More from Saturday . . .

On May 18, 2007, the Moose Jaw Warriors issued this press release:
“The Board of Directors of Moose Jaw Tier 1 Hockey Inc. is very pleased to announce that the Warriors Hockey Club has retained the services of General Manager Chad Lang through the 2010 Season.
”Board President and Governor, Darin Chow notes that the organization is very pleased to have been able to create continuity within the organization at its highest level to 2010 and looks forward to a fulfilling and prosperous relationship between the Warriors and the Community of Moose Jaw.”
Well, it turns out that isn't quite how it was. The contract didn’t take Lang through the 2010 season. It seems the contract was for two years with the club holding an option on a third season. That option had to be exercised by Sunday (May 31) at midnight.
The Warriors chose not to exercise that option and Lang was fired on Friday. (Actually, he wasn’t fired; it was a case of the club not picking up his option.)
Lang had been with the Warriors since May 5, 2003, when he joined them as marketing and sales manager. He had been GM since Dec. 6, 2004.
The Warriors signed Dave Hunchak as head coach on June 16, 2007. The club never did release any details of Hunchak’s contract. But a source tells me that Hunchak’s contract also was for two years with a club option on a third season and that the club has until midnight Sunday to exercise that option.
Of course, after word got out that Lang was done, there immediately were rumours flying that Marc Habscheid would be moving into Moose Jaw as GM and head coach, and that he will bring in an assistant GM and a head scout.
However, there now are reports that former Kelowna Rockets head coach Jeff Truitt will be introduced as the director of hockey operations on Monday. Truitt left the Rockets prior to 2007-08 to join the Edmonton Oilers’ organization. He didn’t survive a second season as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.
No matter. It seems the community-owner Warriors are in for some interesting times. But, then, isn’t that always the way in Moose Jaw.
By the way, has construction started on the new arena yet?
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THE COACHING GAME: The AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder has hired Fran Gow as general manager and head coach, effective Monday. Gow is a long-time junior A coach who worked for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Grande Prairie Storm. He spent this season as the Oil Barons’ director of player personnel.