The hiking trail off Goose Cove Road is a lengthy trek through hills and wooded terrain behind St. Anthony. It leads out as far as the crumbling foundation of the former American military base.

Cleon Smith routinely walked the path, and was often seen by locals walking along Goose Cove Road from North Street on his way to the trail. On a snow-covered day in early spring 2011, the 30-year-old would take this familiar walk. It would be the last time he was ever seen.

A promising hockey player from a young age, Smith’s disappearance was particularly difficult for the community. Carl Rumbolt has been a longtime family friend and recalls his shock at the news of Smith’s disappearance.

“I was devastated to hear Cleon went missing,” said Rumbolt. “His father still walks that trail often. It’s very difficult. I know if it was a son of mine, I’d still be looking, looking for answers and praying for answers.”

Angus Head coached Smith during his time with the Western Kings in Corner Brook. Smith returned years later and skated with the Corner Brook Royals and Head was the bench boss.

“He stood out as one of the premier players on the team,” Head said. “Certainly could tell he had a future if he wanted to pursue it, which he did.”

In his second season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds , from 1999-2000, he recorded a solid 41 points with the Ontario Hockey League squad.







































 

 

 

“He had a great vision,” Head said. “He was able to forecast what was going to happen next as opposed to waiting for it to happen, which makes for a great hockey player.”

Head has visited St. Anthony several times since Smith’s disappearance and talked with former players who knew Smith.

“It’s certainly a great loss and an unsolved mystery as to what happened to him,” he said.
 

On April 4, two days after Smith’s disappearance, an extensive ground search was conducted with more than 150 volunteers. The search included the Canadian Rangers, the St. Anthony Volunteer Fire Department, RCMP, Roddickton Search and Rescue, and students from the town’s College of the North Atlantic campus.

Mayor Ernest Simms, who taught Smith in public school, recalls the widespread effort by residents to find the local hockey prospect.

“We searched as a town, almost everyone participated and tried to find him,” said Simms.

























Being a close friend of the family, Rumbolt went out searching the night he heard the news that Smith had not returned home from his walk.

“I said to my wife, ‘I cant stay here.’ So I got on my snow machine at 11 that night and went on through,” said Rumbolt. “It was so dirty out, you couldn’t see anything.”

Rumbolt says the Goose Cove area is rough terrain that is dangerous, especially for people who don’t know the area. He says when it’s snowing and the wind picks up, it only takes a snap of the finger for the area to become a complete whiteout.

“Myself personally, I try to stay away from the Goose Cove area,” said Rumbolt. “It’s a very hard spot at the best of times. Even on a calm day, you’d have to struggle to get out of it. On a sunny day everything could look pretty level to you, and suddenly you’re on a cliff.”

On April 7, after footprints were found leading to the ocean, the search and rescue operation turned into a recovery mission – with fears Smith had fallen through the ice. The land-based search was suspended and an exhaustive search by RCMP divers began.

Rumbolt remains uncertain to this day that those footprints belonged to Cleon Smith.
 

“At the time, the bay was all full of slob (ice), and next morning it was all gone,” he said. “I can’t say for sure he went out there. But the year Cleon did go missing, me and his dad were out in boat, out in that area, looking along the bottom.”










































The recovery mission went until April 11, 2011, but no sign of Smith was found.
 

Scott Coish, Parks and Recreation director for St. Anthony, was one of the last people to see Smith alive.

“As I was driving towards the new arena, I saw him walking out of the old (hockey arena),” Coish said.

A ceremony was held on April 26, 2016, where Smith’s No. 26 jersey was retired and a plaque, along with the jersey, was placed in the arena. While Smith never had the chance to play at the Polar Centre, his jersey now has a permanent presence there for all future St. Anthony hockey players to admire.