Kevin Hodson reflects
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League have applied to play host to the 2021 Memorial Cup tournament. With that in mind, Hockey News North contributor Ernest Skinner Jr. talked to Kevin Hodson, who as an overage goalie, backstopped the Greyhounds to the 1993 Memorial Cup championship.
Kevin Hodson was generous with his time recently as I reached out to him. I wanted to get the perspective that only a teenager on the team could give regarding the feelings and memories that he experienced during that magical time.
Below is my question and answer interview with the former goaltender who stopped pucks for the Hounds back then and currently stops people from making bad investments as the vice president and wealth advisor for Hodson Private Wealth Management.
Q: As a young man in 1993, what were your first thoughts when you were told that indeed, the Soo was going to play host to the Memorial Cup and that you will have home-ice advantage and your fans behind you?
A: When we knew that we won the Super Series, as a team we felt we could win it call as the old Memorial Gardens was a hard place for teams to play in as our fan base were passionate and loud; each game was full past capacity. It was deafening on the ice sometimes with the crowd and noise It was electric!
Q: What is the most memorable part of that tournament that you can recall, whether it was winning it, or some other memory that stands out?
Q: Before the game, it was dead silent in our room and all we could hear were the bagpipes warmup and the fans chanting “Let’s Go Greyhounds” even before we went out for warmups. Another memory that stands out was when (head coach) Ted Nolan called a timeout with 50 seconds left and we were up by two goals and we were able to take in the moment then as it was a surreal feeling winning it at home in front of so many people you knew. Driving down Queen St. in the rain on the two Zambonis with sparks flying with my full gear still on was also something I will never forget.
Q: Describe the buzz that you can recall that ran not only through the team and dressing room, but the city as a whole.
A: The buzz was contagious as we would get home from winning rounds and people would be camped out at one in the morning just to get tickets for the next home games. We fed off of the emotion within the community. There were Greyhound signs everywhere throughout the city and the support from the local community was something that I will never forget.
Q: What were your thoughts when you heard that the Hounds organization has decided to bid to host next year’s Memorial Cup? Describe your thoughts on the way the team has been run as an organization over the tenure of the two Kyles, Dubas and Raftis.
A: I am happy to hear the Greyhounds are bidding to host the Memorial Cup as you won’t find more passionate fans that know their hockey than the people of Sault Ste. Marie. I am just a fan now and would love to see the Hounds representing the OHL and winning it all. It is a beautiful place to live and I think it’s time with the new arena and the success of the franchise to be on the national stage again. The organization has been run first-class with Lukendas and the others who own the team. They want to win and care about the players’ well being both as athletes and young men.
As for Dubas and Raftis and what they have both accomplished with the team, it speaks for itself. Their character precedes them both. I think in the 90’s when I played, Sherry Bassin, Dave Mayville and Dr. Shunook set the bar very high in building the franchise with the right people with a common goal. Ted Nolan and Danny Flynn as our coaches executed this perfectly and gave us an identity that we believed in. We won the Memorial Cup because no one was bigger than the team and we were a family who trusted and respected each others ability and knew we would deliver when it mattered most.
Q: Realistically, the Soo is a smaller market than Oshawa which is also bidding to play host to the tournament. Oshawa has also bid twice previously and not succeeded. What would be something that you would highlight about Sault Ste Marie and the Hounds organization that you think other cities bidding can’t compete with if you were on the submission committee?
A: The Soo has a rabid fan base who are educated when discussing hockey. The players the team has produced and the history of the organization and success of the Hounds in the early ’90s are all great story lines. It’s easy to get around the city and has many waterfront sites to host daily events as well as access to many local professional hockey players to make appearances throughout the event also is a very attractive selling feature.
Great stuff Ernie! Awesome interview with one of the greatest Hound “tender” of all-time! As soon as he came back from minors, the fan base knew we had the goalie to win it all!