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Victoria Royals | WHL hockey team


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#41 Number Six

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Posted 31 August 2011 - 12:06 PM

I checked out a couple of the scrimmages and was impressed ... I had forgotten how fast these guys are.

I'm afraid I just couldn't get into the ECHL. I went to a couple of games every season but I found the intensity level to be lacking. I don't want to slam the SK because I know losing the franchise was a big blow to a lot of people but I would rather watch a bunch of younger players on their way up then a team of older players on their way out. The majority won't make it in the NHL but a few will and those that don't will still be busting their ass for a chance to make it in the bigs.

Go Royals Go!

#42 spanky123

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Posted 31 August 2011 - 03:08 PM

WHL is a fantastic league to watch. The game is fast paced and the kids still have a chance of making it to the NHL and so they pour their guts out onto the ice. Its not a bunch of older guys who still have the 'dream' or making it big when they are not going any farther up.

And the Rebels, they are the best


I guess this is the message box that the Royals are touting now to warrant charging near ECHL prices for WHL talent.

I understand that many ECHL players are on the downward leg of their pro career,s but I echo VHF in that most WHL players will never make it to the pros.

#43 Mike K.

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Posted 31 August 2011 - 03:37 PM

So will the WHL attract more fans to games than the ECHL did? What's everyone's thoughts on attendance levels for this coming season?

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#44 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 31 August 2011 - 03:47 PM

So will the WHL attract more fans to games than the ECHL did?


YES.

4-5k for Friday and Sat's through the fall unless we suck. They have sold twice as many season tickets as they did for the last SK season. 2k vs. 1k.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#45 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 31 August 2011 - 07:34 PM

Black/White game was well-attended tonight. Perhaps 1200 people.

We hear that they have now maybe sold 3000 season-tickets.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#46 Szeven

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Posted 01 September 2011 - 05:05 AM

I inquired about tickets while at the black/white game and the guy told me they are almost all sold on the sides, just corners left. Honestly I was shocked at the prices... 36 games for $550 for a good seat... No wonder they have sold out!

I do wish they could get a new scoreboard with video replay though. The experience would be so much better.

#47 jonny

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Posted 01 September 2011 - 08:22 AM

I do wish they could get a new scoreboard with video replay though. The experience would be so much better.


This would be awesome and I agree it would really enhance the experience.

I'm excited about the WHL coming to town. I just couldn't get in to the East Coast Hockey League with teams such as the Gwinnet Gladiators. I still have no idea where Gwinnet is. I also couldn't get over the name Salmon Kings....how could anybody take that team seriously with a name like that? I don't doubt that ECHL players are higher calibre than the juniors, they are men after all, but the CHL is such a more relevant league in the grand scheme of things. Nobody cares who the leading scorers in the ECHL are, but most hockey fans can name the highly touted up and coming juniors.

#48 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 01 September 2011 - 09:51 AM

I do wish they could get a new scoreboard with video replay though. The experience would be so much better.


They have one now, it came with the Bruins team. They are working out how the he-doublehockeysticks to hook it up, it's too big to hang from the existing scoreboard. It might be in place soon.

And Jonny, we never had an East Coast Hockey League team here, that name ended 10 years ago.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#49 jonny

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Posted 01 September 2011 - 09:58 AM

They have one now, it came with the Bruins team. They are working out how the he-doublehockeysticks to hook it up, it's too big to hang from the existing scoreboard. It might be in place soon.

And Jonny, we never had an East Coast Hockey League team here, that name ended 10 years ago.


Good news about the scoreboard.

Then what did ECHL stand for? Oh right, it was an acronym that stood for nothing. What a league that ECHL is!

#50 renthefinn

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Posted 01 September 2011 - 09:56 PM

I have a groupon for some cheap Giants tickets, gonna use them for when the Royals come to town. I think this could be a good rivalry!

#51 pontcanna

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 07:44 AM

I thought Mark Morrison (SK coach, now assistant in the AHL) had a good perspective on the WHL vs. ECHL thing when he was interviewed on CHEK-TV recently (link below). He rightly pointed out that many E players (and not just the top ones) are former major junior studs. Just a different game. But he also said that Victorians couldn't get excited about Stockton or Boise coming to town, whereas the Dub is chock full of regional rivalries. Personally I hope we boo the Prince George "Cougars" out of the place when they visit.

As far as the attendance success the Royals may have compared to the SK's, it's not really a level playing field. Already they've put more muscle into publicity and excitement-building than they ever did with the E. Real radio deal (not just streaming) tiered pricing around the rink, video screen, daily stories in the T-C...

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Royals tie-in with the nearby White Spot, along the lines of the Vancouver Giants, who offer 4 tickets, 2 adult & 2 kids White Spot burger meals, parking pass and a $10 gas coupon for $95 all in. That's for any weekend (Fri-Sun) game.

http://www.cheknews....page&Itemid=137
(Bottom of screen, search for "Game On August 29". Mark's interview begins at about 14:27)

#52 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 10:17 AM

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Royals tie-in with the nearby White Spot, along the lines of the Vancouver Giants, who offer 4 tickets, 2 adult & 2 kids White Spot burger meals, parking pass and a $10 gas coupon for $95 all in. That's for any weekend (Fri-Sun) game.

http://www.cheknews....page&Itemid=137
(Bottom of screen, search for "Game On August 29". Mark's interview begins at about 14:27)


Not to blow my own horn, but you can get a game ticket, packaged with a beer and burger at Soprano's for just $20 incuding tax, for every game. And that ticket is a side, worth $18 at the walk-up price.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#53 pontcanna

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 11:25 AM

Not to blow my own horn, but you can get a game ticket, packaged with a beer and burger at Soprano's for just $20 incuding tax, for every game. And that ticket is a side, worth $18 at the walk-up price.

