HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-06-29, Page 88 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Part II of Mason from former NHLer's perspective
ii
Shaun Gregory
Huron Expositor
The Clarence L. "Biggie"
Munn Ice Arena can seat
about 6,470 Michigan State
University hockey fans if
needed on any given day.
From 1980-2002, it was a
standard occurrence to see
Ron Mason behind the
bench hollering with enthu-
siasm at his players to
succeed.
The same patch of surface
with the medieval green
warrior helmet had no nets
or five -on -five competition.
Rather than the standard
face-off at centre ice, in a
casket surrounded by all the
people who loved him laid
Mason.
"You obviously never want
to go to a funeral service, but
the way it was done, in terms
of a service. I thought it was
a fitting tribute to coach
Mason," said long-time Sea -
forth native Mike Watt, who
played three seasons with
MSU in the mid 90s.
"He would have been
proud of it that's for sure."
Long before the Spartans,
Watt remembers first
coming across Mason when
he took part in the Huron
Hockey School program.
This is a course that has
hosted more than 3,450 -day
camps globally with an
alumnus of 300,000 young
hockey players. Roughly 700
NHL players participated in
the Huron system as well as
more than 100 NHL coaches.
That was decades ago and
Watt still remembers the
"intensity" Mason had.
"It didn't matter if he was
fishing, playing cards, coach-
ing hockey, he wanted to do
everything the right way," he
said.
In his 36 years of coaching
hockey, defeat, was a word
Mason was foreign to and
with saying that, he only lost
380 times out of more than a
thousand games. As he
climbed the ranks at MSU
and earned the respect he
deserved from winning, a
loss was something he never
liked accepting -especially if
it was from their arch state
rivals -the Michigan Wolver-
ines. Watt recalls when the
two teams faced each other
at the Joe Louis Arena, it was
a one-sided victory, 8-1 for
You obviously never want to go to a
funeral service, but the way it was
done, in terms of a service. I thought
it was a fitting tribute to coach
Mason," said long-time Seaforth
native Mike Watt, who played three
seasons with MSU in the mid 90s."
the Wolverines.
"I'11 never forget his face
you could see that intensity,
stated Watt. "If you brought
it up now, he would still be
mad at that game."
Both coming from Sea -
forth, a bond grew over the
years, a friendship that
lasted until Mason died. He
referred to Watt as "Michael."
"He always called me that.'
Currently Watt is the assis-
tant coach for the U.S. junior
hockey team, the Blooming-
ton Thunder, alongside head
coach Dennis Williams from
Stratford. He told the Exposi-
tor, the position of teaching
hockey is a quest he went
through because Coach
Mason inspired him to do so.
"He said Michael, if you (do)
one thing make sure you go
back and get your
degree," Watt said. Listen-
ing to his mentor's
advice, he went back to
school, with the end result of
Watt graduating from MSU.
"I called him up, remem-
ber that promise I made,
well I kept it," stated Watt
with cheer in his voice.
As both were raised in
rural Seaforth, Watt said it's
possible the town's junior
teams had their hand in
influencing change at MSU.
He also added that he as a
Courtesy of Twitter
Ron Mason's funeral service was at the Clarence L. "Biggie"
Munn Ice Arena.
coach, player and person
would not be where he is to
this day if it wasn't for Mason
as well as the Huron East
Centenaires hockey club.
"The Centenaires' pro-
gram and what it's done for
people like myself, we owe
them so much. It was some-
thing about the green, gold
and white. It was kind of a
transformation right into the
green of Michigan," said
Watt.
"I don't know if coach
Mason had any take in that,
but everything was green
and white with him, so
maybe he had influence on
the Centenaires colours.
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