The Comets Hit the Big Ice: Playing at Rogers Arena

For the Coquitlam U11 A3 Comets, the second Monday of this year's spring break was anything but a regular game day. The kids were downtown Vancouver, lacing 'em up at Rogers Arena.

Our team was selected from a draw of over 200 teams to play a game at Rogers Arena as part of the Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend event. The kids got to skate on the same ice as their NHL heroes, in a building that seats nearly 19,000 people. For a group of 10 and 11-year-olds, it doesn't get much bigger than that.

A Comets player viewed from behind the net, looking out at the vast Rogers Arena ice surface and seating bowl

Getting the Full NHL Treatment

The experience started before the puck even dropped. Rod Brathwaite, the Canucks' Manager of Hockey Development, gathered both teams in the dressing room to go over the rules — basically, play safe and have fun. There was also a coin flip to decide who got to use the home bench, the same one the Vancouver Canucks use on game nights. We won the toss!

The Game

We played the Richmond Jets, and it was clear from the start that this was the full NHL production. A camera crew filmed warmups and grabbed interviews with kids from both teams between periods.

Head coach Athen Yuen being interviewed rinkside during warmups at Rogers Arena

They played the national anthem. The Rogers Arena announcer was on the mic, announcing every goal and assist. And when our kids scored, they hit the actual Canucks goal horn and blasted "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds through the arena speakers — the same goal song Canucks fans hear on game nights.

Comets players lined up on the bench watching the action unfold on the Rogers Arena ice

As a coach, watching these kids compete on that stage was incredibly special. All those early morning practices and weekend tournaments led to this moment, and the kids rose to the occasion.

A Comets player and Richmond Jets player line up for a faceoff with the referee at Rogers Arena

They played hard, they played together, and most importantly, they had the time of their lives.

A Comets forward battles a Richmond Jets defender for the puck along the boards

Multiple Comets and Jets players battle for a loose puck during game action

The Comets took the game 5-2, with Landis Lee netting a hat trick on the big stage. Seeing our team's name and score up on that massive jumbotron, the same one that displays Canucks scores on NHL game nights, was surreal for everyone in the building.

Wide shot of Rogers Arena showing the full ice surface and jumbotron displaying COQ 3 - RIC 2 in the second period

A Visit from the Canucks

As if playing at Rogers Arena wasn't enough, the kids got a surprise after the game. We'd been escorted to the actual Canucks dressing room for a team photo — sitting in the same stalls, under the same nameplates — when Curtis Douglas — the 6'9" forward the Canucks had just claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay earlier in March — walked in. A few of the kids recognized him immediately and started calling his name. Watching him work the room, fist-bumping the kids one by one and chatting about the game, was a reminder that these NHL guys remember what it was like to be in these kids' skates.

The Coquitlam Comets team and coaching staff pose for a group photo in the Canucks home dressing room

Canucks forward Curtis Douglas shaking hands with the author in the Canucks dressing room

Curtis Douglas fist-bumping young Comets players in the Canucks dressing room

More Than a Game

Most of these kids have been to Rogers Arena to watch the Canucks, but playing a game there is a completely different experience. Some of them have been skating since they were four or five years old, and to see them out there on that ice, wearing their Comets jerseys under the bright lights — it's hard to put into words what that feels like as a coach and a parent.

This was also the last game of the season for the Comets, and honestly, you couldn't script a better way to wrap up the year. The 5-2 win was the cherry on top, but the scoreboard didn't matter nearly as much as the experience itself. The kids got to feel what it's like to be part of something bigger, and that's what minor hockey is all about.

Proud of this group. Go Comets.