Chris Lowrey
SHAWVILLE May 2, 2018
The Shawville Arena could soon be the place to be on a Friday night if Nick St-Laurent has his way.
St. Laurent, along with Fort Coulonge native Danick Boisvert, are trying to bring senior hockey to the Pontiac.
Senior hockey is high-level amateur hockey that is one avenue available to players who’ve finished their junior career and want to keep playing.
St-Laurent and Boisvert both spent time playing for the Shawville Junior Pontiacs in the early 2000s.
St. Laurent says the process is still in the planning phases but things are coming together quickly.
On April 29, Boisvert was in Fort Coulonge to announce that the community will be one of the teams in the proposed Outaouais Senior A Hockey League (OSAHL).
The Fort Coulonge team will take the name of the minor hockey association – The Comets. In Shawville, St-Laurent hopes to bring back the team name “Pontiacs.”
“It’s a staple in the community,” St-Laurent said.
In Shawville, St-Laurent is waiting for confirmation that he will be able to secure the ice booking before being able to announce the formation of the team.
He said the first step is to set up a league. Once the framework for the teams is in place, St-Laurent said it should make it easier to attract teams. He hopes to start next season with at least four teams.
St-Laurent said that representatives in Eganville, Pembroke, Chelsea, Cardinal and La Chute have expressed interest.
La Chute already has a senior team that plays exhibition games since there is currently no league.
The plan is for Oct. 5 to be opening night for the league. He said they hope for each team to play eight home games and eight away games, all played on either Fridays or Saturdays.
Players in the league won’t be paid, but St-Laurent said it’s up to individual teams if they want to compensate players for things like meals and travel costs.
St-Laurent said one of the toughest parts about explaining the league to people is elaborating on what senior hockey actually is.
“Many people don’t know what senior hockey is,” he said.
Senior league’s basically provide a competitive, high-calibre option for players who are used to playing at a high level.
“After you’re done junior, if you’re not going the college or the pro route, there are options for anyone past junior who wants to play competitive hockey,” St-Laurent said.
Ottawa and the Valley used to be a hotbed of senior hockey. In Ottawa, there were several teams that played in the Ottawa City Senior Hockey League (OCSHL). The OCSHL was formed in 1890 by the Ottawa Hockey Association and ran until 1945.
The Pontiac has a proud senior league history as well. Shawville had a senior team for several years in the 1960s.
The senior Shawville Pontiacs won the Algonquin Senior League titles in the 1964-65 season as well as the 1965-66 season. Additionally, the team also won the Ottawa District Intermediate Championship in 1968-69.
Even today, senior hockey is alive and well. The Allan Cup is the Canadian senior hockey championship, dating all the way back to the first year it was presented in 1909.
St-Laurent said that there has been a noticeable void left in Shawville since the departure of the Junior B team.
“From what I’ve heard, what happened [when they departed] left a real sour taste in people’s mouths,” St-Laurent said.
Anyone interested in helping to bring high-level hockey back to the Pontiac can get in touch with St-Laurent by emailing him at n_stlaurent@hotmail.com or call him on his cell at 819-360-4423.
