Abbotsford Heat Face Off - Issue 9

O F F I C I A L

F A N

G U I D E

FACEOFF FACE GRINDER TURNED SNIPER

Cam Cunning was a fourth-liner at the start of the season, but he’s worked his way up to the top line.

PAGE 3

MAKING STRIDES

It’s been a career year for defenceman Gord Baldwin, but the coaching staff believes he has even more to offer.

PAGE 4

AMERICAN INVASION Heat play-by-play man Dave Sheldon breaks down the first-round series between Abbotsford and the Rochester Americans.

PAGE 18

John Morrow photo

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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AND THE CROWD GOES

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Photographer John Van Putten captured the intensity of the North Division rivalry during a recent game between the Heat and Moose on March 29.

The visitors from Winnipeg won that game 5-2, but the Heat bounced back with a 2-1 victory the following evening, and they ended up fending off the Moose in the race for third place in the division.

Both teams are currently participating in the AHL playoffs.

John Van Putten photos

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From grinder to sniper HARD-WORKING CAM CUNNING HAS EARNED HIS PROMOTION

John Van Putten photo DanKINVIG ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Back in September, if you’d predicted that Cam Cunning would be one of the Abbotsford Heat’s leading goal-scorers and be skating on the top line come playoff time, no one would have bought it.

Not even Cunning himself.

Cunning – in his own mind and in the minds of others – was viewed as a fourth-line grinder with limited offensive upside. Built like a cannonball, the 6’1”, 213-pound left winger was better known for putting opponents into the glass than

putting the puck into the net.

But heading into the Heat’s first-round Calder Cup playoff series against the Rochester Americans, Cunning will be counted on for scoring as much as checking. During the 2009-10 regular season, he established new career highs in goals (19), assists (19), points (38) and plusminus (+4) while suiting up for 69 games.

The fifth-year pro’s point total was nearly double his previous personal best of 21.

“When I looked around our locker room

(at the start of the year), I never would have predicted that,” Cunning admitted with a chuckle. “Scoring has never really been my game. But it’s kind of nice it’s worked out that way, and I’ve got to keep building on that.”

Cunning, who missed some time with a shoulder injury back in October, has been particularly productive in the second half of the season – 14 of his 19 goals have come since the calendar flipped to 2010.

His emergence has been crucial for a

Heat team that appeared to have plenty of scoring depth last fall, but has seen those resources dry up over the course of the campaign.

Kyle Greentree, the AHL’s second-leading goal-scorer in 2008-09, was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the preseason.

Carsen Germyn and Kris Chucko were concussed in the early going. Jamie Lundmark was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mikael Backlund was called up by the Calgary Flames in January, and

Continued on A9

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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Big man, big strides BALDWIN’S DEVELOPMENT A BRIGHT SPOT FOR HEAT DanKINVIG ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Considering his lanky 6’5” frame, huge strides are pretty much a given for Abbotsford Heat defenceman Gord Baldwin.

But this season, in particular, saying that Baldwin’s made huge strides is accurate in both the literal and metaphorical sense.

In his third season as a pro, the towering blueliner turned in a career year, establishing new personal bests in goals (4), assists (20), points (24) and plus-minus (+7) while playing 67 games. Baldwin hadn’t mustered more than six points in either of his first two AHL campaigns.

“I’m happy with how things went this year,” Baldwin said, reflecting on his development arc prior to his team’s playoff opener against the Rochester Americans last Thursday. “It’s about experience. I’m in my third year, and I had to build on the past two years. You take a little bit from every season.”

Baldwin’s development this season represents a taste of what the parent club Cal-

gary Flames envisioned when they picked the Winnipeg-born defenceman in the third round of the 2005 NHL entry draft.

When Baldwin turned pro in 2007, he brought with him an impressive winning pedigree from the junior level. Baldwin was a key cog on the Medicine Hat Tigers team that won the Western Hockey League championship in 2006-07, and finished second to the Vancouver Giants at the Memorial Cup. Current Heat goalie Matt Keetley was a teammate of Baldwin’s on that memorable Tigers team.

“I loved it in Medicine Hat,” Baldwin said.

“It was one of the best times of my life, and I met some really good friends there. I can same thing since turning pro – I’ve met

some great people, and some of my best friends are on this (Heat) team.”

