Last night was a major moment in Vancouver sports. But also, not a first.... and yet, also a first. (if you are here for photos, they are at the bottom, divided into 3 sections)

*any fan sites, or other online sites who want to use the photos, please DO NOT remove watermarks (and I would appreciate you linking back to this blog post), or I will be required to file a copyright claim on you. If anyone from the Vancouver Goldeneyes, Seattle Torrent, or the PWHL, including the players, want copies of the photos, please send a request HERE & once I can confirm you are who you say you are, I will happily fill the request)

The Vancouver Goldeneyes, the expansion PWHL franchise took to the ice for their 1st Regular Season game at the Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver. The Coliseum is no stranger to major ice hockey. It had the WHL Vancouver Giants for several years, before the team moved to become the Langley Giants. Of course, the Rink on Renfrew is better known in this city as the original, and still, more liked, home of the NHL Vancouver Canucks, till they relocated to a more modern & corporatey looking building in downtown Vancouver, GM Place (now Rogers Arena). This arena has hosted Stanley Cup games in 1982 & 1994, the Memorial Cup 1977 when the local New Westminster Bruins won, and again in 2007 when the Vancouver Giants won. It hosted a game from the 1972 Summit Series. The 2006 World Junior Hockey Championships also played games there. So having a major moment in this arena isnt a 1st for the Pacific Coliseum. But it was a first for Major Womens Hockey in the Pacific Coliseum.

This also wasnt a 1st for a Vancouver area womens hockey team in a Nation wide league. The Vancouver Griffins (NWHL 2000-03) played in New Westminster. It also isnt a first for a Vancouver based team in an international league, as the B.C. Breakers (2004-09 WWHL) played around the Province throughout their 5 seasons. But it is the first womens hockey team to play in a major stadium in Vancouver, as the Queens Park Arena only has a capacity of around 3500. Nothing compared to the 15K capacity of the Pacific Coliseum.

Wouldnt you know it, the very first game for the Goldeneyes SOLD OUT! Their opponent on this night? The Seattle Torrent, another expansion team, also playing their 1st ever game. I went to the game, and got to have a little dejavu being in there. But sadly, there were a lot of changes as well that were not for the better....but we'll get to that later. You came here to hear about the game & see photos.

There was a long ceremony first introducing every player on the Goldeneyes roster. Then a ceremonial puck drop with Olympic Gold Medal winning soccer star Christine Sinclair. She dropped the puck between Ashton Bell, and Hilary Knight, the Captains for the two squads. Then came the National Anthems for both countries, and despite the hostility Canadians currently have for the American government, there was no booing like there has been at other high profile Canada vs USA events. Then the Canadian anthem was played, and we got ready for the first official puck drop.

The starting goaltenders for both teams would be Corinne Schroeder for the Torrent, and Emerance Maschmeyer for the Goldeneyes.

Hannah Miller, a local girl, took the 1st face off in Goldeneyes history against Mikyla Grant Mentis for the Torrent. Seattle won the opening face off, and the game was under way. There was an early penalty, not that you would know about it if you got into the game a bit late, as the stats clock never showed it (they "fixed" this later...I'll rant about problems later), Anna Wilgren got the 1st penalty in Torrent history at 1:24 of the game. The first moment I think that people really remembered was when Goldeneyes Abby Boreen would get a breakaway that she was unable to bury. 

The 1st goal in Seattle Torrent team history (and the 2nd) would go to Julia Gosling. Anna Wilgren & Alex Carpenter would get the first ever Torrent assists on the goal. Three minutes later, Goldeneyes superstar Sarah Nurse, would steal the puck at centre ice, and break in down the right wing to score with a wrister to tie the game at 1. Julia Gosling would add 1 more goal before the period ended, assisted by their superstar player Hilary Knight, and the Seattle Torrent had a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd period.

In the 2nd period, there was no goals, and I will personally say, I think the play seemed a little sloppy through large parts of the period for both teams. Only thing in that period I really recall is Seattle Torrent defencewoman Aneta Tejralova got injured & had to be helped off the ice. This brings us to the 3rd period where Goldeneyes Gabby Rosenthal would score the 2nd goal in franchise history, Abby Boreen & Claire Thompson would get the first ever assists in team history. That goal was at only 59 seconds. I cant tell you how it happened, because I was in line for food.... another rant later on that. Vancouver would take their 1st ever penalty half way through the 3rd period when Brooke McQuiggie got an interference call. With just over 6 minutes left in the game, Seattle took their 3rd different lead of the night when Hannah Bilka scored, assisted by Danielle Serdachny and Emily Brown. But the Goldeneyes showed in their 1st game they have the resolve to fight back when down, as they had done twice already in the game to twice tie up the game after giving Seattle the lead. So it should come as no shock that they did it 1 more time, when Claire Thompson scores her 1st goal as a Goldeneyes player, assisted from McQuiggie & local star Jenn Gardiner with 2:03 left in the game.

