News Update
Welcome to another season of Hawks hockey. We hope you had a nice summer and are ready to step back on the ice. 2024-2025 start soon. The CMHA has been busy. We’ve got a new Board and lots of new energy. Our first big event, the Chip in for Hawks golf tournament, proved a huge success and raised over $8,000. That money is already being put to good use. Our next event, Hockey Day in Capreol, runs on September 28 and includes: a Signing Day, a Silent Auction, a Wingo Bingo, and Sports Trivia. It should prove fun. Come out and join us if you can! Meet the new Board, make a few bids, and help us fundraise. All the profits will go to funding the CMHA.
But that’s not all. Oh no, there’s more events coming. We’re hoping to do a little something for Halloween. And there are plans to do a Spaghetti Dinner sometime in the winter. Plus, we’re and are looking into a Pancake Breakfast too. Expect updates in future newsletters and through our Sports Heads app.
The Training Room
Every month we’re hoping to include a brief how-to guide for home-training. This month we’re reprinting some advice the late Doug Mohns offered back in 1965.
The following are a few points on how to become a professional hockey player:
1) Learn to be a strong skater. Good balance and manoeuvrability can be acquired by skating often.
2) Be aggressive. Get into the play and help out when the opportunity presents itself.
3) Be attentive. Listen to your coach. A great deal can be learned by being a good listener.
4) Eat the proper foods and get plenty of rest. Conditioning is a vital part of a hockey player’s program.
5) Practice hard and often. A good hockey player is not born, he is developed.
Meet Your Board
The CMHA’s new President is Jonathan Tulloch. A dedicated father of 3, his joy is found in the smiles of his children. He finds purpose in giving back to his community, and has ensured that his work and time are directed to developing projects that bring people together.
As president of CMHA Jonathan hopes to bring his experience for NFP development, and an economical mindset to making hockey a joyful & accessible.
Believing in a renewed approach to our nation's pastime, we can offer a safe space for growth and education.
Jonathan is a treasure hunter at heart, he is always looking to develop generational talents and still believes in finding the diamond in the ruff.
Know a Little More
Over a decade before Boston blue-liner Bobby Orr revolutionized hockey another Bruin, Capreol's own Doug Mohns, was changing the game too. Nicknamed 'Diesel' “because of the way I went up and down the ice. If I couldn't get around a player, I went over top of them like a diesel train” he was born in 1933 to Fred and Ella Mohns.
Doug, the youngest of six children, proved an outstanding athlete from a young age. At five years old he put on skating demonstrations between periods of his older brothers' games and, at age seven was offered a contract with the ice capades. Turing that down he remained in Capreol until age fourteen when he was given the chance to “play hockey at a higher level and get paid for it.” Playing for Sudbury he was the district's outstanding juvenile player and won the Most Valuable Player Award. At sixteen he joined the Barrie Flyers of the OHL, where he went on to win two Memorial Cups.
In 1953 he was invited by Boston to fill in 'temporarily' for the injured Jack McIntyre. Doug's two-week stint with the Bruins stretched into eleven years! There, playing alongside Ferny Flaman, the two became “one of the most respected pairings in the league”. Traded to Chicago, Doug joined Stan Mikita and Ken Wharram on the Blackhawks famed 'Scooter Line'. A great scoring combination (all three finished the '66-'67 season in the top ten scoring), they’d go on to be remembered as one of the top lines in NHL history.
Three more teams followed; a successful stay in Minnesota (where, after a move back to defense, he helped the Northstars reach the playoffs), an injury plagued year with the Flames in Atlanta (twenty-eight games topped by season ending back surgery), and his final season spent as Captain of the expansion Washington Capitals.
Known throughout his career for both his speed and strength (Chicago’s coach commented that even at the age of thirtyseven Doug was still the fastest skater on the team, while Ed Sandford, former Bruin Captain, once said, “[he] does not know his own strength”), Doug was equally adept playing forward and defense. Switching back and forth throughout his professional career (often not knowing which position he'd play until game time), he earned for himself the moniker 'Mr. Versatility'. As Al MacNiel, former NHL player and coach, said, “Doug moved from defense to forward with unbelievable ease. To do this at the NHL level was truly amazing.”
Never once playing in the minor leagues Doug Mohns spent 22 years in the NHL (when he retired at 41 only four men had played more –– among them Gordie Howe and Tim Horton!), amassing some truly impressive statistics (248 goals and 462 assists in 1390 regular season games). Just the second defenseman in NHL history to ever score 20 goals in a season, he made seven All-Star appearances (two on defense and five on left wing), had arguably the league's hardest shot (having perfected the, then still-new, slapshot as a junior) and donned a helmet.
Through all his success (and some argue he was “one of the best players to have ever played in the NHL”!) he remained proud of his small-town roots, saying, “Capreol is a place I will never forget.” He returned often during his playing days, occasionally bringing teammates with him and even providing a bus, hotel rooms and food for local youngsters during their stay when visiting Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
Coach’s Corner
Hockey teams succeed or fail for a number of reasons. One of the most important parts of winning, however, is playing together. Putting the team first can be the difference between a win and a loss. Passing the puck if a teammate has a better shot rather than playing “hero” hockey. Remember: the team that plays together, wins together.