Amidst mounting public outrage, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has lifted a ban on fans attending hockey games at Meadow Park Sports Centre (MPSC).
A statement from the RMOW emailed to Pique on March 20 reads: "Last weekend, Meadow Park Sports Centre closed rink access to spectators to protect public safety following weeks of escalating crowds and public intoxication. As a recreational facility operator, our No.1 responsibility is to provide a safe experience for everyone within our facility, and this measure was taken as an immediate safety precaution to protect our community, employees and players.
"With heavy-duty machinery on site and high-speed play, a safe environment is an alcohol-free environment, and we take the responsibility to maintain this standard seriously."
The RMOW elaborated in a public blog post, also disseminated March 20, that "allowing spectators will continue on a conditional basis, provided Canadian liquor laws are respected. For community members looking to attend, please help keep our hockey season open to the public by leaving your alcoholic beverages at home."
Whistlerites were outspoken in expressing disagreement with the initial removal of viewers from the stands.
A Facebook post from local hockey dad Andrew Bacon criticizing MPSC management has elicited 335 reactions and 161 comments to date—with the vast majority of them supporting Bacon's view. Meanwhile, a petition started by Cate Lombard urging the municipality to reverse the ban logged 473 signatures as of this writing.
'The actions of one or two people should not affect the community as a whole'
Bacon simply wants to watch his adult son Kai play. He is grateful the RMOW responded to external pressure in what he feels is a constructive manner.
"I think it's reasonable for Meadow Park to expect that people don't bring alcohol into their facility," said the 10-year Whistler resident. "That should have been their response from the beginning. The reasonable solution, to me, is that teams themselves should be policing their fans and if people from outside are showing up and creating problems, we need to address them ourselves. I made the suggestion that we should have crowd monitors for the adult league. We should all be working together to come up with a solution."
Caught off guard by the initial moratorium on fans, Bacon learned during a call with RMOW recreation manager Roger Weetman that the decision had been triggered by one person jumping onto the ice rink at MPSC.
This anecdote is corroborated by local CrossFit gym owner Jordan Glasser, who was informed by his hockey team that a drunk individual made their way onto the ice and nearly got hit by the Zamboni. According to Glasser, RMOW officials did not hold teams responsible for the mishap, but closed stands due to liability concerns.
"The games have been getting quite popular and well-attended, with some spectators bringing alcohol into the facility," Bacon wrote on Facebook after becoming aware of the situation. "The management at Meadow Park has turned a blind eye to this the entire season, and now due to this poor supervision and management of the facility and one 'incident,' we are being banned from going to watch a game … the actions of one or two people should not affect the community as a whole."
In light of recent changes, Bacon said he does not harbour ill will towards Weetman or Mayor Jack Crompton. He expressed gratitude that people are allowed to watch their friends and loved ones play hockey again and hopes the community will band together in preventing future disorderly conduct at MPSC.
The RMOW statement also says: "We greatly respect the love our community has for the game of hockey, and community-based recreation in general. The sentiment shared online requesting we reinstate safe spectator access is significant, and the comments do reflect respect for our request that Canadian liquor laws be followed … Whistler’s hockey community is strong, and our talented players would love to play before an audience who appreciates and wants to watch great games."
