TwoBits
01-15-2008, 11:19 AM
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=112553&Itemid=564
Youth movement rekindles an interest in going to Cougars games
(Sports) Monday, 14 January 2008, 23:37 PST
JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor -- LINEUP CARD COLUMN
Call me crazy -- you won’t be the first -- but Prince George Cougars games have their interest quotient back.
Certainly not all the attraction, as it was in the glory days, but moreso than recent winters.
It will take a championship to recapture the city-wide fervor that was on display in that MasterCard commercial. (Remember that, or does it seem like ages ago?)
Not unlike droves of fans, and attendance figures will easily confirm that sentiment, I'll admit I've been less and less eager to head to the rink for WHL games the last few years. The first five seasons of walking the Cougars beat, I didn’t miss a home game or a playoff game, and even made arrangements to join the team on numerous road trips.
Covering the team, tracking the transactions and circumstances that influence the wins and losses, more of the latter than the former, has always remained a priority because, fact is, the readers still want to know the nitty-gritty. Even with the dwindling attendance, more people still attend Cougars games than any other local sporting event, by a wide margin, and the audience spills over to the sports pages.
There was even a time when I wouldn’t have thought to take a vacation, book a weekend off or commit to a social function without first consulting the team’s pocket schedule.
I can’t say that anymore. In fact, not only did I miss three playoff games in the spring while on a trip to Vegas, I was at the other end of the continent last season when the Everett game was called after two periods, and when the coaching move was made five days later.
My move toward apathy even had seasonal stages.
In fall, the allure of a playoff baseball game on TV made me wish I could stay home. A few weeks ago, I didn’t want to walk away from the New England Patriots going for a perfect record in an entertaining Saturday night game against the New York Giants. Even though I could track the game on the internet from the press box, it was fun to have my son calling me regularly with updates.
There have been times Canucks broadcasts have conflicted with Cougars games, and I’d want to stay home. Add in family time, social gatherings, or even the desire to have a quiet night going out for dinner or renting a movie, and CN Centre just hasn’t been the place to be or be seen.
The shift back could be short-term, but it’s changing.
The newfound interest certainly has nothing to do with what I think this team will do in the standings this season. The wins, they will be few. The losses, many. That 11-1 score could happen again.
But this team now has a direction. There are no stop-gap measures that are obviously dead-end roster options. There is, dare I say it, a glimmer of hope that this team, the youngest in the league, will turn into a bonafide contender.
There is even a stated commitment to instilling discipline, on and off the ice.
Watching the Cougars in the second half won’t be unlike being a parent. You know your kids are going to try new things -- failing with regularity, learning hard lessons along the way.
The School of Hard Knocks is about to play out in front of our eyes.
But the successes, whether tangible or not, will make the struggles seem very much worth it.
I want to know if the trio of first-round picks -- Dale Hunt, Justin Maylan and Brett Connolly -- will turn into a feared forward unit, and if younger forwards Ryan Kowalski, Corey Tyrell, Parker Stanfield and Jan Kupec can become top-six players. I want to see if Art Bidlevskii’s impressive rookie season is only a stepping stone, or if he’ll end up stuck on a plateau. I want to watch as Ian Curtis works to fulfill the promise that made him the first goaltender taken in his bantam draft year.
I want to know if defencemen Matt Cumming and Bruin McDonald are future power play anchors on the back end. And I want to see if Nick Buonassisi’s best night in major junior hockey is already behind him, or was just a preview.
Lastly, I’ll be watching to see if head coach Drew Schoneck, who managed a veteran roster to last year’s third round, can easily morph into a teacher. Last season, nine NHL draft picks, this season, just one (Dana Tyrell), and a roster so young it’s more like a midget rep club -- that requires a completely different approach.
This isn’t the first time the Cougars have entered a rebuilding phase, but it is the first time the Cats have gone cold-turkey and committed to giving a large number of young players the experience needed to be league stars at 18 and 19. Maybe some memories are short, but the Cats did get to the final four in last spring’s playoffs, so going through a complete roster overhaul this season is following the normal junior hockey schedule.
The team we saw in the first half was going nowhere with so-called star players who said ‘no thanks’ to the leadership role that was there for the taking. At the end of the day, I’d rather watch a young group grow old together, than older players killing the group with laziness and ego.
n I have a favour to ask of Dallas Thompson.
Here’s what it is. The Cougars will need to acquire three overagers for next season since the only 19-year-old on the current roster is Patrik Magnusson, and there’s no chance he’ll be back.
I want the Cougars general manager to trade for Jared Jagow. Bring him to camp, put him in a Cougars uniform. And I want to be the first to fire questions at him.
Here’s why.
Last week, Jagow, a 19-year-old centre from Rosetown, Sask., was traded by the Regina Pats to the Prince Albert Raiders. Asked about the trade, Jagow expressed shock and surprise, then ended his thoughts with this, printed in the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
“It could’ve been worse... at least it’s not Prince George.”
Who else wants to hear his explanation?
