It was a perfect ending to an imperfect afternoon at BC Place Stadium when the Vancouver Whitecaps' $900,000-a-year star striker Eric Hassli scored an injury time, game-winning goal on May 5. The Caps beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1, the reverse of the score when the cities' North American Soccer League predecessors met exactly 38 years earlier. Back then it was outdoors in Empire Stadium.
The north face of the stadium's much ballyhooed centre-hung, shoebox-style videoboard didn't work. The roof above remained closed, although the weather outside was sunny and dry at game time.
Chief operating officer Rachel Lewis admitted the club was "perhaps a little too cautious" because it was worried about dark clouds hovering overhead earlier in the afternoon.
The fixed fabric roof is big enough to cover most, if not all, seats from precipitation, and Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi stated last fall that the Whitecaps preferred an open roof, even on a rainy day. It is, after all, the showpiece of the budgeted $563 million renovation. Lewis admitted that the Whitecaps didn't consult with a meteorologist but relied instead solely on Environment Canada's Weatheroffice website. Hard to believe that an organization with such deep-pocketed owners didn't spend the $2.99 a minute that it costs for the 1-900-565-5555 Weather One-on-One commercial service. The Pacific Weather Centre's David Jones told BIV that scattered showers were "clipping the mountains and points northeast" and only light winds were measured at Kitsilano on the afternoon.
"There's really nothing spectacular about what happened," Jones said. "I can see why the chance of showers was in the forecast; they just didn't happen downtown."
What do the Abbotsford Heat have to do to fill the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre? Besides become the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League farm team, which doesn't appear either simple or soon.
The Calgary Flames affiliate has received almost $3 million from Abby taxpayers over its first three seasons under a contract with the city that requires a subsidy if it can't break even on its $5.7 million annual budget. The only professional playoff game on a Saturday night west of Toronto, and featuring the Maple Leafs' AHL Marlies, drew only 3,086 on May 5.
The Global Spectrum rink next to the University of the Fraser Valley is part of the generation of scaled-down arenas and holds 7,000 for hockey. It has all the modern amenities, including suites, loge boxes and even a Vietnamese food stand called Little Saigon. Tickets run between $18.75 and $43.75 to see future full-time National Hockey Leaguers in games that matter.
Certainly, the ongoing highway construction through Port Coquitlam and Surrey hasn't helped.
With sunny weather on May 19, Hastings Racecourse could have its biggest-ever day in May when it shows the Preakness Stakes on screens big and small. Hastings grad Mario Gutierrez goes for the second jewel in the Triple Crown aboard I'll Have Another after the thrilling Kentucky Derby win on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
Based on the number of mentions on the NBC broadcast, Hastings became the second most-famous track in the world. A welcome boost as the November-end of the Great Canadian Gaming lease with City of Vancouver approaches. Talks continue.
