I have been a player and coach for many of the past Powell River Regals’ championships and when we hosted provincial and national tournaments, but last month was different.
We saw more Regals’ nostalgia and intergenerational Regals’ families with old jerseys and jackets in and around Hap Parker Arena. Lifetime director Jim Hawkins was sporting the same Regals’ blazer from 1970, past club president Wayne Sage came from Winnipeg for the Coy Cup week, just among some, and the crowds were legendary.
We as a group spoke about bringing our community an event not only of quality but one that could galvanize our new group of players, and also galvanize the community. We did fall one hockey goal short of the championship and not get the cup this year, but we believe we accomplished everything else possible and it was truly a community coming together to support each other with smiles, laughter and joy.
Our 2024 Coy Cup committee did a spectacular job being great hosts and professionals with our game presentations. Our announcers and video production were top-notch. Our team hosts showed out-of-town teams and BC Hockey officials that we take care of them on and off the ice.
Our volunteers of many, moms and dads, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, teammates, sponsors, and our beloved alumni, did a great job for six days straight over the course of the tournament. Powell River Recreation Complex management and staff were awesome as usual and gave us the flexibility to manage our athletes and visiting teams and officials in a way that made the experience memorable.
Thank you to Powell River Minor Hockey for allowing us to use space in the arena more than normal, and to Powell River Kings for use of their space during the week. Our sponsors were great, without them this tournament would not have been attainable, and our awesome fans were just as important.
Without the likes of Grant Wood and Rob Milne, and the doctors on call, there is no way our players would have been able to make it through the week; they showed unwavering dedication to their role and commitment to our players.
It’s hard to single out players as everyone gave everything they had every game and every shift. Fellow coaches Scott Mastrodonato, Joe Caldarone, Don Gagne, Rick McLaren and myself have been through these epic weeks and have played five games in five days, but never five games in five days, plus five overtime periods.
There are no words to describe what the players did for five days straight. We as Regals are proud and in awe of what took place, but these current Regal players should understand that they all proved Hap Parker Arena is their house and that moving forward any road to any provincial championship will have to go through the Regals.
What they did is just as good of a story, and as memorable to me, as any the past 69 years of Regals’ hockey have given our community.
Tod English a member of the Powell River Regals’ coaching staff.
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