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A North Central Electric Cooperative employee has been honored for his years of volunteer work with Bottineau youth hockey. Rod Bahn, electrical advisor for the cooperative, received the prestigious "Tiger John" award from the Bottineau Blue Line club in recognition of his dedication to youth hockey in Bottineau.
Named after John Molberg, a long-time coach and supporter of youth hockey in Bottineau, the "Tiger John" award is given to individuals who have coached or volunteered with Bottineau youth hockey. Bahn received his award in March at the Bottineau Blue Line club awards banquet. Doug Trengen of Bottineau also received the award.
Bahn became involved in hockey in 1977, when his oldest son began to skate. Bahn and his wife Noreen have two sons, Jeff and Jerry, that both participated in hockey. For the Bahns, hockey turned into a family affair.
"Hockey was a good way to be involved in the community, and it kept our kids active," Bahn remembers. "Besides, it made the winter go by faster," he laughs.
Bahn served as vice president and president of the Bottineau Blue Line organization, and helped with many projects at the Bottineau arena.
"We worked on projects to improve the arena, including lighting, plexiglass and new boards," he says. Bahn also helped with fundraising efforts to make those improvements.
His involvement in youth hockey included being assistant team manager for his son Jeff’s Hockey team, and team manager for son Jerry’s team.
With two kids in youth hockey, Bahn spent many weekends transporting hockey kids to hockey games in North Dakota and Canada. "I know my way around southern Manitoba pretty well," he laughs. Bahn spent many hours at the rink, helping with games and tournaments. His wife Noreen helped, too, taking tickets, or helping in other ways. "It was fun seeing the kids progress through the years," Bahn says. "I really enjoyed meeting people from other communities because of hockey," he continues. Although both of his sons are grown, he continues to follow Bottineau hockey. "My son Jerry coaches youth hockey, so I usually go to those games, and I follow the other teams, too," he says.
"It’s been fun for me to see kids that were involved when I first started, coming back with kids of their own in youth hockey--continuing the tradition," he says.
Congratulations to Rod Bahn for receiving the "Tiger John" award for his involvement with Bottineau youth hockey.
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