619 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

The great other clock continued to click down ominously on the Royals’ season with 14 games left. The Royals remained three points behind idle the Kelowna Rockets in the race for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with the Rockets holding three games in hand.

 

 

https://www.timescol...t-start-6577588

[Mike K.]

Can someone tell us what that means in English?

[Victoria Watcher]

There was no need for splashy third-period theatrics on Saturday night for the Portland Winterhawks. They decided it early in taking a 3-0 first-period lead en route to a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Royals to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven opening-round Western Hockey League playoff series.

The heavily-favoured Western Conference second-seed Winterhawks, ranked No. 5 in the CHL national major-junior top-10 poll, trailed the first game of the series 2-1 after the second period Friday before pulling out a 4-3 comeback win over the seventh-seed Royals. There was little doubt or drama in the second game Saturday.

“We gave up goals in the first three minutes of two of the three periods. When you talk about being ready to play with focus and attention to detail, you don’t give up those kinds of goals,” said Royals head coach James Patrick. “We got down early. Even in the third period, it’s 4-1, and if you get a goal it changes the complexion of the game. But instead we gave one up on the first or second shift and that was the game.”

https://www.timescol...-royals-8532255

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 March 2024 - 02:17 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

5001 on Friday.

2695 Saturday.

[Ismo07]

5001 on Friday.

2695 Saturday.

 

Sounds like exciting games, team looks a little better...

[Victoria Watcher]

The greatest landscape change in a generation in North American junior and university hockey took place Thursday with the NCAA vote to allow players from the major-junior Canadian Hockey League to play in the U.S. collegiate NCAA.

 

The NCAA had previously considered the CHL a pro league because it provided modest stipends for its players.

 

The Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League are part of the CHL, which encompasses the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

 

Joey Poljanowski, vice-president of hockey operations for the Royals, said he had no comment and that WHL teams have been instructed to refer all questions to the league.

 

The WHL issued a statement from commissioner Dan Near reading: “Today’s announcement that CHL players will now be eligible to compete in NCAA Div. 1 hockey, beginning in the 2025-26 season, represents a historic and consequential outcome. This decision creates opportunity for the brightest elite hockey players in Western Canada and the Western U.S. to now choose the WHL as the preferred destination for their development from the age of 16-20, without fear of compromising their NCAA eligibility. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome a new wave of talent.”

 

 

https://www.timescol...players-9779758

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 November 2024 - 02:48 PM.

[LJ]

The NCAA players make tons of money from NIL contracts, the stipend Canadians get paid is peanuts.

[Victoria Watcher]

It's an interesting development.

[Victoria Watcher]

The NCAA players make tons of money from NIL contracts, the stipend Canadians get paid is peanuts.

 

Not for hockey though.  In the top 100 NIL deals not a single one is a hockey player.

 

 

 

 

 

The AVERAGE NIL deal in the NCAA is currently $2,435, with the median deal at $65, The AVERAGE TOTAL NIL EARNINGS from NCAA was $20,354 with the MEDIAN TOTAL NIL EARNINGS at $463. Fewer than 10% of ALL NIL deals are between $5000-$10,000 while 55.4% are less than $100. Further, as expected, the majority of these deals, including the largest ones that inflate the averages, are for Football (36.7%) and basketball (mens 15%, Women's 8.4%).

 

For Ice Hockey specifically (mens + women's combined stats), the average deal was $48 and the median deal was $21, while the average total earnings were $467 with a median of $122. Not exactly the kind of money that will have them turning down a $750K contract (NHL rookie minimum).

 

 

 

https://nilassist.nc...data-dashboard/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 November 2024 - 07:48 PM.

[Barrister]

The new bike lanes by the stadium are making me rethink how many games I want to go to, going to try a different route maybe. We sort of have cut out doing anything in Victoria in the last few years.

[Sparky]

I think I need a "Name Image Likeness" NIL contract of some kind.

 

Just imagine...Sparky...the man...the myth...the legend...

 

That's gotta be worth a pile of dough....no?

[Victoria Watcher]

You’re no Livvy Dunne.


https://fortune.com/...after-college/#

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 November 2024 - 06:06 AM.

[Sparky]

You’re no Livvy Dunne.


https://fortune.com/...after-college/#

I had to look her up. You are right.

 

Oooooh...la...la

[Victoria Watcher]

[Victoria Watcher]

 

 

 

Lethbridge (104,000 population) and Medicine Hat (64,000) outdrawing us.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 December 2024 - 02:30 AM.

[LJ]

What else do they have to do there?

[Victoria Watcher]

What else do they have to do there?

 

I don't buy into that line of thinking.

 

The vast majority of people stay home and watch TV on WHL game nights.

[Barrister]

We used to go to a number of games each year. This year they got a new sound system. Since it is a new toy for them they have to blase the system loud enough that we had to leave early for the last few games. Seriously, they now are offering earplugs for those that are "sensitive " to the sound. I am not kidding.

 

Tomorrow is the last game that we prepaid for tickets and neither my wife or I want to go to another. Our friends gave up on them about a month ago for the same reason. Wrote management, not even a reply.

 

Maybe they have themselves to blame.

[unclespeedo]

We used to go to a number of games each year. This year they got a new sound system. Since it is a new toy for them they have to blase the system loud enough that we had to leave early for the last few games. Seriously, they now are offering earplugs for those that are "sensitive " to the sound. I am not kidding.

 

Tomorrow is the last game that we prepaid for tickets and neither my wife or I want to go to another. Our friends gave up on them about a month ago for the same reason. Wrote management, not even a reply.

 

Maybe they have themselves to blame.

 

I've been a season ticket holder since day one, and I love to complain about things, this isn't something I had even considered complaining about.

 

It's a shame that you and your friends feel this way, especially given the fact that there's actually a talent pool to be excited about for the first time in many years.

I imagine the attendance is low due to the mediocre results stacked on top of each other over recent seasons but at least the net result is a solid prospect pool.

We've got some playoff runs in our future, the fans will return.

[LJ]

We had seasons tickets to the Canucks and we really enjoyed going to the games. When they moved out of the Pacific Coliseum they turned what used to be an enjoyable night out in to a noise and light extravaganza. We used to discuss the play during stoppages and now you couldn't hear yourself think. We went to about 3 games and sold the rest of the tickets and never went back.