Rejan Hoo, Mark Tardiff. Like, they had ten forwards that all made the NHL. I was a year off. You realized Weyburn went to the Memorial Cup in 1970? Like the year after.

Yeah, the year after. Leslie Noble and from Hillmont and Johnny Rogers from our area here. Played for them. Played for them. Wow. The Internet does a lot of things right, but they don't do some things right because they had you on that team, I'm pretty sure. No, no. But they're wrong on that.

Yep. Yeah. There's some guys, well, Wendell Bennett from Medi Lake. It was the captain of that team, I believe. And I would have to look at their roster to what they had on, but I probably played with over half of those guys the year before. Yeah, the half of the year before?

Yeah. So you go there with the Regina Pat, who were playing in the SJ? Yeah, with us, yeah. Yeah, we'd form the SG. And then you play Gilbert Perot, who was a first overall pick. Right after that year.

By, I actually wrote it down. Buffalo. First overall pick by Buffalo. played 1191 games in the NHL, 512 goals, 814 assists, 1312 points. And he was okay. Yeah, he was good. Yeah. They were all good.

Yeah. And that's why we didn't stand. We only had one guy or maybe two that played in the NHL off the team we had. Why do you think that is? I guess skill, and they had, you know, the French connection back in them. Montreal always had the good connections there for the Quebec boys. so they could do that. Like Tardy Fah and Oahu,

they played good hockey, World hockey and the NHL. Yeah. But there had to have been, like, was there playing for that junior Canadians? Were they all Quebecers or were there? Yeah, they picked up Jim Rutherford, who's GM of Pitchburg. Now he was their goaltender.

Oh. So they all, all those guys pretty well made the NHL. Yeah. Well, for the longest time. In the later years, I think I played with two of them guys in Fort Worth. In Fort Worth? Yeah. You think anything had to do with, well, I mean,

Weyburn being set up or however they did it with the Red Wings and kind of being, you were kind of already signed. Well, you were signed. You signed a C contract. I was reading up on the NHL draft, and for like the longest time, it was always held over in Montreal, right? For about 15 to 18 years, it was right in that ballpark. It was always held over there.

You think that had anything to do with none of the guys? Because I can't assume if you guys are that good of a team, some of them should have been able to play. See, the first NHL draft, Barry Gibson. Well, his wife lived in this house, I believe. What? In this house? George was her name.

I'm sure this is a place. I don't know if we got that on here or not. But, yeah, and he played with Estadne Bruins, and he was drafted by Boston Bruins. In the first NHL draft. Yeah, in 69 or 70, yeah. Are you kidding me? Yeah, if you look that up, I don't think I'm too far wrong there. Well, I'm going to have to find that out.

And then Garnet Bailey, who was in, unfortunately, died in 911, was also drafted by Boston, I believe, or was on their list somehow. because he played with the Bruins for a Stanley Cup or two. Barry, he wound up going to Minnesota most of his career and made a name. There. Are you good? Oh, yeah, yeah.

No, I, uh, just making sure we're fine-tuned over here. Okay. No, that's, I, you're blowing my mind a little bit, right? Like, that's pretty cool. I'd read, um, I had thought you'd gone with waiver because Weyburn makes it the year after you to the Morial Cup. So when I see that, I go, holy crap. You went with one league and you went with Weber.

But you actually got picked up by Regina Patz. Yeah, a year before. There were two years, probably one year before. So why didn't you play your final year junior then? Well, I wound up going to Port Huron to camp and making the team as a 19-year-old. And basically knew nobody when I went there but made the team. and I was before Christmas

I was going to I was almost coming back to either Flynn, Flann or Calgary to play junior and the guy had a bad leg injury and kind of put me on the roster for the rest of the year so I stuck it out and we went to the Turner Cup final

that year and lost in seven games and then the next year we won the league. With Port Hare with Port Huron. And then I went to Fort Worth, Texas for two years. Oh, yeah, but you can't jump by.

