Junior A hockey club coming to Okotoks
By John Barlow
editor
Junior A hockey is coming to Okotoks.
On Friday the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s board of governors
approved the sale of the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves to a group from
Okotoks who will resurrect the T-Wolves as the Okotoks Oilers.
Wayne Lauinger, president of the Okotoks Oilers Junior A Hockey Association,
said the local group could not be more pleased the transfer of ownership
(the sale price is confidential) was approved by the league.
“We are real excited to bring (Junior A hockey) to town,”
said Lauinger. “we are real satisfied we were able to put this
together and bring the team to Okotoks.”
The Okotoks group, which has established a non-profit society, is comprised
of a number of Okotoks and area residents who contributed to the purchase.
The group has not been formally announced.
Although Okotoks will be the new home of the Timberwolves, the Junior
A Oilers will likely not hit the ice until the 2005/2006 campaign.
Lauinger said they have made an application to take a one-year hiatus
from the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the league will deal with
the application in the next month.
The main reason for the leave of absence is to wait for the new arena
to be completed in Okotoks in September, 2005.
“There is a critical shortage of ice in Okotoks and we respect
that,” explained Lauinger.
Despite having to wait one year before seeing the Oilers make their
Okotoks debut, the Okotoks group is ecstatic with the long-awaited arrival
of Junior A hockey in the community.
“It is one of the best feelings I have ever had,” said Jay
Magnussen, who is also involved with the Okotoks group. “It was
a lot of work to have this come true, but it is just a terrific feeling
— it is like winning the lottery.”
The Okotoks group purchased their lottery ticket on May 21 when they
made their offer to purchase the Timberwolves which have been in Crowsnest
Pass for five seasons.
The same Okotoks group thought they had a winning lottery ticket when
they applied to the AJHL for an expansion franchise two years ago, but
were stunned when the Drumheller bid was chosen over Okotoks giving
berth to the Dragons and burning the Oilers.
It has also been rumored that a group from Leduc had put in an offer
to purchase the Wolves, but the league blocked the sale because they
did not want another team north of Calgary.
The league supported the Okotoks offer to purchase by a 14-1 vote (a
two-thirds majority was needed for the transfer of ownership to be approved).
Now the Okotoks group is putting together a board of directors to help
guide the Oilers organization.
The search for a head coach and general manager will commence next winter.
Lauinger said they are leaning towards hiring one person to handle both
duties.
Although there will not be preferential treatment for local applicants,
Lauinger did not hide his hope a qualified local applicant will emerge.
“We will certainly invite applications locally and we would dearly
like someone locally, but this is an important position because they
will make the whole thing work,” he said.
There is certainly no shortage of qualified hockey men in the Okotoks
area and many members of the ownership group have a wealth of hockey
knowledge.
However, that group will be busy building the off-ice structure of the
organization, working with the town on the design of the new arena,
selling season ticket packages, promoting the club and attracting corporate
sponsors.
Indeed, there is plenty of work to be done, but Lauinger is confident
the group that has been put together can handle the task.
“We are building this organization from the ground up and we have
an awesome group here to make this a huge success,” said Lauinger.
“This is a committed group to make this one of the best education
and hockey programs (in Alberta).”
Magnussen echoed Lauinger’s comments saying the group is committed
to making the Okotoks Oilers an anchor franchise in the Alberta Junior
Hockey League.
“Everything we do with this franchise will be the best it can
be,” said Magnussen. “This will be a model for the league
from the get go.”
For Lauinger he said the arrival of the Junior A Oilers complete the
minor hockey experience in the community.
From Initiation to Junior A there are teams at every level for local
hockey players for which to compete.
“We are hopeful kids have the opportunity to stay at home and
achieve their goals in education and hockey,” he commented.
Local hockey fans will have an equal opportunity to cheer them on as
they develop new rivalries with the likes of the Calgary Royals, the
Calgary Canucks and Canmore Eagles. 
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In this issue...
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TO THE
POLLS
Federal election coverage
See News
RODEO
RIOT
Millarville kicks-off
local rodeo season
See Sports
2004
SUMMER GAMES
Game
on in
46
days!
