Happy Birthday Blog

• Today marks the second anniversary/birthday of this blog. Regan's Rant was born February 7th 2007. Over the last year I've added video and audio while attempting to share my opinion on the happenings of the Kelowna Rockets. I could be all factual, but how boring is that? Don't get me wrong, being factual and being correct is part of the package, but sharing my opinion - whether you agree or not - is part of what this blog is intended to provide the reader.
• You - the reader - is the reason I have this blog in the first place. If no one was reading, I'd shut this thing down in a heartbeat. While the number of visitors to this site are small in comparison to others around the league, I appreciate your visits and the comments you leave sharing your opinions on the team you watch as closely as I do.
• I hope to add more video as the season ramps up into high gear. The players on the Rockets are always accommodating to sit down for a few minutes with me for an interview, which is used exclusively on this blog.
• This blog would likely fall flat on it's face it was not for the support of the Rockets coaching staff. No, they do not proof read everything before I post it, but coach Ryan Huska is a forward thinker and believes the blog has some value in providing coverage of his team. If he was strictly against it, I would likely have turfed it long ago. I am here to play nicely in the sandbox, not throw sand in the teams face.

Phelps Photo Leaves Impact On Rockets

Note: I am not saying junior hockey players will be caught in the same act as Phelps, but what prevents them from having a picture or two taken of them while at a party with a beer in their hand? Who's taking that picture, and where will it appear? Will it appear on a harmless Facebook posting, or will a disgruntled girlfriend post the unflattering photo elsewhere if a relationship goes sideways? It's worth considering for any junior hockey player who has a high profile. The Internet is a great tool, but a weapon that can be used against you as well.

Score Flatters Visitors

• The Kelowna Rockets fired 47 shots towards the Everett Silvertips goal Friday night, but it took Mikael Backlund's goal with 20 seconds left in overtime enabling the home team to skate away with a 2-1 win. Backlund's goal came after Kyle St. Denis passed a puck from the end board that found the stick of Backlund, who quickly one timed it into the back of the net.
• The Rockets 47 shots on goal were a season high.
• This game was clearly dominated by the home team, yet the Tips had a 1-0 lead late in the 3rd period before Rockets captain Colin Long scored to tie it at one. While the Rockets out-shot the Tips 30-7 over 40 minutes, the visitors were able to earn a point against a team they were clearly over matched by. Solid goaltending by Thomas Heemskerk was the reason why the Tips were within 5 minutes of stealing two points out of Prospera Place.
• Kyle St. Denis returned to the Rockets lineup Friday night, and didn't miss a beat. St. Denis was one of the best players on the ice, outside of Heemskerk's heroics in goal. St. Denis took a regular shift and saw time on the power play. If this is a sign of things to come, look out!
• I had the pleasure of talking with Tips rookie forward Kellan Tochkin before the game. What a class act this kid is. The 17 year-old is a great example of what other rookies should consider before jumping to major junior at 16. Tochkin elected to play one more season of junior 'B' as a 16 year-old before moving to major junior at 17. The extra year to mature and develop his game in junior 'B' has resulted in a much better player for the Tips long term. Tochkin now leads all WHL rookies in scoring. While he didn't generate much Friday night (he had an assist), his offensive totals are no fluke. He is going to be fun to watch for years to come.
• Here is the interview I had with Tochkin: www.am1150.ca/player/player?mediapath=&type=mp3&fi=files%2Fam1150%2Fsrimedia%2FR09_1323.MP3&nid=871665
• The Rockets have now registered points in 7 straight games. The Rockets are 5-0-1-1 over that period.
• I wanted to share this e-mail I received from a listener Friday night.
  Regan!!!!
  We have been listening to the game on the internet as we sit in our condo
  in Punta Mita Mexico. We are vacationing for 3 weeks and have season
  tickets to the Rockets. It feels so good hearing you and ...... your
  counter part...sorry I forgot his name...he is good as well. I'm so glad
  that Rockets won! St. Denis is amazing.
  Thanks for the entertaining commentary.
  p.s. it has been in the mid 30's and so hot and humid! Take care.
  Keith and Loretta Stutters.
• Was it a Western Hockey League record? Twelve American born players took part in last night's game. Seven from the Rockets and five from the Tips.

He's Back!

