Hockey

NINE DAYS IN MAY

May 13 to 21, 2017 - The RBC Cup: The “Canadian National Junior A Championships” played throughout the week of May 13 to 21 at Cobourg Community Centre. 

The teams qualifying included the media darlings and favourites to win, “Brooks Bandits” from Alberta (West 1) featuring Cale Makar who was touted to go in the top ten in this year’s NHL draft. Also winning their way to the championships were the “Penticton Vees” of BC (West 2) who finished second to the Bandits; the OJHL’s Trenton Golden Hawks (Central) who defeated the Georgetown Raiders in the Dudley Hewitt Cup; the “Cobras de Terrebonne” from Quebec (East) and the host team Cobourg Cougars who were swept by Trenton back on April 6th.

The Cougars finished the preliminary round in first place by defeating Trenton 3-2 in OT; a 3-2 OT loss to Penticton and a 6-1win over Terrebonne; then defeated the Bandits 5-2 who choose to rest their top five players including their goaltender Mitch Benson and defenseman Cale Makar. In their semi-final game the Cougars defeated Penticton 3-1 to meet the Brooks Bandits in the championship final on May 21st with puck drop at 5:30 before a sold out house. The game, televised on TSN was everything it was expected to be with an exhilarating 3-2 overtime Cougar win when at 8:21 Nick Minerva one-timed it past goaltender Mitch Benson from the point on a pass from defenseman Matt Bumstead after Brenden Locke won the face-off in the offensive zone and Josh Maguire got the puck back to the blueline. 

Jamie Huber opened the scoring for Cobourg in the first and Brooks’ Connor Jean tied it up. The score remained tied until deep into the third when Bandits captain Nick Prkusik scored a big go-ahead goal with 8:31 left to play. Brooks was closing in on an RBC Cup victory in the third period when Cobourg's Ryan Casselman arguably scored the most important goal in Cobourg Cougar history when he buried a rebound from a Brennan Roy shot with 1:07 to play in regulation time to tie the game sending it into OT. The CCC exploded!

The rest was history for the Cougars, who went on to win their first championship as a Junior A franchise—a national one at that, which was their first since capturing the 1974 Ontario Junior C title. Goaltender Stefano Durante earns the top goalie award and is the final MVP. Spencer Roberts was the leading scorer and top forward for the tournament. Nick Minerva’s stick and gloves are enshrined at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
(Written with notes from Jeff Gard)

A number of graduates from this team moved on to further their education through hockey. Goaltender, Stefano Durante is playing for American International College's Yellow Jackets. Brennan Roy, Jesse Baird, Spencer Roberts and Cobourg native, Josh Maguire were recruited to UOIT by former Cobourg Cougars coach, Curtis Hodgins. Brenden Locke committed to Cornell University and Quinn Syrdiuk to McGill University. Sam Dunn of Hamilton Township played for the QMJHL's Ramparts before joining St. Mary's University Huskies in Halifax and Nick Minerva committed to Aurora College in Chicago. Assistant Coach, Corey Beer is now the Head Coach of the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Cobourg Cougars Junior B 1965-1971

The Cobourg Cougars made their entrance onto the hockey stage in the fall of 1965 joining the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League. Community minded businessmen, Clarke Sommerville and Jeff Rolph, provided the means to put the team on the ice while Ken Medhurst and Dick Robinson provided the team leadership. The nucleus of players was recruited from Cobourg’s two-time OMHA Midget AA finalists.

Teams in this league included Oshawa, Trenton, Belleville, Kingston and Peterborough. Cobourg ended the season in sixth place with 4 wins, 3 ties and 23 losses. The top 5 Cobourg scorers were Brian Gillis (30 points), Brydon Elinesky (27 points), Gus Bambridge (24 points) Gord Kelly (22 points) and Bill Ryan (18 points).

Goaltender, Rick Austin, faced an average of 37.2 shots per game. It was a tough inauguration but better days were ahead. Age, experience and recruiting would all play a part in the coming fortunes of the team.

The 1966-67 season saw the Cougars achieve 40 points over the 30 games schedule with 19 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties. Leading the scoring parade that year was Gord Kelly with 59 points followed by Brydon Elinesky, Brian Gillis, Steve Harold and Paul Herriot.

