Winning the league title and Memorial Cup have brought the Spokane Chiefs a lot of recognition and honors, one of which will take place this Thursday. Head Coach Hardy Sauter will coach his first WHL game when the league kicks off the regular season on Thursday, September 18th and Spokane travels to Cranbrook to take on the Kootenay Ice. The league is using it as an opportunity to recognize Ed Chynoweth, patriarch of the WHL and founder of the Ice organization, and the first team to win the trophy named after him.

“It sure puts things into perspective for me after playing in the league,” Sauter said. “The legacy that one man can leave behind for thousands of kids is rather remarkable. He is the kind of guy who would meet you one time and remember you forever.”

Spokane earned the Ed Chynoweth Cup as champions of the WHL last spring with a four-game sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Sauter spoke about how he admired what the former president of the WHL accomplished, specifically his ability to relate to everyone, “I was walking down the hallway in Regina as a visiting player and I said hello to him. He turned around and said ‘hi Hardy’. It floored me, I met him one time and he acted like he knew me for 15 years.”

Gametime for Thursday night is scheduled for 6:30 with the radio and television broadcasts starting at 6:00. Mike Boyle can be heard live on 1510 KGA with Comcast Hockey Tonight while the game can be watched on Comcast channel 78.