July 29, 2011 Victoria Royals

when the Giants visit the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

The Royals’ lon-gest home stretch will be Oct. 28 to Nov. 13 when the team hosts seven games, welcoming the Seattle Thunderbirds Oct. 28 and 29, the Vancouver Giants Nov. 4 and 5, the Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 8 and the Red Deer Rebels for two games Nov. 12 and 13.

Special Feature

FridayJuly 29, 2011

2011-2012 Regular Season Schedule

WELCOME!

JOIN OUR ROYAL FAMILY | VICTORIAROYALS.COM | 250.220.7889

Friday, Sept. 23 @VancouverSaturday, Sept. 24 vs. VancouverFriday, Sept. 30 @Prince GeorgeSaturday, Oct. 1 @Prince GeorgeSunday, Oct. 2 @KamloopsThursday, Oct. 6 vs. Medicine HatFriday, Oct. 7 vs. Medicine HatSaturday, Oct. 8 @ SeattleMonday, Oct. 10 @VancouverFriday, Oct. 14 vs. KelownaSaturday, Oct. 15 vs. KelownaFriday, Oct. 21 @VancouverSaturday, Oct. 22 @KelownaTuesday, Oct. 25 @Tri-CityWednesday, Oct. 26 @SpokaneFriday, Oct. 28 vs. SeattleSaturday, Oct. 29 vs. SeattleFriday, Nov. 4 vs. VancouverSaturday, Nov. 5 vs. VancouverTuesday, Nov. 8 vs. EdmontonSaturday, Nov. 12 vs. Red DeerSunday, Nov. 13 vs. Red DeerFriday, Nov. 18 @VancouverSaturday, Nov. 19 vs. KootenayFriday, Nov. 25 @ KamloopsSaturday, Nov. 26 @KelownaTuesday, Nov. 29 vs. KamloopsWednesday, Nov. 30 vs. KamloopsFriday, Dec. 2 @KelownaSaturday, Dec. 3 @KamloopsTuesday, Dec. 6 vs. Tri-CityWednesday, Dec. 7 vs. Tri-CityFriday, Dec. 9 vs. LethbridgeSaturday, Dec. 10 @ SeattleWednesday, Dec. 14 @EdmontonFriday, Dec. 16 @LethbridgeSaturday, Dec. 17 @Medicine HatWednesday, Dec. 28 @PortlandFriday, Dec. 30 @PortlandTuesday, Jan. 3 vs. CalgaryFriday, Jan. 6 vs. KelownaSaturday, Jan. 7 vs. KelownaFriday, Jan. 13 @ReginaSaturday, Jan. 14 @BrandonTuesday, Jan. 17 @Swift CurrentWednesday, Jan. 18 @Moose JawFriday, Jan. 20 @Prince AlbertSaturday, Jan. 21 @SaskatoonFriday, Jan. 27 vs. KamloopsSaturday, Jan. 28 vs. KamloopsTuesday, Jan. 31 vs. Prince GeorgeWednesday, Feb. 1 vs. Prince GeorgeFriday, Feb. 3 @SpokaneSaturday, Feb. 4 @Tri-CityTuesday, Feb. 7 vs. EverettWednesday, Feb. 8 vs. EverettWednesday, Feb. 15 vs. CalgaryFriday, Feb. 17 vs. Prince GeorgeSaturday, Feb. 18 vs. Prince GeorgeWednesday, Feb. 22 @KamloopsFriday, Feb. 24 @Prince GeorgeSaturday, Feb. 25 @Prince GeorgeTuesday, Feb. 28 vs. SpokaneWednesday, Feb. 29 vs. SpokaneSaturday, Mar. 3 vs. VancouverSunday, Mar. 4 vs. VancouverWednesday, Mar. 7 @EverettFriday, Mar. 9 @KelownaSaturday, Mar. 10 @EverettSunday, Mar. 11 @VancouverWednesday, Mar. 14 vs. PortlandFriday, Mar. 16 vs. Portland

By Jennifer Blyth

Growing up in Swift Current, Sask., Victoria Royals coach and GM Marc Habscheid lived the Canadian hockey story. His parents had moved to Canada from Luxem-bourg, and as a boy, Hab-scheid would spend his spare time playing hockey on frozen ponds. “I just played for the love of the game,” he says.