Talk to Heat head coach Jim Playfair about Baldwin, and he’ll espouse admiration for the blueliner’s skill at making the first pass out of the defensive zone, and for his ability to handle increased minutes over the course of the season.

But in the same breath, Playfair says Baldwin still has “a long way to go” before he becomes a truly elite AHLer, a player capable of challenging for a permanent spot at the NHL level. The Heat bench boss often waxes eloquent to the media about his affinity for players who are “hard to play against,” and he says Baldwin doesn’t fit that profile consistently enough.

“His identity is going to be as a physi-

You take a little bit from every season…

cal, puck-moving defenceman, and I think he’s got to stick with that mindset,” Playfair said.

“I don’t think the offence is ever going to be a question for Gord. He’s always going to get 20 to 25 points, just based on his natural ability. It’s his physical contributions that have to be more consistent for him to become a solid pro. He’s got to be tougher to play against on a more consistent basis.

When he does that, he’ll be a well-rounded player.”

Mention Playfair’s hard-player-to-playagainst refrain to Baldwin, and he grins.

“He’s been on me all season about it,” Baldwin said with a wry chuckle. “Pretty much all the time. He’s telling me to be physical, to be confident, and to be a leader on and off the ice.”

Each of those elements, on their own, seem reasonably accessible. The difficulty comes in putting them together, in the high-speed environment that is AHL hockey. Such is the learning curve for

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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Abbotsford Heat defenceman Gord Baldwin fends off a check from a Hamilton Bulldogs opponent.

John Morrow photo

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“It’s tough for a lot of people to get out of their comfort zone,” Baldwin noted. “At times, I worry about getting out of position, so I don’t do certain things.

“It’s about putting everything together.”

The Heat were red-hot as they embarked on their playoff journey, having gone 5-0-1 in their last six games of the regular season, and Baldwin said they’re riding a wave of momentum.

“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be hard work, and we’re ready to go,” he said. “The way this team has progressed, we’ve really put ourselves in a good position. Guys are excited, we’re loose because we’ve been winning games lately, and I think we’ve gotten better as the season’s gone on.”

The same, of course, could be said of Baldwin.

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

FACE E H T

Talking playoffs, YouTube

H C N E B Jim PLAYFAIR

Broughtt to you by y

ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

In each edition of the Abbotsford News’s FACEOFF magazine, Abbotsford Heat head coach Jim Playfair sits down with beat reporter Dan Kinvig to give fans the inside scoop on the team.

For future editions of FACEOFF, fans are invited to pose their own questions to Playfair. Submit your questions for consideration via e-mail to sports@abbynews.com, and please include “Behind the bench” in the subject line.

We caught up with Playfair in early April as the Heat were winding down the regular season.

Q Your team is preparing for the

Calder Cup playoffs. From your vantage point, what does it mean to this first-year franchise to make the post-season?

A“For the organization to get to the

playoffs is very, very important. The ownership put a lot of time, effort and energy bringing professional hockey to Abbotsford, so for me, it’s very nice that they’re able to enjoy the fruits of

their labour and be there at the most exciting time of the season. Opening night (back in October) was a very rewarding night for them, and to get into the playoffs in their inaugural season, it sets them up well.”

sensation. Two days afterward, you mentioned that Paul Coffey had texted you to say he thought they made sticks tougher in the old days. Did you hear from any other high-profile hockey people?

A“I talked to Cam Neely, I talked to Q The vast majority of the Heat’s

schedule this season consisted of back-to-back games against the same team. Do you think that might give you any advantage heading into a playoff series?

A“I don’t really think so. The playoffs are strictly based on your ability to prepare your team and prepare your players, and get them believe in a consistent way to play. Then when the game’s over, you reload, get your rest, and get back into it again.”

Q Your stick-snapping incident

against the Hamilton Bulldogs on March 27 became quite the media

Paul Coffey again about it, and some former players that I’d coached and some management people in the league. Basically, it’s a game of emotion. When your players are engaged and sense that the leader of the team has high expectations and emotion, I think what happens is, that becomes infectious. Basically, I argued a call that I felt wasn’t right, and now it’s time to move on. That was a point where we all realized we needed to get back to finding ways to win hockey games.

“But I definitely got a lot of e-mail and voicemail traffic after that, mostly based on the sense of humour of it.

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

YouTube certainly took it to another level, and that’s how it became such a big deal.”

Q Speaking of YouTube, your

footage has more than 1.5 million hits, and counting. Going forward, do you think all the publicity is good for your career, bad for your career, or a nonfactor?

A“I don’t put much stock in it, really,

based on how it got out there. It was a show of emotion, and I think most professional coaches in the world… deep down we all have that type of intensity and that type of emotion. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in – there’s just 29 teams in the American League and 30 in the National League. So if you don’t have that type of deepdown passion to try to be successful and show your emotion, then it’s tough to be successful.

“I don’t know how it would affect me going forward one way or the other going forward. But it’s over and done with, and that’s it.”

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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Pumped for playoffs

John Van Putten photo

Continued from A3

Riley Armstrong was traded for defenceman Andy Delmore at the NHL deadline.

To top it all off, leading scorer Jason Jaffray has been recently sidelined with a lower body injury. In his absence, the unit of Cunning, Garth Murray and David Van der Gulik has emerged as the team’s No. 1 line.

“This is the first time I’ve really got to play big minutes, and it’s been nice,” Cunning said. “If you mess up, that’s not it for the night. You get another chance to go back out there, and that’s really helped me.”

Cunning’s rise up the Heat depth chart was partially due to attrition, but Abbotsford coach Jim Playfair insists that the 24-year-old Powell River, B.C. product also earned the opportunity. When Playfair gets talking about Cunning, in fact, he sounds a bit like a proud papa.

“He’s the kind of player where the more confidence the coach shows in him, the more he believes in himself,” Playfair said. “He’s a great skater and he’s got a great work ethic.

We (the coaching staff) can really see when he’s on his game and when he struggles, and he has the ability to work himself out of some tough shifts just by getting back to his work ethic.

“He’s become a good, smart hockey player for us. I’m proud of him.”

Asked whether Cunning might have been

a bit underrated within the Calgary Flames organization heading into this season, Playfair said that wasn’t the case. Rather, it was a situation where Cunning improved rapidly and earned increased responsibilities.

“I think his professional career had been a little bit spotty up until this year, and I think at this point he’s found a level of game that he’s consistent at and solid at,” Playfair said. “He’s had more consistency in his work ethic and his team game.”

Playfair put Cunning on a line with Murray early in the season, and he believes that the Heat captain’s influence was instrumental in the younger player’s development. Cunning concurs.

“He’s really helped me out throughout the year,” Cunning said of Murray. “We’re very similar players – we’re not too fancy, we just keep it simple. We’re on the same page that way.”

The Heat’s first-round series against Rochester represents Cunning’s first taste of AHL playoff hockey since 2007, and he’s relishing the opportunity.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys in here, and they’re really excited about it as well,” he said. “We’ve done well against (Rochester) this year, and we’ve just got to really be on our game and dictate the play.”

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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A “It’s a small town, and they have the American Hockey League back there for the first time in a couple years. (The Adirondack Phantoms moved to Glens Falls from Philadelphia in the 2009 off-season). Ten years ago or so, we had Detroit’s farm team, the Adirondack Red Wings.

I used to enjoy that as a kid, going to games. In the summertime, I like fishing and I play a lot of golf.”

The Dyno will roll at 9:00am so come early to get your running number as we limit the day to only 60 truck dyno runs. Breakfast and lunch are available by donation to the Langley Lions club.

There will also be awards for best built and looking trucks with BD factory specialists on hand to talk to about your truck or take you on a tour of our facilities.

MAY 9th • Gates 7am • Mission Raceway

Q You’re on loan to the Heat from the Anaheim Ducks organization, along with Mark Mitera and Logan McMillan. What was it like adjusting to a new team on the fly?

A “It was different at first, for all of us. I started the season with Ottawa and got traded to Anaheim. When I got there I found out they didn’t have an AHL team, and I wasn’t even sure where I’d end up. They just explained to me that I was being sent to the ECHL, and that it wasn’t a punishment.

It was just the situation.

“All of us tried to make the best of it while we were down there (with the Bakersfield Condors), and fortunately for us, we got a chance to come play here (with the Heat). The coaches have given us all a great opportunity to play, and I’m grateful that the Calgary Flames and Abbotsford have given us that opportunity.”

