Hometown pride
Summerside celebrating local hockey heroes Gallant and Kelly as they make bid for Stanley Cup
Dave Morrell has had few occasions to do much travelling over the years, but he figured cheering on a buddy as he wins a Stanley Cup was a darn good reason to get on a plane.
Morrell and a few companions are heading to Las Vegas to watch their old friend Gerard (Turk) Gallant, head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, take on the Washington Capitals for the NHL’s top prize.
To say they are excited would be an understatement, laughed Morrell.
“I’ve never been away in my life. This is my first trip ever, and it’s going to be awesome. I just can’t wait to see the atmosphere down there. It’s going to be alive.”
The men are going to watch Game 2 of the finale in Vegas on May 30 and are staying to watch the livestream of the game outside at the Knights’ home, T-Mobile Arena, while the Knights travel to Washington for Games 3 and 4 on June 2 and 4.
Morrell is adamant the Knights will take the series in four games, but he’s prepared to stay in Las Vegas a little longer if the series lasts until Game 5, scheduled for June 7.
It’s not every day you get to see a guy you play poker with hoist the Stanley Cup, said Morrell.
He has committed to taking in the games however he can.
He is not the only one in Summerside and across P.E.I.
“(Gallant has) lit this city on fire right now. Every coffee shop … it’s Vegas, Vegas, Vegas,” Morrell said.
As someone whose family owns some of those coffee shops (Bakin’ Donuts), Merlin Cormier can vouch for his friend’s assertion.
“Every television on Prince Edward Island will be on (for the finals) for sure and in Summerside every house will have two televisions on in case you have to go somewhere,” he laughed.
“(Gallant) took them and brought them together as a team, which definitely isn’t an easy thing to do especially in hockey. It’s pretty crazy what he was able to do with them. Good team. Hard to beat.” Mitch Arsenault
Gallant’s success, as well as that of his assistant coach Mike Kelly who grew up in Shamrock, near Kinkora, is a great thing for P.E.I. and Summerside because it’s good fun and it’s something positive in sometimes troubled world, said Cormier.
To help contribute to that positivity, both Bakin’ Donuts and Morrell’s business, Morrell’s Auto Sales, are participating in a campaign to show the Knights some love by changing their enterprise’s signs to reflect support for the team, Gallant and Kelly.
The Bakin’ Donuts sign on Water Street now welcomes folks to “Turk-erside,” while Morrell got a banner with the team’s logo made up and hung on the front of his Greenwood Drive office.
A sign on a city lawn reads simply “West end proud. Go Turk go.”
Kool Breeze Ice Cream Barn is offering a Marc-André Fleury flurry, in homage to the Knights goalie.
Gentleman Jim’s restaurant is offering specials on meals involving turkey, in reference to Gallant’s omnipresent nickname.
Other businesses are holding viewing parties.
On Monday, the City of Summerside raised two Knights flags, one at city hall and another at Credit Union Place.
Centennial Auto Group in Summerside even decaled some of its vehicles with “Go Turk Go.”
It’s all part of getting in the spirit of things and supporting a couple of hometown heroes doing something people said was impossible, said Mitch Arsenault, sales manager for Centennial Kia in Summerside.
“(Gallant) took them and brought them together as a team, which definitely isn’t an easy thing to do especially in hockey. It’s pretty crazy what he was able to do with them. Good team. Hard to beat.”