AUGUST, {Article storyline is the Hometown of Welland (as in Hometown Hockey), Welland Minor Hockey, and young hockey players in Welland.

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Belinda Goodwin
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1 COMPLETE I TERVIEWS FOR ARTICLE CO DUCTED I AUGUST, {Article storyline is the Hometown of Welland (as in Hometown Hockey), Welland Minor Hockey, and young hockey players in Welland.} QUESTIONS TO PLAYERS: Dan Girardi Who were your idols growing up in hockey or life? InhockeyMarioLemieuxwaswhoIlookedupto hewassuchagreatplayer.he battledillnessandinjuryandstillwasatthetop.ialsolovedwendelclark.ialways wore#17inminorhockeybecauseofhim. Manhattan is a long way from Welland Ontario. How do you maintain your connections with home? BelieveitornotIalwayschecktheWellandTribunewebsitetoseewhatisgoingonat home.iliketomakesurethingsaregoingok.iusealotofmediatostayintouch phonecalls, s,internet.thishelpstostayconnected. Why do you continue to come back to Welland in the off season? Wellandisagreatfamilycommunity.Therearealotoffamilyactivitiesformetobe involvedin.nowthatihavemyownfamilyitseemsevenmorespecialtocomehome. Ireallywantmyownsontoenjoythingslikespecialeventsathome,baseballat MemorialParkandofcoursehockey.IdonoteverwanttolosetouchwithWelland. How does it make you feel to know that hundreds of kids from your HOMETOWN city and your minor hockey association see you as the example they want to become? Thisisagoodthingforourcity.Thefactthatayoungsterwouldlookuptomeis actuallyquitecool.irememberwheniwasyoungerandplayingaaaandjrbinever wouldhaveexpectedthisfromthecommunity.ittrulyisagreatfeelingtohavesuch supportfromanentirecity.peoplearealwaysstoppingmewithwellwishesand saying goodjob. Iactuallylovewhenkidscomeupandsay HeyDan rememberwhenthishappenin thisgame andusuallyido.itallhelpstokeepyouverygrounded. Any special memory of WMHA to share..? FirstandforemostwhenwewereplayingMinorAtomAAAinWellandandwon.Istill havetheplaqueatmyparent shouseandlookatitallthetime.ievenstillhavethe jacketfromthatteamtoo youknowthetypewiththeleathersleeves(laughing

2 hard).iamhavingmyparentskeepstufflikethatformesothatwhenmyhockey careerisdoneicantakethingslikethatandkeepthemforaniceareainmyhouseto bedisplayed. Generalmemories..wellplayingaroundoutsideoftheHockeyHouse,cuttingupour kneesaswewererunningaround,justbeingkids.ofcourseialsorememberplaying mini-sticksinthehallwaysofhotelsattournaments dotheystilldothat? Top shelf or five hole? Ooohhhhh..topshelfFORSURE Are goalies really crazy? Mostlycrazy.butoneortwoarenormal QUESTIONS TO PLAYERS: Andre Deveaux Andre did you or do you have any idols? MyhockeyplayingidolwasPhilHousley andwhenhegottradedtowinnipegmydad wouldtakemetobuffaloforgameswhentheycametovisit.iwasadefencemanback then. BelieveitornotnowIstillhaveidols DanandDan theyaremybestfriendsand theycompetesohard,wealldo.wehaveknowneachothersincewewerefive.we playedonthesameteamstooliketheminoratomaaateam. Why do you continue to come back to Welland in the off season to make it your home? Wellandisstillhome.Myfriends,eventheonesnotinhockey,willalwaysbefrom Wellandtoo attheheart.icomefromwellandandwellandpeopleandminorhockey gotmeherenow Iwouldneverforgetthat. How does it make you feel to know that there are minor hockey kids from your HOMETOWN city that see you as the example they want to become? ItisallpartoftheprocessofleavingWellandandmovingon.Itwaslikemegrowing up IwantedtobelikeAdamCreighton.Itisnaturaltolookuptosomeonewhocomes fromwhereyoucomefromandilikethatalot. Ireallyconsiderthatprocesstobeapassingofthetorch.throughtheyears.Iamjust inthatprocesstoo.weallshouldaspiretobesomething.

