Why should you care about the Golden Bears?

In the summer of 2015 I got a call from Dave who is one of the founders of The Oilers Rig. Months prior to the call we had bonded over our mutual love of hockey and raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada after he had visited my MS Blog. As we got to know each other Dave discovered that I was a season ticket holder for the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The phone call in question was motivated because he wanted to know if I would cover the Golden Bears for the Oilers Rig for the 2015-16 season. I enjoy writing and I enjoy going to U of A games so it was a natural fit. However, since I started it has always been a challenge to convey what makes Bears’ hockey worthy of the attention of fans in the capital region. With the Edmonton Oilers, Oil Kings, and AJHL all entrenched in the area why should you care about the team based out of the University of Alberta? I have attempted in the past to educate on why local hockey fans should care and here is my pitch for the 2016-17 season. You should care because, if you are a fan of the game of hockey, you have no idea of the quality of the product which you are missing. For this post it would be best to explain how I was exposed to the Golden Bears.

The first time I witnessed a game at the Clare Drake Arena on the University of Alberta campus was way back in September of 1997. I had just moved to Edmonton from Kamloops and was starting university across the river at Concordia University College. I read in the paper that the Oilers most recent first round pick, Michel Riesen, would be joining other Oilers hopefuls in a rookie camp game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. I recall that during the opening ceremonies a former Bear (whose name escapes me) was honored as he was on the Oilers’ rookie squad and trying out for the organization. I also had interest in Alberta’s goaltender Dale Masson as he was Corey Hirsch‘s backup during some pretty amazing seasons for the Kamloops Blazers. Honestly the rest of game is fairly blurred in my memory. Michel Riesen can have that effect on you.

Even though I ended up attending the University of Alberta in 2002 I never set foot in the Clare Drake again until 2011. That spring my friend came across two tickets to a Alberta versus Saskatchewan playoff game and invited me to come. I recall that neither of us had a good handle of the level of hockey we were going to watch. It was primarily a good excuse to head out have a beer and talk some hockey. I also recall that we were both surprised at the quality of the game. My friend wondered what a season ticket would cost and I offered to look into it. The following week I called the ticket office and discovered it was just over $100 for the season. I texted my friend and it took all of moments to agree it was a no-brainer to get tickets. We’ve been season ticket holders ever since.

So why do we keep coming back?

The primary reason we keep coming back year after year is that the quality of the on-ice product is fantastic in relation to the money spent. Once we realized that for less than $10 a game (season ticket price) we were watching some of the best graduates from the Western Hockey League, blended in with players who have decided to return to school from minor professional leagues, we were hooked. Take this year’s team as an example. The 2016-17 Golden Bear’s squad features three players who have skated in the American Hockey League (Jayden Hart, Graeme Craig, and Ryan Rehill). Todd Fiddler is a current Golden Bear who spent from 2013-16 in the East Coast Hockey League after scoring 48 goals and 88 points in 52 games for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars during the 2013-14 season. Tyson Baillie is another current Bear and WHL standout (and former teammate of current Oiler Leon Draisaitl) who had a 95 points for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets last season. The quality of the players are as good as you are going to find in Canada outside of professional hockey.

So why should you care?

That really depends on whether you are a fan of the game of hockey or if you are a fan of a particular team or brand involved with hockey. There is a difference. In Canada there are two spheres from which fans emerge; the first and most numerous type are the fans of NHL teams. These fans put the, “fan,” in fanatical and are often emotionally tied to the brand and, more often than not, individual players. For them the game can be secondary as passion and pride are the key motivators. This should not be read as me being critical of this type of fan. They are the engine which powers the amazing atmosphere around the pro team in the playoffs and who also get others excited about their favorite player. The second type fan can be a fan of a professional team but also a fan of the game itself. This fan can watch good hockey wherever it is being played. They can happily go to another big league city and be fully entertained by a game featuring two teams in which they have no vested interest. They can also be just as interested in a local junior or higher-level minor hockey game. This fan is often a fan of the game first. Obviously these two spheres overlap and there are shades of grey between the two polarities. Most will likely fall somewhere in between. However, the point is that if you enjoy high-level hockey then Golden Bear Hockey is something you should try. You’ll be surprised at just how good the hockey is. I’ve introduced many people to the Golden Bears and most have come back time and time again.

To qualify the quality of hockey being played I’ll offer the following evidence as proof: since the 2010-11 season 20 former Golden Bears have turned professional (not including the members of the current team who have already played professionally). These Bears have played in the following professional leagues:

• National Hockey League (NHL)
• American Hockey League (AHL)
• East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)
• Slovak Extra-League
• Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL)
• Austrian Professional League
• Sweden First Division
• French (France) Professional League
• Italy Serie A
• Central Hockey League (now defunct; 7 teams were absorbed into ECHL to start the 2014-15 season)

This is an impressive list and highlights the quality of players that come through the Golden Bears’ program.

Of course, besides the high quality of the on-ice product, there are other reasons to attend a game at the University of Alberta. Supporting the Bears means supporting student athletics and athletes who are honing their skills while acquiring a first rate education. It is a product that you can feel good about spending your money on. In addition, it is very affordable. As mentioned above season tickets are more than reasonable (50% off the regular ticket price) and tickets the day of the game are $16 for adults. Basically, you can take your whole family to a game for less than $100 and still have money left over for pop and popcorn. Did I mention the cheap beer?

Finally, another very important reason to support and try Golden Bears’ hockey is that they are always competitive. Since the year 2000 the Bears have won the Canada West (their conference) title 13 times in the past 16 seasons. On top of that they have captured the University Cup (national title) 6 times in the last 16 years. The Golden Bears are one of the best team’s in the country year after year.

So there you have it. Edmontonians have access to a hockey program which: produces a high quality on-ice product, supports student athletics, consistently produces professional athletes, is affordable, and has a proven track record of being a winner. These are the reasons why local hockey fans should care and head down to the Clare Drake. The only other pieces to add are you can find ticket information here and the Bears play and two game series against the University of Manitoba Bisons this weekend (Friday & Saturday).

End Note

If you can’t make it down to the Clare Drake for a home game, or you want to follow the Bears on the road, you can watch every Bears game online at Canadawest.tv. It is either $5 a game or you can purchase a season pass.