Page 18 - IssueNo97

18 Issue #97 February 2021
Continued from page 15
cut short in the fall of 2019 due to
labour disputes. However, he was
also involved with the Bantam
Wildcats during their first year
back as an age group that same
year.
“The season was unbelievable
from my perspective. I was really
excited before the season began
when they announced the idea
of NCAFA (National Capital
Amateur Football Association)
merging with the QBFL (Quebec
Bantam Football League) to form
a ‘Super-League’ at the Bantam
level,” says Bazinet. “It came full
circle for me when our first game
of the season was at my former
home field, Westwood High
School in St. Lazare. Our Wildcats
Bantam team was unstoppable. In
fact, our Wildcats Bantam squad
was so good that at one point, we
were ranked higher than some
of the best clubs in Ottawa and
Quebec when I was younger, such
as the famed NorthShore Lions of supported me both in sports and what his favourite memory is,
the West Island of Montreal. If you now in life. We work together as Bazinet says there are too many to
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ask anyone who was involved with ‘financial coaches’ with Freedom choose from. However, one does
that season, it was an unforgettable 55 Financial.”
experience for coaches, players,
and parents. It was a season that
Cornwall can be proud of!”
When it comes to his coaching unlock their true potential.
success, like many coaches,
Bazinet attributes his wins to
what he learned from those who
coached him.
“I would say I owe a great deal
to my former coaches who have
provided me with mentorship
and support. I would also like
to say my friends as well,” says
Bazinet. “My friend, Brad Rand
was a former student of CCVS
was offered the role of coach, but
due to his personal commitments,
had to step back and be more of
an assistant while I assumed head
coach. Together, we have some
great memories of both high
school and community coaching,
which we hope to continue once
the pandemic is over. I would also
like to say my Mom had a great
deal to do with it as she has always
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For Bazinet, he finds the most
rewarding part of the gig is seeing
his kids develop, watching them
“Some of the kids I have had full of talent, I had never seen a
the pleasure of coaching for two,
even three, or more years, and the
difference in their progression,
leadership skills, and overall ability
to achieve their life goals is truly
inspiring and it is why I love doing
it year after year,” says Bazinet. “If
I could summarize my philosophy
quickly, it would be to wear your
heart on your sleeve when you athletic experiences he has had to
play and do anything you can for
your teammates while enjoying
the game of football because it
goes away quickly. Before you
know it, you no longer have the
chance to play it competitively
again. Make the most of it while
you still can and do so with pride, enjoy helping the community,
respect, and courage.”
Like many coaches, when asked
It Is What It Is
By Peter Collins
any dictionaries define
M“purgatory” as some sort
of place or condition of suffering
and torment. The saving grace of
this indictment is the state of this
purgatorial netherworld is only
temporary, in other words not
lasting forever. Many Canadians
see the past 27 years of Stanley
Cup drought as close to forever as
you can get. This is what faces the
NHL’s Canadian teams heading
into the 2021 season. Twenty-
seven years of no Stanley Cups,
that’s the plight of Canada’s
hockey teams, in limbo since
1993 when the Habs last raised
the Cup. Never mind that it’s been
more than half a century since the
Leafs tasted champagne. Long
gone are the 80’s when, believe it
or not, Canadian teams won seven
stand out in his mind.
“The one I remember the most
is when my team won the Spring
League Championship 2017.
Although the team we had was
group of individuals work harder
for each other in not only the final
game, but all season long. I am
still close to many of those players
who were on that team, and every
now and then we still talk about
that season,” says Bazinet.
Truly, Bazinet is thankful for the
date.
“If I could add something to
close, I would just give thanks
again to everyone who has helped
me become the person and coach
I am today,” says Bazinet. “I truly
whether it be through my coaching
or my working career, and I am
looking forward to helping even
more people in the years to come.”
cups in a row, thanks mostly to
the dominant Oilers. Calgary won
its only Cup in that era, leaving
Vancouver and Winnipeg the only
Cup-less Canadian teams. What
about Ottawa you ask? It’s been
since 1927 for the Sens and their
cup win. Feel better now, Toronto
fans? So, has the pandemic
increased our chances to hoist
Lord Stanley? Absolutely! Due
to the new league format, the top
Canadian team will have a one-in-
four chance of winning the Cup.
Those are decent odds considering
our past ineffectiveness in
bringing the Cup back to the
Great White North. So, let’s
enjoy this one year of Canadian
hockey - we most likely will
never see this setup again, unless
Quebec can buy a present-day
American franchise. That would
restore balance to the league with
an eight-team Canadian division.
We can only hope!