Every year, near the start of the autumn season, hockey players leave home and trek to their new homes for the winter months. Parker Scherr, the Captain of the Portage Terriers, has made the trip from Edmonton to Portage la Prairie for the third time and has been joined in the city by his parents for several visits.
Darryl and Kim Scherr attend as often as they are able, and have made frequent trips to Portage to take in action at Stride Place, among other MJHL arenas, and the MJHL-SJHL Showcase in Winnipeg, which Parker has been a part of for the last two years. Parker's parents commented that coming to Portage feels almost like going home. Darryl notes that they have enjoyed spending so much time in the area.
"It's been amazing. The first time we came here, I was blown away by, not only how professional the Terrier organization is and how they treat everybody, but the community itself. I've said it jokingly, but in all seriousness, it's probably one of the nicest places I've been to because the people here are so friendly, willing to talk to you, and obviously big fans of the Terriers."
Kim adds they've felt a particularly strong connection with Parker's billet family, Kyle and Alicia Pettinger.
"Darryl's often said, 'Oh, if we had to live somewhere, wouldn't this be a great place to live?' And it's true. Parker's billet family, in particular, has taken us in as pretty much their own family. We've stayed at his billet grandparent's house; we're always welcomed to stay for all occasions with his billet family, be part of their family, go to their kid's hockey games, and be a part of it all. We don't feel like we're alone here," Kim continued. "Even tonight (during the game against Steinbach on October 19), I had a friend come from Winnipeg, and she was like, 'Holy, you know so many people here.' It's so amazing because you see people, and they're just so nice, they're friendly, and they want to talk to you, and they make us feel welcome."
In Parker's three seasons thus far in Portage, he has played 110 games, scoring ten goals and adding 46 assists, and accumulating 254 penalty minutes in a Terriers jersey.
When taking a look at this season and Parker being named Captain, Darryl says that there were some nervous moments in the years leading up to this.
"It's obviously a proud moment because we know at home during the summer how hard he works to get ready for the next season. But it's really something special because, at the time when he got traded here at the beginning of 2022, we didn't know it then, but he missed home, he wasn't sure, and it took him a while to find his groove here and settle in with a whole bunch of new players. And, of course, that being the Centennial Cup year, there was always players coming in and out of the organization, so, we were really on pins and needles until the trade deadline came and passed, and he was still here. But, just given that this is just such a great, historic franchise in the MJ, and the history with it, it makes it that much more of a proud moment, knowing that he's a captain in that proud franchise."
Kim shares that it feels good to see their son have that level of trust from Head Coach and General Manager Blake Spiller.
"The fact that Spills has the confidence in him, for a kid who has been here for his third year, to want to instill that honour on him is absolutely amazing."
Darryl emphasizes what he noticed about the organization and the city when Parker arrived in Portage.
"I just go back to the professionalism and the culture here. That's one of the first things Parker said coming from the team he came from in the AJ (Alberta Junior Hockey League); it was almost the exact opposite. There, it was an organization that was somewhat in shambles and didn't have a really good culture at the time. Then, coming here, the facility is top-notch. I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff, the people in the community, like the board of directors, and everybody associated with the Terriers. You could see that they set that example, and it filters down to the players. And then the fans in the community, how they support it, how they get behind the players on and off the ice. Many times, it was hard for Parker when he got that news, 18 years old and being told, 'You're getting traded.' Not knowing then what would happen, I said, 'Some of those times, some of those things work out for the best,' and obviously, that was the best thing that ever happened to him, and us too, as parents. We've had a lot of proud moments here and had so much enjoyment coming back here year after year."
Kim says that the organization also did a great job making Parker comfortable in the city.
"For him, when he drove up here and parked his car, having his billet mom and the kids meet him here, along with the coach, that was huge. Because when he was in Olds, he kind of was placed from billet to billet, and didn't really have a place to start with, and it was difficult. So, for them to have all that organized, and for him to feel confident and have somebody here who could help him embrace the community and get himself settled was awesome."
Making the trip to Portage has been a great experience, the couple says, and if Darryl had a choice, he would only change one thing.
"My only thing, I wish we were closer, because it is such a wonderful community."