Ask anyone for their thoughts about Scott Odegard and they all say the same thing.
“He was just a guy who loved being at the rink coaching.”
“He was a passionate guy, loved to win.”
“Anybody would do anything for Odie.”
Odegard passed away suddenly on Jan. 7 at the age of 57, leaving behind a cherished legacy and huge void in the local hockey community.
“He taught many a kid about accountability and hard work and left everything on the table. He was so gregarious, loud and opinionated, everybody loved Odie,” said Red Deer Minor Hockey President Al Sim.
Odegard made a lot of connections working in the oil and gas industry over the years, around the world in fact, and put them to good use to better the sport he loved.
“When I started the outdoor tournament (Tommy Gun’s Outdoor Winter Classic) one of the first calls I made was to Odie because he had all the access to the oilfield equipment I needed, like lights,” Sim recalled. “He said ‘I got this, I’ve got a guy.’ If it wasn’t for guys like him I wouldn’t have been able to do the tournament. He was a big part of making it happen.”
Red Deer U16AAA North Star Chiefs head coach JD Morrical knew Odegard for nearly his entire life, first as a player through all of minor hockey, then as a friend, employee and business partner.
“The biggest thing I’ll always remember is just how he treated people,” Morrical says. “Always straight to the point, very honest, told you exactly what he thought and what he wanted, so that honesty is something I’ll always remember. It’s a trait that is lost a lot nowadays. The way he treated people was just fantastic.”
During his time coaching the Red Deer Vipers alongside Odegard’s son Kaare, Morrical says Scott was always around to lend a hand.
“He came to almost every home game and we could bounce things off of him and would attribute a lot of our success to him as well,” Morrical remembered.
“He made the best of every day and didn’t waste a moment. I think that was the coolest part about him.”
Odegard’s love of hockey led him to being the first head coach for the Sr. AA Red Deer Rustlers. In two seasons behind the bench, he never missed a game.
“We sat down for a couple of beers and he heard our pitch for what we wanted to do with senior hockey, and he was on board with the idea that we had to get senior hockey back to its roots and to have a competitive team. He was on board right from day one, which was massive for us,” shared Rustlers president and team captain Mike Dempster.
“I talked to Scott almost every day for two years. Whether it was about lines or tactics or talking about how to bounce back after a loss,” he shared. “(His loss) hits pretty heavy for me.”
Dempster says Odegard employed an “old school” style coaching that went over well with his players, but otherwise was as kind as they come.
“Odie was intense but he also had a huge soft side. When my dad was sick it was evident that he might not make many more games. One game my son was the ‘Little Rustler.’ Typically my line did not start games. On this night Odie started me so I could be on the blue line with my son. My dad was in the crowd and got to see his son and grandson in Rustlers jerseys. I didn’t ask him for this. Odie just got it and saw how important that was for me. That’s the kind of guy he was.”
Kaare Odegard says the amount of well wishes his family has received since his father’s passing has been heartwarming.
“He was a pretty special guy who touched a lot of people,” Kaare said.
“I think he just loved the opportunity to have an impact on young guys’ lives. A quote my family wanted to share about him was ‘He was the only guy able to teach children how to be adults and adults how to be children.’
“You wonder how a guy had time to touch so many people. We’re pretty thankful.”