With two seasons under their belt, the Cougars made their mark during the 1967-68 season. Finishing first in the regular season with a record of 19-9-4, the team was eliminated in the group final by the Oshawa Crushmen.

Average attendance at the Cougars home games was over 900 and 3500 fans took in the group final at the Oshawa Civic Centre. Gord Kelly continued his scoring magic, finishing the season with 83 points while John Gray followed with 80 points. It is notable that John Gray, Gord Brooks and Dennis O’Brien all went on to have careers in pro hockey.

Paul Gutteridge was the leading scorer for the Cougars in the 1968-69 season with 55 points followed closely by four-year veteran, Gus Bambridge with 54 points. The Cougars ended the regular season with a record of 12-16-2.

Alan Fenton would go on to complete a hockey scholarship at Colgate University while Mike Kelly has had a long and storied career with the OHL Guelph Storm, the OHL Windsor Spitfires and the Italian national hockey team. To read more about Mike Kelly’s hockey career check under 'Stories' on the cdshf.ca website.

After a pro hockey career, Ron Smith returned to his hometown of Port Hope where he served as a councillor and Mayor. Larry Thompson, who had 32 points on the season, went on to play the next two years with the OHL’s Niagara Falls Flyers and the Oshawa Generals.

Gus Bambridge has continued to contribute to hockey through his many years as a linesman, referee, supervisor of officials and instructor for the OHA, OMHA and OHF. In 2004, Gus received the Ontario Hockey Federation’s Officiating Award for contribution to the game, officiating skills and what they put back into amateur hockey within the branch.

With the loss of key personnel, the Cougars experienced some tough times, finishing the 1970-71 season with a record of 7-15-4. During this last Junior B season, the top scorers were Bruce Sherwin, Peter Kelly and John Lunn. Topping the charts in penalty minutes were Ray Bevan (142), Kevin Lowe (122) and John Lunn (112).

With the realization that interest was decreasing and costs increasing, the Directors determined that participation in the Central Ontario Junior C league was a viable option in hopes of making the team more competitive. 
 

COBOURG COUGARS CELEBRATE 50 YEARS

1965/66 – 2015/16

On January 28, 2016, the 1965 Cobourg Cougars were honoured and celebrated by the Cougar faithful and the OJHL at a red-carpet pre-game ceremony by the present-day cougars wearing replica jerseys of that inaugural season. A reception was held prior to puck drop which included a meet and greet with coffee and cake, distribution of replica jerseys, anniversary pucks and ball caps plus a copy of the original team photo. Members of the ‘65 Cougars present were: Coach Ken Medhurst, Frank Godfrey, Bernie Comeau, Gord Kelly, Paul Massey, Gus Bambridge, Keith Boundy, Brian Gillis, Brydon Elinesky (C), Rick Austin, Eric Buttar, Bruce Nicholas, Reg Stevenson, Steve Harold, Gord Stevenson, Paul Herriot and special guest Gord Brooks. Not present were Bill Ryan, Doug Campbell and Scott Campbell.

Below are some articles written by the late Layton Dodge in the Cobourg Star (a predecessor to Northumberland Today) back in 1965.

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Sept. 1, 1965

Plans are proceeding for Cobourg to return to the junior hockey wars after and absence of two years.  Last week it was announced, following much speculation, that Cobourg intends to apply for entry into the new Junior ‘B’ Hockey League which is in the works for eastern Ontario this winter.  Announcement of a junior club being formed came as no great surprise but the decision to seek junior ‘B’ instead of ‘C’ status caught most local hockey boosters off guard. If Cobourg is accepted--and club officials already have assurances from OHA convener Jack Devine of Belleville that there is nothing standing in the way of it at the moment--then they will join a newly-formed alliance with Whitby, Peterborough, Belleville, Trenton and Kingston. 

Directors of the fledgling Cobourg club are Jeff Rolph and Clark Sommerville. Dick Robinson will be the manager and Ken Medhurst the coach. Medhurst is reported to be looking for an assistant.  

