Tales of a Rivalry
A great sports rivalry takes years to build. In 1981, one of the best rivalries our league will ever see began.
The Kingston Frontenacs played the Belleville Bulls for the first time on September 25 of that year. It was the first of hundreds of times the two teams would battle. 34 years later, to the dismay of fans on both sides, a move from Belleville to Hamilton ended the “Battle of the 401”.
Jordan Jackson (JJ) and Jim Gilchrist (JG) talked about some great moments that took place during a rivalry that is still missed today.
JJ: Jim, although there were some nights that fans on both sides would want to forget, the rivalry between the Kingston Frontenacs and the Belleville Bulls is a fond memory regardless of what team you cheered for. Can you take us back and tell us about how one of the best rivalries in OHL history got started?
JG: By the time Belleville came into the OHA (Ontario Hockey Association), as it was called at that time, it was my second year in Kingston. It was the 1981-82 season. I guess from the first game we should have all seen what was coming over the years.
That first game was September 23, 1981 at the Quinte Centre in Belleville and the final score was 12-7 in favour of the Bulls, so that kind of gave you an indication of what we were in for. It began with that and it just developed over the years as a great rivalry.
I think everybody talks about the Peterborough/Oshawa rivalry and I saw that when I was in Oshawa, not just with hockey but also with lacrosse, and they talk about the Windsor/London rivalry, but I think one of the better ones in the entire OHL’s history was Kingston/Belleville.
The height of that came in the mid 80’s, and again in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the Frontenacs came to be, but from 1981 right through until Kingston became the Raiders it had a little bit of everything. From pregame stuff, back before the linesmen were out there for warm-up and you didn’t know what to expect, to great battles in the games themselves. I think it was one of the best rivalries in league history.
JJ: Geography played a part in developing this rivalry but was there one specific time that sticks out that really helped kick it into high gear?
JG: I can’t remember one specific incident. Both teams had tough guys, Kingston with a guy like Marc Laforge and Belleville with guys like Marty McSorley that were always causing trouble and spending time in the box.
It wasn’t one specific incident. It was more of a snowball effect and new guys that would join the teams each year would hear about it and thought it was kind of cool, so they just kept it going. It just grew into the monster it was.
The fans got into it as well. The Memorial Centre was full every time Belleville was in because they would bring down a bunch of bus loads of fans. Same with Kingston fans going to the Quinte Centre in Belleville so it certainly helped that you had that kind of an atmosphere.
It was an intense rivalry, but a friendly rivalry that helped develop a lot of friendships too.
JJ: I’m curious how our good friend Larry Mavety may have played into this because he started his career in Belleville, then came to Kingston before returning to Belleville, and finally ending up in Kingston. Do you think his history with the opponent, whichever that side was, helped get his team fired up and increased the rivalry?
JG: He was right in the middle of it! He started with the Bulls and then came to Kingston when they were the Raiders and a bit with the Frontenacs. Then he went back to Belleville before returning to Kingston. The fans would always get on his case about that.
I don’t know how much he stoked it, because the players were doing a good job of that on their own, especially in the early 80’s. He was certainly right in the middle of it either way, which is what made it more interesting.
JJ: The Bulls joined in 1981, but it wasn’t until 1986 that the teams met in the playoffs. What was it like going into that playoff series after five years of building the rivalry?
JG: It was just fantastic. It was back when we were the Canadians.
I wanted to bring this up. It may have been that season, but I think it was later that the local radio morning guy at the time and I made a bet with Belleville’s morning guy and Jack Miller, a great friend through all the years, that the loser of the playoff series would have to go to the other city and kiss centre ice at the start of the next series.
We ended up opting out of that and had an event at Belleville city hall, so I had to go up and dawn the Belleville Bulls colours and proclaim our love for the Belleville Bulls, then go to the game later that night and kiss the “tail” of the bull at the game.
It was all in good fun and added a bit to the rivalry.
JJ: We talked a bit about this last week but take us back to the longest game in CHL history between the Belleville Bulls and the Kingston Frontenacs in the 1990 playoff series.
JG: Ya, that always comes up. It was just down the road in Belleville. It started at 7:30 and ended at 1:50 in the morning.
If you look back on that game there were a lot of breakaways, I will say about three or four breakaways for each team in the overtime periods, but it was just outstanding goaltending, especially by Jeff Wilson of the Fronts that kept it going. It was just an amazing game and so many memories from just that one night.
