Kingston Frontenacs GameDay February 29, 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 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
36 KINGSTON FRONTENACS GAMEDAY MAGAZINE