INNISFAIL - It was in the late fall of 1990 when Kent Wing had a huge honour to play in the brand-new Innisfail Twin Arena.
Kent was just four-years-old and was skating with the Eaglets hockey team; the community’s youngest level of future hockey stars.
“My first (hockey) year in 1990 was the year that the rink opened and I got to play in the newest program and it was a lot of fun,” said Wing. “It’s just awesome to see. It's fun to see the little kids out there; four- or five-years-old and learn learn to play.
“You get the odd kid that's got a little bit of skill and some skating and it definitely brings back some memories from being a little kid.”
Twenty years after that special 1990 Eaglets experience Wing became an active Innisfail Eagles player from 2010 to 2012.
Today he is an Eagles assistant coach, as well as the team’s vice-president and director of hockey operations.
On Feb. 17, Wing’s senior AAA mens squad offered a heartwarming gesture to the Eaglets’ team; 34 years after his first-hand childhood experience.
For the first time since 2016 the Innisfail Tim Hortons Eaglets seized the chance to thrill hockey fans at the Innisfail Twin Arena with a scrimmage during the first period intermission of the Eagles’ final 2023/24 regular season game.
Not only were the young Eaglets back scrimmaging before hundreds of fans in the stands, they were joined on the ice by Innisfail Eagles’ goalie Chance Clark and forward Chad Robinson, as well as Stony Plain Eagles netminder Colton Iwaschuk.
“Ryan Dodds, the Eagles general manager, just wanted at some point this year to get another day game so that the kids could come out. He’s very instrumental in getting this accomplished,” said Eaglets long-time coach Bernie Vanderham. “It's a big deal for the parents and grandparents to come out and watch them play out there.
“I think it's pretty important they get to show their stuff off to the community. It's the introductory level to hockey.”
The Eaglets 2023/24 season began last fall. Vanderham has 16 four-year-old kids this season in the Eaglets program, which began last fall.
It is still the youngest level of hockey offered the Innisfail Minor Hockey Association.
He is quick to point out his young players do not play organized games. They are on the ice to learn, to develop skills through practice.
“They learn how to skate forwards. There’s stopping, and we’re just starting to introduce backward skating and handling the puck,” said Vanderham.
“First we have to learn to skate, and to stay up on our skates. Now that we've accomplished that most of the time, we're learning some more skills.”
He said the Eaglets season highlights two important events for the aspiring young hockey players.
One of them is playing a short scrimmage during the intermission of an Eagles game while the other is showcasing their skills on March 1 during an intermission at a Red Deer Rebels game at the Peavey Mart Centrium.
The Eaglets season ends Friday, Match 8 with a wind-up party.
It will mark another successful season for the young players, and for Vanderham who will have completed his 18th year as the Eaglets devoted coach.
“I get so jacked up on Friday evenings,” said Vanderham. “I get just as much excitement when I drive to come down and teach them now as I did a long time ago.”
