When an Okotoks area lacrosse player picks up a stick or a university textbook, he or she should whisper a thank-you to the man who brought Junior A lacrosse to the Foothills.
Brad Banister, the founder of the Calgary Roughnecks of the NLL, said lacrosse players from across Alberta should be grateful to David Fehr for giving them the chance to prolong their careers and education.
“Quite frankly, I think every Alberta kid that has gone through the NCAA or made it to the pro level, needs to give a big thank-you to David Fehr,” Banister said. “Especially the Okotoks kids. There are lot of kids who would have been left off the charts if it wasn’t for David Fehr’s support in the Okotoks community in giving these kids a shot. Every kid in Okotoks who made it past Junior B, it is because of Dave Fehr, including my own kids.”
Brad’s sons, Mitch and Raymond, both played for the Okotoks Junior A Raiders and went onto play at the next level.
Fehr, who brought the Calgary Junior A Raiders to Okotoks in 2008, died on Friday at the age of 69.
He helped establish Alberta Junior A lacrosse in the 1990s, starting a team in Edmonton before brining the Raiders to Okotoks.
Fehr, along with Banister, played a major role in bringing the Minto Cup, the Canadian Junior A championship, to Okotoks in 2011.
“Bringing the Minto Cup was obviously a big deal,” Banister said. “It put Okotoks on the map of Canadian lacrosse. It showed we were on the right track and developing young athletes… His number one interest with Alberta Lacrosse was Alberta kids. He helped get them on the national stage in a sport, that is dominated from teams from B.C. and out east.”
It wasn’t just the Junior-age players that got helped by Fehr in Okotoks.
He also helped establish lacrosse in Okotoks for young players at the novice, tykes levels – long before he brought the Raiders to town.
“Our history goes back to when Dave was running the (Calgary) Sabrecats and I starting up the program here in Okotoks with Dana Robinson,” Banister said.
“David was one of the guys who supported the Okotoks Mustangs through the Calgary District Lacrosse Association — the only guy who really stuck his neck out for us at the time was David Fehr… His passion, his vision, his dedication for lacrosse couldn’t be challenged by anyone else.”
Fehr also helped Banister when the Okotokian founded the Roughnecks in 2001.
“He was there to support me, whether it was just talking over a cup of coffee, or a financial drop in the bucket by buying extra tickets if need be,” Banister said.
You didn’t have to be a lacrosse lover to be pals with Fehr.
Jay Magnussen, better known for his love of Canada’s other national sport, hockey, had a quarter-century old friendship with Fehr.
“Years and years ago when I was in the transportation business, David had a small company called Productive Space,” Magnussen said. “We bumped into each other and our friendship just grew. There aren’t many in the world I respect as much as David — just an awesome, fantastic man. Very kind and genuine.”
Fehr had that special touch as a friend.
“He was the kind of friend who made you feel glad about yourself and glad that he was your friend,” Magnussen said. “He loved the Okotoks Raiders and the community and bringing the Minto Cup here.
“But it was always about the hard-work everybody else did. In all the years I knew him never once was he looking for a pat on the back. He was always thinking of other people.”
