Hockeybird.com: Skate With The Wolf*Pack

Last Monday night was the Wolf*Pack’s “Skate with the Team” event for season ticket holders and guests, an event anticipated all year by fans and perhaps less so by the players. For an hour and a half, players are available for photos, autographs and conversation on the ice at the Cromwell practice facility – all that is required of fans is that they lace up to join them. Recognizing that not all fans are comfortable on the ice, players cycle on and off the rink to spend time with those who can’t hit the ice themselves. This year, in addition, there was a “Shirts Off Our Back” raffle and a number of autographed Jim Craig photos awarded as well. This was my fourth time at this event.

The first few years I went, I trailed after my friend Jaime as she visited with the players. The guys all knew her from her job as a counter agent at USAir, the airline the team uses for flights to Charlotte and around the country. Several of them had figured out that kissing up to Jaime was key to free upgrades and the envy of their teammates as they stretched out in first class while the other guys suffered back in coach. In past years, we have greatly enjoyed giving guys a hard time, and occasionally being humbled by players who turned out to be far more mature than we were. Unfortunately, Jaime moved away during the offseason, meaning that I was relatively on my own not only for games this year, but also for this event.

After joking with friends at a game that I was going to ask impertinent questions of certain members of the team, mostly regarding why they are so rude to fans, I compiled a list of questions to ask the guys in a mini-interview on the ice. The questions were mostly silly and all quick to answer. Before the game, my friends Sarah and Stacy and I sat in a bar up the street and made up our list of players I wanted to talk to that night. My friend Dan, two years into law school, insisted that I tell the guys about my connection to Hockeybird before asking them questions. Damn lawyers.

Overall, the guys were great – all but a very few of them answered the questions in the spirit in which they were asked, and several wandered by later to ask how my interviews were going. At the end of all but one ‘interview’, Sarah took a picture of me with the player. I have never posted a picture of myself in this space before, hoping to preserve some sense of anonymity at games – but as you’ll see below, it turns out at least some of the guys already knew who I was. So, here you have it - pictures of Heather with the Pack Boys. Roll ‘em!

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
I love blonde hair….*trailing off with a dreamy look* my fiancee’s blonde, she’s from Minnesota.
A recent interview with Cory on the Pack site announces that he’s engaged to Jody, who apparently is from Minnesota. And blonde.

Who on the Pack would you least like to fight?
Kinch – just kidding. Jakopin, I guess.
Cory is listed as 6-0, 192. Matt Kinch is 5-11, 190. John Jakopin is 6-6, 245 with 60 PIM, the majority of which are fighting majors.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
Anything by Our Lady Peace.

Although he’s a couple years older, Cory went to school at UMaine at the same time as my younger brother Eric. The year UMaine won the NCAA championship, my brother was in the pep band and also worked as the videographer for the team. Amazingly, Cory remembers him even though they didn’t know each other socially, and always sends his greetings when we talk. Eric has a jersey signed by the entire team hanging on his living room wall, and Cory’s autograph is prominent.

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
Dunno – my wife has black hair.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”
Just two days later, the radio was playing “Thunderstruck” as I pulled into the parking lot for a game. Coincidence? I think not.

Jayme, who is 27 this year, has been a huge addition to the Pack. At 6-3, 212, his size and fighting skill has been a big help on our blueline, particularly with John Jakopin missing on a regular basis. In a game this weekend, Jayme flew to the aid of defensive partner Jamie Pushor after he got knocked down. Apparently Jayme grabbed the wrong guy, but the beating sent a message anyway – and besides, it was a Sound Tiger. Probably deserved a few whacks to the head in any case.

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
Hmm… my wife is blonde. But I know what you mean. Some of these guys (gesturing over shoulder at other players) bleach their hair too, you know.

Who on the Pack would you least like to fight?
Fight? *looking alarmed* Uhh… Mac (Jason MacDonald).

