Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots: May 18th Edition

By Hartley Miller

  Even though the Royal Bank Cup has been over for several days, I assume players (particularly on the Spruce Kings) and volunteers are still trying to catch up on their sleep. Like any tournament there were highs and the lows. I have narrowed down my many memories to the following 10.

10. Exposure: It never hurts to have your city in the national spotlight for 10 days. TSN carried the final and other major networks sent a TV crew. There’s no price tag for publicity.

9. Strategy backfired: Was I the only one that noticed that the Camrose Kodiaks “tank job” against the Aurora Tigers hurt them dearly ? Camrose entered its final round robin game against Aurora knowing the winner would play either Pembroke or Selkirk in the semi-final while the loser would face Prince George. The Kodiaks played their back-up goalie and looked uninspired in dropping a 7-4 decision to the Tigers, a far cry from their superior play earlier. In other words, they wanted a shot at the Spruce Kings in the playoffs. Well, they got their wish and as a result, the Kodiaks and their many traveling fans got an early bus ride home.

8. White is the color: At the start of the season, Spruce Kings goalie Jordan White had a brief and unsuccessful stint with the PG Cougars. To his credit, White more than redeemed himself to PG hockey fans with two superb performances stopping 33 of 34 shots in the 2-1 victory over Selkirk and the unforgettable 91 save effort in the 3-2 semi-final decision over Camrose.

7. Quality of hockey:  It certainly wasn’t major junior, but impressive nonetheless. The only team that struggled was Selkirk. The Anavet Cup (Manitoba-Saskatchewan) champion Steelers didn’t look any better than an average BCHL team.

6. Unpredictability: Pembroke beat Aurora in the round robin and took them to overtime in the semis. Camrose failed to make the final, thanks to PG. The great thing about a tournament is that the favorite team doesn’t always win.

5. Empty seats: The biggest “downer” of the event. Not enough tickets were sold and of those purchased not enough were used. In fact, Prince George failed to break Grande Prairie’s attendance record.

4. Loud crowd: There may not have been huge crowds, but the fans that did attend were very vocal. Their enthusiasm and energy definitely helped the home team.

3. Hostess with the “mostess”: The host committee, armed with over 600 volunteers, came through with flying colors. Each and every member can take a well deserved bow. Prince George can be very proud of rolling out the welcome mat to the hundreds of out of town visitors.

2. Championship game: How many people really thought the Spruce Kings would play in the final? Yes, they literally ran out of gas in the 3-1 loss to Aurora, but they did play on national TV and finished ahead of three other teams that would have loved this opportunity.

1. Marathon moment: I doubt I will ever get another chance to watch (in person) another game as long as the Spruce Kings 3-2 victory over Camrose in five overtimes. I was among the 3,000 plus spectators who watched all six hours from start to finish in the longest hockey game ever played in PG. I suspect years from now, tens of thousands will claim they were in attendance.

I suggest that in the future (to improve the RBC) organizers should include a day off between the semi-finals and final. Also, there needs to be lower ticket prices for seniors and youth. However, the National championship lived up to the pre-tournament hype. And really, that’s all anyone could have asked for.

From the quote rack:

“To be fair to Paris, 23,000 of the people who booed were disgruntled ex-boyfriends."  Comedian Alex Kaseberg, after Paris Hilton was booed when her picture was flashed on the LA scoreboard while attending a Dodgers National League game.

“What’s next, O.J. Simpson offering to try the sock on?" Dan Daly of the Washington Times, on the controversy regarding the bloody sock worn by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling in the 2004 playoffs.

“Double that if you’re a Cubs fan." NBC’s Jay Leno, after hearing an average person sheds 20 pints of tears in a lifetime.

“Dirk Nowitzki is named the NBA’s MVP. Isn’t that like naming Custer MVP of Little Big Horn?” Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

“So, which kind of family would that be? The Sopranos?"  Bill Lankhof of the Toronto Sun, on Sebastian Telfair, saying he’s going to miss the Boston Celtics
family atmosphere. (Telfair was cut after he was caught with a firearm)

And in case you missed it:

Odds are slim that soccer fans will get a ticket to watch the 2008 European championship. 346,000 tickets are available but there are more than 10-million requests.

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com    

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