District man relishes ‘Classic’ experience

It was a day Marcel Horton never envisioned happening—and a day he won’t soon forget.
The Rainy River First Nations resident made a name for himself as a member of the Muskies 1989 all-Ontario championship hockey team.
But the thrill from that achievement may have to take a backseat to his recent trip to Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Ford MegaStars game between Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens alumni, and then the Molson Canadian Heritage Classic played between today’s version of both teams—the first official NHL game ever played outdoors.
“Being there really made me remember the good old days of playing outside on the rinks in Barwick and other outdoor spots,” said Horton. “It really got me thinking about all my old coaches and teammates.”
Horton has been a huge Wayne Gretzky fan for as long as he can remember, and even admits to shedding tears while watching No. 99’s final game in the NHL with the New York Rangers four years ago.
When word of the historic hockey doubleheader came out and that the Great One himself would lace up the blades one final time to compete, Horton’s girlfriend, Lisa Mikkononi, went to work.
“Lisa’s an employee with the federal government in Ottawa, and she pulled some strings in the corporate world,” said Horton, who then chuckled, “When she called and told me she got tickets, I nearly fell on the floor.”
Horton didn’t have to wait long to have a brush with greatness upon his arrival at the Edmonton International Airport.
“I’m in the terminal and there’s Walter Gretzky [Wayne’s father] standing all by himself at one of the baggage carousels,” recounted Horton. “I went over and harassed him for a bit. Lisa had no idea who he was.
“But he was good enough to give a couple of autographs, including one on my Gretzky Rangers’ jersey, and to pose for three pictures. Then, before I knew it, security was whisking him out of there.
“So I guess I timed it pretty well.”
The glow Horton felt inside for being able to witness the greats of the past and present became even more important on game day—for self-preservation reasons.
“We had to double and triple up our clothing,” said Horton about the minus-20 C conditions, complete with a minus-28 C wind-chill that he ended up spending a full seven hours enduring in the frozen stands of Commonwealth Stadium.
“I’ve never had a Molson popsicle before in my life,” he grinned. “But it couldn’t have been more than 10-14 minutes, and my drink had turned to ice.”
There was no question who received the greatest adoration from the 57,000-plus on hand when the line-ups for the MegaStars game were announced.
“The loudest ovation certainly went to No. 99,” said Horton, who then added with a laugh, “The second probably went to the streaker who came on the field in the second half of the legends game.”
Horton considered the Heritage Classic anti-climactic after watching Gretzky and Co. work their magic—and the Arctic weather didn’t help matters.
“We had to leave at the end of the second period and watch most of the rest of the game in our hotel room,” he admitted. “It was just too cold. We were walking up and down the stairs of the stadium just to keep the blood flowing and my toes from freezing up.”
The shivers of joy, however, will last for quite some time to come.
“I owe my girlfriend many years of dish washing, vacuuming, I don’t care,” he said with a knowing smile. “It was all worth it.
“It was a thrill of a lifetime, and it provides some closure for me after following No. 99 all this time.”