Jim Lewandowsky looks through a scrapbook filled with yellowing articles and photos. Sitting in the warmth of the Perth Junior B Blue Wings office overlooking the ice, he shakes his head when he sees a photo of himself, taken almost 30 years ago. "It really brings back memories," he says.
Back then, he was a 17-year-old defenceman, playing on a championship Blue Wings team. Now, his son, Brett, is following his example. The duo is rare in the Blue Wings history. In fact, staff say that they are the only father and son to have both played for the team in recent memory.
Growing up, Brett heard stories of the years his father played for the Perth team. He has seen and held in his own hands the Blue Wings pin his dad has kept all these years. In fact, the 18-year-old Carleton University engineering student from Kanata might not have even considered playing with the team, if his father hadn't had such a great time in the ranks of the fabled hockey club himself.
Jim played with the Blue Wings from age 17 to 20 and was a member of the team who won the North-West Division Championships in the 1981-82 season. His defence involved “crushing checks” as was mentioned in an article published that year in The Perth Courier. After graduating from the club, Jim spent time establishing himself and a family in Kanata, getting married to Caroline and together raising Brett. Now, his son is one of the reliable players on the team. ...
Things just keep getting better and better for the Perth Junior B Blue Wings. Not only is the team sitting pretty in the standings, but they bolstered their numbers with three veteran free agents going into playoffs. To top it all off, eight Blue Wings have been chosen to fill out the ranks of the league’s all star games in February. The team is sailing high with playoffs looming on the horizon.
Coming off a 4-1 win over Stittsville on Friday, coach Jeff Snow said the boys are in a good spot right now. “They’re continuing to battle hard and we’re really happy with the way they’ve been playing,” he said. “I really feel we’ve taken steps in the right direction. Especially just two or three weeks away from playoffs – I like the direction we’re heading.”
After the Jan. 10 trade deadline, Blue Wings staff signed three free agent players, all of whom have now seen ice with the team. The locals picked up Andrew Higgins, a 20-year-old who was actually with the Arnprior Packers at the start of the year. Another new name on the roster is Jason Burchill, who played the last few seasons with the Ottawa Junior Canadians. Burchill is another 20-year-old, and holds his own at right wing at 213 pounds. Last, but not least, the Blue Wings welcomed Nick Brunet, a 20-year-old, 235-pound defenceman who played part of last year with Ottawa West. In fact, these new additions are already showing their ability, as Brunet recorded an assist in the game against Stittsville Friday and Andrew Higgins scored a goal and an assist in his debut game against Renfrew Jan. 15.“Not only have we added some size to the roster but we were able to sign three veterans who we’re certain will add a lot to the team,” Snow said.
In other news, eight players were chosen to be highlighted in the Eastern Ontario Junior League Metro-Valley All Star Games played Feb. 13 and hosted by the Ottawa Junior Canadians. The Metro-Valley rookies named included goalie Jeremy Wright and forwards Blair Barr, Peter McGahey and Anthony McVeigh. In addition, Perth Blue Wings coaching staff will be filling out the bench, leading the rookie team this year. The division veterans to be playing the in the all-star veterans game include defenceman Adam Emmerton and forwards Nick Held, Eric Hebert and Brett Lewandowsky. The next home game for the Blue Wings is this Sunday when they face off against Metcalfe at 1:30 p.m.
The Perth Blue Wings skated out onto the ice last week looking a little retro.
That’s because the team was wearing new jerseys modeled after Blue Wings shirts circa the mid-1970s.
Though they have been in the works since October, fans got their first look at the team’s third jersey set at Wednesday night’s home game against the Renfrew Timberwolves.
About three months ago, team staff decided to look into getting the uniforms made for the Blue Wings.
For this set, though, they wanted something different, to stand out while at the same time paying tribute to the long history of the hockey club.
Skip Patterson, club president, said staff began by studying photos of jerseys the Blue Wings used in the past.“We looked at about 20 pictures of different team jerseys from different eras of the club to decide on which retro look to go with,” Patterson said. “We even looked at the style from 1939, which appear like they were wool sweaters,” he said, laughing.
The thing that tied all the years together was the legendary logo with wing on it. Instead of creating yet another jersey with the wing, the staff set about trying to achieve instant name recognition while at the same time using a colour scheme that long-time Perth fans may find familiar.
The style they decided on was patterned after the 1973-1974 season jerseys. “We took off the wing in the logo and substituted the Perth name down the front,” Patterson said.
The jerseys bear the same blue and white colours
on the arms as the jerseys more than 30 years ago. In
addition, they include the lace-up neck that was popular
then.
