On a wet, rainy Tuesday evening 33 years ago this past March 26, nearly 2,000 people were on hand at the old Hants Exhibition Arena in Windsor to see the fifth game of the Maritime Senior Hockey League Final series between the Windsor Alpines and the Charlottetown Royals.
The Alpines lost that evening and the series 4-1, but the game will always be remembered for the headline which ran in The Chronicle-Herald the morning of Thursday, March 28: "Bad Blood runneth over."
The penalties handed out in game five were 15 minors, four majors, one misconduct, two game misconducts and two match penalties. Despite the fisticuffs and the game being delayed for nearly 35 minutes until RCMP protection could be summoned to the arena, the fact that the Alpines were an exceptionally talented hockey club could never be forgotten.
The Alpines had defeated the Truro Bearcats 8-5 in the seventh and deciding game of their semi-final series to advance to the Maritime Senior Hockey League Final against the Royals before 791 fans at the Old Hants Exhibition Arena. The Alpines put the series away with goals from Jacques Allard, Hal Hunter and Mike O'Doherty in a span of 46 seconds at 15:03, 15:35 and 15:49 late in the second period.
Season for the ages
It was a hockey season for the ages as the Alpines’ most formidable line of Jacques Allard, Roddy Bossy and Billy Boyd finished one, two and three in the league scoring race. The trio piled up 113 goals and 269 points in 32 regular season games. Allard was named League MVP. Boyd led the league in goals with 40.
Brian Redden centered a second line flanked by portsider Jim Beckman and Harry Katrynuck. Mike O'Doherty, Hal Hunter and Grant Veinot was the club's third line.
The defense was anchored by Chook Smith, Frank Barteaux, Mike Hughes and Larry Smith. Gunner Smith was the number one goalie throughout the season. Other players that season included Johnny Boyd, Freddy Taylor and Ernie Caldwell.
Some members of that ‘73-‘74 Windsor Alpines team were on hand last Thursday evening at the Avon Valley Golf and Country Club in Falmouth as the 15th Annual Windsor Hockey Heritage Society's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and dinner took place.
NHL Hall of Famer Brad Park was a special guest as was Grant Macdonald, Chair of Events Halifax and a member of the organizing committee for the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championships that will be held in Halifax and Quebec City next May.
Park and MacDonald also golfed in the society's 14th annual golf tournament Friday afternoon at Avon Valley.
As a bonus, AVR morning host and Acadia Axemen hockey play-by play man Len Hawley was involved in informative question and answer sessions with Park and MacDonald. CTV television personality Liz Rigney, who did a superb job at last year's dinner, hosted the 2007 dinner.
The dinner also featured a silent auction and a live auction with numerous valuable items up for grabs, including an autographed "Tiger Woods" flag from the recently concluded Fed-Ex Cup Playoff Tournament, "The Deutsche Bank Classic", outside of Boston.
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