The game would head to overtime, where the teams played a 3 on 3 format, with a 5 minute clock. But it did not take the whole 5 minutes, as Abby Boreen, who started the game with a hopeful breakaway that she didnt bury, got the game winner, after a cross ice pass from Teresa Vanisova on to Boreens stick, she slide a wrister through Torrent goaltender Corinne Schroeder to give the Goldeneyes a win in their 1st ever game. The Goldeneyes win 4-3 in overtime. Giving the Goldeneyes a record of 0-1-0-0 for 2pts, and Seattle Torrent start their PWHL existence with a point, and a record of 0-0-1-0.

Now on to some nitpicks (mainly with the arena, and some with the team)

- Entering the arena. For whatever reason they have put up weird fences around the front of the Pacific Coliseum, which in turn pushes the crowds back 100 feet, and caused crowds to flood out onto the street before the game to get through the ONE entrance point from most people know on Renfrew. 

- Bag check is OUTSIDE the building 200 feet away. Pretty dumb place to put it. Easy for people to forget about going there, especially if they came in from any other entry point, and have to walk the entirety of the stadium back there to find it. It should be inside if you are going to force people to check backpacks. Also, charging $10 for something YOU want us to do is criminal. After all "I" am not the one wanting to do this, you are. 

- The scoreboard. EIGHTY TO NINETY PERCENT of the scoreboard is an ad. They have crammed the teams logos into small unrecognizable slivers, made the SOG so small you need binoculars to read them and made the penalty clock (which they didnt even bother putting up for the 1st penalty) just as small, maybe even smaller. The old Coliseum clock, you never were unaware of the SOG & penalty times, they were easily visible even from the furthest seats from the screen. The disrespect of the PNE, or the Goldeneyes, whomever OK'ed this design, of their fans to make the actual scoreboard an after thought for whoring out ads is disgusting. Fire whoever made that decision.

- Food stands vs alcohol stands. I believe I counted 5? Food stands if you include the 1 downstairs that few people were at, and still moved abysmally slow. Every single food stand had forever long lines. The one I went to in the 2nd intermission, I stood there for the entirety of the 2nd intermission, and several minutes into the 3rd, and got no food, because in that entire time I was there, they only served FIVE people. Yes, FIVE people in 20-25 minutes. This is not an exaggeration. I counted how many people were ahead of me when I got there, 16 or 17, and there was still 12 ahead of me when I gave up. ON THE OTHER HAND, there were so many alcohol vendors there, that I lost track how many, but its in the double digits, and surprise surprise, NOT ONCE did I pass one and see anyone in line at them. NOT. ONCE. The crowd was probably about half youths. So you have a dozen stands for a product half can not buy, and another half probably arent going to purchase..... vs 5? (could have been 4) places to buy food. Fun fact, in the lower level, they only had 1 of the two food stands even open down there. Opening that one could have alleviated the pressure on the others by 20%.

- Food stands incompetence. I already touched on this, about the speed. I also before the game started, stood in line at a different stand for food, before also giving up when I frankly couldnt see proof it was even moving after 7-8 minutes. It was never like this when I used to go there for Giants & Canucks games. What happened? 

- No food/drink vendors. NOT ONCE in the entire game did I see a food/drink vendor going through the stands. This is DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the forever lines I just mentioned. It also is DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for this next issue.

- Crowded concourse. Since you are forcing everyone to go into the concourse to get food/drinks, on top of going to the washrooms, it was the most crowded I have ever seen in this arena, and I was in there during Stanley Cup games when the attendance was higher than this game (but wait, how is that possible, this was a sell out.).

- Standing Room sections removed to put in more alcohol stands. Thats another 500 tickets roughly you could have sold.....but didnt.

- Lack of souvenir stands. When the Canucks were there, there was 1 in each corner of the arena, along with Winning Spirit, the full sized store. When the Giants were there, they had the little souvenir "store" the Goldeneyes have adopted as the "main" store, as well as a booth in each corner. The Goldeneyes went with the 1 "main" booth, and 2 very very small booths at the start of the game, but closed them down at some point, forcing everyone to go to the 1 & only souvenir store, leading to laughably long lines (literally like the food lines).