One of the best parts of whole process was that the
new shirts were paid for through a donation.
Instrux Media, the company which co-coach Steve Sundin works for, covered the cost of the sweaters. Paired with the work, done by one of the team’s jersey sponsors, Elite Engraving & Embroidery, the new jerseys were a sight to behold as skaters debuted them during last Wednesday night’s home game against the Renfrew Timberwolves.
“We wanted to wear them at home tonight so the fans could have a look at them and Renfrew agreed to switch colours for one game so we could do that,” Patterson said.
Coach Jeff Snow said the first time the team wore the new garb was at the 36th annual Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League Boxing Day tournament hosted by the Clarence Creek Castors.
The Perth Blue Wings recently got an early Christmas present, as the team recorded a four-point weekend.
The locals won both of their games, 4-3 against Stittsville Friday night and 5-1 against Arnprior Sunday, securing the top spot of the Metro-Valley division points standings.
They even managed to pull off the win Sunday evening with only four defencemen dressing for the game. That game was also unique in that it incorporated five different goal scorers, which coach Jeff Snow said shows the win was a complete team effort.
“We came out flying in the first period and scored four goals, which gave us drive,” he said. “It was a solid game, with everyone working hard for the entire game.”
Goals went to Riley Kane, Adam Emmerton, Eric Hebert, Nick Held and Blair Barr.
Snow also made note of goalie Jeremy Wright’s performance between the pipes Sunday, as he turned away 27 shots throughout the game. In fact, he was less than a minute away from recording a shut out, when Arnprior scored its lone goal.
In Friday’s game against Stittsville, Kane recorded a goal in the first period as did Brett Lewandowsky. Ben Minkus scored in the second, and Hebert lit the lamp in the third.
Ice Chips
The schedule has been posted for the annual Boxing Day Tournament hosted by Clarence Beavers. Hopefully players with the Perth Blue Wings are morning people, as they’re first on the ice. Perth will meet Casselman at 9 a.m. at the Rockland Arena, otherwise known as the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena. Other teams in the tourney are Westport, Athens, Clarence, Gatineau, Arnprior and Alexandria. The tournament is a sudden death situation, with every game counting. The Perth Blue Wings won the Boxing Day tournament in 1995.
Though the Blue Wings picked up a 4-3 overtime win
Friday night against Arnprior, the team will have to
forfeit its points due to the misinterpretation of a
rule. Coach Jeff Snow said that Josh MacMillan played
even though he had incurred three major penalties at
the time, when he should have sat out for the game.
Snow said the league rule is that if a player garners
three majors, he must be benched for a game. Last year,
the number of majors was five, but it was dropped to
three this year. Snow even emailed the league statistician
to make sure MacMillan was eligible to be on the ice.
“I was under the impression that he was fine to play,”
Snow said. “We thought we were doing our due diligence
by checking ahead of time, and we thought it was just
fighting majors that accumulate. “It was a mistake and
I feel bad for the players because they’re losing two
points for a misinterpretation of a rule.” Due to the
fact MacMillan hit the ice Friday, the Blue Wings will
forfeit their points, and Arnprior will pick up a bonus
point.
The Blue Wings are still first in the standings, but
only by one point. MacMillan, however, got into another
fight at the end of the game Friday, so his time off
the ice will accumulate. He now has a three-game suspension
because of his majors. “That leaves us a bit short on
the back end,” Snow said. “But on the whole, the team
is scoring now, we’ve got depth and we’re a solid hockey
club.” Though the team lost to Gatineau on Sunday afternoon
6-5, Snow said he was pleased with the way his team
played against one of the top teams in eastern Ontario.
“We played with them and outplayed them in some respects,”
he said. Brett Lewandowsky had a stellar weekend, scoring
the overtime goal that clinched Friday’s game, and also
recording two goals in Sunday’s match. “It’s all about
confidence with him,” Snow said. Also scoring two goals
Sunday was Shawn McGillivray, while Blair Barr recorded
one.
The Blue Wings play again at home this Friday night
against the Ottawa Canadians. The puck drops at 7:45
p.m.
Be there to support your home team!
They may be three years apart in age, but the McGahey
brothers are treated equally when it comes to playing
with the Perth Blue Wings. Connor, 19, and Peter, 16,
live just outside of Perth and have had their hearts
set on playing with the team since they were young.
Getting started in the sport at only three years old,
the boys were introduced to the sport in their own backyard.
