Forget John Wayne. It is Ryan Gagnon who plays the role of the Quiet Man on the Victoria Royals.
But tonight the Royals’ understated captain will step onto the ice and into a rare moment in the spotlight when he sets the record for the most games played in the history of this franchise. Gagnon is currently tied with Brandon Magee with 318 career games.
“It’s always nice to leave your mark,” said the blueliner Gagnon.
With two games remaining in the WHL regular season — both against the Silvertips, tonight on Blanshard and Saturday in Everett — Gagnon should finish with a franchise record 320 games. Forward Jack Walker is on 316 career games for the Royals and could tie Magee with 318.
This is the 11th season in franchise history, the first five in Chilliwack as the Bruins and the last six in Victoria as the Royals.
Magee played pro in the ECHL and is now in Senior A hockey in Edmonton and plans to join the Alberta Golden Bears of U Sports next season. Walker is a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gagne is hoping to latch on somewhere in the AHL/ECHL and also considering university options in U Sports.
Tonight will be the final regular-season home date in the WHL careers of 20-year-olds Gagne, Walker and forward Carter Folk.
There could be another franchise record set over the next two nights. The twitchy-quick Royals forward Matthew Phillips is on 50 goals and stalking the franchise single-season record of 51 held by former Chilliwack forward Ryan Howse.
“If it happens, great. But the number is not overly important to me,” said Matthews.
The diminutive Calgary Flames prospect will be facing the best defensive team in the WHL. The Silvertips’ Carter Hart is a second-round NHL draft pick of the Flyers and backstopped Canada to the silver medal at the 2017 world junior championship.
Meanwhile, the ill and injured from the Royals began trickling back. Head coach Dave Lowry and defenceman Mitchell Prowse have returned after coming down with the mumps and Tyler Soy returns after missing 13 games with an upper-body issue.
“It was definitely tough watching the guys. Sitting in the press box is not fun,” said the Anaheim Ducks prospect Soy.
“I felt pretty good out there in practice [Thursday].”
Lowry missed three games (0-2-1) with the mumps as assistant coach Dan Price took over the Victoria bench.
“It’s life. It’s disappointing but it’s no different than a player with an injury,” said Lowry.
“But it’s great to be back because my job is to coach these players and not be sitting at home.”
Still out are defencemen Chaz Reddekopp and Ralph Jarratt and forward Ryan Peckford.
The defensively-structured Silvertips (42-16-11) are going for the U.S. Division and Western Conference titles and are a potential first-round playoff opponent for the Royals (37-27-6). Victoria is winless in five games and will be the conference seventh or eighth seed.
