CORNER BROOK Nine years ago, former senior hockey hero Juan Strickland was looking for work and decided to take up an offer from then-Corner Brook Minor Hockey Association president Darren McWhirter.
Strickland stepped into the position of technical director for the local association, at the time believing he’d stick it out for four or five years at the most.
“I ended up staying nine years,” he said Wednesday evening. “Which was longer than I previously anticipated.”
The Isle aux Morts native became a staple at the Pepsi Centre, helping guide young hockey players through their formative years on the ice and working with older players, fine-tuning their games as they attempted to take the next step in their development.
His presence will undoubtedly be missed this coming season, as Strickland looks to be heading to Labrador to serve as technical director of the budding minor hockey program in Natuashish. There are still a few details to be worked out before it becomes 100 per cent official, particularly in scheduling, as it pertains to Strickland’s desire to keep his home in Corner Brook and return to the city whenever possible.
Strickland has been a technical director of minor hockey programs all over the province, including Port aux Basques, Port au Choix and Stephenville, but this experience, which would begin in October, provides a whole new challenge for a man looking for one.
“I’m just ready for a change,” he said. “I want to do something different and sometimes you can get rejuvenated when you go to a new place, work with new kids and meet new people.
“They’re looking for someone with some experience and knowledge and skill development,” he added. “I’ve been up and had a look at it and they need some guidance. They’ve got beautiful facilities there, but they don’t have the expertise when it comes to what should be taught to the kids at different levels.
“They’re looking for someone to come in and put a program in place and help develop their minor hockey program.”
Even without this opportunity, Strickland said he was probably finished as technical director in Corner Brook anyway. He approached this past season as his last and is content with that decision.
He didn’t delay in coming up with an answer for what he’d miss most about his old gig.
“The kids,” he said. “I had an excellent relationship with the kids, they responded to me well and I enjoyed every minute I had working with them.”
Great strides have been taken in the local program since he was hired nearly a decade ago, when the goal was to just get back up to par with regards to competing against the rest of the province. Once that was accomplished, Strickland believes the program has started to lose touch with the backbone of the association.
“I see where we’re having problems now trying to create the proper environment for all kids to get the proper benefits,” he said. “The minor hockey program is starting to lose sight of the grassroots of our program, which is our house league.”
Strickland said the numbers aren’t here for those players that just want to play competitively to be removed from the house league altogether, so instead the house league suffers.
“We’re playing musical chairs with 30-50 kids and we’re trying to run an A team and then a B team,” he said. “We can’t just run a program in Corner Brook for elite or all-star players. If we lose our house-league program, if minor hockey is just going to be for elite players or all-star players, then we won’t be able to survive.
“We’ve got to be able to keep 300 kids happy.”
His concern for the future speaks volumes about his passion for the minor hockey in Corner Brook, despite his leaving.
“I’ve got nothing but words of thanks and praise for minor hockey in Corner Brook,” he said. “for giving me the opportunity and the kids I had a chance to work with.”