- Washrooms only had glaciers in January cold water for the faucets. It was jarring how cold the water was. 

- Any trace of the past in the building erased. There is nothing in the building showing that it used to be the home of the Canucks, or the Giants. Kind of disrespectful.

Now, onto problems with the team AND leagues management.

- NO PROGRAMS. Your first ever game, and you have no programs? No way for people to know the rosters without using their phones? It doesnt have to be 50 pages long like the old 80s programs, a simple 4-6 page program would have sold out just the same. This is some team management incompetence.

- The DJ & video tron team. The DJ frequently was playing music far longer than he should. Three or four times I saw the ref/linseperson ready to do a face off & the music would still go for like 5 more seconds. He seems to be under the delusion people came there to hear his mediocre music choices. The videotron person is also grossly unqualified. Dozens of times, they just had whatever random camera live feed when people were looking to see a replay. ESPECIALLY during the contest penalty & goal calls. he clearly has no idea where the buttons are to switch from live to recorded & back.

- Nowhere on their website does it state you cant bring bags into the arena. Another issue with things not stated on their page I will bring up in a later point.

- No one answers their emails. I emailed them on October 1st & the 15th about a Seasons Ticket question, along with another question. The only reply they ever sent me, was about a cookie cutter reply about "job opportunities". I attempted to contact them through social media by DMing & @ messaging them on twitter, and instagram. No replies there. Theres no listed phone number for them, so theres no way to contact them that way either. Simply put, good luck getting any info out of them for literally anything.....even as important as seasons tickets.

- The PWHL is also poor on replying to emails. I first emailed them (through the email listed on the website) on Nov. 8 to get some type of reply since the Goldeneyes dont answer their emails. I got nothing. So I tried a different email that I found out about, ironically from the Goldeneyes twitter (yeah I know, an account that doesnt answer messages telling people where to send messages), and emailed that one on the 18th. They literally replied back at 11:30 AM on gameday to my question. I realize you probably get dozens of emails a day during the regular season. But I think 3 days for a reply is pretty poor. I also have a few nitpicks about the PWHL website, but maybe another day I will address that (but the main one is when you go to a players stat page, they have them ALL backwards. Should go from oldest season to newest, but they have them in the reverse).


Now, for positives.
+ The new jumbotron is better than the old one.
+ The amount of images of Goldeneyes players around the building is a nice touch.

PHOTO GALLERIES are separated by "Mixed" (photos with players from both teams, except celebration shots), "Vancouver Goldeneyes" (photos of exclusively Vancouver Goldeneyes players, or celebrations), & "Seattle Torrent" (photos of exclusively Seattle Torrent players, or celebrations)

Imagine right now Carey Price, or Tuukka Rask quitting hockey right now because they could not find a team to play for in a league they felt was at their skill level. Absurd right? I mean if they were for some reason unable to play in the NHL, they would have the KHL as a viable back up. Rask could surely go home & play in Finland & be a star there. They have options. Lets also take into consideration, neither of them are even in the top 5 goalies in the game right now at 26 years of age.

This brings me to Noora Raty. For those who dont follow women's hockey outside of the Canada/USA battles, Raty has been for a few years now 1 of, if not at times, the best goalie in the world in women's hockey. She has backstopped Finland to wins over the U.S. in the World Championships, Four Nations Cup last year & the Hockey Canada Cup here in 2010. A feat that is few & far between for teams not from Canada.

Raty carried her college, University Of Minnesota to back-to-back NCAA championships. With a career mark of 114-17-8, including a 38-0-0 mark in her final year with 17 Shutouts. She holds the record for career shutouts & single season shutouts in women''s college hockey. As a teenager she won the Best Goalie honours at the Women's World Hockey Championships, twice. In 2008 she was given the MVP of the entire tourney. Noora Raty was the best goalie in the world, and she wasnt even out of her teens yet.

Winning an Olympic Bronze medal in 2010 will be the highlight of her international career. Her two NCAA titles will be the only major championships she will likely ever win in the sport. The reason is, Noora Raty, at just 24 years of age, will likely retire.

Early retirement isnt rare in women's hockey. Some do it due to injuries, others do it to start up families. But rarely has there been someone in the women's game, still near the peak of her career retiring because she cant find somewhere to play that still wants to. This is a situation unique to Raty right now, but not unique to the women's hockey players as a whole.

Despite the feverish crowds that Canada-USA women's games get on both sides of the border, there is no professional women's league. The only pro women's hockey league currently of note is in Russia, and Raty herself has stated, it isnt "the best". North America has a women's league. The CWHL, but it isnt pro. Players travel expenses and equipment are paid for, but they do not pay the players to play. Players are expected to carry on with real every day jobs, and play a sport they love, for essentially free. This is the top level of competition in North America right now for women's hockey, a free league that doesnt travel outside the eastern time zone.

Raty stated in a very public statement on twitter that she needs a league that can challenge her (CWHL could do that) and pay her (the Russian league can do that) but finding 1 that does both is not an option at this time. Noora could play mens hockey. An option she likely has considered. Perhaps she still will. But what about all the others? What about Raty proving herself against other women's players? Growing the game? This seems to be something Noora seems eager to do. She wants to be paid AND play against women.

Noora Raty's very public plea yesterday on twitter might not help a league form in time for her career, but hopefully it will be instrumental in getting things in motion for such a league very soon. Hopefully one that can pay players, and more importantly expland beyond an area so small you can drive from the furthest 2 points of the league in a few hours.

Women have a professional basketball league, backed by the NBA. Its in its 17th season coming up, has 12 teams. With a minimum salary of $35,000 a season.

Women have a professional soccer league. The NWSL and while it pays very little comparatively, it does at least PAY its players. Minimum $6,000 a season. But there are also professional leagues in Europe for them to go to that pay much, much better.

So why is there no professional hockey league for women in North America? I'm not saying it has to pay WNBA level salaries just yet, but it could, if it had the right marketing behind it.

Cue the NHL. Like the NBA's involvement in women's basketball, the NHL could vastly boost the image, and viability of a women's league. Association with regional teams would bring recognition and would almost instantly boost the sport. It would also allow payment for services. The NHL is a multi-billion dollar juggernaut in sports, yet, no involvement in trying to develop a women's league or game. They have no problem tossing money at markets that failed from the get go, and trying to sway fans over seas with tours there that include actual regular season games. Lots of money to waste on those ventures. But women's hockey? Nope. Despite the NHL using women's hockey stories to get a few more eyeballs on broadcasts, puck dropping ceremonies & traffic to their website. That, they can do. They have no problem USING women's hockey moments & players to promote hockey, just dont put any actual money into it.

Somewhere today in Sochi, Russia Tuukka Rask is probably going to have a meal that he didnt have to pay for, and will be indifferent to the experience or even annoyed that its not what he would usually have. Noora Raty might very well have that same meal, and just be glad she didnt have to pay for it, with the $0 she earns doing the same job, and so far, more successfully in less years on this planet. Tuukka Rask will get $7M U.S. this season. He is 1 of the top 20 goalies in the NHL, MAYBE even top 10. He will make $7M because a team felt having 1 of the top 20 at his position is worth that. Noora Raty is 1 of the top 5 in the world for women, even arguably, the best. Yet no one is paying her, despite the fact shes done more in her career than Tuukka (never played a second in the playoffs in the 2011 Cup year) who still has no major accomplishments in his career outside of a bronze at the World Juniors. Noora is also 2 years younger than him. Peter Budaj, the 3rd string goalie for Slovakia this tourney is making $1.4M as a back up for the Montreal Canadiens, the same team that employs Carey Price at $6.5M.

Surely, there can be a league, that values Noora Raty enough that she can make at least 10% of what the 3rd string Slovakian goalie in the Olympic mens tournament currently makes. But, I also thought there should be a professional women's hockey league as well. Maybe there will be. Maybe the NHL, with all the hair brained schemes its put together to try & create new revenue streams will finally go "hey, how about a women's hockey league?". They put a team in Phoenix Arizona, and in a swamp in Sunrise, Florida. Surely women's hockey is less of a risk than those zany ideas. Figure it out quick National Hockey League, before 1 of the sports greatest retires, at just 24 years old.


A little side note I found as I was looking to see if there was any last details I missed. Noora finished 63rd on The Hockey News 2013 list of 100 most influential people in hockey..... ahead of 37 mostly NHL based people. Are you listening NHL? There are women players of influence, you just need to open your eyes before its too late.

Heres a few photos of this hockey phenom from the two times I got to see her in Vancouver. During the 2009 Hockey Canada Cup & the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medal game.

With the trade deadline now less than 24 hours away, the speculation on where a variety of players might be dealt is at a fever pitch. Roberto Luongo of course being the most discussed name in Vancouver.

 This has me wondering, where might the Canucks all time leader in pretty much every goaltending category find himself come Thursday morning. I have narrowed it down to some of the more likely & perhaps, less likely situations for the man called "Luuuu".

