Neck guard sales jump after Sask. hockey player slashed by skate
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More adult players are now investing in the protective equipment.
Parking is about to be at a premium again at REAL District.
Since January, Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats have been drawing crowds they haven’t seen in years and that’s not expected to change with the WHL playoffs underway.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, large crowds are expected to fill the Brandt Centre for games 3 and 4 of the Pats’ playoff series with the Saskatoon Blades.
So far, it looks like it will be a full rink, with most tickets being sold. A few sections still have some tickets left.
Earlier this year, REAL District added additional parking attendants, and CEO Tim Reid said that helped the parking situation become more manageable.
“We have two incredibly busy recreational facilities. We also have a pretty busy period of time around concerts and hockey games. So our wait time, it takes about 30 minutes to exit the parking lot,” he said.
According to Reid, REAL District is working on more long-term solutions to help reduce the wait times for leaving the parking lot.
“We’re working with the city to expand some of the (traffic) lights on Lewvan to make that a little better as well as Elphinstone and Princess,” he said.
“Yes, it’s a challenge because we only have three ways into this site and I think we talk about that often that we need to find some new solutions,” Reid said. “We just ultimately have to give fans a reason to hang around so you’re not all trying to leave at the same time.”
He said REAL District officials love to see the campus busy.
“Ultimately, being full is not something that we’re going to apologize for anytime soon. It’s good for the economy, it’s good for visitors and it’s good for fans,” Reid said.
He’s recommending people give themselves extra time to get into and out of the parking lot for the games.
The Pats won the first two games of the series in Saskatoon, prevailing 6-1 on Friday and 6-5 in overtime on Sunday.