Yorkton has always had a presence in professional hockey, and Metro Prystai was one of the early stars from the city. A part of two Stanley Cup winning teams, his life and career is part of a new audio book and ebook being put together by Frank Block
The project began when Block began looking into the history of the Melville Millionaires. That project lead to conversations with different people, and through that project he met Prystai. He learned that Prystai wanted to write a book, and he realized that the stories were worth telling and worth sharing with a much wider audience.
"I'm a big time hockey fan... I love those old hockey stories, they'll make you cry, they'll make you laugh your head off. Just wonderful stories about a time when hockey was much different than it was today," Block says.
The book contains not only stories from Prystai, but also from teammates and friends. He says that in conversations it became clear that the teams were family, and he says one of the stories that came out was when the Detroit Red Wings once delayed a game because Prystai was traded and they did not want to play without knowing what happened to their friend and teammate, something Block says captures the spirit of the early NHL.
The story starts from Prystai's early life in Yorkton, and follows with his career with the Moose Jaw Canucks and eventually into the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.
"There were three rules that his mother would allow him to play: He had to go to school, he had to go to church, and they couldn't give him too much money. He never got too much money, he told me that a lot of the guys on the team were getting paid $100 or $200 to play, and Metro got $25. It was frustrating because they would go to play pool and Metro couldn't play because he didn't have any money. But he became an all star in Moose Jaw... He was the top player in Canadian junior hockey at that time."
Block is most excited about the audio book, as it uses his original interviews to provide the stories. He says hearing the stories from "the horse's mouth" is the best way to get the stories out, and that he could never tell them quite as well as the original, whether it's Prystai or any of the other players, such as Red Kelly and Ted Lindsay.
The goal for Prystai was to preserve the stories for his children and grandchildren, Block says. Unfortunately, as the players are getting older, Block admits it might have been the last chance to collect the stories.
"There's just so much great history there, I think it's very important for us to try to preserve it, otherwise those stories will be forgotten."
Block says that he plans to see the book released by the beginning of August, but he would still like to hear from more people who knew Prystai and have stories to contribute. He has set aside a section of the book's website to allow for contributions, and he hopes to give a complete look at Prystai's life, both in and out of hockey.
For more information or to listen to clips visit www.metroprystai.com.
