S E P T E M B E R 2017
Leaside Life leasidelifenews.com
No. 64
Illustrator Michael Martchenko Page 4
Happy 65th! Leaside Memorial Community Gardens
SUSAN SCANDIFFIO
By COLLEEN ATKINSON
The boys with their siblings from left to right: Josh, Tate and Jacob Golden, Will and Mike Reilly.
T H E Y S H O OT, T H E Y SCO R E !
The Leaside Memorial Community Gardens will be celebrating its 65th anniversary this season. Although the Gardens first opened its doors in 1951, it wasn’t until October 6, 1952 that it hosted its first hockey game. The significant legacy that the Gardens has left, and continues to carve out for itself, whether through its part in crafting championship teams, forming and solidifying friendships, or connecting and uniting the Leaside community, could not have been predicted at that first puck drop. However, that legacy is undeniable now.
June 24th, 2017. National Hockey League Draft Day. As many young hockey players paced the floor nervously or chewed on their fingernails hoping they might hear their names being called by a big league team, Leasiders Jacob Golden and Will Reilly were spending their days somewhat differently. On that Saturday, Golden’s parents had left to take Jacob’s siblings to activities, and Jacob watched the draft alone. When he saw his name on the TV screen, he says, he was excited. Jacob’s mother, on the other hand, was more than just excited. When she returned home she immediately hung a home-made sign on the front window announcing the big news. Meanwhile, Will Reilly was watching the same channel at his house. Not really expecting his name to be called, Will watched until he saw his friend Jacob’s name announced, then left to play golf. It was only when his
Susan Scandiffio Columnist
phone “lit up” on the golf course that he discovered he had been selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins. These two humble, smart, and driven young hockey defencemen saw the culmination of years of hard work and determination, when they were drafted to the National Hockey League that day. Neighbours Golden and Reilly were selected, respectively, by the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins. Hundreds of thousands of kids in Canada play hockey, with only a tiny number chosen to play in the big leagues. And how many of those NHL, Page 32
ROBIN DICKIE
Pittsburgh and Minnesota select Leaside boys in 2017 NHL Draft When the ice was first flooded and benched seating freshly painted more than six decades ago, the facility stood on a plot of land donated by the Lea family, from whom Leaside bears its name. The building was named in honour of World War II veterans; outside the arena stands a commemorative plaque that reads: “In memory of the men of the Town of Leaside who gave their lives for their country in the second World War – 1939-1945.” LEASIDE GARDENS, Page 29 BACK TO SCHOOL STORIES PG. 10 KARLI VEZINA TRIES CONSPIRACY PIZZA PG. 16