Raiders forward Evan Herman (left) as a little tyke playing hockey in his hometown of The Pas, Manitoba. (Submitted photo/Evan Herman)

By Jeff D'Andrea

It's the best game you can name

For the love of the game; Part one

Mar 17, 2020 | 5:00 PM

With COVID-19 news dominating every headline and putting a halt to just about every sport across the globe, now is as good of a time as any to remind ourselves why we love sports so much.

Like every other major junior hockey team at the moment, the Prince Albert Raiders are wondering whether or not their season will end. But despite it being a difficult time, members of the Raiders were kind enough to look back to the time when they first fell in love with the game of hockey.

Zack Hayes, Raiders captain

“When I was younger what made me fall in love with the game of hockey was that is how I met a lot of my friends. We were all playing against each other growing up so there was a competitive edge between us as a group. Then growing up my dad was always the coach or assistant coach so being able to do that with my dad and share that was pretty special. Then going to Flames games with my parents helped grow my love for the game. Looking up to those players and wanting to strive to play in the NHL really built my love for the game.”

Brayden Watts, Raiders assistant captain

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“I fell in love with hockey so early in life that I can’t even remember when it was. I would go to every Bakersfield Condor game that I was able to and luckily ended being coached throughout minor hockey by the players that I watched growing up. I am so fortunate to have hockey in my life as it has taken me to places and introduced me to people that I would never have been able to see and meet in my life.”

Reece Vitelli, forward

“I fell in love with hockey when I was five years old playing in the backyard on my outdoor rink that my dad built just for me. Being able to skate all the time just made me wanna play even more. I would eventually play a real game in Ste. Anne, Manitoba and it was awesome. We were called the Ste. Anne Aces. I finally was on my first team with a jersey. My favourite NHL team was the Ottawa senators and specifically Daniel Alfredsson, I would wish I could play like him every time I was on the ice. That first year made me fall in love with hockey and haven’t stopped since.”

Evan Herman, forward

“I began playing hockey at a young age following in the footsteps of my older brother Erik. Everything my brother did I wanted to do with him and hockey was one of those things. My mom and dad played a big role in the early stages of my hockey teaching me how to skate. Once I got the hang of it there was nothing I’d rather do. My grandparents always made sure to help my dad clear off the pond so we could skate at the farm because all I wanted to do was play hockey. My dad would be down at the pond with us for hours shooting pucks and drinking hot chocolate. That’s when I realized how much I truly loved hockey.”

Justin Nachbaur, forward

“I fell in love with hockey at a young age when I use to watch my dad play and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. He made me a rink on the lake so that I could skate I would be down there all day and that’s when I fell in love with hockey.”

Landon Kosior, defenceman

“What made me fall in love with hockey was the friendships and sense of brotherhood that it’s created ever since I was a kid. Going to the rink is always fun especially when you have friends and brothers there for you. I also enjoyed going to watch WHL games when I was younger and it gave me the dream to one day hopefully play in the WHL.”

Matthew Culling, forward

“I love hockey because it’s a team sport. You get to play the game all while playing alongside teammates, who are like brothers. I’ve met a lot of people through the game of hockey and most of them are still my good friends today.”

Carter Serhyenko, goaltender

“I fell in love with hockey at a young age. The sport of hockey has given me an opportunity to be with friends and have fun being on the ice. I have always loved competing in everything I do. As a goalie, I get to have a larger role in the outcome of the game, which is another thing I really enjoy. Playing hockey has been my favourite thing to do for as long as I can remember.”

Curtis Hunt, general manager

“I think everybody in my demographic, we grew up with Hockey Night in Canada. Two channels, the one T.V. was black and white. Being on the floor, laying on your stomach with your hands on your chin. You either watched Montreal or Toronto because that’s all we got. But that time in the early 70s, the best team in the world was the Canadiens. You just remember watching those teams, we watched all the games. We watched more Montreal. I’m a younger brother, so my brother owned the television… Then we played. We played in the driveway, we played in the street, we played in the tennis courts when they finally invented screened-in tennis courts, that was the best thing ever. You didn’t have to chase tennis balls. We could walk to the outdoor ice, there was outdoor ice at our school –I think I always loved it. I don’t even know if there was a time you didn’t look forward to it.”

Trevor Redden, voice of the Raiders

“Growing up as the youngest child of three boys, I was a hockey fan before I was a hockey player. My earliest memories of the rink aren’t of being on the ice but being in the stands watching my older brothers. I was the biggest fan of all their teams, and I knew every single player: their position, which way they shot, and even what kind of skates they wore. While other younger siblings were playing mini sticks in the hallways, I was always glued to the action and couldn’t get enough, living and dying on every shift. As I got older and continued playing the game myself, my love for the game grew and evolved with more understanding, but to this day I’ve never lost that fandom that grabbed hold from day one.”

On Thursday, Part 2 of ‘For the love of the game’ will feature players from the Carlton Crusaders senior girls basketball team. The Crusaders were looking to make their third straight appearance at Hoopla in the 5A Girls division before their season was cancelled.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW