There seems to be some surprise over the number of empty seats at World Junior Championship games in Montreal.
Perhaps those people responsible for setting ticket prices weren’t paying attention during the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon. Perhaps those people now will realize that there is a limit to what fans will pay to watch teenagers play hockey. It seems there are people who won’t pay $106 to watch Canada play the United States on New Year’s Eve. . . . Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star has more right here.
@neatebuzzthenet @kevin_mcgran I paid less $ for flight/accom/tickets to WJHC2014 in Malmo than the ticket package offered for WJHC2015.
— Mitchell A (@mitchyav) December 29, 2014
@neatebuzzthenet @kevin_mcgran For perspective I saw 9 games in Malmo incl all medal round. Cost <$200 CAN all in.
— Mitchell A (@mitchyav) December 29, 2014
It may come as a surprise to some but I would suggest that there are a lot of sports fans who are about tapped out. And it isn’t getting any better as politicians and those responsible for guarding the public purse and for the cost of many of life’s necessities continue to spend like it isn’t their money. Oh, wait . . . I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but here in B.C., the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been kind enough to point out that in 2015 we will see increases in what we pay for Medical Services premiums, Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, B.C. Hydro, ICBC (car insurance) and B.C. Ferries. Of course, property taxes also are sure to increase, as they always do.
"It will be another expensive year for taxpayers, as we hand out more money to government," Jordan Bateman, the CTF’s B.C. director, told Cassidy Olivier of Postmedia News. ". . . it's no wonder B.C. is joked to be short for 'Bring Cash.' "
Assuming that this is pretty much the story everywhere, sports fans simply don’t have nearly the disposable income necessary to be paying $100 or more to watch a junior hockey game.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see what happens with ticket prices in advance of the 2017 World Junior Championship, which again is scheduled to be held in Montreal and Toronto.
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It would seem that F Leon Draisaitl’s WHL rights have been moved by the Prince Albert Raiders to the Kelowna Rockets.
I'm hearing Leon Draisaitl's junior rights have been traded from Prince Albert to Kelowna. Up to parties to announce it.#oilers.
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) December 30, 2014
Perhaps the first clue that it was a done deal came on Dec. 23 when Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted:
Email convo with Kelowna Rockets' owner Bruce Hamilton...on Draisaitl's WHL rights being traded "Nothing going on. All talk. No action."
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) December 24, 2014
At the end of the day, it is quite likely that a Draisaitl deal was built into the exchange in which D Josh Morrissey moved from the Raiders to the Rockets on Dec. 11.Draisaitl played the last two seasons in Prince Albert. Last season, he finished with 105 points, including 38 goals, in 64 games.
Draisaitl, of course, is on the roster of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. They added F Matt Fraser on waivers from the Boston Bruins, so will need to make a move to clear room on their roster for him.
Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, who has speculated on Draisaitl moving to the Little Apple for a while now, also has reported that Ryan Olsen, a 20-year-old forward, may well end up back in Kelowna, where he played the last two seasons. A sixth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2012 draft, he is with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
In 275 regular-season WHL games, the first 130 of them with the Saskatoon Blades, Olsen, who is from Delta, B.C., had 166 points, including 84 goals.
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A note from Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “The Pats have recalled D Nathyn Mortlock from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires for the second time this month. He’ll fill in for D Chase Harrison, who was injured on a hit from behind by Carter Rigby on Sunday against Swift Current. Rigby has been suspended by the WHL, with the length TBD.”
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The Kamloops Blazers are into Vancouver tonight for a game against the Giants. As Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports right here, both head coaches -- Don Hay of the Blazers and Claude Noel of the Giants -- have close ties to Ken Hitchcock, who now is the head coach of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.---
When Saskatoon dealt F Cory Millette to the Prince Albert Raiders on Nov. 20, Blades GM/head coach Bob Woods said he made the move in order to free up playing time for Russian F Nikita Soshnin. As Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix writes right here, Woods is quite pleased with the results.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds aren’t interesting in going head-to-head with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, and who can blame them. . . . The Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans were to have played on Saturday, Jan. 10, 7:05 p.m., at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash. However, the Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions, will play their first playoff game on Jan. 10, at 5:15 p.m. . . . So the hockey game has been moved to Sunday, Jan. 11, 5:05 p.m.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors are four points out of a playoff spot. They have 35 games remaining. With the trade deadline arriving on Jan. 10, will the Warriors (15-19-3), who have lost five straight games, be buyers or sellers? Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
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Jeff Chynoweth, the general manager of the Kootenay Ice, has told Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun that he won’t be trading away his best players between now and the deadline. That story is right here.