3 Ilookatus(pointingaroundattheotherthreeguys)andIfeelthatifIcanmake it.andtheseguyscanmakeit.whycan tanyonefromanytownmakeit.itis believable. What words of advice would you have for young hockey players now? Myadvicewouldbetolistentowhatpeoplehavetosaygoodorbadandusethebest onesforyou.pickandchoosecarefullywhatyouletaffectyou.andthenwork hard Somuchhardwork. Player questions: Matt Ellis Who were your idols growing up? WayneGretzkywasitforme hewasthehockeygod.asayoungboyhewas#1.i justcouldn tgetenoughgretzkyandievenrememberthedoll,thecereal..hockey NightinCanada.. OfftheiceitwasmyDad.Hewasthebestrolemodelandwasgreattofollowasan example.hetaughtmethingslikespendingtimetogetherwassoimportant. How do you maintain your connections with home? FamilyisinWellandstillandenjoycomingbacktovisitintheoffseason. Why do you continue to come back? Therearemanyreasonsforwantingtocomeback.SinceIhavemyownchildren,we cancomehomeandbesurroundedbymanyfriendsandfamily.outsideofthat,itruly returnherebecauseiknowthatdan,danandandreeachchoosetoreturntoo.we sharesimilargoalsabouthockeyandlifeandthereforeitmakeisveryeasyand comfortabletoshareouroffseasontraining. Wellandisjusthome whenyouspendsomuchtimeinabusyleaguelikethenhl,and havetheriskofbeingbouncedaround whichhashappenedtome youneedtohave yourrock.home. Advice for our kids both in Welland and in minor hockey? Justrememberitreallyisonlyagame.anditshouldbeabouthardworkandhaving fun.ifyoutrulydoyourbestandworkharditshouldbefun.thereisalotthatcanbe learnedfromhockeyaboutlife.andyouwilldeveloptruefriendshipsthroughoutyour career.therearemanylifetoolsthataretaughtwiththegameofhockey.

4 IwasonceacaptainintheminorsandItookontheroleoftheverballeader.Ilikedto tellmyteamthatthegamewealllearned,playedandlovedaskidsisthesamegame wewereplayingnowprofessionallyatitscore..thegamedoesn tchange.itisjustas wegetoldertherearemorelayersadded,layersuponlayers butthegameisthe same.centersarestillcenters,defencemenarestillcoveringtheirzoneandgoaliesare stilltryingtokeepthepuckoutofthenet.itsoundstoosimple,butthatreallyseems trueandtheguyslikedtohearit.thisisacommonbondbetweensmallminorhockey playersandusproplayers. Five hole or top shelf? Fiveholeeverytime. Are goalies really crazy? (about ten seconds of silence) (about three or four seconds of great laughter ) Ican t.no comment. (everyone now laughing) Matt you have talked so openly about Welland.what are some memories you have from your playing days there? IremembertheAllOntario swheniwasinminornovice.itrulywillneverforgetthat experience. ButIreallyremembersomuchabouttheLittleNHLtournamentinWelland.Wewould helphosttheeventandpeoplewouldcomefromallover.theninpeeweeandbantam Iactuallygottoplayinitlikesomanyothershave.Everyyearwewouldpencilitonto thecalendaroverthosemarchbreaks.iwouldlookforwardtoit. EvengoingtothetournamentwithmyDadbeforeIplayedinit itwasalwaysexciting forus. (Isaid youknowmatt,itisstillgoingstrong hesaid OhIknow,itisgreat ) General comment IreallyappreciatethewordbeingspreadaboutWelland.Noneofuswouldbehere withouttheminorhockeyassociation.iamexcitedtobeapartofthis.

5 QUESTIONS TO PLAYERS: Dan Paille Who were your idols growing up in hockey and in life? Formeitwashockeyallthetime.IlovedSteveYzerman,JoeSakicandMarioLemieux. Whenitwasofftheicedefinitelymyparents IreallylookeduptomyDad. Boston is a long way from Welland Ontario. How do you maintain your connections with home? Iamalwaysaskingmyparents whatisgoingonbackthere canyougivemean updateonthispersonorthatperson.familyandfriendskeepmeupdatedconstantly. Igottatellyouastorythough,itisfunnyhowWellandpeoplefindmearoundthe leagueandfollowupwithus lastyearinphoenixtherewasthisguywearinga#19 WellandCougarsJrBsweaterandIwasreallyimpressedwiththat.Peopleseemtobe alwaystalkingtousaboutwellandwhenwetravel.itisstrangethatway.. Why do you continue to come back to Welland in the off season? Family andfriends.ialwaysspendalotoftimewithfamily-mybigfamily-wheni amhome.dan,mattandandreareabigreasontocomebacktoo.weconstantlytalk andtextduringtheseasonandyouseehowtheyallstillcomehometoo.itis motivatingtotrainwithbuddiesinthesummer.itishomehere. Dan you know some really young kids at WMHA refer to the Main Arena in Welland as the Dan Paille Arena because your number is hanging from the rafters Noway dotheyreally theystilldothat actuallythatisreallycooltohear.inever wouldhavethought.whentheyhungthatjerseyiwasintheplayoffsithinkwith Guelph,andIcouldn tmaketheceremony Iactuallyhavegonetothearenaand lookedupatit.itisreallycool. Any special memory of WMHA to share.. ActuallythespecialmemoryIhaveistheplayingintheOMHAsmanytimesbut especiallytheminoratomaaavictory.youknowthatdanandandreandiallplayed togetheronthatteam.(andisaid andhereyouallstillaretogether andtheresponse was yeahofcoursewearestilltogether! ). IhaveofficememoriestooofthecoachesandvolunteersinWMHA.Iseemedtohave alotofcommittedcoachesandonewasmarklarose.hegotthisbuildingforusto shootin wewouldworkattheshots,learntopickcorners.wewerekidsandwe werehavingablast.wewouldbeinthereforhoursworkingontheonetimersusing our(roller)bladesandfullequipmenttomakeitmorereal.wesawtheprogressyears laterbecauseitwascloseandtight.

