The year is 1947. Ten-year-old Gerry Pang sits in his living room with his mother and brothers, listening to Hockey Night in Canada on the radio. This has become a tradition on Saturday nights while their father is fighting overseas. He doesnB次元官网网址檛 know it yet, but these moments will spark a love within him for hockey that will last a lifetime.

Now, more than 70 years later, Gerry Pang has finally decided to hang up his skates.

Pang, a Fernie resident, had a love for many sports throughout his youth and adulthood, and also served for nine years in the army. He eventually slowed down, had kids, and passed on his love for sports to them.

One of his sons, Darren Pang, is a retired Chicago Blackhawks goaltender, and current hockey media personality with the St. Louis Blues. Gerry introduced him to hockey when he was five-years-old and it got to the point where he couldnB次元官网网址檛 get him away from the rink B次元官网网址� 24/7, the kids wanted to play.

When he was 17, Gerry played three seasons of professional baseball with the Air Canada Fastball Association in Val-dB次元官网网址橭r, Quebec. As a young man, he loved fastball. Somewhere in his archives, Gerry has a letter from John Mullins, chief scout of the Milwaukee Braves, now known as the Brewers. It was an invitation to come to camp and play pro ball. However, he was making more money playing Senior A fastball in Quebec than they would have paid him in the States. He was scolded by his father for not taking the opportunity.

Looking back, Gerry believes that if he had taken that invitation to play pro ball, his life would have taken a much different path.

B次元官网网址淟ife looks simple, but destinations are tough sometimes,B次元官网网址� Gerry shared.

Gerry played old-timers hockey up until the age of 54. Even after he retired his own goalie pads, he continued to coach youth as a way of staying in the sport. He came to Fernie from Canmore in 1991 with the intention of staying for just one year. Before he knew it, nearly three decades had passed.

B次元官网网址淎s an ex-goalie who didnB次元官网网址檛 go far, that became just natural to help,B次元官网网址� said Gerry. B次元官网网址淎nd I just fell in love with teaching.B次元官网网址�

Nothing ever got between Gerry and hockey. For him, hockey is life.

B次元官网网址淗ey, IB次元官网网址檝e had a heart attack, IB次元官网网址檝e served nine years in the military. I served in the Middle East in the 50s, got blown up, almost lost my right ankle and foot, spent seven or eight months recuperating,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淏ut that didnB次元官网网址檛 stop me. My idea was, IB次元官网网址檓 getting back on the skates and IB次元官网网址檓 going to play hockey again.B次元官网网址�

Pang started coaching locally in 1997 after receiving a phone call from the head coach of the girlsB次元官网网址� midget team, the Fernie Bladerunners. Pang worked with this team for five years, and in those five years, they won four B.C. Championships and four Western Shield medals B次元官网网址� two bronze, one silver and one gold.

While he was coaching the Bladerunners, he got a call from FernieB次元官网网址檚 Junior A Ghostriders team. At the time, they were the only Canadian team in the American Western Hockey League. Gerry has fond memories of teaching many great kids over his three years with this program.

Gerry took a couple of years off but in 2002, he was called back to help teach the Ghostriders, and heB次元官网网址檚 been with them ever since. March 1 marked his 28th year in Fernie. Gerry has been coaching the Ghostriders for half of these years.

Asked why he came back, Gerry said, B次元官网网址淥nce you play a little bit of hockey, and got a little touch of coaching, it comes to the point where, this is the game I love. I love this game. I like to go golfing. I always said, I like golf, I love hockey.B次元官网网址�

Throughout his 21 years of involvement with hockey in Fernie, Gerry has missed only a few games. He missed just one game in the past four years with the Ghostriders, due to a flu. Before that, he missed only a few weeks with the Junior A team and the Bladerunners after he suffered a heart attack in practice.

B次元官网网址淚 was working with the Bladerunners, we were doing a drill and I thought I was 20-years-old. I came off the ice, and all of a sudden I felt bad. I said to Rob Poupart who was the head coach at the time, Robbie get me to the hospital, IB次元官网网址檓 having a heart attack.B次元官网网址�

After a week in the Fernie hospital, Gerry was taken to Calgary, where he stayed for surgery, rested for a few days then strapped on his skates again. When he entertained the idea of returning to the arena, he was advised against it. To this Gerry responded, B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 care. So I had a heart attack. I can still walk. I feel fine, I want to go see the boys practice.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲hen you commit to helping a club then your commitment has to be 100 per cent,B次元官网网址� he added.

Whenever he ran a goalie camp, Gerry had one strict rule: you didnB次元官网网址檛 pay him and you didnB次元官网网址檛 charge the kids.

