By Nick Dube

Spruce Kings scoreboard up for discussion

Jun 16, 2025 | 5:20 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Spruce Kings request to City Council regarding the need to update the Arena scoreboard at Kopar has moved on to a second phase. The request has now been referred to the finance and audit committee for inclusion in the 2026 capital plan.

The proposal comes at a time when the state of 67 year-old Kopar arena is a hot topic. The new scoreboard would carry with it an estimated $400,000 price tag and this leaves many wondering if that money could be put to better use on a future downtown arena.

For Spruce Kings GM Mike Hawes the time for replacement is now as the currrent clock does’nt meet league standards and more importantly is costing the club vital advertisement revenue.

” “I mean, there’s many factors that come into play here. Obviously, the standards that we talked about within the league that that’s one and it’s an aging clock that just needs to be replaced. It can be relocated to a new facility if that time comes when we do get a new arena built in the downtown. Another factor is increasing our fan experience and improving our fan experience in the building. We have great fans who support us and to increase the experience for them is of the utmost importance to us. The final factor is our ability to generate revenue by using the clock with advertising that we can add to it which gives us another revenue source. ” said Hawes.

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The proposal currently sits in the unfunded stage and with all the issues surrounding Kopar arena as a whole City council will have to meet and decide if the need outweighs other concerns. Councilman Tim Bennett said all decision made need to be made in the best interest of the taxpayer in addition to providing a facility that meets the requirements of the tenant.

“The Spruce Kings brought this request for the score clock to be replaced at a quicker pace than I think what was originally planned.So that’s where the conversation of council is going to be. Can we move it from unfunded to funded?, Are there other conversations we need to have?, and combine that with the broader conversations around the future of Kopar arena. I know that’s something that’s been in front of council for a while now and we know the building is aging. In the end we have to weigh what upgrades do we put into the building when we know the building may not be a suitable long term home.” said Bennett.

Currently the proposal is still under discussion with no timetable for a decision.