Tip of the cap: HarbourCats team up with Victoria firefighters union
On a snowy day in which the boys of summer might as well have been stuck on an iceberg, the Victoria HarbourCats gave a glimpse of what they will be wearing on their heads when warmer days arrive.
The team held a media conference Monday to announce a partnership with Victoria Firefighters Association Union Local 730 of the International Association of Firefighters, in which the West Coast League club will wear Local 730-themed caps during all pre-game batting practices and during selected games during the 2025 season.
Lower Island fire departments have had a long, unofficial association dating to the 1960s with lacrosse with several Victoria Shamrocks players, coaches and executives who were firefighters or worked for local departments.
Another sport strongly linked with fire departments over the years has been curling, with the Canadian Firefighters Curling Association sponsoring the most well-known annual national championship that is associated with a job or profession.
“There are the lacrosse and curling connections but the Victoria department had had connections with many sports, including baseball and softball, with [2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist softball player] Emma Entzminger now in her first year as a member of the Victoria Fire Department,” noted Jeremy Wilson, a captain in the department, and also president of Local 730.
“This just seemed like a natural fit for us with the HarbourCats.”
The Local 730 caps will also be worn by the HarbourCats’ affiliate Victoria Golden Tide team of the Canadian College Baseball Conference.
“We’re a business but we are also about community,” said Jim Swanson, managing-partner of the HarbourCats.
“The HarbourCats support the Victoria firefighters and all the work they do. And [nationally and internationally], with the recent devastation we are seeing in Los Angeles, and the wildfires that have decimated areas on our side of the border — Jasper this past summer, among others — it’s important for us all to show support for those who do the dangerous work of keeping us safe. We are supporters of all first responders and military in our area. The caps will stand out very strongly on the field.”
Meanwhile, the club also announced that Men Without Hats will become the official band of the HarbourCats. The Canadian band is best known for its mega-hits Safety Dance and Pop Goes the World.
Safety Dance will be the home-run song played on the PA anytime a HarbourCats batter lifts a ball over the fences at Royal Athletic Park.
MWH lead-singer Ivan Doroschuk grew up in Montreal as an avid Expos fans attending games at Jarry Park. He became a HarbourCats season-ticket holder after moving to Victoria and has sung the national anthem several times before games. Also living on the Island is his brother and band co-founder Colin Doroschuk.
“I’ve been a huge fan and proud supporter of the HarbourCats for many years so I truly consider this to be a great honour and I am humbled Safety Dance will be the home-run song,” Ivan Doroschuk said in a statement.
The HarbourCats open the 2025 WCL season May 30 in Kelowna against the Falcons. The home opener at Royal Athletic Park is June 6 against the Port Angeles Lefties.
