Pat C’s cherish championship reunion
You’d never know that 26 years have passed since the Regina Pat Canadians won the 1988 Air Canada Cup.
It almost seemed like yesterday when the players gathered at the Queensbury Centre Thursday for the team’s induction into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame.
“It’s one of those special things when you’re on a team like that — the friendships just kind of transcend time,” said Devin Mintz, who grew up in Regina but now resides in Kelowna, B.C. “When you get back together you kind of feel like you might as well throw the stuff on and get back out there. A lot of us through the years have tried to stay in touch and it’s nice to get back and see the guys. That friendship is always there and will always be there.”
The reunion also served as a reminder of their journey in 1987-88. It was the second of four Canadian titles for the Pat C’s organization, which also won the Cup in 1983, 1994 and 1999.
“It’s something we’re cherishing a lot more at this point in our lives,” added Mintz, 44, who went on to play for Cornell University. “We’re going over a lot of the parts of the season that some of us remember and other guys may not remember. It’s kind of nice to jog our memories about some of the pivotal parts of the year that got us to where we wanted to be at the end.”
Under the guidance of head coach Roland Duplessis and manager Graham Tuer, the Pat Canadians finished first in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League with a 25-5-2 record. After winning the consolation side at the Mac’s tournament in Calgary, they went on a 20-11 run that carried through the end of the regular season, followed by the league playoffs, western regional tournament and finally the Air Canada Cup (now Telus Cup).
The only blemishes during their second-half run came during the national tournament, where Regina bounced back in a semifinal clash with the host Thunder Bay Bearcats, prevailing 4-3 in double overtime.
That was followed by a rematch with the Calgary Northstars, who had beaten the Pat C’s in three previous meetings. One of them came at the Mac’s tournament, knocking Regina out of contention for the championship.
The Pat Canadians got their revenge when it mattered most, beating Calgary 7-4 to claim the national title.
“We had an attitude that we were going to go all the
“IT’S ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL THINGS WHEN YOU’RE ON A TEAM LIKE THAT ...” DEVIN MINTZ
way,” recalled Mintz. “We weren’t going to settle for anything less. Our captain, Craig (Pho), was just mentioning at dinner that someone posted a picture of the Air Canada Cup on the wall in our dressing room. I think it was after Christmas time as a reminder of the ultimate goal that we were headed toward. We didn’t take our foot off the gas pedal.”
That run is what stands out most to Kelly Markwart, one of several players on the team who later joined the WHL’s Regina Pats. When his hockey career was done, Markwart went on to raise a family in the Regina area.
“It’s remarkable in a lot of ways,” he said. “Most of the team was made up of kids from Regina. We were beating teams like the Notre Dame Hounds, who are able to bring in the best kids from everywhere else. A lot of players (from the Pat C’s) moved on to Western Hockey League and college careers as well.
“There’s still a good core of players living in the Regina area and Saskatchewan and still contributing to minor hockey. It’s a great accomplishment to be giving back.”
The Regina Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014 also includes Milos Kostic (athlete, triathlon/running), George Watson (builder; multisport), Sully Glasser (athlete; football), Karen Howard (builder; figure skating) and Carol LaFayette-Boyd (athlete; track and field).