Bakersfield Condors 2 at Abbotsford Canucks 6 (AHL) - March 11, 2025

One of my long-standing destinations has been Abbotsford to complete the AHL rinks for the second time. I first did this back in 2019 with a visit to Winnipeg, but the Vancouver Canucks moved their affiliate to Abbotsford from Utica in 2021, necessitating a trip at some point (there were also new teams in Palm Springs, Henderson, and a new rink in San Jose, but I was able to get to those over four days in 2023). Abbotsford is about an hour from Vancouver and I wanted to combine the Leafs annual visit to the Canucks, but the schedules did not work out over the past few seasons. When I was planning the trip to Utah, I saw that Abbotsford had a game on the Tuesday after the Leafs played the Hockey Clubbers on Monday. I then discovered that it was actually cheaper to fly to Seattle (thanks to Frontier) and then fly back to NYC the next day rather than fly directly home from SLC. Abbotsford is just over two hours from SeaTac, so it made sense to knock it off on this trip rather than wait another year. I rented a car in downtown Seattle and drove up Tuesday afternoon, crossing the border at Sumas. My story of coming all the way from New York to see a single AHL game was met with suspicion from the Canadian border guards, who grew even more skeptical after I related my weekend in Utah. After a brief inspection of the rental vehicle, I was on my way, stopping at Field House Brewing for a pregame pizza. There is another local brewpub called Canuck Empire right across the street from the arena, but sadly it is closed on Tuesdays.

The Canucks play at Abbotsford Centre, which opened in 2007 and actually housed another AHL team, the Heat, from 2009-2014. At that time, the AHL had no teams in the West (Oklahoma City was the closest at 1,583 miles away) and attendance averaged around 50% of the venue's 7,000 capacity. It was an untenable situation and the team eventually moved to Adirondack for a single season, where I saw them play the Marlies in 2015, before heading back west to Stockton as part of the minor hockey reorganization where the AHL put five teams in California.

Parking here can be found in lots on either side of the building; you have to park in a numbered stall and pay for your parking by phone ($15, about $10.50 USD); if you get there early enough, you might be able to find free parking on a street nearby, though be careful as some residential areas prohibit parking if you don't have a permit.

Most fans enter through Gate 1 on the east side of the building. The box office is also here and tickets start at $35 including fees on TicketMaster, though sideline seats can run up to $77 and those on the glass $98. This is quite expensive for the AHL and attendance this season has dropped about 16%, from 4,816 to 4,014. This is still above the numbers the Heat showed, but somewhat alarming nonetheless.



For this game, a midweek encounter held at the same time the parent Canucks were hosting Montreal, only 2,228 made the trek. There was a Midweek Feature Menu which included $5 domestic beers through the first intermission, but with a two-hour drive after the game, I wasn't able to partake. I was also doing the Stadium Journey review and got in before most fans, allowing me a chance to take pictures of a mostly empty seating bowl.

There is just a single level of seats here, with the concourse running midway along so that if you have lower seats, you walk down, but if you have upper seats, you walk up. It is hard to see in the photo above, but the middle sections on both sides are clubs and the seats are more comfortable. Interestingly, there is no barrier between the club section and the ones next to it, so you get an odd photo like the one below, with the two types of seat right next to each other.

There is also an upper concourse that goes around three quarters of the rink; along the sides it is a narrow hallway that leads to the suites while at the north end, there are a few seats for those who enjoy the view from the top.

This hallway is decorated with photos of the Canucks as well as some concerts that have been held here.

The reason the upper concourse does not encircle the entire rink is that there is a unique feature on the south side of the building known as the South Rise, where the concourse floor rises slightly above the spot where the Zambonis enter the rink. This is an open space and you there are a few standing spots with a couple of tables directly behind the net. Notice the difference in the seating arrangement behind the two nets; I always like asymmetrical designs in these arenas. 

The shot below is taken from the upper deck in the opposite end, you can see the overall layout of the rink here.

The scoreboard is typical for this size of rink, with squares on all four sides. I did find the BAK vs ABB matchup reminded me of where most of my pain comes from these days.



I really liked the blue and green lighting that was used in the few minutes before the players came out to warm up. This is a very attractive venue and small enough for all fans to be close to the action.



The Vancouver Canucks have had uniform problems for decades but there is no such issue with their affiliate, whose Johnny Canuck logo is among the best in sport. I particularly like how Arshdeep Bains, a native of nearby Surrey, looks identical to Johnny Canuck in the photo below.

Overall, Abbotsford Centre is an excellent AHL arena, though prices are a bit high. I hope the team can see its attendance rise up again because we need as much hockey in Canada as we can get. If you are in the Lower Mainland in the winter, consider a trip to Abbotsford to see the baby Canucks.

The Game

The Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton's affiliate, were visiting with a 24-29 record, good for 8th in the Pacific, while Abbotsford was 6th at 29-26 (I am combining regulation, OT and SO losses for simplicity). The Canucks got on the scoreboard first when Kirill Kudryavtsev (Vancouver's 7th round pick in 2022) threaded one home from the point to beat Olivier Rodrigue (Oilers 2nd rounder in 2018, still has yet to play in the NHL), but Bakersfield tied it up a few minutes later when Drake Caggiula (289 games in the NHL among five teams) pounced on a loose puck in the slot, turned and fired it past Nikita Tolopilo, who had just been returned from Vancouver without playing a game. Late in the period, Bains (who scored his first NHL goal back in October) scooped up a rebound and roofed it to give Abbotsford the 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes. 

The shots in the first period were 13-8 Canucks and this was exactly reversed in the second, but the scoreline was identical, with the Canucks potting a pair after Ronnie Attard (3rd, Philadelphia, 2019, 29 games with the Flyers) tied it up on the power play. Early in the third, the puck slid in front of Rodrigue and Jacob Perreault (27th overall to Anaheim, for whom he played one game) tried to clear it, only to push it into his own net. A few minutes later, NHL vet Jujhar Khaira, playing in his first game for Abbotsford after a trade from Syracuse, was left alone in the faceoff circle and slapped one home a la Ovi and that was the final goal of the night as Abbotsford romped 6-2.

The shots were tied at 29 apiece, with Tolopilo making a few stops that Rodrigue couldn't, suggesting that he may never play in Edmonton despite their goaltending situation over the years. It was a quick game at just 2:23 and I was back across the border by 10:00 and in Seattle just after midnight, ending another whirlwind trip.

Notes

The Canucks won the following night 2-1 and also took two from Calgary over the weekend to move into a playoff spot. 

Next Up

This ended one of the busiest sports travel periods I've had in a while. Over eight weeks, I was in Green Bay, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Idaho, Vancouver, Mississippi, England, Scotland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Utah, and Abbotsford. So what's next? A bit of downtime to recuperate and then a trip to San Antonio for the NCAA basketball championship. Check back next month for a recap.

Best,

Sean