A REAL GEM
LONG BEFORE HE PORTRAYED TARO TSUJIMOTO FOR PANINI, JOHN LEE LED A REMARKABLE LIFE IN HOCKEY. HERE ARE A COUPLE OF GREAT STORIES HE SHARED WITH BECKETT HOCKEY.
ON PLAYING FOR LEGENDS
“I had the privilege of playing for two of the best coaches in hockey. I played my two midget years under Roger Neilson with the Weston Dodgers of the (Toronto Hockey League). I first met Roger when I was recruited from the High Park Baseball League. I ended up playing at Leaside with Roger, who had an entire team made up of top triple-A hockey players. at year we won the Ontario Pee Wee championship. He was always innovative, no matter the sport.
“During my final year of junior with St. Mikes I was scouted by Yale. Unfortunately, my marks didn’t cut the mustard. But Ron Mason offered me a full ride at Division 1 Lake Superior State College. At one point, he was the winningest coach in NCAA history with 924 victories. Ron and his wife were wonderful people. A month before I was to report to LSSC, I called Ron and told him the student dorms were not going to work for me as I now had a wife and my newborn son, John Fleming Lee, the first of four wonderful children. Ron didn’t skip a beat and told me he would arrange married housing where there were two other players with families. e transition was smooth and we were welcomed with open arms.”
ON HIS FIRST PRO CAMP
“After (college) I made a decision to give minor pro hockey a shot and was invited to the Boston Bruins camp the fall after their 1972 Stanley Cup. That was a WOW moment for me! Derek Sanderson rolled in in a new Rolls Royce. Phil Esposito rolled in with a large cooler of Budweiser. Bobby Orr had just come off of another knee surgery. You couldn’t really tell (because) he and Harry Sinden smoked me and my partner in a doubles tennis match. Orr was just an natural athlete.
“I ended up being signed by the Dayton Gems in the International League We had more bench clearing brawls than “Slap Shot” and yes, some players taped their hands before the game. Frazer Gleason was our trainer and when I got to our first practice I asked him why there were plastic cups above all the stalls. He said watch and find out. Well, as the old timers came in and got undressed they removed their dentures and popped them into the cups, so there you go.”
ON FACING RACISM AS A CHINESE-CANADIAN PLAYER
“Yes, there was racism was in minor hockey, NCAA, and in the IHL. I had to stand up for myself on a regular basis. All those days spent at the Lansdowne gym watching (Canadian heavyweight champ) George Chuvalo train made me a pretty (tough) kid. I never started a fight, but I never backed down.
“One night playing in Des Moines, I ended up in jail. It was a rough game. I was in three fights, one each period. On the way to the dressing room, a fan leaned over the rail and called me a (expletive) Chinaman and threw his beer at me. I took exception to the Chinaman remark. I gave him a two-hander with my stick and all hell broke loose. State troopers were guarding the gates and they came down on me. My partner, (future Islander) Gordie Lane, was beside me at the dressing room door. They starting spraying mace so I crossed checked one trooper and Gordie stuck his stick between the the other trooper’s legs. We rolled into the dressing room looking for water to put out the fire in our eyes. The troopers demanded that myself and the trainer come out. We had a 2:00 p.m. game in Columbus the next day and had a huge bus ride ahead of us. So what was the plan? We emptied out two stick bags and Frazer got in one and I got in the other. Unfortunately, Frazer, who was a pretty funny guy, started giggling and the jig was up.
“Well, we were now under arrest and a 6-foot-8 trooper named Tiny was taking us to the police car. He told us not to say a word. We obliged! I was sure we were heading to the station for a beating. We were put in a cell and the judge was called. All the guys were on the bus outside the station awaiting the hearing. The possibility of not making the Columbus game was becoming real, but the Gems never leave a man behind.
“The judge arrived at 2:00 a.m. and we were released after a bond was posted. We even made the afternoon Columbus game.
“There were numerous racial slurs on the ice too, but I dealt with them as necessary. For me it was a fact of life. I was respected by those important to me, and that was satisfying.”
ON LIFE AFTER HOCKEY
“A young fellow I mentored, Robert Barnes, went to Finland to play and coach. In 1985, he contacted me with an opportunity to distribute TORSPO hockey sticks in North America. It took me about five minutes to say yes. I mortgaged our home and began the business. We were using a company called J.F. Sports Co. out of Ohio to distribute our sticks in the USA at the time. They were also dabbling in NHL novelty collectibles and asked us to distribute their products in Canada. We were already set up with all the hockey stores, so why not? You may or may not remember the Lil’ Sports Brat, but we sold a gazillion of those over the last 36 years. We’re still the premier supplier of NHL lapel pins and smaller hard goods (wallets, drinkware, etc).
“It’s been tough lately with COVID, but I’ve been very lucky to stay involved with hockey all these years.”