January 4th vs. Kerry Park Islanders - Hockey Ops.

Good Evening Hockey Fans,

Welcome back to the Panorama Recreation Centre for the game this evening against the visiting Kerry Park Islanders.  The Islanders have not been down to the Peninsula for several months, the last time the game went into overtime and when no winner was decided, it took a shootout to finally put them to bed.  Last Saturday we travelled up to Mill Bay and dispatchd the Islanders 7-3.  Newcomer Jackson Skerratt popped in a goal and added two assists, while smooth-skating defenceman Cody Breitenstein added three helpers in the win.  Daniel Welch led Panthers scoring with two goals.  The game looked like it was on ice when we were up 4-1 in the 2nd period and on the power play, but a couple of mistakes gave the Islanders two short-handed goals and it was game on.  But the boys responded quickly to put the game away and grab two all important points in VIJHL standings.  Josh Round was between the pipes and picked up the win.

Tonight we are missing several players for a variety of reasons.  20-year-old Logan Gibson is a healthy scratch tonight.  18-year-old Jonas Horvath was banged up a couple of weeks ago and he may be out for another week or two.  17-year-olds Reece Costain and Austin Singhera are serving their last game of a 3-game suspension each received for an incident in Saanich against the Braves on December 21st.  16-year-old Nathan Looysen is off on a family vacation that was organized well before he was signed to the Club in early November and 17-year-old goaltender Stephen Heslop was the backup for the Cowichan Capitals on Wednesday night when the Capitals downed the Victoria Grizzlies 3-2.  Heslop joined the Capitals this weekend as they travel to West Kelowna tonight, Salmon Arm on Saturday and Langley on Sunday afternoon and I expect that he will start in at least one of those games.  The Capitals traded their #1 goaltender to the Nanaimo Clippers and so Stephen is being used as a stop gap as they wait for a goaltender from the United States Hockey League to arrive.  This will be a great experience for Heslop and I am looking forward to seeing how he makes out on the weekend.

Josh Round will make the start between the pipes again tonight and we have brought up 16-year-old affiliate goaltender Leighton Williams to backup Round.  Williams has an interesting story.  He lives up in Mill Bay and tried out for the Islanders in August but was released back to Minor Hockey.  Kerry Park Minor Hockey decided to not go with an “A” program in Midget and so Williams was left without a place to ply his trade.  Numerous calls were made and he ended up trying out for the Peninsula Midget AA team and eventually made it to that squad.  He has been out practicing with the Club and tonight will be the first time he has dressed with a Junior “B” team in regular season action.  I can’t imagine what a grind this season has been for Leighton and his family as they spin up and down the Malahat chasing the hockey dream.  I don’t think the family car gets a chance to cool down due to the hockey commitment - yes Canadians are a tough and dedicated lot and our Organization tips our collective hats to Leighton and his family.

16-year-old Josh Gladman is a forward and an Affiliate player who will also play his first game in Junior Hockey this evening.  Gladman hails from Saanich Minor Hockey where he plays for the Midget AA club.  Josh attended our Spring Camp last April and impressed the staff with his effort throughout the weekend and was later AP’d.  He was hurt earlier this season and was out of the game for a bit however, Brian Passmore followed his progress quite closely and slotted him in tonight.  Gladman has been out with the Club at practice quite a bit as of late and I know that he and his family is very excited for the opportunity this evening.

This is a big game for our Club this evening as we continue to battle the Westshore Wolves for 3rd place in our Division.  The Wolves lost an overtime game to the Nanaimo Buccaneers on Wednesday evening.  They were awarded with a single point and this moved them into sole possession of 3rd place, a single point ahead of us.  We have played three less games however and a win tonight would vault us into 3rd place and would leave us with two games in hand.  Yes, this is an important contest! 

The only race left in the South is for 3rd so we watch each Wolves game with interest.  We travel to Bear Mountain on Wednesday to face the Wolves in a huge affair and then play them one more time in the last week of the regular season in a game which might be for all the marbles.

Next Thursday is January 10th and that date is looming large.  Teams all have to decide which direction they are going.  Do they need to add a piece or two, should they unload a piece or two which will put them into a position to win a championship next season, or should they just stand pat and go into the Playoffs with what they have.  As you recall, we traded Cole and Kyle Peterson last year around this time for Trevor Yee and as it turned out, Yee lead the playoffs in scoring for our Club.  We have fielded calls from several teams and are looking at several different scenarios but have not done anything at this point.  I have been in lengthy discussions with John Wilson and our Coaching Staff and we will do what is best for the team and for the individual players as we consider moves over the next 6 days.  But right now our players focus is on tonight’s game and after that, on the game next Wednesday at Bear Mountain.

I am watching the NHL and NHLPA battle with interest and still find it quite hard to believe that the two groups might hold hands and go over the cliff together in the next two weeks.  They are still going nose-to-nose, toes-to-toes and I find it crazy that billionaire owners and millionaire players cannot come to an agreement for the betterment of the game.  It shows to me how tilted the game has become.  The average salary in the NHL today is 2.4 million dollars per year.  Let’s say an NHL player plays two years at the average salary and makes 4.8 million for his career.  That is a great salary for a lifetime.  If I were to get a job at 20 years old and work making 100k per year, it would take me until I was 68 years old to earn 4.8 million dollars.  I just do not understand how this makes any sense - the people running this game at the top level have lost touch with reality in my opinion.  When I was a kid, we played hockey on the streets in Lethbridge until the street lights came on.  We loved it and nobody spoke about money.  We all wanted to play in the NHL.  Ask any young hockey player now why they want to make it to the NHL, they will tell you it is for the money.  Thank you all for supporting the kids at this level.  They are all wide-eyed and give everything they have for the love of the game.  Enjoy tonight and a happy & healthy 2013!

Pete Zubersky