Goodbye Kindersley!!!

Who would of thought that a city boy like myself could have enjoyed his time as much as I did in small town Kindersley?

I came to Kindersley from Edmonton knowing pretty much nothing about the SJHL or the Kindersley Klippers. The main thing was, I knew it was a chance to call hockey games, and get my foot in the door with my 1st full time radio gig.

I came to Kindersley as a 19 year old fresh out of school, looking to make a name for myself, and I feel like I was able to do that. I made alot of friends in this town, but the most friendly people by far were the people around the hockey rink. The entire Klippers family, welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home.

First off I am going to miss the players and the staff. When you go on the road with a hockey team you spend so much time with each other, you become great friends. Being in the same age group with most of the players, it was almost impossible to not become friends. Their are alot of great kids playing on the Klippers right now, who have really bright futures. I wish them all the best moving forward.

Rockie Zinger and Chris Forsman have also been great to me and allowed me to feel like I was part of the team. I know alot of Kindersley fans are critical of the coaching staff for the way the season has gone but their is a few things I want people to remember. The team last year was built to win it all and unfortunately they were not able to. With 9 players leaving last season, the cupboards were empty for Kindersley heading into this season. Rockie Zinger and Chris Forsman have done their best to try and restock the cupboards and rebuild so that this team is strong for the years ahead. Their is a ton of young talent on this club right now, and I really feel they are headed in the right direction. I really do feel that alot of the back lash that Zinger has gotten is unfair. It's hard to judge someones coaching ability when your team is so young. Having said that it will be up to Zinger to make sure these kids develop and full-fill their potential. Some people forget that Zinger is a young coach also, and still developing his coaching skills. In the off season when the players look back and the coaching staff looks back, it will serve as a great learning experience. Next year will be a fresh start with everyone on the roster right now having the potential to be back. Sure you can be upset with the way the season has gone, but the team has been set up very nicely for the future, and I would like nothing more than to see this current group of players and coaching staff bring a SJHL Championship back to Kindersley.

I have had alot of people ask me what my new job will be, well I am going back home to Edmonton. I have accepted a news job at 630 CHED and iNews880. Some of you may be surprised to see that I am taking a news job, but this is a great way to get my foot in the door. I really do enjoy doing news, as my other job away from the rink has been broadcasting the Kindersley morning show news for the past year and a half, which I have really enjoyed. Having said that, my goal in the long run is to get into the 630 CHED sports department. They cover alot of sports at CHED, including the Edmonton Oilers, and Edmonton Eskimos broadcasts, along with a number of sports talk shows. I'm  starting out at the bottom, but with my experience I have gained during my time in Kindersley, I feel I can climb the ladder in the near future. I will get to work with some of the best radio talent in Canada, and I feel that could go along way in my radio career. My goal is to still one day head back into the broadcast booth, and who knows what job openings may be open in play-by-play come next season.

There are alot of people I want to thank for helping guide me along the way here in Kindersley.

I really want to thank the McGrath family. Kelly and Daryl McGrath have been like my mom and dad away from home. I don't know how many times they have had me over for supper while I was here, they even let me stay at their home for the past month, during my time of transition to my new job. They are great people, that have really helped me along the way. Thank you so much for the hospitality, and I will miss the both of you.

Having said that about the McGrath family, I also have to give a shout out to my buddy D Jay McGrath. Me and him really got to become good friends over the summer while most of the players were back home. He has become one of my best friends, and just like his parents, he is a great person. I'll miss ya buddy!

I want to thank all the fans and parents for reading my blog over the past two seasons. I developed a passion for blogging and it was because of all you fans that checked in everyday to read what I had to say. I'm just a young kid with an opinion, and it meant alot to me to hear how many of you enjoyed reading this blog.

I am going to keep this blog open for now so I can look back and reflect on my time with the Klippers. In the long run I may start up another blog, or switch focus with this blog, but for now it will remain pat with this final post.

They say once you've been a Klipper you're a Klipper for life. I never wore the team sweater but I know I'll always care about the team. I'm no longer the broadcaster but today I become a fan.

Lastly if anyone wants to stay in touch with me feel free to e-mail me at brendenullrich@hotmail.com I would love to hear from you in the future!

I will be at Thursdays Klipper home game before I head back home to Edmonton Friday morning. I hope to see you down at the rink, it's been fun Kindersley!!!