When Fran Gow stepped behind the bench of his first AJHL hockey game in 1993 as his Fort McMurray Oil Barons took on the Sherwood Park Crusaders, 1,000 games behind the bench was not even on his radar.
Nevertheless, Saturday, when the Drayton Valley Thunder take on the Calgary Canucks at the Max Bell in the Cowtown, Gow will be behind the bench for the 1,000th time. It’s cause for reflection for the Edmonton product who has guided two different teams to Alberta Junior Hockey League titles, a Doyle Cup, and a national championship, and now hopes to recreate some of that magic.