The 1977/78 Kimberley Dynamiters, winners of the historic Allan Cup and true home-town heroes, were honoured on ice at the Civic Centre ahead of the first playoff game of the 2024/25 season, to commemorate their induction into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame.
"The Kimberley Dynamiters were honoured to acknowledge the accomplishments of the 77/78 Allan Cup Champions at last Friday's opening playoff game," said a spokesperson for the Dynamiters organization." "These Allan Cup Champions will be inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame this summer in Penticton, B.C. and we couldn't be more proud.
"On behalf of the Kimberley Dynamiters and all the Nitro fans, we salute you all!"
A strong contingent of the team was on the ice for the ceremony, including: Murray Myers, Brian Macklin, Ricky Kavanaugh (executive member), Barry Cummins, Dan Bond (on behalf of his father Gerry, exec.), Jeff Ablett, Dale McBain (exec.) Tom Lightburn (exec.), Aurel Beaudin, Wayne Bell and Glen Walton.
Glen Walton, captain of the team, dropped the ceremonial first puck to kick off the first round of the playoffs between the Kimberley Dynamiters and the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
Barry Cummins, who before playing the Dynamiters played 36 games in the NHL with the California Golden Seals, still volunteers for the Dynamiters.
"It’s a great honour," Cummins said. "That was 47 years ago — memories kind of fade, but I’ve had people that I recognize the face, young people, who have come up and congratulated me and I’m not sure I know them. I know the face but I’m not sure that I know where I’ve met them. That’s always a big pleasure when people recognize you and want to congratulate you for an accomplishment."
In a previous interview with the Bulletin his teammate Aurel Beaudin recalled playing against Cummins before they were on the same roster, and remembers him as "a tough S.O.B."
"I played hockey like a middle linebacker plays football — you don’t go around anybody, you go over them or through them," Cummins said. "And I was fortunate enough that I’m built stocky so I had the power and the speed to be able to do that. And I loved body contact. So it just sort of evolved from there into my style."
That Allan Cup champion season was a run of nearly 100 games, with hundreds of memories made along the way.
"We had more players than you could dress and so everybody had to take a turn to sit out a game here or there, and it was never a case of anybody complaining," Cummins said. "Everybody, when they were asked it was always ‘Yeah, I’ll sit out so the other player can play.’ It wasn’t a case of no I want to play, it was a case of it was my turn. Duty."
Highlighting the world champion Dynamiters team of 1937, he added it was great being honoured on ice and that the Dynamiters of today are continuing the legacy of hockey greatness in Kimberley.
"The Dynamiters back in the ‘30s — they’ve been a hockey organization for almost 100 years now," he said. "So watching these kids out here on the ice, it brings back memories of my being on the ice and I really appreciate how hard they’re playing, both teams, and how they’re trying to improve their game too."
Billy Kiray, who was Friday's player of the game with two goals, comes from Pittsburgh, a city with a strong hockey legacy, boasting legends such as Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby. He is honoured to be a part of the Kimberley hockey legacy.
"It’s one of my favourite parts of being here is the legacy, I’m so proud to be able to wear this jersey with the fans that we have in town and it’s been an honour to represent this town," Kiray said. "Hopefully we get out there and win a championship and add on to the legacy."
The official ceremony will be held at the South Okanagan Events Centre on July 12.
