Good Riddance to Goon Show

Thursday, June 23, 2005 04:01 AM

Prince George City Council had a different view than Mayor Colin Kinsley on the matter of staging a, ”Hockey Enforcer Night" when they axed the event.

The Mayor had earlier made public comment that he didn’t see anything wrong with staging the event which would see 16 hockey players try and duke it out at the CN Center on August 27th.

Heading the charge to see the event hit the ash can was Councilor Brian Skakun who had been seeking to have the matter put before Council at the earliest possible time. He received support from Councilors Krause, Sethen, Basserman and Scott. The Mayor, along with Councilors Rogers and Zurowski, supported the venture.

Trying to suggest that because the City has turned down the promoter in his attempt to stage the event in this city, (an event by the way that had been turned down in cities such as Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Las Vegas) as pure censorship is a bit of a stretch. It was weak tea at best.

Hockey players wearing hockey uniforms, some sort of head gear and boxing gloves, trying to punch one another out is neither hockey nor boxing its just plain nothing. Even those who would have paid the price to see the show would have been walking out of the arena feeling they had been had. The promoter had been selling the idea that these “guys” will simply drop the gloves and get at it. Well not quite , the Prince George Athletic Commission, including former world class boxer Harold Mann, concerned about the participants in such an event, had already set the guide lines Wear special gloves, and perhaps some sort of head gear so that in the event you fall and hit your head on the ice you don’t injure yourself.

So you can see it now , drop those hockey gloves, take a five minute intermission while these boys put their boxing gloves on and change head gear, then a two minute attempt at trying to hit someone while on skates. Watching Jean Chrétien working those golf balls through his hands at the Gomery inquiry would be more exciting and quite frankly, more of a sporting event.

So in the end , City Council saved a lot of folks some hard earned money and the only TKO in the whole affair came when City Council took out Mayor Colin Kinsley in a 5 to 3 count.

That, is one man's opinion.
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Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2005 04:01 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: Kelly-Anne on June 23 2005 8:49 AM

You're wrong, Ben, the only TKO that happened last night was to the freedom and choice of the Citizens of Prince George.
So long to "our true north strong and free"... It seems to me that we are living in a true dictatorship!
Tell me, coucillors, how is it that ears get bitten off in boxing and people end up dead due to riots in soccer and animals are tortured and injured during a rodeo, and yet (we) support all three of these sports?
A little contradiction going on here!
If you are that bored and do not have anything else to take control of, work on a solution to the AIDS epidemic on the rise in our city, or cleaning up the downtown core which is littered with needles and condoms and filth.
I'm sure that the adults in this city are capable of making their own decisions as to whether they can or cannot handle watching a hockey fight. Those that were in disagreement should have simply stayed home.

Posted by: gypsy on June 23 2005 9:13 AM

Jeez, what a beginning to an end!!!! Now we have a new example of a "goon" show. Hope it stays verbal. but the controversy is ongoing. The fight's on, just not at the Multiplex!!!!!!! Now we will proceed to have neighbor pitted against neighbor!!!That guy at City Hall with that promoter buddy in Manitoba is going to wish he could dive into a "pothole" about now!!!!! Yep-and disappear!!!! And a 7 digit law suit threatened by the promoter. How did we get to this???
Well, I do believe we will yet become notorious, be it good press or bad???? (Maybe broke too). Let it be noted-it is not the residents in this city that need to be reckoned with-it is the stupidity of the "powers that be" at Prince George City Hall. Old Colin not only had a "red" neck last night-his whole face looked apoplectic. Time out, Colin, and time to go, and take some of your faithful followers with you!!! No offense. Cheers

Posted by: Marketing Man on June 23 2005 10:23 AM

Once again the city is going to cost the taxpayers because of a stupid decision. People were going to make up there own minds on the issue and go if they wanted and not go if they didnt. Now we look like bumbling idiots who are controlled by hysteria. Hmmmm...let me see, we have followed suit like other cities and said no we wont host this....well if that is the case....shouldnt we be following suit and allowing beer sales in the CN Center..like all the other cities? This shouldn't be an issue but a few councilors need to stand on their tired old soap box and rally for the few who cry loudest. Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt Snoop Dog here in concert? The guy is a porn producer, brings hookers on tour, and has some of the most offensive lyrics out there? They should of allowed the show, made the money, got the international attention, and been done with it. Now we look like uneducated morons because of a few who are.

Posted by: gypsy on June 23 2005 10:27 AM

Jeez, that kelly ann is "off the wall" The ear bitten off, the soccer riot, the rodeo's and animals injured-well, I lay you odds people are not attending with the hope of that type of violence erupting. This event is planned and promoted violence, and it was NOT the residents who booked it, it was City Hall. Many residents objected and the end result was City Hall listened. Is this what you call "dictatorship?" If it had been forced on the residents by City Hall, that would flip the coin. You better get your facts straight.
As for your sympathy towards Aids victims--AIDS doesn't just happen you know. Better read up on it!!!! We have to have a certain amount of responsibility for our own actions-and lack of morals. Who are you laying the blame on??? That really is part of being "free." Promiscuity has its price, and our tax dollars go to support that form of freedom also.
We really do not want to expose ourselves as being a blood thirsty, money hungry city, out for the bucks no matter the cost. Cheers!

Posted by: Kelly-Anne on June 23 2005 12:25 PM

Gypsy, you interpreted my comments in your own way and that's fine, but I disagree with much of what you say and do not choose to publicly distort your opinion.
To straighten it out...
In making my point on AIDS I should have clarified: It is not only the promiscuous, homosexuals and drug users that contract AIDS. It happens to "average" people and these average people need time devoted to them by our city...
When crowds attend soccer games they know darn well that a riot is highly likely, just like they know that boxing can be violent and just like they know that latigos (which are painful) cause a bull or a horse to buck harder than normal).
P.S. There is no blame-laying, this is an "opinion"! And it's Kelly-Anne with a "-" and an "e"!!!
Sorry that you all had to read this!

Posted by: Chadermando on June 23 2005 2:09 PM

Kelly your right and IMO Ben has gone of his rocker on this one.

Has anyone done a real poll? Shouldn't this issue have been decided democratically if it was to be voted on at all. Why not next municipal election?

Posted by: snappi on June 23 2005 8:51 PM

OMG!!The only gong show I've seen is the one thats been going on down at City Hall..This is a joke. These counsellors are sounding more like our politicians every day. So now who's ever going to believe anything they say...and what kind of entertainment can we ever expect to see here again?? I guess that having my road repaired is out of the question for another 10 years now. Maybe I'll just go to the next Cougars game so I can see how the fans and their children enjoy listening to the drunks yelling profanities at the players and ref's. I think that maybe its time for some changes.