Goderich HuffnPuff Hockey aims to raise funds to purchase a defibrillator for arena

The 55+ group on Mondays. Each group, each day of HuffnPuff is made up of a different mix of players, which helps to indicate that currently HuffnPuff has many active players.

By: Kate Smith

Operating for more than 20 years, the HuffnPuff hockey group intends to host a fundraising tournament on November 18 at the Maitland Recreation Centre (MRC) in Goderich.

The aim of the tournament is to raise funds to purchase and install a defibrillator at ice level. The facility has a defibrillator on the main floor as well as on the second floor, and this would place one at ice level.

“Our group feels that it is important to have one at ice level because when a defibrillator is needed, seconds count,” said Rob Jerry, member of the HuffnPuff group.

“Our objective is to demonstrate our appreciation and give back to this community.”

Another hope is to contribute any other funds raised to the StrongKinds Program and the MRI campaign at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital (AMGH) in Goderich.

The two founding fathers of HuffnPuff - Ken Clinnick and Doug Scimgeour - were among a group of playing men’s senior slo-pitch in this area during the summer months and as the summer of 2004 was winding down, these two men began to discuss the possibility of continuing to stay active during the winter months by playing shinny hockey.

With that objective in mind, they approached the YMCA manager who was looking to find ways to better utilise the ice surface during the afternoons.

An agreement was made and the HuffnPuff hockey program for players 55 and older was born.

Sadly, both Ken and Doug are now deceased but there are still men playing the game who are among those playing during the first few years. Among them are Ken Balzer, Keith Mulvey, Gary Firth and Ross Davies who are all in their 80s now.

“In the beginning the number of players was small, but the baby boomer generation was approaching their retirement, and the number began to grow as the word spread of a great group of guys having a lot of fun playing shinny hockey,” said Rob Jerry.

It didn’t take long before players were coming from Grand Bend, Exeter, Clinton, Lucknow, Kincardine, Brussels and Wingham.

By the winter of 2007, HuffnPuff played Mondays in Zurich, Wednesdays in Goderich and Fridays in Wingham.

The player list continued to grow and now there are similar programs going on in Kincardine, Ripley and Brussels.

Goderich is the only location in this area that maintains an ice surface year-round and during the summer months, players come here from within an 80 km to 100 km radius.

The group now numbers more than 100 active players, which is quite a change from an initial group of 12 to 15 players.

The growth of this program speaks to the foresight of Ken Clinnick and Doug Scrimgeour.

“They saw the need for seniors to remain active, and they found a way to provide an opportunity to do so,” remarked Jerry.

With a group of players of varying skills and from different walks of life, HuffnPuff wants to give back to the community.

In past years, HuffnPuff member Brian Ferris who led the group for several years, organised fundraising tournaments and the proceeds were turned over to various worthy causes.

The first year there were only four teams – Zurich, Kincardine, and two from Goderich – and at the end of the day, Ferris had raised $3,800. Those funds were donated to the YMCA Strong Kids Program, which is now known as the ‘Fill the Bus Program’.

The second tournament was also only four teams, with two teams from Goderich and two from Ripley.

This tournament was held in Lucknow because it wasn’t possible to in Goderich. Ferris raised $4,200 and that money was distributed between the Lucknow Public School for gym equipment and Brookside Public School for memorial benches.

Ferris has done a tremendous job over the years in his efforts to keep everyone skating in the same direction. He and his daughter Lindsay developed an online game registration process that the group uses every day to organise and plan games.

This year, with the support of the YMCA and the arena management along with leadership of Brian Sowerby, the group will host the one-day fundraising tournament composed of HuffnPuff players.

Arrangements have been made for the participants and supporters to gather after the games at the Goderich Legion.

With an entry fee for the 55+ group at $80 per player and for the 68+ group at $35 per player, organisers are hopeful to raise funds for the selected causes.

There will be four teams in the 55+ age group playing each other in a round robin format and two teams in the 68+ age group playing one game.

The tournament will be hosted at the MRC in Goderich and start at 8 a.m. with the last game finishing by 4 p.m. on November 18.