FIRST TOURNAMENT:

memories from White Bear’s 1945 and 1946 tournament appearances. There are photos of the team in their “uniforms,” black wool jerseys borrowed from the football squad; and posing with the coach, R.P. “Dick” Bradley.

The coach helped provide transportation to the St. Paul Auditorium, where the tourney was held. There were no school buses then, so the team piled into two vehicles, one of them Bradley’s ’39 Buick, along with their minimal equipment.

Hockey had taken a hiatus at White Bear high school during the early years of World War II. That is, until players eventually convinced the school board to let them compete. The request was approved as long as it didn’t cost the district any money.

Resler grew up playing hockey on White Bear Lake. He remembers buying his first pair of skates — “a shoe on a blade” — for $1.25. He spied the skates in

Alum recalls the year White Bear players made history

the downtown hardware store window.

A favorite destination was the area in front of Johnson Boat Works. It was always rink ready, he said. Kids on his side of town would cross the Manitou Island bridge to reach safe ice before gliding over to the bay rink.

“We knew everything about the lake, where it was safe and unsafe,” Resler recalled. “You had to avoid the point off the island. It was the last place to freeze.” He remembers a kid named Bob Arcand, who fell through thin ice under the bridge. “He was a walking icicle,” added Resler.

Accuracy was another valued skill from playing on the lake ice. A slapshot that didn’t go in the net could travel blocks across the frozen water, requiring someone fetch the puck. “That’s why we were good,” Resler maintained.

High school graduation in 1947 didn’t end his hockey days. Resler and other former teammates went on to play for the Flyers, a Town team that won a championship in 1953.

The Reslers have been married 71 years. Virginia, 90, is a farm girl from Forest Lake who moved to White Bear after her mother was widowed. The couple’s romance blossomed at the White Bear bowling alley, where Virginia worked as a waitress. They raised six children and boast 15 grandchildren. Teammate Gordy Vadnais, a big defenseman (and future fire chief), was John’s best man.

The 1945 tournament, not only the first in Minnesota, but first in the United States, was a dream come true for the Bears. “We were in awe when we saw that big sheet of ice. It’s a sight I will never forget,” said Resler, who gets emotional talking about those glory days.

“We didn’t realize at the time we were making history. To us, it was just another game. The worst part was we never won a tournament.”

Eveleth was the 1945 state champion, beating Thief River Falls in the final. They were better equipped than other teams and one of the few with helmets. “We didn’t even have jerseys,” Resler exclaimed. White Bear had shin pads and second-hand sticks. Some players admitted borrowing garter belts from their sisters to hold up their socks. Their state appearance in 1946 ended in a loss to Roseau in overtime.

Growing up on Cook Avenue, Resler lived six blocks from the lake. He remembers walking to meet his buddies, skates in tow, every day after school.

Holidays and weekends were spent skating at the Hippodrome.

“Hockey has such a rich history here,” noted Resler, who retired as a UPS mechanic in 1991. “Even before us, there were legends like Moose Goheen and Doc Romnes.

“Hockey was my favorite thing to do. Once the lake froze, we went all over. We could always find a game somewhere.”