Submitted by lem.alquino on Thu, 02/20/2025 - 14:32
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Former Estevan Bruins head coach Jason Tatarnic spent two seasons with the outgoing Notre Dame Hounds as a player early in his career. He said "It's just sad" that the SJHL franchise is relocating to Warman, SK, after 40 years of history behind the team. (File photo/Graphic courtesy of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League)
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"It's been in the talks for a long time. It's just sad when you see a program that has so much history."

Forty years.

That's how long the SJHL's Notre Dame Hounds have been in operation out of Wilcox, Saskatchewan. The team boasts a long dynasty of wins, losses, championship runs and history that's set to finish at the end of the regular season. This week, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Board of Governors approved the relocation of the franchise to Warman, SK starting in the fall. 

"I keep on hearing the word 'relocation'. The team's been sold, and they're not going to be the Notre Dame Hounds no more. It's not a relocation, it'll be a brand new team. It's sad. That team's gone now, Notre Dame. There's new owners that own it, moved the franchise to Warman, and it's going to take on its own life," expressed Jason Tatarnic, former head coach of the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins. 

Tatarnic developed his junior hockey chops as part of the Notre Dame Hounds during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons respectively. At the time, he was coached by Barry Mackenzie. Mackenzie was best known for leading the Hounds to a Centennial Cup championship in 1988, which featured hockey legends such as Rod Brind'Amour and Curtis Joseph. 

"Notre Dame's legacy in the history is probably the best Junior A team that's ever played in the country. That Centennial Cup team with Brind'Amour and Joseph -- I don't think you'll ever see a Junior A, Tier 2 hockey team as good as that ever. [That] Notre Dame team is probably the best Junior A hockey team in its lifetime," Tatarnic reaffirmed. 

The Estevan coach recalls his time as a player for the Hounds fondly. He said to DiscoverEstevan that Coach Mackenzie instilled a culture of strong work ethic and effort, lessons that stuck with him throughout his professional development and coaching career. During his four-and-a-half seasons with the Bruins, Tatarnic noted that the Notre Dame Hounds were a team he enjoyed playing against. Facing Notre Dame during the Bruins' championship run in 2022 was a highlight for him. 

"Probably that first playoff series or championship run. We faced them and we lost the very first game in overtime. It was probably a good wake-up call for our guys. It was just a good series to win and get us ready for our championship run there."

For the unaware, here's how that series shook down for the Bruins:

  • Game 1 - March 18, 2022 - 4-3 Notre Dame (2OT)
  • Game 2 - March 19, 2022 - 4-1 Estevan
  • Game 3 - March 22, 2022 - 6-1 Estevan
  • Game 4 - March 24, 2022 - 3-2 Estevan (OT)
  • Game 5 - March 26, 2022 - 8-1 Estevan

"It was tough as alumni. There's always a special place in my heart [for] that school. It was always nice going back to play them and getting to visit the college again," Tatarnic speaking about playing against his alma mater, Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, the school that currently hosts the Hounds.

These days, the outgoing Hounds are far from the glory that the 1988 squad fought for. At the moment, Notre Dame sits at the bottom of the SJHL standings with a record of 11-32-2-2 for the season. The Bruins are sitting 10th with a record of 14-26-5-1. 

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