I remember a year or so ago when Rick Brodsky appealed to the people of PG to
"think about the kids". My thoughts at the time are the same as now, back at you Rick.
Think about those kids who dream of a career in hockey but whose chances are greatly diminished because of sub-par scouting, coaching & management. Think about the kids who will probably never boost so much as a WHL championship cup,
let alone a Memorial Cup because the owner of their team will not commit to building a quality organisation. Think about the kids who hold their heads up & parrot the team line even though they know their team hasn't much of a chance of going anywhere.
Think about the kids who play their hearts out year after year while newcomer teams like Calgary, Vancouver & Kootenay are winning Memorial Cups. Yeah Rick I think alot of & about those kids, can't say the same for you & the pathetic effort you have made to build a winning team in PG.

I agree and I would add that the WHL also sold out this city when they turned down the Spruce Kings for a franchise and instead allowed Brodski to move in to town to make a few dollars. The Spruce Kings at the time were perennial league champions run by and for the community and the development of young hockey players... and Brodski was about the business and making money... and the league knew all of this when they made their decision to chose the business over the development of young hockey players.

I think if the WHL leaves PG, then the franchise should be folded and not moved. If it stays then it should be as a Spruce King run franchise and not a Brodski enterprise.

Ideally we would have two Spruce King teams under one ownership. Both the WHL and BCJHL teams would play out of the Multiplex, so the city would no longer have to subsidize the venue as it wouldn't matter if one team stole attendance from the other if they are both working together. The shared overhead costs for the two teams and the non-profit aspect would ensure all profits and investments translate to opportunity on the ice for the team and fans. Players would want to play in PG as the flag ship team of the BCJHL, because they would have the playing time, the scrimage time, and the opportunity for advancement that comes with a farm team playing out of the same building as their WHL peers.

The coliseum could be used for ringette, old timers, or minor hockey with much lower operating costs. IMO the coliseum should have free skating every evening for at least 3-4 hours (from a portion of the $600,000 saved subsidizing the Cougars), so kids in the VLA have a positive place to hang out and show their skills... while mingling with the kids from other parts of town who come down to take advantage of the ice time.

The WHL should force Brodsky to sell the team and allow it to remain in P.G. With new dedicated owners the team would prosper again. This is a HOCKEY TOWN. If Brodsky is allowed to move the team to another city it would only be a matter of time and they would suffer the same fate as they have in P.G. The Brodskys are not hockey people. You need class to be that. TO THE WHL...... Moving the team would be a tragedy. It would be a disservice to expose another city to the agony that has fell over the true hockey fans in this city.

Kinda reminds me of the movie "Slapshot". I wonder when the auction starts? i could use a cheap tour bus ;)

I would by seasons tickets again if the team was sold to local interests or anyone who is interested in fielding a competitive team. I had season tickets for the first 7 years the team was here and would love to rekindle the passion myself and my family had for the cougars.

Calling Pr George a Hocky Town is a bit of a stretch. Most people in this City wouldnt cross the street to see a Hockey game. A better discription would be that Prince George has a number of dedicated Hockey Fans, however not enough to support a WHL Franchise. There is no point in referring to the early years of the Cougers as an indication of Fans in Prince George. The early years was a prime example of people wanting to be in on something new, however after a while going to the games became a bore to the soft fans, and they stayed home.

There is some validity to blaming the Brodskys, and the losing team for the lack of attendence, however it is much more than that. If it was just losing how come the Maple Leafs are still around.

Prince George does not have sufficient hockey fans to support the Cougers and the Spruce Kings on a regular basis. Even with a winning team you would rarely get back to the old numbers. People have moved on. Its asking a lot to have soft fans attend 36 home games per year. Hard core fans of course think it great.

If things dont turn around soon, I suspect this team will move on, and that will be the end of the WHL in Prince George.

I have had seasons tickets every year that the pussycats have been in P.G. and my response to them leaving town would be; "great, that saves me $1,600.00 a year"
They are that underwhelming to watch.
metalman.

