Tampa Bay Lightning 3 at Winnipeg Jets 4 - February 23, 2012

After a day off, I returned to the MTS Centre on Thursday night to see a southeast divisional matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets.

MTS Centre

The smallest rink in the NHL with a capacity of 15,004, the MTS Centre was previously home to the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. It was built in 2004 to replace the Winnipeg Arena, which housed the previous incarnation of the Jets.

The building was constructed on the site of the old Eaton's building, which was demolished after the retailer went bankrupt in 2001. You can find a statue of Timothy Eaton on the second floor, make sure to rub his left toe for luck.

The main entrance is at the corner of Portage and Donald and opens into an atrium where the box office is located.

You can enter the lower bowl which is immediately to the right of the ticket windows. The concourse is wide enough and you can easily make your way around before it gets too busy (doors open 90 minutes before the game). There are a couple of interesting displays: old-style Jets jerseys (below) and a tribute to the 1920 Winnipeg Falcons, who were the first Olympic gold medal winners in ice hockey.

As you walk around, you will notice the floor is directly level with the street outside. It is a bit unusual to see cars driving outside just a few feet from where you are, most arenas have their concourse above street level.

There is also a map that lists all NHL franchises and their AHL affiliates (above), great for planning that upcoming roadtrip.

I should note that if you want to tour around the lower bowl, you better have a ticket for that level as the plebes in the upper deck are not allowed to mingle with the well-to-do downstairs. I had upper level seats for both games, but on Tuesday I was somehow able to get in to the lower bowl and take a few pictures. I fully expected to do the same on Thursday but was told that this is not possible and I was "very lucky" to have had the chance during the previous game.

From the atrium, the stairs to the upper deck lead to a large lobby where pennants for each NHL team hang, displayed in reverse alphabetical order which puts Winnipeg first. At the other end of this lobby is a Game Night Stage where a band plays very loudly and not particularly well. This is also where a skybridge connects to Portage Place, a shopping centre and many fans use this route to enter the building.

Once inside the upper level, you will notice the concourse here is somewhat narrower and has far fewer concessions. I was fortunate on Tuesday to find a full-service Tim Hortons on the lower level. It sells sandwiches and donuts at regular prices and is the best stadium bargain I've found in a while. On Thursday, confined to the upper deck, the best choice was an Asian Noodle Box at $8, a relatively healthy if overpriced option with three flavours to choose from (Caribbean Pork, Korean Beef, or Thai Chicken). There is another Timmys here, but it only sells donuts and other sweets, not the more appealing sandwiches. Poutine and perogies are also available, as are the usual hot dogs, pizza, and nachos. Moxie's Bar and Grill is a full-service restaurant on the lower level but I did not try that.

The seating bowl is darkened before the game and during intermission so you can't read the free program. I don't know why they do this; the usher in my section was an older gentleman who had difficulty reading everybody's ticket.

There are a few banners that remain from the Moose, and the mascot is Mick-E Moose, so they are retaining some history. On the second level, there are some posters from concerts past as well as a few Moose players. It is strange to see Kevin Bieksa, now an enemy player, remembered in this way.

The scoreboard is a typical four-sided video board, while a single ribbon board encircles the rink between the two levels. The out-of-town scoreboard is shown here on occasion, cycling between the other games, but disappearing when ads are displayed.

I sat in the first row of the third deck and found my view to be partially blocked as you can see below. I found this to be quite annoying and wonder why they can't better design rinks so that there aren't unobstructed views from what should be the best seats. The people next to me had it even worse, forced to crane their necks whenever the play was in the other end.

Overall, I was not impressed with the MTS Centre. Preventing fans from accessing both levels is stupid and a fix needs to be found. Having obstructed views is something I expect from rinks built in the 1950s, not in 2004. There is also no free wifi, which should be an arena standard going forward. I know that the team is new and the fans are excited, but they deserve better than what they are getting here.

