Page
      8
      March
      4,
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINION
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      %
      ty
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mes
     
    
   
   
    
     
      &,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      i
     
     
      —
     
     
      sy
      nti
     
     
      %
      “
      hs
     
     
      *
      ae
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Interested
      L
      in.contributing
      to
     
     
      MOE
      ~The
      Pant
      ther
      Post?
      si
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      Se
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      350
      words
      or
      less.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Letters
      to
      the
      editor
      and
      guest
      opinions
      must
     
     
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      discretion
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      and
      other
      materials
      submitted
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      The
      Panther
      Post
      and
      accepted
      for
      publication
     
     
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      with
      the
      author,
      but
      The
      Panther
      Post
     
     
      and
      its
      licensees
      may
      freely
      reproduce
      them
      in
     
     
      print,
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      forms.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Forty
      years
      later,
      the
      Panther
      spirit
      remains
      strong
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Michael
      Conway
     
     
      Post
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      has
      been
      over
      40
      years
     
     
      since
      I
      had
      last
      attended
      a
     
     
      university
      hockey
      game.
     
     
      Gone
      was
      the
      frigid,
      ce-
     
     
      ment
      block,
      frost
      encrusted
     
     
      construction
      of
      the
      1960s
     
     
      known
      as
      St.
      Dunstan’s
      rink.
     
     
      The
      beautiful
      MacLaughlan
     
     
      Arena
      was
      the
      replacement.
     
     
      What
      a
      welcome
      venue!
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      disappointed
      with
      the
     
     
      lack
      of
      St.
      Dunstan’s
      and,
     
     
      to
      a
      lesser
      extent,
      Prince
      of
     
     
      Wales
      College
      memorabilia.
     
    

    
     
      I
      had
      hopes
      of
      revisit-
     
     
      ing
      past
      glories
      of
      youthful
     
     
      times,
      anticipated
      eerie
      ap-
     
     
      paritions
      of
      professor
      priests
     
     
      cheering
      from
      standing
      room
     
     
      areas
      or
      glimpsing
      the
      spec-
     
     
      tre
      of
      Billy
      MacMillan
      or
     
     
      Vincie
      Mulligan
      skirting
      the
     
     
      defense
      to
      fire
      a
      blistering
     
     
      wrist
      shot
      high
      to
      the
      stick
     
     
      side
      of
      the
      opposing
      goalie,
     
     
      and
      one
      last
      time
      turning
      on
     
     
      the
      red
      light
      of
      another
      SDU
     
    
   
   
    
     
      victory.
      But
      that
      was
      another
     
     
      time,
      another
      place.
     
    

    
     
      I
      had
      expected
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      fresh
      young
      faces
      of
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      students
      in
      attendance.
     
     
      They
      were
      few.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      then
      that
      I
      realized
      it
     
     
      was
      a
      long
      weekend.
      Too,
      I
     
     
      know
      that
      today’s
      student
      is
     
     
      a
      serious
      product
      of
      a
      serious
     
     
      world.
     
    

    
     
      Time
      is
      at
      a
      premium
      and
     
     
      even
      those
      that
      would
      like
     
     
      to
      attend
      home
      games
      are
     
     
      intent
      on
      using
      their
      time
      in
     
     
      a
      more
      constructive
      manner.
     
     
      Hockey
      games
      are
      relegated
     
     
      to
      the
      rewards
      or
      stress
      relief
     
     
      categories.
     
    

    
     
      While
      watching
      the
      game
     
     
      and
      making
      notes
      for
      this
      as-
     
     
      signment,
      I
      reflected
      on
      what
     
     
      was
      and
      what
      is
      now.
     
    

    
     
      Looking
      around
      the
      arena
     
     
      and
      while
      strolling
      the
      con-
     
     
      course
      between
      periods,
      I
      re-
     
     
      alized
      what
      I
      had
      been
      miss-
     
     
      ing
      all
      along.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      a
      dinosaur
      living
      in
     
     
      the
      past.
      I
      remember
      the
     
     
      turmoil
      during
      the
      plan
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      amalgamate
      the
      two
      institu-
     
     
      tions
      of
      higher
      learning
      on
     
     
      P.E.I.
      Our
      guest
      lecturer,
      Dr.
     
