Winter in Montgomery was always very dark and cold but didn’t seem to stop many of the residents from getting outdoors. Hockey was vital and many teams spent countless hours enjoying their sport.
The Montgomery Community Centre was an integral meeting place because of the well-maintained outdoor boarded hockey rinks and the “Warm-up” Shack. This building was the original home of Eldon Hoffman and donated for this purpose. It was demolished in the 1980s.
Flooding of the rinks and maintenance of the ice rinks and rink boards were all done by volunteers. Lorie Nikiforuk remembers that it was not uncommon to see a dozen fathers working as a team to scrape the ice between second and third periods. Nick Zahara recollects that after shovelling snow up to three feet deep, parents would look after little frozen fingers and toes. All of this activity took place in an atmosphere of collegiality and community spirit.
There were organized boys’ hockey teams at all levels. Some of these players went on to play or officiate professional hockey, e.g. Archie Henderson (NHL-Hartford), Mike Berridge (semi pro), Don Henderson (a NHL Linesman), Jeff Fergusen (Major Jr-Billings Bighorn then to Lethbridge), Mike Brodeur (NHL farm team: Chicago 7th round draft, 2003 21st overall), and Bobby Richter (Jr “A”).
Girls’ hockey was also a strong part of the community hockey program. Janet Kruger and Lorie Nikiforuk went on to play for the Alberta Wild Roses Senior “A” Ladies hockey team. Many of these young women paved the way for our current strong showing in international women’s hockey.
Excerpt from the booklet – A Hunt for History, Montgomery Memories. Copies of the booklet are available in the lobby of the Montgomery Community Centre.
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