SPHL Knoxville Ice Bears

Ice Bears update

March 14, 2005 - SPHL (SPHL)
Knoxville Ice Bears News Release


As I sat there beside Terry Dunbar after our final regular season home game of the season this past Saturday surrounded by fans, children & game night volunteers my mind began to drift back to my younger days......

I remember being a young, wide-eyed kid led by the hand with my father onto to the ice after a Peterborough Petes home game in the OHL Major Junior A hockey league. The year was 1989 and I was 7 years old. My father and I had seasons tickets to the Petes and every Thursday night of the year I looked forward to watching my favorite players. This particular night was "Meet the Players" night, similar to what the IceBears have done on a few occasions this year. As we made our way around the ice getting my trading cards & program signed, shaking hands and having pictures taken I came up to a table with Petes captain Mike Ricci and a rookie defenseman sitting at it. As Ricci quickly signed my card and moved onto the next group, the young defenseman took the time to shake my hand, sign my trading card and say, " what's your name little fella'?" you can imagine just how small I was at age 7 by looking at my "full grown" height now.) " I'm Mike." I mumbled, a little shy and intimidated by this taller and much bigger individual than myself." Nice to meet you Mike. My name's Doug. Doug Searle."

I think that is an amazing example of just how much hockey has to offer beyond the dressing room, the arena and the games. That little story happened 16 years ago in my hometown and here I am today, sitting across the dressing room from that very defenseman who gave me the time of day way back then. (this is not a poke at Dougie's age either..... as far as I know he turns 26 on the 21st of March...?) This season in Knoxville is very comparable to that event 16 years ago. I have met so many unforgettable people and families this year and I have been reassured that devoting my life to hockey was the right decision. I know I speak for every hockey player when I say this as well; hockey brings people together over a common ground, the love of the game. Whether you're a player, coach or a fan; we all have the love of the sport in common and it will always be that way. So here's to the 2003-2004 Knoxville IceBears; their fans, their organization and the many friendships and relationships that have been born throughout the season.

**just a side note about my "full-grown" height comment.... I think I've been having growing pains lately so look out!**

Anyways.... enough with the sappy stuff, let's get down to some interesting material. I have received an amazing amount of feedback after my last article and all kinds of requests and suggestions. One of the more common ideas was for me to touch on some of the "superstitions" or "rituals" that this years team go through before games or practices. Just to touch on that subject before I embarrass some of the guys by telling their routines, I think that most of what the fans refer to as "superstition" is merely a "routine" for us as players. On game day most of the guys will just do things that they are used to and that they know will give them the best opportunity to perform at the highest level possible later that night. For example, a standard pre-game meal and nap are generally a given for every player. By eating properly and getting the right rest before a game we will be able to rely on our bodies physically to be able to function in the ways we need them to. HOWEVER..... there are a fair share of players who's pre-game "routine's" go far beyond comfort and allow them to be categorized as "superstitions".

I will begin with Jamie Ronayne, our goaltender. Jamie has a very strict pre-game routine when he is starting in goal that begins the night before the game. He will religiously go to the YMCA and sit in the steam room to get loosened up before having a solid meal and into bed. Nothing strange about that right? Well on game day (or any other actually now that I think of it) Jamie is quite particular about a few things. For instance, while watching television if someone turns up the volume and allows it to land on let's say 23; Jamie will grab the remote and bump it up to 25 or back down to 20. He can only have it in increments of 5! When he wakes up from his nap (and this is only after he goes to Ruby Tuesday's every single game day @ 11:45 sharp) Jamie will show up at the rink around 2 hours before the game, usually with a StarBucks coffee and a crossword puzzle. A massage and a chiropractic adjustment later (thanks to our absolutely stellar masseuse Rusty and chiropractor Doc Bennett) and Jamie is ready to get dressed. In order to save time and I will admit that I don't watch "BFG" too closely when he's changing, I will skip the details of him putting on his equipment. When he hits the ice however, this is all public knowledge. During the national anthem Jamie will tap his skates on the ice methodically and tap his glove on his cup 3 or 4 times, listen and you may hear it. After the anthem he will stand facing the back of his net about 4 or 5 feet outside his crease (and don't skate between him and his net!! Ask his roommate Marcus Forsberg about that!) Jamie has been accused in the past of "talking to" or "checking on" his posts. Maybe it's because he wants to maintain as good relationship with them because, what's a good goalie with good posts? James will constantly turn around to check his posts, often bobbing his head around at them and it appears as if he speaks a special goalie/post dialect. (watch him next playoff game, you will notice him doing this A LOT). Jamie also has a fairly odd routine of what some fans call "dancing". It's sort of a waddle that he does at the top of the crease during stoppages..... anyways, you start to get the point I'm sure. Whatever it is that James does out of superstition it has obviously helped him as he has had a successful and lengthy pro career including being a huge part of our success this year. (****Including losing 4 of the last 5 games of "rebound" at the end of practice!!!****)

Another personal routine that you may find interesting is that of #4 Curtis Menzul (or in HannerLand, Curtain Menzulia). Menzy will get to the rink and insist on having me throw rolls of plastic and white tape to him in front of his stall. He will then proceed to get changed and meticulously tape his sticks in the exact same pattern every single night. He follows this up by relaxing in the training room with a newspaper and some heating pads to get loosened up before game time. This is quite relaxing compared to the routines of Craig Desjarlais and Matt Moore who sit in a freezing cold tub full of ice water for 5 minutes to get their legs ready. And trust me, this water is freezing cold..... thank god for T's wiley veteran paper cup trick eh' Mooreu ??

A fairly odd pre-game routine from my past may interest some of you I think. I played some of my junior hockey for a team called the Lindsay Muskies, who were owned by the Roger Neilson before he passed on and left his legacy to hockey. Being the Muskies, during our playoffs we had a huge, raw fish passed around the dressing room with each player kissing it for good luck. Quite smelly and unappealing considering we kissed the same fish for 6 rounds of playoffs only to bow out to the Brampton Capitals (who happened to have a young d-man named Matthew Moore playing for them!).

Whereas goalies all seem to be a little crazy in their preparations and rituals, I'd imagine you have to be a little bonkers to want to be a goalie. I mean come on, what kind of person decides they want to have small frozen chunks of rubber shot at them with their job being strictly to be hit with them???? I think coach Jim Bermingham summed it up quite well earlier in the year when during a practice one of the guys had the puck hit a bump in the ice and accidentally hit Dunny in the head with the puck. Most of us laughed and Bermy said, "only in hockey does someone get hit in the head with a puck and have everyone laugh." Other interesting preparations and superstitions that are more team-oriented include us listening to Metallica's "Whiskey in the Jar" before warm-up and then Al Pacino's speech from the movie "Any Given Sunday" called "Inches" before we go out for the start of the game. Warm-Up also bring a lot of ritual and routine to the IceBears. The same drills, the same shots and the same players doing the exact same things will go on before every game. T-Mac will stand at center ice after our final drill and feed the pile of pucks out to the rest of us Daisy will stand in the corner after our half-circle shooting and feed the pucks back us in the slot. After warm-up and before we head onto the ice for period there is a specific order in which we go out; the same players in the same order and usually more times than not the same things being said in encouragement, like T-Mac saying " we ready boys?" just before we hit the ice. Routine and superstition take up a lot of athletes mental and physical game day preparations and this years team and it's players are no exception.

Well I guess that about sums it up for me this time...... I hope you enjoyed the article again as I got lots of great feedback for the previous one. Keep on coming to the website and showing up @ the rink in your jerseys, t-shirts and ummmm, capes? We've had an unbelievable season thus far but the hardest part is soon to be upon us in the form of hard-hitting, intense and entertaining playoff hockey..... there's nothin' like it! I have no doubt we will have lots more to talk about after this journey comes to an end with T-Mac finally being allowed to touch a trophy and carry it around for our fans to see. That day is fast approaching and I guarantee we will have more than just the love of hockey in common when it comes.... and that is smiles that will all be as bright as Riley Searle's favorite shiny ruby red slippers that she wore to drop the puck on Saturday!

Any comments? Email Deborah Sims at dsims@knoxvilleicebears.com

Until next time.....

Mike Craigen

Playoff Date Set for the Knoxville Ice Bears

Your Knoxville Ice Bears are proud to announce that Game One of the second Round of the SPHL Playoffs will be Friday Night March 25th at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Doors open at 6:30, Game Time 7:30. Tickets are on SALE NOW!! At the Ice Bears Office 865-525-7825, The Coliseum Box Office or starting Tuesday at all Ticketunlimited locations including online and 865-656-4444. For Group information contact John Scott @ jscott@knoxvilleicebears.com .

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