Dr. Brett Pardy is an assistant professor in UFV’s School of Culture, Media, and Society — and the university’s go-to hockey expert.
Are you surprised by how quickly the PWHL expanded out west?
“Yes, because I think I’m on record from last year saying I think it would be a couple years.”
20, to be exact…
“Oh, was it that long? Wow. So clearly don’t ask me about future predictions. I was surprised, because I think travel has been a bit of a factor in the fact that Vancouver’s really good at home and not good on the road at all. Obviously that was an extremely pleasant surprise that they took the risk rather than going a safer route.”
It’s exciting that there are two teams out west now. What do you think about the interest the Goldeneyes have gained?
“The Goldeneyes set a record for a weekday game and how many people go. It’s really cool how the Goldeneyes have made the Pacific Coliseum their own. I went to the home opener and it was amazing — I was worried there’d be drop off — but there really hasn’t been. The team is maybe not as good as people were hoping for, but the vibes are still very high.”
That leads me to asking, how would you analyze Vancouver’s roster right now?
“They’re clearly a lot better when Sarah Nurse plays. I don’t think their forwards have cohered as much as I’d hoped. Like [Michelle] Karvinen is kind of getting going now. Hannah Miller’s been not as productive as I was expecting. They juggle forward lines a lot and it doesn’t seem like they’ve really found something that works. But I also think it’s very exciting that last Olympics, Nurse and [Claire] Thompson were two of Canada’s best players. And now we get to watch the Olympics and be like, ‘those are our players.’”
What do you think the team needs to improve on?
“It’s hard to say. Because for a long time, their two leading scorers were on defence, which was unique. Not surprising because they’re both really good, but … I think consistent lines.
“And they’ve had some good contributions. One of the cool things about the professional league players that are not on the national team, but are still likeable players, like Izzy Daniel and Abby Boreen, have been really good.”
How would you assess the team’s coaching?
“[Brian Idalski] doesn’t seem great, but he doesn’t seem horrible. He just seems like a guy there. I don’t feel we have great coaching, but there’s nothing he really does that I can claim that ‘this is really annoying.’”
What do you think the Goldeneyes are doing well right now?
“I think they’re doing a good job marketing how much the players enjoy being professional athletes in Vancouver, how much having their own arena, their own logo at centre ice, means to them. I think they’re doing a good job of showing the team is a cohesive group that likes each other and likes playing hockey. I’m not sure you could ask for better players to represent your franchise than Nurse and Thompson.”
What do you expect to see from the team after the Olympics?
“They play a lot of home games after the Olympic break. So in a league where you get three points for regulation wins and every team is pretty close — I’m not writing off their playoff chances.”
Because this is our first professional women’s hockey team since the early 2000s, what kind of effect do you see the Goldeneyes having on Vancouver?
“I think going to a Goldeneyes game is really interesting, because you see people that you expect to see at a hockey game and then you see people that would probably never go to a men’s hockey game. Some of that is it’s affordable, but sometimes it’s also like it’s a totally different environment.”
Anything else you’re hoping to see with regards to the team in their inaugural season?
“I was just hoping for a pro-team in the next 20 years. So we’ve accomplished that. My real hope is I want to see a goldeneye in the wild, the bird.”
Stay tuned for more Goldeneyes content in our next issue!
Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
