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Posted by: Ryan_Williams on 12/01/2009 12:38 PM
Updated by: Ryan_Williams on 03/04/2010 12:38 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM

Taking the road less traveled to Memorial Cup

North Bay was a first stop and a last stop on Gerard Peltier's hockey wanderings.

By Ryan Williams
theclaw.ca

The journey to the Memorial Cup for Junrior Hockey supremacy can take many different routes. For Gerard Peltier it was a journey that began at a much older age than is usual and brought a young Native man into organized sports.

Peltier was born and raised on the Wikwemikong First Nations Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, where his love for hockey started to develop.

“My parents wanted me to get a better education so they sent me to North Bay and said I might even be able to play hockey,” Peltier said.

This is where Peltier was introduced into a brand of competitive hockey he was not used to.

“I never played any organized hockey until I came to North Bay when I was 13 or 14,” he explained.

Peltier lived with relatives and attended St. Joseph- Scollard Hall Secondary School in North Bay. After playing one year of varsity hockey for Scollard he made the jump across town to West Ferris Secondary School.

“I went basically straight from house league to high school hockey,” Peltier added.

After putting up impressive stats at the high school level as a defenceman, Peltier was approached by scouts from the major junior
level and colleges in the USA.

He was drafted by the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Cornwall had future National Hockey League stars Dale Hawerchuk and Marc Crawford on the team.

“I remember walking up to the school in June and having teammates congratulating me. I didn’t know why so I asked and they told me I had been drafted,” Peltier said, laughing.

Peltier was also in contact with several top-of-the-line colleges in the States. Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University, and even Ivy League school Princeton all tried to get Peltier on their team.

“Not really knowing what the scholarship was and the thought of moving that far away from home was completely out of my mind,” Peltier said.

Even now that he knows the scholarship opportunities he passed up by not attending those schools doesn't make him regret his decision to go the Major Junior route.

“I passed up a big opportunity, but hindsight is always 20/20” said Peltier.

So at the age of 18 Peltier packed up his equipment and headed from the Wiki Reserve for an eight-hour trip east across Highway 17 to pursue his newly acquired hockey career. In his first full season in Cornwall Peltier put up five goals, 13 assists and added 41 penalty minutes.

“After my first year in Cornwall I came back to play for the North Bay Trappers (Junior ‘A’).” Peltier explained.

BROUGHT HOME THE HARDWARE

Peltier won best defensive honors while playing for the Trappers that year and the trophy still sits in the Memorial Gardens Arena. Peltier said he still doesn't miss a chance to show it off.

“My kids walk by once in a while and I show them but my name is on the back now so they say ‘yeah, right Dad’” Peltier said with a laugh.

In 1982 Peltier’s career hit its peak when he rejoined the Cornwall Royals which had made the jump from the QMJHL to the Ontario Hockey League.

This is where he became friends and teammates with future Toronto Maple Leaf legend Doug Gilmour. That 1982 Royals team went on to win the Memorial Cup, Canada’s Major Junior Hockey Championship.

“It’s a huge honor to win a national title with guys like that.”

Peltier had an impressive season, building on his rookie campaign. He notched 10 goals with 20 assists and racked up 127 penalty minutes as a defenceman. Unfortunately, the National Hockey League passed him up in a draft year that was loaded full of talented players.

“It was a heavy stacked draft year that year so unfortunately for us other guys we didn’t really have much of a shot,” Peltier said.

After winning the Memorial Cup, Peltier’s career went in a different direction. Playing one year in the minors in the International Hockey League for the Muskegon Mohawks only posting one goal and three assists with four penalty minutes, he came back to play a year and half for Canadore College.

“I didn’t try out for the team; the coach just came up to me and asked me if I wanted to play,” Peltier said, laughing.

This turned out to be a good decision for him and the team as they went to the national final but came up a little short, winning the bronze medal. When his run with Canadore was over he went over to Sweden to play professionally for a year.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after going there(Sweden),” Peltier admitted .

So he took a year off from the ice then returned to school. He wound up attending Humber College where he was a part of a team that went to the national finals in back-to-back years, but he could not capture that elusive national college title.

“After that I retired. At the age of 25 I retired from hockey,” Peltier explained.

Peltier has not completely stepped away from the ice. He is still plays recreation hockey in a men’s league in North Bay.

“I have been playing hockey for 40 years now,” Peltier said proudly.

Peltier also shares his experience of the game by coaching the Canadore Panthers hockey team and the North Bay Trappers ‘Midget AA’ team.

“I always felt comfortable in North Bay,” Peltier added.

Peltier explained one of his days as beginning at 6 a.m. to be to the arena for his ‘AA’ practice, then to the college for work, and then back to the rink for his college practice. Some nights he even has his own games to play, but Peltier does not mind being that busy.

“I love the game and I love helping the kids improve their own game” said Peltier.