The Unsung Hero

A very important and often over looked member of the hockey team is often the bus driver. Most people never see or hear about the bus driver, but when it comes to road trips he is one of the most important people. He always makes sure the bus is there on time, clean, and ready to go.

The Bulldogs recently got a new bus driver this season, as Ron "Baggsy" Sandberg decided to retire from the tiring schedule of the Bulldogs. Although we have had Ron a couple of times when the new driver couldn't make it.

The new man behind the wheel is Will Mundy (Will "The Thrill" as I like to call him). Will is from Ucluelet BC, and drives for Tofino Bus. Will is basically the man, he logs some serious time behind the wheel, can often be seen helping the guys load the bus. The bus is always warm, and ready to go on time. Will can often be seen with his beverage from Starbucks, he loves that stuff.

Will never complains, drives long hours, through the night, and in crappy weather. Will has become a huge bulldogs fan, and will do anything to help out. Even shares his internet connection on his trusty iPhone when the coaches we in need on the ferry! Will is an awesome driver, and deserves a lot of credit when it comes to the team travel. Will is always a great man to have a spirited conversation with, a good game of angry birds, and even many a meal on the Ferry.

Your the man Will!! The boys really appreciate everything you do!

Road Warriors

First of all sorry for the delay in the blog posting for those who are following it. I was battling the flu the last few days, just scraping by. Lets get you up to speed.

Life of a junior hockey player... life on the road... Road Warriors!

The boys are getting ready for stiff road stretch... This week the boys have been busy getting ready for 2 games in less than 12 hours in Powell River. The boys will hit the road Saturday morning at 8:00 am, head to Comox to get the ferry to PR. Once the players arrive they will hit rink to unload the gear, then hotel, get checked in, and head for a pre game meal at 2:30, then back to the hotel for a rest and head to the rink for 5:00. The trainers will be at the rink early getting everything ready for the boys when they arrive. If you are curious here is a picture that will give you a small glimpse of everything that we take on the road with us before I got everything packed up today I took a quick snap shot.... missing from the pic is the skate sharpener, stick bag and everything inside the medical trunk, etc. 

Today I was busy after practice getting the laundry done, back in the stalls ready for the morning to be packed up. I was also busy sharpening about 10 pairs of skates in prep for the game tomorrow night in PR. Big job.

After the game on Saturday, the guys will get some post game nutrition into them, and into bed in preparation for the 1:30 puck drop on Sunday. After the game we will load the bus and head back to Alberni Valley, arriving back around 9:30 pm, the boys may be lucking out and getting a day to rest on Monday. The team will be back on the ice Tuesday afternoon before we hit the road at 8:30 am on Wednesday to head to the interior for a 3 games in 3 nights road swing.

The schedule for junior hockey players can be very taxing, but the players must find a way to get the job done. The team does everything they can to ensure that the players have good meals along the way, comfortable accommodations, and lots of rest. The guys will be traveling to Osoyoo's for a gourmet meal at Passa Tempo on Wednesday night, then continue on to their hotel in Grand Forks. The Belerussian duo of Yan and Arty are very excited to be back in their KIJHL stomping grounds as they were members of the Grand Forks Border Bruins. They will get a chance along with their teammates to skate on Thursday morning to ensure they are sharp for the game in Trail on Thursday night.

After the game is over in Trail the team will have some post game food from the Famous Collander Restaurant on the bus as they head back to Grand Forks to sleep (arrive back at 12:30 am). In the morning the team will have breakfast and around lunch time will depart as they make their way to West Kelowna to take on the West Side Warriors. Along the way there will be a stop in Osoyoos again to have pregame meal at Passa Tempo. Josh Mitchell was eager to suggest this venue, as this is his home town. Hopefully a hometown meal will jump start him throughout the weekend.

After the game in West Side the players will hit the road and head to Vernon where they will stay the night (arrive 11:30 am). They will head to Westbild Centre to hang their gear, the trainers will return in the morning to ensure everything is ready for the game that night (sharpening skates, ensuring the room is clean, and tidy, etc).

After the game in Vernon the boys will load the bus and hunker down for the long road trip back to Port Alberni through the night. The players should arrive home around 10:30 am. The players will take a day to rest, and Monday they will be back on the ice as they get ready to play again at home against the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Tuesday. The boys will really need your support at home against Cowichan, so lets get out and support your Bulldogs!

