05/16/2019
The fall of 2001 was a period where much of our sense of security had been shaken by the 9/11 attacks. It was also a time, when my husband, after 3 years on dialysis was receiving the gift of a kidney transplant. Into this world of uncertainty and fear, came the Monarchs. They gave us a safe place to go for a few hours, to escape the worries of our world. They gave us hope in the form of a local hockey team, for whom we could cheer and ignore the world for a while. My children were 10 & 11 when hockey came to Manchester. They grew up with the Monarchs, literally.
It was more than hockey, also. Over the years, we volunteered for the Monarchs, selling 50/50 tickets several times a month, getting to the games early to help hand out towels, hats, zambeanies and the highly sought-after mullet. There was one game, the hats didn’t arrive until the game had started and we stayed and stood out in the cold handing out hats to fans for a while after the game was over. We were there for the coat drives and food drives and toy drives. My children learned about serving the greater good of the community through volunteer opportunities through the Monarchs.
During the second season, the Road Warriors emerged, following the team on road trips to cheer them on. This morphed into the Manchester Monarchs Booster Club, of which we have been members since its beginning. With the booster club, we travelled to Toronto, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse, Hershey, Philadelphia, Portland, Worcester, Springfield, Hartford, as well as many other cities. Anywhere the Monarchs played there was sure to be a group of fans to cheer them on. The Booster club started a Hockey Scholarship fund in memory of Jennifer Kemp, one of the founding members and through the years have enabled many children to go to hockey camp, that would not have been able to go otherwise. We supported NH Food Bank, Families in Transition, Nashua Children’s Home and Operation Santa.
Monarchs’ fans became their own community, a family unto itself. When you knew someone was a Monarchs’ fan, you knew immediately that you had something in common, no matter what your position in this world was. The love of the game and the team made any differences between us disappear. We have made life-long friends of people, that we would probably have never met in the course of our regular lives. My husband has been a life-long Blackhawks fan. I grew up outside of Boston and a Bruins fan. The Monarchs united us as we cheered for them and consequently the LA Kings (as long as they weren’t playing Blackhawks or Bruins).
We can’t forget the players. So many memorable players, who came through Manchester, inevitably to spread their wings elsewhere. Too many names to mention over the years, but it is always fun to see them shine wherever they are. We recently went to Montreal to watch a game and it was exciting to see Jordan Weal and Nick DesLauriers on the ice again. I find myself cheering on San Jose, simply because Martin Jones is in the net.
There is much sadness and bitterness as the Monarchs close up shop, but we must remember what they have given to our community over the years, how much our lives have been enriched by the people we have met, by the places we have gone. Let’s be thankful for what they have given us and hopeful that hockey will return to Manchester, sooner rather than later.
