- Here we are. Mid-August and a month since I posted a few thoughts on this blog. Where to start? Well, we are a few weeks away from what would typically be rookie camp, with close to 100 hopefuls taking to the ice. It would be chance to see the newest crop of just drafted prospects take to the ice against others who are attending with the hopes of being listed by the team with a good showing. We didn't see a rookie camp last September with the pandemic playing havoc. Will it cripple another attempt at rookie camp again this season? Sadly, COVID-19 won't go away. The Delta Variant is the big concern and overall positive cases are going up and in the wrong direction despite more people being vaccinated. It has to be frustrating for teams not knowing if they can proceed as planned. While we want to believe its 'full speed ahead', you can't but hold your breath for the next two weeks and for the calendar to change to September.
- To think, the Rockets first pre-game game is exactly a month away when they face the Vancouver Giants down in Ladner. The pre-season consists of just 5 games before the puck drops for real October 2nd against the visiting Everett Silvertips.
- While the WHL hasn't sent out a press release asking all players, coaches and team personnel to be fully vaccinated like their counterparts in both the QMJHL or OHL, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that without being vaccinated, you can't play or travel with the virus still playing such a prominent role. As a radio broadcaster, I was unvaccinated during the abbreviated season back in March, but I didn't travel with the team. I had zero contact with the players or the coaches. I am no scientist, but without two shots, I can't be in the same air space with any team member in fear of infecting them. Fast forwarding to now, I have been vaccinated, which appears to be my ticket to not only traveling with the team but making my way across the border into Oregon and Washington State.
- The Winnipeg Jets have put a line in the stand. If you are not double vaccinated, you won't be watching the team play home games inside Canada Life Centre. While it sounds bold for the team to make the decision, True North Sports and Entertainment says season ticket holders made it clear that was their preference. Look for others in Canada to follow the Jets lead. The question must be asked, will WHL teams also require hockey fans to be full vaxxed to enter the building or will they let the provincial health officers to make that decision for them? As a fully vaccinated person, my hope is those around me inside a building would also do the same, but that's not my call.
- I golfed with three Rockets season ticket holders on the weekend. A small sample size, but all three preferred everyone in the arena vaccinated over none-vaccinated.
- Speaking of traveling, two NHL teams have already decided their radio play-by-play broadcasters won't be part of the traveling entourage this season. The Buffalo Sabres will have their radio crew call road games from home on a monitor as will the Toronto Maple Leafs. I anticipate more teams doing the same. The fact is, radio is the ugly step child of media. It is not king. TV is. Radio may sit third in the pecking order behind the teams ability to control its own message through it's social media channels. NHL radio is nowhere near what it used to be in the glory days, especially in the 80's and 90's when big names were behind the microphones and played a significant part in covering the team. People used to listen more intently and radio was one of the go-to mediums. With COVID prohibiting TV and radio broadcast crews from traveling last season, they were forced into dipping into technology by sitting in a studio and calling games over a monitor. Did it work? It actually worked so well you could hardly tell they weren't physically in the arena. Credit to the radio crews and the production people that were able to pluck ambience sound from inside the respective arenas. It was surprisingly good. Like very, very good. Broadcasters will kick and scream if they are told they can't travel this season, but this may be the new reality. It isn't perfect. Pre-game skates and media interviews can't be executed face-to-face, but it has been proven that it's possible to get the job done with a high level of proficiency. If the team pays the travel costs for its media members to attend road games, I could see broadcasters making the trip. If the media company has to fit the bill, in a time of fiscal restraint, those who love riding the private jet with the team, rubbing shoulders with the players, eating at great restaurants and visiting excellent NHL arenas in fabulous cities may be a pipe dream moving forward. It's one of the perks of being a broadcaster at that level. Losing the ability to be on the road and covering the team would be a hard pill to swallow for many - if not all.
- Enough COVID talk. How about the season that is schedule to start October 2nd. For those who weren't paying attention, the Kelowna Rockets won't play any games in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba this season. Teams based in those provinces won't return the favour either. It's strictly a diet of BC and US Division opponents this season. The Rockets will play 48 games against BC Division teams with 20 against American based clubs. That's 96 points available within your own division. With Kamloops winning back-to-back BC Division titles and looking as the odds on favourite to do it for a third straight time, winning games against them won't be easy. Prince George may be the most improved. It could be a three horse race between the Rockets, Giants and Royals to see who can grind out points against one another.
- I've been calling games in this league since 1995, so am I disappointed that we won't be making a prairie road trip this season? Honestly, no. Been there, done that. It isn't like I don't enjoy it, but it's typically a grueling trip with 6 games in 9 night's where the team from 'out west' doesn't look very good on a Tuesday night in Prince Albert because of travel, moving from city-to-city in a small window and on most occasions involving the Rockets, the best players are absent as they attend a world junior main camp. The only thing missing from not playing games against Eastern Conference opponents will be my first live viewing of Connor Bedard.
- Roman Basran's time with the Kelowna Rockets is over. The writing appeared to be on the wall. When you are a 20 year-old goalie, you need to be a consistent, dominating force at that position in order to earn one of three overage spots. Basran was unable to attain greatness consistently. He had his moments, but again it was streaky play. Basran had many highlites during his time in red, teal, black and white. Who will forget his first career start, at 16, with a 38 safe performance against the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was a Kelowna Rockets first where a goalie that young earned the white wash in his first career start. Basran was also involved in a goalie fight with Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers which got him recognized with those viewing the replay time and time again on YouTube. One thing Basran didn't accomplish during his stint in the WHL was a goalie goal. I thought if one goalie would score a goal - Basran would be that candidate. He loved to play the puck. He especially loved to play it in his 16 and 17 year-old seasons and tempered that enthusiasm down in his 18 and 19 year-old campaigns. He could fire the puck quickly and accurately, but he never really came close to achieving something that only one other Rockets goalie has been able to accomplish. Jeff Calvert scored a goalie goal with the Tacoma Rockets. I have never called a 'goalie goal' in my 26 years in the booth. If I was a betting man, I would have put my money on Basran being the one that would allow me to tick that off my bucket list.
- Trevor Wong didn't hear his name called at the NHL Draft, but all is not lost for a second year forward who picked up 16 points in 16 games during the abbreviated season. Wong will attend the training camp of the Florida Panthers.
- Tyrell Goubourne, pound for pound, was one of the toughest and most intimidating players ever to wear Kelowna Rockets colours. 'Goulby' just signed a one year contact with the Belleville Senators, the AHL farm team of the Ottawa Senators. Now 27, Goulbourne has 11 NHL games under his belt with the Philadelphia Flyers. He most recently played with the Vegas Golden Knights AHL affiliate, but never had a chance to dress for the big team. A move to the Senators organization seems like a better fit to get another shot of getting back to the NHL. Ottawa is young and improving after missing the playoffs last season. Vegas is loaded with veteran talent and owned the second best overall record in the NHL in 2020-2021. Goulbourne is a bottom 6 forward, so earning a spot with the Senators seems a more likely possibility.
- Many people have been struggling mentally during the last 17-18 months in dealing with the pandemic. I get it. It's been rough. That said, have our anxiety levels not increased exponentially since the advent of the cellphone? No seriously, are we better off mentally because we have it in our hands and look on it continuously? No...we....are...not. Some post on social media for the exact purpose of getting likes and feedback/admiration from others. If you don't get that 'positive' feedback, you go into a dark place. If you really struggle with the mental side of living on this ever changing planet of ours, look at your iPhone as one of the contributing reasons why you don't feel good about yourself. I challenge those that struggle to abstain from it. Take a week from it being in the palm of your hand. I bet many can't do it.
