The Kipling Royals were a senior men's hockey team from the early 1930s until 2003-04.
They won five Triangle Hockey League championships between 1982 and 1999. Their star players, forward Dale Jones, defenceman Rick Metzler and their goalie Bob Balogh, were local heroes and gave the community a sense of pride.
Brendan McGuire watched this team while growing up on his family farm and decided to compile a history book of the team.
“The Royals were fascinating to me because I grew up on a farm in the ’90s in a household that didn't follow hockey or sports at all,” McGuire explains.
The economy was not great in those times, according to McGuire, and a lot of people moved to bigger cities or to Alberta. “It was very depressing, plus a lot of our minor hockey teams in Kipling weren't very good, either. But I grew to love the Royals and the team gave us something to get excited about.”
Though McGuire does not live in Kipling any longer he states that anyone who remembers the Royals likely has some great memories of them. The arena itself is still in Royal colours.
“They taught us it was okay to dream a little and think big,” McGuire explains.
“There is something magical about a playoff run stretching through the snow melting, an overtime win out of the blue and going for a beer after to celebrate on a Tuesday night. It is something most towns and cities never experience and that's a real shame.”
McGuire explains that the history book has become a labour of love. Though it is not very far along yet, he has collected some great photographs from Rick Metzler, who put together a scrapbook and collected some stories from some of the alumni.
“When I found out the Kipling Citizen went under a little while ago, I realized that I had better make sure I get access to their archives in order to do my research and put a little more urgency into this. I am still working on that. It will be the biggest key to this project especially the pre-1980s part of it.”
McGuire wishes to tell the story of a time when not everyone had access to TVs, smart phones and other devices to stay entertained and give an underappreciated time and place in hockey its due.
“The Kipling Royals were our NHL and still could be today. So if we could tell that story to the alumni so they understand what the Royals meant to all of us and also tell the story of what they could be to the younger generations who did not get to experience all that, then I think we will have accomplished something worthwhile here.”
“Sport has added a lot of joy to my life and given me a lot of adventure from covering the SJHL, the Ontario Hockey League and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Much of my love for sport came from the Kipling Royals. So I owe them a lot. Perhaps I could give something back,” McGuire explains.
McGuire wishes to ask the public that if there is anyone who may have photos or stories about the Kipling Royals or an idea of something interesting that could be added to the book, to contact him at brendanhowardmcguire@gmail.com.
