An End, And A Beginning For Gus Ford
Gus Ford with Northland College
Gus Ford got one more chapter of hockey than most athletes get to experience. A Junior hockey star, Ford moved on to play NCAA Division III hockey at Northland College.
That four year journey finished this past season, marking the end of another chapter in his hockey career.
“My four seasons at Northland were great,” said Ford, who spent two seasons with the Chatham Maroons.
“I met some really awesome people, and made some lifelong friends there. The culture there is really great and the guys there on the team are always really close. The hockey is great. Very competitive and made me a stronger and better hockey player for sure.”
With his time at Northland done, Ford isn’t done writing his hockey story. In fact, he already started the next phase playing 3 games in the Southern Professional Hockey League with the Quad City Storm. In those 3 games, Ford had 2 points, including his first career professional goal.
“My professional debut was pretty crazy,” Ford said. “I was super nervous leading up to the games and was nervous just to be practicing with a pro team. But getting out on the ice and getting a few shifts, I felt like I fit in right away. To score in my first game was awesome. Scoring in front of 4000 fans was awesome and it was really cool to get that first one in my first game.”
Despite where he has made it to in his hockey career, Ford still looks back fondly at his time in Chatham, especially at the support he felt from Chatham’s faithful fan base.
“My time in Chatham was awesome. Some of my best hockey memories are when I played in Chatham. But the thing I remember the most is how great the fans were. To me Chatham has the best fans in Ontario junior hockey. The fans were great and really supported the team when I was there.”
After playing ‘AAA’ growing up, and then 4 seasons of Junior hockey, followed by 4 seasons of NCAA DIII hockey, and then his pro debut, Ford isn’t done yet. Although he isn’t sure where he’ll land next season just yet, he does know he’s not ready to stop chasing his professional dreams just yet.
“I’m not to sure what my next move in hockey is. I have had offers to go play in Europe and also the option to play in the SPHL is still there, I’m hoping that I can get a tryout in the ECHL. But just weighing my options right now.”