“The Pontiacs put Bonnyville on the map when it comes to hockey.”
Bringing Jr. A hockey to the area took the Lakeland’s love for the sport to a “whole new level,” said Dennis Germain.
Germain is currently a member of the Bonnyville Sr. AA Pontiacs executive, but there was a time when his role in local hockey would be instrumental.
The Bonnyville Pontiac organization was founded in 1952 as the host organization for the Bonnyville Senior Hockey Club.
“Prior to that, for several decades before, the Bonnyville senior men’s hockey team was the Bonnyville Bruins. In 1952, they needed new jerseys, and they approached the local Pontiac dealer at that time, which was Alex Lochansky, and asked for sponsorship,” Germain explained. “It (the organization) was named after the Pontiac car.”
In fact, the Pontiacs’ logo,was designed based off of a 1952 vehicle’s hood ornament.
Over the years, the Sr. Pontiacs were successful, winning four consecutive Craig Cups, and consistently filling the stands with over 1,500 fans.
Germain recalls the rafters “crawling with people” because the arena was already packed to the brim.
“There were kids sitting 20-feet up in the air over the ice during games. They used to pack that arena,” Germain said.
That wasn’t always the case though. Prior to the arena being built, three years after the creation of the team, the Pontiacs played outside. Once they started collecting a fan base, and were bringing players in from across the country, they built an arena to house the team.
In 1956, the Pontiacs joined the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League (NEAHL).
According to Germain, this league was made-up of elite hockey players.
“We had a number of ex-pros play here. It was a very high level of hockey, a lot of the players were paid. We had a large number of our team come out of Edmonton who would drive up for games. It was really, really good hockey,” he added.
By putting an emphasis on provincials, the team always guaranteed to be in the top three of the league.
“The team has always set high expectations,” noted Germain, adding that still rings true to their latest season, where they won provincials regardless of their underdog status.
It was through the success of their senior team that they were able to start considering expanding hockey programs in town.
Prior to the Jr. A Pontiacs creation in 1991, there was the Bonnyville Jr. B Voyageurs.
Unfortunately, the program, which was created in 1973, was unsuccessful, and folded after only two seasons.
In 1980, they gave it another shot, creating the Bonnyville Bees, which was renamed seven years later to the Bonnyville Sabres.
“We wouldn’t have done it (created a Jr. A team) without the foundation being set by the Bonnyville Jr. B Sabres,” expressed Germain.
It was thanks to the foundation the Sabres had set, and their willingness to close up shop, that allowed for the Jr. A Pontiacs to be born.
Germain stressed that without the Sabres, he doubts the Jr. A Pontiacs would have been possible.
It was after witnessing the success of that team that word started to spread about the possibility of bringing in a Jr. A team. A committee of local business owners and hockey enthusiasts was created to explore the option.
After approaching the AJHL they received an invitation to pitch why their community would be the perfect home of their next franchise.
In the early 1990s, Rick Cabana, Ray Prevost, Germain, and Martin Taylor, the director of recreation for the Town of Bonnyville at the time, met with the AJHL board in Edmonton to gauge their support.
After returning from their trip, they agreed to postpone their decision to join the AJHL until after the 1990-91 season, due to the fact that the Sabres had been selected to host the Jr. B Provincial Championship tournament.
In 1991, Germain, Prevost, and Cabana travelled to Red Deer and gave the AJHL board their official presentation.
In the end, they were given the green light to start the process, but there was a catch: they had to raise $50,000.
Residents and business owners wouldn’t let that deter them, and they quickly raised well over their projected amount, welcoming the Jr. A team with open arms.
The love for hockey continued to grow throughout the community with the creation of the Pontiacs organization.
Germain said it could be because of the community’s overall passion for the Canadian sport, or that it’s simply in their blood.
“We all live and breathe hockey, and this is Bonnyville, which is a hockey town. Hockey is the focus of the community, it’s a source of community pride, and it’s also a source of community identification.”
Although this foundation has always been embeded in the town’s roots, he continues to believe the Jr. A Pontiacs brought it up to a whole new level.
“There are only 16 Jr. A teams in all of Alberta, and Bonnyville is one of them,” he said, adding it wasn’t easy convincing the AJHL the town could pull off being the home of a team.
“It has been a huge boost to this community’s sense of identification,” Germain continued.
Both the junior and senior teams brought in players from across the province, and even the country. By hosting provincial tournaments, billeting, and other factors, the organization played a huge role in the growth of Bonnyville.
Germain used the recent Sr. AA Provincial Championships as a prime example. Families were staying in Bonnyville throughout the tournament, and that has been the case ever since the organization opened its doors.
Germain said watching the organization grow, more specifically the Jr. A team, has been heartwarming, but why stop there.
“I think we need to continue to grow,” he said. “We need to keep these franchises sustainable for as long as we can... If we lose either or both of these franchises, I think it will be a huge loss for our community.”
