WHL teams have more than a geographical rivalry
“That made me think of Al Tuer and Norm Johnston,” said Herauf, when asked if he might be board-walking again when the Pats play a home-and-home set against the Warriors. Friday’s game is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Sunday’s rematch is 2 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.
“It’s definitely not something I plan to do again. Hopefully I’ll be standing behind our bench, just cheering my team on.”
Thirty years ago, when Johnston was coaching the Pats and former Pats defenceman Tuer was coaching the Warriors, during one game in Regina the enraged gentlemen took off their sports coats, climbed atop the glass partitions separating their benches and looked ready to exchange punches before being pulled down by players.
Herauf was infuriated because Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary kept his best players on the ice for most of every power play. A rare goaltender’s fight ensued. Herauf and Pats captain Tanner Howe were ejected, telling themselves afterward they would never again be in that situation. Nobody got hurt.
“It was 11-1, the coaches sat down and the only fight was a goalie fight,” said Herauf. “This generation’s winning! In our generation there would have been stick fights, kicking …”
Many Pats fans actually go to watch their team play in Moose Jaw, partly because Warriors tickets aren’t as expensive and they consistently offer youth prices at the Events Centre. The Warriors/Pats rivalry is also among the WHL’s best; with the teams only 45 minutes apart via the Trans-Canada Highway the crowd sizes for their showdowns are noticeably larger. And louder.
“A hundred per cent,” Herauf said with a chuckle. “I actually was hoping they’d be sending me a stipend for all those tickets we sold for them in the playoffs last year, just to amp it up. I’m still waiting for that cheque in the mail.”
While the Warriors were gaining momentum in March for a championship run that carried them into the franchise’s inaugural Memorial Cup berth — where Moose Jaw was eliminated in a semifinal loss to the eventual-champion Saginaw Spirit — the Pats had just completed a long, discouraging road trip. They were a frustrated team. Including the regular-season finale, the Pats lost 22 of their final 27 games to finish with a 22-40-6 record.
Millar didn’t want to talk about this weekend’s upcoming series.
In the middle of a rebuilding program and with Howe expected back soon from participating in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ preseason, Regina has a 1-1 record heading into Friday’s game. As the Warriors wait to see which of their stars return from NHL camps, Moose Jaw is 0-2.
The teams met twice during the preseason; those games were played in Estevan and Assiniboia with no major incidents. Regina won both exhibition contests.
“I told him my point of view and he understood it. It’s not gonna change anything going forward, but we were men about it. We sat down and talked about it face to face, we shook hands and agreed to disagree going forward. And to me, that’s being an adult about it.”
Indeed. More maturity. Less fun.
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