Wendal Jellison did not grow up in Unity so some may not know of his hockey history. In the past several years, most notably at events in November, 2013 and February, 2014, Wendal has attended recognition or induction events for his contribution to past hockey teams he was part of.
Wendal flew to Bemidji State, Minn. to be part of a team induction, combined with an anniversary event at his former college.
This year's alumni event is described in the Bemidji pioneer.com: "Among the teams that took advantage of those opportunities was the 1983-84 edition, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this winter. That team began the season with a 9-1 victory over Winnipeg, and 31 games later the squad closed the campaign with an 8-1 win over Merrimack. The latter victory capped a historic season that produced a 31-0-0 record and an NCAA Division II national championship.
"The 1983-84 team was one of only six college men's teams to compile an unbeaten and untied season and remains the lone squad to accomplish that task while winning at least 30 games. On Feb. 15 the player and coaches of the 1983-84 hockey team will celebrate the 30th anniversary of that glorious season by having the squad inducted into the Bemidji State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Many of the players have already made plans to attend the ceremony and relive the memories of that special time."
Wendal Jellison played most of his minor hockey in Northern Manitoba. He played for SJHL franchises, the Yorkton Terriers and the Moose Jaw Canucks, from 1977 - 1981. From there he made the move to the USA to attend Bemidji State, after being recruited by a former BSU assistant coach who was living in Moose Jaw.
Wendal continued his hockey dream, playing four years with the division II hockey program at Bemidji. He was glad he took a chance on a smaller program and in hindsight he knows he made a good choice. In his time at BSU, Wendal was the sixth all-time BSU scoring leader as well as being part of the historic 31-0-0 season of '84.
Wendal was a teammate and roommate of Hockey Hall of Famer, Chris Chelios, who was honoured, along with the former Moose Jaw Canucks hockey team, at an event in November, 2013, which Wendal also attended with his family. Previously he had been inducted in the Hall of Fame at Bemidji State College as part of the "50 contributing players in 50 years" of their program.
In February of this year, Wendal flew once again to Minnesota to be part of the 30-year anniversary of the 30 games/30 win story with his college hockey team. During his time with the Bemidji State team, one of the more notable teammates Wendal played with in 1984 was Joel Otto, who later made a name for himself in the NHL.
Post-college, Wendal continued to play hockey as an import for the Unity Miners Senior Hockey Club. From this stint, he met his wife Sandra and decided he wanted to settle down, get married and start a family.
When asked what Jellison's best memory of his past hockey success was, he replied, "Undoubtedly it was the Bemidji State success from 1984 as it was a team success."
Asked what words of wisdom he could offer current players and coaches, learned from his past successes, Wendal answered, "Remember, winning is very difficult and it takes a lot of commitment, discipline and perseverance. The last game I played every year had a championship riding on it and, out of those six years, I only came out once with the title. That included two years in the SJHL league final with Moose Jaw, as well as four years in the National College finals on the BSU team."
Wendal has been part of minor hockey where and when he can. He is currently behind the bench with head coach, Rus Prescott, and assistant coach, Curtis Dyck, for the Midget A Lazers.
Throughout the interview, Wendal was quick to minimize his success story, adding, "You could really be writing this story about a lot of other guys, you know." Nevertheless, not many guys have been invited to three alumni events to be recognized as a significant contributor to the teams being recognized.
Wendal was humbled by the invitations and reminds everyone how important it is to attend events like these. He urges those invited to find a way to get there rather than looking for a way to not attend, as, he says, you would never regret it. Sharing memories with former teammates and recollecting past successes is always a good reminder of achievements one has had in their lifetime.
Jellison had high words of praise for his college hockey coach, Bob Peters, who called Wendal personally to ensure he was coming to the most recent anniversary event at the college. R. H. "Bob" Peters was the head coach of the Bemidji State University ice hockey team from 1967 to 2001. With 744 wins, he ranks fifth all-time in career wins by a men's college ice hockey coach.
Peters retired from coaching with one of the most impressive lists of achievements in the history of collegiate sports: 744 victories as a head coach, 702 coming at Bemidji State alone, to make Peters the first coach to win 700 or more games at a single school; 13 small-college national championships; and still-standing national collegiate records for most wins in an unbeaten season (31-0-0 in 1983-84) and longest unbeaten streak, 43 games from Nov. 8, 1983 to Jan. 1, 1985.
Even though we see Wendal at the local rink and ball diamonds with his kids, he really has a great past in hockey that many of us might not have known about. Sharing this story helps current players and athletes realize their aspirations of playing sports past minor sports are entirely possible with the decision and dedication to pursue those aspirations. And whether that post-minor sport history is a long or short story, it still can provide a lifetime of rewards in the way of friendships and long lasting memories.
