BC HOCKEY AWARDS: CHAIR OF THE BOARD AWARD - FRED ZWEEP

By MARIO ANNICCHIARICO

Fred Zweep’s work in championing the Humanitarian and Commissioner’s Awards and supporting an improved culture in the British Columbia Elite Hockey League (BCEHL) has led to his recognition as BC Hockey’s Chair of the Board Award winner for 2024-25.

Acknowledging the work of young players off the ice - and not just points accumulated on the ice - is the importance behind Zweep’s work with the BCEHL.

“To be honest, I was very shy in receiving it (the Chair of the Board Award) because it’s just not me. I’m an individual who enjoys mentoring and giving and doing it with no recognition,” Zweep said of the honour. “So I’m very humbled by it. Extremely honoured, of course, and feel quite blessed, not by the award, but because it’s a testament to not just myself but the people I have the opportunity to engage with every day with what we do at BC Hockey.”

The premise behind the Humanitarian and Commissioner’s Awards is based on unconditional leadership, involvement and integrity and for Zweep, it’s about using the sport to grow great people.

“The equation of a great person is someone who will be a productive individual in society and ultimately give back unconditionally. That’s the outcome,” he said.

“We used the sport to do that for our son (Nolan). He was never the best player, but he was a really good teammate, played at high levels and ultimately got to go to school, and his career and success in what he’s doing now is based on being a good person,” he said of Nolan, who now resides in Denver, and works for Price Waterhouse.

“So as I looked at our league, when I got involved in the BCEHL and when Bill Greene asked if I would rejoin BC Hockey and facilitate the role, I kept looking at our acknowledgements and the recognitions were all statistically based.

“They didn’t acknowledge the good people there. We wanted to shine the light on transitioning the sport from being oriented towards results, in terms of wins and losses, more towards how can we use the sport to help mentor people?”

Those beliefs helped create the Humanitarian and Commissioner’s Awards.

“The young lady we acknowledged a year ago (Penelope Johnson), was an amazing story,” said Zweep. “She was a good hockey player, not the best on her team, but she had a strategy in her mind where she grew up on a reserve in northern B.C.

“She (and her siblings) was taken from a community, by her parents, because they wanted her to have a higher education. So she moved into Prince George and became involved in hockey.”

Johnson, last year’s Commissioner’s Award winner, who attended Red Deer College in her first year, ultimately wants to earn a teaching degree and go back to her home community and prevent inspiring young people, like she is, from having to leave the community.

“An incredibly, amazing story,” said Zweep.

In its second year, the Commissioner’s Award is based on nominations received from team managers and coaching staffs. Different eyes look at the submissions and once they are narrowed down, they hold interviews with the young athletes where they get to know them better.

“The game is one thing, but it’s the relationships that grow along the way that are important,” said Zweep, who is a longtime volunteer in provincial hockey, nearing a quarter of a century.

He was involved with the Male Program of Excellence (POE) as a Volunteer Coordinator and volunteered with both the Mission and Abbotsford Minor Hockey Associations. In 2021, he took on the role as the Commissioner of the BCEHL & BC Hockey’s POE.

Zweep's responsibilities include working collaboratively with BC Hockey staff and volunteers to provide leadership for BC Hockey's POE and BC Hockey’s AAA Leagues, including the assembly and chairing advisory groups.

He also leads communication with BC Hockey stakeholders about goals and program delivery objectives related to the POE and AAA Leagues. He provides leadership and vision for both long and short-term program goals and oversees mentorship for program personnel.

He is hands on and helps deal with challenges and issues throughout the BCEHL season with players, parents, coaches and volunteers. He oversees the selection of the BCEHL and POE staff each year along with a staff resource, he is active within POE camps and attends championships. 

Zweep helps deal with player, parent and coaching issues or challenges and, with both the POE and the BCEHL having a large amount of volunteer staff, he works tirelessly to mentor and assist the critical resources.

He is heavily involved in the growth of the BCEHL’s relationships with other BC Hockey members, with a specific focus to create stronger integration with MHAs in each region around the province. 

“I do it unconditionally,” said Zweep. “I tell people the game is the game, but how do we use the game to build great people.”