Former Petes Star Jason Dawe Was in Manhattan When 9/11 Changed Everything

By Scott Arnold

Twenty-five years later, the former Peterborough Petes star still gets chills thinking about what he witnessed in New York City that morning.

Jason Dawe during his time with the Peterborough Petes (photo courtesy of the ontario hockey league)

For Jason Dawe, September 11th, 2001, wasn't something he watched unfold from a television screen.

He was in Manhattan.

Dawe, who played for the Peterborough Petes from 1989 to 1993 and helped the team win an OHL championship in 1993, was in New York as part of the Rangers organization when the terrorist attacks happened.

On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Dawe shared his memories of that morning on Facebook, offering a glimpse into what it was like to experience the events from inside New York City.

He was at Madison Square Garden for New York Rangers training camp when, according to Dawe, he watched the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

At that moment, Dawe says, there was no way of knowing what was happening or what was still to come.

Then another plane hit.

The events of the morning continued to unfold, and what initially seemed impossible became a terrifying reality for those watching from Manhattan.

Dawe remembers the moment the towers came down especially vividly.

Madison Square Garden, several kilometres from the World Trade Center, felt like it had been hit by a massive earthquake.

His hotel room was at 34th Street and Lexington Avenue, giving him a view toward the Hudson River and the area around Ground Zero.

He was suddenly witnessing one of the most devastating days in American history from the heart of New York City.

Twenty-five years later, the memories haven't faded.

Dawe described September 11th as the craziest day of his life and said he still gets chills thinking about what happened.

For Peterborough, Dawe is best remembered as one of the greatest offensive players in Petes history.

He remains the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 169 goals and ranks second in career points with 337. After his time in Peterborough, Dawe was selected in the second round of the NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres and went on to play in the NHL with Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens before joining the New York Rangers organization.

But on September 11th, 2001, none of that mattered.

He was simply a hockey player in New York who found himself watching history unfold from inside the city.

And 25 years later, he still remembers exactly what it felt like.

We remember September 11th, 2001, through the stories of the people who were there, and Dawe's is one that brings that day a little closer to home.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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The Amazing Story Of A PRHC Balloon That Landed On A Front Lawn In Dolgeville, New York

A balloon at PRHC intended to let the Peterborough community know about the hospital's new 24-hour patient visiting policy has had amazing, unintended consequences.

See, the balloon somehow became dislodged at the hospital, and travelled (it took about a week) all the way to Dolgeville, New York—a small town at the base of the Adirondack Mountains. It landed on the lawn of a woman named Julie Ruggiero, a teaching assistant at Dolgeville Central School.

Once Ruggiero retrieved the balloon, she began researching the hospital online, and was amazed to see how far it had travelled. She was also amazed at the kindness of the Peterborough community.

When looking up the hospital online, she happened upon Dr. Peter McLaughlin’s recent CEO blog post praising Peterborough's response following the fire at the Peterborough mosque. She used this information as an opportunity not only to reach out to the hospital and the Peterborough community, but also as a beautiful teaching moment for her students.

Here is an excerpt of an email she sent to PRHC on December 1st. It is, quite simply, amazing:

“We are so sorry for what has happened there to your mosque, but find it amazing the fundraising effort of your community to raise so much money toward the rebuilding of the mosque! Please let everyone know that your message has traveled internationally and we have implemented it in our curriculum here at school. The 6th and 7th grade social studies teachers have shown the balloon to our children and videos of the terrible acts put upon your community. We have taught them that the community together can do so many things for each other and that there are more acts of kindness than bad!  Thank you for your message and we stand with you in your acts of kindness in this world as more need to be recognized!!”

So... Peterborough's hope and kindness travelled hundreds of kilometers—by balloon.

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The Plane Has Landed! Next Stop NY!!

After a delay in landing due to the fog, the Boeing 737 has landed at Peterborough Airport! Next stop an historic flight to New York City! Watch the video of the landing here.

Photo via @LoomexGroup on Twitter

Passengers waiting at Peterborough Airport for Canadian North to take them to New York City!

Photo Michelle Ferreri on Instagram

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