‘Oh! The good ol' hockey game, is the best game you can name.
And the best game you can name, is the good ol' hockey game.’
It certainly seemed as if the spirit of Stompin’ Tom Connors himself was alive and well in the AGT Civic Centre down in the village of Beechy on Friday night, February 28 as the community played host to an NHL alumni game in front of a packed rink.
The original plan was to host the touring Montreal Canadiens alumni roster, but bad weather in the eastern part of Canada prevented them from traveling West and the team was forced to cancel their stops in Saskatchewan, which included Beechy as well as games in Saskatoon and Wynyard.
With that in mind, organizers in Beechy made a flurry of phone calls to ensure that fans pouring into the rink would still be witness to something, and the result was an NHL alumni roster comprised of players whose careers crossed paths with a variety of different teams.
The other festivities during the event included a supper for VIP ticketholders, as well as a meet and greet with the players and a silent auction featuring a plethora of autographed NHL swag, as well as game tickets for the Saskatoon Blades and the Saskatchewan Rush.
As well, a special “reinforcement team” comprised of young players took to the ice after the first period to square off with the NHL alumni, giving kids a chance to rub elbows and clap sticks with some of the game’s most experienced names.
The NHL team taking to the Beechy ice included Travis Moen, Byron Bitz, Ryan Bayda, Clarke Wilm, Bryan Muir, Dave McLlwain, Todd Warriner, Mason Raymond, Aaron Rome, Jamie Macoun, Dennis Polonich, Dustin Stevenson, Jared Johnston, Mark Plewis, and in the net serving as goalie was Kelly Taylor, a comedian who provided laughs both on and off the ice for the fans in attendance.
That team would take on the hometown area’s Coteau Valley Bombers, comprised of Devin Hermanson, Glenn Connor, Steven Connor, Todd Treslan, Ehren Hermanson, Pat Erickson, Justin Williams, Matt Hanke, Ashley Buckberger, Adam Lawson, Steven Moreside, Trevor Moebis, Kali Gillanders, Greg Fieger, Frank Kovacs, Kristian Danroth, Gerald Flynn, Kris Braun, Clay Ogilvie, and Greg Martens.
With a healthy crowd on hand, the action got underway and it quickly became a high-scoring affair. The Beechy crowd didn’t seem to give a hoot that the Montreal team was forced to cancel just days earlier.
In the end, the bragging rights would go to the NHL alumni, who took the win at a crowd-pleasing score of 17-12.
With players beaking each other and taking jabs at each other’s age, it became quite obvious that everyone involved was just having fun with the whole thing, all in the name of raising money for upgrades to the Beechy rink, and yes, giving fans of the sport “a good ol’ hockey game.”
For dozens of full-color shots from the game, check out the photo gallery online at TheOutlook.ca!
