Like many of us who adhere to the hockey circles in this area, Gloria Thompson is a name that simply defined the Akwesasne Wolves Junior B Hockey club. Gloria Thompson is very ill and needs our thoughts and prayers.
I first met Glori T many moons ago in a hockey rink, always pleasant and willing to chat. You see, Gloria owned and operated a Junior B team that often fed off the cast offs, the bubble kids who didn’t make the Rebels, Glens or Lions.
Yet, she didn’t care, because those many players often pushed by disappointment, made Gloria’s Wolves a hard working determined bunch. They also supplemented her teams, allowing for numerous hockey loving boys from Akwesasne to play on a team, on their own turf.
One year, my own son was one of those boys and he often reflects on that year, as memorable for the laughs and simple love of the game – a chance to keep playing after minor hockey was over. There was a will to win and a few years ago, her team was a force and that had to make her proud.
This is hardly a eulogy, but Gloria Thompson, the lady, needs to know how much she was thought of and loved by her inner circle and beyond. For that, I turned to Ryan Winter, her long time manager, coach and confident;
“Gloria was looking for someone to manage and coach the Wolves and Jeff Carter recommended me as a good candidate. It lasted 15 years, two people working together on a hockey team that quickly grew into a strong relationship of trust and respect.
Between the months of August through March, a day would rarely pass when I wouldn’t talk to Gloria on the phone or in person. Gloria was always focused on what was best for the team and she trusted in the management and coaching staffs decisions.
The countless hours and money she put into making sure the Wolves remained in Akwesasne, just enforced how selfless she could be. In a world where most people involved in sport do it for personal gain or for their son or daughter, Gloria put her time and effort into her team for all the right reasons. She supported her boys regardless of wins and losses or athletic performance.
All she ever wanted was to make them all feel special. Gloria probably has no idea just how special she was to so many of the boys who were fortunate enough to play for the Wolves under her presidency.
The toughest nights on the road facing some hard losses, Gloria would say “those boys are just working so hard, I feel sorry for them.”
She never once put any expectations of winning on any players or teams. There are many young men that had personal issues and Gloria was always there to support them in whatever way she could. The stories are endless about how she opened her house to a player in need.
She would put a roof over their head, food in their stomach and provide them with whatever opportunity she could, help them to find their way in the world. She never judged them, or belittled them, she accepted them and worked with them. Gloria never allowed the game to change her, an amazing lady, that so many of us are so fortunate to have called our second mom.
I know that Ange, Fred and Tracy know how special their mother is, however I want them to know that Gloria’s kindness, compassion and generosity has not gone unnoticed. Your mom, our second mom, is truly a one in a million person, and personified our slogan – “once a Wolf always a Wolf.”
So, it goes without saying, the entire Wolves family is aching – Niawen’kó:wa Glori T.
