The McGinn Brothers
By Chris Daponte, The Wellington Advertiser
Growing up, the McGinn brothers shared the same childhood dream as millions of other Canadian boys: to one day play in the National Hockey League.
“I think it happened at a very young age,” said Jamie McGinn, 22. “I think just growing up in Canada … You always think about it.”
But unlike most, who either abandon their dream or have it quashed at a very young age, McGinn has already transformed that fantasy into reality, playing 94 games over the past two seasons with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
And his younger brothers, Tye, 20, and Brock, 16, could be on their way to joining him.
Tye, who was drafted earlier this year by the Philadelphia Flyers, agrees aspirations of reaching hockey’s pinnacle start early in life. Brock, who recently made the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), concurs and says witnessing his older brothers’ accomplishments helped motivate him even more.
On a warm August evening the three brothers sit outside with their parents, Bob and Cori, looking out over the same Fergus backyard where they skated as kids.
“It was a pretty popular spot in the neighbourhood,” Bob said, pointing out the location of the homemade rink that once covered the large lawn every winter.
Many parents can attest that raising three boys can be a chore. And as Cori hints, sometimes living with four men is no picnic; especially if two (Bob and Jamie) are Toronto Maple Leaf fans, one (Brock) is a Montreal Canadiens fan and another (Tye) is a Colorado Avalanche fan.
But, understandably, once in a while Cori almost pines for the days when all her “boys” were under the same roof.
“It is difficult. I look forward to when they come home,” she said. “It’s amazing how I look forward to seeing them on TV.”
Whether it’s Jamie and the Sharks on TV, Tye and the Gatineau Olympiques on the Internet or Brock and the Storm in person, Cori and Bob seldom miss a game. In that respect, nothing has changed over the years.
While extremely humble, the parents are obviously very proud when the conversation shifts to how Jamie and Tye were drafted by NHL teams.
Coming off a 2005-06 season in which he tallied 57 points and 113 penalty minutes in 65 games with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, Jamie was confident entering the 2006 NHL entry draft.
“I thought I had a pretty good year … but I went in with an open mind,” he said.
Though he was ranked 54th going into the draft, Jamie admits he really wanted to be a first round pick. He started to get nervous late in the first round and even more so when the draft entered the second round.
But from there, he didn’t have to wait long, as the Sharks traded up in the draft to select him 36th overall, much to the surprise of the entire McGinn family in attendance.