6 Alotoftimeswewouldgotomorningpracticeearlytogetextraicetimeandfool around,scrimmage.beforethecoachesblewthewhistle.itwaslikefuntimebefore WorkTime. Five hole or Top Shelf? Definitelyfivehole Goalies crazy? You retryingtogetmeintrouble..(laughing) QUESTIONS TO PLAYERS: Cal Clutterbuck Why do you continue to come back to Welland in the off season? Wellbasicallybecausemyfamilyishere.ItisthehomethatIknow.Itisalsofuntoget backtosomethingfamiliar. What words of advice would you have for young hockey players? Myadvicefortheyounghockeyplayeristoworkhard whilestillhavingfun.ifitisnot funfortheplayerthenthelearningwillstop.ittakesalotofhardworkthough. Any special memory of WMHA to share.. Definitelyplayinginhockeytournamentswithmybuddies..Thatwasalwaysfun. AnothermemorywasthefirsttimewegottoplayintheMainArenainWelland becauseitjustseemedsolargewheniwasthatyoung. Minnesota is a long way from Welland Ontario. How do you maintain your connections with home during the NHL season? IstayintouchwithWellandbyutilizingtheinternetandotherthingsonthewebas thatistheeasiest.howeverialwaystalktomyparents. Five hole or top shelf? Topshelf..always!

7 Are goalies a little bit crazy? 90%ofthemare (laughing) Do you have any favourite Christmas hockey memories? WellwhileplayinghockeyIrememberplayingintheMarliesTournamentandwereally enjoyedbeatingtheteamfromtoronto. QUESTIONS TO PLAYERS: Paul Bissonnette (Paul s interview had to be conducted via through Tyler Bielby rec d Aug 16 thank you) WMHA Story Questions: 1) Why does Paul come back to Welland? Paul comes back to his hometown in the offseason because it is his roots where he gets to see family and friends, who of which he built relationships with as a young boy. He also does not have any dependants or a wife, so he is not tied down anywhere else. 2) How does it feel to have Hometown kids look up to Paul? It is a cool feeling to know hundreds of kids from Welland look up to him. It keeps him humble in his feet and he knows how exciting it is for them because he was a kid at one point himself. 3) Is there a WMHA memory? Favorite memory of WMHA was in his last year at the minor hockey level. In his Bantam Major AAA year, he team made it to the OHFs. They did not win but it was gratifying to put on a Welland jersey and represent his hometown at such an elite level. 4) Did Paul have any idols growing up in hockey or in life? Idols growing up.hockey Adam Foote.big tough nose defenceman Life.His parents for showing him a path of hardwork and supporting him with his dream. Optional questions: 1) Hard work or talent? Hard Work 2) Played any other sports? Played soccer but gave it up to focus on hockey as he got older 3) Do you have a favourite Christmas memory? Favorite Christmas memory was at home.after opening all of his presents, he thought he was done and his mom told him there was one more gift under the couch. It was on Paul s wish list it was a new Gretzky silver aluminum one piece. Back in that day it was $100 stick and the first non wooden stick he ever used. 4) Five hole or top shelf? Paul said he often tried top shelf but ends up fanning on it and going five hole (hahaha) 5) Are goalies really crazy?..yes, backups are a little more normal though.

