The Civic Rocked!

The civic rocked!

by don klepp Added 2009-04-19

Old-time hockey in an old-time building. That’s what 2252 fans saw this weekend at the Civic Arena as the Vipers defeated the Grande Prairie Storm twice. Chris Crowell says “Never before have I played in front of a sold-out crowd in warm-up. It was probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in. It was a cool way to play my last home game as a Viper.” Braden Pimm echoes his captain’s thoughts: “That was a lot of fun. I remember playing last year in that small rink in Penticton during the playoffs. We were on the receiving end of all those boos and all that noise for the home team; it’s pretty demoralizing. It’s nice to have that support going for you; we have the best fans in the BCHL.” Bryce Kakoske previously has played some big games in the old rink, especially in the Winter Carnival Pee Wee tournament. “It was great playing in front of a big crowd in that tournament, but it was nothing like last night and the night before. It was crazy in there, especially when we scored. The place just vibrated! It was great to have that, and I wish we could play here some more.” Clearly the skaters fed off the atmosphere, but what about the goalies? Andrew Hammond says that he enjoyed the noise and had no trouble concentrating. “if anything,” he says, “that amazing support made me want to play at my best for those fans, and I kept my focus through both games. I loved the whole experience.” Those who listened to the radio broadcast might have detected an extra bit of energy in Todd Miller’s voice: “It really was easy to get excited about calling the game when the fans had filled the rink before the players hit the ice.” Todd Miller and the players enjoyed the weekend, but the fans might have had an even better time. Rod Gorsline, a season ticket holder for the past nine years, likes the intimacy of the Civic: “it puts the crowd right down with the players. You can almost feel the hits and you gain a real appreciation for just how fast these guys are. I feel that the crowd was part of the game; we sensed that the players fed off our energy level.” Gorsline continues, “I’ve never before heard the ‘Go Vipers, Go’ chant before the team even hit the ice. And we fans rarely get up and cheer madly during the play at the Wesbild. It was such a good atmosphere because everybody was so excited, almost like a big party. The Civic Arena is not the most comfortable place to watch hockey, but we had a tremendous time this weekend.” A dapper elderly gentleman, who didn’t reveal his name, recalls when the Arena was built in 1937. “My dad took me to watch the construction of a rink that was quite the undertaking back then in those tough times….over the years, I’ve seen some terrific hockey in this building, including great senior hockey in the 50s. And I was here for that incredible game in 1990 when the underdog Lakers beat the New Westminster Bruins. I never thought I’d see something like that in this rink again, but here we are, and I love it! The ice surface is 20 feet shorter and 5 feet narrower than in the Wesbild Centre, so the players had less time to develop plays and a lot less room between the faceoff circle and the blue line. The Vipers adjusted better to the close confines and their big hitters took full advantage. Their penalty kill also thrived at the Civic and in general the Viper defensive system was more effective than Grande Prairie’s vaunted system.