Another amazing playoff run by the Osoyoos Coyotes had the town and the team’s many fans buzzing over the past month.
Although they came up just short of reaching the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) championship series for the second straight year, it has been another remarkable season for the local junior hockey club.
Since the Storm left town and the Coyotes joined the KIJHL, head coach and GM Ken Law has done an amazing job running this organization.
Ironically, it was the Storm team that moved to Kamloops that knocked the Coyotes out of the playoffs this past weekend.
Not many junior hockey franchises in Canada can brag about one league championship and two appearances in the conference final over the past four years.
But the Coyotes can.
The bottom line is Law is a winner who has enjoyed remarkable success in recruiting some truly talented hockey players and some very fine young men to this community.
Law announced on Tuesday that he and team owner Randy Bedard have agreed in principle that he will sign a new contract to remain as the head coach and general manager and Law expects to sign a new contract before his current deal officially expires on May 1.
Bedard and Law have formed a dynamic duo in turning the Coyotes into one of the true model franchises in this league.
Bedard works his butt off to make the Coyotes a viable franchise financially and does not interfere in the hockey operations of the team like so many owners tend to do at this level.
Law has proven he knows exactly what he’s doing in recruiting solid players who are looking to win and want to play hockey at a high level and earn the opportunity to advance to an even higher level after a year or two in Osoyoos.
No one, including fans, ownership and management, are truly happy when the season ends without a championship, but the Coyotes are the only team in the KIJHL to enjoy this kind of success over the past four years.
Having Law about to sign a new contract and be in charge of hockey operations should ensure that the Coyotes will continue to win and local hockey fans will continue to enjoy great hockey for the foreseeable future.
This year’s version of the Coyotes did not have the talent level of last year’s team – which came within one game of making the league final – but they played with a ton of heart and were a pleasure to watch down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The Storm stacked their team with former BCHL and WHL players to try and win a championship.
Many would argue that’s not what developmental leagues like the KIJHL are all about, but we’ll leave that debate for another time.
There isn’t a lot to do in Osoyoos during the long winter months, but being able to attend Coyotes’ games and cheer on quality teams year after year makes us the envy of many other communities.
Kudos to Bedard, Law and every single player on the 2013-14 squad for a job very well done.
