When Chantz Petruic scored his 50th goal of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season Saturday, he became only the sixth Yorkton Terrier to reach the plateau.
The first five are led by Darrell Spelay, who scored 50, or more goals in each of his four seasons with the Terriers, starting with 56 goals his rookie season of 1979-80.
Spelay said at the time he probably did not savor his accomplishment as much as he should have.
While suggesting “hockey has changed so much,” an evolution that has in many ways thwarted the high octane offences, Spelay said he realizes now scoring 50-plus goals in four straight seasons was pretty special.
But Spelay, ever modest of his accomplishment, reiterated that the offence in his day was one that simply scored a lot of goals.
As a rookie it helped that Spelay faced the Regina Silver Foxes on many nights in their last year in the league.
“Some games they only had nine, or 10 players,” he said, adding it was not unheard of in his era for the Terriers to put up double digit goals in a game.
But, it was still big to pop 56 goals as a rookie.
“That was really good,” he says with a knowing smile. “I wish at the moment I had recognized how big a deal it was.”
It helped of course having the right linemates.
For Spelay that included Barry Roach, and Greg Thomson for most of his career. All Thomson did was amass 252 regular season assists, still a career best in the league.
When Roach graduated, Spelay kept scoring at a good pace with 64 goals in his final season as a Terrier, to finish with a still SJHL best 243 career goals.
So what was Spelay's secret to success?
Well he said he used to say ‘you never saw me in the corners’, leaving the digging for the puck to Thomson and Roach, who were eager passers, willing to feed a perennial 50-goal scorer.
“I had a really good shot,” he said, again flashing his ready smile. “That was one of my assets, and a quick release.”
Meanwhile Bryan Kuspira came into his own in the 1982-83 season, becoming the second player in Terrier history to score 50, or more, scoring a crisp 61 goals in 62 games.
“That year we just had four great lines,” remembered Kuspira. He was on a line with Clayton Zulyniak and Blaine Whitesides. He added it was a year the team eclipsed 400 goals. “... That’s the year we won everything (earning the first league title for the Terriers).”
Kuspira said at the time, and even today, he doesn’t see his accomplishment as overly significant, adding he was happier when his linemates both scored more than 30.
“I already had 60, so I said we need to get you guys 30,” he recalled, adding that was his focus as the season wore down, setting up his linemates to achieve their goals. “... I was just as happy passing the puck.”
Kuspira did admit he thought more players would have reached the plateau.
“I thought there’d be more (than six), but hockey’s different from when we played ‘til now,” he said.
Next up was Pat Ford who netted 71-goals in 59 games in the 1983-’84 season.
Looking back Ford sees Spelay in a brighter light than the four-time 50-goal saw himself.
“Darrell Spelay was the greatest goal scorer I ever played with – hands down,” Ford told Yorkton This Week in a telephone interview from Arizona where he was waiting to watch son Keegan play a college game.
Ford said Spelay was always understated of his skills.
“He was humble when he played. He didn’t realize he was a superstar,” said Ford.
But, Spelay was willing to share his knowledge, and Ford said that was a key in his own success.
Traded to the Terriers from North Battleford mid-season in Spelay’s last year with the Terriers, Ford said he spent a lot of time just soaking up advice from the stars the Terriers had; including Greg Thomson, Bryan Kuspira and of course Spelay.
“They really took me under their wings,” he said, adding they gave him confidence in his own ability to score.
“If you’re going to score 50-goals you can’t be shy to shoot the puck.”
For his first half season Ford watched as Spelay and Kuspira filled the net, soaking in everything he could from his teammates.
There was a short lull before another Terrier would score 50, an 18-year old from Langenburg. Ed Zawatsky, who recalls watching Spelay, Kuspira and Ford, would pot 69 in 64-games the 1986-87 season.
Like those before him, Zawatsky said he really wasn’t aware of what he had accomplished at the time.
“It’s always a little bit fuzzy,” he said, adding what he does remember most sharply is his desire to score that year.
“I was really focused that year. I’d made a decision to try to go NCAA.”
Zawatsky said he saw the path to an American college scholarship paved with SJHL goals.
“I knew it was important to put up huge numbers to move on, so I was extremely focused at the start of that year,” he reiterated.
So, when he scored his 50th and beyond it was very much just a step on the path.
“I don’t think at the time I realized. It was just a matter of trying to get more and more, to get some exposure,” said Zawatsky who was on a line with Grant Ottenbreit and Mark Marianchuk for his big year, before heading south to play at a Colorado College.
You have to jump all the way to the 1991-92 season for the last of the group to hit 50 goals before Petruic joined the group Saturday. It was in the spring of 1992 Dean Seymour scored his 50th, ending the season with 52 goals in 64 games.
