If you want an in-depth description of the journey on the Yellowhead Highway from Saskatoon to The Battlefords, Gary Berggren is the person you should turn to.
The head coach of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s Battlefords Sharks has made that drive on a regular basis over the last few months in his first season behind the bench.
“I leave at 4:30 p.m. about three times a week before practice, and then when I get back home, it’s close to 11 p.m.,” Berggren said.
“It’s a bit of a long haul, especially when you have road trips on the weekends as well, but it’s totally worth it.”
After serving as an assistant coach for the Sharks a year ago following a lengthy stint coaching minor hockey in Saskatoon, Berggren took charge of things behind the bench for the SFMAAAHL team during the off-season.
“The experience has been a good one,” Berggren said. “There’s been a few things that have been a little bit different than I've expected, but things have been rolling along for us.
“There’s the steps forward and the steps backwards that you get with any team, but overall, we’ve been getting better and better as the season has gone on. A lot of that has to do with the players on the team getting more accustomed to the systems that I’m running and our newer faces getting more used to the league itself.”
Berggren was getting used to things as well, as one of his early challenges was coming to grips to the added responsibility that comes with being the head coach.
“When you’re an assistant coach, you feel like you’re in the shadows a little bit,” Berggren said. “When you become the head coach, you start to make more decisions and it starts to feel at times that every little thing makes a difference with the team.”
Luckily for him, having a year of experience with the Sharks helped with the transition.
“Having that season where I worked with Ashley Rafuse was huge for me,” Berggren said. “She did a great job of helping me out as I got used to a new league and I learned a lot from her that I’ve been able to use as I help to build the team this year.
“I got to see how the league is run and what it takes to be successful at this level. When you become a head coach, you take many of the things that you learn along the way and mould it into your own style, which is what I’ve done here.”
Even when he’s not at the Battleford Arena, Berggren spends the majority of his time figuring out how to make the Sharks better.
“It feels like I do the majority of my work away from the ice or when I’m on road trips,” Berggren laughed.
“It ranges from working on strategies for the games, things to do in practices, recruiting for upcoming seasons and other things that need to be done with the team. It gets pretty busy.”
Since coming to the Sharks organization, Berggren has become a passionate supporter of the overall level of talent in the SFMAAAHL.
“Every team has good players,” Berggren said. “If you look at the way the league has been going, each of the eight teams has two or three really good lines.
“As a result of all the good talent in the league, you see a lot of good players at the Midget AA and Bantam levels now, which is something that I’ve noticed lately while watching some of the teams there.”
As the Sharks gear up for the playoffs, Berggren has some short and long-term goals as the team’s head coach.
“When it comes to the team we’re really just focusing on the next game,” Berggren said. “The post-season’s always a big deal, but you never want to start looking so far ahead.”
“Personally, I’d like to stay with the Sharks for the next little while and help to build the team up. There’s a great organization here and with the number of young players that we’ve brought in this season, I’m really excited to see them grow both on and off the ice in the years to come.”
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