by Jim Miller for the Sarnia Observer
(2003) Sarnia-Lambton has produced its share of NHL greats – Pat ‘Whitey’ Stapleton, Dave, Mark and Dale Hunter, Dino Ciccarelli, Wayne Merrick, Bob Gould – but only one has been inducted into the National Hockey League’s Hall of Fame.
Amazingly, it was none of the above, but linesman Neil Armstrong who was inducted into the shrine in 1991. The Camlachie-born Armstrong called his first NHL game on Nov. 17, 1957 at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Armstrong admitted he “wasn’t very good” at hockey and went the referee’s route, first officiating minor hockey in Galt, followed by industrial and rural leagues in Ayr and Paris, Ont. He later rose through the ranks of junior B, junior A and senior A. His big break came in 1957 when he called games in the Memorial Cup final in Toronto. The rest now is history.
In total, he served the league for 21 years doing over 1,900 games in both regular season and playoffs. He still holds the record for most games by a linesman at 1,744 in league play. He also worked 48 Stanley Cup finals plus 10 all-star games.
Upon learning of his induction, Observer sports editor Dave Borody spent the afternoon with Armstrong, listening to his many yarns which led to a full-page feature, somewhat of a rarity in 1991. The trend then was for shorter, snappier stories.
Armstrong is well-known in the pages of Sarnia’s daily because he spent the off-season serving as the head golf professional at the Sarnia Golf and Curling Club between 1960 and 1975 before becoming a part-owner of the Canterbury Golf Club in Bright’s Grove. The course would later receive nationwide attention when renamed Huron Oaks, the home course of Mike Weir. He was involved with the Canterbury for five summers, but long before Weir became a member. Upon retiring from officiating in 1978, he quickly took up duties as a full-time scout with the Montreal Canadiens. He’s still seen today in the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre scouting junior A games.
“The integrity and dedication he brought to the NHL rinks for over 20 years was unmatched,” said Brian O’Neill, executive vice-president and chairperson of the Hall of Fame in a statement to The Observer. The name Armstrong and Sarnia are still well-connected. Neil’s son, Doug Armstrong, is now general manager of the Dallas Stars. Doug got his start in pro hockey with the staff of the Minnesota North Stars.
When Dallas won the Stanley Cup in 1999, Doug Armstrong brought the Cup unannounced back to Sarnia. He didn’t want to upstage Pat Verbeek, who had his own celebration with a parade in Wyoming followed by a phone session at the Greenwood Recreation Centre in Pertrolia.