Page 27 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 89

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #89 April 2020 27

Local Hockey Player

Whistle Stops

By Michael Piquette Reminisces about His
Lengthy Hockey Career and
The “Team” has just completed Issue # 89, and as always, I
would like to thank Lynn (Graphic Design), Carrie (Editor), Bernadette
(Website), and our writers, Molly, Victoria, Thom, Casey, Jim, Christine a Legendary Zamboni Ride
and Robert. Thanks to our editorial columnists, Jim, Jorge, Dave, Peter,
Justin, Perry, and Alex. Thanks to The Sports Panel, Gilles, Jake, Jim, By Molly Kett
our distribution manager Rene, our ad salesman, Gord, our distribution
locations, our advertisers, and of course the people who are featured in
our stories. I hope you enjoy # 89. teve Ostler, now in his sixties,
Sstarted playing recreational
Due to the current condition of the world and no sports being hockey in his mid-twenties. He’s
played, I am going to change the “Whistle Stops” format and follow the
lead of TSN & Sports.net and talk about the past. This month I will talk seen a lot through his years on
about a cartoon with a frog choking a stork with the words “Never Give the ice. He started playing with
Up” on it. the Cornwall Hubs and has been
playing with them ever since.
This cartoon first appeared on my desk in the Colts office in 1992,
right after the City of Cornwall and the Quebec Nordiques announced “Half the fun of hockey is in
the AHL Cornwall Aces would be calling the Ed Lumley Arena home the the dressing room,” says Ostler.
following year. Our beloved (and under supported) Cornwall Royals had “When I was playing tournaments
left the city the year before, and local businessman and sports enthusiast with the Hubs, we usually were in
Don Derry purchased the Massena Americans and moved them to the finals and we won quite a few
Cornwall. Our first year had many high points, and growing pains as of them. I guess the best memory
an enthusiastic staff and group of volunteers worked hard to reintroduce that I have is being fortunate Steve Ostler L and Steve Casselman
and sell CJHL hockey to fans in Cornwall and area.
enough to sit in a room with a Photo Submitted
I think back on the impact this frog and stork had on my attitude bunch of guys who have played special about it being a team
moving forward. I pinned the cartoon up on my bulletin board, where it an awful lot of hockey and just game,” says Ostler.
hung for 9 years. In fact, it still hangs on my bulletin board in my Sports listen to the stories. A lot of these
Energy Office today. guys played with the Royals in Ostler is no stranger to giving
Don and I had many discussions about the future of the Colts, the 60s early 70s.” an extra 10% in the name of the
should we try and co-exist with the Aces in the Ed Lumley Arena, should Ostler still plays a couple times game. Recently, their rec league
we fold the team, move it, sell it? How could it survive against an AHL per week. He plays Wednesday had an important game to play,
team in a small market like Cornwall? and Ostler was ready to win. As
night hockey with the Hubs, and he got ready, he heard someone
One day as I drove by the Water Street Arena, for some reason I on Monday nights he plays with yelp out in pain. As he went to
pulled into the parking lot and entered the arena. Memories of the Royals a bunch of guys. check on the situation, he noticed
in the early 70’s came flooding back as I walked around the arena, taking “I’m now the oldest guy in the his friend laying on the floor. It
in the rafters, wooden benches, yellow, blue, and red sections - the old
atmosphere lived on. I ended up going to get Don, brought him to the group. The guys I am playing was the Zamboni driver. He had
arena and said, “This is where we are going to play.” I still remember the against are young enough to be hurt his leg climbing onto the
expression on his face one of my kids,” says Ostler. Zamboni. He told Ostler that the
game couldn’t go on, because the
Our goal was to reintroduce a new generation of fans to Jr. A For Ostler, hockey success ice couldn’t be resurfaced.
hockey at the old Water Street arena. It became the frog (Colts) against comes from everyone committing
the Aces (Stork). And 28 years later, the Colts are still in existence. to the game, and working as a But, Ostler was ready to step
team. in. He had driven on a Zamboni
As I coached minor hockey over the years, the frog and stork before when he was younger for
and Never Give Up was made into a poster each year, (thanks Rick at “It’s a team game. If you’re
Long Graphics). The players signed it at the beginning of the year, and going to be successful, a fun ride, and the game needed
it hung in our dressing room each game. In fact it was our only team everyone’s got to be on the same to go on. Ostler jumped up onto
rule. Everything else we created to have a structured, disciplined, fun page. When you’re in a dressing the machine in his full gear and
atmosphere were considered guidelines. room with the Hubs, you could cleared the ice before any of the
other players arrived. Without
“Never Give Up” is so much more meaningful today with the bring in a bunch of guys who this act of heroism, the team
world fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we come together to try haven’t played hockey together would have had to forfeit the
and get this pandemic under control, our city, province, country, and the in a year, or you could add people
world is heading for uncharted waters. “Teamwork” and our frontline into the group who hadn’t played game.
health workers will help us get through it. in a year, but with that group If the last part about the
anybody who puts on a sweater Zamboni rescue seems too
Winners Never Quit, and Quitters Never Win,
knows how to give an extra 10% good to be true, that’s because
‘Signing out until next month,’
when they have to. They don’t it is! Happy April Fools, Sports
Mike Piquette, Publisher
quit. So that’s basically what’s Energy readers.