Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “,….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community….
You can never go home again….but it is nice to visit.
Sunday afternoon I wandered over to Midland to do the P.A. for 2 of the Championship Games in the Bob Merkley Memorial Silver Stick Tournament.
For most of the past decade, barring illness or other activities, I’ve made this journey on the last weekend of November and it’s a pleasure on many levels.
When I was a kid, the Midland Silver Stick Tournament was a BIG event. Midland started hosting the event in 1971, so I played as a Peewee, a Bantam & as a Midget.
The rink is different, the old Arena Gardens is long gone, and the divisional names have been altered too, but the impact on the participants and the importance of the Championship Game is obvious.
As a Peewee and Midget, my coach was Bob Merkley for whom the tournament is now named.
Bob’s oldest son, Tim, is on the tournament committee along with longtime friends and associates, Ross McConnell, David Walter and Rob Michalsky, so the circle of the Silver Stick continues half a century later.
And finally, it was unique this year that the Midland Centennials and Orillia Terriers played in both the U15 & U18 Finals which meant I encountered some familiar faces, now parents and relatives, but long ago Silver Stick competitors.
You can never go home again…..but do you ever really leave ?
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.