By: Devan Mighton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
Known as the Flintstone Flyers, a group of lifelong friends from small-town Scotland have kept up a very Canadian tradition.
From the small village of Aviemore, population 3,230, just southeast of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland, these friends have formed a fellowship that has lasted a lifetime. For the past three decades, this band of merry men have travelled to Canada, every four years, to play hockey with the locals and enjoy the Canadian experience.
“We used to play about 30-40 years ago,” explains the Flyers’ John Walker. “There’s six of us who are from the same village who all went to the same school about 50-odd years ago, and we every-so-often get together and come to Canada, about every four years, and play in either tournaments or have a bit of fun.”
On Saturday, Nov. 16, at the WFCU Arena in Windsor, the Flyers wrapped up their barnstorming tour with their sixth game of the week, playing against the Beerhouse Brawlers, a team sponsored by the 519 Beerhouse in Tecumseh. Walker reports that going into the game, the Flyers sported a 1-4-0 record against the teams of the Windsor-Essex region.
“We stopped playing [long] ago and we don’t hardly play at all—so, sometimes we’re out of our depth, but it’s only about fun and, plus, most of the guys are well over 60,” Walker explains.
However, Walker says that, back in their day, the group played some pretty decent hockey in the UK.
“We’ve been playing it since we were 10 years old in the Highlands of Scotland—there’s an ice rink in the little village that we lived in,” he recalls. “We all played at a decent standard in the [ice hockey] leagues, but then we all went down to England where there’s money. We all played for different teams and then retired and now just play occasionally for a bit of fun.”
He says that hockey has been a great way to rekindle their long-lasting friendships, as only one player still lives in Aviemore and the rest are now spread across Britain. Eight years ago, the Flyers were drawn to the Windsor-Essex region when it hosted the CARHA Hockey World Cup, drawing recreational men’s and women’s teams from around the world to compete for beer hockey glory.
“We had such a good time!” exclaims Walker. “We met a bunch of [locals] who invited us back—so we came back to play some games and have a few beers!” He credits Walter Emery, owner of The Cool Bus, as one of the locals who kept in touch and helped facilitate their return.
“It’s been a lot of fun and the hospitality has been unbelievable—that’s why we keep coming back!” states Walker. “We like how the people are. Canadians are like the Scottish—very friendly, do anything to help, and that’s what we like about it. Everybody here helps—the buses are organized, the games are organized—we don’t really have to do much, which is great. We love it!”
After a few evenings of food and drinks at 519 Beerhouse and a day of R&R on Sunday, the team flew back to Scotland on Monday, Nov. 18, leaving with many new friends, memories, and experiences, while also keeping their friendships and tradition alight for another year.
“It’s really to get together, because we’ve all known each other for 50-odd years,” says Walker. “It’s just a bit of banter and a few beers and, plus, the wife won’t let you come away for 10-days drinking, but she’ll let you come away for 10-days hockey!”
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