Few athletes are fortunate enough to be considered elite in one sport. Rarer is that athlete who is considered elite in two sports. Dave Waldie, born on April 8, 1965, in Campbellford and a life-long Alnwick-Haldimand resident, was a standout at the rink and the diamond. At five-years-old, Dave started playing Cobourg Church Hockey, and from Novice through Minor Midget he would be the Most Valuable Player and leading scorer every year. In 1980, he led his Major Bantam team to an All-Ontario championship, a first for Cobourg. The next year, as a sixteen-year-old, he suited up for the Cobourg Cougars and was named the OHA Jr. C Rookie-of-the-Year.
Drafted by the OHL’s Cornwall Royals, he would split his first year between Cornwall and Newmarket (Tier 2), and then join the Royals full-time for the next two seasons, amassing 99 points in 1984-85. At the end of the year – due to a clerical error - Portland of the Western Hockey League was able to pick him up as an overage player. Dave enjoyed his greatest season in 1985-86, lighting the lamp 68 times, adding 58 assists for 126 points. He was named the WHL Rookie-of-the-Year and made the WHL first all-star team. He also won the Bill Anderson Sportsmanship Award for best leadership and dedication, and the Pat Shugog trophy for the MVP of the playoffs. That year Portland hosted the Memorial Cup. In four Memorial Cup games Dave tallied seven points. With his junior career now over, Dave had tryouts with both the Detroit Red Wings and the Hartford Whalers before eventually signing a contract with the Peoria Rivermen of the IHL. He played in eleven games, recording two goals and three assists before deciding to retire from pro hockey.
He wouldn’t leave the game behind, exchanging his skates and a puck, for a pair of running shoes and a ball. He became an integral part of four Cobourg Ball Hockey League Championship teams. Dave’s success in hockey was matched by his softball accomplishments; 1 OASA All-Ontario Squirt Championship, 2 Peterborough Men’s Town League Championships, 7 Cobourg Town League Championships, 1 OASA Intermediate ‘A’ Championship, 1 OASA Intermediate ‘B’ Championship, 1 OASA Masters Championship, 2 OASA Masters Silver-Medals, 2 Canadian Masters Championships, 1 NAFA Championship, and 2 appearances in the ISC World Fastball Championships.
The Cobourg Galloping Ghosts are the most famous team in Cobourg sports history. Managed by Fred Dufton, the Ghosts won eight Ontario championships, five after World War II. They were Canadian Dominion champions in 1946, 1948 and 1950. They were the first team in Canada to wear aluminum cleats and the second to wear white uniforms.
