The Genesis of Tucker Hockey: Part 3

The Genesis of Tucker Hockey

A Four-Part Mini-Series

Part 3: Discovering My True Calling

The 1987 Canada Cup tournament is widely regarded as the greatest “best on best” hockey series every played. All of the 3 final series games between Canada and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) ended in scores of 6 to 5! Russia won the first game during the first overtime period at Montreal. The series moved to Hamilton, Ontario for the remainder. Canada won the second game 6 to 5 in double overtime which set up a highly anticipated third and sudden death final game. 

The Winning Goal!

After watching the 1987 Canada Cup tournament, a project of Hockey Canada, Rex felt a strong self realization that his love for hockey was closer to his heart than all else. It was an incredible joyous hockey experience when Mario Lemieux scored the winning goal with only 1:26 minutes left in regulation time for a 6 to 5 final victory! When experiencing this “surreal live moment” at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Rex felt he walked out of the arena, but his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground. The place was rocking with jubilant emotions. It was pure hockey heaven!! This event was a true motivator for Rex.

Rex was determined now, more than ever, to move out of the oil and gas big business world and into the hockey world. Rex spent the better part of his last 2 years in Toronto, still working in the corporate world, all the while trying to “figure out” how to pursue his goal to obtain a paying hockey business job.

TCPL Men’s Recreational Division D Hockey Team – 1986

From 1988 to 1990, many hours were dedicated to Rex’s future career change. In 1988, he studied the renowned career planning guide help book “What Colour is Your Parachute?”. Later in 1990 he also completed a YMCA career planning course which included aptitude, interest, and personality tests. Rex received valuable insights into his strengths, weaknesses, his overall abilities, and his loves in life. Yes, his first love was for sure – hockey! Rex mentioned to his YMCA counsellor of his desire to work for Hockey Canada. The counsellor said to him. “You may not get access to it and even if you do; you may find it’s for the birds…. but I can see you operating a hockey school.” This was very interesting but quite remote to Rex at the time. He had never blown a whistle or ever thought of the hockey coaching development profession!

After being inspired by the 1987 Canada Cup, Rex had a burning desire to be involved in helping to organize future Canada Cup tournaments. The next one was scheduled for September 1991. In 1990, the company he worked for TransCanada Pipelines Ltd (Now named TC Energy) was relocating its head office to Calgary. All the employees had to decide whether to stay behind in Toronto or go west with the company by the end of January 1990.

Rex reached out to Aggie Kukulowicz, a language interpreter for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Aggie was closely involved for many years with Alan Eagleson’s traveling entourage and Hockey Canada’s international projects including the Canada Cup tournaments. Rex was seeking advice and direction on his career aspirations and inquired about a possible mentorship. Aggie recommended Rex to transfer with TCPL to Calgary and pursue a hockey apprenticeship with Hockey Canada, whose head office was based in Calgary as well. After seeking and loyally attempting to follow the advice of Aggie Kukulowicz, Rex made an extremely difficult decision to leave the corporate world. After spending 8 years with TCPL, Rex took his severance package. Rex was so tired of the changing big business culture and how it was elevating his distaste for his current job position. The corporate stress was adversely affecting his mental health, overall happiness, and peace. He had enough. Rex had to get out and make a change! He had a clear sense of purpose – a vision.

In September of 1990, Rex flew to Calgary. He arrived in a brand-new city without any family, any friends or even a job; all to pursue his hockey endeavours and dreams. This bold move at the young age of 29 was a big adjustment for Rex in his quest to start a new life. However, Rex had no idea that the 1990’s would provide him with a decade of many challenges, rejection letters, failures and overall disappointments!

Rex found a downtown apartment but had to sleep on the floor for the first 3 weeks. He was waiting for his furniture to finally arrive from Toronto via a moving truck. Once settled, Rex dedicated countless hours in the months ahead – researching the Canada Cup tournaments and the Hockey Canada organization.

He wrote and sent several business proposals including a 23 pager to Alan Eagleson, tournament founder and organizer, a czar within the hockey world. Rex had meetings and discussions with Ron Robison, former President of Hockey Canada, and other senior management personnel – in a concerted and passionate effort to join this small not for profit organization. A staff member told Rex during one of the meetings that Rex knew as much about the organization as he did, and he worked there! However, the organization had a limited operating budget and Hockey Canada would later merge with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and become one united hockey entity. It was indeed bad timing!

Rex was naïve to what was going on behind the scenes. There were pending legal allegations against Alan Eagleson and limitations with Hockey Canada’s not for profit business model. Rex found that his Bachelor of Commerce degree, his passion for the game and his ideas didn’t cut enough ice with the folks there. They seemed to want a stronger hockey background in their employee candidates as well. His hockey goals were too lofty and unattainable. It was quite humbling and devastating indeed for the young man who deeply thought he could make a difference if given an opportunity. He felt he knew his worth, but others didn’t.