B次元官网网址淚 think every Canadian grows up wanting to be a hockey player, until the costs start to run. The costs today are unbelievableB次元官网网址� but the hockeyB次元官网网址檚 still good.B次元官网网址�

Gerry carried his knowledge of what the sport used to be with him throughout the years, and implemented some strategy of old into his coaching. One example was the two pad stack, a last-resort goalie move from the 1960s and 70s.

B次元官网网址淚 thought, this is just another weapon they can put in their arsenal, and if they get a chance to use it, itB次元官网网址檚 there.B次元官网网址�

Gerry has always been and old-style hockey coach. In the old days, hockey players werenB次元官网网址檛 that big, and the equipment was pretty flimsy. There was less physical contact, and more speed and skill.

He remembers back to 1972, when Canada beat Russia in The Summit Series.

B次元官网网址淭he Canadians came into camp, they werenB次元官网网址檛 in very good shape,B次元官网网址� said Gerry. B次元官网网址淭hey came off the golf course, and IB次元官网网址檓 sure they mustB次元官网网址檝e had a six pack of beer with them when they walked into the dressing room.

B次元官网网址淏ut they had one thing the Russians didnB次元官网网址檛 have B次元官网网址� they had heart. And thatB次元官网网址檚 one thing IB次元官网网址檝e always mentioned in pre-game talks. YouB次元官网网址檝e got to have heart to play this game. YouB次元官网网址檝e got to. YouB次元官网网址檝e got to have the love for it, and youB次元官网网址檝e just got to have the heart.

B次元官网网址淚f you donB次元官网网址檛 have heart, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to go nowhere.B次元官网网址�

ThereB次元官网网址檚 one thing that hasnB次元官网网址檛 changed over the years. Still, the best place to talk about hockey is the post office. Sometimes, he runs into people ready to hand out criticism.

B次元官网网址淓verybody becomes a coach now, right off the street, theyB次元官网网址檙e a coach. But they donB次元官网网址檛 know what teams go through. No team has gone through what we did this past year with the loss of three great gentleman,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淓very home game was an away game for us. But thatB次元官网网址檚 part of life, thatB次元官网网址檚 part of growing up. I think that might have helped a lot of young players we had this year, grow up, become young men.B次元官网网址�

At the GhostridersB次元官网网址� year end banquet, Gerry made sure to thank the volunteers, and the parents of all the players who came and played hockey for them this past year.

B次元官网网址淭hey brought these kids into the world, and allowed us to develop them into better hockey players, and young men.

B次元官网网址淵ou come in as boys, and you leave as men. IB次元官网网址檝e never run into a bad Ghostrider, in all these years. So many good people, and so many great parents.B次元官网网址�

Gerry says itB次元官网网址檚 the players and all the volunteers who are the reason heB次元官网网址檒l keep coming back to watch games, even in his retirement.

Sixteen years after he said he was done the first time, Gerry has stepped back for good. He says his last few years with the Ghostriders have been filled with enjoyment, and he especially enjoyed working with the coaching staff and medical team. He says heB次元官网网址檒l always be proud to represent the Ghostriders, anywhere.

Gerry has spent so many years with the hockey team that he says itB次元官网网址檒l be impossible for him to just forget about it. That being said, heB次元官网网址檚 looking forward to his new-found free time. He also looks forward to going to a Ghostriders game, paying admission, sitting down in the stands and watching the team improve as the season progresses.

Even when heB次元官网网址檚 banging the ball around on the golf course, Gerry knows that heB次元官网网址檒l still be talking about hockey.

Looking back on his life, GerryB次元官网网址檚 enjoyed every minute of it. HeB次元官网网址檚 81 now, turning 82 in November. People have asked him how heB次元官网网址檚 stayed healthy through his life. They ask if heB次元官网网址檚 on some kind of special diet. To this, Gerry says that he eats whatever he wants. If he craves a hotdog, heB次元官网网址檒l have that. A hamburger, that too.

Throughout his life, Gerry has seen a lot, done a lot, and overcome a lot. And for many years of his life, sports have been the reason heB次元官网网址檚 gotten out of bed in the morning.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 done everything,B次元官网网址� said 2017/18 Ghostriders captain, Mitch Titus. B次元官网网址淚 tried my hardest to learn from Gerry. PangerB次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檚 incredible.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檒l tell you stories that will make you cry, heB次元官网网址檒l tell stories thatB次元官网网址檒l make you laugh until you canB次元官网网址檛 laugh anymore. ItB次元官网网址檚 pretty amazing, having a friend like that.B次元官网网址�

Gerry sees sports as a common denominator.

B次元官网网址淵ou can fall off the fence, you can sit on the fence, or you can climb over the fence,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 see kids today; maybe theyB次元官网网址檙e not playing hockey because of the expense. But when theyB次元官网网址檙e playing sports, they become better people.

B次元官网网址淚f the glass was half full, I think sports fills the glass.B次元官网网址