NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
WHL Official and Medicine Hat resident Greg Sarauer is presented with a WHL milestone award for 400 WHL games worked by WHL senior director of officiating Kevin Muench ahead of Tuesday's game between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Medicine Hat’s Greg Sarauer was honoured by the Western Hockey League on Tuesday.
The local linesperson and Outlook, Sask., product was honoured for his tenure in the league ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats contest at Co-op Place.
Sarauer was honoured with a WHL milestone award by Kevin Muench, the WHL’s senior director of officiating, for his 400th game worked as a linesperson on Dec. 1, 2023.
“On behalf of the WHL and our member Clubs, we would like to congratulate Greg on receiving this prestigious WHL Milestone Award,” outgoing WHL commissioner Ron Robison said in a release. “It takes a tremendous commitment to be an official in the WHL and we would like to thank Greg for his remarkable service to our league over the past 24 seasons.”
Sarauer did not wish to speak with media at this time but was honoured by the award ceremony.
He is in his 24th and final season working in the WHL with his career beginning during the 2000-01 WHL regular season. Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins started his first tenure in Medicine Hat two years after Sarauer. He’s enjoyed working alongside Sarauer and has respected the job he’s done throughout the years.
“He’s been around ever since I got here, we came in at the same time just developing and he’s been good, he’s been consistent,” Desjardins said. He’s got a good disposition with the guys and it’s exciting. We’ve had two guys now who have been recognized and it’s been good because both guys are great people. And they really did a great job throughout the years.”
Medicine Hat resident Darren Holeha retired in March 2023 after working 22 years donning the black and white stripes. He, like Sarauer, has worked more than 400 games.
Sarauer, from 2008 through 2011, also worked as a referee, in addition to his duties as a linesperson. He’s also appeared in the playoffs in 16 seasons. He was already well into his career when Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer played and has remained as Frazer is in his 16th year with Medicine Hat.
He describes Sarauer as one of the best on the lines in the East and says they plan on inviting him to continue working their training camp games, if he’s willing.
“For him to do it for 24 years, that says a lot about how well he does his job as a linesman,”Frazer said. “What’s nice about here in the Hat, he does lots of our games so you know he’s a great guy and he does our training camp games. So we’ve gotten to know him over the years, but a heck of an accomplishment.”
