Kudos to the Creston Valley Thunder Cats for the wonderfully successful hosting job of the 2017 Cyclone Taylor Cup hockey championships on the weekend. From start to finish this was a first-class event, one that everyone in the community should be proud of.
When Thunder Cats president Mike Moore first approached Creston Town Council last year to get its tacit support for an application to host the provincial Junior B championships it was far from clear that Creston even had a shot at being selected. After all, the organization sets minimum standards for things like accommodation numbers and it’s far easier for a larger, more central community to make a compelling case. But Moore was convinced, perhaps having a little inside information, that a Creston application would indeed be at least considered. No one on Council raised any objections.
Moore and his team, which included head coach/general manager Jeff Dubois and assistants Brad Tobin and Jeff Wagner, got busy. Moore created a “playbook”, a document that included attendance projections, budget and aspects that make the Creston Valley a suitable host location. Like everything Moore takes on, it was, by all reports, a terrific piece of work. It must have been. When Creston was selected to host the event, some competing communities complained bitterly and publicly.
Credit Area C director Larry Binks for committing $10,000 toward the tournament, and others for following. Corporate sponsors were engaged and a small working committee got busy with finding volunteers and asking for donations and sponsorships.
When I arrived for the opening game on Thursday afternoon, I was surprised to see an excellent crowd streaming in. The Community Complex was buzzing with activity and excitement and, throughout the eight tournament games (and a Saturday afternoon alumni game thrown in for good measure), the hockey was quite wonderful. Fast, hard-hitting and nothing in the way of goon shows that used to entertain some fans (and keep more away, I suspect) a few decades ago.
Of course it was especially thrilling when Creston picked up a win against Campbell River on Thursday night. After all, it was the stellar Beaver Valley Nitehawks who were the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League champions, Creston having been knocked out in the second round of the playoffs by Kimberley. To be sure, the Thunder Cats had a terrific season, but it seemed clear that the Nitehawks were the league’s best team.
And when the bigger, tougher Aldergrove Kodiaks beat Beaver Valley on Friday night, it meant that Creston could vault into the Gold medal game by defeating their nemesis, the Nitehawks, on Saturday night. How satisfying it must have been for organizers to tape “sold out” signs to the Community Complex doors on Saturday night. 900 paid attendees packed the stands and the place was rocking with excitement. A modern-day Miracle on Ice wasn’t to be however, and Creston lost despite a fine effort. And the fans were truly appreciative of the entertainment they were treated to.
Those same loyal fans were repaid in kind on Sunday afternoon, when the Thunder Cats played a great game, shutting out Aldergrove and skating off wearing Bronze medals. In the final game, the true strength of the Nitehawks was evident, as they rebounded from an early game goal and dominated most of the game afterward to win the Cyclone Taylor Cup for a fourth time. They also earned the right to represent BC in the Western Canadian championships in Manitoba this week.
Events as successful as this one (crowds were probably 50 per cent bigger than Moore estimated his budget on) do not happen by magic. From the many volunteers who sold and collected tickets to the security team to the souvenir sellers, to the vendors like local photographer Jeff Banman who produced and sold souvenir photos on the spot and the Visitor Centre, which distributed Visitor Guides and organized a bus tour that included the Columbia Brewery and Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery, the effort was nothing short of inspiring. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the donors for the VIP lounge, sponsors, fans and Thunder Cat directors (who were surely exhausted when Sunday came to a close), as well as the always amazing Community Complex staff.
Reports are that veterans of past Cyclone Taylor Cup events rated Creston’s effort as the best ever. In my eyes, as one who was there for part or all of every game, that should be no surprise. Construction to upgrade the Community Complex and build and aquatic centre changed the face of the Creston Valley in ways that we are still discovering, and it is clear that we really like showing the facility off to visitors.
Congratulations and thank you to every single person who had any involvement in this enormous effort. You did us proud.