Ouch, now was that necessary? And yes, I noticed where he is from. :o
Youth movement rekindles an interest in going to Cougars games
(Sports) Monday, 14 January 2008, 23:37 PST
JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor -- LINEUP CARD COLUMN
Call me crazy -- you won’t be the first -- but Prince George Cougars games have their interest quotient back.
Certainly not all the attraction, as it was in the glory days, but moreso than recent winters.
It will take a championship to recapture the city-wide fervor that was on display in that MasterCard commercial. (Remember that, or does it seem like ages ago?)
Not unlike droves of fans, and attendance figures will easily confirm that sentiment, I'll admit I've been less and less eager to head to the rink for WHL games the last few years. The first five seasons of walking the Cougars beat, I didn’t miss a home game or a playoff game, and even made arrangements to join the team on numerous road trips.
Covering the team, tracking the transactions and circumstances that influence the wins and losses, more of the latter than the former, has always remained a priority because, fact is, the readers still want to know the nitty-gritty. Even with the dwindling attendance, more people still attend Cougars games than any other local sporting event, by a wide margin, and the audience spills over to the sports pages.
There was even a time when I wouldn’t have thought to take a vacation, book a weekend off or commit to a social function without first consulting the team’s pocket schedule.
I can’t say that anymore. In fact, not only did I miss three playoff games in the spring while on a trip to Vegas, I was at the other end of the continent last season when the Everett game was called after two periods, and when the coaching move was made five days later.
My move toward apathy even had seasonal stages.
In fall, the allure of a playoff baseball game on TV made me wish I could stay home. A few weeks ago, I didn’t want to walk away from the New England Patriots going for a perfect record in an entertaining Saturday night game against the New York Giants. Even though I could track the game on the internet from the press box, it was fun to have my son calling me regularly with updates.
There have been times Canucks broadcasts have conflicted with Cougars games, and I’d want to stay home. Add in family time, social gatherings, or even the desire to have a quiet night going out for dinner or renting a movie, and CN Centre just hasn’t been the place to be or be seen.
The shift back could be short-term, but it’s changing.
The newfound interest certainly has nothing to do with what I think this team will do in the standings this season. The wins, they will be few. The losses, many. That 11-1 score could happen again.
But this team now has a direction. There are no stop-gap measures that are obviously dead-end roster options. There is, dare I say it, a glimmer of hope that this team, the youngest in the league, will turn into a bonafide contender.
There is even a stated commitment to instilling discipline, on and off the ice.
Watching the Cougars in the second half won’t be unlike being a parent. You know your kids are going to try new things -- failing with regularity, learning hard lessons along the way.
The School of Hard Knocks is about to play out in front of our eyes.
But the successes, whether tangible or not, will make the struggles seem very much worth it.
I want to know if the trio of first-round picks -- Dale Hunt, Justin Maylan and Brett Connolly -- will turn into a feared forward unit, and if younger forwards Ryan Kowalski, Corey Tyrell, Parker Stanfield and Jan Kupec can become top-six players. I want to see if Art Bidlevskii’s impressive rookie season is only a stepping stone, or if he’ll end up stuck on a plateau. I want to watch as Ian Curtis works to fulfill the promise that made him the first goaltender taken in his bantam draft year.
I want to know if defencemen Matt Cumming and Bruin McDonald are future power play anchors on the back end. And I want to see if Nick Buonassisi’s best night in major junior hockey is already behind him, or was just a preview.
Lastly, I’ll be watching to see if head coach Drew Schoneck, who managed a veteran roster to last year’s third round, can easily morph into a teacher. Last season, nine NHL draft picks, this season, just one (Dana Tyrell), and a roster so young it’s more like a midget rep club -- that requires a completely different approach.
This isn’t the first time the Cougars have entered a rebuilding phase, but it is the first time the Cats have gone cold-turkey and committed to giving a large number of young players the experience needed to be league stars at 18 and 19. Maybe some memories are short, but the Cats did get to the final four in last spring’s playoffs, so going through a complete roster overhaul this season is following the normal junior hockey schedule.
The team we saw in the first half was going nowhere with so-called star players who said ‘no thanks’ to the leadership role that was there for the taking. At the end of the day, I’d rather watch a young group grow old together, than older players killing the group with laziness and ego.
n I have a favour to ask of Dallas Thompson.
Here’s what it is. The Cougars will need to acquire three overagers for next season since the only 19-year-old on the current roster is Patrik Magnusson, and there’s no chance he’ll be back.
I want the Cougars general manager to trade for Jared Jagow. Bring him to camp, put him in a Cougars uniform. And I want to be the first to fire questions at him.
Here’s why.
Last week, Jagow, a 19-year-old centre from Rosetown, Sask., was traded by the Regina Pats to the Prince Albert Raiders. Asked about the trade, Jagow expressed shock and surprise, then ended his thoughts with this, printed in the Prince Albert Daily Herald.
“It could’ve been worse... at least it’s not Prince George.”
Who else wants to hear his explanation?
Ouch, now was that necessary? And yes, I noticed where he is from. :o