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
“Lose Yourself”, by Eminem.
Just like Billy Tibbetts....

I didn’t intend to talk to Healey – I ended up speaking with him because he was hanging out with Jakopin, and Sarah wanted to talk to John – being a good wingman, I started chatting with Paul because it felt awkward to just stand there. I don’t like Healey. Well, I didn’t like Healey, anyway. Figures he would turn out to be a great guy. Damn it.

I can see him hanging out with Jakopin – Healey will be 29 in a few weeks, and Jakopin is older as well. But Wiseman? He’s just a baby. On further reflection, though, I realized that what all these guys have in common is NHL experience before joining the Pack.

And one more random thing – out of all these pictures, Paul is the player all my female students picked out as “hot”. So there you go, Paul, you are a hit with the 16-18 year old female population. Bet your wife will be thrilled.

Better night at the office – Gordie Howe or regular hat trick?
Gordie Howe.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
What? What kind of question is that?

Oh dear. After this interview, I was left absolutely certain that Nycholat doesn’t like me. Perhaps he read some of my columns from earlier in the year, when I said I wouldn’t like him even if he saved the life of the mother of six at center ice. If so – Lawrence, read some of the stuff I’ve written since then! You’re my favorite defenseman! And as I said on Monday night, the fight with Westrum last Sunday made my week.

*sigh* On the other hand, I looked at photos of him taken with other people that night, and he has the same expression he does in the photo above – the photo that makes us look like a couple that has been interrupted in the middle of an argument by an overeager photographer at a cousin’s wedding. Perhaps Lawrence just doesn’t like fans. Or people. Or something.

Better night at the office – Gordie Howe or regular hat trick?
Gordie Howe.

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
That’s a horrible thing to say – that’s a stereotype! You shouldn’t say that!
No, he wasn’t kidding either. Scary. I have to rank Garth as one of the people in the world I least enjoy being yelled at by.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
Dunno, come back to me on that one… that’s tough.
Later on, he stopped me to say he wanted “Wild Side” by Motley Crue.

You can see from the photo that I am terrified of Garth, ready to bolt the second he makes a move.

Who do you hang out with off the ice?
Jason LaBarbera.
Well, that explains the Metallica.

I called out to Bryce as he was skating by, asking if I could kidnap him for a minute. He pulled up sharply, ears perked up, asking, “Kidnap? Where are we going?” sounding like a kid who just heard his parents mention ice cream. Startled, I tried to explain that it was just an expression.

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
*laughing* That’s a really good question! I don’t know the answer, but it’s a great question!

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
“Beautiful Day” by U2.

I was giving Dominic a hard time for going to Harvard, as our alma maters are rivals in Cambridge. To his credit, he didn’t have any problem teasing me back. Dominic is so good with people in general – open, friendly, and relaxed. I really like him – even if he did go to that little liberal arts school on the other end of Mass Ave.

Better night at the office – Gordie Howe or regular hat trick?
Gordie Howe.

Who on the Pack would you least like to fight?
The coaches – I want to play, don’t I?
I honestly don't know if he didn't understand what I meant, was being funny, or actually meant this.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
Rock and roll!

Who do you hang out with off the ice from the Pack?
Tyuts – you know Tyuts? And Dom Moore.

This may have been the funniest interview of the night. Before Juris would answer any questions, I had to show him my notebook to prove that other guys had answered the questions and therefore it was safe. I picked two I thought he would understand – after explaining them at length, I got brief answers. Thanking him, I started to put the book away, and he grabbed it, pointing to the other questions in there and gleefully demanding that I ask those as well. Juris seemed to be having a great time as a member of the Wolf*Pack, even after taking a hit to face the day before.

Better night at the office – Gordie Howe or regular hat trick?
Gordie Howe.

