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Last stop … Thetford Mines

March 4, 2009 10:39 AM | Posted by   Cassie Campbell  

Our last stop on the Kraft Hockeyville Tour 2009 was Thetford Mines, Que. It is a beautiful community about an hour and a half drive southwest of Quebec City. Everywhere you look there are ATVs and Ski-Doos, but there is no question that the number one passion in Thetford is hockey.

My first drive through the community allowed me to reminisce about the good old days as a child when the snow banks seemed so high at the end of the driveway.

For years now I have thought those days were long gone due to the ever-changing climate, but not in Thetford Mines. I haven’t seen snow banks that high in a very long time - probably not since I could fit into a one-piece snowsuit. It made me want to bring out my GT Racer! OK, maybe my red-wooden sled!

The Mario Gosselin Arena, which was named after the goaltender who played with the Quebec Nordiques and also backstopped Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 1984 Olympics, could have been named after so many great players who have come from the town that started due the asbestos finds of the early 1900s.

One local hero, Serge Poudrier, who spent 11 seasons in Europe and played three Olympics for Team France could easily have his name etched at the front entrance. He spoke eloquently to the kids at the local high school to kick off our celebrations.

Future NHLers

The main attraction back in the day though was that of the Jr. Montreal Canadiens. No one had a clue, as they watched these teams in the arena that was built in 1964, exactly where these great players would end up, but Thetford Mines was a big part of many a player’s future NHL career.

The pictures up around the rink showed many players donning the Thetford jersey with the Habs logo on the sleeve, but the picture that stood out most in the rink was that of the 1967 Team. The team didn’t go on to win the Memorial Cup until the following year, but in that picture were the young Marc Tardif (the first NHL captain of the Quebec Nordiques), Gilbert Perrault (a big fixture on the Buffalo Sabres’ French Connection line) and Rejean Houle (who would one day be a forward and GM of the Montreal Canadiens). However, it was the next season when Richard Martin joined the squad that they were able to bring home the trophy … no doubt the start of Perrault and Martin’s chemistry that gave them wonderful NHL careers.

As I travelled, literally, across this country, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the history of the game along the way. The well-kept, old, black-and-white photos that grace the walls of arenas across this land were fascinating. If only those walls could talk? There would be no question that they would tell us many locker-room stories of legends before they became superstars.

The entire Kraft Hockeyville trip would not have been complete without my fellow travellers. Guillaume Beland or “BOB” as we called him, David Skitt, Genevieve Boulanger, Jim Kozak, Mike Dodson and the rest of our wonderful crew (Bob Babinski, Christine Mayall, Rob McDerment, Richard Agecoutay, Ryan Ferguson, Bruce Whiteford) who really make the show go round.

You were a fun group to work with. However, for the record there were only three of us who made the entire journey!

Thank you very much to the people who crossed our paths. May the best town win!

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