Those six words – “for the love of the game” – were key to his success in the sport, and he encour-ages others with athletic aspirations to hold close a similar passion.

Back in the ‘60s, without internet or video games as distractions, those lucky enough to have a pair of skates would fi nd a place to use them.

Habscheid would hone his talents through Swift Current minor hockey before getting the call to join the Sas-katoon Blades. He would go on to play 345 NHL games with Edmon-ton, Minnesota, Detroit and Calgary over his 15 professional seasons.

The road to the WHL then was a lot different than many of today’s players take, as is the sport itself. There was no Bantam draft, for example, so when

he got the call to come skate, he got a jersey and was told, “go ahead, show us what you can do, kid,” he recalls.

However the drive that makes players truly successful at the sport remains constant, notes the father of two, including Royal Zach Hab-scheid. “It’s called passion; it’s called love for the game. I don’t think that has changed.”

By no means new to the dual role of coach & GM, Habscheid held the position with the Chilliwack Bruins for the past two seasons, where he led the club to the WHL playoffs in both seasons.

During his 13-year coaching ca-

reer, Habscheid led the WHL’s Kelowna Rock-ets to their only Me-morial Cup Champi-onship in 2003-04 and that season was named the CHL and WHL Coach of the Year.

“The last two years in Chilliwack we saw a marked improvement on the ice with this franchise, and I look forward to continuing to build this team and program in Victoria,” says Habscheid, 48, who also spent time as the associate coach for

the Boston Bruins during their 2006-07 campaign.

At the national level, Habscheid was named an assistant coach for Cana-da’s Under-20 World Junior team in 2001, becoming head coach in 2003, leading Canada to a silver medal at

the World Junior Hockey Champi-onships. He coached Canada to gold medals in consecutive World Hockey Championships (2005 and 2006), and was a member of the coaching staff for Canada’s 2006 Olympic squad in Turin, Italy. Habscheid won a gold medal as the assistant coach for Can-ada’s 1999 National U-18 Team and became the fi rst person in Canadian hockey history to both play and coach for the National World Junior team.

Excited to be coming to Victoria, with “the city, the ownership, the building – everything – there’s a lot of upsides, a lot of potential,” Habscheid says. While it’s been a bit of a whirl-wind since it was announced he and the team were moving to the capital, “the (Victorians) I talk to say they’re excited to have the WHL back.

“The ECHL is a good league and good entertainment value but it is an older group. These (players) still have that road ahead of them so they’re still trying to live their dream.”

HOME PLAY STARTS SEPT. 16While Victoria will get its fi rst look at its brand

new WHL team during August training camps, the real action for fans will start with exhibition play, Sept. 16.

The Victoria Royals will play in fi ve exhibition games, all against B.C. Division opponents, begin-ning on the road in Kamloops Sept. 2. The team will then travel to Kelowna to meet the Rockets Sept. 3.

The Royals will take on the Vancouver Giants in a pair of games the following weekend with the Gi-ants hosting the Friday, Sept. 9 tilt in Ladner and the Royals hosting the Saturday night rematch in Maple Ridge.

The fi nal game of the exhibition season will of-fer Victoria fans the fi rst chance to see the Royals in action at home as the Rockets come to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre Sept. 16. The puck will

drop at 7:05 and ticket infor-mation will be released

closer to the date.The Royals’ 2011-12

regular season starts in Vancouver Sept. 23, with the fi rst regular

season home game Sept. 24

FROM FROZEN PONDS TO CENTRE ICE:

Royals coach & GM skates into Victoria

HOME GAMES

The team travels east for their longest roadtrip of the year in January. The Royals kick off the 13-day, six-game journey in Regina on Jan. 13, moving on to Brandon, Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert before ending the trip on Jan. 21 versus Sas-katoon.

In all, the boys in blue will play a 72-game regu-lar season schedule, with their fi nal game at home March 16 against Portland.

