After three seasons as the Prince George Spruce Kings athletic trainer Rick Brown is retiring.
During that time Brown has provided the glue that, literally, holds those players together whenever they spring a leak. His doctoring skills, his ability to hone the cutting edge on pair of skates and the indispensable sage advice he offers the boys on the bus is part and parcel of a Spruce Kings' team that's reached a higher plain than any other edition.
They've won their way into the national junior A hockey championship and even if they don't win a game at the five-team tournament that starts Saturday in Brooks, Alta., the Kings already have two championship trophies under their belts. They'll get their chance to play for a third starting Sunday when they play their first game against the Oakville Blades.
Brown and assistant equipment manager Jim Harder put in another long day's work Thursday that didn't end until late afternoon after they'd spent three hours washing the stink out the players' equipment Thursday afternoon after a 90-minute practice at WinSport Arena in Calgary. The good news for Brown and Harder is they no longer have to deal much with rancid gear. Laundry service is one of the perks of getting to the national tournament.
"There's a nickname everybody calls me - Laundry Boy," chuckled the 64-year-old Brown. "This trip is pretty exciting. It's gravy for all you're hard work and everything in the season. In the spirit of hockey and the Prince George hockey team, people have to just love this. It's pretty fun.
"I've been a season-ticket holder ever since I got into town in 1979 and I've always enjoyed Spruce Kings hockey, league-wise and the playoffs. I remember going to game and we broke Penticton winning steak. (That Kings' win March 2012 snapped the Vees' streak at 42 games)."
At the time, the retired firefighter was just about to begin a four-year stint as a hockey trainer with the Cariboo Cougars midget team and he made the switch to the junior ranks when he joined the Kings in 2016.
"He's very personable, he gets along with everybody and him and I have a lot of fun," said the 66-year-old Harder. "He's good with the kids. He'll snap at them and then just laugh because he didn't mean it. It's more of a joke than anything."
The grind of playing 23 playoff games over the past two months takes a toll and players require joints to be taped up before games and practices. Brown is the guy for that job and the players line up in the same order each time for the daily taping ritual.
He doesn't use a needle and thread to repair facial cuts.
"Glue works just as good as stitches," said Brown. "It's $125 a bottle and the bottle isn't any bigger than my thumb. I'll glue a player so he can get back on the ice and it only takes five minutes. We take them to the hospital after the game to get stitches and a lot of the doctors go, "No, he's fine, don't worry about it."
For Brown and Harder, their volunteer shifts for a typical road game start at 7:30 or 8 a.m., when they hang the players' gear in each stall for the pre-game skate. Then comes laundry duties and a new cycle begins to get the equipment ready for the game. By the time they are done for the day it's close to midnight.
Brown has had help from another ex-firefighter, Steve Oslund, who shares the work load, sometimes helping both teams on game days at home. Brown and equipment manager Bill Baldridge (when the Kings are playing at home) sharpens the skates. Harder can do it, but only when he has to.
"I would be kind of scared to do it," said Harder. "I did it last year because Bill was gone and I had to do (defenceman) Dylan Anhorn's because he lost an edge and I was sweating bullets the whole third period but he never fell, and he told me later they were awesome."
Harder's son Greg played 4 1/2 seasons for the Spruce Kings as a defenceman from 1993-98 and Brown used to be his minor soccer coach in Prince George. Greg now lives in Rossland and made sure to ask his dad to bring him an updated Kings hat to wear around the town and when he goes to Trail Smoke Eaters games. He played on the Kings team that won the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League title in 1996, the last time before this year the team clinched a championship trophy.
Harder started helping out behind the scenes when Malcolm Poburan was the equipment manager. Poburan died of cancer last year and Baldridge assumed his duties, with help from Harder. Harder didn't travel with the team until the last regular season road trip and has been there for all the playoff road games except for the first three games of the Doyle Cup series in Brooks, when he was away visiting his son.
"I have a pretty good winning record on the road, 12 wins and one loss, I guess that's why they keep me around, I'm a good-luck guy," quipped Harder. "I've really enjoyed it, of all the years I've been doing it this tops it off. I've never really gone on the road and it's lots of fun, I enjoy it."
Aside from the Kings' win-loss record, which in the playoffs has reached an astounding 20-3, what makes this year's team so unique is how together they are in everything they do.
"They're all going for one goal and they're all each other's best friends," said Harder. "It's not very often someone gets mad at each other. I've been with them six years now and this is the best group that gets along with each other."
A few players stand out as Brown's favourites. Jay Keranen is one of them.
"Jay's a pretty cool dude, he's always funny," said Brown. "I like Lucas Vanroboys, he's a boy right off the farm (in Ontario) and he works the farm all summer. I think Max (Coyle) is probably the strongest player.
"One thing about these guys is they're focused like crazy before the game, they're not cracking jokes or anything like that, and then after the game it's like a whole weight has been lifted off them. It's just really cool being around them, these guys are quite inspiring to all of the staff and you bend over backwards for them because they're doing everything they can to win."
Their success on the ice is a product of the hard of coaching staff Adam Maglio and Alex Evin. Brown and Harder are continually impressed with the effort Maglio puts in behind the scenes to make the team better.
"He puts in a lot of hours just going over things he wants to do in practice, everything is for the players," said Harder.
Brown found it hard to hold back the tears when the Kings hoisted the Doyle Cup Saturday after they beat the Brooks Bandits, while a sellout crowd of 2,100 Kings fans joined in the celebration. "Since I've been in hockey I've never been on a team like this, where they don't even think about the wins and losses, they just play," said Brown. "They're so focused and it's great to watch. We've got a pretty unbelievable team and I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys."
Brown knows his two grandchildren love seeing "gramps" on the Kings' bench at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena but wants to spend more time with them and the Kings travel schedule takes him away from that too often during hockey season. That's why he's packing it in after the national tournament. The Kings are currently seeking his replacement.
"There is no worst thing about being a trainer, you're just helping people," said Brown. "I've been on the team three years and I can't think of one bad moment. It's just a lot of fun and I think it keeps you young."
