By: Travis Longman of TL_Media
This past November the Churchbridge Senior Imperials returned to the ice for the first time since 2013. The club made the playoffs, finishing with a 3-15 record before losing to Rocanville in the Saskatchewan East Hockey League South division quarter final. The team may not have had many wins on the ice, but the team had several victories off of it. One of the many off ice wins was Chris Korchinski who was named the SEHL Most Valuable Player.
The 38 year old Rama, Saskatchewan product was a member of the Yorkton Terrier team in 2005-2006 that lost the 2006 RBC Cup to Kyle Turris and the Burnaby Express. He then went on to play professional hockey in the United States before returning to Canada for the 2012-2013 season. From 2012-2019 Korchinski was a dominant force in the now defunct Triangle Hockey League. He played with Esterhazy, Langenburg and Bredenbury throughout his stint in the THL. When the pandemic hit, Korchinski briefly hung up his skates. He did not play during the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023, but in 2023-2024 he came back with a vengeance.
Korchinski would appear in 13 regular season games for the Churchbridge Imperials. He would score 15 times and add 13 assists to lead the team in scoring. The seasoned veteran has seen many rinks across the continent but still commands respect whenever he is on the ice. He also has the respect of the Churchbridge Imperials locker room. “Chris means alot to the team, not only does he bring some serious hockey knowledge, he’s a workhorse. He plays with an intensity that is unmatched. His ability to lead is second to none, and he gives players the respect they deserve”, Jonathan Jenson of the Imperials says. “He’s not the type of player that would ever berate someone for making a mistake. He’d rather help rectify it for the next time. The guys just play with extra pep when he’s there, almost like he has just the innate ability to make everyone play better. And off the ice, he’s one of the nicest human beings. He would give you the shirt off his back even if it meant he’d freeze to death.”
The respect for Korchinski was felt throughout the SEHL. League President Mike Stackhouse believes Korchinski gave the Imperials a chance to be competitive every night. “I think Chris should be very proud of his accomplishments”, Stackhouse says. “He’s not a young man anymore when it comes to ‘hockey age’ and yet he still plays with the same competitive edge and the same effectiveness that he had when he was a star with the Yorkton Terriers. Churchbridge is a new team and they needed to have a couple of impact players to stay competitive, and Chris was definitely one of those guys.”
The news of his MVP award came as a little bit of a surprise to Korchinski. “When I was told I had won MVP of the league, I was honoured but speechless,” Korchinski says. “It really wasn’t something I was expecting or thought I would be in the running for. After a 4-year hiatus and being the oldest player on the team, I thought there would have been many other contenders ahead of me. What I can say is that I try to be a fair player who always remains humble. I’m also quite competitive and have loved the game of hockey for as long as I can remember. I went into this season wanting to work as hard as I could, lead as best as I could while working and learning from the other guys to help bring our team together. Overall, I am grateful to have been voted the 2024 MVP for our Senior Hockey League but have to also give credit to my teammates and coaching staff who worked extremely hard to make this year the success that it was. In the end, it’s all about showing up and supporting each other as a team.”
Korchinski and the Imperials will hold their awards night on Saturday, March 23rd and it is likely Korchinski will take home even more accolades that evening as well.