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VOLUNTEER
Volunteer,
Dale McCabe
WRITTEN BY CATHY JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON CODE
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hen Dale McCabe was sitting in the Smiths Falls Memorial Community Centre stands nine years ago, he wasn’t expecting anything more than to catch a minor hockey game. Instead, he was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. That afternoon he was asked to become the Smiths Falls Jr. A Bears trainer. McCabe is no stranger to hockey. Since his son, Nicholas, started playing hockey in 1992, McCabe was the trainer for his son’s team as he made his way through the ranks with the Smiths Falls Minor Hockey Association. From the novice to the midget level, McCabe witnessed his son and friends grow up in the hockey rink and he was happy to be a part of the action.
“You’re right down there where the excitement is and it’s nice to know the coaching staff trusts that I’m the expert and appreciates what I can bring. I am also just a cog in the wheel and everyone does their part to bring the team together.” — DALE MCCABE
“Some of my best memories come from the hockey rink,” he says. “Watching those young boys develop as they started to turn into young men was a lot fun.” When his son ended his hockey career in high school, McCabe’s time behind the bench ended as well. “There was something lacking in my hockey life,” he says. “I really enjoyed and missed it.” So when presented with the offer to come on board with the Junior A Bears in 2003, he jumped at it. Five days later, he found himself standing behind the Bears’ bench at the next home game. McCabe is the perfect fit as a hockey team’s trainer. Not only does he have a calm demeanour, he also works as a full-time paramedic for the Lanark County Ambulance Service, giving both players and coaching staff confidence in his assessment and treatment abilities. With a Level 2 trainer’s certificate under his belt,
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CENTRE ICE OCTOBER 2012
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REGULARSEASON GAMES AS A TRAINER FOR MINOR HOCKEY
REGULARSEASON GAMES AS A TRAINER FOR THE JUNIOR A BEARS
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WEEKLY HOURS SPENT IN THE BEARS’ DEN
McCabe has provided every service imaginable to his players, who range from 16 to 20 years of age. “Whether it’s assessing a player’s potential injury before a game or getting out on the ice after a big hit, I’ve seen it all,” he says, adding his work doesn’t necessarily always happen on the ice. Last year, McCabe had to use a defibrillator on a hockey fan in the stands during a Bears home game. The man had lost vitals, but McCabe’s quick work, along with others helping, brought him back to life. “You definitely have to expect the unexpected,” he says. Since joining the Junior A Bears,
TOTAL YEARS VOLUNTEERING AS A HOCKEY TRAINER
YEARS WORKING AS A PARAMEDIC
he’s seen the team achieving many successes. He recalls the team making it to the CJHL finals in their 2008 season and witnessing three Bears players drafted to the NHL. Though he spends at least 10 hours a week in the rink volunteering his time with the Bears, McCabe says he’s the selfish one. “You’re right down there where the excitement is and it’s nice to know the coaching staff trusts that I’m the expert and appreciates what I can bring,” he says. “I am also just a cog in the wheel and everyone does their part to bring the team together.” Nearly a decade later, he has no plans to step off the bench.
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