Hey sports fans, Happy Easter from Blazer Nation! Happy Passover! All that stuff. Hope your long weekend was wonderful. Mine was great too – thanks for asking.

Last week your friendly neighbourhood Victoria Blazers kicked off their 2019 season with a rematch against the Jokers, a team they last faced in the 2018 VSLL Championships. In that matchup the good guys clawed their way to victory, hoisting the legendary Bill Munroe Trophy. Well, actually it was a small replacement trophy – was the Munroe hidden away for safekeeping? What was the deal there? A mystery…. Anyway, this game ended with the same result – a win for the Blazers. The boys battled before a modest crowd of somewhere just below 200 fans at Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt.

Blazers games have historically been attended by a handful of celebrities (rest in peace Alan Thicke). This game was no different, as none other than Spokane’s own Craig T. Nelson was in the house. Nelson is the voice actor who played superhero father Mr. Incredible in the 2004 film “The Incredibles”, and he also played Chief Howard Hyde in the classic 1989 film “Turner & Hooch”. You’re most likely to remember Mr. Nelson from his Emmy Award winning work as Coach Hayden Fox on the ‘90s TV series “Coach”. Luckily, we reached Mr. Nelson for some comments on the game. We were hoping to come up with a smart and catchy name for an interview segment with him, and one of our interns had a great idea – “Coach’s Corner”. We did a quick internet search and it looks like nobody is using that moniker for anything, so let’s go with that! Anyhow, read on for Coach’s Corner with Craig T. Nelson.

“For the first game of the season, the Blazers looked pretty ok,” Nelson said. “I heard they didn’t have a single practice beforehand… I believe it. Some pretty terrible passes and a few glitches in chemistry. The squad looks promising though. It looks like they’re all buying in, and looking for ways to support the squad. Not much else to say, it’s the first game of the season. What do you want me to say?” Nelson then pulled an unshelled peanut out of his pocket, and flipped it up into the air with his thumb like it was a quarter. The unshelled peanut spun end over end, then Nelson caught and crushed it in his hand. Strangely, he then put the crushed peanut back into his pocket. “Did you just call me Craig?” Nelson added. “Sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. Anyway, I gotta go.”

Former VSLL MVP Cody Boon was far and away the best player on the floor for the Best Dressed Team in BC™, racking up 4 goals and 5 assists. Veteran sniper Byan Reeve added 2+2, while playmaking assistant captain Julian Spence and rookie 2-way specialist Luke Crowther each added 1+1. Master faceoff specialist  Chris McAulay and offensive horse Jeremy Bell each potted singles, while veteran scorer Kyle Bronson returned from a long layoff to add an assist, along with veteran two-way assistant captain Lorne Sam. Former VSLL Top Goaltender Rob Wood was stellar as always in goal for the Blazers, limiting the Jokers to 3 goals. Robbie Baldwin, Lance Griffiths, Trenton Douglas, and Kurt Bronson helped limit the Jokers to a paltry 16 shots on goal, helping the Blazers possess the ball for most of the game.

Have you reached out to Blazer Nation to inquire about sponsorship opportunities yet? Send us a message – we’d love to work with you!

The Blazers return to action tomorrow, Tuesday April 23, when they take on the Wsanec Arrows, 9:00 pm at Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt. Admission is free, so come check it out!

Photo courtesy of local photographer Kasey Eriksen. Thanks Kasey! You can find more of her work here: kaseysphotos.com.

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