When Jeff Odgers handed in his resignation this past week to the Yorkton Harvest, he had mixed emotions. On one hand, he enjoyed every minute of his two years as their head coach. But on the other hand, he knew taking a step back from behind the bench would give him more time for his family.
"It was a very tough decision," said Odgers. "It came down to time constraints. It's a one-hour drive from my home in Spy Hill to Yorkton. And all of the practices, road trips, and games really ties up a guy's schedule. But I was grateful for the opportunity the organization gave me to be their head coach for two years. I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed being a coach. It's a great age group to help develop."
With his eldest son, Johnny Odgers, heading into his overage season with the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL, and his youngest son, Dakota Odgers, poised to crack the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, the former NHLer is looking forward to spending more time in the stands next year.
"I never had a lot of time to watch Johnny play with the Terriers this year," said Odgers. "I would have liked to see more of his games. Not having a coaching position next year will give me more time to follow his games. And it is his 20-year-old season, so it's a big year for him. It will also give me more time to go watch Dakota. He's also headed into a very big season."
Odgers is happy with how his coaching career ended with the Harvest; however, losing to the Regina Pat Canadians in the post-season still stings a little for the former Brandon Wheat King.
"We had a great second half and I'm really proud of that," he said. "All of the guys have a lot to be proud of. They battled hard and worked hard. But if you don't win it all, you're never quite happy. It was tough to lose to Regina, even though they're a very good team. We outshot them 17-3 in the third period of the deciding game. We gave it our all, but the puck wouldn't bounce our way."
Losing Odgers is a big loss for the Harvest. He, and assistant coach Dan Cross, brought the program a long ways in the past two years. The proof was in the pudding in their 12-1-3-1 record in their last 17 regular-season games and strong showing against the Pat Canadians in the first round of the playoffs.
More importantly than their strong record, Odgers had the respect of his players. Throughout several interviews with members of the Harvest over the season, it seemed they would always mention Odgers' huge impact on their development, regardless of whether his name was brought up in the Q & A.
Fortunately for the Harvest, Odgers hasn't completely left the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League organization. He will help them recruit players and their new head coach in the foreseeable future.
"I want to still help the team as much as I can," he said. "I think I can help out with recruitment. Yorkton is a great city and I think offers more than other AAA teams. And it's just a great organization with people that care a lot about the players."
Down the road, Odgers isn't ruling out going back behind the bench.
"If in a couple years or so I start to miss being a coach, I might be open to certain coaching positions," said the 43-year-old. "I don't want to close any doors. But for right now, I'm just looking forward to spending some more time with family and watching my boys play."
