Kingston Frontenacs GameDay January 16, 2016

Battling night after night sideby-side
with the same group
of players, working towards
a common goal and overcoming
obstacles; these are the bricks that
form the foundation of a team.
Ask any hockey player what they
remember most about their time on
the ice or off and you’re likely to hear
the same refrain over and over, “It
was my teammates.” When asked to
think back on his three seasons as a
member of the Kingston Canadians,
Wayne Erskine is singing from the very
same songbook. “I loved the hockey, I
loved the competition and I have great
memories of many team and personal
accomplishments,” recalled Erskine.
“But the thing that I remember most
and the thing that I miss the most
about those days, is the friendships
and the camaraderie.”
So, this summer, Erskine and 30
or more of his former teammates from
the 1984-1987 Kingston Canadians
will be gathering in the Limestone City
to look back, share some stories and
rekindle those bonds.
The idea for the reunion was batted
around initially when the Frontenacs
hosted the OHL All Star game in 2010.
Part of the festivities included a game
between Kingston alumni and former
NHLers.
“We tried to do something right
after that game–it was so much
fun,” said Erskine. “But because of
schedules and such, we just couldn’t
make it happen. For whatever reason–
everybody is much more available
now so it’s looking really good for this
summer.”
It’s been 30 years since many of
these players spent any time together
and the goal of Wayne Erskine and his
co-organizer Chris Clifford is to create
a weekend which will not just renew
old friendships but also give the fans
and community members a chance to
see the players they once cheered for
from the friendly confines of the “M
Centre.”
“We had a pretty good team in
those days,” said Erskine. “Good
coaching, goaltending, lots of speed
and scoring and we were pretty tough
when we needed to be.”
Most long-time fans will remember
names like Jeff Chychrun, Scott
Pearson, Herb Raglan, Scott Metcalfe
and the late Bryan Fogarty but those
teams also had their share of locally
grown talent. Ted Linesman, Jeff
Cornelius and goaltender Chris Clifford
carried the flag for their hometown.
In fact it was Clifford who arguably
drew more attention than any other
player when, on January 7th, 1987
34 KINGSTON FRONTENACS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE