BOB MCDONALD, HOST, CBC RADIO'S QUIRKS & QUARKS
"I was a construction worker in Toronto at the time, building outdoor signs. My crewmates were obsessive hockey fans, so that day, we got out of the shop early to complete our work as quickly as possible, then went to one of the guys' apartment in the afternoon to watch the game.
The funny part was getting back to the shop all excited, but we had to make it look like we were out working all day. Of course, everyone knew and it didn't matter - there was too much to celebrate."
VALDY, FOLK SINGER, SALTSPRING ISLAND
"In September 1972, I was hired to play a bunch of college campuses, in California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah. It was a busy tour, during frosh frenzies, and there was zero mention of it to me. I didn't hear about our win until I phoned home. My manager at the time, Keith Lawrence, was a hockey coach, an ex-player; he knew!
"That final game upped the ante to a new skill level, all over the world. Since then, every backyard that can handle it gets flooded, and the kids play hockey. That was a game-changing goal."
JOHN PAPALOUKAS, OWNER, VILLAGES PIZZA
"I remember I was with my mom and dad in Prince Rupert, sitting on the floor. I was seven at the time; my dad was a huge hockey fan and still is. I was a Boston Bruins fan and Phil Esposito was my guy and he was there."
DEAN FORTIN, MAYOR OF VICTORIA
"I was 13 years old. I remember the moment well, because my school, Brock Junior High in Kamloops, had set up a TV in the gymnasium and the entire school was watching the series. As a young teen, it certainly had an impact, not only experiencing how exciting sports can be, but about community coming together in anticipation and celebration."
FRANK LEONARD, MAYOR OF SAANICH
Leonard was in Grade 12 at Mount View High School on Carey Road, which has since been torn down, watching the game on a black and white television in the school gym. "I think I remember Foster Hewitt's voice more than the picture, actually," Leonard said. Years later, Leonard shared an elevator with Hewitt at the Fairmont Empress hotel and could barely speak. "It was like I was meeting the Queen."
PAT CARNEY, SATURNA ISLAND
"I was living in Yellowknife at the time. And I would have been getting my son, who was seven, ready for hockey.
"I'll never forget the feeling of glee when the Canadians pulled it off. It was the time of the Cold War and it was our system vs. theirs. Now, I've seen the replay so often I can't say when I saw it.
"In Yellowknife, the television was frontier package and it would have been unlikely we would have had live television. But I would have heard it on the radio or seen it later on the frontier package."
