For most communities in Saskatchewan, watching the men’s Olympic hockey tournament is just an opportunity to watch Olympic hockey, but for the Town of Wakaw it means so much more.
Wakaw has the distinction of being the hometown of the only men’s Olympic hockey player from Saskatchewan, Linden Vey.
“Hockey in Saskatchewan both urban and rural is huge, we all know that and we’ve all grown up with it. To have Linden as the only male Olympic hockey player was a little bit surprising because we would think there would be more but it definitely just sort of heightened our excitement as a community and made everyone jump up a little faster,” noted Wakaw Community Developer Erin Standish.
To celebrate having one of their own at the Olympic games, the Town of Wakaw played host to a number of events, many of them in the lead up to Canada’s first Olympic game.
Standish noted it became an easy decision to host the events, once it became clear that Vey was selected to the team. “It was a chance for our community to come together and celebrate him and community spirit and the pride that we have. The Olympics are a whole other level of athleticism and competition and truthfully in our community it is undeniable everyone’s support for him.”
To kick off the celebrations and show Vey that the community was behind him, the Town of Wakaw passed around a Canadian flag, which could be signed, and was subsequently sent to Vey in South Korea.
Then, while the rest of the world were celebrating Valentine’s Day, the Town of Wakaw was celebrating their own “V” Day, as Mayor Steve Skoworodko declared Feb. 14 Vey Day in the community of Wakaw.
“Wakaw will be wearing red in support of Linden, with many sporting custom Vey 91 shirts,” noted the Town of Wakaw’s press release.
To show further support for Vey, the community engaged in window wars, where businesses were encouraged to decorate their buildings to show their support for both Canada and Vey himself.
With Canada’s first game of the tournament coming at 6:00 a.m., the community wanted to spearhead a social media campaign with the hashtag SmallTownBigPride, with residents encouraged to take selfies in their pajamas while watching the game.
During the course of the contest, the community of Wakaw enjoyed a big sense of pride as play-by-play broadcaster Chris Cuthbert mentioned Vey being from Wakaw, with both Cuthbert, and colour commentator Ray Ferraro noting that the town was observing Vey Day.
Standish called that a cool moment, and noted a lot of that attention is thanks to Vey himself.
“We’ve been checking in with him from day one and he has been so generous and so kind and has definitely supported us. So it’s pretty exciting for our small town of under 1,000 to be even mentioned let alone on Olympic channels and really we own that to Linden and his family.”
Finally, the community hosted a viewing party for Canada’s second game of the tournament, when they took on the Czech Republic at 9:00 p.m. on Feb. 16.
“Anticipate a full house and screaming fans as Canada takes on the Czech Republic. Free admission, volunteer run and all proceeds from food and bar sales will go to Wakaw Minor Hockey as per Linden’s direction,” noted the press release.
While that marks the end of the planned events centered around Vey, the Town of Wakaw’s support will not end there, with Standish noting the atmosphere in the community is great.
“We do a lot of events in our community… this is probably the campaign in my seven years working here that has been the easiest to sell and the most community driven. The response has been phenomenal with dozens of businesses participating, the school has been incredibly supportive and even just everyday citizens are jumping on board for this one. It’s really exciting to be a part of.”
Standish noted a lot of the support stems from the kind of person Vey is.
“Linden’s reputation in our community is of a talented, humble athlete who has a true small town spirit in a huge talent and so we are just so grateful to have this opportunity to celebrate him, and celebrate his accomplishments.”
