Hogard a force for Thunder on the blueline

When he was just a wee lad back in kindergarten, Kurt Hogard had just finished another day of school, came back home, and then proceeded to ask his father, Carl, the one question any hockey enthusiast would want to hear out of their child’s mouth.
“Dad, what’s hockey?”
“And his eyes lit right up and he was like, ‘Let’s go,’ and we went for a pair of skates and we were to the outdoor rink an hour later,” recalled Hogard, who quickly became entranced by the game.
“It was hockey before school, then after school at the outdoor rinks,” he added. “Go grab a bite to eat and then go back to the rinks again, and that’s all it was.”
And he hasn’t looked back since.
Fourteen years have passed and Hogard, now 20, is still playing the game. He’s in his third and final year with the Borderland Thunder—and has the same zest for the game now that he did as a youngster.
“There’s nothing greater than playing hockey,” enthused the 6’2”, 215-pound defenceman. “Hockey has given a lot for me. Hockey teaches you a lot of life skills.
“You learn how to deal with on and off-ice situations. You learn how to deal with pressure.”
Hogard, who describes his playing ability as “not flashy, but getting the job done,” has been a mainstay on the blueline ever since he came here. But it’s been a journey, to say the least, to get where he is at now.
When he was 16, Hogard went to Owen Sound to play for the Greys in the Junior ‘B’ division. He was there for about three weeks—until he got his first taste of the politics in junior hockey.
“They traded me because the GM said that, ‘We want more hometown guys on the team because hometown crowds like to see hometown hockey players,” Hogard recalled.
So it was off to Strathroy to play for the Rockets and get coaching guidance from the legendary Pat Stapleton, who is believed to possess the game-winning puck that Paul Henderson scored with to cap the ’72 Summit Series.
It was a different experience for Hogard, not just because of a new team but a new coaching philosophy he had never experienced before.
“His philosophy was all mental thinking—‘You’ve got to be in a great state of mind. Picture yourself doing this’—and it was always positive, positive, positive thinking,” noted Hogard.
Hogard didn’t fit in right away with the system and was sent down to Strathroy’s Junior ‘C’ affiliate for a few games. He returned to the Rockets to finish the season out strong, but was beginning to understand the downside to junior hockey.
“Over there you’re just a piece of meat. They can sell, trade you and do whatever they want,” he remarked. “You’re a product and if the product isn’t working, then you sell it or get rid of it and get another guy.”
It was then off to Fort Frances and Dave Allison’s Thunder, where he has begun to “learn how to do all the physical stuff.” And because of his three-year tenure with the team, he has “felt like I’m part of the community.”
A shoulder injury has limited Hogard’s play so far this season, but he still is one of the Thunder’s most complete players.
Fifth in team scoring with two goals and 16 assists in 22 games, to go along with 41 penalty minutes, Hogard has been instrumental in the team’s second-place standing in the SIJHL.
The Thunder improved their record to 19-4-1 after sweeping the KC Bulldogs in a pair of weekend games in Thunder Bay, including a 4-0 victory Friday night behind Tyler Gordon’s league-leading fifth shutout of the season.
Scott Bridgeman had a pair of goals to pace the Thunder, with Sean Councillor and Dennis Morrison (assisted by Councillor) rounding out the scoring.
Derek Fisher and Aaron Boyer chipped in with a pair of assists, with Riley Dudar and Tyler Barker also drawing an assist each.
The Thunder peppered the Bulldogs’ goalie with 51 shots while Gordon, who improved his record to 13-3-1, stopped 21.
It wasn’t so easy for the Thunder on Saturday, though, as the team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to pull out a 4-3 win on Andrew Dault’s power-play goal in overtime.
Fisher drew the assist.
After falling behind 1-0, Barker (Bridgeman/Boyer) tied the score at 1-1 early in the second period. But then the Bulldogs netted two goals later in the period to lead 3-1.
Councillor (Hogard/Clayton Windigo) and Bridgeman (Hogard) brought the Thunder back on even terms with goals in the third period—setting the stage for Dault’s heroics in overtime.
Tim Higbee got the win between the pipes to boost his record to 6-1, stopping 28 of the 31 shots fired his way. The Thunder had 47 on the Bulldogs’ goal.
Hogard certainly has enjoyed his time playing for the Thunder, who hit the ice again this Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.) here against those same Bulldogs.
He has “learned the little things that make the game that much easier.” Like patience with the puck. Making that one extra pass. Knowing where everyone is on the ice.
“You just learn those and help your game become complete and help make the game easier,” said Hogard.
“Hockey is a business, so on the ice I’m all business. The only guys who are your buddies are the guys that are wearing the same jerseys as you,” stressed Hogard, who has many off-ice friends around the SIJHL because of his Thunder Bay roots.
“You just want the puck to go in the net to win the game and you don’t care who does it just as long as the team wins,” he added.
The season isn’t even half over yet, so it’s unclear what lies ahead for Hogard after his Thunder days. But one thing is for sure—he has truly enjoyed the journey.
“Hockey is all I know. It was always hockey, hockey, hockey.
“Being on the ice. Having fun. Skating around with your buddies,” he enthused. “And if hockey can take you places, then great.
“If you can earn a living from playing hockey, that would be the best job you could possibly get.”