'You are in Randy Jones country'
Hockey Film crew amazed at the support for hometown hero
ROTHESAY - Randy Jones and the Philadelphia Flyers may not end up drinking from the Stanley Cup this season, but his family and friends celebrated like champions Tuesday night.
Supporters of New Brunswick's lone National Hockey League player packed Vito's restaurant in nearby Rothesay to watch Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final. Among the guests was a two-person crew from CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, on hand to film a segment about Jones scheduled to air during Game 4 on Thursday.
Everyone from the Jones family to the CBC seemed surprised at the avid response from local fans, most of whom turned up in Flyers attire.
"I was thinking around 100 people, but it's close to double that," said Randy's brother Tim, who organized the party. "We just put it out there a couple days ago. There's so much support."
"We made one phone call and all of a sudden it erupted into Hockey Night in Quispamsis. We were amazed," said CBC producer Jennifer Barr.
There were a few dozen custom-made T-shirts playing off the Mastercard commercials: "Great Vito's Pizza: $16.99, Randy Jones: $2 million/four years, HNIC: priceless."
Tim worked the room, while his father Butch sat at a table near one of the three big-screen TVs provided by Wacky Wheatley's.
The crowd broke into loud ovations after the singing of God Bless America and when Jones first touched the puck, and drowned out the voice of announcer Bob Cole during scoring chances.
In between bites of pizza and cake, young girls in pink Flyers T-shirts waved signs, and middle-aged men in Flyers jerseys and hats sipped drinks.
Some life went out of the place when the rival Pittsburgh Penguins scored the first goal and faces grew more tense and serious when they made it 2-0. But the room erupted when the Flyers cut the lead in half.
Both Tim and Butch jumped out of their seats and Butch turned around to high-five his son Derek and grandson Parker.
The Vito's gathering capped a day that saw the CBC crew visit the Jones home and film various sites around Quispamsis and Rothesay.
"They brought us into the shrine of Randy and showed us everything he had from peewee to midget to the NHL," said Barr. She was particularly impressed by the signs on local businesses, from Dairy Queen's "Welcome CBC, you are in Randy Jones country" to Renforth Auto Centre's "Randy Oh Randy, bring home Lord Stanley."
"It's unbelievable," said Barr. "I can't get over the support, it's huge."
She heads to Sidney Crosby's hometown, Cole Harbour, N.S., today, but doesn't expect nearly the same reception.
"The real story is here," she said.
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