AMHERST – Andrew Reid is no longer president of the Amherst CIBC Wood Gundy Ramblers.
Reid, who was in his second year at the helm of the junior hockey team, announced early Thursday that he’s stepping aside with less than five months left in his term.
“It was a decision I felt I had to make,” Reid told the Amherst News. “It’s something I’ve been agonizing over for several months and while I hoped to be able to stick it out until the end of the season I came to a point where it was becoming unhealthy for me.”
Reid joined the Ramblers board five seasons ago and was vice-president under former president Jim Henwood. With Henwood’s retirement and subsequent decision not to reoffer as president, Reid ran successfully for the presidency in June 2016.
He’s proud of what he and the board have been able to accomplish over the last years including working with other partners to land next year’s Fred Page Cup. The board also took steps to protect the hockey club’s long-term viability and that of the popular Toonie draw.
The on-ice product has also been strong, knocking off the Pictou County Weeks Crushers last season in the first round of the playoffs after three seasons sitting out the post season. This year, the club sits in third place in the Eastlink South Division and he believes it will enjoy a strong playoff run.
At the end, the pressures of balancing his work with the team with that of his personal and professional life just got to be too much.
“I have a job where I’m on the road a lot and every night when I got home my phone would be full of emails relating to the team that had to be dealt with it. It’s a much bigger job than anyone realizes, it’s a 24/7, 365 days a year position,” Reid said.
Reid understands not all his decisions were popular but said he always had the best interests of the hockey club in mind when making them.
“Some of those decisions were good and some not so good, but I always did my best,” Reid said.
He said he leaves the club with a good relationship and is hoping the Ramblers have a good finish to the season and have the best Fred Page Cup ever next year.
“I’m still a fan,” he said.
Reid is being replaced by Gary Brown, who will finish out the last few months of the 2017-18 season. The club’s annual meeting is in May.
Twitter: @ADNdarrell