The Game

After watching Winnipeg on Tuesday and knowing that Tampa Bay had the worst goaltending in the league, I expected the Jets to win easily and that's pretty much what happened. Don't be fooled by the score, it wasn't that close.

Winnipeg scored two in the first period and added two power play markers in the first three minutes in the second to chase Mathieu Garon, who was replaced by Dwayne Roloson. Andrew Ladd (shown being tripped below) had three points, including his second consecutive 2-goal game.

The game then went into boring mode, with little action for about a period and a half. I managed to stay awake to see Steve Stamkos score on the PP after a beautiful 4-way passing play, his league-leading 43rd that ended Ondrej Pavelec's shutout bid with nine minutes left in the third.

Tampa Bay pulled Roloson with about two minutes to go and Teddy Purcell scored with 54 seconds left to pull within two. Tanner Glass then took a stupid cross-checking penalty for Winnipeg and Martin St. Louis tallied almost immediately to make it a one-goal game. But with only 8.9 seconds left, the Lightning didn't have enough time to tie things up and the game finished 4-3.

With the win, the Jets moved into first place in the southeast division and third place in the conference. They are playing well (4-0-1 in their last 5) and have a good team with a great goaltender. They lack that killer instinct though, as evidenced by giving up several goals late in these two games. They need one more piece to make a good playoff run; I'd be afraid to play them in the first round, especially if they have home advantage through the third seed. However, the teams chasing them have games in hand, so it will be a close race the rest of the way.

Notes

Winnipeg fans are loud and nearly all of them stay for the whole game which I really respect. Check the picture above, that's with less than a minute to go.

However, they complain about every single call against them. At one point, Tim Stapleton put his stick in the feet of a Lightning skater who fell. The ref raised his arm to signal what was clearly a penalty and the place erupted in boos. The reverse is also true: when a Jets player falls and no penalty is called, the catcalls rain down. This happened during both games I attended and began to drive me nuts near the end of this one,. Look, I've seen lots of hockey and it is normal for fans to rag the officials, but this is too much. I know it has been 15 years since you had the NHL, but get used to it, sometimes your team commits penalties too!

Next Up

I'm driving back to Regina tomorrow to check out a game between Moose Jaw and the Regina Pats. There's just three more hockey games (all of the WHL variety) on the Canadian portion of the trip, with over 800 miles to drive to get to them all, so it will be a busy weekend. I'll try to keep the updates coming, so check back regularly.

Best,

Sean

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Philadelphia Flyers 5 at Winnipeg Jets 4 (OT) - February 21, 2012

In 2010, I saw two NHL games in Atlanta, and it turned out those would be the last NHL games I would see there as the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg this past off-season. It's great to have another team in Canada, but damn, I miss that Atlanta option, with $15 tickets and 75F weather. Now it costs $75 to sit in the upper deck and 15F outside.

Tickets to the Jets are difficult to obtain on TicketMaster, with only singles left for public consumption after those who win an early-bird lottery get their fill. Back in January both this game and Thursday's Tampa Bay battle went on sale at the same time. I picked up a good seat for the Tampa tilt but by the time I checked on tickets for the Philly affair, there were no reasonable choices left. So I was ticketless when I arrived at the MTS Centre last night about an hour before game time.

There was a line waiting for tickets to be released and I dutifully took my place at the end with about 20 people in front of me. Another gentleman joined the queue behind me and I determined he was also looking for a single. After a couple of minutes of waiting and realizing the line wasn't moving, a guy came in and asked me if this was the line to buy tickets. I replied in the affirmative and then he pulled out a couple and said he was looking to sell. I asked him how much and he said $150 to sit in the first row in the upper deck. Yikes, too much for me, but it turned out he wanted that for both tickets, in other words, face value. He wasn't willing to sell a single so I casually asked the guy behind me if he wanted to buy one. He was no dummy, and we quickly forked over the cash and were given the tickets, which were not of the bland TicketMaster variety but cool season tickets. Sometimes it pays to be at the back of the line.