So you go from, you go from Weyburn to making the team in Port Huron. Aren't you dating a woman at this point in time or married at this point in time? No, no. We got married after my second year in Port Huron. Got married in 71. But Pat wasn't down there with you, was she? No, no. No, she was going to university yet.

U of S? U.S., yeah. I hear Nikki was telling me a couple funny stories about her flying down and you fighting and then had no tooth

well you might as well tell it she flies down what is that, what is that, 1971 roughly? That'd be 1970 so it'd be before 71 yeah she flew down

and actually my claim to fame that year she came down in the winter that we were at a billet me and Yvonne Lambert. Okay.

He played with us. Okay. And I lived with him. So he was French-Irised English, so we had to do a lot of French English dictionary, English French Dictionary, lots of days. But yeah, he played with us

that second year and went on to win four Stanley Cups. So, yeah, so, yeah. That was neat. But, yeah, Pat came down at Christmas Is there something one time or a couple times there? Yeah. And then the next year we went to Fort Worth.

We were married two years there, then two more years back in Port Huron. So I retired in 75. So that's, I was only 24, 25. I wasn't going anywhere. Why, why don't you think you ever took a, because was Port Huron the affiliate of Detroit then? No, no, not then.

The last two years I was. When you went and made Port Huron when you first playing there, what were they? I was at Detroit camp right there before, so I was invited back to that camp. So you skated at the Red Wings Camp? Was Hal still playing? Yeah. What was it like being on the ice with Gordy Hal? Well, we only played maybe an exhibition game against them.

You know, all the big guys are on their own. Yeah. Yeah, a big strong man, more than you can handle. And you don't fool around with a guy like that. Wow. By that time, that would have been not the... twilight of his career because he played so many years but that would have been closing in on 20 yeah closely i think he played 25 years in the n hl yeah well actually i think he played more

than that but i think he played 25 then he retires and he was in the w h aa with his kids right yeah so yeah at the end of his career when he finished in detroit he came down and kind of helped the coaches in port here in for a month or whatever so we had him on the i or in fort worth i should say So he was come up and, you know, help us in practice and whatnot. So he was there two, three weeks for sure at one point. Anything that pops to, man, like, it's gorty-pricking hell. I know, yeah. There's amazing strength of the man and show you little things.

What were the little things he'd show you? Oh, just get your stick up and protect yourself. And, you know, basically that, basically how to protect yourself and whatnot. And he was fun. he was fun to be around. I think that was a key thing because he had fun helping you.

And that made it better for everyone too. So anyway, that's where that went. So important here on you signed a contract. Is that correct?

Yeah. Do you remember what you signed? Like how much do you... Well, get three or four hundred dollars a week. You sign weekly. Yeah. Yeah. So it did come home with a new vehicle,

and, you know, made a bit of money, but nothing like I thought I was dreaming of. Yeah. That never, ever came. But, yeah, that's where you signed weekly than that. And then when I went to Fort Worth, I signed a pro contract, so then I finished my career that way.

So what was then? So you down in Fort Worth? And that was essentially. Hockey League, fairly even, they were all even with American Hockey League at that time. Yeah. So, you know, that was kind of, it was a good pro hockey in that league. What was it like going to the rink in your shorts? Yeah, very nice. Yeah, it was good.

And, yeah, it wasn't, you had to have jeans on lots of days, but, you know, this spring of the year, it was pretty nice. What year would that have been 70? I was there. 73, 74. Seventy-three-74, come home to spring of 75. And we built our house that summer, and then I never shut her down after that. So that was it.

What, in Fort Worth, how were, how were the fans there? Did you guys get lots? Oh, lots of plans, yeah, five, six thousand probably at that time. Oh, wow. And were you guys a good team? Fairly good team, yeah. Yeah, we made playoffs both years. And actually, Ross Perkins was a captain of that team one year when I played from Wainwright.