To Palopu and whoever else thinks that PG is not a good hockey town, you must not have been here long enough to have seen the crazy atmosphere during previous seasons. The early years were not simply a case of enjoying the games until the novelty wore off.
The games were an event in themselves. There were intense rivalries where the teams and fans fed off one another and the town and building were amazing to be part of.
The fact that the team is losing is not the only reason for the decrease in attendance. Years of mismanagement, behind the scenes stories, and failure to listen to the customers are the main reasons that have resulted in losing seasons and the current situation.
I agree completely with Ben that Brodsky no longer cares what the community thinks. As an owner of a business it is understandable that he wants to do things his way. He does not have to care if he doesnt want to. But as a businessman he should understand that good customer service is required for long term success.
The revolving door at the coaching position is not enough to fool the people into thinking that something is being done to change things. The entire culture of the organization needs to change.
If Brodsky really did desire to have a successful team, he would have given Habsheid whatever he wanted to come in and shape things up.
But as always, he did nothing. The fans and the sea of green have spoken loud and clear. And as always, Brodsky is not listening.

The fact that Mr. Brodsky moved out of town speaks volumes.

He will not sell the team to local interests, he will pick it up and move it somewhere else as soon as he gets a chance.

I agree, PG isn't a hockey town, but when you've had the Cougars and the Spruce Kings doing s poorly for so long with no end in sight, can you blame the fans for moving on?

First of all, I would hardly call the Spruce Kings a well-run organization in terms of a hockey club. Great for the old boys club that dominates the board of governors and hires old has-beens and former PGMHA All-stars as coaches and management. Under their direction, the WHL wouldn't even give PG a sniff of a team.

Secondly, it is a damn pity Rick Brodsky or his ilk don't read Opinion250. I don't always agree with everyone, but it is a nice break from the moldy cookie cutter mainstream media.

Finally, I won't be crying when the Cougars do leave town. Never was much of a fan of the team anyway. However, to the next suckers wanting this family-run team to occupy their rink, Caveat Emptor!

I have been saying for a long time that the problem with the Cougars is management, or lack there of..and have had my share of those whe wanted to lynch me for it...nice to know I am not the only one who feels this way...
Don't forget, Brodski, said that he hates hockey, can't stand to watch it. SO why does he own an hockey team? He says... he wants a "cup"...can't remember which one at this moment...but pretty poor excuse to have a team and drag is kicking an screaming into the sewer...
---the above...facts and my opinions..

"Don't forget, Brodski, said that he hates hockey, can't stand to watch it. "

I have seen you use this quote more than a few times, where did you get it from? Brodsky might be a lot of things but I just cannot see how he said this unless it was taken out of context.

P.G. IS A HOCKEY TOWN... I had season tickets for 10 years, until the team stunk so bad I couldn't stand it any longer.The problem was not with the players, it was with the club.It seems to me that the players don't have respect for the management. Anyone who was at those early games knows that the fans were so intense that visiting teams hated to come to P.G. They were all jealous of our team support. These games used to draw support from north, south, east, and west. It was great for the economy of P.G. Under new ownership I believe that support would return to it's old glory years. All we need is an owner that is willing to spend the bucks and run the club PROFESIONALLY, not MICKEY MOUSE like the present. Every one in the league can see the problems, except Brodsky. It's too late for this management.... We need new blood with the class and style that a WHL hockey club deserves. Fans would return in good numbers and the players would skate with a winning smile on their faces, something we have rarely seen.

whoa ...somepeople just have no clue do they ....