The seats were actually in the third row, but there were no rows in front of us as that area was reserved for handicapped patrons. The view was not bad as you can see above.

The Game

I normally review the venue but I entered late and spent most of the warmup talking to Sharpy, who would be enjoying his last game on the trip as he had to return to work. So I'll post more details about the MTS Centre after Thursday's game.

These teams had played three times already with Winnipeg taking every game, including an 8-7 encounter late last year. The Jets were tied with Toronto for the final playoff spot in the East, so it was difficult cheering for them, yet I could not root for the abhorrent Flyers either, so I was just hoping for a good game. Boy, did I get it.

The starters were Ondrej Pavelec (above) and Ilya Brzgalov (below), who made some disparaging comments about Winnipeg during the off-season and is consquently rather disliked by the fans here, who chanted Ill-ee-aa! Ill-ee-aa! derisively throughout the evening. If you've been following hockey at all recently, you'll know the Flyers have had goaltending problems for years and this season is no different as Bryzgalov has struggled of late. He hasn't lost his sense of humour though, after the game he said it was nice to be supported by 15,000 people.

The Jets opened the scoring when Dustin Byfuglien (on the left below, with Nik Antropov) blasted a slapshot from the point that beat Bryzgalov cleanly, the first of three power play markers for the Jets.

The Flyers tied the game a few minutes later when Claude Giroux took a pass from Scott Hartnell and backhanded the puck into the open net with Pavelec well out of position.

The second period saw both teams pot two,with Jets' captain Andrew Ladd scoring two just 64 seconds apart while Hartnell and Maxime Talbot tallied for Philadelphia.

The third period saw the Flyers dominate, but a power play marker by Evander Kane (above) that fluttered in off Bryzgalov's glove (a huge gaffe by the goalie) gave the Jets the lead, which they maintained until the last minute. With their net empty, the Flyers attacked and Wayne Simmonds snuck in between Ladd and Byfuglien to take a pass from James van Riemsdyk and beat a startled Pavelec from in close with just 9.7 seconds left. For the second day in a row, we had overtime after a back-and-forth 4-4 game.

The Flyers' domination continued in the extra frame, as they outshot Winnipeg 6-1. With less than a minute to go, Daniel Briere outworked Johnny Oduya and fed a pass to Jaromir Jagr who was open in the slot. Game over as Jagr scored his record-setting 16th OT goal, then performing his trademark salute to top things off.

This was the best NHL game I have seen in a long while, probably because I spend most of my time watching the Leafs, who are simply not that good. The difference was clearly goaltending; Philly is going nowhere in the playoffs if neither of their keepers can elevate their game. Philadelphia peppered Pavelec with 55 shots (most by any team this season) and he made some outstanding stops, including one effort where he dove across the crease to make a backhanded catch that netted him the Highlight of the Night on Sportsnet. The Leafs lost in overtime to the Devils, so having the Jets lose in OT as well was a good outcome as well.

Notes

One element of hockey that needs to return to the game is the naming of lines, such as the French Connection that starred in Buffalo in the 1970s. The Jets have the GST line (Glass, Slater, and Thorburn), a strong checking line that brought on chants of "GST! GST!" whenever they were on the ice. For non-Canadians, the GST is our Goods and Services Tax (5% now) and this line does much better, playing about 25% of the time.

I know it's Glass!

Our hotel is about 3 miles from downtown and offers a free shuttle to and from the games, a great deal. With an early 6pm start, Sharpy and I had plenty of time to enjoy a local pub after the game.

The fans here are some of the best and most passionate I have seen, but they expect a penalty every time a Jet is checked and falls down. Guess they are still getting used to the new NHL.

Next Up

As mentioned, the Lightning are here on Thursday in an all-Southeast division battle, which means I have a day off today, which I'm using to catch up on rest as there is no sporting event nearby. Check back Friday for a quick recap of the game and the MTS Centre.

