Huskie hockey suffers from lack of support
DARREN ZARY
EDMONTON — They didn’t even stick around to lick their wounds. After losing another heart-breaker — this time to the privately-bankrolled Lakehead Thunderwolves who play in a modern rink, get great community support and draw more than 3,000 fans per game in Thunder Bay, Ont. — the University of Saskatchewan Huskies packed their bags. Saving face and a bit of money, they headed home on the bus.
The hockey Dogs have not been rewarded at the University Cup national championship, despite playing in the tournament six times in the last 10 years. The burden has to weigh heavily on the shoulders of head coach Dave Adolph, yet he soldiers on.
Talking to others in Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey, it’s apparent the Huskies have one of the most respected programs in the country.
“I like Dave and I love what he’s done to their program,” Acadia head coach Darren Burns said of Adolph, who is serving his second go-round as president of the coaches’ association in CIS men’s hockey. “I like the way he promotes CIS hockey and his league. Dave’s in it for the right reasons, too. It’s not all about him; he’s not out to land a NHL coaching job.
“He’d be a great guy to see win a national championship.”
The Dogs have made 11 trips to nationals. Adolph has been there for 10 of them; three as a player, one as an assistant coach and six as head coach. He has been rewarded with a title just once, as a player in 1983.
How much more heartbreak he can take?
“I’m a lifer,” Adolph said, a big lump in his throat. “I’ve been a lifer in this program since the day I put my skates on. CIS hockey is phenomenal. The further you go, the better chance that somebody is going to get their heart ripped out. This one probably hurts as much as last time because we were one game short and that will piss me off for another 365 days.”
It looked like a banner season for Huskie Athletics. The football team, the men’s volleyball squad, the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the men’s and women’s track teams and men’s hockey all competed for national championships. In the end, the U of S came away empty-handed.
This could be a warning. The Huskies are in danger of being left in the dust unless their athletics programs receive better support.
Other schools have definitely kicked it up a notch. Even the University of Regina has an advantage on the U of S: it can waive the tuition of its student-athletes, and not just for its football players, either.
While the Huskie Foundation has done wonders for the U of S football program, other teams don’t have that kind of support.
The hockey Huskies continue to play in a woefully inadequate facility, which, as one player put it, “was good maybe back in 1930.”
While the Edmonton media calls Clare Drake Arena a dump (the Golden Bears are contemplating a new hockey facility to keep up with campuses across the nation), in reality, Clare Drake Arena is a palace compared to Rutherford Rink. The old barn keeps potential fans away in droves because of its lack of everything except beams and pillars in the sight lines.
Huskie Hockey, with the right setting and right promotion, could be a big money generator for Huskie Athletics. Somebody has to step up and get this thing going. A rink committee had been struck, but things have gone quiet since plans to host the World University Games got derailed. “We were easily 1-A (along with Alberta) here,” Adolph said. “Obviously, we didn’t get it done, but we have an unbelievable program at the U of S and people need to wake up and be aware of that. “The hockey gods owe us a new rink. Enough is enough.” That seemed to be a common theme when talking to Huskies hockey alumni this past week. One of them talked about a handful of multi-millionaires lining up to give money so a new rink can be built. One even boasted that $14 million could be raised in four months. So far all talk, but no action. The Huskies are long overdue.
dzary@sp.canwest.com