MARC HABSCHEID:Favourite NHL team? A traditionalist, any of the Original Six teams.Favourite hockey memory? Habscheid counts himself lucky to have made many hockey memories over the years.Who do you look up to as a coach/GM? “All of them, really. I played with a lot of different owners and many coaches and I learned something from each of them.”Quote: “It’s called passion; it’s called love for the game.”

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WEDNESDAY

A ROYAL CONTEST

Royals coach and GM Marc Habscheid.

By Jennifer Blyth

Growing up playing hockey in Winnipeg and Vernon, Victo-ria Royals equipment manager Matt Auerbach has continued to enjoy considerable success in the sport...off the ice.

Starting fi rst with the Ver-non Vipers, helping the team organize gear and prepare for practices and games, Auerbach decided that if he was going to make a career as an equipment manager, a little education to back up his experience was a good idea. Sports Administra-tion studies at Calgary’s Mount Royal College led to a position with the college’s men’s team – and two national champion-ships.

Fast forward several years, Auerbach was there from the

beginning when the Chilli-wack Bruins joined the West-ern Hockey League as a brand new organization, and he’s now thrilled to be bringing the ex-citement to Victoria.

“I enjoy the game and over the years I’ve just had a real passion coming to work every day,” he says. “Not everyone gets to do something they love and I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that.”

Even better, as his wife is from Port Alberni, being able to work in the WHL right here on the Island “is the best of both worlds for us.”

While each day is different depending on what the sched-ule has in store, Auerbach is re-sponsible for making sure the players and staff are taken care of, ordering supplies, sharpen-

ing skates, and preparing the dressing rooms before games with towels, Gatorade, tape and other essentials for both teams, a measure he appreciates in re-turn. “When I’m going on the road from town to town, the less stuff I have to take the bet-ter.”

Then there’s the laundry. Lots of laundry.In fact, on a game day, Au-

erbach estimates he and his assistants might wash and dry between 10 and 12 loads.

And there’s the challenge

of keeping the dressing room smelling respectable – espe-cially when some players prefer not to wash their gear in case it changes the way it feels and works!

Getting to know the players is essential to helping practices and games run smoothly, as each person will have their own preferences, from stick blades to skate sharpenings. “I have everything on fi le but if I can memorize it, it just makes my life a lot easier,” he says.

Over the years, “there’s been

a lot of great moments,” in-cluding the two national cham-pionships with Mt. Royal and “the fi rst game in Chilliwack – starting off a new organiza-tion,” Auerbach recalls. “And I’m assuming the fi rst game here will be just as special.”

But before that, Auerbach has another milestone to reach fi rst. This month, he’s off to the Czech Republic to serve as the equipment manager for the Ca-nadian U18 team – sounds like the makings for some brand new hockey memories!

While the fl ying feet and quick sticks may draw much of the at-tention with the WHL coming to town, in fact many components work together to make the team a success.

Dylan Hermann serves as the head of medical operations for the Royals, a role he embarked upon two years ago with the Salmon Kings. “Obsessed with sports,” Hermann is no stranger to com-petition, having played high-level soccer on the Island and in Europe. But “being a Canadian kid,” he’s also a huge hockey fan.

Knowing he wanted a career in

sport, Hermann looked to where he could make a difference, re-calling an experience as a teen when a shoulder injury threatened to sideline him for many months. A visit to an athletic therapist had him back on the fi eld much quicker, and “when I saw what the fi eld could do for people, I was hooked,” Hermann says.

A growing fi eld that shares some similarities with physiothera-py, “it’s basically getting people moving.”

For the young athletes of the Royals, “my responsibility will be the health and well-being of the 22 players in the room,” says Her-mann, who will help co-ordinate the various medical specialists who work with the team.

In addition to the usual bumps and bruises that come with a contact sport, concussions are front and centre on the medical radar and the Royals are able to take advantage of the latest infor-mation and procedures – even computer software – to ensure the safety of the players.

Hermann takes pride in a job well done, in helping players who

have had an injury return to play – “seeing your work out there on the ice and seeing them do what it is they’re supposed to be doing,” he says.

