Christmas in Bracebridge; The Birth of The Herald Gazette Rink Rats

The Herald Gazette Rink Rats and Bracebridge Blades and a 1980's circa Santa Claus Parade.

BRACEBRIDGE AND THE CHRISTMAS SPIRITS - THE SANTA CLAUS PARADE - THE RINK RATS HOCKEY TEAM OF ONCE, LONG AGO

IN SUPPORT OF THE BRACEBRIDGE BLADES PRECISION SKATING TEAM

     ONE QUIET AFTERNOON, PROBABLY ON A SNOWY THURSDAY JUST LIKE TODAY, BACK IN THE LATE FALL OF 1981, THREE HERALD-GAZETTE, AND TWO MUSKOKA GRAPHICS EMPLOYEES, GOT TOGETHER AT THE COFFEE URN, MIDWAY BETWEEN THE PRINTING COMPONENT OF MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, AND THE NEWSPAPER OFFICES......AND AFTER COMPARING REASONS WE HATED OUR JOBS, STARTED TALKING ABOUT "SAY LADS, WE SHOULD START UP A HOCKEY TEAM."
     I WAS ONE OF THE STAFFERS, BRANT SCOTT, AND HAROLD WRIGHT, THE OTHERS, FROM THE NEWSPAPER SIDE, AND THERE WAS JIM WRIGHT AND HARRY RANGER FROM THE PRINT DEPARTMENT. HARRY, BY THE WAY, PASSED AWAY THIS YEAR. HE WOULD BECOME OUR FIRST GOALTENDER, ON THE FLEDGLING "HERALD-GAZETTE RINK RATS." BRANT, A REPORTER AND RESPECTED COLUMNIST, AUTHOR OF "A WEE BISCUIT," RAN WITH THE IDEA, AND SOON HAD CONVINCED PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGER, TOM ROBINSON, TO AFFORD US SOME LEFTOVER ICE TIME AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE. I THINK WE STARTED OFF THAT SEASON, PAYING TWENTY-FIVE TO THIRTY BUCKS AN HOUR. THE HITCH? OUR ICE TIME BEGAN AT 11:00 P.M. AND ENDED AT MIDNIGHT. IT WAS AN AWFUL TIME TO PLAY SHINNY, BUT THE RINK RATS BECAME A SORT OF FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION WITHOUT US EVER INTENDING TO CREATE MORE THAN A "NO FRILLS" OUTLET, FOR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES OF OUR NEWSPAPER. I SHOULD NOTE, BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, THAT, THANKS TO FOLKS LIKE GORD DAWES, THE RINK RATS ARE STILL ICING A TEAM EVERY YEAR, AND DOING THE SAME KIND OF FUNDRAISING WORK AS WE COMMENCED BACK IN THOSE FIRST FEW YEARS. THE ONLY THING DIFFERENT, OTHER THAN A FULL TRANSITION OF PLAYERS, IS THAT "THE HERALD-GAZETTE" HAS BEEN DROPPED FROM THE TEAM NAME. THE PAPER ISN'T PUBLISHED ANY MORE, AND THE LETTERS FROM OUR OLD OFFICE BUILDING, THAT SPELLED IT OUT, ARE NOW IN A CARDBOARD BOX TUCKED IN MY SHED.