Jim Dorey was my colour commentator that season. He did just the home games but because it was just in Belleville he got out of work and decided to drive up to Belleville to do the game with me, THANK GOD! He stayed right there with me the whole game.
At that time, I was doing 6 a.m. sports at the station, so I had to be at the station early the next morning. So just after the switchboards open, Jim’s wife Dale calls and says, “Jimmy got in really late last night and he’s trying to tell me that the game went until two in the morning.” So, I was just joking with her and I said “Well, jeez Dale I don’t know. I was home at about midnight, so I don’t know what the heck he is talking about!” Finally, I told her that the game went until almost two in the morning and Jim was off the hook.
It was unbelievable. It was just a great game with four overtime periods. There were so many chances and with that many breakaways you just thought “Okay, this is going to be it.” But the game just kept going. It was crazy.
JJ: What was it like to be a fan and a part of this rivalry? Was it a little hostile behind enemy lines or was it more of a friendly rivalry?
JG: A little bit of both! In the moment you had that hated rivalry, and it would boil over a few times, but near the end everyone was just happy to have had that rivalry for so many years.
You look at the last game and the appreciation shown by the Belleville fans when Kingston showed a montage of the events between Kingston and Belleville. I know Jack Miller was really brought to tears by that when he was on air doing that final game in Kingston. That was something that really showed we can respect that rivalry.
That was March 13, 2015. The last game the teams played, and it was here in Kingston. They really thought that was a great sign of respect and they gave a standing ovation for that.
It would boil over every so often and I had that too up in Belleville. Where the press box was there it was pretty easy to get to for some fans. The odd time you would get somebody going by and yell in there, but the bottom line is it was mostly respectful.
JJ: A major moment in Kingston history came against the Bulls. The opening night of the Leon’s Centre, which was the K-Rock Centre at that time came against Belleville. It wasn’t the result we were looking for but still great to open a new building against our rival. Can you take us back to the night we opened the Leon’s Centre against the Belleville Bulls?
JG: I’m not sure if it was planned or not but it was very fitting to finally be out of the old Memorial Centre and into a brand-new building, but to bring something familiar with us.
It didn’t matter that it was a new, shiny building once the puck hit the ice. It was the same rivalry, and it was great to share that moment in team history with our rivals.
JJ: What about the last game in Belleville? It was a big one for the Fronts and a player named Sam Bennett returned to the Kingston lineup and had a big night. How do you remember that game playing out?
JG: It was February 25, 2015 and Kingston won 7-3. As you mentioned Sammy had a great night with three assists. He seemed to really enjoy that rivalry and it always seemed to bring his game up a couple of notches, and it showed on the scoresheet by the end of that night.
At the time, I don’t think it had been finalized that the move was going to take place. We knew by the time the Bulls played here on March 13, but at that time there was still some hope that the Bulls would stay put. So, it didn’t have the same feeling as when they came to Kingston a few weeks later.
It was a strange feeling because the Bulls weren’t getting a huge crowd at that time, so it wasn’t a packed house. You kind of knew “This could be it.” but the fans hadn’t completely accepted that “Yes, this is IT.”
JJ: Do you have any funny stories from over the years that you look back on and find yourself laughing to yourself?
JG: Back in the 80’s, the Bulls had an Irish song that they would play after they scored. So, in the early 90’s, after Kingston had become the Frontenacs, we were broadcasting our games on a country station and somehow we got a band in the Memorial Centre for a night and they were playing this country music.
Belleville was in that night and I guess after the first period one of the Belleville fans went over to the group and said “Hey, can you do us a favour?” Of course, the band guys didn’t know the history of what was going on. So, they say “When we score a goal can you play this song?”
Sure enough, this is at the Memorial Centre, Bulls score a goal, and they start playing the song!
Mav was going nuts! Our broadcast booth was right above the Fronts bench and you could hear Mav yelling from the booth, so somebody had to go tell him what had happened. He wasn’t very happy then but as time went by, he could look back and have a good laugh.
JJ: To wrap things up, what was your favourite thing or moment that came from the rivalry that lasted 34 years?
JG: I always go back to that playoff game in 1990. That is still the longest in CHL history, but also the friendships that were created and I still have to this day.
I mentioned Jack Miller earlier and the friendship we had. Truly just a great guy and despite being bitter rivals on the ice we became great friends off the ice.
We always had a side bet going on to keep it fun. It is things like that that make me thankful to be a part of it.
