Being a volunteer: Isabelle Rioux

Albina Dagenais has not been a timekeeper and assignor for all of her 31
years as a volunteer with Thunder Bay Minor.

She’s a previous president of the North End Flames Hockey Association, coached,
educated and managed the U15 and U18 Flames in prior years, and in addition
volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club.

She has, nonetheless, put her stamp on the place.

“I really like timekeeping, I really like doing it, however I believe my most fulfilling job was
operating tournaments.” Dagenais says. “I did Thunder Bay [Minor Hockey
Association] tournaments for years, and at North End we coated Port Arthur
Arena. I liked simply being on the rink and being a part of the entire
ambiance.

“I’m a go-getter. You simply put time apart to do the stuff you like to do.
I needed my son (then 9, now 40) to have experiences, so my time was put
on the again burner. I needed to make his expertise nice and anyone else
round. I simply made the time.”

Sad to see the hockey season go, blissful to have it again once more within the fall,
laughter and sage recommendation are two hallmarks that shine by way of for Dagenais.

“Over the years I see children who both did timekeeping for me or who I noticed
within the penalty field who’re older now,” she says. “They come up they usually
provide you with a hug and say, ‘Nice to see you. Thanks for everything you did.’
It’s these sort of events that make you’re feeling actually good about what
you’re doing for hockey.”

Dagenais additionally volunteers on the breakfast membership at St. Anne’s Elementary
School.

“I’ve had children throughout hockey season come and provides me a present simply to thank
me for the way I handled them within the penalty field. Or how I deal with them within the
rink.”

For most hockey mother and father, timekeeping is a process to be prevented – an excessive amount of
happening to maintain observe. Dagenais makes use of a guide of her personal creation to maintain
the penalties straight.

“You put the 2 the 2 groups in there. In the center you set ‘TIME’ and
when folks are available in you write down the time immediately and what the penalty
was,” she explains. “If there’s tons taking place, you write it down in that
guide. When it settles down you switch it to the gamesheet. You could make
little notes in there for your self. It’s one of the simplest ways to do it. If you strive
to recollect instances and put it on the sport sheet immediately whenever you search for
there might be ten seconds gone.

“I name it the ‘penalty keep book.’ I get my timekeepers one yearly. I
insist they use it. I’m very anal about what I need completed. It makes a giant
distinction if swiftly, all hell breaks free. You’ve acquired 5 guys
on one aspect and 7 on the opposite aspect, you higher know precisely what’s
taking place. If you will have that guide you possibly can write down all their numbers.

“Trying to do it on the gamesheet, it’s too small, for one, to do it actually
rapidly. With the guide you might be sloppy, so long as you possibly can learn your
writing. When you switch it to the gamesheet, now it’s legible. You have
all of it there in chronological order, simply switch it over.”

So, there it’s – Timekeeping 101, courtesy of Albina Dagenais.

Wayne Fortes, president of the Thunder Bay Minor Hockey Association, is aware of
the worth of Dagenais’ largely unheralded work on the rink.

“Without the volunteers there’s no hockey, there’s no sports activities, no
organizations of any sort,” he says. “Albina’s a key cog in our wheel,
there’s little question about it. She recruits the timekeepers, she organizes the
timekeepers. Meets with them. Makes positive they’re up on all the principles, any
adjustments we’re making – particularly within the playoffs.

“Just holding all of the slots stuffed. Especially all by way of COVID, all of the
issues that had been happening. She’d should make to makes adjustments both the
evening previous to the following sport or the day of and he or she’s all the time managed to maintain
all of the slots stuffed and able to go. She’s very organized, very detailed.
We have very, very, only a few complaints on our timekeepers. Tremendous
job.”

And then there’s the recommendation Dagenais dispenses as simply as timekeeping a
sport.

“It’s not just about hockey. It’s about life skills, it’s about respect,”
she says. “You must get together with all several types of folks. It’s
not simply the on-ice that’s necessary. It’s behind the scenes, behind the
bench, within the dressing room… It’s not all in regards to the wins. Yeah, it’s good
to win, that’s the bonus.”

You don’t wish to mess with Albina Dagenais. She’ll rumble if needed.

“I’m not right here to be anyone’s pal. I’m right here for the youngsters. And my
timekeepers, the youthful ones, I undertake them the six months of hockey, and
then I give them again to their mother and father. For these six months I help
them,” says Dagenais, who units the bar at 13 or 14 years previous for rookie
timekeepers. “And I inform my timekeepers, ‘If you make a mistake, come clean with
it. We can repair it. Don’t attempt to cowl it up. It’ll get ten instances worse.’

“My timekeepers know if one thing occurs, in the event that they get harassed, I’ll again
them. I’ll help them. We’ll get one thing completed. It’s an important first job
as a result of they be taught to pay attention. They be taught to work with different folks. If
they will deal with all of the noise and the bells and whistles, yelling and all
that … I’ve given in all probability over 100 references to completely different timekeepers
I’ve had. If you’re going to decide to one thing, it’s best to commit all of the
approach. I’ve all the time been that approach.”

As a lot as Dagenais helps her crew, there’s a line she received’t cross.

“I additionally advised my timekeepers in the event that they textual content me, I’m not studying your lingo.
I’m too rattling previous,” she chuckles. “Text me in full sentences or I’m not
answering you. And they do.”