Is Scott going to scoot?
Long-time Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League board member Scott Marshall is contemplating stepping down from his position as president of the Timmins Rock.
Multiple sources have told HockeyNewsNorth.com that Marshall is preparing to resign as Rock president effective the end of the 2016-2017 NOJHL season.
Marshall has been a fixture in the NOJHL board room and a strong advocate for the league since 1999 when he was president of the Iroquois Falls Eskimos.
And while Marshall became the off-ice face of the Iroquois Falls franchise for his tireless work behind the scenes, he angered and insulted many residents of his hometown when he helped instigate a relocation to Timmins for the 2015-2016 season.
Iroquois Falls was able to retain its membership in the NOJHL when the Mattawa Blackhawks relocated to the northeastern Ontario town of about 4,500 hearty souls in time for the 2015-2016 campaign.
A now-retired employee of the Town of Iroquois Falls, Marshall has seen the Rock take over as the NOJHL attendance leader in its second season in Timmins.
It should be noted that Timmins has a population of almost 10 times that of Iroquois Falls. It should also be noted that as Timmins leads the NOJHL with a per-game average attendance of 722, Iroquois Falls is a solid third in the 12-team league with an average crowd of 352.
While he is viewed by some in Iroquois Falls as a man who betrayed his hometown, Marshall carries a reputation within in the NOJHL as someone who is listened to when he speaks. Somewhat of a polarizing figure, Marshall is also known as a snarky, cocky, arrogant individual.
A man who lists Hockey Canada chairman of the board Joe Drago as one of his allies, Marshall has become an influential NOJHL executive from humble times during his community college days as a front-desk clerk at the old Princess Hotel in Kirkland Lake, where seedy rooms could be had for $6 a night or $1 an hour, depending if you were there for a rest or a roll in the hay.
Marshall has also carried on a close friendship with Timmins coach-general manager Paul Gagne that dates back to the early days of their time together in Iroquois Falls. Now 55-years old and a former star player in the Ontario Hockey League and journeyman centre in the National Hockey League, Gagne’s time in the game may also be winding down.
As for Marshall, he may or may not have made the NOJHL a better place.
But he does have a place in NOJHL history.
Should Marshall depart the NOJHL and his position with the Timmins franchise after this season, he will be missed by many. Just as many will bid good riddance to the man who is disdainfully referred to as “Scoot” — for obvious reasons — by certain folks in Iroquois Falls.
PHOTO: Timmins Rock president Scott Marshall. (Photo by Postmedia.)
Took the words right out of my mouth,it finally caught up with him Snarky, Arrogant and Cocky individual hahahahahahaha ,some people really know him….lol
I judge people at face value and based on my experiences with them. Scott runs the nojhl website, handles rostering and chairs meetings etc. whenever myself or Rayside staff have had an issue or problem he is quick to respond and always willing to help. That’s my two cents for what it’s worth.
Scott has been nothing but a class act and very helpful to anyone needing help.
He will be missed if he leaves as he does a lot for the league behind. The scenes
Hey Scottie ! Tell us about the Princess Ha Ha !
Mr. Marshall brought Junior Hockey back to Timmins / and for that we are thank – ful.
Iroquois Falls still have there Team so why not just get over it and stop all a the wine-ing.
Don’t know him, just from what I read and hear. I know he hurt the fans in Iroquois Falls by moving the team but in the same breath they gained another team and the league maintained and grew.
If you can count Mr. Drago as a friend then you are at least “OK”
Randy: I was so pleased to read this article on Scott Marshall and also to read that he lists me as one of his allies because I’m truly that. I remember so clearly how Scott worked to get the Iroquois team and community into the NOJHA ((name of the league at that time ). I continue to credit him for bringing Junior hockey to his community as well as helping a struggling league to survive when franchises were difficult to find. Scott , almost single handed, spearheaded the initiative. He was a tireless worker. Once the Board accepted his application I knew we had someone who would help us move forward in a positive fashion. Personally I found Scott and his group to be team players. He looked at what was best for the league and the players, not just the Eskie’s back yard. This is rare as most look at how it affects their own organization and not the overall picture. Scott could always be counted on to bring some common sense to a meeting when one of the reps went off on a tangent. Scott didn’t hesitate to offer to host events like the Dudley Hewitt Cup. This required a heavy financial burden on the organization yet he volunteered to host it. It was a great successful event and a credit to his organization and our league. He helped make my position easier and enjoyable. Hockey is filled with critics and experts. Many who perhaps wore a pair of skates, coached his/her children or is an arm chair coach believe and feel he/she knows more than the men running the organizations. Many have never done much if anything to get involved, to help or even volunteer are great critics and enjoy taking cheap shots at people like Scott who isn’t afraid to put his name and reputation on the line. It is easy to criticize. I have heard him called crusty, a term I often heard of myself, but crusty people are usually leaders who are there for the right reasons. Scott Marshall is a valuable asset and contributor to his team, community, the league and especially the players. He deserves a special thank you and recognition from the league. I have know Scott since 1999. I’m pleased to have worked with him and to call him a friend. I salute Scott Marshall, a true hockey person.
