"Hockey With George"
By: Nick Lafave
Updated: October 19, 2012
"They called him, 'Our Goalie.' He wasn't mine. He was everybody's."
"Our Goalie," George Cloutier. A southern boy who loved hockey. A love he got from his father, Chuck.
"When they brought hockey to Shreveport, me and some buddies were the first ones in line to buy tickets."
George fell in love with the sport fast and fell in love with it's toughest position.
Says, Chuck, "From the time he was five years old, he could walk up the inside of a door doing the splits."
He went into the net. And according to his dad - and countless trophies - he usually brought his A game.
"He become kind of a hired gun," says Chuck. "We need this kid to play in Springfield, AR... we're going to Cincinnati."
Our Goalie. Even off the ice... when another father told Chuck about the impact George had on his son.
Says Chuck, "The guy told me, 'my son went to school with George... and he was kind of slow. But there was one kid who went up to him every day and made him feel better. That kid was George.'"
Our Goalie. Even four years after his death, that hasn't changed. George died at 12 years old after a tree house accident. This weekend, the Junior Mudbug Hockey Program is dedicating a weekend of games called 'Hockey With George.'
Says Junior Hockey member, Bob Morrison, "We just have to live off the positive memories we have of George. And get to watch the kids that knew him one last time."
It's in conjunction with a Southern Professional Hockey exhibition game. The goal is to draw enough interest to bring a team back to Shreveport-Bossier.
Says Chuck, "If George can facilitate that... I think he'd like that."
Says Bob, "George's goal was to get high school hockey here. We were unable to materialize that for him."
So George will be on the ice this weekend. In name and spirit. And although he's gone... those who knew him will always remember who he was.
"He was Our Goalie. He wasn't mine. He belonged to everyone," says Chuck. "And it was awesome."
The SPHL Exhibition "Hockey with George" game is this Saturday, 7pm at CenturyLink Center between the Louisiana IceGators and the Mississippi River Kings.
"Our Goalie," George Cloutier. A southern boy who loved hockey. A love he got from his father, Chuck.
"When they brought hockey to Shreveport, me and some buddies were the first ones in line to buy tickets."
George fell in love with the sport fast and fell in love with it's toughest position.
Says, Chuck, "From the time he was five years old, he could walk up the inside of a door doing the splits."
He went into the net. And according to his dad - and countless trophies - he usually brought his A game.
"He become kind of a hired gun," says Chuck. "We need this kid to play in Springfield, AR... we're going to Cincinnati."
Our Goalie. Even off the ice... when another father told Chuck about the impact George had on his son.
Says Chuck, "The guy told me, 'my son went to school with George... and he was kind of slow. But there was one kid who went up to him every day and made him feel better. That kid was George.'"
Our Goalie. Even four years after his death, that hasn't changed. George died at 12 years old after a tree house accident. This weekend, the Junior Mudbug Hockey Program is dedicating a weekend of games called 'Hockey With George.'
Says Junior Hockey member, Bob Morrison, "We just have to live off the positive memories we have of George. And get to watch the kids that knew him one last time."
It's in conjunction with a Southern Professional Hockey exhibition game. The goal is to draw enough interest to bring a team back to Shreveport-Bossier.
Says Chuck, "If George can facilitate that... I think he'd like that."
Says Bob, "George's goal was to get high school hockey here. We were unable to materialize that for him."
So George will be on the ice this weekend. In name and spirit. And although he's gone... those who knew him will always remember who he was.
"He was Our Goalie. He wasn't mine. He belonged to everyone," says Chuck. "And it was awesome."
The SPHL Exhibition "Hockey with George" game is this Saturday, 7pm at CenturyLink Center between the Louisiana IceGators and the Mississippi River Kings.
