Glen Erickson’s 10 Dub Things
Photo: Canadian Hockey League
By Glen Erickson
Read on…if you dare!
1- Roster Juggling – It’s that time of year when National Hockey League teams begin sending prospects back in droves to junior hockey teams. Indeed, there were a bunch of players landing back in Western Hockey League cities last week, many of whom have signed entry level contracts. But the infusion of these higher end players doesn’t always yield immediate success on the ice. The NHL season starts in North America on October 8 and at that point we’ll see what WHL eligible players might be enjoying a cup of coffee in the big leagues. The first few weeks of the WHL schedule, perhaps those first 12 to 15 games, always involve fine-tuning rosters. The deadline to confirm three 20-year-old players on each roster will come soon as well, so expect a trade or two to reflect team needs and desires. When all the juggling stops, teams will then begin to gel and that much needed chemistry can begin to impact on-ice results.
2 – Getting To Know You – Call it a scheduling quirk, but it’s probably safe to say the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels have had just about enough of each other. Already! The teams meet for the third time this season on Friday – that’s three straight games – almost like a playoff series. On Wednesday, October 9, they’ll meet for the fourth time. For the Rebels, that’s four times against the Tigers in its first seven games of the season. For the Tigers, it’s four of its first six. And by the way, the teams get together in Red Deer again, October 25. Will this familiarity breed some Central Division contempt? The Rebels won the first two contests, 4-2 at home in the Peavy Mart Centrium before 3,844 spectators, then 4-3 the next night at Medicine Hat in front of a throng of 4,089 at the Co-Op Place.
3 – Wins & Losses – The Saskatoon Blades are the only unbeaten team so far this season, earning three straight regulation victories. On the other side of the standings, the Kelowna Rockets have lost all three of its starts to date. Tonight, the Blades are in Calgary for a tilt at the Scotiabank Saddledome against the Hitmen and the Rockets host the Prince George Cougars. These are the first mid-week WHL games of the regular season.
4 – Eastbound and Down – A big weekend for the Everett Silvertips, which collected a couple of wins and in the process, a power surge where the team wasn’t shy about filling the net. The Silvertips avenged an opening weekend loss to the Vancouver Giants, lambasting its divisional rival Portland Winterhawks, 8-2. The next night, Kelowna waltzed into Angel of the Winds Arena and fell victim to the ‘Tips, 6-3. Everett will hop on the bus this week, embarking on its swing through the East Division. That’s six games in 10 nights, starting Friday in Prince Albert against the Raiders. Everett is the first U.S. Division team to visit East Division locales this season. Seattle and Spokane will also make their way through Saskatchewan and Manitoba in October.
5 – A Healthy Rivalry – A big win this past Sunday in Regina by the Pats at the Brandt Centre, 4-3 in extra time over the defending WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors in front of 2,463 spectators. The teams have split two games so far this season, each winning on home ice. The rivalry has always been pretty spicy, but WHL fans will recall that when the teams met on March 23 in the final regular season game of the 2023-2024 season, the Warriors drubbed the Pats 11-1 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. That contest included some fireworks between the benches, as Regina head coach Brad Herauf did not take kindly to the Warriors using its top power play unit late in the tilt. The Pats missed the playoffs and Warriors’ play-by-play veteran James Gallo’s classic “nothin’s fina than a win over Regina”, may also have resonated throughout the off-season. (What a great line!!) Sounds like Herauf took the opportunity on Sunday to “salute” the Warriors and bench boss Mark O’Leary after the highlight reel OT winner by Pats forward, Tye Spencer.
6 – Clean Sheets – We’re 36 games into the regular season and there has yet to be a shutout. By my count, there were 54 last season. Prince George Cougars netminder Josh Ravensbergen led the WHL with six, while Evan Gardner and Austiin Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades accounted for eight shutouts – four each. The career high among goalies, according to the WHL Guide and Record Book, is 26 shoutouts, shared by Tyson Sexsmith (in 190 appearances for the Vancouver Giants) and Carter Hart (179 appearances for the Everett Silvertips). Dustin Wolf posted 24 shutouts in 149 starts for the Silvertips.
