Former Athletic Therapist Curtis Amiot moments after his final game on the Moose Jaw Warriors' bench on Tuesday.

On New Year’s Eve, the Moose Jaw Warriors celebrated a big win over the Prince Albert Raiders, but they also said goodbye to a long time member of their organization.

 

Moments after the final buzzer went on the tribe’s 4-3 win over the Raiders, forward Torrin White raced down the ice to find the game puck.  He then skated over to the Warriors’ bench and present trainer Curtis Amiot with the puck.

 

“Wasn’t really expecting it, I was just saying goodbye to PA’s trainer and wishing him well and Torrin came over and brought it to me, so that was really nice,” said Amiot, who was working in his 578th and final game as the athletic therapist for the Warriors.

 

Amiot is leaving the team after being hired as a member of the Moose Jaw Police Service.  Tuesday was a bittersweet night for Amiot as he looks towards the future and a new career.

 

“There was a little bit of butterflies at the beginning of the game and right at the end, but just more excitement to start something new, learn something new and a new beginning,” said Amiot.

 

During his seven seasons with the Warriors organization, Amiot has seen a lot of changes in the league and also with the team, including moving from the Civic Centre to Mosaic Place.

 

“My first year we went to the final, taking the charter plane from the base out at 15 Wing to the airport in Vancouver and getting off the charter plane right onto the bus on the tarmac was pretty cool,” said Amiot on one of his favourite memories with the team.

 

In the end though, it’s the players and people that he’s had the chance to work with that Amiot said he’ll remember the most.

 

“Just a lot of good guys over the years,” he said.  “Kendall McFaull, Jason Bast and Sam (Fioretti), three really good captains.  Guys that are playing pro, (Travis) Hamonic, (Troy) Brouwer and (Dustin) Boyd, just good people that you meet along the way.”

 

Brooke Kosolofski will be taking over as the new head trainer and athletic therapist after starting with the team on December 26th.  Amiot was confident that Kosolofski will fill the role well.

 

“He’s been around the game a long time and once he gets a handle on things and puts his own touch on things, he’ll be fine,” said Amiot.

 

Kosolofski comes to Moose Jaw from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Grand Prairie Storm.  He’s also worked with the University of Lethbridge Men’s hockey team and at Notre Dame as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for all Notre Dame hockey programs from 2005 to 2009.

 

“I’ve had a good mentor with Curtis, he’s showed me a lot of things over the past week,” said Kosolofski.  “He just said do your thing, you know what to do, when it comes down to it, it’s still hockey and you have your instincts.”

 

Kosolofski is a graduate of both the University of Lethbridge and Mount Royal University in Calgary and went back to school with a goal of making it into the Western Hockey League.

 

“It’s a big step, it’s definitely exciting for me,” said Kosolofski.  “It’s the reason I went back to school was to try to get into this league, so it’s pretty exciting.”

 

There has been a bit of a learning curve over the past week for Kosolofski as he adjusts to the WHL.

 

“The game prep and the equipment stuff is all the same, but there’s a lot of protocols and paper work stuff that is different from back in the AJHL, so there’s a lot of stuff that way that’s different,” he said.  “The guys have been good, the coaches have been good, so I think it will be a pretty smooth transition that way.”

 

Kosolofski’s first solo game will be on Friday when the Warriors open a three-game Alberta road trip in Edmonton against the Oil Kings.