WHL Player Happy to be Role Model
- EFN Staff | November 12, 2013
Kirk Bear began skating as a toddler. He says as soon as he could walk, his parents – who both played hockey – threw him into skates.
Growing up, Kirk wanted to be just like his dad, Tim, who played in the Toronto Hockey League. He also admired and dreamed of following in the footsteps of his uncle, Robin BigSnake, who played for the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats and Portland Winterhawks.
Now that dream has become a reality for Kirk, who was asked to join the Red Deer Rebels training camp – and made the cut. The 6'3", nearly 200 pound 18-year-old plays defence and has already chalked up his first fight early in the 2013-2014 season. (He says he bruised his knuckle a bit but is otherwise fine.)
When Bear was contacted by the Rebels, he had already been drafted by the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, and he also had the option of playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. His father, Tim, says the family sat down to discuss what would be the best fit for Kirk.
Tim says it was a tough decision, because as soon as a player opts to go to the WHL, they give up their scholarship eligibility. However, Tim says at 18, Kirk is an adult who can make his own decisions, and he knew it was his son’s dream to play in the WHL.
For Kirk, a big draw was the fact Brent Sutter, a retired NHL player and coach who has won the Stanley Cup, is the Rebels' coach.
"He played in the NHL. He knows his stuff.
Kirk also liked the idea of playing with players like Mathew Dumba and Haydn Fleury, and says, "I grew up secretly wanting to play with Red Deer."
He admits his favourite NHL team may surprise people: it's the Phoenix Coyotes. He says he's always loved and identified with them.
"They're always the underdog, and I've always been the underdog."
Kirk's journey began in his hometown of Whitewood and the Ochapowace First Nation, where he played Peewee in the Ochapowace minor hockey program. Once Kirk reached Bantam level, his dad recalls driving one and a half hours each way, three times a week, for him to play in Melville.
Once Kirk reached midget level, his parents thought his best option was to attend Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, which is known for his Midget AAA hockey, and it's also where Tim had gone to school.
"We thought it was a good schooling option," his dad explains. "Hockey's important but school is important, too."
Kirk also played with Team Saskatchewan at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships for four years, and this past summer, he was part of the Hit the Ice reality show that will air later this season on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.
Bear says now that he's made the WHL, his uncle is a big support and encouragement for him, and he credits his grandparents and parents for getting him to where he is.
"I will forever be indebted to them," he says.
Tim says he and his wife, Cindy, are extremely proud of Kirk.
"Not only for Ochapowace but for us as parents. He’s a role model for us."
Being a role model is something Kirk embraces. Words of advice he offers to young Aboriginal kids: stay away from drugs and alcohol and always work hard. He says when you’re working hard, somebody is always watching, and that hard work will pay off.
Tim has similar advice for parents of young hockey players.
"Some days that road seems endless. But to see your boy dressed for his first WHL game, I can’t even describe it."
And, Kirk says he's more than happy to talk to any kid who reaches out to him because he was once them.
"I was there, in their shoes," and says people might think their role models are unreachable, "but we're just regular people."