CORNWALL Ontario – I was realizing that it’s been twenty years since I was at Centre ice at the Civic Complex. The first time was my first real experience with Cornwall.
I was travelling with the Greatest Hockey Legends team. It was fun. Heck, it was a historic dream for any hockey fan as I rode the bus and lived with the team on trips deep into Ontario and Quebec.
I got whole sentences out of Norm Ullman. Even at their advanced ages I got to see that NHL talent. Maurice Richard was the ref. He was after all in his 70’s at the time, but he would take his stick out on the ice for warm up.
Watching him put the puck top shelf in an isolated moment is something I can’t put words to. We bonded on trips. It might have to do with me delivering his “papaya juice” on occasion or just because trips could be boring and I engaged him without being a fan boy.
We’d met up with the team bus at the Fairview shopping centre and by the time we made the civic complex I was definitely feeling no pain 🙂 Our first line winger, Jimmy Mann, a 1st round draft pick of John Ferguson’s while GM for Winnipeg, was driving the bus.
Gilbert Perreault was with us on the trip. He had filled out, but was filling the room with his renditions of Elvis. The man could still fly on his skates though. I took one of his sticks and in my cowboy boots, sheepskin winter jacket and shades skidded out to centre ice to take some slap shots at the net. I was laughing. I felt great. At one point I remember lying on the ice looking up after slipping. The lights were down and Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska was playing. It was a magical moment.
As I got up Guy Lafleur walked in with his hockey bag. We looked at each other oddly. The Legends of course won the game. I wanted to get back to Montreal ahead of the bus and Larry Robinson was kind enough to give a ride in his wheels. I loved working with Larry, which usually also meant working with Shutty. (HOF Hab Steve Shutt) For a gig we had in Kingston Mr. Robinson wanted a limo so we piled in, me after a night of partying ( hey I wasn’t 30 yet!). We stopped on the way at Denny’s for an early breakfast off the 401 and sitting between the two I watched a waitress zoom to the table with a sharpie and menu. She asked me to sign and said she’d seen all my movies. I signed while my two companions egged “Mr. Candy ” behind the shades. She probably still treasures it.
Now, twenty years later I will be introducing the River Kings new owner Steve Moreau and dropping the puck tonight for what will be a better and kinder chapter for the Cornwall River Kings.
The game starts at 7:30 PM. This is your chance Cornwall to show what a hockey town we really are. You can come cheer me, or boo me, but bring a friend and make sure we fill this house and give our new team owner the kind of impression that will get him to write a few extra cheques and get the team an upgrade on talent as there’s still plenty of hockey to be played this season.
Now if we can bring back the River Queens but instead of scantily clad puck bunnies use drag queens……
Will you be there Cornwall? You can post your comments below.
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Sweet memories of a time gone by & looking forward to a new era of great players. Congrats on dropping the puck for game, that makes two of my friends being honoured this way in 1 week of each other
Great stories Jamie.
Good luck tonight. Watch out for the boo birds. I’m sure there will be plenty tonight.
As long as they bought their tickets and help the team that’s fine 🙂
I sense an awakening in the Dark Side. All sides are baffled. Seeker goes negative. Lihou tries to correct close eyes. Hate groups firing in all media. I like it.
Good attitude. Same one as the WWE, they buy tickets so they can boo or cheer. It’s all the same.
I am not a sports fan but you brought me back to the great ones in hockey like Rocket Richard and many others. Jamie all the best to you and you can expect many boos from the peanut gallery. Take care.
Well Jamie, is that really you in this story? Believable but unbelievable turn around after all the struggle you’ve been through over the past 5 years with this town.
See you at the game. Perhaps you can get a share of the advertising come next April. All the best with the rest of this town/city hall too. Cleaning up this town as I said before was a Walking Tall effort, but you are doing a fine job. Keep watch, but for heaven sakes man, put on a Habs sweater or something cleaner than a milk carton shirt so you can drop the starter puck in style. 🙂
Dave….a Habs sweater?? Well, at least it’s not a Leafs sweater. A Sens sweater would be better. But I think Jamie will be wearing a River Kings sweater tonight,
I may wear my old Golden Seal sweater 🙂
California Golden Seals?
yup
Jamie IM A LEAF FAN that said im proud of you have a good nite at the game …….FERN
I feel like i’m the only leafs fan in all of Cornwall lol. Go Leafs!!! I’ll be in attendance at the game tonight. Should be a great game. Congrats Jamie!
🙂 Nice spin off the old Habs. Gotcha too. I too am an NHL ‘any ONTARIO team or rather anything other than a Habs team unless of course it is year end for the Stanley or a World Cup Gold, but I thought J. was a Habs man but he was in T.O. aas well so ‘Go Leafs Go’.
No matter what, tonight it’s ‘GO KING’S GO’…..BE THERE IF YOU CAN, WITH FRIEND OR FOE OR MANY OF EITHER….JUST GET THERE AND NOISE IT UP (AS MUCH AS I PERSONALL CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH…..TONIGHT IS DIFFERENT ISN’T IT….. 7:30 but get in early or be prepared to park at the Mall or annex lot by the corner of Amelia and Mtl. Rd. 🙂 🙂
Wish I could of been there Jamie, our new owner deserves a really big “thank-you from the “RK” fans. Enjoy the game & don’t fall on your ass at centre ice ! lol
What an odd question…..I’ve never heard of or met Mr. Moreau before he purchased the Kings. The strange way some people think around here? Maybe he was grateful for the work I have put in supporting and in this case saving the team and its remaining few assets? I think you’d probably have to ask him Mr. Edwardson…
Admin that sounded like a question from an individual that has watched one to many reality shows and relies far to heavily on the opinion of others. It was a rather oddly orchestrated question thinly veiling a general ignorance and lack of class.
What an odd question Brian,You start out with a compliment for Jamie then quickly go down hill from there.Weird is all I can say of all your questions & all uncalled for!
Mary it turns out the person booing was stated to be Mr. Mike Crowder who was the President of Brock’s River King fan club and then sued me as he blamed me for losing his job at the Civic Complex. Very odd behavior as I was just asked to show mercy and not force him to trial….
@ Brian: Really?! Did you jut ask that? Wow!
David Oldam you nailed it. Sad and unfortunate that some people put so much value in things of such insignificance .
@ Trevor. Like hockey?
Furtz….I’m sure there are some things that you like that others don’t. Why continue to knock hockey and other things others enjoy?
just being silly, Hugger. My favorite sport is mumbletypeg, but it gets no coverage. 🙂
Mumbletypeg??
You know I just had to ask.
@Furtz. Good one! 🙂 But I was referring to Brian’s shallow comments rather then the most popular sport in the country.
By the way, what happened to his comment? Did he get banished to the
“Phantom Zone?”