Spruce Kings volunteer Kyle Tschampa dies at 40

Kyle Tschampa’s sports knowledge was extensive and he created a job in junior hockey as a volunteer statistician with the Prince George Spruce Kings.

It started in 2002 and from then on, it didn’t matter if it was a scrimmage or a championship game, he was there to monitor the players closely and report to the team staff. coaches from his perspective on what they were doing on the ice, and he was a good judge of talent. More often than not, the players who made it to the final selection were those Kyle thought deserved a spot on the team.

Eventually, he found other ways to contribute to Spruce Kings game nights, volunteering as an usher who loved to start a conversation. Positive and optimistic, he was always curious to know what you thought of certain players or the way the boys played on the ice.

Never hesitating to join in a discussion with the fans, decked out in his blue and red Kings jersey, he never missed a game. Kyle loved the Spruce Kings, the Vancouver Canucks and the BC Lions and once he found out I was a Calgary guy, he could never stop taking a shot at the Flames or the Stampeders, especially when his teams beat them on the scoreboard. If there was a Lions game on television, he always looked forward to inviting his family over for a Chinese meal.

Kyle comes from a solid Prince George upbringing that taught him the merits of politeness, respect and courtesy, lessons he learned well from his mother Carol, his father Joe, his sister Kristin and from his brother Brett. Kyle got along well with his younger siblings and never hesitated to show his love for his nieces and nephews. He was the best uncle.

At the age of 10, he was diagnosed with a rare mental syndrome that he refused to let hold him back. He remained successful and attended regular classes with the other schoolchildren at Vanway Elementary and College Heights Secondary and graduated in 2002.

“We never raised him like he was in trouble,” Joe said. “He was raised as normally as possible, and I think that really helped him over the next few years. He made us quite proud.

Carol said: “We never let him apologize for anything, he had the same consequences as our other children; they simply had to be responsible for their actions.

Kyle far outplayed and outplayed most of his minor hockey opponents. As an adult, his six-foot-six, 320-pound frame contained a strength that came in extremely handy when carrying fresh meat on a big-game hunt or reeling in a big problem on his fishing line.

His father was the coach of a famous hockey team and the children began balancing on blades and playing football at an early age.

“For a big, goofy guy, he had really good hands,” Joe said. “He stood right in front and buried them. He kind of reminded me of Phil Esposito because no one could move him.

Participating in sports gave Kyle a sense of belonging and responsibility as well as the social aspect of working toward a common goal. He was the goal judge behind the net and opened the door in the penalty box. He was a member of the Spruce Kings team for over 20 years.

“He started doing statistics (in 2002) when he was in high school and Kyle volunteered for us for decades and did a great job. He was there for every game, always smiling, always happy to see everyone world and to greet everyone,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes.

“He would come to every spring camp, every training camp and he would evaluate the players and he was really invested in the organization. He always gave me his list of guys after every spring camp scrimmage and every main camp scrimmage and I always appreciated his input. It just shows that he really cared about the organization. He was an avid sports fan and will certainly be missed. He contributed in many ways.

Kyle was only two years old when he went hunting with his father on their first trip. Hawes said he was always eager to hear about Kyle’s hunting experiences and was always willing to share the bounty, leaving the Spruce Kings office well stocked with the pepperoni they had prepared.

“He really loved the outdoors, he was the best hunting partner because there was never a complaint, all he did was go out and have a good time, it was pretty fun,” Joe said.

On September 28, Kyle lost his battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of bone marrow cancer, and died at the Prince George Rotary Hospice House, a month after his 40th birthday.

A physical exam performed in November 2023 detected cancer in his blood and his terminal condition was confirmed by a specialist in Vancouver. It just so happened that that night there was a Canucks-Oilers game at Rogers Arena and Kyle of course knew about it.

“I got tickets that day and I didn’t tell Kyle and after talking to the doctor we were all pretty disappointed – that’s an understatement – and Kyle said, ‘That would be pretty good to go to the hockey game.”

“I said I already had tickets and that changed the mood in the room because it was quite dark and gloomy. They gave him a year more or less and he got 10 months.

In August, Joe decided to take Kyle to the Lions-Bombers game in Vancouver. At that time, Kyle’s energy levels were low and he was receiving blood transfusions at the Prince George Cancer Clinic. The nurses liked him and when one of them found out he was going to the game, they agreed with the doctor to change his transfusion schedule so that he would receive one unit of blood on Monday and two on Friday , just before his departure. for Vancouver.

Unsure of Kyle’s stability, Joe phoned the Lions to ask if they had a wheelchair, and at one point the conversation broke off emotionally as he talked about his son. The man he was talking to, Massimo Possolo, told him not to worry, the Lions would take care of them and he offered them tickets to the match. Former Prince George Cougars captain Nick Drazenovic knew someone on the team and they arranged for Kyle to come down to field level during the game.

“The experience there was incredibly good,” Joe said.

“We went sockeye fishing at Babine Lake for his 40th birthday (August 29) and it was a pretty special moment for all of us. Of course Kyle caught the biggest one, it was probably eight pounds.

The highlight of this trip was Joe’s niece contacting outdoorsman Jim Shockey, whose popular TV shows about big game hunting were gold for Kyle. Shockey found out Kyle didn’t have long to live and sent him a personal birthday video message that Kyle cherished for the rest of his life.

A celebration of Kyle’s life was held Sunday at the Hartt Pioneer Center. The family has asked that all donations be made to the BC Cancer Center for the North.