Josh Chamberlain has goalie mask custom airbrushed
Apr 17, 2008 - 02:16 PM
By Ryan Chalmers
OSHAWA -- The North Oshawa Thunder Peewee hockey team knows what it's like to have to battle off the ice more so than on it.
About two years ago, their trainer/assistant coach Vic Weatherall suddenly passed away. A realization that life is short and that you have to live it to the fullest made the team united as they rallied around the Weatherall family to get them through the painful loss of a father, a husband, and a role model.
The team's goalie, Josh Chamberlain, now 13, was especially close to Weatherall. The coach had mentored the young goalie, and recently to pay tribute to a man that selflessly volunteered his time and wisdom, Chamberlain had his mask custom airbrushed with Weatherall's face on it to show his gratitude.
"He helped me out a lot," said Chamberlain. "I just wanted to dedicate it to him and show how much he meant to me."
In the first game that Chamberlain wore the helmet, the Thunder lost badly. When he came off the ice, he was smiling and told the coaches: "Well, Vic will be with me in the good times and the bad."
Quite a statement for a young boy.
Chamberlain recalled one of his memories of coach Weatherall and how he was different than the other coaches.
"One time, me and his son Adam almost got into a fight during a game," he remembered with a smile. "Our coach stopped it and said that we were wrong. Vic was OK with it and said that you should always stick up for your teammates. Most coaches wouldn't allow you to do that, so that was pretty cool."
Coach Steve Millar sees the team as one big family that sticks together through adversity. His staff tries to influence the team in a positive way, a great thing for adolescent boys.
"We teach them respect and to always have fun," Millar said. "The main thing is to not take anything for granted because it can be taken away from you real quick."
Millar loved the helmet. He thought it was a great tribute from Chamberlain in his own way.
Weatherall's son, Adam, who has been through one of the worst things that can happen to a young child, stands strong amidst the tragedy.
"I thought the helmet was amazing," he said. "It felt great the first time I saw it."
The Thunder stand united, relying on each other to get through the good times and the bad, knowing that they aren't alone.
"Vic will always be with us," Chamberlain said. "That's what the helmet represents, he is still here and never gone."
Ryan Chalmers is a Durham College journalism student currently on placement with Metroland Durham Region Media Group
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