Joe Bloski

Builder (1998)

Hockey

Joe has been a prime organizer in Saskatchewan midget hockey, managing the Blazers for 11 years and taking the team to the Calgary Macs international tournament 10 times. He served as vice-president and then completed a four-year term as president of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League in 1996-97.

Joe was born in Chelan on June 26, 1935, grew up on the farm and is seen here in 1953 with his high school graduating class at Porcupine Plain. He settled in Saskatoon, attended University of Saskatchewan and entered the business world.

As a parent, he became interested in sports program, first at Mayfair, then at Eastview, coaching softball in summer and hockey in winter. An early softball team was Saskatoon Eastview squirts, which won a provincial championship in 1975. An early hockey team was the Eastview Flyers, who won the city championship in 1972-73.

Joe became a co-owner of the Saskatoon Blazers, coaching for six years, managing for five and helping to get the Saskatchewan midget AAA League on solid ground. He was an organizer of the Air Canada regional bantam hockey playoffs, which were awarded to Saskatoon in 1987. Joe's Nutana Legion Flyers represented Saskatchewan in the tournament. One of the prime events in 1987 involved the Blazers in a tournament at Saskatchewan Place.

Curtis Leschyshyn and Kevin Cheveldayoff were the first two Blazer graduates chosen in the National Hockey League draft, Curtis by Quebec and Kevin by the New York Islanders.

The Blazers captured the Saskatchewan Midget AAA championship during the 1991-92 season, their first-ever in the league. Joe, with his wife, Barbara, was honored with a Saskatoon Hockey Association's volunteer of the year award for the 1991-92 season. A tribute to Joe's organizational skills and the Blazers' consistent ability is the fact they were invited to the Calgary Macs Midget AAA tournament 10 times while he was associated with the team.