The dust and the mud at the Alvinston Pro Rodeo
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Petrolia’s Leighton joins Red Wings
July 10, 2025
Barry Wright/The Independent
Michael Leighton is heading across the Detroit River to continue his coaching career. After three seasons as goaltending coach with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, the Petrolia native has been hired as the new goaltending coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.
Originally a sixth round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999, he played more than 700 pro games between the pipes, including 127 regular and playoff games in the National Hockey League with Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Carolina.
He backstopped the Flyers to the Stanley Cup final in 2010 only to come up short against current Red Wing Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks in the championship series.
Leighton is tied for the most career shutouts in a Stanley Cup playoff series recording three against Montreal in the conference final that same year.
He retired from playing in 2019.
Leighton also holds the American Hockey League record for career shutouts with 50, eclipsing the previous record held by the legendary Johnny Bower.
The five-time American Hockey League all-star was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame earlier this year.
He played two seasons with his hometown Jets from 1996-98.
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The dust and the mud at the Alvinston Pro Rodeo
June 16, 2026
The population of Alvinston swelled by a couple of thousand this weekend as the Alvinston Pro Rodeo set up shop at the Brooke Alvinston Inwood Community Centre for the weekend. Cowboys and cowgirls from all over North America came to be part of the action. And there was a big local contingent including Tyler Foster and Rod Weese, World Champions
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LCCVI’s student athletes honoured
June 16, 2026
LCCVI Athletics honoured this year’s top athletes. Students from each grade and sport were honoured during the year end banquet June 10. Here are the athletes honoured as MVP for their year. In the back row, left to right are Jonah Wagner, Jaylen Helps, Nadia Alfadili, Zander Knapp, Jamison Helps, Belle Stewart, Meagan Munro, Mya Beaudoin, Elijah Robinson and kneeling
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Building community spirit in Wilkesport
June 16, 2026
Heather Wright/The Independent Bill Myers remembers when community gathered to watch the tractor pull at the Wilkesport Community Centre. The field has been empty for some time. In the 1990s, the pullers found other venues to accommodate their larger machines. The community missed the pull and the time together, Myers said Saturday. So, he and his wife, Kathy, who had
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LCCVI’s Zelenchuk wins Stefanko award
June 16, 2026
Blake Ellis/The Independent Another honour for LCCVI’s Yarko Zelenchuk. Just days after being named a Nicol Scholar at the Petrolia secondary school, Zelenchuk received the Stefanko Award for academic and athletic excellence. In 2007, former Sarnia Legionnaire and St. Pat’s alumnia Stephen Stefanko set up the award for graduating students in Sarnia-Lambton. It recognizes students who excel academically, in high
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