The Stratford Warriors are ready to celebrate, as the club kicks off its 50th anniversary celebrations Friday night at the William Allman Arena when they welcome the St. Marys Lincolns to town.
Jason Clarke, the team’s director of hockey operations, said the celebration will run for the next 12 months and incorporate a few different events in that span. Friday’s game against the Lincolns will see the team welcome back alumni from every era to get the year-long party under way.
“We’ve tried to blast it out as much as we can through the contact information we’ve got and on social media to try and get as many people in as we can,” he said. “It’s one of the league’s showcase games, so having St. Marys in means we’re expecting a pretty full crowd. If the weather holds up we can get between 1,500-2,000 people in here.”
There is nothing official planned as far as alumni involvement with pre-game ceremonies (it’s Hunter Steel night, so councillor Mark Hunter will be on hand to drop the puck), and Clarke said all the former players who attend will be together in Section F of the Allman.
“There’s nobody special coming for tonight’s game, but we do have a few video messages that are going on 519Sports and their coverage of the game,” he said. “I know Chris Pronger has send a video in so that’ll be included, and then we have other videos from guys who played in the 80s like Jeff St. Cyr, Chris Brooks and I believe Dennis Williams. I wish we had a video board in the arena where we could play them, but that’s a little above our level right now.”
The year-long celebrations will include other events that the club is still sorting out, and Clarke said it’s tricky to secure a commitment from a lot of the former players given that so many are still involved in hockey currently.
“A lot of them are still working in the game, especially the high-profile guys who work in the NHL or wherever they may be in the province,” he said. “I’d really like to get them back for the alumni golf tournament this summer and do something special there. But no, we don’t have any huge events planned right now – what we have structured right now is pretty simple.”
Clarke added they’ve got a little more swag available in their team shop at the Allman and they’ve appreciated seeing it in the stands during their games. So starting tonight, the Warriors are looking forward to a year of celebrations with alumni and fans alike.
“We’re going to try and highlight all the traditions and histories that we have with the club, and we’ll try to do it continually over the next 12 months,” he said.
Game time against the Lincolns at the Allman is set for 7:30 p.m.
