The Portland Winterhawks will have some special visitors in the stands this weekend when they roll into Prince George for a two game-set.
The Winterhawks’ Booster Club will be joining the team in the Northern Capital as the WHL’s most northern and southern teams meet.
Stuart Kemp, the President of the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club, says this trip will be different from other times they’ve made the trip.
“We usually take a bus, we follow the team up by bus from Portland, Oregon, to Prince George, BC, which is about 20 hours on a bus,” Kemp explained.
“This time we’ve decided to fly and it’s the first time that I can think of ever that the booster club has done a flight in the regular season.”
Kemp says they’re paying anywhere between $950 per person, or $1,700 for two people for the trip.
“It’s quite a big chunk of change, but it’s one of those things, the expense is going to be on the flight more than anything else,” Kemp said
“We’re hoping to make it up in terms of some of the other activities we’re going to be doing while we’re in town.”
Among the special visitors at the game will be an extra special vistor: 95-year-old Ardyce Moore.
“She’s as spry as a rocket,” Kemp said.
“If you see Ardyce, she’s the white-haired lady walking around the building at least two or three times throughout the game. At 95 she’s without a cane, without anything at all, she’s just as spry as she can be.”
Also coming back to the CN Centre will be for Cougar’s netminder Taylor Gauthier. Kemp says the goalie has been a welcome addition to the team.
“With him being basically unbeaten (12-1) since he arrived in Portland, he’s been a backstop for the team,” Kemp explained.
“It’s been amazing the how he encourages our other goaltender, Dante Giannuzzi, to really step up his game to make a one-two punch as they’re trying to vault towards the playoffs this coming year. I’m looking forward to seeing Taylor play in Prince George, I’ve seen him play in Prince George, and also in Portland, but it’ll be interesting to see him play in a Winterhawks uniform.”
Kemp has had some health issues over the past few years, including two strokes within eight days, and a disease that effects his pancreas, liver, and kidneys.
“Fortunately, I’ve avoided having to be on permanent dialysis or having a kidney transplant,” Kemp said.
“I’m on about 15 different drugs a day to deal with that. But it’s one of those things you have to learn to deal with, you learn to cope with, I get around now with a cane, which I didn’t do that last few times I’ve been in Prince George.”
He said he’s looking forwards making the trip to Prince George, because doing things is good for the soul.
Kemp himself has ties to the northern capital.
“Back in the mid-90’s, I was wrestling up in Prince George at the Roller Dome, actually a few times, and also I was an announcer for [Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling],” Kemp said.
“It was a lot of fun, I wish that I would have been able to continue, I did it between the early 90’s and 2006, but I was involved in the business basically from around 1986 to the strokes in 2018, so about 32 years altogether. I recently got an award from the Cauliflower Alley Club in Las Vegas, for courage, basically for the strokes and battling back from what could be a life sentence.”
Kemp and the rest of the booster club, will be sitting in Section L. Kemp encourages all of the Cougars fans to stop by, say hello, and grab a Portland Winterhawks Booster Club pin.
Saturday’s game will also have the Mega 50/50 Jackpot, with a guaranteed prize of $30,000. The proceed will go towards a new adventure park in Prince George.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