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets and Tips are meeting for the 3rd of four times this season. The Rockets are 1-1-0-0 against Everett this season. The Rockets were a 4-2 winner in the opening game between the two teams on October 1st before falling 8-6 in Everett October 17th. Following tonight’s game the two teams conclude the four game set February 21st in Everett. The Rockets enter tonight’s game having registered a point in six straight games (4-0-1-1), with their last loss coming January 21st in a 6-4 setback to Vancouver. The Rockets are playing the second game of 14 in the month of February. The Rockets are playing those 14 games in just 25 days. Nine of those 14 games are being played on the road. Home dates include games against Everett tonight, Kamloops tomorrow and single games against visiting Vancouver, Prince George and Chilliwack. Kyle St. Denis returns to the lineup tonight after missing 37 games with a broken wrist. The Rockets were 21-13-1-2 with St. Denis out of the lineup.

Last Game: Jamie Benn scored three times leading the Rockets to a 6-1 win in Kamloops Tuesday night. Mikael Backlund, Cody Almond and Curt Gogol also scored for the Rockets, in their 30th win of the season. The Rockets were 2 for 4 on the power play while failing to give up a goal in 6 Blazer chances. Mark Guggenberger made 15 saves in the win. The victory was the franchises 500th since arriving in Kelowna for the start of the 1995-1996 season.

Hat-trick Heaven: Benn’s three goal effort Tuesday was his second-three goal game of the season. Cody Almond also has two-three goal games this season. Who was the last Rockets player to register three-three goal games in one season? Justin Keller had three hattricks during the 2005-2006 season. Chuck Kobasew also had three-three goal games during the 2001-2002 campaign. Jason Deleurme had three-three goal games in 197-98. Surprisingly Jesse Schultz had just one-three goal game despite scoring 53 times in 2002-2003.

Very Interesting! When the Rockets and Tips met in the Western Conference final in 2004, how many players on the Rockets roster that season have since spent time in the NHL? The answer is 8. Shea Weber, Mike Card, Josh Gorges, D.J King, Blake Comeau, Cam Paddock, Kyle Cumiskey and Troy Bodie have all played at least one game in the NHL...The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in 9 of the 10 games since the trade deadline. The Rockets are averaging 34.5 shots per game over that period while giving up 14 fewer shots a game, or 20.6 per game. Only Tri City and Vancouver have out-shot the Rockets since the trade deadline…Mitchell Callahan has 9 fighting majors this season. By comparison, Ryan Cuthbert (a tough middle weight in his day) had 7 fighting majors in his rookie season in 1998-99. Rookie Curt Gogol has 7 fighting majors this season…The Rockets power play is 11 for 23 in their last six games (47.8%). The Rockets have scored two or more power play goals in five of their last six games. The Rockets are 4-3-1-2 in ten games since trade deadline…The Rockets had the 5th worst penalty killing unit last season. This season it’s the 5th best.

Almond Goes Nuts in January: Cody Almond had 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points in 14 games in the month of January. That included three multiple goal games and points in 11 of those 14 games. Those 12 goals came off a December where the 19 year-old scored just once in ten games.

New Faces Contribute: Mikael Backlund has 4+8=12 in his first ten games. Ian Duval has 5+6=11 in his first eight games with the Rockets. Riley Grantham has 0+2=2 in his first 9 games, including two fighting majors. Goaltender Mark Guggenberger is 5-2-1-1 with the Rockets, with wins over Kamloops (twice), Medicine Hat, Prince George and Tri City.

Benn Comes Up Big: Jamie Benn has nine goals in his last six games, and has goals in four straight. Benn is the first Rockets player to register back-to-back 30 goal seasons since Justin Keller had 31 goals in 2004-2005 and scored 51 times in 2005-2006. Benn has nine points in his last four games (7+2=9), and points in six of his last seven games. Benn has 124 career points in just 89 games. Benn is averaging 1.39 points per game over his career.

Who’s Hot: Colin Long has three goals in his last six games. Long has points in 5 of his last 6 games with 3+6=9 over that period. Stepan Novotny has 2+3=5 in his last four games. Ian Duval has goals in eight of his last eleven games. Brandon McMillan has 5+9=14 in his last 16 games. Tyson Barrie had 10 points (2+8=10) in 14 games in January. Tyler Myers has points in five of his last six games (1+6=7). Lucas Bloodoff has not scored in 12 games. Prior to the drought the 19 year-old had six goals in four games.

By The Numbers: Since re-locating to Kelowna from Tacoma for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have played 988 regular season games. The Rockets have won 500 times while based in Kelowna.

