‘Biggest kid on the ice’
Anthony Gosbee lived three minutes from his second home in Shelburne growing up: the town hockey rink.
He has played hockey, coached it, organized teams and outfitted players in Shelburne and has been part of the area's hockey community since before he can remember. It's putting it mildly to say hockey is a huge part of Gosbee's life.
Gosbee has also worked to ensure the sport could be a part of kids' lives in Shelburne. His founding of the Shelburne Recreational Hockey Program, nearly a decade ago, has meant hundreds of kids have played in the program and many others received free gear, making the expensive sport one they could try out free of pressure.
This became known as Anthony's Hockey, where any child wanting to play hockey could do just that.
“I wanted to put the fun back into hockey and knew this was a great way to do it,” says Gosbee.
‘THE BIGGEST KID ON THE ICE’
Gosbee devoted all his free time to the ice growing up. When he began coaching at the age of 16, he was on the ice for at least an hour every day. He would go on to coach many different levels of hockey and for so long that he was soon coaching the children of his first players.
“I always had a lot of fun with it – most of the time I was the biggest kid on the ice,” laughs Gosbee.
He'd begun noticing a drop in minor hockey registration and founded the Shelburne Recreational Hockey Program as an option for kids who'd yet to join hockey. The program kicked off with less than 10 participants and has since seen hundreds of players from across the Shelburne region participate in the program.
Another reason for the program's success was Gosbee's focus on making it accessible. He often offered discounts to newly enrolled players through his store, Gosbee's Sporting Goods, and collected gently used hockey gear from players who'd outgrown it, storing it in a room at the arena for anyone in need.
His and other donors' efforts meant any child wanting to join the program could do so, free from financial barriers.
“We scrounged around here, there, everywhere, to find equipment to get the kids on the ice,” says Gosbee. “It makes for an easier introduction into the sport, allowing kids to try it out no pressure. If they didn't like it, the gear could go to someone else to try.”
ANTHONY’S HOCKEY
Another reason Gosbee started the program was to become more involved in local hockey after his own son graduated from the sport. Gosbee's Saturdays were suddenly free and he wanted to get back in the game.
But he didn't do it alone, with kids' parents helping him with registration, scheduling ice times and general on-ice activities.
“I missed it, I really truly missed it,” he says. “I started this with close friends … and they and the parents were always so helpful. The community is really good that way.”
The renaming of the program to the Anthony Gosbee Recreational Hockey Program was a surprise and shock to Gosbee, who says he could never have done it without helpers Blair Fillmore, Greg Hicks, Craig Smith, and Megan Locke.
“They really got me with that one. It was very overwhelming,” he says.
The Municipality of the District of Shelburne has taken over the program and Gosbee has stepped back from the sport, spending time with his grandson and playing in his band.
But he still feels the itch some Saturday mornings to get back on the ice, eager to help connect more Shelburne area kids with the sport he loves.
“I think our program benefitted a lot of kids in Shelburne County and I think it was the grassroots of getting hockey to where it is today here,” he says. “When I see kids playing today who started in that program, it's so rewarding.”