You may notice a new face around the hockey club this weekend at camp; The Virden Oil Capitals Hockey Club is excited to have Reid Gow come on board with the coaching staff.
“Reid is going to be part of our coaching staff. Reid has ambitions to pursue and further himself into coaching. Being able to be alongside Troy, Tyson and Ryan this year will start to give him a continued foundation for his coaching platform. Reid will take part in practices when he can bi-weekly type thing and be at games to evaluate when time permits for him. He will be more specific in the skills teaching as this is where some of his passion really gravitates to. He will be a great connect for our team as they will have an ability to relate to Reid very well with that limited age gap,” stated Jamie Hodson, Director of Business and Hockey Operations for the hockey club. Hodson goes on to say, “Reid exhibits qualities that we continue to strive for within our hockey club. He has an immense passion for the game, he is a community first individual, and he wants to win. As a hockey club, we have been talking to Reid for some time now and feel this is a great way to add another quality hockey mind to our team. To top it off Reid has the connections with Troy, as alluded to, and Tyson as well with his time in Brandon, so the transition will be seamless for our staff as a whole.”
Reid’s playing bio is impressive; while growing up and playing in southwest MB, Gow played for the Southwest Cougars at 15 with Troy Leslie as his head coach. Gow spent 5 years in the WHL; Four with the Spokane Chiefs and then had the privilege of playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings in his 20-year-old season to cap off his junior career. All the while, Gow played for team Manitoba U16, Canada West U17, and attended the St. Louis Blues training camp.
Gow now works full time in Virden with a partner of the hockey club; Farm Credit Canada. “This is a natural fit for Reid, in that FCC is a like-minded community partner of ours and really pushes their employees to get involved with local connections. Reid is somewhat new to the immediate area, but is making his mark quickly from a community and professional setting both with his character and passion for hockey and Agriculture,” added Hodson.
For his part Gow had this to say; “As a coach, I was a part of the Southwest Bantam AAA team last season, where I learned a lot from the other coaches. I have limited experience as a formal coach, but look forward to learning from the likes of Troy and Tyson. I want to thank Jamie and the organization for taking time to put something together for me, that works with the hockey club and myself. I am thankful and proud to work with FCC in the SW region and want to thank them for allowing me to have some leeway to be involved with the team. I look forward to helping the organization in continuing to grow both on and off the ice towards our goal of winning a championship.”