Page 12 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 104

12 Issue #104 September 2021 www.sportsenergynews.com

Continued from page 11 the country and had just won several
Minto Cups in a row.”
St. Regis and Ottawa in the ELA
play-downs before losing to Fergus When Chuck left Cornwall, he
in the Ontario Championship. Chuck went back to his birth surname Li,
was the Wildcats captain and leading which ended Chuck Chin’s lacrosse
scorer. In 1965 the Wildcats opted career. He got an apprenticeship in
to join a strong Quebec Sr. Lacrosse the sheet metal trade but was unable
League which had players from both to join the Green Gaels immediately
Sr. A and Sr. B levels. John Ferguson as his Jr. A rights were owned by the
of the Montreal Canadiens was a Peterborough team. Chuck was forced
player-coach for the Sorel Titans. to sit out the 1967 season before
he was able to sign with the Green
“Most of us were only 17 at the
Gaels. Legendary lacrosse coach Jim
time, but we had several senior
players like Bunny Warner, Pete Bishop was the coach and GM of the
Green Gaels. “Jim Bishop was Mr.
Burns, Ron Quenneville, Doug Lacrosse. He ran the Green Gaels
Carpenter (future Toronto Maple
Leaf and NJ Devil coach), Chico like a pro team and that’s why the
team won all those championships.
DiCola, Cam Dillabough, and a few
others to help us out.” Jim Bishop’s coaching was ahead of
his time.”
The Canadian Lacrosse
Association did not recognize the The team won all 24 games
QLL and considered it an outlaw during the 1968 regular season,
and then eliminated St. Catherine’s,
league, threatening to give lifetime
suspensions to players from the Huntsville, Mississauga, and defeated Left to right: Jack McLennan, Bunny Warner, Chico DiCola, Andy
the New Westminster Salmonbellies
league. The Wildcats, who were Petepiece, Chuck Li, Al Herrington. Photo Submitted
sitting 1st in the standings with Chuck in four straight games to win their
in the top 5 in league scoring, opted sixth Minto Cup. Chuck and a few for 81 points. Following the 1975 with the Wildcats. I told my friends
of his Green Gael teammates also season, due to injuries and work that was my name on the trophy and
to withdraw from the QLL because
of its large number of junior aged suited up with the Detroit Olympics commitments, Chuck, who was only none of them would believe me. In
of the National Lacrosse Association, 27 at the time, decided to retire from the forty years that I had known them
players and they finished the season
playing exhibition games. a team that was owned by Jim Norris lacrosse. A sheet metal tradesman, I had never told them that I once had
who also owned the Detroit Red Chuck got a job with General Motors a different name.”
In 1966 the Wildcats went Wings. In 1969, Chuck led the Green and was employed at GM for thirty
Chuck was inducted into the
undefeated, winning all twenty Gaels in scoring and won team MVP. years, retiring at age sixty.
Cornwall Sports Hall of Fame in
regular season games, and then He finished second in league scoring
Chuck recalls being at an Ontario 2000, the Ontario Lacrosse HOF in
winning playoff matches against and was named winner of the OLA
Lacrosse HOF ceremony about 15 2013, and he will be inducted into
Morrisburg, the Cornwall Mustangs, Jr. A Ken Ross Trophy for ability and
years ago to see someone that he knew the Canadian Lacrosse HOF this
and Ottawa to win the ELA sportsmanship. Chuck graduated to
get inducted. He was with a group of November in New Westminster, BC.
Championships. The Wildcats then the Sr. A league and played with the
friends from the Oshawa area that he
defeated the Toronto Dixie Beehives Brooklin Redmen in both 1970 and When announcing his selection to the
had played with and known for 40
to advance to the Castrol Cup 1971 and with the Windsor Warlocks Canadian HOF on its website, Major
years. “There was a wine and cheese
Canadian Championships where in 1972. Series Lacrosse described Chuck as
in the afternoon before the induction
they lost in three games to the New In 1974 the professional National ceremony and we were looking at a follows: “Although small in stature
Westminster Athletics. he was known for his ability to play
Lacrosse League was formed. The table with many old trophies on it.
Chuck finished high school and Toronto Tomahawks drafted Chuck I saw one with Sonny Herrington’s under pressure. His major strengths
included being a top-notch face-off
thinking that his lacrosse career had with their 1st pick (6th overall). In 34 name on it, Sonny had been an
player, a gifted playmaker, and a
ended, he mentioned to Wildcats games during the 1974 season, Chuck executive with Cornwall Minor
team leader.”
coach Norm McCrimmon that he scored 38 goals and 70 assists for 108 lacrosse and I knew him well. There
was planning on heading to the pts. After one season playing out of were 7 boys in Sonny’s family and I Chuck and his wife Judy (married
Toronto area to look for work. “Norm Maple Leaf Gardens, the Tomahawks was with them so often that he would 1973) reside in Oshawa and have
suggested that I go to Oshawa, and were sold, relocated to Boston, and sometimes refer to me as his 8th son. travelled extensively. Chuck has
he enticed me to play for the Green renamed the Boston Bolts. Playing Then I looked at the trophy beside it maintained friendships with many
Gaels in the Jr. A league. Norm made out of the Boston Garden, Chuck and on that trophy is the name Chuck people in the Cornwall area and
all the arrangements for me. The suited up for 34 games with the Chin. I had won the league scoring still gets back to his hometown
Green Gaels were the best team in Bolts, scoring 33 goals and 48 assists title in 1964 as a 16 yr. old playing occasionally.
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