8 Tyler Bielby Welland Tigers AAA Bantam Coach.and friend. How and why is the interaction between these NHL players and the players on your Bantam AAA team so noteworthy? Wehaveplayersmakingsevenfiguresalariesandyetontheicetopracticetheyshow upwiththesamesmile,thesamelinesandeveryoneisdoingthesamethingoutthere. IseethatPaulandCalcanbeverysurprisedtoobytheplayersonmyBantam team likesayingtothemselves wherewereweatthislevel?.however,whenmy teamisontheicewiththenhlplayersiseethesamecompetelevelineachofthem astheyworktogether. Tyler, how does your Bantam AAA team benefit from having current NHL players train with them throughout this summer? MyyoungplayersgettoseeCalandPaulonahumanlevel notjustsomestarornhl pro.thereistremendousandrealinteractionbetweeneveryone.ithinkitshowsmy playersthatanythingispossible.theyseethatnhlershavetheirskateslacedthe samewayandthereforeareopentolearnfromthemeveryday.itdoesnotmatterifit ispassing,shooting,skating whateverdrillswedo everyonedoesthesamething.my playersreallygettoseethenhllevel,theexampleofshootingandskatingand comparethemselvestothatexample. TherewasonetimewewererunningapracticeandIhadtostopeverythingtodiscuss communicationontheice.itwasinterestingtoseethattheonlyplayerontheentire icethatwasopenlycommunicatingwasthenhlplayer.ithinkmyyoungerplayers reallylearnedfromthat ifthenhlplayerwascommunicating,thatperhapsthey shouldlearntodothattoo. As the coach in Welland of the Bantam Major AAA team, what advice would you give to the Tyke, Novice and Atom kids playing minor hockey? Iwouldtellallkidsatthatagetoalwaysgiveittheirbesteffort.Theyalsoneedto enjoyplayinghockey.therewillbemanysignsofadversityinaplayer scareerand dealingwiththosepositivelyisakey.itisallstilljustagameanditshouldbeenjoyed too.surethepracticeishardworkbutitwillpayoffforthosethatarewillingtodoit.

9 Darryl Belfry off-season, on-ice Coach (for Paille, Girardi, Ellis and Deveaux) Darryl this is such an interesting situation..why do you think these guys keep coming back to the area? Ireallybelievethatthisareaisrichwithresourcesforthempersonallyand professionally.theyhaveeachotherandmanyprosinthearea,andwehavefacilities forthemtousetoo. They seem to enjoy local vs. big city.. Ihaveknownsomeoftheseguyssincetheywerenine.Ireallyhavegottentoknow themsowell.itiswhotheyare saltoftheearthguys.thisishomeforthem. How do you address coaching them as the off season coach? BelieveitornotIwatchalotoftheirgamefilms.Iwatchtheirimprovementsand weaknessesanditisallabouttrackingthatthroughouttheentirenhlseason. Thesuccesshereisthateachofthemisabletoevolvefromthis cantakeadversity andovercomeiteveninthesmallpicture.everysingleyearwehaverecognitionof improvementandwecarrythatintooursummerprogramfromtheseason.youknow, theywerenevergoingtobesuperstars.wehavejustkeptgoingandkeptgoing and keptgoing.girardiissogreatatthatandhisimprovementshavebeensolargeover time.theseguysallwanttoevolve. Now as a person coaching these guys during the summer, what can we then take from that to give as advice to smaller kids? Ibelieveintwothings. Firstofalllearntoskatewiththepuckinalldirections.InALLdirections.. Andbeabletoovercomeadversity.Someplayershavearolechange someplayers getcutfromateam. Howdoesanybodydothat?????WellIwouldsayourplayersneedtoworkhardat becominguncomfortable..pushthemselves.evolve overcomethatadversitythat manyface.

10 Withouttheassistanceofothers,thiswouldnothavebeencompleted. Thanksto: CalClutterbuck PaulBissonnette TylerBielby MattEllis DanPaille DanGirardi AndreDeveaux JimEllis KevinBoston DougThomson DarrylBelfry ParentsofBantamAAAsummertrainingcamp ParentsofWMHAplayersinattendance TheBoyswhoparticipatedonbehalfofWMHA WORKS READ and REFERE CES Campbell, Wayne, "Hockey and lacrosse professionals help future stars on Jumpstart Day." May, 2010, (Accessed July, 2010). Franke, Bernd, "Another Tiger earns his stripes." 2009, (Accessed August, 2010). Niagarathisweek.com,, "Play street hockey with the pros." 2010, (Accessed August, 2010). Potrecz, Bill, "Paille working toward next season." August, 2010, (Accessed August, 2010). Potrecz, Bill, "National hockey institute blog." September, 2009, (Accessed July, 2010). Standard staff,, "A chance to play with the pros." April, 2010, (Accessed August, 2010). Swartz, Derek, "Love, determination and talent have propelled welland's nhlers." May 2010, (Accessed July, 2010). Swartz, Derek, "Welland home of hockey." May 2010, (Accessed July, 2010). Toronto Rock website, "Hominuck gives welland a jumpstart." 2010, (Accessed August, 2010)

Bill Guerin has won two Stanley Cups, is a three-time Olympian and scored 829 points (429G- 427A) in 1,263 games in the National Hockey League.

Daily Clips 7/22/11 Guerin Thoroughly Enjoying New Role By Michelle Crechiolo Bill Guerin has won two Stanley Cups, is a three-time Olympian and scored 829 points (429G- 427A) in 1,263 games in the National