I moved to Prince Edward Island in September of 2011. I attended the University of Prince Edward Island’s Business program following one year at Saint Mary’s University (I can’t believe I thought I wanted to be a teacher…). While this small island was supposed to be a stopover for me, I fell in love with this province in a way I never thought possible. Now, I’m here to stay.
One thing I’ve learned about PEI is it’s deep connection with sports, in particular hockey. While rugby is wildly popular here, and the high school provincial basketball championship draws the same attendance as university hoops, hockey is still king. We have three high-level teams: The Jr. A Summerside Capitals, the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team, and the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. The fans of each are rabid, and turn out in droves to support their own. Each have done an excellent job of integrating themselves with grassroots hockey across the island, creating local heroes for Island youth to look up to.
The impact of PEI hockey extends beyond the Confederation Bridge, however. Islanders are impacting the game at a professional level, and a lot more NHL and AHL players have ties to PEI than you think.
When you think of NHL’ers from PEI, you immediately think of one player: The pride of Murray Harbour, two-time Stanley Cup winner Brad Richards. Almost everyone on the island claims to have some sort of tie to Richards. Chances are if you’re from the eastern end of PEI, you’ve either a) fished with his father, b) bought seafood from his father, or c) know someone who fished with his father. He’s the face of hockey on the island; it’s front-page news in the Guardian if he sneezes the wrong way. He’ll forever be an ambassador to Island youth looking for an NHL hero. My connection? C.
The next person most think of is the rugged Bruins blueliner from Cornwall, Adam McQuaid. My Facebook timeline is endlessly littered with McQuaid Youtube clips every time he throws a big hit or dummies someone in a fight. He trains every summer at a local gym that works with high-level youth players, so he’s constantly getting face time with Island hockey players of tomorrow. He’s also another guy who has ties to lots of people on the Island. My connection? My girlfriend’s cousin’s friend is dating him.
Those are likely the only PEI ties in the NHL that you can think of, right? Wrong.
Dion Phaneuf and his wife Elisha Cuthbert can be found on the island the majority of the offseason; while he was born in Edmonton, his family is all from PEI. Phaneuf and Cuthbert got married here in the summer of 2013 (the Leafs all went and partied at Peakes Quay the night before and to this day not going is my biggest regret). His brother Dane played part of his junior career here with the then-PEI Rocket. Side note, remember when he got into it with Hayley Wickenheiser in a scrimmage? It happened, but I can’t find video of it.
Joel Ward took an unconventional route to the NHL through the CIS and then into the AHL. Who did he play CIS hockey with? That’s right, the UPEI Panthers. Here’s an excerpt from his post in The Player’s Tribune:
“…when I didn’t get drafted, I went to the University of Prince Edward Island. That was a great decision for me. I matured a lot as a person, and by the time I came out, I had a degree in sociology and felt much better prepared to be a professional.”
Most summers you can still find Joel Ward on the island for charity events. This past December he had his #22 raised to the rafters of the MacLauchlan Arena.
This, however, will forever go down as my favourite Joel Ward moment, and cements how well he integrated with UPEI culture:
The Island’s legacy in the NHL doesn’t stop there though. It actually dates back almost a hundred years.
Charlie Cahill, a Summerside native, was the first Islander to crack an NHL lineup. He played almost 2 seasons with the Boston Bruins as a 21 year-old in 1925. He wasn’t, however, the first Islander to score a goal. That distinction belongs to Hickey Nicholson, who had a cup of coffee with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1938. At the time, the Black Hawks were a cash-strapped team, so while Nicholson had the skill to play for the Hawks the following season, they didn’t have the funds to bring him up from Kansas City of the then-American Hockey Association. The next Islander to come along would be Wes “Bucko” Trainor, who suited up for in 17 games for the Rangers at the tail end of the 1949 season. He put up 3 points in that time and figured to receive regular minutes the following season, until an errant puck in the pre-season shattered his jaw in three places.
