October 26, 2024
Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
On Oct. 15, the Penticton Vees beat the Okotoks Oilers 6-2 in their opening game of the BCHL Showcase at the Abbotsford Centre. The win improved their record to 7-1-0 on the campaign, but the victory actually had more significance than just another two points early in the season.
This win was the 700th career BCHL win for the team’s head coach Fred Harbinson – a number which holds significance to him for a variety of reasons.
“I think anytime with coaches, when you accomplish goals or hit a milestone, it’s a reflection on the entire organization,” said Harbinson, who is in his 18th year as the Vees bench boss. “Most of those wins were with [team owner] Graham Fraser, other than my first year. Then of course, I’ve had a lot of great assistant coaches and a lot of amazing players. We’re really proud of our consistency.”
On top of the 700-win milestone, Harbinson continues to climb the league’s all-time wins list. Now with 702 and counting, he sits just 10 wins back of second most all time behind Kent Lewis, former head coach of the Powell River Kings, Nanaimo Clippers and Victoria Salsa. He is also not too far behind the all-time leader Harvey Smyl who has 748 wins in the league from his time coaching the New Westminster Royals and the Chilliwack/Langley Chiefs.
“I got to know Harvey Smyl when I was coaching at St. Cloud [State University] and someone like Kent Lewis who was working in the league when I first started coaching,” said Harbinson. “I have a lot of respect for their longevity in this league. Kent actually called me the other day to congratulate me on the 700 mark. There are a lot of good coaches that have won a lot of games in this league and there are a lot that are working in the league right now.”
“At this level, we have a lot of coach/general manager combinations and most of them are working 12 months a year to make sure their programs are as solid as they are. I take a lot of pride in where I sit in the history of the league.”
Harbinson, who played his junior hockey in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Calgary Canucks and then NCAA Division III hockey with the University of Wisconsin-Superior, got his coaching start as an assistant with his alma mater before eventually working in the USHL and then NCAA Division I with St. Cloud. He was hired by Penticton as the general manager and head coach to start the 2007-08 season and has been there ever since, adding president to his title in 2013-14.
The game against Okotoks was also a special one for Vees captain Conyr Hellyer. He was going up against his former team as the 20-year-old played two seasons for the Oilers from 2021 to 2023 and is born and raised in Okotoks.
He joined Penticton to start last season and was immediately impressed by his new surroundings.
“The biggest thing that I noticed was the professionalism day to day that Fred expects from every player here,” said Hellyer. “Every day, he looks at where we could get better and how he can help us get the most success. Everybody knows about the program here because of how much success they’ve had over the past 10-15 years.”
“They treat us like professional athletes because they want us to become one. We’re professional in everything we do. Every coach and every player here is just looking to get better and end up winning at the end of the year.”
Harbinson has accomplished a lot in his 18 years with the organization. The team has won six Fred Page Cup titles under his guidance, most by a head coach in league history. He has won the Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy for Coach of the Year on four different occasions, which is also tied for the most. There was also the record-breaking 42-game win streak during the 2011-12 season. But, beyond these accolades, there are stories and moments behind the scenes that are just as important.
“We talk here all the time about the impact a BCHL coach can have on a player,” said Harbinson. “I’ve had players move into my home because they’ve had different issues going on and they’ve come out the other side of it in a better spot. There are some guys that you hear from years after they left here and they send you a letter about how you had such a positive impact on their life because you made them accountable. It’s those kind of things that you start to reflect on.”
While Harbinson and the organization acknowledge and celebrate the 700-win milestone, no one has gotten complacent. The team currently sits in second place in the Interior Conference, a spot which they are not used to occupying. Penticton has finished first in their conference or division every year since the 2010-11 campaign, but are looking up in the standings at the unbeaten newcomers – the Brooks Bandits.
As usual in junior hockey, a new season brings a new set of challenges and with roster turnover and the unpredictability of the sport, no two seasons are ever alike. That, along with a drive for success, is what keeps Harbinson and the Vees motivated year in and year out.
“I coached in NCAA hockey and I know what the atmosphere is like and that’s what we’ve tried to create here with our alumni and everything else,” said Harbinson “Every year is a different challenge. We all have an opportunity to leave a legacy behind in whatever we do and mine just happens to be in hockey and hopefully the life lessons that I instill in my players.”
“Every day I get up in the morning and there are two words that we live by and that’s professionalism and accountability. I try to start with myself and make sure I’m accountable to my staff and my players and that’s not going to change.”
