The NMax Center seats will be filled Friday night when the puck drops for the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ matchup against the Regina Pats and their captain, Connor Beddard.
Since returning from the World Junior Championships at age 17, Bedard and the Pats have found themselves playing in front of packed crowds across western Canada.
“It’s exciting for all of us,” Bedard said Wednesday. “I guess that’s something you never really get tired of.”
It appears that the city of Lethbridge feels the same way.
The game sold out on Friday, including nearly 300 overflow tickets. Team employees haven’t seen sales like that in years.
“When we were getting into the playoffs, getting to the second and third rounds, we saw a similar scenario,” said Terry Huisman, general manager of business operations for the Hurricanes.
On the Pats’ current road trip alone, the Red Deer Rebels set a regular season attendance record and over 17,000 fans came out to see Regina play the Calgary Hitmen, bringing crowds of some players never played before.
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“I think it’s going to be eye-opening for some of the young guys and freshmen who haven’t seen the place pack,” said Kansas defenseman Joe Arntsen.
“It’s going to be electric.”
‘Canes head coach Brent Kisio coached Beddard as an assistant in the World Juniors and said the attention bodes well for the Western Hockey League.
That’s what Connor has just done for our league. He has that position and is bringing the pack house wherever he plays. It’s exciting,” Kisio said.
“Any time we have a chance to showcase our talent – not only in our league but with our team as well – and show the fan base enthusiasm for what we bring here nightly, it’s a great opportunity.” Huysman said.
Friday’s game is expected to boost the Hurricanes’ revenue, which comes from ticket and merchandise sales.
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“It’s going to be important,” Huisman said.
“It’s probably a 100 percent increase in what we make on a nightly basis.”
And this won’t be the only clash for the ‘Cannes’ this season.
Seats are already sold out for the Pats’ March 10 visit and team staff expect the remaining overflow tickets to be sorted out in the coming days.
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