Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Todd St. Louis, Former Duke
Todd St.
Louis is one of the most unforgettable, and yet likable, characters
ever to lace up the blades for the Wellington Dukes. For the record,
he played one season for the Dukes, and ten games the following
season when he was sent to the team from the Belleville Bulls.
In a
telephone interview the other night, Todd reminisced about those
days, and others. “Larry Mavety was our coach with the Bulls. I
will never forget his raspy voice. When he spoke, he meant business.
But what I appreciated with Mav was that he gave me the freedom to
play. He transitioned me from defense to forward.”
One of the
reasons that I found myself chatting with Todd was because I saw a
photo of him, in a different uniform, preparing to play serious
hockey. Todd is now 43 years old. When I asked him whether or not he
is in “playing shape”, he indicated that is not exactly the case.
“When I played junior and pro, I was about 200 pounds. I am now
about 250.”
They say
that when a fight breaks out on the ice, no one heads to the
canteens. That was exactly the case with Todd St. Louis. He was a
scrapper from the word “Go”, and most of the time, he led his
team in penalty minutes. He was always ready to drop his gloves. Even
in his first game with the Fort Worth Barracudas, he did prepare to
fight, but the referee stepped in before the “fistacuffs” took
place. Most of us who attended the games at the old “DukeDome”
knew that Todd would never walk away from a good fight.
Todd hung up
his blades some time ago. “It was 13 or 14 years ago,” he told
me. “But I knew I had a little extra in the tank. I knew I had left
the game too soon”. I also read on one of the many items on
FaceBook that he wanted to provide an opportunity for his kids to see
him play. Madeliene (16), Dason (15), Langston (12), and Cullen (10),
will now have that opportunity.
Todd will be
playing in one of the Stars arenas in Mansfield, Texas. The Dallas
Stars had several ice pads built in Texas. Todd played a couple of
years in Amarillo for the Rattlers on one of those pads. Bob Gainey
had an office above the ice surface. At that time, he was the General
Manager of the Dallas team of the NHL. Todd remembered seeing Gainey
working away in the office, occasionally scouting the prospects on
the ice.
Todd's first
pro team was the Lake Charles Ice in Louisiana. His career took place
in several southern States, including a stint with the Fort Worth
Brahmas. “The hockey world is really a small world,” he told me.
“You always ran into friends no matter where you played.” One of
those friends is Hagen Massie, the coach of the Fort Worth
Barracudas.
Hagen paid
respect to Todd on FaceBook. “The student has become the teacher. I
had a little convincing to do to get this legend on the ice with us,
but here he is! “Screwy” Todd St. Louis, out of retirement, and
back in action for the Cudas!”
From his
residence, it is a 5 hour drive to the rink. Not a problem for St.
Louis. “Hagen has no experience in playing at any level. So I
decided to help him out. We have discussions about the game all the
time. I am like a playing assistant coach.” John Boultbee coached
St. Louis, with Wayne Marchment, when Todd was in Wellington.
Todd wanted
me to send his best to his billets in Wellington, Henrietta and Hugh
Parliament. “She always had a great meal for me at the table. They
treated me like a son”.
Another
photo of St, Louis is one of him in the penalty box. Jody McMillan
wrote that it is “Home Sweet Home” for the former Duke. There are
literally hundreds of comments arising from St. Louis' comeback.
Truly legendary. And, as he told me, it gives him a little break from
working in the oil fields!
James Hurst
October 15,
2019.
Thursday, October 03, 2019
The Antonio Brown Saga
Antonio Brown
I was going
to write that there never has been such a turbulent start to a season
of any professional sports figure. There have been some pretty wild
situations, but none compared to this.
Antonio
Brown is no longer affiliated with any team in the National Football
League. The wide receiver, once considered the premier player in that
position, is out of work. He recently played for the New England
Patriots, and even scored a touchdown. But he was cut from the roster
on September 20th. He may have run out of chances to play
for any team.
Now 31 years
old, he was born in Miami. He comes by his football talent honestly,
as his father was once named, “The best player in the history of
the Arena Football League”. Antonio played his high school football
in Miami, then chose to play “Prep” Football at North Carolina
Tech. He earned a scholarship to play at Florida International
University, but was expelled before the season started, because of an
“altercation with security”.
He then
played at Central Michigan, and was drafted in the 6th
round in 2010 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. By no means large for a
football player, at less than six feet, he began working his way up
the ladder to secure a spot in the starting lineup as a receiver. In
2010, he ran back punts and kickoffs. The next year, he moved up to
become the third wide receiver on the team. He became the first
player in NFL history to have 1000 yards receiving, and returning
kicks.
In 2012, he
signed a contract for $42,5 million, including an $8.5 million bonus.
It was reported that he had a chip on his shoulder, even with his
teammates. On one occasion he told them: “Don't touch me. I'm the
franchise!” He played with the Steelers the next few years, and
always gained “Pro Bowl” status each year. He had his wrist
slapped by the league for wearing improper shoes ($15 000 fine), then
he was nicked for another $24 000 for displaying a sexually
suggestive dance after a score. Can you imagine?
Even
FaceBook got in on the action, paying him $ 244 000 to “create
content for live channels”.
In 2017, the
Steelers signed him to another lucrative contract, $17 million over
five years. Near the end of the 2018 season, Brown and quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger aired their differences, and Brown demanded a
trade. He was traded to the Raiders to play this year.
He was
unhappy with the new helmets that the players were required to wear.
He got frost bite in California. (In one of those cryotherapy
studios!). He missed several practices. The Raiders bid adieu.
On September
7, he signed a one year contract with the New England Patriots for
$15 million with a $9 million signing bonus. He did play one game for
the Pats, even scored a touchdown. But two weeks after signing with
the team, he was shown the door. I guess he did not wish to play “The
Patriots' Way”!
His career
has been marred by several allegations of domestic disputes, sexual
misconduct, improper texting. He may have played his last NFL game.
One of the
experts on a Sunday telecast indicated that there were three teams
looking into the possibility of signing Brown. Some things never
cease to amaze me.
James Hurst
September
23, 2019.
