Wheat King loss doesn’t dampen spirits of local fans

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This article was published 24/05/2010 (5762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A sea of yellow flags, thunderous applause and a sellout crowd couldn’t help the Brandon Wheat Kings clinch the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup.

While hometown fans were disappointed to see the Kings lose 9-1 to the Windsor Spitfires in the championship game Sunday night, they remained proud of how far their team went this season.

"Just to see us in the final is such an accomplishment, I never thought it would happen," said Dave Sturby of Brandon.

Sturby is a diehard Wheat King fan and has been coming to games his entire life.

"This is a once in a lifetime experience … It’s almost overwhelming," he said. "It’s unbelievable seeing the people and their reaction. The town pride is amazing."

Sturby painted himself yellow, wore a homemade gold crown and donned his Wheat Kings jersey for the occasion.

"They can use all the encouragement they can possibly get," Sturby said.

A giant yellow happy face flag, combined with a Wheat Kings jersey circa 1996, helped one lucky fan win last-minute tickets during the pre-game tailgate party at the Molson Canadian Hockey House.

"I’m ecstatic. I was happy just to watch it in the Hockey House," said Dallas Bridgeman of Moline. "I’m the biggest hockey fan … This means so much to me."

The game opened with a special tribute to Canada’s fallen soldiers. The ceremonial puck drop followed, with special guests Premier Greg Selinger, Trevor Kidd and Eric Fehr — both former Wheat Kings who went on to play in the NHL.

Brandon’s own Amanda Stott got the sellout crowd on their feet when she sang "O Canada."

Fans from both sides were impressed with how the 10-day tournament went.

"To see Brandon pull off an event like this is great," said Andrew Seitz of Brandon. "This is the biggest hockey event in Canada right now."

Brandon Dawson of Regina was there to cheer on the Spitfires, but only had good things to say about the host city.

"It’s a beautiful city, a beautiful night … Brandon knows how to do it," Dawson said.

Cam Plante, a former Wheat Kings player, was proud to see the team make it to the final.

"As far as I’m concerned, everybody’s won," Plante said. "It’s been unbelievable. I’m so proud of the way Brandon has put themselves out as a host city."

As the game drew to a close, event manager Lois MacDonald looked out at the crowd of 5,609 with a smile on her face.

"I’m very pleased and proud of everyone here and the job that they’ve done," MacDonald said. "The Wheat Kings fans have been amazing."

For diehard Windsor fans, watching their team win the Memorial Cup two years in a row was a dream come true.

"This is just so special," said Mike Andrews, who travelled to the Memorial Cup from Windsor to cheer on his team. "It’s been a great ride … a thrilling experience."

Andrews bought his tickets for the tournament in December.

"I had faith!" he said. "We’ll be celebrating tonight."

Eric Davis and Tony Close got the Windsor fans going with a massive team flag and Spitfires gong.

"It’s been an experience of a lifetime," Davis said. "This is the matchup we wanted."

After the game, Blaine Hasiuk of Inglis was already looking to the Wheat Kings next year.

"They had a great season … the Wheat Kings are maybe one year away from winning the Memorial Cup," he said.

"I’m disappointed, but you can’t be disappointed with the outcome of the season. I’m pretty damn proud of our team."