To lick his rejection wounds, Rex took a 16-month sabbatical / therapeutic time off break from future employment which provided valuable “wellness medicine” to heal his past personal and business emotional scars. To get some joy back into his life, Rex immersed himself in all things’ hockey for the next 5 to 6 years. Rex became involved in minor hockey coaching, the National Coaching Certification Program, attending hockey coaching development seminars, hockey training, playing hockey, reading many hockey and business education books. He was a true student of hockey and dedicated to self development; with an incredible thirst for hockey knowledge and he loved the continuous learning!

From 1991 to 1995, Rex spent a wad of money from his TCPL severance package and drained all his life’s savings accumulated from working in the corporate world. He trained in numerous hockey schools and pro-development camps in Calgary. Rex studied hockey fitness, dedicated himself and loved the on & off ice training (often training 6 days per week) to prepare for the camps. He attended Wally Kozak & Don Phelps – Chinook Elite Conditioning Camps in the summers from 1991 to 1994 and later Garth Malarchuk – Conditioning for Excellence Camp in the summer of 1995. Participating in elite on ice training within groups of NHL Pros, Semi Pro and Junior age players were awesome experiences. Yes, Rex discovered he was improving from year to year! He skated with NHL players such as Pat Conacher – Los Angeles Kings, Kevin Haller – Montreal Canadiens, Dana Muryzn – Vancouver Canucks, Brain Curran – Washington Capitals and Doug Houda – Buffalo Sabres as well as many other elite hockey players during these summer camps.

Rex wrote a passionate letter in the spring of 1995 to Tom Renney, Head Coach of Team Canada’s National Team looking for a tryout – as a 34-year-old!  Rex had a meeting with Tom later that spring and Tom said, “You have nothing to lose.” Rex trained hard in preparation, with a complete and total dedication to the cause. He had a VO2 max of 51 prior to attending the conditioning camp. NHL training camp standards at the time were 55. VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen a person’s body is able to use during exercise. It’s a true measure of aerobic conditioning. However, Rex became ill in late August while training hard and this derailed any possible chance of him attending the National Team camp later in September. He didn’t fulfill his playing goal, but Garth Malarchuk, Western Regional Scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs, organizer of the Conditioning for Excellence Camp made the following comment to Rex on his abilities. “You don’t look out of place out there on the ice”. Certainly, his progress was quite remarkable for a guy who 5 years earlier was only playing division D level hockey in Toronto with TCPL’s recreational team!

Over the above-mentioned period from 1991 to 1995, Rex volunteered in many hockey capacities. He coached within the midget and junior levels. Rex was named “Coach of the Year” in the Calgary Junior Hockey League for the 1994 – 1995 season. He was involved with the Hockey Alberta under 16 Program – as a player evaluator 1993 & 1995 and as an assistant coach in 1994.

In the fall of 1995, Rex wrote a business proposal to Susie Mathieu & Steve Solomon, who were the tournament organizers of the Inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey (formerly the Canada Cup) seeking opportunities. However, he received another rejection letter. They had loaned executives from the NHL & NHLPA helping to organize the tournament.

For 1995 – 1996, he volunteered as a Calgary Area Scout for the Langley Thunder Jr. A Hockey Club. In 1996, Rex became an Advanced 1 Certified Coach with the National Coaching Certification Program. Later in the spring of 1996, Rex tried unsuccessfully to obtain a paid Junior A coaching job in Western Canada. Rejection letters were the norm.

In the fall of 1996, Rex applied for the National Coaching Institute at the University of Calgary which also included a coaching apprenticeship practicum with the Head Coach of the Canadian National Team. He had a meeting with Mike Johnston, who had just replaced Tom Renney in the position. Mike felt Rex needed more experience at the Midget AAA level to gain entry. Another endeavour and another rejection! Later that fall, Rex was recruited as a “Coach Level” Instructor for NCCP clinics within Hockey Alberta. From this Fall project, after 6 years of volunteering in the hockey trenches, Rex received his first pay cheque from the game of hockey!

Rex got knocked down during these years, but always managed to get up to go one more round. It was a true test of his resilience as well as his love and passion for hockey. He would not let rejection lead to self rejection rather Rex kept a growth mindset.

