Small
Hockey is the heart of Kirkland Lake. It is a small mining town that became a major contributor to the National Hockey League. Many more players went on to play Junior, Senior, and university level hockey. Others played for no other reason than the love of skating down the ice while chasing after a puck, a clear example of this will be found in the oral stories that were related to us by former NHL players. The memories of playing on an outdoor rink and the thrill of watching a game between two local teams in the old Lakeshore Arena are still there. How did this one town become such a hotbed of hockey talent, and in turn change the game of hockey forever? This is answered by the stories and quotes woven throughout this project, along with remarkable photographs of the time period covered here, it will leave the reader with no doubt that Kirkland Lake is hockey.
Kirkland Lakers are proud of their hockey history, and the sport is woven through the culture of this once rough frontier town. From its humble beginnings grew a town and a community that was passionate about the game, to the point that hockey became a social focal point to this community, evenings and weekends spent at the game attended by parents and relatives, hockey was and is still a lifestyle of this community.