Ya ok Broadski moved out of town ... what does that say? He also owns the Wichita Falls Wildcats ... he cant live in two places can he? so that holds no weight with me

yes the Managment situation is a joke ... his wife runs the show for sure ...if she likes one particular player she pressures the coach into giving him more ice time .... Now for the daughter and son in law ... Brandie does ok at what she does with the limited amount that she to work with shes a marketer ..she dont claim to be a hockey person .. Dallas is a moron ..he may have played hockey but has no clue on how to run a practice or coach a team let alone scout for the future. Interesting note ... they were repulsed by each other a few months ago on the "kiss Cam" at the Multiplex

the coaching situation ... Mostly a hey my buddy needs a job ... any time we have quality and proven coaches interested in coming here that deal gets shot ... Most recently and Notably Marc Habischied ( a Multi time Memorial cup winning coach and out right proven) He wanted a multi year coach /gm deal (fairly cheaply I might add) and a minority in ownership. ... we presently have Klippenstein behind the bench and Thompson upstairs instead ...

I have been a Cougs fan since they came to PG ..even when I moved away in 98 and came back in 06 the whole time I followed the cougs.

To those that say that PG cannot support the Spruce kings and the Cougars ... Pull your head out of your butts , Medicine hat a Town little more than 1/2 the size of PG sells out 4006 seats each and every night (3000 of which are season tix and there is a few year wait list to get tix)
Lethbridge (probally the city that closest to pg in size and demographic in the whl) doesnt sell out every night but fills its stands regularly ..when the University team plays, AJHL team plays and several other events going on the same nite.
Kelowna has a BCJHL team (westbank warriors if I recall right) you dont hear them complaining ...

I was also one of the many who lined up the previous day and spent the nite at the multiplex to get playoff tix back in 98 ... in 07 I was in line early at studio 2880 to get playoff tix ... that sold out the arena in record times.

So it will be a filled arena if the team wins and is doing well but its up to the owners and managment to make sure the team wins by providing them players with the tools needed to do so. get rid of managment and the get good people here and the arena will be profitable again ...

MrPG that was a direct quote from brodski. If i remember right is was on this site last year when there was an interview of him...Live video....and the words are not taken out of contect...

I'll try and see if i can find the video for you MrPG...there is one on the opinion250 site with Rick, Brandi and Ben, but that wasn't the one I remember so well. Had to watch it a few times as I couldn't beleive what I was hearing. It may be on the Citizen blog as well...but I'll look for you.

bowzone_mikey, Brandi is his daughter not his wife.....just for the record. And if you like the Cougars, thats great, you are entitled to that simple pleasure.

Here you go MrPG...the interview was on the citizent site....
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20080205116613/sports/sports/i-can-t-stand-to-listen-to-the-games-brodsky.html#comment-3779In mr Brodski's own words....

"bowzone_mikey, Brandi is his daughter not his wife..."
Actually BCRacer, that is what he said ".... Now for the daughter and son in law .."

What is the team worth? Or. what is an average team worth?
If this team was community owned and the owners new how to entertain, I think the team would do great.

BCRacer, you better listen to that interview a little closer. As I suspected, you've taken Brosky out of context.

The interviewer is asking Mr. Brodsky about how he feels about listening to the games when the team is so bad. As most would say, he says he can't stand to watch (when the team is performing poorly or having an off night).

Of course PG is a hockey town. You just have to look at minor hockey enrollment, the number of rinks, the number of people playing in rec leagues, ball hockey squads, etc. to prove it. To believe that it isn't is living in some sort of fantasy world.

Now that being said, PG is also a very proud community. We typically don't take to well to being taken for granted or taken advantage of and that is where the Cougars have failed miserably. Not only have they not delivered the product, they have shown no ability to be able to do so, nor have they shown any legitimate interest in trying to do so. A community like PG will only put up with that for so long before it simply abandons the product, which we have for the most part. Truth be told, I think we supported this squad more than any other city in the league would have if they had been subjected to the same level of performance.

Mark me down (and loads of my friends) as fellow prior long-term season ticket holders that have simply given up on this franchise, except for the odd walk up game.

I'd buy season tickets again under new ownership and I'd be willing to bet that the attendance would jump to at least 4,500 per game OVERNIGHT if that occured.