Playing in the Art Hauser Centre means a little extra for Giants defenceman Bowen Byram. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Full circle for the Byrams

Giants’ Byram has some strong Raider roots

May 5, 2019 | 2:00 PM

Shawn Byram is a proud Prince Albert Raider alumnus. He played his final 116 major junior games in a Raider uniform. He’s happy to walk down the halls of the Art Hauser Centre and look at his old team photos, and point out some of his favourite teammates like the then-brace faced turned first ballot hall of famer Mike Modano, the tough but skilled Darin Kimble, and the defensive juggernaut in Rich Pilon.

On Friday, he talked to some old teammates and some old, diehard fans who were cheering him on back when he last played for the team 31 years ago.

But Byram just can’t bring himself cheer for the Raiders in the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship.

His allegiances rightly lie with his son Bowen Byram, the standout defenceman for the Vancouver Giants, as both teams are competing in the 2019 Rogers WHL Championship series.

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“Definitely if my boy wasn’t playing on the Vancouver team, I’d be cheering for Prince Albert,” Shawn said.

Bowen walked by the Raiders’ team photo for the 1986-87 season at the Hauser Centre during Saturday’s pre-game skate, and without even looking at all the names to see where his father Shawn was in the group photo, he quickly pointed him out and chuckled out “oh, there he is!”

“It’s pretty funny thinking however long ago it was, he was in this rink walking around and getting ready to play,” Bowen said. “There’s definitely some history here for me, which is pretty cool.

“I’ve definitely thought of it a bit. It’s pretty cool. Obviously, my dad’s a big role model in my life. Getting to play where he played for a long time, it’s pretty cool for me.”

Shawn played 15 years of professional hockey after his time with the Raiders. That included four games with the New York Islanders in the 1990-91 season and one game with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1991-92 year. He also played in Austria, England, Scotland and Italy.

“I probably started playing hockey because of him. Growing up, he was playing so I always got to watch him, be around the rink and be with the group of guys. I guess that’s what started me playing hockey,” Bowen said. “Throughout my life, he’s been a huge influence on me—obviously as a coach but also just as a person. I think we have a really good relationship and we’re really close.

“He doesn’t really push me too much anymore like when he coached me, he’s just a guy I can talk to about certain things and maybe plays or what not. It’s really good to have him.”

Bowen got that inspiration from Shawn and has never looked back.

Despite being a 17-year-old defenceman, Bowen leads the WHL playoffs in scoring with 22 points. Byram also led the WHL with 26 goals as a defenceman in 67 games with the Giants. As a result, Bowen’s been ranked anywhere from second to sixth overall for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

“It’s been really exciting as a family. He’s actually exceeded my expectations for the season, personally,” Shawn said. “Bowen’s had a great year this year. He’s only 17 and I think all of us, including myself sometimes, forget he’s that age because he’s contributed so much. We’ll see how it goes, he has a lot of work to do but he’s had a great year.”

The 2019 Rogers WHL Championship series will continue this week at the Langley Events Centre. Game 3 will be on Tuesday, Game 4 will be on Wednesday and Game 5 will be on Friday.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW