"Boy, oh, boy, it's been quite a year," said Maxwell referring to the fact that this team only had 19 guys for camp at the start of the year and aren't affiliated with anyone. There have been times this year where the team has been forced to dress as few as 12 players thanks to the injury bug and suspensions; but they average about 2,182 fans per game nonetheless.

There are some bright spots for these lads though, apart from just ending a 20-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over San Diego at home last week, such as Ryan Wade who's an ex-U of A Golden Bear leading the team with 33 points among lots of other players with lots of future potential.

Having netted only 125 goals this year though, there's not much to talk about up front. Stopping goals in between the Victoria nets is a familiar face with unfamiliar gear though.

Dan Blackburn, former 10th pick overall and Canadian Major Junior goalie of the year in 2001 recently gave up his NHL wage of $850,000 that he still receives because of the freak shoulder injury that he suffered lifting weights as a New York Ranger to step between the Vic pipes.

The injury that he suffered left him with serious nerve damage in his left shoulder and so rotating his arm fully gives him a lot of trouble; so his new style of goaltending is sure to make you do a double take if you're seeing it for the first time.

Blackburn uses the new double-blocker technique with one blocker containing an NHL-approved mini-mitt to catch dump-in's and to help him freeze the puck. The adaptation of this new mitt may not catch on to kids around the world who can't catch, but that shows the ex-Kootenay 'tenders determination to get back in there.

These guys remind me of an older version of District 5 from the first Mighty Ducks, and after all the adversity they've been through this year I hope their story is a happy ending as well.

Moral of the Story: Talk about starting at the bottom, the guy went from the Rangers to the Salmon Kings!