He was, at 28, one of the younger players on Team Canada at last summer’s World Cup of Rugby, and there were certainly some players on the Canadian roster in Japan with greater big-game experience than Patrick Parfrey, a product of the Swilers Rugby Football Club in St. John’s.
Still, that didn’t stop Parfrey from snagging a job as a starting fullback on Canada, and emerging as part of the team’s leadership group at the World Cup.
Though he’s not – unlike Parfrey — as familiar with rugby as he is with hockey, Wally Bray can understand what it’s like to walk in Canadian national rugby team coach Kingsley Jones’s shoes.
Just as the East Coast Senior Hockey League is poised to enter the second round of its playoffs, the St. John’s Caps are a contender for the defending champs Southern Shore Breakers’ title as the top team in the circuit.
Thanks in part to Parfrey. Known moreso in these parts for his work on the rugby pitch — the Parfreys may be the first family of rugby — but not to be forgotten is his play in the hockey rink, and the game that he’s brought to the Caps is one of the primary reasons St. John’s earned a bye through the opening-round Elimination Round of the ECSHL playoffs.
“This guy hasn’t missed a beat,” said St. John’s coach Wally Bray. “I mean he hadn’t played with us since 2016, and then left because of rugby and education.
“But he came back on the ice in his first practice (in December, of this season), and didn’t look at all out of place.
“He’s been one of our top four defenceman ever since.”
You certainly can’t read everything into this stat, but it’s still worth repeating: in the nine games since Parfrey’s first as a Cap this season — on Dec. 13, St. John’s has gone a combined 6-3 in the win-loss column with Parfrey in the lineup. The Caps finished second to the Breakers in the regular-season standings.
“This guy hasn’t missed a beat … he hadn’t played with us since 2016, and then left because of rugby and education. But he came back on the ice in his first practice and didn’t look at all out of place. He’s been one of our top four defenceman ever since.”
St. John’s head coach Wally Bray
Parfrey is not new to hockey. For as good as he is on the rugby pitch, he’s not bad at the rink, either. He played major midget hockey in Newfoundland, and then skated for Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Games, and was drafted by the St. John’s Fog Devils in the fifth round of the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.
When the Fog Devils relocated to Montreal, he attended the Juniors’ camp, but was cut. Montreal management tried to persuade him to go to the Maritime junior league, but he refused.
He last played in 2016, with the Caps when they reached the Herder Memorial Trophy final before being dispatched by the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts.
Rugby commitments, particularly to the Toronto Arrows of Major League Rugby (MLR), the young North American pro league, and commitments to working towards his PhD have not allowed much time to enjoy a skate.
“This is my first time playing back home in close to four years,” he said.
“Until that first practice (with the Caps in December), I hadn’t stood on the ice,” he said.
“No pickup, no nothing. I was home once, and a guy called to go for a skate but it didn’t work out because my skates were rusty.
“Now I’m home for school and (assistant coach) Scotty Bray sent me a text and asked if I wanted to play.”
Thanks mainly to his rugby, Wally Bray says Parfrey has an edge on most because of his conditioning.
“He’s in fantastic shape,” Bray said, “ripped from elbow to knee. There’s not an ounce of fat on him.
“But the big thing with him is the personality and temperament and the leadership he brings to the room. He absolutely changes the dressing room. It’s such a pleasure to have him back Such a gentleman. The only word I can use is all-around class act.”
On the ice, Bray can use Parfrey in just about any situation and the player won’t hurt you.
“You can throw him out there five-on-five, throw him out to kill a penalty,” Bray said. “We have Patty O’Keefe, young Michael Abbott, and other talented defencemen. But if there’s any reason Patty (Parfrey) has to go out on the power play, you know that he’s got what we’re teaching. And he’s going to work it from watching it on the bench.
“Is he going to set up (Jordan) Escott to score a goal? Possibly, yes.
“But as far as him going into the corner and someone else coming out with the puck, not happening.
“No difference when I watched him in major midget and he was on the ice four or five times per week.”
After the World Cup in which Canada suffered three loses, Parfrey travelled around southeast Asia.
He also signed a part-time contract with the Arrows.
“If I get a decent amount of school work done, there is a possibility I’ll go back to them next summer,” he said of the Toronto-based squad. “If I get some free time towards the end of the year, I’ll move back up to Toronto and play with them.
“But school is definitely the priority right now. I have a decent amount of work left. I might be able to take some breaks here and there, but as of right now, I need to do a lot of research, and that’s going to have to be done in Newfoundland.”
Which also allows him to play some hockey.
Rugby and education remain a passion for Parfrey. Hockey’s up there, too.
“It’s definitely the sport I miss playing, especially being away from it for a while. I really enjoy playing it. It’s exciting to be back playing.”
The Caps are no doubt excited to have him back.
Robin Short is The Telegram’s Sports Editor
He can be reached by email at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter @TelyRobinShort
