Views from Section 8 - Thanks for the Memories!

"View from Section 8" returns! It's a popular column written by Don "Butch" Turcotte. The former Trappers Junior "A" coach and father of former NHLer and Lakers assistant coach Darren Turcotte will be chiming in with his thoughts here on BayToday.ca. Enjoy!

From 1981 thru 1998, North Bay was the home of a AAA tournament during the last weekend in November. It was by luck that the North Bay Minor Hockey Association AAA group chose that particular weekend. The AAA committee, headed by yours truly and Dick Prescott, decided that since Sudbury could host a AAA tournament, why not North Bay.

Sudbury has recently just hosted their 30th and from what I hear another successful one. Their dates have always been the first weekend in November. The particular weekend that we had chosen coincided with the American Thanksgiving weekend and the American teams (even one from Alaska) that we attracted made for the success of the tourney.

I remember the first year 1981. Detroit Compuware with 3 future NHLers (Pat LaFontaine, Al Iafrate and Alfie Turcotte)came to town. There was one game at Doublerinks (south side) in which standing spectators were 4 deep. There has never and will never be a crowd that big at that complex. After the calibre of that weekend the tournament just took off and sold itself. Our American neighbors were always classy and were well represented. That first year we had major PW, major Bantam and major Midget cateries. By 1983 the Atom category was added with minor divisions in all categories. Eventually Novice categories were added. The tournament got so popular that it was decided to hold the tournament on two weekends with the Bantams and Midgets on the Thanksgiving weekend and the other categories Novice, Atom and Pee Wee on the previous weekend. As I mentioned in a previous view, the hotels were booked solid for both weekends with some teams having to stay as far south as Sundridge and as far east as Mattawa.

Here is a partial list of AAA players that played over the course of the 18 years and went on to the BIG SHOW. I had to leaf through old programs to compile this list and I am sure the list can be extended. Here I go: Derian and Mark Hatcher, Jimmy Carson, Bill Houlder, Paul diPietro, Alfie Turcotte, Adam Graves, Rob Zettler, Paul Maurice, Shean Donovan, Rick Lessard, Marc Laforge, Matthew Barnaby, Craig Rivet, Pat LaFontaine, Fred Brathwaite, Jeremy Roenick, Paul Larmer, Jason York, Luke Richardson, Dave Sims, Ray Giroux, Marty Turco, Steve Shields, Steve Sullivan, Brendan Shanahan, Todd Bertuzzi, Scott Thornton, Steve Rucchin, Lee Jinman, Rico Fata, Drake Berehowsky, Dan Ratushny, Scott Mellanby, Derek McKenzie, Mike Hartman, Adam Mair, Mike Robitaille, Michael Cammarelli, Mario Campoli, Al Iafrate, Eric Lindros, Troy Malette, Ron Tugnutt, Steve Chiasson, Mike Ricci and Darren.

Now I would like to identify the local people that played a part in the successes of the McDonald's (Don Miller) and Wingate (Kathy Straughan) NBMHA AAA tournaments. Here is my list and again I apologize for any omission: Bill Coghill, Paul Murphy, George Valin, Ben Gignac, John Loyst and Ann Loyst, Rheal Boulanger, Chris May, Alex Geisler, Bob Knight, Randy Sandvik, Larry Keenan, Dooley Ricci, BRUCE Cazabon, Tom Stagg, Dean Harvey, Tom O'Conner, Ken Mealy, Roy Koivisto, Bill Hadley, Randy Mulroy, Lui Ricci, Guy Blanchard, Marc Chenier, John Cable, Lou O'Hara, Blaine Bywater, Brian Patterson, Phil LeSauvage, Moe Bedard, Phil Taylor, twins Bob and Billy Wright, Warren Sharbot, Brian Sargent, Keith Blewitt, John Sicotte, Roger Bessette, Rob Maisoneuve, Barry Baker, Bill Beckett, Art Tiernay, Jim Hall, Dale White, Brian and Linda Giroux, Al and Louise Moyer, Tony Saini, Ed Gravelle, Bob Turgeon, Gord McGuinty, Jeff McCann, CFCH-CKAT Mary Stillar, Jamie Kilroy, Chris Bethune, Greg Lawrence, Claude Paulin, Scott Kile, Barry and Julie Callahan, Sando Orlando, Carmen Anello and Richard Gribbon.

The next time you are at the Memorial Gardens check out our unique trophy case next to the front office that is now collecting dust. I recall making a hockey trip to Detroit to play in a Compuware tournament in the late eighties and made a special visit to the Compuware offices. I was escorted by Peter Karmanos, president of the company and now owner of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise. Right outside of his office were Compuwares winning hockey trophies from OUR tournament. They were of the smaller scale but still made out of the wooden hockey sticks. THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

Happy American Thanksgiving weekend.