With the closest team in their division being an eight-hour drive away, the Spruce Kings are all too familiar with their bus.
Being in the Mainland Division means a lot of trips down south, and with Wenatchee joining the league the number of kilometres is only going up. On road trips this season, the televisions on the bus have come in handy. In the past four weeks (one of those was at home) the team has blasted through three and a half seasons of Suits. The team knows the jingle pretty well, as every time a new episode begins the bus erupts in humming, and singing of the introduction song.
While watching TV is popular, it's not the only thing done on the bus. The team likes playing a card game called President, where the first person to use up all the cards in his hand is the president, and the last player with cards in his hands is the janitor. Just to keep the janitors on the bottom of the totem pole, the rule is that the next round the janitors have to give the president their best two cards, and the president in return offers up his two worst cards (cards are ranked with 3s being the lowest, and 2s being a wild card that can end a round).
Then of course the most popular activity is sleep. Especially on trips home where the bus doesn't pull in until 3 a.m. or later. Veterans have the luxury of the bunks stacked in the beds, but the rookies get to deal with their two seats. Some do their best to get comfy on the two seats, while others give up and decide to stretch out on the floor. Some of the guys have even started bringing foamies to lay on the floor. On a moving bus it's still not the most comfortable, and good luck trying to get to the rear of the bus where the bathroom is with bodies across the floor.
The players taking classes also take the time to work on their homework. Often you see laptops and papers strewn across a player as the bus rumbles on. The worst though is when the players arrive home at four in the morning and come to the realization that they have class in four hours. There is usually some grumbling and complaining at that point, but the student-athletes do their best to focus on school as well as hockey. Forward Cavin Tilsley even keeps the game-play handouts in his binder and reads them at every chance he gets.
The players will have their phones out during day trips, and with outlets at every set of seats, the selfie game never has to end.
On a general bus ride there are anywhere from two to four stops. The first one is usually in 150 Mile House, where a gas station lets the players get food to tide them over during the rides. Then along the way there are more food/bathroom breaks, and the occasional sit-down dinner if the trip is long enough.
Bus rides may not sound the most appealing, but players say it's a great time to bond with their teammates, and come playoff time when bus rides are common for all teams, it's the Spruce Kings who have the advantage after so many themselves.
Ryan Lepper is communications director/broadcaster for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
