Depending on whether it’s a Friday or Saturday game we start off the day with a pre game skate or walk. Our pre game skate is usually at 11 giving us enough time to sleep in. It’s a quick 20 minute skate that helps to wake us up in the morning. Players can then use the extra ice time to work on personal things such as stickhandling or shooting. The drills are the usually the same every week including the famous “Bob’s Your Uncle” drill. If we had a game the night before we generally don’t skate and take a walk instead. The walk takes place between 10 and 11 and is just a quick stroll around the Safeway parking lot. The highlight of these walks however is the rookie creek jump. This year there have been many great attempts but nobody has made it across. Drew George attempted to jump and grabbed a branch like a young Tarzan but failed, followed by Pat McGillis who unfortunately lost a sandal in the event. Brendan Persley brought a tube and still managed to get submerged in the water. The walk and the skate are both just there to get us out of bed and woken up a little bit.
After the walk or the skate the rest of the day is our time to prepare for the game. There is the Quizno’s crew…Connor and Kellen Jones, Bryce Kakoske, Adam Thompson, Graeme Gordon, Kevin Kraus, Braden Pimm, Rob Short, and occasionally myself. They use this time to grab a good lunch and be with the boys for about 30 minutes. I personally prefer to go home to either eat some breakfast of a homemade sandwich and some NHL 10. After a few games I like to get a nap in, bringing me to my pre game meal.
Most of us eat our pre game meal around 2:30 allowing for time to work it off before the game. Graeme and I choose to eat chicken alfredo before every game cooked to perfection by our billet mom. Others choose to eat other forms of pasta or the classic chicken and rice, any meal that will give you enough energy for the game.
After pre game meal, I like to relax for another hour or so. When it gets closer to game time I grab a shower and put one of my suits on and head to the rink. We have to be at the rink by 5 or if it’s an away game to the bus usually leaves between 3-4 depending on where we go.
At the rink we change out of our suits and into our warm up gear. We use the extra couple hours before the game to tape our sticks and mentally prepare. The Jones’s and Rob Short use this time to stick handle up top, me and a few others like to hang in the stands and chat, and the rest of the team plays “sewer ball” to warm up. After that we do a team warm up and then it’s game time where we try to put on a show for you fans!
Hope to see you all at our next home games!
