As hockey season gets set to start up again, I thought this timeless picture from the good ole days, would be a way to fill up the dog days of August. In my travels through the old scrap books and attic boxes of yesteryear, comes this beauty submitted by Doug Petepiece.
In typical Mario Viens style, the diminutive puck stopper known as “Super Mario” long before the video game, flashes the leather and gets a piece of a point shot, in a game against the rival Quebec Remparts during the 73-74 season.
Looking for a rebound is a Remparts forward as a Royals defenceman gets set to tap the tender side of his ankles. Mario Viens played three seasons with the Royals – 150 regular season games which included a club record 71 starts in 74-75.
Dad’s, call your goalie sons and daughters over to check out the equipment Mario was wearing, show them how little of the net he actually covered and then tell them, he would go on to play pro hockey in the WHA and would make a few appearances in the classic hockey movie “Slapshot.”
Whats not lost in this great old photo are the faces of the fans in those first two rows of the north end of the Water Street Arena, (as it was known in 1974) all sets of eyes glued to the action, not checking texts, actually watching the game. Perhaps you recognize yourself in this photo. Perhaps you know the other players in this photo. I’ll print them next week.
