There are a lot of good things that come from hockey and the events surrounding the game and in the next couple of blogs I will talk about a few of those area’s. The first and possibly most valuable aspect that comes with hockey is friendship and the relationships you build with fellow teammates, coaches, owners and team representatives, billets and of course the fans. These relationships make lasting impressions and while sometimes they’re not always positive, I think it’s important to experience them first hand.
When it comes to making friends, there is no easier way to meet people and build relationships than being stuck on a team full of twenty-four “beauties”. Sometimes personalities clash but you learn to accept things and come together as a team. I personally find it challenging to meet people and engage in conversations but being on a team makes it really easy. Almost all of my friends are ex hockey teammates and I have even been fortunate enough to play with some guys that have been drafted in the NHL. I personally believe the best thing about hockey is the friendships you make, the people you meet and the life lessons you gain from experiences in hockey. Obviously last year I was blessed with the opportunity to win a National Championship and had probably the best year of hockey in my life. I will always remember last year and the guys on the team from the Captain Chris Crowell down. I got to be apart of probably the “most lethal defense core” in junior hockey and played in front of two awesome goalies. Cody Ikkala and I had good chemistry as Defense partners as well, which is important in keeping the pucks out of our net. However, that is in the past. This new season has introduced me to a lot of new people and 19 games into the year, I have already made some good friendships. Garret Noonan and I have developed a strong D partner bond, a bond that is strong enough that he now just acknowledges me as “partner”. The team really has a lot of good personalities and a good makeup of everything needed to be successful. I think a large part of that is due to our awesome coaches Jason Williamson and Mark Ferner.
Now I am not trying to just suck up to the coaches. They really are awesome mentors that instill the right attitudes for winning and instruct us to be better as hockey players, but also as individuals in life outside of hockey. Ferns makes the hockey rink a fun place to be and it makes everyone want to be at the rink, ready to practice hard and play harder in the games. Ferns may be plummeting down the team ping-pong rankings, but the fact that he’ll enjoy a game of ping-pong in front of the whole team in the room is truly something special. Willy is usually doing to dirty work behind the scenes, but I have gotten the opportunity to witness them as a doubles tandem and been surprised to say the least. In hockey its important that your coaches are respected by the players because then working hard doesn’t really feel like working hard, its more of just a way to go about things on a regular basis. I distinctly remember the first time I met Willy and Ferns when they recruited me two years ago and was impressed right of the bat. It was an easy decision to come to Vernon just because of the coaches, let alone the great city, great fans and the great arena.
Dr. Duncan Wray truly is one of the greatest guys I have personally ever met in my whole life. He makes it a treat to be on the Vipers and is a very kind, approachable man. I also remember meeting Duncan for the first time when I came for my fly down as we ate at Boston Pizza before the Vipers home game that Friday night. I remember laughing with my Dad at the amount of diet Coke he drank, but more seriously, he told us that one of his greatest enjoyments in hockey was watching us young men gain scholarships and move on in life. Duncan has been known to take some awesome pictures with his ridiculously big camera and is always around contributing to the team in some way. This summer I met two players that had once previously played for Vernon and they both asked me if Duncan Wray was still around. It just goes to show how special he is, as he made lasting impressions on the two players, impressions great enough to be remembered years later. I can’t forget mentioning Heidi, Todd Miller, Don Klepp (Klepper), Rod Knopp, Lon Fraser and Hoon as well. They are all great people as well and make the team what it is, whether that’s marketing the Vipers, being the Voice of Vipers, running study halls to help out the guys in classes or just taking care of injuries and equipment.
Lastly, I am left to talk about our supportive fans and my loving, care giving Billets. Here in Vernon, we are lucky enough to have the best fans in the league. Last year really made a mark on me in regards to the fans, as the whole National Champion RBC Cup fever struck the city of Vernon. The town parade and the goodbye celebration in the arena after words was a spectacle that will always last in my memories. My other favorite fan moment amongst the many was playing in the Civic arena, which was sold out for warm-up in game 1 and 2 of the Doyle Cup. I remember getting chills the whole game as the fans were ridiculously loud, yelling at the opposing goalie or celebrating our two wins that led to a sweep and a birth to the National Championship. My billets are amongst the fans in every home game and occasionally the close away games against the rivals like Salmon Arm and Westside. The sacrifice they make to have me in their home and to support me in my hockey endeavors is really special. I can’t thank them enough for all the support, nourishment and the overall great hospitality they offer to me. A general thanks goes out to all the Billets as I myself, would probably find it very difficult to allow a stranger into my home for a full season.
Hockey has been apart of my life since as long as I can remember. It isn’t hard to look back and remember all the great experiences I have enjoyed because of hockey and for that, I encourage everyone to start their kids up in hockey or another great team sport. Great relationships are built due to hockey. There really isn’t much better than living in Vernon, playing hockey for a Junior A dynasty and just overall living “the dream”.
