Steve McLaren grew up in North Bay and is a product of the North Bay Minor Hockey system. He played AAA Peewee hockey commencing in 1988. He continued through the minor system and ultimately became the captain of the Fraser Tavern midget team that won the Great North Major Midget Championships. In a key game in the final series, Steve scored 5 goals and added an assist. As is the case in most sports, skill is measured in a wide variety of methods. McLaren possessed grit, determination, toughness and an outstanding work ethic. While Steve was never going to lead his team in scoring, his contribution to the teams he played on went far beyond statistics. His greatest contribution was that he fulfilled a role on any team he was a part of that allowed the players with specific offensive skills to display their wares without fear of retribution. Steve played for two years with the North Bay Centennials and was a key component in their championship season. He was never drafted in the OHL draft, but rather was a walk on to the training camp and coach Bert Templeton was quick to see that his hard work and skill he possessed would only enhance the overall quality of the team. Steve was drafted 85th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in 1994. While his career in the NHL was limited to 6 games, his professional career consisted of 509 games where he scored 17 goals, had 23 assists and amassed 1909 penalty minutes over 12 seasons. Points on the board do not always measure the contribution a hockey player makes to their team but the teammate that Steve McLaren was, over those 12 years, made a significant intangible contribution to each team he was part of.
