Mike Campbell’s home in New Victoria, N.S., was packed with family and friends on Thursday.
The steady stream of well-wishers was there to wish the Cape Breton man a happy 100th birthday.
“I never thought I’d reach it,” said Campbell.
The centenarian played hockey into his nineties and was one of the oldest recreational players in Canada.
Ten years ago, CTV Atlantic visited him at the rink for his 90th birthday.
“I just love the competition,” Campbell said at the time. “I love the exercise. I never have to force myself to go.”
Campbell eventually hung up his skates at age 94.
“I kind of figured I wasn’t playing the way I wanted to play,” he said on Thursday. “So, I packed it in. Nobody ever told me to quit. I quit on my own.”
A father of 12, Campbell’s home is filled with pictures of a long and rich life.
He was a coal miner for 16 years — his headlamp and helmet are displayed on his wall.
“He is unbelievable,” said Mary McKenzie, Campbell’s sister-in-law. “He walked all his life. He walked for miles every day after he retired.”
On Thursday, someone new showed up at his home every few minutes to wish him well.
“He’s likeable,” said McKenzie. “He’s interested when you’re talking, he’s interested in your conversation. He loves to have conversations with little kids.”
As for his secret to longevity and a good quality of life at age 100, Campbell says it’s simple.
“I chalk it a lot to exercise,” he said, adding he was caretaker for two graveyards, using a push lawnmower, into his nineties. “You can’t sit around wishing. You’ve got to move and that’s what I’ve always done.”
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