As commissioner of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Bill Chow has faced a number of major, unforeseen challenges.
Three years ago, he guided the league through the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash. The collision between the junior A team’s bus and a semi-trailer on April 6, 2018, claimed the lives of 16 players and staff near Tisdale, Sask. Thirteen others were injured.
Then last year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing the league to first pause, then cancel the season.
Chow credits his background in law enforcement in helping guide him through it all.
“The policing experience taught me to have some patience, that sometimes you have to let things evolve, even though you don’t want them to evolve, as much as you want to take charge and do things a certain way,” he said.
“You can’t always force the square peg into the round hole.”
This week on Shaping Saskatchewan, Chow talks about facing those challenges and refocusing his attention on the sport he loves.