They say the Bayshore is one of the toughest places for a visiting OHL team to play. The players will tell you the home team fans here are among the most dedicated in the league and the home ice advantage fans can bring should not be underestimated. Meet the Roar is an opportunity to learn more about some of the Owen Sound Attack’s most committed fans. We begin this series with Achilles Stavrou.
When you walk into Europa Restaurant in downtown Owen Sound, you’re greeted by the booming voice of Achilles Stavrou welcoming you. Stavrou isn’t a shy flower, he’s a big hearted man with a great deal of pride in his family, his restaurant and his hometown team, the Owen Sound Attack. Achilles will guide you through the menu, explaining where his families recipes infuse the menu (everywhere really), he’ll prepare you a Greek meal that will knock your socks off, and if you ask, he’ll talk hockey with you for as long as you’d like while he mans the grill.
Achilles parents first opened Athena Pizza in Owen Sound back in 1977. The family returned to Greece for a while with his parents opening Europa at its current location in 1988. Achilles moved his family to Owen Sound in 2014, looking for some security and community for all of them but especially for his autistic son Gregory. He took over the business 9 years ago. One of the stamps Achilles has put on the restaurant is his love for the Owen Sound Attack. The back wall of the restaurant is covered with photographs of Attack players alongside Gregory and the Stavrou family. I quickly realize that you could spend several days hearing the stories behind these photos. As Achilles, explains the story behind each photo, he focuses on one photo that holds a central location on the wall.
“Each year, when the new boys come in, I tell them, if you want to make it in the world of hockey, you need to do what he did,” he says, pointing at a picture of Nick Suzuki. “He had it all right, never selfish, hard-working and committed to the team first. That’s who the boys should look up to.”
Nearby there’s a picture that literally raises the hair on Achilles arms when he tells the story. It’s a picture of Gregory on his 18th birthday with his cousin Christopher and Achilles, surrounded by Attack Captain Colby Barlow, Gavin Bryant, Nick Chenard, Mark Wooley and William Portokalis. This photo embodies the importance of this team to the Stavrou family. On Gregory’s 18th birthday, he was going to be celebrating alone at the restaurant. Achilles reached out to Attack GM Dale DeGray who assured Achilles he’d take care of it. Along came the five Attack players, who spent the evening eating pizza, talking hockey and celebrating with Gregory and freely giving their time to a boy who simply needed a friend in that moment.
There’s a long list of moments and special connections with Attack players over the years for the Stavrou family. Michael McNiven was the first player to really connect with Gregory. Cedrick Guindon is a player whose family has experience with autism and he’s always been a special player to Gregory. Attack staff have also extended kindness to the family with Andy Brown and Trevor Castonguay treating Gregory to a tour of the dressing room on his 16th birthday.
Their shared love for hockey has always brought the Stavrou family together. “We do everything together, we are season’s tickets holders, we travel to away games together. This team has provided me with the hockey highlight of my life. I’m a 54-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs fan who’s still holding on. But my entire family was with me in Mississauga back in 2011 when we watched the puck go in the net in OT for our team to win the OHL title. I was screaming like a little girl,” laughs Achilles. He wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to this team. There’s no embarrassment when he shares the video of the championship winning goal, complete with audio proof of the shrieking he describes.
This shared experience with Gregory and his nephew Christopher and, at times his daughter, has created endless memories. They’ve walked the Toronto Raptors championship parade together, they’ve seen Toronto FC become MLS champions, they celebrated in Greektown in when Greece won in 2004. “I’ve connected with my son Gregory who has autism through sports,” explains Achilles. “Gregory is trying to blend into society and sports help him do that. When we travel to away rinks and we have to stay in hotels, he gets out of the comfort zone and he’s got to adjust to different areas. He loves to travel and he loves the new rinks. We’ve never had any issues.”
Achilles is proud of his family and his face shines when Gregory starts participating in our conversation about the Attack. If you have any illusions that Gregory isn’t as committed to the Attack as Achilles, they are quickly put to rest. As Achilles tells me the stories from the photo wall, Gregory regularly adds facts, figures and stories. Who’s his favourite player? He’ll quickly tell you it’s Captain Colby Barlow, born February 14, 2005. When’s the next home game. Without batting an eye, Gregory will tell you it’s November 25th at 7 p.m. against North Bay. He’ll subtly ask Achilles if they are ‘busy’ on away game days he’d like to road trip too. He knows where the graduating players are now, what nationality they are and I can guarantee you he remembers every kind gesture, hello and high five he’s gotten since his family became season ticket holders.
As Achilles will tell you, the family’s special relationship with the team began during one of the Attack’s school visits to Gregory’s school. “The boys came to play floor hockey with Gregory’s special class. He came home just glowing with stories from that day,” recalls Achilles. That is really when this journey with the team began.”
As a parent of an autistic child, there are difficult days and Achilles asks for understanding from the Bayshore faithful, most of whom are familiar with the Stavrou family in the stands now. “When the team is losing at home, it can be a real trigger for Gregory. He can get pretty upset and vocal. He’s feeling what all of us are feeling but it’s coming out in ways people can misunderstand. I just ask for understanding in those moments, like any parent would,” explains Achilles.
The conversation goes around and around as we talk about the team this family loves. Achilles hockey knowledge is solid. He loves that Dale DeGray comes for a pizza and talks about the team while he waits for his order. “Dale is one of the top 3 GMs in the league,” says Achilles. “When he comes in, sometimes he’s waiting for me to criticize his decisions or tell him what to do. But I tell him, Dale, your job is to make the difficult decisions, my job is to be a fan.”
Where Achilles is more than happy to offer his opinion is on the role of the fans at the Bayshore.
“My upbringing was in soccer, and I grew up in Europe where soccer fans are committed,” says Achilles. “There’s a code of conduct among the fans. Even professional athletes feed off the energy of the fans. For the Attack, I just want the kids to know that we will always be there for them. The code of conduct in hockey rinks in North America? I can’t accept it. It’s too quiet for me. The Bayshore has long been known as a tough rink for a visiting team to play in. But lately it’s become a cemetery. You cannot sit there like a plum, eating hot dogs and drinking pop for three hours and not participating. We are part of the game. Our job in the stands is to motivate the boys. I will stay to the end every time and I will salute the boys who played for us. Just like they salute us, win or lose.”
The only redheaded Greek in Owen Sound. That’s how Achilles will jokingly describe himself if asked. But having had the privilege of spending a few hours at Europa, I will expand on that description. Achilles is an unreal chef, a devoted and proud father and a committed fan that any sports team would be lucky to have on their side. If you’re in Owen Sound before an Attack game, stop by Europa for a pizza, a souvlaki or a gyro and definitely add a baclava. If you see a closed early sign, don’t fret. Achilles has taken Gregory to support their team, because in the Stavrou’s world the hours will vary depending on the team’s schedule.
This weekend, when you head to the Bayshore, don’t be a plum. Be prepared to stand, to cheer and to Be the Roar our fans are known for. You’ll surely hear Achilles on his feet, doing his part.