SYDNEY — Shaun MacDonald closes his eyes and he recalls a brisk afternoon in November 1972.

MacDonald was on the ice with his Sydney Academy hockey teammates at the old Sydney Forum as they prepared to face Colonel Gray High School of Charlottetown in what was considered to be the most important game of the season to that point.

Skating around the ice for warm-up, MacDonald couldn’t believe what he was seeing inside the historic venue. More than 2,500 fans were in the stands patiently waiting for the game to begin.

“I’m sure the fire marshal must have turned his head because they were hanging from the rafters at the forum,” said MacDonald. “It was something special to see and something that has always stuck with me to this day.”

When all was said and done, Sydney Academy didn’t leave the hometown fans disappointed.

They defeated the Prince Edward Island team 3-1 in the championship game to claim the inaugural Cape Breton Metros Invitational High School Hockey Tournament on Nov. 26.

MacDonald opened the scoring in the game, while Gordie MacNeil and Lauchie MacDonald also found the back of the net in the contest for Sydney Academy. Paul Mombourquette posted the win between the pipes.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Cape Breton Metros Invitational High School Hockey Tournament, a prestigious event which featured teams from across Canada and even United States entries at one point. The first tournament began on Nov. 24 and ran to Nov. 26 at the Sydney Forum.

When the tournament was announced, MacDonald said there was lots of anticipation and excitement around the event but admitted the Sydney Academy players didn’t know what to think about it.

“We went into the tournament and I don’t think we had any expectations of doing well, but we ended up proving ourselves wrong,” said MacDonald, who today resides in Port Hawkesbury after retiring as principal of Strait Area Education Recreation Centre in 2016.

“At the time, high school hockey was big around Cape Breton. There was no under18 major at the time and everyone was focused on playing at the high school level, but that’s not necessarily the case these days.”

Through the 1972-73 season, the local league had a strong following among high school hockey fans in Cape Breton, especially when Sydney Academy and Riverview were involved.

Despite the fact the players were used to the big crowds, MacDonald had never seen the support received during the tournament, making the event even more special.

“What I remember the most about that tournament and championship game was the fact that every time we touched the puck or we scored you could feel the building shaking and that was amazing,” said MacDonald.

“It felt like the crowd was right next to you and right above you. When the rink is packed like that, it makes for some fun games to play in and that tournament was really fun for all of us.”

Sydney Academy finished the 1972 event with a 3-0 record, posting 3-2 and 2-0 wins over Cooper Cliff High School of Ontario and Alexander Galt High School of Lennoxville, Que.

Paul Gallagher of Riverview as well as Sydney Academy teammates MacNeil, Alan Joseph and Robert Libbus, and Colonel Gray’s Garth MacGuigan finished the tournament as the leading scorers with five points apiece. Sydney Academy’s Lauchie MacDonald was the most valuable player.

THE BEGINNING

The Cape Breton Metros Hockey Association was originally conceived as a sponsoring body for the formation of the Metros junior hockey team in the industrial area of the island.

The association was spearheaded by a small group of local sportsmen and funded by local businesses, professional and sports-minded citizens throughout the area, which led to the formation of the Metros hockey team in 1969.

The team later went on to play in the Maritime Junior Hockey League, where the club received support from the community. However, the league later folded and the team was forced to disband.

Members of the association were reluctant to lose their involvement in hockey and felt that the organizational talent of the group would be better used in some other aspect of the sport.

Many possibilities were considered until Riverview principal Robert (Bob) MacKenzie suggested the association sponsor a high school hockey tournament, which would invite teams from across the country to participate.

The association accepted the idea and work began immediately under tournament chairman Bill Sidney, who died in August 2017. The first tournament featured eight teams.

While watching the 1972 tournament, the association noticed the high quality of play and sportsmanship among the players and teams and was convinced the tournament idea was worth their endeavours.

Along with the hockey on the ice, educational and social activities also took place each year and included tours of local historic and cultural locations. It also featured a banquet with respected guest speakers and a dance.

In 1973, interest in the tournament spiked across the country with several new teams wanting to attend. In fact, Hockey Night in Canada taped the tournament and aired games on the national network the following week, while several games were aired on the radio on C.H.E.R.

