It was hard to tell what, exactly, the 1995-96 edition of the Waterloo Warriors would be. On one hand, the Warriors lost a number of key veterans, and the roster was predominantly filled with Jr. B standouts, in a league dominated by Major Junior grads.

On the other hand, they had some pretty impressive pieces – Defenceman John Wynne was a multi-time all-star, and goalie Joe Harris had won UW Male rookie of the year. They also had one of the most revered bench bosses in the nation in Don McKee. The program was built for longevity; it was hard to imagine the Warriors would be a poor team in 1995-96. But it was equally as hard to imagine they'd be particularly good that year, either. All things considered, it was shaping up to be a decidedly normal season.

But what transpired over the following six months was anything but normal. This is the story of the 1995-96 Waterloo Warriors, in their own words.

 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
1995-96 Individual Stats |  Game-by-Game results

PART 1: The roads less travelled

The Warriors, like many CIS teams from then and now, often made a cross-border expedition to compete against NCAA teams in preseason exhibition games. These games were – and are – never particularly competitive; NCAA teams are littered with future NHL draft picks and players on full scholarship. So when the Warriors knew their first American opponent would be the nationally-ranked Colgate University Raiders, they weren't exactly expecting a victory. But in a season like the one the Warriors were about to have, some of the least likely victories become even more impactful in retrospect – even if they don't count in the standings.

Joe Harris, Goaltender

That year, really early on, we went down to the states and played Colgate and Union. And Colgate was ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA, and we went in and we beat 'em. At that point, I think everyone knew we had something special. At least we had a decent team.

Don McKee, Head Coach

Joey Harris was outstanding in net. He had 50-some shots on him. He absolutely stole that game. They were upset; they had a pretty good crowd for that game. They were a little ticked off.

Mike Chambers, Forward

He's why we won there. He stood on his head.

Mark Cardiff, Defenceman

When we went down there, it was a special trip. We bonded so well. I think we beat them 5-2. It was the first and only game we'd ever beat an American team.

Jeff Goldie, Forward

I think we were supposed to be their blip on the schedule, to get a win in and get things going. And we went down there, and we beat them, which kind of left them in shock, and their crowd in shock. Everyone in our room had a feeling like, maybe this could be something special.

Peter Brearley, Forward

We usually used those types of games as a team-builder. So you get on the bus, you're travelling down to New York state, and you're getting to meet guys and getting to know guys. It's more about team bonding and getting together.

John Wynne, Defenceman

The next night, we played Union, and they were ranked 10^th of 12 in their own division, let alone 9^th in the country. But they didn't realize the night that we had right after the Colgate game. So we got spanked pretty good that game, I think.

Don McKee, Head Coach

You know what we lost to Union by? I think it was 10-0.

John Wynne, Defenceman

Going down the handshake line after the game, some of their guys were saying, "What happened to you guys? You beat Colgate!" And I said, "You have no idea how our night was. Some of our guys haven't been to sleep yet!" We didn't mention that to Donny, of course.

Mark Cardiff, Defenceman

We all got together that night and kind of celebrated that game. So we went into Union the next night and we just got demolished. But we didn't care because the night meant so much to us, the night before. That trip meant a lot to us. I didn't realize it, and I don't know if we all realized it at the time. But we look back on it now and we all laugh about that weekend.

John Wynne, Defenceman

We were happy with the win, but it wasn't like, a resounding, dominant win for us, where we deserved to win that game. They were the better team, but we just capitalized on our opportunities. I wasn't delusional, that we beat a top-10 ranked team in the states, so we have to be one of the top teams in the OUA when we get back. I wasn't thinking that at all.

As usual, the captain had it right – the Warriors weren't immediately one of the top teams in the OUA after their American voyage. They were part of the ultracompetitive Far West division, and four of their first five games were against divisional foes Western, Windsor, and Laurier. But before that, the Warriors would make their season debut in Toronto against the Ryerson Rams – at least, they thought they would.

John Wynne, Defenceman

We went to Ryerson, and we were up like, 4-0 after the first period. It was an absolute whitewashing of these guys. And the Zamboni broke! They cancelled the game.

Peter Brearley, Forward

There was a Zamboni issue, but I think it led to an ice issue. Whether the Zamboni broke down on the ice, and left a big chunk of snow on the ice, which then left a big Crater on the ice, I don't know.

