Randy SavoieThe Golden Bears hockey team has faced the Edmonton Oilers rookies 26 times before this year, but never as the away team.
That’s going to change this year, because for the first time ever, the Bears vs. Oilers rookie showcase will be held at Rexall place.
The stands will be packed, as it’s another opportunity to see first overall pick Connor McDavid before the team’s training camp starts. McDavid certainly will draw many fans to the game, Bears hockey General Manager Stan Marple said.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” he said. “They say he’s going to be a generational player and I think he very well might be, as long as he stays healthy, and he seems to have a great attitude and work ethic.”
The Bears will have their hands full with McDavid, who put up 120 points in just 47 games last year for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League — an average of just over two and a half points per game.
Despite McDavid’s very high skill level, Marple maintained that the Oilers rookie team certainly isn’t a one-man show.
“No matter who you play, you can’t just focus on one player, they’ve got a whole team of good players,” he said. “I’m sure Coach Lajoie will have the guys very focused, and our attention to detail, focus, and work ethic will have to be very good to overcome some of the very talented players that the Oilers rookie team will have.”
Despite the loss of home ice advantage for the Bears, the game at Rexall is a unique opportunity for the players to play on an NHL rink and in an big league atmosphere.
“Our team doesn’t usually have any problems getting motivated for games, and they certainly won’t for this one,” Marple Said. “The fact that the game is being played at Rexall means there’s just that much more on the line.”
While this is an exhibition game, the goal for both teams is still to win, which means that a certain level of intensity is maintained, Marple said.
“Any time we play, we want our guys to play hard, but we want them to play very clean as well,” Marple said. “We’re traditionally the least penalized team in Canada West, we want to play hard, but we want to play fair too, so that’s going to be the same as every night.”
The game has been a fixture on the calendar for the University of Alberta sporting community since its inception in 1988, and the move to Rexall may be seen to some as potentially damaging to the game’s success within the University market.
There’s no word as to whether or not the Bears vs. Oilers rookie game will return to Clare Drake Arena next year, but Marple said that playing at Rexall Place will allow for more fans to see the game, which should be viewed as a positive thing.
“If anything, it allows even more people to see the game, and that was part of the reasoning behind the move,” he said. “The last six or seven times we’ve played the Oilers rookies we’ve sold out, and there have been a lot of Oilers fans and Bears fans that have probably wanted to go to the game, but just couldn’t because of the numbers.”
“It’s also raising a lot of funds for the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, who do a lot of great work in our community and have always been very supportive of both Bears and Pandas hockey.”
The series itself has been evenly matched, with the Bears carrying a 13-11-0 all time record into this year’s game.
The puck drops Sept. 16 and tickets are available now for $30 each.
