Ex-coach takes over as Cubs president

By Sean Rooney on July 13, 2018.

srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

A dozen years after he first became coach of the Medicine Hat Travelodge Cubs, Dave Kowalchuk is taking over as the junior B hockey team’s president.

He’s wasting no time in trying to transform the club’s fortunes, both on and off the ice.

“We’re going to recruit here hard, try to build a winner, get the guys involved in the community and go that route,” said the 39-year-old. “I think the opportunity is great for the organization.”

The team sent a press release Tuesday stating that Calvin Foster was stepping down as president, along with Bill Berard leaving the general manager’s post. But the changes go farther than that, as Berard confirmed his brother Ron, the team secretary, will also step away from the club, as will his sister who’s on the board of directors.

Kowalchuk, who hasn’t named a new GM yet, says he intends to run the team more like a junior A franchise. That means some players will come from outside the community and need to be billeted, and training camp will involve something it hasn’t for a few years now — cuts.

“We want 40 to 60 guys at fall camp,” said Kowalchuk, who’s coached the team in two different stints in the past 12 years. “I coached the Cubs for those years, I always envisioned this team to be a championship team every year, or at least in the finals.

“At times we were close, just couldn’t get over the hump. We need some depth in our roster, some guys that are going to push the local boys to be that much better.”

With a 49-15-5-3 regular season record with Kowalchuk at the helm from 2006-2008, they were undone in the playoffs. He left to focus on becoming a firefighter. In 2010, a year after Ron and Bill Berard became president and GM, respectively, Kowalchuk was an assistant coach and took over for good when Stu Holland quit the team a month into the campaign.

The second stint didn’t go as well for the Saskatchewan native, as Medicine Hat went 8-20-0-2 after he took over, then 14-21-1-2 in 2011-12. He had put his career ambitions on hold to coach the Cubs.

Since then the team had a couple good years, but has compiled a 25-79-8 record the past three regular seasons. A lack of players has hurt the club. Kowalchuk plans to keep head coach JD Gaetan, who he feels did a good job under the circumstances.

“It’s been very rough,” said Bill Berard. “When you don’t have a great commitment from some kids, you have 25 kids carded and 15 going down the road on the bus all the time.”

Now a full-time firefighter with the city, Kowalchuk is back and as ambitious as ever. After taking a role as the Cubs scouting director in March, he ran a summer camp that drew 90 players from across the Prairies. It was then that Foster and Berard realized Kowalchuk was ready to do a lot more.

“We are very busy, we’ve been here for 10 years,” said Berard. “Change is never bad. You bring in fresh blood, fresh ideas, rejuvenation. I think it was time.”

Berard, who works for the city, also had a huge career opportunity present itself that requires him to take university courses in Edmonton. He knew he wouldn’t be able to continue as GM anyhow.

Foster, who became president in 2011, also is busy with work, though both men will work with Kowalchuk to ensure a smooth transition.

That transition will include new board members, who Kowalchuk hopes can be voted in next Tuesday.

“We’re after hockey-knowledgeable people, people that are ready to work hard,” said Kowalchuk. “I’m a go-go guy here so I need people that are going to back me, help make the next step for us.”

Changing the team structure will be Kowalchuk’s biggest challenge, and he’s already talking about a big season ticket drive event to start off the fall. Training camp is set for early September.

Foster and the Berard brothers put a lot of work into the Cubs, and they hope this new era is a successful one.

“I don’t know if junior A can fly in Medicine Hat, but you never know until someone tries, right?” said Berard. “If he can build a system that’ll make that happen, all the power to him.”

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