By Dave Anthony
Steinbachonline.com
Riley Kosmolak, who has been the equipment manager for the past five years with the Steinbach Pistons, has accepted a position within the Winnipeg Jets and will be working for the AHL Manitoba Moose this hockey season.
Kosmolak was only 15 years old when he started working for the Pistons. “There are no words to describe how much I appreciate what the (Pistons) have done for me in my five years with the team” Kosmolak tweeted out late last week.
Head coach Paul Dyck looks back at the man they call “Chief”‘s time with the organization. “We were looking for someone to come in and help out on game days. Making sure our dressing room was prepared for when the guys came in and when Riley came in, he did a tremendous job. He really took a lot of pride to be an equipment trainer and expanded the role here in Steinbach.”
For Kosmolak, he’ll be taking on a pretty big role with the Moose. “I’ll be the visiting teams equipment assistant.” he said via text. “I’ll pick them up at the airport and be with them till they fly out. Then, when there’s no visiting team in town, I’ll be an assistant to the two Moose equipment managers.”
Dyck is excited for Kosmolak to move on but knows his loss will be felt on many different levels. “We’ll miss him, there’s no doubt about it. He’s become a friend and I know the players will miss him. You look at the guys in the league, our players are treated very well and Riley takes a lot of pride in that. I’m going to miss him, he’s a friend and I’m very proud of his development as a trainer and a young man.”