Byron Ritchie wrote a quick note on his phone and sent a text message to his former Calgary Flames teammate, Jarome Iginla.
Ritchie's son, Ryder, was in a scoring slump, so Ritchie asked Iginla to let him watch his son make some substitutions. “See if you see something different than I do,” Byron asked.
It was a conversation between two hockey dads seeking advice, but in truth, these less-than-personal exchanges are commonplace for Ritchie and Iginla. The former NHL forwards played two seasons together in Calgary nearly two decades ago, and both base their offseasons in the beautiful Okanagan, in British Columbia's interior, a popular spot for NHL players.
In August 2006, after a year together as teammates in Calgary, Richie's wife, Maria Johansson, and Jarome's wife, Kara Iginla, both gave birth to sons. Ryder was born on August 3, and Tiji Iginla was born the next day.
Now, both 17-year-olds are top NHL prospects heading into this weekend's NHL Draft in Las Vegas and are working together at RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna as they navigate the pressures of draft eligibility. Jarome Iginla coaches the academy's U-18 team (which includes his son Joe, who made his WHL debut this season at 15), while Byron Ritchie works as a skills development coach, mentoring players at all levels.
So after watching Ryder's shifts in late November, Iginla came away with a simple suggestion: Turn your mind off.
“As a guy who loves to score and wants to score, when you're not scoring, that's all you think about,” Ryder said. “You think, 'Oh, I haven't scored in six games,' and then you think, 'Oh, it's been seven games.'”
“So I can't help but sit at home eating dinner and think about achieving that goal.”
Then Iginla called Ryder and told him to do something to take his mind off hockey. “Don't think about the game,” he told Ryder. “Read a book, watch a movie, just be a kid. Take a break from things for a little while.”
Though he was a fearsome power forward during his playing days, Iginla has taken a patient and careful approach to developing young players, including his sons Joe and Tizi, and daughter Jade, who are all promising hockey players of the future.
“It's tough coming in as a player,” Iginla said, “you just want to work hard, keep hustling and find that breakthrough, but sometimes it's best to find something else, give your brain a break.”
Iginla and his family settled in Boston after his Hall of Fame playing career ended in 2017.
With all three young children being aspiring athletes, sports were a major factor in the decision. Boston offered easier travel and more high-level baseball and hockey options. And at the same time his kids were falling in love with hockey, Jarome was finding an activity that would help him adjust to life after the NHL.
“You hear it all the time from retired players, it's hard when you retire and get used to everything that comes with it,” he said. “You have to go everywhere and just enjoy competing and the energy of the game and winning and losing and being around the game. It was a big change the first year, but being able to coach has really helped me.”
Jarome became co-coach of Tijj and Joe's hockey team while Jade played high school hockey and eventually went on to attend Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota.
In the summer, Iginla rents out ice for his three children, pictured here with Tizi, his father Joe, and Jade. (Courtesy of Jarome Iginla)
“There were practices and games every night, so it kept me busy but it allowed me to stay involved,” Iginla said. “I love hockey and it was nice to share that with my kids, but it was also competitive hockey, so it gave me an opportunity to share it with other kids who wanted to get better and were passionate about hockey.”
Eventually, the temptation to return to Western Canada began to arise: Jade had been scouted by a Division I university hockey team, his sons were seriously considering a path to the NHL and Jarome wanted his sons to play in Canada's Western Hockey League.
“Our job as parents is to try and help our kids,” Iginla said, “but also to make sure they keep their schooling options open. But we believe that if that's what they want, they should work towards it and do their best.”
The combination of quality on-ice time for aspiring athletes and the educational aspect of the Western Canada Academy system was appealing to the Iginlas family.
“So I spoke with Byron and took the opportunity,” Iginla said.
As former NHL teammates, working together was a natural fit.
“We've been friends for a whopping 30 years,” Ritchie said, noting the pair played U-17 hockey together.
“You always have that connection with your teammates. And you have kids born a day apart, you know? … We just kept in contact.”
The Iginlas family enrolled all three of their children at RINK, with Jarome joining the academy as a youth coach and working with his former teammates, while Tizi joined the U-18 team and played on the same line as Ryder.
“Byron and Jarome are incredibly passionate about developing the modern hockey player,” says RINK Executive Director Mako Balkovec, “and the fact that they have kids of their own gives them a vested interest and I think that's why they enjoy working with other players.”
“Byron is very enthusiastic and is a lot like the players we had. He's very enthusiastic and demanding and it shows in the way his teams play. And for the kids, once you get past the, 'Oh, Jarome Iginla,' he's very enthusiastic about working with the younger guys. This is just a great opportunity.”
