Big test awaits Wild in Quebec
Maple Leaf Curling club hosting newcomers open house
Just how good is the Kensington Monahan Farms Wild major midget Hockey team?
They are the hottest team in Atlantic Canada, and when one considers that entering Friday’s game in Charlottetown that their last loss was almost two months ago on Oct. 4, they are as hot as any midget team in the country. The Wild went into Friday’s action an impressive 16-0-1 (won-lost-tied) in their last 17 games.
The Wild is expected to face its stiffest test of the season next week as they take part in the 2018 CCM Midget AAA Challenge tournament in Chicoutimi, Que., beginning on Wednesday. Teams from our region, Quebec and the United States will give the Wild a supreme challenge, and help make a very good team even better with the experience of playing in an elite tournament.
The tournament will also serve as a building block for what is the ultimate goal for this Wild team, which is to win the Atlantic championship next spring in Charlottetown and represent our region at this year’s Telus Cup national championship. Good luck to the Wild in Quebec.
Attendance comparisons
The Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals of the MHL (Maritime Junior Hockey League) and the Wild, members of the New Brunswick/ P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League, are the top draws for hockey fans in our area. There are numerous times this winter that both play at home on the same night.
It was interesting to note that back on Nov. 10 both teams were scheduled to play, but the Wild game was postponed. The Caps drew 1,604 fans that night, just 20 short of their season-high opening-day crowd of 1,624.
Last Saturday, they both played – the Caps hosted Grand Falls while the Wild met Moncton in a first-place showdown. The Caps had less than half the fans they had on Nov. 10 – a sparse crowd of 788. As has been said here before, playing on the same night hurts both teams, but I think it hurts the Caps more – or at least the numbers seem to say so.
Newcomers open house
The Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary will host a newcomers open house at the club on Monday, Dec. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. The P.E.I. Newcomers Association, O’Leary’s Recreation Department, Go West and the Community Sports Center are taking part.
There will be an introduction to traditional curling as well as stick curling, and also letting all who attend know what recreational offerings there are in West Prince in the winter time. Paul Strang, Tammy Rix-Chamber and Judy McIsaac are among the hosts for what promises to be a fun and informative evening.
All equipment will be supplied, making it very easy for those wishing to take part.
NHL
It comes as a bit of a surprise over the last six weeks to see who are the hottest teams in the NHL. Since Oct. 28, the Tampa Bay Lightning is the hottest NHL team, garnering 30 points during that span. That is no surprise, but the Calgary Flames having 27 points since is. Toronto and Buffalo, with 25 points each, are next, followed by the Detroit Red Wings, who have 24 points. Not many would think Buffalo and, especially, Detroit, but both teams have some very good young talent that’s blossoming. The Chicago Blackhawks have been the worst team in that six-week span
with only eight points.
Values
Forbes Magazine released the values of NHL teams, revenues they take in and who are the topearning players. When the NHL announced they were putting a team in Vegas, many thought it was a bad idea. We all know what they did on the ice going right to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year, and the numbers tell us they did well off the ice as well. The Golden Knights took in $180 million in revenue – 10th in the NHL. They took in $53 million in operating income – fifth in the league. It cost $500 million for the league entry fee, and the team is now valued at $575 million, which is a 15 per cent increase in value in one year. They are now the 12th most valuable team out of the 31.
Forbes also lists the top five players in terms of earnings as being Connor McDavid at $19.5 million, followed by John Tavares $17.3 million, Carey Price $15.6 million, Alex Ovechkin $14.5 million and Sidney Crosby has to try and get by on $13.8 million annually.
Have a great week.