“The whole staff of the Royals is a team.” On game days, “we’re here at 7 in the morning and we’re here until 11 p.m. at night.”

But then again, “watching hockey for a living’s not bad!”

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE ROYALS: EQUIPMENT 101

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ON ICE: Royals’ medical co-ordinator keeps the skates flying

DYLAN HERMANN:Hockey Hero: Trevor LindenFavourite NHL Team: The CanucksIf he wasn’t working in hockey: LacrosseFavourite Hockey Song: The Tragically Hip’s Lonely End of the Rink


MATT AUERBACHHockey Hero: Rod Brind’AmourFavourite Team: The Vancouver CanucksHockey Highlight: When Rod Brind’Amour won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.Favourite Hockey Song: Martin Zellar’s I Wanna Drive the Zamboni

Matt Auerbach in the equipment room.Jennifer Blyth photo

Dylan Hermann

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HOCKEY TALK: One-on-one with Marty the Marmot

Victoria’s future hockey stars won’t be the only ones lacing up their skates in the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre dressing room this September.

Marty the Marmot will be back, and when he’s not providing intermission entertainment, you’re sure to hear him banging the drum in the stands, rallying fans and players alike.

Victoria fi rst met the 240lb, 6’2” marmot on Oct. 25, 2006, when the Victoria Salmon Kings’

mascot drove onto the ice on an ATV, the Star Wars theme blaring

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Oct. 25, on Kings’e on an

Black Press: What is your offi cial title with the Victoria Royals?

Marty the Marmot: Offi cial title – Mas-cot, but I prefer: “Driver of the Marty-Train”

BP: As a marmot pup, who was your hockey hero?

MtM: Mario Lemieux – a player who had all the given talent in the world and showed it throughout his career, calmly and controlled, who had the strength and determination to battle through Hodgkin’s disease, back injuries, knee injuries and stayed with the same team his entire career! That says grit and strength to me!

BP: What do you like best about your job with the Victoria Royals?

MtM: Seeing the potential of the next gen-eration of NHLers!

BP: Favourite hockey memory?MtM: Olympics 2010 – Canada wins gold,

but a Victoria Royals Memorial Cup will top it!

in the background. “We are ecstatic to have signed Marty to be the Roy-als mascot,” says Royals president Dave Dakers. “Marty was the top free agent mascot available and this signing will keep him in a Royals jersey

for many years to come. Marty’s work at the games as well as in the com-munity is unparalleled, and we are proud to have him as part of the Royals’

family. ” Black Press recently chatted with Marty about work, sports and of course, the Royals!


BP: If you could participate in any event in hockey history, what would it be?

MtM: Same answer as the last one!!

BP: Favourite hockey song?MtM: Favourite pump-up song – Frontline

by Pillar; favourite “hockey song” – Zombie Na-tion’s Kernkraft 400...hmmm, isn’t that our goal song?? Ironic or what???

BP: Favourite sport other than hockey?MtM: Football – North American, both Ca-

nadian and American.

BP: What are your favourite sports teams?MtM: Toss-up between Vancouver Canucks

& Seattle Seahawks.

BP: If you weren’t Victoria’s hockey mascot, what would you be doing?

MtM: I think I would love to be the fi rst mar-mot named as a Goodwill Ambassador to the World! But failing that, fl ag man for NASCAR would be pretty cool!!

KEEPING SCORE:

Off-ice officials keep the game goingBy Jennifer Blyth

You can’t run a hockey game without offi cials – from on-ice referees to goal judges to scorekeep-ers. Luckily for the Victo-ria Royals, when it comes to off-ice offi cials, they have it covered!

For 30 years, Bill Sand-erson has been a key fi g-ure in the Victoria sports scene, scorekeeping and co-ordinating the offi cials, other than referees, not only for the city’s origi-nal WHL team, the Victoria Cougars, but also for Shamrocks lacrosse, the Salmon Kings, the Victo-ria Cougars Junior Bs, the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies Junior As and now, the Royals.

