It was a game reminiscent of 50 years ago, when the puck dropped for the Edmonton Flyers and Edmonton Oil Kings in Jasper. 

The Oil Kings returned to Jasper ice to battle the Prince George Cougars in an exciting game on Sept. 10. The stands were packed – which was a major difference from the original 1961 game, when there were no bleacher seats in the new arena. 

The game started with a ceremonial puck drop from former Edmonton Oil King Vince Downey, a kick back to the first game. Once the game got underway, things started off quickly with both teams battling across the length of the rink. Each team racked up penalty minutes in the first, as the obvious bad blood left over from the 2010/2011 season boiled over. 

A breakaway from the Cougar’s Greg Fraser had the crowd on their feet, as they cheered him right to the net. He didn’t score, but Jasper’s hunger for high calibre hockey was clear. 

The scrappy play continued throughout the first, but the tone of the game was set when the Oil Kings opened the scoring at 17:15. The first period closed with a power play goal off the stick of the Oil Kings rookie defenceman Dysin Mayo. It was the 15-year-old’s first goal for the Oil Kings. 

The second period went by without any scoring from either team. The third period opened with a renewed energy from the Cougars, who came out flying with something to prove. The team fought hard, but with just minutes left in the game it seemed the 1-0 score would stand. 

Prince George’s Shane Pilling saw an opportunity despite a net heavily shielded by players. He tipped the puck in from a sharp angle, to tie up the game with just over a minute left. The crowd was still celebrating from the previous goal, and whispers of an overtime period were spreading, when Prince George capitalized on a strange bounce. Just 54 seconds after the first goal, the Cougars’ Troy Bourke notched in the go-ahead goal with only 40.1 seconds left to play. It was Bourke’s first goal of the pre-season for his team. 

Third period shots climbed to 17-2 in favour of Prince George. The Cougars put out two goalies; Tyler Santos played the first half, stopping 11 out of 12 shots. Drew Owsley picked up where Santos left off, and stopped all seven of the Oil Kings’ efforts. 

Owsley let in a goal in the second period that was later determined to be a no-goal, because it was kicked in off the skate of the Oil Kings’ T.J. Foster. The dispute erupted behind the net, as both teams prepared to drop the gloves before the referees stepped in. 

The Oil Kings pulled their goalie in the dying seconds of the game for more power up front, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Cougars and their hunt for redemption after dropping their first pre-season match-up to the Oil Kings 4-1 on Sept. 9. 

The high-energy, scrappy play is something WHL fans can look forward to this season, as both the Oil Kings and the Cougars head into the regular season after a couple more warm-up games. An announcer’s mistake during the game threw the Oil Kings into NHL territory and the audience into laughter, when the Oil Kings were miss-named the Edmonton Oilers. For the group of prospects with a potential future in the world’s most prestigious hockey league, the mistake was most likely a welcome one. 

Following the exciting game, a dinner was held at the Jasper Activity Centre on Sept. 11, where dignitaries gathered to celebrate the arena with some of Jasper’s hockey heroes. The evening was MCed by Doug McPhee, who did his best to combine the hosting prowess of Don Cherry and Ron MacLean in one by donning a plaid blazer. 

A hockey video starring greats such as Wayne Gretzky was shown, and speeches were delivered by several members of the community. Mayor Richard Ireland told the attendees about his experience off the ice, and how he somehow ended up as assistant coach despite never lacing up a pair of skates to play a game. The mayor also talked about how the arena has managed to lend many pages to the Jasper history books. 

“The 50th anniversary celebrations... it’s not principally about hockey – it’s about history,” Ireland said. “The arena in this day provides that necessary link to our history, and it’s that connection with the past and with each other which I think makes us such a strong community.”

Park Superintendent Greg Fenton reminisced about dropping Ireland off five kilometres out of Grande Prairie so he could run into town, as young players and parents stared in awe. 

“Hockey meant an awful lot to me, and to other youth,” Fenton said. He finished his speech with a toast to the arena and the many volunteers, players, staff, parents and fans that helped make the arena the community centre that it is today. 

“To 50 years of influencing the lives of youth,” Fenton said. 

Other speakers included Jim Way, who spoke on behalf of his father Johnny Way, a pillar of the Jasper sporting community. The speeches were followed up by a video of organizer DJ Bowen interviewing former Edmonton Oil King Glen Sather, who played in the Jasper Arena’s first game against the Edmonton Flyers. 

There are still loose ends to tie up for the 50th anniversary celebrations. Bowen, who brought the idea to the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society and organized the event, said a memorial wall is planned for the arena. Community members can purchase a plaque with a name inscribed on it to commemorate the many people that helped turn the arena into a community hub over the years. More information is available at the museum. 

Bowen said one of the great parts of the arena celebrations was reconnecting with people who were an integral part of the arena’s history, such as Sather and Dan Craig, Jasper’s former ice maker who has gone on to work in the NHL and has even helped prepare the ice for the NHL’s outdoor heritage classic games.