The team, it has been learned, will be partially subsidized by Cobourg Construction. 

Manager Dick Robinson said Friday that the decision to go ‘B’ rather than ‘C’ stemmed from the shorter travelling involved. If Cobourg went ‘C’, they would be grouped into a league with Picton, Napanee, and Gananoque. Mr. Robinson also commented that it was the intention “to hang on to local ‘B’ possibles who might go elsewhere to play hockey.”

Nucleus of the team will be personnel from the Cobourg Midget teams that reached Ontario finals the last two years. However, all players in the Cobourg-Port Hope area will be welcomed to tryouts, tentatively scheduled to get under way the early part of October. Most of Cobourg’s home games will be played on Mondays.  

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Sept., 22, 1965

Cobourg officially became a member of the enlarged Eastern Ontario Junior ‘B’ Hockey League Monday night.

A four-man delegation--consisting of manager Dick Robinson, coach Ken Medhurst and directors Jeff Rolph and Clark Sommerville--attended a meeting in Belleville and, after hearing what both the ‘B’ and ‘C’ leagues had to offer, came to the conclusion that they had no other alternative but to go ‘B’ this season.

Cobourg officials decided to apply for a ‘B’ franchise several weeks ago but in the past weeks there were indications that they had a change of heart and would drop back into ‘C’ instead. However, that was ruled out as geographically impossible at Monday’s meeting when they learned that Royal Military College in Kingston and either Madoc or Stirling were possibilities in the ‘C’ setup along with Gananoque, Napanee and Picton. 

The local juniors will play in a group with Kingston, Belleville, Trenton, Peterborough and Oshawa. 

There was quite a hassle over the length of the schedule, Oshawa’s Wren Blair leading the argument for a 40-game slate. He was supported by Trenton and Kingston representatives.  

Cobourg, Belleville and Peterborough held out for a shorter 30-game calendar. It was finally resolved when the latter three teams agreed to play two 4-point games, one at home and one away, with each other. They will each play a total of 30 games, meeting each opponent six times. 

Oshawa, Trenton and Kingston settled on a 34-game schedule with no 4-pointers. They will play an extra home and home series with each other to make up the difference in points.  

The Cobourg team will have only two weeks to prepare for its league opener October 29 at Belleville since ice won’t be in here until the middle of next month. First home game will be November 1 against Quinte City club.  

ICE SHAVINGS - Group will play all-star game the first week of January with proceeds going to the OHA Emergency Fund... One outside referee and two local linesmen will be used for league contests... Top four teams will make playoffs. 

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Oct. 6, 1965

Unlike the last Junior team which operated here for four years, the new Cobourg Junior ‘B’ Hockey Club will have its own special identity. 

The club officials, huddling last Tuesday night at the home of manager Dick Robinson to lay the groundwork for the 1965-66 season, decided that a catchy team name was desirable.  

It was thought that a nickname beginning with the letter “C” might be preferable since it would tie in nicely with Cobourg. The name “Cougars” was finally selected.  

The team management also decided to adopt at theme song, as yet unselected, as a means of raising team spirit. The record will be played every time the Juniors come on the ice for a game this season.  

Sweaters and socks already have been ordered. They will be basically yellow with green trim, the same colours associated with Cobourg Construction which is partially subsiding the team.  

A slate of officers was drawn up as follows: Jeff Rolph, president; Clarke Sommerville, secretary-treasurer; Dick Robinson, manager; Ken Medhurst, coach; Tom Lewis, trainer; John Lavis, special promotions; Layton Dodge, Dick Robinson, publicity; Larry Windover, assistant coach; “Vince” Massey, equipment manager. 

With the team’s proposed budget at over $2,800 and receipts likely to be around $800 short of that figure, it was decided to promote a 50-50 raffle in the hopes of raising most or all of that amount. 

Season tickets will go on sale shortly for $10 apiece, entitling the holder to 15 admissions during the regular schedule. 

All players who make the team will be given medical examinations by Dr. William Page before the first league game October 29 in Belleville. As another safety precaution, head helmets will be a compulsory club rule. 

Cobourg juniors will play in a league this season with Oshawa, Peterborough, Belleville, Trenton and Kingston.

