It’s been a long time wondering if he would ever get the chance again.
Morgan, a 77-year-old Stephenville native, has been a big supporter of senior hockey on the west coast going back to the glory days when the late Frank (Danky) Dorrington was carving out his Hockey Hall of Fame career with the Corner Brook Royals.
A familiar face on the Stephenville hockey scene, Morgan has travelled around the province with two of his buddies watching games in the Central West Senior Hockey League the past number of years because senior hockey in Stephenville was non-existent.
He missed seeing his favourite players bring the fans to their feet and he’s excited about seeing some senior hockey this month as the new West Coast Senior Hockey League plays a 12-game mini-season with Stephenville, Deer Lake, Port aux Basques and Corner Brook renewing rivalries that have been dormant for a number of years.
Seeing the focus shift from paid players and big operating budgets to community-based teams with players familiar to the fan base is where Morgan believes hockey had to go if it was ever going to come back.
Morgan resides in Port aux Port and plans on taking in every game he can. He figures fan attendance will be pretty good because people will find a reason to go because they know some of the players.
He believes there are a lot of young hockey players on the west coast who graduate from the minor hockey ranks and find themselves without a game of hockey.
He also likes the fact ticket prices are cheaper than the $13 he shelled out to watch the Central West setup that had teams operating on budgets in the $300,000 range. Making it more attractive to families is the way he would like to see the league go if a full season of hockey is going to materialize on the west coast.
“You can’t take a family when it’s $13 a head … somebody got to stay home, right,” he said.
No senior hockey in town has left a void in the community and Morgan has his fingers crossed that organizers work together to avoid mistakes of the past and provide fans with quality entertainment at an affordable price.
The first glimpse of what the future holds is the opening game between the Corner Brook Royals and Deer Lake Red Wings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex.
Morgan is up for a road trip if his buddies are game.
He will remain patient for the Jets’ first game — March 10 at home against the Red Wings.
It’s been a long time wondering if he would ever get the chance again.
Morgan, a 77-year-old Stephenville native, has been a big supporter of senior hockey on the west coast going back to the glory days when the late Frank (Danky) Dorrington was carving out his Hockey Hall of Fame career with the Corner Brook Royals.
A familiar face on the Stephenville hockey scene, Morgan has travelled around the province with two of his buddies watching games in the Central West Senior Hockey League the past number of years because senior hockey in Stephenville was non-existent.
He missed seeing his favourite players bring the fans to their feet and he’s excited about seeing some senior hockey this month as the new West Coast Senior Hockey League plays a 12-game mini-season with Stephenville, Deer Lake, Port aux Basques and Corner Brook renewing rivalries that have been dormant for a number of years.
Seeing the focus shift from paid players and big operating budgets to community-based teams with players familiar to the fan base is where Morgan believes hockey had to go if it was ever going to come back.
Morgan resides in Port aux Port and plans on taking in every game he can. He figures fan attendance will be pretty good because people will find a reason to go because they know some of the players.
He believes there are a lot of young hockey players on the west coast who graduate from the minor hockey ranks and find themselves without a game of hockey.
He also likes the fact ticket prices are cheaper than the $13 he shelled out to watch the Central West setup that had teams operating on budgets in the $300,000 range. Making it more attractive to families is the way he would like to see the league go if a full season of hockey is going to materialize on the west coast.
“You can’t take a family when it’s $13 a head … somebody got to stay home, right,” he said.
No senior hockey in town has left a void in the community and Morgan has his fingers crossed that organizers work together to avoid mistakes of the past and provide fans with quality entertainment at an affordable price.
The first glimpse of what the future holds is the opening game between the Corner Brook Royals and Deer Lake Red Wings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex.
Morgan is up for a road trip if his buddies are game.
He will remain patient for the Jets’ first game — March 10 at home against the Red Wings.