Cape Breton's Magazine

edge on your skate and you're into the boards. But it's not too much like that any more. The penalties are greater now for that. I think you're ejected from the rink so you don't get back in. But those things would happen. Some wild games! (I'm told Gordie Grant was a very mild man....) Murray laughs. Now, that's a dif? ferent thing! That's a different thing. When Gordie was in the stands, you knew it. He loved his Glace Bay hockey. He was a great supporter. Still is, I guess. But if Gordie was in the stands, you knew it. You could hear him. You could hear him all over the rink. You could hear him everywhere. We had a good bunch of backers. We had some good people behind us that believed in us, and that was it. Bill Sidney And when the (Glace Bay Forum) franchise folded, there was a fellow--a very avid hockey fan who's still living, and was always involved in hockey in Glace Bay--who was rather rambunctious, I guess is a word--he's a[ little more than that, but--by the name of Gor? die Grant. And Gordie was| always connected with hockey in Glace Bay. And he and this Ho? ward Wadden, who is now dead, they were the ones that came to my house when the franchise folded. Glace Bay decided to fold up. They came to my house on a Sunday morning aiid said, "Let's the three of us go to the bank and sign a note and take this team over." Now, I didn't have 200 cents at the time, let alone 200 dollars each. That's what we were going to have to sign for. I was struggling along, trying to raise a family and make ends meet. But anyway, we did. And that's how we ac- quired that franchise. We then went out and got some other guys involved. There was us three, then Timmy Hines' father became a director. Ernie Beaton, who's now dead--he was a pretty high official in the coal com? pany in Glace Bay at the time--we elected him as president. We got him in to add some class to the thing. Manning Mclntyre--we got him as coach. Judge Leo Maclntyre--was a lawyer then in Glace Bay. He became part of our directorate. There were 9 of us. There was a terrific fellow by the name of Johnny Read, who was kind of a manager, and DON'S FLOWERS Serving Port Hood, Judique, Inverness and Surrounding Areas p. O. Box 179, Port Hawkesbury, N. S. BOE 2V0 Telephone 625-2215 or 625-2717 a member of the board, at the time. And An- gtiS MacDougall, who's still alive in Glace Bay, has always been a very avid hockey fan. These are kind of household names in hockey in Glace Bay, all of them. So that's where the 9 guys came from. Starting out, we held meetings. And away we went. Now at the time, they were in the hole, when we took it over. I don't remember the amount, but at the time it was a fairly decent amount. And when the season was over, we had $8000 in the bank. Which in those days was a tremendous amount of mon? ey. I mean, you nevet expected to end up with a profit, let alone $8000. After the final game, we went to the players--or at the final game, if I remem? ber right. We went to the players and said, "The $8000 is yours. Divide it up any way you want." So they held a team meeting and decided to vote so many shares to each player. Because some of the players had come late in the year. And they divided the money up. And they bought each of us a watch, the 9 of us a watch. Bulova watch, I'll never forget it, 'cause Manning's still wearing his. Your Commercial and Home Entertainment Headquarters • Video Taping for ail Occasions - Televisions - Stereos Young's Sight & Sound ??''''''''' Centre uo 306 Charlotte Street Sydney, N.S. BIP 1C7 Pianos - Home Organs - Churcii Organs - P. A. Services & Installations 539-4800 J. A. Young & Son 1' o' Maritime ''''' • '''To'''j''''y Marlin Travel o'' OR TOLL FREE 1-800-565-1538 181 Charlotte Street Sydney