Thing is, he thought the planned pre-game presentation was all about honouring long-time local lacrosse president Bobbi Ingalls with the inaugural builder award.
But that was just part of the ceremony.
Michaluk, as it turns out, is nearing the end of his time with the Mustangs. After more than two decades as a player, coach, mentor and everything possible in the sport of lacrosse in the city, he and his family are moving to Swift Current as Michaluk advances his career as a teacher.
So the last local game for the team Michaluk currently coaches, the aforementioned Bantam Mustangs, was the perfect opportunity to honour someone who has given so much to so many.
“I’m always oblivious to this stuff it seems,” Michaluk said with a laugh. “But it sure was appreciated. We had something we were doing for Bobbi and I thought that was great, we were focussing on the game and I guess myself, I was a little too dialed in as well. But it sure was nice to have it happen.”
Members of the board of directors and longtime fellow lacrosse supporters were on hand for the presentation, which included a set of framed jerseys from his time as a player as well as one from his son Carter, a current player with the Bantams.
Included in the ceremony were heartfelt speeches from board member Derek Burns, who played for Michaluk back in the day, as well as MJLAX president Cody Nidesh.
“I really appreciated the kind words from Derek Burns, I’ve coached him, played with him and now we’re colleagues as coaches working with the organization together. It was really nice was he and Cody did last night and it was a really special moment for us,” Michaluk said.
The presentation was a no-brainer for the organization, Nidesh explained.
“With every door that closes there’s a new opportunity, and it’s unfortunate to lose a guy like that but he’s been such a good mentor to many of us,” he said. “The coaching development has been huge and the player development, too. He’s coached so many kids that now they’re coming back as coaches, and it’s amazing to see the programs he put in place continue to develop both players and coaches today.”
It’s all a labour of love for Michaluk, especially given his lifelong dedication to the sport – one that has drawn the respect of the sports community as a whole, as he was inducted into the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
“It’s been my favourite thing to do almost,” Michaluk said. “It’s such a great group of people and I’ve enjoyed all the groups I’ve had the opportunity to coach, there have been so many generations of them and now I’m with my son’s generation of players now, which has been great… It’s going to be tough to move on, especially the last few weeks here.”
One door closes, another opens
While at first glance it would seem that Moose Jaw’s loss will purely be Swift Current’s gain, that’s not necessarily the case – in fact, with Michaluk involved, further collaboration between the two organizations is a certainty.
“We’re happy they have a program and I’m happy I know many of them over there, we’ve been working together already with the Sask Elite stuff. So the transition isn’t a completely foreign thing for us,” Michaluk said. “We’ve already talked about some things that we could maybe do together with Swift, maybe re-start a junior program and maybe see some more numbers.”
That’s a plan Nidesh and his fellow MJLAX counterparts are looking forward to seeing develop.
“There are opportunities opening for us from him going there,” Nidesh said. “We’ll see where it goes, Steve is only an hour-and-a-half down the highway and he’s willing to give back to the game he has so much passion about. It doesn’t matter if it’s his home association or other associations, he just cares about the game and seeing it grow.”
One thing is for absolute certain, though: Moose Jaw will always carry a special place in hearts of the Michaluk family, wherever they end up in the future.
“This town has done so much for my family and me,” he said. “I came here without a family and was thinking I’d just try it out for a few years and see if it would be okay, and it became a major part of my life. So it’s going to be difficult but I know we’re up for the challenge. We’re looking forward what’s ahead and cherishing the memories we have.”
