Moe Mantha harkened back to a couple stages of a hockey life when he skated in the NHL Heritage Classic recently.
The coach of the NOJHL's French River Rapids was part of the Winnipeg Jets alumni team that faced off against an Edmonton Oilers team which included legends Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier as part of the festivities at Investors' Group Field back on Oct. 22-23.
“The first word that comes to mind was 'priceless' – first-class job by the Winnipeg Jets organization for taking care of all the former players who wore the sweater,” says Mantha, whose 656-game NHL tenure includes stints with the Jets from 1980-84 and 1989-92. “I've told some people that I retired in 1992 and never thought I would put a NHL sweater again, so it was awesome to do that. It was good to catch up and share some memories. Another thing was seeing how much my wife (Kathy Mantha) and all our wives enjoyed catching up. Back then we would be on the road for 10 days at a time so the wives had to be very independent and when we were traded they would have to pack. Back then they four- or five-year-olds and now they are talking about grandchildren.
“It was great to be on the ice with old friends and familiar faces,” Mantha says. “We started a little slowly but no matter what our ages were, guys were getting more competitive and stronger on their sticks. My old [defence] partner Dave Babych and I were laughing at just like we were 20 years old again. It was fun, the way it should be.”
The current Jets include veteran defenceman Mark Stuart, whom Mantha coached with the U.S. under-18 team in 2000-01. (Two other players from that season, Matt Carle and Ryan Kesler, are active NHLers.) That reminded Mantha of the rewards of helping to mentor young players.
“He's going through the stage that we were going through then, married with young kids. It was nice, the whole thing of catching up – just asking, 'what have you been doing? How's your dad?' I even reminded him, 'I remembered you with a pencil neck, now look at you.' It's always nice to see players whom you have coached and now you see them in the NHL living the fullest part of his dream, which is playing in the National Hockey League. When I coached Mark, he was always the first guy on the ice and the last guy off. He never had the most talent but he had the will and the determination to get it done. That character and attitude is still there.”
Many former NHLers keep ties to cities where they played. For Mantha, it's a unique bound since the Winnipeg was without a franchise from 1996 to 2011.
“There are a lot of players who had fond memories of Winnipeg because of the way people treated you.T hey knew who you were, but you were treated like a normal person. To this day, people talk about how the city welcomes you with open arms.
“When they moved, I've said, it was like someone walked up to you and punched you and knocked the wind out of you. When they came back [in 2011], it was one of the happiest times because you knew there were a lot of good hockey fans that supported the Winnipeg Jets.”
Mantha has coached in the AHL, ECHL and OHL, but has warmed to the task of working with the second-year Rapids in the NOJHL. The Noelville-based team has a 1-23-1-1 record, but there have been success stories nonetheless. Leading scorer Gregory Trudeau-Paquet, age 17, has handled the jump to Junior A from the Sudbury high school league. Sixteen-year-old Brayden Crowe is also the leading point-getter on defence.
“I was told we have the youngest junior team in Hockey Canada,” Mantha says “Wins and losses are concern but the focus is the development of a young person on and off the ice. It's been nice to watch Greg [Trudeau-Paquet] come along. He's starting to figure out the little details. It's similar with Brayden.”
The pursuit of a hockey career often leads to parents moving children away from home at an early age, or relocating as an entire unit. Mantha says there is value, socially, in giving Northern Ontario players a viable option.
“What really intrigued me about the Northern Ontario league is I was a young boy growing up in the North and I managed to stick around here and play my hockey and got the chance to go play for the Toronto Marlies eventually,” he says. “There are a lot of young boys leaving home at 14, or 15 years old to go to Toronto. You'd like to give them an opportunity to stay in high school and graduate with their buddies, without making a commitment to move away from home. I knew there were some good players around here. They can be with their friends and family, develop their personality too.”
The Rapids have also produced their first major junior product. Seventeen-year-old forward Caleb Rich, of Callander, was signed by the Halifax Mooseheads in October and has played in eight games for the QMJHL team.
Whether as coach or player, getting “the call” from a team at a higher level is still a rite.
“I was at the Heritage Classic when Caleb called me and said, 'Coach, thanks for everything,' ” Mantha says. “I know what he went through to get that and I was so happy for him.”
