Page 24 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 144

24 Issue #144 January 2025
Continued from page 22
Sears Canada at their Oshawa and
Coburg locations. Scott became an
assistant store manager, eventually
transitioning to appliance sales
in Burlington. “Burlington was
an affluent area, and sales were
great,” Scott said. “It was during
the heydays of Sears, just before the
slow demise and it was a fantastic
place to work.” Scott returned
to Cornwall this time as a sales
representative for Cornwall Toyota.
“It was a really good time, Troy
Hickman was the sales manager,
I had success there and Cornwall
Toyota was a great place to work.”
In fall of ‘07 Scott joined Benson,
working first in marketing and
eventually being part of the sales
management team overseeing sales
at the Benson stores along the 401
corridor and back to Peterborough.
During the time that Scott had
been away from Cornwall, Dave
Murphy had been hired by Cogeco
to do the play-by-play for the
Kingston Frontenac’s. Dave was
working for Scott Myers, who
had been the station manager in
Cornwall for many years; when
Dave told him that Scott was back
in town, he was soon hired to fill in
on the broadcast team. “I did that for
a year or two, then became the host
for another five years before taking
over the play-by-play in 2018.”
Here we are now in January of
2025 and Scott is into his eighteenth
year of working Frontenac games.
Add in his time in Sarnia, plus the
Aces and Colts, we’re looking
at around twenty-five seasons of
being in the broadcast booth. Asked
about the highlights from those
years Scott replied, “I don’t have
Dave Murphy’s memory, he could
probably tell you something about
every game he ever called, but I do
have a few that stand out. The first
Cornwall game that I ever called
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was in Hamilton. I had gone home to talk with him all the time. Someone Cornwall as part of the teams Winter
Burlington for Christmas, and Fred told him that listening to him and I Caravan, as CJSS carried the Jays
Pletsch called me up saying that he do the games was like listening to games back then,” Scott shared.
would be in town to do the Aces two guys sitting on a couch, having “I knew Tom a little bit, as I had
game and invited me to join him a beer, and watching the game. We played High School ball with his
as his colour guy. Partway through take the games seriously and we do son, Jeff, in Burlington. Tom gave
the first game Fred informed me a professional job, but we also have a great speech to the Chamber of
that I would be doing the play-by- a lot of fun.” Commerce and then agreed to come
play tomorrow. I had done some Scott reminisced that the six years back to the station for a tour and a
play-by-play in Sarnia and at Colt that he and Dave Murphy spent full length chat which was awesome
games, but with the flow of this doing the Cornwall Colt games because he had always been one of
game, it may have been the best were great times. “Don Derry my broadcast heroes. That interview
one that I have ever called. Another owned the Colts the first few years was cut into two segments, and we
was the first year that the Colts were and Don was really good to Dave used it during the intermissions of a
really good and won the league, and me. When the Colts went to the Cornwall Aces broadcast.”
they had been playing at the Water Eastern Canadian Championships, Scott is quick to give credit to the
St. arena and it was standing room we travelled with the team. Eric group of fellow broadcasters that he
only there. They got moved over to Meloche and Hugo Boisvert were has had the good fortune of working
the Civic Complex and went from the team stars then. The Colts made with at the radio stations and at
two thousand fans to another sellout it to the finals and were playing the YourTV (Cogeco) over the years.
with more than four thousand. The host team, the Joliette Nationals, in “There was my longtime partner,
game went into overtime and Marc the Championship game. I had to go the late Dave Murphy, Thom
Lamontagne scored the game- down into the tunnels and there was Racine, and Shawna Mecteau. I did
winning goal that came out of Doug Shepherd, he had separated a couple of games with Joel Dorion,
nowhere. It was a nothing play, and his shoulder, and he had the trainers Kevin Lajoie, and Hugh Primeau Jr.
all of a sudden the puck is in the net. taping his upper arm to his body, Plus the folks behind the scenes on
I went from talking to screaming there was no way he was going to the TV side, Bill Makinson, Chris
and I scared Dave, who jumped up, miss that last game. He had just Rhode, Gabriel Rivière-Reid, and
pulled his headphones off, and threw enough movement from the elbow all of the fabulous volunteers who
them on the counter. It was a funny down to be able to play. Because made those broadcasts possible. It
thing to watch.” A third highlight of this story Doug became one of was also great to finally be able to
came from a Frontenac game. “It my favourite players to talk with, call a game with my good friend and
was a playoff game a few years ago he was from the Maritimes, was brief coworker, Dan Allaire, who
against North Bay, it went to triple mature for his age and we had some partnered with Shawna and myself
overtime and Gabriel Vilardi, who good chats. Brenda and Al Wagar to call the Dave Murphy Memorial
is from Kingston and now plays later took over the team and when I Hockey game in early December
with the Winnipeg Jets, scored left town in 1999 to go to Sears they 2024. Dave helped organize this
the game-winning goal. It was gave me a Doug Shepherd jersey. game for many years which features
just one of those things that come A few years ago, Doug was back in local “celebrities” taking on the
off the top of your head, I yelled, town for a reunion, and I found him Cornwall Colts to raise money and
‘The hometown hero, the overtime in a box at the Colts game and gave donations for the Vincent de Paul
hero, Gabe Valardi with the game him the jersey, it was something Food Bank.”
winning goal.’ It was one of those that he really appreciated.”
calls that just sticks with you.” Tim Another fond memory was an Since 2016 Scott has been with
Cunningham, who was the Head interview that Scott did in 1994 Mevotech, a Canadian automotive
Coach of the Queens University with Tom Cheek who was the voice supply company based out of
hockey team for six years, is Scott’s of the Toronto Blue Jays from Toronto, which provides steering
colour commentator, with Scott 1977 to 2004, broadcasting 4,306 and suspension replacement parts
saying, “Tim is the expert in the consecutive Blue Jay games. “It for the Canadian market. Scott
booth, and he knows everybody, was the winter after the Jays second current position with Mevotech is
people stop him in the streets and World Series win and Tom was in Director of Sales, Ontario.