     BRANT AND I BOTH USED OUR NEWSPAPER COLUMNS TO RUSTLE-UP SUPPORT FOR OUR NEW HOCKEY CLUB, AND HE WAS ABLE TO WEASLE SOME COMPANY MONEY, TO RUN A CHARITY GAME AT THE ARENA, BETWEEN US AND THE CKVR NO-STARS; AS A SORT OF PUBLIC LAUNCH OF A MEDIA "SPECTACLE" TEAM IN BRACEBRIDGE. THE CAMERAS LOVED US BABY. OUR CAMERAS. BRANT WAS ABLE TO ORCHESTRATE MASSIVE PUBLICITY, WHEN WE DID EVENTUALLY TAKE ON THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA, AND HE WAS SO THOROUGH, HE WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE TORONTO SUN COLUMNIST, PAUL RIMSTEAD, A FORMER BRACEBRIDGE KID, TO COME NORTH FOR THE GAME AS THE CELEBRITY ANNOUNCER. RIMSTEAD WAS JUST LAUNCHING A NEW BOOK, AND BRANT HAD DONE SOME PROMOTION OF IT IN HIS COLUMN. GLORY BE, RIMMER AGREED, AND IT WAS HIS PRESENCE AT THE GAME, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, THAT FILLED THE BRACEBRIDGE ARENA TO OVER 1,700 FANS. IT SURE AS HECK WASN'T THE DRAW OF THE RINK RATS OR THE NO-STARS. WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRAW THREE OR FOUR HUNDRED INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS. HOMETOWNERS WANTED TO SEE THE KID WHO USED TO CHASE FIRE TRUCKS, AS A STRINGER FOR THE ORILLIA PACKET AND TIMES. THE KID WHO USED TO HANG AROUND JOE'S BILLIARDS, ON MANITOBA STREET, WITH SOON-TO-BE HOCKEY ALL-STAR ROGER CROZIER. RIMMER AND HIS PARTNER, MISS HINKY, WERE THE STAR ATTRACTION. IT WAS GOOD TO SEE, THAT FOLKS IN BRACEBRIDGE WANTED TO SHOW THEIR RESPECT, AND PRIDE, FOR HOW PAUL HAD MADE IT TO THE BIG LEAGUES OF NEWSPAPERS, LIKE THE TORONTO SUN, AND SISTER PUBLICATIONS IN EDMONTON AND CALGARY. COMPLETE WITH STETSON, PAUL RIMSTEAD WITHOUT KNOWING IT, LAUNCHED A RECREATIONAL HOCKEY TEAM THAT HAS LASTED ALL THESE YEARS.....BASED ON GOODWILL AND BENEVOLENCE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. IN FACT, THE RECREATIONAL FUNDRAISER, "THE LOVEABLE LOSERS TOURNAMENT," HELD EACH MARCH, WAS THE RESULT OF THE WORK OF THAT SAME GROUP OF NEWSIES AND FRIENDS. I EVEN CAME UP WITH THE TITLE. BACK THEN, ED KOWALSKY, WAS THE MOVER AND SHAKER, AND KEPT IT UP FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS, UNTIL EXHAUSTION AND BROKEN BODIES CAME INTO PLAY.
     THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE A FORMAL HISTORY OF THE RINK RATS. MAYBE ONE DAY. WHAT INSPIRED ME THIS CHRISTMAS, WAS THE FACT I ACCIDENTALLY, FOUND TWO OLD PHOTOGRAPHS, WHEN RIMSTEAD'S BOOK, "COCKTAILS AND JOCKSTRAPS," FELL BEHIND MY DESK.....AND WHEN I BENT OVER TO PICK IT UP, NOTICED MY RINK RAT KEEPSAKES HAD BEEN DISLODGE. THEY HAD BEEN IN THAT BOOK SINCE AROUND THE TIME OF THE BENEFIT GAME. THESE ARE PUBLISHED ABOVE, AND WERE TAKEN SOMETIME, IN EITHER 1982 OR 1983, DURING A SANTA CLAUS PARADE THROUGH DOWNTOWN BRACEBRIDGE. THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS HAROLD WRIGHT, FROM THE HERALD-GAZETTE PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT. WE WERE PROBABLY PROMOTING THE CKVR BENEFIT GAME, BECAUSE I'M UP ON THE TRUCK WEARING MY OWN STETSON, RIMSTEAD STYLE, AND THE GIRLS IN SKATING COSTUMES, WERE REPRESENTING THE BRACEBRIDGE BLADES PRECISION SKATING TEAM, THAT WOULD BE THE RECIPIENT OF FUNDS RAISED. THE CHAP WITH A STICK, HELD UP TO HIS CHIN, FURTHER BACK IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, IS THE BLADES COACH, HAROLD SHER, WHO WAS ALSO ONE OF THE ALL STAR RINK RATS. WE ONLY HAD TWO ALL STARS. HAROLD WAS ONE. MIKE HILLBORN, THE OTHER. BOTH COULD RAG THE PUCK FOR A HALF HOUR, TO LET US GET OUR BREATH BACK. THE REST OF US WERE JUST HAPPY, TO STILL BE ABLE TO SKATE UP AND DOWN THE ICE A COUPLE OF TIMES EACH GAME.
     IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, ARE A FEW OF THE RINK RATS OF THE DAY, CIRCA 1982. THEY INCLUDED, BRANT SCOTT, READY FOR THE FACE-OFF, JIM WRIGHT, CHARLIE TRYON (ON THE VEHICLE), ALISTAIR TAYLOR, DRIVING THE TRUCK, ED KOWALSKY, HAROLD SHER, ME ON THE FLOAT WITH HARRY RANGER, TUCKED INTO THE EVERGREENS. THOSE LADS ON GROUND LEVEL, PLAYED SHINNY ALONG THE ENTIRE PARADE ROUTE, SOUTH ON MANITOBA STREET, AND WERE THEY EVER EXHAUSTED BY TIME WE LANDED BACK AT THE ARENA. ALISTAIR, HARRY AND I, WERE IN GOOD SHAPE. THE OTHER PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE TOP OF A BUILDING WAS ALSO TAKEN BY HAROLD, BUT I'M NOT SURE NOW WHERE THAT LOCATION WAS EXACTLY. WE ALL HAD A GOOD TIME THAT AFTERNOON, AND THE BLADES SKATERS WERE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP US OUT......AND OFTEN PUT ON PERFORMANCES DURING THE INTERMISSIONS OF OUR BENEFIT HOCKEY GAMES. BY THE WAY, I HAVE A CERTIFICATE THAT AFFORDS ME "HONORARY FLYING FATHER" STATUS, AFTER A BENEFIT GAME WITH THOSE FINE CHAPS, SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THE "NO-STARS," GAME. NOW THAT WAS A GAME OF HOLY HOCKEY IF EVER THERE WAS ONE.
    I'M TRULY SORRY I NEVER KEPT A COMPLETE LIST OF RINK RATS IN THOSE EARLY YEARS. SOME PLAYED FOR A SEASON OR TWO, WHILE OTHERS LASTED THROUGH MOST OF A DECADE. I RETIRED FROM THE RINK RATS IN THE EARLY 1990'S, AFTER WE MOVED TO GRAVENHURST. IT WAS ONE THING TO WALK TWO BLOCKS TO THE BRACEBRIDGE ARENA, FROM MY OLD APARTMENT IN THE MCGIBBON HOUSE, ON MANITOBA STREET, BUT QUITE ANOTHER TO DRIVE IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER FROM GRAVENHURST FOR THOSE LATE NIGHT GAMES. I SAT OUT FOR A FEWS YEARS, AND MADE A ONE GAME COME-BACK, WHEN GORD DAWES SUGGESTED THERE WAS A SPOT TO FILL ON THE BENCH. I KNEW I COULD BE A GOOD BENCH WARMER. WHEN I TRIED TO SKATE, GOSH, IT WAS LIKE THE DAY MY MOTHER FASTENED BOB SKATES ONTO MY WINTER BOOTS, AND SET ME LOOSE ON A STRETCH OF RAMBLE CREEK IN BURLINGTON. AS I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF THAT DAY, I SHORT-SHIFTED MYSELF THAT NIGHT AT THE ARENA, AND WHEN THOSE SKATES CAME OFF....THEY NEVER WENT BACK ON. THEY'RE STILL HANGING OFF THE WALL ON THE VERANDAH, WHERE I LEFT THEM THE MORNING AFTER THAT FINAL GAME.
