An Ordinary Boy from Ontario
(I thought it was Rontario till I was 10 or so)
8,736..... that's how
many hockey games I figure I have played in my life.
I have played hockey
for 62 years. I am nearing my 67th birthday as I record this and I can't play any more. My body is fucked up.
When I can't reach my skates to take them off at the end of a game.... it's
time. I
figure I played an average of 3 games a week, every week of the year - every
year since I was 5.
That's counting all pick-up games but not counting all the years of training camps
and practices........ that's around 156 games a year. I played games for the
following teams..........
Minor Hockey - Wexford Lions (Lornecraft Marine) - Champions for 4 consecutive years. MVP,
High Scorer 4 consecutive years.
Scarborough Lions -
Winners of the Tournoi International de Quebec. Viva la
Pee-Wee du Carnival! Scored winning goal in overtime. (Peak of my
career!)
Dixie Beehives - One season... I took the GO Train from Scarborough to play
in those games, when I didn't have a ride from my old man.
I was paid to play games for the following teams:
O.H.A. - Ontario Junior B (Whitby Steelers)- (Age 16)- full season. First paycheck for playing hockey.
(actually it was an envelope with cash in it)
O.H.A. - Ontario Junior A (Montreal Jr. Canadiens) - I had just turned 17.
I survived the training camp and played in the Pre-season games. I outscored Richard Martin and Gilbert Perrault in the pre-season and got
headlines in the Gazette. ... but they wanted
me to start with Phil Dalgleish in Nova Scotia. I guess they were
hoping that I would grow a little in the next couple of years. I
didn't.
Maritime Junior A (Cape Breton Metros) - (Age 17) in the Maritimes.....
Hilliard Graves outscored me that season and Charlottetown lost in 6 games
in the Memorial
Cup against Guy Lafleur and the Quebec Ramparts .
NOTE:
Montreal Jr. Canadiens - 2nd tryout. Pre-season
games. They passed on me and I did not want to go back to Cape Breton (even
though it's beautiful out there), so I tried out for and made the Quebec
Major Junior League. That season I was assigned to "cover" Lafleur
when we played them because I was the only one fast enough to stay with him.
I can say that I was personally repsonsible for keeping him down to 3.6
goals a game when we played them. He scored 130 that year and won the
Memorial Cup.
QMJHL Jr. A (National de Laval) -
in Quebec.... I didn't sign with them..
QMJHL (Rosemount Blackhawks) - Jr. B in Quebec.
Full season.
WHA (New England Whalers) -
Pre-season only. Sent down to :
Fitchburg Hornets. A couple of games. I didn't like it there.
USHL (Chicago Cardinals) - . Full season. Lead the team in scoring. Played against Milwaukee
Admirals. Not the best year of my life... pretty hard-nosed hockey.
The papers called me the Scrappiest Cardinal.
USHL (Milwaukee Admirals) -
1973 to 1979. Played 2 games against the US Olympic Team. Last
paycheck from hockey was when new coach Gene Ubriaco couldn't see past my
size and gave me my walking papers. Surprising because he wasn't much taller than me.
After that I was a
member of the Milwaukee Winter Club where we played at least 2 great pickup games every
week. Excellent pickup hockey.
Head coach of the Jr. Varsity team at the Milwaukee University School and Asst. Coach
Varsity with Lloyd MacDonald. From 1979 to 1986 I
refereed minor hockey, high school hockey and college hockey in the
Milwaukee area.
Head Coach of Milwaukee Flyers - SR. A - They fired me about half-way
through the season and then went to national championship and
lost to Sarasota Sharks... that's' right. Sarasota -Florida..... a bunch of
old pros and college players who live in the Tampa Bay area.
Whew! I need a rest...........
OK...... in 1987 I moved to Florida and for the last 30 years I have
regularly played in local leagues, tournaments and pick-up hockey at every
arena in West Central Florida. In one of our seasons Phil Esposito put
a team up against us that had all his buddies wearing Esposito shirts. Phil,
Danny Gare, Cashman and few others. The Team was called the Tampa Bay
Frightening.
A few years ago (age 59) I agreed to play in a tournament, and I ended up
getting injured in a very rough game. My stick got jammed into a crack at
the base of the boards and reemed me in the ribs..... my stick shattered and
I had to leave the game. I couldn't fart for a month without severe
pain.
Since that game I have played only sparingly in our local pick up games(which is
a surprisingly good level hockey). But now I think I am done. My Super
Tacks (ne: 1980) are in the bag, in the garage.... and it looks like they may be there
to stay......... it's been a great road.... great hockey..... here's to
8,746.
UPDATE 10/24/13 or North of the Border - 24/10/13 - A friend just sent me a
link to a hockey site called
Elite Prospects.. they pinned me as a 3rd round draft pick at #78...
problem was there were only 14 teams in 1970
and this web page shows my records for some of my teams......... I sure
recall scoring more than
these
numbers..... it's like the size of my Fish, I guess. I have told
the story so many times I actually believe it myself.
Ron Deval
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