Emotions across the spectrum were shown this morning (March 9) when a former Spruce King became forever enshrined.
The Chad Staley Memorial Arena, a hockey rink within the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, unveiled its sign on the one-year anniversary of the captain’s tragic passing in 2020 at age 25.
He played in the northern capital for three seasons between 2012 and 2015, earning the red and blue ‘C’ in his final junior ‘A’ season, which was a testament to the lasting effect he had on the community, especially in youth sports.
Chad’s mother Jennifer is proud to see her late son’s legacy live on in a city that welcomed him with open arms.
“I knew he touched a lot of people and I knew he touched them in positive ways, but I had no clue just how much he had done,” she said in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters.
“Over this past year, I’ve learned from so many people all around the world of how he touched their lives and made a positive impact on them.”
The Chad Staley Memorial Arena’s sign, in conjunction with Northern ICE Sports & the @SpruceKings, has been unveiled 🏒 It commemorates the late Chad Staley’s legacy to better youth sports in the community | #CityOfPG @PGMatters pic.twitter.com/fr8zqPG8C6
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) March 9, 2021
Jennifer was on video-call for the unveiling today from her home in the United States.
She said she would’ve loved to have been in Prince George to see it in-person if not for the border closure on non-essential travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regardless, she was in awe of the sign itself as she believes it pertains to the hard work Chad expressed every day both on and off the ice.
“I’m very proud of him and the relationships he built, and everything that came about because of those relationships. It’s quite an honour and it’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling right now. Being the anniversary of his passing and yet something so beautiful being done in his honour today, it’s making today a very special day.”
In fact, a handful of lifelong Spruce Kings fans showed up to see the tarp drop in front of the Chad Staley Memorial Arena sign, located at the left side of the P.G. Golf and Curling Club parking lot, to honour the fan favourite.
Members of the Spruce Kings organization were also in attendance, along with representatives of the Chad Staley Memorial Fund and Northern ICE Sports.
Mike Peterson, who runs the private facility, is proud to have the name displayed outside and inside with a secondary sign placed above the zamboni doors.
“I think it looks really sharp,” said Peterson.
“Kudos to the Chad Staley Memorial Foundation for doing it. Thanks to Chad’s mom; I really appreciate the bravery and courage to be able to share this with everybody. It’s going to be an amazing experience. It’s going to be an amazing piece for the community.”
Northern ICE Sports, since officially opening the rink in January, is offering camps for young athletes across multiple sports in hopes of providing top-notch skills and development training.
This is one of many ways Jennifer hopes her son can be remembered and honoured.
“I’m very grateful to the City of Prince George for welcoming Chad and loving him and supporting this. I’m very grateful for all of you up there,” she said.
“I just would like to see his legacy move forward because he was such a giving, loving young man. I would just like to see that helped be instilled in future athletes that are going through the rograms up there in Prince George. If his story can help one individual in any way, it’s all worth it. I just hope that his story can be carried one and be shared with the world and other people.”
"We're thrilled that Northern ICE has stepped up and done this in conjunction with AscenTech," said Spruce Kings General Manager Mike Hawes in an earlier interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters about the arena’s naming.
"That's just going to carry on Chad's legacy on for years to come and Chad's deserving of that. He was such a great young man and, you know, epitomized what it meant to be a Spruce King. He was everything you could ask for and more in a player on our team and, as our captain, he cared about his game and how he was perceived, but he cared about people [too]."
The sign itself features many things associated with Staley.
A crown and polar bear signify his time with the Spruce Kings and University of Alaska-Fairbanks, along with a hockey stick on the left side of his ‘C.S.’ initials.
Above the arena wording are each of the league’s Staley participated in, including the third- and second-tier professional stints in Germany and Italy respectively.
Staley is also featured on a special decal on the Prince George Spruce Kings’ helmets, set to be showcase the next time the team plays a season.
