The sounds of hockey.
The sharp, crisp skate blade striding through the ice. The sound of the stick hitting the puck and the boards. The sound of the stick, handling the puck. Pucks hitting the goalie pad, blocker, and glove.
Those sounds, as well as those moments, were missed last year.
Even the food. And of course, the people.
For Marty Hastings, a reporter with Kamloops This Week, he missed all of it last year.
“I missed the hot dogs. I missed the popcorn, I missed actual human beings in the press box.”
Hastings went to three or four games last year and it just wasn’t the same.
“You couldn’t go down and talk to the players. I was talking with them over the phone. I went to catch the experience so I knew what it was like when I was describing it,”
The bottom line?
“It sucked.”
This is not to say that the Blazers winning the B.C. Division with an 18-4 record last year wasn’t a significant accomplishment. It was.
“They accomplished something,” Hastings said, “And they were happy to accomplish it. They were in tears.”
And despite no crowd, Hastings said there were still efforts to make it feel “normal” for the players.
“I think of the Zambezi driver. “Big Jake The Zamboni Driver” who did his best to be loud. The first game at the player introductions, he and other staff were as loud as they can.”
But Hastings said what every other hockey player, staff, and anyone involved with hockey has been saying.
“We miss the fans. Sports is about the theatre, The spectacle. The environment. You can’t have that without the fans. And I hope we never have to go through that again.”
This was also hard on the city of Kamloops as well. A city that has been waiting since 1999 to be in the WHL finals, and even longer, 1995, for a WHL championship.
“It was terrible for the city. The Blazers had two great teams that could have made some noise in the playoffs. This is a town that is starving for playoff success that never really got to see where they would have landed and how they would have made out.”
This leads to where the Blazers go this season. The first question is are they the clear-cut favourite in this division?
“You can put it in tiers,” Hastings surmised “I would put Kamloops up there along with Vancouver. You can even put Kelowna in the mix that could push up. Vancouver has got an older team and is well-coached. For Kelowna, I really like head coach Kris Mallette. They quietly had a good hub with a good blue line.”
What about the Blazers’ first opponent the Prince George Cougars? As well as the Victoria Royals.
“They are a good young squad. Maybe a tier below Kelowna but who knows? Victoria had a tough hub. They will be a younger team with a bit less high-end guys.”
The Blazers did lose some players, including Connor Zary to pro hockey. However, Hastings is confident in the new 17-year-olds that the Blazers have coming up.
“Matthew Seminoff, Caeden Bankier, Connor Levis. This is Levis’ draft year. Unbelievable shot. Mats Lindgren. It’s going to be fun to watch how he gets out of jams and makes that first great pass. Fraser Minten has had a great camp. The powerplay is going to be potent with these younger guys.”
But the key to the Blazers’ success will be Kamloops’ own Logan Stankoven, Who means a lot for the city.
You talk about a city being robbed. Well, they have been robbed of their own wunderkind who they couldn’t see last year.
Stankoven may also have a bit of a chip on his shoulder considering how low he went in the 2021 NHL Draft, 47th overall to the Dallas Stars.
“He slipped a little in the draft. If he’s been snubbed before, he usually bounces back and makes some noise.”
One guy that popped from the games that Hastings saw last year was the Blazers leading scorer Josh Pillar.
“In the games, I went to, he was the player that stood out the most”
Pillar had 11 goals, 18 assists for 29 points last year. And Hastings noticed improvements.
“You can obviously see he has picked up a step as far as his pace went. He’s also showed more toughness last year. Obviously the goalscoring as well.
As far as the goaltending, the Blazers have a clear plan got this season with Dylan Garand. However, Hastings said that this is an important step for the future
“This is a big year for Dylan Ernst. Ernst is pegged to be the guy when Garland leaves most likely next season.”
When Garland goes to World Juniors in the winter, Ernst has an opportunity to say hey I’m a regular WHL goalie. He’s working hard with Dan De Palma, the goaltending coach who gets a lot of love in the city and around the League for the work that he does.”
There may have been some recent ups and downs in Kamloops. But Hastings says one constant has been in the net. And they hope the tradition continues.
“They have been more than pretty good. Borderline good too great has been in net for the last seven or eight years.” Connor Ingram. Dylan Ferguson. Even Cole Cheveldave was a good goaltender. Dylan Garand follows in those footsteps and that’s what they want to see out of Ernst.”
The Blazers brought in Shaun Clouston as Head Coach in June of 2019. They promoted him to Head Coach and General Manager in July of this year. Hastings is impressed with what Shaun has brought to the team.
“He’s got his team playing a fast game. It’s high-energy up-tempo and hockey. They score a lot of goals. He’s done a hell of a job. Once Matt Bardsley left, they made the right call not going outside the organization. Tim O’Donovan was within a shout. Keep an eye on him down the road. But they wanted a steady hand. There will have to be some tinkering down the road.”
Hastings also adds that Clouston’s experience and reputation will really help.
He’s well respected. He’s a drawing point for scouts. He’s a reason players want to play here. He’s in tune with the younger player.”
The addition of Mark Holick as Associate Coach will be a great addition to the room.
“He’s a vocal guy,” Hastings said “He’s a players coach. It’s a nice thing to have in that room now.”
The recent success the Blazers have seen has certainly helped with recruiting. And while it’s taken time, they were finally establishing themselves.
“They are producing winning teams and producing players that go on to the next level.”Hastings said, “When I got here 11 years ago, that wasn’t happening. But they are starting to establish themselves that if you come here, you have a chance to, if you put the work in, you will get to the next level. And you will be on competitive teams.”
“There were some rough years when I got here and for a while after that. But Tom Gaglardi has put the right people in place. That’s the drawing power they have now.
As mentioned throughout, it’s been a long time since the Blazers have won a championship. And this city and the team have had some rough years. Hastings said that it all turned during the play-in game with the Kelowna Rockets in 2019.
“That was the Serge Lajoie era. Connor Zary was coming into his own. Dylan Garand was coming into his own. That was the tipping point and this city started to get right on board with this team.
That’s when the sound of hockey at its best sounds. The skating. The shooting.The saves. With the fans in the stands.
“You get 5,000 people going to the barn (The Sandman Centre), they go home and they tell their friends and their brothers and sisters about how crazy the Blazers game was.
But then, the lack of sound.
“The virus shows up. You don’t get to go to the playoffs. And then zero fans in the hub.”
Although current restrictions don’t allow for full capacity and there could be hesitation, Hastings is confident there is an appetite for Blazers hockey.
“You had people lining up for a pre-season game and they had 1,200 fans.”
And Hastings can’t wait to capture those sounds and moments.
“For me, capturing moments is what I live for. You’re there for a big win, crazy moment, or a huge playoff series. You get to feed off the crowd and the energy in the building.
“I can’t wait for 100% capacity. So let’s hope we can get there.”
That sounds great for the Blazers.
