Hockey family overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

George Norrie of Truro had heard about the kindness of strangers. But he’d never heard about the kind of strangers he came across in Yarmouth.

When the blade on his son’s skate broke in the middle of a hockey provincial tournament, not only did someone from Yarmouth help him fix the problem, but along the way a couple of others offered him the keys to their car and a pair of skates for the weekend.

Imagine, says Norrie.

The tale began in Clare where Norrie’s son Jim was playing in a midget A provincial tournament when the blade on his $300 pair of size 10 Easton skates broke.

They got in their vehicle and drove to Yarmouth. Having been told over the phone that Cleve’s Source for Sports didn’t have a blade they headed for the Mariners Centre thinking if they could get help anywhere, this would be the place. Not being able to find a parking spot – this was the same weekend as the division one high school hockey provincials – dad stayed in the vehicle while his son went inside looking for help.

“The first guy he sees says, ‘You can’t do much with one skate kid.’ That comment alone tells you that he knew the kid was in trouble,” says Norrie. “The funny thing is, the guy says to someone else that was standing there, ‘Give him your keys and let him go out and see if your skates will fit.’”

The Norries were astonished.

“My kid comes out with the keys to someone else’s car for God’s sake, having talked to him for less than 30 seconds. I’m out there saying I don’t believe this. He doesn’t know who we are, we could take the car and go.”

As it turns out, there was a pair of size 10 skates in the car. But the blade didn’t fit.

“Then along comes this Sticky person, who is this guy?” says Norrie.

Sticky – that’s a nickname, his real name is Mike Muise – is somewhat of an equipment fixture at the Mariners Centre.

Got a problem? Turn to Sticky.

“This guy knew the business. He says to my son, ‘Wait a few minutes kid and I’ll go with you to the store.’” Fifteen minutes later they headed to Cleve’s.

“They bow down to him like he was a God,” laughs Norrie. “Where the hell he’s sticky I never touched him to find out.”

The Norries spent about an hour at Cleve’s with Sticky.

“He’s obsessed with the fact he wants this blade to be fixed. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Norrie says. “We tried all the old stuff, not a thing would fit. Then we started on the new ones, taking them off the wall, taking off the new blades, none would fit. We’re standing there thinking what do we do now?”

Norrie says it never occurred to him to buy a new pair of skates because: A) His son couldn’t break them in before his next game. B) He didn’t want to plunk down another $300 on a pair of skates. C) The person at the Mariners Centre had offered to lend them his pair of skates for the weekend.

“He had said, ‘If the blade doesn’t fit you can use my skates for the weekend and bring them back,’” Norrie says, still astonished.

Back at Cleve’s, having exhausted their options, Norrie says Sticky says to one of the employees, “What’s in that room?”

“They went in and by jezz, they came out with a brand new size Easton size 10 skate. There was the blade,” says Norrie.

Problem solved, except that they still had to get the old blade off and the rivet was seized.

“Sticky broke two drills getting the rivet out,” exclaims Norrie.

The bill came to $37. Norrie, who was grateful to the Cleve’s staff for their effort, offered one of the employees a tip. The worker said he couldn’t take it.

“So I’m standing there and Sticky says, ‘He won’t take a tip George, I’m telling you, he won’t take a tip,” recalls Norrie who says with a sly smile Sticky then says, “…but I will.”

“It was funny as hell the way he came out with it,” recalls Norrie.

Incidentally Norrie’s son’s team picked up the silver medal at provincials. And despite the broken blade and their adventure to get it fixed he didn’t miss any time on the ice.

So, one would suppose, Norrie could look back on the weekend and the help he came across and think to himself, “How typically Nova Scotian.”

Except, says Norrie, there was nothing typical about the help they got in Yarmouth.

“As soon as we hit that rink,” he says, “things just started happening.”