The Huron Expositor, 1994-12-21, Page 7Local
Local NHLers waiting on sidelines
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
A winter without hockey is like a
Christmas without snow - it doesn't
seem quite all there - but it looks
like we may miss both this year as
the National Hockey League
lockout hit its 81st day Wednesday.
These are trying times for
Seaforth's two NHLers, former next
door neighbors on Main Street
North, Dave McLlwain and Scott
Driscoll.
Scott, an NHL official recently
married and the owner of a new
house in Guelph, says this is the
first winter in 20 plus years when
life hasn't centered around the
sport.
"You have the summertime off to
basically re -focus and get mentally
and physically prepared," Driscoll,
now 26, says. "Then they let you
go back to training camp where you
get your taste of what's to come
and then they take it away from
you. You do miss it."
"But I'm starting to put some of
my five years of education to use,
yes it has come in handy," he adds.
Scott has university Bachelor of
Science degree to fall back on plus
a year at teacher's college. He has
been supply teaching in Guelph,
and hasn't ruled out the possibility
of returning to school for more
education should the lockout
continue and the season be shelved.
He also recently did a bit of
construction work in Toronto with
a neighbour who is in the business.
Scott's wife Colleen is also a
teacher. He has tried to stay in
shape by skating with other officials
at odd times at the University of
Guelph, and once in a while with
Seaforth's Tuesday Night Legends.
Scott is still on partial pay with
the NHL. His wife, Colleen, is also
a teacher, and that helps financially
with the new house and all,
although Scott says he often feels
underfoot and out of place.
"If I had a dollar for every
question - 'When is this thing going
to get settled?'- I could pretty well
retire on this season," McLlwain
said Monday night in a telephone
interview from Ottawa.
"The fans are frustrated because
they like to watch hockey. It's part
of the winter," he added. "As a
player I like to watch the odd game
and I find it tough not to tum the
tube on and catch something. I
think if they can be patient..."
Dave says negotiations this week
are "crucial", but adds he's been
"saying that all along", and is
finding it harder and harder to stay
positive and motivated.
The 27 -year-old has been trying to
stay in shape by getting ice time
during practices when he can with
area junior teams, such as the
Seaforth Centenaires where he
started his junior career 12 seasons
ago, Stratford Cullitons, St. Marys
Lincolns, his brother Mark's team
and those Tuesday Night Legends.
He rhas also played more charity
games than most idle NHLers, six
to date, in Sault Ste. Marie, North
Bay, Ottawa, Toronto, Kitchener
and Stratford, where he netted a hat
trick last week in a Culliton's
charity game.
"I've tried to stay pretty
optimistic about it all throughout
the whole thing -'that it will get
resolved," McLlwain says. "Some
days you get a little higher and
other days you get kind of
depressed about situations you read
in the newspaper. They always tell
you 'don't believe everything you
read or see on the TV', whatever
media you're looking at, because
it's not alwa s the true facts. Both
sides have kind of gone through the
media with negotiations. If they
could just, maybe, everybody keep
quiet about it and let the
negotiations go on. And if they get
settled, fine, and if they don't, then
we can talk about the problems."
This would have been
McLlwain's eighth NHL season, in
a career in which he has scored 92
goals and 95 assists in 425 regular
season games, with Pittsburg,
Winnipeg, Buffalo, Toronto and
now the Ottawa Senators, where
things were on the upbeat after his
second best season in the pros last
year when he finished third on the
team in scoring and bagged 19
goals.
Dave says if the labour dispute
isn't settled he's not sure how he
will react. He can't see himself
sitting around on the couch flipping
channels, and adds he has
mentioned to his agent about
possibly playing overseas, in the
International Hockey League or
maybe in a new league if it ends up
being in the cards.
"Everyone's got that desire, that
competitive edge, in them that you
can't just put on the shelf," Dave
says. "I think you get really antsy
to get back at your career.
"Until it really happens I think
you think about it, but you don't
think about it, but I definitely
couldn't sit around until next
training camp. And who is to say it
will start up next year?"
see Lock -out, page 13
THE HURON Eitt'OSITOR, D.camber 21. 1994-7
Nere•s
wisiiint; rou
a wonderful
I�uliiiar -
hom aN our sta.
.
C
Seaforth
527-0100
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HAT TRICK FOR STRATFORD CHARITY - Seaforth's Dave
McLlwain has had his NHL career interrupted by the lockout by
management. He's was fast approaching a the 100 -goal miles-
tone, but has had to settle for charity games recently. Last
Tuesday night he showed he's still got the old scoring touch by
scoring three goals in a charity game in Stratford.
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NO ZEBRAS TO YELL AT - Seaforth native Scott Driscoll, now
26 and living in Guelph, isn't missing the barbs from fans but still
feels slightly lost as the NHL Lockout reached its 81st day
Wednesday. Scott is an NHL official, still on partial pay, and has
a university degree to fall back on. He's done a bit of construction
Deck The Halls With
Holiday Cheer
Hope yours lasts throughout the yearl
From the Staff & Management at
2nd Period Sports
Main St, SEAFORTH
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Merry Christmas
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