The Portland Winterhawks were 730 miles from home. It was mid-January and they were playing their final two games of the regular season in Canada at the CN Centre in Prince George, British Columbia.
Not exactly a place they’d expect much support from the audience. But 37 dedicated fans made themselves heard as the Winterhawks posted a pair of wins over the Cougars.
“To go all the way to Prince George of all places. It was definitely nice to see,” defenseman Adam Henry said. “They’re very supportive and it definitely helped us in those games up there.”
The dedicated fans who rode a chartered bus to the northern-most outpost in the Western Hockey League were thrilled by the reception they received.
Vancouver resident Stuart Kemp, president of the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club, organized the trip. The booster club, some 530 members strong this season, makes trips to several road games each season. Kemp said this was the first time in about 15 seasons that one of those trips hit Prince George.
“What is really amazing about it, is that this is a day when you can spend $7 and watch the games on your computer,” he said.
Neree Lowenstein, 88, and Ardyce Moore, 89, were among the fans who paid $600 to $850 apiece for the bus ride, game tickets and lodging.
Savanna Vedaa of Vancouver gave up birthday and Christmas presents to pay for the trip, which she took with her mother, Rachel Keen.
Vedaa said it was a long ride, but a cool experience. She enjoyed seeing some of her favorite players outside the familiar confines of Memorial Coliseum or the Moda Center.
“It was nice to see them in a different setting,” Vedaa said.
The games were on a Friday and Saturday night. The group left Portland around 6 a.m. on Thursday and spent that night in Cashe Creek, B.C., before continuing to Prince George on Friday morning. They watched a movie — “Miracle,” naturally.
But once they got into British Columbia, the scenery got most of Vancouver resident Cathy Kemp’s attention.
“Once you got up there far enough no one wanted to do anything but look out the window,” she said.
Holly Thorpe of Oregon City said the trip only increased her respect for the young players who are chasing hockey dreams miles from their homes.
“We gained an understanding and new respect for what the boys go through on their bus journeys,” Thorpe said. “They’re doing this not only for their dreams but for us fans.”
On this occasion, the Winterhawks rewarded their travelling fans with two wins — victories that helped jump start a surge in the standings.
“The icing on the trip for me was when the guys came over and saluted us after the Saturday game,” said Cathy Kemp, Stuart’s wife.
But it wasn’t only the Winterhawks players who showed appreciation. The Winterhawks fans raved about how they were treated in Prince George, a 100-year-old city of some 70,000 that opened its arms to the visiting fans.
“Even their fans congratulated us on the wins and thanked us for coming,” Keen said.
The Winterhawks boosters were introduced to the crowd as part of the pre game festivities. Some of them met the mayor of Prince George. And a local TV station ran an extended story about the visit.
“We’re sort of like hockey sister cities,” Thorpe said. “No one visits Portland, either. We’re the farthest south in the league and they’re the farthest north.”