Along with Canadian-based teams, the tournament’s reputation also reached across the border. The Hamden Hall Hornets of Hamden, Conn., became the first United Statesbased team to attend the event in 1977. The team went 1-2 in the tournament.

SYDNEY ACADEMY DOMINANCE

The Sydney Academy program quickly found success at the annual tournament. Not only did they win the first event in 1972, they went on to capture tournament titles in 1973 and 1974.

After Colonel Gray won the tournament in 1975, Sydney Academy redeemed itself by winning the next four November tournaments from 1976 to 1979. Minto, N.B., would win the tournament in 1980.

Local fans would witness the battle of Cape Breton in both the 1981 and 1982 championship games between longtime rivals Sydney Academy and Riverview. The Academy beat Riverview 2-0 in 1981 before Riverview won its first tournament title in 1982 with a 3-1 win.

Sydney Academy would eventually lose in the next two championship games in 1983 and 1984, losing to Glace Bay’s St. Michael’s High School in 1983 and St. Jerome High School of Kitchener, Ont., in 1984.

The Sydney team returned to its championship form, defeating Sir Wilfred Laurier of London, Ont., in 1985. The team would also capture the 1986 championship with a 7-4 win over Bluefield High School of North Wiltshire, P.E.I.

In total, Sydney Academy won 10 Cape Breton Metros Invitational High School Hockey Tournament titles.

THE END

Growing up, Richard Abbass dreamed of playing in the Metros tournament. He recalls getting off school every year to attend games. Seeing the calibre of hockey and the fan support, he knew he wanted to play in the event.

“We all went to the tournament and saw what it offered and how fun it looked to play in it, so a lot of the guys wanted to play for Sydney Academy or Riverview just to be part of the tournament,” said Abbass, who played two seasons for the Academy from 1985 to 1987.

“The games were always packed, and the atmosphere was insane. All the guys and girls were talking about the tournament in school – it almost felt like you were playing in the NHL.”

Abbass was fortunate enough to win the tournament in both years. One of his most memorable moments was in 1986, witnessing a goal scored by teammate and friend Kenny Ruck in the championship game against Bluefield in front of 3,500 fans at Centre 200.

“Ruck scored three goals in the game, but one of the goals, I can still see it, he made a crazy move around this guy and turned him inside out and beat the goalie and jumped into the glass where all the screaming kids were,” laughed Abbass.

“I was in nets and I was watching from a distance. To me, that was the best moment because he was my best friend – it’s still the best goal I ever seen in my life, it was whacky.”

Unfortunately, what Abbass and his teammates didn’t know at the time, the 1986 event would be the last for the Metros association. The association decided to stop the tournament and no event was held in 1987 or 1988.

“I was blown away,” said Abbass. “I had graduated in 1987 and I wasn’t going to be playing in it anymore anyway, but I couldn’t believe it was over. Looking back now, I understand the financial aspects of it.”

Two years later, in November 1989, Sydney Academy kicked off its own high school hockey tournament known as the Sydney Academy Invitational tournament.

LEGACY

While times have changed since the 1970s and 1980s, high school hockey is still played in Cape Breton today with four teams in the Cape Breton High School Hockey League and six teams in the Cape Breton West High School Hockey League.

You don’t have to look too far to see the legacy the Cape Breton Metros Invitational High School Hockey Tournament has had on the sport on the island to this day.

The success and community support for the Metros tournament prompted several high schools to create their own events to help build both school and community spirit.

The Red Cup Showcase – now a prestigious event — was created in 1978 at Riverview High School, followed by the then Memorial Classic hosted by Memorial High School in 1983, the Sydney Academy tournament in 1989 and the Glace Bay-hosted Panther Classic in the 1990s.

Memorial’s Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament was held in November in North Sydney, while the Panther Classic will take place next month in Glace Bay. The Blue and White Challenge will be played in January, followed by Red Cup in early February.

Today’s players have plenty of different avenues to play the sport, and sometimes high school hockey is an afterthought, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the support for high school tournaments — there’s no greater example than seeing a jam-packed Cape Breton County Recreation Centre for the Red Cup each year.

As for MacDonald, he admits it’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since he played high school hockey.

“It doesn’t seem that long,” said MacDonald. “I still count all of those teammates as good friends of mine and when you win championships together – like the Metro tournament – it’s a bond you share forever.”