It was about six months ago when Jack Fulton told Dan Richardson he was planning a reunion of four New Westminster teams that had won the Mann Cup.

And the champs from 1958, ’59, ’62 and ’65 were going to party it up on Sept. 3-4, right around the same time the 2009 Mann Cup would start in the home arena of the Western Lacrosse Association champions.

Richardson, the Salmonbellies current general manager, said to Fulton, who managed the club from 1956 to 1964 and was GM in 1965 and ’66, “That’s good Mr. Fulton but you’re putting pressure on the guys (to be WLA champions) already.”

Fulton didn’t feel a bit guilty. “Yeah, well they’ve got to have it here.”

Well the Salmonbellies came through and will begin the best-of-seven Mann Cup against the Brampton Excelsiors tomorrow (Friday) at Queen’s Park Arena. It’s been 14 years since the cup was played there, and 18 years since the Salmonbellies last won it.

Seeing it back in the ol’ barn is a sight for sore Salmonbellies eyes like those of alumni Paul Parnell (1961 to 1975), Wayne Goss (1968 to 1981) and Fulton.

“This really means a lot to those guys,” says Richardson. “That’s what I try to tell our players that not only are you playing for yourselves and the team today, but all the guys from the glory years that have been waiting for this thing to come back. They understand because those guys come around quite a bit and they understand what it means to the old guys, and the city, because we’re a big family.”

The Salmonbellies are the talk of the town again.

“There are more people out there talking about it,” says Goss. “When things go well lots of people want to talk about it. The interest is really growing.”

It’s been a long time coming, though. For Richardson, it’s a bit ironic. The former Salmonbellie player joined the board of directors in 1995, the year the cup was last played at Queen’s Park. Since he’s in the banking industry, at his first meeting they said, “Maybe you can help out with the finances.”

He asked, “What’s your budget?”

They looked at him sideways, so he said, “Do you have a plan for expenses and revenue?”

“No,” they replied. “We just plan to make the Mann Cup every two years and we’ll balance the books that way.”

That was about the time the Victoria Shamrocks and Coquitlam Adanacs began to dominate by importing stars from the east and the Salmonbellies couldn’t get sniff until the last couple of years.

“It was like I jinxed them because it’s taken 14 years to get back to [hosting the Mann Cup],” says Richardson.

When he took over as GM five years ago the Salmonbellies they were playoff outsiders. Through the draft they were able to stockpile a bunch of talented youngsters. In 2006, they made the playoffs. In 2007, they came first but lost in the WLA final. Last year, they won the final but were swept in four games by the Excelsiors. In the last three years against WLA competition, including playoffs, the ’Bellies are 65-11-3.

“It’s really been our goal as an organization to get back not only competing at that level, but being able to host a Mann Cup in New West,” Richardson says.

Parnell figures the interest will really increase if New West and Brampton split the first two games.

“We don’t want them to split the first two games, but if they do it’ll make the series,” said Parnell, who pointed out some lousy weather wouldn’t hurt attendance as well.

Richardson said sales, so far, have been brisk. Less than 48 hours after the Salmonbellies put sales on line they did about $1,000 worth of business.

ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com