You don’t need a stick to give back to hockey
Bergevin says troubling pattern in net led to firing of goaltending coach
There are hockey families and then there are the Ouellettes.
Over the past two decades, Kara and Mike Ouellette have had four sons — Bailey, Noah, Connor and Joshua, who range in age from 12 to 22 — go through some or all of the Penticton Minor Hockey Association program.
But the couple — who also have a daughter, Kheara, 23 — have made plenty of contributions to the game on their own without even picking up hockey sticks. Both have served as team managers, safety persons and PMHA board directors.
Kara has headed that board as president for the past four years, but is planning to step down at an annual general meeting tentatively set for mid-May.
She’s encouraging anyone with an interest in the game — or even work experience that could assist the board — to consider putting their names forward.
“The board would always love to have an accountant, a lawyer, professional people who could sort of give their time and expertise,” said Kara, who works for the Canada Revenue Agency.
“Also, you don’t need to know about hockey. There are people around who know about hockey.”
Kara never played hockey, but always loved the game and saw volunteering with PMHA as a way to give back to the community — and kids in particular.
That’s been more difficult in light of health restrictions that since mid-November have only allowed players — 450 this season, down from 530 last season — to practice.
“But our coaches and our coach co-ordinators have done a really excellent job coming up with new and innovative ideas to keep kids engaged,” said Kara.
“I’m really proud of what our executive was able produce this year — and every year — getting kids on the ice. They’re happy. That’s what I’m proudest of.”
For more information, visit www.pentictonminorhockey.com or email administrator@pentictonminorhockey.com.
Now more than ever it’s important to stay active and enjoy the great outdoors, and Hoodoo Adventures is going that extra mile to make it possible for its many clients.
According to founder and CEO Lyndie Hill, who owns Hoodoo with husband Mike, it’s not been an easy task in these uncertain times.
“Because of COVID, of the five departments in our business there’s not a single one that has gone unscathed but we have been able to adapt and be flexible,” said Lyndie. “It’s fantastic to see people outdoors and doing things and we hope to offer more skills courses and outdoor education programs so people are doing it safely.
“We’ve always struggled to get that message across but, however we had to get there, it’s good that we’re here.”
The ever-changing COVID restrictions for the Hills has meant many changes, including pre-booking the inside climbing wall and even adding a portable outdoor classroom.
The couple remember when they first opened Hoodoo in 2007 there were some who thought the business would never fly, but they proved them wrong.
In fact, they’ve elevated Hoodoo to the world stage while at the same time staying true to their roots and the community they live in.
“Everything we have ever done has always been about giving to the community and we’ve always been giving back, it’s been a two-way street since day one,” said Mike.
"We’ve been humbled and blown away by the support by everyone in the valley, and Penticton in particular has rallied around us, parents, schools, climbers and the big demographic that exists here, the 50-plus who have been our key clients from the beginning.”
In 2020, Hoodoo won Business of the Year in the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber Business Excellence Awards and was one of about 80 firms in the country to receive a special subsidy from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Also last year, they received a Travelers’ Choice Award through Trip Advisor.
Hoodoo had been chosen to host a demo event for the Adventure Racing World Series — Expedition Canada — that was scheduled for 2020 but was moved to June of this year.
“We have teams from all over the world that have registered, so we’re hoping the travel restrictions are lifted,” added Mike.
Hoodoo’s varied programs are available to all ages from kids to seniors and for
almost every skill level including children with special needs, which is very close to both their hearts.
Mike recalled the kind words from a parent just last weekend when they took some kids with autism snowshoeing in the back
country.
The mother told him her daughter “comes alive” knowing she will be going out with Hoodoo and tries things she wouldn’t normally do.
“Hearing that from the parent just gave
us a massive shot in the arm and reminded us that so much more of what we do is lot more than a business it’s an injection of support into the community that touches people in so many ways, especially now,” said Mike.
Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said he needed to be “100 per cent sure” he was ready to make the decision to fire longtime goaltending coach Stephane Waite.
It turns out the reached that point during the second period of the Canadiens’ 3-1 win over visiting Ottawa on Tuesday night.
The Canadiens announced shortly after the game that Waite, who had been with the club since 2013 and helped Carey Price reach elite goaltender status, would be replaced by Montreal scout and former
NHL goalie Sean Burke.
Bergevin, who said the move was made while the game was in progress, said the decision to fire Waite was the result of a years-long pattern in his goaltenders’ play that he found troubling.
“There was not one incident that happened,” Bergevin said Wednesday in a video conference.
“I thought about it thoroughly and 98 per cent is not good enough for me. I had to be 100 per cent sure it was the right decision for me and I came to that decision yesterday.”
The abrupt dismissal of Waite was another example of how quickly Bergevin is ready to make a move in a shortened NHL season with little room for error.
Waite was fired a week after Bergevin replaced head coach Claude Julien with Dominique Ducharme following a string of disappointing results. The last straw was a pair of road losses to the last-place
Senators.
After an impressive start to the season that saw the Canadiens briefly lead the North Division standings, Montreal has produced just three wins over its last 11 games to slide to fourth place.
Part of the issue has been the play of Price, who has posted a pedestrian 6-4-3 record with a .296 goals-against average and an ugly .893 save percentage so far this season.
“I’ve seen ups and downs. You guys saw it,” Bergevin said. “Again, everybody goes through it, but it was a gut feeling I had and sometimes you have to trust your instincts. My instincts told me a change was needed.”
Bergevin said Price was not consulted on the change. The goaltender said Wednesday that he found the move “surprising.”
“I’m grateful for the time I spent with Steph,” Price said. “He’s been a hard-working, dedicated goalie coach, and I really appreciate all that hard work he’s done with us.
“Right now it’s a quick turnaround. We don’t have a lot of time to dwell on things, so it’s about regrouping, getting the work done and start bonding quickly.”
Price added he expects to start getting to know Burke quickly, despite Burke having to finish a 14-day quarantine period due to COVID-19 protocols before joining the team. Bergevin said Burke will work with Montreal’s goaltenders through videoconferencing while in quarantine.
Tuesday’s decision ends a largely productive relationship between Price and Waite that reached its zenith in 2014-15, when Price posted a 44-16-6 record with nine shutouts, a 1.96 GAA and a ,933 save percentage. He cleaned up at the 2015 NHL awards, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender among other honours.
While Price has had some excellent runs since then, his play has been mercurial over the past few seasons. He also struggled during the 2019-20 season before returning to top form when the league resumed after a months-long break due to COVID-19.
Bergevin said he didn’t notice any problems with the chemistry between Price and Waite.
“There was no fight or argument, none of that,” he said. “I think they had a good relationship. I make decisions for the organization, for the team, for the players. That’s my job. And I take for responsibility for making that change.”
Despite Price’s struggles, backup Jake Allen has found early success in his first season with Montreal with a 4-2-2 record, 2.12 GAA and .929 save percentage.
Asked why Allen has played well and Price poorly under the same goaltending coach this season, Bergevin declined to get into specifics.
“I go back to a pattern I saw occurring the past few years, so I felt it was necessary for me to make that change,” he said.
The Canadiens returned to action Thursday with the first of two home games against the Winnipeg Jets.