AS I SEE IT COLUMN: The Southeast Event Centre Arena is a masterpiece

Wow. Just wow.

The brand new Southeast Event Centre (SEC) arena is amazing. The sheer size of it all, the bowl seating, the lighting, the sound system, the two jumbotrons — it’s just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

There are so many thank you’s that are needed to pull off something as breathtaking as the new arena.

Thanks to city council for spending the money and approving such an enormous project. Thanks to HyLife for all the money they contributed to the SEC. Thanks to Kevin Geisheimer, Jamie Roy and the entire Pistons organization as well as their game day volunteers. Thanks to the Pistons ownership group. Thanks to all the billets who provide a home for the out of town players. Thanks to all the corporate sponsors. Thanks to the construction workers who physically built the SEC. Thanks to the SEC staff and volunteers who will be excellent stewards of that facility and the many exciting events and concerts it will host. Thanks to the fine people in La Broquerie for being the Pistons temporary home while the new rink was being built.

In two years we went from having the worst arena in the MJHL to quite possibly the best junior hockey facility on the continent.

Never again will hockey fans have to sit on uncomfortably cold slabs of wood. Now you have luxurious individual chairs, seat backs and arm rests.

Taking a tour of the SEC is a must. You won’t believe your eyes when you see the Pistons dressing room. It’s incredible.

It’s a family affair

Special recognition has to go to Paul Dyck – Pistons GM and Head Coach — and his family.

Paul’s brother Russ runs the scoreboard and penalty box, and has for years, in addition to being a long time billet. When he’s not volunteering for the Pistons, in his capacity of running operations for the City of Steinbach, he was intimately involved with the different trades and construction companies that built the SEC. And it’s Paul’s team that runs the ice plant in this gem of a facility.

Paul’s father does a lot of volunteer work for the Pistons. The day before the rink opened, Bill, a carpenter, was continuing his handiwork in the dressing room by installing a window. The cliche “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” comes to mind.

If the Pistons were an average “run of the mill” MJHL franchise, it’s very difficult to see the SEC getting built. But with Paul singlehandedly transforming the Pistons franchise into a perennial contender that is consistently ranked as one of the top junior A programs in Canada, having such a successful anchor tenant like the Pistons made the SEC project and the historic capital investment it required, a much easier decision.

Typically junior hockey teams have peaks and valleys. You have some good years, then players age out and it’s time to rebuild. Not so for our Pistons.

Year in and year out they put out a highly-skilled contender for the MJHL title, and they do it with class and dignity.

And when you consider the values that Paul instills in his players – volunteering, helping seniors, putting up the Christmas lights on Main Street that everyone loves and so much more – it’s clear that Paul isn’t just turning these young men into fine hockey players, he is turning them into socially-conscious adults that want to help others and positively contribute to society.

That’s a gift to our community that extends far beyond the many successes the Pistons achieve on the ice.

Going forward

Not only will the new rink be something the southeast can be proud of for many years, it will be a boon to Paul’s already legendary recruitment efforts. Through his many connections in the hockey world Paul has been masterful in bringing players to Steinbach. Now, once a player sees the facility, they won’t just want to play for Paul, they will want to play in a state-of-the-art arena.

The SEC marks a new golden era for Steinbach and the surrounding community.

Congratulations to everyone involved!