     
      MacDonald,
      discussed
      it
      at
     
     
      length
      with
      us
      during
      one
      of
     
     
      our
      classes.
      Stories
      remain
     
     
      about
      the
      two
      solitudes
      but
      I
     
     
      now
      saw
      everything
      in
      a
      new
     
     
      light.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      entering
      the
      arena
      I
     
     
      saw
      or
      was
      greeted
      by
      a
      num-
     
     
      ber
      of
      people
      I
      have
      known
     
     
      well
      or
      at
      least
      casually,
      my
     
     
      entire
      life.
     
    

    
     
      There
      were
      former
      uni-
     
     
      versity
      hockey
      players
      and
     
     
      their
      coaches,
      doctors,
      law-
     
     
      yers,
      team
      trainers,
      business
     
     
      men,
      families,
      minor
      hockey
     
     
      teams
      and
      me.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      the
      newbie
      at
      the
     
     
      game.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      the
      one
      who
      had
      gone
     
     
      away
      for
      40
      years.
      Everyone
     
     
      else
      had
      continued
      to
      sup-
     
     
      port
      the
      team
      and
      remained
     
     
      part
      of
      that
      great
      and
      grow-
     
     
      ing
      family
      of
      St.
      Dunstan’s,
     
     
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      and
      now
     
     
      UPEI.
      These
      people
      provid-
     
     
      ed
      the
      continuity
      of
      spirit
      so
     
    
   
   
    
     
      absolutely
      necessary
      for
      the
     
     
      ultimate
      success
      of
      any
      edu-
     
     
      cational
      institution.
     
    

    
     
      The
      game
      was
      fast
      and
      fu-
     
     
      rious
      from
      the
      opening
      face-
     
     
      On,
     
    

    
     
      Unfortunately,
      UPEI
      was
     
     
      having
      difficulty
      denting
      the
     
     
      twine
      behind
      the
      Xmen
      goal-
     
     
      tender.
      Fellow
      U103
      class-
     
     
      mate,
      Matt
      Carter,
      was
      a
     
     
      standout
      for
      the
      home
      team.
     
     
      He
      scored
      once
      and
      rang
      the
     
     
      puck
      of
      the
      post
      during
      a
     
     
      UPEI
      power-play.
      It
      would
     
     
      have
      tied
      the
      game
      3-3.
     
    

    
     
      With
      approximately
      45
      sec-
     
     
      onds
      remaining
      in
      the
      period,
     
     
      I
      watched
      as
      young
      minor
     
     
      hockey
      players
      would
      make
     
     
      their
      way
      to
      the
      entrance
      of
     
     
      the
      Panther’s
      dressing
      room.
     
     
      There,
      they
      would
      patiently
     
     
      wait
      to
      offer
      high-fives
      to
     
     
      each
      of
      the
      Panthers.
     
    

    
     
      Each
      player
      would
      reach
     
     
      up
      to
      touch
      the
      outstretch
     
     
      hand
      of
      the
      youngster
      above
     
     
      them.
     
    

    
     
      Some
      would
      raise
      both
     
     
      hands,
      giving
      high-fives
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      both
      sides
      of
      the
      staircase
     
     
      thereby
      ensuring
      that
      the
     
     
      young
      players
      received
      their
     
     
      personal
      thrill
      from
      their
     
     
      hockey
      heroes.
     
    

    
     
      When
      my
      son
      played
      or-
     
     
      ganized
      hockey,
      I
      passed
      on
     
     
      my
      love
      of
      the
      game
      to
      him.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _I
      tried
      to
      instill
      in
      him
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      lesson,
      that
      there
      was
      much
     
     
      more
      involved
      with
      playing
     
     
      hockey
      than
      hockey.
      The
     
     
      Panthers
      lost
      5-2
      but
      they
     
     
      demonstrated
      that
      the
      blend-
     
     
      ed
      spirit
      of
      St.
      Dunstan’s
      and
     
     
      PWC
      is
      alive
      and
      well
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      and
      continues
      to
      thrive
     
     
      for
      the
      greater
      good
      of
      the
     
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      com-
     
     
      munity.
      In
      defeat,
      the
      Pan-
     
     
      thers
      were
      able
      to
      overcome
     
     
      their
      disappointments
      and
     
     
      still
      reached
      out
      to
      lift
      the
      ©
     
     
      spirits
      of
      the
      young
      hockey
     
     
      players
      and
      give
      them
      a
      last-
     
     
      ing
      memory.
      Young
      hockey
     
     
      players
      don’t
      forget
      that,
     
     
      and
      in
      doing
      so,
      the
      Panthers
     
     
      have
      cultivated
      and
      perpetu-
     
     
      ated
      the
      continuity
      of
      spirit
     
     
      of
      the
      next
      generation.