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A group of Okotoks business men including
Don Gilbert, Pat Sheehan, Jay Magnussen, Reece Kosek, Gord Jones,
Lawrie Wedderburn and Wayne Lauinger, have brought a Junior A hockey
team to Okotoks to start play in the 2005/2006 season. A non-profit
association has been established to operate the team, purchased from
Crowsnest Pass, and will include several local parties.
photo by Ryan Laverty
Scare illustrates dangers of river rafting
By Darlene Casten
Staff Reporter
Okotoks RCMP are asking people not to raft on the Sheep River for
several more months after two children went missing during a rafting
excursion June 5.
The Okotoks RCMP, fire department and Foothills Search and Rescue
were called to the Sheep River when a 30-year-old woman reported
the pair missing.
The woman and three children were rafting near the Okotoks library
when they all lost control and fell in the water. The woman and
an 11-year-old child made it to the bank, but lost sight of two
other children, aged 11 and eight. All of the rafters were wearing
life jackets, except for an 11-year-old girl.
Fire department personnel began searching the river while RCMP organized
backup from Calgary. STARS air ambulance responded in order to search
the area from the air and the Calgary fire department arrived with
their riverboat.
An hour after the first call had been received the extensive search
was called off before it began. A family friend of the missing children
contacted the authorities to inform them that the lost rafters had
made their way to the shore and walked safely to Okotoks Lion’s
Campground.
Cst. Al Palmer of the Okotoks RCMP was relieved the children had
made it safely home, noting that it is a dangerous time of year
to undertake rafting expeditions.
“It is not recommended that anyone raft along the river until
the early part of August,” he explained. “In May, June
and July the river is a lot higher and faster because of the melting
snow pack and rain.”
Seemingly slow moving water can be deceiving, Palmer added.
“The river is moving at two to three miles per hour,”
he said. “It is dirty and the deadfall can catch people unaware.”
Lack of support tamed T-Wolves
By John Barlow
editor
A lack of corporate support tamed the Timberwolves in Crowsnest
Pass and initiated the move of the Junior A hockey team to Okotoks.
In an exclusive interview on Monday evening Fred Horbay, the president
of the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves, assessed the demise of the Junior
A hockey club on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
“We just did not have the corporate support required,”
said Horbay. “It was really tough because there were (potential)
sponsors, but they chose not to support us.”
What has made the loss of the Timberwolves frustrating for Horbay
is the fact the club had a dedicated fan base. Despite the team’s
struggles on the ice (no winning seasons in five campaigns) and
its glum financial picture off the ice the fans remained loyal to
the club.
Response from the fans in the Coleman and Blairmore area is not
yet known as the sale of the team had yet to be announced in Crowsnest
Pass on Monday.
Horbay said he expects there will be a few saddened hockey fans
who have supported the club.
“It is too bad,” he said of losing the team. “We
are going to have 400 or 500 fans that will be looking for something
to do this winter. But we needed corporate sponsorship or someone
with deep pockets.”
That saviour with deep pockets did not emerge to help the team cover
its $300,00 annual budget. A budget, it has been rumored, the community-owned
team was unable to meet last season.
One of the biggest costs for the team was travel that Horbay said
was about $30,000 per season. With the team centred in Okotoks travel
costs could be cut by as much as 20 per cent.
Horbay said he feels the new Okotoks ownership group has not only
the support of the Okotoks community, but also corporate support
to make the team a success.
Ironically, Horbay played Senior A hockey in Canmore and faced off
against many of the members of the Okotoks group including Gord
Jones and Greg Wedderburn during the Okotoks Oiler heyday.
Horbay said he can never bring himself to be an Oiler fan as a result
of his old on-ice battles with the Wedderburn and Snodgrass boys,
but he knows the former Timberwolves are in good hands.
“Those fellows will do a real good job,” said Horbay,
as difficult as it must be to admit that of his old rivals. “They
are dedicated hockey men. I wish them the best of luck and when
they do get up and running I will ride up and watch.”
Just don’t expect him to put on an Oilers’ jersey.
As for the team the Crowsnest Pass passed on to Okotoks?
“There are some really good players on the list that they
have required.”
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