from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

When the Stanley Cup arrives at the only indoor arena in a hamlet like Calahoo it is a confirmation. A reminder to men like Emile and Roger Berube, the uncle and father to St. Louis Blues head coach Craig, that a lifetime of coaching kids through hockey and fastball had an impact.

There’s not a lot of credit given, or expected, when you are that community coach. Just a lot of Styrofoam cup coffee and sausage-and-eggers after a 7 a.m. practice. Then a kid makes it. And now the Cup marches in, and all the memories come flowing back, like all of those backseat Slurpees on the road home from Onoway or Alexander.

“When you’re playing, when you’re coaching, you’re always thinking if you ever won the Cup, what would you do with your day with the Cup?” said Craig Berube.

He is known throughout the hockey world as ‘Chief,’ the soft-spoken, Indigenous 53-year-old who played over 1,000 NHL games in the toughest role imaginable. A tough guy in the ‘80s and ‘90s National Hockey League, when large, strong men fought often.

“I always dreamt of bringing it back here, and letting people enjoy it, my family and friends,” he said, standing in the Zamboni room of the Calahoo Arena.

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