The Glace Bay Panthers won the inaugural Panther Classic high school hockey tournament in 1997. Because of a cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Panther Classic event. Members of the team, not in order, Adam Shibinette, Jackie Ford, Jeff Buchanan, Chad Taylor, Allan Yorke, Freddie Currie, Kevin Andrews, Brian Gills, Scott Devereaux, Craig Kelloway, Seamus Dixon, Brad Lynk, Kenny Briggs, Liam Gallagher, Brad Maxner, Blair MacInnis, Aaron Melnick, Christian Gallagher and Terry Cuzner. The team’s coaching staff were Gary King (head coach), Barry Verbeski (assistant coach) and S. MacNeil (manager). CONTRIBUTED/BARRY VERBESKI
GLACE BAY, N.S. — Liam Gallagher often recalls his time with the Glace Bay Panthers high school hockey program.
In fact, two months ago, the Glace Bay native was sitting in the basement of his Red Deer, Alta., home and took some time to look through a folder each member of the team received following the 1997-98 season.
“It’s something that is a great memory and it’s something you can reference from time to time,” said Gallagher, who considered himself to be a third-line grinder on the team.
“It’s good to remember how it was fun to play for the team and to remember how glad I am that I had the chance to go through that experience.”
While more than 25 years have passed since Gallagher wore the Panthers colours, and some memories have since faded, the one thing he hasn’t forgotten is being part of school history in 1997.
Gallagher and his teammates hosted the inaugural Panther Classic high school hockey tournament at the then-Bayplex in Glace Bay. Not only were they the host team, but they were successful in capturing the tournament title as well.
“The buzz around Glace Bay was amazing for the tournament,” said the now 43-year-old Gallagher, who had the opportunity to play on the team with his cousin Christian Gallagher.
“I grew up watching guys play high school hockey years before me and I always said there was an atmosphere being there and being part of it and when the Panther Classic tournament began it was that same feel around the town and the school.”
Fortunately for the Panthers, the team would post a perfect 5-0 record in the tournament and defeated the Memorial Marauders in the championship game.
“I had a hat trick in that game and I scored a sweet shorthanded goal, so I remember that part of the championship game like it was yesterday,” laughed Gallagher.
“I did a lot of penalty killing and stuff that season, but in that championship game I was feeling it and I guess that was a testament to the team and how different guys stepped up at different times.”
Members of the Glace Bay Panthers leadership group are shown accepting the inaugural Panther Classic high school hockey tournament trophy after winning the event in 1997. From left, Simon MacLean (sponsor), Seamus Dixon, Terry Cuzner, Jackie Ford and David Ferguson (tournament chair). CONTRIBUTED - Contributed
In the mid-1990s, Gallagher said the program began to change, going from a team that could barely scratch the surface in the local high school league to competing for tournament and provincial championships.
In the 1997-98 season, prior to the start of the Panther Classic, Gallagher said the team went to a tournament in Halifax and were successful in winning the event, which only added to the club's confidence ahead of their own tournament.
“I think a big thing was we were a group of guys who knew each other growing up for years and we enjoyed playing with each other every second year as it worked out,” said Gallagher, who works as a supervisor at Calfrac Well Services.
“For a lot of us, we knew it was our final year and there wouldn’t be a lot of chances for us to play organized hockey, so we went into the year with the mindset, 'let’s give it our all and see how it goes' – after that first tournament win we started to realize we had a shot at cleaning up.”
Along with the tournament victories, the team would later secure a spot in the provincial championship tournament and would lose in the championship game to future Quebec Major Junior Hockey League star Brandon Benedict and Kings-Edgehill.
“Still to this day, people still talk to me about that team and how fun it was to watch us on the ice,” said Gallagher. “It was just the style that we played and how hard we worked, and it seemed like we were having fun out there and playing for each other – when you’re having fun there really isn’t anything any other team can do to take that away from you.”
This year, Glace Bay High School will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Panther Classic. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this year the 25th year for the event.
1997-98 Glace Bay Panthers
- Adam Shibinette, Jackie Ford, Jeff Buchanan, Chad Taylor, Allan Yorke, Freddie Currie, Kevin Andrews, Brian Gills, Scott Devereaux, Craig Kelloway, Seamus Dixon, Brad Lynk, Kenny Briggs, Liam Gallagher, Brad Maxner, Blair MacInnis, Aaron Melnick, Christian Gallagher and Terry Cuzner.
- Coaching Staff: Gary King (head coach), Barry Verbeski (assistant coach) and S. MacNeil (manager)
The start
When the high school hockey program began at the Glace Bay school, the team went through growing pains competing against league powerhouses in Riverview and Sydney Academy.
As the years went on and the success of Riverview’s Red Cup and the Sydney Academy tournament, the desire to have a high school hockey tournament in Glace Bay increased.
Among the people who brought up the idea for the tournament were David Ferguson and John Maxner, both of whom would later be on the event’s organizing committee.
Gary King, who was coaching the Panthers at the time, said that the closing of the Miners Forum and the opening of the Bayplex, as well as the program starting to be more competitive, led to the decision to go ahead with the event.
“They started to bounce it off me around year five of the program about having our own tournament," he said. “A couple of years prior to that, we went up to the City of Lakes tournament in Dartmouth and tested the waters and found out that we had a good enough team to start our own tournament.”
Glace Bay Panthers player Freddie Currie, right, was named the inaugural Panther Classic high school hockey tournament most valuable player in 1997. He’s shown accepting the award from Glace Bay High School teacher Jack Hogan. This year is the 25th anniversary of the Panther Classic. CONTRIBUTED - Contributed
At the time of the first Panther Classic, King recalls his club being on the small side when it came to players’ height.
“We were strong on defence,” said King. “The smaller kids on the team always showed up well, guys like Christian Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Freddie Currie and Kenny Briggs, they were always a threat any time they were on the ice, but they weren’t big boys.”
King, who was a teacher at Glace Bay High School in the late 1990s, said the excitement around the school from the students about the first Panther Classic was something special to witness.
“You could almost feel the anticipation because the students saw in the past what was going on at Riverview with the Red Cup,” said King. “I think the community support and the student’s excitement really got the tournament pumped up and that’s really why it’s still taking place today, because of that support.”
The Glace Bay Panthers won the inaugural Panther Classic high school hockey tournament in 1997. Because of a cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Panther Classic event. Members of the team, not in order, Adam Shibinette, Jackie Ford, Jeff Buchanan, Chad Taylor, Allan Yorke, Freddie Currie, Kevin Andrews, Brian Gills, Scott Devereaux, Craig Kelloway, Seamus Dixon, Brad Lynk, Kenny Briggs, Liam Gallagher, Brad Maxner, Blair MacInnis, Aaron Melnick, Christian Gallagher and Terry Cuzner. The team’s coaching staff were Gary King (head coach), Barry Verbeski (assistant coach) and S. MacNeil (manager). CONTRIBUTED/BARRY VERBESKI - Contributed/Barry Verbeski
Success for the host
Not only would Glace Bay win the inaugural Panther Classic, but the team went on to win the event in 1998 and 1999 as well.
Since then, Glace Bay has won the Panther Classic on three other occasions in 2006, 2008 and most recently in 2017.
The current edition of the Panthers will kick off their quest for the school’s seventh Panther Classic title on Thursday when they face Sydney Academy at 8 p.m. at Miners Forum in Glace Bay.
As for Gallagher, he now has two children – one of whom plays under-15 hockey in Red Deer and had a tournament in Lloydminster, Alta., last weekend and placed third at the event.
“I tell my kids, when you have moments like I had at the Panther Classic, definitely try to remember them the best you can,” said Gallagher. “You get few of them in life.”
- Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy.
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