If the Sayer family isn’t in an arena near their home in Carstairs, Alberta, there’s a good chance you’ll find them wandering the woods. Jesse Sayer, hockey dad and avid outdoorsman, has spent most of his life flipping between the two worlds—but never imagined a day when he couldn’t be in either.

Sayer was attacked by a grizzly bear while on a hunting trip in late October. A friend he was with fought off the bear and managed to get Sayer to safety and into medical care. Sayer’s first call while en route to the hospital was to his wife, Kelsey.

“As crazy as this sounds, I thought about the teams I coach immediately after I was hurt by the grizzly bear,” Sayer said through an email. “I called [Kelsey] to let her know I had been injured… I then told her she needed to contact our team manager to let her know I wouldn’t be at practice that night and someone would need to cover for me.”

Christofer Atchison, president of the Carstairs Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) and a close friend of Sayer, could only laugh when he heard about Sayer’s first call.

“The guy was just attacked by a grizzly bear… and his first thought was to make sure the coaches know that they’re responsible for practice,” Atchison says. “I don’t know how much more of a hockey dad you can get than that.”

All four of the Sayer children play hockey: two in U9, one in U11 and another in U13. Sayer is the head coach of the U9 team and an assistant with the U13 team, and also serves as vice-president of the CMHA. Atchison said Sayer is one of the first people you can call when something needs to get done. He is always there for the association and community as a whole.

News of his attack spread quickly. Atchison figures that within two hours of learning about it himself, he was fielding calls through the CMHA office nonstop. There were offers to pick the kids up from school, get them to practice, make meals for the family and start collecting donations.

“I think that shows not just the value that Sayer has but the value of the minor hockey community,” Atchison says. “It is a family.”

“The most profound thing we have seen is how this community has stepped up and supported us like family, not just people they happened to know,” Sayer said. “We have felt so loved, supported and cared for throughout this entire experience and are truly grateful.”

Carstairs, with a population of a little over 5,000, is halfway between Calgary and Red Deer. It’s true small-town Canada, surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. The minor hockey association has about 120 players registered for this season, practices on Tuesday and Thursday nights and will rally around anyone in need.

Sayer has been mostly private through his recovery to this point, but has made a few public comments online, where he detailed injuries to both hands and his left knee, none of which can carry any weight. Atchison said the Sayer home required some retrofits while he recovers and is in a wheelchair.

“Friends from the association arranged to have a ramp built at our house so I could get home from the hospital,” Sayer explained. “Without this, my return home would not have been possible.”

The ramp also created the opportunity for Sayer’s second homecoming—back to the rink to watch his U9 team play.

“The first game I was able to watch in person was pretty emotional; I loved every second of being there,” Sayer said. “It was really special to not only see many of the families that had supported us, but also getting to be with my U9 team in the dressing room and waving at them during the game.

“It’s a moment I will never forget and hold onto closely in my heart.”

“It was quite a touching [moment] of his team recognizing that he was there to watch them and all skating over to wave up to him,” Atchison says. “For them to be able to lay their eyes on Coach Sayer and see he is okay, he’s there watching hockey, and he might not be on the ice with them for the next couple of months, but he's still there… that was important.

“It just really shows you the importance that these coaches have on these kids' lives.”

Atchison says the CMHA will stand by Sayer and his family as he continues to recover, be it a few months or longer.

“He’s that father figure that we all strive to be,” he says. “One of those families that’s a foundation of our association and a foundation of the greater community as well.”

For updates on Sayer and to learn more about fundraising efforts, visit carstairsminorhockey.ca .