CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – If you're a follower of the P.E.I. hockey scene for the past 30 years or so, you will certainly remember Terry (Hank) Trainor, a midget and junior star in the province who passed away far too soon of a heart attack on his 33rd birthday, a few decades ago.
Hank was a well-known character who could score in a phone booth, although that cliché may be dated as young people today wouldn't know what a phone booth is. He could stick-handle with the best and was a gifted natural scorer, good enough to win the MVP award at the regional midget AAA tournament against NHL great Al MacInnis of Port Hood, N.S.
When Hank moved up to the Island junior league, he was among the top scorers with the strong North River North Stars. At a time when intimidation was part of the junior game here, Terry didn't like that aspect of hockey, but he could take care of himself if trouble came his way, as a couple of unsuspecting heavies found out.
Hank could shake and bake with the best of them. Without question, he was an entertaining performer.
Terry was the youngest of the inner-city Trainor family whose oldest was Harvey, a talented basketball standout in his day on a St. Dunstan’s High School team that included Ron Garrett, St Clair Ellsworth, Leonard Morrissey and John White, who went on to play with Canada's national hoop squad. Harvey also was a top notch high-school football player but don't ask him, he's the classic introvert.
Last week, Nick Trainor capped off a terrific midget AAA campaign by scoring the winning goal as Robin's Mid-Isle Matrix dumped Pownal Taco Boyz Red Devils 5-2 in the championship game for the Island crown.
Nick was named the league's MVP much to the delight of his mom Tara, Terry's daughter. Many of Terry's old city maintenance crew were at the game pulling for Mid-Isle and for Nick, who seems to be following in his granddad's hockey footsteps.
Nick is a terrific student and according to East Wiltshire principal Windsor Wight, who played with Terry in North River, was a 90 per cent-plus student that displayed plenty of leadership skills. Hank would have been proud, that's a certainty.
Major Junior
The Charlottetown Islanders open their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs in Quebec City, Que., today and tomorrow in what looks like a seven-game series.
Anytime the two teams are mentioned in the same sentence most Island hockey fans flashback to the 1969 series when Guy LaFleur, Jacques Richard, Andre Savard and goalie Gilles Meloche visited the Charlottetown against the high-flying Junior Islanders under head coach Jack Hynes. The Islanders had plenty of talent as well with Bob MacMillan, Al MacAdam, Hill Graves, Tim and Tommy Steeves and company.
The '69 Ramparts attracted 1,500 to their first practice at the old Forum but when Game 2 finished with the Islanders up 2-0 in the series, the Ramparts needed a police escort to get to the ferry. One of Quebec's players was arrested after Game 2 in one of the wildest playoff series in junior hockey history.
These teams today are not blessed with that kind of talent but for most of us that took in the 1969 series, those Ramparts uniforms will bring back fond memories and likely will draw a full house when this series returns to the Island Wednesday night.
Basketball
The Island Storm will play its final regular season game Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Saint John Riptide in a game that could decide third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Storm had been red-hot until dropping Thursday’s game in Saint John, N.B. Much of the credit for the eight-game win streak rests on the shoulders of Carl Hall and Chris Anderson plus Franklin Session, who played 47 of the 48 minutes in one of the recent games. And let's not forget Du’Vaughn Maxwell who is a real crowd-pleaser with his major league dunks. Should the Storm finish third, it would likely meet Joe Salerno's Moncton club in round one of the playoffs, where fireworks could be expected.
Sounding off
Columnist Fred (Fiddler) MacDonald and The Guardian sports editor Jason Malloy talk about the Charlottetown Islanders playoffs, the Island Storm, Holland College Hurricanes men’s basketball run at nationals, major midget and bantam hockey series in this week's video.
Harness racing
In harness racing news up-country, Don MacRae's top mare, Drivinthedragon, took March 17's $8,500 preferred at Flamboro in 1:57:3 for driver Robert Shepherd. The Rev (Western Paradise) was fourth in 1:52 in the $34,000 top class at Woodbine for Jody Jamieson. On the same card, His Boy Elroy scored in 1:53:2 in the $12,000 pace for Amherst, N.S., owner Doug Polley.
At Yonkers last weekend, Abner the Great was fifth in 1:54:4 in a $15,000 conditioned pace. Also at the New York track, Maritime-bred All About Madi was fifth beaten by just two lengths in the $40,000 matchmaker series for open mares.
At the Meadowlands, Waiting On a Woman was seventh in 1;55:3 in a $7,500 trot class.
Santiago Style won in 1:52 in an $8,500 event at The Big M.
At Woodbine, Cowboys Don't Cry was claimed from Reg MacPherson and Dave MacKenzie for $18,750. In his next start, he was out of the money and now is dropped in class.
Veteran horseman Lester Smith, who worked for trainer Bob McIntosh in Windsor, Ont., for 30 years passed away earlier this week. He'd be P.E.I. hall of fame driver Clarkie Smith's uncle. To all connected, my condolences.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
