One on One with Bruce Hamilton
As the World Junior tournament kicks off and the Kelowna Rockets prepare for a return to home ice Dec. 28, 30 and Jan. 1, Kelowna Rockets reporter Kevin Parnell spoke with Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton on the first half of the WHL season and about spending Christmas in Buffalo with his family to see son Curtis play for Canada in the world junior.
Kevin Parnell: The World Junior tournament is such a tradition. It has to be a thrill to go there and watch your son play for Canada.
Bruce Hamilton: I’ve been going to this tournament for a number of years [as WHL Board Chairman]. It’s a special time. To go to it and now to be able to live it as a parent I can only imagine how special it will be. We’re just so proud of Curtis and just so happy he gets an opportunity to play in this tournament. They only take 22 guys so it’s special for him.
KP: Staying on the topic of family, at the Kelowna Rockets Christmas party your father spoke about family and watching the Rockets organization grow from it’s time in Tacoma to Kelowna. He said it has become like a big family. What did it mean to you to hear him speak like that?
BH: He’s special because he’s been with us since it started. He watched us struggle and he watched us learn from mistakes and he’s enjoyed the fruits of the labour when the hockey club won the Memorial Cup and everytime we won a league championship. Whatever happens he doesn’t change at all with his support of the organization.
KP: This year’s version of the Rockets started 4-10 and was then 15-5 until the Christmas break to sit one point out of first place in the WHL BC Division with a 19-15-0-0 record. What do you think of the season to date?
BH: I’m really happy with the maturity of our team. When we were 4 and 10 I went after them personally because I didn’t think they understood how hard you have to work. We had some guys taking it for granted what it meant to be here and more importantly what it means to play on our hockey team. I feel the guys on this team are special and they have to be able to committ to what it means to play here. It’s not a right to be on this team, it’s a privilege in my mind.
KP: Let’s talk about the future. So far this year we’ve watched the debuts of 15-year-old defenceman Madison Bowey and Jesse Lees and 16-year-old D-man Damon Severson is playing lots of minutes. What do you think of the future for the Rockets?
BH: What I see is there are a lot of NHL scouts here. I think those guys chose to come to Kelowna because they believe they are going to get the best opportunity to graduate to pro hockey by playing here. All three of them, and there are a couple more guys that are extremely good players, will be given a chance to play with us.
KP: How do you, as an organization, continue to find top young talent?
BH: Our scouts have done a marvelous job. Lorne Frey and the rest of the guys don’t get the credit for all of the work they do. They are the guys that find these players. All I ever tell them is to pick the best player. Then it is up to me and the coaches. Recruiting is like running a business. If you surround yourself with good people, then you don’t have much trouble getting good people to work with you. In this case we have good players playing here so it’s easier to attract players.
KP: This organization has high expectations. What are they?
BH: When you join our club the expectations are high. We expect to win and what we expect and demand of our players doesn’t change: When you come here you go from being a boy to being a man.
KP: This year for the first time ever the Rockets are holding a New Year’s Day game, hosting Spokane at 7 p.m. on Saturday Jan., 2011. How did that come about and how do you think it will go?
BH: It was a Saturday and we weren’t prepared to give away a Saturday. I think it will be a very exciting night. In general there are usually three or four home games after Christmas where there are so many people who come back home and somehow they find a way to get tickets. It’s such a festive atmosphere throughout the building.
KP: Do you have any holiday wishes to fans of the Rockets?
BH: Just that our organization wishes everyone the happiest of the holidays. We’re so grateful for their support.