Chris Kraemer, Forward

Some of the facilities we played in at the time aren't quite what they are today. Ryerson's obviously changed now, they have a nice facility.

Steve Smith, Forward

I remember the Ryerson one. It was a Monday night, and I think the Steelers were playing, and that's my team, so we got to go watch the football game while we were waiting for the bus. It was a whole calamity, that day.

We played one period. I forgot my skates that game, and I had to wear someone else's skates that were about 2 sizes too big. So for me personally, the fact that the game was called was great, because I already had blisters on my feet.

Joe Harris, Goaltender

If I'm not mistaken, our bus had dropped us off, and it was right downtown, so there was nowhere to park. So we had to hang out and wait for the bus to come back. It felt like hours that we were there. You know, it was funny – we kind of started to get to know each other as a team. Obviously we were laughing about the whole situation because it never happened to any of us before, that I knew of. So it was very bizarre. But it almost was kind of a blessing.

At least the Warriors were able to finish their second attempt at a season opener, but they weren't able to finish it with a victory – they fell 6-4 to the powerhouse Western Mustangs. In fact, through the first six games of the season, the Warriors were a very regular 3-3. For a team that had lost a number of key veterans, they were more or less as advertised.

But as the Warriors approached the December exam and Christmas break, they started to find themselves. Their turbulent start was about to become lost in the rearview mirror, with smoother roads ahead. That is, when the bus could stay on the road.

Peter Brearley, Forward

I remember having a bus break down on us once.

Don McKee, Head Coach

That Laurentian trip, I can still remember it.

Joe Harris, Goaltender

We were playing Laurentian. On the way home, the bus broke down, and I couldn't tell you where we were. I know we weren't near home – probably between Sudbury and Perry Sound, because we were in the middle of nothing. So they called in another bus. And it's cold, so guys were coming on and off the bus just to keep our sanity. I couldn't tell you how long we were sitting there.  Finally another bus came, and then something happened to that bus. So we had to pull over again. I think they were able to fix whatever happened enough to get us home. I don't know if it was the alternator or something. I remember the lights kept flashing on and off. I don't even know what time it was when we got back, but it was late. Or early the next day, I guess.

Sheldon Gilchrist, Forward

It just gives you something else to have as a team. An experience that you shared, that's outside of hockey. I think that helped to bond the boys, stuck on the side of the highway waiting for another bus.

Steve Smith, Forward

It was just something we could all laugh at. It just kind of reminded us that we're not quite in the big time level yet, when busses break down and Zambonis break down. We're not driving Lamborghinis to the game.

Mark Cardiff, Defenceman

It's on the busses, it's in the hotels. The funniest, craziest stuff that you remember about that year was that stuff. 

Don McKee, Head Coach

Adversity, and how you deal with it, is a very maturing thing for anyone, let alone hockey players. Those kind of hiccups when you get on the road, you learn to react to them. We weren't a frustrated team at all, we were a happy team. But I wouldn't say that confidence came so early in the season.

Jeff Goldie, Forward

There were definitely some ups and downs. We had a lot of new bodies there, and guys getting used to each other and getting to know each other. So, it was a little bit of a feeling out period for everyone, and seeing where lines fit. It took a little time to gel.

Chris Kraemer, Forward

Every week you're going to have tough games in that league. Coaches were still tinkering with units. And guys were finding their fitness as we went on. Back in those days, hockey players weren't as committed to offseason conditioning as they are now. It was a different time.

Joe Harris, Goaltender

We really needed to figure out our line combinations, and really figure out what kind of team we had. I don't think anybody questioned our ability, even getting off to the slow start. But I don't really recall there being a sense of panic.

John Wynne, Defenceman

I still remember the day that I went in to talk to Donny (at the start of the season). I said, "Well, how does it look?" And Donny started to laugh. He goes, "We've got a lot of work to do. I think we have some good character kids." And he started listing off the new kids. It wasn't exactly a glowing recruitment class. The expectations were very low. We just said, "Well, we're going to just have to find out who we are."

Don McKee, Head Coach

The biggest thing is the teaching of systems. And everybody knowing that if we execute our systems like we want, we're going to be better offensively, defensively, and our special teams are going to be good. We worked and worked on those things, because our kids were smart, they were sharp. They bought into the systems and they supported each other very well.

John Wynne, Defenceman

They restarted (the Ryerson game) from the start, we went back there and lost. After that, we had a little chat, and things started to change. 

Continue to Part 2 >>