Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski

By Regan Bartel

Luke Schenn: A true gem

A unique relationship with an NHL athlete

Aug 23, 2023 | 8:17 AM

People change. People evolve.

Some for the better. Some for the worse.

Defenseman Luke Schenn hasn’t changed much from the time I first met him cutting his teeth with the Kelowna Rockets.

His Saskatchewan-based charm has remained intact through the years despite winning two Stanley Cup titles while closing in on 1,000 games played at the NHL level.

Now 33 years old, Schenn is as approachable today as when he sat behind me in the Kelowna Rockets bus as a raw rookie.

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Looking back now, I knew Luke Schenn when he was a nobody before he turned into somebody.

Called up by the Rockets for a long playoff run in the spring of 2005, after being a first-round WHL bantam pick (20th overall) in 2004, the Saskatoon product would make his debut at Prospera Place against the Vancouver Giants. Six games later, Schenn’s first goal would come in his hometown, Saskatoon, as the Rockets beat the Blades 6-3.

Schenn’s first fighting major while wearing the jersey with the angry Ogopogo on the front came against Vancouver Giants forward Milan Lucic, who dropped the gloves 21 times that season. Schenn fought just six times, yet showed his true character, or maybe his naivety, that he could hang with the big boys.

Never hesitant to credit the Rockets for helping him evolve into a solid defender, Schenn told RocketFAN what his three short seasons in Kelowna (2005-2008) meant to him in an effort to earn a paycheck in the National Hockey League.

“I was given a real good opportunity [in Kelowna], really on day one that I got here,” Schenn said. “I was fortunate enough to be here and for them to believe in me and develop me. Who knows, maybe you get drafted to another organization and you don’t know how things would work out. All I know is I am thankful I ended up in Kelowna.”

Schenn was so impressed with his junior hockey experience, he now calls the Okanagan city his off-season home.

“I don’t know if you are going to see a better organization producing pro players”, Schenn added. “Defensemen in particular. They [Rockets] try to stay with their own players and develop them, and I think that is what they are known for.”

A first-round NHL draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2008, the hockey player and this junior broadcaster often had conversations during the summer months, with Schenn always willing to have a chat. Fast forward to Tuesday morning at the Capital News Centre, before exchanging texts the week prior, we again met face-to-face for what I’d consider an easy conversation.

Always accommodating, the father of three gives you the sense that you are an equal. Schenn doesn’t big league you or give you the impression that you are wasting his time. Schenn is talkative, engaging, encouraging, and nothing short of likable. He isn’t standoffish, or paranoid that something he may share, off the record in casual conversation, will somehow make its way into the public forum. In a sense, I have gained his trust, which is highly coveted and often rare between broadcaster and athlete.

In a time when heavy hockey wins during the playoffs, Schenn is bringing his 230 pounds and rugged style to the Nashville Predators this season after signing a three-year contract on July 1^st.

Now with his 7^th NHL team, after stops in Toronto (twice), Philadelphia, LA, Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver (twice), like an old pickup truck on a used car lot, his value remains extremely high.

In a time when relationships between athletes and media have changed significantly, my belief is ours is different.

Even 18 years later, when I first shook his hand as a wide-eyed teenager inside the Kelowna Rockets dressing room, I’d hope Luke Schenn would say the same.