Do you have a question or concern you would like to submit to the Cougars? If so, the Cougars would like to hear from you. Simply email your question to brandi@pgcougars.com and we will post the answer to your question! Let your voice be heard!
Some of our most frequently asked questions include:
1. Why do the Cougars always schedule back to back games against the same teams?
Any of our games that are played outside BC are scheduled by the League. We schedule our remaining games ourselves at a League meeting held each July. Our schedule is always a compromise. If we want other teams to cooperate and allow us to string a number of games together for a road trip, then we must extend the same courtesy to them by allowing them to come up to PG and play two games in a row.
2. With crowds down in the numbers, why won’t the Cougars give out free tickets to school students?
We have a number of both community and school based ticketing programs. In these programs, sponsors such as Tim Horton’s, CN and Scotiabank provide us with funds that allow us to invite groups of students to our games, for no charge, as the sponsor pays for the tickets.
It is important to keep in mind that we have contracts in place with both the City of PG and Ticketmaster. These agreements limit the number of tickets that we can give away each game. It is important, therefore, that we continue to find generous sponsors to support our ongoing community ticketing programs.
3. Why doesn’t the CN Centre offer a better selection of food?
Currently, the building has a contract with a food services company by the name of Eurest. As the Cougars do NOT receive any money from food and beverage sales, we have very little say in how they operate, the menu items they offer, or the price. We have found in the past that Eurest is very happy to cooperate with our fans. If there is something you would like them to consider selling, or have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at brandi@pgcougars.com and I will pass your request on to the appropriate person.
4. Why won’t the Cougars allow beer in the stands?
In the years that we have been in PG, our City Council members have been quite conservative regarding alcohol sales at our games. My understanding is that they want our games to continue to be considered family entertainment. As a pilot project this year, we have opened a lounge downstairs before the game and during the intermissions. This has been very successful. We’re not sure, at this point, if City Council will allow this to continue or not. The vast majority of our fans have not asked to have beer in the stands. We will continue to accept the guidelines set out by City Council.
5. Why won’t the Cougars fix taps that run on, or make sure all the soap and paper towel dispensers are full in the CN Centre washrooms?
The CN Centre is owned by the City of PG. We lease it out on our game nights, but the City is still responsible for maintenance. If you are at one of our games, and see a problem, find one of our volunteers in either a black or blue coat, and they will be able to radio the City’s crew to get the problem fixed. We also fill out CN Centre Repair Reports after each game, and provide the information to the City. If you see anything that needs their attention, let us know and we’ll pass on your concern.
6. Why won’t the Cougars fly the team to distant cities, particularly during the playoffs?
There is no doubt that having a WHL team in PG leaves us with some challenges with respect to travel. We have purchased a very comfortable bus that helps make the travel a little easier on the boys. It’s equipped with a washroom, bunk beds, and a TV/DVD system.
We have flown the boys in the past, but when we fly, the boys have to be up early, dressed in a shirt and tie all day and spend the day in various airports waiting for connections. Given the choice in the past, they preferred to hop on the bus, nap, and watch movies, and be better rested when they arrive at their destination.
There are also league regulations when it comes to flying to a game. The Commissioner of the WHL needs to approve it, but it will likely NOT be allowed during playoffs.
7. My husband and I are retired and love attending the games, but we don’t like the music. Who chooses the music and why is it so loud?
Music selection and volume are always a big topic for discussion in almost every rink in the WHL.
At the beginning of the season, we allow the players and coaches to pick the songs that they would like played for warm up, and what they would like us to play when they score. Outside of that, we do our best to accommodate our fans with a variety of music choices. Two seasons ago, we purchased a music program that was created by the Portland Trailblazers. There are almost 1200 sound effects, and we have loaded close to 3000 songs in the database, as well. Each year, we pay a licensing fee that allows us to play the music during our games.
It is very challenging to choose music, and a volume level that will satisfy 100% of our diverse group of fans. For many years, we have had a professional DJ running our music. He does a fantastic job of reading the crowd, and playing appropriate music to suit each game. This is not an easy task, but we are constantly striving to maintain a standard that all our fans can enjoy.
Volume is another hot topic. We want people to enjoy themselves, and the music we play should add to that experience. We strive to maintain a level that is suitable for all our fans. The number of people in the building greatly affects the sound. More bodies in the building absorb the sound and so that affects the volume level from game to game as well.
8. Why won’t the Cougars allow fans to take pictures during the games?
In order to maintain control of the use of the images of the team and our trademarked logo, we do not allow fans to take photos during our games. The flash is also distracting and possibly dangerous to the players on the ice. After each game we post photos on our website at www.pgcougars.com. From our website, you can email our photographer and for a minimal fee, you can purchase our photos directly from him.
9. At a recent game the crowd was trying to cheer on the boys - you know make lots of noise and everything. A fellow was beating a drum and the ushers spoke to him about it. Why?
Our drummer. We think he’s great. Lots of energy, and cheering! There are many people that feel the drum is too loud. Fans, including season ticket holders, have threatened to never come back to another game if we allow him to keep his drum. A sponsor told me that if we didn’t remove the drum, they would pull their advertising with us next season.
There are other fans that think he is just great.
We have chosen to encourage him to cheer us on. If we get too many complaints about the noise from his drum, we ask him to tone it down for a while.
We have a great relationship with him, and he understands the situation. A group of our game night staff actually borrowed the drum to take to a game in Kamloops! So, although it may seem to you that everyone loves it, it’s just not the case.
