An amazing North Bay hockey moment 25 years ago! (updated)

On April 21st, 1984, Memorial Gardens was crammed with more than 4,000 fans as the North Bay Pinehill Coffee Shop midgets defeated the Notre Dame Hounds from Wilcox, Saskatchewan 5-2 to win the Air Canada Cup national Midget Championship.

The Pinehill Midgets prevailed in a field that included Edmonton Sherwood Park from the Pacific region, the Notre Dame Hounds from the West, the Ottawa West Golden Knights from the Central region, the Lac St. Louis Lions from the Quebec region, and the Dartmouth Midgets from the Atlantic.

The team was coached by Butch Turcotte and managed by Blaine Bywater.

"It was the end of Pinehill's six year program which began as 11 year olds (minor peewees in 1978-79)," reflected coach Turcotte.

"Only 5 players were with the team for all 6 years (Darren, Billie McMillan, Brent Bywater, Mike Gillies and Jamie Blanchard). It proves that if you have a goal and persevere it, you will be successful. After a successful showing at the Ontario Bantams Loblaws Cup (also hosted by North Bay), that committee said let's go for the National Midget championships. The committee was successful in its bid so we were automatic entries as host. But that was not our goal to be host. We won the NOHA's and then the Centrals in Ottawa. We came in the front door and took home the bacon. As a coach it is something that I have cherished ever since, and to see the boys every now and then in their successful lives after hockey; they still call me 'COACH.'"

The tournament featured a handful of future NHLers including North Bay's own Darren Turcotte. Here's some of the other NHLers that took part in the event a quarter century ago:

Ken Hitchcock - coach, Sherwood Park
Brad Werenka - Sherwood Park
Ian Herbers - Sherwood Park
Luke Richardson - Ottawa
Randy McKay - Lac St. Louis
Claude Lapointe - Lac St. Louis
Myles O'Connor - Notre Dame Hounds
Mark Vermette - Notre Dame Hounds
Cam Russell - Dartmouth

Photo submitted