MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- It was a celebration 40 years in the making.
Thousands of fans lined Main Street and later packed the ice surface at the Moose Jaw Events Centre to join the Moose Jaw Warriors in celebrating their Western Hockey League championship on Sunday afternoon.
The players themselves walked the entirety of Main Street high-fiving fans before the entire crowd marched their way to the MJEC, where team staff and players addressed the huge throng that gathered one last time to celebrate their historic 2023-24 season.
“It’s very special,” Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk said when asked about the parade and all the cheering fans. “We’re super glad to have all the fan support we were able to have and the way they came out to support us, it’s awesome. They’re the best fans in the league for a reason and we love ‘em.
“It’s a surreal opportunity and moment and all that, we wish we could have brought home the Memorial Cup, but we have a lot to be proud of this year.”
The team was escorted down Main Street by the Moose Jaw Police Service, and while players were originally going to ride the Tourism Moose Jaw trolley, they quickly decided they’d rather get up close and personal with their supporters.
Once at the rink, fans heard from general manager Jason Ripplinger and head coach Mark O’Leary before Lucas Brenton, Martin Rysavy, Brayden Yager, Jagger Firkus, Atley Calvert and, of course, captain Mateychuk all took their turns with the mic.
The players and staff then mingled with the crowd, while fans could also get photos with the Ed Chynoweth Cup,
"It’s special to get this opportunity and get our fans and players going in one spot one last time and celebrate what has been the most fun I’ve ever had in hockey,” said O’Leary shortly after the official part of the festivities wrapped up. “The players will say the same thing, and so will the fans. Forty years is a long time to wait and they deserve it,”
Now that the season has officially come to an end, O’Leary admitted that things are finally starting to sink in.
“There’s so much pressure and so much competitiveness and it’s always about the next game and next game, but now we can put our feet up and relax a little bit and let it sink in how special this really was,” he said.
Mateychuk was of much the same opinion, especially looking back on how far the team came in what will likely be his final year in a Warriors uniform.
“There are lots of good teams in this league, and we knew coming into it we were one of them. We had a real chance of having an opportunity to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup, we built during the regular season and once the playoffs came, we were ready to go and we got the job done.”