A friend with the original Cougars introduced Bill to the work three decades ago and he hasn’t looked back. Back then, when everything was done on paper, the scorekeeper asked Bill to follow the play, recording every time someone touched the puck, as a way of tracking assists, he remembers.

Today, Bill shares the scorekeeper’s booth with his daughter Shannon, who uploads the game in-formation via computer, just one example of how the game has changed over the years. “She’s made it so much easier for me,” Bill says.

“I’m a sports fanatic; it’s all I watch at home,” he says. And while “I’ve never played hockey, I’m good with fi gures – that’s the kind of thing I like doing. I could feel lousy going to a game but once the game starts I feel 1,000 times better,” partly be-cause of the focus required, he suggests. “I have to concentrate more than anyone else in the build-ing!”

Exciting times have included fi erce rivalries with New Westminster and the Portland Win-terhawks, and the Cougars’ run for the Memorial Cup in 1980-81, when he remembers driving his

mail truck with the radio turned up to catch the ac-tion in Ontario.

Another time, down in the penalty box, player Archie Henderson – later a Cougars coach himself – lamented taking a penalty, thinking he’d catch it from the coach. Sanderson told him not to worry, just go out and score a goal when the gate opened...and he did! “He came

skating over to us and waving – ‘I did it!’”When Bill’s daughters were younger, they

were fortunate enough to visit the rink often. One day Shannon was needed to fi ll in for a goal judge who was off sick. Then, when computers became part of the recording process, that was perfect fi t for the IBM employee. Since then, “I’ve done just about every job, except the time clock,” says Shannon, currently the only female on the off-ice offi cials team.

Typically, “people start as a goal judge, then move into the penalty box and up.” Bill notes.

Though “just one of the guys,” Shannon recalls one timekeeper who, when Shannon was running the penalty box, made a point to keep the players’ language in check “as there was a lady present,” she laughs.

Then there was the time she and the referees were at the rink until close to midnight, trying to make sense of hundreds of penalty minutes in one Salmon Kings game – so many minutes that the older computer system wouldn’t take it. “It cleared the bench, we had so many penalties.”

Over the years, the ability to work with the teams – and with each other – have made the work fun and kept both father and daughter com-ing back. “We enjoy the work we do, we enjoy the sports and we enjoy the people we work with.”

Shannon and Bill Sanderson

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Royals look to bantam ranks during first draft

In its fi rst-ever Bantam Draft, held in Calgary in May, the Victoria Royals selected defenseman Joe Hicketts with their 12th overall pick in the fi rst round.

The Kamloops native spent his 2010-11 season as captain of the Kamloops Jardine Blazers Bantam AAA team, where he recorded 59 points (18g-41a) and 54 penalty minutes in 51 games. Hicketts also topped his team with 300 hits and 33 shot blocks. Hicketts and the Blazers took home the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association regular season and playoff championship, before winning the pro-vincial championship. But just what is the Bantam Draft?

Q. What is the Bantam Draft? A. During the annual WHL Bantam Draft, Western

Hockey League clubs select players who have graduated from bantam. The draft’s order of selection depends on where the team fi nishes in the league standings, with clubs missing the playoffs placed into a lottery for the fi rst round only. In subsequent rounds, clubs select in order from few-est to most regular season points.

Q. Who is eligible for the draft?A. Graduating bantam players – 1996-born players for

2011 – from the four western provinces and the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kan-sas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are eligible to be selected.

Q. How does the draft work?A. The draft consists of 15 rounds with each of the 22

member teams receiving one pick per round. The Royals owned 14 picks for the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, includ-ing four in the fi rst three rounds at #12, #34, #55 and #56 (from a trade with Brandon). The draft is broadcast live at www.whl.ca.

Royals’ Island draft prospect stands tall between the pipesBy Jennifer Blyth

The Victoria Royals have truly become the Island’s team for at least one Comox Valley family after selecting goalie Michael Herrin-ger in Round 9 of this year’s Bantam Draft.

A goalie with the Comox Valley Chiefs since age nine, “Ever since I was two, I want-ed to be a goalie,” he says, recalling how the Canucks’ Dan Cloutier was a popular fi gure at the time.

