SPORTS

The fallen members of Vancouver’s sports world

To all the sports the city has loved — and poorly treated — before

The Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–2001)

We can’t start talking about forgotten Vancouver sports teams without starting with the Grizzlies (aka the team with the perfect powder blue jerseys people love to parade around in downtown). In theory, the idea of having a basketball team and hockey team play out of the same arena was great. The Grizzlies were in operation when Michael Jordan was still playing basketball. Surely, people would flock out to see those games? In practice, a horrible nightmare.

How bad was it? Well, the original owner, John McCaw Jr., was from Seattle. That didn’t go over well when it came time to acquire local sponsors for the club. The attendance wasn’t anything that stood out on paper for the first few years, but it went rock bottom when the team could barely keep their attendance record beyond 13,000 in a 19,000 arena in their last two years. The real cherry on top was Vancouver never receiving the first overall pick in the NBA draft, which left the team with little to no starpower. When they eventually got the second overall pick in the 1999 draft, their selection refused to play for the team. Go figure.

The Vancouver Voodoo (1993–1996)

How the Vancouver Voodoo could fold with a name like that is beyond me. A+ for alliteration. I bet you’re surprised to find out that this was a roller hockey team — one of the twelve founding roller hockey teams in the professional Roller Hockey International league. The league folded three years after the Voodoo’s demise. Just like any other professional sport, the games were aired on television during its brief three-year existence. However, what was unique to this sport was many retired NHL players flipped over to play roller hockey when their career was over. Former Canuck Jose Charbonneau spent a year during the Voodoo’s inaugural season playing for the team while he was still a Canuck. Not to mention, the team itself was also cofounded by former Canuck player Tiger Williams.

A familiar foe actually played a role in the Voodoo’s disembandment. It was none other than McCaw Jr.! In 1996, the Voodoo started playing at GM Place after playing at both the PNE and the Pacific Coliseum. However, when McCaw bought out Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, who owned the Voodoo, he put an end to the team. The team finished in first place in their division each year. But, post-season? That’s another story.

The Vancouver Riptide (2014–2017)

I don’t know if you can call this one an oldie, but it definitely wasn’t a goodie. The Riptide finished their final season in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) with only one win in 14 games. The team’s poor showing combined with a lack of communitywide viewership, despite coverage on television, forced the owners to pull the team from the city. In an official statement regarding the decision, coowner Jim Llyod voiced his frustration about pouring “hundreds of thousands of dollars” into a team the “BC market does not fully embrace.” That may be the case, but the Riptide were also the 10th team in AUDL history to drop out of the league, so maybe there’s a bigger problem there.

Written by Isabella Urbani Illustrated by Angela Shen

Written by Isabella Urbani

Q2: If a cross country runner said they got a PB in their race, what did they do?

Q3: In football, how long does the quarterback have on the clock to throw the ball?

Q4: Which two sports have offside rules?

Q5: How many balls does the pitcher need to throw in softball to walk a player? Q6: You just made a bogey, what did you do?

Q7: If a swimmer has a negative split in their race, they . . .

Q8: A changeover just occurred in a track race, what happened?

Q9: What is the term in wrestling (which acts like the mercy rule) called?

How much do five members of the women’s volleyball team know about other sports at SFU?

Q1: What does the term “and one” apply to in basketball?

A) Extra time added to the game B) What the referee says when a player makes a three C) When a player gets fouled in the act of shooting, makes the basket, and gets to shoot their awarded foul shot D) What the coach says when they want to make a substitution in the game

Answer: C (100% answered correctly)

A) They were disqualified from the race B) They failed to finish the race C) They recorded their best time in that race category D) They beat the record held in that race category

Answer: C (100% answered correctly)

A) 30 seconds B) 25 seconds C) 15 seconds D) 45 seconds

Answer: B (40% answered correctly)

A) Softball and hockey B) Soccer and golf C) Lacrosse and tennis D) Hockey and soccer

Answer: D (100% answered correctly)

A) Four B) Three C) One D) Two A) Hit one shot extra than what was expected for the hole B) Hit one shot less than what was expected for the hole C) You decided to use one freeskip to pass over the hole D) You hit the ball too many times for the hole, and received a penalty

Answer: A (80% answered correctly)

A) Finished the race with the fastest time B) Finished slower than their average time C) Made an error in the pool which added a fivesecond penalty to their finished time D) Finished the race faster in the second half than the first

Answer: D (100% answered correctly)

A) The baton was passed B) A runner switched lanes C) A new runner moved into first place D) The race is in its last 100 m

Answer: A (60% answered correctly)

A) Full count B) Technical fall C) Deuce D) Pinfall

Answer: B (40% answered correctly)

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