Best,

Sean

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Moose Jaw Warriors 4 at Swift Current Broncos 5 (SO) - February 20, 2012

Happy Family Day! Yep, some provinces in Canada have what is known as Family Day (it's Louis Riel day in Manitoba) which meant a Monday afternoon tilt in Swift Current giving us enough time to get to Winnipeg for a game on Tuesday night.

Credit Union iPlex

Located two kilometers south of the TransCanada Highway just off Highway 4, the Credit Union iPlex is an older venue that has recently undergone renovations to make it one of junior hockey's better spots. It was built in 1967 which is when the Broncos began play in the WHL, and new seats were added along with an additional ice rink and a curling rink in 2007.

As is usually the case with junior hockey rinks in the WHL, parking here is free and plentiful. Tickets are $17 and I'd recommend the top rows along the boards as the best option. There is a standing area above the seating bowl on both sides of the rink. The team offers Two Two Twosdays where tickets are only $2 as are burgers and sodas, a great deal if you are fortunate enough to be in town on a Tuesday.

As you enter the barn (an apt name as the roof resembles that of a barn), you will find yourself in the lobby area which is where the main concession stand is located. The usual fare is found here, I tried the chicken strips which were a bargain at $5, coming with five strips, make sure to ask for the sauce though. Many fans spend the game standing in the lobby as you can get great views right at the glass behind one of the goals, as you can see above.

At the other end of the rink are the suites (white boxes below) and behind these is another concession that sells ice cream.

Financial problems forced the club to move to Lethbridge in 1974, where they stayed for 12 years before the town raised enough cash to buy back the team and return them to Swift Current. Behind the suites you can find pictures of each Broncos team from their second coming in 1986.

That year was marked by tragedy when the team bus crashed as it left the town for a road trip, killing four players. There is a memorial banner inside the rink as well as a plaque in the lobby, and the team jersey sports a patch with a four-leaf clover enclosing the four numbers.

Sadly for the town, that was not the only terrible event to befall the Broncos. Graham James, now a convicted sexual predator, was their coach from 1986-94 and was abusing several of his players. The story is very well known in Canada and is a truly disgusting tale that cannot be ignored as James is in those team pictures and a commemorative plaque. There has not been much media coverage south of the border, but this older ESPN article by Gare Joyce covers both subjects in detail and is a good if rather depressing read.

Despite all the tragedy, the team recovered to win the Memorial Cup just two seasons later, before the James mess became public knowledge.

The team warms up to very loud music and then skates out onto the ice through a small inflated log cabin, called "The Stable", which is also the name of the team store. The scoreboard is very small due to the limited space in the roof, and doesn't carry live action or highlights, instead cycling through the same four ads.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching the game here. There are great sightlines and good fans and costs are reasonable. The tragedy is not forgotten and though some say more can be done to remember those 4 who died over 25 years ago, I think the banner and plaque are enough. Rather, I think the team needs to remove the presence of a convicted pedophile from the arena, his name and picture are far too prevalent.

The Game

The Moose Jaw Warriors are the Broncos' nearest rivals, lying just 2 hours east. These two teams have played six times already this season, with the Warriors winning four. Moose Jaw has two first-round picks from the 2010 NHL Draft, with Dylan McIlrath of the Rangers (10th overall, above) and Quinton Howden of the Panthers (25th, below) who are both finishing their junior careers this season. The Warriors are a strong team, lying second in the east while the Broncos were tenth and well out of the playoffs.

McIlrath took an early penalty and Swift Current capitalized when Brad Hoban converted on a give-and-go, beating Warriors' goalie Spencer Tremblay from the slot. Moose Jaw matched that just a minute later when newcomer Cam Braes scored a beauty on a rapid wraparound.

That pattern repeated itself three more times, with the home team scoring only to have the Warriors fight back to tie within a few minutes. Below is Graeme Craig's PP goal that made it 3-2 at the midway point of the second period.

