The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
If you watched the debut for Kraft Hockeyville 2006 on CBC, disappointment hit as Flin Flon didn't make the cut among the 10 north region communities. Sweep that feeling aside because Brenda Russell and the rest of this community gave an excellent effort. The community supported the drive by participating in the bunk hockey game and students created excellent posters to decorate city hall. As I watched and listened to the stories of various communities such as Golden, B.C., who renamed themselves 'Hockey' and went as far as placing that on a sign leading to their community, I figured the nail was being slowly driven into Flin Flon's chances. The reason being, and for anyone that knew, is that Flin Flon's application was based on the deep hockey tradition. When thinking about it, that made sense. Afterall, doesn't a deep love for the game count for anything? Unfortunately, the direction went the other way. The theme was strongly based on community fundraising efforts for the sport to grow in a few of the respective communities, while others did base it on their love of the game. It's too bad the Whitney Forum wasn't built from the bare hands of miners or else the Dream Builders application would be guaranteed. For me, it was bittersweet to watch. The first obviously because this community doesn't go on, but the latter is because Trail, B.C. does. Though I was born and raised in Castlegar, the distance between the two is like Flin Flon to Denare Beach, just tack on another 10 km. Nonetheless, I'm very happy that Trail made it. At the beginning of the program, when they showed short clips of the communities that applied, the beautiful hockey mural that is painted on the side of the Cominco Arena defines the history of the sport in that area of the Kootenay's and the events that have taken place in that rink.
