Saskatoon Blades hope 'sound, structured' style might be enough to stave off Bedard
The Saskatoon Blades anticipate Friday’s playoff opener against the Regina Pats could be another sold-out game.
Director of business operations Tyler Wawryk says tickets are half sold already, and if the last two matchups with the Pats — and WHL lead-scorer Connor Bedard — were any indication, they’ll go fast.
“It’s huge for the club and it’s huge for the city as well,” he said.
“I met a few guys that came into our team store Friday morning — they flew in from Kitchener, Ontario … we’ve heard from fans. They’re travelling from all over the province, even places like Alberta and Manitoba that maybe didn’t have a chance to see Connor play. We’re seeing that from everywhere.”
Having the stands full, and people travelling from out of the city for games, has a huge economic impact for the city and province, says Wawryk.
The atmosphere has been electric, he said.
“It was wild. You could feel it in your chest when everybody stood for ‘Oh, Canada;’ just the emotion, the energy.”
Wawryk said they had 10,000 people at SaskTel Centre for warmups alone, “which is just absurd.”
This level of attention has been an adjustment for the players, he says. They were nervous at first, but they’ve embraced it.
“As a teenager to be able to play in front of what would be an NHL-type crowd, it’s special for them and their families. They’re coming from all over the country to see their sons play.”
It helps that the Blades have one of the strongest teams in its 60-year history.
“We broke 100 points for only the fifth time in 60 seasons,” said Wawryk.
“We have a really good team. We play defensively. We have two great goaltenders. We don’t have anybody in the top ten scoring, so we don’t rely on that. We play a real sound, structured game, and that’s what we have to do, because he [Bedard] is a generational talent and he is capable of taking over a game.”
Even without the Bedard bump, he says the club has seen major growth in attendance — up 30 per cent over last year.
“Just to see that fan support continue to grow and grow, and people getting comfortable being back in the larger crowd settings again, has probably been the most special part of this season.”
-With files from Laura Woodward
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.