There was a palpable air of anticipation and excitement at a jam-packed Orillia Museum of Art and History (OMAH) Saturday night as the Top 10 Orillia hockey players of all time was unveiled.
OrilliaMatters community editor Dave Dawson had the honour of announcing the names of the chosen few, stickhandling through statistics and anecdotes about the legends that were selected – several of whom were in attendance. Orillia’s Top 10 is comprised of Stu Burnie, John French, Chuck Goddard, Ron Leef, Rick Ley, Craig Lutes, Ken Macnab, Bob Mears, Brett Parnham and Richard Scott.
When Stu Burnie heard his name called and as the crowd cheered on one of their own as he made his way to the front of the room, he said he was “overwhelmed” by the honour.
“The city of Orillia has been very good to me,” said Burnie, who was born and raised here and, after his hockey career, returned to teach. “The biggest thing I remember about minor hockey in Orillia is the dedication of the people that coached us – from tyke to junior.”
He said long-time local hockey booster Bill Smith was instrumental to his career. “When you’re from a small town, you need people that support you,” he said, recalling how Smith traded him in an effort to give him a better chance at success. “I remember saying ‘I’m from Orillia. I’ve never left.’ He said ‘You’re going to Brampton.’ I really didn’t want to go.”
But he heeded Smith’s advice. While in Brampton, he caught the eye of NCAA scouts and earned a scholarship at Western Michigan University, where he still holds scoring records. During his time there, the team excelled and drew record crowds to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
He also played on the Canadian Olympic team and in one memorable game at Copps Coliseum, he scored a hat trick against Russia and was named the team’s MVP. It all started in Orillia, he said. “If I can leave anything with the kids here: Take a chance to get educated through the sport you love to play.”
While John French was not able to attend, his brother, Allan, was on hand to accept the accolade and was proud to be reminded of his brother’s accomplishments. During his career, John French, who was a fourth-round draft pick of Montreal in 1970, played on a line with Wayne Gretzky, played in training camp on a line with Jean Beliveau and Yvon Cournoyer and was Ken Dryden’s roommate.
His success was rooted in his hometown. In his bantam year, he scored five goals in a tournament championship game in Orillia – it was one of the biggest tournaments in the province. That put him on the radar of scouts; the next year he played in Toronto and was drafted by the Habs. He really found his footing in the WHA with Hartford, where he won an Avco Cup with his Orillia buddy, Rick Ley. In 420 games, the left winger tallied 300 points.
Leef made the trip from Fort Wayne, Indiana for Saturday night’s event. While hockey took him to Indiana, his journey began in Orillia, when, while playing minor midget, he won an All-Ontario title. He went on to play in North York and then made the jump to the OHL to play for the Brantford Alexanders, where he had 150 points in 123 games. Orillia's Bill Watters, at the time an NHL player agent, found him a tryout with Vancouver, but he ended up with their AHL team in Dallas.
“I was in Dallas, we played Fort Worth, I had a couple goals in the game and the next day, I got traded,” recalled Leef. “I thought they were trading me to Fort Worth, which was 30 minutes away, but they said, ‘No. It’s Fort Wayne, Indiana.’ All I could think of was that song, ‘Indiana wants me!’” He fell in love with Fort Wayne, where he played for six seasons and, in his first year, was IHL rookie of the year.
“This is a tremendous honour – one that you never expect, but you’re so thrilled to get,” said Leef, who joked that if it was a Top 9 list, he’d still be at home. He credited the “great players” he played with in Orillia and the coaches who helped. “We had some great teams. That minor midget year, we lost just one game all season. It was a lot of fun,” he said, fighting back tears.
Mears also found the recognition heartening. He is the only goalie from Orillia to ever play minor hockey here and get drafted into the NHL. He was selected 67th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1976. But it was in Orillia that he changed from a forward to a goalie when a coach asked him out of desperation. He went on to be the Orillia Travelways’ MVP in his junior year and then moved to Guelph and took that team to the seventh game of the Centennial Cup championship. Then, it was off to the OHL before, finally, getting to LA. But a crowded Kings’ crease meant he didn’t get an NHL opportunity. Instead he had a stellar career in pro hockey playing for several CHL and IHL teams.
