Voice of the Raiders Rob Mahon laughs while Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid and Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt poke fun at former play-by-play announcer Trevor Redden for allegedly never buying the morning coffee. Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff.

By Jeff D’Andrea

Back in the building

Raiders finally get back in the Art Hauser Centre

Sep 1, 2021 | 10:36 PM

For the first time since March 6, 2020, the Prince Albert Raiders held an event at the Art Hauser Centre.

No, it wasn’t a game. It wasn’t their fall camp either, as that starts on Sept. 8.

But the Raiders held a banquet with the sponsors and fans golfing in their annual tournament on Thursday at the Cooke Municipal Golf Course.

Even more than that, it was a sign the upcoming season could be at least a little closer to normal, and not limited to a hub centre season without playoffs. The fact that the Raiders are in the Art Hauser Centre and not sharing practice ice with other teams down in Regina certainly is something.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt began the proceedings by talking about being in the rink for the last couple of weeks while minor hockey camps were

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“To hear the skates on the ice, pucks on tape, rubber and leather, pucks off the post and glass, and of course the noise of hockey in our building has been fantastic… that’s what it’s all about. It’s getting back to playing again,” Hunt said.

But even though just being able to gather as a team at the Art Hauser Centre is a big event itself in times like these, there are still uncertainties ahead.

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid hopes opening day on Oct. 1 will be packed and loud and energetic, but he also recognizes that’s up in the air as regulations from governments and health authorities have changed throughout the pandemic, and could still again.

“We don’t know what to expect, really. This COVID thing is day-to-day… things change daily with protocols and those types of things,” Habscheid said. “I think what’s going to be key for this year is just everybody keeping things in perspective because this is still going on. People view it differently. There’s going to be rules in place and regulations in place and whether we like it or not, we need to follow them and get through it and enjoy what we can.”

In the shortened hub season last year, the Raiders finished in the top wildcard spot with a 9-11-3-1 record. Raiders’ fall camp begins on Sept. 8, with their regular-season home opener on Oct. 1 against the Regina Pats.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW