Pat Connolly got his first play-by-play lesson from Foster Hewitt in 1945 as an 18-year-old and Danny Gallivan got him the Halifax job when he went to cover the Montreal Canadiens in 1952. Connolly was one of the finest hockey play-by-play men Ive ever heard, and thats included in the same class as Gallivan and Hewitt. Connolly even had a better voice. A golden voice. He passed away this week at 84. Many people in Atlantic Canada know of Pat as he spent most of his life here. There was a seven-year span where he worked in London and Chatham, Ontario doing - what else - hockey games for the London Knights and Western Mustangs and Chathams hockey teams of the 1960s. But for the most part, he was a Maritimer who started his career in a Sydney newspaper. I first met Pat when I came to Halifax in 1972. He was the play-by-play voice of the Nova Scotia Vees and called the game when they became the first Canadian team to win a Calder Cup in 1971. As soon as I heard him, I said that man belongs in the NHL doing play-by-play. Connolly had two chances to go to the NHL, one with the Chicago Blackhawks and in 1969 - when Bud Poile called him and offered him the Philadelphia Flyers broadcasting job. "I said no at the time for different reasons," he once told me. "One is that I had a very young child and another is I never aspired to a big city. I had been in Halifax and I loved it here." How big was Pat in Maritime Canada? He was the first ever CBC TV sportscaster in the Maritimes back in 1954. There are two daily papers in Halifax and Pat wrote for both of them. He worked at many radio stations, but his biggest strength was hockey. He loved the sport and had many friends in hockey, including NHL people. He would often go up to Montreal or Toronto for meetings and ended up in Maple Leaf Gardens or the old Montreal Forum. Ive been around sports for a while, and Pat was the best hockey man I knew. He served on the selection committee for the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and knew just about every hockey general manager on a first name basis. Now the Hewitt story goes back to 1945 when the Sydney Millionaires made it to the Allan Cup in Toronto. Connolly ran into Foster, who invited him to broadcast from the Gondola. "Youre not bad kid," he told Connolly after one period. "Slow down a little and always be a second or so behind the play." How many guys get instruction from Foster? For nearly 25 years he called the AHL games for the Vees, the Nova Scotia Oilers, the Cape Breton Oilers and the Halifax Citadels. He lived hockey. In 1994, the Halifax Mooseheads were formed. From the first game through to 2009, Pat was behind the microphone as the teams public address announcer. When he retired in 2009, the Mooseheads named the press box after him and put his name on the rafters with a banner showing his name and microphone - a nice touch. He was also the voice of the Saint Marys Huskies for many years. And he was the voice of any sports group who wanted him, as he was one of the best emcees around and would volunteer his time to do events. He hardly charged, saying, "someone gave me a great voice if I can use it for good things, and then I will." Polished, poised and professional is what he was in everything he said and did. I have never heard anyone in 40 years say anything bad about him (not one) and let me tell you in this ego driven business that is rare. He was involved in sports in other ways. He was the chairman of the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame from 1982 to 1998, which caused a problem because as chairman he would not allow his name in for membership. A year after he distanced himself he was inducted to the Hall. In other words, they had to get him out as chairman in order to get him in the Hall. I knew him for most of the 23 years that the AHL was in the Maritimes. Some of those Vees teams were so strong they could have played in the NHL and made the playoffs. "We had great teams," he said. "The first team that came here in 1971-72 had Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey and Larry Robinson on it. The 1972-73 club that (Montreal Canadiens GM) Sam Pollock had featured four first-round draft choices. They were talented teams." How good was Connolly? To me, the only voice thats better was the NFLs inaugural voice - John Facenda. Now, thats exclusive company. Indeed, the golden voice of sports and a Maritime legend was silenced this week. For TSN.ca, Im Alex J Walling. Alex J. can be reached via email at: ajw@eastlink.ca http://www.authenticjaguarsshop.com/Cameron-Bradfield-Jaguars-Jersey. The 17-year-old forward has a five-game point streak, which includes eight goals and 14 points. Linemate Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist for the Mooseheads (14-1-0), who have won 12 straight games, and the two points extended his point streak to 11 games. http://www.authenticjaguarsshop.com/Alan-Ball-Jaguars-Jersey. The commissioners office announced the penalties on Thursday. St. Louis first baseman Alan Ahmady was suspended after a second violation for a drug of abuse. http://www.authenticjaguarsshop.com/Bryan-Anger-Jaguars-Jersey. Javier Hernandezs double and Ron Vlaars own goal completed the turnaround that took United four points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table. Chelsea hosts Liverpool on Sunday. "We did put pressure on ourselves today but we came through it," United manager Alex Ferguson said. http://www.authenticjaguarsshop.com/Jason-Babin-Jaguars-Jersey. JOHNS, N. http://www.authenticjaguarsshop.com/Will-Blackmon-Jaguars-Jersey. -- Trevor Plouffe has struggled since returning from the disabled list and hitting into a triple play only served to