Stories like these are inspiring for our youth
To the Expositor:
I liked your March 4 story on the Copper Cliff Reds ‘Sudbury hockey team made up of almost-all Wiikwemkoong crew.’ Good for these kids from back home in Wiiky.
I played for the Copper Cliff Redmen AA as a peewee many years ago and went back home to Wiikwemkoong around November of that season as our reserve team was already playing in AA and AAA tourneys around the North Shore.
A few years later, in our last year of midget hockey, my friend (and next door neighbor) Cliff Bondy, my uncle Timothy Peltier and I went and played for the Burgess Powertrain Major Midgets AAA.
Three Wiikwemkoong boys ended up playing in the 1987 Air Canada Cup against former Washington Capitals alumnus goaltender Olaf Kolzig and other notables—future National Hockey League players Rod Brind’Amour, Scott Pellerin, Reggie Savage, Olaf Kölzig and Stephane Fiset.
After midget hockey, a few of our former teammates went on to colleges and university hockey, Junior A, B and even the OHL.
With a lot of hard work and determination, I went on to a three-year stint on Junior B hockey in southern Ontario where I developed into a leader of the team I was with.
Stories like these are so inspiring for our youth and hockey is such a great networking sport that can open doors to so many opportunities for young people in life. It’s not all about making the NHL.
Anyway, off to the rink, my daughter is in her house league hockey playdowns here in Ottawa (last) weekend.
As they say… hockey is life.
Miigwetch,
Kirk Peltier
Ottawa