I was thinking more of the family crowd (which is what they'll need to be successful) who are excluded from the regular watering holes :)

#54 spanky123

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 03:27 PM

I was thinking more of the family crowd (which is what they'll need to be successful) who are excluded from the regular watering holes :)


Agreed. Assuming that the concession prices haven't changed, a family of 4 with a couple beer and munchies has gone from $120 to $105 now that we have the WHL. That is still pretty steep for most locals.

Give it a couple of years. Victorians are well known for supporting teams in the first two years and then fading badly afterwards.

#55 pontcanna

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Posted 02 September 2011 - 10:39 PM

Young Royals drop preseason debut

BY MARIO ANNICCHIARICO, TIMESCOLONIST.COM SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 11:05 PM

The Joe Hicketts experience has run its course — for now.

The Victoria Royals’ first-round, 12th-overall pick in this spring’s Western Hockey League draft suited up for his one and only pre-season game Friday night in his hometown of Kamloops as the Royals dropped a 4-2 decision to the Blazers in the organization’s first pre-season outing.

Hicketts, just 15, will remain at home after a lengthy stay with the Royals, taking part in prospects, rookie and main camp and getting into Friday’s game before family and friends at McArthur Island Sports Centre.

“It’s exciting playing back at home at Mac Island. It’s a great facility and it’s nice to have a few friends and family,” Hicketts said prior to the game. “My first junior game of my life and playing it in Kamloops just makes it that much better.

“There’s a little pressure there with it. But I’m just hoping we develop a good atmosphere for the Royals and it all goes good,” added the defenceman.

Hicketts’s 10 days in Victoria weren’t about the now as opposed to the future as 15-year-olds can only play five games during the season, but can join their WHL club after their own regular season concludes.

“It’s been a great learning experience, learning from the vets and going through the draft, rookie, then main camp and listening to what [fitness coach] Jeff Compton has had to say has been a great experience,” he said.

The five-foot-six, 170-pounder had no points in Friday’s outing.

“It’s a big jump. Last year he was watching the Blazers as a fan and now he’s playing the Blazers,” said Royals head coach and general manager Marc Habscheid. “It’s quite an experience for a young guy to do that and he had a lot of emotions and a lot of family coming out to watch. It was a great experience for him.

“We just wanted him to go out and enjoy the experience and learn a little bit about what it’s like to play against the players he was watching last season, then get back to his team.”

On Friday, Hicketts was among the six starters. Hayden Rintoul wore the ‘C’ for the Royals, while Tim Traber, Jamie Crooks and Robin Soudek were the assistants.

J.T. Barnett and Colin Smith scored power-play goals 1:05 apart midway through the first period to ignite the Blazers’ offence.

Soudek replied with a short-handed marker for Victoria just 37 seconds into the second. Chase Schaber made it 3-1 for Kamloops 11:29 into the third before Parksville product Kade Pilton got that one back three minutes later on a Victoria power play. Chase Souto ended the scoring on a Blazers’ power play at 15:43 of the third.

“We had 12 rookies dressed and I really like them. You could see the nerves were there, but you could see the talent there as well. They need to get experience and we need to be patient and grow with them,” said Habscheid.

Victoria plays in Kelowna tonight at 7 with the game broadcast on The Zone 91.3 FM.

#56 pontcanna

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Posted 07 September 2011 - 09:11 AM

OOPS - Exhibition and home opener for the Royals won't be impacted, but up to six home games in October will...

Good news for Soprano's :)

CFAX-1070:

Arena rapped for underage drinking

Sept 7 2011

There will be no liquor sales available at Save-on Foods Memorial Arena for its first six event dates in October.

The Liquor Control and Licencing Branch has upheld a licence suspension, issued after city police observed a group of minors in possession of; and at least one minor consuming, beer, at a hockey game in November 2007. Police testified they had attended the game after receiving complaints about minors drinking in the stands.

Arena operator RG Properties appealed the finding and the penalty, and won a new hearing, which was concluded this summer. The second hearing upholds the original ten day suspension, but accepts that four days of it have been served.

One of the issues involved is: what constitutes a business day? The Branch has ordered the suspension must be served on dates when the facility would normally be offering liquor sales.

#57 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 07 September 2011 - 12:06 PM

Nearly four years later, crazy.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#58 mysage

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Posted 08 September 2011 - 12:00 AM

Just another example of the stupidy of the LCB. Why are they punishing the patrons by denying them service? Just fine the company involved a substantial amount so it will act as a future deterrant and move on.

The LCB has been one of the most backward thinking and out of date government bodies for years and years and denying the public (who they are mandated to serve) as a form of punishment to the vendor is ridiculous.

#59 Holden West

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Posted 08 September 2011 - 06:32 AM

^Closing the bar rather than merely fining them punishes the staff as well. Sometimes it's the servers who are guilty of illegal service. Normally, this rarely inconveniences the customer, who simply patronizes another bar down the street. This is an unusual case where a sports venue was affected.

How do other sports venues handle the issue of legitimately-bought liquor being passed off to minors in the stands? The only way would be to have staff patrol the aisles looking for potential underage drinkers and ID'ing them (again).
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#60 jonny

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Posted 08 September 2011 - 07:54 AM

How do other sports venues handle the issue of legitimately-bought liquor being passed off to minors in the stands? The only way would be to have staff patrol the aisles looking for potential underage drinkers and ID'ing them (again).


Exactly Holden West, if the kids want to go to a game and drink they will find a way.

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