- Toronto Maple Leafs
We've actually been hearing this since before the
dawn of time...or so it seems. Lui to Toronto makes sense for the Leafs. A team that is currently in a playoff position, but without a playoff goaltender. They also are kicking the tires on Miikka Kiprusoff, so we will see what goes on there. But Lui as a Leaf isnt an all too insane theory at this point. It will come down to if the Leafs have what the Nucks want in return.

- Vancouver Canucks
Chances are pretty good come Thursday morning Luongo could be staying put. Right now, this seems like the more probable situation with the way goalies have been dropping into the trade rumour mill lately & Gillis insisting on wanting reasonable market value back for his prize keeper. For now, the 1/1A set up in Vancouver has done decently and Luongo has kept the team player mentality by not griping about it publicly if he actually has any animocity to it. Perhaps he has come around to staying here for the rest of the year & has eased up on subtly e-mailing Mike Gillis articles on prospects from the Leafs & Panthers who have done well in a recent game. 

- Florida Panthers
Ideally, this would be a dream come true for Lui. He
really would embrace a move to Florida, plus it would give him a few extra weeks vacation time to work on his poker game & think up some clever tweets. Florida is going nowhere this year, and could certainly be looking to unload some of their veterans who might want to see a playoff game or 2. Canucks would be eager to get a useful part back for Lui with a prospect or two. Florida has plenty of both currently. Florida could part with 1 of the several NHL capable in a year or 2 prospects they have with either Theodore or Clemmensen so the Canucks get an NHL capable back up in return. Both teams would surely be pleased with what they get.

 - New York Islanders
This will be a far more realistic scenario if the Islanders also go out & get Miikka Kiprusoff & Ryan Miller tomorrow. My theory that Charles Wang has asked Garth Snow to stockpile goalies in the hopes of trying out a goalie rotation idea similar to baseball teams pitching rotations is quite realistic. With Nabokov, DiPietro, Poulin & Thomas already, they are getting close to this dream.

 - River Rock Casino
Probably a less likely scenario, but in a fit of rage,
Roberto opts to retire immediately & focus on his budding poker career, only to return a week later after losing repeatedly when opponents learn to just hum Chelsea Dagger while at the table with him.

- Waivers
Maybe its because I just saw the new GI Joe movie last night, but what if Mike Gillis isnt actually Mike Gillis, but a clone made up of microscopic nanites that has been sent by Dean Lombardi or Chuck Fletcher? If the Sedins also get traded or waived, this theory should be immediately investigated. In any case, I suppose this COULD happen & thus Roberto might end up on waivers.

- Hockey Night In Canada
Lets be honest. Don Cherry is getting close to
retirement & HNIC is looking for the next larger than life personality to throw in there. With Brett Hull seemingly M.I.A. and Sean Avery being hated by everyone, including his own mother, the amount of likable & entertaining personalities in the NHL to throw at the public is a slim pool currently for CBC. Brendan Shanahan seems unwilling to step down from the job he has, despite failing it massively. While Craig Conroy probably couldn't fit whatever he is going to say every week into a 5 minute segment, so this means there is still an opening. With Lui at the help, the CBC could team up almost anyone with him & they would seem less boring... except for PJ Stock.

- Toronto Blue Jays
If he can pitch, maybe he will go to Toronto for a
different reason than to tend goal for a hockey team. Granted, he would be more suited as a catcher, and that too is something the Jays desperately seem to need 
after watching the opening day game. He already has a catchers mask & is used to playing without a goalie stick. The change of positions doesnt seem too much of a stretch.

- TV or Movie Star
After Luis epic acting job on the TSN video of him & Schneider getting along earlier this year ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ap8tlQ3oZ0 ) it seems possible Roberto could just drop his stick
& blocker & pick up a script. I'm thinking a buddy comedy movie with Steve Carrell maybe.

- Starbucks
Really, whatever team he is with Thursday morning, there will be a Starbucks in that city... so this is actually the most solid guess I have.

 Whatever happens tomorrow, the fact is, Roberto Luongo will be somewhere Thursday & it will of be most likely of his own choosing since he has a No movement clause in his contract. It is also a near certainty that wherever he is Thursday some people will be happy & disappointed with it. Personally, I will be fine with him staying here. I like the fact that we have 2 #1 goalies. Its a position that you really cant afford to be thin on, and for now, we are not. If he moves on,  I'll wish him luck wherever he goes.. I just might not cheer for whatever team he is on.