Ed Olczyk played for the Cullitons before embarking on a productive career in the NHL. (Ian Tomlinson/Getty Images)

Marion Turford is not hard to locate at a Stratford Cullitons game.

When you walk through the main entrance of the venerable William Allman Memorial Arena on Howie Morenz Drive, turn left and there you will find the 79-year-old Turford at the 50-50 ticket booth. She's the one probably gushing about her niece and nephew, Courtney and Tyler Tolton.

When reached on the phone this week to talk about her and her 82-year-old husband Ted's time as billets for former Cullitons Ed Olczyk and his younger brother, Rick, more than two decades ago, Marion made a point to say that both Courtney and Tyler will play in games that will be part of the 10th annual Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada in Stratford, Ont., on Saturday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 12 p.m. ET).

Tyler will suit up for the Mitchell Hawks junior C club — of course, citizens of Mitchell like to emphasize that the great Morenz is from nearby Mitchell, not Stratford — in a game that follows the Cullitons match against the St. Mary's Lincolns, coached by former 1988 Canadian Olympian Merlin Malinowski.

Courtney plays for the Stratford Aces bantam team, coached by former junior standout Pat Hinnegan, and they have a game before the Cullitons game at the 85-year-old Allman Arena.

"I can't wait," Marion said. "It's going to be such a great day."

Rick Olczyk calls his one season in Stratford that earned him a scholarship to Brown University one of the most enjoyable years in his life because of the hospitality displayed by the Turfords, 22 years ago.

Ed preceded his younger brother to Stratford by five seasons. In 1982-83, he set a Mid-Western Jr. B league record by scoring 50 goals and 142 points in 42 regular-season games. The Cullitons advanced all the way to the provincial final, but lost to the Henry Carr Crusaders of Etobicoke, Ont., in the battle for the Sutherland Cup.

The experience aided the older Olczyk in making the U.S. Olympic team the following year and he went on to a lengthy pro career that saw him play 1,031 NHL games with a number teams, including the 1993-94 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.

'Right time for both of us'

After graduating from Brown, Rick worked hard for a law degree and now is the assistant general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. He recalled that it wasn't easy to leave the family home in Chicago and move to Stratford at a young age. He was 16 years old. Rick was 17.

"It was the right time for the both of us," Rick said. "I get asked that question all the time, 'When is the right time for a teenager to leave home to play hockey somewhere else?' That's for each family to make that distinction.

"It was a tough transition. It was my first time away from home and we're a very tight family. But the Turfords were unbelievable and made me feel part of their family from the get-go."

Ed Olczyk was the Turfords' first hockey player who stayed at their home, along with another Chicago native, goalie Dan Kwilas. A third Chicago resident and future NHLer, Mark LaVarre, also played on that Cullitons team.

Rick Olczyk, whose Cullitons were eliminated in the league playoffs by the eventual 1987-88 provincial champion Waterloo Siskins, was the final out-of-town Culliton to live with the Turfords.

"When you have had the best, you don't need the rest," Marion said with a laugh.

Rick appreciates the Turfords' kindheartedness so much that he still phones every Christmas and most Mother's Days. "He's never missed a Christmas since he left here," Marion confirmed.

The Olczyks were discovered playing minor hockey during trips to Southern Ontario for tournaments by longtime Cullitons general manager Dennis (Dinny) Flanagan Sr., who no longer runs the team but did for years.

"His wife, Joan, had an eye for talent better than many quote-unquote scouts," said Rick, whose Stratford teammates included former NHLer and current Edmonton Oilers analyst Louie DeBrusk and current New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow.

"To go into that town, it was Canada, there was a love for hockey. It was unbelievable. You go for a haircut and they wish you good luck. They made you feel part of the community. It was one of the best years of my life.

"Stratford obviously has a worldwide reputation for its Shakespearean Festival, but because the long list of quality players it has produced on and off the ice at all levels, it should be known as a hockey community, too. It's a great hockey city and it's a tribute to the Flanagans and what they have done there that it is the location for Hockey Day in Canada."