The onus is on the Pats to ensure that the “Welcome Back, Connor!” home game is one of the grandest events on the Regina sporting calendar.
Hockey players habitually accentuate the importance of capitalizing on their chances.
But how many generations will pass before the Pats boast another skater of Bedard’s calibre?
He may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime presence.
And, in the blink of an eye, he will be gone — from Regina, anyway.
Bedard is a mortal lock to be chosen first overall in the 2023 NHL draft.
At 18 — an age at which many WHL players are still settling into front-line roles — Bedard will be a featured big-league performer.
For the Pats, then, the clock is ticking.
By the time Bedard once again dons the trademark No. 98 sweater, the Pats will be in the back half of their home schedule.
To this point in the season, attendance has been middling — in Regina, anyway.
Four of the Pats’ five games were sold out when they barnstormed the B.C. Division in late November and early December. For the sole non-sellout, a mere 20 seats were vacant.
It should be asserted that this is hardly an apples-to-apples comparison.
The Pats swing through B.C. every second year, so opportunities to see them are rare. In Regina, by contrast, there are 34 home games per season.
But attendance has been much better in preceding years, even when on-ice results have been poor and when most of the roster hasn’t been recognizable.
Now the Pats are blessed with a superstar whose marquee value transcends major-junior hockey.
He is one of the biggest names in the hockey universe.
It would behoove the Pats to ensure that their crowds are correspondingly huge.
As it stands, the arena is barely half-full (half-empty?) on most nights. The team is averaging 3,362 spectators after its first 16 home dates.
Enough of that. The onus is now on the Pats’ brass to ensure that the “Welcome Back, Connor!” home game is a grand event — a happening.
Also remember that another world-class player — 19-year-old Pats defenceman Stanislav Svozil — is captaining Czechia at the world juniors.
Before too long, one-10th of the Pats’ roster will consist of players who have starred at the world’s premier showcase of junior-aged skaters.
If that isn’t marketing gold, what is?
Consider, too, that the spotlight typically shines more brightly on the Pats once January arrives.
The Pats, by contrast, are blessed with the face of the world junior hockey championship. He may eventually be the face of the NHL.
More faces in the crowd should be an automatic byproduct.
Post a Comment