The Port Alberni Bombers play their lone Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League preseason game tonight, as they visit the Storm in the imposter Salmon Capitol of the World, Campbell River. Everyone of course knows the real legitimate holder of that title is Port Alberni :)
Game time is 7:30
Storm play-by-play voice Mark Berry has the call. You can watch on FloHockeyTV or listen live through Mixlr
The Bombers begin their third season in the VIJHL a week from tomorrow, as they play their regular season opener in Nanaimo against the Buccaneers.
The Port Alberni Blacksheep Rugby Club, in conjunction with BC Grassroots Rugby foundation, are putting on FREE Kids camps all this week - click the image above. Get the kids up there today, tomorrow and Friday.
Rugby is great - my kids started to dabble in it a bit over the last couple of years. Sports are great in general - get some exercise, stay out of trouble, learn to be accountable to your teammates, yourself, respectful to Coaches, Officials, etc etc etc !
I stumbled upon the below video on Social Media over the weekend. An entertaining watch (nice touch with the Metallica - but, needs more Hammer ;) ) that brought out some emotions and provoked some thoughts of the future of the Bulldogs.
It suddenly hit me that Chase won't be out there this year. It's one of the facts of life of Junior Hockey - the circle of life, so to speak, if you are a Lion King fan....and who isn't, right?! Old guys graduate (yah, 20 is old, in the Junior Hockey game) and new guys come in.
Despite all that, for me for some reason it's hard to think about Chase not being in a Bulldog sweater. He played over 150 games as a Bulldog- he played as an affiliate player in 2019-20, and then was one of the leaders of the 2020 "Pod season" At the 2021-2022 Year End Banquet, Joe Martin announced that he would be the Captain for the 2022-2023 season.
He's a player that was somewhat from a different era. He was physically dominant and put a little bit (or perhaps a lot) of fear into the opposition. He kept the other side.... honest. He found a way to walk the line most of the time to be able to still play a tough and physical game, when it seems more often than not now a days that you can't play that way anymore and it's the responsibility of the hitter, and not the hitee (is that english?) to protect and defend themselves. It's a contact sport - and Chase played the game that way. As you'll see in the below video!
As someone who works in conjunction with the team, he was a classy and kind individual who always said Hello. My kids absolutely loved him from his appearances at their School, and I've heard countless stories of the difference he made with countless kids being involved with Alberni Valley Minor Hockey.
While I travel with the team, eat with the team and spend an inordinate amount of time with them throughout the season I am NOT present in the "trenches" so to speak - I'm not on the bench, I'm not in the room, etc. but the fact he was named Captain says all you need to know about what Head Coach Joe Martin thought of him and his character. I reached out to him, and others with the team to provide a few words on Chase....
From Bulldogs President David Michaud:
It was a gift to watch Chase Klassen grow with our organization from his rookie season during the pod, to finishing as our team captain in his final year. The reason everyone loves Chase is because the combination of what makes him so special feels rare. Not everyone has it in them to be like Chase. That not a knock on other players, it’s praise for the human Chase Klassen has become. I’ll personally miss having Chase around our group everyday, it will be different without him.
From Bulldogs Assistant Coach Ryan Rehill:
I met Chase on the ice the summer before my first season coaching with the Bulldogs. Immediately he struck me as a confident, personable veteran player with great energy and hockey abilities. After reflecting on a full season with Chase, I realize that the first impression he gave me is exactly the person he is everyday. I think that is a large part of why Chase had such an impact on the Bulldogs and the Port Alberni community. He was always himself, nothing less. Chase was a fan favourite not just for his tenacity and energy that he brought to the ice, but for the person he is off the ice. Personable, confident, and genuine is how Chase was with anybody that he crossed paths with. There is no clearer example of character and leadership than being chosen Captain prior to camp for the upcoming season. It was a privilege to spend a season with Chase, he has left the Bulldogs and Alberni Valley better than he found them.
As for who wears the Captain's C this upcoming season? No idea. I have a couple guys in my head that from how they play, I think will be considered for the role. As I said earlier, I don't know what goes on behind closed doors or in the heat of the moment enough to make an educated guess, nor do I think it's fair to throw names about.
I look forward to finding out who is tasked with this job. I trust the management to make the right selection. It's an incredibly important one, and it takes a special individual to lead a team. There's a lot of pressure, there are expectations and duties that come with the title - it's not just a letter on a sweater, that's for sure. No successful team exists without great leadership, and the Bulldogs were blessed with it last season.
As for what's next for Chase - I saw a post on Social Media that made me smile - but sadly I can't find it again! In it, it was announced that Chase will be working in an Assistant Coach role with the VIJHL's Westshore Wolves - where his Junior hockey career began. Outstanding news!
Training Camp begins Friday at the Dawg Pound!
If you have thoughts on Chase, I'd love to see them in the comment section.
Hi, Happy Friday, and thanks for visiting the blog.
Training Camp begins a WEEK from today!
