Yahoo Movies After a stroke benches Mount Pearl legend Tony Fowlow, community raises $24K to help him
From "Phonse" to "Mr. Mount Pearl" to "the Earl of the Pearl," Tony Fowlow has a lot of nicknames. But he's best known for being the man behind the Zamboni at the Glacier Arena and a beloved member of the province's hockey and figure skating community for more than four decades.
"He's a true legend in Mount Pearl," said Kim Pelley, the president of the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association. She says Fowlow has been there since the beginning, from the construction of the Smallwood arena in the '70s to getting hired there and later moving over to the Glacier.
"This was Tone's life," Glacier colleague and lifelong friend Randy Mullett said while standing near the Zambonis that Fowlow taught him to drive.
But since Christmas, Fowlow has been absent from the arena he loves so much.
In December, he had a stroke and is now paralyzed on his left side, and his ability to speak has been hampered.
After four months in hospital, Fowlow — who is in his 60s — is recovering in a long-term care facility, where things like a TV, shampoo, or razors and other personal-care items aren't provided.
His niece, Mandy White started a GoFundMe page for him, aiming to raise $1,000 to buy a lift chair to help him transfer into his wheelchair.
The fundraiser quickly and easily surpassed that goal — amassing more than $24,000 in just over a week — thanks to the support of people in Mount Pearl and the hockey community.
"The hockey rink won't be the same," donor Brad Sturge wrote on the fundraiser's webpage, while Jason Garland said: "Phonse was an icon at the rink and as someone who spent most of my time there growing up and as an adult I have so many great memories of him."
The response has left White overwhelmed, but happy to be able to get her uncle all he needs to aid in his recovery.
"Perhaps after he's assessed, we might be able to get him an electric wheelchair," she said, while floating the idea of getting him an iPad to help him communicate better.
Missed at the Arena
The Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association was the biggest donor to the fundraiser, contributing $500, which president Pelley called a no-brainer.
"It shows you his status here that people from all over donated because they know him and they know what a person he is," she said.
She said he has supported all their hockey fundraisers over the years, has a great mind for tracking players' progress and was even inducted into their hall of fame for his passion, loyalty and commitment to the sport.
Pelley said he was always there to help and if a child was missing a piece of hockey equipment, Fowlow would always find whatever they needed.
"He wanted to make sure that every child is happy and make sure that they could have a game of hockey," his niece said.
Despite his kindness, his colleagues say Fowlow didn't have any trouble giving people a piece of his mind.
"Whether you want to hear it or not, whether you were the president of minor hockey, president of figure skating, mayor, councillor — he knew them all and he was telling you how things should run here," said Mullett.
Fowlow is so legendary, there's even a hockey tournament in his name, compete with silver hardware in the Glacier's trophy case, called the Phonse Cup.
He always gave the player of the game a silver coin at the end of the tournament. There aren't any tournaments this year, so when the final game of the season was held last week, Fowlow's absence was felt, but his family stepped up. White's parents presented the trophy on his behalf, she said.
"And I set up an iPad at Tony's room and him and I watched the game together," said White, adding that he cheered when the game's announcer mentioned him on the live stream.
"It's really, really sad," said Pelley. "We really miss him."
His family, friends and colleagues say they deeply appreciate the community for rallying around the local legend and they hope the support means he can eventually make a comeback — even if it's just to visit.
