Editor,
To win a provincial title at any level of hockey is truly no easy feat. So to see the Kangaroos hosting the Coy Cup here in Quesnel brings a lot of joy and excitement to our town. We wish them the best of luck! And as a former player, I know the commitment it takes — from late-night practices, weekends away from your family and getting home in the wee hours of Monday morning and having to work that day.
I recently read how city council has decided to display the Coy Cup banners from previous teams during the week that the Cup is held. I would like to know why the banners are not displayed as a permanent fixture, not only for the newest fans to admire, but also for the old fans to reminisce and remember some great years of hockey.
I was fortunate to play for the team for several of those previous Coy Cup wins and play with the likes of Gassoffs, Marshes, Festerlings and Gagnons, whose family members have represented Quesnel hockey for decades. From Chilliwack to Powell River, and even to Whitehorse, we travelled far and wide to represent our town with pride, winning multiple Cups while never caring about what name was attached to our arena.
I still go to watch and support the Roos often, sometimes with my grandchildren. And when my grandson looks up and asks, “Papa, did you ever play for the Kangaroos?,” I should be able to point up to the banners and say, “Yeah, buddy, these banners represent some of the Cups we won when I played for the Roos!”
After dominating the Coy Cup in the 1980s and winning seven straight, maybe we deserve to take a page from the book of our friends over in Montreal. Did the Canadiens leave behind their divisional banners, Stanley Cup banners and retired jerseys when they moved from the Forum to the new Bell Centre? Let’s do our team proud and put the banners in their rightful place. We earned those wins! Let the Coy Cup banners be proudly displayed in the West Fraser Centre for the town to see and admire!
In closing, I feel this also applies to any hockey or ringette teams that have won provincial titles.
Bryan Dumaine
Quesnel, B.C.
Former Quesnel Kangaroo
READ MORE: Roos get break on ad fees for Coy Cup
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