The St. Paul Canadiens hockey team is sitting at ninth and last place in the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League, ending its 21st game against the Killam Wheat Kings last Friday in a 18 – 0 loss.
It has been a heart-wrenching 18 continuous losses for the hometown boys since their Oct. 8 win against the Titans, and by the looks of it, things are not going to improve any time soon, with the team in dire need of improvement on the ice and also direly in need of support from fans at home.
During the last dozen or so games this reporter has attended, there has been a lack of a home crowd support in the stands, while the support the opposing teams have gotten during games at the Clancy Richard arena have, on some nights, put the home crowd to shame.
Sure, the Canadiens are going through the doldrums now with a really young team and a new coaching staff, but this is no reason to give up on one’s home team because a true fan supports his or her team not only during the up times, but during the down times.
As they say in any pro sports, bandwagon fans are a dime a dozen, and any sports franchise can never survive on bandwagon fans for the long run. Teams require die-hard fans and true supporters to get through the slugfest that is the long season of losses during any rebuilding stage.
No sports team in history has ever made it huge in one single season, and no one can expect instant success from a team composed largely of the young and untried players that are currently playing with the St. Paul Canadiens.
I’ve received two phone calls recently from Canadiens fans voicing their general discontent about the team’s lacklustre on-ice performance, and who can blame them when the team is sitting at last place with only five points after 21 games played?
Yes, it is very tough to see the team losing game after game, and on some nights, by a wide margin of goals.
However, the Journal recently ran a story about the fact the Canadiens are currently looking for volunteers to help out on the board.
It is a hard and thankless job to keep a hockey team going for so long without people stepping up to volunteer their time during the weekly games at home. Some of the current volunteers have given up much of their precious weekend time just so that St. Paul can have a Junior B hockey team.
For those fans who say they care about the Canadiens and its rich history in town, what better way to show their support but to contribute their own time to keep the team going in both the good and bad times?
Not every community can boost a sports team, such as a Junior B hockey team, they can call their own, and it is a privilege for St. Paul to have the Canadiens as its home hockey team in the North Eastern Alberta Junior B league.
That right and privilege has to be earned, again and again by those who desire the team to stay in town.