“It was the year after being in the Centennial Cup (in Sudbury, ON.). We weren’t as strong a team,” recalled Seymour, adding several key players from the national-run team graduated.
But having a somewhat weaker team meant more ice time for Seymour coming off a 42-goal run in the Centennial Cup season.
“I remember I got to play a lot,” he said, adding he felt ready for the added ice time. “I was filled with all kinds of confidence from the year before.”
Beyond good teammates Ford said coach Gerry James was a huge influence.
“I owe a lot to Gerry James. I was a good player in Junior before I got to Yorkton, but James taught me how to prepare, to be mentally tough,” said Ford.
Seymour credited his coach Dennis Polonich with making him pause to appreciate his accomplishment of scoring 50.
“I remember I got a plaque. It was Dennis who advocated they do a presentation, to do it up right,” recalled Seymour.
That was important at the time because Seymour said he really didn’t recognize what he had done.
Leading up to the moment “it wasn't on my mind at all,” he said, adding even when he scored his 50th “I didn’t think much of it.”
That said Seymour did suggest he saw scoring as a means to playing college, his eyes firmly set on attending the University of Saskatchewan.
Then the connection within hockey took over. Pat Ford called and suggested he take an offer from Northern Michigan University, but he still leaned toward the U of S.
Then a call came from Brett Hull recommending he not miss the opportunity to play at NMU.
“I got off the phone, called my Dad and said I have to go to Northern Michigan,” he said.
When Spelay and Kuspira aged-out of Junior, Ford found himself ready for a place in the Terriers top line with Thomson and Rick Viens.
In Thomson Ford said he had the consummate set-up man.
“He was the greatest passer in history,” he offered. “I could shoot the puck and he put me in situations to succeed.”
Having an eager passer as a linemate helps and that was certainly the case for Seymour the year he scored 50, with the help of Stacey Prevost.
“He was my Niklas Backstrom (of the Washington Capitals). He just wanted to pass pucks,” said Seymour.
As for his 71 goals, Ford admitted at the time he under-appreciated what he had accomplished.
“Gerry (James) had us so focused on winning hockey games,” recalled Ford, noting that individual success seemed secondary at the time.
From that, Ford had a message for Petruic for when he hit 50.
“Savor it in the short term, but stay focused on the big picture too,” he said, adding any player hitting the mark needs to realize how big a deal it is. “It’s hard to score 50 in any league. Take some time to enjoy it. It’s a great accomplishment.”
Seymour said 50 goals is something a player might never repeat, noting in college season are 30 games long – he scored 40 goals in three years of college, and in pro hockey everything gets harder.
“It’s a really, really hard thing to do,” he said, adding if he met Petruic he would have two pieces of advice, enjoy the moment and “keep shooting.”
Kuspira said he appreciates the idea of telling Petruic to pause to enjoy the moment “but he’s not going to listen.
“If you think about hitting 60 ... You can’t think about it. You’ve just got to go out there and have fun and play hockey.
Zawatsky said taking some time would be good for Petruic, but added over the years he will likely come to appreciate it more.
“It makes me feel good talking to you (now), to realize so few players have done it,” he said.
Now the achievement means more.
“I’m so honoured to have done it. It probably feels better now than it did at the time,” said Zawatsky.
Spelay said he has taken a definite interest in Petruic and his pursuit of 50-goals this season, admitting he sees quite a bit of himself in the current Terrier sniper.
“It was a long time ago for me, but we’re somewhat similar ... He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time,” Spelay said of Petruic, “and he has a great shot.”
Seymour said being eager to shoot is a key if you want to score goals.
“I was a shoot first kind of guy ... I just always loved to shoot the puck,” he said.
“My perfect practice was to drop a bucket of pucks in the high slot and start shooting.”
Spelay said as goal scorers you face close checking every night and while he admitted he had teammates that took care of opposition getting too physical with him – former National Hockey League tough guys Ken Daneyko in his rookie year, Dave Brown in 1980-81, and Joey Kocur 1980-82 coming to mind – in today’s game Petruic still gets lots of close attention.
“And he still performs game after game,” said Spelay.
Spelay said in general goal scorers will have a lot of similarities, although there are usually individual traits “that make them a little different from everyone else.” As example, he noted Kuspira was taller, with more reach, “and more of a playmaker” than Spelay himself was.
Zawatsky said what he sees in Petruic is a player who rises to the occasion when he is most needed.
“It’s unbelievable the way he gets things done just when it’s needed. He (Petruic) has a knack for getting a big goal just when the team needs it,” he said.
