Montreal's baseball community mourns loss of local coaching legend Carey Ashton

Carey Ashton, a man beloved by Montreal's baseball community, has died. He was 62.

"He was a rare breed," said Terry Doucet, a fellow coach and longtime friend who worked with Ashton in NDG Minor Baseball and with the McGill Redbirds.

Ashton was born in Dartmouth, N.S., in 1959 and moved to Montreal when he was five. Two years later, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and has used the aid of a wheelchair to get around since he was 19.

But his health never slowed him down when it came to his work as a coach, inspiring young athletes to win on and off the field.

"It was an incredible load on his body to spend eight, 10, 12 hours a day at a ball field out in the sun," said Doucet.

"It was difficult for someone with muscular dystrophy to even stay out that long. And of course, he'd be exhausted by the time he got home, but the kids realized what he gave up for them. And if he was giving up so much ... then they were going to."

Doucet said Ashton's devotion to his players was mutual. He said you'd have to "be from Mars if you couldn't tell that these kids loved him. It was beautiful to see."

Ashton began coaching in 1998. He led six NDG teams to national tournaments. In 2002, Ashton became a bench coach for the McGill Redbirds, a Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) team.

In 2006, the Redbirds won their first CIBA championship.

Ashton was awarded every award NDG Baseball offers to volunteers. Some, he won several times. 

Ashton was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for making a significant contribution to the community. 

Teaching kids to be respectful

Due to a decline in health, Ashton retired as an active competitive coach for NDG Baseball in January 2011, though he made himself available for coaching clinics and other baseball functions.

He was a resident of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, the neighbourhood in Montreal's west end for which the NDG Baseball organization is named.

Frank Martinez, who started coaching for NDG Baseball in 2004, said Ashton taught him that baseball was about more than just winning.

"Winning is to try to forget about the scoring — just make sure that the players get to enjoy playing and understand the game the way it is," Martinez said of Ashton's philosophy. 

"But above all, [he taught kids] how to be respectful and be humble"

More than 400 games

Martinez said it is estimated that Ashton coached more than 400 games. Ashton's presence kept games calm, and his methods helped change the local baseball philosophy, he said. 

For example, he said, games are managed in a way to ensure the better team never crushes opponents with shutout scores so as to ensure everybody has fun. This, Martinez explained, was Ashton's way — making the experience good for the kids.

"My heart goes out to his family," he said. "We were all blessed to have such a great person and mentor with us. This is a man who had a lot of challenges in his life, but he never gave up."

On its Facebook page, NDG Baseball describes Ashton as "a true legend in our community" who contributed to developing baseball in Montreal.

"He embodied values of courage, determination and overcoming challenges, as well as leadership and dedication."

Ashton died on Tuesday, March 8. He is survived by his wife and three children.