Spirit season ticket holders thrilled Memorial Cup is coming to Saginaw
Amy Belleman asked long-time Spirit fans to share their feelings about the upcoming 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow and just why they are so devoted to this team.
Single-game tickets, as well as two-game and full tournament packages, for the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow are available by clicking here.
Name: Ted Oberhellman
Age: 66
City: Midland
Season Ticket Holder for how many years? 20 (all but the first year and the year canceled by Covid)
What does the Memorial Cup coming to Saginaw mean to you? It’s kind of like a dream come true. I never in a million years thought that it would ever come here, just knowing what the process is like. The fact that they were even going to bid on it kind of surprised me to be honest with you. And then (they) ended up winning the bid to boot.
There have been highs and lows over the years. What keeps you coming back season after season? I’m a hockey fan. I played hockey when I was a kid pretty much through college. Then I coached my two boys when they played as kids into high school. So, I’ve been a hockey fan since I was a kid growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, when the Blues first joined the NHL. That was back in the late 60s. I’ve been a hockey fan ever since.
Do you have a favourite Spirit memory? Top of list has to be Game 2 of the Western Conference Championship Series against Guelph back in 2019…that overtime game. To date that’s been the best Spirit team in the history of the franchise.
Name: Sherrie Van Houten
Age: 73
City: Bay City
Season Ticket Holder for how many years: 20 (all but the first year and the year canceled by Covid)
What does the Memorial Cup coming to Saginaw mean to you? As an area resident, I’m thrilled with what it’s going to bring into the area, economically and the people that are going to be here. I’m sure that non-hockey people just have no idea what a big deal this is. Everything in Canada stops for the Memorial Cup. It’s huge.
On a personal level, I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’m really, really excited to see this caliber of hockey coming to Saginaw. I’m thrilled to get a chance to be able to watch it. I have a son, my middle son lives in Chicago, and he is coming home for the week and working from here so that he can go to the Memorial Cup because he’s also a big hockey fan so we’re going to get to spend this with him which will be even better…I’m thrilled. I could not be more excited about it.”
There have been highs and lows over the years. What keeps you coming back season after season? No. 1, it’s hockey and I love hockey. No. 2, the more you invest in something like this, the more you get back out of it. People that come to one or two or three games a year, I don’t think understand the attachment we get to some of these kids because they come in as 16- and 17-year-old boys and we see them leave as young men. Watching them develop on and off the ice is really, really a lot of fun.”
Do you have a favourite Spirit memory? It would have to be a game in Plymouth back in 2005 that the Spirit won in overtime. A third of the crowd there was from Saginaw and we were jumping up and down and total strangers were hugging each other. It was a big first moment for the team…I’d have to say that’s probably my favourite memory.
Name: Colt Vanwormer
Age: 23
City: Sanford
Season Ticket Holder for how many years? Pretty much since birth
What does the Memorial Cup coming to Saginaw mean to you? (It’s) a good opportunity to show what an American team can do in the Memorial Cup.
There have been highs and lows over the years. What keeps you coming back season after season? Just the atmosphere. They’re always a good team. Just being a hockey fan, in general, I think.
Do you have a favourite Spirit memory? Probably when they made it to the third round, the farthest they’ve ever been. That series against Guelph, the season before Covid. That’s the farthest they’ve ever been in history in the playoffs.
Name: Bridget and Mike Blodgett
Age: 68 and 72
City: Saginaw
Season Ticket Holder for how many years? Since the beginning in 2002
What does the Memorial Cup coming to Saginaw mean to you? “It’s pretty exciting. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. We’re looking forward to it, obviously we do have tickets for that also. It’s all the events that they are having and it’s exciting,” Bridget said.
“And we enjoy hockey,” said Mike.
There have been highs and lows over the years. What keeps you coming back season after season? “Watching what we’re watching right now, the Saginaw Spirit in the playoffs. Hoping every year that they make it and that they win, that’s the exciting part,” said Bridget.
The couple says they’ve enjoyed watching the players grow and develop in their hockey careers.
Do you have a favourite Spirit memory? “They had bowling tournaments for the Spirit, and we’d get to bowl with all the young kids there and they signed our bowling shirt and we got to know them better on a one-to-one basis when we were bowling with them and that was a nice experience,” said Bridget.
“I really enjoyed when they had the All-Star game in town,” Mike said. “It was kind of cool to meet all the kids. We got to go down and actually shake their hands and get autographs. It was pretty cool. Our son, he went there with us, and he thought it was something really special.”
Name: Patti Johnson
Age: 63
City: Thomas Township
Season Ticket Holder for how many years? About 10 years
What does the Memorial Cup coming to Saginaw mean to you? I think it’s a great opportunity for Saginaw to shine. I think it brings a lot of attention to the area and a chance for more hockey.
There have been highs and lows over the years. What keeps you coming back season after season? The other Spirit fans. I think there’s a great energy and we’ve met people that sit around us and we just have a good time. You know it’s all different people that come together for the same purpose – to cheer on the Spirit.
Do you have a favourite Spirit memory? I love the goalie hugs and at the end of the season when they all go out there and raise their sticks.