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Ex Gens GM lands new gig with the Saskatchewan Roughriders

“To work with such a community-focused team was such a great opportunity for me. As much as I’ve moved onto bigger markets, having that community-first focus has been a huge asset for me."
Jacquie
Jacqueline Hurlbert enjoys the view from her new office. Photo Submitted.

REGINA— Moving onto bigger and better things, the Cochrane General’s previous general manager, Jacqueline Hurlbert has accepted a position with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Hurlbert said she always wanted to work in the world of sports, and her first job in that realm came about while she was taking a computer science course at the University of Calgary.

While studying, Hurlbert accepted a job with the Calgary Flames, and was able to work alongside notable NHL executive Jay Feaster.

When she expressed her interest in a career in sports, Feaster was kind enough to give her some sage advice.

“He recommended that I start local and start small and work my way up,” she said. “For me local was the Cochrane Generals.”

She reached out and landed a job as the general manager of the Gens at the age of 22.

She stayed with the Generals for five seasons before moving on to the Canmore Eagles in 2016, and then to the Nanaimo Clippers.

During the course of her career, she realized she was becoming more interested in the business operations side of things rather than the sports operations side of things.

Now, Hurlbert finds herself in the position of the manager of marketing and communications for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“To work with such a community-focused team was such a great opportunity for me. As much as I’ve moved onto bigger markets, having that community-first focus has been a huge asset for me,” she said.

The Gens placed a heavy emphasis on community involvement. Generals' players regularly engaged with Cochrane Minor Hockey hosting meet and greets with younger athletes, and were involved with community events, like the Outhouse Races and parades, as well as charities and volunteer organizations.

Many of those traditions remain in place today, with members of the Gens roster regularly taking part in charitable events.

“We looked at every access where the kids could be present and we could get the players involved with that,” Hurlbert said “That’s also a balancing act for those players, because with Junior hockey, they’re either going to school or they’re working, so we were eking out time around their training and their hockey games to find time to also give back to the community.”

Hurlbert’s lucky break came after a year of uncertainty as many sports programs faced COVID-related shutdowns.

“I was laid off in March until about October when I signed on with the Clippers organization. Even during that time, it was so up in the air over what was happening in sports,” she said. “Especially Junior sports and youth sports.”

Both Hurlbert and her fiancé were sidelined during the pandemic and felt the full ramifications of the shutdowns.

She said the tough year was an “eye-opening” look at how crucial these sorts of sports programs are for both the athletes who take part in them, and the communities which invest in them as fans and supporters.

“Maybe our communities took, a little bit, for granted what it is to have such premier sports organizations, like junior hockey, involved in the community,” she said.

The call from the Saskatchewan Roughriders came on Hurlbert’s 31st birthday. At the end of a challenging year, she said, it was the best gift she could imagine.

“To get this opportunity to move back in such a tumultuous year, and turning 31 and getting a phone call from the Roughriders saying they wanted me for the job, it was amazing,” she said.  

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