Anticipation builds for Regina Pats ahead of season opener
The anticipation for the 2021-22 WHL season is high in Regina.
Just over a week ahead of the season opener, the Regina Pats’ brass held a press conference to express their excitement for the coming season.
“We’re back to a real situation here so I think there’s a lot of anticipation for us,” said Pats’ general manager John Paddock.
In 2020, Regina’s Brandt Centre played host to the WHL’s East Division hub. The Pats finished sixth in the division with a 9-12-2-1 record.
However, the club showed promise with rookie Connor Bedard notching 28 points in 15 games to lead the division before leaving early to represent Team Canada on the Under-18 squad.
“We can feel something coming and I think it’s certainly the same with what we saw last year from Connor and the group,” Paddock said.
Since finishing second at the Memorial Cup in 2018, which Regina hosted, the Pats have failed to make the playoffs.
“We’ve had to maintain a level of work ethic and culture and energy through a difficult three years after the Memorial Cup,” said head coach Dave Struch.
Across the country, Canadian Hockey League teams are struggling financially. In March, the Semple family and the Brandt group of companies became the exclusive owners of the Pats. They maintain they’re committed to the team.
“It’s a hard business at the best of times,” owner Shaun Semple said. “With no fans and no revenue. It’s been a challenge, but we’re willing to obviously keep investing.”
Ticket prices rose an average of four dollars per seat this season, according to Semple. It wasn’t clear if that trend will continue.
“As far as the future goes, I can’t tell you. I know the costs go up every year like most businesses so they may go up,” Semple said.
As of Oct. 1, fans and spectators attending all indoor events on the Regina Exhibition Association Limited campus, including Pats games, will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend.
Paddock says the team is 100 per cent vaccinated, which is a WHL mandate, but members aren’t required to get tested for COVID-19 under current protocols.
“There’s a responsibility for the players to mention if they’re feeling something, so then we deal with it accordingly,” Paddock said.
The Regina Pats have made arrangements on their own to have players receive schooling at the rink to minimize the risk of transmission due to being in schools.
“I’m not too worried about it,” said Pats player Jakob Brook. “I think the league’s got a good protocol set in place.”
The Pats are 2-2 so far in the pre-season. They head to Moose Jaw Friday for a home and home this weekend, then open the regular season on Oct. 1 in Prince Albert.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
'Decades-long fight': MPs unanimously pass 'anti-scab' legislation
A bill that would ban federal employers from using replacement workers or 'scabs' during lockouts or strikes passed the House of Commons unanimously on Monday.
Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a "tragic mistake" had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people.
Mike Tyson had medical issue on cross-country flight
Boxing legend Mike Tyson required medical attention after experiencing an 'ulcer flare up' toward the end of a cross-country flight Sunday, his representatives confirmed to the New York Post.
81-year-old arrested after police say he terrorized a California neighbourhood with a slingshot
An 81-year-old man who investigators say terrorized a Southern California neighbourhood for years with a slingshot has been arrested, police said.
Why Canada's big grocery stores are under investigation
Amid mounting outrage over high grocery prices, a retail expert says there's a solution to fostering more competition in the country.