Page 11 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 106
P. 11
www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #106 November 2021 11
Sports
Sports Presents Jim Riddell’s Sports Talk
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Energy
Energy Newss
Energy N e w s Presents
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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry with Area Senior Gerry Lemire
been traded to the St. Louis Blues Captain in charge of the two stations.”
organization. He went to the Blues In 1972, Gerry married Patricia Oliver
training camp in September and got and together they have two sons, Kelsey,
sent to their farm team in Kansas City. and Jamie.
Playing 55 games his first season with
the Kansas City Blues, Gerry was back Gerry mentioned that when he was
By Jim Riddell
at the main St. Louis camp the following inducted into the Cornwall Sports HOF
season. “I gave myself one more season in 2016, he found out later that it had been
erry Lemire grew up in Cornwall’s
Geast end in a home with one brother, to make the NHL and I knew that it Pat who gathered all the information that
two sisters, and two stepbrothers. Sports would not be easy to crack the Blues was required by the selection committee.
played a big role in Gerry’s family’s defense - they had Al Arbor, the 3 Plager Having been retired for several years
life. “We played a lot of sports - soccer, brothers Bill, Barclay, and Bob, along now, Gerry has slowed down a bit but
football, baseball, and hockey. We with Noel Picard, Jean-Guy Talbot, and still enjoys fishing and golfing. He
were always active. We played soccer Doug Harvey.” mentions that even today, at 75 years
in a local league at the Bob Turner and Gerry was sent back down to Kansas of age, it is not uncommon for someone
hockey for Nativity in the Holy Name City where he played 60 games during to recognize him from his days with
League - there were a lot of good players the 69-70 season. “I asked myself the Royals. Gerry states that other than
that came out of that league.” Photo Submitted where I was going with this. I couldn’t family, which has always been a constant,
see any light at the end of the tunnel. I his life can be broken down into three
Gerry attended elementary school on the sign, the other would shoot.
at St. Albert le Grand followed by his Walter had about 75 regular pucks and decided to go to St. Lawrence College different segments: hockey, firefighting,
secondary years at St Lawrence High we would start at the bottom left corner, in Cornwall and take the Assessment and retirement. One thing that Gerry
School where he played two seasons as an work our way up and around the net to Course. After one year they sent me to is proud of was being a Captain on
inside linebacker on the school football the bottom right corner, and then reverse St. Catherine’s for the summer to work both the Cornwall Royals and later
team coached by Mr. Anderson. Gerry it. We would shoot 400-500 pucks per for the assessment department. While I the Cornwall Fire Department saying,
recalls that playing football created a bit day, every day. It got so we could put was there, my mother phoned, telling me “Being a Captain of both the Royals and
of a conflict. “I was playing hockey with the puck where we wanted almost every that the Cornwall Fire Chief had called. the Fire Department is something that
the Royals and Norm Baril, who was the shot.” I returned to Cornwall on a Saturday is very special to me. Trust and respect
GM, didn’t want me playing football in to meet the Chief and got hired. I can is something that is never given, it has
From the 1963-64 through to the 66-
case I got injured. I played anyway and 67 seasons, Gerry played defense for honestly say that I had a good career to be earned and maintained. I had that
have some good memories from those the Cornwall Royals. A key contributor with the Cornwall Fire Department. I put with both the Royals and on the Fire
two years playing with St Lawrence.” in 30+ years and the last few years I was Department.”
and standout on the Royals blue line,
Gerry played baseball with the Gerry captained the team to CJHL
Hanging Bird
Cornwall Huskies; a team coached by Championships in 1966 and again in Feeder Spindle
Larry Keen. “We had an amazing team, 1967. Following the 1966 season, Gerry $ 140
guys like Hank Greggain, Kenny Payne, was offered scholarships at Boston
Harold Murphy, Mike McAleer, and University, Sudbury, and Clarkson, but
others.” opted to go to St. Lawrence University
instead. Not liking his course, Gerry Christmas
Gerry continues his story: “Hockey Great
was always my main sport. We had no then returned to Cornwall after one Great Christmas Gifts
Gifts
television so we would always listen to semester to play his final season with
the Montreal Canadiens games on the the Royals.
radio. It was always my dream to make “At the beginning of the next season I
the NHL, I came very close but didn’t was out one Sunday morning with Moe Blue Bird Wren House
quite make it”. Lemieux’s team, the Cornwall Hubs at House $ 30
the Water Street Arena and Claude Ruel, $ 40
The part-time and summer jobs that
Gerry worked at were always ones that a scout with the Montreal Canadiens was
would help to develop strong natural at the rink. Claude took me off the ice Small windmill
muscle that would benefit his hockey and into the dressing room and I signed $ 350
career. He worked at Brunet Brothers some documents. My rights were then
Lumber and later at Ed Lumley’s Coca owned by the Canadiens, and I went to
Cola bottling plant on Amelia Street. the training camp in Sherbrooke for the Bird
Walter McDonald, who is in the Cornwall Cleveland Barons. Claude told me that Feeder Spindle
340
$
Sports Hall of Fame for baseball, I had a good camp, but the roster was
Bird
helped train and develop athletes from set on the main farm team in Cleveland, Feeder House Large windmill Bird Feeders
numerous sports. Gerry explains that at and I was being sent to Florida to play $ 380 $ 500 $ 140- 180
$
his residence on Aberdeen, Walt had a for the Jacksonville Rockets in the
net set up that was covered with a shield Eastern Hockey League.”
with several holes in it, like the canvas Scoring 21 points in 72 games with
ones used today. “He had several steel the Rockets, Gerry was named the
pucks that were considerably heavier league’s top defenseman for the 1967-
than a regular puck and we would start 68 season.
by shooting them for ten minutes. We
Back in Cornwall for the summer,
would work in pairs, using a metal Coca Gerry was out at the boathouse in
Cola sign which would allow the puck to Lancaster one day listening to the
slide. One person would place the pucks
radio when he heard that he had just
