The Gens annual pub night fundraiser packed the Venue Bar and Grill, Oct. 27, to raise both funds and community spirit for the local junior ‘B’ hockey team.

Participating in his first pub night fundraiser for the club, Gens general manager Rick Richards says it was an important night for the club.

“I think for the players it’s a big morale booster because they know the town is behind them,” says Richards. “Having the Town of Cochrane come out like they did last night was huge. We couldn’t get one more person in that place. It was just awesome.”

The event featured a silent auction and a chance to mingle with the team players, management and supporters. The highlight of the night remains the players’ auction, this year ably emceed by third-year Gen Braden Bain. His quick wit was on display while the team “sold” all their players to do chores for the successful bidders (some highlights featured in video). Some were won by parents, granted, but many others went to friends, fans and even teammates.

Bain, for one, picked up the services of teammate Taylor Girard. Upon his successful bid, Bain assured Girard he would be required to clean his entire home.

Competition was stiff for some of the players, still super fan Diedre Fennell, who was recently honoured by the club, successfully bid on numerous players.

Bain, himself, netted $300 for the club when he auctioned off himself. The bid quickly jumped from $30 to $100 in the early going, something that visibly surprised Bain.

Richards says Bain plays an important role on the team.

“Every team needs one and every team doesn’t have one, but we’ve got one. He is the life of the team and when he’s going, whether it’s in the dressing room or on the ice, the team’s going.

“You always need a player who’s the glue and he’s the glue of the team,” says Richards.

The cost to run the town’s junior team easily climbs to over $100,000 each season and that makes fundraising essential. Transportation makes up a huge portion of the budget and the more successful the season, the higher the costs of competing in the Heritage Junior Hockey League playoffs and, should they qualify, the Alberta junior ‘B’ championship tournament.

“It’s a big money boast for the organization which is what every small town junior team needs. It takes a lot of money to run a team.”