On Oct. 29, MacTavish’s Source for Sports building on Queen Street in Fredericton was the victim of arson on the eve of its 56th anniversary.
Assistant Deputy Fire Chief David McKinley arrived on the scene. He scoured the building, seeing that most of the flames were contained in the rear of the store.
“It’s always a tragedy, somebody’s life is being changed forever, especially with a small business,” McKinley shared.
Grant Milczarek, a UNB student who played hockey in Fredericton, said visiting MacTavish’s was like being “at home.”
“It’s a very charming, humble place. Not trying to impress anyone, it brings a sense of belonging. A kind of secret, no one needs to know it’s there,” said Milczarek.
He said that for him the friendly service of MacTavish Source for Sports is what made the real difference from other sports stores.
“What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna buy gear? Cause I can buy it at SportChek … but I’m thinking [of] the service, I don’t think they train the people there to really serve you,” he said.
Milczarek recalled visiting MacTavish when he was 12. His first time walking through the old red rickety doors, noticing the “watch your step sign” to the right.
“A building that’s been loved, lived in. Has lots of character,” Milczarek said.
Helmets here and skates there. Stacks of hockey sticks lay in the corner, piled high. Milczarek laughs at the memory of pulling a stick from the pile only to send the rest falling like dominos.
Like Milczarek, other members of the community remember MacTavish’s fondly, like Fredericton High School’s hockey coach Darren Goodine, who described the store as a personable place instead of a commercial store.
“You could talk to the guys and talk hockey, talk football, baseball, get your hockey stick, your ball glove and get caught up a little bit on local sports,” said Goodine.
The Police who were assigned to the MacTavish’s case, found and arrested the 49-year-old “Freedom Fighter” Joshua Daniel Grant Burden.
Judge Pierre Gionet charged Burden on two counts of arson with disregard to human life and breach of probation.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Senseless arson has been going on for a long time here in Fredericton, there’s never even a reason why,” said McKinley.
MacTavish’s recently teased on their Facebook page that they might be making a move to reopen in the Brookside Mall on Fredericton’s north side.
