Kingston Frontenacs GameDay February 13, 2016

Battling night after night side-by-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
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
36 KINGSTON FRONTENACS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE