James Fuchs knows the physical toll that a long playoff run in junior hockey can have on the body.
The Surrey, B.C.-born forward has lived through it twice, reaching the Superior International Junior Hockey League final with the Thunder Bay North Stars in 2023 and qualifying for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship series with the Steinbach Pistons last season.
Fuchs and the Pistons have designs on making another run deep into April this year, and that means the 20-year-old, who prides himself on playing a hard-nosed game in the dirty areas of the ice, will need to maintain a rigid recovery schedule.
“I’m a huge sauna and cold-plunge guy,” Fuchs said after the Pistons dropped a 4-1 decision in Game 3 of their opening-round series against the Portage Terriers.
“During playoffs and everything, recovery is so big. I’ve been through it…. I know how much of a toll it takes on your body. So, yeah, really just trying to use all the recovery tools I can.”
Steinbach Pistons captain Noah Szabo says he had to pinch himself when he stepped into the new 2,650-capacity rink.
That’s made the long-awaited opening of the Southeast Event Centre a timely one for the Pistons.
A community-funded million-dollar locker room is equipped with state-of-the-art individual lockers, cold baths, hot tubs, a training room and a player lounge that features a ping pong table.
It’s one of the several eye-catching features in the $75 million, 112,000 square foot multi-purpose hub that opened earlier this month in the heart of Steinbach.
“I came in and I basically had to pinch myself twice because I can’t believe it,” said Pistons captain Noah Szabo.
“It’s unbelievable here, the facility that they put up. I’ve been here for three years now. I’ve been in the old rink, the (now-demolished) Centennial (Arena), I’ve been in La Broquerie and now I’m in this insane rink. It’s pretty crazy.”
The Pistons have played four contests at their new arena, and it doesn’t appear the novelty will wear off any time soon.
The Steinbach Pistons’ new arena even has private suites.
They’ve spent the last two seasons playing out of the HyLife Centre in La Broquerie, which seats 380 people, but came out to a sold-out crowd of 2,650 in their first game at the SEC on March 14.
“It was unbelievable,” said Szabo. “I’ve never come out to a crowd like that before. It was special, to be honest with you. It was really just showing how good of a community Steinbach has.”
Pistons GM and head coach Paul Dyck said the last two seasons haven’t been easy on players, who were expecting to spend just one year in the temporary arena.
The SEC was a selling point for Dyck in his recruiting efforts and, naturally, there was some disappointment as the opening was delayed several times dating back to last fall.
“A lot of the players that were here, a part of the recruiting was that we were going to be in a new building for the ’24-’25 season, and when it was delayed, I think there was definitely some disappointment with that initially, and that stands to reason,” said Dyck.
“That’s no slight on La Broquerie by any means. I mean, our old building would’ve been similar to it had we been in there. So some of the guys felt like maybe we missed out on a season here, but being in it now, just the excitement and that wow-factor coming every day, it’s really special and has a bit of that pro feel to it. For young guys to be able to play in that type of environment, I was a player many, many years ago, and I would’ve loved to have that opportunity, as well.”
“I came in and I basically had to pinch myself twice because I can’t believe it.”–Pistons captain Noah Szabo
A little over 2,000 fans took in Tuesday night’s game against the Terriers, a turnout that was still impressive for a weeknight and with the Winnipeg Jets in action 45 minutes west.
The home crowd didn’t have much to cheer about for nearly 50 minutes until Fuchs bulged the twine at the 9:07 mark of the third period to make the score 2-1 and bring life to the building for the first time.
“All the little things like when you when you make a hit, when you have a scoring chance, just the pop that you feel on the ice (from) the fans, that’s almost the coolest part,” said Fuchs.
The hockey rink is the only part of the building open right now, but general manager Jeffrey Bannon hopes the rest is fully operational by May.
The ground level has a skate shop and what Bannon calls a “grab-and-go counter” with prepared and easy-to-make food items available. Adjacent to the counter is a restaurant that will be open seven days a week and seats 45. The restaurant also connects to a patio that seats 60.
Step inside the rink, and the eye is immediately drawn to a 40×20-foot screen above the concourse on the east side — one of two in the arena.
Steinbach Pistons head coach Paul Dyck says the new locker room at the Southeast Event Centre is ‘top notch.’
A Pistons apparel shop is to the right of the entry gate, while a left turn will take fans around a concourse with a bevy of concession options.
The arena, which can hold 3,800 people for concerts, is divided into three sections: basic seating, six suites and a premium lounge that seats 350.
Bannon, who previously served as the retail director for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, has taken some ideas from his time inside Princess Auto Stadium, such as the open-bowl concept, which has tables high enough for people to stand and watch the game.
There’s also going to be Steinbach’s version of a Rum Hut at ice-level behind the east-side net with temporary seating available.
The arena features a fair bit of forward-thinking in the arena, including a space in between benches for an on-ice reporter in the event the SEC hosts a higher level of hockey in the future.
It’s also home to the only NHL-grade glass in the province outside the rink in downtown Winnipeg, which will be critical for any professional teams wanting to play there.
“From a fans point of view, I couldn’t have envisioned it this good, if that makes any sense,” said general manager Jeffrey Bannon.
Underneath the concourse is a $1.2 million industrial-sized kitchen that can serve up to 3,000 people at once. The only thing holding this space from being operational is a fire-suppression system that is en route from the U.S.
The kitchen connects to a massive gymnasium that can hold a banquet for 500 or a concert for 800. The court meets NBA and International volleyball regulations, and above that is a walking track.
The SEC connects to the T.G. Smith Centre next door, which has another hockey rink and will soon feature a two-storey play structure for young children.
The hallway that connects the two buildings will eventually feature a long mural of memorable moments in Steinbach’s sports history, which is the only part of the building that Bannon anticipates won’t be ready before the grand-opening on Aug. 21.
“From a fans point of view, I couldn’t have envisioned it this good, if that makes any sense,” Bannon said.
“I say to my staff, our job is to create memories, experiences and ‘Wows.’ I see the wows, so to me, I can’t wait to show them more wows when we open more parts of the building.”
“It’s super nice. I know I was excited to come back here for Game 3.”–Terriers captain Scherr
The SEC is the first of its kind in southeast Manitoba, and a nice investment for a Pistons team that has developed into a perennial contender in the MJHL.
The city committed about $32 million to the project, while the federal and provincial governments provided $9.5 million and $8 million, respectively.
One of the biggest boons was from the public, which donated $25.5 million.
“It’s top notch,” said Dyck, who was involved in the design of the locker room. “You’re not going to find many dressing rooms like that in junior hockey in our country, especially at this level. We’re very, very fortunate to have that type of support that we were able to do this.”
The arena has certainly been a talking point around the league. It even has opposing players taking an extra beat to look around the newest event venue in the province.
“Game 1 was the first time we were here and it’s the first game of (the) playoffs, so we were super nervous, super anxious to get going. Having a huge crowd here with a brand new facility, and it seats a lot of people, so having a packed crowd kind of added to all the excitement and stuff for the game,” said Terriers captain Parker Scherr.
“It’s super nice. I know I was excited to come back here for Game 3.”
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