“Our dad was really into hockey, so we picked it up
on the rink he made on the back lawn,” said Peter. Moving
from their home into the Perth/Lanark Minor hockey system,
the boys went up through the ranks. While Connor landed
a spot on the Blue Wings roster fresh out of minor hockey,
Peter moved from local minor hockey to the Ottawa Silver
Seven and then to the Blue Wings roster. Now, Connor
plays defence, while Peter is a rookie at centre ice.
The brothers also had role models to follow right under
their own roof. Their older brothers, Matt and Dan,
also played with the Blue Wings in the late 1990s. The
younger McGaheys can remember going to watch their older
brothers and cheering them on. “There’s a little friendly
competition between us all now in terms of points and
playing time,” said Connor, laughing. Dan now lives
and works in Ottawa, so he keeps a close tab on his
younger brothers and Matt is the assistant coach and
Ontario scout for the University of Waterloo hockey
team. Both Peter and Connor agree that it’s been a
blast playing in their own hometown. “It’s more fun
playing where you know everyone, but you take it more
to heart,” said Connor. Peter said it’s been helpful
having Connor on the team to show him the ropes, as
it’s his first year in a junior B setting. “We know
when we’re on the ice together and he’s shown me a lot
so far,” Peter said. Head coach Jeff Snow said that
while Connor has been under the wing of the team, he
has blossomed as a player. “He started with us quite
young and has been with us for a number of years now,”
Snow said. “He’s developed into a leader on the team.”
Snow said the statistics don’t do Peter’s inaugural
performance justice. “He’s a fantastic young talent
and one of the hardest working players on the team,”
Snow said. Although they love playing the sport, both
brothers also recognize there is life after hockey.
Connor is currently attending Carleton University and
Peter also plans to go on to post-secondary education
after high school. For now, though, they’re content
among the ranks of the Blue Wings, knowing they’re part
of what has come to be a family tradition. “It feels
pretty good to play here, knowing you’ve got the community
support,” said Peter. Connor agrees, saying it’s come
full circle for the duo. “We’ve gone from watching
our brothers at the rink, to actually being the players
we used to look up to,” said Connor, smiling. 
Blair Barr and Jeremy Wright may be rookies but the
pair is contributing to the Perth Blue Wings like veterans.
Barr, 16, is a right winger and Wright, 17, is a goalie
for the local junior B squad. Not only are they new
to the team, but they don’t have far to travel to the
rink – they both live in Perth. Wright started out in
Perth Minor Hockey when very young, but most recently
played with the Ottawa Valley Titans.
Barr is also a Titans alumnus, having played with the team for two years, and also played with Osgoode for one. Wright also has some experience in junior A. After being drafted as a prospect by the Kanata Stallions in 2008, he was called up from the Ottawa Valley midget AAA Titans last February to actually spend some time on the ice with the team. He was in net for the Stallions in exhibition play again this year, but was cut and picked up by the Blue Wings. Wright is one of two rookie goalies with the Blue Wings this year, but he said knowing that only makes him perform better. “Knowing I’m one of two rookie goalies makes me practice harder, but I love the fact that Troy (Anderson) and I are both new this year.” Wright said. “It’s good for us – it gives us a chance to prove ourselves.” A junior A team also had its eye on Barr in September. The Smiths Falls Junior A Bears agreed to trade one of its 16-year-old cards to the Perth Blue Wings for the sole purpose of signing 16-year-old Barr. The tables turned later in September, when Barr was cut from the Bears line up and was acquired by the Perth team. Barr says he is hoping to be back in the Bears den next season. In the mean time, Barr said he’s enjoying playing locally. “It’s really nice to play in your hometown; it’s a good feeling.” said Barr. “In a small community everyone knows you and the community is really supportive of the players on the team.” Wright agreed, saying that because they play where they live, they get friends and family in the stands at almost every game. “You can hear them cheering for you, calling your name,” Wright said. “It helps get you going.” Snow said the stats on Barr right now don’t show all that he’s accomplished so far this year. Calling Barr a “one-year junior B player”, Snow said the rookie will be picked up by an upper tier team next year. “He’s smart and talented,” Snow said. “Defensively, he’s good at getting pucks out of the zone.” Wright has 368 minutes logged between the pipes for the Blue Wings so far - more than 13 other goalies in the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League. All that experience seems to be paying off, as Snow said Wright has already grown by leaps and bounds as a goalie. Earlier in the season, Snow said, Wright battled with nerves, but since then has been a force to contend with in net. “He’s really grown into the role,” Snow said. “He’s headed in an exciting direction right now.”
