20 - Southpoint Sun
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Harrowing plane ride still lingers 50 years later By Mark Ribble LEAMINGTON — A couple of weeks ago, Scott Holland’s account of the Leamington Flyers winning the Ontario Junior C championship in 1972 told of the playoffs and the tragedy that hit the local hockey community. Greg Coulter was a member of that 1972 championship team and was also on one of the planes that got lost in a snowstorm on April 4, 1972, returning from the Flyers’ game in Bracebridge. Greg’s hockey season had come to an early end with a poorly executed bodycheck in game two of the OHA quarter-final series in New Hamburg on March 19. Attempting to slow down one of the New Hamburg Hahns’ players, he missed his check and fell awkwardly into the boards and broke his left arm. “I spent a couple of days in a Kitchener hospital during March Break,” he says. The Flyers dominated most of that series and went on to eliminate the Hahns with four wins and a tie in the eight-
make it to the game with- one last comment as they out the long bus ride,” boarded the two planes says Coulter. — something that reSo the foursome of mains with Greg Coulter Greg, Gord, Bob and Jerry to this day. took off as planned from He jokingly said, “I’m Windsor. sitting right behind the Local “Mr. Hockey”, Joe pilot. If we crash that’s the Cross, had also chartered safest seat in the plane.” a plane and invited local Under crystal clear fans Harold Derbyshire skies, Rougoor and his and Paul Wilkinson along passengers took off first, for the ride. Their pilot, as they had the slowTim Weatherall, was from er plane of the two. The Windsor. flight plan called for them The trip to Brace- to head toward Owen bridge was S o u n d , uneventful and then and the eight fly south “The snow air travelers t o w a rd suddenly watched the London Flyers take and west stopped and t o w a r d a 2-1 series lead with a Windsor. we were 7-4 win over “Shortly the Bears. staring at the after takeGreg vividoff, things ly remembers runway lights.” b e c a m e getting ready complicatfor the trip — Greg Coulter ed,” says home. C o u l t e r. “The mois“The ground crew at the airport ture off Lake Huron checked the weather and caused a wet snow to betold us we should have a gin falling.” Visibility quickly degood trip home,” he said. “They told us “It’s a bit teriorated to the point windy, but the skies are where they could no clear all the way to Wis- longer see the wing tips and Rougoor was relying consin.” In typical Joe Cross solely on the plane’s comfashion, the big man pass to navigate his way from Leamington made south. Several times, the plane coughed and sputtered from the amount of snow hitting the engines. “It was surprising to see how quickly you could become disoriented in a snowstorm,” says Coulter. With his arm in a cast, the bumpy ride was less-than-comfortable. Through the blinding snow they flew, not knowing if they were over land or lake. Rougoor radioed a mayday and the control tower at Toronto responded, instructing them to head east to London. “So we flew back into the storm,” says Coulter. “Visibility cleared and # $ we realized we were over % $ & " #& # Kitchener.” That’s when the Toron' " ( $ & & to tower told them to turn & & ) west and pick up instruction from the London tower. Somewhere in that mess, Coulter remem bers seeing other airplane lights in the distance and suddenly realized it was ! " # $ the other Windsor-bound plane — a Piper Cherokee carrying Cross, Derbyshire and Wilkinson — which zipped by as quickly as it appeared. Fuel became an issue, and since they had flown past London a couple of times, it was decided that point series. Bracebridge was the next opponent and Coulter remembers the Bracebridge arena not being very welcoming. “It was an intimidating old arena and the games featured a live band at one end,” he says. “Their signature song was Three Blind Mice when the referees took to the ice.” The Bears took the first game by a 5-4 count, despite a late rally by the Flyers. The local squad rebounded with a decisive 9-4 victory back here in game two. Coulter remembers watching his teammates get ready for game three, which was set for Tuesday, April 4, 1972. He chose not to join them on the team bus — Big Red — because he’d have to miss school. Flyer volunteer and executive member, Gord MacDonald, contacted Greg and told him that he had arranged a charter flight with local pilot Jerry Rougoor, who agreed to fly them to Bracebridge out of Windsor Airport. Flyers exec Bob Fox would also be going on the flight. “I saw this as a way to
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London would be the only safe place for either of the planes to land. With the snow blinding their way, the foursome kept in touch with the London tower, who advised they were in the vicinity and the London Knights DC-3 should be visible to them as it circled the airport waiting to land also. Greg Coulter as a member of “We saw a light the Leamington Flyers. ahead and assumed it camp in Huntsville for was the light from the Knight’s plane, but the the team to stay in prior snow suddenly stopped to the upcoming Sunday and we were staring at game five in Bracebridge. the runway lights,” says Coulter jumped back on the team bus for the trip Coulter. Within seconds, the back to Bracebridge on small plane went into a the Saturday. The offer from Epplett dive as Rougoor struggled to keep it in the air. allowed the players to As he righted the plane avoid same day travel and got it back on track, and deal with the trageit was decided that an dy of the week. Executive emergency landing would members travelled with be attempted and that’s the team and looked after all the meals and prewhat they did. Once on the ground, the warmed the cabins. As stranded foursome was they arrived at the camp, grateful and wondered the snow was up to their about the fate of the oth- waist and the bus got ers and if they had made stuck in the driveway. “It was buried really it back to Windsor. Little did they know as deep,” said Coulter. “The they climbed into a cab players all walked in, deheaded for Leamington spite the depth of snow.” Volunteers and coaches that Joe Cross and the others had crashed in a worked tirelessly to dig out the bus and get the field not far away. “We arrived home at players to the arena in daylight and the radio time for Sunday’s game. It was like the Leamwas already reporting ington crew didn’t want that the other plane was to revisit Bracebridge missing,” said Coulter. “It was found on the Thurs- again. They won the Sunday in a field near Shed- day game 6-3 on the back den. There were no survi- of John Moore’s 52-save performance and never vors.” As events unfolded, it looked back. They handiwas learned that the bus ly won the series and preride home for players pared to face off against and coaches was also a the Cobourg Cougars in harrowing experience on the finals. Against Coburg, the the westbound 401, as the surprise snowstorm took outcome of the series was never really in doubt, as everyone off guard. On Thursday night, the the Flyers rolled to the Flyers hosted the Bears in championship in five game four of the series. games. Greg Coulter returned It was a sombre mood as 1,400 fans came to the to the Flyers the followLeamington arena mere ing season, where they hours after the wreckage bowed out of the semi-fiwas found. The Bears won nals to the Caledonia Corthe game 4-1 as the Flyers vairs, led by future NHL struggled to keep their star goaltender Don Edminds on the task at hand. wards. But his memories of The support of the community, the executive and that fateful night in April the leadership of coach 1972 will always be in Jim Butcher, trainer Jim the back of his mind and Bradley and manager Ted now — some 50 years latHannigan would be in- er — just talking about it strumental in the imme- brought those memories surging back. diate future of the team. “I didn’t realize how “Those three really pulled it together for us,” much it affected me then, but talking about it now, says Coulter. Former team owner I can feel everything comand lifelong fan, Fred Ep- ing back like it was yesplett, offered his hunting terday,” he says.
