Abbotsford Times December 31 2010

INSIDE: Part one of a look back at 2010’s most memorable events Pg. 2 F R I D A Y

December 31 2010

18  N E W S ,

SPORTS,

WEATHER

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E N T E R T A I N M E N T  abbotsfordtimes.com

Heat coldcock critics in 2010

Abbotsford HEAT

Newsmaker 2010 OF THE YEAR

From Playfair’s tirade to city budget disputes

necessarily for the franchise,” said Heat director of communications and broadcast Dave Sheldon. “Sports is funny in the sense that sometimes as a coach you have to be the person who brings CAM TUCKER the team together, and Jim at that camtuckertimes@gmail.com point wasn’t happy that J.D. Watt had been singled out as doing he Abbotsford Heat made something that he really didn’t their fare share of headlines do. in 2009, but they were a hot “Jim’s response was so passiontopic again in both the news and ate and so candid that it really sports sections of the Abbotsford- brought the team together.” Mission Times in 2010. The Heat made the playoffs While the Heat became a main- despite a plethora of injuries, and stay in the news managed a first for financial and round victory political reaover the Rochessons, one of their ter Americans in more renowned seven games. moments hapT h e He a t pened on March trailed in that 27 in a game series three against the Hamgames to one, but ilton Bulldogs. responded with Head coach Jim three straight Playfair grabbed wins for a berth instant fame for in the North Divi“It’s important for us his 28-second sion final. being a first-year frans t i c k - b re a k i n g , Their playoff chise, we wanted to be in run would come jacket-ripping the playoffs . . . We felt it outburst against to an end on May was important as a new referee Jamie 10, as the HamKoharski. ilton Bulldogs entity in this market to Mi n u t e s a f t e r defeated the Heat show people that we can the incident, a by a score of 4-0 have success.” highlight clip in Game 6 of the of Playfair on No r t h Di v i s i o n – Dave Sheldon Heat spokesman the boards of final. t h e Ab b o t s f o rd “It’s important Entertainment for us being a and Sports Centre with a broken first-year franchise, we wanted stick in his hand and no jacket to be in the playoffs,” said Shelmade its way to CBC’s Hockey don. Night in Canada. “We felt it was important as Two days later, Playfair found a new entity in this market to himself at the centre of a media show people that we can have frenzy that reached beyond the success.” Fraser Valley all the way to news Off the ice, the Heat, as well as organizations in the U.S., such Abbotsford Mayor George Peary as CNN. and city council, were criticized “I don’t know if it did anything for the 10-year $57 million supply

Sports Year in Review Part One

T

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– SHAWN DOWD/DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE/FOR THE TIMES

Abbotsford Heat defenceman Matt Pelech clocks Rochester American blue liner Mathieu Roy during the first round of the AHL Calder Cup playoffs in April. fee agreement between the city and the team’s local ownership group headed by Lane Sweeting. It was projected in March that the Heat would fall $275,000 short of the $5.7 million in guaranteed revenue for the owners, and that city taxpayers would be on the hook. “The taxpayer is burdened with

all of the risk for this hockey team. Unapologetically, there is no sharing of the risk,” said Vince Dimanno of the Abbotsford Ratepayers Association. Some critics even questioned the legality of the contract itself. The Times reported in November that the city announced hockey revenue fell $450,637 short of

the guaranteed target. One of the causes of this was below average attendance, as the Heat finished in the bottom third of AHL attendance at just under 3,900 in their inaugural year. The AESC holds over 7,000 for hockey games. see HEAT, page A5

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