It’s getting chilly outside; it’s jacket time and yes, there is a thin plate of ice on the puddles today. And that means that hockey season is well under way and Hockey Ministries chapels are in full swing. Let me get you caught up…

At the opening of the season in early September, it was a real privilege to be at the Kelowna Chiefs home opener. It was a tribute night for the late owner Grant Sheridan. The arena was absolutely packed, with far more people that the arena could hold. (The fire marshall must have been away that day….!) After a fabulous tribute in front of Grant’s wife and son, I was asked to say a few words from centre ice and lead in a prayer. We will never know how much those experiences mean to people or what the Lord is doing at those times. What an honour it was to represent the Lord like that!

In September I received a call from the coach of the Kelowna Bantam Rockets Tier 1 team, asking if I would be interested in leading a chapel for his team. Of course I was interested! So in early October I got to lead a group of 13-14 year old hockey players in their very first chapel. I am thankful to say that I’ll have many more chapel times with these young teens.

It was early October when the news broke about an 18th hockey club being added to the BC Hockey League for next season. The Cranbrook Bucks Jr A club will play in their inaugural BCHL season in the fall of 2020, and I am pleased to let you know that we will have a chapel program in Cranbrook right from day 1! Also, I was in Kimberley just over a month ago, and not only will we have a chaplain in Cranbrook but we’ll also have a new chaplain in Kimberley with the Dynamiters Jr. B club! I am very thankful to the Lord for these wonderful opportunities to share the love of God in Christ.

One of the things that I love to do is to go on road trips with the clubs that I serve. That was the case not long ago when I hopped on the West Kelowna Warriors team bus and headed south to Wenatchee, Wa., where the Warriors took on the Wild. It was great to be with the team! Both the Warriors and the Kelowna Chiefs have invited me on a few more road trips during the season, so I’ll be spending a number of days travelling with those clubs. The wonderful thing is that I will get to have a chapel on the road during those trips.

Just recently I returned from Castlegar where I spoke to a gathering of close to 100 men at a men’s breakfast. After sharing some hockey stories and also sharing about the ministry, a man approached me with an interest in chaplaincy. It looks like there is a good opportunity for a new chaplain to emerge in Beaver Valley with the Jr B Nitehawks. Please be praying about this in the days ahead.

I would like to introduce you to a few of the chaplains with some of the teams that you might not know about. David John serves at the chaplain in Fernie with the Ghostriders. Michael Fox does the same in Armstrong with the North Okanagan Knights as does Kyle Reddeman in Salmon Arm with the Silverbacks.

Eric Guthrie is the chaplain in Victoria with the Grizzles and Graham McMahon serves in Chilliwack with the Chiefs.

Back home, I have been so blessed with the chapel program that I am doing with the Kelowna Chiefs. For 9 years, the chapel program has had modest attendance, with perhaps 6 – 8 players attending. This season, the attendance over 3 chapels so far has been between 17-20! I thought I would take a pic and show you the Chiefs chapel in progress. Amen!

Finally, I was relieved to hear that after much uncertainty the West Kelowna Warriors and the BCHL have a plan for the team to be bought by a new owner. This means that the team will stay in West Kelowna, which I am extremely happy for. I am in my 14th year as the chaplain of the team and the prospect of the club leaving was frankly, devastating. But as it stands now, the team will stay and I will be able to continue to serve as the Warriors chaplain. It’s also a thrill to be asked to do colour commentary on the Warriors broadcasts as well. (Now that is a lot of fun!)

Thanks for your prayerful and your financial support. It makes a huge difference in reaching into the world of hockey. God bless you all today.

Don Richmond

Hockey Ministries International

Pacific Region

• New chapel program in Kimberley
• New chapel program in Cranbrook
• New chaplain in Revelstoke
• Possible new program in Beaver Valley
• New ownership in West Kelowna
• My road trips (Chiefs and Warriors)
• Kelowna Bantam Rockets chapel program
• Thankfulness for the Chiefs chapel growth