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i PAGE 16 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, DECEMBER 4,2002 The tales of a hockey legend www.durhamregion.com Wren Blair chronicles life in the OHL, NHL and everywhere in between Wren Blair was asked to write his autobiography about a decade ago...when he was 67. But the Oshawa hockey icon figured he still had more hockey business to address, address, so he decided to wait. "I said I'm too young, I have too much more to do," says Blair, now 77, and still active in the game, serving as a consultant for the Saginaw Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. But now, with more than 50 years in the game, and a hockey resume unparalleled by anyone in Durham Region, Region, Blair has put pen to paper to detail a legacy that includes a world championship, championship, NHL stints with Minnesota, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, the signing of Bobby Orr and spearheading spearheading the re-birth of the Oshawa Oshawa Generals, just to name a few. The result is a book called 'The Bird: The Life and Times of Hockey Legend Legend Wren Blair'. "Two-and-a-half years ago I decided I better get this down on paper and it's taken me that long to write it, edit it and so on," says Blair. The book weaves through Blair's incredible hockey journey, chronicling his involvement with the Oshawa Truckmen, Whitby Dunlops, Oshawa Generals, Clinton Comets, Kingston Frontenacs, Minnesota North Stars, Saginaw Gears, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Saginaw Spirit. It also tells the tales of ,the relationships he's built [through the years with such legendary hockey names as Bobby Orr, Sam Pollock, Harry Sinden, Clarence Campbell, Jack Kent Cooke and Jim Gregory to name only a few. k# iK ««'.N V :; x ... „ ' , AhVV tZ >>• (b-• ^ u ,y . ' v '<4- -■ . . ■ i :,I /-A ,'y! l 'I » ""TT vV;~! "'ife,,, % :lSl j blcgrec@durhanircgion.com While Blair trumpets the triumphs, he also doesn't shy away from the difficult moments, devoting a chapter chapter to the death of Bill Mas- . terton with the Minnesota North Stars in 1968, the first on-ice casualty in NHL his- toiy. "Writing about the death of Billy Masterton certainly wasn't a labour of love," says Blair,' who recalls the player getting hit in a game against Oakland and being carried off the ice on a stretcher. "I was getting changed after the game and the club doctor came in and I said 'How's Billy doing?' and he said I better find another , centreman. And I said 'lie's gone for the season?' and he said T don't think he's going to make it.' Two days later, Master- ton succumbed to his head injuries, with Blair getting the word around 4 a.m. while the team was in Boston. "When that phone rang, I knew why and I never wanted wanted to answer a phone less in my life," says Blair, who also recalls that then NHL- president Clarence Camp-, bell forced the Minnesota North Stars to play against Philadelphia on the same day as Masterton's funeral. Blair is one of the true characters of the game, an individual whose involvement involvement in hockey spans the ages. He's been an innovator, innovator, a winner on the ice and at the box office, a rare entity, entity, even by today's standards, standards, combining good hockey sense with business acumen. Need further proof of his ability to mix Jrockey and" business? With Christmas around the comer, Blair will be at the Civic Auditorium Sunday at the Oshawa-Sar- nia game, selling and signing signing copies of his book. s, SVÎ Shi® • /#f# «EU : lit ' ' ' J' À I, Jû jÆÊÈ $8 m I . ........ ,1.4, A.J. GROEN/ Statesman photo Gabc Gal (left) of Courtice Secondary School considers his options while moving up the court during a weekend tournament. Courtice drops consolation final of tournament OSHAWA - London Beal made the long trip worthwhile by winning the MCVI Michael Upshaw Memorial Senior Boys' Basketball Tournament Saturday, One of two teams from outside the region competing competing at the eight-team tourney, tourney, London downed the host McLaughlin Trojans 51-36 in the championship game Saturday night. John Baker drained 15 points in a losing cause and was named to the tournament tournament all-star team, lie also had 19 points in a 68-62 win over Courtice and 33 points in a 66-52 win over Richardson, In I lie consolation final, Adam Yarascavitch had 17 points in a 53-49 win for Percyma over Courtice. Yarascavitch and Gary Campbell from Courtice were also named tourney all-stars. Hastdale's Kevin Dennison Dennison had 15 points in a 58- 36 win over Pereyma and 25 in a 76-53 loss to London. London. Colin Griffiths sank 19 points in a 48-27 win for Pereyma over SlouITville to reach the consolation 1 final. The tournament is named in honour of Michael Upshaw, a former McLaughlin player who succumbed to cancer at 18 last January. GOOD NEWS. GOOD BUSINESS. GOOD GOVERNMENT. PREMIER ERNIE EVES, JERRY OUELLETTE AND JIM FLAHERTY: RAISING ACCOUNTING STANDARDS. GIVING SMALL BUSINESS MORE CHOICE. Three ways Ernie Eves and his government are protecting investors and helping small business: 1. Protecting investors by raising standards for licensed public accountants. Ronald Daniels, Dean of the University of Toronto's Faculty- of Law, has been appointed to review public accounting standards. CGA Ontario is committed to working with Dean Daniels to develop higher standards. The goal? Prevent a repeat of Ontario's own accounting scandals - which have cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars. 2. Putting the public interest first, by putting in place a tough new regulator. The government is moving ahead to create a new board to oversee licensed public accountants in Ontario. It won't be dominated by one group of accountants. It will be mandated to put the public interest ahead of the interests of the accounting profession. 3. More choice for small and medium sized businesses, charities and other organizations. Ontarians deserve the right to choose who handles their licensed public accounting, when that need arises. The government will let them make that choice. After all, almost every other province in Canada allows choice - including Ontario's toughest trading partners, And Certified General Accountants have the training and qualifications to do the job. Two independent reports have called for this overhaul of public accounting. Ernie Eves and his government listened. Now they're acting. It's good news for Ontario. Certified General Accountants of Ontario