Twenty-four years of memories to last a lifetime

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/03/2015 (3843 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I first arrived in the Wheat City back in 1991, in time to watch the Brandon Wheat Kings struggle through a franchise-worst 11-win season.

Twenty-four years later, as I write my final column for the Brandon Sun, the Wheat Kings go gunning for another 50-win season tonight.

From a franchise in disarray to a Western Hockey League powerhouse, I have watched the Wheat Kings’ organization become one of the most respected in the league under the direction of coach/GM/ owner Kelly McCrimmon.

In two weeks, the Eastern Conference-leading Wheat Kings (49-11-4-3) will begin another WHL playoff run — they have made the playoffs 21 times in the past 23 years — that they hope will take them all the way to a league championship and another trip to the Memorial Cup.

Covering their last appearance in the CHL championship at the 2010 Memorial Cup in Brandon was one of the highlights of my career here, as Jay Fehr’s overtime goal gave the Wheat Kings a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen in the Cup semifinal in one of the most memorable games ever played in Westman Place.

This year’s playoffs promise to provide plenty more memories for Wheat King fans as Brandon battles the Kelowna Rockets down the stretch for first overall in the WHL in a prelude to a projected league championship matchup, something I will be closely following from afar.

Over on campus, I leave as the Brandon University Bobcats begin preparing for one of the biggest seasons in the program’s history, with coach Lee Carter’s squad slated to host the 2016 CIS women’s volleyball championship — the first time BU has been the site of a national championship.

I was fortunate enough to cover the Bobcats the last time they stepped into the national sports spotlight to win a Canadian championship, when former coach Jerry Hemmings’ team captured the 1996 CIAU men’s basketball title in Halifax, behind an MVP performance by Keith Vassell.

It was one of a long list of spectacular sporting events that I was privileged to witness during my 24 years here. From the 1991 World Youth Baseball Championship — covering Canada’s run to its first ever international baseball title right here in Brandon — to the 1995 world curling championships, the 1997 Canada Summer Games, the 1999 world junior hockey championship and, of course, the 2010 Memorial Cup, I was lucky enough to be able to document so many amazing events in the pages of the Brandon Sun.

From players and coaches to managers and parents, the list of people to thank would fill another whole column, and I would also be remiss not to salute our dedicated readers.

As I move on to a new challenge in a new city, I know I leave the Sun’s sports section in great hands with new editor Rob Henderson and his right-hand man Chris Jaster, soon to be joined by a new member of a department dedicated to covering local sports first and foremost.

I have been blessed to work with so many talented people during my career at the Sun, and I leave behind not only colleagues, but lifelong friends, both in the office and in the community. And I know that wherever the future takes me, the Wheat City will always be my second home.

Cheers, Brandon.