It's been more than three decades since Brad Palmer patrolled the old Memorial Arena with one of the most devastating shots in Victoria Cougars WHL history.
The arena has changed, but not the location, and now his son, Jack Palmer, skates on Blanshard Street in the WHL tonight as a rookie with the Brandon Wheat Kings against the Victoria Royals.
"It's kind of weird. You feel like a visitor in your hometown," said Jack Palmer, as the Wheat Kings worked out Monday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Here's a guy who was actually happy to take the ferry ride.
"Yeah, it felt so great to see the water again and some hills," he chuckled.
It's been quite a leap from the Vancouver Island Junior League, where Palmer had 24 goals and 53 points in 37 games last season with the Saanich Braves.
The 17-year-old, six-foot-one winger is point-less and minus-five in eight games this season with the Wheat Kings as the WHL learning curve can be steep.
"It's a huge jump up in speed [from Island Junior] and I'm getting used to the [WHL] at the moment," said Palmer, a graduate of the Juan de Fuca minor hockey program.
How sweet would it be to get his first WHL point tonight on the same street where his dad played junior?
"I've thought about it and that would be really something," said Palmer.
Brad Palmer graduated from the Cougars to play two seasons for the Minnesota North Stars and several seasons of pro in Europe.
"He's taught me a lot because he's been there," said the younger Palmer.
