Flamingos memories from 55 years ago

by Shawn Lackie

WOW!!! That went fast. Did 55 years just slip by without me knowing it? I had a call, asking if I would be part of the celebration of 50 years for the Scugog Arena and another tip of the hat to the first Junior “C” hockey club in Port Perry. It was 55 years for that one.

Some great events were planned, for the weekend of September 19th and 20th, featuring the renowned Port Perry Flamingos. Named after one of the most amazing success stories in local business history, Ken Jackson started making a family recipe butter tart and sold them in his restaurant, on Queen Street. On the north side of Queen Street between John and Perry Streets, that location later became the David Chow Chinese eatery. The tarts became so popular and famous, Ken decided to start a business making the tarts. Anyone familiar with local lore knows the rest of the story. Flamingo Pastries became an international success story.

Mr. Jackson was also an ardent supporter of local sports. He sponsored the very first Junior “C” hockey club, hence the name Flamingos and the colour scheme. That first year was like something out of Slap Shot. There were many different teams in far off areas back then, before everything became regional and closely controlled. Hey, we played in Penetang, Cobourg, Port Hope, Bowmanville, Oak Ridges (north of Toronto – maybe now called Vaughn) Lindsay, Markham, and Sutton. Many of those clubs have moved on or up to Junior “A”.

We finished at 12-16-3, in fifth place of a nine team League. For a first year club that was pretty impressive. We lost in the first round of playoffs, to Oak Ridges, but there were many highlights along the way. Many of the games featured high scoring totals, long before “The Trap.” Scores like 9-8, 9-3, 10-2 and the like. It was a coach’s nightmare.

Our biggest game was probably beating the powerhouse Bowmanville Eagles, who had been to the All-Ontario finals, the year before, against Dresden. Bus rides were interesting, especially to Penetang, in the dead of winter. Talk about snow storms, in mid-November, when the flurries were flying and we were tooling around in a yellow school bus.

Crowds were crazy, always in the mood for a good dust up. We had some interesting characters only too willing to provide. I always chuckle, when the critics call the aforementioned Slap Shot bogus and not real, and then I get flashbacks. Many which could be included in that film.

One in particular stands out. We were in Oak Ridges. It was a Face off in the defensive corner and I lined up on the goal line. I heard this voice say, “Hey six, back up....” I wondered what the heck this guy was saying, so I turn around. He had two hooks where his hands should be and he had them through the wire screen. Yes, you read that right. I tried to think, if it would help if I should just chop at his hooks, but thought better of it. I would probably land in a full-on donnybrook in the penalty box at the old arena. Back then the penalty box was ONE sin bin. Players from both teams would have to sit in the same box, even after a fight. Needless to say, things got a little hairy one night, in there, after an on-ice disagreement which led to two of us being banished to the sin bin. Madness ensued but what do you expect?

The team was full of colourful characters from all around the Durham Region: Blackstock, Brock, Sunderland, Cannington, Uxbridge (pre-Bruins), Oshawa, Whitby and Port. It was kind of a United Nations of local hockey talent. The team name eventually morphed into Mojacks, after six seasons. It was a unique name for sure which had many asking, “Just what IS a Mojack?” Since the Jackson family continued as our main sponsor, they eventually took on the name, paying homage to Mother Jackson’s Open Kitchen.

More recently there was another name switch, due to Lake Scugog Lumber taking over primary sponsorship of the club. That’s an amazing track record. Two sponsors over 55 years. With all the talk of anniversary celebrations, it’s easy to get drawn into amazing memories of great times gone by.

I infrequently run into one or two of the guys who were on that team. One in particular, I have talked to a few times in recent months, I called Baby Face. He was a great player, tough as nails with an awesome sense of humour. He runs a sports trophy shop in Uxbridge and still looks pretty much the same, all these years later. He is blessed with great DNA, I guess. Some of the others are sadly not with us any more and others have moved out of the area. Still, we all still have one thing in common, we were THERE, at ground zero, for the very first year. I don’t think there is one of us who isn’t proud of that. It’s a good time to celebrate.