EVERETT – The players grip their sticks just a little bit tighter. Their hearts beat a fraction faster. Their eyes open a smidgen wider as they take the ice with thousands of fans roaring their approval.
There are games, and there are home openers.
And then there’s the first home game in franchise history.
Tonight the Everett Silvertips get a taste of all of the above as they play their inaugural Western Hockey League home game against the Prince George Cougars at the Everett Events Center.
“The home opener is a big game no matter where you are, especially in your inaugural season,” Silvertips defenseman Stewart Thiessen said. “The home opener is going to be a big thing and it means a lot to all the guys here to get the chance to play in it.”
A sellout crowd of 8,250 is expected for tonight’s game, which begins at 7:05 p.m., and like all home openers, tonight’s game should be something special for everyone involved.
Silvertips right wing Barry Horman still vividly remembers his first WHL home opener in 2000 with the Spokane Chiefs.
“There were well over 10,000 people packed into the crowd and when I walked into the rink, I was just like, ‘Wow!’” Horman recalled. “When you’re 16 most of the time you’ve only played in front of your mom and dad back home in minor hockey. So it’s a pretty exciting experience for any player playing in any home opener.
“Of course it’s a little more exciting when you’re 16,” the 19-year-old Horman added. “But no matter if you’re 16 or 20 you always have that excitement, that little bit of nervousness when you’re coming into a building filled with your hometown.”
Given the circumstances, expect the Silvertips to play with a lot of energy, with the players flying around the rink and the hits coming hard and at high speed. But it’s also important that Everett maintans control of that extra energy that comes with a home opener.
“There’s a little extra hype because it’s your first time,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “Sometimes the players play a little differently in a home opener than they will once they settle into their routine and get used to playing in front of a home crowd, so (home openers) are a little bit hard to anticipate. But our guys certainly are focused and determined, and they’ll play hard (tonight).”
Beyond the hype and circumstance, there are other issues at stake. Everett is still looking for its first win after opening the season with three losses and a tie, and with the roster sitting at a bloated 26, there are roster decisions yet to be made.
“A lot of players want to make a point to the coaching staff that they still belong here,” defenseman Devin Wilson said. “It’s no secret that there still have to be some cuts made here before we get down to our numbers. Not only do you want to send a message to the coaching staff, you want to send a message to your fellow teammates that you can play at this level. And most of all, you want to send a message to the fans, especially with a new franchise, that it’s worth paying the money to come watch us play.”
Will the fans get that message? In a city experiencing hockey for the first time, the crowd response tonight could go a long way toward determining just what kind of atmosphere the players can expect at home games the rest of the season. Will Everett’s home-ice advantage be worth a couple of goals the way it is in hockey hotbeds like Kamloops?
After four games and 16 days of waiting for the home opener to arrive, tonight the team finally will find out.
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