What a schedule... sometimes people just see the players as playing a series of games and over look everything that goes into the schedule. There will be some late nights, and a lot of kms on the bus this weekend. Follow me on Twitter all weekend, and next week as I will be tweeting pictures, and behind the scenes facts right from my smartphone @hockeytrainer89, follow me for all the latest updates!

A couple big shout outs will go to Jamie Amos, my assistant equipment manager who has been with the team since its inception 10 years ago. Jamie doesn't normally do trips to the interior but he knows the team needs him so hes getting out his pillow and making the trip. Thanks Jamo!

Follow all the action live every night with Evan "The Hammer" Hammond on 93.3 the PEAK. Check out his blog for all the post game recap! http://hammersdogs.blogspot.com/

Full House at Alberni Ftness

10:45 am

Great to walk through the door and the players were already working out, I proceeded to take a survey of what guys were working on, I was impressed, and gave some guidance to a few.

Bulldogs in the gym getting a swell!

Bulldogs Walker Hyland #26 getting in a leg workout

Should be another great practice today. Everything is set and ready to go for the players. The players typically go home from the gym, grab some lunch, and will head to the rink for practice around 1:30... some people might not realize that it literally is a like a full time job to be a player in the BCHL especially for the Bulldogs. This is the meat of their day and does not even include the community work that the players do, or the vital role they play within their Billet Families.

Dressing Room Prepped for Practice.

Gotta put in the extra effort to get what you want

10:30 am

Just looking after the meals for the road trip this morning and crunching some numbers. I also have gotten some details together for the workout with the Breakfast club this morning (each day at 10:30 I go to the gym and workout with the guys... not mandatory but whoever from the team would like to go is welcome). Just headings there with a couple guys for sure this morning, should be a good sweat.

2:45 Daily Practice

2:45 Practice

Well this afternoon consisted of getting the room ready for practice with the fresh lines from the coaching staff, sharpen a few Skates, and the boys are pretty much ready to roll for practice. The guys always do a warm up before practice, get ready and get on the ice.


Practice was a "real good" skate today, the guys went through their paces with Adam and Kevin to get ready for two crucial games this weekend in Powell River

Post Practice the boys have some fun, chat it up and get ready for the Billet Potluck. Not all are having a laugh post practice as Walker Hyland opts to hop on the bike for some extra cardio, and Justin Morello was in for treatment. We hope to have him back in the line up really soon.


All in all it was a good day of practice, the boys will go home get some rest and be ready to go tomorrow and do it all over again.

10:30 Breakfast club for anyone who wants to get a little extra work in the gym with me tomorrow, Im sure there will be a few guys there for that!

 Coach Willison is explaining the basics of a drill to the players... LIVE!

Daily Life of the Bulldogs!

Welcome to the first installment of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Blog. I am Dave Campbell, BKin, RMT the Head Trainer/Equipment Manager for the Bulldogs and will be doing this blog for the rest of the season to give Bulldog fans and the BCHL fans an idea as to what it takes to be a part of the team. Some of the things I will talk about will include on ice and off ice activities and programs that the team is involved in.

Being a Bulldog is a 24-7 job, and all the players are extremely dedicated to the team, and all players have the aspiration to move on and play at the next level (NCAA, CIS, Major Junior. Pro, etc). The players are dedicated students, athletes, community mentors, family members, etc. Follow my daily blogs and come behind the scenes to get a glimpse of what goes on. I will be taking questions throughout the rest of the season and will do my best to provide the answers. Hope the fans will enjoy this segment for the rest of the season. You may also want to follow me on twitter @hockeytrainer89 as I will frequently give updates on what is going on with the team from there.

This Morning the players were up and at em early in the gym at Alberni Fitness... Alberni Fitness is a key sponsor of the Bulldogs, they have a great facility and fantastic staff. They play an important role as they give the players a chance to improve themselves off the ice, to make themselves better on the ice. Kenny and Tric, are great to the Bulldogs and the appreciate that. We also just did Yoga last week with Nomi Samson, she is a personal trainer at the gym, and wanted to help us out by doing Yoga with us twice a week. This is a great way to increase flexibility and decrease the risk of injury (two major things for hockey players). The players were in the gym with me, and we facilitate a team work out in two groups starting at 8:00 sharp. The players worked very hard this morning and are excited for practice today after they had the day off the ice, working on a plyometric circuit and quick feet agility stations.

2:45 ice session, should be a high tempo practice.