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F Austin Carroll of the Victoria Royals won’t be suspended after being hit with a slashing major and game misconduct in a 4-0 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Sunday night. The WHL reviewed the situation and decided that “there is no further discipline warranted.” . . . Carroll scored twice in that game before being ejected at 14:02 of the third period. . . . The Royals are at home to the red-hot Spokane Chiefs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Meanwhile, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers were fined $250 each for the fight between goaltenders Zac Robidoux and Nick Schneider on Sunday night. . . . Just in time for the WHL’s New Year’s Eve bash, too!
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What goes on at the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocate Centre in Calgary? Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail takes a look right here.
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@TheWHL #whlmoms #wjc2015 pic.twitter.com/3z4Z9RpJqw
— Lee-Gaye Hicketts (@lhicketts) December 30, 2014
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round bantam draft pick from the Spokane Chiefs for D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2016. . . . Bobyk has played only eight games this season thanks to injuries. From Red Deer, he has been medically cleared to return. This season, he has a goal and three assists in those eight games. Last season, he had 12 points, including five goals, in 56 games. He was a 10th-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2011 draft. . . . In 2012-13, Bobyk played for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, who won the TELUS Cup as national midget champions. . . . Charif, from Edmonton, also has been out with an injury but has been cleared to play after missing 24 games. Last season, he had 13 points, three of them goals, in 57 games. This season, he has a goal and seven assists in 11 games. . . . The Chiefs now hold two first- and two second-round picks in the 2015 draft.
At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 29 shots to help the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . Papirny has 22 victories and three shutouts this season. It was his fourth career shutout. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke got the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 9:57 of the first on the PP. . . . Duke also drew an assist on F John Quenneville’s 13th goal, an empty-netter at 18:30 of the third. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville had two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings (25-7-4) have points in six straight (4-0-2). . . . The Warriors (15-18-3) have lost four in a row. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 14th goal. He missed the last three games prior to the Christmas break with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle was ill and didn’t practice on Friday. He wasn’t dressed for this one. D Kale Clague (undisclosed injury) also was among Brandon’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski sat out a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Moose Jaw F Noah Gregor missed his 26th straight game with an undisclosed injury, while F Ben Duperreault (14 games, undisclosed injury) was back in the lineup. . . . However, F Tanner Jeannot is out for a couple of months with an undisclosed injury and D Tyler Brown (hand) will sit for up to four more weeks. . . . The teams meet again today, this time in Brandon. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
At Prince Albert, F Nikita Soshnin broke a 3-3 tie at 10:00 of the third period and the Saskatoon Blades went on to a 6-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . Soshnin, who also had two assists, has five goals this season. . . . Blades F Ryan Graham added two empty-netters, giving him 12 goals this season. . . . F Sam McKechnie had two goals, giving him 10, and an assist for Saskatoon (8-25-3), which snapped an 11-game skid (0-9-2). . . . F Reid Gardiner and F Jayden Hart each scored his 18th goal for the Raiders (16-19-1). . . . The rematch goes this afternoon in Saskatoon. . . . Saskatoon F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) was back after missing 23 games, while F Nick Zajac returned after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Raiders were without D Mackenze Stewart, who served a one-game WHL suspension. . . . 
At Edmonton, F Wyatt Johnson scored two second-period goals to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Johnson, who has 17 goals, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock tied it, with his 14th, at 4:10. . . . Johnson broke the tie at 15:24. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell had two assists. . . . Rebels G Rylan Toth stopped 30 shots, four more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . The Rebels (19-13-4), who entertain the Oil Kings today, had lost their previous two games. . . . The Oil Kings are 16-15-5. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between these teams. . . . The Rebels had F Adam Musil back after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . 
At Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped a career-high 49 shots and F Levi Cable scored four times as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. . . . Hoflin was making his 24th straight start. . . . A note from Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman: “Should he get the start Sunday afternoon, Hoflin will tie the Kootenay Ice franchise record for consecutive appearances by a goaltender. Todd Mathews set the record with 25 consecutive appearances in net from Jan. 21 to March 14, 2009.” . . . Cable, who has 15 goals, scored the game’s first three goals and added a fourth in the second period to give his side a 5-0 lead. . . . It was Cable’s first regular-season hat trick. . . . Cable also added an assist for his first five-point outing. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 19th goal. . . . The Ice (19-17-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (19-13-3) has lost two straight. . . . The teams meet this afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Ice, which is missing three defencemen, has added D Tanner Lishchynsky, 19, for the next five games. He plays for the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers and has played 78 WHL games with the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Ice is without D Tanner Faith and D Dylan Overdyk, both of whom are injured, and D Rinat Valiev, who is with Russia at the World Junior Championship. . . . Calgary D Ben Thomas returned after missing nine games with an undisclosed injury. . . . According to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, Cable is the eighth player in Ice franchise history to enjoy a four-goal game. . . . Taylor Rocca’s game story is 
At Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading goal scorer, hit for two more as the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . Chartier has 34 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie 52 seconds into the third period with his second goal of the game. It turned out to be his ninth game-winner this season. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 24th goal, while F Cole Linaker had two assists. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 17th goal for the Blazers (13-21-5), who have lost three in a row. . . . The Rockets (29-5-3), who have won 13 straight games with the Blazers, have won three straight. . . . This game started a stretch in which the Rockets will play nine of 11 games at home. . . . 
At Victoria, the Prince George Cougars built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored twice for the visitors, giving him seven this season. His second of the game, at 16:25 of the second, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Tyler Soy scored twice for the Royals, giving him 12 in his sophomore season. However, he came up short on a second-period penalty shot. . . . D Tate Olson had two assists for the visitors. . . . Prince George outshot its hosts, 30-19. . . . The Cougars (18-18-0) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Royals ((17-18-3) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . They’ll play again this afternoon in Victoria. . . .
At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winterhawks 4-3 in a game that featured six first-period goals. . . . The Thunderbirds got out to a 3-1 lead and the Winterhawks never were able to catch up. . . . F Ryan Gropp’s 15th goal, at 19:53 of the first, proved to be the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . Seattle D Jerret Smith scored his third goal of the season and added an assist. . . . F Paul Bittner got his 14th goal for the Winterhawks. He also added an assist, while F Alex Schoenborn drew two assists. . . . Portland was 2-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-5. . . . The Thunderbirds (15-15-4) have won two in a row. . . . Portland (19-15-3) had won its previous two games. . . . F Cody Glass, Portland’s first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. . . . The Winterhawks are at home to Spokane today. . . . The Thunderbirds are in Vancouver this afternoon. . . .
At Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored on a PP 28 seconds into OT to give the Silvertips a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Scherbak has 16 goals this season. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 28 shots in posting his second shutout this season. He has eight career shutouts. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter turned aside 21 shots in making his third straight start. . . . Everett had a 13-5 edge in shots in the first period; Vancouver had the edge, 12-2, in the second. . . . The Silvertips (21-9-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Giants (16-18-1) had a seven-game winning streak end. They had been 6-0-0 under head coach Claude Noel. . . . D Ben Betker (concussion) was back in Everett’s lineup. The Silvertips still are without F Logan Aasman and D Tristen Pfeifer, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Silvertips also sent F Nik Malenica to the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior League. He was pointless in 11 games with Everett. . . . The Silvertips visit the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Giants, who had F Jackson Houck (undisclosed injury) back in the lineup, are at home to Seattle this afternoon. . . .
At Spokane, F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and two assists to lead the Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . He’s got 10 goals. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first five goals. . . . Spokane scored two shorthanded goals -- by F Calder Brooks and F Liam Stewart -- and got a PP goal from Yamamoto. . . . Spokane outshot Tri-City, 35-19. . . . Spokane leads the season series, 4-1-0. . . . The Chiefs (19-12-3), who visit Portland today, have won five straight. . . . The Americans (17-16-1) have lost three in a row. Tri-City plays host to Everett tonight.
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