highlight his recent problems.MONTREAL -- Much will be at stake when former world champion Joachim Alcine faces rising prospect David Lemieux in the ring. The winner of their clash for the WBC International middleweight title, a relatively minor belt, will move on to bigger fights and higher purses and the loser will be left wondering if there is a future in the unforgiving world of boxing. It is also a clash of two generations of Montreal fighters, with a touch of controversy thrown in, and that will make it more intriguing when the two meet Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Lemieux (25-1), is GYMs 22-year-old slugger who is in his first bout since a split with trainer/manager Russ Anber after his rocketing career was stalled by a first defeat in April against Marco Antonio Rubio. The 35-year-old Alcine (32-2-1) is seeking his first victory in two years and hopes to take some revenge on the promotion company Groupe Yvon Michel, which he left in a huff not long after losing the WBA light middleweight title in 2007. "Hes still a very good fighter," Lemieux said Wednesday of Alcine. "You dont become a world champion by luck. "Ive trained for him to be at his best, so hopefully youll see both of us at our best." Alcine arrived this week from training in California blaming GYM for the sixth-round knockout loss to Daniel Santos that cost him his title. Alcine said he was pressured into fighting even though he had a cataract in his left eye that needed surgery, which was denied by Michel and by his former trainer Howard Grant. "Im telling the truth; I shouldnt have been in the ring," Alcine said. "The doctor told me straight I have a cataract. "The doctor said its your choice to fight or not fight. And me, I decided to fight because they told me that if I didnt fight Id lose my belt." He said he only found out later that the bout could have been postponed until after the surgery. Grant admitted Alcine had a problem with the eye and intended to have surgery after the bout, but he was cleared to fight by an ophthalmologist and by the local boxing commission doctor. "Im not an idiot, I would never put one of my fighters at such a risk, to put him in danger," said Grant. "For what? For me to make $5,000 or $10,000. It makes no sense at all. "The doctor told him youre fine to fight. When you lose, you lose. You dont try to make excuses or try to point fingers at individuals." For all the harsh words, Alcine and Grant looked to be on friendly terms at a news conference to promote the fight. Alcine posted two victories after the loss to Santos, but then signed with U.S. promoter Don King despite having time left on his deal with GYM. He was dropped by King after a first-round knockout loss in his first fight. He fought to an eight-round draw with Jose Medina (14-9) in August in his only bout to date with new promoter Lou DiBella. "The reason we chose Alcine for this fight is because hes with a good promoter," said Michel.dddddddddddd "Thats a guarantee that Joachim will be in great shape." Alcine said he is less flat-footed and more mobile under new trainer Anthony Wilson and that he is ready to deliver a boxing lesson to Lemieux. "My advantage is Ive fought better boxers in my career," said Alcine. "I know what suffering is. "For him, every fight he gets a knockout in the first or second round but in his last fight, he showed me some weaknesses, things Id seen even before he had that fight. If he can beat me, Ill say this young man is the next world champion, but its not going to happen." Thats the knock on Lemeiux, that despite his good looks and swagger, his skill and power made it too easy as he blasted his way through his first 25 fights, winning 24 by knockout. His split with Anber after the loss to Rubio was described as amicable on both sides. Lemieux now compares it to a marriage that didnt work out. "We were tired of arguing," he said. "I knew this fight was coming and I needed to train, but when youre always arguing you cant train. "Id come into the gym and I didnt even want to be there. So we made a decision." Lemieux, still ranked third in the world by the WBC, said hes enjoying boxing again and likes being part of a team under new trainer Marc Ramsay, who works with a group of pros that includes former light heavyweight champ Jean Pascal. He said he has changed his work habits, his nutrition and his attitude and is now ready to take on the elite middleweights. He will no longer go into fights assuming it will be a quick knockout win. "My last fight, I relied too much on my hard punch," he said. "Thats a mistake and you learn from that. "Being a hard hitter is not a strategy for a fight, its a tool, and I made it into a strategy. But Ive changed that. Against Rubio, it wasnt about him punching me, it was about me running out of gas." The co-feature has a true one-punch banger, Adonis Stevenson (15-1) of Longueuil, Que., against reedy six-foot-four Aaron Pryor Jr (16-4) for three minor super-middleweight titles. Pryors father was one of the great light welterweights of the 1980s, piling up a 39-1 record along with the IBF and WBA titles. Grant, who trains Stevenson, said the son is not the same fighter. "If it was Aaron Pryor senior, wed be in a lot of (trouble)," said Grant. "Hes one of the greatest fighters Ive seen. "He was a volume puncher. He was slick, aggressive, mean. Hed get a guy hurt and finish him off. The son is taller. Hes rangy. He moves, grabs, ties you up. Hes in our way. If my guy hits him on the chin, hes not getting up." The 10-fight card also has a clash between Eleider (Storm) Alvarez (6-0) of Montreal against Emiliano Cayetano (21-3) of the Dominican Republic for the minor NABA light heavyweight belt. ' ' '