Whatever happened to ringette in Prince Albert?

“It was hockey that had taken over the smaller communities around Prince Albert and Saskatchewan, and in the bigger centres like Regina and Saskatoon, the numbers were increasing. In the smaller communities, there used to be teams like in Shellbrook, White Fox, all the surrounding areas around Prince Albert, and they kind of all kind of went by the wayside.”

MacGregor has watched the sport rise, fade and return, and believes there could still be another chapter.

Nicknamed the fastest sport on ice, ringette arrived in Prince Albert in 1983, a decade after pioneer Bob Gotts introduced it to Saskatchewan. MacGregor said interest surged in the following years, leading to a formal league with teams including the Carlton Park Bunnies, East End Ringette and Northeast Mighty Ducks.

In the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s, the sport peaked competitively in Northern Saskatchewan as the Ducks managed some provincial success, winning gold at the provincial B Belle championships in 2004 and silver in 2006 behind the leadership of Prince Albert Sports Hall of Famer Merle Kozun. Her husband and fellow Hall of Famer, Andy, also coached ringette in the city for the Bunnies from 1995-00. The two were inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame together as part of the Class of 2020.

Despite those competitive successes, participation in Prince Albert declined rapidly from 2003 onward. MacGregor said travel demands, rather than a lack of interest, were a major obstacle as teams disappeared from surrounding communities.

“That was the issue. You had to travel long distances for games and practices, and people didn’t want to travel as much. Then, hockey seemed to have more teams in the smaller towns, and that’s when players started to convert over into smaller towns to play hockey instead of ringette at that time. There wasn’t much left after that.”

A senior open team kept the sport alive locally, but youth ringette needed rebuilding.

In 2013, when his daughter was four, MacGregor met a former ringette player whose daughter was the same age. They agreed the city needed the sport again and joined other parents and former players to help bring it back.

“So, I was able to get hold of some people that had a vested interest in trying to get ringette going again, like former players or people that were playing and having their kids. That’s how we kind of got it going.”

The effort coincided with ringette’s 50th anniversary in Canada. With support from Ringette Saskatchewan and Ringette Canada, organizers hosted Come Try Ringette sessions at the Northern Regional Recreation Centre in Buckland and the Art Hauser Centre.

“We had quite a large number of females, like all ages, come out and they wanted to see what this sport was all about, so there was quite a bit of interest.”

A photo taken during one of those Come Try Ringette events at the Northern Regional Rec. Centre back in March 2013. (Image Credit: File photo/paNOW)

The response helped establish a new league. Ashley Tomiak took over after MacGregor moved away in 2014, and he said the program developed younger teams that participated in the Saskatoon league.

“A few people that I worked with, their daughters were playing, and they said it was actually a good league and things were going well. I think it was COVID that stopped it, and then it never got going again.”

The senior open team remained active after pandemic restrictions were lifted and represented Prince Albert at provincials in 2023 before folding later that year.

Once again, travel was part of the challenge. MacGregor said the team struggled to attract enough players, with some coming from Nipawin and surrounding communities, while games required trips to Saskatoon.

Prince Albert is not alone in trying to find a place for the sport again.

With his reffing experience, MacGregor regularly helps out at provincial championships and was in Moose Jaw earlier this year for the A/AA Championships. He noted that the tournaments were held in Moose Jaw in an effort to try an drive up interest around the sport within the community, as Moose Jaw has a similar ringette history to P.A.

“They had ringette at one time and kind of sizzled out and they’re trying to revive it there. I think if I would have stayed [in Prince Albert], that’s probably where we’re going with that again to get it going.”

He believes there is potential for ringette to thrive in northern Saskatchewan again, but it would take a group of volunteers to get it moving.

“Prince Albert is a hockey town, but there is room for ringette there, for sure. It’s hard to get something like that started, but once the wheels are turning I think it can be very prosperous especially with ringette right now. Overall, the numbers are up in Canada again and they keep climbing.”

MacGregor said former players and parents could help form that volunteer base, with Ringette Saskatchewan and Ringette Canada willing to support grassroots programs.

“You need more than just one person though, like in 2013, there was more than just myself and we had a team so it was a little little easier at that time. But ringette could be revived in Prince Albert.”

The 2027 A/AA provincial championships are scheduled for Feb. 26–28 in Saskatoon.

—

loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

by Logan Lehmann

Whatever happened to ringette in Prince Albert?

What's Trending