Scott Radley: Dundas Real McCoys win Allan Cup
Moments after winning his second Allan Cup, the man who operates the Dundas Real McCoys and who bankrolled the tournament that was given the green light just a month ago, admitted he'll be losing money on the venture.
Yep," Don Robertson said. It's going to be expensive."
But was it worth it?
He immediately broke into the kind of smile that would allow a dentist to check his molars from five paces away.
Yeah."
Dundas got its second national senior hockey title - the first also came at home in 2014 - when its team beat the previously undefeated Clarenville Caribous 5-3 on Saturday afternoon in a physical game that was filled with great chances, tons of intensity and loads of drama.
Two-and-a-half periods into the game, the McCoys were down 2-0 and couldn't solve Clarenville goalie AJ Whiffen who was sensational.
But Mackenzie Wood finally broke through on the powerplay midway through the third. Before that goal could even be announced on the PA, Dustin Alcock had tied the contest. And then a minute-and-a-half later, Jarrett Konkle had put the hosts in front.
Clarenville - the Newfoundland squad which had been Dundas' opponent in the 2014 final as well - would eventually tie it. Which set the stage for Brad Bonello and his game winner with just three-and-a-half minutes left.
Earlier this season, the Dundas forward had set a league record by collecting an absurd 14 points in a game. Which was better, that night or this goal?
I've had a couple overtime winners in junior and pro as well," he says. But nothing to this magnitude by any means."
There's your answer.
It's a national championship," he says. For what I believe is the oldest trophy in hockey. That's special."
As he talked, his teammates milled about on the ice posing for photos with their families and the 114-year-old mug. If people thought this was just a glorified men's league, this scene showed it was far from that.
This mattered to them. Playing their fifth game in five days - these aren't kids - was tough. Taking some of the punishment this one dished out wasn't easy. Both teams were hitting hard. Both were blocking shots. This was a high-energy, exhausting contest. But winning never gets old.
As they celebrated, Robertson elaborated on his comment about the cost being worth it. Because he didn't simply mean the chance to win a title.
It would've been worth it even if it had not turned out like this," he said.
COVID nearly killed senior hockey. After a year of no games at all, then a severely reduced schedule last year - and no Allan Cup for three seasons due to the pandemic - Robertson says the game was teetering on the brink as recently as October.
Teams had folded. Players had moved on to other things. Fans had found other entertainment on Friday nights.
It was on life support," he says.
So yeah, this tournament was about winning. He always wants to do that. But more than that, it was about making this kind of hockey relevant again. Putting it back in front of people and reminding them about how good it can be.
Word always travels pretty quickly," says Dundas goalie Mike Mole, optimistically.
He was in net for the McCoys back in 2014. In fact, he was the tournament MVP back then. Remarkably, he claimed that honour again nine years later, now as a 40 year old.
He saw this as a 60-minute sales pitch, too.
I think everybody was really impressed with the level of play this week," he says. It's a good sign for the league and hopefully (it can) add some new teams next year and get guys who are still interested to keep coming back and maybe draw some new attention."
So many people in the buzzing rink were raving about the level of play as they left. This was great entertainment.
With the Bulldogs now gone for a few years and a bit of a vacuum emerging in the local hockey market, there couldn't have been a better movie trailer. Want to watch live action in this area? There are still options. Including this one.
Bonello really hopes that's what people take away from Saturday afternoon.
I really hope it does resonate in peoples' minds."
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com