By Arielle Zerr
From the outside it could be the rink of any small town in Saskatchewan. A white non-descript building with cars angled-parked outside. But inside is the celebration of nearly 75 years of hockey history. Inside it’s the home of the Grenfell Spitfires.
As soon as you walk in the door there is the unmistakable smell of rink burger and the place is a buzz. Fans that choose to stay inside where it’s warmer and watch through the glass talk idly about the team and the last game. About a dozen kids, some in Spitfires shirts and bunny hugs, are using their boots as goal posts and a balled up pair of socks as a puck to play their own hockey game. The sign above the door says “Home of the Spitfires, a proud tradition.”
Above the glass windows in the viewing area are about a half-dozen retired jerseys.
By 8:00 p.m. this Saturday night hundreds of fans are in their seats behind the bench of their senior hockey team. It’s game two of the league semi-finals. The Spits lost the first 5-0 to the Radville Nationals and hope to bounce back at home.
They are silenced early with a quick Radville goal; it could be another long night.
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Games like this one in Grenfell, population approximately 950, are happening all across the province. Saskatchewan is home to 14 senior leagues, all of which will crown a champion in the next few weeks. Some will go to the provincial championships.
No one seems to have an explanation about why senior hockey is so big in Saskatchewan, not the players, league organizers, not even the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. But the numbers, especially in comparison to other prairie provinces, are staggering.
“It’s the competitive nature,” offers Craig Geisler of the Qu’Appelle Valley Hockey League. “And when you get into the playoffs the level (of play) increases immensely.”
According the SHA there are between 135-145 senior hockey teams registered a year outside of Regina and Saskatoon. This amounts to more than 2700 players. By comparison, Hockey Alberta has approximately 1200 players registered and 100 less teams. Hockey Manitoba has 55 teams and 1400 players.
The QVHL, which is home to the Grenfell Spitfires and five other teams within an hour from Regina, has been around for 52 years. It’s seen a fluctuation in the number of teams in the league over the past few years, but are settled with the core six Geisler says are pretty stable.
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Back in Grenfell it’s nearly the end of the first period and the game is tied 2-2.
“Do they have the other goalie dressed?” asks one fan.
|”Yes, over there,” says another as cranes his head to see the bench.
“If he lets in another, they’re going to have to switch them,” the first decides.
The buzzer sounds and fans pour from inside the rink to the warmth of the viewing area. It’s like a family reunion. Some talk about the first period, others just catch up with neighbours and friends. Kids run around freely, giggling and eating french fries. The zamboni glides across the Spitfires logo at centre ice.
The fan support is no accident. The team prides itself not only in locking down local talent but recruiting players from out of town and giving them a reason to stay, says executive member Tyler Thomlinson.
“We try to get people to move here. We don’t want them just driving in and out from one or two hours away,” he said.
Nathan Boyer is one of the players that has moved the community, though he’s originally from Prince Albert. He had a friend on the team who was able to find him a job and secured him a place on the team, Thomlinson said.
“Fans really buy into that. They love seeing the guys around and the fans will stop them on the street and talk to them. It’s really something we like,” Thomlinson added.
And if the team is loaded with local talent (the roster lists 12 players from Grenfell) that has a lot to do with the knowledge of general manager Dale Hardy who Thomlinson says is in tune with the talents of every junior player in Saskatchewan.
“As soon as he knows when the eligibility (of a player) is up he’s on the phone trying to get a hold of him, trying to pitch to him to play for us,” said Spitfires forward and top scorer, Brennan Holloway.
Holloway, who was recruited himself, is now involved in the recruiting process, taking players out for lunch to tell them more about the team.
The Broadview native, who now lives in Regina, was coming to the end of his college eligibility when he was called to play for the Spitfires. Although there are teams closer to Regina he could play for he likes playing near his hometown.
“I would actually just miss playing with those guys and miss playing (in Grenfell),” he said.
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The third period starts with the Spitfires down 4-3. The fans have packed themselves back in the arena. They watch intently. In fact, there’s little being said to each other as they watch the game.
It’s the opposite of what Hardy, the general manager, experiences when he comes in from his farm.
“I come into town for lunch and I can hardly get (back) out of town,” Hardy says with a laugh. “I love that and I love interacting with the community.”
“The community support is nice to see but you don’t really believe what you’re seeing sometimes,” said Holloway. “The game when we had 700 (fans) there doesn’t feel like a senior hockey game, it felt like going back to your junior and college days … when you see that many people out in the stands you get the butterflies back in your stomach.”
There are not quite 700 in the stands tonight, but there is a very vocal majority cheering for every hit, save and of course, every goal.
“This is a hockey town,” says Leonard Pekrul who has lived in Grenfell since the 1970s and served on the Spitfire executive. He agrees that it’s strong local talent that brings the fans out to the game, recalling a game in the 80s that was attended by 1200 people.
“There are quite a few (hometown players) out there … and it’s the game that they watched growing up,” he said.
Every young hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL, but for the local kids as soon as they’ve realized that’s not a realistic goal they want to play for the Spitfires, said Hardy.
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Game two ends 6-5 with the home town coming up short. The rink clears out pretty quickly with a few shouts of “are you headed to the bar?” coming from the crowd.
As the fans leave the rink they walk under the Spitfire sign: “A proud tradition.”
Tonight, the fans are disappointed. But if the Spits secure a win on Monday they’ll be back as loud and proud as ever, some may even be on the road to Radville to watch.
And everyone you talk to here agrees: they have something really special in Grenfell.
The Spitfires lost the semi-final series 3-1, bringing an end to another season, but the town has lots to look forward to. The Spitfires will celebrate their 75th anniversary in 2016.