Broadcaster Tidbits: The Rockets have scored 6 or more goals – ten times this season. The Rockets have managed to score 6 or more goals three times against the Cougars, twice against Kamloops, with single game outbursts against Medicine Hat, Kootenay, Everett, Chilliwack and Seattle. Last season the Rockets scored 6 or more goals 12 times… The Rockets are 28-6-0-1 when they score 3 or more goals. The Rockets are 10-10-0-2 in games where they’ve allowed 3 or more goals.

Milestones Within Reach:
Jamie Benn – is 11 games shy of 100 for his career. (89 games currently played) – 124 career points
Cody Almond – Played in his 200th career game January 10th vs. Prince George. – 151 career points
Lucas Bloodoff – played in 175th career game January 2nd vs. Spokane – 87 career points
Brandon McMillan – Played in 165th game January 7th against Seattle – 89 career points
Colin Long – Played in 200th WHL game January 9th vs. Portland. – 195 career points
Tyson Barrie – 87 career points
Tysen Dowzak – Played in his 200th career game Tuesday in Kamloops.

Video Interview With Ian Duval

If You Love Shea Weber...Check Out The Video

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?&id=32649

Cool Article on Torrie Jung

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Fiery+Jung+leads+Kings/1247171/story.html

Hulk-Like Performance

• "You won't like me when I'm angry". I am not sure if those exact words came out of the mouth of Kelowna Rockets forward Jamie Benn over the course of last night's game, but the 19 year-old had a Hulk-like performance in a 6-1 road win over the Kamloops Blazers Tuesday night. Benn scored three times, leading the Rockets to their 30th win of the season and 500th as a franchise since it re-located to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season.


• Benn scored once on the power play, once shorthanded and once even strength. Benn now has 34 goals on the season, one more than he had all of last season. In case your wondering, it's Benn's second career hat-trick. Benn had three goals against Lethbridge November 1st.


• It may have been Mikael Backlund's best game in a Rockets uniform. The 19 year-old, playing in just his 11th game, collecting a goal and an assist in the win. Backlund's goal may have been the best of the game, as he skated hard on right wing, protected the puck with his body, yet with a defenseman draped over him somehow lifted the puck high over the blocker side of Blazers goaltender Justin Leclerc.


• It was great to see Curt Gogol score his first WHL goal. Playing on the Rockets 4th line, Gogol did a nice job of winning a puck inside the Blazers zone and wiring one between the legs of Leclerc to make it 6-1. Gogol made it look like it was his 20th of the season instead of his first. It was simply nice to see a foot soldier be rewarded for his effort and hustle by getting a goal he will always remember. Gogol has done whatever it takes to be a regular, and it was nice to see him on the score-sheet.


• The Rockets effort Tuesday reminded me a bit of the Vancouver Giants. The Giants often let you play with them for a period or two, and then ramp up their game and bury you with their work ethic and skill in the third. The Rockets and Blazers were scoreless after one period, but the Rockets began to take over by scoring 6 unanswered after the home team opened the scoring early in the second frame. The Rockets allowed just 11 shots over the final 40 minutes while out-shooting the home team 14-2 in the final frame.


• The Rockets now have points in 6 straight games and moved 8 points up on the Blazers for 4th place in the Western Conference. The Rockets also have 3 games in hand.


• The Rockets played this game without Kyle St. Denis, who took the pre-game warm up. St. Denis will make his return Friday night against the Everett Silvertips. Forward Ian Duval will also return Friday from a concussion.


• Defenseman Aaron Borejko sat this one out with a upper body injury.


• Veteran Tysen Dowzak played in his 200th WHL game Tuesday night in Kamloops. Dowzak's first WHL goal came against the Kootenay Ice in his 17 year-old season. Two current NHL'ers assisted on his first goal. Blake Comeau (Islanders) and Alex Edler (Canucks) drew the assists.


• Pat Smith was the lone referee in this game, and he was solid. In my opinion Smith is a way better referee when he calls the game alone than under the two referee system. He didn't get involved and let the two teams be the focal point before being proactive once the play got chippy and the score got out of reach. I'll take the 'one referee Pat Smith' over the 'two referee Pat Smith' any day of the week.


• The Rockets are now 6-0-0-0 against the Blazers this season. Game seven of the 9 game seasonal series is Saturday night in Kelowna.


