The National Hockey League will announce their year end award winners in September.
Of note, former OHL’er Ryan O’Reilly who played for the Erie Otters, is a finalist for the Frank Selke Trophy which is awarded to the NHL’s top defensive forward.
It’s significant that O’Reilly has a shot at winning the award for a second straight year.
However, the real hope is that if he does win, he gives me some clarity as to where exactly he’s from or lives.
Our Goderich station tells me O’Reilly’s roots are debated at length to this day.
As best they can determine, O’Reilly was born in Clinton, lived in Varna and played Minor Hockey in Seaforth.
Naturally all 3 of those Ontario centres, which are 14 minutes, 22 minutes and 25 minutes apart accoridng to Google maps, are staking claim to the Stanley Cup winner.
And that doesn’t surprise me.
In the 1960’s the Orser Family, including their elementary school aged skating son, Brian, operated the Corner Cupboard in Midland.
Orser’s father, Butch, was the Plant manager at Coca-Cola in Penetanguishene.
The family eventually resided in Lafontaine.
And Brian, at the peak of his career, lived and trained out of Orillia.
Sometime after the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, when Brian Orser returned to Canada with a delightful silver medal, I was at a celebration.
Naturally, the mayors and political representatives of Midland, Penetanguishene, Lafontaine and Orillia all stood up at the banquet & congratulated ” their ” Brian.
Brian Orser. Ryan O’Reilly. Further proof that everybody loves a winner.