The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ben Lulashnyk said he became a man after playing hockey in Flin Flon for the Bombers. That maturing process happened over three years as the Thompson native manned the Bombers blueline from 1999 until 2001. He played on the Bombers RBC Cup team that lost the final game. "That was a really fun year with lots of talent," Lulashnyk said during a phone interview from Thompson. "It was a great atmosphere. It was unfortunate to lose in the playoffs." He was part of a team that set a team record with 44 wins and 91 points. Lulashnyk said it was fun playing in front of 2,500 to 3,000 fans. "People were packed," he said. "The fans were part of the team. It was a tough place for the opposition guys." Towards the end of his Junior A career, Lulashnyk had interest from some U.S. colleges, including Sacred Heart where Mike Reagan played, but he turned down their offer because the university didn't have the studies that interested him. Ottawa and the University of Saskatchewan also expressed interest. He ended up going to the University of Regina after coach Bruce Thompson recruited him and the school gave him an academic scholarship. While playing in Regina, Lulashnyk was nominated for the outstanding defenceman award in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport for Canada West. When it came to playing the game, he loved the challenge it presented him. Now the 26-year-old is taking on a new challenge attending the University of Manitoba and taking medicine to become a doctor in three years. Currently he's spending five weeks in Thompson where he will get his feet wet working in different areas of the hospital. He chose the medical field after a professor made the suggestion to him. The Bomber alumni has since given up hockey to concentrate on his studies, but Lulashnyk said he believes the game helped build his character. Since being removed from the game, Lulashnyk said he didn't miss it his first year, but this past year he did. "I miss being competitive and the game," he explained, but he's happy with his career choice.
