Game is on
Mayor makes bet with mayor of Barry Trotz’s hometown
A friendly bet is underway between Summerside Mayor Bill Martin and the mayor of a Manitoba city, where head coach of the Washington Capitals, Barry Trotz, hails from. On Wednesday Martin received a call from Mayor Allen Dowhan of Dauphin City about a friendly bet on who is going to win the Stanley Cup. Summerside native, Gerard “Turk” Gallant coaches the Vegas Golden Knights, who are facing the Capitals in the final. “Why not,” said Martin. “I proposed that when Vegas wins – and they will – Allen has to fly me out to Dauphin, treat me to some traditional cuisine, they’re known for their Ukrainian dishes, and then present me
with a Vegas Golden Knights jersey.”
He continued, “If Washington were to win, I will fly Al out here,
he’ll have some delicious Island seafood and I’ll present him with a Washington jersey.”
It’s a little fun between two small Canadian communities, he said.
Martin feels there is something personally at stake with the bet.
“There’s something to gain and something to lose. This is a rare occurrence and it’s really something special. But these two coaches going head to head are a classic example that small can be big. Turk and Barry have paid their dues at every level. You don’t need to be from a city of millions to rise to the top.” Summerside has a population of about 16,000 while Dauphin, about three hours away from Winnipeg, has a population of about 8,400.
“They’ve fixed the ice in Vegas, so when they get back to Washington we should have no trouble winning,” said Dowhan with a chuckle.
“Hopefully this will give people from P.E.I. the chance to learn about Dauphin and the people of Dauphin can learn about Summerside.”
As what’s at stake, Dowhan has promised to bring perogies to the Island should Washington win.