“It’s very humbling to be here and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Mears. “We all started out as little kids playing … who we should all really thank is our parents because the reality is not one of us would be here without them.”
The other goalie to crack the Top 10 was Chuck Goddard, who was unable to attend Saturday’s event. Goddard backstopped the Peterborough Petes to a Memorial Cup in 1964, was a two-time OHL all-star and served as a backup for the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars. In 1969, he decided to go to the University of Saint Mary’s in Halifax and in his four years of CIAU action, he compiled a record of 81-5 and held a shutout record that lasted almost four decades. He was a CIAU all-star, MVP, athlete of the year and is in the school’s hall of fame. He went on to play one year in the AHL before hanging up his skates.
Rick Ley is the only person to ever grow up here, play all his minor hockey here and become a bonafide star in the NHL. At the age of 15, he went to Niagara Falls and won a Memorial Cup as a rookie. Four years later, he was captain of the team as it won its second Memorial Cup. He was drafted 16th overall in the 1966 NHL draft by Toronto and had four strong seasons on the Leafs’ blueline.
He then joined the WHA’s New England Whalers, where he became captain, won an AVCO Cup, was the league’s top defenceman twice, was selected to play in the WHA Summit Series and is one of just three players to have his number retired by the Whalers. He went on to coach, first in the minors, before jumping back to the NHL, first with Hartford and later with Vancouver. He was also an assistant coach in Vancouver and Toronto.
Lutes, who was coaching in Birmingham Saturday night, was represented by his mom and brother at OMAH. They both expressed pride about Craig, who played Jr. C with the Oro 77s, Jr. B with the Orillia Terriers and was drafted by the Oshawa Generals, where he played with Eric Lindros. He was dealt to Guelph, briefly, then went to Windsor, where he became the Spits’ captain and amassed more than 140 points over two seasons. He then went to play for Birmingham in the ECHL, played almost seven seasons and racked up more than 330 points – and then retired from hockey to work in Birmingham.
In a nod to the storied past of hockey, the committee selected Ken Macnab, a star defenceman with the Orillia Younkers – one of the top teams to ever play in Orillia. In the early 1900s, the Younkers dominated. Among a team of deep talent, Macnab was one of the best – a rushing defenceman before his time, who helped the Younkers win back-to-back OHL titles in 1913 and 1914 and then, when he moved up to intermediate, they won again. However, his hockey career ended when he enlisted to serve in the First World War. At that time, Conn Smythe, the architect of the powerhouse Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup champs, told the Toronto Star that Macnab would have made his starting lineup. The Orillia Minor Hockey Association’s top defenceman award is named in his honour.
Parnham, who is currently playing pro hockey in Korea, is the lone Orillia player to ever be drafted in the first round of the OHL. But Sudbury traded him to Oshawa, where he played with John Tavares; each scored 50 goals that year. Parnham, who was named captain of the Generals, also played for Canada at the U17 World Championship and then went on to play two seasons for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. He continues to play pro hockey in Europe. “Brett asked me to thank everyone and especially his coaches,” said his father, Stu. “He loves this community and comes back here every off season.”
Rounding out the Top 10 was Richard Scott, a fearsome forward who shone locally with the Jr. A Terriers, before being drafted by Oshawa. Only the bravest foes would dare go into a corner against the rugged winger who also had good hands and good hockey sense. He went on to play in the ECHL and then moved up to the AHL, where he played in Hartford. There, Glenn Sather, the GM of the New York Rangers, saw something he liked and signed Scott to a two-year contract. Scott played parts of two seasons with the Rangers before retiring due to concussion-related issues.
The Top 10 was chosen by a panel, organized by OMAH, that included local “hockey experts” Bill Watters, Bill Cartmill, Dave Dawson, Ken ‘Jiggs’ McDonald and local historian Dave Town. To be considered, players had to play at least one year of minor hockey in Orillia before junior hockey. Their accomplishments after they left Orillia, and after junior hockey, were also considered.
The unveiling of the Top 10 was the focal point of Hockey Night in Orillia that included the official opening of two sports-related exhibits at the Peter Street museum. Hometown Glory: Orillia's Winter Sports and Breakaway: How Hockey Built a Nation will run until March 31.
