It's Time to Get to Know the Saginaw Spirit Brain Trust

Sixty hockey teams from throughout North America are fighting for the coveted prize – the Memorial Cup – arguably the hardest trophy to win in professional sports.

With the Saginaw Spirit hockey team inching closer to the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow, which happens to be the largest sports tournament ever held in the Great Lakes Bay Region, I thought it would be an excellent time to get to know the organization’s brain trust a little bit better.

All four of the Spirit leaders – team owner Richard J. Garber, President & Managing Partner Craig Goslin, General Manager Dave Drinkill, and Assistant General Manager Brian Prout – were provided a list of 20 questions on various topics. Here are their responses:

What high school did you attend?

Garber: Douglas MacArthur High School (Saginaw Township)

Goslin: All Saints Central High School (Bay City)

Drinkill: Elmvale District High School (Elmvale, Ontario, Canada)

Prout: St. Pat’s High School (Sarnia, Ontario)

What is your favorite food?

Garber: Chicken

Goslin: Filet Mignon

Drinkill: Ribs/Mac and Cheese

Prout: Hawaiian Pizza

What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

Garber: Coca Cola

Goslin: Diet Pepsi

Drinkill: Coffee

Prout: Water

What is your hobby?

Garber: Golf

Goslin: The Business of Hockey

Drinkill: Golf

Prout: Video Games, Hiking, and Backpacking

What is the last book you’ve read?

Garber: “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John C. Maxwell

Goslin: “The Answer Discovery. How to Change the World by Helping Others . . . and Ourselves” – by Paul White of Midland

Drinkill: The Hockey News (I’m not a big reader)

Prout: “A History of Canada in Ten Maps” by Adam Shoalts

What is your favorite movie:

Garber: The Gladiator

Goslin: Rudy

Drinkill: Saving Private Ryan

Prout: The Last of the Mohicans

What is your favorite television show?

Garber: SportsCenter

Goslin: Seinfeld

Drinkill: Seinfeld

Prout: Past – West Wing. Present – The Last of Us (HBO)

Who is your favorite musical artist?

Garber: U2

Goslin: MercyMe

Drinkill: I like all music so I don’t have one specific.

Prout: Past – Kiss. Current – Halestorm

Who is your favorite athlete (living or deceased)?

Garber: Isiah Thomas (will to win)

Goslin: Magic Johnson

Drinkill: Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky

Prout: Past – Bob Probert. Current – Sidney Crosby

Who is your favorite professional sports team?

Garber: Detroit Lions

Goslin: Detroit Red Wings

Drinkill: Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Lions

Prout: Detroit Red Wings

What is your favorite professional sport rivalry?

Garber: Detroit vs. Chicago (all sports)

Goslin: Saginaw Spirit vs. Flint Firebirds

Drinkill: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins (at playoff time)

Prout: Will always be the Toronto Maple Leafs

Who is the most famous athlete you’ve ever met?

Garber: Tiger Woods

Goslin: Magic Johnson, Jack Nicklaus

Drinkill: Lots of NHL Hall of Famers

Prout: Steve Yzerman

What is your favorite college football team?

Garber: University of Michigan

Goslin: Ohio State University

Drinkill: I don’t follow college football enough.

Prout: Notre Dame

What is your favorite college football rivalry?

Garber: U-M vs. OSU

Goslin: Ohio State vs. Michigan

Drinkill: N/A

Prout: Hard to get away from Michigan vs. Michigan State

Who is your role model?

Garber: My father.

Goslin: Gene Pickelman and Pastor Jim House.

Drinkill: My parents.

Prout: Leo Prout, my Dad

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Garber: “It’s more important to know what you don’t know than what you know.”

Goslin: My Dad, who said, “Do something today for someone that cannot do anything back in return for you . . . and you will grow in every facet of your life.”

Drinkill: “If you really want something you must work for it to make it happen. No one is going to hand anything to you.”

Prout: “Treat people as you wish to be treated.”

What motivates you?

Garber: Excellence. Getting Better.

Goslin: Smiles on faces at a Saginaw Spirit home game

Drinkill: Passion for things I love doing and to be the best at what I do.

Prout: My family and friends.

What is your favorite quote?

Garber: “Stay humble…stay hungry.”

Goslin: Luke 6:31 – “Do to others as you would have them do.”

Drinkill: “Whether you think you can, or you can’t, your right.” “It’s a mindset.”

Prout: “Happiness is a choice, not a result.”

If you could have dinner with anyone living or deceased, who would it be?

Garber: My grandfather

Goslin: My wife Karolyn

Drinkill: My grandparents

Prout: My grandparents

What keeps you up at night?

Garber: Responsibilities of leading people and Saginaw Spirit hockey.

Goslin: Losing! I HATE to lose and don’t want to get enough experience at losing to be a good loser, either!

Drinkill: Knowing I have to deliver tough news to a player the next day.

Prout: What do I want to do when I grow up