HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Broncos are entering a new era, one where they’ll have to face the challenges of COVID-19 with a new president.
Jamie Brockman was president for five seasons, took off the 2017-18 season and then returned the next season.
“I just wanted to help guide the organization through a difficult period. My intent was never to be the president again, but the situation was what it was and I became the president,” he said at the team's annual general meeting Aug. 25.
“I've not regretted it the least bit. I love this organization, I love the community and I was glad that I could help and I feel that the organization has such good people in place right now that I can step away.”
Brockman said the 2019-20 season much more resembled a typical junior hockey season, with less national media attention.
“Scott [Barney, the head coach] assembled a fantastic team on the ice and off the ice. We had a tremendous staff that really set up the organization for success,” he said.
“We had such a young team and we were so competitive. It was just promising to see the effort that was put into developing these guys.”
The team had finished off its playoff run just as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League prematurely ended the season due to COVID-19.
For the 2019-20 season, the Broncos had $1.09 million in income and $1.12 million in expenses, according to an unaudited financial statement. Brockman said the team was in decent financial shape.
“We suffered an operating loss of just shy of $30,000,” he said. “We're trying to make the year pay for the year. Obviously, we have funds on reserve that we don't want to spend foolishly and keep the backbone of the organization vibrant.”
Brockman said dealing with COVID-19 will serve as a challenge for the hockey team. The team doesn’t know for sure when the season will start, how many games there will be or how many fans will be allowed to attend.
The league is aiming to start the season on Oct. 9, but that and all other rules are subject to the approval of the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
“This is going to test not only our organization, but all organizations in the league to see how things progress through this year.”
The team was also looking to fill spots on its board of directors. Four put their names forward, resulting in a 13-member board.
