The annual alumni game between the Estevan Bruins and the Weyburn Red Wings is a tribute to the long history of both clubs.
Alumni organizations and events like this aren't common in Junior A and it's an enjoyable day for former players to get back on the ice and get together with old team-mates.
The other thing that makes it unique is the difference between generations. There are players who suited up in the Black and Gold in the 1980s, some of them winning the club's first SJHL championship in 1985.
There are others who played here in the last couple of years and, unlike the vast majority of the alumni, got to play at Affinity Place.
And unlike in their playing days, getting to see former opponents with the Red Wings is part of the fun too.
With any rivalry as storied as this one, there may be a ton of bad blood, but there's also a grudging respect for the other guys. The competition is still there on the ice in these games, but the chance to meet up with former rivals just adds to the experience.
It was good to see Bill Dutton in attendance to be inducted into the alumni's Bruin Builder Hall of Fame alongside Tom More.
Dutton became a co-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes last summer and it's clear he's enjoying the ride. He's still as much a fan as anything, letting the spring chickens run the day-to-day operations.
In the SJHL game that followed the alumni festivities, the Bruins earned their second straight win over Weyburn with a 5-4 victory in a shootout.
Austin Roesslein has been one of the Bruins' best players in recent weeks, so it was only fitting that the ex-Wing scored the shootout winner and added a goal in regulation.
Corey Kosloski, another rare player to go from one side of the rivalry to the other, also scored against his old team.
Blowing a three-goal lead in the third period is a concern, especially since that isn't exactly a new thing. But there were lots of encouraging signs to take away from this game.
For starters, the club got some secondary scoring, as dynamic duo Austin Daae and Tanner Froese had only one of the four goals between them.
Rookie winger Chris Thorimbert nabbed his first goal of the year and it was a beauty. With that monkey off his back, you get the sense it could be a turning point for the Saskatoon native in finding his offensive game.
Fellow rookie Lynnden Pastachak returned from an injury in the Weyburn series and looked dangerous on Wednesday. He's been dogged by a bad shoulder this year, but he was heating up offensively before the last injury, so we'll see if he picks up where he left off.
That would be a big boost at the right time for a Bruins club that is struggling to hit the net.
They are three points behind the Battlefords North Stars for a top-six spot in the league with three games in hand, so they certainly have a chance to avoid a survivor series with a good stretch run.
Contact Josh Lewis at 306-634-2654 or sports@estevanmercury.ca. Chris Kunitz, Jeff Carter and Rick Nash made Team Canada over Claude Giroux, Martin St-Louis and Joe Thornton. Think about how absurd that is.