7 – Are You Not Entertained – I harken back to the start of the Gary Bettman era as NHL commissioner, when he moved over from the National Basketball Association. What came along with him was a more upbeat stadium experience during games, including louder music between whistles, in-game hosts moving throughout the stands and entertaining(?) contests on the ice between periods. This gameday approach soon began to trickle down to other leagues. It’s all here to stay, but what if this stuff did go away? I have plenty of respect for the individuals who grab the microphone and move about the building making public service announcements, delivering advertising messages and engaging fans. They put themselves out there where there is no anonymity, advanced preparation can be time consuming, and their energy is palpable. But does this contribute to the sale of tickets? Sorry, I think not. When was the last time you said to your buddy, “let’s go to that Dub game and watch a blindfolded guy try to win a BBQ”. Do you really want a full building? Implement the best marketing program in sports: W.I.N.
8 – ELC’s Aplenty – Ever wonder how youngsters signing entry level contracts get paid? Late last month, the Nashville Predators sent 6’3, 210-pound forward Hiroki Gojsic back to the Kelowna Rockets, but not before the Langley, B.C. product inked a 3-year NHL pact. Had he cracked the Preds lineup, he’d make a base salary of $775,000. Surely the tidy signing bonus of $90,000 softened the blow from not earning a spot in Nashville, flying on charters and pocketing a nice little per diem in the NHL. (Reports suggest the per diem is about $115 USD per day, which can cover expenses on the road for things like telephone, laundry, dry cleaning, tips and gratuities.) However, when the time comes, should the Preds option Gojsic to its minor league affiliate, his annual salary becomes $85,000. These values – all in good old US greenbacks – are pretty consistent among ELC’s, though performance bonuses vary. When his contract expires, Gojsic will be 21 years old. I say, take it while you can get it! Not every NHL career is destined to be outlandishly lucrative for the player.
9 – From the Booth – It’s 27 WHL seasons and counting for Bill Wilms, who rides shotgun on Vancouver Giants radio broadcasts with current play-by-play voice, Nathan Kanter. His body of work – well over 2,300 games – includes a few years on Shaw Cable telecasts, back in the day when the production team did such outstanding work across western Canada, especially during the WHL playoffs. Wilms enjoyed a playing career that included a stint in the NCAA at the University of North Dakota, before the institution had its own Zamboni. At the time, the freshman shoveled the ice. (Boy, I wonder how the participation-ribbon generation of parents would handle that?) I had some fun on the air a few times with Bill when the Giants traveled to Kelowna. Those Giants broadcasts were preceded by a 60-minute pre-game show, which was pretty much unheard of at the time. 60 minutes! From time to time, I still reference the copy of Bill’s book, “It Always Got Better”, which he gifted me along the way. His hockey journey is fascinating!
10 – Home Sweet Home – Sometimes schedule makers across different leagues inadvertently conspire, then the home teams deliver. Bless their hearts! Last Friday, I attended a USports football game at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, where the University of Saskatchewan Huskies scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to knock off the University of Alberta Golden Bears, 33-30. Not to be outdone, “my” Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Ottawa Redblacks handily at Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon. Both were absolute must-win games for the victors, IMO. To complete the gridiron trifecta Saturday night, the Saskatoon Hilltops hammered the Regina Thunder 36-11 at Saskatoon Minor Football Stadium to run its record on the Prairie Football Conference season to 7-0. If those results weren’t enough to almost bring a few tears to a Saskatoon boy’s eyes, the Blades also took care of business over at SaskTel Centre Saturday evening, edging the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. Bravo everybody! This all makes for an “up week”.
RANDOMS…It didn’t take long for Everett Silvertips defenceman Landon Dupont to make an impact. The 15-year-old from Calgary was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Week. Did you know his father Micki, played 290 WHL games with the Kamloops Blazers from 1996 to 2000…Ranked #1 in Canada out of the gate, the Medicine Hat Tigers have one win in three starts so far this season. Methinks those early season CHL Rankings can serve to create some pretty motivated opponents…The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a better place with NBA legend Dikembe Mutumbo enshrined, back in 2015. I think the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will be too, once Pete Rose is inducted…A tough weekend at the Royal Montreal Golf Club for Canadian Mike Weir and the International team, which lost the President’s Cup to the USA by a count of 18.5 to 11.5. The event was first played in 1994 and is contested every two years. How many times has the USA lost? Once!…Have a great week!
(Glen Erickson is a freelance writer based in Medicine Hat, AB)
