A Vancouver man has donated a hockey stick to South Huron to commemorate a historic school that used to operate there.
The Huron Hockey School ran out of the Stephen Township Arena for around 20 years, starting in the 1970s, and attracted young talent from across Canada and the U.S..
One of the school's early students was Bill Whalen, a now retired RCMP officer from Vancouver, who won a contest put on by the Crown Syrup company to in order to attend.
"I had a fantastic time, but wasn’t anywhere near the level of the students at the school, some of whom came from the United States," wrote Whalen in his letter to the Municipality.
Whalen attended the school in 1973, and received a signed stick during his time there that he chose to donate back to the Municipality of South Huron.
The stick included signatures from Ron Mason, the second winningest coach in NCAA hockey history, and Bill Mahoney, who went on to coach the NHL's Minnesota North Stars.
Scott Currie, Communications and Strategic Initiatives Manager, said Whalen's donation came out of nowhere, but was a fitting time to commemorate a school that drew in junior talent from across North America.
"This was the most random, out of the blue email I've ever received. First I thought it might be spam, so obviously I did some homework," he told council. "What a pleasant surprise! It's such a great story, landing at just the right time when we need it frankly, to remind ourselves of the many great partnerships we've had over the decades with our neighbour to the south. We're going through some stuff now, but hopefully we can get back to normal relations before long."
Staff said it was a gift that served as a reminder why the Stephen Township Arena is a designated heritage property. The stick will be displayed in a protective cabinet at the arena.