We are All Canucks: Inside

Canucks Training Camp

Brady Stark
Team Member

y now, everyone and their dog knows

what happened on the weekend of
the 18th - 20th in Prince George; Canucks
training camp. We all know the drills that
they showed, the prospects who lit up
the ice with their blazing speed, and the
incredible generosity the players showed
to their fans through autograph signing
and photo ops. What happened behind the
curtains and in the bowels of the CN center
where not many people had access? Well,
let’s just say, the Canucks organization
showed why they are a team that fans
young and old admire.

As members of the media for Over the
Edge, me and my camera man were given
backstage passes to see what happens
when the team steps off the ice. From the
moment that we arrived at the CN centre,
we were made sure that we had the proper
credentials in order to go almost anywhere
that the players and management staff.
When the players stepped off the ice, they
were met by any media that wanted to
interview them for their show, paper, or
blog. No matter how big or small the media
outlet, the Canucks made sure that they
were available and cordial to everyone.

The first player that myself and my camera
guy got the pleasure of meeting was the
top young Canucks who had made a name
for himself in last year’s playoff series
against the Calgary Flames: Bo Horvat.
Before the interview even started, Bo
made sure that he introduced himself

and shook both of our hands before
understanding the questions that we were
going to ask him. During the interview

Bo made sure that there was nothing

off limits; he even told us the emotional
origins of his jersey number (53). After
the interview, Bo Horvat thanked us for
talking to him and went on his way.

Next, we decided to go for some of the
superstars on the team by asking the media
coordinator if we could speak to Ryan
Miller and Henrik Sedin. Ryan Miller was
finishing off his interviews for Sportsnet

and Global BC, when we got the chance
to do a one-on-one interview with the
#1 goaltender. Miller introduced himself
to us like a regular guy as we prepared
him for the questions we were going to
ask. For those who know Ryan Miller, he
is notorious for not wanting to open up
about anything and sometimes having
a strained relationship with members
of the media; thus we were prepared for
a short interview, but what we got was
one of the most candid and interesting
interviews that Miller has ever done.

Miller went on to talk about his training
regime as well as his family with a smile
from ear to ear. Throughout.the weekend,
the Canucks were more than. happy to
talk to anyone that wanted a conversation
no matter who you were. This did not
just extend to the players to the media
relations people. During a dinner event
that we somehow managed to get invited
to, people like Trevor Linden, Stan Smyl,
and Kirk MacLean were eager to talk
about hockey and share in a laugh about
the stupid trades that other teams have
made, or which former player on the
Canucks was a complete basket-case (a
lot of focus was on David Booth). Even as
the drinks kept flowing and the gathering
dwindled down, two small town media
guys were made to feel like we were

just a part of the Canucks organization.
When it all boils down to it, whether

it’s in front of fans or in the bowels of

the arena, the whole Canucks really live
their motto of “ We are all Canucks”.

Sports 5

Smoke’s Rant:
Timberwolves Screwed by

Scheduling

Brady Stark
Team Member

ne of the biggest ways that universities

develop their programs is through
exposure locally and beyond. With athletics,
the way that teams get exposure is by playing
home games and gaining a great fan base that
shows the rest of the country and potential
recruits that you are a program that is worth
investing in whether the investment is money
or time. The CIS has basically screwed any
chance that the UNBC Soccer program has of
gaining support by giving them only three
home games each for the entire season.

To put this into perspective, every other team
has an average of six home games out of the
12 in the regular season; that is twice as much
as the Timberwolves. This is a frustrating
trend that Prince George has gotten used

to in the last few years. Cougars fans can
recall that their WHL team got very little
weekend home games compared to other
teams, which cut down on their attendance.

The Timberwolves only have a finite amount
of time that they can play on the rotary
fields due to the Arctic like weather that
rolls in about midway through October.
The solution to this problem would be to
front load the Timberwolves schedule with
more home games in the beginning of the
season and have them visit warmer climate
teams later in the season in order to make
sure that the players are as comfortable as
possible. The CIS panders to universities
like UBC and UVic, while they forget that
if those teams do not have competitive
games throughout their schedule, then
even their own fans will be bored of
watching them and neglect their team.

UNBC has come a long way in their athletic
programs in the 3 years, it is time for the
CIS officials to stop wearing their blinders
and give UNBC the exposure and home
games that they so obviously deserve.