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Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots April 21st Edition

By Hartley Miller

    

Hartley Miller is the sports director for 
radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. 
He also writes for the PG Free Press. 






My reflection on the Prince George Spruce Kings season doesn’t quite jive with that of the Team President.

The other day, as I drove past the PG Coliseum, I couldn’t help but snicker after noticing a sign posted by the Spruce Kings. It read, “Thank you fans for a great year. See you in August”

Am I missing something here? Maybe I have been living in a cave because I certainly don’t recall the Spruce Kings having a “great” year. Their record (21-32-4-3) was awful, playoff attendance was dismal, the team dealt its top players, the coaches were constantly disciplined by the BCHL, long time directors Brent Stone and Doug Skeates left the team, Bill Ollinger (marketing manager) and Kelly Sharp (house lottery manager), were ushered out, bus driver, Gord Trudeau, handed in his keys, after 13 years, and ticket prices rose. Sounds like a great year, doesn’t it?

So, to be fair, I asked Team President Rick Turgeon, what made this a great year? Turgeon responded by saying, “Making the playoffs from what we had...I guess, that would be a great year”. Turgeon actually believes that making the playoffs (6th out of 8) with such a young team was quite an accomplishment. He also added “the fan support was still there from prior years.” However, when pressed on the issue, he admitted the regular season freebies didn’t show for the playoffs. My idea of a great year and Turgeon’s are slightly different, but I guess, it’s all a matter of “spin”.

Meanwhile, according to Turgeon, the Spruce Kings are in the “black” with $80,000 in the bank and another $100,000 in a GIC. He adds the team was $150,000 in debt just two years ago. So, the team has a positive cash flow, but will that still be the case after next year’s Royal Bank Cup?

On another note, Jim Young (not dirty 30) has the not so enviable job as the Spruce Kings new Marketing Director as he took over the duties previously held by Ollinger and Sharpe. Young had been in the trucking business and selling for a freight company after running a short lived (can you say six weeks?) Prince George magazine called ’Sports Edge’. You may think this move was made to cut costs, but Turgeon believes if Young does his job effectively, he will actually have a larger income than his two predecessors combined.

Good luck! Can Young be an “old pro” when it comes to selling Spruce Kings hockey? Well, he does hold a distinct advantage-They are coming off “a great year”!

....................... .
When it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs do local bar owners see the glass as half full or half empty?

Last year’s NHL lockout meant no hockey, which greatly reduced revenue at local Pubs. This year, the playoffs are back, but without the Vancouver Canucks. Kap Manhas, part owner of the Westwood Sports Pub and the Tabor Sports Pub, expects an increase in profits, but admits that “it definitely impacts” without the Canucks. Manhas says “we need one of the four Canadian teams to reach the finals like Calgary did two years ago”. It’s difficult to tell how much of a hit bar owners took a year ago because there were “so many intangibles”, said Manhas.

The thought of hockey pools and playoff games is sufficient to put pub owners in a good mood, and Manhas will drink to that.


From the quote rack:


• "Dumbbells are easy to come by, but most of them are married."
Golden Girls star Rue McLanahan, 72, insisting that weightlifting and plenty of sex have kept her young.

• "Howard "Red" Hickey, who invented the shotgun offense, died recently at 89. The formation has been employed by many people over the years, most recently by Dick Cheney."
Comedian Jim Barach of Charleston, W.V.

• "It was one of the worst things I’ve seen since I put on a baseball uniform. And that was an onion sack in the Dominican.’’
San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou after his pitchers walked six Atlanta Braves in just one inning

• "There was a bomb scare at Augusta Regional Airport after the Masters, but it turned out not to be a bomb. Apparently somebody found David Duval’s scorecard.’’
Michael Ventre of MSNBC. com

• "When I start missing them, they don’t go in."
Fred Couples, with his best Yogi Berra impression, on his putting at The Masters.


• "A man buys a big-screen TV and invites his buddy to watch the Maple Leafs play. When they score the first goal, the guy’s dog barks, jumps up and down, wags its tail and gets him a beer. ’Wow, that’s amazing,’ the friend says. ’What does he do after the Leafs win the game?’ The guy says, ’Oh, I don’t know. I’ve only had him for a couple months.’"

A reader to the Toronto Sun

And how was your week?


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