Badger Bob Johnson's signature phrase was fitting for last night's special occasion. It was indeed "a great day for hockey" yesterday as the Manitoba Moose played the final professional game at historic Winnipeg Arena against the Utah Grizzlies, primary affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes.
I will confess right off the bat that I am too young to recall the Allan Cup teams or the glorious Avco Cup days, but I've heard plenty about the exploits of former captain Lars-Erik Sjoberg and The Hot Line of Bobby Hull, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg.
As a youngster growing up in the rural town of Altona, I made the trek in to Winnipeg at least once a year with my father to witness the exciting Jets teams of the 1980s and '90s.
Having the opportunity to see some of the epic Smythe Division battles with the high-flying Edmonton Oilers teams was always a treat but as a teenager, you probably never fully appreciated how good the hockey was when the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Dale Hawerchuk graced the ice.
Mario Lemieux was my favourite player growing up and I remember a time when we arrived early enough to see the pre-game warm-up and Lemieux actually made a comment about my white Pittsburgh Penguins jersey that had No. 66 emblazoned on the back.
Johnson was still the head coach at that time and he, too, noticed my Penguins jersey before offering the familiar, "It's a great day for hockey."
Being at the second-ever whiteout is something I'll never forget. The electricity was mind-boggling.
It was a little odd to be handed the white pom-poms when you walked in the building, but what a sound they made when 15,000 fans shook them in unison during the memorable series with the Calgary Flames.
Who knew it would become the calling card of the community come playoff time?
EMOTIONAL FINAL GAME
I didn't have first-hand experience of the emotional final NHL game between the Jets and Detroit Red Wings, but I was back for Canada's first game at the Winnipeg Arena during the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championship against Finland.
The anticipation was something else and when Team Canada came out for the pre-game warmup, the place just erupted.
Sitting in the upper deck for the semifinal game featuring Canada and heavily-favoured Sweden was even better.
The intensity was so high that Canadian captain Mike Van Ryn brought the crowd to its feet by winning the ceremonial face-off.
Seeing the Canadians advance to the gold-medal game with a 6-1 victory over the highly-touted Sedin Twins made the six-hour drive back to journalism school in Regina much more enjoyable.
During the past five seasons, I've had the pleasure of covering hockey in this building, first in the IHL and now the AHL.
The view from the press box has been exceptional and there have been several building-shaking moments to report on.
Jimmy Roy's double-overtime goal against the Houston Aeros in Game 5 with the Moose facing a 3-1 series deficit during the first round of the IHL playoffs was probably the most dramatic.
But now it's time to say goodbye.
So long, Winnipeg Arena.
And thanks for the memories.