I don't know. Have you heard of Ross Perkins? Yeah, the name sounds from that. He played with the Ed and Oil Kings, and after that he played with the Oilers in the World Hockey Association. It's crazy how many guys have come out of this year. Yeah, and there's a few guys from Edding that were on that team because they were affiliated with the Detroit system at that time, right? Yeah. So, yeah, that's where we were. Have you ever gone back to anything Port Huron, Fort Worth? Fort Worth, no.

Haven't been back. Port Huron, still got three good buddies there. I commute back and forthwith. And actually, when we go to Port Huron, right across the street from the rink is what they call the brass rail. There's a bar there that we always went to. And I think to this day, the year we won the championship, all our pictures are still hanging in that bar.

They were two years ago anyway. That's unreal. Yeah, so you go back there, you go to the brass rail. And management's changed over because the lady since passed in the last 15 years here. But I always went, he had always go to the brass rail. And in fact, how many years ago now that the Border Kings played the Allen Cup in Sarnia, and Bart was going to school then in Sioux St. Marie, went over for the Allen Cup and they all went to the brass rail. And all those guys seen my picture hanging in there.

So, crazy or what? Oh, that's absolutely crazy, right? Yeah. But actually, somewhere at home I got that picture off that wall, a copy of it, but I don't know where it is right now because things get messed up at my place that way. Did you guys, like when you won, did you get, well, now the big thing, and I don't know if it was like that back then, but did you get rings or anything like that? I've got a ring. You got a ring?

Yep. I never wear it. But I've got a, even the Memorial Cup, I've got a runner-up Memorial Cup ring. And it's silver, but it needs cleaned up. I'm going to take it in one day, clean it up. I should show you them. Then the Turner Cup, yeah, I've got a nice wool. Shoot, I should have just come out to the house today.

We should have done it there? Yeah. And, yeah, they're right in my drawer in my thing there, but I never wear rings. Yeah, no, that's fair enough. But, yeah, I've got a Turner Cup ring and a runner-out memorial cup ring. And what was neat about it,

so back in the day, how many years ago now, there was the International Hockey League and the American Hockey League and all those teams. So they, you know, went together. formed one league. Yeah. So they dropped the International Hockey League. And it's all an American Hockey League now.

Right, yeah. So that, the Turner Cup, which was the trophy won for the championship in the International Hockey League. One time we were in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Lois and I, and we were looking through it, and there's the Turner Cup on view there. I think it's gone now the last few years. But my name is on the Turner Cup. Oh, man.

I couldn't see it, but she saw the name on it. You had to look around behind. Yeah, so that crazy or what? Absolutely. That's unbelievable. Yeah. But back in those days, like all the guys you played with, like you're still in contact with some guys.

In fact, I can add to a story here. A couple years ago, Wade was in a store in Colonna. And this guy comes up to him and knew who he was, and he says, I want to know how your dad is. Here this guy was Keith Thomason. He played in Lashburn. Okay. He was from Riverton, Manitoba, the home of Reggie Leach, Riverton, Manitoba.

Reggie Leach and Keith Domason both played with us in Lashbred. Believe it or not. Would Reggie Leach be Bren Leach's father? No, no, Reggie Leach, the NHL Star for Philadelphia's Fly. No, yeah. No, no relation. No relation? No relation to here.

But anyway, he got homesick and left, and he wound up playing his career in Flin Flon. But anyway, Keith Thomason, I hadn't seen for ages. Wade got his phone number. I phoned him and went out that summer two summers ago, and I seen him, and I hadn't seen him. for 48 years. And he's still your buddy. So that's what hockey's done to me.

And there's a few more guys out there like that, too, that you get in contact with if they come through or you go through. And I still keep in touch with two or three good guys, Port Heron and Insarnia, that I know. And then you usually run into a couple, three more guys that are around there. So I may not have made it all the way through, but I don't regret where I was because, that friendship's countrywide here

when they come to town or whatever. I've had a few of them stop in over the years. It's great. It's one of the cool things about, I always speak about hockey because I grew up playing hockey, you grew up playing hockey. A lot of my guests grew up playing hockey.

The team, especially with guys you connect with, that connection never disappears, right? You never lose a good friend. And like you say, you never, you won't see them for a long time, but you connect when you get back together. One of the, one of the, I call it surreal, when I started this podcast, I, now once a week I get to sit across from somebody like yourself that has these, like, stories that blow my mind. Because I got, hockey took me one way and a different sport's taking somebody a different way. And hockey for you did something completely different. and to hear the people and places

and things you've done with your career and your life is just like, it's a little bit hard to believe at times when you're talking, right? Because the world has just changed so much, right? Oh, totally from the time I played, yeah. And to still have contact with guys is unreal. And it'll never change until the day you die. That's right.

Yeah, well, and the cool thing about starting this podcast is now a bunch of my buddies, as far away as Finland where I played to a buddy they went to college with down in Texas and over by Ottawa and Connecticut and all these start texting you and that, wow, listen to your podcast, right? Sounds pretty good, right?

You should do this guy, you should do this guy or whatever. And it's almost reconnecting me with a whole bunch of people that, well, like you say, you just kind of lose touch with and they've got kids in the family or vice versa. Yeah, I know. Crazy. Yeah. It's pretty neat.

actually. It's very neat. Yeah. Yeah. So you go from Port Huron, Fort Worth, back to Port Huron. For two, two, two, two, yeah. Two, two, two, two. Yeah.

And then you build a house out on the farm, and you're done. Yep. So when you come back to Hillmont, Lloyd. Yeah. Was there any thought of ever trying for an Allen Cup? Or was that not? It wasn't there then. It wasn't back in the day.

When I was away, the Border Kings had great teams, and it wasn't the Allen Cup they played for. They went Eastern Canada a few times there. But it wasn't, I don't think it was the Allen Cup. It was Senior A Hockey or something like that. And I don't know the... Guy like Shep would have known that. Yeah, I don't know the answer to it

because Shep did mention it. But the Allen Cup has been around forever, 1909. Yeah, and I'm on the way here tonight. it's being held in Bentley this year right now. And they're somewhere. Lecombe, right? Lecombe, yeah. Could be the last year for the Allen Cup, they see.

Why is that? Because of the senior hockey's gone out, missing it now by the sounds of it. Well, me and Shep talked about it a little bit. It's a lot of money to, yeah, yeah. Especially for the Allen Cup, right? Like you're paying all these guys to come in. It's a big bank roll.

It sounds like it could be the end of it, so. Oh, that's a shame. Yeah, yeah. But it was always triple A hockey or whatever back in the day. The Allen Cup was a step above the AAA hockey back in the years, and it was never thought of in this country to be able to compete for it. So it's from what I take. Anyway, it sounds like it could be the end of that.

Like I say, that's too bad, too. So there's no thought of that. Was there a thought of playing for, The Porter Kings? I did a bit. Oh, did you? A bit. You know, they weren't as strong back in them days.

Yeah. But I guess I played player coach for Helmont for three years. And then Larry Leach had started the Junior B team in Lloyd. So I coached that for three years after him. I don't know if you knew that. I heard mention. Was that we were trying to figure out, or the Junior B Blazers? Yeah, Junior B Blazers.

Yeah. And they started them in the 70s somewhere, like guys like Dan. Jervais was on the first team. I literally just. Roger Rebers and guys Rick Weinhandle and guys like that. Murray Hozack, guys from Marwain played on that team. And I didn't coach Danny or whatever. They were too old and Roger.

But Murray Hozac. Larry Clark and whatnot. There's a few guys there. It's funny you mention that because I literally just came across this today. Lloydminster Regional Archive put that out. And that is the Lloydminster Junior B. Bannets. They didn't have, that isn't when you're coaching. Or Blazers, sorry, not Bannas.

Junior B Blazers. Yeah. I don't know if I know anybody. Well, Danny Jervais is in there. Roger Robber is in there. See that, oh, Larry Leach is going. That's the team I took over. It doesn't say the year of this team, eh?

I'd pass it back and it might. Oops, I'm just looking at guys here because I recognize some Danny Jerva. McKay was the captain. Oh shit, where are we doing? I did something. I had it blown up, but I'd like to scan that again because I'd know more guys there. The 1974, Lloydminster. Okay, I bet you that's...

Junior B. Blazers. I bet you that's pretty well our first team, maybe their second. No, I'm messing up. So do you go over this and take the blanks out of this? Well, no, it don't really matter. I just usually let it fly. So do you want to talk about coaching? Because you say you come back, you're playing, player coaching for the all-stars.

And then you're also coaching the junior B Blazers at the time? Not the same time. Not the same time? What was, well, I want to mind no one about the All-Stars because you played from three years? Three years, yeah. Start in fall of 75. And what was it like player coaching? It was different.

You know, you just kind of had your line set up and rolled and did your thing. But we had some pretty good players back then. And I think being seen a lot of guys, I'd never coached before. And it was different in that way. I guess I went with the systems that I played with, and a lot of guys didn't understand the back check and forecheck bit or whatever, so it took time to get that healed. But we had three years there, and the third year we won it all.

And then after that year, they came to me, Larry Leach and Ken Kyle, I believe. Someone else came out to my place, and I coached the Junior B Blazers for three years. there. Before we hop to the junior B players I got to I gotta know

you win in the Silver Dome correct? Yeah. Who did you play in the finals that year? Do you remember?

Lashbert? Was it Lashbred? Laspard? I've heard funny stories about Lashbred and you.

Yeah, yeah, we'll leave it not wrong. I don't know if that was semi-final maybe Mar Wayne

or Dewberry and if I can't remember I don't know if there's anything on paper anywhere to tell me that well actually you know it's funny enough Lynn I don't have I shouldn't say that I have anything

that's going to tell us who you played but Lynn Priest has a lovely box of things of the old Helmont All-Stars I don't know if that would count us though at that time because they were all out of it well she has that for you that is a picture of the paper after you guys won

oh jeepress I guess where I'm going with this is me and Brad Simons when I first came back from overseas apologies fighting a little bit of a cold I lost her I lost it

Nope no no worries When I came back from overseas Me and Brad Simons had many A chat about you And I always used to say Or maybe he used to say I can't remember Brad will correct me If it took Gord Red in

three years to win. Us, a bunch of knuckleheads, we're fine if we don't win the first year I'm back. And I think it took us three or four years and then we finally won. And I was wondering, after your third year and you win it, what was it the party like?

Was it the community rejoicing? Or something at the hall there, I'm sure we did. I'm not talking about the hall afterwards. I'm talking about the night you win it. The night you hoist the cup. You know what? I can't really remember. Well, that's okay. I don't really remember the night we won't either.

Yeah, I don't know where we went there. Don't know. Well, because the night we win, it's like ranks up there with like, and people laugh, right? Like, I mean, it's senior hockey and home on. But the night we win is 37 years after you guys went. So it's been a long drought since. And we were away.

Where was I? How many years ago was that? That you won? That you won it. Uh, 2000, four years ago, 2015. We were away. And where were we? Because we had it on.

We were in a 15 to four years ago, Jake. I think we were in Calgary because Nikki's son was playing in a hockey tournament there. One of our girls were playing basketball. Because, wait, they were on that. Yeah. We knew you won it that night. Well, we won it that night against Dewberry, which, I mean, it couldn't have, I mean, Dewberry doesn't want to hear this, but it couldn't happen against better team.

They just won the league, I think, was seven years in a row. We'd come back and down 3-1. We went into game seven on home ice. And the party that night felt like it was a million people, but it was probably, I don't know, 100, 200 Hillmanders celebrating. And the age range went from 19 to, well, I remember Raymond Voltaire part, and just as hard as I was. I remember Frank man and Candyman being in there.

Actually, they pretty much helped me out as my wife came and got me at 5 in the morning and they were still going. Yeah, right? And how old would Frank been at that time? Yeah, 65 plus. 65 plus, right? And there's still pictures of it, right?

Like, of those guys partyed that hard. Like, it was unbelievable. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, where you look back, I can't remember the wind-up party or where we, I know we had a banquet and whatnot at the hall, but jeepers. So you win and then you ride off in the sunset, that's your last game,

senior you play? Yeah, other than I did play at the Board of Kings a bit. I started, when I was coaching Junior B, I'd play with them a bit, but I didn't play for two years or so. And when I'd come back, it was, it was, I was only 30 at the time, but there was a lot of young guys there. So, and your heart wasn't in to play, so you're a step behind it too. So I basically called her a day.

So we're getting into the 83, 84, and that's when your dad and I started coaching the boys. Yeah. So all games are off now because I'm not, I'm not missing what they're doing. Yeah. So the next 10 years was that, and I played a bit of participation. hockey or whatever with a group of guys from the hill. We had some good times, but it never jeopardized going to a practice or taking my boys to a practice. So that's where my life was. I don't regret it. I was talking to Merv, actually. Well, I think I brought this up earlier that I was talking to Merv,

and he had mentioned that you guys have been talking and that when you start coaching, especially probably the younger years, I think is what he was referring to, is, it kind of takes over your life and he said he's had many a night where he wakes up in the middle of the night and he's thinking about things on how he can change things or maybe this will work. Oh yeah, yeah. And he says some of his best memories of hockey. Yeah, and I always, especially in minor hockey or even with junior hockey, you know, you've got your mind thinking a bit. And if you have a gut feeling to make a move on a line or do something, I always said if I got a feeling this guy might score.

I'll put them here. If I don't do it, it'll backfire. If I do it, it might not work, but I did what I had a feeling I should do. And I think a lot of people are like that, too. You know, you get a feeling for it. I guess the junior hockey and the pro hockey and that now is so much on paper that this guy can do that

and that guy can do that. So it's kind of there for you. But back in the day, you kind of read that off the bench on a given night. And I think that was what was so good about coaching. I think the biggest thing about the coaching minor hockey I found is, especially when the boys got the better teams, you better go prepared at practice every night

because the group I had wanted to learn every night. And if you tried to take a night off, it didn't work. You heard about it from the kids that wanted to be learning something. So you always tried to get new systems, or drills or whatever in place. And I think what really helped me the last couple of years in minor hockey, Wade had been drafted by Brandon

and Kelly McCrimman, the brand of weekends gave me a whole list of different drills. So you had to steady them. And it was fun to do different drills. You know, the same old routine every night. Change it up a bit, you're still doing what you want to accomplish, and everybody's fresh and wants to learn new things.

So, and it all boils down to you. to learn the skills and moving the puck or whatever. Do you miss coaching? Not now. No, no. I don't think I could do it now. I don't want to make a commitment in that way anymore. I want to have my time and go watch my kids or go on a holiday or whatever.

And I would help out here and there, but I'd have to go for a course now to do that. Not that's a big deal. But, no, I can enjoy just watching, watching now and giving my advice. You know, Martin Sheldman coach in there, you always, you know, this guy's doing this or whatever. Still being in the ring, though. Yeah, and a little input on things. Because when you're coaching, and if you haven't got guys helping you, you miss little things. So you need that support on the bench.

You know, in practices, you know, keep guys moving. Keep moving and keeping interest. Go hard, go short, learn something. Go home. Rest up for tomorrow. That's the way I look at it. So I kind of want to fire a couple of questions at you and see where it goes. I really admired that,

So when I was playing in Finland, my wife was playing. She was coaching in New York. She was getting her master's at St. Lawrence University, which is just South Ottawa. So we did distance. And we did that for two years, and that is not for everyone. And I find it very fascinating that you did that when you're in Port Huron for two years. Two years in Port Huron, being?

