Mike Reagan reached his 1,000th SJHL game as a coach on December 13, 2025, and he wasn't aware he had achieved that milestone.
"My first assistant coach notified me or got the ball rolling on it. Clayton Quinn was my first assistant coach, and we were teammates when we played for the Flin Flon Bombers, so it was fitting that he was my first-ever assistant coach," Reagan said on The SportsCage.
"He's like, 'Rags, how many games have you coached in? And you know what your record is?' I thought it was strange at first. I'm like, 'Why is Quinny messaging me right now?' I thought I knew I was above 900, I didn't know that I was approaching a thousand, I thought that was next year or the year after. It means a lot to come from him that he's the guy who recognized it first, and it means a lot to me. I wouldn't be sitting here today without Clayton Quinn."
Flin Flon defeated the Battlefords North Stars 6-3 in game number 1,000 Reagan coached. He was asked if he recalled the first game that he coached with the Bombers.
"I don't remember game number one, but I remember the first five games and how things went. I think we won our first game, then we lost three in a row, you can feel the heat, and I started to get a little bit nervous," Reagan recalled.
"I tell a story that we lost three in a row, people would avoid me on Main Street, they would literally walk across the street rather than talk to me. Then we actually won four in a row, I believe. The same people who were walking across the street before are coming and saying, 'I knew you could do it.' I'm thinking about two weeks ago when you walked across the street to avoid me. I love being in a passionate community that loves their Bombers."
Initially, Reagan played for the Bombers from 1996 to 2000 before becoming their head coach in the 2007-2008 season. During the 2023-2024 season, he won the CJHL and SJHL Coach of the Year awards. Internationally, he won three medals at the World Junior A Challenge. The first was a gold in 2015 when he was the Canada West video coach, and in 2017 he won his second gold as their head coach. His next medal came in 2024, when he helped Canada West win bronze in the WJAC tournament.
"I think back to your question about what I am most proud of. The ability to move guys on and help them with their careers," Reagan said. "But also, be consistent and be in the playoffs year-in-year-out and be a threat."
The Bombers have clinched a playoff spot in the SJHL, and Reagan was asked how he can keep his team sharp going forward.
"Something that we've talked about a lot, gone back on past experiences that we've done and then some things that we'd like to improve on and we're trying to get over that hump. We've been to the league finals, I think three out of the last four years or five years, and we're starving for a championship," Reagan said.
"We've talked to a lot of different people who have had experience winning championships and how we can do things a little bit differently. It's about getting healthy, staying healthy, and giving ourselves the best chance to win in the playoffs. We know we're going to be there; the rest is as important as finishing off the season strong."
