Kingston Frontenacs GameDay January 16, 2016

he became the first goaltender in the
long and storied history of the Ontario
Hockey League to score a goal. “That
sure got a lot of media and it shone the
spotlight on us for sure,” said Erskine.
“But Chris would be the first to tell
you that we deserved the spotlight
because we had a solid team.”
A quick check of the 30-year-old
stats bears those claims out. The
1985/1986 team won the first round
of the playoffs against Oshawa but
lost in what was then a round-robin
playoff format between Kingston,
Peterborough and Belleville. The
next year, the OHL returned to the
more traditional series of quarter
finals, semi-finals and finals.
Kingston defeated the Belleville
Bulls in the first round but lost to the
Oshawa Generals. That loss was the
culmination of Erskine’s final year. A
few of his teammates like Raglan and
Chychrun would go on to successful
NHL careers. Although he wasn’t
playing in the OHL any more, Erskine
decided to stick around Kingston for a
while and was heartbroken to see the
trials and tribulations that would dog
the team in 1988 including a leaguerecord
losing streak and changes in
ownership, franchise name and sadly,
a downward spiral for the team in
general. “It was disappointing based
on what we’d accomplished and on
how good the younger core group
coming in looked,” he said. “The
issues with ownership certainly trickled
down to the players and obviously they
struggled to stay focused.”
However, the dark days of the
Kingston Raiders did not diminish
Erskine’s love for his adopted city or
for his OHL alma mater. He’s still an
avid fan of the team and gets down
to Kingston from his home in Ottawa
whenever his job with Canadian Blood
Services allows for it.
The excitement is palpable in his
voice as he talks about finalizing plans
for the reunion. More than 30 players
have committed to return this summer
including former St. Louis Blues right
winger Herb Raglan and Flyers tough
guy Jeff Chychrun. Things will kick
off with a golf day for the players
followed by a Saturday afternoon that
will involve reconnecting with the
fans and then a more formal sit down
dinner on Saturday evening. Former
players who might be interested in
attending should get in touch with
the Frontenacs front office for contact
information and more details. KF
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