Kyle McIntyre has been named the next SJHL Commissioner and will take over the reigns from Bill Chow, who announced he would be stepping down following over a decade at the position. (Submitted photo/Kyle McIntyre)

By Martin Martinson

At the helm

New SJHL commissioner, Kyle McIntyre ‘looking forward to opportunity ahead’

May 4, 2022 | 4:26 PM

There’s will be a new face at the helm with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) this fall, as Saskatoon’s Kyle McIntyre has been named new league commissioner.

Picking up the baton from long-time league head, Bill Chow, who announced in late-January he would be stepping down following the conclusion of the season, McIntyre said he’s looking forward to the opportunity ahead.

“As an alumni, and having followed the league very closely for the last 35 years, I look forward to the opportunity,” McIntyre said. “It’s an absolute honour and privilege to have this title bestowed upon me and I’m going to do my very best to help the SJHL continue with many of its fine traditions, and also look at some new possibilities.”

Having recently retired from a 30-year career in education, McIntyre has experience serving on the Board of Directors with the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos, and with Saskatchewan High School Athletics, while also being heavily involved in the minor ball and hockey programs while in Swift Current, recognizing the value of character development through athletics.

“For me, sports and hockey is always a vehicle for personal development and to help young men become good citizens in whatever they choose to do,” McIntyre said. “Whether that’s playing hockey or some kind of post-secondary, or transitioning into the world of work, it’s about providing young men with the opportunity to have a good experience and be better people, learning about life and adversity through sport.”

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As a former player in the SJHL, having split four seasons during the 1980s with Swift Current and Yorkton, McIntyre said he knows full-well the impact the league can have on the lives of its players, having helped set the path to where he is today.

“My time in the league was during the 80s and through the league, I have lifelong friendships with a number of people I’ve played with and played against,” McIntyre said.

“I have lots of good memories playing in the different communities and with the Yorkton Terriers, who I finished my career with, their booster club really provided me with the opportunity to get some schooling payed for which led me to become a teacher; so I look back on the league with fondness.”

McIntyre will spend the next month alongside Chow, to learn the ropes prior to assuming the commissioner position fully June 1.

McIntyre said his first order of business will be to connect and begin to build relationships with the league’s coaches, volunteer boards and governors, which he called the foundation on which all else is built.

“I can’t begin to do any of the heavy-lifting unless I have a solid foundation of relationships and trust and understanding and teamwork,” he said. “So that’s my goal the next few months here as I transition with Mr. Chow: putting some names with some faces and finding out what people are proud about their franchise and what are some areas they want to work on.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1