Q I also wanted to ask you about the Jim Playfair stick-snapping

incident. In the famous YouTube video, you’re seated directly to Playfair’s left, and you seem to be having a bit of a chuckle. What was going through your mind at that moment?

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A “I didn’t really know what to do, to be honest. I didn’t want (Playfair) to think I was laughing at him. We kind of joke around about it now that it’s over, but at the time, I really didn’t know what to make of it, and that was the reaction that I was giving. I guess I showed it more openly than I wanted to.”

Q Playfair told the media a couple days later that your mom had

apparently given you some grief about it. What happened there?

A “My mom, and all my buddies actually, were like, ‘How can you be Bring this ad into our Vehicle Service Department for a $50 discount on any product over $500 excluding tax.

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making those kind of faces?’ I was a little nervous to go to the rink after, because I didn’t want (Playfair) to think I was laughing at him, because I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I just really didn’t know what to do. So yeah, my mom was giving me a little bit of grief about it, but we (Weller and Playfair) have had a pretty good chuckle about it.”

Q Which song on your iPod do you hope your teammates never find out about?

A “Miley Cyrus, Party in the U.S.A.” Q In terms of trash talk in hockey, what’s the best line you’ve ever heard on the ice?

A “If a guy asks you to fight, you say, ‘Why would I fight you? You’ve been fighting the puck all game!’”

ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

A15

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

stats

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assist your scoring chances

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religious affiliation, who moved to B.C.’s fifth-largest city because they get more bang for their home-buying buck than Metro Vancouver?

There is no simple answer, mainly due to the fact Abbotsford’s 137,000-strong population is as diverse as they come.

One thing is certain: Abbotsford and the makeup of its residents has changed dramatically, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

With a population that has more than doubled since 1981, 86 per cent of Abbotsford’s current residents are below 65 years of age. At 36.6, Abbotsford residents have the lowest average age of cities in the Lower Mainland and Valley, making Abbotsford one of the youngest cities in B.C.

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Abbotsford’s preferred community newspaper, published every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

ABBOTSFORD HEAT LEADING SCORERS Jason Jaffray David Van der Gulik Cam Cunning Colin Stuart Mikael Backlund Garth Murray Keith Seabrook Staffan Kronwall Brett Sutter Gord Baldwin Jamie Lundmark Riley Armstrong Kris Chucko Josh Meyers Carsen Germyn John Negrin

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Karen Assels will be competing in the pool at the Special Olympics Summer Games this week. A32

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

Whaddaya know? www.conair.ca

GROUP INC. OUR BODY CHECKS are your guarantee . . .

At Beck Collision Services, we guarantee our workmanship and material on body and paint repairs for the life of your vehicle as long as you own it.

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Defenceman Gord Baldwin won a Western Hockey League title with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Which other Heat player was also on that team?

3

Cam Cunning hails from a town on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast.

Name that town.

4

The Rochester Americans are the Heat’s first-round playoff opponent. Which NHL team are the Americans affiliated with?

5

Shawn Weller is on loan to the Abbotsford Heat. Which NHL team owns his rights?

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Which team finished in first place in the AHL’s North Division?

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

A17

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

FACE YOUR ANSWERS...

ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

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ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

FACE

ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

play Playoffs are the final exam

Dave SHELDON

play

by

AMERICANS PROVIDE PERFECT TEST FOR HEAT

It’s here . . . it’s finally here!

The Calder Cup playoffs are underway and the Abbotsford Heat are a part of the festivities.

The first-year Heat are facing one of the most storied franchises in American Hockey League history, the Rochester Americans. Anyone who has watched Don Cherry over the past 30-plus years has heard about Cherry’s time with the Rochester Americans, and their winning tradition over 54 seasons as a member of the AHL. But times have changed. The Americans are making their first playoff appearance in three seasons and have a lot to prove. Not one player on this roster was with Rochester when they last set foot in the playoffs in 2007.

The Americans are hungry, they are desperate to win, and they have a lot to prove to themselves and their fans, who have tuned out the Amerks in recent seasons because of their lack of success on the ice and their turmoil off the ice.

