Byron Ridge wrote a brief note on his phone and then sent a text message to his former Calgary Flames teammate Jarome Iginla.
Richie’s son Ryder was mired in a goal-slumping slump, and Richie asked Iginla if he could watch some of his son’s shifts. “See if you see something different than I do,” Byron asked.
This is one hockey dad asking another for advice, but in truth, this kind of less personal exchange is common for Richie and Iginla. The two former NHL forwards played together for two seasons in Calgary nearly 20 years ago. Their offseason home is in the Okanagan, a picturesque spot in British Columbia’s interior popular with NHL players.
In August 2006, after their first year as teammates in Calgary, Rich’s wife, Mariah Johnson, and Jarome’s wife, Carla Iginla, both gave birth to sons. Ryder was born on August 3rd.
Now, the two 17-year-olds are top prospects in the NHL and will enter this weekend’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas and handle the pressure of draft eligibility together at the RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna. Jarome Iginla coaches the academy’s U18 team, which includes his son Joe, who made his WHL debut this season as a 15-year-old, and Byron Ritchie Then serves as a skills development coach, working with players at all levels.
So when Iginla watched Ryder’s shift in late November, he came back with a simple suggestion: Turn off your brain.
“As a guy who loves to score and wants to score, that’s all you think about when you’re not scoring,” Ryder said. “‘Oh, I haven’t scored in six games,’ and then, ‘Oh no, it’s been seven now.'”
“So I’m sitting at home having dinner and I can’t stop thinking about achieving this goal.”
Iginla then called and told Ryder to do something to take his mind off hockey. “Don’t even think about competing,” he told him. “Read. Go to the movies. Just be a kid. Get away from things for a while.
Although Iginla was a formidable power forward as a player, he took a patient, measured approach to developing young players — including his sons Joe and Teegie, and his daughter Jade, both of whom Is a high level hockey prospect.
“It’s hard when you’re involved as a player,” Iginla said. “You want to work harder, work harder. Just keep pushing, you know, to break through. But sometimes the best way is to find something else. Give your brain a break.
After Iginla’s Hall of Fame playing career ended in 2017, he and his family settled in Boston.
The three young children are all ambitious athletes and sport was a major factor in their decision. Boston has more high-level baseball and hockey options and is easier to get around. While his children became more interested in hockey, Jarome found an outlet to help him adjust to life after the NHL.
“You hear that a lot from retired players, but it’s a big adjustment from playing and everything that goes with it,” he said. “Having to be everywhere, enjoying the game, enjoying the energy of the game, winning and losing, and being in the game. It was a big adjustment the first year, but being able to coach really helped.
While Jade played prep hockey and eventually went to Shattuck St. Mary’s College in Minnesota, Jarome became the co-coach for Teejay and Joe’s hockey team.
In the summer, Iginla rents ice for his three children: Tij (pictured here with his father Joe and Jade). (Courtesy of Jarome Iginla)
“Every night we have a practice or a game, which keeps me busy and keeps me involved,” Iginla said. “I love the game and it’s nice to be able to share it with my own kids, but it’s also competitive hockey, so it gives me the opportunity to share it with other kids who want to get better and are passionate about the sport.”
Eventually, the temptation to move back to Western Canada prevailed. Jed was recruited to play Division I college hockey. His sons are seriously pursuing the NHL path, and Jarome wants them to play in the Canadian Western Hockey League.
“You know, as parents, our job is to try to help them,” Iginla said, “but also make sure they keep their options open when it comes to school. But we believe that if you want it, you will Work towards it and give it your best effort.
The combination of significant ice time for aspiring athletes and the educational value of Canada West’s college system attracted the Iginras.
“So I talked to Byron and we jumped at the opportunity,” Iginla said.
For the former NHL teammates, working together comes naturally.
“We go back 30 years,” Rich said, noting they played U17 hockey together.
“You always have this connection with your teammates. And then your kids are a day apart, right? … We’re always in touch.
The Iginras recruited all three of their children to RINK, and Jarome joined the academy as a youth coach and began working with his former teammates. At the same time, Tij joined the U18 team and played alongside Ryder.
“Both Byron and Jarome are committed to developing the modern hockey player,” said RINK Executive Director Mako Balkovec. “The fact that they have kids here as well gives them a vested interest and I think that’s why they also bring a certain amount of enjoyment in working with other players.
“Byron is very passionate, similar to the type of player he is. He’s committed and demanding. It shows in the way his team plays. And then for the kids, once they get over ‘Oh, wow, that’s It feels like Jarome Iginla, and he will be very dedicated to working with young players. This is an incredible opportunity.
