Wilkie is a rarity. Not because it’s a Hockeyville finalist.
It’s a place where I liked to referee hockey games. Maybe they even liked me as a referee. It’s hard to say, but I never needed a police escort out of Wilkie, which happened after a couple of senior hockey games in other rinks around Saskatchewan. A few times the home-town players and fans would come over and say, sincerely, “Nice game, ref!”
Admittedly that was several decades ago, back when the Wilkie Outlaws’ name was only 70 years old, playing in the Wild Goose Hockey League, wearing the familiar crest of a moustachioed gunslinger and every player on the senior team seemed to be from the “Cyr” family. It was a great senior league, the Outlaws were a fine, fast-skating team, the arena was welcoming and the ice was excellent.
The rink was damaged by an electrical fire 3 1/2 years ago and had to be repaired. Hoping to upgrade the Saskcan Community Centre, Wilkie has become one of four communities vying to obtain $250,000 through the Kraft Hockeyville contest. Feeling a little appreciative and nostalgic, I’m going to vote for Wilkie.