New Yorkton Terriers head coach and general manager Emery Olauson spent much of Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday morning driving.
His trip from Invermere, B.C. to Yorkton was nearly 1,220 kilometres, according to Google Maps.
It’s a trip Olauson didn’t believe he’d be making. Just two weeks ago, he described his life as “in order,” — that is, until an opportunity popped up in a league two provinces over with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s (SJHL) Yorkton Terriers.
“It's like drinking out of a firehose,” he told CTV News with a smirk on Friday.
“This opportunity came up and, man, it's been a whirlwind. It's been crazy, but it's been really fun, kind of imagining this opportunity and what it means.”
Olauson replaces the now departed Mat Hehr, who spent seven seasons behind the bench in Yorkton.
The turnaround time has been less than ideal for Olauson, with development camp opening Friday night, leading into the team’s first exhibition game against Weyburn on Tuesday.
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It’s almost fate that Weyburn would be in town to kick off the schedule for Olauson as well. He began his SJHL playing days with the Red Wings in 1999-00 before making a jump over to Estevan for the following two years.
Olauson also kicked his coaching career off with Mike Reagan in Flin Flon, another nod to the league which he’s kept close to his heart.
“It's always been something that I thought would be a step at some point in my career. The timing is difficult. And I know that the last couple of weeks and the next couple of weeks are going to be hard, but our goal is to make it worth it,” he said.
He said he spent a lot of time studying the team and roster, even before his first interview with the Terriers.
His welcome to the community nearly was delayed as well on that trip east. He said he, his wife and two children were caught in an overnight storm passing through Melville Thursday morning.
With all the hectic times for Olauson and his family, they’re still quickly settling in.
With his focus turning to the season, he believes missing the playoffs again for this team is unacceptable and he sees a bright future with many returnees for the 2023-24 season.
So the trip in his eyes? Worth every second.
“The [community] and the organization itself, all of those things made it too difficult — and then impossible to turn down the opportunity to come.”
The Terriers open the regular season on Sept. 22 and 23 with a home and home against the Weyburn Red Wings.
