Going to the Games

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When Dan Courneyea decided he wanted to volunteer for service during the
2010 Olympic Winter Games, he wasn’t going to be picky.
He just wanted to be a part of the Olympic experience.
Sheesh, he would have swept floors in the media centre had they asked.
A member of the Kamloops Blazers’ off-ice officiating crew, Courneyea had
hoped his computer experience as an on-line scorekeeper would hold him in
good stead.
Instead, the 48 year-old Courneyea was informed in mid-October that he would
be anything but a typical off-ice official.
Courneyea, an assistant manager at Wesco Distribution-Canada Inc., was in
the middle of taking inventory Oct. 16 when his phone rang.
It was Dr. Jim Potts, the Chief of Competition for Ice Hockey at the Games,
which run Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver and Whistler.
“Got a minute?” Potts asked Courneyea who, truth be told, would have given
him all day.
Potts was calling to inform Courneyea that there had been a change in plans
and now, rather than being responsible for one of the three off-ice
officiating crews, he was being named Assistant Chief of Competition.
The powers that be, working with Barb Byrne, the venue results manager for
ice hockey, had decided that with Potts unable to be in two places at once
and with a staff of at least 78, it would be a good move to name an
assistant.
“Now,” Courneyea says, “I’m overseeing three crews and one building.”
Indeed, Courneyea will be responsible for UBC Thunderbird Arena, one of two
venues in which the hockey competition will be played.
In a perfect world, Courneyea won’t have anything to do but he knows that
isn’t going to happen. He knows there will be fires to put out as he
oversees the facility and the competition there through the round-robin.
“Then I’ll move over to Canada Hockey Place,” he says, referring to what now
is known as GM Place, “and hopefully be able to give my two cents worth to
choose the appropriate people for the medal games.”
Courneyea is one of eight members of the Blazers’ off-ice officiating staff
who will be working the Games.
Fred Nicolson will be a penalty box attendant/goal judge on Crew 1, while
Kevin Rhodes (faceoffs) will work on Crew 2. Crew 3 includes Pat Rozek
(scorekeeper), Gerry Bond and Matt Webb (penalty box attendants/goal
judges), Steve Taylor (Gemini) and Jen Konice (faceoffs).
All of these people are doing this simply because they want to be part of
the Olympic experience. They have had to take vacation time from work and are
responsible for all transportation and living arrangements and expenses.
Rozek, 57, is in his 20th season on the Blazers’ off-ice crew. He worked the
1995 Memorial Cup here -- in fact, the final-game scoresheet he completed is on
display in the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame -- referred to it as the chance
of a lifetime.
“This is a feather in my hat for all the years I’ve put in,” says Rozek, who
works in construction.
Taylor, who turns 30 on Monday, will be involved with inputting data into the
Gemini information system or keeping track of icetime, faceoffs, shots on
goal, assists, etc.
Excited?
“Big time,” says Taylor, a benefits officer with Service Canada, noting that
the crew will work 16 round-robin games and will be in both venues.
Webb, 30, can hardly wait for the Games to arrive.
“I’m pretty stoked . . . pretty excited,” says Webb, who is an RN at Royal
Inland Hospital. “It’s pretty cool . . . the experience of a lifetime.”
Courneyea, like most of the crew, will head for Vancouver on Feb. 9.
“I just wanted to be an off-ice official . . . anything. I just wanted the
Olympic experience,” Courneyea says, more than a touch of bewilderment in
his voice. “I would never have thought that would have happened. Never.
“I am excited about this opportunity. I really am.”
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At present, the core group of off-ice officials who will work the ice hockey competition at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is 78 names deep.
Of those 78 names, 24 are regulars on WHL off-ice crews.
The Kamloops Blazers’ crew is supplying eight people, while the Vancouver Giants will have six of their officials working. The Seattle Thunderbirds (four), Chilliwack Bruins (three), Calgary Hitmen (two) and Prince George Cougars (one) also are represented.
Of course, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks are No. 1 on this list, with 17 people off their crew involved in the Games. There are three from the Calgary Flames, two from the Edmonton Oilers and one each from the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yes, there is one member of the Tampa Bay crew -- Michael Rees -- who has volunteered and is on the officiating crew. He is on Crew 1 and will be keeping tabs on faceoffs.
One of the volunteers worked for the Phoenix Roadrunners, who disappeared after the 2008-09 ECHL season, while the Manitoba Moose also will be represented.
As well, the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves have two members of their off-ice staff on the list.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com