In the winter, especially when Iginla was playing in Calgary, he would come home after games and flood the backyard to maintain a rink for his kids.
“It was very peaceful,” he recalled. “I’ll come back at midnight, get off the road, the stars are out, it’s quiet outside. Once you start letting water out, you start to feel proud of it. Make sure the road isn’t bumpy, make sure the kids don’t complain. It’s actually a A great stress reliever.
In the summer, and to this day, Jarome rents ice for himself and his three children. They’ll train, do some skill drills, and then play two-on-two.
The teams are always the same: Jarome and his youngest son Joe, versus Jade and Tij.
“Outdoors in the winter, we always played two-on-two games without a goalie, so you had to put the pole down, and Jed and I were always a team against Joe and Dad,” Tiggy recalled.
“Usually Jed and I win,” Teejay added confidently. “We have a pretty good record.”
Tij and Ryder, born one day apart in the summer of 2006, share a fast pace and superb playing style. (Courtesy of Jarome Iginla)
“For a long time, I was able to control who won by trying harder, trying less, and sharing the victory because the kids would get mad,” Iginla said.
“Then… Jade and Tij started to get better. Towards the end, Tij was 14 and Jade was 16, and I couldn’t control it anymore. I wasn’t that good in small spaces anymore. People would say ‘You can’t beat it’ What do they mean? “Well, come on, I can’t physically check them out! Tij and Jade do so well in small spaces.
“I’d start coming in at the end of every day and Joe would be mad because we hadn’t won in a while and now my wife Carla was mad at me, like ‘Why have you never won’? I have to tell her.’ I’m trying now!
What a pair of former NHL players and devoted hockey dads started as a coach for their own kids has grown into something more.
Tij and Ryder share the same fast-paced and high-skill playing style. That’s part of the reason why Tij, ranked as the ninth-best skater in North America by NHL Central Scouting before the draft, was considered a possible top-10 pick. Ryder should hear his name called late in the first round or early in the second round.
“Growing up, as you get older, the coaching tightens up a little bit,” Teeje said, “but my dad and Byron had a good understanding of development. You might make the odd mistake, but The important thing is to come back when you make a mistake.
“That’s what happened with my dad. He watched what was happening in the game. He wasn’t stuck in any old ways. He was always looking at stuff on his iPad, looking at new exercises and skills.
This is another common trait between the two fathers. Their lively group chat with the RINK staff includes tons of clips from all levels of hockey, smooth and ongoing conversations about the evolution of the sport, new drills, and debate on the value of the latest fads in skill development.
For example, Byron honed his approach as a skills coach in conversations with his CAA colleague Jim Hughes.
In addition to his work at RINK, Byron Ritchie is responsible for CAA’s recruiting and player development efforts in Western Canada. (Courtesy Byron Rich)
“I think zone games, not just two-on-two across the ice, but a lot of different zone games and competitive zone games, players have to use their brains to find open ice,” he said. “Putting the net in weird places, crazy things like this, three-on-two and four-on-three, the offensive team will be outnumbered. I think those adjustments help stimulate the brains of skilled players and challenge them to make plays and Find space.
Ultimately, the impact of Iginla-Rich’s partnership at the RINK Hockey Academy extended beyond the development of their own sons. Currently, some of the most intriguing young players on the continent — including potential 2026 No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna and Wisconsin-bound offensive guard Chloe Primerano — Chloe Primerano (possibly the best women’s hockey prospect Western Canada has ever produced) is training at RINK and living with the Ritchie family.
“He pushed me, and I loved that,” McKenna said of the relationship he developed with Rich. “He’s my agent, he’s my coach, I live here in the summer. He’s been through it all himself, so he helps me understand how hard I need to work, even how I have to eat, to get to where I want to be. The place.
The draft is the culmination of a long-held dream for top hockey players and their families, but it also represents the beginning of a journey.
However, for Ryder and Tidge and their father, there’s also a sense of relief as a new chapter begins.
“There was a lot of pressure in draft year, I remember it clearly,” Jarome said. “It’s a unique thing when you’re drafted because you’re constantly criticized and everyone is watching and judging. It’s part of the game, but in a draft year, it feels like everything is magnified.
“Ryder and Teejay are both doing a great job with this, but it’s nice as a parent to know they’re getting there.”
(Photo: Dan Goldfarb/ Competitor; Photo: Jonathan Kozub, Dale Preston/Getty Images)
