Jim Mason
Columns
August 09, 2008 04:25 PM
By: Jim Mason
You’ll be able to say you saw him back when.
If you attended a Stouffville Spirit game during the last two seasons, that is.
He is Corey Trivino, unquestionably the greatest player in the 13 years of the Jr. A hockey franchise.
There were Dan McWhinney’s unforgettable playoff heroics of the 2006 championships and the breakout years of Kevin Jarman and Mike Sullivan, both NHL draft picks themselves.
But, it’s the kid with a golf legend’s misspelled name and soccer in his pedigree who has the best chance of playing in the big leagues.
He is that good.
Good enough to be an early second-round pick in this year’s NHL draft by the New York Islanders. He’ll be at the Isles camp this fall after turning heads at a prospects camp.
He may make the national junior team this December, after helping Canada win gold at the under-18 championships last spring. He is already at Boston University, where he will study and play for the Terriers.
No one out of Spiritland has all of this on their resume, especially at age 18.
Just another kid living the Canadian dream, on the precipice of maybe just having it all, you say?
What makes this story even better is that Vino, as his teammates call him, is a truly good guy.
From Spirit ownership to the water boy, they’ll all tell you the same thing: wonderful person.
There’s no ego to check at the door. No concern over individual stats.
Just a kid who survived a family breakup, pressure to play in the Ontario Hockey League, two years of commuting from Etobicoke to the Stouffville Arena and everything else teen life throws at us.
Good luck, Corey. You deserve all you’ll get from life.
Jim Mason is editor of The Sun-Tribune and a former Spirit director.