Jason Degelman has been in the industry since 1988 but has loved sports since he was a child. “I grew up in Southey playing fastball and hockey and was a very successful player.” At 16 years of age, he moved to play for the midget AAA Yorkton Mallers. “I was offered a full hockey scholarship with the University of North Dakota but was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident in May,1987. That ended my hockey career but definitely not my love of the sport.” While Degelman was recovering from the accident he was offered employment with Western Cycle. “I worked there for a few years with casts on while I endured many surgeries,” he says. He traveled to Australia, returning to the store, eventually becoming buyer and manager. In 1996, Degelman relocated to Regina’s newly established Play it Again Sports franchise. He was initially the buyer and manager, but soon became a partner.The franchise eventually evolved into the independently owned Extreme Hockey and Sport.

The store opened its doors and celebrated its grand opening on January 13, 2001. Jason put his love of sport into his career and built a very strong team at Extreme. The store employs on average 30 to 40 employees and focuses on these main categories: hockey, ball, specialty sports/performance moisture-management clothing, and corporate/team sales. Extreme Hockey is 70-percent hockey and, as a hockey store, Degelman says there are a couple of significant points that set it apart from its competitors.

First is selection. “We carry the top name brands, and the relationships we have with our suppliers are more significant than at other stores,” he says. Degelman often has access to new products first and—more importantly—exclusively. Degelman points to Graf Canada, “a grassroots company based in Calgary. We’re their exclusive dealer in Regina and have had a strong relationship with them since I became a retail owner.” In addition, Extreme carries all of the other hot brands, including Bauer, Easton, RBK, Warrior, Mizuno, UnderArmour, Nike and many others.

Second is the shopping experience. “Our stick department is like walking into the fair! It’s one of the top stick departments in the country…we have selection, and a variety of price points, patterns and models.” Also, the “skate pit” is guaranteed to have a pair of skates that will properly fit your skill level, your price desire and, most importantly, your feet!

That’s the business side of the business. Lisa Degelman emphasizes that they are about more than just making sales. “We’re a community company. Having a young family—Hunter is seven and Emersyn is four—we reside in Regina Beach and are a small-town community driven family! I volunteer on the preschool board, at the school and with coaching the kids’ sports teams. We’re always involved in local fundraisers…anything to help out. That’s our family and company’s philosophy…to be grassroots or ‘small-town,’ giving back to those that give to us. I have a degree in social work, so this way of doing business is right up my alley!”

The Degelmans maintain Extreme as a grassroots company by being involved with Hockey Regina, Sask Baseball, 3-4-5 Fun Hockey League, Notre Dame College and several First Nations bands. Similarly, the company is a huge supporter of the Red Cross Anti-Bullying Program and Kids Sport. During November’s Black Friday sale, a percentage of the sales and all donations were given to Cindy Fuchs and her anti-bullying program. In return, Red Cross volunteers helped work the sale.

Kids Sports recently held its press conference at the store announcing that it had partnered with Extreme to help acquire sporting equipment for children who do not have it. As well, Kids Sports assists with raising money for helping local families who cannot afford the costs associated with their children being involved in sport. Seventy-two sports kits were just donated to schools in the area. Both Lisa and Jason relish the opportunity to help people in the community to become better people and athletes.

Another rewarding form of community involvement is helping those with disabilities play sports. Degelman explains, “We have worked with children with club feet and other physical conditions, people who have lost limbs and large people who have trouble finding equipment to properly fit them. It’s taking a toddler or a senior athlete and providing them with products that assist them in taking their game to the next level. We try to change the negative to a positive and give someone the experience to play sports.”