Page 27 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 11

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Presents... The Games Are Over,

The Memories Live On

New Sport Fuels Former Fire Chief’s Passion

For Staying Active

By Gisèle Grignon Lake Placid, N.Y. for 13 years and
Syracuse for two. Among his most Pete Champagne,
f you’ve played hockey for memorable hockey highlights: member of the 1959 -
Iseveral decades for fun and ran capturing the Eastern Ontario
60 Emard Lumbermen,
into burning buildings for a few championship as the 1955-56
more decades for a living, you could champs. who played in the
be forgiven for wanting to put your “In those days, senior hockey was Eastern Canada Senior
feet up for the next few decades. a great big thing. The NHL only had Hockey League. League
Not Pete Champagne.
six clubs,” says Champagne. members included
Eight years ago, about a dozen
years into his retirement as The game has changed a lot since Cornwall, Pembroke,
then, he says, much of it due to the
Cornwall’s Fire Chief, Champagne introduction of helmets. “We played Smiths Falls, Hull,
took up, not golf, not lawn bowling, Ottawa, Buckingham.
all those years without a helmet.
but tennis. “My wife and I winter And it seems like no one was going
in Florida and there’s a court in our for the head then. There was a lot
complex there. One day a player
of hitting, but you weren’t getting
didn’t show up and this fellow asked the cheap shots, the dirty shots
me to fill in,” recalls Champagne, You’re Invited

that seem to go for the head,” says
who also jogs and cycles when down Champagne.
south. “I’d never played before. I
didn’t even own a racquet. “Then when the helmets came, it to our
seemed to change the game. It was
“I caught on right away. I have
good coordination and was in fairly fair play to hit anyone anywhere,”
he says with a chuckle and quickly
good shape and I just fell in love adds, “You watch the pros now and
with the sport. Couldn’t get enough respect for each other anymore. GRAND OPENING
the game has gotten sort of cruel. It
of it. Now I’m playing it two or seems like the players don’t have
three times a week. I even get into
the odd tournament with seniors.
Whereas in our day, we played James & Jenn’s
It’s a great sport.”
hard but we had respect for each
It still, however, takes a backseat other.” He points to the climbing
to Champagne`s all-time favourite: rate of player concussions as further

hockey. He was first introduced to proof of the downside of protective
the game as a kid, playing on his headgear.
backyard yard rink on First Street. Still, he can think of no better
“Even during the school year, we’d
activity or sport to help today’s
play out there, slipping out to play at generation develop character. “I find October

lunch hour then right at four o’clock. that kids who play sports at a young
As long as we had daylight, we’d be th
age and continue, don’t generally 11 , 2013
on the rink,” says Champagne.
turn bad. It’s important for them to
From there it was on to Our be involved in something, to be kept
Citizens of Tomorrow (OCOT) busy. I know it’s hard on parents,
at the Cornwall Athletic grounds, getting them back and forth to Eastcourt Mall
under the watchful eye of Joe St. practices and games, but it’s a good
Denis, and up through pee wee right investment, not just for the family, 2nd St East, Cornwall
up to senior hockey and playing in but for the entire community.”

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