As the boys varsity hockey season kicks off, the roster has been released and the team is ready to go on the ice. However, there is a part of the roster that most people may not know about; the team managers which are two students at Chelsea High School. Their jobs include attending all the games, traveling with the team, taping hockey sticks, making Gatorade for the team, recording stats, and filming the games.
“I’ve been a manager since my freshman year,” senior Richard Montoye said. “Being a manager started just from having friends on the team and when I heard they needed a manager, I signed up because it sounded cool. The most fun part is just being with the guys every game and traveling to Gaylord for the weekend tournament.”
After three years of experience, Montoye enters his final season as a manager. This year will be different for him. Not only is this his last year to be a manager, but he also has new team managers joining him who don’t have nearly the same amount of experience as him.
“I have very little hockey experience,” sophomore Sam Forehand said. The only experience I have with hockey is that I know how to skate and my little brother plays. I’ve thought about playing hockey but figured it was too late to join, so I never did.”
Forehand hasn’t had a lot of time around the sport but others have had their routines that have lasted years. For example, the players enjoy listening to music in the locker room to set the tone and get ready for their game. The managers also have a fun and unique routine in their pregame puck stacking tower which is just grabbing the hockey pucks and making a tower as big and tall as possible just like you would with cup stacking.
”We make puck towers before every game. It’s just a fun routine to bond together as we work together to make the biggest tower we can with the pucks that we have,” Forehand said. “Once we get done with our pregame work we listen to music and hang out with the team.”
While being a hockey manager is a job, it is also a great opportunity to spend time with friends and build new connections with players and coaches. The job has become a winter hobby for those who become hockey managers, which is great to go out and do something weekly. It’s a good balance of business and fun.
“I’ve always wanted to be a manager because I have a lot of friends on the hockey team, I also just wanted to do something over the winter since I don’t play a winter sport. When the opportunity opened up, I took the job,” Forehand said. “I saw many benefits such as getting paid, getting team clothes, and just being with the team.”
Having the team managers has created many great bonds with the team since the managers travel with them for every game, to the point where it feels like they are other teammates. These managers are a huge part of the team.
“They’re like secondary teammates except they don’t play, they’re just friends, they really motivate us before games and I’m really glad we have them a part of the team.” junior Lucas Milne said. “Without them, the team could fall apart.”