(All information in the last paragraph came from the PEI Sport Hall of Fame)
The first notable NHL’er to come from PEI is local legend Forbes Kennedy. Kennedy suited up in over 600 games for the Black Hawks, Red Wings, Bruins, Flyers, and Maple Leafs, scoring 70 goals and 178 points. He was more known for his gritty play, racking up almost 1000 PIMs in his career. Kennedy became infamous for this game against his former team the Bruins; following a Pat Quinn hit to Bobby Orr, Kennedy took part in four fights, finishing off with goalie Gerry Cheevers and linesman George Ashley. Check it out:
Kennedy was banned from the league following this incident. Here on PEI though? He’s still a hero and one of the nicest, most humble men I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
Kennedy was the first Islander to suit up for the Maple Leafs, but he was far from the last. Kennedy opened the doors for many Islanders breaking in to the NHL, leading to a golden age in Island hockey.
The early 70’s saw a glut of Islanders make their mark on the NHL, most of which playing through the entire decade. Brothers Billy and Bobby MacMillan, Al MacAdam, Gary Simmons, and Bob Stewart all played crucial roles across the league throughout the decade. Billy MacMillan actually played a couple of seasons with the Leafs before he was picked up by the Atlanta Flames in the Expansion Draft. He wasn’t the biggest Islander of the decade to play with the Leafs, however. Summerside’s Errol Thompson played five and a half seasons in Toronto, posting 43 goals in 1975-76. He was traded in the ’78 season to Detroit, where he went on to become captain of the team.
The 80’s however, saw the only two stars emerge that could usurp Richards as the biggest NHLer’s to come from PEI: Gerard Gallant and Rick Vaive. Gallant was one of the most prolific scorers of the 80’s for the Wings, putting up four 30-goal seasons while racking up over 200+ PIMs in those same seasons. Imagine if he was able to stay out of the box…
Rick Vaive became one of the best goal-scorers in Leafs history, posting three 50-goal seasons and at least 30 goals in every full season he wore the blue and white. While not born on PEI, he moved to Charlottetown at the age of 11 and played his minor hockey here.
Even our barbers have ties to the NHL! Joe Punzo, owner of Joe’s Barber Shop on Grafton St., is widely known as being the barber for some of the biggest names in hockey while living in Toronto 50 years ago. He even used to be Ballard’s barber. It’s a shame he didn’t nick his ear… or his scalp.
Not only have our Island’s best hockey players had success on the ice, but our best hockey minds have had success behind the bench. Gallant turned his stellar playing career into an excellent coaching career with the Wings, Blue Jackets, and Panthers, where he finished as runner-up for the Jack Adams Award in 2015-2016. He’s now the first head coach in the history of the Vegas Golden Knights. Oh, and his assistant? Mike Kelly, a Summerside native.
The man who hired Gallant in Columbus is also a proud Islander! Sportsnet analyst Doug MacLean served in various coaching and management roles across the NHL for years. He’s now considered one of the leading insiders in hockey media.
Charlottetown native Dave Cameron, a former player in his own right, cut his teeth coaching all across North America in all different leagues, before finally being hired by the Ottawa Senators for five years. He served as assistant coach at first before being offered the head coaching position in 2014, leading the team to the playoffs that year. Nowadays he’s still behind the bench in Calgary as an assistant coach.
Aside from the listed above, other notable PEI figures in the NHL include Steve Ott, former 2-time Stanley Cup winner (and former Leafs first round draft pick) Grant Marshall, and Andy O’Brien, trainer for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As for the future? PEI’s is bright. Penguins top prospect Daniel Sprong called Charlottetown home for four seasons as a member of the Islanders, along with Senators prospect Filip Chlapik and Mason McDonald of the Flames. As for homegrown talent, all eyes will be on Acadie-Bathurst Titan defenseman Noah Dobson, who already ranks in the top 100 prospects of 2018 by Future Considerations. Not to mention Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Spencer Smallman, Vancouver Canucks free agent signee Zack MacEwen, Tampa Bay tough guy Alex Gallant, New York Islanders power forward Ross Johnston. Prince Edward Island might be small, but we’ve certainly made our mark on the NHL, and will continue to do so.
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