Vermilion Hoists The Championship

Hockey has always been important to Vermilion, and more than a few players from the area have gone on to achieve great things in hockey around the world. There was Bill Flett who won the Stanley Cup with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974. He played 689 games in the NHL, recording 417 penalty minutes. Ron Jones played 54 games, while Ernie Kenny had 10 games. Grant McNeil had three games in the NHL, and Jeff Woywitka who played 278 games in the NHL.

But all those great players got their start in the community, and it was the teams of the past who helped establish the hockey traditions of Vermilion.

Some of those early teams also won championships to bring hockey glory to the community.

One such team were the Vermilion Agrarians in February 1927. On Feb. 25 of that year, the Agrarians won the Little Three Hockey League when they travelled to Lloydminster and defeated their rivals 6-3. The game between the two teams was called a thriller all the way and fans were provided with plenty of excitement before the end of the game. The team was called the fastest bunch of puck manipulators in its hockey history.

The Saskatoon Daily Star wrote,

“The farmers ironclad defensive system and lack of shooting ability on the part of the Lloydminster Tigers were factors.”

It may have been a small victory for the team in a little league, but for the residents of Vermilion it was a reason to celebrate. The win allowed the team to collect the Colonel Craig Trophy, which was hoisted in the community. The trophy was especially important to the residents as it was donated by Colonel W.C. Craig of Vermilion in 1921, who later moved to Turtleford, Saskatchewan. The trophy was given to the champion of the various towns that were situated along the Canadian National Railway between Fort Saskatchewan and Lloydminster.

From these early teams that found hockey glory, the hockey history of Vermilion was built upon.

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