The 50th anniversary of the Jasper arena is only a few months away, and a former Edmonton Jr. Oil King plans to attend the festivities in September.

Vince Downey was there when the town came out to celebrate the official opening of the Jasper Arena 50 years ago; but he wasn’t in the stands. He was on the ice as a member of the Oil Kings when they took on the WHL Edmonton Flyers in a pre-season game that also served the new arena’s first official game of the season.

A full house of about 1,000 fans came out to watch the two teams battle it out on the new – and highly complimented – ice. The Flyers would edge the junior team by a score of 7-6 in the end, but Downey says it was a hard fought victory.

Downey played in the arena opener on his first ever trip to Jasper. He says it was the first time for a great deal of the players that came for the game. Both teams took the train to Jasper that weekend and Downey said it was “a neat experience going into the mountains from Edmonton.” He recalls the many media that were waiting for the two teams at the Jasper train station, and fondly speaks of the bus trip out to Jasper Park Lodge. 

“It was great,” says Downey.

The big game was played on a Saturday night. Though the Oil Kings would ultimately lose, Downey says it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“I remember our whole team felt good that we were able to stay competitive with them [The Flyers],” he says. “It was a good hockey game.”

Downey played with Mark Messier’s father Doug that game. 

“Doug was trying out for the Flyers and played with us as an extra defenceman,” he says, adding that Messier was a fun addition to the team even stating “it sure would be nice to beat them” during some dressing room talk.

Referring to the Flyers’ big scoring game, Downey says that was partly due to the performance of Len Lundy – who was their big scorer responsible for three goals that night.

“I remember a lot of excitement, buzz and cheering,” says Downey of the new arena crowd. “They were really into it, and they cheered as loud for the Flyers as they did for the Oil Kings.”

Downey says though the arena was small, it was packed with fans and that the Oil Kings were used to playing in small arenas.

“The ice was excellent,” he recalls. “Especially for a new arena. The guys in the dressing room were all talking about it.”

Downey would return to Jasper in the late ’70s, playing two exhibition games at the Jasper Arena with the Fort Saskatchewan Huskies in an intermediate Alberta league. He remembers a good crowd for those games as well.

Downey had knee trouble after playing junior hockey and though he had options to go professional, he didn’t pursue them. He did end up playing with a seniors league that travelled to Europe on a tour in the mid-’60s.

“Hockey was just starting to develop in Europe in ’65. They were just starting to really develop their hockey players. It was good and competitive,” he says.

As for the celebration this year, Downey says he and his wife are definitely planning on coming to Jasper in September. He is hoping a few other alumni will also make the trip.

“We really want to make the most of it,” he says of the weekend of events. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Downey is still an active hockey player, playing in the Barrhead area with an old-timers team every week. He says the arena is an integral part of any community.

“Every town in western Canada has an arena. Arenas are a hub for communities. Even little towns with just a store and not much else in them have an arena,” he chuckles. “The fellas used to joke that I had a knack for being able to know exactly where it would be.”

Keep an eye on the Fitzhugh for more stories on the evolution of the Jasper Arena and updates on the special events planned in September.