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Outdoor games continue to soar for the NHL

By David Hollinshead

s popularity for outdoor hockey
As continues to rise, the

Heritage Classic is definitely a
cornerstone of the NHL’s idea for a big
event. The Winter Classic also took on the
fourth biggest audience in the U.S. and
had huge viewership on CBC and RDS,
and its merchandiser sales were the third
largest in history for an NHL event

“The Heritage Classic was a

tremendous triumph for the NHL and it
was gratifying to see our fans and the
business community embrace the event
so enthusiastically,” said NHL COO
John Collins. “Our big event strategy

. is activating our fan base like never

before, while helping the league achieve
five straight years of revenue growth.

Delivering our third successful major

event in just 51 days is a great way to lead

into the stretch run of the season and our

ultimate event, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
Right after the success of the

Winter Classic came the success of

the Heritage Classic, which saw all

sponsorship opportunities sold out and

a 22 percent increase in viewership for

the U.S. broadcast on NBC. The recent

NHL All-Star Game was also a huge

success for the league, earning significant

increases in viewership in Canada and

the United States, a 42 percent increase

in sponsorship revenue over the last All-

‘Star Game in the U.S., an all-time record

for video starts on NHL.com and the best
retail performance for a U.S.-based All-
Star Game in seven years.

 

Here’s your Royals update

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

Women’s basketball — Last week they
finished their season against the Kwantlen
Polytechnic University Eagles. They
unfortunately came just short in both
matches losing 53-48 in the first game
and then again the following night 60-44.
They ended the year in ninth spot with a
2-16 record and four points.

Men’s basketball — They beat the
Kwantlen Eagles 97-92 in their first of
back-to-back games and then came out
with a W the following night by a score
of 94-83. The Royals clinched fifth spot
in the standings to squeeze right into the
playoffs. They will be facing the UBCO
Heat in the first round which will be a
tough series for the Royals who have lost
both matches to them in the regular season
series. Both teams will face off in the
quarterfinals on Thursday night, March

3 in Abbotsford where Colombia Bible
College will host the BCCAA Provincial
Championships. The game starts at 8 pm.

18

Royals Badminton - An honourable
mention to the Douglas College
Badminton team who are off to the
National Championships in New
Brunswick from March 3-5. They reign as
the B.C. Provincial team champions for
the sixth consecutive year.

Men’s Volleyball - The men’s volleyball
team went onto the Provincial
Championships in Kelowna, hosted by

- UBCO. They clinched second position in

the regular season standings with a 9-5
record and 18 points. The UBCO Heat
finished in first place with a 13-1 record
and a league leading 26 points. Last
Friday the Royals season came to an end
with a semi-final loss to the Columbia
Bible College Bearcats. The Bearcats beat
the Royals in straight sets.

Women’s Volleyball — The women’s
volleyball team unfortunately didn’t make
the playoffs this year and finished off the
season in seventh position with a 3-11
record and six points. Bummer.

 

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