Gooch, Peever and Beer


By
June 7, 2017

As president, general manager and head coach, they represent the new age of the old mining town that houses the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.

Ted Gooch, Kevin Peever and Corey Beer are the first-year trio at the helm in Timmins.

Gooch, as president, Peever as GM and Beer as head coach are the Rock of the foundation that resurfaced in Timmins two seasons ago after 16 years underground.

While the failures of the erstwhile Timmins Golden Bears led the franchise to move to nearby Iroquois Falls in 1999, the Rock has revived junior hockey in the gritty town of about 42,000 inhabitants.

In two years of Rock existence to date, Timmins has finished second and first respectively on the NOJHL attendance chart. From a per-game average of 595 fans in 2015-2016, the Rock led the NOJHL in attendance in 2016-2017 with 791 spectators per outing at venerable McIntyre Arena.

On ice, Timmins is coming off a 2016-2017 campaign in which it finished third in the East Division during regular-season play before ousting the second-place Cochrane Crunch in the first round of the playoffs only to lose to the eventual league champion Powassan Voodoos.

But change has come in the board room, in the manager’s office and behind the bench.

Gooch has taken over from long-time Iroquois Falls and Timmins president Scott Marshall, whose place in NOJHL history is secure as a tireless worker on behalf of both team and league. Like him or not, the hours that Marshall has put into junior hockey over almost two decades are a credit to his passion and resolve.

As GM and coach, Peever and Beer are the replacements for the iconic Paul Gagne. A small-town kid with Iroquois Falls/Timmins beginnings, Gagne returned home to coach almost 20 years ago after a notable National Hockey League playing career that carried on overseas.

With gold dust twins Marshall and Gagne now in retirement, the pick and axe have been handed off to Gooch, Peever and Beer.

Early indications are that the Rock is solid with the new men in charge.


What you think about “Gooch, Peever and Beer”

  1. Paul Gagne and Scott Marshall definitely deserve their well-earned retirement after many years of devotion to the league and players.
    I looked forward to the 2017-2018 season and I’m happy that some of my favorite players i.e.: Hester,Mathieu and Parnell have been signed. I wish that Timmins would support our Rock team in full force.

    1. The rock have their work cut out for them but with the people they now have in place I’m sure they will get the job done. Wishing them all the best in 2017-18

  2. Love how the Rock still have Iroquois Falls flavour to it, and likely will for the foreseeable future. Kevin Peever of course grew up in the Falls and fellow board member Ben Dawkins did as well.

    It’s been proven you can take Jr A hockey out of the Iroquois Falls but it’s pretty tough to get Iroquois Falls out of Jr Hockey.

  3. Wonder if Mr. Peever will make leopard skinned jock straps and blue Bauer monkey suits a mandatory under gear attire? It Served him well; although the solid D he always had in front of him should get at least some of that credit!

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