From Hockey to VH Sport Long before VH Sport printed its first shirt, its story began on the hockey rinks of the Prairies. Bruce Van Hellemond was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As Bruce tells it, his connection to clothing began while he was still a boy. To earn money for hockey sticks and the other essentials a young player needed, he found work at a local garment factory, sweeping fabric scraps from the floor. At the time, it was simply a way to pay for hockey. Years later, that early experience in garment manufacturing would take on much greater significance. Hockey was Bruce’s first passion—and he was exceptionally good at it. After playing for the St. James Canadians in Winnipeg, he joined the Moose Jaw Canucks. During the 1968–69 season, he led the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with 94 points. That same year, the New York Rangers selected him in the fourth round, 47th overall, of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft. Bruce went on to play 22 games with the Omaha Knights during the 1969–70 season before continuing his career with teams in Toledo, Flint and, eventually, the Trail Smoke Eaters. Although he never reached the NHL, hockey brought him west and ultimately helped lay the foundation for his future in the Kootenays. Hockey also ran in the family. Bruce’s older brother, Andy Van Hellemond, became one of the NHL’s most respected referees. After a 25-year officiating career that included 19 of 20 consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, Andy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999. According to the Van Hellemond family’s recollection, Bruce met Arlene while playing in Moose Jaw. When an opportunity later arose to join the senior Trail Smoke Eaters, the young family uprooted their lives and moved to Trail. The hockey opportunity also came with employment at Cominco, as was common for many Smoke Eaters players during that period. Bruce had expected a comfortable position, but industrial work proved very different from the life he had imagined. One particularly memorable assignment convinced him that he would be happier—and perhaps safer—building something of his own. His first venture was a health and fitness spa in downtown Trail. Then a customer asked whether Bruce knew where to find custom hockey jerseys. His entrepreneurial instincts took over. Drawing on his lifelong love of hockey and his early exposure to garment manufacturing, Bruce installed a basic screen-printing setup in the spa’s basement and began producing jerseys and teamwear. That small basement operation grew into Van Hellemond Sporte. Over the following decades, Bruce and Arlene continually adapted the company’s services and capabilities. At its height, the business moved beyond decorating garments and operated a full-scale manufacturing facility, with as many as 13 employees sewing jerseys and sportswear under the Kokanee Glacier Sportswear label. The company produced team uniforms and custom apparel for customers throughout the region, and some of those original garments are likely still hanging in Kootenay closets today. For more than four decades, Bruce and Arlene built a respected regional business around textiles, teamwear and custom imprinting. When they were ready to enjoy a well-earned retirement, they sold Van Hellemond Sporte to Ben and Romie Gotts in April 2017. The company shed the final “E,” gained two new leaders and began its next chapter as VH Sport. The equipment, services and name have evolved, but the spirit behind the company remains much the same: a love of textiles, a connection to sport and community, and the drive to help people proudly wear their stories.