Cape Breton Eagles playoff game sold out for the first time in years
It's something that hasn’t happened in years for Cape Breton’s team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Friday night's round two series opener game between the Cape Breton Eagles and Chicoutimi Saguenéens at Sydney’s Centre 200 is sold out.
Centre 200 in Sydney, N.S. is pictured. (Ryan MacDonald/CTV Atlantic)
"It's never happened since I've been here, so it's exciting,” said 20-year-old defenceman Conor Shortall, who is in his final season with the Eagles.
"We can expect the biggest crowd we've ever had here, for an Eagles game at Centre 200,” added Joey Haddad, the team’s general manager of business operations and a Sydney native who played for the Eagles between 2007 and 2009.
The Eagles eliminated the Rimouski Oceanic in round one of the playoffs.
The players still remember the roar of the home crowd as more than 4,000 fans showed up for the team’s two home games in the opening series.
"Everybody's leaving the rink with a smile on their face, especially after a big win so for us as players. At the end of the day, we're still 18 and 19-years-old and we have fun with the game as much as anybody,” said forward Cam Squires, who leads the team in playoff scoring with 11 points in five games.
As recently as the fall, the Eagles struggled to draw 2,000 fans a game.
They basically begged people to come to the rink with a promotion that promised a $3,000 cash prize, dubbed ‘Ticket To Win It.’
Now, with the team having won 13 of its last 14 games, an Eagles playoff ticket is the hottest ticket in town.
Haddad adds that in recent games, a synergy has developed between the team’s young players and its fans.
"You can see the chemistry and the energy and the enthusiasm, and our fans are really buying into that,” he said. “So it's great to see the city buzzing."
As of Thursday evening, only a handful of upper bowl seats remained for Game Two of the Eagles-Sagueneens series.
The only other Maritime team still in the playoff hunt is the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who open round two on the road against the top seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
The only Eagles banner in the rafters is a division title twenty years ago, a year they lost to, coincidentally enough, Chicoutimi.
"We all can't wait, and we're excited for it to start,” Shortall said of this year’s series.
The team and its fans hope the excitement can continue when the puck drops Friday night.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.