Eric Brewer remembers the thrill of playing for the Prince George Cougars in a packed barn.
As a rookie defenceman before he began his NHL career, in 1995 he was just breaking into the WHL when the Cougars moved into the Prince George Multiplex and sellout crowds were the norm, rather than the exception.
But, lately, hard times have befallen the Cougars in the building now called CN Centre. Once the envy of the Western Hockey League for their rabid fan support, as they were throughout Brewer's three seasons with the team, they've ranked dead-last in attendance the past three seasons.
Now the Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman is among a group of local investors including Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis that's close to finalizing a deal to buy the Cougars, and Brewer is confident the new ownership group will turn the franchise around and bring back the glory days.
"I think for all of us guys who played in Prince and were part of a team that improved so much and were part of an environment that was really good for junior hockey kids, learning how to play hockey in a great building that was energized, we'd like it to get back to that," said Brewer, from his home in Tampa.
"I loved playing there, I thought it was great, and I think it can be great again. In regards to the current ownership, that was their intention the whole time through and they've tried many things to make it work, it's just the way it is. [Owner Rick Brodsky] treated me fantastic when I played there and he was good to my family."
For the fifth time in seven seasons the Cougars missed the playoffs. In their 20 years in Prince George since Brodsky brought the team up from Victoria, the Cougars have yet to hang a regular season or playoff banner. With Brewer and Hamhuis poised to become part-owners while still playing in the NHL, they plan to use their ties to the pros to make the Cougars a success, whether that leads to finding players, coaches or front office personnel.
Those NHL connections are well-entrenched for the Edmonton Oil Kings, who are owned by the same group which owns the Oilers, and the Calgary Hitmen, who are owned by the Flames. Both teams have won WHL championships over the last four seasons.
"For the community of Prince George it's good to have an established group of people who have played at high levels of sport," said Brewer. "You can get them to come back and collectively spread the word that it is a great place to play and live your life.
"Growing up in Kamloops, the Kamloops Blazers were the epitome of what a WHL team should have been. They had team after team that had NHL player after NHL player. In the NCAA, you talk about the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, it's an established program and there's no confusion about what it is and who's played there. Ultimately, that's what you want Prince George to be.
"Families want to know that their kids will be taken care of and they're in the right environment."
Until the pending deal has been formally approved by the league, the 34-year-old Brewer said he could not reveal any terms of his involvement with the Cougars' ownership group, which plans to send its purchase agreement to the WHL office in Calgary on Friday
"Yes I am part of it and yes I am very excited, but beyond that, I can't tell you a whole lot," Brewer said. "My understanding is in a few days I can tell you more."
Like Hamhuis's wife Sarah, Brewer's wife Rebecca (nee Flann) is from Prince George and they met while he was playing for the Cougars. Brewer, a native of Vernon who moved to Kamloops at age 14, was drafted in 1997 by the New York Islanders, fifth overall, after completing one of the most successful seasons in the team's Prince George history.
Playing on a team stacked with future NHL'ers Chris Mason, Zdeno Chara, Joel Kwiatkowski, Blair Betts, Tyler Bouck and Ronald Petrovicky, Brewer and the Cougars made their first run to the WHL conference final, losing in the third round that year to Seattle.
Brewer returned for one more season with the Cougars before he began his NHL career with the Islanders. He also played for Edmonton, St. Louis and was traded to Tampa Bay in 2010. In 2002, Brewer became the first former Cougar to win an Olympic gold medal, a feat matched by Hamhuis when he helped Canada win gold last month in Sochi.
The Lightning, under head coach Jon Cooper, who was born and raised in Prince George, are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference. They picked up forward Ryan Callahan in a deadline trade for Martin St. Louis and Brewer says the former New York Rangers captain has fit in well.
"We've been pretty steady through the year," said Brewer, who has a goal and 12 assists in 67 games this season. "We lost one very good player and got another good one back. We're sad to see Marty go but we're happy to have Ryan Callahan, he's a good player.
"We have a very good franchise here. The owner [Jeffrey Vinik] is quite amazing and it just trickles down from there. There's a lot of really good things going on here."
