The 16 hours time difference seems to dampening the Olympic spirit in Grande Prairie. Sports events can typically pack local bars in restaurants and the Olympics usually help draw in those crowds, but Better than Fred’s owner John Kriska says these games just haven’t been the same.
“You know, a lot of those games are happening while people are already at work. The last Olympics you could watch it in the evenings. People were going crazy. It was fun! You had it on live and loud with the volume up. Even during the days I’ll have it on with the volume up and people are barely paying attention.”
Kriska says the AGLC has already said serving times could be adjusted for medal games like they were in 2014, a move that proved to be very popular.
“We can’t have it so that people can’t see TV’s; it would be a riot in here. So we filled the whole place seating and a few standing room and we just stopped the door and said sorry, try another bar. Every bar in the city was the same.”
The men’s Team Canada hockey squad beat Switzerland in their first game 5-1. The gold medal game will happen during normal service hours but the bronze medal game is scheduled for just after 5 a.m. local time on Feb 24.
The crew at Maddhatters is also noticing the slow down. Partner Derek Moe says they have been seeing some people in the evenings coming in to watch the recaps.
The bar is also expecting to see the excitement pick up as the gold medal games near. Manager Steve Sachse says the lack of NHL players this year isn’t necessarily a drawback.
“I kind of want to watch it more. These are guys that maybe we have seen in the past and some people that we’ve never seen before,” Sachse says. “These guys have got to be pumped, right? They were kind of playing for other leagues and all of a sudden they get to play for Canada in the Olympics!”
Sachse and Moe both say the best part about the Olympics is that almost everyone is cheering for the same team.