Page 29 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 78

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #78 May 2019 29

A Look Back with the

Wheeler Brothers from Harv’s Diner SPORTS
WORD
St. Andrews THE BREAKFAST PLACE SEARCH
brings you

By Jim Riddell lacrosse with an army team in Cornwall Mountain Climbing
which included Punch Imlach, who
he Wheeler brothers from St. went on to be coach and general Y D O B C N P Y S R O I P Y Z U M R E T D
TAndrews are quite well known in manager of both the Toronto Maple
the sporting world for their abilities in Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. Imlach was C A L L E D R U E A N B T S E H G I H E L
hockey and lacrosse. Growing up on enlisted in the army at the time and was
the family farm located just outside beginning his coaching career with the R J I H B K B A R C F I D N D S O U G T R
the village, Tony, Gabe, Garrett, John Cornwall Army hockey team. H M Y T A I C T L P L E E E S L L D R D O
Morris, Terry, and Kevin began their Gabe and Tony are in the Cornwall
education at St. Andrews Convent B A T K S H V U T I O Y T P V E E A T Y W
and the South Stormont Sports Halls
School, which was across the street of Fame for lacrosse. John Morris Z L I T C E D O B E R S E Y G L V R F X D
from the church. Sister Ermalinda played Lacrosse in Cornwall and for
Sloan, a grammar specialist and a few years in Alexandria with a team S G V S E E X A U T C C E A W E O D O E F
teacher at the school was a real hockey consisting mostly of players from A L I U N S B P N A I H M O R P I V H C E
enthusiast and always ensured that
Ottawa which included former Ottawa
there was a rink with boards for the Rough Rider Lally Lalonde. John T A T M D S G U E A C I N S S S S C N C K
students to develop their skills. The Morris excelled in hockey being a T C C M I B O N L R R K I I T S N N I I S
brothers had learned to skate on the fan favourite for many years, playing
nearby Raisin River, later using it as a in the Longue Sault Senior League at E I A I N C P I I G I N U I C A E T O K J
means to improve their skating skills
the Mille Roches Arena. John Morris M E T T G O Z P L T G E N N R A C R I W R
for hockey.
was known for his blistering slap
Kevin recalls skating west to shot and for wearing regular leather P R X U I A B I X U N C N B C A L I D O Z
Harrison’s Corners in the morning and work gloves instead of hockey gloves, T H T N T W P T C W T U P C R L N U O D L
east to Martintown in the afternoon, saying that they gave him a better feel
saying that if there was a bit of snow for the stick. Terry and Kevin played D R T I E R U T N E V M H P E G I D A E A
on the ice you were then able to check hockey for their school team before N I O A A R E C R E A T I O N A T M V S P
your stride. The two oldest brothers moving up to the Longue Sault Senior
Gabe and Tony began playing lacrosse league at a young age. Kevin joined U N X T I T W O R D R Y U T A U S E B H D
in Cornwall’s OCOT (Our Citizens the St Andrews team at 17 yrs. of age O L A N O I T A N R E T N I O X L P P E R
of Tomorrow) league in 1934. In weighing 110 lbs. Both Kevin and Terry
1935 the villages of St. Andrews and played lacrosse locally honing their R V F I R T I M E N H E U Q I N H C E T D
Wales joined forces and entered a skills locally, and then playing juvenile
team in the Cornwall league. That before going straight to the senior G C N A O L L A F K M L R E T L E H S C Z
team remained intact through bantam, league. Terry had gone to St Michael’s C S J M W F N I A T N U O M X T K K U W T
midget, juvenile, and junior, winning College and was playing lacrosse for
several championships along the way. the school team which played in the ABILITY SPORT COUNTRY

In 1941 both Gabe and Tony made the Toronto University department league. HIGHEST BIVOUAC POINT
TRAVERSING
Cornwall Senior lacrosse team which Terry was the biggest of the Wheelers, SAFETY LEVEL DISTINCT
played in the Quebec league. played the game hard, and it was no ACTIVITY SUMMIT PRACTICE
fun to go into a corner with him. Terry HUNTING BODY
In 1942 with WWII underway both had developed an intense rivalry with SHELTER MAINTAIN UNCLIMBED
Gabe and Tony joined the RCAF with ADDRESS TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
Alan Eagleson, having many one to
Gabe being a pilot and Tony an airframe one battles with him on the lacrosse INCLUDE BRANCHED PURPOSE
mechanic. Gabe was later sent overseas field. Eagleson, who was studying SKIING MOUNTAIN VENTURE
to a British base on the Shetland Islands law at the time, would go on to fame, ASCENDING TECHNIQUE FALL
where he trained pilots. Tony was and later infamy as a hockey agent and INTERNATIONAL CALLED REACH
WORD
stationed in St. Thomas ON, and was
executive director of the NHL Players SNOW OUTDOOR GLACIER
able to get home on a more frequent Association. ASPECT INVOLVE TERM RECREATION
basis than Gabe. On one trip home SPECIALIZATION CLIMB WORLD
Tony took an unauthorized extension Kevin, who was scheduled to attend ATTEMPT PILGRIMAGE GROUND
of his leave to re-join his Cornwall McGill University, was convinced KNOWLEDGE TIME ROCK
team for a big game and was given six by Terry to switch to St. Michael’s,
weeks of KP duty upon his return to St. saying that “With you here we can Harv’s Diner
Thomas. win the league”. Kevin switched to
St. Michael’s and met Eagleson’s team
In 1946 the war was over and the in a best two out of three series for THE BREAKFAST PLACE
brothers were back in Cornwall playing the league championship. Eagleson,
for their old team. During the next six who was also the coach, had his team “ Where Winning Teams Start Their Day”
years they re-wrote the record book in
made up of phys ed majors, including 619 Pitt Street, Cornwall
the Quebec league with Gabe winning future lacrosse hall of famer Bobby
the scoring title five times and Tony 613-938-8250
once. Gabe and Tony both played some Continued on page 46