Rex finally received a well needed break during the spring of 1997! He was given an opportunity to travel overseas in July 1997. He was invited to help organize and work within the inaugural Canadian Hockey Camp – Europe camp in Most, Czech Republic near the German border. Rex worked as the main group skill evaluator of minor players and head power skating instructor for 5 summers from 1997 to 2001. He was paid $500 a week for 30 hours on the ice; averaging less than $17 per hour for his efforts. No, Rex wasn’t there for the monies! Rather this was a great opportunity to work with Canadian, German, Austrian and Czech players and for Rex to hone his power skating & hockey teaching skills and knowledge.

Canadian Hockey Camp – Europe, Most Czech Republic

Coach Rex Experiencing a Foggy Day Inside the Arena – Summer 1997

During his first summer at the camp, Rex saw a hockey business card. From this business card, Rex gathered the idea and the vision to start up his own hockey business. After the 5-week camp finished up, he returned to Calgary and completed a company name registry search. Rex registered Tucker Hockey Enterprises as a sole proprietorship for the required $55 fee. Yes, the seed for Tucker Hockey was planted! For the next few months, Rex was “figuring out” how he could market his power skating instruction skills and hockey knowledge to the Calgary community. Rex did not have a well-known established name yet.

When Rex shared his aspirations to create his own hockey business with his girlfriend at the time, the response was as warm as an icy cold hockey rink! His girlfriend said, “You will book ice and the only people on the ice will be me and you!!” Needless to say, that was the end of another personal relationship. Rex’s love for hockey was certainly “without a shadow of a doubt” far greater!!

During the period from 1997 to 1999, Rex was again involved in hockey as a volunteer with player training camp evaluations and as a Calgary Area scout with the Canmore Eagles Jr. A Hockey Club.

In the mid-Summer of 1999, Hockey Canada held an open ice hockey summit in Toronto to gain input from various stakeholders to discuss ways to improve our game. Rex caring deeply about our game and its future sent a 15-page proposal initiative to Bob Nicholson, former President & CEO of Hockey Canada, and Tom Renney, former VP of Hockey of Hockey Canada, now the CEO, prior to the start of the summit. Later that Summer, Rex had a meeting with Scott Smith, VP of Operations, now President & COO of Hockey Canada. But from this meeting, no opportunities within the organization developed from his initiative efforts. The door was still closed! 

Rex finally started up his first Tucker Hockey adult recreational power skating program in the fall of 1999 and his first Tucker Hockey minor hockey power skating program followed the next year. For the better part of 4 years 1999 – 2002, Rex operated Tucker Hockey part time with adult and minor power skating programs in Calgary. All the while, trying to establish and brand his hockey company name – Tucker Hockey – within the Calgary hockey community.

Adult Power Skating Group – Tucker Hockey Part Time – 2002

During the first half of the 1990’s decade, Rex struggled to pay his bills and endured financial hardships. He lost 3 business / sales jobs in a row – in the fall of 1993, 1994 & 1995. One of these jobs was lost just 10 days before Christmas! In the winter of 1996 Rex found more stability and success doing inside sales but started this position with a humble wage of $7 per hour. However, this job grew with improved compensation and fortunately allowed him the flexibility to take a hockey sabbatical and travel to Europe each summer from 1997 to 2002.

In 2001, Rex arranged a meeting with Bob Nicholson, former President & CEO of Hockey Canada about opportunities within the organization. Bob gave Rex two job positions and said, “Good luck with the process”. Rex secured a job interview with Hockey Canada for the Manager of High Performance position.

However, it felt like a 3 person vs. 1 person, Hockey Canada interrogation interview. For Rex, the combination of mental fatigue / grind from doing 10 hour inside sales day after day, frustrations of waiting over 10+ years to finally obtain a job interview with the organization and really wanting it too bad; lead to a perfect storm for failure. Rex blew the interview! It was a self realization during this interview that the H.C. organization’s work environment / culture were not really suited to Rex’s personality and demeanour. He could hear the YMCA counsellor’s words……”You may find it’s for the birds”…… Rex’s long-desired career goal of working for Hockey Canada and being a part of Team Canada was not in the cards. Rex had tried as an administrator, a player, a coach and again as an administrator. It wasn’t going to happen! Finally, after more than a decade, he gave up. Rex felt completely defeated. But he had learned a great deal from his failures and his few successes, certainly more from the failures.

Unfortunately, Rex came to the harsh reality; to have a full-time hockey job and have peace within; he would have to create his own job. He needed to gather up the courage and will power to take his part time business to another level – a full time operation. It was a risky endeavour at the ripe age of 41. He truly felt, it was now or never to make a living in the hockey world. He diligently began to get his ducks in a row. Yes, Rex was going to take the leap of faith!

Stay tuned for Part 4 – the final segment of the “Genesis of Tucker Hockey” in the winter 2022 edition of Hockey Zones Newsletter!

You can read Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.