La Ronge Ice Wolves head coach praises resilience of the community during wildfires

La Ronge was one of the areas of northern Saskatchewan that had been evacuated due to raging wildfires.

While the community was set to return on Thursday, a lot of work by emergency crews and citizens has helped try to save as many structures as possible.

One of the key parts of the community is their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team, the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Head coach and general manager Kevin Kaminski joined The Green Zone during Rawlco Radio’s Day of Caring to discuss what he has seen from the community and how the hockey club looks forward to giving back when they return to the ice.

Listen to the full interview here:

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Jamie & Locker: What have you been thinking about over the last week or so about all those fans and people who support your team and the rink and what they are going through?

Kevin Kaminski: I can’t imagine what the people are going through and just trying to save not only your own house, but save the little city and all the structures and everything else. I’ll go fight a 6’7”, 6’9” guy, but to be a policeman or a firefighter, I’m a chicken when it comes to that stuff. I can’t fathom that. I give all the servicemen, the policemen, the firefighters, and the people who stayed back so much credit. Just the resilience that these people have to save the city is phenomenal.

When people return and try to get back to normal, how important will it be for you to do your job as a sign of that return to normalcy?

Kaminski: You feel like you should be up there. I don’t know what the heck I would do. Fortunately, I had two firefighters from Alberta staying at my house and I know they had the sprinkler going there 24/7 just in case something did come a little closer to Air Ronge, just on the precautionary side, but you do feel guilty. I guess these guys are trained professionals and they know what they’re doing. All I can do is thank them and hats off to them for what they do and for saving structures, houses and the community. They’re the real heroes. That’s what makes Saskatchewan such a special place.

You’ve got to know La Ronge and the people who support the hockey team. Can you describe the community and the people you’ve met?

Kaminski: Our board for the Ice Wolves work their butts off to keep the team there. Our president bought the bus, and he drives the bus. He’s got a big excavating company and they go in and make roads for the new mines that are coming in the wintertime. I know him and his son, they plowed with their bulldozers all the trees away from that area and probably saved a lot of houses and a lot of businesses in that area. There are so many people like that up in La Ronge that it’s hard to explain on radio, but these guys, this is their life. That’s their hometown, this is what they’ve lived for, and to save every possible building.

How important is it for you to push the community side of what it is that you guys do?

Kaminski: We do everything that’s asked that comes across our desk. I started the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) skate up there for underprivileged kids. I go out with a couple of players and we just teach the fundamentals of skating and stick handling. Probably half of them are pushing chairs at the start, but by the end of February, everyone is off the chairs, and everyone is skating and a lot of those kids, since we started the NHLPA there, have gone on to play minor hockey.

What the NHL does is that they donate 30 sets of brand-new equipment every year. I think we’re probably close to 300 sets of equipment that they’ve donated and give these kids brand new sets of equipment from head to toe. Then we go donate our time and just have a place for the kids to love the game that you know everyone grows up in Canada with, especially in Saskatchewan. (The players) go carve pumpkins at schools, just the list goes on and on. It’s a privilege to play the game and to wear that jersey, but you have to give back.

I can only imagine the SJHL and Ice Wolves are thinking of something to do for the community come the fall.

Kaminski: I think I was up at 3:30 this morning trying to figure out what we can do as the Ice Wolf family to bring this community together more than ever right now. I need to feed the mice some cheese, so the mind keeps rolling here. We’ll end up doing something big anyway.

What can Ice Wolves fans expect when this community is back at the rink during hockey season?

Kaminski: I’ve had a couple of players reach out to me to see if they could go in and help too. That’s pretty cool. Knowing that these kids care about where they’re going to eventually play is something special. La Ronge isn’t the hot spot for someone to go to, but everyone who comes up loves it. The players are excited to come back, the ones I’ve talked to so far. It was a busy day with the draft as well. We’ve got a lot of players that we were eyeing up and that we watched all winter long. We’ve got some great prospects on defence and forward. We’re very excited about the way the future is going.

I know the community can’t wait to get back out there, and especially this fall, head to the rink and see some Ice Wolves hockey again.

Kaminski: That first game, I think it’ll be pretty special. We’re playing Flin Flon and they’re going through the same thing. It’ll be a special day for them, and a special day for us and and an opportunity to get the community back.