In the 20th anniversary year of Powell River Regals' 1997 Allan Cup Canadian championship, the team took its place among BC’s hockey royalty on Friday, July 28, at the official BC Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“We’re in some pretty elite company,” said Tod English, Regals manager, member of the executive and a former player.
The Regals and their families who attended the induction celebration rubbed shoulders with a who’s-who of the hockey world. Some of them admitted to being a bit starstruck by childhood National Hockey League idols.
“I met so many people that, as a kid, you wanted their autograph,” said Scott Mastrodonato, one of 17 players on the 1997 Regals who was born and raised in Powell River. In all, 24 team members were born in BC.
At the end of the night and even among more celebrated names, everybody knew who Powell River Regals were, said Mastrodonato.
The highlight of the evening for former Regals player Mike Andrews was the attendance of the parents of former Regals goaltender Barry Rysz. Rysz is the only member from the championship Regals who has passed away since the championship.
“It was quite emotional,” said Andrews.
Andrews added that the evening that began as something surreal ended as something very real for the Regals.
English spoke on behalf of the team at the dinner attended by 700 people in Penticton, which is the home of the provincial hockey hall of fame.
“I spoke about the history of hockey and sports in Powell River and how the 1970 team laid the foundation for hockey in the community,” said English.
The Regals now have a display in the hall with a plague, photo and story of the team that won four national championships and numerous provincial titles, along with the 1997 national title. The team joined fellow 2017 inductees Ron Toigo, president of Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants, former Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis, recently retired National Hockey League linesman Brad Lazarowich, broadcaster John Shannon and former Canucks players Thomas Gradin and Tony Tanti.
English said many of the speakers and fellow inductees singled out the Regals.
“John Shannon, executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada and who won an Emmy for the Olympics in 2002, said, ‘Powell River, that's hockey,’” said English.
More than 100 players, coaches, referees, builders and teams have now been chosen for the lifetime honour that has been awarded since 1993.
