CITY FACTS:

• Today's city of Summerside can trace its beginning to a few Loyalists who moved to the shorts of Bedeque Bay in 1785.
  
• The town was named after Joseph Green's inn, which was called Summerside House, because it was said to be on the sunny side of the island.
  
• The town's early prosperity stemmed from shipping and later from the fox farms; during World War II a military air base outside of town emerged as an economic mainstay.
  
• The town is still recuperating economically from the closure of the base in the late 1980s and is striving to emerge as a tourist destination.
  
• Summerside is western PEI's undisputed commercial centre and the island's second- most-populous community.
  
• Summerside was incorporated as a city in 1994.
  
  

HOCKEY FACTS:

• The origins of hockey in Summerside can be traced back to the early 1890's
• The Summerside Stars was the first organized team to compete for a provincial championship in 1896-97
• In 1899 the legendary Crystals Hockey Club would become the Summerside entry in provincial senior hockey. The Crystals captured their first Island Championship during the 1899-1900 season
• Although the Summerside Alpha's became Summerside's first female hockey team in 1904, the Crystal Sisters of the 1920's became the first women's team to capture a provincial title.
• In 1925 Crystal's player Charlie Cahill became the first Islander to play in the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins.
• Another notable competitor from that era was Clarence Steele. Steele began his pro career as a teenager joining Hershey of the AHL in 1936. Had it not been for the outbreak of World War II he would have undoubtedly played in the NHL
• The current Summerside rink was built in 1954 with a second ice surface added in 1977. Upon the addition of the second rink, the facilities were renamed Cahill Stadium and Steele Arena.
• This city is proud of the Summerside Five, a group of men from the community who are heavily involved in making hockey work in Columbus, Ohio. When Summerside native Doug MacLean was hired by the Blue Jackets as the team's first general manager, he looked to his hometown friends to help build the franchise. Jim Clark and Gerard Gallant serve as assistant coaches, George Matthews is the team's radio voice and Jim Rankin is Columbus' team services director. All six grew up within six blocks of each other.
• MacLean took the team to Summerside for training camp this year. Each day, the team drew 1,000 - 1,200 people to watch practice and intra-squad games.
• The Summerside Western Capitals won the 1997 Royal Bank Cup, which is awarded to the top Junior 'A' team in Canada.

NHL alumni from Summerside:

• Errol Thompson, who played 10 seasons with the Leafs, Red Wings and Penguins (1970-1981).
• Kim Payner, who played 37 games in the NHL with the Hawks, Capitals, Jets and Sens (1988-1994).
• Gerard Gallant, who scored 211 goals and 480 points in nine seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and two with the Tampa Bay Lightning (1984-1995).
• John Chabot, who scored 84 goals and 312 points in eight seasons with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit (1983 - 1991)
• Gallant sponsors the Junior B team in Summerside. Called the Turks' Junior Red Wings, it combines Gallant's nickname (Turk) and his love for the Red Wings. He also coached the team before joining the Jackets.