MOOSE JAW — Cst. Evan Schwabe doesn’t coach the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, but he does offer wisdom and guidance to help shape the players into community leaders and upstanding young men.
Schwabe is the Moose Jaw Police Service’s liaison officer to the Western Hockey League champions, a position that the league mandated every team have under the Player Impact Program.
The WHL developed the program in 2015 and designed it to deliver — through the liaison members — educational topics that focus on social media use, relationships and consent, drugs and alcohol, mental health, gambling and being role models.
The program’s mission sees all 22 teams partner with police agencies to not only mentor young men but also educate them on the law and on behaviour that is appropriate and inappropriate, moral and immoral, ethical and unethical, and legal and illegal.
“It’s actually a really good program. When I played hockey, we had nothing like that,” Schwabe said during the recent Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting.
Schwabe and another officer give several presentations throughout the season as they work to develop a healthy relationship with the team. This makes it easier for the players to feel comfortable approaching the police if there are issues they need to discuss. It also helps them realize there is more to life than just hockey.
“When I played, it was hockey, hockey, hockey. But for these guys, it’s like, ‘No, I’m not on an island by myself,’” the constable added. “There’s more out there. People are always watching, especially with social media today.”
Schwabe pointed out that the when the league suspended four players for an off-ice incident during a road trip to Edmonton in February 2023. , their actions violated team and league rules and policies.
Meanwhile, nothing happened during the 2023-24 season, which the liaison officer says was likely due to players learning the lessons from last year.
Since he played for the Warriors, .
Schwabe played with the AAA Warriors as a teen and, in 1999, was listed for the WHL team. Although he wasn’t selected, he continued to play with the AAA Warriors and practised with the WHL club.
Meanwhile, Oleniuk played with the WHL team in 1988-99 as a 20-year-old, eventually joining the Moose Jaw Police Service and serving 34 years before retiring last year.
“I was honoured to carry out the cup with Devon,” Schwabe said, adding the experience was “absolutely phenomenal,” and he couldn’t take the smile off his face.