In the winter, especially when Iginla was still playing in Calgary, he would come home after games and fill the backyard with water to keep the rink running for his kids.
“It was very peaceful,” he recalls. “You come back at midnight, you pull off the road, the stars are out, it's so quiet outside. And then you start filling it up, and you feel so proud of it, making sure the road is not bumpy, making sure the kids aren't complaining. It was actually a good stress reliever.”
Every summer, and to this day, Jarome rents a rink for himself and his three kids, where they practice, hone their skills and then play two-on-two matches.
The teams are always the same: Jarome and his youngest son Joe, playing against Jade and Tijji.
“We always played two-on-two outside in the winter. We didn't have a goalkeeper so we had to go to the bar. Me and Jade always teamed up with Joe and my dad,” Tizi recalls.
“Most of the time, me and Jade won,” Tij added confidently, “and we did pretty well.”
Born one day apart in the summer of 2006, Tizi and Ryder share a style of play that combines high-octane pace and advanced skill. (Courtesy of Jarome Iginla)
“For a long time, I was able to manipulate who won, try a little harder, try a little less, or split the wins between us because the kids would get really mad,” Iginla said.
“Then…Jade and Tij started to get better. Towards the end, Tij was 14 and Jade was 16, and I just wasn't in control anymore. I wasn't that good in tight spaces anymore. People would say, 'What do you mean you couldn't beat them?' Well, I couldn't bodycheck them! And Tij and Jade were just too good in tight spaces.
“I start coming to work at the end of the day and Joe's been so upset about not winning for a while, and now my wife, Carla, is upset with me too: 'Why aren't you winning?' I have to tell her: 'You're trying your best!'
What started as a duo – a former NHL player and an avid hockey dad – coaching their kids has blossomed into something much bigger.
Tij and Ryder share a style of play that combines high-octane pace and advanced skill, which is one reason why Tij, ranked as the ninth-best skater in North America by NHL Central Scouting prior to the draft, is considered a potential top-10 pick, while Ryder could hear his name called late in the first round or early in the second.
“As you get older and develop, your coaches get a little bit tougher on you,” Tij said, “but my dad and Byron have a really good understanding of development. You're going to make mistakes every once in a while, but it's important that you bounce back quickly when you do.”
“That's what I like about my dad. He sees changes in the game. He doesn't stick to the old ways. He's always looking at stuff on his iPad, looking for new drills and skills.”
It's another trait the two dads share: Their lively group chat with the RINK staff includes tons of footage of hockey at all levels, constant conversations about evolutions in the game and new drills, and debates about the value of the latest trends in skill development.
For example, Byron honed his approach as a skills coach through conversations with his CAA colleague, Jim Hughes.
In addition to his work with RINK, Byron Ritchie also leads player recruitment and development in Western Canada for the CAA. (Courtesy of Byron Ritchie)
“I think instead of just tight-area games, two-on-two cross-ice, we'll have a variety of tight-area games, competitive tight-area games where players have to use their heads to find open ice,” he said. “We'll put the net in weird places, do crazy things like three-on-two or four-on-three, and the offense will be outnumbered. I think those adjustments will help stimulate the brains of our more skilled players and stimulate them to make plays and find space.”
Ultimately, the impact of Iginla and Ritchie’s partnership at the RINK Hockey Academy extends beyond the development of their sons: Right now, some of the continent’s most intriguing young players train at RINK and stay with the Ritchie family, including Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in 2026, and Wisconsin-bound offensive defenseman Chloe Primerano, arguably the best women’s hockey prospect to come out of Western Canada.
“He pushes me, which I like,” McKenna said of the relationship he's built with Ritchie. “He's my agent, he's my coach, I live here in the summers, and he's been through it all himself, so he's helped me understand how much work I need to do to get where I want to be, even how I need to eat.”
For top hockey players and their families, the draft marks the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and the beginning of a journey.
But for Ryder, Tizi and their fathers, the start of a new chapter will also bring a sense of relief.
“I remember draft year well because there's a lot of pressure,” Jarome said. “When you get drafted it's special because you're always criticized and everyone's watching and judging you. It's part of the game, but when you're in draft year it feels like everything is magnified.”
“Ryder and Tizi are both doing great and as parents it's good to know it's almost over.”
(Illustration by Dan Goldfarb/ Athletic; Photos: Jonathan Kozub, Dale Preston/Getty Images)