The 2009-10 campaign was a new beginning for the Americans. Head coach Benoit Groulx (pronounced GREW) came in and turned a team that had missed the playoffs by 24 points into an instant suc-

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cess. Rochester went 18-3-1 in their first 22 games and held a double-digit lead in the North Division.

Then injuries, promotions and inconsistent play began to plague the Rochester team. The Americans finished the final 58 games of the season with a record of 26-30-1-1. What had been a 19-point lead over Abbotsford became a onepoint advantage at the end of the regular season, but the Americans managed to hang on to second place and home-ice advantage in the first round. The fans had grown discontent once again, the switch had been turned to the ‘off’ position, and the Americans were happy the regular season was over.

Now, with the Florida Panthers out of the playoffs, the Americans get seven players back from the parent club to bring depth back to their line up. The Americans have their swagger back, but now they have to find a way to put the switch back into the ‘on’ position.

For the Abbotsford Heat, this is a perfect opponent. Of the three North Division teams the Heat could have faced, Abbotsford has the best record against the Americans.

Abbotsford is also the Rodney Dan-

gerfield of the division . . . they get no respect. The Hamilton Bulldogs had a record-breaking year. Rochester had a great start and now get all of their players back from Florida in time for the playoffs.

The Manitoba Moose are the defending Western Conference champions, so Abbotsford is being lined up as cannon fodder for the North Division powerhouses to grind up.

But let’s not forget, the Heat have a good team. They are 10-2-1-1 in their past 14 road games. They are 14-6-1-1 in the Eastern time zone this season. They come into the post-season as the hottest team in the AHL, having gone undefeated in regulation over their last six games.

They’re ready.

The Heat are also getting healthy bodies and familiar faces back in the lineup.

Brett Palin, who missed 59 games, and Matt Pelech, who missed 38 games, are both back on the blueline to provide the Heat with their defensive conscience.

Both players are stay-at-home, stayaway-from-my-crease, nasty players to play against.

Mikael Backlund and Brett Sutter also return from Calgary in time for their Calder Cup playoff debuts, and both players

ABBOTSFORD NEWS

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

FACE

ABBOTSFORD’S PRO HOCKEY TEAM

couldn’t be more stoked. They join others who have held down the fort and contributed in their absence. It has made the Heat a stronger team, a deeper team, and a team that knows they have the sum of parts to go on a long and magical ride in the post-season.

Head coach Jim Playfair will lead this group, and his experience will give the Heat an edge. Playfair has won at this level before, and has kept his team in a playoff position despite losing over 300 man games due to injury this season. He will ensure the team knows that a playoff series cannot be won in one game, but by being true to yourself as a player and focussing shift to shift on the details.

The Heat have made it through the season, and as it is in school, they now take the final exam. How well they studied under Playfair and the coaching staff, and how much they retained through the experiences they have endured as a team, will dictate their final grade.

Dave Sheldon is the director of communications and broadcast for the Abbotsford Heat. He writes a monthly column for FACEOFF magazine.

John Morrow photo

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A19

ABBOTSFORD NEWS

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FRASER VALLEY AUTO MALL

www.hondaway.com

#Limited time lease offers based on new 2010 Honda models. Lease example based on new 2010 Odyssey NHL© SE, model RL3H5AE / 2010 Ridgeline VP, model YK1F5AEZ available through Honda Financial Services on approved credit. £1.9% / 2.9% lease APR for 48 / 48 months. Monthly payment, including freight and PDI, is $428 / $428. Down payment or equivalent trade of $5,360.16 / $4,620.54, first monthly payment, environmental fees and $0 / $0 security deposit due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $29,152.66 / $28,324.29. Taxes, license, insurance and registration are extra. 96,000 km allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometres. Retailer may lease for less. Retailer order / trade may be necessary. †0.9% lease APR for 24 months on all new 2010 Pilot models is available through Honda Financial Services on approved credit. -Current Honda lease customers receive a 1% reduction off the lease or purchase rate on any new 2010 Honda to a minimum of 0%. Offer available on all new purchase or lease contracts from April 1st, 2010 through April 30th, 2010. #/£/†/-Offers valid from April 1st, 2010 through April 30th, 2010 at participating Honda retailers. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. See your Honda retailer for full details. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. ©NHL 2010. All rights reserved.

A20 Tuesday, April 20, 2010