Page 27 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 121
P. 27

Presents             Jim Riddell’s Sports Talk

                                                                              with Area Senior : Chris Nichol

       Serving You Since 1937
                                              The group of kids included Chris’                                        play for his Atom A All-stars team.
                                            three brothers, Roy, (Roy is the                                           The team needed a goalie, so I put
                                            long-time drummer/vocalist for                                             my  hand  up and  I stuck  with  it,  I
                                            April Wine), Scott, and Peter, along                                       may have been a better goalie than I
                                            with Gerry Brown. “We had our                                              was a forward.” Chris continued as
                                            own outdoor rink,” explained Chris.                                        a goalie through the Cornwall minor
       By Jim Riddell                       “We built it right between the row                                         hockey system until AA Midget. “I
                                            housing, from one end to the other,                                        didn’t get drafted, I was at a Royals
        “The  great  thing  about  growing  - from #60 to #65, we could come                                           exhibition game, and they got beat.
      up in  Glenview  Heights was all  right out of our house and onto the                                            Dan Champagne had heard that they
      the friends that we had in that area.  ice - it was awesome. The smaller                                         were looking for a goalie to backup
      All of the  kids that  I chummed  kids would go on early  and once                                               Timmy  Bernhardt and suggested
      around with played sports together  they were off the ice we would go                                            that I go and talk with coach Orval
      - baseball,  football,  hockey, - we  on, most weekends we would be                                              Tessier. Orval told me to come out
      had a couple of goalies and couldn’t  out there until the wee hours of the                                       that  Saturday  with my equipment
      afford all of the equipment, so we  morning, often until 2am.” Chris                                             and they would take a look at me, -
      would borrow from each other, and  started playing  organized  hockey                                            I did and I made the team.”
      we always found a  way to  make  when he was seven years old. “I                               Photo Submitted     The  Rockland Nationals  folded
      things work.  We were all good  owe a lot to my mother who raised
                                                                                  Cornwall  Hockey  and  I started  in   late in 1977 and their nineteen-
      friends  and  many  of  us  are  still  four boys and,  in  our eyes,  did  a
                                                                                  Atom B, which was a house league.
      close to this day.”                   great job. She gave me $25 to join    Punch  Appleton  picked  me  up  to                Continued on page 33





















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