Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor
Notes, quotes and anecdotes
Things that make me go hmm…
Mar 25, 2024 | 8:00 AM
- How was that weekend? Oh, my goodness. Did you think it would be that spectacular? For the Kelowna Rockets to win both games with so much on the line was incredible. It felt like playoff hockey. It had the intensity, with so many individuals coming to the table to help the team to victory. Kayden Longley’s huge goal on Friday night is a great example. Trae Johnson’s contribution on the forecheck and Ethan Neutens finding the back of the net – twice – are just a few examples of why you win with everyone doing something. Don’t be an innocent bystander. It takes a team to win at this time of the year. Everyone was playing for each other, and it showed.
- I have to admit the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when the crowd came alive when the puck was about to be dropped for Saturday’s opening face-off. The 57 hundred fans in the building made a massive difference in bringing the energy to the building, especially when the home team was leading 3-2 heading into the third period.
- Lost in the shuffle of the emotional weekend were the 20 victories the Rockets produced on home ice. That is five more than a season ago when the team went 15-16-3-0 at Prospera Place. The 71 points were a whopping 13 more than in 2022-2023. The team took the next step in its evolution as a power in the WHL moving forward, and the numbers don’t lie.
- If Wenatchee is the ‘Apple Capital’ what is Kelowna? It has been called ‘The Little Apple’, by some observers, yet I’ve heard ‘Sun City’ used many times. Wenatchee is the ‘Apple Capital’ due to its many orchards. Hey, that is our claim to fame!
- It is a statistic many don’t appreciate enough. Three players were able to play in all 68 regular season games in 2023-2024. Marek Rocak, Hiroki Gojsic and Dylan Wightman were healthy enough, and likely dealt with a few bumps and bruises, but dressed for every game. Max Graham would have also been included on that list had he not sat out a one-game suspension against Prince Albert on the prairie road trip. Let’s high-five d-man Kayden Sadhra-Kang, who played in 69 games, with an additional one as a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings.
- Ponder this for a second. Had the Kelowna Rockets not hosted the Memorial Cup in 2020, which was eventually canceled due to COVID, can you imagine what type of trade value, then 19-year-old d-man Kaedan Korczak would have fetched? You wouldn’t have traded him at the time considering he was one of your anchors on the blueline, but would he not have given the organization two first-round prospect picks had he been on the trade block? Had the marquee d-man been dealt, the fast track to challenging for a WHL title would have been a year closer. Another good example of things that make me go hmm.
- Speaking of Kelowna, I ran into a couple the other day from the U.K. They moved here about six years ago, mainly for the lifestyle. They raved about the beauty in the area, and the ability to bike, hike, and ski. When they first set eyes on Kelowna, they were driving down the Connector and looked to their right. Bang! The picturesque view of Okanagan Lake was stunning, and they instantly fell in love with the place. It was interesting to hear their story, and how they are taken aback by the area’s beauty. It was another reminder of how blessed we are to call the Okanagan home.
- Here is an odd stat for you. Of the four other teams in the BC Division this season, who earned the most points against the Vancouver Giants? The answer is the Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets were 7-1-0-0. The Prince George Cougars were 6-2-0-0 against the G-Men. Oh, Samuel Honzak, the Giants captain, had one goal in eight games against the Rockets in the seasonal series.
- Max Graham scored 20 goals this season. A late flurry this season allowed him to hit the benchmark. Honestly, I thought he’d be in that territory this season with a underrated hard and accurate shot. Ten of those goals came in the final month of the season….amazing.
- Graham led the WHL in penalty minutes this season with 135. The last Kelowna Rockets player to do that was Kris Mallette in the 1996-97 season. Crazy, isn’t it?
- Coming into the playoffs firing on cylinders isn’t typical in these parts. Even the high-powered WHL championship team from 2015 wasn’t exactly killing it down the stretch. With Leon Draisaitl leading the charge, the team was 7-4-2-0 in its final 13 games of the regular season. This year’s squad was 9-2-1-1 in its final 13 games.
- The Kelowna Rockets welcomed 148,231 fans into the building for 34 home games this season. That was an average of 4,360 fans per-game, the ninth-best attendance of any team in the WHL. Kamloops had the best attendance among BC Division teams, whose fanbase was still feeling the afterglow of the 2023 Memorial Cup. During the season, over 3 million fans watched WHL games in the 22 markets.
- The Kelowna Rockets took a different approach when handing out their team awards this season. Instead of having a formal get-together at the Kelowna Community Theatre, the team handed out its hardware Thursday afternoon outside of the team dressing room. From a media perspective, it was fabulous. In a time when cost-cutting is priority number one and hardly anyone in the media business works on weekends, this allowed other journalists, who wouldn’t typically attend the awards to take photos and interview players and give the team the exposure it deserves. I counted no less than five other outlets with their microphones in the faces of the winners, all because the event happened during the weekday.
- Andrew Cristall led the team with 111 points, which is three shy of the club record held by Robb Gordon. Leading the team in scoring for a second straight year, he will be back to defend his scoring title next season, considering the only way he doesn’t come back to junior hockey is if he cracks the lineup of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Priority number one for Cristall next season is to suit up for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
- How would you like to be 19-years-old, be a three-year veteran in the WHL, and have zero playoff experience? Enter forward Michael Cicek, who just turned 20 in January. In two previous seasons, Cicek, who had a career year with 39 points and played in a staggering 64 games after playing 23 fewer the season prior, will make his playoff debut Friday night in Wenatchee. In two years with the Spokane Chiefs, Cicek’s season ended when the regular season did.
- Just for context, let’s compare Caden Price’s 18 year-old season to those in the past. Price had 13 goals and 55 points in 2023-2024. In his 18 year-old year, Damon Severson, now of the Columbus Bluejackets, had 52 points including 10 goals. Kaedan Korczak at 18 years-old had 49 points including 11 goals. Cal Foote had 57 points at the exact same age as Price. So if you think you are witnessing one of the best d-men to ever grace Prospera Place ice, you would be correct.
- They did it up right. The Kamloops Blazers celebrated the career of long-time trainer Colin ‘Toledo’ Robinson at its final home game of the season. After 29 years, Toledo, my former roommate when we were both with the Swift Current Broncos, is moving away from his duties at the rink. I thought he deserved the sendoff, and frankly with the playoffs not in the cards for the Blazers this season, why not use the opportunity to celebrate a special person. When I saw photos of ‘Toledo’ choking up with tears in his eyes during the pre-game ceremony, I knew the Blazers did the right thing by showing him some love. We need more appreciation in the hockey world for the people who make our league so spectacular. Doing it when they are dead is not the right play. Celebrate them when they walk among us!
- Media has changed in so many ways. When I was cutting my teeth in Swift Current many years ago, my objective was to get better. I didn’t need to get paid to attend games. I wanted to improve. To do that, I would take my station microphone and participate in any media scrums I could. Again, I didn’t have to be on the clock. If I was attending a game outside of work hours, I would get audio from the event regardless for use on the station. Heck, if I was there, why not stick my mic in the face of a player? Sadly, that doesn’t happen anymore. My theory is this. Many, not all, have lost the value of being inquisitive. Being on TV or radio is now all about being heard and being seen, rather than telling the stories of others with a genuine curiosity. I like to learn about how people tick. It is in my journalistic DNA. Is it a lost art? I think it is. Many today get into the business for the wrong reasons. Rant over.
- At 1571 words, it is time to close the barn door shut. Remember, playoff tickets for games three and four in Kelowna on April 2nd and April 3rd go on sale this morning at 9 am. Let’s get out there and support this team as they attempt to advance past the first-round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
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