HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-03-04, Page 10Page TO The Huron Expositor • March 4, 2009
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Huron Expositor • March 4, 2009 Page 11
Former N HLer Dave McElwain hanging up skates,
coming home after 22 years of professional hockey
Dan Schwab
After 22 years of playing profes-
sional hockey, Seaforth native and
former NHLer Dave McLlwain is
hanging up his skates for the last
time.
The 42 -year-old veteran returns
to Canada this month as his sea-
son with Germany's Cologne Sharks
comes to an end.
"My heart, mind and body are tell-
ing melt's been enough. It',s finally
time to retire," McLlwain said dur-
ing an interview with The Expositor
from Germany last week.
"I have a good relationship with the
team here, but I won't be staying,"
he said. "I'm looking at what other
opportunities are out there. It's time
to look in another direction."
McLlwain said he underwent back
surgery last year and also `suffered
some concussions, making him con-
sider retirement as the best option
for his health.
-= It's also the first time in his nine
years with the Sharks that the team
has failed to make the playoffs.
"It's not the ending that I wanted
but I can say I've been lucky enough
to have made a lot of friends and
great memories," he said.
Last year, McLlwain was named top
athlete of the year for all of Cologne
by 50 sports journalists throughout
Germany's fourth largest city.
As a league -leader in points net-
ting 64 points in 54 games, McL1-
wain was selected over the best pro-
fessional athletes in the city, from.
soccer players to rowers and eques-
trians.
"It was a real honour to be recog-
nized," he said. "There's a very good
calibre of hockey here."
Coming back to Ontario, McL1-
wain will be reunited with his wife
Lisa and son Nathan, 4, who both
spent most of the European Hockey
League season here.
Although McLlwain says he's still
unsure if he'll pursue a coaching
career in the future, he says little
Nathan is already picking up the
game.
"He's out on the ice now and he
plays some road hockey," McLlwain
says. "I'll be able to help him, but re-
ally it's pp to him if he wants to play
hockey or not."
As a player who learned to play the
game at t1Te Seaforth arena, where
his pictures are still displayed in the
trophy case, McLlwain offered some
professional advice to some of young,
up and coming Seaforth Stars.
"They've got to remember that it
is a game meant to be fun," he said.
"Hopefully parents realize that and
don't take it too seriously."
McLlwain, a centre, played in
European leagues for 12 years, be-
ginning his overseas career with a
Swiss team after leaving the New
York Islanders in 1997.
During the course -of a long NHL
INI)IAIN RIvLI& DIRE(i
career, McLlwain has also played for
the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple
Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets
and Pittsburgh Penguins.
He grew up playing minor hockey
in Seaforth before ' moving to the
OHL, playing with the Kitchener
Rangers.
He was drafted in round nine of
the 1986 NHL entry draft.
Looking back on his 22 years in
hockey, McLlwain considers the first
time he donned the Pittsburgh Pen-
guins jersey for his NHL debut game
in 1987 as one of the highlights of
his long career.
Winning the minor league champi-
onship with Pittsburgh's farm team,
the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 1989,
is also a memorableyear for McL1-
wain.
And of course, there were the two
seasons he spent playing for the To-
ronto Maple Leafs, from 1991-93.
"I think every kid in Ontario can
say that at one time it was their
dream to play for the Leafs," McL1-
wain said.
McLlwain played 500 games in the
NHL, scoring 100 goals and 107 as-
sists for a total of 207 points in 14
seasons.
Sweeping to win
with the
bantam curlers
Susan Hundertmark photos
At right, Shelby Radford, of the Vanas-
tra Curling Club throws a rock while
below, Christina Scheiken and Tommy
McGrath, of the Seaforth Curling Club,
sweep hard during the Ontario Curling
Association's Zone 14 mixed bantam
bonspiel for curlers under alb 16. Seven
teams from Seaforth, Vanastra, Exeter
and Wingham Competed and Exeter and
Wingham will move on to the regionals
in Walkerton on March 7 and 8.
i'1
6;;;B:BOX of Fr c: RIDA
Seedless Navel Oranges
or Ruby Red Grapefruit
•