(Posted 4:30 a.m., April 17)
Cumberland Minor Hockey Association honours outgoing president
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Outgoing Cumberland Minor Hockey Association president Dan Guerin has decided to step down after serving in the position for the past two years. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Cumberland Minor Hockey Association held it's annual volunteer appreciation evening Friday night and the guest of honour was a man who over the past 16 years has become known as the face of Cumberland minor hockey.

Dan Guerin started out coaching his eldest son's novice team in 1994. When his youngest son started playing hockey three years later, he did double duty coaching both of his sons' teams. He also served as a league convenor at the novice, atom and peewee levels.

He eventually joined the CMHA executive as a director-at-large and then served as the league's vice-president for five years. At one point during his vice-presidency, he also took care of the ice scheduling, organized the annual tournament and still found time to coach his sons' teams.

In 2008 he accepted the position of league president, which he's held for the past two years.

"I've worn a few hats over the years," Guerin joked after receiving a special plaque in recognition for his years of dedication to the CMHA and minor hockey in general.

The man known as "the face of Cumberland minor hockey" will be stepping down as president at the league's annual general meeting next month, and while no one has been chosen to replace him yet, whoever it is will have some very big shoes to fill.

"He is the CMHA," says fellow executive member Kelly Lafranchise. "No matter what position he's had, he's been the constant. He's been the go to guy and even though he's stepping down, he'll still be the go to guy."

Guerin comes by his love of hockey naturally. He grew up watching the Montreal Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada. When he was nine years old he was rushed to the hospital with emergency appendicitis the same day the Canadiens were playing Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in the 1971 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The operation was scheduled for 11 a.m. Before going under, a young Guerin asked the doctor if he would be awake in time to watch the game at 2 p.m. When the doctor told him no and that he likely wouldn't come out of the anesthesia until 5 p.m., he proved the doctor wrong by waking up in time for the opening face off.

Guerin played House League hockey right up until midget. When he moved to Ottawa in 1980 to study at Algonquin College he played pick-up hockey.

When he first moved to Orléans in 1989 he was a spare for the Cumberland Old-timers team and then eventually got into coaching when his son started playing hockey.

The Cumberland Minor Hockey Association has over 1,400 registered players and more than 160 volunteers, including 34 members on the executive.

Guerin says the biggest change over the years -- and the league's biggest challenge -- has been in trying to meet expectations of parents and their kids in the highly competitive world of recreational sports.

"When I first started out there was hockey, soccer and baseball and that was it. Now you have football and taekwondo and all these other sports and activities and we're all competing for the kid's time. Meanwhile, the kids want to come into the IP program and start playing in games right away where before the IP program was purely developmental. There were no games."

Guerin says the most rewarding part about his job has been the odd thank he's received from players.

"When a kid takes the time to come up to you and say thank you for doing what you do, that's pretty special," said Guerin who was thanked a hundred times over on Friday night.

"Everything he does he does because he loves the game and he loves to see the kids playing hockey," said Lafranchise who presented Guerin with his plaque.

"It's been a good ride," said Guerin. "I've really enjoyed it."

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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