The Kenora Thistles Arena was a full house Saturday night, Oct. 26 as hockey fans came out to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni face off against the Kenora Senior AAA Thistles in a friendly game of hockey.

The crowd of both Leafs and Thistles fans cheered as local and national hockey legends took to the ice on Saturday, Oct. 26, including hometown hero Mike Richards.

“It’s nice to be back on the ice,” Richards said after the game. He added that the reception from the crowd was “awesome.” Post-game, some kids clamoured to have him sign their jerseys, hats and trading cards outside the dressing room, to which he obliged.

Richards has had a decorated career in hockey, winning two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings, and an Olympic gold medal playing for Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, among other awards.

Richards and the Thistles went head-to-head against the Leafs, with the visitors ultimately coming out on top 8-5. Of course, for these alumni players, it was less about the final score than about the game itself.

“It was fun to play against these guys,” said Leafs alumnus Rick Vaive after the game.

Vaive played eight seasons with the Leafs from 1979 to 1987, becoming the first 50-goal scorer in the Leafs’ franchise history in 1982. His career in the NHL continued until 1992.

“The big thing is the people who showed up, filled the building and raised money for the hockey team,” he added as money from ticket sales went towards supporting the Kenora U-18 AAA Thistles.

Richards got his start in minor league hockey in Kenora, playing level A rep hockey with the Thistles until joining the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League in 2001.

“It was pretty cool to see what they do,” Richards said of the Leafs alumni. “They’re putting on some clinics for the kids today. It’s obviously greatly appreciated.”

Like Vaive, Richards also had a good-natured spirit about facing the competition Saturday night – especially when a couple of the big-name players from his youth were out on the ice.

“Some of the players in there – Shayne Corson, Stevie Thomas – some of the players I grew up watching, some of them I played against. It was pretty cool to interact with them before the game and even a little bit afterwards,” he said.

With hockey season ramping up, some Kenorites might like to see the same level of passion and excitement from Saturday carry through to the rest of the season, including for its home teams.

zhmood@postmedia.com