The regular season is winding down, and the Prince George Cougars have a legitimate chance to play beyond Game 72.
With the success the Cats have had in the past five weeks or so, they are in position to qualify for the Western Hockey League playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. And as they draw nearer to a potential post-season berth, there's a most welcome sense of excitement building in the city. Anyone who attended last Saturday's home game against the Victoria Royals (a 4-3 shootout loss in front of 5,404 fully-entertained witnesses) felt the buzz.
Now the question is, how many of those fans - many of them drawn to CN Centre by the prospect of winning the largest 50/50 jackpot in team history - will buy tickets if the Cougars do end up in the playoffs? Hopefully, the seats will be as stuffed as the 50/50 barrel that contained the winning ticket, which was drawn Monday afternoon and made local resident Anthony Santos $33,533 richer.
Assuming the Cougars grab one of the eight available playoff berths in the Western Conference, the franchise and each individual player deserves the support of this community.
From an organizational point of view, the new owners of the Cougars have done so many things right this season, all in an effort to ice a competitive team and to revive fan support that had been almost completely snuffed out during the Brodsky era.
On a hockey level, consider some of the steps taken by team president Greg Pocock and his group: the hiring of an extra assistant coach in the person of former NHLer Roman Vopat; the hiring of power skating coach Karen Kos and sports psychologist Saul Miller; the purchase of video equipment that allows the coaching staff to break down and analyze games like never before; the remodeling of the team's dressing room and the revamping of the players' lounge and coaches' office; the addition of cold tubs and exercise equipment; upgrades to the team bus; and more hotel stays to break up long road trips. All of these changes - and others - were made to improve the conditions for the players and coaches so they can perform at their best.
The results have been showing lately, as the Cougars have picked up 19 of a possible 28 points in their past 14 games. This streak follows a 12-game stretch in January when they managed only two points, so the players must be commended for having the fortitude to bounce back and put themselves in a playoff race.
As the Cougars head into a road game tonight against the Tri-City Americans, they have a two-point lead on the Kamloops Blazers, the team chasing them for the final guaranteed playoff berth in the B.C. Division. The Cats dropped a wild 7-4 decision to the Blazers Wednesday night in Kamloops. Both teams now have five games left, three of them against each other, and those head-to-head matchups will likely play a large role in determining the fate of each club. Right now though, the Cats have so much momentum on their side that it's hard to imagine they'll let it go.
When it comes to the fan experience, the improvements made by the Cougars ownership group are just as impressive as the ones made in the running of the team. Some of the enhancements are the more flexible ticket packages, the laser light show at the start of every home game, the prize blimp, the live organ played by Curtis Abriel and free food and clothing on special nights.
And then, of course, there was the unprecedented 50-50 draw, which saw Pocock throw $25,000 into the pot. The tickets purchased with that money were given back to the fans, who responded by snapping up a record number of additional ones and driving the total sales number to $67,066. Pocock's move was brilliant all around, as it allowed the Cougars to donate $33,533 to the Shelly L. Mrkonjic ALS Research Fund and gave the team its biggest crowd of the season at a most important time in the schedule.
And what a fun and exciting night it was for everyone - players and fans alike. Anyone want to bet that Santos, in particular, can't get the grin off his face?
And could anyone imagine former owner Rick Brodsky throwing his cash behind such an initiative?
So again, how many seats will be filled for a playoff series? During the regular season, attendance has climbed to an average of 2,804 fans per game - up from a franchise low of 1,693 in 2013-14 - so that's a sign that people respect the efforts of the new owners and are enjoying the on-ice product.
As a hockey team, and as a business, the Cougars have made huge strides in winning back an alienated, Brodsky-weary fan base.
A crowd of 4,000-plus would be a nice starting point for a Western Conference quarterfinal series. A full house would be even better.