     SOME OF THE KINDLY SOULS, WHO HELPED US FUNDRAISE IN THOSE YEARS.....AND WHO MADE THE RINK RATS A LOT OF FUN TO BE ASSOCIATED, INCLUDED PLAYERS LIKE JON PARTRIDGE, GORD MARTIN, PETER RENNICK, DAVE WHITESIDE, JOHN O'BYRNE, ED KOWALSKY, ALISTAIR TAYLOR, JIM WRIGHT, BRANT SCOTT, GIL SCOTT, DOUG DUNFORD, DAN BARNES, GINO FARRARI, HARRY RANGER, HAROLD WRIGHT, HAROLD SHER, SCOTT MCCLELLAN, JERRY AUCOIN, KEVIN PEAKE, TERRY CURTIS, MIKE GAVIN, DAVE BROWN, AND MIKE HILLBORN. IN THE LATE 1980'S, TO KEEP OUR TEAM AFLOAT, AFTER MANY DEPARTURES DUE TO OLD AGE, WE AMALGAMATED WITH OTHER RECREATIONAL HOCKEYISTS, AND CREATED "THE WOMBATS," WHICH WAS THE TRANSITION POINT, FROM THE OLD GUARD TO THE NEW, BRINGING GORD DAWES, THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE NEW ERA RINK RATS, STILL GOING STRONG. SOME OF THE NAMES FROM THIS TRANSITION PERIOD, OF THE NEW RAT SQUAD, WERE LADS LIKE GERRY MOORE, WAYNE MOORE, ED RENTON, ROBIN SUMMERLY, RON RICKER, NORM LEVESQUE, KIM HAMMOND, PHIL LANGOIS, BARRY SALTER, TIM UREN, DAVE AUGER AND A DOZEN OR SO MORE, THAT HONESTLY HAVE SLIPPED MY MIND. NOT MY HEART. JUST MY CREAKING OLD MEMORY.
     WE USED TO ASK THESE SENIOR RECREATIONALISTS, WITH THEIR KNOBBLY KNEES, TO GIVE OF THEMSELVES ON THE ICE, TO KEEP US FROM BEING HUMILIATED ON THE SCOREBOARD, AND WE ASKED EVEN MORE, WHEN WE PUT ON FUNDRAISERS TO HELP COMMUNITY GROUPS. THEY DID SO GENEROUSLY AND ANNUALLY, AND IT'S NEAT TO LOOK BACK ON THE CLUB AND REALIZE HOW MUCH HISTORY HAS ACTUALLY BEEN MADE, BY A SMALL HUDDLE OF MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS EMPLOYEES, SHIRKING WORK THAT DAY, ABOUT THIRTY-THREE YEARS AGO. WE'D LIKE TO THINK SO ANYWAY.
     BACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THE CENTURY, THE MODERN ERA RINK RATS HONORED ED KOWALSKY, HARRY RANGER AND I, AT CENTRE ICE, AT THE START OF THAT YEAR'S LOVEABLE LOSERS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT. NOW THAT WAS A PROUD MOMENT, TO STAND WITH THOSE TWO OLD RATS, AND WE ALL APPRECIATED THE RECOGNITION. WE WERE EACH PRESENTED NEW HOCKEY JERSEYS WITH OUR ORIGINAL RINK RAT LOGO, WHICH BY THE WAY, HAD BEEN DESIGNED FOR US, IN THE EARLY 1980'S, BY A LOCAL ARTIST, CHRIS MINZ, FORMERLY A TALENTED ART STUDENT AT BRACEBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL.
     TWO PLAYERS OF THE RINK RATS PASSED AWAY RECENTLY, AND IT WAS QUITE A BLOW TO THE KINSHIP WE'D ALWAYS HAD ON THE TEAM. KIM HAMMOND WAS THE FIRST TO PASS AWAY, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND JUST RECENTLY, IT WAS HARRY RANGER, BOTH KIND SOULS WHO BROUGHT GOOD HUMOUR TO THE CLUB, AND TO ANY EVENT WE PARTICIPATED. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.
     I LOVED THOSE YEARS. I LOVED THOSE GUYS. I LOVED THE ADVENTURE....THE "AWAY" GAMES, AND THE WAY WE WORKED SO WELL TOGETHER......NOT SO MUCH ON THE ICE, BECAUSE WE SUCKED, BUT IN, AND FOR THE COMMUNITY. BACK THEN, WE RAISED A LOT OF MONEY TO HELP THE BLADES PRECISION SKATING TEAM, AND WE PUT A FAIR BIT OF CASH INTO THE PURCHASE OF A NEW ICE-RESURFACING MACHINE FOR THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE. I KNOW THAT SLEDGE HOCKEY GOT A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE LATTER DAY RATS, AMONGST MANY OTHER WORTHWHILE COMMUNITY PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES.
     MERRY CHRISTMAS RINK RATS. I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU GUYS.