Training camp continues for the Regina Pats, but the first edition of the Hornung Cup is complete. The tournament is composed of four teams named after Pats alumni (Steel, Gillies, Joly and Eberle), honouring the late Brad Hornung who passed away in February 2022. “We have had a lot of good alumni over the course of all the years. With Regina being the oldest junior franchise, we thought we’d honour some guys that way,” said general manager Dale Derkatch. “It seems to be working well and gives the guys something to play for and also learn a little bit about the organization.” Hornung is from Regina and played two seasons with the Pats, scoring 101 points in 126 games. On March 1, 1987, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury after an on-ice collision, leaving him a quadriplegic. However, Hornung’s love for hockey didn’t need to end. He became an ambassador for hockey, working as a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL Central Scouting Service. His number 8 remains retired by the Pats, sitting in the rafters at the Brandt Centre. Spanning from Thursday to Saturday, four teams competed for the trophy, with a total of 68 players in the competition. Team Steel won the tournament on Saturday afternoon. In previous years during training camp, Derkatch says that players didn’t “really play for anything”. “It just adds to the competition, I think it’s been really good, and well received by players we’ve talked to,” he said. “It actually feels like the games are very competitive and guys are playing for something.” Derkatch and Hornung knew each other for a long time, primarily running into each other during scouting. “He was a very good leader, more on the quiet side, but had a little dry sense of humour and fun to be around for sure.” Representing longtime NHL alumni in terms of their team names, Pats management hopes that names like Hornung, Eberle, Gillies, Joly and Steel can give a little bit of historical significance on where hockey can take them in their careers. “They should understand who’s come before them and who they want to emulate and move on and be part of this organization and be honoured just like the players that we use this year.”
