Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach Fred Shero famously said, "Win today and we walk together forever."
Despite the shared bond created by winning a championship, everyone inevitably goes their separate ways and drifts apart.
The Estevan 89ers, however, seized a unique opportunity to get together and play again.
Members of the 1989 Estevan bantam AA provincial champions gathered at the annual Estevan Strippers Spring Bust tournament on the weekend to relive past glories.
Despite 25 years having passed and the players being spread out across the continent, all but four or five players were able to make it.
The team went undefeated in the Strippers tournament, just as they did 25 years ago in the provincial tournament, and defeated the Avonlea Antiques 9-6 in the Rod/Einar Fagerheim Memorial Division gold medal game.
Darren McLean, Todd Holt and Shane Johnson scored twice each in the final, with Carlos Bye, Lyle Ehrmantraut and Jason Penstock adding singles.
"I've been in touch with a few of them over the years, but some of them it's been the full 25 years," Penstock said. "To see the faces and get right back into the same routines we were back then was pretty cool, to know that much time can lapse but you still have strong friendships. It was amazing to get together as a team and do as well as we did, but that was just a bonus."
Under a different format than the current bantam AA provincials, the Bruins hosted the tournament, but got there legitimately by winning their way. They started by smacking the Regina Hawks 15-3, then beat Swift Current 9-5, Saskatoon 11-2 and Prince Albert 4-3.
In the final, the Bruins and Hawks met again and it was closer this time, but Estevan came away with a 6-3 victory to advance to the Western Purolator Cup in Brandon.
At Westerns, despite posting a 3-1 record and having the best goal differential in the tournament, the Bruins were relegated to the bronze medal game on a tiebreaker.
The team's coach, Ken Ireland, told the Mercury at the time that "it's tough to take because I think we were the best team there." Ireland coached the team with Al Biette. The manager was Bob Cossette.
The Bruins lost to Cranbrook 7-6 in overtime in the bronze medal game.
"It was such a dominating team we had back then. It was such a close-knit group of guys for 14 and 15 year olds. The tournament in Estevan was the highlight for us, playing in front of our own fans," Penstock recalled. "Playing now and looking up in the Civic and seeing our banner up there from 25 years ago, it meant a lot."
Holt, an Alameda native who went on to star with the Swift Current Broncos, said the team's attitude also played a part in their success.
"We all had a unique relationship and we came to play. We hated to lose and I think we all bought into what the coach had to say."
Other players who made it for the Strippers tournament were Carroll Brownridge, Greg Kingdon, Scott Gregor, Shawn Madsen, Rod Phillips, Barrett Kropf and James Mooney.
Several players were not able to make it, including Penstock's brother Byron, the team's goalie, who Holt described as "absolutely one of the elite goalies and he won a lot of games."
Holt, who is now living in Calgary, said it was a memorable experience to play with his old teammates again.
"The most memories you have are when you win championships and sharing a championship with those fellows I played with back in '89, and then seeing them again this weekend was an absolute dream come true.
"The guys that showed up all went different directions in our careers and to be sitting there in the same room again, it was an absolute honour."
Penstock, who is now based in Victoria, added that "we all converged from all parts of the country and North America to play in this. It's pretty cool to know it still means that much to that many of our players from so long ago, to make the commitment to come for this."
