By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Red Deer Rustlers excited to help grow senior hockey

May 10, 2018 | 3:16 PM

Red Deer’s new senior hockey team is tapping into nostalgia to help create some excitement in our city.

The newly-approved North Central Senior Hockey League franchise is going with “Rustlers” as their team name, something team president Mike Dempster says just felt right.

“It was a pretty big part of Red Deer and they were a very successful team,” he said referring to the Rustlers Junior A franchise that folded in 1989. “It kind of was a no brainer that if we could get the name that it would be a pretty easy decision.”

To get the name, Dempster and his group approached the Rustlers elite spring hockey program. They were quick to get on board with the idea.

“The Red Deer Rustlers organization is excited to be involved, and with the history of the Red Deer Rustlers, it seemed only natural to have the team run under that banner,” said Kevin Hill, Program Director for Thrive Hockey which operates the Rustlers spring program.

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The biggest challenge facing the senior Rustlers, Dempster admits, will be finding a place to play given the current crunch on ice time in Red Deer. He says they’ll likely pursue the Kinex Arena as their home with the Servus Arena and Penhold Multiplex as additional possibilities.

“We’ve talked with council members and sent a letter to the mayor trying to explain that we’re not just a beer league team. We want to be part of this community and provide something to the community and be sustainable.”

Dempster says one of the biggest things the senior Rustlers provide is a chance for players to continue with the game they love.

“We all left to play WHL, AJHL, college, pro, what have you, and we all came home because we wanted to live in Red Deer and start families and there’s nowhere to play,” he points out. “Hopefully we can get enough people talking about it that we can change some minds within the city.”

Running a senior hockey club is an expensive thing to do, but Dempster is confident the Rustlers can round up enough support to make their non-profit operation viable by offering various sponsorship opportunities and hosting fundraising events. He hopes the Rustlers can draw 200 to 300 fans to their games by the end of year one.

Just down the road, the Sylvan Lake Pirates are also joining the NCHL next season, something Dempster is excited about.  

“It helps us as far as the travel, for one, with the league splitting into north and south divisions. If we were the only team coming in we would have had more games up north. I think it’ll be good, everyone likes a rivalry and hopefully we can spark that and get fans in the seats for both of us.” 

Those interested in learning more about the Rustlers can visit their Facebook page.