Hockey in BC and the Yukon would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of thousands of volunteers.

This month we caught up with Minor Midget North Island Silvertips head coach, Jason Dubyna. Dubyna has over 16 years experience coaching at various levels including the Major and Minor Midget Leagues and with the BC Hockey Male Program of Excellence (POE).

In addition to spending time at the rink coaching, Jason works for the Nanaimo Port Authority and at the Nanaimo Golf Club. He also has a passion for movies, collects vinyl records and used to be in a punk rock band!

Thank you Jason for all you do for hockey! Rock on!

Hockey season is underway and coaches and on-ice officials across BC have been busy coaching, observing and regulating practices and games. But do you know what to do if you witness a potential concussion-causing incident?

In June 2016, BC Hockey mandated concussion training for all team officials through the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT), a series of e-learning resources to help with recognizing, treating and managing concussions.

A concussion is a brain injury caused by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body resulting in an impulsive force transmitted to the head. It does not always involve loss of consciousness.

Most concussions can be resolved quickly without complications; however, some symptoms can be delayed by hours or even days after injury, such as concentration or memory problems, irritability, personality changes, sensitivity to light, sleep disturbances, depression and psychological problems.

It is essential that coaches, team officials and parents understand concussion recognition, response and management in order to decrease the impact and incidences of concussions in sports teams. Concussion education is a safety mechanism to benefit a long and healthy sport for life experience.

CATT evaluated whether concussion training led to improvement in knowledge regarding concussion recognition and management among BC Hockey team officials. A total of 1,593 online surveys were collected, and overall, BC Hockey team officials reported that CATT training was beneficial for their understanding of how to spot, respond to and manage concussions for their players.

Continued education on concussions is important - and CATT is an important tool that coaches and on-ice officials can use to keep players safe ad playing their best. So go beyond the initial training and check out CATT for Coaches which includes:

• How to document a concussion-causing incident with the Concussion Incident Report
• How you can help a concussed player return to sport with the Return to Sport Tool
• Various printable handouts and related websites

c/o BC Local News

Photos credit: Langley Advance

More than 200 people signed up for a free hockey clinic for South Asian youth that took place at the Langley Events Centre (LEC). Organizer Robin Dhir said the whole event was put together "literally in a week" to be one of the lead-ups to the World Junior Championship.

"I figured it would be something that would be an opportunity for the South Asian community," Dhir said. "Some of them [the kids] have never had skates on before."

Riley Wiwchar of Hockey Canada called it a "no-brainer." "The chance to get kids on the ice that have never played hockey before is kind of the Hockey Canada mandate," he said. He added that Hockey Canada is interested in operating similar programs in the future. "Hopefully this is something we can use going forward."

Not all the participants were experienced. Among the kids on the ice were Jovin Pagely and Dylshaan Kajla from Cloverdale, who together on a minor team. Pagely said he likes the game because it's "intense" and played on skates, while Kajla said he was looking forward to skating with top-ranked South Asian players like Harkirat Gill of the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, Jordan Sandhu, who plays for Arizona State and Manraj Haye, who plays for the University of BC Thunderbirds. "Just getting to know the, what they've done," Kajla said.

Pagely came by his love of hockey by the direct route. His father Jess is a former BC Hockey League (BCHL) player who spent time on the Cowichan Capitals.

The LEC event was sponsored by Hockey Canada, Canadian Tire and TELUS, in cooperation with Kids Play Foundation. Apna Hockey, a South Asian community-based hockey school, provided the skating, hockey skills and off-ice training to the youth.

Pictures from the day can be viewed online.

During the fifth Annual Winter Classic Hockey Tournament in support of the BC Children's Hospital, $36,510.52 was raised at Apex Resort and hosted by the Kelowna MHA.

The tournament featured young hockey players aged nine (9) and 10 from teams from Victoria, Vancouver, the North Shore, Penticton and Kelowna.

The Victoria Kings were crowned as the winning team with a 3 - 1 victory over the Vancouver Thunderbirds, while one (1) of the Penticton teams took bronze.

"Year after year we have been able to surpass expectations with the help of all the families, players and volunteers involved. Playing hockey outdoors in the cold is fun, but to do it all together for such a great cause is what matters in the end!" said tournament organizer, Yannick Lescarbeau.

Victoria Kings	Vancouver Thunderbirds

In 1972, John Ferguson (Vancouver, BC) defeated the Soviet Union team in the Summit Series as assistant coach of Team Canada, posting a 4-3-1 record. Team Canada won the series in the dying seconds of the final game, a highlight of Ferguson's career.

Prior to coaching, he was the first BC-born player to make it in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing eight (8) seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.  In his rookie season, he led all NHL rookies in scoring and finished second in voting for Rookie of the Year, behind teammate Jacques Leperriere.

In his NHL career, he played in two (2) all-star games and was a member of five (5) Stanley Cup winning teams in Montreal, scoring the winning goal in 1969. His only career hat trick came against fellow BC-born player, Cesare Maniago, in 1967.

He scored 145 goals and had 158 assists in 500 regular season games. Upon his retirement in 1971, Ferguson had set he Canadiens' club record for highest number of penalty minutes in a regular season and the highest number of career penalty minutes.

Upon retirement from playing, Ferguson served as coach and general manager of the New York Rangers, then vice president and general manager of the Winnipeg Jets.

John Ferguson was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1978 and the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

READ MORE OF BC HOCKEY'S HISTORY

PART ONE (1):  Evaluation for Team Canada began during the summer in Kamloops against their biggest rival, the United States.

PART TWO (2):  Follow the players from their Junior teams to selection camp in Victoria, BC. 

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