DIDSBURY - Keith Klinck, six-term president of the Didsbury-based Mountain View Colts hockey team is staying on until a new president can be found.
Members of the 15-team Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL), the Colts recently held its annual general meeting (AGM). Although several new directors came on board, no one came forward to seek the president position.
Although he had planned to retire following the AGM, Klinck has agreed to remain in the president position until a replacement can be found.
“We did have a number of people who did join the board but no one was willing to take on the president position,” Klinck said.
“We can call a special meeting and appoint a new president if we find a replacement. We are looking right now and talking to some people. I’ll stay on until a replacement is found.”
The fact the 2020-21 season was cut short in November due to the COVID pandemic was hard on everyone, he said.
“Last season was a disappointment,” he said. “We put a team together and played exhibition series and started the regular season and then the league was shut down as most minor sports were.”
The plan right now is certainly to have a team in 2021-22, he said.
“There are lots of uncertainty about what the season will look like next year but we are hopeful that we will be able to play a season,” he said. “We have every intention of putting a team together and having one in place to play.”
Training camp for the Colts typically runs from the end of August to early September, with exhibition games starting in late September. There is no drafting of players in the HJHL.
Of course all will depend on whether the COVID pandemic is continuing to impact sports, he said.
“It is challenging to plan anything with the uncertainty, but at this point we are planning to move ahead as normal,” he said.
Despite the shortened 2020-21 season, the team’s corporate sponsors have remained loyal and on board, he said.
“Our major sponsors have stuck with us through last year and I expect will again in the coming year as well,” he said.
The team itself remains in good financial shape, he said.
“Currently we are in a similar situation to what we have been in the last number of years. We have about $40,000 in the bank right now and all of our bills are paid for the previous year. Financially we are in good standing,” he said.
On a personal level, Klinck says his decision to step down as president, when a replacement can be found, has to do with a desire to move on.
“I had two boys go through the organization and I think after six or seven years there needs to be some change, getting some new ideas to keep the program growing and strong and vibrant,” he said.
Although his time with the team hasn’t ended just yet, Klinck says he already has some fond memories.
“The board members and parents and sponsors and players have always been fun to work with,” he said.
The team winning the league in 2015-16 was among the highlights, he said.
Although Colts’ 2020-21 games were played at the Carstairs Memorial Arena due to renovations at the Didsbury Memorial Complex Arena, the plan its to return to Didsbury for the 2021-22 season, he said.
