The Quality Foods Oceanside Generals may have gotten help from an unlikely source in kicking off a four-game unbeaten streak just before Christmas — a group of retirement-home residents in Parksville.
A series of chats between Generals director Peter Creighton and Gens fan Earl Kemp, a resident at Parksville’s Stanford Place, led to the hockey club hosting 10 Stanford residents for the club’s Sunday afternoon game Dec. 11 against Comox Valley.
“That’s when we started our winning streak,” said Creighton. “We got such feedback from the residents and staff (at Stanford Place); everyone in our organization was so proud of how that turned out.”
The visit, organized by Creighton and Stanford Place recreation co-ordinator Shelley MacDonald, was just the latest in a series of community outreach events by the club and its mostly 17-to-20-year-old players.
Beginning in July, players and staff have taken part in the Parksville Canada Day Parade and KidsFest at Community Park; a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House with country music performer Aaron Pritchett at Thalassa Restaurant in Qualicum Beach; the Quality Foods Family Picnic and the Terry Fox Run in September at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.
In October, the team hosted a series of events in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and engaged local youth — and some parents — in a costumed Halloween Skate with the Generals. In November, the Generals hosted a Royal Candian Legion colour guard to the ice for its first home game of the month, laid a wreath at the cenotaph on Remembrance Day, and gave over the rest of the month the the Movember men’s health campaign.
“To be out in the community is important for the entire organization,” said Gerry Bickerton, the team’s head coach. “I know a lot of the events we’ve had the entire coaching staff, we’ve had board members out. It’s huge to have a face in the community. These are the people who sponsor us, provide funding and fill our seats (in the arena).
“We want to give back.”
The visit by Stanford Place residents provided a new twist, moving that community engagement into the arena. After his chat with Kemp, who watches the game from a wheelchair positioned just outside the announcer’s booth, Creighton contacted MacDonald at Stanford Place to see if a group visit could be put together.
“We got invited by Peter, who asked if we might have a group of seniors interested,” MacDonald said. “I asked around, and we came up with a full load in no time.”
The organizers agreed on a Sunday game, which is played at 2:30 p.m., so the residents would not be out late as they would for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday contest.
And when the 10 residents arrived with their chaperones, they found the Generals had rolled out the red carpet. They were greeted upon arrival by Creighton, the coaches and several board members and volunteers, then ushered to their seats by some of the “healthy scratch” players not in uniform for the game. They were then treated to hot chocolate and cookies baked by parents of some of the players.
After the game, a 5-3 win by the Generals, a number of the players came out to meet with their guests.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better response,” said MacDonald. “They treated us like kings and queens as far as catering to the residents. Some of them hadn’t been to a hockey game in years, and they so enjoyed meeting the players.”
“We didn’t want to just say, ‘Hey, you’re invited to the game, come and find a seat and you’re on your own,’” said Bickerton. “It was a huge success. I know all the people were enjoying it and seeing the game live.”
Afterward, MacDonald polled the residents for their responses to the afternoon and shared them in a post to the Generals’ Facebook page online.
The comments from the residents ranged from “Thoroughly enjoyed it” to “I had a great time!” to Kemp’s “Best game ever!”
There has been talk of repeating the excursion to the arena when the Generals have another Sunday matinee game, and Creighton said there may be opportunities to involve residents of other senior care facilities in the area.
“It’s something that’s important,” Creighton said of the team’s community involvement. “Whether we have a winning, a losing or a .500 team, as a community-based organization I think it needs to trickle down off the ice as well. And it also develops these young guys into good stewards and members of the community.”
The Generals return to action at Oceanside Place Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. game against Nanaimo.
