In the 25-plus seasons since the Grizzlies joined the BC Hockey League, they’ve produced several famous alumni. For their 25th anniversary in 2019, the Grizz invited alumnus Matt Pettinger to drop the puck at their home opener. Pettinger had a long career in professional hockey and played everywhere from […]
Author: Clifford Hofferd
Predecessors of the Victoria Grizzlies
With 25-plus seasons in Greater Victoria, the Grizzlies are the longest, continuously operating junior A team in the southern Vancouver Island region. They are not the first junior A hockey team though, as the region hosted several before the Grizzlies joined the BC Hockey League. As far back as […]
Victoria Grizzlies Island Cup aftermath
The Island Cup has come and gone after the Nanaimo Clippers defeated the Victoria Grizzlies 5-4. In a close matchup, the Clippers captured the inaugural title for a tournament created because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the BCHL waits to begin its regular season, there were some surprises […]
Victoria Grizzlies vs. Powell River Kings: A decade of rivalry
In the last decade, an intense rivalry has developed between the Victoria Grizzlies and Powell River Kings. Both teams are often among the best in the league, and they have also faced each other often during the postseason. Since 2011, the Grizzlies and Kings faced off several times in […]
Sharing the den: How the Grizzlies and Shamrocks share the same space
The Victoria Grizzlies and Victoria Shamrocks lacrosse have a unique relationship. Both teams have shared The Q Centre since the arena opened. The Grizzlies play during the fall and winter months while the Shamrocks play during the spring and summer months. Their relationship stretches back to when the Grizzlies […]
Maintaining the den: A look at the Grizzlies hockey operations staff
In my past three articles, I’ve talked about the players on the ice for the Grizzlies. But any junior hockey team like the Grizzlies has a ton of people working behind the scenes. Everyone from the support staff to game day volunteers help the Grizzlies run smoothly. These are […]
Leading the Den: a look at the Victoria Grizzlies forwards
The majority of the Victoria Grizzlies offense comes from the team’s forwards. Players like Cody Monds and Alex DiPaolo put up big numbers last season. Along with Henri Schreifels and Marty Westhaver, the four players combined for 186 points. Westhaver and Schreifels have since aged out and left for […]
Defending the den: looking at the Victoria Grizzlies defensemen
Of the 11 returning Victoria Grizzlies from last season, four of them are defensemen. Isack Bandu, Brady MacDonald, Reid Lindsay, and Jake Veilleux were part of last year’s Grizzlies team that finished fifth in the Island Division. They will be joined by three rookies and two reserve defensemen. Andrew […]
Guarding the den: A look at the Victoria Grizzlies goalies
The Victoria Grizzlies have three goalies on their extended training camp roster. Returning from last season is veteran goalie Blake Wood, joining the team as a junior A rookie is Justin Easter, and taking part in the extended training camp is Adam Manji. All three goalies are part of […]
The Victoria Grizzlies and the Island Cup: a primer
On the weekend of September 25, the Victoria Grizzlies played two pre-Island Cup games against the Nanaimo Clippers. It was the first game the Grizzlies had played since their playoff exit on March 3. Normally the regular season would have already started, but because of COVID-19 the BCHL has […]
