Presentation was part of pre-game ceremony on Dec. 9
By
Mark Schadenberg
LONDON -- All
Canadian kids love to play hockey, and the London Knights Alumni Foundation
will be making it a little easier for London-area youth to join the fun.
At
Friday’s London Knights game, Rocky Farr, who was the starting goalie for London’s
first Junior A team the Nationals in the mid 1960’s was instrumental in 2
cheque presentations -- $5,000 to the George Bray Sports Association and also $5,000
to the London Junior Knights minor hockey program.
Rocky Farr pictured in middle. Also, from far left: Don Brankley, Murray Howard from George Bray hockey,
Rocky Farr, Kevin Gardner (beard) vice president of London Junior Knights minor hockey,
and Rick Doyle president of Knights alumni foundation and Rogers TV colour commentator.
It
is interesting, noteworthy and very honourable that Rocky Farr has made such a
large contribution to the alumni foundation as he now resides in Forth Worth,
Texas. Farr played 19 games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres in the early
1970’s on teams which included Gil Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Jim
Schoenfeld and Tim Horton (Yes – that Tim Horton). Farr was a NHL backup behind
the likes of Roger Crozier, Dave Dryden, Gerry Desjardins and Gary Bromley. Farr
had been a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization, but had his contract
shift to Buffalo in the expansion draft when both the Sabres and Canucks joined
the NHL.
Besides
being a goalie for the London Nationals, Farr played in the minors for the Denver
Spurs, Cleveland Barons, Cincinnati Swords, Salt Lake City Golden Eagles, and
-- you guessed correctly – the Fort Worth Wings.
I
interviewed Rocky Farr in the first intermission Friday night, while I did ask
him about the Nationals, the Sabres, Horton and Farr’s contribution to the
Knights alumni foundation, I didn’t ask him about this last year in pro hockey.
I find it quite intriguing that his last season (75-76) was as a member of the Johnstown
Jets, a team which became notorious in the movie Slap Shot with a roster of actual pro
hockey players which included Woodstock / Tillsonburg hockey star John Gofton
(Nick Brophy in the movie), along with the Hanson brothers (Dave Hanson, Steve
Carlson and Jeff Carlson), Jean Tetreault, Reg Bechtold, Guido Tenesi, Bruce
Boudreau (Listed in credits as hockey player No. 7), goalie Ron Docken, and a
19-year-old Paul Holmgren.
Farr
noted it was his success in business as a financial advisor in Fort Worth, and
his many connections to family and friends still living in Ontario between
London and Toronto, and his desire to give back to hockey, which assisted himself
in deciding to make such an important contribution to 2 minor hockey groups in
London.
Rocky Farr
The
Knights Alumni association is led by president Rick Doyle, who is the colour
commentary on Knights hockey on Rogers TV. Doyle played 4 seasons with the
Knights (1974-78), was drafted in the 7th round by the Colorado
Rockies (New Jersey Devils today as the Colorado Avalanche are the former
Quebec Nordiques), and played minor pro. Doyle coached AAA minor hockey in
London for several seasons, and has a varied past career mostly in distribution
of wine, spirits and beer.
The
George Bray association, by the way, was created by George Bray in 1968, and continues
with a group of dedicated volunteers, who operate a minor hockey program for
athletes with physical and mental challenges. The hockey skills taught and
games played are for boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 18. They also
offer learn-to-skate classes and other related programs to introduce hockey to
young athletes.
Murray
Howard is now the George Bray president and it is certainly a charitable
organization. Howard was at the Friday donation ceremony on the ice pregame.
Representing
the Knights minor hockey association was its vice president Kevin Gardner.
Farr noted that when he attended the 50th anniversary of the Knights / Nationals franchise a couple years ago, he began to think about giving back to London sports.
DON
BRANKLEY
Also
significant in the cheque presentation on Friday was Don Brankley, who was the
Knights trainer from 1970 to 2008. Brankley was immensely dedicated to the
OHL’s Knights in every capacity and is now retired and lives near Sudbury, and
is a member of the Knights Alumni Foundation committee along with Doyle, Farr
and others. If you ask Don about the alumni of the Knights, he would tell you
all former Knights are ‘Branks Boys’. His dedication is second to none as
Brankley lived in the Ice House arena and would coordinate most off-ice tasks
with the club from laundering jerseys to sewing on numbers.
FOUNDATION
I
chatted with Rick Doyle last night particularly about the alumni foundation. It
must be said that he would encourage all former players to join the group to
help organize events, but also to contribute to the fund. The Knights alumni
foundation is a registered charity, so donations will certainly include a tax
receipt.
Doyle
added that anyone can make a donation and would receive a tax receipt as you
don’t have to be a former Knights / Nationals Junior A (OHL) player to donate.
Take
it from my extensive background of volunteering, everybody should gave back to
their “home” in some way. The fabric of the sports and hockey community in
London and in any Canadian city or hamlet is through dedicated volunteers and
coaches, but also in creating a sustainable system where all children can
receive the opportunity to participate.
You
may contact Rick Doyle at: rdoyle@directcellars.ca
Rick Doyle, Greg Sloan and myself
WOODSTOCK
The
Woodstock minor hockey association has similar funding available for families
to apply for. Named after long-time WMHA executive member Alf Langdon, the
local fund collects money and gently used equipment. The connection is
appropriate as Alf Langdon, who died of cancer at the age of 60 in 2011, was a
former president of the WMHA, but also donated hundreds of hours to maintaining
the association’s inventory of equipment.
To
donate in Woodstock, you may contact Al’s widow, Pat Langdon, at the minor
hockey office at 519 539-3181 or email: wmha@bellnet.ca
The
WMHA Christmas house league tournament (Dec 27 – 29 this year) is also named
after Alf Langdon, who was also posthumously inducted in the Woodstock Sports
Wall of Fame in late October of this year.
The
family’s participation in hockey goes well beyond Alf and Pat as their son Bob
was a Junior B player, and eventually a NHL referee (2001-06) and also a
referee in the OHL for about 20 years (Before and after his NHL career). Daughter
SueAnn was also a referee. Pat’s brother Ken Lewis is inducted in Woodstock
sports wall as a coach in both boys’ and girls’ competitive minor hockey. Ken’s
son Adam Lewis played in the OHL for the Kitchener Rangers and then many years
in the United or Colonial league including a few seasons with Fort Wayne
Komets.
Alf Langdon
KNIGHTS LINKS:
2008 Story:
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
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757 Dundas St, Woodstock
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