Ex-NHLer Matt Cooke’s Prince Edward County getaway
Prince Edward County 1523 North Big Island Rd. (Demorestville) Asking price: $2.38 million Taxes: $8,655 (2017) Bedrooms: 3+3 Bathrooms: 2 MLS# X3851744
After a busy hockey season, being able to retreat to a quiet place with the family is something a professional athlete treasures. For former NHL player Matt Cooke, that place is 1523 North Big Island Rd. in Prince Edward County, not far from his ( and wife Michelle’s) birthplace in Belleville.
Cooke played in the NHL for 17 seasons and more than 1,000 games with Vancouver, Washington, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. The left winger scored 167 goals, 231 assists and racked up more than 1,100 penalty minutes.
The couple bought the 140- year- old red brick house in 2000 from a member of the Sprague family, who owned about one- third of the farmland on Big Island, says listing agent Richard Ling of Harvey Kalles Real Estate.
J. Grant Sprague founded J. G. Sprague & Sons Catering in 1925 and is said to have been a canner, a grocery, a postmaster and owner of the Sprague Telephone Company. Ling says the telephone company was based on this property.
The Cookes renovated the 3,000-square-foot farmhouse for use as a summer house, bringing it up to modern standards and building an addition to accommodate a luxurious master suite on its second level, he says.
The home has nine- and 10- foot- high ceilings and the floors are original hemlock. A handmade cherry wood staircase crafted in London, England, and stained glass windows grace the foyer. The living and family rooms have views of the water and walkouts to a porch, which is ideal for chilling.
The main- f l oor f amily room has a vaulted ceiling, a stone fireplace and a walkout to a waterside deck.
An 18x26- foot boathouse has a rail launch. Ling says a large T- shaped dock prompted the couple’s three children to dub the property The Dock.
The house and grounds provide an ideal getaway for entertaining and events. A wedding will be held there later this summer, Ling says.
The 6.8- acre property has 1,700 feet of water frontage with beautiful Bay of Quinte views and an additional 80 acres of land with mature trees on the south for additional privacy. A gazebo is at the water’s edge.
It’s a true retreat, yet close to the trendy restaurants and amenities, he says. “It’s an excellent family compound in wine country.”