Being distant. Yeah, yeah, no. Did you ever just think, man, what am I doing, or you just knew? No, just knew. Like, you know what? I've seen lots of cases where my girlfriends at home are not going there. Well, if it's that good a thing, she'll be here in four years, or you can commute so much nowadays.

So that was never an issue. It was... At that time, it would have just been phone calls? calls, I assume, and letters? Phone calls and letters, yeah. Phone calls and letters? Yeah, there's none of this that we're doing here now. And it costs money to make phone calls back in the day, too, you know?

Oh, yeah, I hadn't thought about that. You couldn't just, so do you remember how expensive it was, call back home? No, I guess I had the calling card number of my parents, so in certain hours it was fairly cheap. But then I had room and board where we built it there. they were pretty well off and they never ever worried about that. Not that you abused it. Yeah, not that you abused it, yeah.

You know, now that you're mentioning, I think when I played in Dryden, the lanes that I lived with and billeted with, I think they bought a long-distance calling package just for us, myself and my roommate who was from Vancouver so we could call home at the time. No, I'm thinking about that. Yeah, I would say that.

I mean, now it's just almost built in every phone plan, right? Totally. You don't even think about it anymore. In Canada-wide, pretty well. Yeah, you can call anyone. I don't think there's, well, I mean, I shouldn't say there probably is long distance, but now it's almost like if you want to call the state, now that becomes long distance. Yeah, call them there from this side.

It's okay, but if you're down there, she's costing her to use your phone unless she's got a package, right? Yeah. It's the way I see it, yeah. So you, what's on there? Oh, nothing. He just loves to talk to me. He's looking at the computer and it just keeps saying hello to me. Okay.

Well, we pretty want to talk an hour and a half, you know. Yeah, we're an hour and 13 minutes. Jeez, okay. I don't know what else there is to say. Well, I was wondering a couple other questions. I'll give you two more. Yep. You played a lot of hockey, not to mention you've been around a lot of hockey.

What is maybe, and I asked a couple other guys, what's the biggest change you saw throughout the game? That you, good or bad? Well, I think there's more skill nowadays. You know, guys had skill back then, but it was a tougher game, more body game, more intimidating game. And do you miss that?

No, no, I like watching the skill game. Like, we're starting to watch, NHL playoffs tomorrow night. Yeah, tomorrow night. Unbelievable the skill. Who do you got winning the cup? Hey, I, Nashville, I don't know about when

and I kind of, I don't cheer against anybody, but I like watching Winnipeg. I'll definitely like watching Calgary. Yeah. You know, right from Canada. And you have your favorites. I always like San Jose and

Nashville Wade's involved with. Yeah. You know. Yeah. Boston, you follow. St. Louis, you follow like Wade played with a lot of those teams. So you still know the odd guy there.

So even like San Jose, Thornton and a couple guys there, Wade played in the world with, you know, so you follow those guys. And I never cheer against anybody. Yep. But, you know, I'm hoping for these guys tonight, but I'm not going to lose any sleep if they lose sort of thing. But the skill, the skill is unreal. this day and age. And there was a lot of it then,

but there was a lot more clutching and grabbing, and that didn't come out as good back in the day where now that's called, so you've got to have some skill to play today. This is the way I look at it. Well, I guess I always had to have

skill to play at that level, but like the little guy and, you know, taking the hook and interference away opens the game up a lot more. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah. Okay, two more.

Two more. I got two more. Okay. One, you turn, what I was saying to the off air is you turn 70 next week. Yes. You've lived twice a lifetime that I have. So you come with a lot of wisdom, sir. Yes.

So. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah. Depends what's coming. Well, I was wondering, what is the coolest thing that you've seen in your lifetime? Whether it's like.

