dad's sporting life

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Recreational Hockey, 1960s style

Back in the mid-1960s, Dad played hockey in a recreational league in Leaside. He seemed to have enjoyed it, though I did wonder why I had never seen him strap on a pair of skates. He occasionally talked about the experience, including stories of other players who'd had a cup of coffee in the NHL. But one story stuck out. The way I remember him telling me the tale, someone in the league got their hands on a pair of skates Detroit Red Wings star Alex Delvecchio left behind at Maple Leaf Gardens. The future Hall-of-Famer's skates were passed around either Dad's team or the league and whoever was able to fit into them gave them a go.

True? Hard to say. Dad was full of tall tales that proved to have a grain of truth in them. Or my memory is fractured for having paid half-attention to them rather than etching them in full detail on my brain.

Trophy Winner

Not sure what the trophy that Dad is holding in this picture from early 1963 was awarded for. It might related to his lifeguard duties at the Leaside Memorial Gardens...

Award of Merit

...while this certificate definitely is. Luckily he never had to use his training on Amy and I during the many hours all of us spent in the water.

Dad, Granddad and a Car
Dad and Granddad posing by a car, summer 1961.

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Ten years. Gone by so fast. - JB

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