I read the obituary for Rob Miner this week, and while sad to hear the news, I couldn’t help but flashback to some glorious sporting moments in the city and the region.
While Rob was a fixture in the grocery business at Metro, and before that at A & P, any time I encountered Rob in the store, I immediately had a vision of the mid 1980’s and WOAA Intermediate Hockey.
Rob & Norm Low were the lead executives for the old Woodford Royals.
When I arrived in the city in the Winter of 1984-85, the Royals were at the height of a huge rivalry with the Lion’s Head NorthStars.
I didn’t know where either Woodford or Lion’s Head was, and I’d never heard of the WOAA, but it didn’t take long to see how intense the rivalry was, and how sognificant the games were to the respective supporters and communities.
At the Bayshore one Friday night around March of 1985, a playoff game between the two teams had a huge crowd. HUGE. The Bayshore wasn’t full, but it was close, and the game itself was just as intense as the Canadiens-Nordiques NHL matches of the same era.
The Nordiques are long gone from the NHL, departing just shortly after the WOAA scenario changed and the Royals & NorthStars faded away.
But for years, a simple ” hello ” & a knowing smile from Rob Miner in the grocery store reminded me of a great hockey rivalry, played out on a local stage, 30 years ago.
I’m Fred Wallace