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Oct. 27, 1965

Cobourg’s own space shot into an unknown, unexplored world of Junior B hockey will be launched Friday night at Belleville. 

All systems are A - OK for the flight takeoff of Cobourg Cougars. Their only goal at the moment is that the four - month journey will end in a happy landing. 

Hometown boosters will get their first look at Cougars in orbit in the 6-team Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League Monday night at 8 o’clock when Belleville plays the return game at Cobourg Arena. 

The opening home and home series is an important one since both games are four - pointers. A sweep for either club would skyrocket it into a quick lead in the race.  

Cougars have 22 players signed to date. Latest to affix their signatures to playing contracts are goalie Ron Sedgwick, winger Bruce Nicholas and centre Gord Kelly of Cobourg, along with centre Brydon Elinesky and leftwinger Brian Gillis of Millbrook. 

They join Rick Austin, Keith Boundy, Roger Johnson and Gary Etcher of Port Hope, Doug Campbell, Paul Massey, Steve Harold, Gus Bambridge, Bill Ryan, Gord Stevenson, Lyle Manion, Reg Stevenson, Paul Harriot, Frank Godfrey, Eric Buttar, Bernie Comeau and Phil Kulas of Cobourg in the fold. 

Manager Dick Robinson announced over the weekend that he has made arrangements with Oshawa’s Wren Blair to play one of Cougars’ away games with Oshawa in Cobourg. It will be played here election night, November 8, instead of at Bowmanville, November 7. 

TIDBITS -- Cougars’ new green and yellow sweaters and socks won’t be here in time for the opener . . . Training School employee is making a stencil for Cougar emblem which will be painted on the ice in the centre face off circle. . . Alouette Football Club theme song will be adopted by Cougars and played at all home games.

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Nov 1, 1965

Cobourg Cougars lost their opening game of the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League at Belleville Friday night as expected but they looked better than expected doing it. 

While there is no denying Cougars succumbed 9-4 to the home side, most of the players and the management felt the score should have been closer and expressed confidence they would give the Quinte team much stiffer competition the next time out.  

In fact, had it not been for an off-night by goalie Rick Austin, this first meeting would have been a tight fit. Austin, in uniform despite a 3-day attack of dysentery, let 3 goals by him that he ordinarily would have stopped with one hand tied behind his back. 

Cougars played in fits and starts. They appeared quite jittery early in the contest when Belleville roared into a 3-0 lead inside of 5 1/2 minutes. Cobourg carried the play in the last half of the first period, slumped again in the early minutes of the second session, more than held their own in the latter half, then continued the same trick-or-treat pattern in the third canto.  

It was 4-1 Belleville at the end of the 1st period and 6-2 entering the third. The win was 4 points to Stu Muirhead’s charges. 

The line of Steve Harold, Gord Kelly and Paul Massey was Cobourg’s chief offensive threat. Massey, one of the smallest players on the ice, also was one of the best. He turned in an outstanding performance, skating hard, checking tenaciously, staying in position and scoring a goal. 

Harold was almost as effective. His efforts were awarded early when he combined with Kelly for Cobourg’s prettiest goal of the night. Kelly also set up Massey’s marker in the final stanza. 

Reg Stevenson was the pick of the defencemen, being particularly adept at blocking shots. The unluckiest blueliner had to be Doug Campbell. He lost another front tooth when clipped by a Belleville stick in the initial frame and had to retire for the rest of the night. It was his second such unfortunate experience this season. 

Belleville’s Mr. Everything was Bob Boyle. He personally destroyed Cougars with 4 goals and 3 assists. Carl Boomhower gave him a run for his money with 2 goals and 3 helpers. Peter Fleming added a pair of goals and Steve White a single. 

Cobourg fell behind 3-0 almost before they knew the game had started, Boyle, Boomhower and White blinking the light by the 5:26 mark. Cougars came storming back and Steve Harold, after a neat relay with Kelly, picked the far corner perfectly with a partly screened 25-footer at 11:43. Fleming got it back before the period expired while Cougars’ Gus Bambridge served a foolish high sticking penalty. 

