By Jay Westman
The Ottawa 67’s are known for their fast-paced game and reputation for winning. Now, they can also be noted for being the only hockey team in Canada to have their own cheerleading squad.
“I guess hockey fans had a little difficulty adjusting to having cheerleaders, but that’s to be expected,” says Lisa Aucoine, director of the Ottawa 67’s cheerleaders. “The main thing that all the girls have noticed is what an incredible fan base the 67’s have, the dedication and the enthusiasm. It’s going really well now.”
The peppy youths have been whooping it up at the games since last October, and it looks like they’re here to stay, says 67’s media relations coordinator Doug Drain.
“People get the idea that if they cheer along, they help the team,” he says. Drain explains that the cheerleaders, who perform in the walkway between the two seating levels, are a good way to get and keep the crowd involved in the game. “It’s all part of the game-day experience, and helps to maximize that experience.”
Drain points to the leadership of owner Jeff Hunt as the source for innovations like bringing cheerleaders to hockey.
“He had visited some other teams in different leagues throughout Canada and the U.S., and found that a few of the [U.S.] teams previously did have cheerleaders, and it was something that went over well,” he says.
Hunt says he first saw hockey cheerleaders at a San Diego Gull’s game.
“I was quite impressed with the community work that they did, and how they became an icon associated with the team. It was a very positive program, and that was the basis of our [decision].”
Hunt first approached Aucoine with the idea of putting together a squad just before the season began last year. Aucoine quickly assembled a small squad with a number of girls she had worked with before.
Aucoine sees the team growing for next year, so that the girls can alternate games, easing their rigorous schedule.
“Right now we’re at 16 girls, but next year we will probably grow to 28 or 36,” she says.
The squad members range in age from 16 to 21. Many of the cheerleaders go to school at the University of Ottawa where they live on residence. Team captain, Christianne Boisvert, says it is hard to cheer in the Civic Centre, since the aisles they perform on are behind the 100-level fans. They currently practice in a gym in Orleans, but Boisvert says she hopes to be able to use the arena some time in the future.
“I think it would be great if we could practise in the arena because [practising] is so different when you’re not in there,” she says.
“We have a lot of potential, and we can do so much stuff, but we’re really limited in the arena.”
Boisvert says that cheerleading at a hockey game was a challenge, since there were no other teams to use as an example.
“We didn’t really have anyone to look at or compare ourselves to. How do you cheer at a hockey game? We’ve gotten a lot better since we started, and I think people accept us more now.”
The Ottawa 67’s cheerleaders will try new things next year, Aucoine says, including the formation of a junior cheerleading club, and a more involved role in local charity events.