It is not often that you see two hockey players packing their equipment through the Delhi Airport (India). Such was the case recently when I crossed paths with two Canadian girls who play for the Notre Dame Lady Hounds in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. What followed was a fascinating interview of sorts with two hockey players, who experienced so much more than hockey on their trip of a lifetime.
Robin and Abbey Nimegeers are sisters from White City Sask. They had just conducted a 10 day hockey School in Ladakh, Northern India, very near the Tibetan Border. The village has two outdoor rinks.(Fellow Saskatchewaner Hailey Wickenheiser was up there last year to share her hockey skills, and run a hockey school.
This year Robin and Abbey had the amazing opportunity to come to India to teach Hockey, and give back to the game. Some of the players in the India Camp had all of the equipment, some just skates, sticks and work gloves. Being relatively young girls, ages 21 and 18, I was really impressed by their maturity , and social awareness , and they are very “clued in ” as to what is going on in the world. They did mention drugs have found their way to this remote region of India.
Robin and Abbey played on the same line at Notre Dame. I do believe Robin plays Left wing and Abbie, is a Center. Kimberley has sent more than a few hockey players to play for Father Murray at Notre Dame through the years.
The School began its hockey program way back in 1920. First and foremost was Les Lilley, an amazing talent, who first went to Notre Dame, then graduated to the Montreal Junior Canadiens. A broken leg to the rangy Lilley almost certainly cost him a spot in the NHL. His picture is prominent at the rink in Wilcox, Lilley was a standout baseball player for the Hounds as well. Les played Pro Hockey in various Leagues in the U.S.A. for 10 years, before returning to the Kimberley Dynamiters to record two 50 Goal seasons, before ending his career as a Playing Coach of the Nitros. ( His daughter Robin is a standout Curler here locally , and son Marc ( golf ) resides locally. Ray Dube, the barber at Mt. Baker Hotel in Cranbrook. played hockey at Notre Dame as well, as I recall. Nick Rodgers of Wasa Lake was the probably the most recent player to attend Notre Dame. Bill Hyrciuk who starred here for the Kimberley Dynamiters, and later with the Cranbrook Royals, came here from Notre Dame in Wilcox. ( Billy excelled at both baseball and hockey at Notre Dame Hounds ).
Father Murray and the local Wilcox barber ponied up the one way Greyhound bus ticket to Kimberley to the Dynamiter training camp. They believed Bill could play Senior Hockey in the W I H L . They certainly were not wrong.
I got to spend two hours visiting with Robin and Abbey in a coffee shop at the Airport in Delhi, India, and was super impressed by them. I certainly felt proud to be a Canadian after our time together.