Steve Kook coaches fourth-year forward Sophie Lalor as the Huskies take on the Mount Royal Cougars in Saskatoon on Nov. 19, 2022. (Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards)

By Daniella Ponticelli

'It went by so fast'

Q&A: Head coach Steve Kook on 400 games with Huskies women’s hockey

Jan 9, 2023 | 4:05 PM

A thrilling shootout win in Saskatoon closed out Steve Kook’s 400th game as a U Sports head coach on Saturday night.

Kook has been at the helm for a 17 seasons. His respected leadership has resulted in a Canada West title, two national bronze medals and two Canada West Coach of the Year awards.

Kook spoke with HuskieFAN’s Daniella Ponticelli ahead of his 400th game milestone on what was, what is, and what’s yet to come for the program.

Looking back to when you started, 2005-06 with the Huskies, what can you say about your time so far?

Kook: It went by so fast. Like, honestly, I don’t know the number. I don’t keep track. But I mean, 400 seems high to me. I guess looking back, I’ve been here a dozen years, right? So, you know, it flies by when you’re doing something that you enjoy.

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What is the most rewarding part of all of this?

Kook: You get these athletes coming through and, you know, you get anywhere from 17 to 20 to 23, sometimes 24 year olds from all different parts of the country. And they come together and just the drive and the excitement of them coming to the rink every day is what keeps me coming to the rink, really.

They’re so dedicated at what they do and people don’t realize and understand how much of a commitment it is to be here. They think it’s just hockey. But it’s hockey, it’s school, it’s academics, it’s community work, it’s extra workout and video and all those sorts of things.

They’re young adults and this is the best level of hockey that, you know, many of them will play and you just drive off with that energy that they bring.

So another 400 games, then?

Kook (laughing): I tell you what, let’s worry about these next ones first.

But overall, what are some of the highlights from your time here?

Kook: Oh, you know, I don’t miss Rutherford (former Huskies rink). I don’t miss being in there. But I miss the atmosphere that Rutherford had when we played. The fans were right on top of you. We didn’t treat the opposition very well. It was definitely a home advantage.

The other thing I liked about playing out of Rutherford is it gave the team character. We had sparse belongings. We didn’t have very much there; we just had enough to get by. Had what we need, and it created identity for us. And, you know, that’s what I enjoyed playing out out of Rutherford … when we won our first and only Canada West Championship in 2013-14, you know, I just remember how 900 fans sounded in a barn like that.

It sounded like it was 9,000 fans.

And then to, just last season, get the bronze medal on the national stage — I know it would have been great to have the Canada West title as well — but what was that experience like for you?

Kook: It was special because, you know, Jordyn Holmes got injured and then she was able to come back and enjoy the win with us and her teammates and especially because of the way that we went through the playoffs … it was just a magical run.

Four years before that, we were in London and we were standing on the other blue line watching Concordia get the bronze medal. So it was nice to see Abbey (Shirley) and Bailee (Bourassa) get the bronze medal they deserved.

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team after winning bronze at the 2022 U Sports Championship in Charlottetown, PEI on March 27, 2022. (Huskie Athletics)

When we met you last year, you said, ‘we have 13 rookies coming in.’ How proud are you, overall, of their growth?

Kook: You know, it’s still a work in progress. We talked about it with them, that as much as experience as we had last year, still only second year players in the league. Tonight was a good example. We have four key people out of the lineup, people playing in different positions, different opportunities.

You know, Emily Holmes is a defenseman playing up front. That’s the growth that’s coming from this squad right now. Just figuring out a way just to be hockey players. Sometimes we get so hung up on, you know, X’s and O’s. And ‘I got to be here’ and ‘I got to be there.’ Tonight the message was, ‘hey just be hockey players. He hard to play games against. Go get the puck, make plays, make smart plays and communicate.’

And that’s the growth that we had, especially tonight.

Huskies head coach Steve Kook poses with the coaching and support staff bronze medals alongside head physiotherapist Jessica Pawlik. (Daniella Ponticelli/HuskieFAN)

Any final words as we wrap up for your 400th game?

Kook: I was thinking about it during the national anthem and every national anthem, I stand there and I look at the Canadian flag and I see one of our banners up there.

You talk about 400 and what do you think about? I think about we need to have way more banners up there. So that’s what the next goal is for the next 12 games, the next 400, whatever. We need to add more banners.

This Q&A has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity.