Had a chance last weekend to return to my sporting roots.
Ross McConnell, the International Silver Stick Director invited me to participate in the annual Bob Merkley Memorial Silver Stick Tournament in Midland.
There were 3 Championship Games that day;
The Simcoe Warriors won the Novice Final defeating the Midland Centennials 3-1.
The Collingwood Blackhawks won the Atom Final, blanking the Whitby Warriors 5-0
And a very gifted Orillia Terriers Peewee team won their final over the Barrie Colts
I enjoyed the day, but moreso I enjoyed the flashback
The Silver Stick Tournament at Midland began 40 years ago.
I played in 1972, 74 & 76, and to this day can tell you with pretty decent accuracy, who we played and what transpired.
The tournament is now named in memory of Bob Merkley who was both a long time coach in Midland Minor Hockey and the long time tournament director.
As a testament to the depth of community roots, Bob’s son, Tim, another former participant is the Tournament Director and his Committee includes Dave Walter, whose father, Bob, was a fixture in Midland Minor Sports managing almost every team his four sons played on.
I also ran into Rick Story, Gary Hamelin & Jimmy Patchell during the afternoon, so in terms of going back or coming home, the 2011 Midland Silver Stick was fun.
I’m Fred Wallace