April Fool’s night, 1989 will be forever etched into the hearts and minds of the 3,000 people jam-packed into the old Memorial Arena to watch our beloved Muskies capture all-Ontario gold on home ice with that 5-3 win over the St. Jerome’s Lions (Kitchener).
Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of a local committee, we may have that same opportunity again when Fort Frances hosts the ‘AAA’/‘AAAA’ OFSAA championship in 2006—rekindling old memories for those on hand that fateful night 15 years ago (has it been that long?) and making fresh ones for a new generation of black-and-gold faithful.
Of course, it will be exciting for the players, too. While competing at the all-Ontarios is always special, taking to the ice in front of the hometown fans—with perhaps the gold medal on the line—would be an experience hard to describe in mere words, as the Tucker boys, Wayne Strachan, Dean Wilson, Chris Medicine, Brett Watt, Ken Pocock, Neil Cooper, Tim Lindberg, Shane Bliss (now the head coach of the Muskies), and all the rest surely would attest.
Fort Frances also is a big winner—no matter what happens on the ice. The tournament will be a boon to local hotels and restaurants, not to mention a chance to showcase our town and facilities to visitors from every corner of the province.
The committee did a great job to land OFSAA in 2006, although many will acknowledge the real work now begins. And even though it’s still 23 months away, it’s not too early for the community to rally around the all-Ontarios and start looking at ways to roll out the red carpet.
It’s going to take teamwork to make for another memorable tournament. But we can do it—and maybe, just maybe, the magic of ’89 also will be relived.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
