Hockey host: Everett woman opens her home to Tips players

Published 12:55 pm Monday, September 14, 2009

Nellie Harris didn’t exactly fit the profile of a hockey player host family.

She had never really followed hockey.

She had raised four daughters and, in her career, had worked with unwed teen mothers. She had limited experience with boys.

Her husband, Al Harris, had just died at age 68 a few months earlier. She was living alone in the downtown Everett condo they had planned to share in retirement.

But in 2003 when she saw a newspaper article about Everett’s new Silvertips hockey team asking for host families, she applied, was accepted and has spent the past seven years absorbed by the Western Hockey League.

She started by hosting center Jovan Matic, followed by longtime superstar goalie Leland Irving, who lived with her during the hockey season for 4½ years.

Last year, she took in another goaltender, Kent Simpson, who is now in his second season in her home.

“He’s a super kid,” Harris said of Simpson, adding that being a hockey host has enriched her life. “I love family, and it’s like having family. It really gives you purpose and fulfillment, having a kid around.”

Families in the Everett area interested in being host families, known as billets among hockey folks, should apply now.

Organizers are seeking families willing to host hockey players age 15 to 20 for the 2009-10 season, which officially begins Friday and continues into spring.

While families typically include a mother and father figure for the players, anyone is welcome to apply.

Harris and Simpson, a 6-foot-2, 182-pound 17-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta, clicked when he stayed with her and Irving briefly before Simpson officially joined the team.

“She welcomed me with open arms,” said Simpson, who is a senior at Everett High School. “She’s just a happy, fun, energetic optimist.”

Harris and Simpson usually have dinner together after practice. She is sure to give him time to relax on his own, too.

“They go to school and then they go to practice, so their days are very full,” she said. “I really kind of let him have his space.”

Simpson appreciates coming home to Harris.

“It’s real easy to get along with her,” he said. “We talk about everything, anything from what’s going on in the world today to hockey to the sports on TV that night or what’s going on in her life or my life.”

Harris, who is now a huge hockey fan, said the bonds created during the long hockey seasons extend into their families back home.

She still talks to Irving’s mother every week.

“My goal with these kids is to help them succeed and meet their goals,” she said. “You have to like kids and remember that they are young people. You can’t be their best friend. That is important, and that you’re there for them.”

Harris remembers trying to be there for Simpson after a losing game against the Seattle Thunderbirds.

“They scored 10 goals against us,” Harris said. “I was just aching for him. When he came home, we just talked about it.”

Though families of all sorts become billets, including families with other kids, not everyone is cut out for it, billet coordinator Pat Jones said.

“You kind of change your life for nine months,” Jones said. “I’m not saying it’s all easy because it’s never easy with teenagers. It’s really a good experience.”

Harris doesn’t regret her decision to take in Silvertips.

“They are really good kids, most of them,” Harris said. “I never had a son. I wish I’d had a boy or two.”

Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.

Be a billet

What: Billet families, also known as host families, typically house players from late August through April or May. Families receive a monthly stipend to cover food and living expenses.

Where: Homes should not be more than 10 miles from Comcast Arena. Ideally, host families should have a private bedroom for the player and a private bathroom for the player or at least more than one bathroom in the house.

When: Organizers are looking for families now and will match players and families in the next month or two.

Who: Players from the United States, Canada and Europe are 15 to 20 years old.

How: Families do not pick players. Silvertips staff use player surveys about allergies, pets and children as well as interviews with players and families to make matches.

Information: If you are interested in becoming a billet family, see www.silvertips.com and look for host family information and applications under “The Team” pull-down menu, call 425-252-5100 or e-mail billet coordinator Pat Jones at pjones_silvertips@comcast.net.