Fleming and Boyle clicked 2 minutes apart in the 2nd for Belleville before Eric Buttar took a long lead pass from Roger Johnson, used line mate Paul Harriot as a decoy and cashed his own rebound for Cougars’ 2nd goal at 17:26. 

Boyle completed his handy work early in the third for an 8-2 Belleville advantage. Cougars kept battling and were rewarded with 2 goals in a 7-second interval. Massey triggered the first one after Kelly gained possession of the puck on the backboards; and Gord Stevenson on a fine passing play involving Brydon Elinesky and Gus Bambridge, slapped in a low 12-footer for the other. Boomhower’s drive that caught the top corner of the Cobourg net at 18:56 wound up the scoring. 

The game was exceptionally clean as Junior games go and expertly refereed by Dave Smith of Trenton. He gave the losers 4 of the 10 penalties, including a misconduct to Gord Kelly in the closing chapter for talking out of turn. 

This story by Layton Dodge was originally published Nov. 3, 1965

Rich man, poor man, hockey men, thief; doctor, lawyer, writer, chief.

They all said Cobourg didn’t stand a chance in the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League this season.

Ken Medhurst’s hustlers made them all look bad Monday night in their home opener by skating off with an impressive 8-2 four - point victory over Belleville to the amazement and obvious appreciation of 300 fans.

It was a time when Cougars went the rest of the world one better. Instead of turning their watches back one hour Sunday, they held off 42 hours, then moved them ahead several months and cleaned Belleville’s clocks. 

Cougars weren’t supposed to be so good so soon. Yet they were. Bigger than life, giving Belleville a real going over on the scoreboard avenge a 9-4 setback in the Quinte City three nights earlier. 

Cobourg, hiking both ways at top speed between the opening faceoff and the final buzzer, tormented Belleville goalie Wayne Brant with a variety of 48 shots. Cougars rolled with the checks, played it smart and made everybody sit up and take notice. 

There were few weak links in the Cobourg armament. The strongest link was the line of Brian Gillis, Brydon Elinesky, both from Millbrook, and Gord Stevenson. They went together like ham and eggs. Ever dangerous on the attack and always persistent in the backchecking department, they set the pace and the trend of this eye-opener. 

The same trio opened the scoring in the 16th minute of play with a picture goal. Gillis started it in his own end, stickhandled past one defender and fired a rink-wide pass to Stevenson, who dropped the puck to Elinesky. Brudon shot a pass into the goalmouth and Gillis was there to tip it in. 

The score was still 1-0 when the two Millbrook boys combined again at 8:08 of the middle stanza. Gillis outbattled two Belleville men for the puck on the backboards, slipped the puck out front to Elinesky who blazed away from point blank range. The rubber dropped loose in the crease and Gillis tucked it home.  

Gus Bambridge made it 3-0 at 11.33 when he banked Reg Stevenson’s relay off the goalie’s skate into the net. The count jumped to 4 to nil just over 3 minutes later as Paul Harriot flicked in Bill Ryan’s rebound after Bambridge got the puck back to the point.  

In the 3rd period, Steve Harold picked the bottom right corner at 2:26, Gord Kelly and Paul Massey assisting, and Gord Stevenson cashed Gillis’ corner pass out at 4:19, after Doug Campbell had originated the play, to increase the margin to 6-0. 

Goalie Rick Austin, having a fine night guarding the Cobourg twine, lost his shutout bid at 12:09 when Doug Potts soloed while the teams played 5 aside. Grant Hagerman clicked again for Belleville moments later with Cougars shorthanded.  

Cougars got those back before it was all over. Paul Massey converted relays from Ryan and Kelly at 14:04, and Bambridge went it alone at 19:54.  

Sixteen penalties, 10 to the visitors, were assessed by referee John McFadden of Peterborough. 

COUGAR NOTES -- Three stars were Gillis, Austin and Gord Stevenson in that order . . . Cobourg owned a 48-30 shooting margin . . . Last 45 minutes of game were broadcast over the local radio station. This will be a weekly practice . . . Next Monday, Oshawa Crushmen play here at 8.pm.

OHL 20 in 20 Summer Spotlight: Kelly leaves a legacy

by Josh Sweetland August 12, 2017

With Permission of OHL and Guelph Storm

A respected builder in the Ontario Hockey League over a span of 20 seasons, Mike Kelly is taking time to slow down and enjoy time with his family.

A grandfather of four with grown sons living in the Niagara region, Kelly stepped down from his post as general manager of the Guelph Storm this past spring in an effort to prioritize more time with the little ones. He and his wife currently spend their time between Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort Erie and their summer dwelling in the Kawarthas.

“I decided it was best to step back and invest some time in my grandchildren,” said Kelly, who led the Storm to an OHL championship in 2014. “I’m certainly open to future opportunities in the game, but perhaps ones that are a bit less demanding than being a general manager.

“I’ve really enjoyed the time I’ve been able to spend with my family this summer.”

Originally from Cobourg, Ont., Kelly became the first general manager in Guelph Storm franchise history in 1991 after time around the game that included playing at the University of Buffalo and serving as an assistant coach there until 1977. He was also the head coach of the men’s hockey program at Canisius College from 1977-80 and coached Italy’s National Men’s Hockey Team on two occasions during his coaching tenure there from 1983-91.

He had a hand in the development of eventual NHL talents in Jeff O’Neill, Todd Bertuzzi, Manny Malhotra and Robby Fabbri with the Storm in addition to Jason Spezza, Steve Ott and Tim Gleason during his time with the Windsor Spitfires from 1999-2005.

After 20 years in the league, Kelly was quick to extend thanks to a number of people who supported him along the way.

“Jim Rooney and John Heeley, two of the original owners of the Guelph Storm were very supportive of me during those early stages when we started with a nine win season,” he noted. “Eventually we became one of the best teams in the league, going to three OHL Championships in a four year span thanks to the great work of men like (head coaches) Craig Hartsburg, E.J. McGuire and George Burnett.”

“I had the pleasure of working with Tom Webster in my four years in Windsor,” Kelly continued. “I certainly had a lot of respect for his professionalism and manner of handling a junior hockey team.”

“Additionally, Commissioner David Branch has been a mentor and supporter throughout my time in the league and I’m very thankful for the great job he has done.”

OHL Commissioner throughout Kelly’s tenure in the league, Branch was quick to echo words of gratitude.

“Mike Kelly’s personal values clearly carried over in the way he conducted himself in terms of always providing support to the players and families that have been involved with the programs he oversaw,” said Branch. “Mike was one of our leaders in bringing forward thoughts and ideas, supporting any number of league initiatives to continue to provide positive change to the game and our player experience.

“I hope to see Mike return to the league in some capacity down the road so as to continue making valued contributions to our great game.”

Kelly served as an OHL representative during the 2006-07 season, standing in as Governor and head coach of the Mississauga IceDogs. It’s there, in the only full season he coached, that Kelly enjoyed a memorable career experience in contributing to the development of a young  Luca Caputi who currently serves as an assistant coach with the Storm.

“Luca was an 18-year-old late birthday going into his draft year who hadn’t had much success in his first two seasons in the league,” Kelly recalled. “He really blossomed that season and I think that had a lot to do with his confidence level. I certainly found it satisfying telling a player like that, who maybe didn’t think it was ever going to happen for him, ‘hey, stick with it, you’ve got something pretty special here.'”

Caputi went on to score 37 goals that season and was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Draft. He returned to score 51 goals and record 111 points in 2007-08 before embarking on a five year pro career that included 35 games in the NHL.

Another of Kelly’s favourites over the course of his 20-year career was former Guelph Storm captain Chris Hajt, a Buffalo native who recently accepted an assistant coaching position with the Buffalo Sabres. Kelly chose Hajt in the third round of the 1994 OHL Priority Selection and the big defender would contribute to three trips to the OHL Final, helping the Storm hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the first time in 1998.

“That one’s certainly a feel good story,” said Kelly. “I don’t think many people knew of Chris when he was playing in Buffalo, but he turned out to be a very important part of the organization’s success, not to mention he is one of the most outstanding people in the world. It’s great kids like that who have kept me enthralled and loving junior hockey – it’s all about the kids.”

