There was only one must-stop, though, on Wednesday.
“The Iceberg Man,” Cecil Stockley.
The 72-year-old is known by tourists for the boat tours he ran each spring for more than 25 years to view the migration of icebergs past Twillingate, as well as the proprietor of the Iceberg Shop, among the town’s biggest tourist destinations.
Among locals, he is famous for being the godfather of hockey in the town.
“He’s a legend,” retired NHL forward Gary Roberts said over the phone from Toronto. “I love that guy. I can’t wait to get back to Twillingate and spend some time with Cecil.”
Roberts’ mom and dad, Norma and Herbert, were born in Twillingate. Gary was born in North York, Ontario, but the family would make regular pilgrimages to Twillingate to visit family. That is where he first encountered Stockley.
Now, Twillingate is in the news as the host of Hockeyville, highlighted by a preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators at Steele Community Center on Thursday (6 pm ET; TVAS, ESPN+).
Twillingate received $250,000 for upgrades to George Hawkins Memorial Arena, and $10,000 worth of equipment from the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s Goals & Dreams fund. The Twillingate arena is too small to host the game, so Gander, 90 miles to the south, will host it.
Video: Check out the Stanley Cup’s tour of Twillingate
But it is not just Roberts who has a story about Stockley.
Everyone here does.
After all, Stockley played with George Hawkins, for whom the town’s rink is named. He coached at virtually every level. He was also a rugged star player on the town’s senior team that won three provincial championships in the 1980s.
“He was a big player with the senior Combines back in the day, big supporter of female hockey right from its start here, also involved in minor hockey and high school,” said Grant White, the recreation director for the town and a member. of the local organizing committee. “He has been a mentor and a coach to so many kids around here.”
As a result, everyone in town was happy when they found out the Stanley Cup showed up unannounced at the door to the Iceberg Shop, its second stop on a busy day for the trophy, which also took a boat ride, rode a fire truck, visited the high school and was the toast of the town at a three-hour community celebration.
Nobody, though, was happier than Stockley.
“You have touched my heart,” he said as the Stanley Cup was placed on the floor before him, family and friends gathered to watch the moment. “I wasn’t expecting this, honest to God. I really appreciate this.”
Not as much as his legacy is appreciated by those who have been influenced by Stockley, who was a physical education teacher in town as well.
“I was lucky to be a teacher because you work with so many children and children are what it’s all about; we all know that, right?” Stockley said, staring at the Stanley Cup, sitting six feet in front of him.
Finally, he asked if it was the real Cup, the one the players are given after they win the Stanley Cup Final. Assured that it was, he asked if he could touch it. Once permission was granted, the party was on.
Group pictures were taken, pictures with children and grandchildren, solo shots, pictures with Howard Cooper, his childhood neighbor and lifelong friend.
Throughout the 30-minute visit, Stockley regaled everyone with stories about the town and its hockey players.
Stockley grew up not too far from the shop where he was standing. There is nothing in Twillingate that he doesn’t know.
“My father’s house is right there, straight over those flags, the highest one on the rise,” Stockley said, pointing to a house with a fantastic vantage point to see the water.
“Not a bad view at all, but three brothers in one bed was not easy.”
Stockley laughed, a response that came easily to him.
Later, he told a story about trying to play junior hockey in Ontario despite never playing much organized hockey in Twillingate as a kid.
“I liked the game when I was a kid and I played the game when I was a kid, but I didn’t even know what minor hockey was until the ’70s,” Stockley said.
Still, he says he made his way to Whitby, Ontario, to try out for the Junior B team only to be sent home, joking that the coach had the privilege of cutting him.
It’s stories like those, as well as his exploits on the senior team, that drew Roberts to Stockley in the first place.
In 1993, Roberts, then with the Calgary Flames, came to Twillingate to run a hockey camp for kids in the town.
“One of the most amazing experiences I had as a professional player,” Roberts said. “That was something I really enjoyed.”
Stockley was on the coaching staff, and he still relishes the 29-year-old memory.
“I don’t know too many people that are as passionate about hockey as Cecil Stockley,” Roberts said. “He is one of those guys you enjoy sitting down and chatting with. He can talk for hours about his experiences.
“He’s somebody that I’m happy I’ve gotten to know.”
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