Kenton Miller was the star for the visitors, scoring two and assisting on Howden's game-tying goal in the third. After that, Broncos' keeper Jon Groenheyde made some great saves to preserve the tie, including an unbelievable stop on another wraparound (check around 2:05 in the highlights, which are of very poor quality).

Overtime solved nothing so we went to a shootout. Hoban went first and scored on a backhand deke (below). For once, Moose Jaw had no answer, as Braes, Miller, and Howden all missed and Swift Current took the game.

This was one of the best junior games I've witnessed, with both teams playing hard for the entire game, some great goals, even better saves, and a home team win. I'll be seeing these two teams again in Moose Jaw on Saturday, one day after I see the Warriors in Regina and I can only hope those games are as exciting as this one.

Notes

While I was touring the rink to take some pics, Dumpster, one of the mascots, took my seat and chatted with Sharpy.

Next Up

We are in Winnipeg now, where the Jets take on Philly tonight. Check back for a recap of that one.

Best,

Sean

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Battlefords North Stars 6 at Kindersley Klippers 2 (SJHL) - February 19th, 2012

When I initially planned this schedule, I left Sunday open as there were no games between Saskatoon and Swift Current. However, the hockey gods decided to change the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League schedule so that the Kindersley Klippers would have their Friday game moved to Sunday. Kindersley is a small town about two hours west of Saskatoon and two hours north of Swift Current, so it fit in perfectly with our plans, adding only an hour of driving and allowing me to add another Junior A league to my list.

Biggar, thy neighbour

West Central Events Centre

Kindersley is a community of about 5,000 people and the arena is one of the town's social centers. There are two rinks in here, with the Klippers playing in the larger one with about 7 rows of benches around most of the playing area. You can't really tell in the photo below, but there is netting along the sides as well, so it can be difficult to get a clear view.

We decided to sit in the first row behind the net as that was the closest we could get and still have an unobstructed view of the game.

Admission here is $12 but there are no tickets, just a hand stamp. This means you can come and go as you please; I used the first intermission to drive over to a gas station and fill up. A very relaxed atmosphere with most fans there for the social aspect rather than to watch the Klippers, whose logo is below.

There is a small concession with popcorn and drinks but you can bring your own food in, with a number of fast food restaurants close by providing options.

There was a fire here in January, 2010 that destroyed an adjacent rink and forced the team to play out of a nearby town for the rest of that season. Repairs were completed by the start of the 2010-11 season though and I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

The only thing that bothered me here was the constant use of the horn during play. I'm grown used to the horn sounding when the home team scores a goal, but I still hate it. Apparently fans need to be told when to cheer. But the Klippers horn guy made me wish for headphones as he blew the thing whenever Kindersley made a good save or hit. It is a small rink and I really don't enjoy sudden loud noises. Save it for the goals.

Other than that, I really enjoyed my brief time here. I've been getting to some relatively far-flung outposts to watch these games and it has been a real treat to see small-town Canada, where hockey is king and hype is nowhere to be found.

The Game

The SJHL is a Junior A league whose most famous alumni among us Leaf fans is Wendel Clark, who played for the Notre Dame Hounds back in the early 80s. Tonight's game featured the Battlefords North Stars taking us the Klippers, who were by far the worst team in the league, coming in at 11-39-6, a steep drop from their 2004 season when they were the national runners-up.

Meanwhile, Battlefords (named for the communities of North Battleford and Battleford) were a solid 2nd in the circuit at 39-15-2 and boasted the league's 2nd-leading scorer in Blake Tatchell.

The game was not without controversy. With the North Stars leading 1-0, Klipper Trent Hermary broke in alone and was hauled down. But the puck ended up in the net, easily witnessed by all of us sitting behind the goal. Keeper Connor Creech pulled the puck out of the net like nothing was amiss and the referee, who was out of position, didn't notice. Moreover, the red light didn't go on, so Hermary was awarded a penalty shot, which was blockered away by Creech (below).

