Another Paddock coach a winner

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2015 (3682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In terms of recognition for his coaching efforts, Gord Paddock is overshadowed by his brothers.

His older brother, John, is well-known to even casual fans, a former NHL bench boss who was the Western Hockey League’s coach of the year with the Regina Pats last season. Younger brother Russ was also a well-decorated coach before giving up his whistle to serve as Brandon University’s athletic director, having been named the Canada West conference coach of the year in 2010 in recognition of his success with the BU’s men’s volleyball team.

Last week, Gord got a well-deserved turn in the spotlight, guiding the Oak River Dodgers to their first Manitoba Senior Baseball League title, following up a regular-season pennant with a five-game win over the Brandon Marlins in the championship final.

Gord Paddock’s commitment is well-known to those around him. When John’s Pats were taking on the Brandon Wheat Kings in this year’s WHL playoffs and he was being interviewed about his induction in the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, the Regina coach spoke highly of the family’s other coaches — sister Rhonda is a well-regarded high-school coach as well. He praised “Gordie” not only for his coaching, but his work around the community as well, saying he wasn’t sure where Oak River would be without him. And it’s not the first time the eldest of the Paddock siblings has spoken glowingly of his brother, unsolicited, during interviews.

A former standout on the blue-line for the Wheat Kings, Gord was a draft pick of the NHL’s New York Islanders and played several seasons in the pro ranks before settling down back at the family farm, which he now runs.

He celebrated the MSBL championship this summer with a talented group of young players, some of whom came up through minor ball locally under the guidance of Derek Shamray, himself a former Dodger field manager.

One of the best parts of Paddock’s story is that it is mirrored elsewhere throughout Westman. While every story is unique, a common bond through every small town in the region are the volunteers who work tirelessly on the athletic fields and elsewhere to make their communities a better place to live.

It’s people like Paddock and his counterparts who help to give Westman its understated but compelling character, and it’s efforts such as theirs that will inspire youngsters to follow in their footsteps, keeping our region vibrant well into the future.

That’s something that, no matter what team we root for, we should all celebrate.

ONE FOR THE AGES: Fred Trottier’s golf game keeps going strong. His fellow members in the RBC Wheat City Senior Men’s Golf League came up with the interesting tidbit that Trottier shot his age this week, one day after his 88th birthday. It’s not the first time he’s celebrated his birthday that way either, having matched his age 13 years ago on the day he turned 75.

Fred’s given all of us who long for the day we spend more time on the links something to shoot for. Of course some of us might have to live to be 100 to get there.