Reader here, and on Sunday afternoon, I made my way to Westland Arena to check out the Yorkton Terriers in action, as they played host to the Nipawin Hawks.
It was a tight game, and in the end, the Terriers won their third in a row, knocking off the Hawks by a score of 4-3, and moving into fourth place in the SJHL’s overall standings, tied with Nipawin points-wise and in total wins, but having the head-to-head advantage.
I caught the game from my usual spot. Normally, there’s the odd open seat, that I could plunk my butt in to catch the action, but I usually find myself standing at the glass at the south end of the rink, where I can see the game from up close.
Where did that habit come from?
I never really thought about it before, but I realized it goes back to my days as a kid back home in Conquest, when me and my friends used to go to catch senior games, featuring our local team, the Conquest Merchants.
In the 1980s and 90s, the Merchants were a powerhouse. having won the provincial Senior ‘D’ championship on four occasions – 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1997, and several deep provincial playoff runs, along with at least six Sask Valley Hockey League (SVHL) championships.
The Merchants were a dynasty, with a roster featuring mostly local players, with nicknames like Woody, Susie, Jerome, Jelly and Bunny leading the team to glory, and making the rink the place to be when it was gametime.
In fact, the team was so successful during that era, that Wayne Rostad’s “On the Road Again” featured the Merchants back in the day!
Notice at around the 6:51 mark, how kids would line the way when the boys came out onto the ice, giving the players backslaps and high fives? I used to be one of those kids, in that spot, doing the same thing.
And once the puck dropped, my and my friends, loaded up with snacks from the pop booth, would park ourselves behind the glass, cheering and banging the glass for every goal, fight and big save.
I guess that’s where my habit of perching behind the glass came from!
Also, a fun fact part way through the video, when the kids are playing road hockey, at the 5:54 mark, the short kid, who was one of the goalies, is my youngest brother Barrett – who went on to play a year with the Merchants when he grew up, as did some of his road hockey pals!
As an aside, watching that video took me right back home. The sights and smells. The best rink burgers ever (Conquest Rink had a reputation for some of the best rink burgers around). The late, great “Mr. D,” Floyd Derdall, one of the best teachers ever, up in the sound booth on the PA… remembering all the nooks and crannies of the rink… and seeing the faces of family, friends and neighbours, many who are now gone, many who are much older now.
The Merchants haven’t been a going concern for a number of years now, and the rink isn’t as busy as it used to be. But man… is it ever nice to think about those days, when life was so much simpler, and all you needed was a snack and a hockey game, in your hometown, and life was perfect.
“I don’t know what I will do
If I can’t get back home”
Eric Clapton, “Back Home”
Comments