Thirty-three years after hosting a member of the little Kings at the Quebec Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, a family from Saint-Nicolas still maintains close ties with their family from the Los Angeles area, whose house was razed by forest fires. “We would like to hug them and help them,” says Michelle Dion.
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To understand the extent of the shock, we must first understand the history that unites the two clans, as is often the case between the players’ families and the local families who host them, during the famous annual tournament. .
In this case, we have to go back in time to 1992, during the first presence of young Shane Warschaw with the little Los Angeles Kings. Michelle Dion and her partner Marc Talbot opened the doors of their home to him, in the company of a teammate from the Little Kings.
At the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1992, Shane Warschaw (identified by an arrow) was hosted by the Dion family and strong bonds were forged.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHELLE DION
Little Shane’s parents, sister and grandparents had traveled to Quebec to experience the big moment at the Coliseum and immediately, the flow passed.
“We had heard Marc Simoneau on the radio who said that there was a lack of families and we had given our name. It was a beautiful relationship between Shane’s family and ours that began,” recalls Michelle Dion.
Present at major events
The following summer, Shane returned to Quebec for a hockey camp at PEPS, and the Dion-Talbot family welcomed him again. His parents followed by traveling in a truck with their trailer attached to the back, straight from California, to come and camp in Saint-Nicolas, no less!
The then young boy also represented the Kings a second time, in the 1993 tournament.
Along with Michelle Dion and Marc Talbot, young Shane Warschaw had a good time in Quebec during the pee-wee tournament twice in the early 1990s.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHELLE DION
Over the years, mutual visits have increased. In 1996, during a Shane tournament in Lake Placid, the Warscham family took the opportunity to attend the baptism of the youngest daughter of the Quebec family.
In 2002, it was the Dion-Talbots’ turn to witness a milestone moment for their friends’ family, when Shane graduated from the University of New England.
“They experienced our memorable moments and we also experienced theirs. They became our family and vice versa. We get along well with Shane, with his parents and with his sister, who now has two children. It’s like a three-generation friendship,” says Michelle Dion.
A great loss
Every month, they give each other news and they try to see each other as often as possible. In May 2023, the Warschaws welcomed Michelle Dion and Marc Talbot under their roof, in the town of Altadena.
In happier days at the Warschaw residence during a reunion of the two families a little over a year ago.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHELLE DION
This is where the Eaton fire hit severely, devastating the area over 5,700 hectares. The Warschaws lost the home they had lived in for nearly 40 years. A tragedy for this middle-class family, whose parents were teachers for a long time.
During their most recent visit, in May 2023, Michelle Dion and her partner Marc Talbot reconnected with Shane Warschaw’s parents, Janie and Jeff.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHELLE DION
“It’s surreal. We had a place to live and within a few hours, nothing at all,” Shane Warschaw told Journal.
“The most difficult thing is when you realize that you will never return home,” he noted.
Leaving in a hurry, he and his parents took only a handful of clothes and some photos before rushing to the hotel, where they could only observe the damage afterwards.
A support campaign
Over time, Shane Warschaw remained attached to hockey. He has refereed in leagues in Europe and is now an arena manager.
He never tired of meeting the Dion-Talbots in Quebec, even three decades after his participation in the Pee-Wee Tournament.
A recent visit of the Warschaw family to Quebec, in front of Montmorency Falls.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHELLE DION
“I was lucky to come across them in my life at the time. They opened their door to me when I played in this unforgettable tournament. When you welcome us like this, you become part of our family for life,” Warschaw emphasized.
At the other end of the continent, so far, but so close, Michelle Dion agrees.
“It started with the Pee-Wee Tournament and today, it’s life and death between us,” she said.
Faced with this devastation, Michelle Dion took the initiative to launch a support campaign via GoFundMe, if only to help the Warschaws meet their current basic needs. Those who wish can contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/soutenons-la-famille-warschaw-apres-la-perte-de-leur-maison