Oh, boy. Well, I don't know. Or the coolest change. I just think of like you go from color TV to telephone or computers to internet to now everybody's got a computer in their hand. Or maybe it's like 60, what is it 69? When this is terrible of me, when they land on the moon. Right? Like what was that like?

Did that even cross the radar? What was the, what's the thing you look back on and go like, holy man, I remember that day? I can remember that AJFK was sad. fascinated because we watched it at school. Yeah. So that was 63, I believe. Yeah. Went to any year there.

But what was the question you asked? What's the most fascinating thing? Well, no. Well, no, just the most memorable. JFK getting assassinated. Yeah, yeah. That's... That and I guess 9-1-1 was horrific for everybody.

Yeah. And then last year the bus crash, you know, things you'll never forget. Yeah. But I guess in my life, lifetime, you know, watching my boys play and my daughter played great fastball and watching my kids do their sports. Yeah. And I guess, wait, making the NHL and basically playing 15, 17 years, I've seen a pile of live

NHL hockey games because of him. And I never dreamt that when I was in the Silverstone and Hillmont and they started playing. I never dreamt, never dreamt of it even. Yeah. Happening, or let alone hoping it would happen. That isn't why I went to the rink with them kids every day. But when God gave an ability to play, and like Bart went to college, got his education,

making her education. Well, Bart played Division I hockey. Division one hockey and got his education and, you know, set up for life doing it. Absolutely. with his job. So that's the most unique thing. I guess the biggest crash we've had is when they lost their mother. When Pat passed away and crushed everybody,

and that will never be forgotten. And she's basically with my family every day to this day. And unfortunately, Nikki's kids were the only grandchildren that she ever seen. And Barton Wade's little family, she's just talked about. So anything's crushing, you know, and there's a lot of things we just mentioned are.

But when you're sitting and watching that, I think that hurts a lot. But I think the strengths of the people, guys have been around, and Nikki's been around in their life, have supported that, and we'll support each other the rest of our lives. What is the best piece of advice you give somebody that you've learned?

That's a tough one. I know, I guess I've been an always hard work and honest guy. And if you're going to accomplish things in life, have a little bit of ambition and desire, and you'll go a long ways and do it with honesty. And that'll never escape you. You'll turn out and people enjoy having you around, whatever, and just be up front and honest and work hard

and take life at its fullest because we never know what day something good app and so enjoy everything where you can. Perfect. Well, I really appreciate you coming on. I won't hold you here any longer. It's been a real pleasure, real treat and honor to sit across from me, I Gordon. Thanks, Sean. I hope we didn't mumble too much.

No, I think it was good. It was perfect. Yeah, so, yeah, I guess I could talk for a week and something would come up. You know what I'm going to hear. I'm going to hear. We've gone an hour and 20 minutes. And what I'm going to hear from the people who listen to it tomorrow is why didn't you get Gord on for two hours? Oh.

I guarantee it. I guarantee it. There's going to be five people that say I was a perfect of length and 97 people who say you should have Gordon for two and a half. You sent something on my phone there that I could listen to it. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I'll make sure it gets out.

So thanks again, Gord. Appreciate you coming in here. Enjoy that. and just the history of our area and knowing people and who you've talked to and whatnot. It's always good to reminisce. Absolutely. Well, thanks again. Thank you, Sean.

Well, guys, I hope you enjoyed that. That was a lot of fun. Next week's guest, Wednesday, April 17th, is Colin Sanko. He was my captain, my first year of junior out in Driedon. He currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, where he has been an active. firefighter with the Calgary Fire Department since 2008. He played his junior A with the Dryd and Ice Dogs and Lainer in his career would compete in the world Police and Fire Games.

These fire games, police and fire games happen every two years, anywhere around the world. And he's taken home of bronze, silver, and in 2015, he finally took home the gold over the pesky Russians. And so we're going to talk a lot about all that and more next week. So please join me. All right. See you guys then. Thank you.