BY / JOHN CULLEN
Hockey Now Writer
The British Columbia Hockey League is celebrating its 50th season this year as BC’s only Junior A hockey league, and I’ve been to probably 50 games in the 12 years or so I lived here, which begs the question: where the hell have YOU been?
While the BCHL certainly records fairly decent attendance numbers, particularly considering the size and age of some of the buildings in the league, it still bothers me to go to many games around the league and see buildings that aren’t full to capacity. Make no mistake about it: this is great hockey, and this is hockey that’s worth your time.
I moved to Vancouver from Ontario in 1999, and ever since I’ve lived here, I’ve noticed that Vancouver(and the Lower Mainland) is a Canucks town. Or should I say, Vancouver is an NHL town. Fans here live and breathe the Canucks, they care about the league, and they are incredibly well-versed about their squad.
One thing I’ve also noticed is that when it comes to hockey happenings outside the NHL, fans can be lukewarm. I’m trying to avoid sweeping generalizations here, but it seems that the general indifference of the game can stem from a lack of playing the game growing up(BC has some of the lower participation rates in hockey across Canada, with only the Interior of the province showing a participation rate greater than 6.2%, compared with many areas across the country showing 7.7% or higher), and what that can entail(i.e. less interest in the game at a grassroots level).
When people can’t make it to a Canucks game for a variety of reasons(affordability and access to tickets being a prime one), their immediate thoughts turn to the Vancouver Giants, and there’s no question that the WHL and the CHL in general is a fantastic breeding ground for hockey. For those who live in Vancouver, it’s not a tough choice to make, but for those who live outside the city centre, there’s still the matter of making it to that NHL-sized building, parking, and getting the kids to bed a little later than you’d like. However, the BCHL is generally right around the corner, and if you live in the suburbs, there’s not too much better hockey you’re going to see for $10-12 a ticket.
The BCHL boasts a number of graduates that you’d recognize(Brett Hull, Paul Kariya, Milan Lucic, Kyle Turris, Scott Gomez, the list is lengthy), but watching the games isn’t necessarily about finding the next diamond in the rough, it’s about watching a bunch of kids work their asses off for a dream. That dream might not end with an NHL career, but these kids are working so tirelessly and are so blissfully uncaring about the end result that you get excited right along with them.
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| Yes, that's Brett Hull in Cooperalls. At least he scored 105 goals in them for Penticton. |
I love the Giants(in fact, I cover them for the Hockey Now), but there’s a community vibe you get every time you walk into a BCHL arena that you just simply don’t get anywhere else in junior hockey. You’re sitting right on top of the ice. Too close, in fact, as once you step inside most BCHL buildings, you can smell the hockey players before you can see them. You can smell the popcorn too, and it’s still reasonably priced so you don’t have to buy just one bucket for the whole family to share, causing sibling strife in the process. Programs are $2 and they’ll probably win you a gift certificate to a local business you’ve always wanted to patronize but never had the chance. Oh, and all proceeds from those programs? They go right back to the minor hockey association the team is affiliated with. It’s a great place to bring your kids if they play minor hockey(or even if they don’t), because the arenas are ridiculously kid-friendly and chances are good their friends are already at the game. There’s no ushers there to poo-poo excited screams and frantic running up and down the aisles. There’s scores of kids throwing frisbees around well before the frisbee toss at second intermission, and you’d think the frisbee toss was more important than the hockey game happening. But the hockey game is happening, and the quality is GOOD.
A lot of these players are vying for scholarships. Many will get them. Some won’t, and that’s okay. Many(BCHL graduates haul down between 80 and 100 scholarships a year) will get those scholarships and it starts a road down to pro for them, where some will simply use the education to become a productive member of their community. The fact is, more and more players are getting concerned about life after hockey, and so more and more are turning to leagues like the BCHL where NCAA eligibility is not forfeited, unlike the CHL, which is considered to be a “pro” league(a discussion for another day). It’s made the league a heck of a lot better, and it’s a rare occasion at a BCHL game where I’m not entertained. The playoffs are an unbelievable spectacle, with these players literally pouring everything they have into winning the Fred Page Cup(the 4OT marathon I saw the Surrey Eagles and Powell River Kings play last season being the best example), but the regular season is no slouch either, particularly if you’re lucky enough to see a game go into overtime, where players play 5 minutes at 4-on-4 and then 5 minutes at 3-on-3 in a free-for-all that is often as entertaining a 10 minutes as you’ll see in hockey.
I have to admit that I’m a bit biased. I grew up watching Junior A, as my father always took me to see my hometown Newmarket Hurricanes play in Ontario, and then my hometown (South) Surrey Eagles out here in BC. I knew guys who played on those teams when I was in school, and now, as a high school teacher, many of my students play on those teams. I see the sacrifices they make on and off the ice to be successful hockey players(and people), and it’s special to see them succeed at something they love to do. I have a lot of great memories associated with going to BCHL(and OJHL) games, and I can’t imagine a season where I won’t make it out to several games, cheering loudly for the goals, hits, and fights, as I did when I was a much younger boy. And I look forward to taking my kids to the games with me too, and showing them what it means to play the game the right way, giving them something to strive for. And just think, all of this is happening in your backyard right now. You’d be foolish not to do something about it.
Okay, shoot. That last paragraph got insanely nostalgic and way too romantic for a supposedly sarcastic blogger. But just do yourself a favor and go see a game, okay? I have to wipe my eyes and spend the next 48 hours before my next blog day trying to get both my masculinity and my internet superiority complex back.
For more, check out http://www.bchl.ca.
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