Burton 40: Karl Detta
Karl Detta isn't that old, really. But he is the only Burton regular born in the 1960s. Karl was one of the figures instrumental in getting funding for paving the rink at McCormack and thus helped facilitate all of the great action since. His entry into the Burton Hockey ranks came about from the simple fact that he lived across the street from the rink. He came over and watched the first session, and then showed up in the middle of the second session with skates, a stick, and some brew. Thus was born one of the great traditions of Burton Hockey: Karl Detta showing up randomly about a game or two into a session and joining in. In fact, despite all of the games he's played, you can't find a single full session played to his name until the middle of 2003. Honestly, though, guessing when Karl would show was half the fun. Often tagging along was his young son Mitchell, who would eventually take his father's place in Burton. Karl's appearances ceased at the end of 2007 when he relocated to Nakusp and no longer had a front row seat, though he's still shown up occasionally to watch the third generation Detta play (yes, third generation; despite being eight years younger, Lyle is Karl's uncle). As a player, his offensive play is a bit off, but he is a valuable member of any defence corps. And for an 'old' dude, he's got some good legs on him and a wicked slapper, too. Killer Karl may have moved on from Burton, but any mention of his name and his mercurial playing pattern always back a feeling of nostalgia and a big smile. For those reasons, Karl Detta is one of the Burton 40.
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