A Quick Glance

A quick glance gives the impression of an ordinary hockey practice. A

parking lot full of mini-vans and Camrys. A damp, sweaty arena,

kids lined up behind the net, awaiting instructions while parents sip

lukewarm double doubles. Everything is typical except the coach.

Like his Peewee charges, he too dreamed of playing hockey for a living.

As a little boy in Scarborough he donned hockey gear to spend Saturday

nights in front of the TV watching the Toronto Maple Leafs play in the echo

of Foster Hewitt’s voice at Maple Leaf Gardens.

As a teen he was a high scoring junior in that same arena, hanging his

helmet a stone’s throw from his hockey heroes.

As a man, seven years into his pro hockey career, his childhood dream finally came true .