Northern Ontario hockey team battles on after loss of coach
The Kirkland Lake Blue Devils is a tight-knit minor hockey team that's persevered both on and off the ice.
Kirkland Lake Blue Devils U13 hockey team. Feb. 20/24 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)
The young U13 athletes have been playing on the same team since the Timbit level, making the team their second family.
"It's something that's great about being in a small community," said Ryan Dagelman, the Blue Devils' team manager.
More importantly, they have also helped each other get through a tough time together.
At the beginning of last season, they learned their coach, Paul Lacroix, had brain cancer.
"They battled through and they had a really great successful year," Dagelman said.
"Unfortunately, Paul passed away, but he did get to see the team win their NOHA title; it was one of his goals with them and it was great that they could accomplish that for him."
Tucker Lance and Mason Crickard are players on the team.
"When he got diagnosed with cancer I was sad, but it like motivated me to keep on going so I thank him for that and I miss him," Lance said.
Tucker Lance, Kirkland Lake Blue Devils player. Feb. 20/24 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)
"He was supportive and always pushed us to the limit, yeah, he just loved us overall," Crickard said.
The team worked hard for its beloved coach and only lost two games last year.
This year, the Blue Devils are currently in second place out of five teams in their U13A division.
Lacroix's son, Coleman, also plays on the team and he said he thinks his dad would be impressed, not only with the team's standing in the league but also with its community involvement.
Coleman Lacroix, son of late coach of Kirkland Lake Blue Devils and player on the team. Feb. 20/24 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)
"They were able to raise a little over $3,300 for the Terry Fox fund and they ran in the name of Paul," Dagelman said.
"Minor hockey started a food bank fundraiser for tryouts so we were able to get a bunch of food for the food bank and so the kids have really tried to give back as much as has been given to them."
Kirkland Lake Minor Hockey Association collected food for the food bank during tryouts. (Kirkland Lake Blue Devils hockey team)
Coleman said he thinks his dad would be proud of the team.
"With our new coach, Coach D'Arcy, he's been doing a great job coaching us and I think he'd be proud," he said.
The team's management said the players' ability to deal with such an emotional time with the dedication and resolve that they did was incredible and they deserve to be recognized as the Rastall Nut and Bolt Team of the Month.
Nominations for the next and final Team of the Month are open until March 15.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.