ADDRESS

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3100 Tillicum Road

Victoria  BC,  V9A 6T2

 

ARENA WEBSITE 

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YEAR BUILT - 1968

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DESCRIPTION

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George R Pearkes Recreation Centre features two ice surfaces, a weight room, a dance studio, a space for trade shows and a public library. The arena has the most comfortable fan seating on Vancouver Island with seats that were originally used in an IMAX theatre. The Green Rink serves as the home for the Saanich Predators of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL).

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George Pearkes

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The arena is named after Major General George R. Pearkes, a Canadian politician and soldier. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross for his service in World War I and also served in World War II. He went on to become a local Member of Parliament, a Minister of National Defence and a Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Pearkes passed away in 1984 at the age of 94.

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Saanich Predators/Braves

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The Saanich Braves are the oldest team in the VIJHL. They debuted in 1967 as one of the founding teams of the league.  The Braves have won the VIJHL championship (Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy) seven times, including three years in a row from 1978 to 1980. They captured their only BC Championship (Cyclone Taylor Cup) in 1976.

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The Braves announced plans to rename their hockey team in July 2020.

 

“The Saanich Junior Braves name is not respectful to our First Nations and does not reflect the valued relationships we hold with local First Nations communities or with our First Nations players. We have decided to rename the team and have started a develop a name that upholds our core values."

 

On October 2, 2020, they were officially rebranded as the Saanich Predators.

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Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy

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Brent Patterson was a legendary Saanich Braves player and the 1976/77 MVP of the South Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. Tragically, Patterson died after suffering chest pains during a game at the 1977 Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament in Quesnel. The VIJHL championship trophy is named in his honour.

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Braves Alumni

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Adam Cracknell spent 2000/01 with Saanich, scoring 51 points in 47 games. The next year he moved up to the Western Hockey League and played four seasons with the Kootenay Ice.  He made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues on December 15, 2011. Cracknell appeared in 208 NHL games with St. Louis, Vancouver and Edmonton. In 2015 he scored the game-winning shootout goal for the Vancouver Canucks in their pre-season game against San Jose at the Q Centre. In 2022/23, Cracknell is playing for the Tuscon Roadrunners.

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Matt Irwin - Growing up in Brentwood Bay, Irwin played on the same little league baseball team as Jamie Benn. Irwin joined the Saanich Braves in 2004/05, picking up 17 points in 47 games. The next year he went on to the Nanaimo Clippers, where he earned the BCHL Coastal Conference Defensive Award for 2007 and 2008. After attending the University of Massachusetts, Irwin signed with the AHL's Worchester Sharks. He made his NHL debut in 2012 with the San Jose Sharks and is currently playing for the Washington Capitals.

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Victoria Cougars (Western Hockey League)

 

From 1971 to 1989, the Victoria Cougars held their training camp at Pearkes Arena. In 1990, they moved their pre-season training to Lake Cowichan.

 

The Cougars hosted six WHL preseason games at Pearkes:

 

• 1984 vs Portland Winterhawks (defending Memorial Cup Champion)

• 1985 vs New Westminster Bruins

• 1986 vs New Westminster Bruins

• 1990 vs Portland Winterhawks

• 1990 vs Spokane Chiefs

• 1991 vs Tacoma Rockets (1st year in the WHL)