• Everett Silvertips head coach John Becanic and his players took in last night's game at Interior Savings Centre.I don't know who is a more personable coach, Becanic or Ryan Huska? Both realize that the media are not the enemy.


• The funny story of the night came off the ice where Rockets captain Colin Long mistakenly forgot his dress cloths back in Kelowna when the bus left Prospera Place. So Long was forced to call up Blazers forward C.J Stretch, a buddy of his, and asked him if he could bring down a suit that he could wear into the arena once he arrived. Despite the rivalry between the two teams, Stretch helped out his 'California cousin' and brought Long some dress clothes so he didn't look out of place. What a great guy! Who says the Rockets and Blazers can't get along. First the Rockets help the Blazers by providing transportation for their coach and players who are storm stayed in Vancouver following the Christmas break, and now they are sharing clothes with one another. What's next, a block-buster trade between the two teams?

Radio NL is celebrating 25 years of covering Kamloops Blazers hockey by bring together the three radio voices that have been behind the mic calling their games over the years. Kirk Fraser (far left), is joined by Jeff Patterson (middle), and Kelly Moore (right). The three each called a period of Tuesday night's game and will do the same tonight when the Blazers host the Everett Silvertips. I thought it was a very cool idea to bring the three together to share the airwaves and likely reminisce a little on the teams they've covered over the years.
Jamie Benn is named the games #1 star.

Any clue who these Rockets fans are? They wouldn't read this blog would they? Could this picture have been taken during a lacklustre first period? Truth be told, the pic was taken in the intermission. Your on candid camera.You don't see it often, but a female Zamboni driver is cleaning the ice at the Interior Saving Center. The same holds true in Kent Washington.

Things That Make Me Go Hmm....

• I anticipate Rockets forward Kyle St. Denis returning to the lineup Friday against the Everett Silvertips. If that should happen, and Ian Duval returns from a bump he received last Friday against Medicine Hat, you will see - for the first time this season - the entire Kelowna Rockets lineup. When St. Denis was injured October 24th, the Rockets played that game without Tysen Dowzak. Dowzak was still playing pro hockey with the Hartford Wolfpack.
• Think about that for just a second. It is not until game #52 of the regular season that the Rockets have a complete lineup.
• When St Denis was hurt October 24th, he had 5 goals in his last 8 games.
• Cory Clouston is now an NHL coach. You have to marvel at his acceleration to the top. The former Kootenay Ice coach is now guiding the Ottawa Senators. Whether he is ready for the job or not can be questioned, but it is still great to see another junior coach getting the chance to show his talents at the NHL level. The Senators elected to promote from within, making you wonder if the Edmonton Oilers would ever make a similar move if Craig McTavish became expendable? Who is the Oilers AHL head coach. You guessed it, former Rockets coach Jeff Truitt.
• Never judge a book by it's cover. A great example of that would be the hotel we stayed at in Kent on the weekend. The Holiday Inn looked nothing special on the outside, but the rooms were very good. Granite counter tops, new bedding and high speed Internet. No mold in the shower - wow! The hotel must have received a face-lift, as the rooms simply didn't match the hotels exterior.
• My one complaint about the ShoWare Center in Kent would be the location of the radio broadcast booth. It is located in the far corner of the building. It happened to be the farthest place from where the T-Birds scored the game winning goal against the Rockets Saturday night. What makes matters worse is you are unable to see the two benches clearly, so if someone is hurt or someone is being benched, you can't see what's happening from where the visiting radio booth is located. The only plus of that location? The broadcast location is on the end that the T-Birds defend, so I could see the Rockets scoring chances clearly. The only problem? The Rockets scored only one goal in that game. This picture was taken in the 2nd period.
• What does Cody Almond take away from January after a solid month offensively? How about stitches in the inside and outside of his mouth after getting hit in the cheek with a puck Saturday against the T-Birds.
• Nice to see WHL Governors holding league meetings in Vegas this week. You have to wonder how much time is being spent on league business as opposed to time on the golf course and taking in the sights and sounds of 'Sin City'.

