HEADS-UP ROYALS’ VIDEO GETS BIG PLAY

The Victoria Royals have gone viral.

But not for anything the Western Hockey League club has done on the ice.

A video of the team heading a soccer ball in the dressing room Monday has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and received mention on the Sports Centre with Jay and Dan show on TSN.

“This is better than any Memorial Cup victory,” quipped the show’s co-host Jay Onrait.

This sudden burst of fame has come as a complete shock to the Royals players.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” said veteran forward Dante Hannoun.

“I woke up [Tuesday] morning and there were more than 200,000 views.”

The video shows Hannoun in the centre of the Royals dressing room. He heads a soccer ball, which is headed back to him in turn by 12 Royals teammates, before Hannoun heads the ball into a garbage can.

Hannoun admits it took several takes to get it right.

“We tried it at least 20 times before nailing it,” he said.

The response has been wide and varied. A song by Canadian country star Dallas Smith is playing on the radio in the background of the video, which resulted in Smith tweeting: “Hell Yeah @Victoria Royals. Thanks for including me in the room.”

Hannoun said he played soccer, but only until age 10.

“But we warm up with sewer ball,” kicking a soccer ball outside around the dressing room before games, he said.