Serious Hockey at 45 Below
The article in the Feb. 8, 1935 paper about a challenge game between Sexsmith and Clairmont caught my attention because it mentioned a special train being put on for the game. That’s a pretty big deal, and reading the subsequent articles of Feb. 15th and 21st only served to show how seriously this hockey game was being taken. The challenge had been issued right after Sexsmith lost the Kerr-Orr cup to Clairmont, when no doubt feelings were still running high. The bet on the game was $200, and the assumption was that there were many side bets; don’t forget that this was in the middle of the Depression, and that seems like a lot of money to bet on a hockey game. Grande Prairie’s Wapiti rink was the venue, and the 9 pm start time was after the stores closed for the evening. On the evening of the game, the temperature was 45 below, but the game went on, and Sexsmith was avenged!
Clippings taken from the Grande Prairie Herald Feb.8, 15 & 21. Found on the website Our Future Our Past.