New score clock will be added to Affinity Place as Centennial Cup legacy project

A new score clock is to be added to Affinity Place as the legacy project for the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons. 

Estevan city council gave its blessing for the legacy project during the June 28 meeting, after the Bruins amended the initial proposal for the scoreboard that they presented on June 14.  

The scoreboard won’t be ready for the opening game of the 2021-22 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) regular season, but it should be hanging above centre ice for the start of the Centennial Cup on May 20, 2022.

The 2022 Centennial Cup committee and the Bruins would use the revenue generated from hosting the national championship to purchase the score clock.  

Danny Ewen, director of marketing and operations for the Bruins, said the current score clock is still functional, but will be approaching the end of its useful life in the next few years.  

“With our community hosting the national championship, now is the perfect time to purchase a score clock using funds that normally wouldn’t be available to us, and allows us to properly showcase the first class facility that Affinity Place is to the whole country next May,” he said.

Once the 50 per cent of the projected ticket sales goal of $125,000 is achieved, the committee will present an updated quote on two options for a new score clock for city council to choose from, and then the City of Estevan will purchase the score clock so it can be installed before the Centennial Cup tournament begins.  

In order to have the score clock in place and operational for the beginning of the tournament, it would need to be purchased no later than early January 2022. 

The city will then be fully reimbursed using the revenues generated from the tournament, so the Bruins say there will be a new score clock in Estevan at no cost to the taxpayers. 

The Bruins sought out quotes from multiple companies, with the most attractive and cost-effective option coming from Saskatchewan-based IKS Media/DDG Group. The business already has score clocks installed at other Junior A rinks in Humboldt of the SJHL, and Okotoks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, as well as Western Hockey League rinks in Regina, Prince Albert, Swift Current and Lethbridge. 

The two options for the LED score clock are very similar, with the size and dimensions slightly different for the preferred option. The video screen will provide an interactive, stunning viewing experience for fans in the building, Ewen said, upholding Estevan’s reputation as one of the premier hockey arenas at the Junior A level across Canada. 

One option is for $222,014, with a square shape and a top ring, but the preferred option would be $264,425, which has a similar shape with the ring, and rounded corners for additional screen space.  

The latter option would increase the revenue opportunities for both the city and the Bruins.

The Bruins said the city can charge extra to use the score clock and its screen for events, and the city can sell ads during high-volume user times, or can promote city events on the screen.

The current scoreboard at Affinity still has value if it can be resold to other arenas. 

When council members had the chance to ask about the new clock, Councillor Rebecca Foord noted that she spoke with one former volunteer who was worried about the demands of the new clock, and the time it would take to train volunteers. 

Ewen responded that IDS Media would be working with the Bruins and the city to make sure people are brought up to speed on the new clock. 

Foord then suggested that the city and the Bruins could work with the high school so that students could get their volunteer hours for tech classes, which Ewen said is a great idea.  

“While it is new and there’s a lot of bells and whistles to it, they do make stuff nowadays that’s a little more user friendly,” said Ewen.  

Councillor Kirsten Walliser said the score clock is a gift with a bit of risk associated with it, so by having the numbers and the assurance in place from the Bruins, it becomes less risky. She would prefer, though, to decide which score clock to purchase once the 50 per cent target is reached. 

“Then you’ll have a better idea of if it is looking like you’ll be able to afford the bigger, larger clock, or if it is looking like ticket sales are a little slower than anticipated and it takes you longer to reach that goal, then maybe that lower price score clock would be more appropriate as a gift.”  

Hockey Canada has given their approval for the legacy project.