Kelly turns the Guelph Storm over to George Burnett, a 20-year OHL coaching veteran who served as general manager of the Flint Firebirds last season. It was Burnett who took over head coaching responsibilities with Guelph in 1997 when Kelly took a position as Director of Amateur Scouting with the Calgary Flames. Burnett and general manager Alan Millar (now of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors) led the Storm to their first OHL title.

This time around Burnett will take over as both head coach and general manager, and Kelly says the organization is in good hands.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with George for a long time, and I’m thrilled that he’ll be overseeing operations with the Guelph Storm,” said Kelly. “I respect his values and I really like what he stands for. I think he’s a heck of a role model for young people and a very accomplished coach and general manager.”

Though Kelly’s days as a general manager are likely behind him, a love for the game and assisting in the development of junior hockey players on and off the ice will have him back in the rinks soon enough.

“Oh I’m sure I’ll be back at it in some way eventually,” he finished. “Give it a few months time and I’ll start reviewing to see if there’s something out there that makes sense.”

NB: Mike Kelly is a Cobourg native and was a member of the Cobourg Cougars Junior B hockey club during the 1968-69 season.

Layton Dodge Loved His Home Town, Sports

By Cecilia Nasmith Dec 10, 2013 Northumberland Today

Layton Dodge's chair at Sommerville's is empty.
Dave Sommerville, owner of the downtown Cobourg sporting goods store, has been reflecting on what to do with it since hearing of Dodge's passing on Sunday.

Since his retirement as Cobourg's premier sports reporter, Dodge has been a regular in the store, taking the chair Sommerville's father Clarke used to occupy. It started out as a chance to enlist the Sommervilles' help in identifying the rafts of old sports photos he was giving away, and evolved into one of his favourite places just to hang out and visit with people.

Sommerville was one of those legions of Cobourg kids who grew up looking forward to the Wednesday paper because of Dodge.

"We ran home, grabbed the paper and opened it to the sports page to see if our name was there," he recalled.
Born March 14, 1937 to parents William and Kathleen, Layton Dodge grew up in Cobourg and attended Cobourg District Collegiate Institute (currently CDCI West) when it was the only high school in town. He went directly from high school to working for the Cobourg Sentinel Star, a precursor of Northumberland Today, his friend Rosie Bateman said.

By virtue of his life-long attachment to his home town, Bateman added, he always had a story to share — such as the fact that Col. Gordon King, after whom the library is named, was his Latin teacher.

Retired councilor Bob Spooner first encountered Dodge as a reader. He had been involved in sports reporting himself before he and his wife began looking to move to Cobourg in 1970. They picked up a copy of what was then the weekly Cobourg paper and, turning to the sports page, Spooner recalled, thinking, "Whoever is writing this is really doing the community a service."

Little kids hitting a home run, young goalies making a save, minor athletes who might never rate a mention in a bigger paper had their names there in print, Spooner said. "I thought, 'I have to meet this guy, because he writes so honestly and his information is really accurate.'"

That winter, Spooner got his chance when he began coaching minor hockey. They became instant friends, he reported.
Doing play-by-play hockey coverage for the local radio station in 1972, Spooner often met up with Dodge. Together, they broke down the barrier between print and electronic media when Dodge began doing occasional guest commentary.

"The public liked his analysis, his accuracy, his honesty. He never had a bias if he liked a coach or a player from the other team," Spooner said.

Longtime close friend Rod Baker remembers Dodge's support of the Cobourg Cougars Junior A hockey group, as well as for the young people in town. He remembers how much Dodge contributed to his own three children's lives when they were growing up in Cobourg through his work at the home-town newspaper.

"I think he was one of the best sports writers in this area and could have gone further. But he was very happy in Cobourg," Baker said.

"Layton was probably the biggest promoter of a lot of good athletes in Cobourg, but he would always find a way to get the average athlete — the kid who would never get noticed — to get his name in the paper if they had a good hockey game or made a good catch playing ball. He made the average athlete important. He had an uncanny way of doing that," Sommerville said.

He was also impressed with the range of sports his friend covered.
"If it was out there, he covered it," Sommerville stated.

Dodge would even hold off on his summer holidays so as not to miss covering the giant annual ball tournament in Grafton, where he would help with the announcing or do whatever else they needed.
"The only way you knew Layton was on vacation is, there was no sports in the paper. He would still be at all the games, but no sports in the paper.

"Cobourg has been so fortunate to have someone who cared so passionately about the town, so passionately about the youth of the town, and he showed it in many different forms," Sommerville said.

A modest individual, Dodge made substantial donations to organizations but also made the quieter substantial donations — paying for the high school wrestling tournament, for example, or even making significant contributions to the university and college educations of young people in need.

"He did so many things for so many people behind the scenes, the stories could be endless," Sommerville said.
A few years before Dodge was forced to retire earlier than he perhaps would have liked for health reasons, the editor combed old newspapers for a compilation of his best work for a book that was titled Spotlight On Sports.

A later publisher, Darren Murphy, found that Dodge remained deeply involved in the newspaper regardless.
“He would stop by regularly with some kind of a news tip or just to say hello to everyone," said Murphy, who is now publisher and regional advertising director of Eastern Ontario for Sun Media.

"He had a way of brightening up the entire building when he entered, and his contributions to the Cobourg sports community will never be forgotten.”

Cobourg Mayor Gil Brocanier said Dodge was an icon in the town.
"For so many years, he gave so much to so many people," Brocanier said.
"It's incredible, the work he did and the way he made so many young people growing up in Cobourg playing all sports feel important. He made it his mission to give almost every athlete — regardless of the level they were playing in — he made every effort to give them their 15 minutes of fame by mentioning them or something they had done in a particular game.

"It's a terrible loss to the sports community, and the community as a whole," the mayor stated.
"What really makes me happy is that he lived long enough to see the new sports complex," Spooner said.

As council's parks and recreation head during the project, he recalls how thrilled Dodge was with news of the facility and how he supported it with a donation that paid for the press box.

The Layton Dodge Press Box is the second town amenity that bears his name. Spooner recalls sitting down with the parks and recreation advisory committee prior to the opening of Legion Fields in July 1996 to name the three diamonds.

"The first name that cropped up for one of the diamonds was Layton Dodge," Spooner said.

In the end, the vote was unanimous to name the diamonds after Dodge, Clarke Sommerville and Jack Bevan.
Dodge will be missed very much, Bateman said. "I know how devoted he was to the youth of the town, and sport and the community. I think his legacy is that he inspired the youth of our town to be the best they could be in sports, and in life in general," she stated.

From seeing his friend spend so many pleasant days in that special chair in his store, Sommerville would characterize Dodge as the voice of reason.

"He could always find some middle ground and come up with a logical and reasonable solution. It's something I saw a lot of times that I found fascinating. He would sit back and watch it all and, in a heartbeat, come up with the right answer," he said.

Fairness extended to his sports coverage, which would occasionally single out a visiting player from a big city like Toronto. If a friend or relative sent a clipping to the young player, Sommerville said he would get a call to ask for 15 more copies, because that player would never get that kind of recognition in a bigger community.

And when a local player deserved a wake-up call or a slap on the wrist for any reason, Sommerville added, Dodge could deliver it in such a way that the player would remain on friendly terms with him afterwards.

"I think that gift was born out of his love for the community," he said.
In the end, he said, Dodge earned a singular honour — being known by a single name.

"In Cobourg, everybody knows Layton. It doesn't matter if you're 12 or 100, everybody knows Layton as Layton — or, in our case, Scoop. Nobody asks about Layton Dodge. It's Layton or Scoop. I think, over the course of time, with everything he's done for this community, he has gained that kind of recognition," Sommerville said.

"He deeply loved his mother and his family. He deeply loved Cobourg — the sports community and Cobourg in general.
"His legacy will live on and on and on, not only as a sports writer and member of the community, but also as a human being. There are not many people like Layton."

At Dodge's request, there will be a private graveside service at Cobourg Union Cemetery. A funeral service will be held in Trinity United Church Thursday at 1 p.m., and a celebration of his life will be held at the Cobourg Community Centre at a later date.

Reviewed August 2020