A year ago, on the night the Owen Sound Attack eliminated Windsor to win the OHL Western Conference title, Attack coach Mark Reeds was asked about the positive impact of Assistant Coach Terry Virtue on the club.
Without hesitation, Reeds confirmed the value of Virtue with high praise and then linked him to ” Crash ” Davis of ” Bull Durham ” fame.
Like the baseball character Kevin Costner portrayed, Terry Virtue played 16 years of professional hockey with 15 teams, making it to the NHL for 5 games over that period of time.
But Terry Virtue was far more than a player, certainly as the years passed, Reeds noted that Virtue evolved into a tremendous mentor, the kind of player, the kind of person, hockey organizations entrusted to guide and assist in the development of their younger players.
In 2007, when his playing days were finished, Terry Virtue joined the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League as an assistant coach before shifting to Ontario for the past two years with the Attack, including their championship season one year ago.
Like ” Crash ” Davis who drifted to Asheville to conclude his fictional playing days in the baseball movie, Virtue confirmed this week that he’s on the move again. And while there’s nothing formally established yet, there’s little doubt that a hockey organization somewhere will take advantage of his vast and varied experiences.
In the movies, ” Crash ” Davis made a very positive impact on the Durham Bulls.
In real life, Terry Virtue can make the same claim regarding the Owen Sound Attack.
I’m Fred Wallace