There was only one man the Okotoks Junior B Bisons were going to allow to be the first to hoist the Russ Barnes Trophy in team history.
Rather than lift the trophy first as per hockey customs Bison team captain Chase Fallis instead made a beeline for head coach Mike Hannigan and handed the trophy to their bench boss and the team’s source of inspiration.
“It feels great to win this for all the guys in the organization, especially Hanny because he’s been coaching for a long time,” Fallis said. “To finally get him the gold medal at provincials feels unreal.”
Through two stints of coaching in Okotoks and six years with the Airdrie Thunder, Hannigan has 19 years of experience behind the bench and made his 12th trip to the Junior B provincials count.
“It’s unbelievable, I don’t think I’ve ever seen kids this dedicated to a goal. I can’t even explain it,” said Hannigan, a member of the Bisons Wall of Fame. “I think losing last year is what did it.
“It brought a lot of them back, they all missed out on what they wanted and it was a focus right from the get-go.”
The 12 returning players from the Bisons’ 2012 provincial silver medalists were fully deserving of the provincial glory one year later. The 2012-13 Bisons completed a remarkable campaign with an overall record of 48-2-1-3 in the Heritage Junior Hockey League season, playoffs and at provincials.
Equipment manager Kent VanWinkle, a member of the organization for 11 seasons, witnessed first hand four provincial trips without any gold results for the Bisons.
“It feels great, but the guy I’m happiest for is Hanny. He’s been in the league forever,” VanWinkle said. “He gives so much to the team. He’s a father of two young boys and he gives up weekends with them.
“I’ve been with him since before he had kids and the level of commitment hasn’t changed.”
Hannigan wasn’t the only member of the Bisons brass spurned by the Russ Barnes Trophy in years past.
Former Bisons players Trevor Snodgrass and Cale Granson each made three trips to the provincial championships before finally earning their gold medal, as the assistant coach and trainer respectively, in 2012-13.
No one can attest to Okotoks’ elusive pursuit of a provincial championship better than vice-president Mike Parsons, the most tenured member of the Bisons with 22 years in the organization.
Parsons recalled a three-win season for the Bisons in his first year with the organization and despite the losses he realized there’s something special about the club.
“It’s the local talent and giving Okotoks and area players a place to play,” Parsons said. “And it’s watching the guys take off the sweater and hang around, guys like Jay (McFarlane) and his brother Trevor and Todd Reidlinger, David Gilbert, the guys that have continually supported us. The fans, the town, everybody.
“I don’t know if I could describe the feeling I’ve got right now. It’s like winning my own Stanley Cup.”
Jay Pritchard, the Bisons team president since 2000 and member of the organization for 16 years, was quick to ascribe all the credit to those currently wearing the Bisons’ blue-and-red.
“When the final buzzer went and they went on the ice every minute of 16 years was worth it,” Pritchard said. “It’s a great organization and it’s exciting as hell for these players to win this thing.
“It’s certainly rewarding to finally do it. The hard work was worth it.”
The hard work has led the Bisons to their first appearance at the Keystone Cup, the Western Canadian Championships in St. Malo, MB April 18-21.
It’s the final stop in the journey the Bisons’ have had on their minds since training camp started in September.
“Mike Hannigan, he’s the best coach in Alberta,” Parsons said. “And we’re going to prove he’s the best coach in Western Canada in a couple weeks.”
