Aaron Wilbur will go down as the most successful coach in the 40-year history of the Richmond Sockeyes.
Soon after arriving in Vancouver Monday morning following a victorious run at the Keystone Cup Western Canadian Junior "B" Hockey Championships in St. Malo, Manitoba, the first-year bench boss announced he won't be returning next season.
The 32-year-old says the demands of his other hockey interests made it impossible to continue on. Wilbur is president of The Coaches Site, a leading edge company that provides coaching conferences to minor hockey associations across Western Canada. He also is an instructor with the Vancouver Hockey School where he regularly works alongside Derek Popke and Yogi Svejkovsky.
"Next September I will be organizing a coaches conference in Vancouver instead of getting ready for the season," said Wilbur. "The business is growing and with that comes demands with my time. Down the road, I just couldn't see myself having the time to continue on."
Wilbur arrived in Richmond with an impressive coaching background that included stops with the the UBC Thunderbirds, the B.C. Hockey League's Penticton Vees and the Castlegar Rebels of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
What lured him to the Sockeyes was the club's rich history and he has seen what it's all about during what was a most memorable 40th anniversary season.
When Richmond won the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial championship in Courtenay, Wilbur was well aware the ownership group would have to reach deep into their pockets for a hastily planned trip to Manitoba. Yet, the cost to attend the tournament was never an issue. The only concern was making sure the players and coaching staff were comfortably taken care of.
"I sure hope the community appreciates what they have (in this ownership) group and their passion for the Richmond Sockeyes," said Wilbur. "You definitely don't own a junior 'B' hockey team to make money. This is such a strong organization with first class guys running it. I'm really proud to know I was part of it.
"I will still be teaching a lot of hockey in Richmond and definitely be watching how the team is doing."
According to team co-owner Doug Paterson, the process of replacing Wilbur won't begin until next month.