Coming off last year with the Comox Bantam A team, Michael hopes to play the coming season with the North Island Major Midget team.

Also a soccer player in earlier years, the 6’0” 160-pound goaltender ap-preciates the goalie’s unique role within hockey’s team environment. “You do your own thing,” ex-plains.

When not on the ice, Michael spends time hang-ing out with friends and “work-ing out a tonne,” fi lling a few extra minutes here and there with extra sleep and a few video games.

A few people had indicated to Michael how this year’s Bantam draft might play out, but the day itself was still nerve-wracking. It was a school day, but knowing studies would be the last thing on his mind, Michael stayed home with his mom and kept himself dis-tracted until the news he was waiting for came through on the computer. “It was a long day!”

His reward? “I had to walk to school to pick up my homework, so that was the rest of my night,” he says. The next day, however, was reserved for a celebration with friends!

Looking ahead, Michael will join his fellow

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MICHAEL HERRINGERHockey Hero: Carey PriceFavourite NHL Team: The Vancouver CanucksFavourite Hockey Memory: The 2011 WHL Bantam Draft!Favourite Hockey Song: Stomping Tom Connors’ Hockey Song

draft players and other hopefuls at Royals camp in August, allowing him time to get to know the coaching staff, before heading off to his regular season team.

He may also look at Team Pacifi c or Ju-

nior A options, should those possibilities open up.

Taking this next step toward the ultimate hockey goal, “it’s pretty much every kid’s dream.”


WHERE THE NHL STARS OF TOMORROW PLAY TODAY!

Jennifer Blyth photo

Michael Herringer looks forward to the Royals’ draft camp this August.

Good Luck Royals!

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FANFANZONEZONE Why are you excited about

the Royals coming to town?

Joel Devlin, 9,Saanich Minor Hockey

“I really like watching the Memorial Cup on TV, so hopefully I can watch the Royals!”

Connor Fenton, 13,Victoria Minor Hockey

Jack Swinten, 7,Peninsula Minor Hockey

Hallie Holland, 10,Saanich Minor Hockey

“It’s exciting because these players are trying to get drafted into the NHL to play with big guys.”

“Having the WHL in town will add to the diversity of hockey in Victoria.”

“I get to watch some of the best junior players in the country!”

Get ready to show your spirit when the Royals

come to town!

WHL mom’s words of wisdom – and experienceFor many Victoria Royals, this may well be

their fi rst time away from home and family, a role that while here will be fi lled by a billet family.

It’s an experience Kathy Newman, mom to Geoff, Russ and Bruce Courtnall, can appreciate. While she was lucky enough to have her children play locally for the WHL’s Victoria Cougars, they also spent time away at school and left early on to join their next teams – two both leaving on the same day, she recalls.

In addition, Newman was also a billet for the

Cougars, welcoming additional players and pro-viding them a home away from home during their time in Victoria. “I enjoyed it because it kept me busy and they were really good kids,” she re-calls. “You have to be a mother to them.

With their busy training schedule, paired with school responsibilities, “when you have billets, they love to eat,” Newman laughs. “I said, ‘This is your home, you eat if you’re hungry.’

Maintaining their school work was essential, as was minding the team rules. “Coaches would

phone at 11 p.m. for curfew,” Newman remem-bers, and she told the boys “don’t ever stay out because I will not lie to the coach if he phones.”

And whether your own children or billets, “you never interfere with the coach, she advises.

Watching her own three boys come through the WHL, “It’s been exciting,” Newman says.

“It is a thrill when your child is doing that well, but you have to go with the fl ow. You have to help them realize you have to work hard, train hard, do as you’re told and get your schooling.”

WATCH FORDETAILS ABOUT THE

ROYALS’ KIDS CLUBvictoriaroyals.com

Photos courtesy the WHL

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VICTORIA NEWS • OAK BAY NEWS • SAANICH NEWS • GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE • PENINSULA NEWS REVIEW - Friday, July 29, 2011 WELCOME WHL VICTORIA ROYALS • 7


The ultimate goal for Victoria’s players – as well as the major junior players from across the Canadian Hockey League – is to hoist the Memorial Cup at the end of the season.

Donated by the Ontario Hockey Asso-ciation in 1919, the cup honours the young men who sacrifi ced their lives in the First World War.

On the road to the Memorial Cup, WHL players set their sights fi rst on the Ed Chynoweth Cup, presented to the Western Hockey League Champions.

Ed Chynoweth was appointed the fi rst full-time WHL president in 1973, soon after becoming the fi rst president of the Cana-dian Hockey League, positions he held for more than 20 years. Honouring his signifi -cant contributions to major junior hockey, the WHL renamed their championship tro-phy The Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2007.

In addition to the league’s two biggest priz-es, the WHL also honours a number of play-ers, coaches and staff who work hard each year to make their teams and league a success:

• WHL Player of the Year • Four Broncos Memorial Trophy – WHL Scholastic Player

of the Year • Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy – WHL Top Scorer • Bob Clarke Trophy – WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player • Brad Hornung Trophy – WHL Top Defenseman • Bill Hunter Trophy – WHL Rookie of the Year • Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy – WHL Top Goaltender • Del Wilson Trophy – WHL Coach of the Year • Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy – WHL Executive of the Year • Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy – WHL Regular Season

Champion • Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy – WHL Humanitarian of the Year • Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy – WHL Top Offi cial • Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy – WHL Marketing/Public

Relations Award • WHL Plus-Minus Award • WHL Playoff MVP Award

THE PUCK STOPS HERE:

Follow the Royals’ play on The Zone @ 91.3

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

One of the hottest tickets in town this fall will be centre ice for the Victoria Royals.

In fact, just about any seat in the Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena promises a great view of the on-ice action.

Season ticket prices for the coming season will be tiered:

• Adult season tickets in any of the six corner or end sections will be $504 for the year – or just $396 for a season ticket in the top four rows of any corner or end section! Season tick-et pricing in standard bowl seating between the goal lines is $576.

• Senior, student and child season tickets are available for just $396. Season tickets for chil-dren 12 and under are available for $180.

• Upgrade to Club and King Club seats. Club seats offer a padded seat and exclusive access to a Club lounge for $856. King Club seats – $1,136 for the season – offer all the benefi ts of a Club seat plus exclusive pre-buy rights to their seat for all events or concerts taking place at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

For more information, visit the Select Your Tickets Box Offi ce at www.selectyourtickets.com/vicwhl, e-mail [email protected] or call 250-220-7789.

Training Camps welcome players Aug. 20 to 31

Can’t make the game in person? Tune in to the Zone @ 91.3 to hear the play-by-play for the WHL’s Victoria Royals.

Each broadcast will also include a pre- and post-game show, with all home pre-game shows broadcast live from the Kings Feast Restaurant inside the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

Spend Sunday nights with the team during the Zone’s week-

ly 30-minute show, boasting special features, analysis and pre-views of coming contests.

“The Zone and RG Sports and Entertainment have had a strong partnership in the past and this is just an extension of that relationship,” team president Dave Dakers says. “Fans in Victoria can now catch all their WHL action on the local air-waves.”

The Victoria Royals’ in-augural training camp will begin on Aug. 20, featuring three camps spanning 12 days. Watch for a detailed itinerary for Royals’ Training Camp closer to the opening.

• Royals’ Draft Camp, Aug. 20 to 23, will welcome players selected by Victoria during the 2011 Bantam Draft.

Players will skate in the morning with members of the Royals’ hockey staff and then explore the city in the afternoon with their fami-lies.

• During the Royals’ Rookie Camp, Aug. 24 to 28, roughly 160 players, born in 1995 or 1996, will be split into teams with each team playing seven games over 3 1/2 days. A select number of these players will earn an invite to Main Camp.

• Royals’ Main Camp opens Aug. 29 with about 80 players who will be split into four teams for scrimmages over the three days of camp, which will conclude Aug. 31 with the Black vs. White intra-squad game.

Ed Chynoweth Cup, presented to the Western Hockey League champions.

Eyes on the Prize

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July 29, 2011 Victoria Royals