Game Notes vs. Blazers

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets and Blazers are meeting for the 6th of 9 times this season. The Rockets are 5-0-0-0 in the seasonal series, including 2-0-0-0 at home and 3-0-0-0 at the Interior Savings Centre. The Rockets have out-scored the Blazers 25-11, including 16-4 on opposition ice. The Rockets have scored 5 or more goals in four of the five meetings. Following tonight’s tilt, the two teams collide Saturday in Kelowna before meeting March 13th and 14th to wrap up the seasonal series. If the playoffs were to begin tonight, the Rockets and Blazers would meet in round one. These two teams last met in the 2002 playoffs with the Rockets winning in 4 straight. These two teams also met in the first round in 1999, with the Blazers winning in 6 games. The Blazers also beat the Tacoma Rockets in an opening round playoff series in 1992 in four straight. The Rockets open the month of February playing 14 games in 25 days. Nine of those 14 games will be played on the road. Home dates include games against Everett, Kamloops, Vancouver, Prince George and Chilliwack.

Seasonal Series Breakdown: The Rockets have out-shot the Blazers in four of the five games in the seasonal series. The exception was September 27th in a Rockets 5-4 win at Prospera Place. The Blazers out-shot the Rockets 28-25. The Rockets have scored a power play goal in all five games this season. The Rockets are 13 for 34 (38.2%) with the power play in the five games while the Blazers are 3 for 26 (11.5%) with the extra man in the five games.

Period Scoring Breakdown:
Period: 1 2 3 OT SO Total
Rockets 6 10 8 0 1 25
Blazers 6 2 3 0 0 11

Last Game: Jim O’Brien had the puck deflect off of him into the net leading the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 2-1 overtime win over the Rockets Saturday night in Kent. The Rockets lone goal came off of the stick of Jamie Benn. The Rockets out-shot the T-Birds 36-18, yet were 0 for 2 on the power play. Mark Guggenberger earned the single point in goal. Since being acquired at the trade deadline, Guggenberger has earned points in five of seven starts.

Very Interesting! In the three games played in Kamloops, the two teams have combined for 8 fighting majors…The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in 8 of the 9 games since the trade deadline. The Rockets are averaging 35 shots per game over that period while giving up 10 fewer shots a game, or 25.1 per game. Only Tri City and Vancouver have out-shot the Rockets since the trade deadline. In 4 of those 9 games the Rockets have registered 40+ shots…Mitchell Callahan has 9 fighting majors this season. That includes three in his last seven games. By comparison, Ryan Cuthbert (a tough middle weight in his day) had 7 fighting majors in his rookie season in 1998-99. Rookie Curt Gogol has 7 fighting majors this season…The Rockets power play is 9 for 19 in their last five games (47.4%). The Rockets have scored two or more power play goals in four of their last five games. The Rockets are 3-3-1-2 in nine games since trade deadline…The Rockets had the 5th worst penalty killing unit last season. This season it’s the 5th best.

Almond Goes Nuts in January: Cody Almond had 12 goals and 8 assists for 20 points in 14 games in the month of January. That included three multiple goal games and points in 11 of those 14 games. Those 12 goals came off a December where the 19 year-old scored just once in ten games.

New Faces Contribute: Mikael Backlund has 3+7=10 in his first nine games. Ian Duval has 5+6=11 in his first eight games with the Rockets. Riley Grantham has 0+2=2 in his first 8 games, including two fighting majors. Goaltender Mark Guggenberger is 4-2-1-1 with the Rockets, with wins over Medicine Hat, Prince George, Tri City and Kamloops.

Jamie Gives Goalies Jitters: Jamie Benn has six goals in his last five games, and has goals in three straight. Benn is the first Rockets player to register back-to-back 30 goal seasons since Justin Keller had 31 goals in 2004-2005 and scored 51 times in 2005-2006. Benn has six points in his last three games (4+2=6), and points in five of his last six games. Benn has played in only three games against the Blazers this season. Benn has 1+3=4 with a fight in those three games. Benn has 121 career points in just 88 games. Benn is averaging 1.38 points per game over his career.

Who’s Hot: Colin Long has three goals in his last five games. Long has points in 4 of his last 5 games with 3+5=8 over that period. Stepan Novotny has 2+2=4 in his last three games. Ian Duval has goals in eight of his last eleven games. Brandon McMillan has 5+8=13 in his last 15 games. Tyson Barrie had 10 points (2+8=10) in 14 games in January. Tyler Myers has points in four of his last five games (1+5=6). Lucas Bloodoff has not scored in 11 games. Prior to the drought the 19 year-old had six goals in four games.

By The Numbers: Since re-locating to Kelowna from Tacoma for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have played 987 regular season games. The Rockets have won 499 times while based in Kelowna.

