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.
It was a positive and rewarding second season as president of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for Prince Albert's Bill Chow. The retired city police officer says although there is still a lot of work to do, things are moving in the right direction to get the SJHL into the upper echelon of Junior 'A' loops in the country. 'It always gets better with experience,' admitted Chow while on vacation at Waskesiu Lake. 'You get a little bit more comfortable with the communities, boards and coaches.' Two areas that had major turnarounds for the league were attendance and communications. Chow said while the increase of four per cent in the regular season attendance was positive, the 44 per cent rise in people taking in games during the playoffs was off the charts. 'That's a pretty good indication of the strength of the league and the entertainment value,' notes Chow. 'If they (the fans) didn't think it was entertaining they wouldn't come.' 'The competitive level is a lot higher too,' adds Chow. 'There has been a big effort by coaches to recruit players to make the teams as competitive as possible.' A communication strategy that Chow envisioned when he took over the league two years ago started to take shape this year as well. A dedicated group of writers that includes Mike Stackhouse, Branden Crowe, Craig Stein, Curtis Stepp and Dave Leaderhouse were busy bringing news stories to fans in a variety of ways. 'The hits on the website were off the charts,' says Chow. 'There was always something fresh on there. 'There was always a different angle _ not everything was written by the same brush. 'It was colourful and flavourful.' Always considered a developmental league, the SJHL saw several players called up to Western Hockey League teams during the season and those players made a huge impact with their new clubs. Rhys Dieno from the La Ronge Ice Wolves went on to lead the Red Deer Rebels in scoring while Shaun MacPherson and Connor Gay from the Kindersley Klippers moved into key roles with the Portland Winterhawks and Regina Pats, respectively. 'The SJHL will continue to build on a positive experience for players and to create a more positive perception of the SJHL for leagues looking to recruit players from the SJHL,' states Chow. The league certainly changed that perception when the Yorkton Terriers came within one goal of advancing to the RBC Cup after having a solid showing at the inaugural Western Canada Cup in Nanaimo. Chow says the league champion Terriers were more than competitive and with a bounce here or a bounce there could have had an even better result for a season that was more than successful. Always looking to improve on things, the SJHL has decided to switch to three divisions this year as opposed to the two six-team conferences that have been in play for a number of seasons. Chow says the reasoning for this move is simple: increase the competitiveness. 'Every game in and out of your division is going to mean something,' says Chow. 'Before, as long as you beat the teams in your division, you could make the playoffs.' 'From a team's perspective it creates more competitiveness and from a fan's perspective it creates more interest.' When training camps begin in just over a month a quarter of the league's teams will have a new look to them as La Ronge, Weyburn and Estevan all have new coaches. Chow says while that big of a turnover is rare, it is also exciting. See 'Styles' on pg. Continued from pg. 'They all bring new coaching styles, which provides a few twists in that regard,' says Chow. 'It should be interesting.' Expansion was briefly considered when Warman applied for a franchise, but Chow says due diligence paid off and although he doesn't rule out more teams in the future he is cautious when treading those waters. 'We have to try to make sure from a league point of view that it (expansion) is not a short-term thing,' says Chow. 'I'm glad they (Warman) did a feasibility study. 'When they applied we put out some red flags for them and when they did the feasibility study some of those red flags came back at them. 'Maybe someday when corporations get in there they might be able to sustain a team there,' added Chow. Chow, who has added the responsibilities of being the chair for junior hockey on the Hockey Canada board to his duties as SJHL president, says his goal remains the same: to make the SJHL a premiere league. 'We have to keep working forward in the fashion we are working at,' notes Chow. 'We want to become, at the end of the day, one of the better leagues in Canada.' 'Sometimes things go a little slower than you want, but you have to maintain that level of determination,' adds Chow. The ship is pointing in the right direction and Chow is happy to be the one holding onto the steering wheel.
