Colin Molloy has taken his two sons to National Hockey League games in Ottawa and Edmonton because hockey is a love shared by the entire family.
When Molloy heard professional hockey would be making a stop in Deer Lake Friday night he was excited about picking up tickets for the game.
The Newfoundland Growlers, the new franchise in the ECHL, will tangle with the Brampton Beast in a three-game exhibition series this week across the province.
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The Growlers, who feature a number of Newfoundlanders including journeyman NHLer Adam Pardy of Bonavista, will open the exhibition series with a game Thursday night 7 p.m. at the Stephenville Dome before heading to Deer Lake for a Friday night contest scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex. The series wraps up with a Sunday game at the Eastlink Community Centre in Clarenville.
“To them, going over to our rink and having a hotdog and popcorn watching that hockey is the same thing in their mind,” Molloy said.
Molloy’s two boys — Anthony, 12, and Brody, 10 — love to play the game and always get excited about watching pros do their thing so he’s excited about seeing the compete level of guys at the ECHL level, especially the seasoned guys who had played in the NHL at some point in their career.
He thinks the ECHL product can be just as exciting as other levels of pro hockey and expects to see an entertaining brand of hockey at the Hodder.
“These guys really have to work for it,” he said.
Molloy believes the game could serve as motivation for young players who think about playing professional hockey some day, especially when the see guys like former NHLer Adam Pardy suiting up with the Growlers.
Pro hockey isn’t something that hockey fans in small towns get to watch live very often so Molloy is figuring the series will attract big crowds because it will be the best game in town on those respective nights and he believes there’s an appetite for all kinds of pro entertainment in this area of the province.
“When it’s here you have to take advantage of it. It’s not every day they’re going to bring in professionals,” he said.
Popcorn with the two boys in the comfort of the Hodder watching pro hockey on a Friday night … it doesn’t get much better for the Molloys.
