Edmonton’s Rexall Place may be the house that Wayne Gretzky built, but on Dec. 14 it belonged to Keegan Kanzig.
The historic arena formerly known as Northlands Coliseum was the site of a Western Hockey League game between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kanzig’s Victoria Royals. Playing so close to home was a thrill for the Athabasca native thanks to the presence of dozens of his friends and relatives who made the trip to the city to cheer him on.
For many of those Athabascans, the game (a 6-3 Edmonton victory) was the first chance for them to see Kanzig playing major junior hockey, and it was his first chance to do it so close to home.
The young defenceman confessed to having a few butterflies in his stomach when he first skated out on to the ice and looked at up at seats that were filled with his friends and family, but once the puck was dropped he was all business.
“To start the game there were a little bit of nerves - in any game you’re a bit nervous to start – but after the first couple shifts, they’re gone and you’re back to playing your game,” he said.
If playing in front of his friends and family wasn’t cause enough for nerves, Kanzig and his Royals teammates were also skating on the very ice once dominated by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and all of the great Edmonton Oilers of old. Playing in an NHL building under Stanley Cup banners was a new experience for the blueliner, but it also gave way to the game at hand when the puck dropped.
“When you first get on the ice in warm ups it’s pretty cool, but once the game gets going you don’t focus on that so much; you’re just thinking about what to do to help the team.”
In that regard, the night wasn’t what the Royals were hoping for. Despite taking the early lead, they were ultimately bested by the Oil Kings. The Royals are fourth in the WHL’s B.C. Division with a record of 13-20-2-2.
“We came out with a good start, I thought we were flying in the first. In the second we kind of laid off a little and they took advantage of it,” explained Kanzig. “We’ve got to work on playing a full 60 minutes to our potential.”
Kanzig himself is also working on realizing his potential. He has already experienced a lot in this, his first season in the WHL, but he knows his learning curve has just begun.
“There is always room to improve. I always think I can get better in this league,” he said. “I’m definitely getting a lot more comfortable out there on the ice.”
That’s a good thing for the Royals, and a bad thing for everyone else.
