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Victoria hockey fans delighted as training camp brings Canucks up close

Greater Victoria NHLer takes the ice in front of Vancouver Island fans

As prospective players and household names of the Vancouver Canucks faced off on the ice below, Brent Cowell watched on from his seat at the top of the bowl inside the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

He was one of many sporting a Canucks jersey during a scrimmage at the downtown arena on Saturday, which marked day three of the B.C. teamsa国际传媒檚 training camp in Victoria.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a lot of fun, we donsa国际传媒檛 get to see these guys very regularly because we live in Victoria,sa国际传媒 Cowell sa国际传媒 who in his words has been a Canucks fan for sa国际传媒渢oo longsa国际传媒 sa国际传媒 said right as two quick goals kicked off the second period.

sa国际传媒淲e follow the Canucks all season long and keep track of the movements between seasons, so getting to actually see them is really really nice.sa国际传媒

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Elias Pettersson during the Vancouver Canuckssa国际传媒 intrasquad scrimmage at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre during day three of their Victoria training camp on Sept. 23. (Jake Romphf/News Staff)

Before the game, Songhees Nation Chief Ron Sam and his family welcomed the crowd from centre ice before helping with the ceremonial puck drop.

Among those at the Saturday skate making their case for a spot on Vancouversa国际传媒檚 roster was Brentwood Baysa国际传媒檚 Matt Irwin, who was on the back end for Team White during the intrasquad match. The veteran defenceman is entering his 13th NHL season after 461 games with six other NHL clubs.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 incredible, as a kid growing up, you know you dream of playing for your hometown team. The opportunity here to represent Victoria and the Canucks organization all in one spot is pretty special for me,sa国际传媒 Irwin said during a post-scrimmage interview.

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Brentwood Baysa国际传媒檚 Matt Irwin skates with the puck during the Vancouver Canuckssa国际传媒 intrasquad scrimmage at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre during day three of their Victoria training camp on Sept. 23. (Jake Romphf/News Staff)

sa国际传媒淚t was good to get out here, I thought the pace was pretty good sa国际传媒 implementing some of the systems that the coaches have put on us the first couple of days.sa国际传媒

But Irwinsa国际传媒檚 team took a 3-1 loss on Saturday from Team Blue, headed by recently named Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.

The camp in Victoria wraps up on Sunday before the Canucks head to Calgary for their first pre-season game that night. The B.C. squad opens the regular season at home on Oct. 11 when Vancouver will welcome Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers to Rogers Arena.

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About the Author: Jake Romphf

In early 2021, I made the move from the Great Lakes to Greater Victoria with the aim of experiencing more of the country I report on.
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