Reply To: The Unofficial ABC’s Off TopicTopic

[Tom Molloy]

In a motel room waiting for the sun to rise so I don't have to drive icy roads in the dark. I haven't been in Lacombe since I played Little League baseball here when I was 12. They had a huge tournament every year and teams from all over came.

We played last night in a town down the road called Ponoka. I played Jr. A in the AJHL there in 1967. I ended there in a round about way.

After high school I went into the seminary and studied Philosophy intending to be a priest. i was in one year and didn't go back the next year. That year I tried out for a Jr. A and a Jr. B team and made them both. Both teams played the university team that was in it's beginning seasons. The Jr. A team lost and the jr. B team won. I decided to play for the Jr. B team. I thought the players were nicer. I was in the top three in the league scoring when I broke my collar bone really badly fooling around with a little kid's stick. I deked a tall guy and when he tripped his elbow came down on the collarbone and gave a bad green stick break. It is still tender now. I missed most of the year but skated a lot taking care of 2 outdoor hockey and one pleasure rink. Scrapped and flooded them every day for about 3 months. I think this really made me a good skater because it forces you into the ideal skating position.

That summer I decided to go back to the seminary and was working cutting greens at a golf course. So 6 hours a day I was walking at a really fast pace behind a power mower. I went to the arena to play shinny with my friends but instead a Jr. A team had a training camp going on. The guy told me I could try out if I wanted.

I was using Eddie Shacks stick autographed by the 67 Maple Leafs. My sister was their stewardess for the entire Stanley Cup playoffs and got me that stick and an autographed air sickness bag. (I lost the stick when we moved but still have the bag which I have framed).

Anyway I was relaxed with no intention of playing for them; just wanting ice time. I was in incredible shape and led the camp in scoring. They wanted me to sign but I said I was returning to the seminary.

I went back to the seminary and returned to my philosophy studies but decided the unmarried life wouldn't be good for me and left in late November. Some of my friend were playing for the Calgary Centennials in the Western Canada Hockey League (now WHL) so I asked for a tryout. It went pretty well and Cec Papke the coach told me to come to the office to sign. they were playing Flin Flon that night (Bobby Clark, Reggie Leach). I filled out the card and Cec looked at it and was surprised. He said "Tom it says you just turned 20. I thought you were 18 and had two years after this. I can't sign you; we are in last place and trying to build for next year." So that was that and I called Ponoka and went there to play Jr. A.

The team payed the room and board and were supposed to give us weekly spending money. I had no money. I couldn't even buy a bottle of pop or get a hair cut. The owner would tell us before every game that if we won we would get our money. Of course it was bs and I never saw a cent. We played vs Calgary and two of their players were pummeling my linemate so I had to jump in to even the numbers. A brawl started. That was the last game before Christmas and we got a few days off.

I went home and my parents drove me the 2.5 hours in -40 weather back for an ex game on New Years Day. They hadn't seen me play since we won the midget provincials. I was getting dressed and the coach came up to me and said. "Tom I forgot to phone and tell you that you are suspended this game. They say you started the brawl vs Calgary. I was a little POed and asked for my release. I returned to Calgary and finished the season with them and went to school at MRC. I started playing for the college team as well but when they found out I was also playing Jr. A I had to chose and stayed Jr. (I am in the college team picture for that season) The next year I went to Bemidji.

To regress with a story about when I went out for the Centennials

I sat in the dressing room and all of a suddent the players jumped one of the guys who had just made the team and held him on the training table. They tied a string around the end of his manhood and held it tight while they shaved him and then put a muscle rub solution on the newly shaved area to give a big burn. When they let him go he went beserk and bodies were flying all over. It was Brian "Spinny" Spencer. He played in the NHL for a long time. The first game he played for Toronto his dad went to the CBC station who were broadcasting Vancouver instead of Toronto to get them to switch telecasts. Unfortunatley he had a rifle with him and was killed by the mounties. Brian ended up murdered as well by the mob after his career. ( it was quite a shock to go from wearing a cassock and collar one day to this situation a few days later.)

So anyway these are the hockey memories that coming back to places like this bring up. It is light out now so I will head home.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'