Victoria, BC ~ “Red Hot Hockey” is back in Victoria like it never left as the Victoria Grizzlies celebrate 30 years of the franchise this evening at the Q Centre by dawning “Victoria Salsa” jerseys.
In 1994, both the WHL’s Victoria Cougars and the BCJHL’s Victoria Warriors, vacated the city leaving it wide open for a new team to set up shop at old Memorial Arena in downtown Victoria. That team was the Victoria Salsa. The Salsa joined the BCJHL (now BCHL) for the 1994-95 season and coined the two phrases, “Red Hot Hockey” and “Everybody Salsa”.
Originally jeered at for it’s non-traditional jargon, logo and name, the team soon gained a cult like following by passionate hockey fans in the “Garden City”. The squad became even more engrossed in the city when they took home the franchise’s first and only Fred Page Cup during the 2000-01 season. The team would change it’s name after the 2005-06 season after an ownership change to the Victoria Grizzlies as they have remained since.
Tonight the red hot Grizzlies (no pun intended) pay homage to their predecessors by implementing their new alternate jerseys to be worn on several occasions throughout the remainder of the season. That jersey includes the deep red main color and the muscular pepper logo that the Salsa were sporting during their championship season.
The Grizzlies themselves are playing their best hockey this season as they are 6-1-1 in the month of November and currently firmly hold 3rd place in the Coastal Conference (13-5-3) after a convincing 5-1 win over the Coquitlam Express on Saturday night last weekend.
In the Grizzlies way this evening are the conference leading Chilliwack Chiefs (15-4-2) who themselves are 6-1-0 this month even with some notable roster departures after the recent NCAA eligibility rulings. Koodoos certainly goes to them for playing through that adversity and their offense seems to be a major part of that. The Chiefs have scored 91 goals this year which is tops in the conference. Mateo Mrsic leads the way for them with 16 tallies to his name.
Victoria will turn to Oliver Auyeung-Ashton in between the pipes this evening with his perfect 7-0-0 record. Since his return from injury hee holds a 6-0-0 record and a sub 1.50 GAA and .960 SV%. That is pretty good.
Tickets are still available tonight (by clicking here) with puck drop going at 7:00 PM. The Grizzlies will have exclusive Salsa merchandise in the team store for a limited time starting tonight and the team will also have all of the original music, goal song and walkout tunes for the evening.