Why are hockey girlfriends always blonde?
The societal expectation regarding the standard idea of beauty, and a social pressure for them to conform.
Was John a sociology major in college? I don’t think I’ve ever heard a player use this many big words in one sentence before.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”

John Jakopin may be the most genuine person on earth. He has a gift for making you feel like you have his total attention when you are talking to him (perhaps because at 6-6, he has to bend down to hear you) and he always has a thoughtful response to any question. Someone tell me again, why doesn’t John have an “A”?

Better night at the office – Gordie Howe or regular hat trick?
Gordie Howe.

Who on the Pack would you least like to fight?
Cully.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
“Welcome to the Jungle” by GNR

Craig gets bonus points for remembering me from the previous week’s event, including my name and that of my friends who were with me.

By the middle of last week, that black eye had turned almost half of the right side of his face black.

Who on the Pack would you least like to fight?
*laughing* I could fight all of them.

If you could choose your theme music, what would it be?
“Master of Puppets” by Metallica.

Who do you hang out with off the ice?
Bryce, Matt Kinch, Phil Osaer, Benoit Dusablon.

I talked to Jason fairly late in the evening, as he was lounging against the boards by the benches. As I skated up to him, I offered my hand to shake his and started the intro I had been using all night: “Hi, my name is Heather and in addition to being a season ticket holder I also write for a Rangers fan site called Hockeybird.com. May I ask you some dumb questions?”

With Jason, though, he cut me off right after “Hi my name –“ with a smile, telling me he already knew who I was. Confused, I asked whether word had gotten around about the girl with the questions. Smiling even more (and surely anticipating my reaction), he commented that he reads “On the Farm” on Hockeybird.

As I stood there, trying to process all this – and frantically trying to recall if I had said anything particularly cutting about Jason over the past few years – he stood there grinning. Finally I got it together enough to start the interview, and as I was some girl I have never seen before skated up and impatiently asked Sarah why I had so many questions. Sarah told her that I wrote a column online, and the girl interrupted, shrieking, “OH MY GOD, IS THAT HEATHER? I READ HER STUFF!!!”

As Jason laughed, I stood there stupidly trying to figure out what to do next. As I did so, the adorable little girl who sits with me for part of each game skated up behind me and punched me in the butt to get my attention. Giving up, I turned and put my head on the dasher, as Jason commented (still laughing) that I seemed to be famous.

Thanks to all the guys who patiently (for the most part) answered all my questions. Benoit and Brandon get off easy because I’m not going to dignify their answers with publication. Thanks too to Bird for patiently adding in all these pictures for your perusal.

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! I wish I could have been there; if not for the skate, then at least to witness the questioning... kudos to Juris and Jason for their reactions. Glad you enjoyed yourself :D

Posted by: ortsfan2002 on March 8, 2004 01:04 AM

With all that's going on with the Rangers, it's nice to have an article that puts a smile on our faces. Even more appropriate that it focuses on the players and personalities that will be the future of our team.

Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of these guys in the coming years. (Sorry Heather -- we steal all of your best players :(

Posted by: Rightbug on March 8, 2004 11:44 AM

Heather,

What fun it must be to hang out with a bunch of players who are proud of themselves and not afraid to look their fans in the eye.

Thanks for all the interesting info. Glad you had fun. Girl, you are looking good.

Posted by: mhurley on March 8, 2004 09:36 PM

oh man, i got quite the giggle out of that. i was wondering if maybe you could send me brandon and benoit's answers, i'd be interested to see what they had to say. thanks!

Posted by: jenn on March 22, 2004 12:10 PM

LOL, I'd love to see Brandon and Benoit's answers too!!:) Great article!

Posted by: Molly on March 28, 2004 03:25 AM

Why do u talk shit about lawrence and then exspect him to like u and he does like his fans belive me i kno him he gave me a hug for no reason oh and cory didnt cry so lawrence would get traded lawrence wasnt even corys room mate in houston so obivously u dont kno shit bout cory or lawrence

Posted by: krystale doner on July 2, 2004 12:39 PM

Posted by: krystale doner on July 2, 2004 12:40 PM