A purple and silver legacy

by Richard MacKenzie of the Salmon Arm Observer

Always competitive as a team, the SilverBacks’ record of seeing players move on to higher levels is extremely impressive and, I think safe to say, without all the research available, unprecedented at the junior A level.

I don’t know if fans who aren’t familiar with other junior A hockey leagues in Canada (there are 10 in total) can fully appreciate what the SilverBacks under Garry, Ty and others (including Ferster during his previous stint with the team), as well as other BCHL teams for that matter, accomplish in terms of helping players make that next step. It seems normal to watch a game at the Sunwave Centre and talk about which university team this player or that player has committed to for the following year. That simply isn’t the norm with other junior leagues.

The Davidsons’ cap is overflowing with feathers, which is a tribute to their vision in recruiting players as well as their coaching skills after they chose the SilverBacks. Both skills will be missed here in Salmon Arm and will be a huge asset to the team and community in their next hockey home.

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