Joey Payeur
Countless miles travelled on the road and skated on the ice together formulated a friendship to last a lifetime between Scott Clendenning and Todd Hamilton.
Now Hamilton and the rest of the local hockey community, along with Clendenning’s family and friends, are forced to deal with the harsh reality of that lifetime ending far too soon for a man who wanted the best out of life for all those around him.
Clendenning died of a heart attack last Monday (March 16) at the age of 48 while vacationing in Mexico.
It was a stunning turn of events after the head coach of the Muskie girls’ hockey team had led the black-and-gold to the gold-medal game at the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ championship in Kenora just four days earlier.
While the Muskies fell 5-1 to the St. Michael Warriors (Stratford), the silver they received as their consolation prize marked a gigantic milestone for the girls’ hockey program, which earned its first provincial medal in the team’s 15-year history.
“I met Scott in minor hockey and we’ve been friends for as long as I can remember,” said Hamilton, who joined Clendenning on the Muskies’ coaching staff at the beginning of this past season.
“We played high school hockey together, and through our junior and university years, and then we were fortunate enough that our careers led us back to Fort Frances,” he added.
“We stayed great friends and then our families became friends and our children became friends.
“We knew each other so well,” Hamilton noted. “It’s a big shock for everyone.”
The last two of Clendenning’s four seasons with the Muskies marked the squad’s first two NorWOSSA championships in its existence.
Shelby Tymkin, who captained the first of those squads, had trouble searching for a way to voice her admiration for her former coach.
“I can’t really put into words how great a guy he was—nobody can,” said Tymkin, one of four players from last year’s team who moved on to play for the Rainy River Community College Voyageurs women’s squad this past season.
“To play for him for three years was the biggest blessing I’ve ever had,” she added.
“Scott was not only a coach but a friend, and whether he coached you for one year or four, he made it clear he would always be your friend.
“I love Scott because he always put a smile on your face and make the bad days good both on and off the ice,” Tymkin recalled.
“I got together with some of the other girls that played for him and [talked] about all the clichés he would say that would make us laugh and cheer us up,” she noted.
“Whether we were winning or losing, it was always fun.”
Clendenning started as a forward with the Muskie boys’ hockey team, but switched to defence at the request of then-head coach Terry Ogden.
It proved to be a wise decision as Clendenning’s stalwart efforts anchoring the blueline as captain were an integral part of Fort High winning its first of three OFSAA championships in 1986.
“As a captain, he was one of the best the Muskies ever had,” said an emotional Ogden, his voice audibly shaking over the phone line.
“As a player, he began as a journeyman but he said, ‘I’ll play wherever you want me to play.’
“It was his leadership quality that stood out, and he and Todd were the backbone of that team,” Ogden recalled.
“I’ll never forget the bus ride to the gold-medal game in 1986,” he added. “You could have dropped a pin on that bus and heard it, the focus was so unbelievable.
“The team we were playing was way better than us,” Ogden said. “But those guys, led by Scott, weren’t going to lose.
“He showed them the way.”
Clendenning and Hamilton moved on to play junior together. Both then were signed by Bemidji State University, where they spent three seasons with the Beavers.
“Scott was always interested in what you were doing and commenting on how great it was, whatever you were doing,” noted Hamilton.
“He was genuinely interested,” Hamilton stressed. “He wasn’t just making small talk. He made you feel very comfortable.”
Hamilton said Clendenning brought the same intense passion he had as a player with him behind the bench.
“He loved his teammates as a player and as a coach, he loved his players,” he remarked.
“It was a privilege for me to work with Scott and help with the program this past year . . . it was an experience I’ll remember for all my life.”
Clendenning considered his teams his extended family, and was fortunate enough to coach his three daughters during his four seasons with the Muskies.
Oldest daughter Hailey was a forward and Tymkin’s teammate on the Voyageurs this past season while daughter, Calie, wrapped up her four-year goaltending tenure with the Muskies at OFSAA in Kenora.
Youngest daughter, Jenna, was a first-year forward with this past year’s team.
His son, Jake, culled enough from his father’s vast puck knowledge to make the Fort Frances Bantam ‘AA’ Canadians this season.
The magnitude of Clendenning’s legacy in the community is evident by the fact the ice at the ’52 Canadians Arena was taken out ahead of schedule this week to provide a big enough venue for the hundreds of mourners expected for his memorial service tomorrow at 4 p.m.
“It’s a reflection of Scott’s hard work as a volunteer for Fort Frances minor hockey and his contributions in coaching from IP up to high school, boys and girls,” said Hamilton.
“He developed coaching programs geared towards kids who couldn’t afford the more expensive hockey camps,” Hamilton noted.
“The 3-on-3 league that is so successful now is all from Scott’s efforts.
“To have the service in the ’52 [Arena] is a tribute from the community to what Scott and his family did for hockey,” Hamilton said.
“I’m extremely grateful to Jason Kabel, Mark McCaig, and the Town of Fort Frances to committing to help like this.”
Tymkin and many others who played under Clendenning will be sporting their Muskie jerseys at tomorrow’s service as a salute to their former coach.
“It’s a big, big loss for the program,” she said.
“No one will ever be able to really replace him.”
