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Raymond Cope and the days before factory-made hockey sticks

Donnie Mackenzie recalls a special friendship with a man of many talents

LYLE CARTER Worth Repeating is a weekly column touching on stories from the past, life experiences and events from the present day. If you have a column idea, contact Lyle at 902 673-2857.

As a kid, I watched Raymond Cope play hockey.

Years following his playing days, I enjoyed visiting with Cope at his Millbrook home. Playing his early hockey with Mi’kmaq friends on the Millbrook Reserve, Cope was later a member of the Mcclures Mills Mercurys of the Truro District Hockey League (TDHL).

The 1946-47 season saw ‘a young Cope’ team up with Judd Wynn, Kitch Fox, Claude Totten, Laurie Totten, Elroy Hanes, Doug Pender, Bert Mclaren, and others – as Mcclures Mills won the TDHL championship.

During the 1950s Cope, played several seasons with Hilden Owls in the popular local league. The Owls, coached by Alex Macleod, were led by Duane Rector, Johnny Hutchinson, Jim Mackinnon, Jack Cameron, Charlie Shearer and Ken Martin. Recalled as being a good skater, Cope was a big strong presence from his defence position.

Millbrook resident Donnie Mackenzie spoke recently about Cope.

“I married Raymond and Guida’s daughter Shirley in 1977, We lived with Raymond and Guida the first seven years we were married. In the 1980s we built this house which is next door to the house they lived in. Raymond and I did a lot of the carpenter work on the house, we worked quite well together.”

Mackenzie said that his wife Shirley passed away in 2010 and that Raymond died in 2011.

“Raymond was born May 13, 1922, so he lived to be well up in age. Raymond and Shirley are both buried in the Sacred Heart Church cemetery here in Millbrook.

I first knew Raymond when he was in his fifties. Raymond was like a father to me, we did a lot of hunting and trapping together.

We mostly trapped beaver, muskrat, and bobcat. We enjoyed a lot of good times in the woods together. Raymond was a good man; he had many talents.”

Hockey sometimes came into conversations.

“Raymond talked about some of the good players he played against and some good players he played with,” said Mackenzie. “He also mentioned players he got into fights with on the ice. Raymond was quite impressed after his playing days with improvement manufacturers had made with hockey equipment.”

Mackenzie and I both recalled how much Cope enjoyed talking about the days hockey sticks were manufactured on the Millbrook Reserve. It was a trade Cope learned from his father Alex Cope, and he never forgot the process.

Hockey roots were gathered from trees in the forest, these roots were taken to a mill and cut into slabs.

The stick was drawn or traced on the surface; several slabs could sometimes be cut from one tree. As many as two or three sticks could be cut from one slab. One tree could possibly supply as many as a dozen sticks.

A square saw was used to cut out individual sticks from the slab, once the shape of the stick was decided, sticks would be hung or suspended by wires from the ceiling over the stove.

The water would gradually dry out of the wood. Another process involved carving the sticks using drawknives and crooked knives. Sand papering was a late step to assure a fine finished product.

“Raymond said that when he was young, they would give him 25 cents and he would sand hockey sticks all day long,” Mackenzie said. “Raymond would not talk very much about making hockey sticks himself, he talked mostly about his father making hockey sticks. He said it was really important how thick the roots of the trees were.

“This would allow them to make more hockey sticks. Raymond’s father made hockey sticks for a living during the days before factory hockey sticks. They shipped a lot of hockey sticks from Millbrook Reserve to Halifax and other places when Alex was involved.”

And did Mackenzie ever learn the trade?

“No, not really. Raymond tried to teach me to make hockey sticks and ax handles. The only thing I really could make were small hammer handles. They were mostly just rounded; they were quite easy to do.”

Mackenzie said Cope was well-liked by many people, including his daughter, Courtney Cope-blair, who was especially fond of her grandfather.

“Raymond was so highly thought of,” Mackenzie said. “There were many of us who had special friendships with Raymond.”

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2021-10-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

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