Myshak takes over sole control of the Saints

By Gord Montgomery

Sports editor

Spruce Grove Examiner

As a businessman, Darren Myshak knows more often than not you have to put your money where your mouth is.

So that’s what he did recently, when the pre-arranged deal for him to take over sole ownership of the Spruce Grove Saints Junior A hockey franchise was completed.

Myshak was the key player in bringing the Saints to the Grove from St. Albert five years ago, and at that time a deal was struck between himself and the other two co-owners of the club, Drew Schamehorn and Glen Staley.

“The original plan was Drew and Glen wanted to stay with the team for four years, maximum, and then move on,” Myshak said in a recent interview shortly after all the papers had finally been signed on the long-rumoured, but oft-delayed title transfer of the Saints. “Drew was involved with the AJ (Alberta Junior Hockey League), I think for 12 years and has done a lot for the league. He definitely leaves the league a better place than he found it.

As for his taking over the reins of the club as the sole owner, Myshak said that was indeed the plan all along.

“Everybody’s life changes,” and the other two former partners found their time limited to spend on hockey-related matters, he pointed out. “This is definitely one of those things where it has to be a passionate ownership and you have to be fully involved (as an owner). Even though it is still very much a volunteer thing you have to believe in what you’re doing and follow it through.

“Drew and Glen felt it was time to move on. I anted up to the plate and bought the team out and we move on from there.”

As the sole owner of the club, one of only four such individuals in the AJHL, Myshak said that responsibility has both positives and negatives.

“There’s not much difference because the three of us got along so well,” he said of behind-the-scenes operations. “This way, it’s a lot easier for Steve (head coach and GM, Hamilton) to get direction from one person.”

That being said, Myshak pointed out, a major change was implemented as he began to take control of the franchise.

 “The one place we did make an immediate change though was we wanted this to be more of a program than a team. We want to involve Spruce Grove and Stony Plain minor hockey. Taking those players and giving them full opportunity to play here. That’s what we want to strive for. We want as many local players here as possible.”

That being said, he added, the kids that grow up in this area have to step up to the plate and prove they’re capable of playing at the Junior A level. It’s not a given they’ll be given a Saints jersey just because they call the Grove or Stony home.

“There are two ends to that bargain. The kids have to be competitive enough to play, but at the same time we have to make sure we’re doing everything we can to provide them a spot here to play. I know the last couple of years people felt that opportunity wasn’t existing here for local kids. That’s one thing Steve and I talked about and made it a focus. You’re going to see some dramatic results this year. There are some good quality (local) kids here and Steve has some high hopes in having those kids come into play.”

While it’s easy to say all the right things in regard to this matter Myshak knows it’s not simply a matter of plunking homegrown kids on the ice. Not having a local Midget Triple A hockey club is a big obstacle but the Bantam Triple A club does put a bit of salve on that still-festering wound.

“We don’t know what the magic formula is,” the owner said in regard to how you entice local kids to stay at home to play junior hockey, noting several have bypassed the team in the past few years. He wants that to end though and will strive to meet that goal.

“We don’t want to water down our team. What we want to do is bring our kids up to this level. I really felt a lot of the (local) kids were at this level but went elsewhere to play. Now I think the difference is we want to make sure they feel welcome here. That they want to play here and then move on. That’s what we’re working on.”

That beings said, Myshak noted there are the “odd blue chippers” a team must bring in from outside to help build success and as such, that will happen.

“We don’t feel we need to bring in the full cap amount though,” he stated.

With Myshak taking over the as the sole owner there may be some slight changes but nothing too much, Hamilton said in a separate interview about the same subject.

“I think there’s a certain stability in knowing there’s one voice. Darren has been a huge part of the hockey community locally, and the business community, and him being the sole owner will be good for the Spruce Grove Saints.

“The ownership group in the past was excellent. I think it just came to a point and time where (they) had differing interests in their lives and things change. Darren stepped up and was willing to make the commitment because he recognizes the importance of the Saints to the community.”

Building a tradition

The one thing that has long marked the Saints as a strong franchise, even perhaps a flagship franchise, in the AJHL is their record of success. That’s not only measured in how they do in the standings, which consistently sees them making the post-season, but also how many players they send on to an advanced level of play.

“With the Saints, there’s a philosophy that we never rebuild, we just reload,” Myshak said. “With Steve’s ability at finding players I don’t think we have to rebuild again. He’s rebuilt his program now and I think from here on forward we will be at the top end of the league consistently.

“Junior A, from what I understand, is a two-part system. You have to win, but our main focus is scholarships. We want to provide scholarships for these players to win. If we wanted to win, that’s a WHL (Western Hockey League called Major Junior) route, win at all costs.

“We want to focus on the kids that want to better their lives (through education) and we want to make sure we’re at the top of the league with those kids. Usually those kids don’t stick around for more than two years because they’re off to college.”

That being said, Myshak pointed out, it also means good players’ spots are filled by good players coming in. Success, whether in the standings or in attaining college scholarships, are something young players at this level seek out and they know that’s something they’ll have a fair chance at receiving by pulling on a Saints jersey.

In fact, the owner said, the Saints are one of three teams in the league that together have put more kids into post-secondary institutions than the other 13 teams combined, and he’s rightfully proud of that.

While he’s aware people want to watch a good hockey team, Myshak also knows the AJHL isn’t necessarily all about winning. It’s a combination of things that the Saints are striving to put in place.

“Nobody wants to come and watch an eighth-place team,” he said. “You have to have local talent that people want to watch. You have to have a good facility to play in and where people can park close by.”

To Myshak, the Saints will meet all those criteria as the new hockey season opens up this weekend. He feels the work the City of Spruce Grove has done on the Grant Fuhr Arena and providing more on-site parking, along with the work the coaching staff of the Saints has done in bringing in good young players, will pay off with a strong team this year and more bums in the stands during league play.

“The team, for the first time since we came to Spruce Grove was in the red last year,” Myshak pointed out about crowd numbers that sagged dramatically. “We are hoping to make a bit of a rebound in the attendance figures.

“We definitely don’t make money on this team. Last year we lost money – it costs us about $20,000 per player per year to run this team,” he said. “We rely on corporate sponsorship and fan attendance,” to offset bills.

That being said, the owner did state the team had offers last year from outside to purchase it for more than was paid to bring the team here. Needless to say, the offers were rebuffed.

“If I wanted to make money, I’d go buy another truck,” the local businessman stated. “This is for the community. This is what we do to give back to our community. This is all about making Spruce Grove and Stony Plain a better place.

“It’s a double-edged sword dealing with hockey in Canada. It can get emotional but as emotional as it can get, it’s very rewarding.

“It’s nice,” Myshak said about finally taking sole control of the hockey team. “We definitely march to the beat of our own drummer now. The first four years, we all got along, but it was looked at as a continuation of St. Albert with a little bit of Spruce Grove flavour. Now, it’s going to be all local here. It’s definitely a program to make hockey better in Spruce Grove.”