LONG SAULT, Ontario — Along the legendary banks of the St. Lawrence River, bordering the city of Cornwall, sits the historic community of Long Sault, Ontario.

Known for its sprawling parks, campgrounds and fields, the small township of about 1,000 residents was originally built to accommodate the Lost Villages: the 10 Ojibwe tribes that had their land permanently submerged by the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway Project in 1958.

Like most residents of Ontario, the people of Long Sault are rooted in history, culture and hard work. They hold family close to their hearts and hockey close to their souls.

Weekends at Long Sault Arena are brimming with anxious parents, starry-eyed youngsters and the unmistakable sounds of hockey sticks banging on the ice to alert the players that the penalized player is about to leave the penalty box.

Ah, hockey in Long Sault is live again!

History of Hockey in Long Sault

Hockey has held a long tradition in Long Sault.

In the spring of 1972, Don Parisien, Paul Leduc and Dalton Gadbois, traveled eastern Ontario, stopping in small towns and hamlets like Long Sault and Morrisburg and much like a federal commission would do, they held meetings with local hockey clubs and leagues to discuss how to best setup an amateur hockey association that would cater to all surrounding areas.

The Ottawa District Minor Hockey Association was tentatively formed that year and Long Sault would be a part of it.

In 2015, the ODMHA changed its name to Hockey Eastern Ontario Minor or HEO Minor. HEO and HEO Minor amalgamated to form a single entity in 2020.

HEO is a member Branch of Hockey Canada, the governing body of amateur hockey in Canada.

South Stormont Selects

Through the years, municipal, residential and provincial by-laws and land ordinances have altered the outlying areas of eastern Ontario along the St. Lawrence River and in 1998, Long Sault and a couple of other small adjoining communities, joined the South Stormont Township.

The South Stormont Selects is the local hockey team that represents the South Stormont Township area, and they play in the Upper Canada Minor Hockey league.

They are represented by four teams in the UCMHL: Atom B Rep, Peewee B Rep, Bantam B Rep, and Major Midget B Rep.

Jesse Winchester

Countless generations have grown up playing hockey in Long Sault.

Even though the area has never produced an NHL draft-selected player, local hero Jesse Winchester – born and raised in Long Sault – played his youth hockey for the South Stormont Selects.

After a four-year NCAA career with Colegate Universtity, Winchester was signed as a free agent by the Ottawa Senators in 2007.

He would have a productive four-year stay with the Sens and would eventually end his NHL career playing with the Florida Panthers in the 2013-14 season.

He holds the distinction of playing the most NHL games for someone to come from Long Sault, with 285.

Hockey is back in Long Sault

The COVID-19 pandemic has canceled the last two hockey seasons but 2021 promises to bring all the glory back.

The Long Sault Arena has adhered to all provincial health mandates and all the parents have been informed of current rink policies.

The 2021 calendar hockey season has already begun in earnest–registration and tryouts for the various house-league team are currently in session–and the South Stormont Selects teams in the UCMHL are currently waging a new campaign to see where the next Jesse Winchester will be found.

Hockey in Long Sault is officially back.

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