Rusty Patenaude speaks of his hockey career
Interview by Maurice Guibord at Rusty’s ranch at Horsefly, B.C., August 8, 2019. To view EN or FR subtitles, click on the gear wheel at bottom right of screen while the video is playing.
Transcription
“So I was in Edmonton for basically six years. Then the league had trouble in Indianapolis. The owner in Edmonton was Skalbania and he was talked into going to Indianapolis to go help out over there. That’s when Peter Pocklington come in and took over Edmonton. Skalbania decided that he would do that, but he wanted to take two players with him to Indianapolis to help the team. So they agreed and one of the players was Rusty Patenaude and the other player was Barry Wilkins, a defenseman. So I ended up in Indianapolis. I was a little disheartened because I was treated very well in Edmonton. I was one of the kingpins in Edmonton. I got to play lots and I made the All-Star team one year, so I was a little disheartened when I was traded. But you know, that happens in Pro hockey and you have to live with that. So I went to Indianapolis. They didn’t have a great team but I had a tremendous year. I scored 22 or 23 goals before Christmastime. I made the All-Star team and then pulled a hamstring in the last half of the season. I tried to come back. I just never got healed up. I tried to come back too early and ended up the season kind of hurt. That was kind of the deciding factor that… we had two kids and I promised my wife that when it was time for the kids to go to school, we would go home. In the meantime, we had built a home on the ranch. And that’s how it ended.”