SUMMERSIDE — A blow struck to a referee by a player who didn’t like the call.
It’s one of Wayne Wright’s most vivid memories of watching hockey as a child growing up in Summerside.
“Gerard Bernard was refereeing a game and Leroy Clow came right up to him and got him right in the teeth… All the teeth were flying and there was blood all over me, a little guy standing there watching the hockey game,” said Wright, with a laugh. “That’s the way things were. They were rough and tough.”
It’s memories like Wright’s that the MacNaught History Centre and Archives and Summerside and Area Historical Society want to record during an upcoming history circle focusing on the community’s vast hockey history.
The hope is the history circle will be one of several events held highlighting the community’s hockey history leading up to CBC’s “Hockey Day in Canada”, said historical society president George Dalton.
“This is a good way for the community to engage themselves and assist the Wyatt Heritage Properties in terms of recording our sports history,” said Dalton. “As in anything, it can get fractured over the years.”
Anyone with stories — fans, players, coaches, organizers or referees — is being asked to participate and share stories, memorabilia, photos and artifacts.
Right now, Summerside’s vast hockey history cannot be found in one location.
Various items had been displayed at the Cahill Stadium in the John ‘The Realm’ McNeill Room. When the rink came down those items were packed up and are now collecting dust, sitting in storage.
The P.E.I. Sport Hall of Fame displays hockey memorabilia but there are countless items out there tucked away in attics or basements, waiting to be discovered, added Dalton.
Wright said in its heyday hockey was like a religion in Summerside.
“In the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s … hockey was king on this Island,” he added. “The Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens were really the only two… so basically we were either one or the other.”
There are countless storied teams, from the Summerside Legionnaires, the Crystal Sisters to the 1997 Royal Bank Cup champion Summerside Western Capitals.
Summerside also turned out the talent, like self-proclaimed rink rat Gerard ‘Turk’ Gallant, who played and coached in the NHL, and Errol Thompson.
And there’s the story of Summerside natives Doug MacLean, Jim Clark, George Matthews, Jim Rankin and Turk Gallant who all worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.
“We should be laying out everything we’ve got,” added Dalton.
He noted the importance of getting the stories recorded. “The old people are dying. There are very few memories recorded.”
The history circle takes place Dec. 9 at Eptek Art and Culture Centre. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the circle begins at 10. Anyone with a story or artifact to share is asked to attend.
