![]() But obviously I was shocked that he would remember who I was." "I was kind of surprised that he even remembered who I was," Hennessy said. Hennessy said he has been told on a couple of occasions in the past that Downie was a fan and had asked how he was doing. Bidini's Toronto-based band Rheostatics joined the Hip for three national tours in the 1990s and he frequently laced up the skates with Downie for shinny and recreational hockey games. "But walking through the rink, would see him and stare him down and he would see me and stare me down." Downie always loved hockeyĭownie maintained his love for the game into adulthood. Did he and I ever sit down at a table and have a conversation? No we didn't. "But he probably made a lot of saves on me too. I wasn't scrappy, I didn't fight, but I know I scored a lot of goals on him," Hennessy said from his hometown of Hillier, Ont. He would face off against Hennessy's team at least four or five times a season. A medical issue cut short his hockey career just as it was taking off.Īs a youngster, Downie played the goaltender position in nearby Amherstview, just outside of Kingston. In 1982, the Royals drafted Hennessy - then a six-foot 177-pound forward - from the Picton Midgets. "I guess he must have liked how I played, and I liked how he played." "I hated him, he hated me, but really we liked each other, you know what I mean?" Hennessy said. "I guess he had the moves." Who is Laverne Hennessy?Ī longtime opponent from Downie's youth hockey days in eastern Ontario, Hennessy played four games for the OHL's Cornwall Royals in 1982-83. "I remember him telling me that he watched as a kid," Bidnini recalled earlier this week following Downie's death Tuesday night. When the topic of favourite hockey players came up several years ago, names like Dave Keon and Wendel Clark were mentioned before Downie made his head-scratching choice of Hennessy. Music, pop culture, and of course, hockey - a popular subject in many Hip tunes - were all part of Bidini's wide-ranging conversations with Downie. From the songs he wrote, to the games he attended, hockey was in Downie's DNA.īut instead of a household name, the Tragically Hip singer's rather obscure choice, according to fellow musician and friend Dave Bidini, was Laverne Hennessy. ![]() Thank you everyone for all the respect, admiration and love you have given Gord throughout the years - those tender offerings touched his heart and he takes them with him now as he walks among the stars.Duration 1:57 While Gord Downie will always be remembered as a musician, he also holds a special place in the hockey world. Thank you for all the help and support over the past two years. We would like to thank all the kind folks at KGH and Sunnybrook, Gord's bandmates, management team, friends and fans. No one worked harder on every part of their life than Gord. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. As a musician, he lived "the life" for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. Gord knew this day was coming - his response was to spend this precious time as he always had - making music, making memories and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends for a life well lived, often sealing it with a kiss. ![]() Last night Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by. In August of that year, the band wrapped up it’s final tour in its hometown of Kingston, Ont. In May 2016, Downie revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The statement says “Gord quietly passed away with his beloved children and family close by.” A statement posted to the official Twitter and Facebook accounts of The Tragically Hip announced this morning that frontman Gord Downie had died Tuesday evening.
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