Battlefords scored another from Blake Miller, assisted by Tatchell and Jordan Ethier before the period ended. Kindersley got one back midway through the second, but Miller quickly responded taking a perfect pass from Ethier and popping the puck into the open net in front of us. At that point, we realized that the red light was broken, as the goal judge merely raised his hand to signal a goal.

Soon after, Ethier got into the act, beating Klippers' Keeper Brandon Stone with a perfect shot just under the crossbar, again assisted by Tatchell and Miller.

The third period was more of the same with Ethier adding his 2nd (and 4th point) as the North Stars went on to an easy 6-2 win, ending the Klippers' home season on a disappointing note.

Notes

Players are eligible to play junior hockey if they are between 16-20 when the season begins. As we are now nearing the end of the slate, a lot of these players are seeing their careers end, including Mitch Berg (below), who played 47 games in the WHL a few years back but couldn't stick for whatever reason.

Watching these various levels of hockey, the differences in skill is clear, particularly in terms of speed and stickhandling, not to mention officiating. Along with the missed goal, the referee was inconsistent while the linesmen called an icing while the offending team was shorthanded.

That doesn't mean these lower leagues are not worth checking out though; there are over a hundred Junior A teams across Canada (and a few in the U.S. too) and if you are nearby, you should check one out if you have a chance.

Next Up

Today is Family Day in Saskatchewan and the Swift Current Broncos are hosting an afternoon game against the Moose Jaw Warriors. After that, we'll enjoy a long drive to Winnipeg where the Philadelphia Flyers are in town on Tuesday. I don't have tickets yet, so will be trying the scalper route. Check back to see if I got into the game.

Best,

Sean

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Regina Cougars at Saskatchewan Huskies (CIS Basketball Doubleheader) - February 18, 2012

After spending the day touring Saskatoon, Sharpy and I made our way to the campus of the University of Saskatchewan, where the Huskies were hosting the Regina Cougars in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) basketball action.

I normally review the venue on this blog, but this is a Canadian university gym, so there is not much to pass on. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Physical Activity Centre (PAC) is the unique views from the running track that surround the court. There is a small food stand with massive lineups and a beer concession ($5) but that's about it. On to the games.

Game 1 - Regina Cougars 83 at Saskatchewan Huskies 72 (Women's)

Am I the only one who finds that calling a women's team Cougars to be rather amusing? Probably. Regina players are definitely not amused as they are the #1 ranked team in the country with a 19-0 record (eat that Patriots!) while Saskatchewan came in at #3 nationally with a 15-4 mark and a 10-game winning streak themselves, as well having won 23 in a row at home. Something would have to give and it turned out to be the Huskies' streaks as Regina used a 23-14 third quarter to pull away and win 83-72 to finish their perfect season.

The quality of basketball wasn't that good though, with a lot of poor shots, particularly from in close where both teams had trouble. Regina shot 48% from the field compared to Saskatchewan's 35% and that was the main difference in the game.

Game 2 - Regina Cougars at Saskatchewan Huskies (Men's)

The men's game was far less interesting as Saskatchewan was the best team in the West with a 14-5 record (and like the women, ranked #3 in the nation) while Regina was 5-14. Sure enough, the game was a blowout with Saskatchewan winning 110-70. I'm not sure I've seen a team more overmatched than Regina in this one; it was ugly. Some pictures are below.

Matt Forbes dunks

Great views from the running track

Forbes with a rebound

Game over already

Notes

Both teams honoured their players who were reaching the end of their eligibility. The women's celebration took place after their loss, while the men's party happened before their game. Both were done well and a good tribute to the players, including three of the men who had played on the 2010 national championship team.

Next Up

I found another game later today in the Junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The Kindersely Klippers are hosting the Battlefords North Stars, so we will stop in there on our way to Swift Current, where we will check out the Broncos hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors on Family Day (Monday). Check back Tuesday to see what happened.

Best,

Sean

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