Klepper’s Korner w/ John Glen:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Klepper’s Korner w/ John Glen

December 4, 2019 

John Glen – Passionate Hockey Fan and Owner – By Don Klepp

PART 1

When John and Tom Glen acquired the Viper franchise from the Wray family last year, Viper fans didn’t know what to expect. Some wondered whether the new owners would have the same level of passion and commitment that Duncan Wray had demonstrated for over 20 years. They need not have worried, as a recent conversation with John Glen has revealed.

Both brothers are involved with the team. Tom oversees the franchise’s financial structure and processes while John is involved in the team’s day-to-day operations. The brothers operate several car dealerships in Western Canada, so they have the resources to maintain a stable hockey franchise.

John explains his involvement this way: “Hockey’s a passion of mine. I love the game, I love being around the players, I love the competition.” He says that he has wanted “to help make a difference with a team, to lend a helping hand.”

That’s exactly what he’s done before arriving in Vernon. He volunteered for seven years with the Spruce Grove Saints in a variety of roles, including scouting and helping at the Saints’ practices. He also coached minor hockey teams along with current Viper assistant coach Eric Morrissette. For good measure, he scouted Midget and Junior teams for the Vancouver Giants for 10 years.

Before buying the Viper franchise, the Glen brothers hadn’t really planned to own a Junior A team. John says that “Tom and I had looked at franchises in Alberta and BC, but there wasn’t really a fit. But when the Saints played the Doyle Cup here in 2010 and 2011, I couldn’t get over the community support for this team. Plus, the rink and its facilities were outstanding. Then when the Viper franchise became available, we were definitely interested. But it’s a long process to obtain ownership.”

The Glens entered the process carefully. John says “There was a legacy of 26 years involved, so I didn’t want to take this process for granted.”

Now that they are running the team, John has taken a special interest in finding Viper players. He becomes very animated when discussing the identification and recruitment of promising young hockey players. He says “the key to it is projecting which players will develop to become impact players at the next level. Number one for me is smarts; these days if you can’t think, you can’t play Junior, college, or pro hockey. The game is so quick that you have to be able to adjust on the fly. Good habits can be developed during practices, but then players have to improvise during game conditions.”

He maintains that the second key attribute is speed. “We want our players to compete hard, and you have to be able to skate in order to compete. There are battle zones all over the ice, in front of the net, in the corners, at the blue lines, along the boards. So far this year when our guys have been winning those battles consistently, we’ve been successful.”

In his first year with the team, John made a point of learning everything he could about the BCHL: “I got on the bus to travel to other BCHL venues to see how the other teams operate. I wanted to see how they operate, how they treat their fans and their players. I wanted to get a real sense of the whole league and I’m glad that I did.”

He also feels that he has a better feel for the Vernon hockey market. “I love Vernon and its hockey culture,” he says. “For example, last year when we were in last place for a while we still had great community support. That went a long way. And I was proud of how the team rallied and got to the league final. Mark Ferner and his staff did a great job to get them to that point and the fans were there all the way!”

With regard to the fan base, he says that “I welcome the fans to contact me with any ongoing concerns, opinions, or conversation. I’m at most home games, on the concourse, and always available to chat.”

Next Instalment – John Glen talks about the Vipers’ present and future plans