RR – either you are a good judge of character or you had dealings with him…….hummm wonder what his true agenda is.
Agreed Paul is not far behind in passing the torch .
Whatever the reason for his potential departure , gotta give the guy some credit. He did put alot of hrs in while running the Eskimos & that’s on top of his 40hrs a week at the Town.
The man must have something up his sleeve , can’t see him stay idle or maybe…….ah will wait & see what transpires.
What a wonderful and welcome post by Mr. Drago. Thank you for sharing Mr Drago!
Scott will never win a Mr. Congeniality prize , but many people who stood beside him as he led the Jr. “A” or team the Midget AA team at least have some understanding of just how much work he put into making a hockey a reality here in Iroquois Falls and are thankful for what he (and his board )did.
Crusty, arrogant whatever you may call it, I think it all derives from a busy man who simply didn’t have time to tolerate fools or paint flowers around anything. Rather than try to please everyone, which he knew he couldn’t do, he elected to stand in front his of people, team and league as a means protect their interests and their reputation. He always took it upon himself to be the bearer of the “not so good news”. To get to his people, you had to go through him and his style defense, apparently it was frustrating AND effective.
Knowing the respect he has from other teams around the league who he has helped and knowing what a trail blazer he was for the NOJHL, I have to believe if there was a builder category for an NOJHL Hall Of Fame, there wouldn’t much of a waiting period for his induction
It’s tough to lose a franchise, something we were so proud of, it really is/was. Everyone had an idea how to make it work “better” and save the team, but no in in Iroquois Falls wanted to buy it and after 20 years in the Midget and Jr hockey business, I believe he had date in mind for wanting to get out of the game, without a legacy of debt. He probably knew could tweak the operation to make the team “float” in Iroquois Falls as a zero loss, but being an accountant by trade, I’m sure was acutely aware that he wouldn’t be able to erase all those debts and loans in the amount of time he had before he left. He might of stretched repayment of debts as long as he could, but I don’t believe for a second that he ever had any intention to screwing anyone out of their money and he’s worked hard in Timmins erase those debts and repay those who believed in Jr “A” hockey. As unpopular it was to move the team, if I’m a person who put my hard earned money in the team (I did not), I would be thankful that he made those unpopular moves to ensure my money is returned. And I firmly believe that is the only time he’ll walks away, when he is fair and square (or has a bullet proof plan to square up) with all those made Jr hockey possible. He doesn’t say sorry very often, but he often makes it so he doesn’t have to say sorry, but he’ll thank you for your patience.
With a little luck Timmins will finally have a winner and it will be a nice thank you from Scott to the region for supporting Jr. hockey in this pocket of North Eastern Ontario some 17-18 years. Remember, it was the only team around here for 15 years. I believe Scott won’t leave Timmins (or Iroquois Falls) with legacy of debt, but rather a strong franchise in the Rock, in a league that has grown and developed under his influence. For Iroquois falls, I hope we can appreciate he played a huge role in building and proving the hockey market in this community, something that paved the way for Allan to come in give us the team we enjoy today.
Timmins should host the Dudley-Hewitt Cup in 2019. It’s a great arena.
Ryan do you mean the Mac. Worse place to watch a Hockey Game that you can find.
I think that Scott is the greatest thing thats ever happened to the NOJHL.
Well if Timmins is out of hosting the DHC, should the tournament end up in Sault Ste. Marie again? The NOJHL doesn’t offer a lot of options because most arenas seat under 1000 fans.