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/