If you ask Dez Lorencz a question about hockey here is what he might tell you.
The average age of the players on the Innisfail Eagles hockey team is 29. Three of them have played in the NHL. Four have European hockey experience. There are 14 Eagles that have played in the North American minor professional hockey leagues. Twelve Eagles have played National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey. There are nine with Canadian university or college backgrounds. Five players have played in the Western Hockey League, and there are 21 with Junior A experience.
And of course there is coach Brian Sutter, who played 12 seasons in the NHL and coached for another 13.
Those are stats from the Eagles stats man ñ a 41-year-old volunteer who is also the team's director of hockey operations. He is the go-to guy for every statistic that is relevant to the Innisfail Eagles, including team updates on Facebook and Twitter.
ìI love stats,î said Lorencz. ìEven when I managed my son's minor hockey teams the stats were all up to date on the website. I really enjoyed doing it.î
He knows the team and the Chinook Hockey League inside and out. At every Eagles home game he is the voice fans hear from the upstairs ìEagle Officeî following every goal and penalty.
Lorencz has become Mr. Everything to Eagles hockey and for the league. Just ask anyone associated with the Okotoks Drillers, the league's expansion team during the 2013/14 regular season. Without Lorencz, the Drillers may not have been able to play this year.
But Lorencz made sure to make it happen. The Drillers honoured him on Feb. 14 at the Eagles playoff home opener with a presentation of a framed print of the gold medal-winning men's hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
ìWe are here to honour Dez and the Innisfail Eagles for all the help they gave us to get going this year. Without their assistance we could not have done this,î said Ken Munton, the Drillers' director of operations. ìWe started so late at home that we couldn't find ice. To fulfill our schedule obligations we had to play a home game in Bentley, one in Penhold, and three here in Innisfail. Dez had minor hockey move our schedules around so we could have that ice time here.î
Following the presentation, Lorencz hurried back to the ìEagles Officeî. The game was beginning. It was time for his work, which includes ensuring there are live game stats instantly reported online.
ìBeing here tonight in the arena and seeing the nice big crowd on a Friday night for the first game of the playoffs here is exciting,î said Lorencz as he quickly prepares for the game. His wife Nikki is beside him. She organizes the music that is played during game breaks while Phillip Hofer handles the live online scoring.
ìI think it is wonderful. He deserves it,î said Nikki, of the evening's presentation to her husband. She added the entire family is devoted to the team, including 13-year-old son Danyon who is an assistant to the trainer.
ìThat is why I got involved. They were both here and I thought, ëWell, if I want to see them this is where I need to be on a Friday night'.î
As for the Feb. 14 presentation in his honour, Lorencz was pleased to accept it but was in no hurry to make a big deal about it. He is a humble guy who would rather just help the team and the league.
ìWe really wanted to add them (Okotoks) to the league and to help in any way we could,î said Lorencz, quickly adding that it was not just him but the entire Eagles organization that stepped up for the Drillers.
ìWe love the hockey in this league.î
