Hockey roots run deep as LumberJacks reconnect with alumni through gameday feature

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

SCUGOG: For fans flipping through the Port Perry LumberJacks gameday program this season, one section has quickly become a favourite. The “Where Are They Now?” feature has struck a chord by doing more than revisiting old stats or familiar names, it has highlighted the deep, lasting bond between the team, its alumni and the wider Scugog community.

Each week, the feature profiles a former player and explores where life has taken them since their junior hockey days, often revealing careers, families and leadership paths shaped by time spent in Port Perry. While today’s club competes as the LumberJacks following its rebrand in 2022, many of the players featured wore the jersey during the team’s years as the Port Perry MoJacks. The team itself first took to the ice in the fall of 1972 as the Port Perry Flamingos, marking the start of a rich local hockey tradition that has spanned five decades.

For Director of Hockey Operations Brad Bricknell, the idea reflects the belief that the organization’s impact extends well beyond the rink.

“Our alumni are a huge part of who we are,” Bricknell said. “This feature reminds people that when you play here, you’re part of the LumberJacks family for life. It also shows our current players that the relationships and lessons they build here stay with them long after their final game.”

That sense of continuity resonates strongly with Brett Puckrin, a former MoJacks captain who now supports the team as a longtime sponsor and local realtor. Puckrin says seeing alumni stories shared with fans on game nights reinforces what makes Port Perry hockey special.

“This organization gave me so much growing up,” he said. “Leadership, accountability, friendships, those things didn’t end when my playing days did. Being able to give back now and see former players still recognized really shows how tight-knit this community is.”

The feature has also highlighted alumni who have chosen to make Scugog their home. Matt Glen, a former MoJacks player from Oshawa who now lives in the township with his family, says the connection he felt during his playing days never faded.

“Playing in Port Perry always felt different,” Glen said. “You weren’t just playing for a team, you were playing for a town. Years later, living here with my family, that sense of belonging is still there.”

Others have carried their Port Perry experience far beyond the community. Brad MacArthur, now the head lacrosse coach at Florida Tech University, credits his time with the MoJacks with helping shape his approach to leadership.

“What I learned here about teamwork and responsibility carries into everything I do as a coach,” MacArthur said. “It means a lot to see those early experiences still valued back home.”

As the season continues, the “Where Are They Now?” feature has become a bridge between generations of players and fans. It serves as a reminder that while the name on the front of the jersey may change, the roots of Port Perry junior hockey, from the Flamingos to the MoJacks to today’s LumberJacks, remain firmly planted, and the story of the team is one shared by the entire community.