The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon hockey product Terry Assie has accomplished an amazing feat this season with the Norman Northstars of the Manitoba 'AAA' Midget Hockey League. He has become one of only seven Norman Northstars players to record 100 games played. A total of 313 players have suited up for the Northstars in the last 20 seasons, putting him in the top two percent. Terry reached the milestone on January 30, and was presented with a plaque on February 11. This was Terry's third season with the Northstars, and reaching the milestone was a huge accomplishment for him. "It's pretty important to me," said Assie. "It's something only seven people have accomplished, so it's a pretty big deal." The Northstars play 40 games each season, so getting into the lineup at age 15 was key to being able to play that many games. "It was tough to leave home at 15," said Assie. "There were other guys from Flin Flon that made it easier. It's been a pretty good experience for me. The fan support here is great. I wasn't homesick for too long." In total, Terry played in 102 games, missing a couple weeks last season due to an injury after taking a bad hit. "He's very mature for a midget player," said Keith Burak, Northstars president. "That says a lot for a kid who left home at age 15 for the first time to play hockey. He's a leader. He's the type of guy that goes up and down his wing and works his butt off. He doesn't do anything fancy, just gets the job done." Burak said that Terry works hard in games and in practice, and is a good kid both on and off the ice. Described as a real team player, Terry sets an example for the younger players on the team, including his brother Kyle. The Norman Northstars will hit the road this weekend as they face the Eastman Selects in the first round of the playoffs. It will be an uphill climb for the Northstars, who finished with a record of 3-37. "Throughout the year, we don't have a good record, but the games where we managed to stay out of the penalty box were close," said Assie. "Our last two games against Eastman were 4-3 and 5-3 losses. Eastman hasn't been playing great lately." Assie's goal for next season is to play junior hockey, hopefully for the Bombers with former teammates Bradey Fidierchuk and Richard Dupre.