In building the roster for the upcoming season, the team has added/signed/acquired the following players - in no particular order from the end of last season:
I saw the above image recently somewhere on the internet, and it... spoke to me!
Hockey IS coming, and yes, it's SOON!
As of today, it's just eight more sleeps until Bulldog Training Camp begins on September 1st.
A week later, it's the opening of the preseason - September 8th the Bulldogs visit the Clippers in Nanaimo. The next night, the Clippers return the favour and the Bulldogs have their first home exhibition game.
The following weekend, the Bulldogs have a home-and-home set with the Cowichan Valley Capitals to conclude their preseason schedule. They visit the Capitals in Duncan on September 15th, and return home to host them Saturday, September 16th.
After that, it's time to get serious. I'm very excited to get behind the microphone and back on the air on 93.3 The Peak FM for Game one on September 22nd in Coquitlam, and the following night in Langley.
As far as I can remember, this is the first time in franchise history that the Bulldogs have began their season with a Lower Mainland road trip - not including the couple of years that the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack was the opening of the regular season at least!
Thanks to the folks that made kind and encouraging comments about my contemplating resurrecting the blog - I received a handful of positive words on Social Media which wasn't surprising. What WAS surprising was the handful of emails I received, which made me perhaps realize just a bit more how not everyone is on social media and is active there.
On the topic of Social Media, I can't encourage you enough to follow along with the Bulldogs on all their accounts across all platforms.
They are also on "threads" ... but is anyone really on threads? Let's review that at a later date for now!
Anyway - this blog will never be a replacement for any of the above information sources - but, like my goaltending career, more like a funnel towards them? Hahaha!
On the Bulldog Instagram page today I saw a couple of neat things:
1)Former Bulldog Mitchel Deelstra is no longer with the NCAA's Ferris State Bulldogs, as he's not playing for the Northern Michigan University Wildcats - joining former Bulldogs Brian Stewart and John Hawthorne to play for that program.
2)A picture was posted of Hobie Hedquist, now tending net for the University of North Dakota. Miss ya already Hobie!
Thanks for reading.
Off to take the kids golfing, while I still have the free time!
I wasn't always a fan of his - I'm not really sure why I wasn't in the beginning. Maybe he was an "acquired taste" and I hadn't been exposed to him enough.
Thankfully, with the advent of technology, I was able to watch more Sabres games, and hear more of his amazing play-by-play calls through Youtube and other means.
The Hockey Hall of Fame named him their Foster Hewitt Award winner in 2012. He was with the Sabres starting in 1971 - their second season in existence. He called games for them on TV and/or Radio through the 2021-2022 season. He had the longest play-by-play career in NHL history.
He loved his team and his city and their fans - and the team and the city and it's fans loved him back. We should all be so lucky.
Some of these clips look like they were filmed on a potato! Yet, it's Rick that matters, and hearing him, over the din, that I just love and get goosebumps from. His high energy calls, combined with the incredible energy from the Buffalo fan base.... it's just plain amazing stuff. Hair standing up on the back of the neck stuff. I've spent a couple hours going down the rabbit hole trying to identify his best calls.
I hope you enjoy watching and listening to this as much as I do.
"THIS SERIES IS GOING BACK TO WHERE JIMMY HOFFA IS"
"RICHARD SMELICK WITH A WOUNDED DUCK"
"MAY DAY , MAY DAY"
"THESE GUYS ARE SCARY GOOD"
"ARE YOU READY LEGION OF DOOM"
"STUUUU BARNES"
"FA-LA-LA-LA-LAFONTAINE" (at Christmas)
Just so many epic epic calls. I can't pick a favorite. I love the crowd just as much as him. The 06-07 (I believe) playoff clips of the Sabres tying it with 6 seconds left, and winning it in overtime... are hard to beat.
Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE - I found the game tying and game winning goal calls referenced above. Magical!
Hi Hockey fans... people of Port Alberni, the Alberni Valley, Hockey Valley and beyond.
Does anyone still read my blog? Or... I haven't updated in forever, so why would anyone read it lately? So I guess the question is - should I get back into this? Or is there not a need for it? The Bulldogs and Bombers have done a fantastic job over the last couple of years connecting to fans - maybe this is a wasted effort?
I used to put an insane amount of time into this. Perhaps an unsustainable amount even? Maybe I just got burned out of it all. I started blogging in 2005.... which is kind of crazy when I think about it now.
Many fans, community members, parents etc have asked me why I stopped blogging, and many have encouraged me to start again.
I've put this site on the back burner for the last couple of years as I have been focusing my energies elsewhere with other endeavors. I'm wondering/pondering if I should start being more active here again, should time and responsibilities allow, during the season/offseason.
Recent developments with Social Media, Bill C-18, and other mitigating factors have me considering this.
Or perhaps it's just the age of my children now?!
Drop me a line if you're still reading - or getting notifications, etc etc!
One thing I have noticed is the prevalence of ads from google everywhere... I must investigate their need - this is a free service, and perhaps they are a necessary evil!
