AMONG the benefits of being involved in hockey locally over the years, is you tend to hear plenty of memorable anecdotes on those who made their presence felt in the game.
One such individual that has been mentioned on countless occasions as being a standout on the ice is Ray Adduono.
A highly-skilled forward with gifted hands, Adduono started playing junior as only a 15-year-old with the Port Arthur North Stars in 1962. Yet, despite his youth, he was over a point-per-game performer and went on to earn league rookie of the year honours.
Later he would become a Thunder Bay Junior Hockey League MVP and first team all-star, putting up 173 points in a combined 110 regular season and playoff contests with the North Stars.
That club eventually morphed into the fabled Port Arthur Marrs, who remain synonymous in local circles.
In his final year of junior, Adduono served as captain of the Marrs and under the guidance of head coach Albert (Ab) Cava, they went on to win the TBJHL championship.
Heading out from there, Port Arthur battled past the iconic Flin Flon Bombers in seven grueling games in western Canadian semifinal action, including a 6-1 triumph in the finale.
Up next came the New Westminster Royals, from B.C., in the west final.
While the Royals prevailed with a one-goal victory in the series opener, the Marrs stormed back to win the next four outings to win the west and advance to the Memorial Cup Final vs. the vaunted Toronto Marlboros.
The Marlboros, coached by another Lakehead legend, Gus Bodnar, proved to be too much and their line-up that featured a fair number of future NHLers, went on to claim the national Jr. title in five games.
Turning pro in the fall of 1967, Adduono signed with the Syracuse Blazers of the old Eastern Hockey League.
From the on-set, he was a star there, going on to collect EHL top rookie laurels with a 146-point campaign featuring 45 tallies and a whopping 101 assists.
After a stint in both the Central Hockey League and the AHL in 1968-69, Adduono returned to Syracuse and once more put up massive numbers for the Blazers over the next four seasons while claiming a trio of EHL scoring titles and being on a pair of championship-winning sides.
Just how good was he in the EHL? Well, in 360 contests, he found the back of the net 215 times and helped set-up 501 other markers.
His 716 points ended up being the 17th-most in EHL history for the two-time first team all-star selection.
Those totals are also the highest-ever in Blazers history.
Even more impressive, his 1.99 point-per-game average in the league, was clearly tops in the EHL’s tenure.
Of note, one of Adduono’s Marrs’ teammates, Tim McCormack, also played with him in Syracuse for a couple of years, appearing in 76 contests, while scoring 52 times and helping out on 51 others.
Taking his talents to the World Hockey Association, Adduono suited up there with the likes of such teams as the Cleveland Crusaders, San Diego Mariners, Minnesota Fighting Saints and the Indianapolis Racers.
With his offensive knack, the diminutive, yet talented center, appeared in 221 WHA games through parts of five seasons where he scored 45 times and dished out 152 helpers.
Wrapping up his playing days in senior hockey with both the Thunder Bay Twins and Spokane Flyers, he appeared in over 900 match-ups in his career compiling 514 goals, while amassing 1,119 assists for a total of 1,633 points.
Add in etching his name on game sheets on 244 occasions through nearly 150 playoff contests, numbers like that maintain Ray Adduono’s hockey credentials as being one of the Lakehead’s best.