St. Denis Still Sidelined: Rockets forward Kyle St. Denis is missing his 37th straight game tonight with a broken wrist. The wrist was broken October 24th against the Chilliwack Bruins. The Rockets are 20-13-1-2 with St. Denis out of the lineup. St. Denis should return to the lineup Friday against Everett.

Broadcaster Tidbits: The Rockets have scored 6 or more goals – nine times this season. The Rockets have managed to score 6 or more goals three times against the Cougars, with single game outbursts against Medicine Hat, Kamloops, Kootenay, Everett, Chilliwack and Seattle. Last season the Rockets scored 6 or more goals 12 times… The Rockets are 27-6-0-1 when they score 3 or more goals. The Rockets are 10-10-0-2 in games where they’ve allowed 3 or more goals.

St. Denis Cleared To Play

Video of Kyle St. Denis at practice Monday. He's ready to jump back into the lineup and participated in his first contact practice this afternoon with the team. Expect #23 to return Friday against Everett.

Score Clock Envy...Again!

Below you will find a video of the Rockets coming onto the ice for warmup directly in the path of the T-Birds warmup. Can you see a potential disaster here? If the Rockets have to skate the length of the ice to get to there end of the rink, why wouldn't the visiting team go out first - safely - before the T-Birds come out for the warmup? All it takes is one taunt from either side...and it's on! Don't tell me I didn't warn you!

A quick video of the outside of ShoWare Center. The outside of the building doesn't give you the 'wow factor', but a solid junior rink that seats 6 thousand. It's no Everett Events Center, yet in my opinion it's nicer than the Cranbrook Rec-Plex.

Effort Was There..Luck Wasn't.

• You can’t complain with the effort the Rockets put forward Saturday night in Kent Washington. Had it not been for the solid play of Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard, the Rockets would be headed home with two points instead of just one. While the Rockets dropped a 2-1 decision to the T-Birds in overtime, the game winner was awfully tough to defend.
• The winning goal came when T-Birds defenseman Brad Haber fired a shot towards the Rockets net from the left boards that hit Jim O’Brien standing in front. My only complaint about the unfortunate break would have been Rockets defenseman Tyler Myers sliding on all fours in an attempt to block Haber’s original shot. Sliding on the ice did not allow Haber to get the original shot on goal, but it essentially took Myers out of the play.
• The Rockets had three significant chances to put the game away, yet solid saves by Pickard off of Mikael Backlund and Colin Long prevented that. Pickard also made a nice blocker save off of Jamie Benn as the Rockets leading goal scorer won a race to a loose puck inside the T-Birds zone. Come to think of it, every shot the Rockets had in overtime was dangerous considering they had three shots in the extra session. I guess the same can be said for the T-Birds, as their lone shot found the back of the net.
• This game featured three fights, the most spirited of them all came when Mitchell Callahan got into a tussle with Brenden Silvester. The two traded some solid shots back and forth as the fight erupted just inside the Rockets blue line. Silvester impressed me considering he has just 20 penalty minutes this season. Callahan always impresses me, as he has to be considering one of the toughest up and coming middle weights in the league.
• The Rockets were granted just two power play chances, thanks in part to the T-Birds discipline and some non-calls by referee Derek Herman.
• The Rockets three game winning streak may have come to an end, but the team still has points five straight games (3-0-1-1).
• The new home of the T-Birds really impressed me. My first visit to the ShoWare Center has me wanting to come back again for another visit. The volunteer staff were friendly, the vibe in the building was good, and the game wasn’t bad either. Hey, there are quirks with every arena, but it’s a facility that the citizens of Kent and the T-Birds should be proud of.
• I hope some of the pictures I've posted give you a better idea of the WHL's newest building. It's capacity is just over 6 thousand, all the seats are padded, and their are just 20 rows of seats surrounding the ice surface. A building like that would sure look good in Moose Jaw.
• I will post a few more pictures and some video when I get a better Internet connection at home. On the bus, it's best I just stick to text on this blog entry.
• I spoke to Thomas Hickey before the game, and let me state he’s one of my favorite player in this great league of ours. What a pro, off the ice and on it. I just like his demeanor. He’s a player you want to cheer for, even if he is wearing the oppositions colours. I conducted my interview with him as he was firing weighted orange pucks into a make-shift net brought in for him by the LA Kings. I guess the Kings think he needs to work on his shot, so the contraption should aid his cause.