Lyle Seitz

Lyle Seitz

Some people spend their whole lives chasing their dreams, not quite ever catching up to them. Some others chase their dream, catch it and then find out that there is more to their dreams than they ever thought possible. That, in a nutshell, describes Lyle Seitz.

Lyle is our Renaissance man who found his way, not in the arts but in business. This hard working country boy can brand cattle in the morning, drive a combine [big tractor to you city folk] in the afternoon and sign a million dollar business deal over dinner, then make it home in time to put his children to bed.

Lyle never started out that way; he started out like many other aspiring officials, taking a chance, seeing an opportunity and then taking advantage of what was presented him. Not only did he take advantage of the on-ice opportunities officiating in more than 1,000 professional hockey games including 730 plus in the NHL, but he made the most of his opportunities off the ice creating a small business empire. From his first auspicious venture in Brooks, Alberta to the current business conglomerate based in Calgary he formed with his family, friends and associates, there is only one word that can describe Lyle: success.

Along the way, he has forged lifelong relationships with friends from coast to coast, making his mark with his silly grin, his smirk, his smile and my personal favorite, his self-effacing, grade-school sense of humor, which I love most of all. Many of us recall sharing many chuckles over the years about such silly things that I can only say that “boys will be boys,” even when they are men.

Lyle worked hard at his craft and has enjoyed a solid NHL career, far surpassing his initial dreams of one day just making it to the big leagues. I am proud to say I was there at the start of his NHL journey, in small apartment in Niagara Falls, both of us thrown together, not knowing where it was going, when it would end and how and if we could survive. Survive he did, with flourish, and now it is his time to move on.

And so, on April 7th in Phoenix, with his wife,Wanda, and his children Tyrah, Kye and Kale supporting him as they have over the years, he will step on the ice in front of hundreds of other family members and friends [yes, hundreds – nothing Lyle does is small scale] he will work his final NHL game capping a career that took him from Duchess, Alberta to Niagara Falls, San Diego, Springfield, Mass. and finally back home again. Along the way he had a lot of memorable experiences, shared a ton of laughs and discovered more about himself than I bet even he thought was possible. Now, he moves on, to a different career, one that fortunately will let him keep in touch with his hockey roots, with the mix of sports and business expertise that he has gained from this wonderful journey. To borrow an old axiom, “Life is a journey, not a destination” and this has been one special journey by a special man, my friend Lyle Seitz.

Mike Leggo